I pray that you find joy in the smallest moments of your day. I pray that you give of yourself and your time to someone other than yourself today, and pray for your strength through this stressful time of year. May you relish in the true meaning and find peace throughout your day. Amen :)
What!?
Can you believe it's October already? Where did the time fly? October brings a lot of feelings to me. I get super excited because it starts off the holiday season with Halloween. But I also start to feel something inside. Its a small thought that keeps peeping its head around the corner. It's almost a new year! Ahh! Enough, I can't think about it anymore. I need to focus on the month at hand, and all of its goodness.
In fact, I have got an October series coming your way. The first is for your littles. Now that I've got an 8 month old, I've come up with 5 activities you must do with your little one this October!
One. Walk through crunchy leaves! Ok, you think I'm nuts. But truth is I cannot wait to get baby Grace out in her cute fall jacket and see how she reacts to leaves. I have a good prediction it will involve trying to put them in her mouth, but you better believe I am going to snap a few photos as keepsakes for her first fall. This is free and makes for great memories!
Two. Take them to a live music event! Ok, so every time baby Grace hears music, she stops and listens. I even catch her trying to sing along with the music on the car ride home. Imagine my excitement that Yo Gabba Gabba Live is coming to town this month! Being surrounded by other littles and listening to music = big win!
Three. Arrange a playdate to go pumpkin picking. Ok, this is a definite must do this month. But when your baby is so little sometimes we tend to think that they wouldn't be interested in things like picking out a pumpkin. And you are probably not too far off. I know baby Grace isn't going to pick out just one pumpkin - she'd get her hands on all of them if she could! However, a day at the farm with another little friend and both of them playing in the leaves, trying to drum on a pumpkin couldn't get any better! I'd totally do it for her.
Four. Visit the zoo for its fall activities! I have been trying to get A to go on a day trip to the MN Zoo since before baby Grace was here, He wouldn't go, said he'd wait until we had kids. I was so pumped when I found out our local zoo does an event for October called "Howlzooween." They have a hay maze, animal petting with "creepy" animals, story time, face painting, live music and so on! This would be a perfect family day or an awesome time with other little friends. Look into what your local zoo may offer, October is a great time for them to host kid activities, so don't miss out!
Five. Host a Halloween party for your little and other babies their age. Ok, this is by far my favorite. Baby Grace is too small to enjoy the fun of trick-or-treating, but that doesn't mean she can't enjoy Halloween. Pick out a costume (or two, or three) and invite all your little's friends over for 2 hours or so. Come up with activities that they will enjoy - like a festive squeaky toy, sitting in a circle rolling a ball to each other, or simply putting their favorite toys in a circle for them all to enjoy. Any way you slice it, baby will have a blast. And mommies can enjoy an apple cider while chasing after their littles, win-win!
That's all I have for now!
Check back for more posts on October activities, the next one will be date-night related!
Have you ever tried any of these with your littles? How did they turn out? How will you celebrate October?
This weekend was nice! I got to spend some time with family and women from my church at our breakfast on Saturday. It ended up being a beautiful time and we enjoyed ourselves. The rest of the weekend was pretty lazy, which was definitely due. I got to spend a lot of QT with baby Grace. My sweet girl is growing so fast! Tomorrow she will be 8 months and I literally cannot believe it. Here are a few photos I took of her this weekend at the women's breakfast. She is becoming such a ham!
Baby Grace -
You are becoming such a big girl. Eyes wide, ready to take in the world and everything around you. It's hard not to smile, when your face is the first thing I see every morning - you like to wake us up pretty early! You also think its important to give us a good smack if we dose off while on duty. You are not in love with baby food, in fact its like you have a detector. However, you like anything that's not baby food! You love mashed potatoes and will try most things once (literally 1 bite) and then pucker your lips up if you don't like it. or want anymore. You haven't had any teeth come through yet, but you are trying. We see two middle teeth coming in on the bottom. Teething has gotten difficult for some parts of the day, as you are a bit moody, but as soon as you feel a little better you are ready to play!
Speaking of playing, you no longer cuddle with all the stuffed animals or soft friends like you used to (I miss that!). You now love your linky toys and pretty much anything that's colorful and that you can put in your mouth. You love bouncing in your jump-a-roo and get a great workout in there, often sweating when its time to come out! LOL! You are not fully crawling yet, you would rather roll and pull yourself up onto things. You get frustrated easily and often give up, but we make you keep pushing some days. You are finding ways to put just about anything in your mouth, and love to put your pacifier in upside down :)
You are very vocal and yesterday at church I asked one of the little girls if she knew what you were saying. She said you were talking about cake, which would make absolute sense, since you love to try and eat people - I wonder what flavor of cake you think we are! LOL! Its so fun watching you play with other kids, you love them. Big kids like your big cousin DD (age 6) and your friends at church (age 4). You love to grab their faces and give them kisses. Your face lights up when you see them, it melts my heart.
I can remember when I first met you and to see you today is truly amazing. You used to live inside of me and were a part of me, and still are. I would have never guessed the amount of joy you would bring to my life. Although, at times it can be overwhelming and challenging - especially with mommy's new projects. Please keep the glow in your eye when you see me, daddy, grandma and your auntie Nina. Something so small like that makes it all worth it.
Six months has passed me by so quickly. Looking up, and seeing the sun shine each day it makes me realize how life is so beautiful. Its July. Where did the year go? My sweet little baby girl is growing so rapidly. 6 months ago I was waddling around, ready to pop this girl out of me.
Unsure of what I was to face. Unsure of what motherhood meant. Unsure of if I would be good at any of it. Unsure of if I would be losing more than I was gaining. Unsure of it all.
And then I met her.
Better than imagined.
In my heart I vowed to do my absolute best in all things concerning her.
Failure was never a thought or even considered.
6 months ago my life was changed forever in the best possible way. So many lessons taught in this last 6 months, so many more to come.
I love you, my little Layla bean.
Slobber and all.
The way you love to snuggle with your blanket literally melts my heart.
I am now in understanding of how parents think everything that their child does is cute.
As annoying as it may be to the old pre-mommy Jena, I now get it.
Please don't grow up, stay cute and sweet and dependent on momma's kisses to keep a smile on that face.
Stay babbling early in the morning, each day.
Stay innocent.
Stay making those sour faces when you taste something new.
Stay happy.
Stay joyful.
Stay being you.
I love you this way, but cannot wait until you get to the next chapter.
I hope everyone's weekend was as exciting or relaxing as you could have imagined it would be. Mine was filled with family fun, unpacking, and of course baby grace.
It has been a while since I have done an update on my baby girl. So here's what's new with my sweet girl.
age: She is now 4 months!!
eating: breast milk, rice cereal, and just started baby applesauce yesterday! She loves it :)
doing: putting all things in her mouth, blowing spit bubbles like its her job, trying to suck her toes; trying to sit up on her own (she's got a bumbo and she has a love hate relationship with it so far)
milestones: She is starting to roll over! We gotta watch out! :)
likes: she absolutely loves kisses and snuggling. She has a few favorite stuffed animals and dolls that she squeezes and kisses like crazy. She also tries to eat them; but that's love to a 4 month old, right?
She loves to babble and talk to her animals and cartoons!
dislikes: being put down (spoiled!); too much attention from too many people for long periods of time; she gets super quiet and shy around new faces.
excited for: new foods, crawling, going on more walks now that the weather is nice :)
Let me tell you about this dress and headband, baby grace thinks is super yummy! ;)
When I came in contact with the local blogger and shop owner, Jenn - I fell in love with her handmade designs and couldn't wait to put baby grace in one of her numbers. First thing I loved about the brand was the name - baby grace is super squishy! Haha! When this beautiful dress arrived I knew it would be perfect. It allows for my sweetie to move around and play with no restraints and its super cute which is sometimes a lot to ask for! Usually cute does not equal comfort! I also love the prints and although not advertised, it is totally reversible. One thing I adored about the headband was that it wasn't too tight as some are, and both pieces are lightweight which is great for this time of year!
First thing is first, If you haven't entered my giveaway, do so here.
I've got a lot going on, remember my post on juggling, here?
Have you ever crashed from having so much going on in your life?
That's what happened this week, my body literally said 'Stop!'
At times, we really must listen to our bodies. They will let us know when we are doing way too much; they will let us know if we are eating the wrong things. God wants us to manage what He's given us, and our bodies are not excluded. Do you remember my post about being armed? (if not, click here) It's important to be accountable, responsible, and manage things accordingly. At times we have so much going on that it seems impossible to stay on top.
Here's my list of 5 ways to balance work/baby/life.
I am no pro at this -hey, I'm only 4 months in to this mommy thing, however, I have been able to try a few things and these are what have helped me the most.
1. Do Your Best.
Nobody said it would be easy, nobody said it would always be fun. Taking care of baby(ies), hubby, and yourself is hard work. As long as you are putting your best foot forward, your efforts are appreciated. They might not say it all the time, but they do appreciate you. I appreciate you. In fact, pat yourself on the back right now, yes you! You are doing a great job. Here's a gold star *hands you a sticker* You deserve it.
2. Your definition of "perfect" changes.
Perfect no longer looks the same. It doesn't feel the same either. Perfect has somehow been distorted into getting your family dressed and out the door and on-time for work, daycare, school. It doesn't look pretty most days and it doesn't have to (remember this post?). As long as the end goal is accomplished that's the new perfect. Don't get me wrong, planning definitely helps - but you will see days when your plan goes out the window - baby stays up all night, gets sick, you and hubby have a disagreement, work is super busy. Those are days when the strength of God is required to get through and that's fine. Calling on God to guide you is always perfect.
3. Trust in your village.
It sounds so cliche yet it is so true. It takes a village to raise a child. You will have built a network of God, friends, relatives, nannies, teachers, coaches, etc to help you teach and care for your child. Giving this network your trust is vital to keeping some sanity. It's tough to do it by yourself, and you shouldn't have to. Relying on others for help is A-OK.
4. Breathe & Take Care of Yourself.
It's okay if you don't get everything on your list done today. Breathe. There will be days where you will feel like you have conquered the world. There will be days that you feel like you did not do enough of anything. In those moments take a breath, "Woo-Sah." It will all be there tomorrow, and you can try, try again. And always take care of yourself - get out for a moment and hit the gym; Get 10 minutes in with a good book, go in the bathroom and lock the door for 5 minutes and paint your nails! Those short moments are well deserved and much needed. You will always feel you don't have time, but carve out the time and do it!
5. Enjoy the small and BIG moments.
Take it all in. Some of the most challenging times can be some of the most beautiful moments. When your baby cracks a smirk in the middle of a mess she just made. When your hubs comes home with your favorite candy bar -*cough*100 Grand*cough*- when you are having a tough day. When you or your hubs gets a promotion! When your baby has a laugh attack and her laugh is super adorable. When you get to spend valuable time with family and friends. Soak in these moments. Enjoy these moments, because as soon as they are gone they are memories. Take photos! Don't be so connected to your phone and social media that you can't disconnect yourself for your family. They are so important!
Peach Cut off Blouse - Nordstrom's Rack; similar here, here, here, here
Black Flare Mini Skater Skirt - H&M, similar here, here
Teal Chunky Statement Necklace - similar here, here, here
God has trusted me to raise, look over, and enjoy her presence.
three.
In her eyes I see myself and the love of my life, A.
I see my mother, my father, my siblings, A's family.
I realize what it really means to be made in God's image and likeness - I see generations in her and know that parents experience this. That God would allow us to all look like legacies of people, to look like Him!
four.
In her smile, I see her future.
I see JOY.
I see LOVE.
I see PEACE.
I see the beauty and gift of a great GOD.
To be a mother, what a honor.
five.
She speaks babbles, that echo in my heart.
The love, the honor, the gratitude I have for such a precious daughter.
Miss Layla Grace, Mommy loves you!
To all the mothers new and seasoned;
Happy Mother's Day!
To my mother - I appreciate your hard-work, your dedication, all those little things you stay on top of. Your cooking, your cleaning, your listening, your love. I now know that it is an honor to be a mother just as much as it is to have a good mother.
Hope you are all having a great week. Today is supposed to be the first day it gets to 70 degrees this year! So different from piles of snow! I can't wait to break out the spring wear. I'm convinced God wanted to treat me to a beautiful day before I go back to work tomorrow. Now, that's what I call favor :)
So onto the next chapter, but before I become a working mother, I first need to reminisce on the last 3 months with this little darling! (Baby Grace will be 3 months tomorrow!)
We are seriously beyond blessed to have this little beauty in our lives! She has taught me a different type of love, patience, and contentment. I don't know what I would do with out this little bean of joy :)
I am so sad to leave her full time, and she just started teething (poor girl) but I cannot worry. I must keep my peace and joy because I have an amazing sister that will be watching her part-time and she will also be with her dad a couple of days in the week. And my little babe will be A-OK.
God's been telling me "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Which is a catchy song :) Then this morning I saw Joyce Meyers had mentioned it in a post of the good ol Facebook. I knew God was trying to remind me of what He's been putting in my spirit.
"And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?" -Luke 12:25-26
There's no good in worrying, and absolutely no benefits!
I know that in due time I will have time with my little girl. AND I am so excited to see her grow up, but I know I'm going to blink and she'll be five. My promise to her is to keep taking pictures of her each day so I can look back and remember life just as it was at that moment.
My baby girl is just shy of 2 months and she has outgrown newborn and is fitting in 3 month clothing now! Where is the time going?
She is all bundled up, although we are experiencing weather in the 30-40 range here in MN! (That is warm to us for all of you people from warmer climates!)
I have one more month on leave with this sweet pea.
So, this morning, I turned on music and me and my baby girl just looked at each other, we both smiled, and I sang to her. I looked at those beautiful eyes and I saw her future in those eyes. It was beautiful.
So funny, in moments of her crying,
I'm that mom that snaps a photo.
I want to remember her in every moment, and quite frankly I think its cute to see her little crying faces! One day she will look back and be embarrassed and then later in her life she will show them to her daughter and laugh! :)
I've noticed a few things since becoming a mommy. It's funny because God uses many of my new daily tasks to teach me things about Him. The other day, baby Grace was just being very needy and whiny. I think I was trying to look something up on my computer or blog, but I could just not finish anything I started that day.
Sometimes you get thrown off of your routine by your child who needs all your love and support at that time. She just wanted me to hold her, kiss her, and show her my love for her. And that's just what I did.
It's funny, because we often need God's love the same way. When she cries sometimes I wait it out to see if she can soothe herself. But I always come. And sometimes I come right away to let her know I'm here. When she sleeps I kiss her and look at her beauty.I see so much potential in her and I see her life before us blooming into an amazing future.
I'm positive this is what God sees in me and has always saw in me.
As we become adults we start to realize that we don't have it all figured out and we must become child-like and continue learning throughout our entire lives. At times we still call on our parents or those that helped to guide us over the years for comfort, advice and wisdom. We call on God who knows all and who is truly directing our footsteps and paths.
The similarities in my parents and God are that they always were willing to help, they love me no matter what, and they always have good intentions in their advice. When you get older you start to put the things your parents taught you into practice and after awhile you become more independent - starting to believe that you don't need them anymore. But then as life continues, you are faced with situations where you believe the only people that can help you are your parents! Ha! :) Funny how things come full circle!We should look to God the same way.The difference between your parents and God is that above all of those things, God always has the ultimate path and plan prepared for you. So now I know I can call on Him to guide me and I know He is taking me the route I need to go.
You ever travel on a road trip when you were younger?
You didn't know exactly where you were going, not sure of the highways - you let your parents, or whoever was driving, guide you and you enjoyed the scenery. That's truly how God wants us to live.
Let him be our GPS and just enjoy the ride.
Sometimes you'll see the beautiful Grand Canyon, sometimes you'll go through a dark thunderstorm, and even at times you feel like you the road is winding like a frightening roller-coaster. But no matter which way you go - you are taken care of and you will end up at the right place, the ultimate destination.
The many faces of baby LG :)
I thank God for his teachings through my daughter. I thank Him for His love for me. Even when I went to complete opposite end to leave Him, He still saw me and loved me and called me back. With open arms! Oh, how great and beautiful is His love for us.
Don't ever say nobody loves you or nobody cares.
Jesus does.
In your deepest darkest moments when you feel those feelings understand those thoughts are being fed by the devil and there is someone right there. Standing right there waiting for you to call on Him. I am thankful I have many people in my life that I can call on but most importantly I know If I want to get the answer right away - I can go to Jesus and He will be there. He even uses my close friends and family to tell me things and show me things and lead me in the right direction.
.JPG)
\
