Well, I'm not much of a blogger it seems...

It's me, I'm back! Sort of. I used to be a good blogger. I blogged most days and checked back often. When I decided to start this blog I thought it'd be easy to get right back into. However, as you may have noticed, I completely forgot about it! So, while I like the idea of blogging we'll see how it plays out. You may just get a yearly update. :P

So, Peyton (yes we had a boy!) is now nine months old! Wow! It's so crazy to me to say/think about that! When they say that those early months/years go by fast you don't realize how fast! He has four adorable teeth he likes to grind right now. Michael thinks he's getting two more but I'm not sure about that. He walks. He actually started walking right after the eight month mark. It's so strange to look behind me and see him following me into the kitchen. :P Oh and one of my favorites! He started saying mama the day before yesterday! He's been able to say dada for about three months now and so this was something I was looking forward to! :) It's so sweet!

This morning we just sat and watched the price is right together. That was wonderful since he usually he isn't much of a cuddler. (Who am I kidding, much? He rarely lets me hug him! He's so independent!)

Motherhood is something I always said I never wanted, then wanted desperately, then didn't think I was ready for, then surprise! You're going to be a mommy! And now, well I couldn't be happier! There are no words to describe how wonderful it is! Well, there might be I probably just don't have the vocabulary to express them. :P

On another note, we're selling our house. And, moving in with mom and dad! Thanks Mom! ;) While we really enjoy our place we have decided that we need to make some changes to have a more sound financial future. It's been a struggle these past couple years and I'm really tired of struggling. If we move in with my parents we'll be able to be debt free in a year and a half and have a nice savings for any future emergencies. I cannot tell you how amazing that sounds! It's like I have a huge weight crushing me, making it hard to breathe and there's someone coming to pry it off me. I can almost feel my lungs filling with fresh air and it feels amazing! I'm so thankful for my parents being so sweet and allowing us to come in and complicate (not to mention crowd) their already busy/full home.

As fall begins (okay it started a couple weeks ago, but whatever) I feel like it's ushering in a new period in our lives and I'm more than okay with that. Sometimes when I think about the upcoming changes and the possible difficulties that may arise I get a little nervous (who doesn't when big changes are around the corner?) but I have a peace about it that reminds me it's okay. And that we'll be okay. I guess overall that has been the lesson of the past five years. Things are going to be okay. Regardless of the moment and how wrong things feel. Things will be okay. :)

A Really Good Morning

This was a great morning. I have been running behind most days (more like every day but you know...) and so I keep planning on getting up earlier. You know, so I'm not running through the house in my underwear and a sweater searching for pants while trying to put makeup on without a mirror....

Today my wonderful amazing fabulous and incredibly handsome husband helped. He had to get up around 6:00 to go help his old boss move. I just love waking up to a nice cozy warm bed with a little bit of light peeping under the door and smelling that wonderfully sexy man smell and knowing that the love of my life is right there.

I woke up slowly this morning (by slowly I mean I laid in bed for a few minutes instead of jumping up and started the frantics) just enjoying the morning. Then I got up. Talked to that same wonderful man and got ready slowly. (Notice how much I enjoyed the "slowly's" Then had breakfast, read our devotional, took out the trash and hopped into my Jeep. And to complete the nice morning: A wonderful prayer time with my Lord. And finally I arrived at work a whole half hour early after hitting no traffic whatsoever.

So, today is a good day. A day I am wanting to repeat. I think I will get up early tomorrow. And enjoy my morning. This just might change my whole days. It's been awhile since I have felt this enthusiastic about my day!

So, I know my posts are incredibly deep or super interesting but it's not like I have five hundred followers to entertain. ;)

Is there something simple in your life that has changed your outlook or just really made you feel happy? Something like a really good morning that deserves to be repeated or maybe just something someone said that really impacted you? I'd love to hear what it is...

or

Is there some smell or surrounding that makes you feel completely safe and comforted?

Let me know. :) And enjoy your day!

August -- Oh boy!

August: Ooofta!

This month has been crazy busy. Between our Marriage Matters(a small group at our church), baby, car shopping and family I am one pooped girl.

So, how about some details? Okay...

This month we are in charge of our monthly married couples event which in and of itself is not that exhausting but you add on extra meetings, making customized flyers and remaking and remaking those customized flyers and all the other details of event planning and you find yourself a bit overwhelmed. Of course if this was the only addition to our regular activities we would be fine.

Next comes the car selling/car buying we've been doing. See, I drive... er, drove a 1999 Ford Mustang GT. I live in Minnesota. I have a baby coming. Those three things do not play well together.

So, we decided to sell my beautiful green baby and get me an SUV (which I love!). That was fun! We ended up dropping our asking price for my car dramatically, then selling it to a guy from Wisconsin who wanted me to drop it even more. Then an hour or so after he heads back to Wisconsin he calls to tell us he's broken down. Some belt or something snapped and he overheated it and all this craziness. Well, what does he expect us to do? We didn't know that would happen. How could we? So after three days of many many calls from this really annoying (sorry!) guy he finally leaves us alone.

Next comes buying me a car which needs to be done asap because oops! I don't have a backup car to get to work in while I'm looking. Thankfully I found my wonderfully wonderful Jeep Grand Cherokee. :) But then came talking to the bank and the dealer and working out the details. Thankfully, that is complete and I am enjoying my lovely suv (equipped with GPS, remote start and quite large sunroof! Yay!).

Next up: My brother and brother-in-law both leaving to join the Air Force! Of course we wanted to spend time with them before they head off for months and months! That was busy and sad.

Finally, discovering that I am again doing the work of three people because my wonderful employers decide to fire the perfectly wonderful assistant I had finally gotten trained.

And, all the little details like trying to get help for our mortgage, trying to support my husband in his interests and trying to find time for fellowship with friends and like I said... August: Ooofta!

And that is my semi-update on why I have not blogged.

For now, adios. (Go take a nap... I think we both need it!)

My father, dreams, and baby

Today I am thinking about:

Bad dreams and infidelity.

Baby, baby, baby.

Trying to build my relationship with my heavenly father.

I am so tired of

hearing about infidelity and cheating and all that goes along with it. When Michael and I first got married we were given some marriage books to read. One book (which is a good book just frustrating for me) called His needs, Her needs by Dr. Harley made me incredibly paranoid that Michael would cheat on me. He deals with infidelity a lot and so the whole book was focused on keeping your spouse happy so he/she wouldn't cheat. Okay, it wasn't quite that simple but that's what kept playing in the back of my mind. I was so freaked out because I felt I couldn't keep Michael happy enough to keep him from cheating.

Then you hear about cheating in movies, in books, on the radio, on tv shows. It seems like the whole world is obsessed with cheaters. And that almost everybody cheats.

I am one person who would be absolutely horrified and beyond hurt if cheated on. I can't stand the thought of any other woman touching Michael and especially him wanting it. Unfortunately the devil keeps giving me horrible dreams about Michael. I wake up mad at him. Frustrated and sickened. I'm believing that God will give me peace and rest and no more bad dreams but I am so so tired of it right now. I trust Michael and yet the devil keeps using little things to make me doubt him. I've had more than enough of that.

I get so frustrated by the media when they glorify infidelity. Talk about planting seeds. Can you imagine the difference there would be if men (and women) weren't constantly faced with images and ideas that make it seem fun, exciting, glamorous. Blah! It's hard enough to maintain the excitement in marriage without that crap!

Anyway...

Onto other things that have been filling my thoughts today...

I am really wanting to be more disciplined in my life. In every area but specifically with spending time with my heavenly father.

What I really want is to be aware of his presence 24/7 and to learn how to fellowship with him all day. I don't want God relegated to 15 minute devotions or something but for now I think I need to start there. I haven't had a real relationship with God in quite a few years. I've continued to go to church and pray occasionally. I give my tithe and offerings but I miss having that intimate relationship. I know how to get there and yet I find myself putting it off and putting it off. So, time to get serious right? I guess I'll start with daily prayer and bible reading. You have to start somewhere right?

Today's scripture (I am reading a couple chapters a day...) is from Luke 1:11

¹¹ While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹² Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.^{[b] 16} And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,^[c] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

¹⁹ Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! ²⁰ But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

The part that was interesting to me was when the angel made Zechariah mute until his wife had the baby. I have been taught my whole life the power of words and confessions. I think it is really interesting how when Zechariah started to voice his doubts the angel struck him mute. So, his words would not undo what the Lord was doing in his wife. I purpose to speak life and health and love into this baby in my womb. This child will be 100% healthy, smart, coordinated, and in love with Jesus.

Speaking of baby....

I just keep thinking about baby. Baby, baby, baby. :) In 24 days I (hopefully) get to find out if my little darling is a boy or a girl. I am very excited for that! I want to start decorating after all. I have been doing some research on nursery colors and designs. So far I have found a few that I really like (at least the color schemes):

Thinking about baby.

Well, here is how it all started and now it seems to fill my every waking thought.

I’d been feeling sick for a while before I finally took the test. I also had every other symptom known to man. I guess you could call me stubborn.

I was at work feeling bummed out, sick, tired and quite crabby when a co-worker calls me into her office to make sure I was okay. All day I had been pondering the possibility that I might be pregnant and planning to put those extra pregnancy tests to use that evening. When I explained to her that I just hadn’t been feeling well the obvious questions pops up. “Are you pregnant.” I told her I was actually planning on taking a test when I got home but I was sure I wasn’t actually pregnant. Come on….

That night I got home and rushed upstairs to test. There was no way I wanted my husband to know I was taking the test after his reactions to my wanting to have a child. He would blame me(and rightfully so, I’ve never been the careful one). I take the test and oh boy, and instant positive. I didn’t even have to finish peeing on the darn thing. My heart starts pumping faster and I can’t breathe. Okay, the directions say to wait. So, I wait. And it doesn’t go away. Oh boy, time for test #2. Same exact result. I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant? Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant!

Honey…. As I start down the stairs I begin to prepare him for it…

I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear! But uh, I’m pregnant!

His response: I knew it.

Since then I have been excited, sick & tired, and most recently: Hesitant to believe it's actually happening. I'm hoping blogging it out will help.

Hello There World

Well, seeing as this is a brand spankin new blog I guess I should introduce myself.

My name is Mandy. I am a happily (very happily) married woman who is entering a brand new phase in her life - motherhood. I am 17 weeks pregnant today and that is actually what has inspired this blog. I have had blogs in the past but not for many many years. In searching out all the (exhaustingly expansive) information about pregnancy I ran across many a mother’s blog. I really enjoyed reading about their lives, struggles and excitements and decided it was time to start again. So here I am.

My husband, Michael, and I have been married for almost 3 & a half years. We weren’t trying to have a baby although I was trying to convince him to. I was 100% sure I was ready, but of course the week before I found out I was pregnant I start second guessing myself. Nice!

I am the third eldest of seven kids. And, I love my family immensely. They are such a huge part of who I am (I am pretty much an exact copy of my mother) and absolutely wonderful!

I also really really love my in-laws. I have 1 brother in-law and the best mother and father-in-laws in the world!

I am also a Christian. I'm not the best at reading my bible or spending time in prayer as I should. I'm trying. But I would say my faith has shaped me more than anything else.

Overall, I am a pretty normal gal trying to be better, healthier and happier.

I'm hoping this blog will be a fun and much needed outlet for my thoughts. Yeah, I guess I'll end it there for now.