Time

Life with little ones can be hectic.

Mornings are consumed by "do this, do that, let's go" nagging, while rushing around the house like a crazy person to simply get out the door on time.

Sometimes I shout and get frustrated.

Like any stressed mommy does.

 

I try not to rush him or hurry him along. Because I want him to learn in his own way.

We're in that phase where everything is, "I do it!" as mama's patience is tested each and every time.

I'm constantly stopping myself to breathe and let him do it his way...getting himself dressed, making my coffee with the Keurig (his favorite), putting on his jacket, carrying the groceries...taking his time.

It happens more often than not.

I'm late to work. Things are forgotten. Lights don't get turned off. Leftover yogurt doesn't get wiped from his cheeks. He's dropped off at school without shoes on. He's screaming. I'm frazzled. 

We're both exhausted by 8:00 AM. If only we had more time.

Sure, we have better days than others, and there are weekdays where I question how we made it out of the house so smoothly.

But weekends are what we live for.

Time to play outside, make forts, help mommy and daddy with housework, paint and color, build towers out of Tupperware, run and jump, and play in the fall leaves.

It's our time together. 

Time where no rushing is necessary.

Time for play, giggles, adventure, learning, rough-housing and pure joy.

Time to forget the mom guilt and enjoy sleeping in, pancakes for breakfast, hangin' in our PJ's all day long, and sliding into leaves head first.

Because all that matters, is making the most out of the time I have with him.

The kind of time that stops us in our tracks, and makes us realize what life is really about.

We're looking forward to a four-day weekend with family. Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Before I was a Mom

Apparently, all I can think about is the fact that my son is turning one soon.

It's true, it has consumed my thoughts for weeks now. Along with Thanksgiving, the arrival of a new niece and Big Boy's transition to a new room at school.

Life is busy and chaotic, and worthy of thanks.

I can't help but think back to the day before Thanksgiving last year. Before I was a mom.

It was the night that this almost-one-year-old I speak of decided to send me into labor....make his debut on Thanksgiving...and forever change our lives.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

 

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn’t want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to my mother-in-law for sending this to me. It touched me is so many ways.

Scars

I'm have a feeling that most people who follow this blog probably know me personally or know somebody I'm friends with.

Or maybe, you're a follower who happened to randomly stumble across this blog. If you are, fantastic! I love new followers. But, I do know what you are thinking..."this girl posts way too much about her offspring." Ha.

Well, today, I am not posting about my offspring. Score one for me.

Clearly, I post a lot of photos. And for anyone that doesn't know me, or maybe doesn't know me well enough to know the story, you might have noticed something on my right arm.

A scar I've carried around with me for 16 years.



I received this scar when I was eleven years old. I was in the sixth grade. I was riding on a three-wheeler with my cousin at my grandparents house when it flipped over trapping me underneath.

My arm took the brunt of it, the exhaust pipe burning my flesh pretty severely. I'll never forget that day. One second, we were laughing, and the next, I was screaming as my cousin struggled to lift the three-wheeler off of me. We then ran a half of a mile down a dirt road to my grandparents house, where we broke the news about what happened.

My family and I then drove an hour back to Wichita icing my arm the entire way, where they could take me to a hospital. I received a skin graph the next morning, and underwent physical therapy for a year longer. In 8th grade, I received an additional surgery.

Today, it's a constant reminder of that day. But husband tells me he doesn't even notice it anymore.

I used to be really self conscious about my scar. And honestly, I still am. But not as much as I used to be.

It's funny, the things I do to hide my scar...get on the right side of photos so my arm is hidden...wear shirts with sleeves...Photoshop it...I've even put make-up on it. Weird, I know. But it helped in my wedding photos.

For some reason, I still get that insecure, empty feeling in my stomach when I catch a stranger staring at it*. It didn't help that I was made fun of a lot in middle and high school for it. Seems cruel, but it really did happen.

Even today, people (grown adults) will stare. A few people tell me they thought it was a nicotine patch and laugh it off.

I'm 28 years old. And still get bothered by the people I find staring at my arm. I always wonder, why don't they just ask me what happened? Don't they know what's it like to be a girl and have a scar on your arm that looks like this? It would be so much easier if I was boy.

And then I tell myself, Stop being ridiculous Krista. It's a scar on your arm. This is nothing compared to what some people have to deal with. You weren't in a tragic car wreck, burned head to toe, or nearly blown up in Iraq. Suck it up. You are lucky. You are blessed.

{Look how small C was here!}

The truth is, I am lucky. And blessed. It could have been my face or my hand or something much worse than just my arm. I'm lucky that my stupidity to get on that three-wheeler resulted in only this arm scar and not something tragic.

But, after 16 years of carrying around this scar, I've realized something.

Scars are signs that we have experienced something. Overcome something. Symbols that remind us of that experience. Body marks that hold a story or memory. An imperfection that causes stares, but shouldn't make someone feel less perfect at all.

And if that isn't enough, it will teach a lesson. Carson will ask about it someday and I will tell the story. I will teach him about making smart decisions, insecurities and bullying. I will tell him it's OK to be different, and that we should never make someone feel inferior for looking different.

Since that day, I've received several other scars. Two small markings on my stomach from having my appendix removed and a special line scar that travels across my lower abdomen.

This line scar also reminds me of a certain day. A day, and scar, that resulted in the most precious gift I could ever ask for.

*Sometimes, I like to be a huge smart ass and tell people I was bit by a shark in the Caribbean or attacked by an alligator while vacationing in Florida. The funny part? People actually buy it.

Fulfilled & Fortunate

I'm having one of those days where you just feel extremely blessed. I assume everyone has these types of days. But, it's every day that we should be thankful for the small things we so often forget.

A warm house with a couch to snuggle up on when it's as cold as it is today, the means to treat yourself to a nice meal, our health and well being, and a loved one to share it with.

Sometimes, I find myself looking at Carson and holding back the tears because I feel so lucky to have him. I guess it's human nature to question why we are deserving of the things God has given us.

It might sound silly, but I was reminded of all these things when I received one of our hospital bills in the mail today.

A simple piece of paper gave me these feelings. How lucky are we to simply have insurance and our health? If you're like me, you tend to forget about the money that is taken out of your check every pay period and rarely go to the doctor.

I've never felt so blessed to have insurance when I received this bill.

I mustn't forget, a big thank you to those that commented on my last post or emailed me. Your encouraging words and support brought a smile to my face!

I follow an extremely uplifting mommy/photography blog with a little craftastic-ness thrown in. Enjoying the Small Things is contagious, addicting and always seems to brighten my day.

Anyways, Kelle does something called a "Friday Phone Dump," where she posts all the photos on her iPhone from the week.

Well, now that I have a little one, I tend to take more pictures from my phone. It's convenient, quick and we always send them to daddy.

If I forget to send a photo, Brian will text me saying "Where's my daily photo?" It's quite cute. Love that guy and how much he loves the photos we send him of our daily adventures.

Most are of Carson...sleeping, laughing during playtime, showing he's a momma boy, or staring at me with a look of, "Mom, you're crazy, stop taking my picture and let me go back to sleep."

Sometimes, I'll shoot off a photo of what we are baking, Jake being lazy (his new hobby since I'm home) or out and about. I've never been a phone picture-taker so it's new for me.

This might be a good time to say if you don't want to hear about my kid or see pictures of him, you might just go ahead and stop following this blog:). Of course I'll continue to throw in some DIY craft projects* and a recipe here and there, but the reality is that this little guy is the new chapter in my life and consumes all that I have.

That's the way it's supposed to be when you become a mom, right? :).

So, back to the Friday Phone Dump. Here's our photos from this week and a few from previous weeks:

Wasn't that fun? You should try it and post it on your blog if you have one.

So, did you notice how crappy my photos are? And that I don't have one instagram photo? Well...that would be because I'm the last lonesome blackberry user on this planet. {Gasp!} Yep, this girl right here doesn't have a touch screen phone. I swear, everyone has an iPhone except me.

It sort of makes me feel like a dinosaur or someone that won't let go of their video tape player.

I just can't bring myself to buy my own phone (and pay a monthly bill) when my work provides one for free. No iPhone for me unless the J-O-B decides to make the switch.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend full of laughter, blessed moments and good fortune!

*Stay tuned for some cute baby shower DIY projects. Being at home while helping to host a baby shower is super fun!

Life and Lessons

Hello friends. It's been a crazy week already, but I thought I'd drop a quick post to tell you about the touching email I received from an old friend today.

This is the kind of email that makes you feel blessed. 
Enriched with the simple things. 
Loved. 
Eager for what's to come ahead.

The kind that makes you want to squeeze your loved ones and tell them how much you adore them.

I loved so many of these. 

 And I just love this movie, it makes me smile. Image via Pinterest.

45 Lessons Life Taught Me 

Enjoy. 

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
 
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion.. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time.. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.....

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.