August 10, 2010

Ender's birthday


A year ago today, I was holding the most precious thing in the whole wide world. Ender Kent was born and changed my life forever. He has been such an amazing little boy. I can't believe he's one already! We have all learned so much over the past year... so far, being a parent has been very easy. Ender makes things effortless. He is so content, happy and just a joy to be with all of the time.

Currently, he is sitting on the floor, playing with a book, squeaking and squealing. He looks over at me and smiles this big goofy grin. Yesterday, he spent the evening rolling all over the floor. He may not be actually crawling per se, but he is mobile! =) He can sit up on his own, but only does it sometimes. I often find him sitting up in his bed when I get him up from a nap or first thing in the morning. He doesn't really like to do it on the floor yet, but I'm sure that will start happening soon! He also pivots on his belly which is super cute. He claps his little hands and it is so adorable... we tell him, “Yay, little boy!” and he just claps away. It's darling, really. =) He talks all of the time... we've turned him around in the car. He looks around at everything. Surprisingly, he sleeps better in his “big boy” car-seat than he did in the other one. I can't believe how big he is now...

I'm looking forward to my trip out west. It is going to be difficult with Ender because he is getting to that point where he won't sit still for very long. It'll be interesting to see how he deals with the plane. ONLY 2 MORE DAYS!! =)

August 4, 2010

A new idea


While things are in a bit of a tumult right now for my family, I feel the most calm and collected that I have felt in a very long time. I feel relatively free, and though things are very uncertain at this juncture, I'm okay with that. I have begun to realize that a home is a necessary sanctuary, but in times of need, it is vital to have a grounded and gracious support system. I have been very grateful as of late to spend time with family and friends – people that I have not known very well until our recent decision to be house-less. I have also realized that even though we do not currently have a house, we are not homeless. We have been lucky to have a constant place to stay and I for one am very grateful for that, among many other things that have occurred lately.

I have been reading eat pray love in anticipation of the release of the movie. It has been a very inspirational book. I may not be experiencing everything that this poor woman is going through, but on several levels I can relate. Her story has helped me to realize many things about myself and has prompted, while not as in-depth as hers, a self-exploration of sorts.

Ever since I saw the movie, Julie & Julia, I have been wanting to develop some kind of blog that I would have to write or do something everyday. This has been a challenge for me because I don't like to get stuck in any kind of rut and I was afraid that something like that would cause too much monotony in my life. As I began searching (and reading eat pray love), I began to formulate what it was I wanted to write about. I have decided to develop a play on a prayer journal. I plan to write, everyday, three things that I am grateful for and three things that I need to work on. I plan to elaborate on each thing, so it won't just be 6 statements, leaving the reader wondering what it is exactly that I am talking about. I'm not sure if I will post it everyday or not, but I will at the very least take the time to write down my 6 statements everyday and then post them as I manage my time. I am hoping that I will be able to do it everyday, but we shall see. I guess I'm also looking for some feedback on this idea... let me know what you think! =)

Other than being house-less, things are going really well for us. We've been able to get a few things taken care of and are currently house hunting, which is stressful, but I think I've reached a place where I can be a little zen about it. Ender has been adjusting relatively swimmingly to the waves of change in our lives right now... still not crawling, but I'm not too worried about it. I can't believe he's almost a year old! Where did the time go??

Also, I don't think I mentioned this before, but our car was hit recently. Additionally, it was having some mechanical issues, but we just got it out of the shop this past weekend. It has been so nice to be able to drive the car rather than our pick-up everywhere. I did not realize how much I missed my car! Driving the truck was a little laborious. I am very grateful to have my car back... it truly is the little things that make life grand. =) I really should have taken some pictures to share, but alas, I forgot.

So, I guess I'm looking for a little encouragement on my new idea, but I think I will start the real work on it this weekend. Please, let me know what you think! =) For now, ciao!