Miles The Lumberjack

Miles was a lumberjack for his first birthday. After having to cancel our big party because the three of us were sick, we hosted two small family parties a few weeks ago. It was great to have our families in our little home. We don't often have family gatherings here because of space issues, so it was special to actually be hosting our loved ones.

I had a lot of fun putting together the menu to match the lumberjack theme. The menu included a flapjack bar with toppings, snickerdoodle cupcakes, acorns of Hershey kisses and nilla wafers, smore marshmallow pops, fruit, chex mix and pretzels.

Party Resources:
Party Hat: Oh Happy Day template
Miles Cake: Oh Everything Handmade
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: Mom Advice
Paper Products: Oneleven Creative (all designed by me, of course!)

Coffee Date 1.23.14

Haha, these so-called weekly coffee dates have been a joke, huh? Life has been going so quickly, I'm having a hard time holding on. Between my responsibilities at home, with Miles, with Mike and working, sometimes my head barely feels above water. But I'm wanting to get some balance back in my life. This might mean saying no to projects, using my time more wisely while Miles sleeps and staying up later. 

Let's get this hanging out thing back in order too! I really enjoy blogging but it's not a "necessity" and is one of the last things that gets attention. 

If we were meeting for coffee on this snowy morning, we might get to sit at my dining room table while Miles naps and catch up. I'd tell you how weird it feels to be the mother of a one year old and that thoughts of wanting to be pregnant again are circling around my mind. We had planned one big first birthday party for Miles with all of this favorite people, both family and friends. But two days before our little family came down with a yucky case of the sickies, so we had to cancel the party. I was super bummed because I had put so much time and effort into planning the menu, theme and of course paper products. We ended up rescheduling the party and just ended up doing two smaller family parties at our house last weekend. I can't wait to comb through the photos and share them on the blog next week. It was awesome to celebrate my Miles being around for an entire year. 

I'd tell you how lucky I feel that Mike is a teacher, especially since he had off work from Monday through Wednesday because of the holiday and snow. It feels weird for him to be back at work this morning, but the end of May is coming quickly, then I'll get him home with me all the time! Yay for summers off! 

I'm always amazed at how pretty the snow is as it falls. It seriously snowed from 7am to 7pm on Tuesday and it was so peaceful. But in the city, it so quickly gets gross. The once clean, smooth white snow turns into dirty piles that line the street. I'm sure there is some metaphor to how quickly sin stains our righteousness, but my mind is not there quite yet this morning. 

I'd ask you how your new year has started. Have you made any exciting resolutions, and have you been sticking to them? Mike and I have decided that we are going to read through the Bible together in one year chronologically. For two people who never have been good about reading the Bible together, the past few weeks have been awesome. We've had days where we skipped reading or life felt just too busy to sit down together, but for the most part we've been dedicated. I can only thank the Holy Spirit for that miracle. 

Welp, Miles is stirring in his crib so I suppose it's time to end our time together this morning. Until next week, really! 

A New Year, A Fresh Start

I love starting a new year. There is something exciting about starting fresh and looking forward to the next 12 months. I love to set goals and make plans, even though I'm not crazy about actually committing to them. I've dubbed 2014, the year of Freedom. So often I feel burdened by stress and worry. If things aren't going my way, I tense up. Even when Miles refuses to take his morning nap - like is happening right now in his crib - I feel my body tighten and my heart pound. I'm not a go-with-the-flow type of person, and that doesn't help make our house a relaxed place to live. I know that with the help of the Holy Spirit and the accountability of my husband, I can change that. I know that I don't have to try to control everything.

Choosing a theme for the year is much more attainable than setting six goals with monthly check ins.

2014 is the year I embrace living free.

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas friends. The next few days will be spent relaxing and running around to spend time with family. We are lucky that we don't have to travel more than 45 minutes to get anywhere over the holiday.

I pray that each of you have an amazing Christmas. It's a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus and how that changes our lives. Last year I was very pregnant at Christmas and it was an awesome time to imagine how Mary felt. This year I can picture Jesus as an actual baby and I'm amazed at how he humbled himself to enter our world as a baby.

Christmas Tree Parking Lot

There's nothing beautiful about this typically empty parking lot next to a park just a few miles down the road from our house. It's gravel, bare and sad looking for most of the year. But towards the end of November, it's transformed into a perfect pine scented wonderland. Well, not really a wonderland, but the rows of Christmas trees and lights make it cheery and exciting.

This year we got our Christmas tree in the first week of December, which is earlier than normal for us. This is Miles' first Christmas and we are eager to share our traditions with him. He really wanted to wear his santa jammies, so we got him ready and headed out the door to find our perfect tree. We really didn't make a big thing of it. We just knew that we wanted a thin, tall tree. We found it, brought it home and we love it. There are few things that make a house cosier than a twinkling Christmas tree. Our tree is plugged in every moment we are home and not sleeping. It's the best.

I know I'm a few weeks late sharing this and our photos, but that's okay. Better late than never.

Gift of Encouragement

Last Saturday I participated and helped to plan a brunch for the women of Life Church. I was hesitant to get involved because I still don't have too many relationships at church even though we've been going there for nearly a year. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and just do it. I signed up for the planning committee and actually knew at least half of the other women from the small group we joined in the fall. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The actual brunch was amazing and I put myself out there and had a good time. I talked with some people I hadn't met before and thanked God that He made us to be in relationship, even when it's hard.

One of the most beneficial parts was the little talk that Mindy, our pastor's wife, gave. The topic was on encouragement and influence - neither are things that I regularly think about. But as women, we have an innate, God-given ability to encourage those in our lives. Some key points that stood out to me where:

• Our ability to encourage others starts with a solid understanding of how God made us just the way we are. We need to embrace ourselves and our gifts before we can encourage others. Sometimes our insecurities stop us from being in relationship with other women because of jealous issues. Let's not allow our hang ups about ourselves get in the way of godly friendships.
• We can and should be setting visions for those in our lives. Through encouraging the talents and gifts of others, we can help them see their worth in God and this world. It's amazing how quickly people can flourish when they are noticed and encouraged. This came as an exciting challenge to me. I want to be someone in Miles' life who sees what he can do and who he can be because of God. 
• We need to notice others. I realized that I can't encourage anyone until I notice when people are struggling or when they are excelling at something difficult. Selfishness is a huge barrier to allowing our words and actions to bless others. If we never look away from ourselves, we can't possibly let someone know that we are praying for them or tell them that they are gifted at something.
  

I'm so glad that I took the time to get to know some new faces and to serve God through helping plan the event. I also got to design the visuals for the event! Being an introvert and creating new relationships is tricky but I'm learning.

Becoming a Mother

There has been no one event that has effected me in such profound ways as becoming a mother. The moment that Miles was born, my life changed forever. The bright eyed, wrinkled skin, snugly little boy made me a mother. He fulfilled what I dreamed my life would include. Mike and I waited so long to become parents and Miles came into our lives and hearts and was more than we could ever imagine. Those first few months were filled with tears, laughter, frustration, fear, growing, misunderstanding and joy. They were literally the best and worst weeks of my adult life - between postpartum anxiety, extreme sleeplessness and a lack of confidence, I struggled. Yes, I struggled but I also bloomed. I bloomed into a loving mother who would do anything for her child. I began to see the world in new ways. I became a more compassionate and sincere person. Motherhood has shaked me down to my very core.

Becoming a wife was another life changing moment, but that was an easy transition for me. Mike and I are best friends which makes navigating the waters of forever quite gentle. But motherhood wrecked me, in a good way. God has used Miles to challenge every thought, word and emotion. My sin has been revealed in new ways. I never knew how selfish and impatient I was. When I was pregnant, I imagined how I would be with a newborn. I pictured rocking in the nursery with a sleepy and calm infant. Haha, that lasted about one week. But no matter how hard being a mother is, I find it extremely fulfilling and life giving.

Miles will be turning one in January and I can't believe the journey we've been on. Miles is such a sweet, joyful and focused child. I can honestly say that it is my joy and pleasure to be his mom. Being a wife to Mike and a mother to Miles is it for me. I love my job as a freelance graphic designer, but it's not my focus. I know that my relationship with a loving Heavenly Father needs to come first, and He's transforming my heart in that direction. I just love my boys with all that I am and I am so thankful for them.

I just got the bulk of the images from my maternity shoot last week. My friend and neighbor, Andrea Weaver, was the photographer and captured Mike and my excitement and anticipation to meet Miles beautifully. Scrolling through the nearly 60 photographs caused me to reflect on the past 11 months and how dramatically my life has changed. Can I go wake up Miles now and snuggle him?! I love that I still miss him when he goes to bed for the night, even though I know that in a few short hours I will see him again when he wakes up wanting to nurse.