Birthday for Daddy

This is a little late, but better late than never I say!

The husbands birthday falls on Valentine's day so this year we had a fabulous birthday party at home. I cooked steak, potatoes and salad (his favorite!) and had a lovely time!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the night <3

 The table is set!

 Birthday presents!

 Her first ever Valentine! Her daddy brought her roses <3

 Every year on his birthday we get him a new Yankee's ball cap :) I love the grey!

 I have a thing for cards!

 YUMMO~

 These brownies are called No Pudge Fudge Brownies! They are soo good and 140 calories a piece!

Birthday presents :) New Yankees Hat and Money

This is my favorite two people in the world! They make any day for celebrating!

Happy,
Lindsey

Day in and Day out

So we have been at this stay at home mom thing now for almost 18 months! Whew just can't believe it.

What a journey so far. I mean I can't believe that it has been that long, for sometimes it feels as though just yesterday we were coming home from the hospital with our little one. And yet it feels like I have been doing this forever. This mom thing.

Day in and day out our lives feel so routine. Like she has always been here and I have never done anything different. But this past weekend  I had a weekend get-away with my mom to visit my sister in Knoxville. A whole 2 days away from the hubby and daughter had me reflecting on my day to day scene.

People I don't get to see often ask "So how's life? What's new with you?" It's an embarrassing reply when I say "To be honest, not much. I mean really nothing new is really going on. I am at home, Caroline's good and Chris loves his job. I mean yeah, we are contemplating moving to a new house. We have switched churches and God is good. But not a whole lot new."

I don't think I could be further from the truth...but who wants to hear "Well, Caroline is constantly changing. Her moods, her likes and dislikes. She learns new things everyday...want to hear about  the new things she can say or what she understands now? With the whether changing we love to be outside. We love to go shopping together. Oh and she loves the wagon her Sudie (my mother in law) got her for Christmas. No day is ever the same with us. Some days are good, some days are not so good. But no day is like the one before."

As a mom I am realizing that my days are full! From sun rise to sun down...we are going going going. She doesn't stop (except for right now...she is napping). I am still writing, we are still learning each other. WE are really good. Life is really good. I might not have a ton to report on...but what I do is really important to us.

She is really important to me.

Oh...and by the way... the giving up facebook thing is going well. Haven't been on there in 5 days. Today I feel like I have no clue what's going on in the world...but I do feel like I have had more time to right here, spend time with C and to spend time with Him. So still plugging away.

Blessed,
Lindsey

A Season for Solemn Reflection

I don't think I have ever really understood the season of Lent before. To be honest I was somewhat confused by it. I only heard about it from some Catholic friends I had that were, in their eyes, forced to give something up for 40 days. Some did it cheerfully, some did it unwillingly and some gave up before they even started. So needless to say, I never really took to the Christian occasion.

But as I have grown older and have become a Christ-follower myself,  I have circled back around and have found myself face to face with this season again. The time for Lent.

Chris and I have recently switched churches and found ourselves in a congregation that celebrates the many different seasons of the Christian faith. I would not call this new church non-denominational, but more inter-denominational.They have looked across the divide of many Christian faiths and pulled pieces from each to appreciate and practice. I love the unity of this church. I love learning about the Christian calendar and why certain things are celebrated. Thus just coming out of my first season of advent I was beautifully surprised about the stirring of my heart for the purpose of stopping to pay attention to the "Christmas" season. It was about Christ coming...It was about Him here with us now...It is about Him coming again. It was beautiful.

So now we are through the season of Epiphany and I am partaking in my first Lent experience. So to do so I have done some research and came to the conclusion that this experience is so worth it. As a late comer to the Christian faith I think I have some what of a different view in my walk with the Lord. I wasted so much time the first 24 years of my life that I want to make the next however many long years I have count. I want to know Him more, I want to devote my life to Him and His mission.  I want to go deeper with Him and understand as much about Him and me as I possibly can. I want Him...no more, no less.

So this season of Lent, this season of solemn reflection, is me taking the time to spend with Him so that He can form me. It's me taking the time to sacrifice something important to my everyday life to even begin to understand His sacrifice to me. That I may in the slightest way become more like Him.

One of my favorite writers explained it in her blog "Lent is not as much about forfeiting as much as it is about formation". And if there is anything I need more of it is to be formed in the likeness of Christ. Especially as a mother.

Hence why my forfeiting is coming in the form of social media. Yes, I am giving up Facebook for Lent. I told my sister this and she laughed. As might you. But to be honest, I spend a lot of time on it. I will peruse and peruse for aimless downtime hours just to not be lonely or to put off something more I should be doing. Like spending time with my daughter. Like coloring with her. Reading to her. Working with her on her talking. Simply giving her more of me.

And even more so... I give Facebook the first part of my morning. While Caroline watches her PBS (I am real tight with Sid the Science Kid) I play on facebook and catch up on all that I missed. It is a daily morning thing for me. Bad I know. I have realized that there is just one thing that deserves the first part of my morning. And that's Him.

So I could have given up meat or sweets or TV, but to be honest, the one thing I knew would help me to experience more of Him and more of the daily moments I have is to let go of Facebook. I will daily be reminded of why I am doing this and why I am taking back this precious time. It's to be more like Him. Plain and Simple.

So if you are like me...and you want to embark on this 40 day Lent season. Just do it. Find something that would be a daily reminder of Jesus and what He did for you as He prepared to go to the lonesome tree that has your's and mine's name on it. Just do it, cause He didn't think twice about giving His life up for yours.

Lovingly,
Lindsey

Back and Better

So, I am sure that most of you haven't even noticed...but I took a little break from blogging. I was going to pursue a side business and spent the better part of last year working on that. I also think it was good for me to break for a little bit. Gave me time to think about this...this blogging thing.

I love to write. I love to write this blog. It, most of the time, has been somewhat therapeutic for me. The early days after Caroline was first born I just needed somewhere to vent. Even if nobody was reading, it just helped me to not feel so alone. So I wrote...and wrote. I really have no idea if anybody else got anything out of it, but it was good for me.

So now... Caroline is 18 months old. Man how time has flown and man how things have changed! I have realized that I just probably will always be exhausted. Caroline demands alot of everything that I have. She is a spitfire and keeps me on my toes chasing her all over the place. Needless to say life hasn't slowed down but somehow sped up.

It's better though. I have finally learned to relax and enjoy. I feel like that first year I was just trying to keep my head above water that I missed just the simplicity of it all. The quiet nights I would just hold her, feeding her, rocking her to sleep. It went by so fast but when your in it...it feels so slow. So now I try to remind myself that this season of running around chasing her, teaching her how to talk, teaching her what can hurt her, what she can do and can't do... the telling her no all the time, will pass... and quickly. It is a blink of the eye...isn't it?

People tell you those stupid cliche's and we just shrug them off as new moms...but it's true.

So, I am back to blogging. I am better. Stronger. More confident in this role as mom.

HA! Maybe I just like to think I am!

For now,
Lindsey