The month of love.

Delaney has been working on naming the months, and since this is February, we've been talking about Valentine's Day as well. I told her this morning that this is "the love month" - a special time where we show others how much we love them. We've got plans for some sweet ideas to show Daddy, friends at school, and other people in our lives how much we love them this month.

Of course, I already have a Valentine's Day goodie bag packed and ready to go for my little love. Yes, I am that mom who gets into Valentine's Day - it's my birthday, and my parents always made it a special day for me, so I like to do the same for Delaney. Her daddy always sends her a special flower just from him. It is a neat tradition he has started for her, and I know she will come to wait with anticipation on that extra special gift from her Daddy each year.

After dropping Delaney at Grandma's, all this love talk had me thinking about the ways I show others that I love them. I am pretty good at dropping notes to friends, and I love brightening a friend's day with something unexpected or just a text to say I am thinking of them. My hubby and I have an "I love you because..." board in our bedroom that I've blogged about before. That's a great place for me to intentionally encourage my husband and affirm my love for him.

As for my daughter, my love comes in many forms. I tell her I love her and shower her with affection many times daily (and I'll keep doing that as long as she'll let me!). I talk to her about being proud of her, and sometimes give her treats - like a scoop of lime sherbet last night for keeping dry panties all day long! For her two-year-old heart, this is an expression of love. I also show my love in patience - when I calmly talk her down from the ledge during a meltdown instead of immediately going for a punishment for wild behavior. I show her love with my attention - putting my phone and iPad down at night and playing princess castle or watching her favorite show together in the mornings, even if it means I won't have time for make-up and have to wear a ponytail that day.

I saw something on Pinterest this week that I really loved. I think we can all relate to it as moms (or any parent!). I strive to have a selfless love towards my daugher every day, because she deserves my best and God's best through me everyday. I hope you enjoy the read here.

In what ways do you show love to your family and friends?

Surviving January.

I have written before about how January is survival mode for our family. It is a very busy time at work for me, and always busy around the house un-holiday'ing and getting into the New Year. I haven't had a lot of time to blog, but I am always snapping pictures with my phone.

In no particular order, here's what we've been up to this month as a family:

Snuggles. We start our days with a little snuggle time in Mommy & Daddy's bed. Sometimes we wind down there too. I cherish these times so much! Here are Daddy, Delaney, and Santo having some quality snuggle time.

Cheat Nights. We have been on the My Fitness Pal bandwagon and eating healthy since the New Year started, so weekly cheat nights have been instituted again. We usually end up at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Rey. It is delicious, easy to get in, and they love Delaney. She usually orders a cheese quesadilla and rice. She will also say "Hola" and "amigos." We love our Saturday nights at El Rey!

Crafting. I threw a baby shower this month for my dear friend Nicki, who is having baby Beckett in March! This meant I got to break out my mother-in-law's Cricut machine and give it a test run. Holy crafting, Batman! It was such fun. Can't wait to decide on the theme for Delaney's birthday party and get going on some awesome projects!

The sickies. After a cough that just wouldn't go away, Delaney woke up one night with a 104.5 fever and wheezing. After a doctor's visit and chest x-rays, she got a steroid and inhaler, and was a real champ about using them. We were so proud of our big girl. Here she is in the doctor's office, being brave and getting a Nebulizer treatment. Luckily it passed quickly, and I'm happy to report that she is 100% healthy again!

Playing Princess. Princesses are a hot item at our house right now, and mommy is loving it! This little castle Santa brought is played with daily. It makes noises, plays songs, and is just fun! We also dress up in our princess gear a lot.

Cooking. Delaney is taking after her Grandpa and Daddy, and loves to help in the kitchen. We made homemade pizza this month, and she helped with the sauce and the toppings. She was so excited to eat what she had made! And yes, when you are under 3 and dealing with red sauce, you are required to cook in the nude at our house.
 

Cooooold weather. The temperature the end of this month has dropped, and Delaney even got a snow day (although there was no ice near us, just water on the roads). We are keeping bundled up, and looking forward to warmer days where we can get outside and play again!

How was your January? We have lots to look forward to in February - a little slower pace, Valentine's Day, and my birthday! What are you looking forward to?

Bestie visit.

Whoops! Since I haven't had any time to blog this month, I never got to tell you about the amazing visit we had with our besties when they came to town over New Years. So much fun, so many laughs, and some great talks, too. I am so glad our girls are such besties too, even over a long distance like Crystal & I have always been. It warms my heart that they love each other so much! Maybe someday they will get to love each other from a few yards over, instead of a few hundred miles (coughcoughmoveherecoughcough).

Here are some pictures of our great weekend together.

Such a great Daddy & Uncle, this one. Reading the girls a bedtime story!

We got up New Years Day and ran a 5k (after throwing a little shindig the night before). I loved it (other than the freezing cold) and plan on doing more this year. Maybe this is the year for me to become a runner? Probably not, but I'm going to keep trying!

The girls playing princess dress up. Princesses are really big in the house right now.

I adore this little love. Just wish I got to snuggle her more often!!

The girls and Uncle Jason at Pump It Up. They had such a ball with their daddies jumping in all the different bouncies!

Daddy/Uncle Andrew, the horsey. I love how Delaney is hanging on to Emery for dear life!

How can you not love these two? Besties forever.

Oh yeah, and these two. Besties!! Having fun at the Titans game.

Obligitory two-generation bestie pic, with kid swap just for good measure.

 

We were so glad to have the Blaylocks as always, and can't wait to see them again in June for our first joint beach vacation! 

New Year, New Goals.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Our year started out glorious, spending New Year's at home with some friends and having our dear friends the Blaylocks in for a visit from Denver (more on that soon). We sent them home today (sniffle, sniffle) so it's back to the business of "real life" for us tomorrow, with preschool, crazy work schedules, and all the rest!

Do you make resolutions? Personally, I like them. I am a Crazy Type A goal setter, so a new year is really just another excuse for me to reevaluate and come up with some new goals.

In the spirit of over-sharing on my little piece of the interwebs, here are my 2013 goals:

1. Let it Be. I have a crazy busy life, and I love it. I work outside the home, have a part-time job serving my church, have a husband who I like to tend to, a fabulous little girl that we're trying to raise, and awesome girlfriends who deserve my time & attention too. Not to mention pets, a house, and all the other adult "stuff" that needs tending to. The point is, there are a lot of things to focus my attention on, and sometimes I probably get a little too perfectionist. So this year, I'm giving myself a little grace. If its a busy week at work and I don't get as much QT with Delaney as I'd like, I'm still a good mom. If the house is a mess because we've had things going on and a house filled with people we love, I'm not beating myself up. It there are things to be done but I need a Sunday afternoon nap, I'm going to let it happen. This is the year of less pressure on myself.

2. Live Healthy. Yep, this is one every year. And based on resolution #1, I'll pat myself on the back and say I did lose weight in 2012, and also made some good lifestyle changes food-wise, like cutting out caffeine and cutting back on the sodas, period. But, I've still got a long way to go. There are more pounds to lose, more eating habits to change, and more motivation to get moving. Here's to working as hard as I can this year.

3. Think More. For me, this means shutting off the TV some and getting back into reading, blogging, and my devotion time. I'll admit that since I've become a mommy, TV at night has become my veg out time way more than it used to be. While I'll still keep up with the shows I love, I'm looking forward to being a better member of my Super Elite Book Club with my bestie and hopefully getting some more writing in too.

So there you have it, this year's goals in black and white. They seem so simple, yet I know each will challenge me in a new and different way.

Here's to a wonderful 2013 for everyone reading. I hope you reach your goals this year!

Wordless Wednesday: Princess Castle for the win!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas! Wishing you the peace and joy of Christ today and always.

 

 

Celebrating advent.

In the church, Advent is traditionally a time to prepare for the coming birth of Jesus Christ. Advent calendars, wreaths, and other "countdown" type items are commonly used each day or week. There are lots of awesome ideas on Pinterest of how to do an advent calendar with verses, activities, or other Christmas items that get your family ready for Jesus' birth.

This year, my in-laws are doing their Advent wreath on Mondays so that Delaney can participate with them. Each week, they bring more items into one of their nativity scenes. On Christmas Eve, we'll put in the baby Jesus and read the Christmas scripture.

Celebrating Advent is one of my favorite times of the Christian year. Each year, it feels refreshing to prepare my heart for the Lord and take moments to be still in the midst of the hectic season. Our little family will be doing the reading and lighting the advent candles this Sunday at church. I am excited for Delaney to experience this with us, as this is the first time our family has been asked to participate!

I found this site, and it gives some great history on Advent, as well as the lectionary scriptures and some other personal reading suggestions for this time. I hope you can find it useful!

Does your family celebrate Advent? What do you do to make the holiday more meaningful?