on being content.

I've been a part of this blogging community for almost 4 years. It is something that I have grown to love for so many reasons. I've connected with so many people that I would never even talk to otherwise. I am able to walk through this season of life with SO many other women who are in the same place as I am right now.

But, with every positive there is usually a negative. I think the hard part for me when I am reading blogs about another person's life is not getting caught up in comparing.  The same goes for any social media outlet, really. It's really easy to look at someone's life through the computer screen & only see perfection. After all, who really airs their dirty laundry for the world to see? (Okay, I know that everyone has THAT "friend" on facebook that does this...but let's hope they are few & far between.)

I see perfectly edited pictures of children who are smiling & I automatically assume that they must be perfectly behaved. I see pictures of someone's decorations & I immediately think their house is always spotless and then I have the desire to go out and buy more, more, more for our own home.  I see people gushing about their husbands & I think they must have the perfect marriage with no problems.  Sometimes it's hard to remember that social media allows just a glimpse into the life of a person & we don't really know what happens behind closed doors. Sometimes it makes it hard to feel content. 

I'm part of a women's bible study at our church & this was the topic last week. Contentment. It got me thinking about how I usually feel pretty content...but am I really? I know that I often struggle with being present & really soaking in where I am in this moment. I am a daydreamer by nature and often look forward to the next big thing.  I forget that while looking forward to that next stage in life, I'm missing out on what I have now.  I need to be more intentional about enjoying what God has blessed me with now.

I'm challenging myself to stop comparing. To be content with this wonderful life that I have. To really focus on the blessings I've been given and thank God.  To be content with who I am.

Griffin {3 months}

Griffin, you are 3 months old! 

The stats:

Weight: according to our scale, 12.5lbs

Height: not sure, I will measure later today!

Diaper: size 1

Clothes: all 3 month clothes but some of the footies are getting a little tight! You are long & skinny!

Eating: You are still nursing! I'm so happy we've made it 3 months with no issues. You are eating every 3 hours during the day; sometimes you nap through your feeding & will go 4 hours. We are down to one feeding in the middle of the night. Not too bad! The few times you've had a bottle this month you've had 6 ounces! I'm only pumping now when you need a bottle & it has made life much easier! You are still taking Prevacid and it works wonders! 

 Sleeping: I am happy to report that you are doing MUCH better at sleeping in your crib! You go to bed between 8-9pm and sleep until about 3-4am. You will nurse for about 20 minutes & then go right back to sleep. I try to put you back in your crib but you usually end up in the Rock 'n Play. Better than our bed, right?! The only big issue right now is the paci. Oy. It is such a love/hate relationship. You are OBSESSED and when you realize it has fallen out in the middle of the night, you freak. I go to the nursery about 4 times a night to play Paci Patrol. It's rather frustrating.  We are slowly but surely getting on a daytime schedule. You usually nap about 2 hours after you wake up.  You are going through the 30 minute nap phase. Literally, like clockwork, you wake up almost exactly 30 minutes after you fall asleep. After your morning nap, the rest of the day is pretty inconsistent. I know we will have a normal nap schedule eventually!

 Right now you are loving...

• your paci. It's probably your favorite thing. We recently invested in some paci clips and they have made life SO MUCH EASIER. No more falling pacifiers! 
• your monkey & rabbit lovey. You are starting to hold things & those hands are always busy! You will hold on to your lovies when you ride in the car & when you sleep. We just started letting you sleep with your monkey Angel Dear lovey in your crib. 
• Standing up! You are getting so much stronger! You love to stand on our laps & check everything out around you. 
• Being worn in the K'Tan. Your neck is a lot stronger now & I turned you around in the carrier about a week ago! You were skeptical at first but you enjoy it now. You still love to sleep in the carrier when you're facing me! 
• Your big brother, Grayson. Just this past week you have really started noticing him. He will do something silly & you will just giggle and smile at him. I love it! 
• Bath time. We just took the mesh net out of your tub & you are just using the big boy infant tub now! You love it & kick the entire time you are in the water. 
• Playing with the toys on your play mat. You are finally grasping things & you love talking to your "friends" and holding on to the animal toys. 

 

Right now you are NOT loving...

• taking naps.
• the car & the carseat. Good grief, you make driving stressful. You scream 90% of the time we are in the car. 

 

 Griffin, I can hardly believe that you have been with us for 3 months now. It has gone by so fast! You are such a smiley & happy baby. You are happy almost all the time & people always comment on how sweet you are! I think you will definitely be the laid back child. We have a pretty busy schedule & you are very go-with-the-flow. I'm so thankful for that! 

 

A few weeks ago you started going to the nursery at church for MOPS and bible study. It was weird to not have you with me, but you did so great! I think you love it because those nice ladies spoil you rotten by holding you for two hours. It's like your dream come true! 

Sweet Griffin, you have added so much happiness and love to our family. I love spending my days with you & watching you change and grow! We have survived the newborn phase & now I feel like the fun is really starting. We love you so much!

Happy 3 months, Griffin!

feeling nostalgic

I so vividly remember this stage I was in 2 years ago. Grayson was 12 weeks old & it was my first week back in the classroom. I left my baby boy for the first time. 

The weeks leading up to that point were so hard & I cried. A lot. I wanted to stay home with that sweet baby more than anything. But? The timing wasn't right. I had to wait. 

Now, I'm sitting on my couch 2 years later with another 12 week old asleep upstairs. I was the one who got up with him this morning. I was the one who played with him on his mat. I was the one who fed him & changed him throughout the day. I was the one who snuggled with him on the couch so he could take a good nap. I was even the one who had to change shirts multiple times because I got spit up on. 

This week? I'm feeling nostalgic. I am remembering those feelings of sadness & all the tears I cried over leaving Grayson in daycare. I remember how hard those 6 months were when I was teaching but I'm glad I had to wait. It made me appreciate this new job a whole lot more. I am feeling thankful that the timing is right this time around.  That I not only get to spend my days with our sweet second baby boy, but also our super fun toddler. 

It's not an easy job & it's actually pretty overwhelming right now, but I wouldn't trade it. Yes, indeed. I am feeling extra thankful this week.

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• it takes a lot of planning the night before to leave the house with both boys in the morning?
• I just deleted hundreds of pictures 2 weeks ago on my iPhone & I've already taken about 200 since then? Hi. My name is Laura & I have a problem with documenting our life. 
• I still haven't started that ab challenge? Gah. I'm weak. 
• my sista from another mista is a girl I met through blogging?
• I'm really good at emptying the diaper pail but REALLY bad at bringing the bag down to the big trash can? Least. favorite. chore.
• I pretty much gave up on pumping? I have a stash full of liquid gold in the freezer & I am now only pumping when necessary. That piece of machinery took up too much time. 
• I kind of want to cry because the adorable 6 month longalls I have for Griffin at Christmas will most likely be way too big on him? Little peanut.
• I had more fun going through the BIG Toys R Us catalog than my child did?
• I'm still wearing jeans & drinking pumpkin spice coffee this week even though it is 83 degrees outside? Nashville, it's fall. Get with the program. 

confessions

• There is a container of TRIPLE DOUBLE OREOS and a glass of wine sitting in front of me right now. Yes, I said triple double oreos. Google them. It might blow your mind.
• We have 6 barstools and every single one them has an item of clothing drying on them. Only they've been drying for 3 days. So, yeah...
• I found a snack trapper full of goldfish in the couch this week. No idea how long it has been there. Thank goodness for preservatives that keep goldfish looking like goldfish forever.
• On our bar right now there are 2 trick-or-treat baskets for the boys, bubbles, butt paste, nursing pads, yet another snack trapper, and dirty baby clothes from a not-so-fun diaper incident earlier in the day. 
• I often go 3 days without washing my hair lately. 2 day old hair is usually pretty awesome. 3 day old hair warrants a ponytail and/or headband.
• I just vacuumed my car for the first time in over 3 months. THREE MONTHS. Do you even know how many toddler snacks were crunched up on the back floor?! It. was. ridiculous. 
• My poor dogs haven't been bathed since Griffin was 1 week old. He's 12 weeks old now. I'll let you do the math...and then I will take volunteers to come bathe 3 dogs who hate water. 
• I watched Hoarders instead of the Presidential Debate this week. Shhhh...
• It typically takes me about 2-3 days to get the clean, folded laundry out of the basket & actually put away. Many times I actually need to wash baby clothes AGAIN before the previous load actually gets put away.

 phew. I feel better.

happenings

I feel like we've been so busy lately but it's the kind of busy where I couldn't quite tell you what all we've been up to. Just, busy.

We let Grayson pick out a small pumpkin last week at the pumpkin stand so that we could paint it. To say that he was obsessed with his hand-picked pumpkin would be quite the understatement. This poor pumpkin was carried around everywhere for 2 days straight. It was also dropped about a gazillion times so it may have a short life. 

G has been painting a lot at school & he was really excited to paint this little pumpkin! 

Ohhh, the "silly face." It never gets old. This boy cracks me up!

Griffin has been really busy being extra cute. I kiss this boy's cheeks at least a thousand times a day. 

Griffin has also been busy mastering the art of head control. It can't be all play & no work, right?

 My mom was in town for a few days last week & we took G to another Touch-a-Truck event. This one was so much bigger than the one in June & he was beside himself with all the trucks. 

A few of our friends were there too! Reid & Grayson got to "drive" the recycling truck before we left. I've got to say, being a boy mom is pretty fun! I never thought I would know the difference between any trucks until G came along. We passed what I thought was a bulldozer the other day & I was quickly corrected: "no! front loader!" :) The boy knows his trucks!

We've also been playing with our newest friend, Eli. This picture makes my heart so happy. These 3 are so fun! 

Operation Skinny Mama {an update}

It's been about 6 weeks since I started tracking my points with Weight Watchers again. I'll be honest, I've cheated a lot more this time than I did last year. Cheated as in, I may or may not have driven thru Wendy's tonight to get a cheeseburger. And fries. And a diet coke. 

I haven't started really working out yet. I can't figure out a good time to do it. The toddler wakes up at the crack of dawn, the baby has zero napping schedule, & by the time 8:30pm rolls around....I'm zonked. We do go walking in our neighborhood on the trails. That counts for something, right? 

Since I started this little Operation, I've lost 5ish pounds. I've got about 15 more I want to lose.  I need to step up my game! 

I did have a happy moment this week. The new skinny jeans I bought a month ago are now too big AND I can fit (comfortably!!!!!) in my old pre-baby jeans. I can fit in them AND there is no muffin top. That is what this mama calls winning!

I mean, I kind of had a freak out moment before MOPS when I realized this.  I'm pretty sure Griffin thought I had lost my mind.  

SO, I do need to step it up & stop slacking off...BUT? I have seen some results!

Here are my new goals:

• drink LOTS more water and less Diet Crack Coke
• only allow myself one cheat day a week
• this 30 day ab challenge -- I've got to get these stomach muscles back!

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I can't wait until this election is O-V-E-R?
• I consider it a fantastic week if my hair got washed 3 times? For real. I think they invented dry shampoo for moms of small children. 
• I pretty much just quit pumping? I hate that thing. Takes up too much of my {very, very little} adult time. 
• I drove to Sonic last night to get a bag of ice instead of going to the grocery store because I loathe getting both boys out of the car?
• the dark circles under my eyes make me look like I've been punched when I don't wear makeup? Thank you ridiculously busy toddler & hungry baby. 
• I wish Facebook had a mute button for certain keywords?
• there are enough crushed up goldfish on the floor of my car to feed a small country?

That's all I've got. Happy Wednesday & go link up with Shannon! 

Project Pinterest...decorating for fall!

I am FINALLY linking up with AP for Project Pinterest!

I love fall. It is my absolute favorite time of year! I decorate our front porch every fall with lots of pumpkins and mums. Last year I found a polka dot painted pumpkin on Pinterest and attempted it. It was an epic fail. This year I wanted to try something new. I pulled ideas from the following pins:

Source: blog.amyatlas.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: granvillehouse.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

I love the glitter pumpkins in the top picture. I remember wanting to do this last year but I couldn't find a color of glitter paint that I liked. Well? Hobby Lobby came to my rescue this year!

I bought 2 regular pumpkins at Kroger ($3.99 each...can't beat that!) and wrapped the stem with painters tape.

Then I just did 2 coats of the glitter spray paint!

 Here is a close up:

It's a very subtle color & I like that! ...and here is the finished product PLUS the stacked pumpkins on our front porch:)

Happy Fall!

real life.

I like to take pictures. I really like to take pictures of my boys together. Occasionally I will get a great shot with both boys looking & making sweet faces at the camera. 

See? Griffin looking sweet. G flashing that cute smile. 

These pictures are few & far between. I would like to show you a series of pictures that depicts real life with 2 young boys perfectly. 

 Baby starts crying when mama hands him over.

 I tell the toddler to hold the baby. He responds by holding the baby's neck & pushing his head back.

When corrected, toddler gets frustrated and simply lets go of baby. Baby tries to hold on to toddler's shirt for dear life.

 "Oh! I'm sitting on hay?! NEAT!!!" ...baby continues to fall over.

Well, look what the toddler found. Baby is finally content. 

Hmm. Baby is upset again. Toddler digs for gold.

Toddler finally decides to hold baby again. Phew. 

....and this is the best I got.

The craziness that is brothers.

The very first time that we laid eyes on Griffin, we could not believe how much he looked like his big brother. The similarities was crazy!  I've had so much fun comparing pictures with our 2 boys. I will look at a picture of Griffin and remember a very similar one of G from two years ago. It makes for a lot of deja vu moments!

I mean, seriously, they look like twins. Only two years apart. 

The smiles. They are the same. Griffin is so smiley now & it reminds me so much of how Grayson was as a baby. He smiled & laughed all the time!

The similarities are starting to fade some as Griffin gets older. Grayson was definitely a little rounder in the face & just generally bigger. It's so fun to compare our 2 boys! I can't wait to see what Griffin looks like when he's two!

a homecoming

For the first 2 years we lived in our section of our neighborhood, we were pretty much alone. We were one of the first houses that built and it took a few years for things to really take off.  So, imagine my excitement when I was strolling Grayson a year and a half ago and I realized the people that bought the house right next door had a CAR SEAT! and a STROLLER!

I immediately went up the driveway to introduce myself to Andy, Leslianna, and little Gray. I was so excited to see this cute little family with a daughter close in age to G moving in right next door to us!

Fast forward to now & this family has become one of our closest couple friends.  I know it's not just a coincidence that they ended up as our neighbors; it's definitely a God thing.  Over the past year they have been going through the adoption process. Last winter they were matched with a little boy in the Congo. His name was Eli & he was the same age as Gray.  I can't imagine knowing you have a child that far away, seeing pictures and videos, and not being able to go get him right then & there.  I know it was such a long, hard wait.

Well, for the past 2 weeks our sweet friends were in Africa preparing to bring Eli home! We have been so excited about this for so long! It was a long (and very quiet and boring) 2 weeks on our street without our neighbors. Grayson was missing Gray like crazy! 

Yesterday was the big day. The day that they would walk through the terminal in the Nashville airport and be HOME as a family of 4! It was such a special moment to see Gray meeting her new brother for the first time. It was amazing to see the little boy we have been praying for over the past year standing right in front of us! 

This family is so precious to us & we are so thankful for their friendship. Watching them go through this whole process has changed my heart. It's such a reminder of God's love for us! 

Welcome home, Eli!

little ears

There are so many days that I feel like a big, fat parenting fail. When I feel like everything I say goes in one ear & right out the other. There are lots of moments that I think about the fact that my toddler has the attention span of a gnat so he can't possibly be paying attention to what I'm doing. {Which, by the way, is usually running around like a chicken with my head cut off.}

But lately we've had moments that have proved me wrong. Tender moments that fill my mama heart with pride. Moments when the lightbulb went off & I thought, "oh my gosh, Grayson DOES pay attention!"

Over the past week we've been talking a lot about our friends who are currently in Africa (they actually get back TODAY!) to bring home their newly adopted son, Eli. Ben & I talk about it a lot and we include G in the conversations talking about how his friend, Gray, now has a new brother. 

Last week when we were doing our normal bedtime routine Grayson stopped us before our prayer. In his toddler-tastic broken sentence form, he told us he wanted to pray for Gray, Eli, Ms. Leslianna, and Mr. Andy. He wanted to pray for his friends.

That's when it hit me. He does pay attention. He does watch us. And best of all? He's starting to get it. I know that he's only 2 and may not comprehend everything, but it really got me thinking. 

Not only do I need to pray for my boys, I need to lead by example.  Those little ears are listening and those little eyes are watching.

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• there is still a "happy birthday" balloon floating around our downstairs? 
• I may scream if I see one more picture of a pumpkin spice latte or a Bridier Baubles necklace? Twitter tends to do a massive overkill on many things. These being 2 of them. 
• we had a basket of clean whites siting in our room for about a week & by the time I could fold them they needed washing again? See also: story of my current life. 
• dry shampoo is my new best friend?
• I created a second facebook account just for all the smocked clothing sites I "like?" They were getting out of control. 
• one of the highlights of October will be ordering my new life planner? 
• all I want for Christmas is 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep? 
• I fall asleep feeding Griffin about 75% of the time at night? Don't have a heart attack, I'm sitting up in my bed...he won't get smothered. This mama is TIRED. 

What are you saying "so what" to this week?! Go link up with Shannon!