Christmas Pics

Our Christmas scrapbook. Blessed.

Phone Dump

Phone Dump

Phone Dump

Lack of blogging

I just can't seem to keep up with the month of December... Little man's birthday, Christmas, family get-togethers, etc. Like most families, we've been a tad busy... Hopefully I can get caught up because there have definitely been some blog-worthy moments in the last few weeks! Stay tuned! :)

Merry Christmas

a birthday post

3 years.

Each December, I am certain I will always reminisce about the day we welcomed sweet Isaiah into the world. It was in a nutshell, life changing.

It is so incredible how 3 years can pass in the blink of an eye, but simultaneously seem like it all happened ages ago. The memories of welcoming our first born are still so clear in my mind. I look back at sweet pictures that grasp the moments where we were, the brief period in our lives where we were changed forever.

I recall being so aware that I was about to become a mother. My entire identity was about to change. In ways I didn't even know. Since I was a girl, motherhood immediately followed becoming a wife as one of my dearest hopes in life. A wife and mom. All I've ever wanted was being set into motion. 

It became painfully clear to me from the very beginning that motherhood is not always the vision imagined. And yet it undoubtedly lives up to the every dream I've ever envisioned. How can there be so many contradictions in life, that equal something that makes so much sense? 

There are multiple moments that take me from then to now. And it is those in-between-moments that have proven that Zay was perfectly woven into my life. Our life. 

I can still feel his chunky little hands around my finger when he was a newborn. Carrying his round thighs around my waist when he was an infant. My proud feelings of his smallest accomplishments throughout his first years. His rolling laughter at the simple things of toddlerhood. The chubby cheeks making for an over allotment of kisses...still happens to this day. Oh, to think back to how time can go by without your consent. 

I still am compelled to carry him when I can. Snuggle him when he lets me. Kiss him as much as humanly possible. And tell him just how much I love him several times a day and wait for his unprompted response of "I love you too, Mommy". Love. Love. Love.

These last 3 years have been grand. The kind of greatness that only a parent can feel for their sweet child. An infinite amount of love for our boy. 

Sweet, sweet Isaiah, you are loved. 

Happy birthday, Zay-Zay.

3 Months Old, Baby!

What? 3 Months Old, already? You've got to be kidding me. I mean, wasn't it just a week ago that I was still pregnant? And yesterday that I cried while I held you in my arms for the first time? And an hour ago that we brought you home from the hospital? Oh man...tears threaten to fill my eyes thinking about how fast this time goes with my babies!

Ellie, thank you for being such a joy. Thank you for your sweetness and your ability to change my complete outlook on life, just by snuggling with me. Your Mama loves you so, so much. You can't even imagine how much joy you have brought to our family. I hope someday you grow up to have your own babies, just so you can experience the amount of love that can overflow from your heart. It's simply the best. God is so wonderful, because of you I'm sure of that! 

National PKU Awareness Day

How much would you pay to prevent mental retardation in a newborn?

...Tomorrow is National PKU Awareness Day. I know it doesn't affect many of you, but about 3 years ago our family was taken by surprise when we learned our little boy had p

ku. There hasn't been a day since that I haven't thought about this rare genetic disorder, including the day we received the phone call confirming his sister's diagnosis of PKU as well.

You never think it is going to be you or your family...but sometimes it is. God calls YOU to carry the unexpected and in turn change the world. I'm so thankful for the family and friends who have surrounded us and lifted up our family...even when we didn't even know how we needed help.

There is a steep learning curve that goes with learning an entirely different way to calculate and feed your children. And an even bigger "pill to swallow" is learning that insurance doesn't always help pay for the food and formula that is essential to keep your baby from becoming mentally retarded. (Oddly enough, most insurance companies would provide a much more expensive coverage if the diet is not managed and the unthinkable mental retardation happens)

All in all, this journey was not the path I had expected, but it certainly was the road I needed to be on! Tomorrow we celebrate PKU...tell someone that you know someone with PKU - build awareness and support our efforts to secure funding for the LIFE-SAVING PKU food and formula! Zay and Ellie thank you! :)

babe and her bed + boy and his ball

Our morning has comprised of this little lady not wanting to nap. Seems as though a long Thanksgiving weekend has given her full rights to her own schedule...which would entail no naps. Mamma says "Not happening!". Thankfully, she's still fairly impressionable and with some strong persuasion she is slowly giving in. Bless her heart.

Since the opportunity presented itself, I thought it was only appropriate to snap a few pics of her WIDE awake in her crib! 

And............we're done!

And while little sister tries hard to control mom's attention, this little guy tugs at mom's leg. "Basketball, Mom...Mom, play basketball with Zay-Zay!".

Ah, such is life with two youngsters. Dishes need washed. Laundry needs folded. Floors need swept.

But babes need to be nursed. And boys need to be chased.

I sometimes confuse my priorities as a mom...but today the dishes are dirty, the laundry is piled high in a basket and my little boy's knees are the only thing that has swept the floor.

It's a good day.