Popping back in

Hello!

I have been gone so long from my blog that it seems strange to write here again. To be honest, every time I’ve thought about sitting down to write here, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. When I started this blog, I thought it was really neat to be able to share everything that I was thinking and pictures of what we are doing. But somewhere along the way, it seemed to become another thing to check off my to-do list: “write blog post”. It’s just starting to seem strange to tell everyone about all the little things that we do day in and day out – kind of like a continuous “show and tell” about my life and thoughts. I’m not sure I feel like showing and telling that much anymore.

After closing my Facebook account about a month ago, I was so pleased with the amount of time I didn’t spend peeking in on every nuance of other people’s lives. Blogging is starting to feel like that to me now. (Both writing here and reading other people’s blogs.)

I’ve wrestled with the thought of closing this blog because  in the past I’ve really enjoyed writing here and more importantly, I’ve enjoying getting to know new friends through blogging. I kind of feel like if I close this blog, I’ll be shutting off those of you whom I’ve met through Where My Treasure Is. Of course, logically I know that is not the case. We have each other’s email addresses and real communication can still happen between us.

So, I’m left to think about it a bit more.

By the way, for those of you who were praying for our new little baby, we have been given good news. As of our last ultrasound a week ago, the fluid-filled mass in her abdomen was nowhere to be found. This confirms what the doctor thought ~ that it was most likely an ovarian cyst and that it resolved itself! She looked healthy and fine.

Now, I just have to survive the last few months. I’m starting to get to the really uncomfortable stage of the pregnancy. I can’t even bend over to my plate to eat dinner without difficulty. Grrrr.

However…

…it means that soon we’ll all be able to see our new little family member! The girls are getting anxious for her to come. It must seem like an eternity for a small child to wait 9 months for a baby to come. To them, it seems like I’ve just always been pregnant.

Speaking of pregnancy, please keep one of my blogging friends, Amanda , in your prayers. She and I are due during the same week and not only does she have third trimester pregnancy to contend with, but her youngest daughter was recently diagnosed with leukemia. I know that it has been a trying time for their entire family and I’m sure that they would appreciate your prayers.

Hopefully, I’ll be back again soon. In the meantime, enjoy these summer days with your children!

Simple Thoughts

I don’t feel as though I have much to say of any importance, but in the interest of “keeping up” my blog, I find myself sitting here this afternoon in front of my computer.

I don’t have much to say about what I’ve been doing lately, because some days just seem to be the very same as the ones before. That’s a mom’s life, sometimes, isn’t it? Seemingly, everything that I do during the course of a day gets “undone” again and I find myself doing those same exact tasks again the next day. It’s easy for me to grow weary of the mundane tasks of wiping noses and picking up teeny weeny pieces of toy sets if I focus on those tasks alone.

My most important task as a mother is one that I cannot accomplish all at once. I can’t check it off of my “to-do” list at the end of the day. It is one that is laid down layer upon layer, hour upon hour, conversation upon conversation. It’s the weaving together of the small, teachable moments that will make up the finished product of my life’s work. (That sounds really corny,  I know,  but it’s true.)

The same goes for my marriage. I’m learning that marriage isn’t always about the big surprises, romantic dinners, or even gifts. While those things are fine, what really adds up to a lasting relationship are the small sacrifices that we make for each other each day. The times that I put my own interests or schedule aside to help Dan with something. The times that I just smile and have a forgiving attitude when an expectation of mine is not met. I’m learning to have a short memory when it comes to offences. All of these little things add up as the months and years go by.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing lately – learning to live more fully and love more fully. Simple? Yes. Boring? Well, not to me.

Praying…

Praying for God’s will to be done today in America.

Scissors in hand

If I thought that trying to cut Abigail’s hair was difficult, I should not have even attempted to try and trim Jonathan’s hair.

But I did.

I tell you, I give those people who work at Kidz Kutz lots of credit. I had no idea how to keep a wiggly baby boy still enough to even get the scissors near his head, much less cut any kind of straight lines. I tried, anyway. All I wanted to do was get rid of the ducktail in back and the curlies around his ears. After several failed attempts at making it look decent, I quit for the day. The next day, I searched on the Internet for tips on cutting toddler boys’ hair. (I guess that I should have done this FIRST. I just thought that it would be easy!) After watching a video on YouTube, I realized that I had gone about it all wrong. Oops.

So, I grabbed Jonathan and my scissors and had another go at it. The only problem is that this time, there was less hair to work with. I ended up cutting quite a bit above the hairline at the back of the neck and please don’t even look around his ears. Its scary.

I threw my hands up and bemoaned his haircut to Dan. Dan is so patient and loving. He said that he’s glad that I’m trying to learn how to cut the children’s hair, even with my mistakes. Everyone has to start somewhere, he said.  You’ll learn.

So, I’ll keep trying. But I give those stylists who work with children much more credit now. It isn’t as easy at it looks!

Do you give your children haircuts? How did it go when you were first starting out?

Thanking, still…

I started my One Thousand Gifts list one year ago and I’m only up to 102 gifts! Oh dear! I see so many little things that I’m thankful for each day that I don’t record. I’ll try and remember to share them here more often. I love sharing the daily blessings I witness and I love hearing about yours as well. Did any of you start a thankful list with me? If so, how are you doing on it? Be sure to check out Ann’s Gratitude Community page to join in with the many others giving thanks on their blogs! 

So, let me dive back into my list with a few things I’ve been thankful for lately:

103. The safe arrival of baby Gideon -
congratulations, Elise and family!

 

104. the determination of a toddler -
falling and standing, falling and standing

105. watching a first walk through crunchy leaves

106. happy helpers – munching leftovers from the garden

107. pure joy on a swing

Music

About this blog…

I have a confession to make:

Sometimes I get blog envy.

There are so many GREAT blogs and so many wonderful people writing them out there on the web. I will often come away from reading a blog and think “Wow, what an inspirational writer” or “Her blog posts are so well organized” or “I wish I had a way with words like so-and-so”. I’ve asked myself if I should even be blogging when there are so many other great blogs out there. But it’s fun and I enjoy it, so I keep doing it.

 

Anyway, I think that when I first started my blog over a year ago, I wasn’t quite sure what my blog would be. Oh, of course, I stated what my purposes for the blog were at the outset, but I wasn’t certain how to go about accomplishing those purposes. Looking back on my writing, I see how unbeknownst to me, I was copying certain bloggers’ styles of blogging rather than having a style of my own.

So, I’ve asked myself recently: what is my blogging style? Do I really want to tackle issues or just relay bits and pieces of my life? Do I really want to write “how-to” posts or just posts about things that I’ve been learning and pondering? I want this blog to be fun and also edifying for both myself and those who read it.

So as I head into my 2nd year of blogging and consider these questions myself, I thought I’d ask you, too. Why do you visit here? What types of posts do you like best? I’d love to hear your input.

(picture from AllPosters.com)

Everything’s growing

Iliana’s garden isn’t the only thing that is growing around here…

 

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