Project 366: Week 12

Here, there, and everywhere…. a random post

Some randomness for your Thursday? Okay, I’ve got a healthy dose of it!

• It’s been raining here ALL week. Such lovely weather for Spring Break. We’ve seen the sun a little. Hopefully it will make a return soon.
• Ava LOVES watching Dancing with the Stars. She feels the need to put on her dresses so she can dance during the dances.
  

  

  
  

  

  Waiting for the dancing to start!!!
• Ava and Reed sat together for a bit the other morning. I love when she is sweet to him and they interact.
• 

  Zach and I had a date night last night. It was SO nice to get out alone for a bit!
• Ava had her first dentist appointment this morning! She did GREAT! She didn’t cry and let the hygienist do everything she needed to do! And NO cavities!
• I’m so stinking glad tomorrow is Friday. This week has seemed long. Maybe because we’ve tried to squeeze so much in?
• I really need to get serious about changing my blog name. I have one suggestion I really love, but it uses our last name. I’ve tried to be careful with that, but I know that it’s probably known. So, should I use the our last name in our blog title?
• We have a fun weekend planned! I’m EXCITED!
• We have some things underway that could use some prayer – mainly just prayer for God’s will to be done. That’s what we are praying, but figure it can’t hurt for others to pray that as well.
• Did I mention I’m glad tomorrow is Friday? :)

Hope this week has been kind to you! See you soon!

Life lately

Thank you so much for all your kind words on my last post. Seems lots of us deal with issues in friendships. Like I said, just be the kind of friend you would like to have and I think it comes back around. :)

Now…. we had a busy week this past week. But the week ahead is Spring Break so lots of relaxing around here (of course, for everyone but mom who still has to work this week!)!

Reed is the happiest little guy and is just growing so much! I love this sweet disposition!!!

He fell asleep in his swing the other night and he looked so peaceful and precious! I can’t believe how big he is getting – look at that foot hanging out!!

Saturday, Ava went to a party for one of her friends! It was a golf party and she had fun practicing her swing! It won’t be long before she’s on the golf course with dad and Grandpa!

They also had a little bounce around which was a huge hit!

After the kids had some naps, we went and ran some errands! This little dude was happy and such a good boy.

Reed has been eating cereal with a little bit of applesauce mixed in at school, but Saturday night he got his first taste of some more baby food. We started him with squash and he ate it up! YUM!

I wish Ava had been looking at the camera because this could have been incredibly cute. Here are my sweeties before church on Sunday! 
After church, we had lunch at my parents’ house. My sister was going to make some cupcakes and told Ava she could stay and help her. So Zach, Reed, and I went home and left Ava to help bake. Stephanie texted me some pictures of them working.

Heading home with the finished product!   Thanks Stephanie! She had fun!

There is lots more fun to be had this week while there is no school! Sadly, we might get wiped out by the predicted monsoon headed this way. The predictions are for 4-8” of rain with some areas seeing 10-15”! Crazy! Hope you all have a great week!

Project 366: Week 11

Thoughts on friendship…

This is a typical post for me but it is one that has been churning in my mind for a while but it’s taken several attempts and drafts to get out exactly what I wanted to say.

As I have gotten older, friendships have ebbed and flowed. There are the friends I’ve been friends with for years and years and years, who know me as well as I know myself, and fortunately several of those friendships are still in tact. There are some that I was friends with for years and for various reasons, the friendships have ended. There are new friends where we are learning about each other and the friendships we will share for however long, months or a lifetime. Many of our new friendships have been cultivated by our church and school (which is a part of our church), and the involvement we have there. There are some wonderful friends we’ve come across there and I’m so thankful for that. There are the friends where you can go months without seeing each other or even talking very much but when you see each other again, you pick right back up without missing a beat. I have friends who I have met and instantly it feels like we’ve known each other forever. And other types: acquaintance friendships, social media friendships, etc.

I’m so very thankful for the friends I do have. Friends can be such positive influences in our lives. And I have some AWESOME friends. I know there are some who I can call/text and ask for prayer and they will do so immediately. And then they will check in to see how I’m doing. And they encourage me to be a better person and friend just by their actions. And I feel so blessed to have those kind of friends in my life. I want MORE of these type of people in my life!!! But what gets me is how unhealthy friendships can be so full of hurt. For many years I was a meek friend. I think I was scared of ruffling feathers in the fear of someone not being my friend anymore. As I’ve grown up and matured, I’ve come to realize those friendships aren’t the real ones. The real ones are the ones where I can 100% be me, and fess up if there are things that bug me, or if I have been hurt and that isn’t a deal breaker. There’s no point being friends if you can’t be you. I’ve gotten to the point where it’s become important to move on from those friendships that cause more hurt than good.

It’s definitely sad when a friendship ends, but I do believe that as people’s lives change, so do the bonds that bind you. I have tried to take the ending of such friendships and the lessons that have come with the end. I’ve been sad that some friendships have ended…. and relieved about others.

I guess all this to say I’m at a crossroads I feel like. It’s definitely been necessary to weed out the friendships that cause negativity in my life, for whatever reason. Not all friendships have ended because of bad things, just because we outgrew out each other. But I am so thankful for the new ones that have formed. One thing I don’t take lightly is friendship. I’m a fiercely loyal friend and if you need me, I’m there! I am not perfect, nor would ever claim to be, but I do try to be the type of friend that I want people to be to me.

I think another aspect of how friendship has changed is social media. Things like blogs, facebook, twitter, etc can be so great yet so hard. Some of my very closest friends are girls I’ve met through my blog and have bonded with on twitter. Weird? Maybe it used to be, but not anymore. But here’s the thing: social media can make you feel very alone too. I love me some twitter. Really. So I decided to give it up for Lent. And know what? While I do miss it, I do NOT miss the people on it who make me feel insignificant. Once I’m back to it (if I’m back to it), I’m doing a major clean up to take away the people that make me feel bad about myself. I think everyone, myself included, are quick to forget how much words can affect people. Or actions. Someone I followed on twitter was going through some really tough things and I felt for her. So much in fact, that I wanted to do something to help her. So I sent her a (fairly generous) gift in the mail that I hoped would alleviate some burdens. I didn’t expect anything in return. I WANTED to do it. But right before my twitter break, I found out she had changed her twitter name and chose to no longer follow me. Seeing that she was following some couple hundred people made me realize it wasn’t an accident. Ouch. Not like I expected us to be best friends but I had obviously invested in her life and was quite disappointed to see that. But, live and learn, I guess. I wouldn’t change what I did but I was saddened to see that. The nice thing about hiding behind a phone or computer is that we can be who we want to be, and sadly I don’t think everyone is the same as they are in real life.

I’m not really sure if I have a point to this post. I think it’s just something that’s been on my mind. Be you. Be the real you. And treat others like you would like to be treated. If you mess up, apologize. Real, true friends can be so hard to find, so be thankful for the ones you have. And be the kind of friend a friend would like to have. I think it’s as simple as that.

“I’ve heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. I know I’m who I am today because I knew you. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But, because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” – For Good, Wicked

Project 366: Week 10

   

Trip to Illinois

Even though our trip to Illinois last week was a whirlwind, and for a sad occasion, we still enjoyed our trip and had a good time visiting with all of our family.

Ava was SO excited to get to swim at our hotel. She traveled up with my parents on Tuesday and when I talked to them Wednesday as I was driving, they asked me if I had her swimsuit. They said she told the worker where they ate lunch she was going swimming and had asked no less than 15,000 times if I was bringing her suit. When I finally got there that night, the first thing she asked me was where it was.

Sweet little Luke!

We also got to experience a little winter with a snowfall! it started snowing in the late morning and there was lots of snow on the ground by that afternoon! Ava had a blast playing in it!!! 

Here is a picture of my grandmother with two of her three great grandkids. I hope we’re able to get a photo of her with all three soon! It was a super quick trip, but Ava and I both had a great time and I’m glad I ended up taking Ava with me. She had so much fun and it of course, it made it easier on Zach having just Reed! Even though we had to go for a sad reason, we still enjoyed seeing all of our family!

Five months old!

Reed is FIVE months old today. I can hardly believe he is one month away from being half a year old. Where have the last five months gone? Seriously.

These photos are getting more difficult to get!

This was a hard month. He didn’t feel well for a good part of the month but thankfully he is back to our sweet, happy little guy. The turn around has been phenomenal. He went to the doctor three times this month. After two rounds of antibiotics and a steroid, we finally have him feeling good again!

Reed, here’s what you are up to, little man:

• On February 15, you rolled from your back to your tummy for the first time.
• In just the past three or four days, you’ve become a pro at eating cereal. Yesterday, you had it for the first time at school and they mixed applesauce in, and apparently you loved it. We are going to slowly introduce you to other foods.
• You love to be tickled and you laugh and giggle lots when we do it.
• You love to put your hands in your mouth.
• You are grabbing at things and getting good grips on them. You got a hold of my nose last night and held it.
• You love grabbing at your feet!

• In the last month, your head control has improved majorly. You are able to play in the jumper now.
• You eat about 32 ounces of milk per day.
• You are in Size 2 diapers.
• You are in 6 month clothes.
• The other day you reached from me to your Hamaw because you wanted to go to her. And then you reached right back to me.
• You still smile with your whole mouth open wide and it’s precious.
• You have a little buddy at school that you like to jump with in the mornings, and you like to talk to each other. It’s so cute.

Tonight we gave you a bath for the first time in the kitchen sink. You loved it and gave me a great shot of your big open mouth smile! :)You are such a joy, Reed! It is just as much fun watching you reach milestones as it was to watch your sister. We are so glad to have you as part of our family and are excited to see what else is in store for you, sweet boy!