Looking ahead to 2014, a new chapter

2014 holds big change and lots of promise for bringing some balance and renewal in ways I am very excited for. One major change will be with work. As that change is rapidly approaching I find myself reflective of it in different ways. All change brings loss, so swirling with excitement, is the other side of that coin that comes with closing a chapter and starting a new one.

After returning to work since having Rhett I started to feel a pull to make a change. It was such a strange thought for me at first that started small but after prayer and much thought it became clear to me of what I needed to do. I have been with the same place for almost 9 years. It was my first job out of graduate school, I love the place and I love the people, they have been so very good to me there. My first dream has always been this family, being a wife and mom but I love that another dream developed along the way in my work. I remember how very excited I was each day to go to work that first year, I know that may sound strange but it was such a great place to start into this field with people that believed in me and mentored me and invested in me in ways that I will always be grateful for. I like to say I grew up there as a clinician. I had wonderful years of working along side best friends and so many cherished friendships were born there that carry on to this day. Something else happened along the way too, I started getting to do the mentoring and the training and that I found was most fulfilling part of the entire journey. Community Mental Health work is very challenging and can be very consuming. I've watched many of colleagues and staff come and go over the years. I had to work through my own balancing act with the emotional, mental and physical demands of the job through different seasons. After having Ava I was supported in working in part time capacity while I still advanced in leadership. It worked really well during that time and was so wonderful to balance both at the same time in way that didn't feel like I had to sacrifice either one. With adding baby #2 to the mix my heart is feeling even more pulled homeward. In working with my work on an exit plan for my current management position I was provided a great opportunity to stay on board in a much reduced capacity helping with several of the areas I am passionate about. I am looking forward to trying it out to see if its the right fit for right now.

So tomorrow's my last work day running a program that is so near and dear to me. I am so grateful for options, for work I am passionate about both inside and outside my home, I know taking this time with these precious years while I have opportunity to do so will be something I will never regret. The next chapter is here, excited to celebrate what was but also looking forward to what will be.

Reflecting on 2013!

Happy New Year!

As I reflect on 2013 it was once again quite a memorable year for our family.
A few of the the big events:

• Ava had her first sleep overs (To Aunt Amy's, Aunt Jen's and Grandmas)
• Enjoyed a couple baby showers for Rhett
• Prepared his nursrey, the last empty room furnished.
• My grandparents moved to Broken Arrow near my parents
• We said goodbye to Grandpa Harry and laid him to rest
• Ava turned 3, we celebrated with a Lion King themed family party
• Of course we will remember this year mostly for welcoming our sweet baby boy and finally having a name for him!
• 10 year college mini-reunion, Lahmeyer's visit.
• I turned 32 and Ryan turned 31.
• Celebrated 9 years of marriage.
• Ava gave herself her first hair cut!
• Maternity leave summer!
• Took Ava to see her first movie.
• Ava's first swim lessons.
• Trip to Houston to visit the Lahmeyers and to visit Matt and Lori's new house during our 2013 Bell Birthday Bash.
• Finding out I will be an aunt again x2! Matt and Lori & Jen and Misa are expecting babies in the new year!
• Ava started her Pre-K program.
• 4 Generation Road trip to visit Jen and Misa and the girls in their new Arkansas home.

Still pondering goals and plans for 2014, which I love to do! 2014 I am excited to see what you behold!

8 Months!!

Rhett turned 8 months yesterday. So many fun developments this month has brought!

 

 

Nicknames: Rhett-Rhett, Bub, Bubs, Bubby, Rhetty-Betty

 

Play: He claps and will mimic us clapping, he loves to growl, and gets excited if we will growl back and forth with him. He pats our back when holding him. Loves to chew on his feet and laughs when I try to pull them out of his mouth when changing his diaper.

 

 

Eating: Finally has started enjoying eating some pureed foods,  things with apples or bananas seem to be his favorites, eats twice a day and nurses every 3 hours or so.

Sleeping: Favorite positions, rolls to his right side or puts both hands behind his head like he's doing a sit up. He is napping 3 times a day. Sleeps some nights all the way through but most nights up once or twice.

Christmas 2013

Ava really enjoyed getting the tree and our other Christmas decor set up as we kicked off this month:

 

 

In Ryan's family there was always a rotation of which kid got to put the star on top of the tree throughout their growing up years. So we've continued that tradition with our kids and it was fun that Rhett got to rotate in this year:

 

Ava looked forward all month to her Christmas program at church. She asked me today when Christmas comes back next year if she can do the program again. We sang the songs before bed each night. I love getting to capture her seeing us in the crowd. Here she is "sleeping in heavenly peace":

 

For Christmas Eve and day we headed to B.A.

Ryan and I got to sneak away with Ava for a Christmas Eve movie to see Frozen in 3-D:

 

 

Of course one of the most memorable parts of this year, was that it was Rhett's first Christmas!

 

We headed back to OKC and this weekend we hosted Bell family Christmas at our house. Unfortunately my mom got sick and wasn't able to join all of us so was sad that she couldn't come with dad but besides that it was a good Christmas.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed a family devotional time together Sunday morning. Ava was really into it, She is also really into dressing herself these days:

 

The cousins all together. We have two more due this summer,

so this bunch continues to grow and has lots of fun holidays together to come!

 

Rhett's crossing his fingers for a boy cousin in 2014. He's a bit out numbered among this crew.

November Catch up

In November we had a fun visit from the Lahmeyer Crew on their Thanksgiving travels.  Leo and Ryan were at deer camp so it was nice to have company at the house. We got our first snow and ice and is was pretty chilly but we had a pretty great time anyways.

 

We went to Ingrids German kitchen for brunch.

 

 

They had a life size gingerbread house and live music.

 

Ava would of stayed and danced all day. She was one of the one of the only non-senior citizens on the dance floor but that didn't bother her none. She and Q made friends with another little girl was there celebrating a mans 90 something birthday and they shared some of their chocolate cake with us. It was a pretty fun time at a pretty great place.

 



 

 

Daicia offered to take some pictures for us while she was here, the temps kept us indoors but the lighting in the play room worked out pretty well to do a little indoor shoot.

The natives were getting restless so we hit the mall on Sunday.

 



 

Rhett had us laughing with this hat, he kept smiling so big seeing himself in a mirror with it on.

 



7 months!

This boy turned 7 months during Thanksgiving week! As I reflect on this month,  it is such an a crazy thought that I didn't yet know this sweet face this time last year. In fact a year ago I was just starting to wrap my mind around the idea of  having a boy. To love someone this much, that I only met a short time ago, is so surreal in the best possible way.

 

He has mastered sitting up on his own which makes bath times easier on all of us as he has moved into the big bath for bath time. In 7 months he has slept through the night 3 times. He naps well during the day still taking 3 naps usually but nights this month have been pretty regressive with multiple wakings throughout the night.

 

He is starting to let me feed him by spoon some and is nursing about every 3 hours. While I know he can't yet purposely say "ma-ma" its one of the sounds he makes often and it's fun to pretend he knows what he's talking about.

 

Can't wait to celebrate his first Christmas with him!

A Brutiful Thanksgiving

We enjoyed celebrating the holidays as usual between our parents homes in Broken Arrow. We spent time with our families and friends that are like family, saw sweet cousins young and old, came to know exciting news of part of our family growing, worshiped in the church we grew up in, quietly each turned our thoughts to the empty seats at each families table of dear ones no longer with us, we watched some incredible plays in exciting games, discovered the deliciousness of a pumpkin roll, among other things.

 

We had the traditional after lunch leaf pile jumping.

 

 

 

Rhett was too little for jumping this year but that didn't damper his excitement at all about the whole deal.

 

We did our best to uphold other sacred traditions for this holiday like naps, naps and more naps. The kids are getting over colds and Rhett especially did not sleep well at all. Every night Ava would make an elaborate plan about where she wanted to sleep with her carefully made pallet on the floor and then she lasted .2 seconds before she gave that up and came to our room. So in our bed at Ryan's parents it ended up me, Ryan, Ava and Rory in a queen size bed with Rhett in the pack n' play next to it.  After feeding Rhett in the mornings I did get to sleep in a few times which was glorious and helped the nights even themselves out some but even with Rhett still up a lot last night boy was it good to sleep in our own beds.

 



 

 

We were also coming off an extended weekend of Ryan being out of town for his annual hunting trip when we left for Thanksgiving. The kids and I started colds while he was gone and to be honest I was pretty worn out. The truth about holidays during this season of family life is they are a lot more work than they use to be -Sometimes the sleep deprivation, the diaper changes, the outfit changes due to the diaper changes, bathing them, feeding them, clothing them, comforting them, loading them in the car, buckling them in the car, unloading them, unbuckling them, answering their questions, (I counted recently in one car ride, 27 questions from point A to point B) disciplining them, guiding them, playing with them, looking for  pacis, washing pacis,  making sure they brush their teeth, rocking them in the middle of the night and all other day to day parenting duties can and does get overwhelming and exhausting at times. I was definitely feeling it this week.  Even with all the work that comes with parenting young children they are of course among my greatest life blessings that I give thanks to our Heavenly Father for. I've had a great day home with them today, even with running some errands, I find things settling back in line and being more manageable. I don't have to look too far to appreciate having healthy, living children is a joy among joys. Holidays are for sure more work than they use to be but I also get to enjoy them in a richer and deeper way than ever before. When I start to get in that exhaustion funk of irritability, gratitudes seem to be the best remedy for my spirit when solid sleep is not readily available.

So Thanksgiving 2013, in the words of a favorite mommy blogger I read, you were "brutiful", part brutal - part beautiful and I am thankful for you because there will never be another one just like you and I know the hard parts will fade and the golden parts will stay.