New Bed!

Jaye and I both grew up wishing we had a loft bed...but no such luck for either of us. We've been talking about it for awhile and we decided that this year would be the year to get a loft bed for Hope. Hudson is getting bigger and is into EVERYTHING and we want Hope to have a space that is hers and that she can feel to create/dream in. So...today we built a really fun space for our sweet girl!

Prior to today, Hope had a cute picket fence bed that was given to me when I was in need of a bed. It's been such a cute bed and I love that she got to use it too!

Even Hudson tried to help today! He would climbed up top if we would've left him alone long enough!

We couldn't find a twin loft that was just right so we bought a full-size and then customized it by adding shelves up top and cutting 6" off the bottom. Love the way it turned out!

She loves her bed! She moved all her favorite books, toys and stuffed animals up there immediately!

Still not sure what else we'll add...definitely need to add curtains that will close it off so she can have a fort and need to find a smaller cozy chair to curl up in with a book! It will be a work in progress!

Five Minute Friday: Choose

(Every Friday for over a year, hundreds of people have joined a writing flash mob at Lisa-Jo Baker‘s blog site.  They write for five minutes flat all on the same prompt that she posts on her site at one minute past midnight EST every Friday.  No extreme editing or worrying about punctuation, grammar or font.  Unscripted, unedited, real.  I am going to do my best to be a part of the fun.)

CHOOSE...this is the story of my life now days. On most days I have about 60-90 minutes to get things done and most days it is a struggle to choose which things I will do. Do I choose to read my Bible or clean house? Do I choose to pack lunch and get ready for work or prep dinner for that night? Should I choose to shower and get ready for the day or play with Hope? All of the things listed above are important and ideally, they should all get done each day...but there's not enough baby-free time to do so. So each day I must choose what comes first.

To be honest, most days I probably don't choose the most important things. Unfortunately, playing with Hope usually gets pushed aside so the practical things get done....things like getting ready for work and packing lunch or prepping dinner. Am I proud of that? Absolutely not. Thankfully she's really good at playing by herself but it still stinks to miss out on that opportunity. So each day I must choose what gets my time and some days it is not the eternal things that get chosen, it's the mundane and very necessary things that need to get done.

Two is Better than One!

 I've been thinking lately about how thankful I am for these 2! Our world is crazy, busy and very messy most days, but sure is a lot of fun! I love watching these 2 together...whether it be screaming contests (not my favorite thing), sitting side by side in the cart at Target, snuggling up together, wrestling together, or laughing together...there is one thing that is undeniable...their deep love for each other! Watching them together makes me think, "and this is why we didn't just stop with one kid". I love watching them together! I love watching their relationship grow and watching them begin to play together now that Hudson can understand more and keep up with Hope! Some days our life is pretty crazy and I can't find time to get anything done but I wouldn't trade them for the world!

 I've caught myself smiling several times the past few weeks as I walk into Hope's room to one of her creative endeavors/schemes! This girl has the best imagination and is so creative! The pic above is from a tea party she was having with her friends...love how each one is dressed up for the occasion! Yesterday and today she's been working on cutting out tiny pieces of paper, coloring them, and then gluing

And then there's this munchkin...T R O U B L E! Not really, just too smart for his own good and so very curious! He loves anything that is cause and effect. He wants to figure out how they work and then manipulate it over and over to see it in motion. I'm pretty sure he says his own form of "eat, light, off, uh oh, and Mama". He knows that a monkey says "aaa aaa" and will sometimes growl/rumble like a lion. He is non-stop and always in motion. He crawls super fast and gets from point A to point B faster than you can blink it seems! He makes me laugh!

Five Minute Friday: Hero

The 1st person who comes to mind when I think of the word "hero" is my Dad. "Why is he your hero?", you might ask...there's many reasons, but here are a few:

1. He has poured into the lives of countless teens, adults, families, couples, kids, etc...as he has followed God's calling in ministry.
2. He has had unswerving faith in God's plan and has followed God's leading even when the road ahead made no sense and led to struggles and wandering in a very dry desert for a very long time.
3. I don't know anyone else who has a shepherd's heart like his. He is a natural shepherd and genuinely desires to guide and help others.
4. He loves my kids so well. From swimming in the pool every day of summer, countless piggy back rides and carrying to the car, to games of pretend and hide and go seek, to coloring, to sharing M&Ms and candy, to long walks, to tricycle rides...and these are all with my sweet Hope who adores her Grampy with all her heart! What a blessing it is so watch your kids grow and flourish as someone you hold so highly loves them so well!
5. My Dad is the one who took me to school and picked me up most days growing up. I loved our car rides together and our conversations about everything and anything.
6. He loves selflessly. For as long as I can remember my Dad has served our family. He has worked hard to provide, he's gotten the glasses of milk, made the snacks, and done whatever is needed to care for my Mom, my brother and I.
7. He epitomizes the word "perseverance".
8. Each night when I lived at home, my Dad would tuck me in bed & pray with me. Most nights he'd leave my room saying "Goodnight princess, I love you". I am my Daddy's girl and always will be.

My Dad has created an amazing legacy of faith for me and my family to follow. He has impacted the lives of more than I can count and has made an eternal difference in the world. He loves wholeheartedly, serves with everything he's got, and is just all around incredible! My Dad = My Hero!

Starting Over

Starting over really sucks!

 Today I started a 17 week training schedule to hopefully get me ready to run a 10k (6.2miles) on May 10th. Never would I have imagined I'd be starting from the beginning again when it comes to running. After so many years of hating it and thinking it impossible, I found strength I didn't know I had and determination that I hadn't seen in a really long time. I started from nothing and eventually worked my way to a respectable 1/2 marathon. At that point I figured I'd just keep running and that it'd be a part of life and I'd continue to run races and get awesome medals . . . not so much.

After my 1st 1/2 marathon (beginning of June) came the extreme heat of summer and along with that heat came getting pregnant with baby #2. I tried to keep up, I tried to keep going, but it was rough! I had races signed up/paid for through December and figured I'd run them like I had my 1st few races, not letting pregnancy keep me down. Well, training got harder/hotter and I ended up walking 1/2 of a 10k 80's race because it was too hot and there wasn't water and I was tired, then walking the whole Long Beach 1/2 marathon that October (longest 4 hours of my life), mostly walking a 5k Color Run in November, painfully run/walking another 10k Iron Girl in November, and then walk/running the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon in December. None of those races went as I had hoped and my training had become almost non-existent. Exercising was painful and not worth it at that point so I vowed I'd start back up after the baby was born and we signed up for 2 races to aim for.

Well, the 2 races of 2013 weren't pretty. I thought I'd be ready to walk/run (at a decent pace) the Disneyland 10k in September but due to starting too quickly and not being in shape, it was a really long race ( but still very fun). Next came our 2nd 80s run and Jaye and I agreed to push the kids in the stroller and just walk the entire thing. We started out walking but then I had a tired/crying baby so I ran/walked the 2nd half of it in an attempt to get done so I could feed the baby. It was disastrous.

Fast forward to today. Today I began a 17 week training schedule to work up to running a 10k on May 10th. I loved the location of our 2nd 80s run so I'd been looking for races down there. At the same time I discovered the 10k, Another Mother Runner (a great site for Mom runners) came up with a 10k challenge and training plan. So, here I go....wishing I had never stopped running after that 1st 1/2 and wishing I could keep a good pace and better intervals...but it is what it is and I am starting from zero. The goal is 3-4 days a week of running right after the kids get breakfast. It'll be good to get them outside and it'll be good for me to get my butt in gear.

So here's to starting over . . . 1 minute intervals at a time.

Five Minute Friday: Fight

(Every Friday for over a year, hundreds of people have joined a writing flash mob at Lisa-Jo Baker‘s blog site.  They write for five minutes flat all on the same prompt that she posts on her site at one minute past midnight EST every Friday.  No extreme editing or worrying about punctuation, grammar or font.  Unscripted, unedited, real.  I am going to do my best to be a part of the fun.)

I guess there are plenty of things to fight about, to fight for, to fight in general. Cancer is what comes to mind today as I think about "fight". Recently, someone who I went to college with came walking through the doors of the Emergency Department where I work. When I looked up why they were there, I had a hunch it was going to be a new diagnosis of leukemia. Certain signs/symptoms tend to be a precursor for that wretched disease. Sure enough, as the night drug on and test results came back, they were told what they feared...it was likely leukemia.

I see crappy things pretty often at work. I see hurt, pain, disease, injury, illness, and sometimes even death. Usually I do a pretty good job of keeping my distance, putting on my work face, and not getting involved...but this time it hit me at a heart level. I left that night with a heavy heart and I couldn't stop thinking about their sweet little guy. I made it a point to pray daily, to check in with them each day I was at work, and to just stay aware/informed of how their little guy was doing.

Each day there are parents across the world given the awful diagnosis of cancer for their precious children and every day that fight or flight reflex kicks in and they immediately begin the fight of their lives, looking for options, alternatives, cures, and most of all HOPE. Each day is a fight...a fight to comprehend, a fight to get the best for your kid, a fight to kick cancer's ass! (excuse my language)

So as I think about the word FIGHT, I pray for sweet Kicker and his family as they fight this stupid disease. Game on Cancer....Game on! 

Oceans

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine 

 

We sang this song in church today and the following part stood out to me...

 

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

 

If left to my own devices, I'm happy to stay put...to stay where I'm safe and things are familiar. I don't tend to venture too far from what I know. Only HE could take me deeper as surely my feet are not really going to wander far. I am hoping these words are true for me this year, that I will venture farther and trust deeper in my Savior.