e blinks...

Captured on iPhone

2012-01-28T21:37:00.000-06:00

I'm sure I could find plenty to write about but after updating Parke's scrapbook for 2 hours today I thought I would just post my iPhone pic's that capture some of my favorite times. On the baby girl news...I am nesting at time but in a different way. There are a few things that have to be done every day or I get a little on edge...like sanitize the sponge, clean the sink and countertops, all dishes put away at night so I start the day fresh (which always happened anyway...do you know who I live with). See, they are just little but they kind of drive me crazy when they aren't done. We are also going through our little minds to see how exactly we are going to fit baby girl and all her "things" in this house. I'm actually excited to stay here and have our family expand in this house. I'm excited to see it work and be flexible and a little "out of sorts" with it all. We'll figure it out...no biggie. We are almost decided on her first name but middle name is a tough one! Any help is welcome. Oh yeah, and she's growing...and I'm growing.

Sick Baby with Hand Foot Mouth. He felt miserable.

Ice Cream treat because he has Hand Foot Mouth...he is dancing to music as well.

Just woke up from his nap. He likes to cuddle for a while after.

This is not posed. Both boys working on electronics...same exact pose!

Parke will do anything to "shave" like daddy. This is a bath toy with a motor. He walks around shaving.

He loves to put shoes on and has recently advanced to 2 shoes at the same time!

Let's read to the animals! We sometimes sit on a blanket to read. It makes it a little more fun somehow.

I don't know but this happens often.

Painting. He loves this.

Donut date with Mom. Turns out, he doesn't care for donuts.

He told me he was "hiding".

At the Dallas Aquarium. We were in the tunnel under the water!

That's about all! Fun little pic's to capture our every day "blink" moments. I love this boy!

It's A Girl!!

2012-01-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning

We had a sonogram the Wednesday before Christmas weekend. I asked her to write the gender on a card so we could open it Christmas morning with our little family of 3! Blake and I were CONVINCED it was another boy. We probably could have even named him the next day. We love the boy world of Parke and just enjoy him so much it was hard to fathom a little pink world! I wish the picture above was Blake and I's face when we opened the envelope! We were in pure shock-joyous shock! We were giddy and couldn't believe it. We asked Parke if it was a boy or a girl and his answer was "girl" before we opened the envelope! I have to say though- he will repeat whatever the last word of your sentence is so since it was girl we had a pretty fair shot of him being correct. We also had the sonographer write it on a second envelope and hid it in the Shipley's house. We text them Christmas morning to tell them where to find it....they didn't rise as early as we did so it was a couple hours later! We repackaged our card and had my parents open one as well. It was a fun morning of surprises.

My mom had bought presents for a boy or girl. We got to open the girl package! We are still hoping whatever sono. we have next says the same thing but for now, we are believing this baby is a little girl. We are scrolling through girl names with most of them ending with a resounding "no". Thankfully we have months to decide! We are thrilled and think Parke will be a perfect big brother to this little one. I need to upload pic's from Christmas to tell you a little story that was so sweet about him being a big cousin to his new baby Emma (my new and only neice).

We are thrilled and will be praying for this sweet girl. I can't even imagine what she will look like since Parke came out the spitting image of Blake. Maybe, just maybe I have a chance. We'll see.

Hope ya'll had a Merry Christmas. I'll upload pic's soon to share our Christmas joy with everyone. Oh and if you have names...send them our way!

A little recap in the making...

2011-11-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I have sat down to blog about our life happenings! I'm trying to remember the order of events over the last month...or months I should say. What did I even blog about last, no idea. So here it goes.

I think the first thing to blog about (in order) would be to tell everyone we are pregnant. Crazy, awsm surprise! Everyone knows our story and I really did let go of any and all ideas of how many children we would have, how far a part and what genders when the Lord worked on my heart during infertility. I wanted to believe we could be surprised some day but also thought we might just go through the same song and dance again. I was ready or should I say praying I would be willing to walk whatever road again. But much to our joy and surprise I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I had been wondering b/c a) our walks around the block had become quite tiring b) 30 day shred seemed as though I had an extra 20lbs to shred and I just had this feeling that before I fully enjoyed the fall selection of pumpkin ale I should take a little test...We were shocked. It was awsm. We went to the doctor and had several blood tests and everything is great. We are currently 14 weeks pregnant, due May 20 (one day after Parke's bday). We are going to find out the gender this time. I think I want to wait and Blake wants to know so we'll go with the finding out for a change around here. I was also a lot more sick with this baby. Well, a lot might be an overstatement seeing as though I never actually threw up. I dry heaved A LOT though. It would start in the morning and end at night. Parke got to where he could imitate me quite well. I took naps with this baby too which I did not do with Parke. I started to feel the baby here and there around 11 weeks. I still don't feel the baby often and wish I did but I'm thankful for the times I do.

Amazing Miracle. Hello little one.

And here I am 14 weeks pregnant. Yes, some may say I look 20 weeks pregnant. You're right.

Second on the agenda would be Blake and I turning 30! Whoever thought we would be this old. We had a great celebration with our closest friends at Blake's favorite restaurant and then spent the night at a great hotel and did NOTHING! I didn't make the bed, I didn't clean up after anyone, I didn't get out of bed or even drive anywhere...nothing! It was perfect. We may have ordered just one more Sunday Sack Ice Cream treat at the end of the night and maybe 2 girls finished it off...me being one of them. Hey, only 30 once gotta live big. Ha. I'm not sure who has the entire group shot but I only have this one. Sweet friends.

I think a trip to Beaver's Bend would be our next big thing. It was so fun. Our entire community group including 8 adults and 6.5 kids stayed in a cabin for a weekend. The kids did great and so did the adults! We cooked dinner, played outside, made fires inside and out of the cabin and had great convo's. I was super tired by Saturday night but well worth it! Parke was exhausted too, he slept the entire 3.5 hours home that Sunday afternoon. I think we agreed we want to make it something we do every year. We just don't really get the chance for all of us to be together with all the kids unless it's a bday party. The weather turned out perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better time. Here are a few pic's from that w/end.

Parke made a tiny little hill a "slide" and would say weee as he went down.

And by the looks of those pictures you will see my little baby is growing up. He is now a big boy. He still loves to cuddle and read books but is also gaining his independence. I pray he does and gains confidence a long the way. Most days he still follows me around everywhere and we are little buddies all day long. I love his laugh, how "momma" has turned into "mommy", his toddler waddle, the way he says bye bye especially to his blanket/paci, the way he requests a story at breakfast and folds his hands to pray before a meal. He will try to repeat almost any word you ask him to. He says hi and bye to people in the grocery store and sometimes if he thinks no one is paying attention to him (b/c we are all here for him) he will say HIII...very loudly! Cracks me up. He chases his dad around the house and the other day tried to figure out how to do a push up just like daddy too. He calls macaroni "Roni" and still loves frozen blueberries. I make us a fruit/milk/protein shake a lot of days and put it in a special coffee mug for him. He thinks he is big stuff with that. He will also come running for his vitamins. He is such a joy and I plan to soak up these next 6mo. of it just being me and Parke before his little bro/sister happily join us. Here are some more pic's of my big boy!

That's all folks. My bed is calling my name. Until next month...or months....See ya.

Hello!

2011-09-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where time has gone but it has done just that...gone. Parke is down to 1 nap and although I still have the same amount of "free time" accumulated into one nap it seems as though I can't get it all done. Seriously! Naturally, blogging has taken a back seat. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to. We've also recently joined BSF and we are enjoying it. Well, I hope Parke is enjoying it- he cries when I drop him off as always but is tear free when I pick him up! We are also enjoying this cooler weather and time with friends during the week.

It's been a while, which means Parke has grown a ton! We are exploring all sorts of things now and he did venture out and take his first steps right before he turned 16mo. He walks around holding one of my fingers all.the.time but just wouldn't let go. We finally gave him his blankie to hold onto instead and he braved the world of walking. Since then he still prefers to hold on to one of us.

A little photo gallery:

This is his chair for watching baby signing times!

Playing in the pool.

Eating mud. I looked away for a second and that little bitty hold you see is his mud of joy!

Ready, Set...Go

Love this. All done momma...So proud!

Playing in the tunnel here at the house.

Must Make This

2011-07-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

Last week as I prepared our menu for the next 2 weeks I went through my recipe box and was bored with everything I saw. So I went to my trusty Whole Foods website and picked out a few new recipes. I made this recipe last Friday night and it was DELICIOUS! Blake said it was excellent-woot-woot!

Here you go:

Picture courtesy of WF

Recipe Here:
Lebanese Style Grass Fed Ground Beef Kebabs

Be sure and make the Quinoa it also give you the recipe for! It will probably be enough for leftovers and you won't be sad you have them.

Friday Friday

2011-07-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pic's of my boy. He was watching his daddy mow and I just had to capture his sweet face, crazy hair after a nap and the days he can still wear a diaper and t-shirt. I love him so...

And then we moved to playing with a puzzle. I love his concentration in these pic's. Sweet Boy.

14 months

2011-07-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

14months old today, baby boy! My goodness. I haven't done a post about how much you've changed in a long time. In fact, I think I skipped out on it even when you were a year old. I looked at the date today and woke up thankful for you my sweet boy! Seriously, sometimes it is still unreal to me that I get to be the mom of Parke. I have a son, amazing.

So Parke is still a joyful child. He is a lot of fun. I could tell you so many things about him. Something that I've taken to heart is how he plays like a "big boy" now. He "vrooom" cars, fly's airplanes, knocks on the window, climbs on furniture, knows how to get down feet first...etc. He is in to boy things. Like a friend said it's just amazing sometimes that boys and girls are interested in different things from the beginning. My mom has a playroom upstairs with tons of toys my cousins have generously passed down and he isn't so much interested in the dolls and strollers and bassinets. He ignores them completely. He loves the blocks, the little people toys, the radio/microphone (b/c he loves music and dancing) and the puppets. He loves puppets...they are kind of ugly puppets but he loves them! He also loves the water, loves to splash and recently has learned he loves the water hose.

Parke is getting pretty good at picking up sign language too. He can tell you he is all done, wants more, please, bird, elephant, airplane (his own sign), giraffe (who is so tall) and eat. He roars like a lion too. He still loves his blankie and paci but only gets them at sleeping time and says bye bye to them when we leave them in the crib. OH yeah...and he gets them in the church nursery....yep, he does.

Parke is getting more excited about taking steps. He is not walking and actually hasn't been that interested. We practice and he pulls up on everything but just in the last week has he actually wanted to hold onto my hand and walk everywhere. He giggles, he loves to tickle people, he still loves to read books and some days (like today) is pretty much only interested in reading. I'm glad he thinks of it b/c there are plenty of days I forget to read with him! He is also still a tentative child but getting less tentative. Sometimes he is still slow to go to new people or someone besides me and Blake. At playgroup he still has days he would rather sit next to me and watch everyone than play and then sometimes he is crawling everywhere and playing with the boys. I can relate :).....

After his nap he loves to roll around in his bed when I go to get him. He smiles, plays peek a boo and loves taking his time to wake up. He still kicks his feet in bed like he did when he was little (sometimes). He is less afraid of his toys that make loud noise but has days when he is still as fearful. He loves to hug stuffed animals and if something is soft he will probably just lay down on it for a second. If he hits his head he touches his head to tell you he hurt it. It's just a really fun age and I am so thankful I am home with him to take in every part of it.

Lord, continue to give me joy in the moments, to slow down to take them in and relish in every little gift you have given us through Parke. Thank you for Blake who works hard so I can stay home! Thank you for trusting us as Parke's parents. We are blessed...tremendously blessed.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

Jesus Wept

2011-06-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.tapetyzdarma.sk

A couple of days ago I was reading in John 11. Sometimes I feel like a new believer when reading the bible. There are just a lot of stories that I haven't read in a while. Reading them in this stage of life really sheds light on different things (almost every single time). I pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal things to me and He does. So last week it was when I was reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. How many of us have heard the shortest verse in the bible is "Jesus Wept". I think it's even on game shows...

Well, I so happen to have forgotten, or may have never known it was about Jesus weeping after Lazarus had died. So let me give you an idea of things that stuck out to me about Chapter 11 in John. I realize there is more to this chapter but here is how the Lord used it this day:

1. vs. 3 "Lord, the one you love is sick". So here we learn Jesus loved Lazarus.
2. vs. 33 "When Jesus saw her weeping (and the jews) he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled"
3. vs. 35 "Jesus Wept"
4. vs. 38 "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb"

As you can tell by my bolded words it really stuck out to me that Jesus was so moved by the death of Lazarus. For me, I use the word "deeply" and "wept" for very, very strong emotions. If tears came to my eyes or a feeling merely passed by I wouldn't use the words deeply or wept. Jesus cared, a lot! He loved this man a lot! He knew, more than anyone, where this man would end up for eternity. Yet, he wept. He knew he was going to raise him from the grave. Yet, he wept and was moved deeply. Jesus, of all people, who has the perfect picture of eternity, heaven, and of His father, God....wept.

It just encouraged me b/c I feel like so often as believers there is an either unspoken/spoken expectancy to not grieve when someone we love deeply dies and goes to be with our heavenly Father. So many times it seems like we are expected to grieve for a short time but it better end rather quickly "get over it" and end in joy! I feel like so many times we sweep these hard, deep emotions under the rug and instead remind people to be joyful that their loved one is with Jesus.

So here, in John 11 the Holy Spirit reminded me that Jesus, of all people, cared deeply, was moved deeply, and wept. He wept. The God I worship, the son who died for me wept over the death of a loved friend. That's all...it encouraged my heart greatly that day and made me thankful Jesus felt "deep" emotion and was "moved" for this friend he cared deeply for. Just as we would for a loved one we cared deeply for.

More Birthday Pic's

2011-06-22T20:55:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a few more pic's that we just got from Tiffany. She came to Parke's bday party and was in charge of the camera. She now has a website up and you should totally go look at it! Especially if you went to ACU (Tiffany McGinn). Her story of why she wants to take photo's, why she named her business Seka and what she intends to do with the $$ is great!
Check it out....Seka Photography.

Check out BB's mustache

Just to remind you of crazy town!

More Crazy town...wouldn't trade it!

Look at those sweet babies! Missing two. Elliot looks surprised!

Who is more excited...us or Parke?!

See ya. Not interested.

He loves the puppet. He will give it a kiss if you ask for it!

So thankful she captured this. It's Parke's 1st love- books.

Love P's face and Blake's.

Sweet Grandad and Mimi

Both sides of the family. Notice decline in height! ha

Love this pic

Happy Anniversary!

2011-06-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary my love! I made Blake breakfast this morning and was so proud of my fried egg for his Father's Day surprise part 1. However, he said "Our Anniversary is more important than father's day". So I changed it to "Happy Anniversary Breakfast"! Ha. Love that guy.

I still get butterflies thinking of our wedding day. It was so fun! We were able to celebrate yesterday with a day full of things we love to do including Eno's pizza, appetizer's, a beer and darts (we tied)! We also tried Dude, Sweet Chocolate. It was a great little ending to the day!

Waiting for Me

Communion

I think this is before the kiss.

And...Happy Father's Day to the best daddy a girl could have! I love you and I'm so lucky to have you live so close and invest in my family! Can't wait to celebrate you!

7 years: Day 5...What makes it Work

2011-06-18T07:20:00.001-05:00

We have a few survival method's that have worked for us so far. I have to say, for the most part being married is feels easy. Well, it feels easy on a regular day. I'm pretty sure it feels easy b/c of the hard work we put in on a daily basis. Some of it feels like an old habit that we probably don't even recognize we do and some...well some we have to continue to work really hard on! I'll write out a few, knowing I will probably leave out a lot.

1. The Lord. We both are believers and have a foundation in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

2. We had GREAT pre-marital counselor's. One of their main objectives was to teach us how to fight. They prayed for us to fight...and fight we did! Never have we fought as much as when we were going through pre-marital counseling, planning an out of town wedding and finishing college. A few tips have helped us through those fights and I did finally ask them to please stop praying for us to fight!

H.A.L.T- Don't fight if you are Hungry, Angry, Late or Tired
Try not to use the words never, ever, or always in a discussion or while fighting.
NEVER EVER EVER use the "D" word in any argument or in your home or with each other.
Figure out how the other one fights and communicate about it. If one likes to leave the room tell the other person when you will be back. Blake is a verbal processor and I am somewhere in the middle leaning more towards internal processor. We def. had to learn how to fight!
NEVER ever use cuss words. It shuts this house down and we do not continue that discussion.
We have learned to seek forgiveness, admit wrongs and give forgiveness.
Once an argument or discussion has been talked about, we don't bring it up again to throw in someone's face. It's over...or so we try really hard to do this!

3. Community- I had a strong community around my family growing up. My dad would always say "You will sink without community". So after 2 years of marriage we found a great group of friends. The Lord def. orchestrated us together and with a few friends weaving in and out, we've been together for 4-5 years! We could not make it without our community group.

4. We have no secrets. None.

5. We have family night. Right now this looks like Blake and I talking about our week, what we've learned in the word and watching or listening to a sermon, discussion or something about God. It took us a long time to get here but Blake really leads out in this area and it happens almost every week. I'm so proud of him for leading us this way.

6. We have fun. We really enjoy our little family and try to take advantage of the time or days we have together. We support each other and try to be each other's biggest fan!

7. Love and Respect. This booked changed.our.marriage. It's a must read in my opinion. This was the first " what makes it work" out of Blake's mouth so ladies...Read the book :)!!

One more day until 7 years! Happy Anniversary Weekend Blake.

She said Yes

2011-06-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

I know that's the chorus to some country song "and she said yes"..I can't remember anything else from the song but the tune is going through my head. I thought maybe I should include the point in which Blake asked me to marry him in our little flashback week.

So it was senior year in college. We had been officially dating since Christmas social (after) Sophomore year until this point. We broke up once too...I left that part out of our story didn't I? Probably a good thing. Anyway, so we are dating. It's pledge season at ACU which means long days and nights and we so happen to have just had bid night. The night when the little pledges (NuNu's) find out their dreams are coming true and they just might be a Kojie some day if they can get through pledging! Ha. So...long night, up all night and we decide to make a trip back to Dallas to see Blake's family. It so happen to be his birthday weekend too.

Let me also make a quick note I had been waiting for this proposal for a while. I couldn't wait to marry the guy. So in my waiting we had looked at rings and we had talked about all sorts of things. We get to Dallas and go to the zoo. Come to find out, the zoo closed early that day so Blake had some stalling to do. We went to the mall and he tried on clothes (probably has only happened 2 times since), we grabbed a burger and we looked at rings. When we were looking at rings Blake kept asking me if I liked rings that I had never ever said I liked. I was getting a little aggravated to say the least. Here we are, getting close to being engaged and it totally set me back that he STILL didn't know what I would like in a ring! I was really mad all the way to his parents house and in my head I was thinking "I have to call my mom. He still doesn't know what I want." While I'm sure Blake was thinking "maybe I should call this thing off, who is this angry girl in my passenger seat."

We pulled up to his parents house and I could see lights through the fence. I said "are you serious". Blake replied "just get out of the car". So I did. We went through the fence and the lights were lit up (which I had previously been told it was for his dad's business meeting) there were candles in the pool I think and a little spot for him to propose. So he asked me to marry him, and I said yes. Little did I know my parents were inside and my brother had driven down with Lindsay and Tucker from ACU. They all came out screaming and cheering and I was soooo glad they were all there! We had a nice dinner outside with the entire family that night.

Sidenote: This was the first time for Mr. and Mrs. Shipley to meet Tucker ( I call them that here b/c I'm sure that's how they were introduced to Tucker at this point). He gracefully fell down the stairs coming to congratulate us!

Of course we kept the engagement a secret b/c I had to have a pass the candle back at school! I was the keeper of the garter (I always knew who was engaged).

Thanks for asking me to be your wife Blake! Glad I said Yes. So, very very glad.

7 Years: Day 3

2011-06-15T14:54:00.000-05:00

Two different people become 1 in marriage right? Well, is there anything you are deathly afraid of? Like, it makes your palms sweat, your heart very anxious and maybe even make you wish you were anywhere but there. Maybe it even makes you think you might die and makes you pray a lot during the event..I do. One of them is skiing. Did you know that about me? I'm sure some could have guessed since the sun is one of my love languages and well, I'm not exactly known to do anything athletic.

Like I said, the sun is one of my love languages. So, when Blake and I were dating I knew this meant serious business. I think I've written about this before but his all time FAVORITE thing to do is ski. Yep-Crap! So, in the beginning I said multiple times "are you sure you want to marry someone who doesn't ski?" He might have thought I wasn't serious in the question but I was dead serious. I knew it could be a deal breaker and I really needed him to think about it. So he did, and we have gone skiing twice! Twice! Just ask him if I'm a nervous wreck, or if I pray all the way up the ski lift, or if one time down the mountain is enough to last a lifetime for me.

obviously I'm taking the picture here

We recently were able to go to the beach though and apparently I am a totally different person when I'm around the ocean so I think Blake knows I meant business when I said I don't love the snow. I wonder if Blake remembers skiing like I remember the ocean? I wonder if it made his year, if it was a favorite vacation? I wonder if there is a smell to the snow like there is a wonderful smell to the ocean? I wonder if being cold to him is like every fiber in me being warm on the sand, water and under the sun. I know his heart was incredibly happy and mine was too at the ocean! The Lord knew these things before he brought us together. We are sometimes, completely different, like snow and sun. Most of the time we can be pretty similar. I'm thankful for both. So how do we keep becoming "one" without losing the "me" in one another. It's a fine balance, one we will continually work on I know. Here we are at the ocean...

7 years: Day 2

2011-06-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

As I sit down to write another memory of our past 11 years together a few events came to mind.

1. I remember our first Valentine's. Cliche, I know. I think I got a card that looked like this on the front (below). I love coffee and well, the heart is for valentine's of course! Also, I so happen to have been given a CD with Captain Correlli's mandolin songs on it b/c our first kiss happened during that movie. And...the best part is it started playing when I started my car. Oh the romance to catch a girl :)

2. I remember this week captured by a picture below. Blake was in a club (can't call them fraternities at ACU, you might leave someone out) called SubT. They were known for stealing roses around Abilene and giving them to their date at the party. Well, it didn't happen that year. Something about either a) the dean got on to them or b) there weren't any roses. Well, I'm sure we got some sort of prize anyway like roses actually bought from a store.
Since the guys couldn't steal any roses, me and a friend went out the next week or so and "borrowed" all the flowers and roses we could find around Abilene and filled Blake's car completely full. Sounds like something a girl would love, maybe that's why I did it? Who knows, it was fun though! Here is our date night below 2002. Notice my denim jacket and the roses behind us! So romantic.

3. I remember this ~~dance~~ social as well. We actually came to Dallas, the big terrible city I hated before living here for the past 7 years. I remember this b/c Blake had to take all the bobby pins out of my hair and well...I have a lot of hair! I thought my hair looked great but looking at in these pictures it looks like someone went crazy on the corn rows! ha. I bet he took bobby pins out of my hair after our wedding too.

Oh yeah, and you should know we were dressed up for this. We wore a dress and tie, I didn't get my hair fixed for a t-shirt/jeans event. I think it was at the Dallas Aquarium. The same Aquarium I think twice about taking Parke to b/c it cost $20 an adult. Really, it does. I'm still amazed at the backdrops we came up with. It's so great!

So, year 2 was a fun year. We were at ACU w/o a curfew and I think we had many days driving around, listening to the radio and talking like best friends do...Best Friends who finally decided to call it dating instead.

7 Years of Marriage: Day 1

2011-06-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

Blake and I get to celebrate 7 years of marriage this coming weekend! 7 years! We plan to spend some time together doing a few of our favorite things. I thought maybe I would look back on our last 7 years each day this week on this blog. We have known each other for 11 years. Crazy! We will mainly look back at pictures and if I have time, I'll add a little story or something to go along with it. So here's to 11 years of knowing you babe!

Do you know our story? Well, it's a good one! Full of drama at times too. We met one another freshman year of college. We were friends, sort of. We were friends through a mutual friend who so happened to be my "best friend". We never, ever, thought of dating each other. Blake's girlfriend stayed with me and my lifelong friend Jennifer (and roommate) when she would come to see him! Yes, that's kind of weird. So are some other stories that I won't write out here!

Here is a pic of the KJK social that brought us together. Doesn't it look like it was a blast!! Well, it wasn't for anyone else but us. At good ole' ACU a social is a meal together with no dancing, no drinking, and sometimes no fun! ha...No really, everyone complained about this social but Blake and I had so much fun and I think that's when we began to see each other in a different light. Not b/c we were so cute in our denim, boot cut jeans, and button down shirts! Oh my...BTW: who thought to pose the picture in front of books and a lamp from 50yrs ago. And not to forget the saddle, that's on a step ladder maybe? Oh, oh and I just saw the 2 Christmas presents laid on the chair on the left...I guess this was our Christmas Social. Hilarious.

And here is proof that I knew what the Shipley house looked like 11 years ago. This makes me laugh b/c how quickly all of our taste's change. Who's mom didn't have plaid wallpaper and fruit everywhere? Mine sure did as well! It's so "homey" and "inviting"! Go ahead, make fun of something in my house too like my golden walls or our awsm pink porcelain tile that makes going to the bathroom a joy every day!

Day 1 flashback complete. Love you Blake.

Blair's Enchilada's

2011-06-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

We had these enchilada's at a friends house one time. I have to tell you, I have almost never liked home cooked enchilada's. People know how to mess them up big time in my opinion. Plus, most are beef with red sauce if made at home..just not a big fan and if you know me...well, you know I love mexican food!

These babies are delicious and I have loved them both times I've had them. Here is the recipe. Also, Blair is a little like me in that there were a few "maybe's" in her recipe so I'll try and give a little more detail...but not much!

Ingredients:

1 block cream cheese
1 can green chili enchilada sauce (I used about 8oz of green tomatillo sauce from Target)
1 bunch cilantro (maybe not that much...about half for us)
Handful of flat leaf parsley (never have I found this in a grocery store so it is often skipped)
1/2 lime squeezed (mine was bad so this didn't happen either)
2 small garlic cloves...(yep, not that much garlic for us)
*** place all of the above ingredients in a food processor and blend/pulse)

About 2 cups shredded chicken (2 chicken breasts for us)
12 tortilla's (we used spinach tortilla's)
1-2 bags "white" cheese (we used 1 bag monterey jack)

Combine Shredded chicken and a little sauce to wet the chicken.
Put chicken mixture in tortillas with cheese and roll up
Place in baking dish (I did spray mine down)
Pour remaining sauce (you should have a lot) and cheese on top
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Take foil off and bake for 5 more minutes

Fantastic! Really. Blake said they are kind of close to Chuy's tomatillo sauce in taste so I consider that fantastic.

Grilled Asparagus and Salad

2011-06-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

We have had this salad two times in two weeks. We really enjoy it. Here is the recipe w/o a picture...I always forget.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 large shallot finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 cup extra- virgin olive oil (I only used 1/2 cup both times)

1 1/2 pound asparagus
Fontina or Taleggio cheese sliced (6 oz)
Greens (whatever you choose)
6 thin slices of proscuitto
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted (never have time to toast)

Preheat oven to 425.

Whisk Vengar, shallot, sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing with s/p

Arrange asparagus on baking sheet with a rim. Drizzle 2 Tbsp dressing. Sprinkle asparagus with s/p. Cook for about 6 minutes. Drizzle with 2Tbsp more dressing if desired (we didn't) and add slices of cheese on top. Return to oven and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Place greens in large bowl. Add dressing to whole salad or individual bowls. Drape proscuitto over salad and a few cubes of cheese. Sprinkle pine nuts on top and serve asparagus on the side!

Delish! I promise!!

A few pic's from the Weekend

2011-06-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know. We are almost to this weekend but when you start your week on a Tuesday the days just go right on by! We had a great weekend, a busy one at that. Here are a few pic's from the zoo and the pool.

BTW: We had a great salad with our dinner one night this week. I'll have to post the recipe soon. Fantastic!

Parke's 1st Birthday!!

2011-05-26T18:43:00.000-05:00

Beware...picture overload!

Parke's birthday party was so much fun. We really enjoyed celebrating our little 1yr. old! We had a mustache party! It all started from a t-shirt I bought for him with a cupcake on it. The face on the cupcake man had a mustache. I told Blake about my little idea thinking he would never go for a mustache party but he did! I think it turned out pretty fun.

I had the shirts above made. In the end, I'm pretty sure I could have done it EASY! We delivered the t-shirts to the kids who Parke invited to the party and asked them to wear their mustache t-shirts when they came.

Instead of a Happy Bday banner we made a banner of all the different mustache names.

Here is the table. We put mustache's on cork board for everyone to tack their polaroid's on. We also had a dip with black beans and guacamole since Parke's favorite foods are black beans and avocado's! We made mustache cookies and then had a few things from Chick Fil A too.

Above is the background we asked for people to stand in front of for their pictures. Not for every single one, but at least one!

This is Parke's birthday banner. I hope to do it as tradition and make him a banner for his door or our front door every year! I also hope to do it for the first day of school. And he will probably get a surprise on his bed too!

We took a picture in front of the tree b/c it decided to show us it's first bloom the day of Parke's party. Pretty cool. (it's the baby's tree)

And the cake eating begins. Or NOT eating cake begins. It turns out Whole Foods will make you a little "smash" cake for 8 bucks! They put a mustache on top for us too. Parke picked at it and decided he was not interested at all.

Don't let the demolition fool you, that was done by me or Blake trying to get him to eat it!

Finally a pretty good pic of me and Parke!

Parke in his tunnel at the end of the party. And the polaroid's below with a note from each family. They are on the note cards that go with Parke's baby book so it will be the final touch to his "baby" book! It's all big kid photo albums from here! Oh yeah, the adults were asked to put mustache's on when they came in the door.

Thanks to everyone who came! Parke was so blessed to have his friends and family celebrate his special day! I had our photographer, Tiffany McGinn come and take pic's the whole time. We should have them in a few weeks so I will post them when we get our little hands on them! Happy first birthday Parke. We love you, we are amazed and thankful the Lord has trusted us with you and could NOT ask for a better time in our lives right now then raising you.

3 in 1

2011-05-13T20:09:00.000-05:00

Yep. Let's just do a little post with a Monday night dinner, a picture and a be still my heart. Ready go:

Beth's Pecan Salmon (she's famous around here)
4 fillet's of Salmon
2 Tbsp Dijon
2 Tbsp Butter (melted)...and don't leave it in the microwave to find the next morning!
1 1/2 T honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Parsley ( I didn't have it so I didn't buy it)

Combine above ingredients in a bowl. Double the ingredients if you use 4 fillet's and keep them the same if you only make 2 fillet's! (a little bird told me that)....Spread on your Salmon (you should maybe/probably buy wild caught) and Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes! Wonderful little meal, especially with the beloved asparagus to go with it!

Wordless Wednesday: Parkee Pants (as a few like to call him) had a little fever

Mother's Day

And last but not least
Be Still My Heart

I'm reading a book right now. A thousand gifts. It's great so far. It reminds me of my post's of "Be still my heart" and is encouraging me to continue to be thankful for the little things. AND how to look for them.

1. The way Parke now makes car "vroom" sounds while playing with things that have wheels.
2. When he gives me a kiss without me asking for it.
3. The way he dances like his daddy- white men CAN dance!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Grateful. Incredibly, overwhelmingly grateful. First, I am grateful the Lord even chose to give life to each of us this way. Through the life of another person- a mother. Today might bring a few different emotions and thoughts. I put the picture of me and my mom first because it is through her I learned to be a mother, first celebrated mothers day, and still learn from today as I grow into motherhood. She was intentional with us, sang songs over us that still pop out of my mouth today without knowing where in the world they came from, prayed us through all situations and made life fun. She is patient, incredibly giving of herself and time and thoughtful...very thoughtful. Thank you Lord for first being gracious enough to give me a mother I can trust and learn from.

Second, I don't know if I'll ever have a mother's day without remembering the little one in the above picture. My first mother's day I was pregnant. I think about 5 weeks pregnant. The WM news was about a family who had a miscarriage and I remember my dad saying he thought "uh oh, please no". It's those little moments in life, you learn to recognize the Holy Spirit, right? So we didn't know our little one here on earth but he/she gave me my first mother's day. We then planted a tree to always remember and it was such a memorable and healing moment to have my hands in dirt which was life giving to this tree. Thank you Lord for that experience which strengthened my faith and taught me to rest in you.

Last year, I was about to pop. Thanks to all of you that told me I was "so cute" every day at work! I mean really...I was so puffy you could have popped me with a pin (note, go to dr. when this happens)! I had my mom take this picture with me above having no idea I would learn so much from the hands around my belly! My crooked belly- Parke was situated so oddly! I loved being pregnant. Thank you Lord for a pregnancy that held that sweet baby and made it to deliver him here on earth! Yay...we met our baby boy.

Today, what joy is in my heart! Listening to his sweet voice as I type this. He just woke up and is talking in his crib before I go to get him. My heart is so incredibly full. I know every parent has the same feeling when you want to put on paper how you feel and their simply are not words to do you justice. Yes, days can be difficult, lonely, and oh so tiring but I wouldn't trade it for the world. To be given the privilege to be this boy's momma is one I hold so dearly and hope to never take for granted. I count His mercies, and the blessings given to us through Parke all the time. May I be a mom, through the strength and grace and love from my Heavenly Father to point you towards Christ in all things Parke. I love you dearly little one, and am so incredibly grateful to remember the blessing I have been given.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T14:15:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

Monday. Monday

2011-04-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of copying a dear friend:

Dear Ultimate Comfort Food recipe, you were a complete bust! You said you would be perfect for a rainy day. It took longer than expected to make you, husband told me to put you on the "don't repeat" list. #FAIL.

Dear head cold/virus, you are making a wreck of my house. No chores, no sleep, fussy baby which means fussy mommy. Lysol did not take you down. I will try again, you must die!

Dear Parke, I'm not sure if you have allergies, a cold or teething. Do you need motrin or bendadryl? I'm trying to be thankful for the time I get with you at night but you are kind of testing my limits. Get better soon sweet boy!

Dear single parents, you are ROCK STARS!!

Finally....Dear Tuesday, welcome to our world. We will try to be kind to you today and start fresh. We are thankful for your cool morning, my tulips from my awsm sister in law Megan and the time we spent reading books. We will try to shower/bathe and face today with smiles and a grateful heart.

Sincerely,

-e-

Sicky Sicky

2011-04-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

Wow...Our house took a turn for the worst last week! Sunday night I told Blake I thought I was getting sick (that undeniable ache in your throat) and as fate would have it- Monday morning this was a sick household! It turns out we caught some sort of virus and Parke's turned into Croop and an ear infection. I slept in his room for 4 nights holding him while he slept. We actually made a pretty good team b/c it was better for me to sleep upright too! Did you know they make VICKS in kids stuff? They have ointment to rub on their chest, vapor plug in's, humidifier's...you name it! My mom came and helped out, my MIL brought us dinner and Blake tried not to catch the bug. Unfortunately, he is now in full "stuffy head, sore throat" mode! Sorry babe.

So, that is why I haven't posted my Monday night dinner, Wordless Wednesday, or my sometimes Friday post of "be still my heart". I know everyone was just dying to know where we've been, you've been on the edge of your seat right?!

I did make a fantastic salad, it's one of my favorites so I'll have to post it. I'm thinking I should have Blake rate those meals. I'm kind of scared to do that, but truth has to be known rather it hurts or not. I'll see if I can get him to do that.

There have been things going on in this little mind of mine. Not sure how to organize my thoughts for a post but we'll see.
Things like:
- Parke is 11 months...1 month away from a year! OH MY
-I'm noticing pregnant bellies again and little babies to hold. Lord help my ever longing heart.
-How to pursue the Lord EVERY day...I want to be learning and at the same time I am so dang LAZY sometimes. Forgive me.
-BSF or Womens Bible Study
- Oh and parenting. One foot in front of the other...where do we want to find direction?!

That's all. Random post, I know but just wanted to write out something. See ya next week for my normal posts- maybe :)

Be Still My Heart

2011-04-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

1. When you sit at the back door like this. You are such a big boy!
2. When the thermometer read 103.3 and you didn't want to move an inch.
3. Fever induced cuddling, falling asleep on me, and wanting nothing of the world but your momma.
4. Looking back at me from the back door like this: (wish it wasn't so dark)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday: Granny is 80!!

2011-03-30T14:19:00.002-05:00

Monday Night Dinner

2011-03-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

If you ever had dinner with the Beasley crew growing up you might have had these! They are easy, delicious, probably kid friendly, and good for leftovers. I don't even have a recipe for them, we kind of do something different every time.

Chicken Roll Ups

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breast
3-4 oz of Cream Cheese
Seasoning of choice
8 crescent rolls (from can)
Bread Crumbs
A lil' butter

Bake chicken breast and shred, or chop, or puree (whatever is your liking).
After you have shred the chicken mix it with the cream cheese and the seasoning of choice. Taste test until you like it!
Put about 1-2 Tbsp of mixture inside a crescent roll and roll em' on up
Place on cookie sheet
Put a little butter on top (I melted 1 Tbsp for all 8 and didn't use it all)
Bread crumbs on top of butter with maybe a little garlic salt, powder or minced

Cook as directed on package of rolls. About 10-15 minutes. serve with veggie.

On a different note...does anyone else have trouble getting yogurt into your diet? I do. Can't really take the texture of it or the taste sometimes. That said, I bought a few different brands to see if I could get used to it AND to see if Parke would take a liking (he doesn't) and came up with this. I saw it on a different blog and gave it a try. Not to bad....

Cinnamon Raisin bread (always toasted) yogurt of choice, a little honey...breakfast served!

Be still my Heart

2011-03-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why I haven't done this before, but this week my heart has stopped a few times to "blink" and take in a moment. I thought I should probably write them down, which thankfully, I found a page in Parke's baby book to do that. I thought I would also post them here on Friday's. The days I wish I had a camera rolling at all times. And to most, these moments won't even matter. But to me- they stopped my heart for just a minute.

1. Catching Parke playing while sitting on his knees. He looked like such a little boy.

2. Parke in his red striped shirt and diaper outside playing with Blake and Bentley. He was picking up grass to put in his mouth while also being interested in Bent. He would pet her paws and move towards her and then turn away and smile so big.

3. Standing during his Pak/Play time

4. There are some days this little one just needs to be rocked. Blake has been able to comfort him lately, which is awsm. And today, for his nap- he just needed to be rocked. Sweet baby.

Wordless Wednesday: Spring Break

2011-03-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

It's dinner time

2011-03-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

Plantains Cooking

Let me first say if the person who sent me this recipe cooks like this every night- Kudo's to you!! I mean I guess looking back it wasn't that difficult, maybe it was b/c it was my first time to do it. She started the email with "this is one of those things I just wing"...right!!

So here is the recipe and I'll try to be a little more specific in hopes it will help me out when I remake this. Oh yeah, and this was actually Tuesday nights dinner b/c my pulled bbq pork and squash was a bust last night. I just didn't like it very much.

Fish Taco's and Plantains

Ingredients:
Tilapia
Fish Taco Seasoning (she buys hers at whole foods but I picked up one at Kroger)
Red Onion
Cilantro
Pineapple (canned) maybe a small-medium size depending on your onion size
Jalapeno
Tortilla's
Plantains- Plantains need to be black when you purchase them or VERY close to it!
Sugar/Cinnamon
Olive Oil
Coleslaw Mix (in bag by salad section)

Fish
I quickly realized in order to get the fish and plantains ready at the same time the fish would need to go in the oven. I covered it with seasoning as the little packet instructed and stuck it in the oven at 350... for a while :). Until the plantains were prepared and done cooking (25 min?) no idea.

Coleslaw
Pour out of bag. Do not mix with mayo or anything else nasty just leave it as is. This is your "lettuce".

Pineapple Salsa
Chop onion, jalapeno, and add a handful of cilantro (to your liking) and pineapple. I actually used the juice too b/c I needed it to be sweeter. I also added a Tbsp of sugar. Put in processor and pulse to your liking.

Plantains
Cut into bite size pieces. Cover in sugar and cinnamon. Put a little Olive Oil in your pan and cook those babies up! They need to be browned/black on each side. It's tricky not to burn when trying to get them the right color. Just watch and taste test :)

That's all. Now make your taco and enjoy your little plantains on the side! Yum. You could do rice and beans with this too for more substance if needed.

10 months

2011-03-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

I love this stinkin' picture. If you look closely you can see a single curl in the back of his hair..it's starting to curl up in the back! To me it looks like Parke is loving the sun on his face, the grass in front of him and the wind blowing like crazy around him. This little boy loves being outside. It's also very similar to his smell the flowers face. It was his 10mo b-day this w/end but since it was also the day of my Granny's 80th and my Dad's bday a post got a little lost in other celebrations!

What is Parke up to? Well, like I said he loves being outside. When we get him out of his bed in the morning and after he eats, he is pointing outside and gibbering something that probably means "can we please go outside now".

Parke is growing like crazy in all sorts of areas. He thankfully gained a pound and grew an inch in a month (they were watching his skinny little self). This leaves him at 17.11 and 29 1/4 inches. I feel like every stage I write about in his baby book it starts with the sentence "Parke, you are so fun." But I feel like that's all I can say about him. He's just awsm. I'm bragging...I know. Back to all things growing:

He still loves black beans, avocado and blueberries the best. He thankfully will eat an egg yolk and a little something else in the morning which makes breakfast pretty easy! He takes 2 naps a day and is doing well with those now that he figured out how to lay down after sitting up or standing in his crib. (He was napping while in a sitting position for about 2 weeks=no naps). Which leads me to my next milestone..he is pulling up on things, standing in his crib and talking away before and after his naps. When we walk in to get him he is just talking and smiling while looking over his crib (if he's not crying). It's probably a whole new world to him right?

He isn't fully crawling. He takes about two little hands forward and a scoot and he's done. He mostly crawls after a ball or towards his books. He LOVES to read! I'm wondering if he loves to read and/or he loves quality time? We'll see.

He is becoming more verbal and says mama (sometimes),dadda (all the time), Papa, Bah (ball), Dah (dog), bye-bye and points to whatever he wants. We are working on him just using 1 finger to touch things so he will learn not to grab everything with a full fist all the time.

BTW: did the time change throw anyone else off? Parke used to be READY for bed at 7 and not too much later. He now prefers to go to bed closer to 8pm and is fine not going to bed at 7. We are working on that a little at a time. I think we are almost to 7:30 again.

I love being Parke's mom. It's just plain fun. I was talking to a friend today and am thankful God has restored our time trying to have Parke with the precious moments we have with him now. I know why some people get pregnant again when their first child is 6-12mo old-it's so fun. We are thankful!

It's a Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

Monday Night Dinner

2011-03-14T11:17:00.000-05:00

PW Pic

Mexican Flatbread Pizza

Click on the title above for the recipe! This is from P.W.'s 16 minute meal recipes. I was able to do it in stages while taking care of the little one and they turned out great. Super easy and plenty for leftovers too! Enjoy your Monday night dinner!

Little Pretty's

2011-03-04T09:58:00.000-06:00

Look at these little flowers we have coming up in our backyard! They smell SOO good too!

Question: Don't most people plant pretty flowers so they can cut them and have them in their house? Do I cut or leave them be?

Getting a few things done

2011-03-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

I know, it's supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Well, Parke is doing this new thing where he likes to sit up during his entire nap in his crib so I've done a lot of "No, no Parke. It's time for night night". Lay him down, walk out of room- Repeat :). He also likes to fall asleep bent over in the sitting position which makes for a very short little snooze. So funny...right? So, no pic's of him today (b/c that's his punishment right?)! ha. I mean I really wish I could upload a pic from his monitor or have a secret little video in his room. He just talks the entire time too...and has thrown his paci overboard!

But this weekend and for a couple of weeks Blake and I have continued to work on our house and room. Our colors used to be darker and we have slowly...very slowly transitioned to lighter and brighter and I would say more neutral at times. We got new bedding for Christmas and with some money we also bought a new bed and side tables we have wanted for 6 years. It's been fun and we are gradually getting there.

Here is a little preview of our room and a few other things. I wish I could find before pic's...not going to go searching.

This is on our night stand. A little grey touch from Anthro and new lamps on both sides.

I wanted you to see a close up of the throw b/c it is SO soft and you can see the little ruffle of the comforter.

Here is a close up of pillows. I love the girly touch of the middle pillow.

And here it is all together. I guess I could have captured a better pic of the bed itself.

We got this little mirror at HomeGoods and decided on a little greenery/flowers too.

A little peek at the bed through the miror

This shelf was red and in our room. Repainted white and now in the hall as functional.

Our new family frames in our living room. This mirror used to be adorned with little plant like things on the side. We now have pic's instead. Newly painted old frames.

Our bookshelf also had 50yr old molding around it. Blake took it off and instead added this molding to match our windows and trim. It made it a little bigger and now can hold some of Parke's toys. He can have the bottom shelves!

There is one more pic but it won't let me upload. We are still a little in progress but really happy with our little projects! Happy Wednesday.

Monday night Dinner

2011-03-01T14:42:00.000-06:00

I want to state again, I'm not trying to be the next P.W. or Martha Stewart when I post recipe's. I thought it would be fun to post what we've had for dinner once a week. I love getting ideas from other people and if someone reading so happens to need a little kick in their meal planning and something on here looks good...well then it's a worth wile post. And if not...you know what I had for dinner :)

I got this recipe from Linds, who got it from Beth!

Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:
Pesto
Chicken
Salt/Pepper
Mozzarella

Spread a thin layer of Pesto on the bottom of a pan
Place Chicken Breast on top and salt/pepper the top of chicken
Spread another thin layer of Pesto on top (we didn't do that, we are kind of light on garlic & spices here)
Cook in oven for 30 min at 375.
Put mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 5 min until melted.

We served with asparagus and bread. It was a great meal! Happy cooking this week.

Get your Grub on

2011-02-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it's not Tuesday which means we didn't have this last night. But, we did have one of these on Monday night and one on Tuesday night! We really enjoyed both. Here are the recipes.

Picture from Internet. It gives motivation right?

The first recipe is:

Melissa Nunley's Chicken (she goes to WM and I don't even know who she is!)

1 whole chicken
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon mustard
fresh rosemary
1 tsp garlic
Carrots
Red Potato's

Mix top ingredients together except for carrots and red potato's. Pour over chicken and throw in the potato's (chopped up of course).

Preheat oven to 275. Cook for 2 hours

Put Carrots in for last hour....EASY and so delicious.
*we have done this with chicken breast and a whole chicken. Verdict is still out which one is better.

Again, not my picture but it's motivating right? From Cooking Light

2nd Recipe:

Goat Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas. *we served with black beans and brown rice*

1 cup fresh corn (we used can)
5oz goat cheese softened
8 corn tortillas (we actually used 12)
1/4 cup chopped green onion (I think we forgot this)
10 Tbsp bottled salsa verde
1 small can green chille's (we added this)

Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn: saute 2 min. Place in small bowl
Add Goat cheese to corn stir until well blended
Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 tortillas: spread to within 1/4 inch of sides.
Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 Tbsp green onion (again, forgot)
Drizzle each with 1-2 tsp salsa and top with remaining tortilla's.

Heat pan and go at it cooking the quesadilla's until they are golden brown.Cut into wedges and serve.

Wordless Wednesday: 9mo

2011-02-23T17:15:00.000-06:00

My Baby is 9mo

2011-02-19T09:29:00.071-06:00

Can we just stop for a minute and look at the picture above. I love this picture and it will probably be a part of our new family wall I'm planning for our living room. Sweet Dad just wanted a pic with his boy and I was...well, in the hospital bed. I just love it. Ahhh, take it in....now on to 9 months later.

The picture above makes me think Parke needs a little haircut. I mean he kind of has a combover working for him. But here's the deal, he has a natural part waaay over on the side of his head. What's a mom to do with that!? We did give him a little trim around the ears the other day but we'll have to think about a real haircut. I don't want him to look at pictures and think "seriously mom, what were you thinking". He probably will anyway right! I love this picture too b/c this is OFTEN the look he gives someone he hasn't seen in a while or just met. Parke, you love to smile but you also love to take in information and process if you a)know this person b)trust this person c) think they are funny or silly before smiling! I love it. You can't love everyone you meet right?

At 9mo. you are doing a few new things. You can waive bye-bye and do it most often to dad when we are headed off to bed. Sometimes if we work at it long enough you also muster out a little "buh-buh" while doing it. On the subject of going to bed...you sleep through the night little one! We hold that with open hands around here...I don't think it's the point of parenting and I don't think it's something that makes or breaks us. BUT, good job little one, we are enjoying it! Your fussy time is around 5:30-7:00 at night. This just means it might take a good rolling around on mom/dad's bed to keep you happy. I give you a little aquaphor tube and you are good to go.

You have also transitioned to finger foods. This is so fun for you and it is such joy to watch you as you work on this skill. I have to say, you are proud of yourself. Now, let me also say, it is a BIG mess and takes A LOT of time to let you do this. My stain stick has never been used more and I've never had a bigger mess. You are a boy, you are a baby...we have lots of messes :) At your doctor's appt. they told you, you need to gain a little more weight so I think you listened and since then you have eaten like a champ. You weigh 16.15 lbs and you are 28.5 inches long. We go back in a month so see if you've put on any more weight. We are just watching it for now, not a huge deal.

Another fun thing is you sometimes smell the flowers with me. For example, my first love (blake) brought home tulips for me. I show Parke the sign for flowers, we go over and I first sniff the flowers. He will then lean over (while I hold his hands) and make the sniffing sound. It's funny and super cute. He is taking in everything. If he hears sirens he stops to listen, the dogs barking (he LOVES them btw), etc. I think he will be a pursuer of knowledge like his dad. He hasn't started crawling but is getting a little more interested.

Below are your friends. Two of your friends have waited to meet you for a long time. They are so good to you and will teach you many things. The other little ones are just about your age and I'm sure you will get into much ~~trouble~~ fun with them! It also shows our walls we need to repaint. Not #1 on our to do list.

Finally, you love your dad. He loves you too. Most of the time you say "da-da" to everything. We listen to his music during the day so hopefully you will enjoy his tune's too! He works very hard for us so I can stay home with you. You are his joy Parke, and he is a man you can follow after!

Happy 9months! We love you.

Hold on to What you Got- or Not

2011-02-17T10:21:00.000-06:00

On this day, my world changed. Again. *look at that sweet baby*

I remember one of the first things I said is, "He is ours, and finally not someone else's." You all know the story...we had infertility problems and I welcomed several sweet babies into this world, many I loved as if they were my own and still do. At the end of the day, we went home to an empty house.

Okay so I remember a lot from those years. One of which were verses in the bible about children being a gift. If you don't have children and want them, you too might see that verse and think "okay, but what about me?". Why hasn't the Lord blessed me? Given me that gift? Thx a lot Lord!!

Let me tell you what that now means to me. I feel like in the last few months, (really since P was born) the Lord has reminded me over and over to hold this little boy with open hands. I can't do it. I mean, I know I can...but I can't!

Psalm 127:3 specifically tells us children are a gift from the Lord. I heard it again yesterday at my bible study. It was interesting to think about it on this side of things. The side of being a parent. Instead of thinking that gift wasn't given to me, I instead saw it in a new light. OH....You (Lord) didn't mean that as a stab at those who can't conceive, instead you meant it as a reminder to those who have children. Children are simply a gift, something we don't deserve and we don't get to determine their ultimate fate. OH, we are to hold them with open hands every day and ultimately want whatever You have for them. Ah Hah....I am not in control...again? Dang it.

I often have scenerio's go through my mind and I am ultimately fearful of what life would be like for Parke if Blake and I weren't here. I'm not so much fearful of something happening to Parke (yet) b/c I probably just take advantage of the health he has been given thus far. BUT fear- it is NOT from the Lord. Worry- it is NOT from the Lord. Not one bit. I ~~think~~ know fear and worry are two little things Satan has convinced us are good things. Kind of like the more you worry about someone the more you love them. It's simply not true. The more we worry, the more we think we are in control of the outcome and the more we clasp our little hands around that person or situation.

So, I will continue to pray for the Lord to show us and reassure us of His will for Parke. His steadfast love, his promise to never leave us or forsake us and try....try my very best to love this little one with all I have, with open hands. (and tell our community group our plan) Oh....and make a plan, with open hands of course :)

Wordless Wednesday: credit to Veronica

2011-02-16T08:35:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday: Sick Baby

2011-02-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

It was SO good!

2011-02-08T18:25:00.000-06:00

You should totally print out THIS recipe (by Pioneer Woman) and make the sloppy joe's above. I can say they are the best sloppy joe's I've had b/c a) I didn't come up with the recipe and b) Blake made them. We substituted ground beef for brisket and I really enjoyed them. They are kind of perfect. I'm not even a huge SJ fan but I loved eating these twice and found myself hoping for a few more fork helpings in the bowl!

You should also make THESE by Martha Stewart. Now I have to confess, when I got to the part of the recipe that said "whip egg whites until stiff" I didn't know what to do. Honestly, I have never done that. I threw them in and did what I thought I should do...turns out they weren't "stiff". I ran to the computer (so thankful for internet) and figured out a few tricks...better luck next time! I thought they were ruined but I baked the first few anyway and after a taste test: They were just fine!! I also used mini choc. chips instead of the big ones b/c I'm not a chocolate chip fan. I have to say, they didn't phase me in these little cupcakes, I love them.

That's my little dinner tip this week! I have a sick little one on my hands so pray his body fights his current fever and we are better quick!

Wordless Wednesday: 8 mo.

2011-01-26T11:06:00.002-06:00

8 Months

2011-01-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

Oh little one, how you make us laugh. You bring pure joy to this house. 8 months old...my goodness. Parke is learning all sorts of new things and growing so fast (2 more inches and we have to move to a Big Boy carseat). He isn't crawling yet, I'm not worried about it. He will take his time plus I think it's one of those "first child syndrome" things. He has too many people around him that will hold him or get him what he wants! He did get a little barking dog for Christmas that moves so it might motivate him to chase after it. He also watches as balls roll away from him obviously thinking about if he REALLY wants to go get them or not...

He says momma, dada, and then jibbers different things including the "buh" sound. It's so fun to hear him talk to himself or others. He laughs more when tickled then he has in the past and if you tickle his feet he will stretch them out again towards you once you are done, simply asking for more. He will stretch as far as his little body will let him to reach toys he wants without crawling to get there.
He loves to take all of his toys out of the basket one by one, examining them on the way out. I would say his favorite toys right now include this little turtle, this seedling boy doll my aunt gave him and then anything he can get in his mouth.

We haven't ventured very far in the food realm. He had a REALLY hard time a few weeks ago with constipation. It was plain awful. SO, we've gone back to basics and for Parke we have to make sure he has something green with almost every meal. Poor thing was strictly eating prunes and pears for a few days and it did NOTHING!

Parke has also enjoyed some great quality time with Dad lately. Blake has been so sweet to either let me sleep in OR let me run around on Saturdays while he stays here with Parke. He really enjoys his daddy/Parke time and I love that for them and love my time away. He is so good with Parke and I love that Parke brings him so much joy and laughter.

We have also been working on "blanket time". This means I set a timer and have Parke play by himself on a certain blanket for a certain amount of time. He actually does really well playing by himself most days but I wanted to be intentional about some part of it. It helps my heart to know its purposeful. This will get harder the squirmier he gets!

One of the best things about Parke in the last week is a new face he makes. It's so funny and he makes it while playing or eating. The above picture is his nice "old" smile (Christmas jammies are in the P.J. rotation, the pic's are not from Christmas)...the pic's below are what bring this house laughter and refreshment daily. Oh my goodness...he squints his eyes together and kind of makes a bitter beer, old man, smile/face.

We love you Parke! So incredibly blessed and thankful. Happy 8 months!

What's For Dinner

2011-01-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

Chicken, Noodles and Mashed Potato's.

Oh, this is Blake's favorite meal. He actually doesn't let me make it b/c he thinks he does it perfectly and doesn't want me to mess it up...BUT I made it anyway. If you read the description and you thought "hmmm, that's a totally white plate" you are correct! No veggies. So if you want this delicious meal here's what you do.

Make Chicken Broth. You can do this buy cooking your bone in, skin on chicken in water. OR you can buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, take the skin off and let it cook in the water for a while.OR ...however you wanna make broth. Just make it- don't use a can :)

Use the broth you just made to cook the noodles in.

Add your cooked chicken to the mix.

At the same time be cooking your potato's and then mash away once they are cooked.

Blake would tell you to fill your bowl with potato's and then put your noodles/chicken on top. I would say to keep them separate and combine on your fork. Whatever you like- just dig in!

I think you could use some leftovers to then make into chicken noodle soup if you wanted but you'd have to add veggies of course :)

That's it...Monday Night's Dinner!

Weekend in Review

2011-01-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

I swear it should be Friday. I feel like I was just here not too long ago. Wasn't it just Monday...time to clean, time to wash sheets, time to start a new week? Wow...

Our weekend went by fast yet it seemed like a very long weekend. I took off on Friday to my parents house to spend the night and spend Saturday with them. Blake had a project planned here at the house which meant Parke would not have been able to enjoy his naps. I had a cold all last week so a day at my parents house sounded awesome to me since it also means rest for this weary little one! After Parke got up on Saturday morning at 6am I fed him and was able to go back to bed. I didn't go to sleep but the fact I was back in the covers for another hour was beyond exciting :). It was a great day and my brother and Megan came over to hang out too!

I must say, it is REALLY hard for me to be away from Blake. It always has been but now with Parke I just hate to loose any time we might have together as a family. But the separation paid off! We have new framed windows in our bedroom. Let me tell you, they are beautiful! We did the same thing in Parke's room and I want to eventually do all of our windows like this. Blake and I put our Christmas $$ together and have been able to upgrade our room! I'll put pictures of the whole room when we are finished. Blake worked really hard with our friend Ken to get the windows done...Ken almost lost his thumb and they took a trip to the emergency room (I feel just awful about that) and they STILL finished.

Finally, one of my favorite parts about every weekend is when we try and have our quiet time together on Saturday or Sunday morning. It's become part of our w/end routine to wake up, play with Parke etc but when he goes down for his first nap, we break out the coffee, cinnamon rolls and watch a Mark Driscoll sermon together. I'll admit, it's hard for me to turn my little mind off and I have to have Blake pause it a million times for my water trips, bathroom trips, laundry trips etc...BUT we sit as still as we can and enjoy learning together. This is something Blake has brought to the table in the last year and I just can't tell you how thankful I am for it and how much it has grown our marriage and family. Blake is a great leader and I hope his excitement for the word and ability to be still and read will be something Parke see's and inherits. We are currently watching The Trial series. It's really good if you are looking for something to watch during the week.

That's it. It's Monday, Blake's at work, there is snow on the ground and I was sweetly reminded as Parke squirmed all the way through or daily reading and prayer time this morning to enjoy this squirmy little boy every second and to be Oh So Thankful for another Monday!

I can't believe it's Wednesday! That means...

2011-01-05T10:24:00.000-06:00

All things Christmas

2010-12-29T09:42:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! It has been so fun to have Blake home from work these past couple of days and getting to see family! I love having a little 2 week "break". So this will be picture overload but it's Christmas, that's how it goes.

The first story I wouldn't have even shared except it was such a fun thing to watch and be a part of. We've lived in this house for 4 years (?) and haven't done this before (shame on us). We made a few treats like the picture below and took them to our neighbors with our Christmas card. It was fun to see a few of our "older" neighbors be so excited about it. We also learned a few things about a few of them too...anyway- Point being it kind of started a little giving trend and for the next couple of days we had the same neighbors stop by to give us treats with so much excitement and joy. It was a lot of fun to watch it all happen.

First we went to have Christmas at my parents house on Christmas Eve Day. Here is Parke with his BiBi and Papa.

Sweet Little Pic. I loved this shirt so much he wore it for both family Christmas's.

Uncle Ryan playing with Parke.

The girls had matching pajamas for the 3rd year. Such a fun little tradition. Hey, if my hubby won't match pj's with me why not do it with the girls in the family!

Our family pic at my parents.

Auntie M and Uncle Ryan

Parke enjoying the tissue paper

One of his new presents. He loves things that light up and talk to him.

We had Christmas morning at our house with just the 3 of us. It's a tradition we hope to hold on to. We read the story of Baby Jesus in Luke 2 to Parke and prayed with him. It was very sweet. We then let him open his stocking and a little present from us. It's on video but we didn't capture it with still photo's. SHAME on me....Dang it.

We went to the Shipley's Christmas Day. Here is P playing with Aunt Lindsay

Playing with his MiMi

And finally a picture without me in pajama's! Ha

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T09:58:00.000-06:00

I think I can, I think I can....

2010-12-16T15:56:00.001-06:00

Let me tell you that I've had something a little different in my spirit this week. I can't quite explain it and tried to with Blake the other night. He was great in helping a little light go on and I think he was right on...

As I've mentioned before some friends and I are reading a book called The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. It's a good little book and most chapters I end up making fun of something, not believing a story or two but always walking away with something to encourage me. This last chapter called "The Faithful Mother" was what I needed this week. I read it while trying to keep my eyes open as I desperately wanted to close the pages and take a nap. I wanted to forget about the laundry, the dust, the dishes and the things I need to go buy for the holidays. BUT...I kept on reading.

Sally encouraged mom's with the scripture from Hebrews 10:35-39. From the beginning it refreshed my spirit: "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." Ahh, that's it. Confidence, endurance, perserverance...the ability to keep going. I asked Blake "Do all parents start out like this." Meaning, do all parents have these conversations of what they want their family to look like, to be different b/c of such/such, to love the Lord, etc...etc. Do all parents start out with good intentions? Probably. So at what point do ALL parents grow weary, and at what point do SOME parents decide to persevere?

Growing weary....that's what it is. Sometimes, I grow weary. It's not even weary of Parke or wondering if I should be working somewhere (b/c I assure you, I shouldn't ) it's just a spirit that grows weary from time to time. I'm only 7mo in folks. Some of my friends are 2 or 3 years in and then my parents...well they are REALLY far in. So I imagine I will grow weary time and time again. I will be encouraged time and time again. I pray, I will be encouraged more, have endurance more, trust the Lord more and walk hand in hand with Blake to continue as we plan to go. Prayer...and pray like crazy, right?!

Thankful for those around me, the breakfasts at C.B. several times a year, the girls nights, the lunches, the calls and the emails. Thankful for my parents who didn't grow weary when I gave them PLENTY of reason to and for my hubby who encourages me daily.

Here's to perseverance!!

Wordless Wednesday: Celebrating 60 yrs of Marriage

2010-12-15T08:22:00.000-06:00

Resourceful Dinner

2010-12-14T12:36:00.000-06:00

I don't have a picture but I can tell you it's time to get new groceries. I'm choosing to be resourceful and use what we have instead. So, last night we had chicken (shake/bake style) and spinach/cheese tortellini with pesto sauce on it for the side. A recipe called for Shake/Bake a while back and I still had a box of it. I had never done it before then but it's actually pretty good. I'll say the vegetable was the spinach in the tortellini....that count's right?!

So on another note, Blake and I will be discussing all things Santa and Jesus for our Christmas traditions in this house. I hope to carry on some from our families and then some new one's as well. I wonder, If you tell your children the truth about Santa...do you tell them not to tell their friends? Who wants to have the kid that ruins it for other kids? More importantly, I know we want our children to know the real reason for Christmas. Not that you can't do that AND believe in Santa...just considering what we want to do!

I wonder what traditions other families do for Christmas. If you are reading...will you leave a little note and tell us the #1 thing you either remember or want to pass on to your children? I've heard of some pretty fun things.

Thx...I think I have pic's for Wordless Wednesday coming up. :)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

2010-12-07T15:26:00.000-06:00

To the few people who read this or check up on us, I'm sorry I've been such an awful blogger. My goodness it's kind of boring to only post recipes and pictures! I'll see what I can come up with. Here's to Monday night's dinner....

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos:

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
1 jalapeno chopped

2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, jalapeno, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll them up.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Look who's sitting up

2010-12-01T14:51:00.002-06:00

Monday's Dinner: Soup

2010-11-30T13:36:00.000-06:00

Hearty Minestrone Soup
4 servings

8 oz white beans
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 oz Pancetta, finely diced
2 med. shallots, minced
2 lg. celery ribs, diced
1 med onion, diced
1 lg carrot, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 14 oz can plum tomatoes, juice reserved
1 qt. chicken broth

Heat 2 Tbsp oil and add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until crisp (4 min)
Add the shallots, celery, onion, carrot, and cook until softened.
Add the garlic, crushed pepper, and bay leaves and cook, stirring until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil. SImmer over low heat for 1 hour. Add the beans and continue cooking.

Happy Soup Making...*note: I used fire roasted tomatoes and I used red pepper flakes for the crushed red pepper. I also bought carrots that were already chopped at the store as a short cut. I didn't use as much garlic as asked for either. There is actually a little more to this recipe but this is what I did last night. It was great, It will be a repeat.

Monday Dinner

2010-11-23T08:29:00.001-06:00

Remember last week when I said my battery was dead in my camera...it still is! Thankfully my phone has a little camera.

So what was for dinner? Chili. I know everyone knows how to make chili but here is the recipe I follow below:

Beef and Black Bean Chili

1/4 cup olive oil
2lbs beef cut into 1/2 inch cubes (tenderize)
1 lg red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic ( I use 1 TBSP minced)
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 bottle of dark beer
5 cups homeade chicken stock ( I feel like this may be a little too much)
1 16oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp honey (I don't measure I just pour)
2 cups Black Beans
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 sm can green chile's
Dollop of sour cream
Avocado
Cilantro

Heat oil in large dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt/pepper and saute until browned on all sides. Drain fat from pan when done. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chili powder and chipotle powder, cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced. Add chicken stock, tomatoes and honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the beans and continue cooking for 45 minutes.

Serve and enjoy. I put sour cream and avocado and cilantro on top of mine. Blake just adds cheese. It is a great recipe! We will have leftovers tonight.

Happy Half Birthday

2010-11-19T12:12:00.000-06:00

We sang "Happy Half Birthday" as we went in to get Parke this morning. I can NOT believe it. Every parent will tell you that time flies by and it does. I have loved it!

So at 6 months we are learning new things all the time. We introduced solids a few weeks ago. We started with avacado and have tried acorn squash, butternut squash and peas. He eats better off my finger than a spoon right now. I think he likes peas and butternut squash the best. I have to work on the consistency of peas, they are stubborn little ones. Parke also reaches for things he wants. Sometimes it's people, outside, toys etc. He has also transitioned in his nap times to shorter periods of time. At first I kind of freaked out but I have decided it is best for our family to go with the flow and it has given me great peace to do that. We are working on sitting but he has not mastered that one! He talks more now. He mimics the word "mama" and I say mimic b/c I know it can't be his first word yet right?! He babbles while playing and at the end of a play period when he is signaling he is tired. He now sleeps on his stomach all the time or on his side with his hands clasped together. Sometimes he likes a paci sometimes he doesn't.

It's been a good day. I feel like on days when my heart knows he is growing up the Lord gives me the sweet moments of just getting to hold him. He has had a little harder time going down today for naps and so I've just taken the time to hold him and sing to him to help him settle down. Instead of being bothered by the "interruption" or the fact that today is different I decided to just hold him....it only lasts a while!

I do feel like I need a little roadmap for the next 6mo. Working on sleep feels easy compared to what the next 6 mo hold: what foods do I give him, what skills do we work on, what sippy cup to use and what to put in it, etc...thankful for the friends around me :)

I'm so very blessed. I thank God daily for the gift of our little boy. Happy Half Birthday Parke, we love you.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T07:48:00.000-06:00

Monday Dinner

2010-11-16T14:04:00.000-06:00

I was thinking it might be fun to post what we have for dinner on Monday nights. It's not a special night but I'm always looking for recipes and love to learn about new ideas. So why not Monday night dinners? Just good, easy, family friendly recipes. You know me, nothing fancy!

So I printed this recipe out a while back. It's from my friends from college and I even stole their picture for this post (sorry friends but thank you). I had my camera out only to find out the battery was out. I do not have the energy today to go through charging a battery all for a picture of food...so here you go. This makes a lot of food. We had 2 ppl over for dinner and have left overs today.

Crockpot Picante Chicken

frozen chicken (about a pound)...(I don't buy frzn chicken so you can use what you have, I use 4 breasts)

big jar of picante

packet of ranch seasoning

pepper

seasoned salt

jalepeno juice ( I use green chiles instead)

corn tortillas

sour cream

cheese (your fav kind)

put all ingredients together (except tortillas, sour cream and cheese) in the crockpot and cook on low for about 5 hours. shred the chicken and leave the chicken in there shredded for about an hour and then you can eat it like a soup with sour cream and cheese or put it in tortillas and make tacos. pretty easy and pretty good.

I Won!!

2010-11-15T09:35:00.000-06:00

I follow a little blog called "Today's Letters" (on my link it's called Loerke Letters). Anyway, they are a fantastic couple who I have the privilege of knowing personally. I worked with Emily at WM. She really is one of the nicest people you will meet. We aren't BFF but I would occasionally have a little surprise from her on my desk. She is pure kindness people! Well, long story short they were giving away the suitcase above filled with GOODNESS. I tried to win coffee on their blog before and of course, I didn't win. I never win anything until now!! Doesn't it look fantastic! It is, and was...my 2 favorite things I think would be the granola (OMG, it's almost the best thing I've ever had) and well...why am I trying to choose 2? I've loved a lot of the things in here. Also, check out the Tuesday questions. Do. Them.

PS: The couple they are talking about on their blog today happen to be VERY good friends of mine. I love that little emck from the bottom of my heart. We've walked a lot of roads together and still do. Go check out their story and buy a t-shirt !! I can tell you one of the coolest things I remember from adoptive families I worked with was seeing their friends and family rally around them. How cool for people to show their support with t-shirts. I can't wait to see lots of pic's of ppl with them on. Parke may have tried mine on!

So here is what was inside the suitcase:

Tim's Favorites:
1. A bottle of Fireman's #4- Already a believer in Real Ale
2. 1 pound of Verve Coffee- thnkfl for coffee in the am
3. Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels- good, I need to look into ordering online from TJ
4. Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell- haven't had the right ice cream: note to self- buy ice cream
5. Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate- Blake hated it, I thought it was pretty good. kind of like chocolate potato chips
6. Luna Lemon Zest Bar- ummm....wasn't as bad as I thought?
7. Sherlock Holmes DVD- Netzers are watching this
8. Smartwool PhD Running Socks (for shimmying across the hardwoods)- Blake wears them every day
9. JAAPA Medical Journal- need courage to read
10. CD of the Mr.'s favorite songs- great! how do I work apple tv again?..

Em's Favorites:
1. A bottle of Boulevard Wheat- good. I would say a good pizza beer
2. 1 pound of Legal Ground's Granola- best.granola.ever
3. Trader Joe's Fruit Ends & Pieces-loved them, blake didn't thankfully
4. Half pint of Homemade Blueberry Jam (straight from the Loerke kitchen)- so good. love on my pbj
5. Sour Patch Kids- already gone
6. Mojo Mountain Mix Bar- nope. not a fan
7. Amelie DVD- GREAT movie! so glad to be introduced.
8. Tom's Toothpaste- under the sink, TBD
9. November Issues of Bon Appetit & Real Simple- Of course, TY.
10. CD of the Mrs. Favorite Songs- again, greatness. However, I want something in my house that I just push "play". Not TV-On, receiver-on, apple tv-on, menu, song, blah blah blah....

Thanks for cheering up my day.week.month!!

Where we are Today

2010-11-11T14:28:00.000-06:00

Today, my cup runneth over (who can say that without thinking of Hope Floats?). I just played with Parke and watched as he is learning to sit up. Where did time go? It's so sweet to watch him learn new things. I packed away his clothes once more today as he has grown out of some of them again. Packed up his sweet jammies he has grown out of and decided not to start looking through all of his teeny tiny clothes from when he was a newborn! I'm excited about things to come and at the same time hold on to the present as well.

Blake and I love being Parke's parents. He is a sweet baby and I can continue to say he is a joyful and peaceful child. When we go on walks he quietly talks to himself now. Almost the entire walk we can hear him making little noises. He loves to swing outside and to be in his excersaucer by the window. It's so fun to see him look with determination at a toy and then figure out how to get it.

People often ask us if we want more. Our answer is always the same: Whenever the Lord decides to bless us with more. We would LOVE more children in this house. We know and have learned it is not up to us. I can't plan it out by years and months and at this point, I'm rather thankful I can't put an exact science to it. We would love to be surprised though!

It is a relief these days to not have to even think about doctor's appt's, shots, medication, tests etc. I used to live by the calendar and now I sometimes forget what day it is! I enjoy every minute of being home with him.

Where I am with the Lord....it's honestly hard to sit and read/pray every morning. The day goes by and I'm excellent at procrastination! Sure, I talk to the Lord daily- I ask for help, I read scripture and pray for Parke, but to sit with the Lord and just be still is something to be learned again. It will come and I know he continues to draw me to Himself. I look at passages and they seem to remind me of the past. Instead I need to read and focus on the here and now, on our family, on my daily struggles and how to be the best mom, spouse, friend and child of God I can. It will come, I'm glad He is patient!

Not sure what else to include in a "where we are post". Life is great, couldn't ask for more and feel blessed EVERY single day to have been given the gift of motherhood to this little one.

Infertility 101: What to say/Not to Say

2010-11-10T08:33:00.000-06:00

Okay. One more post and then I will update where we are now. I've meant to do this the past 2 days and other things have simply been crossed off my to do list first. For those who read this blog who don't go through infertility yourself, this is probably a great post to read! It might help you encourage or at least be sensitive to those around you who are. See you tomorrow OR soon...ha.

2.25.2009

education opportunity

I've been thinking I should probably write down a few do's and dont's of infertility. A few things for others who don't experience this to remember when talking to others. The support group I have around me remembers these things often or have learned them a long the way. This isn't a post to them, it's an "education opportunity" for all.

I recently read a book called, When Empty Arms Become a Heavy Burden. It's a wonderful book. From the first page I sighed and thought "I am normal, I'm not crazy, I will be okay." It talks about the grief cycle which I think is important to post the cycles below. It is important to remember when dealing with those who go through infertility that this could be a monthly grief cycle, not a one time=done thing. Here are the different stages, you don't have to go through every one of them or even in order...most of the time it is a cycle though, and at times feels crazy.
Denial
Anger/Bargaining
Depression/Loneliness
Working Through
Upward Turn
Acceptance/Hope
I write this partly for myself to remind myself I am not crazy. I have hope one second, and then can quickly go back to anger, depression, processing...and cycle again. So be graceful with those around you.

Second I wanted to post a verse that the book talked about which also made me have an "ahha" moment. The ones you know who go through infertility may never be "over it", they may simply be processing it for a lifetime. Not stuck in a rut, but it will probably change their life forever.
Proverbs 30:15-16"There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!': 16 the grave, [c] the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

Last, a short list of things to never say to someone going through infertility!
1. Just Relax
2. Are you sure you aren't pregnant?
3. Are you sure you are "doing it" the right way?
4. Stand on your head for 5 minutes after and it will work.
5. I just know this will be the month, I just know you'll be pregnant.
6. If you adopt then you will have a baby. (several issues with this, won't get started).
7. God will give you the desires of your heart. (I personally believe that our desires may not be the Lord's will). If our hearts desire is Him...then He will forever give us our hearts desire.
8. It just takes time.
9. What if you did......Have you tried.....
10. If you pray enough, have faith enough, it will happen.
That's all folks. A little infertility class for you today! Have a great day!

Our Story: Part 5

2010-11-07T09:52:00.000-06:00

Finally, a turn for the better in our story. Remember while reading this is a post from the past, we are not pregnant again (would be great with me if we were)!

While going through infertility I always said I didn't know how the Lord would answer our prayers. I would remind myself that "no" is an answer. So is "not now", adoption, foster care and other things. Again, the Lord has always given me a heart for children so I knew the God I worshiped was too good of a God not to give us children in this house. How He would give them to us, I wasn't quite sure.

For us, this cycle of grief and hope ended with a pregnancy! Sweet Parke was given to us and this is the post I announced it with. I also will remember announcing it to WM staff. I was so scared to let ppl into my hope that this pregnancy would give us a baby. They walked through tears, disappointment and questions with me. When I announced, Todd (boss/pastor) was sure to also remind me and others it wasn't my first time to be a mom. He prayed with us too. It was so sweet of him to remember and even think to say that. I think I'll always remember that.

Here's to a post about a baby...the size of a lime.

10.30.2009

Good Good News...

Well I have really great news. Kind of fantastic news…..7 weeks ago we took another pregnancy test. To my surprise, shock and unbelief (I was 100% sure I was NOT pregnant)…. it was positive. This time the test meant nothing. Blake and I both knew we had to make it through a lot of blood tests and make it past the date when we lost the baby last time. Let me tell you, I was fearful! My closest friends would tell you I’ve been in denial for some time now. My walls immediately went up and instead of jumping for joy-I held on for dear life.

We are now a little over 11 weeks pregnant (the baby is the size of a lime) and I think I’m beginning to believe it might just be true. We might actually meet this little one in May. Please continue to pray with us for this little one. Now, my desire when announcing this is for people (myself included) to not forget what the Lord has also done over the last 2 years. YES-I am so very THANKFUL at this moment for the little life he is fearfully and wonderfully creating. I am also thankful for his faithfulness while I walked through what I believed to be a valley.

Below is a Psalm the Lord gave me a few weeks back. I think it perfectly sums up the last two years. Thank you Lord for the gift you have given us and thank you Lord for all the many gifts along the way. *Thank you friends/family for hanging in with us, praying continually and supporting us, I love you.*
Psalm 103: 1-5
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Beautiful Valley

2010-11-06T08:51:00.000-05:00

Good morning. It's freezing here in Tx this morning! A good morning for coffee and reflection again on the past 2 years. Below is a painting. It now hangs in our room. I love it. It is a reminder of what the Lord taught me during this time. Looking back, I'm not sure the Lord has given me an image that has slowly revealed itself more and more like the image below. I explain it all in the post. What I didn't explain is how the girl in the vision was in different poses as the years went by. Sometimes I would see "her" on her knees, sometimes just sitting, sometimes standing praising. I think it also is significant to where the Lord took me and brought me from during that time.

Sometimes I wish I wouldn't have been wrapped up in "me". I wish I could have remembered every second "for your Glory Lord". It's so incredibly hard to do that. I think I did a good job at times and a VERY bad job other days. To expect suffering b/c I am a believer is something to wrestle with in itself...but to walk through it, thankful for it, that is another story....thankful He hasn't given up on me.

8.24.2009

My Painting

If you have read a few of my posts during my road of infertility/miscarriage then you may remember me also talking about what I believe the Lord is teaching me during all of this. I recently wrote about the Valley of Baca in my post for Join the Journey (Psalm 84). I have also written about other times the Lord has asked me to praise Him on this road, in this Valley.

So I put a plea out a while back for anyone who knew of a painter. I feel like the Lord gave me an image probably 2-3 years ago and I believe he has revealed His will piece by piece through that image until I now have a full picture of what He has been teaching me. My friend Sara had someone do the painting for me. It's beautiful and hangs in our room. It shows a girl in the middle of the valley surrounded by flowers with mountains in the background. The flowers are important b/c I believe the Lord is asking me to enjoy the things around me, to take in the beauty of my surroundings and praise Him for those things as well. Tara did a great job. I tried not to picture what the painting would look like since someone else was doing it instead of me and I think it turned out just perfect. In the clouds it also says " Do not be afraid or discouraged. The Lord God is with you wherever you go." It's almost hidden so you can't really see it.....

As we have started the process of trying again, this painting has helped me. It's reminded me of what all the Lord has taught me during this time and turned my mind/heart back to Him. I want to be singleminded in Christ and it is often so hard to do when I also have anxiety, fear, and other emotions going on. So thank you Tara (and Sara). Thanks for giving me a physical reminder that I can daily look at to remind me of Christ's work and faithfulness in my life.

Part 4

2010-11-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, this too is a part of our story. The Lord has turned many things into good from it. Here is our package without a bow story:

5.24.2009

Package without a Bow

I believe I've been waiting to post about this until I had the perfect thing to say, the pretty bow to match the perfect wrapping around this time in my life. Well, I don't. I can't seem to find the bow to wrap it all together and give it a pretty little presentation. A week ago Blake and I went in to the doctor for our first sonogram. Yes, we were 7 weeks pregnant. It took us about that long to believe it was true and to celebrate. I was apprehensive at first about a miscarriage and all the things that could go wrong. I had a friend pray for me and our sweet baby and I remember her words "Lord, you already know the days of this child's life". After that point I gave it over, no more worry for me, this was the Lord's gift, the Lord's child and I would not worry after that point. Besides, my struggle was infertility not miscarriage. I only fit into one little package, not two.

We went to the doctor last Monday to see what we thought would be our little blueberry (the size of a baby that young). Instead, the sonographer took way to long looking at the screen that I couldn't see. I had read the WM news that spoke of miscarriage, I had read the countless update emails about spotting, miscarriage, how normal it is etc....but chose not to have fear. But in that office, with Blake looking at the screen, the doctor said "I'm sorry, there is no easy way to say this-it's not a good pregnancy." The baby had stopped growing. I was in disbelief. It's hard to imagine the Lord would have given us a gift only to take it away a short while later. We knew our baby for 7 weeks.

I've never even thought of miscarriage, it's not in my history, it hasn't been something I worry about but it happened. I started this blog because I wanted to blink and remember times in my life instead of them passing by. This one, I will forever remember. I will remember the kindness of the doctor's office as they whisked us out of the office, I will remember Blake and I sitting in the parking lot for what seemed like hours just staring at nothing, I will remember pulling up to our driveway and the sinking/empty feeling like we just came home from the hospital without our baby, how Blake did not leave my side, I will remember realizing I will in fact be spotting someday and will in fact miscarry this baby. I actually did not know the answer to our infertility and was left with more questions than answers. I wanted to be alone, I wanted to isolate and get on a plane and never come back. To run as fast as I could and not look back. I didn't want to have the feelings again of not wanting to be around babies (children that I love and want to help raise), I didn't want to be envious again of the play groups, stay at home mom's and the experience of pregnancy, breast feeding, biological children, my own time line.-I know those feelings full and well and did not want them flooding my mind but they did, they are and the Lord again will rescue me from them.

I wanted to write all of this down while I still feel the pain of it. I can tell you at this moment I am almost incapable of making decisions, I am numb, I have not cried in a while nor have I been able to honestly say I'm good, laugh with joy or feel much of anything. Partly, I believe because I am in limbo. When the doctor tells you a miscarriage will happen it can take up to 3 weeks for your body to pass the baby. I am grieving now and will grieve again when the day comes I can physically see our baby passing.

I remember my friend dying in high school and knowing I couldn't ask the question "why" because I would never know the answer. The world did not stop on the day he died neither did the world stop on the day our baby died, but I wish it did. I never knew I could miss something so much that I only knew for a short while. I have and will celebrate the life the Lord chose to give us but most of the time I have more sorrow than thankfulness....and you know-it is okay. This too shall pass, He will strengthen me and shelter me. But for now, I'm here, present but not really aware of the world around me.

This is my package, it does not have a bow or pretty wrapping but it's mine, it's ours, it's what has been given to us.

Prayer Shower. Our Story Part 3

2010-11-04T09:11:00.001-05:00

Well, looking back is hard isn't it? Man...

So this morning I've read through a few posts. I do want to move forward on to the other parts of our story but I decided to first post about our friends. If I'm going in order than you must know our friends/family have always been a part of our story. Our community group put together a prayer shower for us. How thoughtful. Shower after shower after shower we celebrated the little one's about to be born. I loved hosting them, being a part of them and LOVED the day those babies were born. Again, a piece of my heart either stung or broke all at the same time. I can tell you that never have I felt so loved as I did in the last 2-3 years. So thankful for my faithful friends/family around me. So, here's to the shower below and then we will move on to the happenings after the shower. I think it is the way it is supposed to be remembered...

2.09.2009

prayers of hope

Many of you know about our community group and close friends around us. We could not go through this part of life without them. They put others needs before their own and take initiative to pray in a time of need. So this past Friday night Blake and I were showered with prayer. The troops were called in! Our closest friends and family prayed over us. We sat in the middle of a circle full of everyone who has been crucial during this time. It was a beautiful, meaningful time. I believe this is what the Lord would have us do in all circumstances...the Lord says when 2 or more gather in His name he will be there....and He was. Many people who attended had their own list of things we could have prayed about but they set it aside to pray specifically over us. It is such an honor to sit and listen to the people you love cry out on your behalf. It was a reminder of the Lord's faithfulness and was an encouragement to hear all of the requests before our God. Each person had something it seemed that the Lord laid on their heart to pray for us. They also put together a book for us so we could take everyone's written scripture or prayer home with us, I can't wait for our children to read them someday and know how many people were crying out on their behalf. We prayed for healing, peace, strength, the Lord's timing-His plan and His words. I trust that the Lord heard our cries and will answer. He will answer according to His plan, plans to prosper and not to harm us...to give us hope and a future. He is a good and faithful God! I am hopeful of what that might be.

Thank you friends and family, I can not imagine life without you...

If you follow this blog-thank you for praying for us as well.

Winds of Change: Story Part 2

2010-11-03T09:45:00.000-05:00

This little post I can remember clear as day. I had just got off the phone with a friend. It was a sunny day outside and I was going to sit under the sun and have some quiet time. The conversation I had just had left me feeling alone and isolated (unintended) and while reading this story below the Lord spoke to me....This is something I "blinked" and have still remembered.

(no idea why my font is like this btw)

3.18.2009

winds of change...

I found this yesterday. I don't even know the person who wrote this but it spoke volumes to me in the place I am in right now. It is something I would like to meditate on for a while. I pray the Lord speaks to me through it. As much as I would love to take credit for her amazing writing style I can't...I hope this blesses you too.

"I must borrow from my pastor now. Two days ago, I listened to him speak about sanctification. His definition of it seemed rather clumsy to me at first; almost too much to digest. To paraphrase: "Gradually becoming what we already are and what we're meant to be." What? It felt word-heavy, as though it would topple under its own verbosity. But in essence, what he was saying about sanctification was that it's both a one-time thing and an ongoing process. We have a maple tree in our yard that wears each season boldly on its branches. In the summer, it's vibrant and lush. In the fall, its leaves begin to crumple and crisp, turning bright shades of reds and golds. Winter strips it of any and all signs of life. But spring. Spring comes and never has that tree looked so glorious. Green, yes, and on its way to vibrance and fullness. But still new, still young. still just dappled with color. Spring is that first, early morning yawn of summer. Spring is pristine restraint to summer's tawdry decadence. My tree seems to stretch its weary limbs up against the bluing sky and reach out for life again. Always the same tree - never the same tree. It, like me, is in a continual state of transition.

If you believe in Jesus, you are like that tree. You, too, are changing. Perhaps not in drastic leaps and bounds, not all at once, but the change is inevitable. It is not by choice but by His spirit. Sanctification is a difficult word. Maybe it's easier to digest when you think of it as this: being the you He intended you to be. Not in a you kind of way. But in a Jesus kind of way. After all, you were made in His image. Sin has stripped us of that, has made us prisoners to something other than what we were called to. But salvation sets in motion a metamorphosis, a hearkening back to what was the original design.

First we are set free from the penalty of sin - hallelujah! I, like the church at Corinth, have been "called to be holy" (I Cor. 1:2). My sanctification is immediate. But it's also ongoing. With each day that I remain on earth, a battle will be waged to keep me free from sin's power. I must keep awake so that I can resist the temptation to drift off into apathy. I will feel the transformation, slowly but surely, as I become more like Him, "from one degree of glory to another" (II Cor. 3:18). Always the same girl - never the same girl. If I am a believer, if I am walking with Jesus, walking in true relationship with Him, my growth will never stop. Just as my maple tree is constantly changing, even if not to the naked eye, I, too, cannot help but be constantly changed, as well. It is not choice. It is inevitable. When we finally reach eternity, however that door may be opened before us, we that are believers will be done. The transition will be complete. Emerging from the fog that was our understanding now, we will be perfectly holy. Just as He intended. "We will be like Him" (I John 3:2), free from the presence of sin. There will be no more death, or tears, or pain.

He is making all things new. It is immediate, and ongoing. He was, and is, and is to come! There is an end to this story. There is a purpose. And there is a calm behind the chaos. He is making all things new. It is happening in you who believe, and He is urging you on in the metamorphosis of the world around you. Breathe in and know: change is coming."-(from the "staying awake" blog).

Our Story

2010-11-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure how to go and choose just a few posts to capture the last 2-3 years. I've been thinking about it and I'm sure these next few days will actually be filled with posts full of sorrow, grief, questions and hopefully glimmers of hope. My desire is to also find the posts of the Lord's faithfulness and of the moments I felt like he was literally sitting right next to me. Below is the first of this weeks posts. Here's to looking back:

11.13.2008

he gives and takes away...

I'm not sure why, but I'm a little nervous to write this post. I think its because I've been wanting to write these words for a while and have never been sure of how to go about doing so. I'll begin with probably about 4-5 years ago. Our worship pastors' (at a different church) marriage was falling a part. His wife had left him and he took time away to try and reconcile and work through everything. I will always remember the first Sunday he came back and led us in worship...he chose to lead us in "He gives and takes away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." I remember the emotion in the room and the tears in my own eyes in admiration of his willingness to sing those words during that time. My admiration in the Spirit of the Lord and His mighty power....Fast Forward- about 2 years ago I worked at an adoption agency and I was trying to place 3 children into a permanent "forever family." It was probably one of the most difficult and emotional times of my life. They were older children and so the chance of them getting a family was slim to none. We tried a placement and it failed miserably, the weekend it failed I remember being at IBC and singing the exact words of " He gives and takes away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." Tears again streamed down my face as I tried to sing the words to that song. Difficult at best, but knew the words rang true in my heart.
I am at a season again that I find my eyes filled with tears when singing the same song. You see, about a year ago all of my friends and I started talking about how fun it would be to have children. Blake and I had MANY a conversations and when we were ready, we got off birth control. Friends started popping up pregnant and it was SO fun to celebrate those times but stung at the same time. We are now sitting at almost a year of trying with many questions going through my mind. As a believer I KNOW that the Lord is sovereign, in control and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Him...at the same time these exact words are what are so hard to hear and read. I believe it is a time of growth, a time to think outside of myself as babies come and families are growing all around me, a time to TRUST in God alone and nothing else-for my expectation to only come from Him. I am thankful the Lord is big enough to take my anger, my questions, frustration and moments of unbelief. I write this out b/c I am learning....I am learning how to process, how to be okay with tears, how to be "authentic" with the girls around me and at the end of the day, when the world is falling out from underneath me to stand firm in HIM. I am writing b/c I would hate to miss an opportunity to begin to share with others what the Lord is teaching me and the character of who HE is through all of this. My hope is that even on the bitter days, angry days, joyful days, tearful days that my heart would choose to say "Lord blessed be your name".

Coming Soon

2010-11-01T12:22:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking of doing a little re-cap of our life the last 2-3 years. I started this blog to "blink" in all of our memories, especially the ones pictures simply can't capture. To write and share about the times that will forever be imprinted on my heart but not in my photo album.

I hope to soon write about our story, how the blog began, how the Lord worked and continues to work in our life etc. My hope is to find a few posts from over the years to best remind myself and others of the road we traveled. It's always good to be reminded and humbled of how the Lord gives and takes away!

It's Wednesday

2010-10-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

Here's to a wordless post:

Pumpkin, How I love Thee

2010-10-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

In case you missed the news flash- It's fall! In my book, fall calls for pumpkin bread, cookies, muffins, latte's, and ale. You would never know it's fall with the weather outside. What is a girl supposed to wear and even more so...what is my baby supposed to wear?! That's another post....

Found this wonderful recipe and made a ~~few~~ a lot of cookies/muffins last night. Should have known it would make more than a dozen! Here is the recipe:

Your 4 ingredients (really, that's all): I was kind of really excited to purchase that can of pumpkin

Mix the dry ingredients together

Add 1 can lg. pumpkin

Mix Well

Add one bag chocolate chips

Mix Well

Place on cookie sheet. 350 for 20-25 min.

They don't really expand so make them as big/small as you want.

I made muffins too and they (meaning I ate more than 1) were awsm with my coffee this morning.

Or enjoy a cookie with your favorite Oktoberfest or pumpkin Ale.

5 months

2010-10-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

5 months old today little one! Our days are so fun around here. You are 26.5 inches and 14.9lbs. You simply light up our world. You are doing a few fun things:

Rolling from back to tummy and you get a little testy rolling to your back but you do it.

Smile- you do this thing that makes you seem shy. You will smile and look away and then come back for more. Mostly you do this when people greet you. It's pretty cute.

You finally enjoy your excercauser and are learning what the heck to do with your jumper. I put you in front of the back windows to enjoy the sun while you play.

You have been known to sit back and take in the world around you. I have no idea where you get that from :)

You are reaching for things and your favorite toy is Sophie the giraffe. It's worth the 20$ people and he's not even teething yet.

We try and swing outside once a day and you seem to just chill and enjoy the scenery. The dogs come over to check you out and Owen often gets hit with the swing (of course he does).

You have finally made your toes reach all the way to your little mouth. Kind of gross and today made me start thinking what I clean my floors with and what exactly is on those little feet after your jumper...

I'm thinking of starting you on solids....now what exactly to start with, not sure but we'll get there.

You sometimes drop your last nap. It's a day to day assessment to see what you will do.

You LOVE your daddy putting you to bed at night. He's pretty good at it too!

You smile when we come to get you from a nap and you still clasp your sweet hands together while eating or sleeping. I love it.

We love you Parke Ryan. I can't believe how much you've grown. I'm thankful for you and thank God daily for the gift.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

Sparrow

2010-10-07T09:05:00.000-05:00

I recently did a little home project. I had the word BELIEVE framed in my living room. I think I've had it for a few years and it has had and still has significant meaning. That word became a part of my story, prayer and support from friends/family for years. I looked at it every day but with the zebra around it and the brown/gold colors I thought it needed a little touch up to go with my new colors in that room. For several days the scripture kept coming to mind in Matthew 10:30-31. I've always loved sparrows. They are such small pretty birds. To look at them and think God spent time on them is so neat. I decided to try and do something to remind me of that verse.

Got out my handy glue gun, paintbrushes (thx KT) and paint I used in Parke's room.

I took the frame down and started painting. I didn't really have an idea of what to do yet. I thought I would actually just put the word SPARROW across it and hang it back up. I then remembered I had a stencil (above).

I finished painting and got out my fabric from my drapes and made a pattern. It wasn't super easy to cut a perfect rectangle. The glue gun def. helped repair my mistakes. I fit the fabric to size, glued around the edges and touched up the frame.

Here is the finished product. I decided not to put the verse on it since I do not have pretty handwriting. It will just be my little reminder to "Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." After doing this little project I was at the kitchen sink doing dishes one day. 2 sparrows landed on the window in front of me and just sat to chat for a while. It was a gift from God. Just giving me a little affirmation that he does know the # of hairs on my head (that I am losing like it's my job) and that I am more valuable to him then those pretty little birds He named Sparrows.

It's Wednesday. Sick Baby. Treat for Mama.

2010-10-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

I know it's wordless Wednesday. Trust me, I have few. I've told you Parke is one of the best babies I know. Truly he is. He's been sick since Monday. Poor thing. He's been pretty good for the most part but last night...OHHH last night! He cried, and cried. It was the 1st night since his birth that we loaded him up, put him in the car and drove an hour round trip for ice cream just to make him sleep. And what a treat it was! Quiet Baby, Happy mom/dad!

Thanks Shakies!!

Wordless Wednesday.....it's official

2010-09-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

What a Man

2010-09-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

What a man, what a man, what a might good man....(salt n peppa style). Happy Birthday to my hubby today!

Here's to the years that have gone by!

The years of just being friends. Seriously, no really...just friends!

To the date parties of KoJoKai and SubT 16...hey! We loved each other a lot to dress like that right?

To the attempts I have made at skiing. To the marriage counselors that told us to really think about marriage since you LOVE skiing and I am deathly afraid of it!!

To the year we decided to jump in and get married! Even with our skiing problems. Best.day.of.my.life

To our honeymoon. I guess I'll fly to the other side of the world with you! Oh to do that again!!

To the trials we have walked through.

To the year you became my baby daddy!! I love you Blake. You are the best man I know.

Not a Day goes by...

2010-09-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

Not a day goes by in which I don't think about where I've been. Some days stronger than others. Let me tell you a little about that. I feed Parke in a certain chair in my living room most of the time. Most people call it "erynn's chair" b/c I sit in it a lot. From this chair I can see the tree we planted to remember the baby we miscarried. When I pull in the driveway, I see it, when I go on a walk, I see it, when I step out my front door, I see it. If you've been over you have probably looked at it and thought "I hope it doesn't die, it's not blooming" etc. It's had better days but we are hoping it makes it...anyway...here is how the Lord continues to use it and what the tree represents.

I have been studying the book of Daniel with women from my church. It's an awesome little book and I just love the O.T. anyway. This past week we have been reading chapter 3. You know the story, the fiery furnace. We are always asked to pick out our favorite verse. I have a few but the 2 that stand out the most are vs. 18 and vs.27.

Vs 18: But even if He does not, we want you to know O king, that we will not worship your idol. The part that stands out to me is the "BUT even if He does not". That pulls at my heart in a big way. I feel like in the 2yrs of infertility and miscarriage this is one of the things the Lord worked on me with. The idea of "what if He doesn't". What if God doesn't give us a baby, what if he doesn't rescue the next baby from miscarrying, what if He doesn't open my womb....You see, right before vs.18 the 3 men just got done telling the King their God would rescue them. I think in general, I have an easier time proclaiming my love and devotion to Christ in the times He chooses to rescue me, show his faithfulness the way I expect him to, and love me the way I expect him to. It's the "but even if he DOES NOT" that I have learned to see his goodness and love. He patiently walked me through that lesson and continues to remind me of it.

Second, vs 27: at the end it states "and there was no smell of fire on them". Remarkable actually. No smell of fire after we just read how strong and hot the fire actually was. Here is my thought about that. First, it's amazing. Second, these 3 men might not have smelled of fire but I can almost guarantee you this- They remember the smell of fire! They were in it, surely they knew it was a little warmer in that furnace and surely it didn't smell like roses.
I'm still processing this last part. Do I smell like fire? Do I want to have a little bit of that smell still on me? Do I remember it enough to remember the Lord in it, his Holy Spirit guiding me, protecting my heart and singing over me? How have I grown b/c of the fire or am I the same?

As I was driving yesterday I was thinking of these 2 verses. My prayer and hope is this. I hope the next time someone asks me "How do I encourage you as a believer to grieve" I will have a different answer than the last time. I hope to walk a little stronger this next time and I hope to cling to the Lord more than ever. To know, without a doubt his goodness, his love, grace, mercy and compassion. To remember the days and quiet times it was just me and the Lord and relish in His words and plan for me, to worship Him for who He is, to know I can not take one step without him, the fire is simply too hot...even in the "but even if He does not" type of days.

Still processing...TY Lord for your word.

Always a good Read

2010-09-24T10:05:00.001-05:00

Grains of Sand by Incourage

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”
(Psalm 139:17-18b)

It is amazing to me how often we truly lose sight of Christ’s love for us. There are moments, in each of our lives, that we feel unloved, unwanted, or just invisible.

We long for friendships, community and a sense of belonging and forget that He longs to be all of that for us. How that must break His heart! He has given us so many examples of His love for us, but sadly when we hit rock bottom, we rarely take the time to search out our purpose.

Have you ever thought about that word- and its meaning to us as Christians. Have you ever really sat and reflected on the gift we have been given as Christians, because now our lives have purpose? Its a life altering thought, if you truly think about it! Our visions on our purpose, and His plans for our purpose are usually so far from each other- Yet He shares our purpose and His love for us on so many levels through His word! That in itself is amazing to me!

He has a purpose for me!

Think about it. Before you found Christ (because He always knew exactly where you were!) you really had no significant eternal purpose. You had earthly purpose, we all do. We all have rolls we must fill on a daily basis. But eternally, we were lost- hopeless. Because of His death on the cross, and our acknowledgment of His gift, we have eternal purpose!

Yet, we find ourselves searching still.

Searching for acceptance and acknowledgment.

Searching for fulfillment.

For love…

His love is so much more than we could ever imagine, if only we would truly acknowledge its power and accept its true meaning. I am amazed sometimes at how much my faith is lacking. I am amazed at how often I search for Him in situations, when all along had I just reached my hand out, His was right there waiting to take hold of me and guide me. I spend so much time (as we all do) with my eyes focused on earthly things- things that are meaningless. I lose sight of my Savior!

“For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” – Jeremiah 24:6-7

He set His eyes upon us- For Good! How amazing is that! Despite our wretchedness, He still has a purpose for us- He set his eyes on us for Good!

Don’t lose sight of your purpose. Don’t trade your joy for sorrow! This life is just a glimpse of what eternity holds, and our purpose as believers is so amazingly bright! It is so easy to direct our eyes to the pain and heartache we suffer. Its easy to lose focus and feel alone. But remember that you are loved by an eternal Savior, a Savior who has promised you so much more than you can ever imagine.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”. -John 14:27

4mo Old

2010-09-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

How time fly's little one. As we sat in the overflow room at church (MUCH diff. at 5:30 than the 9:00) I saw babies who were 8mo old. They were sitting, crawling and looked so big. I am excited for that time, but know how quickly these last 4mo have gone as well. Oh to take in each day! I don't think I can possibly soak them in enough. Such sweet days.

Now, to say they are such sweet days is true. I will also say Parke has decided to well...I dunno- have sleep regression, not eat at all, eat every 2 hours etc...So I guess I would say, do his own thing! Before this past week I could have told you exactly what our day looked like and scheduled things as such. I read this is a natural thing that can happen at 4mo and I guess we will jump on board. So, every morning I pray to be able to respond in peace, go with the flow and please Lord give me enough milk for this child today! He hasn't had his 4mo check up b/c I received my tetanus shot and Im not convinced he didn't get any side effects from it. I react VERY poorly- temp for 48 hours and my arm red with heat for 6 days. He will go in 2 weeks.

Since I don't have stats from the doctor I'll give you my own.

You are:

Smiling

Beginning to be shy around some or even pout/cry at strangers

Giggle when being tickled

Talk yourself to sleep and play/talk when you wake up

Learning to sit in your bumbo

Doing much better at tummy time and occasionally roll but not enough to announce "he's rolling over"

He is growing out of 3-6mo clothes and into 6-9mo jammies

Falls asleep with his arm over his face. He always did this in his sono pictures and right after he was born so it is sweet to see.

He has 2 hickies on his arm from sucking on his arm as he goes to sleep, or just b/c??

Puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!

Loving every day with you little one. We are proud of you, pray for you and can't get enough of you!

Perfect Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

2 Cheers for Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T08:56:00.001-05:00

(click on dishtowels for link)

Customer Service...Yes Please

2010-09-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

I have to brag on two products today. First, let me say that I have been impressed with Madewell time and time again! It all started when they moved into Northpark mall and I so happened to stop by. The clothes are mostly casual but tend to add a little feminine flair at times. In secret, when I see the adds I want someone to make me where exactly what the model is showing. Most of the time I don't have the guts to wear a lot of their stuff but in general, I like the whole store. Now, let me say it can be rather pricey. It's not exactly TJ Maxx. However, if you wait long enough the majority of stuff goes on sale at some point. It tends to be my "buy something nice b/c you know it will last long" store! On top of loving the clothes, any time I've ordered something from them it has come incredibly fast! Sure it says "3-6 business days" but I feel like most of the time it is at the 3 day mark, if that! And one more thing...you can take back what you don't like to the store. None of this, put it back in the exact envelope, go to the post office (with a baby which makes the trip 10x longer) and ship it by this date stuff...just a trip to the mall (where you are going anyway to get out of the house) and everything is done!

Second, let me brag on Aden+Anais. If you've had a baby or are going to have a baby I've probably mentioned these blankets to you. They are super soft, light weight and just a little more fun than your typical blanket. You can find them at BuyBuy Baby or maybe little boutiques. They are bigger than the average blanket which lends them to swaddle your baby even that much better. Recently, one of my little blankets ripped as I was swaddling Parke. I contacted their customer service and was replied to within a day. Yep, received an email within a day offering to replace my blanket. They said they would send me a 4pk to replace my 1 blanket. When they mentioned another kind of aden+anais that is a little thicker I asked if I could have that instead. They are generously sending me a replacement blanket-new and improved. I really wish the dream blanket came in adult sizes. Also, the bibs are a perfect burp rag and I was recently told it's the only bib that actually holds all the gross things that kids spit up! I would love to have a huge one to keep in the living room for movie nights, or Sara's coming over find a blanket night! What if they came in snuggies!! haha...

There you have it. My 2 loves for the day! Happy Weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

Preparation for Parenting

2010-08-24T09:30:00.001-05:00

Blake and I took a class called Preparation for Parenting before Parke was born. It goes right a long with Babywise, the oh so controversial little book. Since having Parke I have struggled with things here and there with what this "book" has to say. There have been times I've thought, "what do they know", "who wrote that book anyway", etc. These normally come in times when Parke is crying and I am mad at the people who say I should let him! Ha. I have sometimes struggled with the "rules" and if I'm breaking them or not. I would say the first 6-7 weeks of Parke's life those little "rules" stressed me out! Is he eating when he is "supposed to", sleeping when he is "supposed to", on and on and on.....

Last night was a night similar to those thoughts. Parke cried more than usual at bedtime and we layed in bed thinking "should we...shouldn't we....". We prayed too and tried to do what was right for Parke. A prayer for wisdom but also a plea "Lord please comfort him, make him stop crying...now, NOW!!! I'll tell you other thoughts going through my mind too were: Why does this only happen at night? What if I just went in really quick and got him to sleep? It's been a long day, can't you just fall asleep like you did last night without crying? I wanted to go to bed early, you are keeping me up little one!

So this morning, I sat with a little cup of coffee and prayed. I then opened up this little book (Prep for Parenting/Kingdom Parenting) and was encouraged by the Lord. You see, what I forget about the philosophy of Prep for Parenting is to pray in all circumstances and to do what is best for YOUR CHILD. Sure, there are things they recommend and it probably works with most children. I often get stuck on what is most controversial, the crying it out method. I don't remember how often they say to cuddle, play, pray, hold and to sooth your baby. They also repeat to Pray for wisdom and then take action. So the paragraph the Lord gave me this morning said:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God (James 1:5). A parent's working definition of wisdom is action based on knowledge of God's word, his child's ways, and principles of infant mgmt. Pray that you might accurately determine why your child is crying and then respond to the cry as God would have you. James 4:2 says that often we do not have because we do not ask. Keep in mind God's character. He responded in many different ways to the cries of His children, and each response was correct.

I love the sweet reminder that God too responds to our cries, my cry, and what each one looked like. My goodness, I cried for years in infertility and miscarriage but His answer was "not now". He was still responding, it just wasn't instant. Instead, he did what was best for my heart, my growth and my love for Him in guiding me in His timing. He still loved me, soothed me, rocked me, sang over me, and held me during those times. How thankful I am for His reminder this morning.

How sweet the Father's love for me.

3 months and a few other things

2010-08-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Can I write this post without a few tears...I think I can, I think I can! 3 months old. My little one is 3 months old. Let me tell you, it's a fun, fun age. I remember when my friend's baby, Adley was 3 months old. We were playing with her at Sara's house and I told Jessica that 3 months was one of my favorite ages. It's so true.

Parke is giggling some, smiling a ton, talking, singing a long at times and playing with toys. He gets this little face when music plays like he is shocked there are sounds coming out of a toy! It's so funny. He has found his fingers and hands. He often has them in his mouth. At first I thought he was still hungry but no, he just loves to figure things out by using his mouth. He also loves to try and fit his blue elephant in his mouth too. Good thing the elephant has a long nose to work with. He also smiles while being swaddled sometimes and loves his daddy to put him to bed at night. Sometimes when we put him down for bed he will fuss while smiling- ha!

This morning Parke was still tired after his 7am feeding. Instead of waking him up I just took advantage of some good sleep time. There was a time when he was little that we often got to have skin/skin or I could at least let him sleep on me one nap a day. I haven't done that as often and so I soaked in every minute this morning. He is so awsm! I just love being a mom to him. I thank God he chose us to be Parke's parents. We don't deserve it. Spending this time slightly messed up our schedule where he fussed during "playgroup" today but it was worth it. Every time we have little moments like this I think "there will be a time when we can't do this, we are going to pause and take advantage of it." Blake was still home and joined us in sitting together this morning. So sweet.

Other happenings from this past week would be my 10 yr. high school reunion!! Are you kidding me. Oh where has time gone! I didn't think I would enjoy it at all but it ended up being fun. Thankfully our sweet friends let us invade their house and my momma came to help with Parke! There was a Friday and Saturday event. This is our family before the Friday night event. Taking pic's with a baby can prove to be difficult. We end up staring and smiling for several minutes why the photographer focuses on Parke. He didn't so much smile for the camera on this one!

Sleeping pictures are just so sweet. You can't beat em'. Parke taking a little nap on the couch.

Here is our family before the Saturday night event. It was so fun to see everyone.

Below are a group of girls I hung out with in high school. I have kept in touch with some of them and see some on a regular basis.

And here's to my mom! We made her a little "going back to school" package! We will miss her tremendously as she goes back to teach her little kindergarten kiddo's. We made her a special treat for each day of the first week. She used to do this for us growing up and I loved it! I am incredibly blessed to have her help us with Parke!