Confession Time...

I have to confess that sometimes it takes me a minute to figure out which shoe to put on the correct foot for Kate. I have to use clues like "the velcrow goes on the outside" instead of just looking at the shoe and immediately being able to decide. I don't want to be one of those parents that puts my kids shoes on the wrong foot and they walk around with their toes pointing out like a penguin all day! AHHHH...could you imagine?!?

Does anyone else ever have this problem?

Where to Eat?

So Josh and my 6 year anniversary is this Saturday and we can't decide where to go eat! We did Restaurant Lola last year and the year before that we did 3 Forks...both of these were AMAZING. Here is how we are going to decide this year. We are following the advise of strangers! Check it out...

http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2008/01/22/dishers-help-this-lost-soul/

Happy Eating!

Wanting to be Her...

So I am reading 2 books at the same time right now...boy can that be confusing! One is "Wanting to be Her" by Michelle Graham and the other is "Transparent" by Sarah Davis. Both have to do with being real with who you are and who God made you. I love how one of them describes that if Barbie were a real person she would have been between 6-7 feet tall, she would be minus 2 ribs, minus major organs (including her uterus), and the author thinks the gap between her thighs is a sign of a major bone deformity in her hips (and I agree). All in all she goes from being the "perfect rolemodel for girls" (according to her website) to being a freak! We all want to be her at some point in our childhood, and I think that we all fall into the Barbie mentality a lot, even as adults. Its easy to want to be "her" and that means something different for all of us. "Her" can be just an ideal person that we've made up in our minds or someone that we know, like a friend or a family member. The book by Sarah Davis is so refreshing about being honest with who you are and who you want to be, without the pressure to try to be "her". I've always stayed away from those girls who want to give other people "the wants" because I think its great when people are secure in who they are. This book speaks to that mentality...it's very refreshing.

Ok...one final point! In reading all of this I am feeling even more protective of my girly little Kate. I want her to want to be Kate, not "her." I want her to see herself as beautiful as I see her and to feel secure in who the Lord has made her, not others, to be. I don't want her to be like her friends, or even me...I want her to be her. I am going to start praying now for all of this in her life since I can testify that it is a lifelong struggle to find security and not want to be "her." Being a woman is an incredible gift...I wouldn't trade if I could, but it sure does bring it's big bag of insecurities and struggles. I only hope that I can help foster a since of security in her and teach her how to love herself...I know that example starts in me, so maybe I need to pray for me too!

My Girly Girl...

Just wanted you all to share in my excitement about my very girly little girl. As I mentioned in an earlier post she loves to snag and wear my bracelets...I now just put them in my purse until I get to work to avoid a conflict. Well, today she was playing in her playroom and I went in there and she had 2 of my bracelets on her wrist, and she was holding her baby purse up on her shoulder as she played. I just had to stop and praise the Lord for my sweet girly girl. I love that she is into being girly. No offense to the tomboy's of the world, but I was never one and hoped she would be like me...since I did carry her and give birth to her.

One other fun bit of info...the other day she took and wore my bracelet to school. I got to work and realized I was missing 2 of my 3 bracelets, and when Josh went to pick her up, they were snug around her bicep. She is so sneaky, but so so cute!

An attempt at being domestic...

Ok...so I'm super inspired right now to make new curtains and pillows for my living room! I have been looking at lots of fun fabric lately and althought I am not an expert sewer, I think this is a project I can take on with my new fancy sewing machine that I got from my inlaws for Christmas! I have in mind what I want it to look like, but I've got to figure out how to piece it all together! There's just some crazy rush that comes from walking around and looking at fabric and dreaming about projects you can make! I totally sound like "Susy Homemaker" with that comment, but I'm serious (who's Susy?)!

The main reason I want to blog about this is so that I actually follow thru with it. I have a tendancy to dream up projects that NEVER get completed! I am the queen of great ideas and that's as far as they ever go...just ideas! Maybe I can set a goal to have this done by the summer...maybe!

Boys...

So my husband is wonderful, but here lately he is completely obsessed with this X-box game where he is fighting in a war. He wears this head set and talks to other people that are also online playing on his team...so random! One day I was at my sisters house and he was on playing with my brother-in-law and I grabbed the headset just to chat with him for a minute...that part was sort of fun!

Anyways, we were in the park this weekend and a group of middle school aged boys were playing a pretend war game in the park. They were throwing pretend grenades, shooting pretend guns and hiding behind trees and hills. They even made pretend sound effects when the grenades would have exploded… it was sort of funny! My husband just stopped and watched them and I had 2 thoughts. First, boys NEVER outgrow that adventure side. He is still doing this war thing, just in the comfort of our living room and with more sophisticated equipment. Second, I hope we have a boy one day because I could tell by looking at his eyes that he got a since of joy from seeing those boys do what he used to do. Sort of like I do when I think about Kate loving her cabbage patch dolls or wanting to carry a fancy purse full of pointless things just to fill it up. I think that we relate with our same sex children a little bit by remembering how certain toys or events made us feel.

I know that God's plan is the ultimate goal, and he may not have it in the cards for us to have a boy. I just hope we aren't 5 girls into it when we finally decide to surrender the idea of having a boy. Could you imagine all of those weddings?!?

Mommy's Forever Friend

So my sweet little 14 month old is getting to the point where she wants to hold, drink, eat, touch, and play with EVERYTHING I pick up. I can't have my own anything anymore! I don't mind sharing everything I have with her (afterall, we did share a body for 9 months), but somethings are not baby safe. Things like a hot cup of coffee or a spicy burrito would not be pleasant for her, but you can't explain that to a crying baby who just wants a part of whatever mommy has. I've found myself hiding food, cell phones, remote controls, and more from her just to avoid an episode. I'm not sure if that makes me a bad mom, but either way it works! The "want game" can get a little tiring, but it became precious when I realized that one day I will not have anybody around who is begging to share my ice tea or bowl of cereal. One day nobody will care about playing with my cell phone or want to snag my bracelets and roll them up to her bicep. She is such a sweet little friend and I know that in her eyes all of mommy's "toys" seem extra cool. I really don't think I have anybody else in my life who looks at me the way she does and I shouldn't take that for granted. She is my sweet little doll and I know that everything about her, right down to her little attitude, is a blessing from the Lord.

Marriage 101

So as I mentioned in the "About Me" section I do a lot of marriage counseling through my job. This was a newer area for me but I really enjoy it and feel like the Lord has given me lots of insights into how to help people begin to clean up their marriages and find a new identity in Christ. I wanted to share a 3 main areas that God has shown me are very important in maintaining a good marriage:

#1. We have to be built on the solid rock of Christ. In Matthew we are given the parable about the wise man who built his house on the rock and when the storms came his house did not fall. God says "when" the storms come, not "if." We will have struggles in our marriages so don't feel alone if you do...everyone does or will at some point. We just have be rooted in the solid rock of God and we do that by being in his Word and in prayer as a family. I love "Night Light" by James Dobson...we both think some of the devotionals in there are a little corney, but the conversation it evokes is wonderful. Being in church together and doing a couples devotional is very good for a marriage.

#2. Communication. This means being able to talk openly and honestly without feeling like the things you say will be thrown back at you. Being able to put Kate to bed, turn off the tv, sit on the couch together and talk...it's such a wonderful time. It's good to talk about everything from how you are feeling to how your day was...just talk. Another part of communication is conflict resolution...being able to talk about issues without having to argue or hurt feelings. This one is more difficult, but good to try.

#3 Love Buttons. I think that we all have ways that we feel loved (some of you have read the love language book). I have made Josh and I come up with 5 "love buttons" for eachother so that we are intentional about pushing those buttons on a regular basis (I know...poor Josh has to put up with being married to the therapist.) Love buttons are things that make us feel really loved or appreciated. One person I knew felt loved when their wife matched all of their socks before putting them up. Josh really likes when the house is clean and I get one of my love buttons pushed when Josh lays on my side of the bed while I am getting ready for bed so that it's all warm when I get in...he's so sweet! We all have several of those little things that make us feel loved! Its good to know what your mate's love buttons are, and to push them as much as possible!

So these are just a few things that I feel are important in a marriage. I remember when we were in pre-marital counseling and the minister said "marriage is hard work" and I thought to myself "maybe yours, but not mine!" He was right...it is work if we want it to be good! Even if you marry your best friend, you still have to work to keep the relationship nurished and healthy. So here's to happy marriages!!!

New Years Resolution

For my resolution for 2008 I am planning to be more intentional about small details. I have been in a whirlwind over the past year with trying to learn how to take care of Kate and the move. I feel like the dust if finally settling and I am inspired to do life a little differently. I want to take time to wrap presents for people I love, instead of just throwing it in a bag from my gift closet. I want to keep up a trendy haircut and buy makeup from somewhere besides Wal-Mart. I want to put laundry up right out of the dryer instead of piling it up on the guest bed. I want to keep my car cleaner and pick up all of the toys and food on a regular basis. I want Josh and I to go on a regular date night and be more intentional about getting out without Kate. I want to do better in my quiet time with the Lord...more prayer time and more time in the Word.

All in all, our lives were totally changed when we had Kate and I have really been neglecting myself and just doing things to get by. I want to do more than just get by and make life a little extra special. I'm not sure what all it means to make life "extra special" but I have a few ideas. I guess I just want my friends, family, Josh, Kate, and myself to be treated with more than just a "get by" attitude. I know there will be days that I just need to get by, but I'm hoping for the most part I can approach life with a new vision!

I'm a blogger (maybe)...

So for 2008 I am going to try this whole blogging thing. It sort of reminds me of when email started getting big my freshman year in college (1998). I wasn't sure if I was for me, but now I can't imagine life without it! It seems like a great way to keep a journal, set goals, and get feedback from good friends. I can't make any promises on how it will go, but I'm willing to give it a shot!! Here we go!!