Going Thru The Big D

Backing up a few months...hey I'm scattered, I know.  Here's my reading material for the plane!

Benji and I headed to Dallas in November (I think, don't quote me on the date).

We headed there for a conference on small groups.

Well, mainly because Matt Chandler, Francis Chan and J.D. Greer were there to speak. And when you get an opportunity like that you take it.

It was a great get away. A great GREAT conference. Benji was very encouraged that he was not alone in some of the issues he faces and I was encouraged that HE WAS encouraged.

I LOVED getting to spend time with him. Just him. I know it seems like we have a lot of weekends with out the kids, BUT those weekends are usually filled with high school youth trips or Christmas missions, or something related to us actually not spending any time together at all and coming home with piles of dirty laundry, more exhausted than when we left.

I felt like our trip to Dallas encouraged us as a couple and encouraged us both in ministry. We came home feeling a little more like that couple we were before kids.

                                           Coffee in our hotel, they were waiting on me! 


                                              And our first taste of IN-N-OUT. Delish. 

 Every Christian stereotype has to wear TOMS. We thought it was hilarious they had a booth.

                      My main man, best friend, partner in ministry for over 10 years. LOVE HIM. 

Matt Chandler, Top, Francis Chan, Bottom. Both amazing speakers and humble men.

Definitely hoping I can join him in some more conferences. I love using that side of my brain every now and then. :)

Wait, It's Not About Poop?

So now that I've actually remembered where my makeup bag is.

 I've cleaned out my closet and decided that I've used the "I just had a baby excuse long enough."

I've started paying attention again to topics other than Jesse's poop schedule, his feeding schedule and even Emery's poop schedule...(Remember that nightmare with Emery). Any way. I want these.

I've wanted these forever. I know they are expensive but it's not like they are a fad.

They aren't going out of style. They are a NECESSITY!

We spent this weekend in Tennessee with the high school youth and it POURED buckets of rain the entire time. Now I know I can just get a pair from Target for like 20 bucks. But these are so much more fun! Every girl needs a splurge now and then.

Why not splurge on shoes!? Hunter "Huntress" Boots at Nordstroms

Backing UP

Christmas 2011 has come and gone in a flash! I can not believe how fast this year went. I'm already planning Jesse's first birthday party, which is in 4 weeks. Christmas was so fun this year. Emery loves getting to celebrate with her cousins Asher, Luke and Lydia. This year we added Jesse to the mix and he was so adorable ripping presents open and playing with the paper. Here are my favorite photos, taken by my sister of course. We had a great season celebrating the birth of Christ. Now I think we ALL are ready for spring time.

My Wishes for 2012

I had no resolutions this year, just to keep my head above water!

I'm pretty sure that is what i wished for at the beginning of 2011 and I succeeded so go me!

BUT I do have some desires, so here we go! some are material, some are physical, emotional and some are functional.

1. I really, REALLY want a fire pit for our back yard. You know the ones you can just get at Lowes or Costco. I don't think they are that expensive, I just love a good fire and I think it would be so fun for the family.

2. I really, REALLY want/need Willard to come back! My desire would be to have him come twice a year. When he came in June I can not explain to you how much LESS STRESSED I felt when I knew that under the bed was clean, that under the couch was clean, that the carpets had been cleaned (yeah he does that too). I'm hoping we have some budget room to get him in here in February.

3. BUTTTT, contrary to 1 and 2 I really want us to pay off all our debt this year. It's not a ton, just hospital bills from Jesse's birth and then his few day stay at 6 weeks when he pulled that "i have an ear infection but it might be meningitis stunt!" Then we had to basically rebuild Benji's truck from the inside out a few months ago. NOT something we were expecting to have to do. :( So for now we are putting all our "extra" (which ain't a lot people) money towards those two things. Hopefully after tax season we will be debt free again. Some say that debt due to hospital stays aren't really debt, to me they are! Especially when said hospital is charging interest! I seriously don't know how they can do that, but whatever.

I have a healthy, bouncing precious Jesse. He IS WORTH IT!

4. I would love to be able to get back into a gym soon. (umm okay, lose weight).... I know that some say you don't need to work out to lose weight but I actually enjoy the work out, aka time for myself. I really loved being able to work up a sweat and work off some stress. Hoping our budget will allow that soon as well.

5. I hope that this year I can get back into being more responsible about how I use environmental resources.... aka- You should SEE our recycle pile out in our garage. WE just can never remember to put it out every OTHER Thursday. It only comes twice a month and it just impossible for some reason for us to remember which day it comes.

I had gotten to the point where I bought no paper products at all for the home, except toilet paper, obviously. But adding another baby to the house has gotten me back into the habit of buying paper towels and those Clorox wipes. BAD ME!

I even used to recycle all our glass products. Our pick up service doesn't do glass so I was taking it to the recycle center myself. Once again, adding Jesse put a kink in my environmental enthusiasm, however, it is something I definitely care about. I just have to prioritize and recycling glass comes after changing and feeding my baby. :)

6. Before Jesse I had gotten pretty good at planning AND preparing at least 2 meals a day. Benji works close enough to come home for lunch. We have "eaten out" WAY more than I like to since Jesse. I feel though that I am slowing getting back into a "planning" routine and enjoying cooking again. I'd rather eat at home any day that out and I enjoy cooking SO MUCH! I'm really hoping the next few months I can get back into the "kitchen full time".

7. We have so many friends we want to have over for dinner. Months just fly by though! I'm going to be more intentional about planning dinner with friends at our home.


Alright, that's seven!

I think I can make it to 10......

8. I want Benji and I to be more intentional about having date nights. Ours are VERY FEW and far between these days.

9, I want to be more intentional about LAUNDRY. I am such a horrible laundry person. I can wash and dry it no problem...but getting it put up is an entirely different story. it usually just stays in our basket until we wear through it all or Benji puts it up.

10.....9 leads to ten, I need to get rid of more junk! I swear I throw stuff out every day, donate stuff at least 3 times a year but still have so many clothes and just "stuff" it drives me bananas. I think I would be better at putting up laundry if our closets and drawers weren't over flowing with clothes we don't wear.

There you have it. My OCD list of things I want to change/do/make into a reality this year. Happy 2012!

Whole Foods Sister

The Whole Foods Experience. 

I could not have said it better so I'll just let her! So hilarious. 

We Are Willard

Willard. Everyone wants to know, he is the dude that cleans for our church.

 He cleaned my house once for my birthday. and I was hooked.

 Unfortunately for me we are on a budget....TIGHT TIGHT budget. I thought this week I would have enough money to have Willard come and do a deep cleaning for the new year.

 But then Typhoid Fever hit (not really) Emery got sick, I got sick, Jesse got sick.

 75 bucks in co pays and 100 bucks worth of meds later all my money for Willard was gone.

 So today I BEGGED Benji to help me "be Willard". I needed this house deep cleaned. Vacuumed, dusted, laundry, sheets, trash bags full of CRAP taken out, corners scrubbed with Q tips...

 That is what we did We even boiled paci's.

 Benji had to run and go coach an upward basketball game around 11 a.m. so I did as much as I could. 

We opened the windows, turned on the box fans and sanitized this entire house!

 I still have a few things left tomorrow to check off the "OCD" list. But we have done a lot today and I am so proud of us for doing it together.

In Sickness

We have been through the ringer this week.

 Once we got home from Christmas in Georgia (remember I got home around 3a.m)...

the next few days Emery just seemed to get sicker and sicker. a few weeks before she had strep but we finished her round of antibiotics and everything seemed to be okay.

 Well by Monday morning I knew she was really really sick.

Sick as in Pneumonia, Strep (again) and TWO ear infections. Home girl was miserable.

 I feel so bad that she was so sick!

 Then a few days later Jesse started in with this cough and runny nose and one ear draining nastiness.

 I took him to make sure he didn't have pneumonia as well but his lungs seemed clear.

I'm still putting his antibiotic ear drops in that one goopy ear, hoping that he will recover soon as well.

 THEN, just as I thought we were on the mend I woke up last night around 4am with a fever and body aches/ head ache so bad I could barely get myself up to get some water and Advil.

UGGHHh. I seriously felt like I had been smashed in the face with a hammer.

I had no other symptoms though, just a fever, headache and body aches.

 My Dr. seemed to think it was just a virus and not anything that Emery or Jesse have had. So I am planning on getting this... WILLING THIS family back into health this weekend. Once Benji got home from work today I got in bed and I felt like my fever broke, I woke up soaking wet.

Who's ready to feel better!!! MEEEE!!! I know a lot of families with little ones are going through the same thing right now. So may we all feel better! HERE'S TO SPRING!!!