House Hunting

That's what has been keeping me busy lately...my excuse for not blogging. It has been both fun and frustrating looking for a house. We started looking a bit earlier that we had intented because we drove by a house that looked interesting. We contacted a realtor and toured the house out of curiosity. We loved it! Okay, it was actually more like a crush. We were really interested in it, saw it three times (including taking our parents to see it), and ended up deciding to wait a couple of months until we had a little more money in the bank. A couple of weeks later, it sold. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

We've continued our search and have seen some great houses and some not-so-great houses. We found one that we wanted to go back and see a second time, but it sold that night. We found one that looked great online, but it sold before we could see it. That's what has been frustrating. I guess I didn't think so many people would be in the market for a house right now with the economy the way it is. But if we can afford to buy a house now, it makes sense that others can, too.

So we've searched online again and have another list of houses that we're hoping to see this weekend. It looks like there are some great possibilities, and I'm very hopeful! I know that God has the perfect house planned for us at the perfect time, so I'm praying for patience, wisdom, and understanding, asking that God guide us in our search to the house that's perfect for us.

Proud Mama

Nathaniel is growing up so fast these days! Last weekend, he decided that he didn't want baby food anymore, he had his last night-night bottle last night (he's still on the bottle at daycare), and he will be trying Vitamin D milk in a sippy cup tonight. He's walking more and more, too. This morning, when I dropped him off at daycare, Nathaniel showed off for his buddy Roman's mom and walked from me to Ms. Kim, who was about 4 feet away. Roman's mom said "Are you kidding me!" She was so excited for Nathaniel! Roman is a month older than Nathaniel but isn't walking yet, so she told Nathaniel that he's going to have to teach Roman. Although I know it's not a competition to see who can meet which milestones first, I was beaming with pride at Nathaniel for his accomplishments. I'm so proud of you, sweet boy!

Motivation!

I have been lazy. That's all there is to it. I realized that this past weekend when I was complaining about someone else being lazy.

Why haven't I crossed things off of my to do list? Why haven't I started eating healthy foods and exercising? Why haven't I cleaned off my kitchen table? Why haven't I put all of the Christmas decorations away? Why haven't I started reading a book or doing some scrapbooking? It's not because I don't have time, as I have been telling myself. It's because I've been too lazy to make the time. And that stops right now!

I was sick on Friday with a stomach bug, and I lost 5 pounds. Yes, 5 pounds! That movitated me. I felt as though my system had been purged from all of the unhealthy things I had been eating, my weight was at my goal for Valentine's Day, and I was excited about the possibilities. I have been starting to eat healthier and to eat less, but I haven't started the exercise yet. My weight has been slowly creeping back up over the last few days, and it really hit me that it's not necessarily how much I eat but what I eat that's important. Last night, I didn't eat supper because I was busy with Nathaniel, but I did have an ice cream cone before bed. I thought that my weight might be down today, but it was up a little. Duh! Ice cream (and the two cookies I ate at work) will do that.

Now I am truly motivated! I am done being lazy. I am done putting off what I need to get done and what I want to get done. I want to clean my house, cook healthy meals, exercise, and get back into my hobbies of reading and scrapbooking. I want to lose weight so that I can feel comfortable in my body this spring/summer. And I want to begin now!

Making Time for Me

I'm not sure how I can be so busy all of the time. Although I no longer have certain committments, such as teaching or church council, I still seem to be busy from morning until night and have no time to do the things that I want to do. I need to learn how to make time for myself, to make these things priorities.

Each day, I want to make time to exercise, plan and cook healthy meals, read for pleasure, and scrapbook. I'm just not sure how all of that can fit into the day along with work, taking Nathaniel to and from daycare, playing with Nathaniel, and taking care of Nathaniel's needs (food, diaper changes, baths, etc.). And notice that there's no mention of my husband here. I want to have quality time to spend with him as well. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. If only I didn't need to sleep....

I guess I need to take a deep breath and figure out where to start. Maybe I can't do everything at once, but I can start now and slowly incorporate everything I want to do into my day. Wish me luck!

First Birthday Party

Yesterday, we had the boy's first birthday party! We had a great turnout, and Nathaniel was spoiled rotten with all of the wonderful gifts he received. Unfortunately, the day is somewhat of a blur to me. I got a migraine in the morning as we arrived at church, and I was sick all morning. I still wasn't feeling that well when we left to get things set up for the party, but I wasn't about to miss my son's very first birthday party! I felt increasingly better throughout the day, and I'm so thankful for that.

At the party, Nathaniel had fun ripping through the paper on his birthday gifts, and he even got to taste his first birthday cake! He very delicately picked at the icing and put it in his mouth, and it was so cute! He had a very nice red goatee and red hands when all was said and done, but the floor beneath his high chair was spotless!

Thanks to all of our family and friends who made Nathaniel's special day so wonderful! And special thanks to my husband who checked everything off our to do list before the party while I was sick in bed. I am blessed to have two very wonderful boys!

One year ago today...

...my world was forever changed! I was supposed to have three more weeks to prepare myself, the house, and the nursery, but you just couldn't wait. Actually, your early arrival was my doing. I slipped and fell at the mall, my water broke, and Daddy took me to the hospital to make sure we were both okay. We were just fine, and 18 hours of labor later, you were born via C-section. You were perfect and beautiful and so tiny. It was love at first sight! I couldn't imagine my life without you. I love you, Nathaniel. Happy 1st Birthday, sweet boy!

Goals for 2009

There are many things that I want to accomplish this year. In the past, I have set goals and made resolutions, but I haven't followed through. I want this year to be different! My word for this year (inspired by Ali Edwards) is DEVOTE. I want to take control of my busy life, slow down, and devote more time to my husband and son, to myself, and to the things that make me happy. Here are my specific goals, in no particular order:

- Devote more time to my husband and son
- Live a healthier lifestyle (eat healthier foods and exercise more)
- Make time to read for pleasure
- Scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook
- Cook supper each night
- Eat as a family at the kitchen table (rather than in front of the tv)
- Clean my house on a regular basis
- Pray each night before bed

I'm sure that I'll think of others, but this is a good start.

A New Year, A New Blog

The new year began a week ago, but I am still trying to catch up from the busy fall and holiday season. I have many goals (aka resolutions) in mind for the new year, and I decided that a blog would be the perfect way for me to document those things...to hold myself accountable.

Each day, I spend time reading several blogs, primarily those of scrapbookers such as Ali Edwards, Becky Higgins, Lisa Bearnson, Heidi Swapp, and Elsie Flannigan. This afternoon at work, while I was waiting to receive a document to edit, I was surfing through blogland and thinking of the million things that I need to do. It was then that recognized that I need to stop spending so much time reading about other's lives and start focusing on my own life.

So here I am. And I intend to come back each day to share bits and pieces of myself, to focus on my life, my family, and my goals for the new year.