31 Things in October

31 Things I'm Grateful for in October

This month, by far, has to have been the easiest months to list things I have been thankful for!

1. The privilege and absolute delight of attending City Moms Blog Network's Sister Site Conference in Dallas. Not only was I kid free, the conference all spoke to all of my love languages: cool free stuff, awesome food but quality time with quality people. It was fantastic and one of the highlights of 2015.

2. Family helpers. My MIL came and helped with the kiddos the 2.5 days I was gone and my parents came and helped later in the month so Lance and I could go to another ISU football game.
3. Cooler fall temps.
4. Leaf walks with the kiddos.

5. Lucan got really good reports at his preschool parent-teacher conferences. His teacher is really sweet and like a fun grandma-type of lady. You can really tell she loves each of her students.
6. Pregnancy announcements in the form of answered prayers.
7. Glittery leaf decorations from Target.
8. Honeycrisp apples.
9. Seeing baby Gracie start to feed herself. Another question I'll be able to check off her well-child visit.

10. Apple crisp.
11. Watching my favorite trees turn red and orange.
12. Sleeping in.
13. Discovering the Jamie Ivey podcast. If you like girl talk, books and hearing about your favorite bloggers, this podcast is for you. I'm looking at you Andrea C. and Ally V.I.
14. Precious babies being born.
15. The book of Joshua. I'm in a Tuesday morning Bible study and while it's not exactly what I expected, it's exactly what I need. God has a way of working like that.
16. Wednesdays with friends. Wednesdays is no-preschool day so I'm always making a point to do something with a friend. It's good, but busy.

17. Trunk or treat.
18. Adorable kids in their adorable costumes. Mine included.

19. Reeses Peanut Butter pumpkins. Not the orange/white chocolate ones. Those are gross imposters.
20. Having family photos done. While it's always slightly stressful, it's always worth the stress for the memories captured.
21. Pumpkin sugar cookies. Not the best use of my precious nap time minutes, but delicious.
22. Having the wisdom of being the second-time mom. First-time mom Kara is slightly appalled at the things she's letting her second born get away with.
23. Discovering that I can reserve specific magazines (HGTV November 2015) at the library.
24. Hearing Lucan pray, unprompted and on his own before lunch.
25. Krispie Kream doughnuts.
26. WINNING a LilyJade bag.
27. Tailgating with friends.

28. Graphic tees
29. Keurig coffee. Best $50 I spent on maternity leave.
30. Good books.
31. Grace and forgiveness.

When God Answers Prayer

The secret prayer of my heart for the last four years has been for God to provide some way for me to stay home with our kiddos. If you would have asked me in everyday conversation if I wanted to stay home I would have shrugged off an answer and said “sure, maybe. I don’t know.”  I didn’t allow myself to dwell on the possibility because it was just mostly a silent hope. 

It took having our first child for me to have a reality check that our lifestyle did not match the life we wanted to have for our family. But at that point we were too far in to be able to change things. Lance was the only person who really knew that I was no longer finding fulfillment in working full-time. It took major commitment to paying off our debt (minus the house, I always feel compelled to add that so people know we still are paying off our house) to be in a place where I am able to walk away from my 9-5 job. Four years, one major budget overhaul, two children, one bout of unemployment and two jobs later, life is about to take another radical turn. I’m leaving the full-time corporate world and starting my dream job. I’m going to work for Des Moines Moms Blog as the Sponsorship Coordinator and will start the challenge of being a work from home mom. 

Truly, this job is a God-thing. I feel like the phrase “God-thing” can be a cop-out but in this instance it really is a God-thing.  I was approached by Des Moines Moms Blog with this position because I had been on their hearts and minds. I had applied to be a contributing writer and they really only knew me through the blog and a through a mutual friend. The timing was perfect. We had just made the final payment on my student loans and were ready to explore the possibility of me finding part-time work and staying home with the kiddos. I had applied for a part-time job earlier that I thought would have been a good fit too, but it had some aspects that we would have had to figure out. But it wasn’t the job God wanted for me and He didn’t grant it to me. At the time I was disappointed but I accepted this wasn’t where God wanted me. Then this job came along and it truly was God’s hand at work.  I can’t imagine a better fit – being able to write, use my marketing knowledge and spend time with my family. God’s perfect plan.

So we are taking this leap of faith and we are going to see where this is going to go. Both Lance and I are nervous (any new job or big lifestyle change is heart stopping!) but we're hopeful. Hopeful, cautious and thankful. Thankful to be given this opportunity.

 

28 Things in February

I like and I dislike that February has 28 days. I like it in the fact that I can consistently remember that February has the fewest days out of all the months but I dislike the fact that when this February ends, it means that my maternity leave is over and that I’ve officially reentered the working world. Blar.

1.      Shereadstruth.com Lenten study

2.      Dental insurance. We would be most definitely broke without it.

3.      Pizza and conversation at friends’ house. Dinner doesn’t have to be a big production to be fun and worthwhile.

4.      Girls lunch with small group gals. Yum!

5.      Breakfast date with KlAnders.

6.      A husband who has a stronger stomach than I do. Let’s just say it involves poop and leave it at that.

7.      My super handy husband who fixed our water softener with a $2 part. Let’s not go into the fact that he could have fixed it three years ago …

8.      Lucan declared he liked mushrooms. AWESOME!

9.      Successful hip replacement surgery for my mom.

10.   Conversations on Mothering Bible study at church and getting to know more moms.

11.   Healthy 2 month well child checkup for Gracelyn.

12.   Mom playdates.

13.   5 babies born this month. FIVE!!

14.   Getting all of our Christmas cards finally organized and put away – dating back to 2010!

15.   Church scones.

16.   Molly coming over and spending time with us on her lunch breaks or on her Friday afternoons.

17.   The Bachelor and ridiculous conversations I have with my friends about the show.

18.   Crap-ton of snow. I loved it. Lucan loved it. Lance, not so much.

19.   Library storytime.

20.   Two trips to Goodwill to unload stuff we don’t need.

21.   ALDIS shopping trips. They have really upped their game lately.

22.   Gracelyn smiles and coos. She’s so smilie in the morning. Everyone always asks me if she’s this good and my answer is “yes” as long as she’s pooped recently and not confined to her carseat.

23.   Justin’s Vanilla Almond butter. This stuff is like CRACK.

24.   Downtown Abbey. So sad I have to wait until January 2016 for the next season.

25.   Lu is fully potty trained at night too. We talked about it and he decided that he wanted to be able to wear underwear to bed. Bam. Done.

26.   I’m really thankful for my 13 weeks of maternity leave. The end is really bittersweet.

27.   Mere Christianity

28.   My iphone. We got our first iphones in September and I love being able to capture life’s moments with the kiddos.

So happy!

Saturday smiles.

Lu and his stupid penguin, Pete. Do you know how often Pete gets lost resulting in a 15 minute search and find for the tiniest stuffed animal we own.

Cabin fever.

Lu's Valentine's Day box for school.

Adorable onesie baby gift from Studio B yoga.

Doctor Lu.

Recorder serenading :)

My two favorite girls.

Beloved green blankie.

Hanging out in her crib. Not sleeping.

A little taste of summer with this super easy fruit salad - a dollop of honey and a splash of vanilla!

Christmas card organization for the pinterest win!

Two tiny minions.

We let him run around on all the booths at Red Robin. It was snowing and the place was empty. The excuses we make as parents, right?

Last day of maternity leave.

Quick note: see how many sprinkles are on the cookie he's decorating with his left hand? Woah.

Cat nap at Bible study.

Earning his keep. Thanks Erika for this idea. Start them young!

Snow.

Lu wanted to take selfies.

Library storytime.

I love polka dots.

The snowman melted later that day. Sad :(

All of our kids will be roughly 9 months apart. Isaac is a sweet boy.

31 Things in January (better late than never)

So much to be thankful for ...

1. A delightful lunch out with my parents. Kid free lunches are few and rare.
2. Target dates.
3. Maternity leave. I’m dreading March 2 when I have to go back to work.
4. Friends who have come to visit during the day.
5. Family time.
6. A weekend in Okoboji with good friends.
7. The first massage in over a year.
8. The return of Downtown Abbey and The Bachelor!! #princefarming
9. Little voices who say “mommy, I just love you.”
10. Mommy play dates.
11. Grandmas and Grandpas.
12. Church potlucks.
13. A clean bill of health from my doctor.
14. Other than a few sniffles, no major illnesses.
15. Snow (Lance is NOT thankful for snow)
16. Naps.
17. Normal days and weeks.
18. A baby who sleeps.
19. Visiting a dear high school friend and seeing her beautiful house for the first time.
20. SheReadsTruth.com for doing daily devotionals.
21. Sweatshirts that feel like hugs
22. A sweet big brother who loves his little sister
23. Amazon Prime
24. DELICIOUS appetizer night at small group where we all loaded up on yummy munchies
25. Being able to be a part of a Bible study while I’m on maternity leave
26. Coffee. I broke down and bought a used Keurig off of a FB swap site and am so thankful for it! (I’m thankful enough to want to list it twice!)
27. Having an understanding husband who didn’t murder me when I had a “small” car accident involving the Traverse and our garage door.
28. Getting to attend a baby shower for a sweet friend who is expecting twin boys any day now!
29. A kind sister-in-law and parents in-law who took care of Lu for a weekend
30. For being brave enough to take Lu and Grace out to eat on our own. It went quite well, surprisingly enough
31. 13 weeks of maternity leave!!

And January in pictures:

It's so cold outside mommy!

Sister needs a helper. Okay ...

 

Jessie mistook me for a 65 year-old man at Fareway :(

Polka dots :)

Favorite Christmas ornament - photo by Katie Evans Photography. Ornament by Shutterfly.

Peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. How many things can YOU cram into the title of a cookie?

So tired! But if you try and lay me down for a nap I will instantly awaken.

Snug as a bug in a rug.

Hi Mom! I found your secret stash of chips!

After a middle of the night feeding I found Lance encroaching on my side of the bed.

Quick nap in momma's arms.

Looking lovely by way of the ladies of small group.

Car nap after playing hard at Lance's parents' farm. After he awoke he was a hot mess that included slobber and shrieking for 45 minutes in the car.

Big brown eyes.

Enthralled by Wild Kratts and his new marker book from Wendy.

Serious.

This cat somehow knew I had just washed the duvet cover. Thanks Fire. Glad you found a warm soft place to nap.

Lots and lots of art. Woe to the mother whose son finds his projects in the recycling basket.

Foaming at the mouth.

Little sister doesn't know how lucky she is. She has big brother's favorite green blankie and beloved "Pete the Penguin."

Baby smiles.

Saturday morning, way too early. Scrambled eggs and play dough.

He only eats out of green bowls. It's irritating.

Beaver!!

Dad left us to go to an ISU basketball game. We were reduced to selfies for entertainment.

Cherry Berry as a family reward for good behavior = sugar high = sugar crash.

He dropped two gummy worms on the floor and ate them before I could stop him. However I was able to stop him from eating the m&ms that he found in the corner of the couch.

This is my thinking face, mommy.

Take a picture! Take a picture!

10 inches of snow. Church was canceled. Lance deemed this the type of snow that gives men in the sixties heart attacks.

Mushroom spinach focaccia bread pizza for the Superbowl. Def the food of football players.

I bought Lu bath crayons and bath paints for Christmas. Did you know if you remove the "t" from "paint" it spells "pain"? There's a reason for that.

One afternoon I got an itch to organize Gracelyn's closet. It was a stupid idea.