change and blessings

Currently, I am sitting in the living room at 8:35am, and I am completely and utterly alone. Would you believe that both my boys are sleeping?? This is completely unheard of...well, not so much for the hubs, who's work hours begin at 5am (he would sleep all day if he could); but my son? he almost NEVER sleeps this late. I am enjoying a cup of coffee while watching the food network - instead of one of his shows :)

Well, I have already made it public, so I suppose it's time to 'announce' I am expecting. Our baby will be here December 27 and we couldn't be more excited! We are pretty certain it's a girl, but I suppose some things aren't always as they seem? We had an ultrasound at 13 weeks, which is earlier than they normally give. At that visit, we told the tech we wanted to find out the sex if they were able to see clearly this early. She was confident that the baby was a girl and told us so 3 times! So...until my next ultrasound, we are settling on a girl :) Little miss, will share a birthday month with her mommy, just like Lincoln does with his daddy, which is pretty special in my mind.

In other news, our new house should be ready in September. With a new home comes a lot of new things and we are busy weeding through our stuff deciding what to keep/sell/donate, and making lists on all the new stuff we need to get. Craziness is all I can say.

With all that said, I couldn't be more excited about everything! God is so good and through all this change and growth, his presence and guidance is so evident. We are a blessed family.

new beginnings

Wow, God is so good! My lovely sister is expecting her first baby in November and she just found out yesterday that she is having a girl! I, of course, new she was having a girl from day one :)
We are beside ourselves with excitement and I just can't wait to meet my beautiful niece!

In other news, we bought a house! So excited about finally finding something and having somewhat of a plan. Our new house is just that - new! So, it won't be ready until September, but we are definitely happy to have the extra time to prepare everything for a move, not to mention we won't have to move in the dead of summer.

I know I have been a poor blogger, but will try to update a little more now that my schedule isn't as crazy. I know a certain someone will enjoy the updates :)

jeopardy and nail polish

Okay, so my husband is in love with Jeopardy. In fact, he records the show so that he can watch it whenever he wants and fast forward through all the commercials. The funny thing? He's actually incredibly good at it - he is like this vessel of useful and sometimes useless information just stored up. He retains information the way a sponge retains water - it's quite amazing.

So my original point? We were watching said show last night, and one of the contestants was a young girl. During the mini interview process at the beginning (which we also normally fast forward), Alex was asking her about her blog. She explained that she had a blog about stupid nail polish names. Really? Did she just say she blogs about stupid nail polish names? Okay...I was so curious I just had to google it/her!

I spent the next half hour reading through THE. MOST. HILARIOUS. POSTS. EVER! You wouldn't have known it by watching Jeopardy, but this girl is amazingly clever and writes the most hysterically witty material. If you're looking for a good laugh and enjoy sarcasm, check it out here.

new arrival

It's here - it's finally here! My piano has arrived and I am beyond excited about it! When I was really young, my parents surprised me and my siblings by trading in our old piano (which we all played at the time) for a beautiful, upgraded Yamaha. It was - and still is - in stellar condition. Because I was the only one who kept playing and took my music to the professional level, it was only fitting that the piano go to me. My parents always told me that it was mine whenever I was ready for it...how sweet :)

I was planning to wait until we moved so that we would have sufficient space for it, but my parents are renovating their home and the piano was either going to storage or coming to my house. That was an easy decision! After taking some serious measurements and adjusting the dining room furniture just a bit, we were ready for the new arrival. It's as if the piano was meant for this space all along.

I'm not the only one excited to play...

February in a nutshell

I'm such a bad blogger. No excuse. Well, honestly, yes - February was craziness. My husband and son both have birthdays that follow Valentines day, so the planning was a bit excessive. Additionally, we had some family from out of town who stayed with us for a few days. All in all, it was a great, but very busy month!

Speaking of my sons birthday, he turned 3 on February 28th. I still remember that beautiful day....ahhh, time goes by so fast! Anyway, remember way back when, when I talked about doing a sweet shop party? Well, I did just that. It wasn't extravagant or anything, but it turned out pretty special and all the kids had a great time. I do think next time I'll offer a disclaimer to moms: warning: your children WILL eat too much candy and they WILL have an extreme sugar high and you may NOT ask me to babysit directly following the event ;)

here are some pics of our little gathering:

Lincoln and his friend, Tyler, hugging it out

A very special gift...something having to do with Cars :)

Here is our dessert table...
The "ice cream cones" are actually cupcakes baked into the cone. It was the absolute best idea for the entire party. It was so easy for all the kids to handle without the help of their parents and without the mess of actual ice cream. They loved it and it was entirely too easy! My inspiration? Betty Crocker

Lincoln received a very special gift from his Grandpa Steve who was visiting from Florida! To say he was spoiled is a serious understatement!

What does this month hold? Stay tuned...we are looking to move and have other exciting plans in the works!

my thoughts on relationships

Coming off a busy week - and weekend. Days seem to come and go so quickly sometimes, which makes me realize how important it is to slow down and take in each moment for what it is. Savoring each conversation, experience, and moment, that weaves through the unique relationships I hold; this is something I've been practicing this past year. I want to make the most of my time, which means making the most of my relationships.

I've learned that relationships are nothing without first making my relationship with Christ the most important. Investing my time with him is something to strive for on a daily basis, which I so often fall too short. It's hard to isolate a time in the day where I can be still and know that HE IS GOD. Having a special prayer time - not just me talking while going about the daily routine, but actually sitting down to spill my heart before him - this has proven to be hardest for me, but always reaps the greatest benefits. Intimate conversation with a friend is something that brings  us closer together; why would it be any different with Jesus?

My second priority has to be my family. The challenge here isn't finding the time to be together, but rather, using the time we have and turning it into positive, relationship building experiences. Sometimes I just want to come home and sit in front of the TV for a couple of hours, which isn't all bad all the time. But, each moment - each experience - how many do we have? If I've been able to at least share my day with my husband and actually listen to his re-cap of the day, then I consider this a small but significant piece of our marriage puzzle. Each conversation can lead to another, and this is where the bonding and building begins. We have also found some common interests and activities that we enjoy doing together. For us, sometimes it's cooking, and other times it's walking to the park together as a family. We can sit, talk, and enjoy, and Lincoln can run his legs off...definitely a win/win! The bottom line for me is not to make a big ordeal into finding a special time where we can connect and have that deep, eye-opening, conversation, but to find solace and blessings in all the little moments we share together. They all have meaning and purpose, and each moment is a blessing.

Beyond family, I am blessed to have special friendships and so thankful that God has filled those voids in my life with just the right people at just the right time. Through many moments and circumstances I have been through, I have realized that friendships come and go - for various reasons - and it's so important to invest in each others' lives to the fullest. Obviously, we can't all be best friends with one another, nor would I want to be best friends with every girl I meet! But, each person that comes into my life, God has a reason and a purpose for. It may or may not be that we were destined to be close-knit kindred spirits, but there is a reason. I may have something to offer them - a listening ear, a chair at a table for dinner, $4 for a coffee, or maybe just companionship and prayer at a time when they are desperately in need of it. But, it's in blessing others that I in return have been blessed and grow closer to Christ. Some of these invested relationships have, for me, lead to wonderful friendships with dear sisters, and others, not so much. Sometimes, I think, investing in someone else can bless them in a way that I may not understand, and that's okay. Do it all for the glory of God.

In the busyness, I try to remind myself (and sometimes still forget!) not to allow daily tasks like cleaning, cooking, laundry, and sometimes even work, to come before experiencing the joy to be had in each moment I have to look at my sweet child's face, in each cup of coffee or lunch-date I share with a new (or old) friend, and in each laugh or cry I can share with someone, which has the added benefit of growing even stronger yet another relationship. It's in each of these moments that I experience blessing upon blessing, and with that comes extreme gratitude for all these gifts that this poor soul is so undeserving of.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

7 Principals for Investing Your Life

I just love our pastor - he's just pretty amazing and it's so evident that God is using him in a mighty way!

A couple of weekends ago he preached a message and gave a list of 7 principals for investing your life. I thought it was really useful, and something that I wanted to apply. So, the idea of me re-posting this is for my benefit, although I definitely think anyone with a desire to have a personal relationship with Christ and use their gifts to glorify him would also benefit :)

Here they are:

1. Ownership: Everything I have belongs to God

2. Allocation: God has given me some talents

3. Accountability: God expects me to use those talents

4. Utilization: It is wrong to bury what God has given me

5. Motivation: Fear keeps me from using my talent(s); the three parts of fear are categorized as self-doubt, self-pity, and self-consciousness. "The fear of man is a snare"

6. Application: If I don't use it, I'll lose it

7. Realization: If I use it wisely I'll be rewarded