living in the moment

I feel so compelled to share what's on my heart tonight.. living in the moment, and cherishing it for whatever it may be.

I know how hard that is to do when your toddler is throwing the thousandth tantrum of the day, when your newborn woke up 8 times that night, and decided to wake up for good at 4am.. or when your toddler & your infant both woke up all night, and both had hard days.

What goes through your head when life happens? When your expectations are proven unrealistic? I know for me it's how intensely I wish I were experiencing anything else! I also know with all my heart, that's not what the Lord wants me to focus on..

I could go on for hours, but I just want to hit one main point here: our time on earth is short.

Instead of focusing on the negatives in 'unfortunate' circumstances, praise God that you're able to experience them! You're ALIVE!!! Praise God that you have the opportunity to raise one of HIS children to know right from wrong! Praise God that in those moments you have the opportunity to draw closer to Him, and rely on His strength instead of your own.

Amen?

winter time with a toddler

As I sit here watching Veggie Tales with my handsome little man, I can't help but think about how old he's getting (and how stinkin' smart he is)!! Winter time with a toddler is hard, in the sense that you can't get out as much as either of you would like. However, we've made it our goal to go somewhere at least twice each week. It's good for him, and for me too! Here's our favorite winter-time play places. Please share yours, too!

The mall has 2 terrific areas for your little one to get their energy out! The main play area just outside Barnes & Noble, and then our favorite- Barnes & Noble itself! There's a huge train track station that Ayden loves, thousands of books (obviously), and a really cute little stage with chairs and benches. Oh, and if your child is as obsessed with 'HOT' things as mine, there's a large fireplace in the center that they can stare at and ponder for hours, okay seconds.

The Healthworks Kids Museum. I have yet to take Ayden there, but I really REALLY want to! I volunteered there in middle school, and it's such a neat place for little ones to explore! I can't wait to take him, but I would rather do it with a buddy-system because it's in downtown SB. Anyone?

The LIBRARY! Who ever thought a library was JUST for reading?? Ours has an outstanding play area that Ayden also enjoys! There's also toddler story time, that we're planning on attending starting next month! :)

I'm also up for fun craft ideas for little boys! We've done our fair share of experiments, and I'm in need of new ones..

moving forward

It's 2012! WOW. Really, I just feel old saying that!

I'm praying this year will be full of happiness, health, and love for my family & friends! I'm definitely excited for what's to come. :)

I have been so, so busy lately with my healing process that I think I've slacked a bit on my friendships. I'm genuinely sorry for my lack of presence in most, all of your life's! I find the more I have in my schedule, the more stressed I become. So for awhile I really just had to focus on relaxing. However, I've distanced myself unintentionally more than I meant to through that process! I need to work on being a better friend.

I am happy to say that I'm doing a lot better than I was a few months ago!! My depression is not by any means 'gone', nor my anxieties. But my awareness of God's plan through this, and His presence in this, is much stronger.

I have been in counseling for somewhere around the last 2 months, and it has been a HUGE tool given to me by the Lord, in my healing process. My eyes have been opened to new perspectives, and the Truth. I feel a little more alive, a lot less tense, and a LOT more thankful for the progress I have seen. I plan on updating more soon, but for now I just thought a brief update would suffice!

Cherish the now, you don't know if you'll have tomorrow!