Archive for May 2012
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We went to Amarillo last Thursday to visit my Uncle. Would you be amazed if I told you, you can drive for 9 whole hours without ever leaving Texas? Well, you can. And we did.
We visited Cadillac Ranch, which is a few minutes outside of town. There are 10 Cadillacs buried in the sand. People can come out and spray paint them. Don’t knock it, it’s art. Or at least that’s what the multi-millonaire who owns them says.
I remember visiting Cadillac Ranch when I was the girls’ ages. It’s one of those memories that are blurry around the edges, but never quite goes away. I loved taking Julia there and talking her through what she thought of the place. It was a really fun mom moment for me.
We drove 30 minutes outside of town to visit Palo Duro, the second largest canyon in America. It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon, so have no comparison, but Palo Duro is West Texas at it’s finest.
I haven’t been to West Texas in over a decade. Yet, I was surprised at how being there felt so right. I woke up Friday morning, stepped outside to the wind blowing and a farm smell hanging in the air and I felt peace. It was a strange feeling, one I haven’t felt about anywhere other than Austin.
My cousin later said that it was because West Texas runs deep in my blood. We have a heritage here, that for good or bad, we can never escape. It’s true. I spent a lot of childhood summers playing in corn fields, hiding from the Texas sun and hearing stories of life on the plains when my ancestors where children. That’s something that becomes part of your DNA.
My extended family isn’t very close knit. I haven’t seen most of my cousins in ten years and see my grandparents only annually at best. My immediate extended family isn’t much better. It’s sad how easy it is to lose connections like that. To let family slip through your fingers.
My “baby” brother is spending the summer with us. {I say baby only in the fact that he is the youngest, but clearly, not the baby.} It’s been wonderful having John around. Lots of laughter and jokes. The girls are crazy for him, and who can deny the benefit of extra hands to help around the house.
It’s one step toward family reconnection.
We ended our trip with sips of strong coffee and laughing about our pasts. Apparently, our family has always been a rowdy bunch.
We drove through Lubbock to see some cousins. It gave the girls a chance to run off any remaining energy, and gave the adults a chance to build some reconnection.
Reconnection. That’s what our weekend was. And I’m hoping that this is our family’s first of many West Texas summers.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
The Big Picture
Posted on: May 30, 2012
- In: Life
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I get trapped in the moment a lot. Not a savor-this-sweetness moment. But it’s counter moment, the can’t-this-just-stop-already moment.
As Julia is screaming out “mama” for the fourteenth time because her covers aren’t just so, I hit that can’t-this-stop moment. Tired. Tripping over little shoes. Stumbling back into their room. Ready for it to stop.
While standing in the girls’ room, covering and recovering, and doing my best to keep my attitude in check, I realized – This is not the big picture.
I get so trapped in these moments with my kids, moments that seem to last forever, but they don’t. Really, they don’t. Sure, will Julia get upset over her covers again? Of course. Will Hannah cry in hysterics over not getting that banana and being forced to eat this banana? I’m certain. Will Joseph decide that sleep is only for babies, and now that he has three teeth he is not longer a baby? Sigh. Yes. But will these moments last forever? No.
At times, those can’t-this-just-stop-already moments take over and I forget the big picture of our lives. I forget that I can make a choice in those moments to make sure that my actions {and reactions} point to our family’s big picture. The picture of loving each other as Christ does. The picture of sacrifice with joy. The picture of a family in unity. And in those moments, I can show my kids the big picture by doling out an extra dose of hugs and grace, and loving them where they are.
Summer Fun Has Just Begun!
Posted on: May 28, 2012
- In: Life
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The girls finished the school year on Wednesday. Thursday our family took a trip to Amarillo this past weekend {more to come on our trip later this week}. It was a great way to kick start our summer and has me looking forward to our summer plans. Here’s a sneak peak at the fun we had ::
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As of yesterday, Joseph started crawling.
For the last few weeks, he’s been getting up on all fours, rocking back and forth. Over the last week, he’s been really trying to move {and even stand} but with no success. I’ve heard before that once kids reach the point of rocking on all fours they are ready for crawling. Or not.
It’s funny to me, how vastly different children can be in there development. Julia was spot on the charts. Hannah was delayed. Joseph seems a tad early {from our family experience at least}. But in the end, they all learn.
I’m nervously excited about having a crawler. Excited that Joseph’s growing stronger and can be more interactive with his sisters. But nervous about having a boy crawler. I’ve always been told boys get into more trouble than girls, and since my girls get into a lot of trouble {meaning, they cause a lot of chaos} I’m a little concerned what more a boy can do… Flood the bathroom? Burn down the house? Shave the dog? Those seem to be the only things the girls haven’t done yet. Haha! I kid, I kid. Sorta….
What new adventures have you {or your family} had lately?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Dreaming of Summer
Posted on: May 16, 2012
- In: Life
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Since graduating from college, entering the work force and then having kids, the seasons all blur together. I never feel a real difference between spring and summer, summer and fall. Which in some ways is sorta sad, cause I remember looking forward to school breaks as glimpses of freedom and possibilities of crazy adventures.
For the first time in 8 years, I’m getting a summer break. The girls finish school next week. Can I just tell you how excited I am? Part of me thought that I might dread summer break – the endless hot Texas days {I still have nightmares of last summer’s heat}. But, as the temperatures rise and our end of school schedule has gotten totally hectic, I’m dreaming of slow days by the pool, trips to the park and taking hours to get ready for the day. It also helps not being pregnant – turns out the heat isn’t nearly as bad.
My brother is spending the summer with us, working with Jonathan. We have several fun trips planned this summer and I’m playing bridesmaid in two weddings for two of my favorite people in the world. I think this may prove to be my favorite summer yet.
Have you started your summering planning?
The “Only Ifs” of Marriage
Posted on: May 9, 2012
- In: Life
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When Jonathan and I got married, we did not have very good examples of long lasting marriages. During our first year of marriage, God brought some exceptional families into our lives, who showed us what marriages looked like – both in good and bad times. They showed us how God desires to take two fallen, broken people, and allow them to grow – together – to look more like Him.
Even with those examples, I still clung to a lot of “only ifs” in my commitment to Jonathan. I’ll stay married to him “only if he remains faithful”. I’ll continue to submit to him “only if he puts me first”. I’ll continue to love him “only if he earns my love”. This list went on. Yet, in the last year, God has been showing me there are no “only ifs” in marriage. There is only EVEN IF. I will stay married to him even if he is unfaithful. I will continue to submit to him even if he doesn’t put me first. I will continue to love him even if I don’t feel he has earned my love.
Those are hard commitments to live out. But marriage is hard. Marriage takes work, takes effort, takes putting your wants, your desires, your dreams on the back burner. Because marriage isn’t about you. Marriage is about God. Marriage is established as a way to show the world a more complete view of Christ and His church. And when you enter a marriage, you make a commitment to not just your spouse, but to God. Even when your spouse fails {because they will fail} you are still committed to God in your marriage.
Floating around the internet is this wonderful story of Ian and Larissa. I ask you to take the 9 minutes to watch it ::
If you are interested in taking a look at the book Larissa mentions, This Momentary Marriage, you can get a free PDF copy HERE.
*I realize there are lots of complicated reasons for divorce and it’s not a black-and-white, cut-and-dry situation. And I am certainly not judging people who have been divorced. I’m just calling out, saying, in a society that claims marriage is for our betterment and pleasure only, perhaps we’ve missed the whole point.
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I first heard about eMeals from Amanda. The idea was intriguing, but I held fast to my own meal ideas. In the last year, I’ve been hit or miss on whether I make a weekly menu, or, frankly, even get all the items I need from the store {I tend to forget what I don’t write down}.
Two weeks ago, I waved my menu planning white flag and bought a 3 month subscription to eMeals.
There are tons of great options, ranging from gluten free to vegetarian; portion control to family favorites. They have seven meals planed out {as shown above} and then give you a list of what you need from the store ::
Since joining, we’ve been doing the natural and organic plan. But we just switched over to the clean eating plan. Based on the sample menu, the clean eating plan more closely matched our family’s eating habits {more produce, fresh foods versus pre-package foods, even the organic ones}.
So far I’ve loved the service. We don’t usually make all seven meals, because weekends tend to lend to eating out, with friends, or lighter meals than during the week. But, we consistently have four to five of the preplanned meals a week. Having everything laid out for me has been such a relief. I grab what I need and don’t think about it again until it’s time to make dinner. Love that!
However, there has been some draw backs – some weeks have been meat heavy, which isn’t really budget friendly. Another week relied a lot on prepackaged foods {though “organic”} which I really don’t like {so made things fresh instead}. But, eMeals just introduced their clean eating plan, so I’m hopeful that this will solve any issues I have. We are in the middle of our week, so won’t try out the new plan until next week.
Even with some minor draw backs, I highly recommend eMeals. It’s easy, fast and has given us some yummy meals {hello chicken curry soup!}. I love not putting so much effort into meal planning and not worrying about what’s for dinner each night.
The cost is $17 for a 3-month subscription. Because you can download each week’s menu, I’m saving them on my computer as we go for future reference – in case we cancel in the future.
*UPDATED INFORMATION* 5/17/12
As I mentioned, we were switching to the Cleaning Eating Menu. We are entering our second week of that menu and I LOVE IT! So far, all the meals have proven to abide by the rule of shopping the perimeter of the store, so we are eating a lot of fresh foods {asparagus, corn, broccoli, etc}. If you’re looking for a healthy option, I’d recommend the cleaning eating over the natural and organic!
Have you ever tried eMeals or any other meal planning service?
Visit Kristen at We are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.
Ten Tips for Running as a Nursing Mom
Posted on: May 8, 2012
- In: Life
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A few months after Hannah was born, I started my journey as a runner. By the time she was 6.5 months, I started actively training for my first half marathon. During all that time, I breastfed.
Two weeks after Joseph was born, I started easing back into a workout routine. Then once he was 6 weeks old, I began actively training for my most recent half marathon. Again, all while breastfeeding.
Last week, I had a pregnant mom mention that she had been told you shouldn’t workout while nursing. She asked me my opinions.
Clearly, I think that not working out while nursing is completely nuts….
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Sweet baby Joseph Judea is six months old today.
6 MONTHS!!
Seriously, if the last six months haven’t flown by for you, they have for me. I mean, really, it seems like just the other day he was born. And now? Now he’s getting all big and teethy.
Joseph is such a sweet, lovable boy. He is eager with a smile and laugh for just about everyone he comes across. And as each day passes, I swear his cheeks get more kissable. Which makes him laugh hysterically, and makes me kiss him even more.
After what seemed like teething forever, Joseph’s bottom two teeth popped through about 3 weeks ago. I took this shot right after the first one came out. I haven’t attempted another picture, because every time I get this close to Joseph’s mouth, he tries eating the camera… or my hand.
Just after getting his two teeth, he started sitting up like a champ. It started off slowly, 20-30 seconds at a time, and has progressed to 10-15 minutes.
But sitting up just isn’t enough for my little man. He’s bound and determined to crawl. Joseph’s started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. And lately, he’s been waking himself up at night to “rock”. I’ve heard before that kids will “practice” a skill they are trying to learn during the night, but I don’t remember it so much with the girls. But sure enough, Joseph has consistently woken up this week throughout the night, rocking back and forth, grunting trying to move forward.
The rocking almost always leads to this pose I like to call baby planking {and it cracks me up!} ::
I swear, sometimes I think he does it just to make fun of my planking form. But this boy has some strength to him! Typically, he’ll go from sitting, to all fours, to rocking, to plank. Makes me think that actually crawling isn’t too far off…
We just introduced food in the last week. At meal time, we’ve been giving Joseph “bites” of our food. I gave him a small piece of cottage cheese once at lunch, and then some black beans. He doesn’t actually eat any of it – just gums it pretty good and spits it out. Much like we did with Hannah, we plan to skip jarred foods with Joseph and just introduce table foods. It’s a slower process, but it’s proved well for our family before, so hopefully it will again.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this on my blog, but having Joseph has been really healing for me. With his entrance into our family, his laid back attitude and the chance to enjoy having a little baby, I’ve been enjoying motherhood a lot more. But, with that, I’ve been seeing areas that need improvement {or more aptly put – less of me and more of Jesus}. Because Joseph could be our last child, I’ve started understanding how much more I need to cherish this time with him. And that has made me realize how much more I need to cherish my time with Julia and Hannah. Sadly, that doesn’t always come easily. I’m learning to enjoy being a mom – not just grin and bare it. Enjoy those moments of complete silliness, instead of seeing it as one more reason to make us late for an appointment. Enjoy those moments of rapid fire questioning, instead of dismissing them immediately. Enjoy those midnight {and 2 am, and 3 am, and again at 4 am} nursing sessions, as times to snuggle just a little bit more.
While life can feel really overwhelming right now, God knew that bringing Joseph into our family would be the final push for me to more fully surrender to Him. And it has been so good for my soul.
Tee Turned Tank – Try New Adventures
Posted on: May 3, 2012
- In: Life
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Tuesday night, while the girls ate dinner, I scanned through Pinterest. I came across this fun little number ::
{Pinterest via Lacy Melville}
It really took me longer to pick out a shirt to practice on than it did make. But I finally chose this one. It’s a favorite of mine, that I’ve had for a couple of years. The neck is a bit stretched out, which made it a good choice ::
Making the tank is super, super easy.
1. Cut off the sleeves at the hem.
2. Cut straight across the top just under the collar.
3. Cut off the bottom hem.
4. Cut one more .5″ strip off the bottom {you’ll use this for your straps}.
You sew a straight line across the front top and front back at the collar line. Here’s an example from the original blogger ::
Honestly, I didn’t even pin my shirt. Lazy, right? But that’s what happens when you start a crafting project right before the kids’ bedtime and the youngins start melting down. Not my smartest idea.
Once you have your stitches done, thread your straps through. This did take a little time, but once I hooked the strap onto a crochet needle, I was able to push it through with little trouble.
{Sorry for the low quality photo – Jon left for work before I could get him to take it. Yay for bathroom pictures, right?}
Seriously, this was such an easy project. And the top has been given a whole new life!
What new projects have you been doing?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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