Life Blessings

I have been thinking a lot about my loved ones recently. It all stems from a lady I know who died of cancer, leaving behind two young girls, a husband, and countless family members. So sad. And yet, that is how God ordained it to be.

Our pastor said something in church today about how nothing is really ours, and it made me think about how God gives and takes away. I couldn't help but think about my kids as he said this. I was holding my little Jesse in my arms and couldn't imagine not having him.

I couldn't imagine not playing with Levi--hugging him, kissing him, even disciplining him. The thought of not being able to kiss him before bed every night makes my heart ache.

All that to say that I trust God with all that is in me. I will pray for my entire life that my kids are cared for, that my husband is happy. I don't know how long any of us will be here, but I just pray that we will live our lives well, and that we will enjoy each other while we are alive. Life is too much of a blessing to squander on meaningless things. Your i-phone is not more important than your family. Play time should not be sacrificed for checking facebook.

I love my family. Just the thought of them makes me smile, and the thought of them hurting brings tears to my eyes.

May I be a mother and wife who does all I can for those that I love!

Happy New Year

Our year has been beyond chaotic. Somehow, it seems almost impossible to stay up on house cleaning, grading, cooking and grocery shopping for my family, and playing with Levi. However, it is about to get more chaotic with number 2 arriving in ~6 weeks.

Is it really possible that he is coming already??? Eesh.... I very much feel pregnant in the fact that bending over is becoming more of a chore every day, but the reality of having another child is very hard for me to comprehend.

I love that boy. He is going to be such a wonderful big brother.

On a different note, I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, but I have a few things that I would like to improve in my own life, so why not share and be held accountable.

#1 Goal is to read through the Bible in a year. It has been four years since I have done it, so I would love to do that again.

#2 I would like learn to cook healthier meals for my family. My mom is my hero, as she always has delicious, healthy meals.... so this year I am going to try harder and put more time into meals and not just throw the same things together at the last minute.

#3 What resolution list wouldn't be complete without a weight loss goal? My best friend in NC is getting married this summer, which means I have only 2 months after baby comes and I can actually exercise again to get in somewhat decent shape. Although I will tell you my other long-term goal is to run a half-marathon in October--I am excited for both, but I know with my sweet tooth and laziness it will be a challenge.

Those are my plans for this year. Hope your New Year was wonderful and wish you the best on fulfilling any resolutions you made! :)

Busy Life That Can't Be Documented

So, there are a lot of new things happening in our life.

We moved into a new house at the end of June, and we have been busily trying to get things in order. While the kitchen is in order, there are pretty much boxes in every other room of the house. :( But rest assured, they someday will get unpacked.

Oh, and I would post pictures of the new house, but my camera has decided it is on permanent vacation, so maybe in a few weeks that will be my new birthday present, and then I can take some pictures. :)

Since moving in, we have adopted two new pups. Yes, not one, but two. Ah, I am not sure what we were thinking. ;) Oh well, they are super cute, and I guess Chris and I are in the phase of our life where we are used to chasing around, telling no, and cleaning up pee that it's ok (ok, maybe not a lot of pee off of the floor, but diapers count for something I am sure).

Anyways, our puppies are Siberian Huskies. They are siblings, a boy and a girl, a black one and a red one, and one has blue eyes and the other has one blue eye and one green one. And their names are Charlie and Phoenix. They are absolutely beautiful dogs, and Levi loves them. He constantly asks to play with "Darley". And he doesn't remember Phoenix's name, but when we prompt him he will try, so it is totally ok!

Again, pictures will come once a camera does!

And Levi is getting huge. He is talking up a storm, and he is just a crazy fun kid. He loves to read, hop, play ball, eat cheese, play the drums, let the dogs eat his hands, and play in the water.

Once again, pictures will return soon!

Jesus Answers Prayer

For months, Chris and I have talked about getting a house. In March, we put our condo on the market, in hopes of possibly selling before the summer. But if you live in Albuquerque, in a complex with a somewhat high HOA dues, selling at this point in time is nearly impossible.

So first, we listed our condo at 75K, several thousand less than what we bought it for. We prayed.

After realizing that real estate in our complex was not moving, we dropped the price to 70K to match a lot of the others in the complex, even though ours has been worked on a lot and it is a full 2 bed 2 bath.

Still nothing.

We kept praying.

Then, my parents told Chris and I that they were going to buy it from us and then rent it out.

WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This happened at just the right time, because we found a perfect house. It's four bedroom, 2 bath, and it has a 2 car garage and a big backyard (EEEEEEEEEEEEE).

And it also has a studio behind the garage that will be perfect for my teaching..

We put an offer on it, and after little negotiation, we agreed on it! :)

We are so insanely blessed... and I am just so excited.

Inspections are happening on Monday, so pray they all go well.

God is so good! Here is a picture to hold you over................... Thank you LORD!!!!!!!!!

Lack of Accomplishments

Today I am feeling very unproductive.

Well, not just today. This entire week seems to have just been sliding by, with me just barely getting by. 

I haven't worked out in nearly two weeks. Shannon and I went running last Saturday, and then today we ran maybe a mile and then decided to walk and talk the rest of the way. This is in light of my goal to run a 10k in May. Oy!

I had the idea to cut my hair a couple of weeks ago, maybe even a month ago, and guess what? That hasn't happened either. Yeah, I really would love to have a fresh haircut for Spring, but somehow I just haven't made it, even though it takes probably no more than an hour to get it. Maybe this week?

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to do sleep training with Levi (Yes, I am one of those parents that has been getting up with him when he wakes up, even though he is 16 months old.) Yes, I am behind the ball, but I did not feel the need to train him, but recently I felt he was ready. So we started. We started with no feeding if he woke up before every four hours. However, I ran into our neighbor the other day (with Levi), and he was like "is that the baby that cries at night?!" So now, I feel really guilty having him soothe himself to sleep, because my poor neighbor is probably ready to throw a rock at us... ah, just one more reason we need a house. SOON.

Well, that being said, I have high ambitions for myself in the coming weeks.

I plan on getting a hair cut.

 Running three times a week (I bought some Vibrams, and am planning on using them once they come in!)

And also going back to doing p90x 5-6 days a week.

Also, getting my son to sleep through the night, selling my house, keeping up with my grading, reading everything for school, spending time with my family, and cooking delicious meals.

Oy... Here we go!

Cleaning house

Well, our house is officially on the market!!!!! I am so super excited. I am praying really hard that someone comes along and wants to buy our condo. And soon! While I love waiting (God likes to teach me patience I think), I would much rather get it sold. Not really because I am super anxious to leave, but we have to have the house ready to show at any given moment, and with lil' munchkin running around, that is a bit of a challenge.

Levi definitely has days where pulling everything out of drawers is his favorite hobby. Pans, clothes, videos, toys, it doesn't matter. They all look much better in the middle of the floor than in the drawer.



While my house has never quite gotten to this state, it has gotten close. And somehow, knowning that at any moment I might be showing my house to someone I hope will by it, I am slightly anxious about keeping it clean.

So, I just will say I am going to be beyond stoked once it sells. I don't know how long my nerves will last at this rate!

And on another note, the time change is kicking my butt. I am sitting here wishing for my bed, so here's to the night and a great week ahead.

Haircuts

What is it about a haircut that makes everything so much better? I always look forward to haircuts, because they just make me feel fresh, alive, and a whole lot prettier (especially after not having one for several months!) So this week, I am going to get my hair cut. But, I just don't now what I want to do with it.

You see, I have been growing my hair out for quite some time, just to see if I could, because I haven't had my hair long since my freshman year of highschool. While I like my hair long alright, I have always had a thing for short hair. LOVE short hair.  But, for now, I am considering haircuts like these:

            

But then I see ones like this  or this 

and I want to chop it all off.

I assume that I will keep my long hair for now, but regardless, I can't wait to get my hair cut! :)