Dear Landen / you are 30

Today you turn 30.

 

Thirty years. Where does the time go? I can imagine you as a little boy, your big eyes taking in everything around you with the same curiosity I see reflected in your eyes today.  I can see you as a toddler, much like our own sweet Adeline and your little mini-me.  I can see you running around jibber-jabbering away to anyone who would listen.

Fast forward a few years and now I see you in the grocery store, as your mom has told me so many times, and you are checking all of the vending machines for money that someone else has left behind, definite signs of your very frugal adulthood. 

Your high school days were spent mostly on the run. Literally. Between cross country and basketball your days were full of activity. You excelled at cross country and went on to get a scholarship that sent you to Cumberland College.

I can imagine you on your first day of college. Scared, and wanting to go home, but so full of ideas for what you could do during your four years in that place and thinking of all the ways to make those ideas happen. I can see you meeting you new people, chatting them up in the cafe or the Grill. Passing people on the via-duct and waving a friendly hello. I can see you rushing to practice so that you weren't late...again. I can see you studying your bible in your dorm room and asking God to show you what He wants for your life. 

I love thinking about what you were like before I met you. Sometimes I wonder just how much our little girls are going to be like you.

When I look at you now, I imagine you taking in all the wonder of new things with our own little girls. They share your big, curious, eyes and I can see the same curiosity reflecting in their eyes that I imagine you had at their age. I imagine you taking them to the grocery store and teaching them to look for the best price...not on the sticker, but the best 'unit' price. I hope you teach them to have your frugal ways unlike their Mama.  I imagine you running around the neighborhood with them helping them develop their stride and breathing techniques. I imagine you sitting with them doing school projects helping them develop ideas and find ways to make it the best project ever. Leave Mama to do the pretty stuff, you will always be the engineer in our family. 

You are 30.

You have lived 30 full years full of lots of exciting things. But you are just beginning. You are still growing, and wondering, and inspiring others around you. You have many more friends to meet, and things to see for the first time. You have more miles to run. You have accomplished much in your first 30 years, as many people will attest to both personally and professionally, but you have much more to accomplish.  You have more studying to do, both academically and biblically.  You have so much more.
Thirty seems like such a big number, and while it is, it represents so much in both of our lives. As exciting as your 20's were, I can't wait to write you your 40 year old letter and see all of the fun and exciting blessings you received in your 30's.
Live strong darling, these are the best years of your life.
Love,
Your Sweetpea

Dear Eleanor / one month

Dear Eleanor,

Hello sweet girl. You are one month old today. One month. How does that happen? How is it that one minute you are being placed on my chest for the first time and I am taking my first glances at your sweet face and the next it is one month later. You are so graceful and so small. And so calm.  You are the perfect example of peace. Everything you do is peaceful. From the way you move your hands so gracefully, to your bright eyes that take in so much wonder. Everything you do amazes me.
You are so different from your sister, baby girl. I love that about you. I love that you are your own person and that you are challenging me as a Mommy in new and exciting ways. You only wake up one time a night and I appreciate that about you so much. It's like you know that I need to get my rest so I can take care of you and your big sister everyday.
You are nursing so well and we are really in a groove with it. You are a porker sweet girl! You eat so well and I have had to start supplementing some formula into your diet because you like to hang out and eat for a long, long time! It makes it hard to take care of Adeline too, but you are dealing with it like a champ. You are gaining weight and your little body is filling out into a healthy, chunky, little lady. It's such a good feeling to know that I am providing for you.
You are having some issues with acid reflux, and more than once I have had to change the sheets or wash the couch cushion covers after you have thrown up everything you have eaten. I don't want you to have to go on medicine so we are trying to work it out on our own.
You like to be held and cuddled a lot and I am happy to do it! I love the way your sweet little red head rests so perfectly on my chest. I love the way you sigh so sweetly as you sleep. You have such a humble spirit.
Your big sister loves you so much. Every morning when she wakes up she runs to find you and slaps you with a big ole' kiss. She loves to hold you and wants to feed you your bottle. You love your sister too.  You get so bright eyed when you hear her voice and you deal with her 'lovings' so well.
You went to Mammaw and Pappaws for the first time this month and got to meet a lot of your aunts and uncles at your cousin Nathan's farewell party.  You didn't cry or whine at all while everyone loved on you. I can tell that you are going to be so loving.
I am in awe of you everyday. I knew that I would love you sweet girl, but I had no idea that I would love you so much. You and your sister are everything to me and I love each day that I get to wake up to you. I want to cherish each sweet little moment I have. I want you to know that I would do anything for you, and that you have been the perfect addition to our family. You have my whole heart.

Love forever,

Your Mama

Going from one to two...

Someone once told me that going from one child to two was way easier than going from zero to one.

I am quite positive that this person may indeed be addicted to crack cocaine.

This Saturday, Eleanor will turn a month old. Last Saturday, Adeline turned 15 months old. One whole month has passed since we became a family of four. 

I remember the first month after becoming a family of three. I was still very much in the "honeymoon" phase of new motherhood.  I had that "I'm a first time mom" glow about myself and I loved getting Adeline dressed up and ready to go out on the town and show her off. I was writing mushy posts to Landen about his stellarness (is that even a word?)  and I spent hours making sure that I told Adeline's birth story with absolute perfection here on the blog. Other than a few issues breastfeeding I took to being a new mom like a duck out of water. We had our hiccups, I cried like a baby the first time Landen went back to work. I had to call him to find out how to lock the infant seat into the base the first time out of the house. I wasn't always dressed nice and dinner wasn't always made, but I had the mom thing down pat. Spit up and all. 

I have recently found myself, during those few precious hours a day when Adeline is napping, remembering this time last year. I remember holding Adeline and watching her sleep, not a care in the world except whether she needed her diaper changed or when she needed to eat, or whether I needed to take Abbey outside. I remember wishing that I could have a few minutes of "me time" but using those few moments I got holding her instead of laying her down for a nap.  

Maybe I was the crack head.

Since becoming a family of four I have spent more time picking up Puffs that have gotten stuck in the carpet while trying to keep Eleanor latched on and eating while chasing Adeline around the house. I don't have time to scrub each and every apple juice drop that falls on the carpet and therefore have had to hire carpet cleaners to come in and do it for me. I became the mom that plops her in kid in front of the TV with sugary cereal in her highchair so that I can change Eleanor's diaper or put on deodorant after just catching a whiff of myself.  

Instead of eating oatmeal each morning to increase milk supply, I eat handfuls of Oreo's washed down with a glass of milk that I used the day before and didn't have time to wash.  Adeline may or may not wear the same clothes two days in a row because well, we aren't going anywhere anyway and I don't have time to change her in between picking cereal out of the carpet and changing diapers. I see a lot of butts throughout the day.  I have to plan at least 10 minutes in advance if I have to even pee, and then the whole time I'm listening for the sound of impending doom coming from the living room praying that God will put a "hedge of protection around them" long enough for me to do my business. 

Adeline loves to give her sister kisses but sometimes follows it up with a whack to the head. Sometimes I catch her and stop her and sometimes I don't get there in time.  We are in the character building business in our house. Eleanor is building lots of character through head whacking.

With all the chaos though I have found time to maintain some sort of a schedule. Mostly centered around Adeline. It goes something like this:

Sometime between 8 and 9:30: Adeline wakes up.

I get breakfast ready and her bottle and put her in the highchair.

She feeds herself, I feed Adeline.

We spend the next few hours playing, cuddling, loving on Eleanor, feeding Eleanor, changing diapers, making messes. Around 12:00 I feed Adeline her lunch and get her ready for her nap.  

1:00: Adeline goes down for a nap. Every. day. at 1:00.  Landen jokes around telling me I just have to make it until 1:00. He has no idea just how right he is.
Adeline usually sleeps between two and three hours during her nap and I use this time to feed Eleanor, straighten up the house, eat lunch, and sometimes even nap a little myself.
When Adeline wakes up I give her a small snack and we commence the playing, cuddling, changing diapers, etc.
Landen gets home around 6:00 and I pass off the girls to him while I take a few minutes to myself. Usually I take a shower.

My goal now, since establishing a little bit of a daily schedule, is to get Eleanor on a sleeping schedule. We are still struggling in this area and this Mama is getting wore out!

All in all I would say that things could be going much worse. I am adjusting to being Mommy to two and Adeline is adjusting to being a big sister. Abbey, the dog, spends a lot of time hiding out in the corner of the couch with her ears covered. Can't say as I blame her!

I'll leave you with a little glimpse of the occasional sweetness between my girls. This makes it all worth it.

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

Embracing the Camera-Feb 24th

This picture was taken back last summer and I just ran across it on my computer. I love my little family!

*I always welcome sweet comments and new followers. Check back for my upcoming giveaway beginning on March 1st*

Project 31. Day #3: Beauty Inspired

Day #3: Who is someone you know who inspires beauty?

Can I have two?

Good.

These two people greatly inspire beauty in my life:

growing up in my parents house was like most homes.

We had our ups. We had our downs.

But one thing was a constant.

God was the center.

Not many people can honestly say that they saw their parents seek God's advice in everything that they did. And they still do.

I learned a lot from my parents.

The most important thing in the world is family.

Family things stay in the family.

God has a plan for our lives.

Never go to bed mad.

I also learned that I was beautiful in my parent's eyes no matter what.

There was never pressure to be a certain size or look a certain way in our house.

We didn't always make the best choices nutritionally but I was never afraid of coming home if I gained a pound or thirty :S

That doesn't mean that my parents didn't want us to be healthy growing up, it just wasn't an obsession.

I'm grateful for that.

I learned that a sense of humor is a necessity in life. There were times growing up, and especially now in my adult life, laughing was the only thing that kept us from losing our mind.

I am thankful that my parents became "parents" to all of my friends.

I am thankful that my parents follow God and everything He asks them to do. Even if it meant stepping out of their comfort zones. I only hope I will follow God with such commitment.

I also learned never to accept hand-outs but to work for everything you want. To tithe on a regular basis, and to expect God's blessings. EXPECT THEM!

They love their kids, they love their grandkids, and even their grand-dogs with an unconditional love.

I could go on and on and on about my parents. I love them so much and I think that it's because of them that this little gal even stands a chance.

If beauty had a picture beside it in the dictionary, it would have a picture of them.

I have been blessed.

Mom. Dad. I love you!