Happy to Say...

Aaah! It's crazy to think  how much has happened since I last wrote in August. Seriously!!
1: I am teaching PreK at a private Preschool. We go 2 days a week. Kids both attend as well and love it! They are learning so much and having so much fun going to "school." They ask when they wake up if it's a school day. I think they're loving it!

2: We are expecting baby #3!! A girl due in January! What, yes! Crazy, I know :)

Life is busy, fun, challenging at times, exciting, and we are more than blessed. I have good and bad days and sometimes feel like it would be better if only... This is what God has given us, and we ARE blessed abundantly!

South Dakota. Yes, Please!!

I love home. I consider "home" where I live, but there is just something about going back home where I grew up. It happens every year around the same time. Temperatures are hovering at the 100 degree mark, the swings and slides are too hot to even enjoy and my "home" bug starts itching. This year when we went, the highs the majority of the week were 60s and 70s. YES, you read that correctly! It was perfection. The swimming suits stayed packed until that last day, but we made it nonetheless, into the frigid water! Well, the kids swam, I only stepped in! The lows some nights dipped into the upper 40s and 50s. I was in my happy, dream land! It felt like fall and that's my favorite...cool, crisp, but not cold, nor hot.
We spent time with family, friends, lots of walks and parks, picnics, music at the park, a carnival and a visit to the farm. We had a great time! The kids loved it all. The only down-side was the morning we had to leave.
Home, SWEET, home. Here and there. Both are home, both are sweet!

Where does the time go??

What? 2 already? Micah is a sweet, cuddly, silly, and sometimes feisty boy! He has grown so much! His 2 yr check up proved he eats plenty and is growing all the time. He talks so well and is always curious about the world, what things are, how they work and how he can destroy them! :)
He loves his big sister and they have so much fun together. I remember when he was first born, how close they are in age was a bit hard at first. I wouldn't trade it for the world. They are so silly together and make me smile all the time!
We celebrated in 2 ways this year. One was a splash pad where we met up with a couple friends to play. The other was at our house with family. We had an airplane theme and Micah had a blast!! Here are a few pictures of the parties.
                                                
 

Washington DC

A few weeks back, Chad and I got to visit Washington DC. Actually, we stayed in Virginia, attended a wedding in Maryland and toured DC. I can now add 2 states to my list of visited! Woot!
We got to leave the kids in the care of Grammy and Papa, who they willingly spent their time with. It was such a different few days to not have kids right with me all the time! I missed them, but I thoroughly enjoyed our casual stroll to find a restaurant, toured at our own pace, minus a schedule. A nap could have been squeezed in maybe, but we just got to do our own thing. Riding the Metro was fun. We got to spend some time with a friend of Chad's and had lunch from a food truck. We visited many of the monuments, the White House, a couple of the Smithsonian museums, (I had no idea there were so many) and even saw a ceremony honoring WWII veterans at the almost finished memorial. I was in awe listening to their stories of being POWs during the war.
The town we stayed in was quaint, or it seemed so. The street where our hotel was had restaurants and shops all up and down it. The first night we went down one side and up the other, just looking at what might be a fun place to eat. We finally decided on one and just enjoyed the slow, quiet time we had.
We also walked through Arlington National Cemetery and saw the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That was quite an honor to be a part of.
The wedding we attended was very non-traditional, but fun, lighthearted, and a nice time. It was at their home so it wasn't formal exactly, but still really nice. Their food was also served from a food truck serving organic food. It was good!
Here are some pictures of our time.

Resolutions

res·o·lu·tion

[ rèzzə lsh'n ]

1. process of resolving: the process of resolving something such as a problem or dispute
2. decision: a firm decision to do something
3. determination: firmness of mind or purpose

Synonyms: decree, declaration, decision, motion, ruling

 

As I have always chosen, I don't exactly make New Year's Resolutions. Probably because I have things I want to accomplish all through the year and starting at the beginning of the year doesn't allow for something "new" in say, July. Last, last year I started running around December. Good thing I didn't wait until January 2012, because it may have just been too cold to start. I finished a handful of smaller races and then a half marathon in December. I "resolve" to continue running and hopefully complete another half this year. It isn't exactly a New Year's Resolution. Rather, just a continuum of a current goal, a resolution nonetheless, as it pertains to definition 3.

Another goal, as I wish to call it, is to limit the amount of time the TV is on in our home. We don't have cable or any such plethora of channels available, so we have a limited number of shows anyway. Even so, it is easy to put a quick 30 minute show on so I can get a few things done, take a shower, etc. The only problem is that 30 minutes goes by so quickly, it often turns into one more quick task, and another show is done. I have been more intentional lately to turn it off after one show, hopefully setting the example of active play, crafts, helping, outside, etc instead of the tube.

I am grateful to have a fresh beginning in this new year, however, I am even more grateful I have a fresh beginning each and every day with God. 

On the news yesterday, they were giving tips on how to keep a resolution going for longer than a few days or weeks. It reminded me that so many things in life are purposeful, intentional, and I have a part to play each and every day. The news clip advised to leave room for slip-ups because if you don't allow grace, you may mess up and never go on to accomplish the goal. I am so thankful I am allowed slip-ups in this crazy life! If I gave up on as many things as I often want to, I would go nowhere. I am glad I can start over tomorrow if today doesn't turn out exactly as I wanted. And, that being said, it doesn't even matter if it is January 1, June 6, or October 22. I can start each day fresh and new, with a RESOLUTION, a goal to live each day to the fullest. That's what I have been promised, Life and life to the full! (John 10:10)