Two

My baby is two today. TWO!! Can you believe it? I can't. It seems like just yesterday we found out we were pregnant and now my baby is turning 2.

We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He challenges us everyday in ways I never knew a toddler could. Well, I always knew that toddler tantrums would challenge, but he goes beyond those. He is inquisitive, active, loving, he loves to read and color. Cars, trains, and planes are the best things around. Animals are also a big hit. He is Mr. Independant, and wants to do everything by himself. I love him more than anything in the world! He was the best gift God could have ever given us.

Here is my baby on the day he was born. He was born via c-section at 8:25 am. David was 9lbs5oz and 21 inches long. This was when we found out we were having a boy, and he was not ready to come out, even though he was already a week late.

Here is my baby at 1.

And at two.

Happy Birthday, baby boy! Momma loves you always and forever!!

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated David's 2nd birthday this weekend. I can't believe that my baby will be 2 on Friday. :(  He is getting so big.

Back to the party - we went with a Cat in the Hat theme. David loves The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That (PBS), so I knew we couldn't go wrong. (Mickey Mouse was a close second.) I wanted to make it a fun party and make some sort of a cool cake or cup cake. He liked both, so I consider it a success.

The door to great our guests and some decorations.



My masterpieces - Cat in the Hat cupcakes!

To make them, I took an Oreo and coated it with white chocolate. This made the brim of the hat. I then used a marshmallow and dipped both ends into red dipping chocolate. I secured them together with some frosting, presto, Cat in the Hat cupcakes!

No party is complete without birthday hats!

Blowing out his candle, and then enjoying his cupcake.

We had a great time. We celebrated with family and friends. David loved every minute of it. He got his own remote control car, a bubble machine, cars, a book, a Percy the train, a tool set, and we got him a Little Tykes fire truck, with a real fire hose that shoots water (which is why he is soaked in this picture.)



Kandinsky Art

If you recall from Day 27 of my last photo challenge, I have a favorite painting done by Kandinsky. I love it, and in my office I have a poster replica of it, because let's face it, on a teachers salary who can afford more? My sister has a much bigger copy and I have told her for a few years now that it would go "missing" one day and reappear in my house. She must have really worried that this would happen, because she got me a replica copy of it. I love it! It is the perfect addition to the wall above my fireplace. My sister rocks!! (The other one is pretty cool too.)

Blessings

I heard this song this morning on the radio. I have heard it before, but today is rang true to my heart. Not sure why, but I wanted to share it.

"Blessings" by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

I know that when trials happen in my life, I start to question my faith. I wonder why would God let this happen to me. But maybe the trials of our lives are our blessings in desguise. Maybe the blessing is building our faith, making us stronger, and bringing us closer to Him.

30 Day Challenge : Day 30

A picture of yourself and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

30 days isn't a long time, but it is long enough for good things to happen. They may no be big, drastic changes or life altering good things, but it's the little things in life that make the biggest difference.
As you all know, I hate having my picture taken, but here is one from our spring break trip. Not sure what David is doing, but he was having fun.

1. I found an awesome pot for $10 that I love!

2. I made a pretty cool wreath for my door, compliments of what I saw on some fellow blogger sites - May 2009 mommies rock!

3. We bought a gazebo for our deck, which means hours of fun not in the beating sun that we normally have in our back yard.  (ignore the mess under it)

4. My sister-in-law made us the best anniversary present. It's got pictures from our first date, our first home, and where we got married. I LOVE it!

5. I've gotten to spend some great quality time with my family. We have a great spring break trip to Brown County, IN. David loved it, and it was a nice trip for Nate and I. Here are some pictures.

Taking it all in...

Let's go dad! We did a 2 mile hike. Luckily for us, the hotel was in the middle of the hike, so we were able to stop for a nap.

Why am I up here?

Mr. Independant

Who could pass on a $2 pony ride?

My challenge is done. :( But fear not. I am sure another will make it's way long sometime. I kind of like these.

30 Day Challenge 2 : Day 29

3 Wishes

I could make 3 wishes and not think about myself, but I always do that, so I am going to make 3 wishes about me and be selfish.

I wish....

***To have another baby

***To always have a happy, healthy, loving family

***To be debt free

30 Day Challenge 2 : Day 28

Something that stresses you out

This week...ISTEP. Why the state decided to force kids to take the test online is beyond me. At least if you are going to make them take it online, make sure that your system is working. Kids should not be kicked out of your system in the middle of the test. Depsite what you say, it will affect their scores. And thanks to Gov. Daniels for tying teacher pay to test scores, lower tests scores will really hurt my teacher friends (and probably me, but I'm not sure how you will tie test scores to my job as a counselor...but I am on a teacher contract.)

Maybe it's more than ISTEP. I worry about everything and don't always know the difference in when I am worrying about something and when I am stressing out about something. I get stressed when I think about what budget cuts will do to my salary. I worry if I am being a good mom and a good wife. I know that sometimes that worry turns to stress. I get stressed about money - having it and how we should best spend it. Nate thinks I have more stress and worry in my life than most, but if I don't stress and worry about it, who will?