wordless wednesday

...it just felt like one of those days today!

top reasons why I love being a mommy...

#5 Hailey finds friends everywhere she goes...even if it's just into the bedroom! :) But, I never tire of hearing her say "HI" and the adorable little smile and giggle that inevitable go with it.

#4 She's not much of a cuddle-bug, but I'm pretty sure she does love me...'cause she spends a good portion of her day attachted to my leg or in my arms! :)
#3 even when I'm in the dark with what to do in this great work of "parenting" I know that God is greater than all my mistakes and He has a grand plan for my beautiful daugther! (and I can't wait to see what it is and how He's going to work it out)

#2- If all else fails I can feed her a mandarin orange and she's as happy as a bug in a rug! :) I just love that she eats fruits, even if she doesn't like anything else, it does a mommy's heart good to see her baby enjoy fruit as much as Hailey does! (at least I have done one thing right so far...) :)

#1 The biggest reason I love being a mommy are those gorgeous blue eyes, the sweet little smile, the adorable little "mamy" she says, and now the amazing feeling of little baby "butterfly" kicks in my belly reminding me that I get to do this all over again! :)

Oops...where'd the baby go?

This is what happens when Hailey reaches for a toy that is at the botom of her toy basket! :)

and...this is also what happens when her parent's laugh at her and run for the camera instead of helping her get out! :)

She did eventually work herself out of here...and she brought the coveted toy with her!

Hailey's "finds"

Now that Hailey is getting around a little better she has been "finding" a lot of treasures! I don't pretend to understand the mind of a baby (and I'm actually rather thankful that I don't) but I don't really understand how these little treasures can be that enticing! :) And...just so you know, we do buy our daugther toys- she's not reduced to playing with random things that she picks up in the yard and the basement- she just prefers them to her store bought baby toys...and yet, we still try and entice her with them...go figure!

Here she is playing with a piece of pex tubing that daddy gave her when she was "puttering" around in the basement, helping him do some plumbing work on Saturday!

quick break to show you what I found...a big stain on Hailey's cute pink pants that I'm gonna have to try and get out!!
we went outside to play today, after lunch and she immediately got busy "finding" herself some treasures!

I think she found the perfect ones...but, it's a little harder to push the lion when your hands are full of treasures!!

Allie was wondering what all the fuss was about and decided to check out Hailey's new finds...

I don't think that made Hailey very happy....

But, she quickly got over it and decided to show mommy instead! Can you tell what they are??? (on a side note...hailey's new thing is handing me stuff and saying "t-you"!! I'm pretty sure she means to say thank you, but that's just too much for a baby to get out! ) :)

If you guessed a rock and a pinecone you are right! Pretty exciting stuff, huh?! :) Like I said...no idea what made them so appealing, but I do know that the pinecone didn't make it to the door- it got shredded when we took a break, but, the rock survived and would have made it in the door had not her mother intervened and made it stay outside!

I finally found my camera...

Hailey, Korey, Allie and I went out and played in the yard last Sunday afternoon and after that my camera went missing...apparently Korey picked it up and put it in his pocket and there it stayed until he put that same sweatshirt on today! I felt so lost without it this last week!! :) But, here are some pics of us all playing last Sunday. We have been enjoying the sun so much- I really hope that it is hear to stay. I'll be one sad mommy if it leaves anytime soon! :)

isn't this face great?? she just had such a blast getting pushed in her swing! Hailey's Grandma K gave her this swing last fall and we played in it a lot this winter, but I think that we're gonna get a lot more use out of it this summer!! (or at least I hope so!)

Allie had a good time, too! She loves the sunny weather- and the fact that along with it comes me wanting to go out and play with her in the yard more often! :)

"oohh!! Look at me standing and walking in the yard all by myself! I'm such a big girl!"

we don't have a wagon or anything, yet, so we had to pull her around in her sled! :) We put it up in the garage rafters, though, as soon as we were done- so we're gonna have to get a wagon soon!

good thing Hailey doesn't mind what we "play" in the yard in!

Korey took this adorable picture...it's so precious!

I don't know what it is about sunshine and warm weather, but it makes me feel like a new person! I love the winter and all the fun that comes with it- snowshoeing, the coziness of sitting in the house all bundled up, hot chocolate and tea, the beauty of the snow covered ground, building snowforts and snowmen- even shoveling...but, there is just something so wonderful and exciting about the spring when it finally arrives! One of the reasons that I love Wisconsin so much is that the seasons are always changing. It seems like as soon as I get tired of one season a new one is just around the corner! What more could I ask for?? Not much...but, right now I'm so looking forward to enjoying going for walks and rollerblading with Hailey and ice cream at Briqs. Mostly I just can't wait to get outside and do anything- even hang the laundry up on the line! :)

I wonder when I'll learn...

It all started a few weeks ago when I started feeling overwhelmed and exhausted with life...just basically worn out from all of the running and cleaning and pressure that I've put on myself lately. I blamed it on the pregnancy, Hailey getting more and more active or getting more teeth, but in reality it was me the whole time! Then, last night, as I left a dear friends house I realized how nice it was to be there. They are so real and don't put on a huge front, like I feel like I do most of the time and that is a refreshing person to be around. As I talked with her this afternoon I was really struck with how often we all feel like we have to be somebody else, or keep up with someone else, when really we need to focusing on more important and worthwhile things. It was nice to hear another mom struggle with this. It's so easy to think that I'm the only one who just can't do it or just can't keep up the pace, anymore, so it was a refreshing change to hear from someone else who is trying to stop that trend and start doing and living for the things that are important!

Recently I finished reading a book called, "Calm my anxious Heart" and one of the exercises that the author asked us to complete was to think about what kind of woman we would like to be in 10 years and pick a verse that reflects that. As hard as it is to believe I didn't pick a verse that had anything to do with keeping a clean house or raising the perfect and well rounded child or having an amazing and wonderful relationship with my husband. As worthwhile as those seem, they aren't what I want to be spending my time working towards. I picked Colossians 3:17, "And, whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him!" I know that this could reflect keeping my house clean, working on parenting Hailey and keeping my marriage in good repair, but I believe that it means so much more than that- it means living my life completely and utterly sold out for Jesus. Living and breathing each day as a woman who cares more about what her Lord thinks of her than what her friends may think of her. I spend so much of my time "anxiously" running around and trying to put on this front that I have it all together, that hailey is so well behaved and that Korey and I have the perfect marriage- when in reality none of it is true! I don't have it all together, I spend more of my day trying to remember what I was doing just minutes before, I have to give myself a pep talk just to get the ambition to clean the bathroom (and there are some days that I just don't), I cry for no reason, I don't always put on makeup until right before Korey comes home, I take naps when Hailey does...and the list could go on and on! Haile isn't the perfect child, either- I hold her way more than I probably should, she cries for no reason, she doesn't always take the best naps, she enjoys ripping out all of the cupboards, she throws her food on the floor...and a whole bunch of other things that should drive mom's crazy. And, korey and I don't have the most amazing marriage on the planet earth- we fight about things that don't make sense, we go on dates that last only an hour ;), we spend a lot of our nights just sitting in bed and watching tv together, we'd rather work together than sit and chat about life. And my dog sheds all over the house...she sleeps on our bed, she drinks out of the toilet and she's down right annoying sometimes! I know that not a ton of these things are awful or life threatening, and that's what's so weird about my anxiousness- it is very unfounded! I wonder when I'll learn how silly "hiding" all of this is...I don't think that it matters to God if I spend most of my day without makeup or with dog hair all over my clothing, so why do I think that it matters to my friends or let it matter to me?? So, Korey and I have decided, that for our family, being real and being who we are is more important to us than being who we want to be or being who we think people want or expect us to be! From now on I'm going to try and learn that everything I do, whether in word or in deed, is going to be for God's glory. I want to be a woman who in all I do and in all I say lives for and to the glory of God. I'm going to spend more of my time working on that and less of my time working on making myself look like the woman I'm not! So, if you come to my house you might see dog hair on the floor, our laundry might not be done and the bathroom might not be the cleanest, but I will be spending my time doing what God thinks is important!

Together forever

Yup, these two are inseparable! In fact...I took Hailey to Charlie's Hardware yesterday and the ladies there couldn't stop talking about how much Hailey's Dad loves her and I know it's a mutual feeling. Hailey is so in love with her Daddy. Even just seeing his car come in the driveway changes her whole mood and she's getting excited before he even opens the door. If I don't carry her she just completely freaks out and moves as fast as she can towards the door! :) I guess that is the reason that her first word was Daddy and now her favorite word is "Kow-ey" or that the first person she reached her hands to was him! I guess I should be jealous but it's just so adorable that I don't mind at all! (plus, she still wants me when she's crying and upset!) :)

"Daddy 'n me"- aren't they just cute together???!!

a never ending amount of trouble...

Yup, Hailey has found out that the amount of trouble that she can get into is pretty much never ending! Today, while she was taking a bath she got ahold of the bottle of baby oil (that I bought because she has some cradle cap) and decided to put it in her bath tub and all over her herself...specifically her hair! I washed it so many times and I wasn't even able to make a dent in the amount of oil that was in there...so, I decided to just have some fun with it! :) Here's Hailey's new hairstyle! What do you think???

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that this look is going to cach on soon and you'll see babies everywhere sporting it in no time! :)

Happy Birthday dearest Nani!

Today is my Mom's birthday and we were supposed to meet my sister in Stevens Point, but she didn't end up making it, so we had my Mom come to Wausau and we took her out for lunch to Johanna May's tea! It was so much fun- all of us loved it, but Hailey especially! She couldn't stop oohing and awwing over the pretty tree in the corner and all the cute decorations in the shop! It was fun to see her. Here are some pictures documenting Hailey's first tea party and my dear Mother's birthday! :)

My Mom and I shared a croissant with chicken salad and a turkey spinach pesto sandwich...a pot of pineapple white tea...and a delicious plate of super yummy warm chocolate cookies drizzled with chocolate! It was wonderful!

My Mom shared part of her croissant with Hailey and she loved it! I also shared a little bit of my cookie with her...I'm pretty sure she loved it just as much, but it was definitely a lot messier!
Isn't that little tree in the corner cute?! Hailey sure loved it, and all the cute little easter eggs that decroated it!

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy...right "Kow-ey"?!

Those are two of Hailey's new favorite things...sunshine and her Daddy, who she affectionately calls, Kowey! It's so adorable to hear it come from her mouth! What's even better though, is to see how her Daddy melts into a huge puddle of love when she says it! :)Yeah, he sure is smitten!

Hailey has kicked Allie out of her post and taken over...she now watches the people come and go from the front door- when it's nice enough to open the door that is! :)

can you see how she has to stand on her tippy toes just to see out the window??!! She sure is determined!

Allie's not the happiest at loosing her spot, though...she might just stage a rebellion one of these days, but she'd have to get over her fear of Hailey first, so I think we're safe for a while! :)

Smile! It's Friday!!

Even Allie's happy that it's Friday! :)

But, Hailey is most of all!!! Bring on the weekend, she says- more Daddy time!! :)

here she is this morning- grinning at Korey before he left for work! We call her face "snooze face" in the mornings, 'cause she seriously looks half asleep! :)

We all enjyed a little bit of sunshine this morning and Hailey looked so cute that I couldn't help but take a pic...too bad that it didn't turn out so well! I guess our camera is the only thing that doesn't like the sunshine! :)

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. We're having a friend come over and help Korey finish the plumbing in the basement- which means we're one more step closer to a finished off basement!! Yay!! :)

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

It is easy for me to remember that this baby growing in my belly is a wonderful creation of God, created by Him and for Him. I can even think and wonder at the reality that this child was created by God purposefully and given a certain set of characteristics- before even I knew or thought about him (or her)- God knew!! But, it is a lot harder for me to think that this same reality and depth of love applies to me! It is so much easier to be mindful of God's love towards my children- because I love them and think that they are that wonderful and that God did a great job in forming them! On the other hand, it's so easy to think that God didn't do such a hot shot job in creating and forming me- that maybe He made a mistake and He ran out of all the good personalities and all the cute faces, or the really wonderful and low metabolisms, so He just gave me the leftovers! But, that is not true! That is a lie that Satan uses to attack us as believers- but especially as women! He wants us to think that God didn't purpose our lives beforehand, that He doesn't care what is going on inside of us or what is happening in our day to day lives- but HE DOES!! Psalm 139:16 says (this is a sort of Jenni paraphrase) that God saw me and loved me before I was even a baby- He created and planned for each one of my days, before even I took a breath. My life plan was not my own to create, because God has already done that- He created me with a perfect set of personality traits, knowing what I would come up against in my life- nothing was an accident or a failure on His part! Isn't that a great promise from Him?? I am in the process of reading the book, "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow and she had a whole chapter devoted to this thought. I was supposed to be doing this book as a bible study with some of the women from my neighborhood, but it does not seem to be panning out. It seems like everytime we meet something comes up and one person after another can't make it! And, today, was a rather depressing day for me-when, again, no one showed up! It is so easy for my "negativeness" to kick in and say- just quit, it doesn't matter...no one's going to show up, anymore...just give up!! Then it turns to- maybe it's you...maybe there's something about you that they don't like...you're not a good teacher...you didn't make treats last time...and on and on! But, thankfully, God kept bringing me back to these verses in Psalms and the fact that He created me and made me perfect for His good works. Now, I can't make someone come to a bible study- I can't even make them think that it is important enough to make it a priority- all I can do is be faithful to the call that I feel God put on my heart and keep opening my house to these women and keep plugging along at this study! I have no idea what God's plan and purpose for this bible study is- anymore than I know what God's plan and purpose for my newest child's life is, but I do know that God has one and if nothing else He is growing and maturing me into a woman who is developing a calm and less-anxious heart! (plus, it's always nice to have a good excuse to clean your house on a Wednesday!) :) And, I do know that I will keep praying for my dear bible study ladies!

ahhh...it's Monday!!

I'm probably alone in my sentimental love for Mondays, but I'm not sure it's something that I'll ever get over! I guess it goes back to my deep rooted desire and perhaps need for life to be predictable and run by a routine!! If you would have asked me a few years ago if I was like that I would have said "absolutely not- throw anything at me! I love to be spontaneous". I guess all that changed when I became a mother- or maybe, more accurately, that's when my real "self" began it's push to the surface! :) There is just something wonderful and normal about Mondays after a weekend of running and playing and eating whenever you feel like it. Don't get me wrong- I love nothing more than just kicking back, not having to cook dinner and just relaxing and spending time with Korey, but a few days of that is enough for me and I enjoy the break from it and the solitude that a Monday morning brings to me! I can once again enjoy my yogurt and granola while slowly picking my way through my bible reading. I think that Hailey enjoys Mondays, too, because she always sleeps in and almost always takes really nice naps. (I think a lot of that is make up from the weekend when she barely sleeps...)

Here's Hailey and I enjoying our sunny Monday morning!

when she got up from her nap I put her on the floor with her sippy cup and she scooted (on her back) until she was in the sun! :)

It reminded me of when she was just a tiny baby...she had a little bit of jaundice and she cried so much, so I would take her clothes off and lay her in the sun! She would stop crying for at least a half hour and she would just lay there as happy as a clam!! Apparently you never outgrow your love of laying in the sunshine! :)

For the first time I gave Hailey a snack in a cup and she didn't spill it on the ground! It might have helped that it was craisins and she loves them, but I was pretty impressed. I think my little baby is growing up! :)

"so big!" (her newest trick...it's sooo cute!)

her first outfit of the day...eating pears for breakfast! Both of our favorite food! :)

Aren't her eyes just gorgeous in this pic??? I think it must be the blue sweatshirt! Wow. I think I need to buy her more blue stuff! :)

Happy Monday to you all!! Hailey and I love you! :)