19 Weeks

It's a boy! He's the size of a mango now. Supposedly he can hear us now if we sing or talk to him.

I'm not doing well. This is supposed to be the best and easiest part of pregnancy and instead I'm still sick as a dog and in pain every day. I'm exhausted all the time and my mood swings are all over the place. My belly is becoming more obvious even though I've actually lost 7 lbs since the beginning of this pregnancy now.

LOOT

Scooby Doo and the Tardis

Halloween Loot

Halloween 2014 was a huge success. His very first trick or treating experience ever Justace had a blast and it only took about 5 houses before he got the hang of things. Everyone thought he was adorable as he said trick or treat and thank you for the candy. Everything thrilled him. He loved the jack o lanterns. Before we left as all the kids came to our house to trick or treat he said hello and come in to each one and as they left he said Happy Halloween and bye bye. He handed them all candy. And of course when we arrived home it was time to open candy and eat it. I think holidays with a little one are the best ever. I love seeing all his joy and excitement. Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween!

Raven

What a Mess

Mountains of dirty clothing. A sink full of dirty dishes. Blocks, trucks and other miscellaneous toys spread around the floor, waiting for a bare foot to step on them. A little boy yelling and screaming and laughing over the sound of a TV playing Bambi over and over and over again. One hour per day spent cleaning and picking up along with at least half the day on weekends just devoted to more in depth actual house cleaning and yet it seems no matter how much time and effort I put into cleaning and picking up the work never ends. More dishes and laundry continue to pile up as I get the original piles cleaned and put away. Toys put in toy boxes or on shelves end up back all over the house again the next morning. Young boys with too much energy don't know what quiet means or the purpose of such a horrible thing. 

My life, at the present time, is a mess. I can't seem to balance work with friends and family and church and personal time like hobbies and trying to work out. And yet, much like the song, it's a beautiful mess. It's one I'm grateful for. The dirty dishes are proof of many good meals eaten together. Dirty laundry from a little boys' many adventures outdoors and a working mom coming home to cuddle her dog and cats and dirty little boy. Toys from a little boy's non stop imagination and playtime. I'm sure in the future life will slow down and turn neater and easier but in the meantime I'm going to hold on to each and every moment of this messy dirty life, knowing when I grow old I will have these memories to hold as treasures.

Wonderful Wildlife

Mesa Falls

My son is a monkey!

Cave Falls

Tetons

I got to feed a baby bear. He was so cute!!!

Bears at Bear World.

Wolf hanging out at Bear World.

I love fishing! This was my first fish caught ever and he was delicious for breakfast the next morning.

Biggest fish for me.

One of our future egg givers chit chatting with Justace.

Self Discipline

I have a list of things I must start doing on a consistent daily basis.

1. workout - I want to get in shape, have more energy, lose my belly and look good in all outfits I want to wear again. But one week of doing this does nothing at all. I must do it every single day.

2. Training - I need to work on training my dog...every day...for him to become a well behaved dog.

3. Clean - I must clean my house every day in order for it to remain clean.

4. Quiet time - I must keep in touch with God.

5. Writing - If I am ever to become a good writer I must practice by doing it every day.

Saved by the....naptime???

So I walk into our bathroom to get my son, who, after having eaten 2 cookies at church today has spent the past 30 minutes running around the house giggling trying to escape the mommy with her naptime blankie. Having just seen him running by me with our nail clippers in hand and giggling I race after him to our bathroom. I hear a little voice go "uh oh." No more giggling. I look from him to our bathroom sink, full of dirty water due to plumbing issues, where I know he just dropped those clippers down the drain. He looks at me. He grabs his blankie from my hands and runs to his crib saying "night night." So, not wanting to argue, I place him in bed, the place he's been running from and he immediately just rolls over, puts his blankie around him and says night night. No more sounds. Dead silence even though I clearly see his eyes wide open still. Laughing to myself, I head out to the living room to do some reading. Well, we may have to get new clippers but at least naptime was quick and easy today. And Mr. I know I'm in trouble now gets to use it to his advantage to avoid getting in trouble as well. Clever boy. ;-)