Fun Weekend

I'm completely exhausted after this weekend, but it was really fun and actually productive too! Friday night I reminisced with a lifetime friend as we watched our old high school football team play while eating popcorn together with our preggo bellies. She's due with twin boys in November and our little #2 is due in February... oh how times have changed since we carpooled to practices 300 days a year!! Saturday we had a blast at the lake with some friends and then enjoyed time as a family without any projects hanging over our head! Today, Sunday, was a working day at our place. For some reason, I felt extremely motivated to vacuum, clean out the garage and backyard, do laundry, etc.... I truly love nesting :) My great husband is currently priming our kitchen and we're on to our final two rooms to be painted. It's so nice to be exhausted at the end of the day because we worked really hard. I promise to post some pictures in the next post and do a little Rowan update for those of you who care!

Enjoying the Ride

The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and I can manage to be outside for 2 hours straight without sweating. Perfect way to start out the day.... a trip to the zoo. We joined a good friend and her little guy for a long stroll around Africa, Indonesia, Australia and the Indiana Family Farm :) It was really refreshing to have good (uninterrupted for the most part) conversation and fresh air along with a little exercise. About halfway through the zoo, we encountered the carousel. About 40 staged animals with golden poles move up and down gracefully as the carnival music plays. Something caught my eye today as we strolled past (me not having money handy for Rowan to ride or wanting to get him out of the stroller in fear that he wouldn't get back in).... only one rider. She held on tight and went around and around without a care in the world. I kept looking around to see who was riding with her, wondering where the rest of her party was. As we watched the entire carousel go around, it was evident that she was completely alone. She was simply enjoying the ride and in no hurry to keep moving as I was. The greatest part and the point of this story you ask? Well, the lady was about 70 years old. I did actually laugh when I first came to this realization, but after reflecting, I was challenged. Am I strolling through each day just trying to make it until naptime or bedtime? Am I constantly looking ahead to the next stage to see what's there? Am I prepared for what's next? Will I survive this? The thoughts are endless and this world has me completely caught up in planning ahead and wondering what's next. I think I need to stop and ride the carousel for a bit. Are you enjoying the ride?

This one is for you, Em!

1. Most days I wonder what exactly I'm doing in life and where I'm headed.

2. I get giddy when I think about fall and everything it brings with it.

3. I absolutely love being a mom and wife despite feeling completely inadequate many days.

4. My life would be incomplete without cheese.

5. If I could be a professional triathlete, I would.

6. Going to bed early is a hobby and passion of mine.

7. Music speaks to my soul more than anything else.

And we're back!

So, I had a little revelation the other day. It's been happening for a while now and I finally gave in to the thoughts that kept creeping up in my head and the feelings/desires that were stirring in me. I have pretty much neglected a lot of things this summer for many reasons, but have decided to get motivated, get back on the bandwagon and start fresh. Since fall is my favorite time of year, what a perfect time to restart my engine. I mean, I have seriously slacked in a lot of areas. Blogging being one of them. (obviously!) It's not that I don't have time to do certain things, I have had very poor time management. Anyway, I am so excited for the new changes that are happening and most of them are mainly due to baby #2 who is due in early February. I will elaborate on all the changes and happenings later, but for now would just like to attempt to update the blog and work on the background, format, etc. It's been so long since I've written that this is all new to me...again. Ugh. :) Oh well! Look forward to communicating more very soon! (maybe even with a few pictures!)

Dog Days of Winter

The winter was just too long. We had to implement new activities into the daily routine. Uncle Ryan was kind enough (or just doesn't know it yet) to leave his Wii at our house for a while. Rowan has caught on to the game, but doesn't weigh enough to really play, so Kyle helps him out. It's actually hilarious to watch. They generally do the bike riding or ski jumping on Wii fit.



The sun has finally come out! We took a long run as a family (with Tanner too!) yesterday and have enjoyed the 45 degree weather. It seems like summer compared to the cloudy, snowy days of winter. We are so thankful for the change in seasons as it was draining our spirits to have to endure another day inside :) We have enjoyed mall-walking and grocery runs, but we need a change in scenery.



I have recently switched jobs and will be working only Thursdays for a few months. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Rowan gets to play with Whitney all day! Our calendars are filling up as the spring creeps in and we're excited for all of the great adventures that lie ahead!



Rowan playing dress-up with his new swim trunks, sandals and my shirt :) We might need to invest in some boy costumes :)

Truth in Love

Where do you draw the line between speaking the truth and avoiding the issue? I have to be brutally honest here. I am having a hard time with certain ideas being "acceptable" and Christians worrying more about being tolerant than truthful. We are told over and over again in God's Word to speak the TRUTH in love. Not avoid the truth in hopes that we never hurt anyone's feelings. It's so frustrating for me because I feel like I am stuck in so many circumstances where I should speak the truth IN LOVE, but I end up not saying anything because I might offend someone. For God's sake, SPEAK THE TRUTH. Literally. I'm totally convicting myself, but I hope that more Christians are convicted to speak the truth than to avoid ever confronting anything/anyone because we're afraid of hurt feelings. And the hardest thing is that it is a fine line because we're human, we have no right to judge, and we all need to be accepted... or would like to be anyway. I firmly believe "hate the sin, don't hate the sinner" but I just can't accept the lack of confrontation/accountability in the Christian community. I will be the first one to admit that I am guilty. Any thoughts? Where do we draw the line? Have we gotten too tolerant of sin?

A Few Updates

This winter season has definitely been packed full of adventures and a lot of changes have been happening in our home. Rowan is, of course, the main event these days. Every day is something new and he's constantly learning new words. I keep thinking that this is the best stage ever, but it does keep getting better. This morning we learned the words "moon" and "sky" as it was still dark outside after he finished breakfast and the moon was positioned perfectly outside our big front window. So we stared for a while and learned new words, while Tanner paced continually trying to see what we were looking at. Rowan just had a 15-month check up and measured about 24.8 pounds and 30 or so inches. He's pretty much in the 50th percentile for everything :) We're still waiting on a growth spurt!

Rowan and his friend/neighbor Whitney. Crazy hair before he got his professional haircut :)Always happy in the bath :) Getting ready for lake season- a permanent life-jacket for my half-fish little boy!Playing in the snow! We pulled him all the way down to cousin Brady's house! He loved it! First professional haircut. He did amazing & Kayla was so good! The BOAT show!! Oh my word, he LOVED this place. Could be an annual trip...He said "vroom, vroom" while driving every boat he could get in! Such a great way for us to spend a cold winter day.... daydreaming about the lake :)