Momma Monday

Lately I've been getting headaches and acne like I'm back in high school. I realized this morning that I'm stressed. All I think about is if Sophie is eating enough and how to manage her naps, when to plan them and if she will sleep through the night. While I obsess over that, I clean, cook, do the laundry, and get frustrated with myself if I feel like I'm not serving my husband well.

Enough is enough!

From now on, every Monday will be a post about how I am winning as a Momma. Motherhood should be about small victories, not huge defeats. I got this idea from my bffc(best friend from college). It's brilliant. It's not about being arrogant or bragging. I think it's ok for me to feel like the world's best mom for a few seconds.

Victory numero uno:
Sophie is getting on a sleeping schedule. I love Baby Wise and have followed it with Sophie. She has slept through the night for a while now, but to have her down for naps every day has helped so much. She still fights it, but when she gives in, I feel pretty rad.

Number two (I don't know much Spanish):
Sophie smiles more than she cries. She's happy and that's what I need to remember when I feel like giving up!

Number three:
This isn't a victory, but it's definitely a good thing. I'm married to a man that is perfect for me. He reminds me of my victories, he helps me relax, and he loves his baby girl to smithereens. He snuggles and plays with her so I can bake and do laundry. I even got to go out to a movie this weekend with some girls. How lucky am I? We even spent some time at the pumpkin patch this weekend.

I never realized how much I would learn about myself after becoming a mom. I'm a loon at times, but now I can spend Mondays celebrating how awesome life as a momma is.

xoxo

it's a rainy Tuesday

Finally. I moved from the Colorado desert and was looking forward to rain. I woke up this morning to thunder and lightning. Today I plan on sewing and snuggling with this little gal.


Could she be any cuter?

i love this lamp

A few years ago I bought this dumpy old lamp at a yard sale...


I love the glass portion and had big plans for this vintage lamp. Three years later...


I finally made it over! I covered the lamp shade, cleaned the base and painted the wood portion. It really makes our living room feel a lot more like home.

Sophie hung out like a champ during this project...



What projects are you working on?

Arkansas, so far

Hey blog world,

I'm not sure who actually reads this, but if you do, here is an update on Arkansas and what life is like here. I haven't blogged in forever. I thought that this would be so simple once I was at home and no longer working, but that is not true. My days just disappear! Being a mom to an infant sure is time consuming (and wonderful).

We have been living in Arkansas for the past 6 months. We are in a tiny apartment that I can vacuum without having to unplug and move to a new outlet. It's me, my man, our baby and the wild black lab named Bella. Matt has been in his residency program for church planting for 7 weeks and it's going phenomenally. He works all day on starting the church and learning about leadership, fundraising, personality types and a million other things. I spend my days with the baby figuring out how to get to Target, clean the house, and prepare meals with her in one arm. It's been amazing, but challenging.

Lately we are learning a lot about budgeting and using our money the way Christ desires us to do so. We went from two great incomes, to a baby and one normal income. I'm not complaining. I would rather starve and be at home with our kiddos (we are not starving) than be at a job I hate all day. But, we have spent the weekend reflecting and planning and realizing the financial mistakes we have made. Student loans, medical debt and bad purchases add up pretty quickly. Now, we have paid off an incredible amount of debt, but how is it that it seems like you can never get ahead?

It would be easy to wallow in my mistakes, but I've learned from them, repented, and it's time to move on. We are determined to be responsible and focused on how the money God provides is used. I also have to remind myself that we are so young and handling this now instead of waiting will be a huge benefit. Why is being an adult so hard?

Other than planning a budget, we did get out and have some fun this weekend! We went to Pinnacle Mountain State Park. It finally cooled down a bit, so we got out with the baby and beast. Now, we would call this more of a large hill, but Arkansaians call this a mountain. It was wonderful and next weekend we are going to try out the other end of the park.

What did you do this weekend?

Leftovers

My parents came to Little Rock this past weekend. We love them oodles and always look forward to seeing them. Here they are -

We always know that when they come our fridge will be full of beer and fresh produce. When you have a garden like they do, you have to spread the produce around! We got loads of peppers, eggplant and tomatoes.

I'm trying desperately to use it all before it goes bad. Here is what I created for dinner-


I used some Naan from Kroger and made a basic white sauce with sour cream, half & half, garlic powder and Italian spices. I topped it with sliced mozzarella, salami and pepperoni, roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, artichokes, tomatoes and onion. Hooray for not going to the grocery store! I'll top it with parmesan and bake it tonight. Bon appetite!

The Team

Finally, a blog post! We have made it to Little Rock and are settling in nicely. Matt is in his second week of his residency program and he is loving every minute. He compared it to going to a conference everyday, so his mind is constantly full!

I thought today I would tell you more about the crazy group of people that are moving or already have moved to Boulder to help plant the church. We will be in Little Rock for at least 6 months while Matt goes through the residency program. He will be starting the church plant from here while working under some amazing men who will guide the way.

Here they are-


Let's start at the left and work our way across.

Matt and I are the first couple, but you know enough about us. Take a look at Sophie. She was so tiny then!

Next up we have Chase and Kim Davis:
We met Chase and Kim at church about a year or so ago. They moved to Colorado after graduating from Texas A&M and were in search of jobs. We had them over for dinner one night to get to know them, and now they are some of our best friends. They ended up moving into the apartment next to us in Gunnison and were at our house constantly. Our apartment in AR doesn't feel the same without them! They are currently overseas doing mission work and we can't wait to get them home!

Next on the list is the Pollitt family:
Patch and Michelle Pollitt are an amazing couple with three incredible kids! Keziah is the oldest, followed by JoJo and Asher. We met the Pollitts through friends after they relocated to Gunnison during a major transition period in their lives. The Pollitts are amazing parents and friends and we are so lucky to know them. We have already gotten so much parenting advice from them!

And now, introducing the Dady family:
Seth and Crystal Dady just moved to Boulder to start building relationships and to get to know the community. Matt met Seth through youth ministry connections and knew they would be life-long friends. Crystal was pregnant with Stella at the time and we have gotten to watch Stella grow-up right in front of our eyes. The Dadys are some of the nicest people on the face of the planet. You should get to know them if you don't already!

We think they are nuts, but all of these people are on board with us as we attempt to plant a church in Boulder, CO. They are all gifted in unique ways and it is incredible how we were all brought together. I can't wait to get back to CO to continue this journey and I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am for all of these people.

Love.

Movin' Out

Does anyone else hate moving? I am sitting it what used to be our kitchen. It's piled high with boxes, but there seems to be so much more that needs to be packed. Why is it that when you start to put things away, the house becomes more of a disaster than it ever was? Oy Vey.

Stay posted. I promise to blog about more exciting happenings in the next few days.