organizing...

After talking about trying to keep the STUFF in our house to a more simplistic minimum in this post, I was really inspired by some comments and emails that my friends sent in response. (Thank you all so much...)

One was my friend Casey who mentioned if you get one item in, you get rid of one in return to keep things from piling up. I really thought this was a great practical idea, especially for clothes and toys... So Ryder and I went through all of his toys today and it was great! I was able to figure out which toys he liked, which ones he could care less about, which ones were age appropriate and which ones we could either share with friends or donate. I found that I kept reminding myself that we have so much and their are kids out there that have no clothes or toys. Saying that was really humbling and it put things in perspective for me.

So I wanted to thank you all for encouraging me and passing along your helpful suggestions!

ps:Ryder and I love this book by David Shannon and it's very much on the same topic... causing you to realize what makes the best toys!

arrival!

Kit returned home from Canada today...

We are so happy that he is home!

Kit~

Thank you so much for all that you do for our family.

You work so hard and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you!

Welcome home!

trial run

Ryder's first birthday feels like it's just around the corner, so I have been having some fun with planning and trying things out...

We can't wait to celebrate our little man!

nap time

When Ryder goes down for his naps, I find that the first thing I want to do is pull out my craft stuff. (I should be heading for a nap myself, or hay, cleaning our bathrooms, but I just can't help myself...) My recent project is working on Ryder's baby book, and it is so amazing to think how much he has changed in the last few months... I just can't believe it!

(It's also fun to have little projects planned while Kit is gone...)

Oh Canada...

Kit left to speak at a conference in Canada today... I miss him already. Again, if he wasn't such an incredible friend, dad to Ryder, support, helper, encourager, over all amazing man, I wouldn't miss him so much. It's his fault I'm so needy...

Kit Rae~

We love you, we miss you and we can't wait for you to come home.

We will be praying for you!

Ryder and I really wanted to stow away in his suitcase, but Ryder was much closer to the weight limit for flying...

some new additions...

We have some new additions to our book collection and we are having some fun reading them together, so of course we wanted to pass the titles along♥...

A favorite by Ian Falconer

An I am reading this one when the little man is sleeping...

I am really enjoying it!

A question to my friends...

Ok my friends, I have a question for you. I have been really thinking about how much STUFF we have accumulated and I was wondering how you manage your own homes. We recently went through EVERY closet and drawer in our house to make piles for donation, and I was thinking that there had to be a more routine, systematic way to organize than that. Truthfully, it was very overwhelming and I know there has to be a better way to do it. Do you have a system of when you go through closets or when you make trips/piles for donation? Do you have rules for when you keep things and when you get rid of things? If so, I would love it if you would share it with me. Thank you so much! I have some very smart and organized friends out there... if only I could be a little bit more like you♥.

family fun day!

Our family got together yesterday and it was so much fun. My cousin is due in March and it felt like this might be our last hang out time before her little girl arrives, which made the time even more precious for me. Here are some snap shots of the day:

The first time that our niece sees Ryder on any given day, for any given event, she imediately wants to hold him... We could do an entire slide show of photos of just the two of them.

The girls

My aunt used to teach kindergarten so at each party that we have, she pulls out these incredible games/activities that kids just LOVE. This time it was the parachute and streamers... 

We love you all and we are so excited to watch as our families grow together!

teeth!

We finally have some teeth on the top! I am really excited for our little guy. I can already tell that eating solids is much easier for him, even if only one tooth has made it's appearance on top. His giggle and his wrinkled nose smile is just getting better each day.

Ryder Rae~

It is a joy to be your parents. We could not love you more and we look forward to watching you grow!

potato leek soup

We tried this recipe and really enjoyed it. I had gotten these leeks at the store and was really excited to find an easy and tasty way to use them. This time of year always seems to be the time that I pull out favorite soup recipes and try out new ones too. I hope you have a chance to try this new favorite of ours!

sick days...

We are becoming our own little infirmary. Just when we had Ryder's ear infection under control and teething pain managed, my Kit woke up with the stomach flu...the poor guy is miserable! Ryder and I are just trying to steer clear of him... We are hoping for a quick recovery!

a new favorite...

A friend who has twins the same age as Ryder makes this recipe for her girls and they love it. So we tried it and it was a huge hit.

You simply combine: greek yogurt, avocado, and banana in the blender. (We use "The Magic Bullet") Ryder loved it and I have to say, I loved it too.

We hope you have a chance to try it...

One year later...

In adoption, we have found that there are several celebration worthy days/dates. The day you got the referral, the first tme you met them, the court date in Ethipoia, the court date here when her name changed. But Kit and I celebrate January 15th because that is the day that she arrived in the states and we finally got to meet her... That is what we consider our "gotcha day". I can't believe it's already been a year!

This was the first night she was home and we had been so ready for her to only want my sister and brother-in-law and I had been given strict instructions to let initiate the first move, so when she held out her tiny little arms to me for me to snuggle her and pick her up, I looked wide eyed at my sister to make sure it was ok...(To which I got the response, "OF COURSE, god mommy!") She has been one of my favorite snugglers ever since...

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE pictures of her first day...

And then you fast forward a year...

Baby girl~

We could not love you more! We can't imagine life without you and we are so honored to be part of your family. You were waited for and are wanted and loved. Who's our favorite little girl? That's right... YOU♥!

figuring it out...

In my personal experience, I have found that parenting can present you with incredible moments to learn more about yourself and your strengths and struggles, figuring out what you are made of as a person, the strength of your marriage, what your spouse is made of, what you hope to share with your kids, as well as what you hope your kids will never duplicate of you, since now you have someone watching you 24/7. I am learning what I can handle and what I need to let go of. I have never wanted to be so healthy (spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally...) as I have since being a mom. I want Ryder to have the best parents possible. Parenthood is the best adventure we have ever been part of, (and we have had some amazing ones...)

There are so many times that Kit and I look at each other and we say to ourselves, "Well, we know for next time..." There is so much that is new in being first time parents, so much we are figuring out, which can be exciting, but can also be stressful. And right when you think you have something under your belt, something changes. We are finding that adaptability and flexibility are key in parenthood.

(Teach that in birthing classes...)

These last several days, I have been going out of my mind because Ryder had three teeth coming in at the same time, which meant no sleeping (for anyone in the house) and it's pretty funny how strung out you can feel when you have no idea what to do AND you are exhausted.

After one night, we noticed that Ryder's crying was sounding even more painful and I was so tired of being told it's just teething. After a trip to the doctor's office, it turns out that Ryder had a pretty bad ear infection on one side, and do you know, as soon as we got some medication on board, he is COMPLETELY back to his old self. (Well, on wednesday he did get his first top tooth on the left, so he is back to being himself, with just more teeth...) I beat myself up like crazy thinking that I wasn't paying close enough attention to him or that my poor little guy was so miserable and I could have done something sooner... Kit reminded me that we are doing our best and be just have to give ourselves a little grace because we have never been parents before. If anything has put me in a consistent posture of prayer, it's being a mom. I keep reminding myself that though I want to do it all perfect and right, I am going to fail sometimes (Ok, a lot...) Thank goodness for grace.

I know that there are lots of parents out there that are in the same boat. You are figuring it out while trying to do your best. Well, from our house to yours, you are not alone... Know that we are in it together!

a little project for the little man's room...

We recently repainted one of our bookshelves for Ryder's room (because at our house, we love books!) so it led to a fun (and incredibly easy) project that I wanted to share with you. It's a plain, empty frame turned into a cork message board:

I took a frame that I had saved from our first apartment,

found spray paint in an orange that went with Ryder's room,

and purchased 12 inch cork squares (they came is a pack of 4 and I used three of them to make sure that the thickness would hold up to my tacks...)

The finished product:

(A shout out to my sister for the license plate name/fish art that she gave Ryder for Christmas...Cole, You know us so well, what do people do without sisters?)

I am really excited for how fast this project was. His little room is growing up with him. It is just so fun, and a little crazy!

Prayer of a sleep deprived mom...

I find that the prayer I keep saying over and over again is, "Lord, help me not miss it..." It has many layers: For example, "Lord, help me not miss a blatantly obvious sign that I need to take him to the doctor because this cry seems more serious than just teething..." or "Lord, help me not miss this time that I have with him at this age, right now, today, this moment, because I know I will never have it again with him...." to "Lord, help me not to miss an opportunity to depend on you and learn what it is to lean into you and your grace as I learn what it is to parent this little guy with you as our guide..." to "Lord, help me not miss this opportunity to rest because he is finally napping and I really need a break..." to " Lord, help me not miss the opportunity to enjoy being a mom and a parent, as opposed to just surviving it..."

Lord, help me not miss it... amen...

Orlando, Florida

Kit left today for a conference in Orlando, Florida. He will be gone 4 days and I miss him already...

baby carriers...

My mom got a baby backpack for us for Christmas, and it has really made a fun change with being outdoors and on outings with Ryder. Don't get me wrong, we love our jogger, but this is bringing a whole new dimension for hikes/walks on our trail. There are several out there, and Kit had some fun researching them, and of course, any reason to take a trip to REI is fun for us. (Ok, more for Kit, but I can still find lots of fun little gadgets and things to look at...)

With Ryder teething and not sleeping well, I have been feeling, um, a little unglued. This has been such a fun new thing for him and so far, 100% of our outings have led to him falling asleep. Score! Plus it gets me being outside and exercising.

Thank you mom for this incredible gift! We love it and we know that it will get TONS of use...

family game night...

On saturday night, our brother and sister-in-law hosted a family BBQ and game night. We had so much fun being all together...

We played jungle speed, which was a new game for us, as well as speed scrabble. It is really fun to laugh together and have some time to be silly. It makes my heart so happy to watch how much Ryder loves everyone, even in his more serious moments...

Andrew and Mal,

Thank you so much for creating such a fun family night! We love you guys!

thank you you tube!

I came across this little clip on You Tube and remembered it from when I was little. Ryder watches it with his big eyes and such concentration. It has become a favorite of his. Does anyone out there remember it too?

prayers...

Kit shared this prayer with me from his quiet time. It's amazing how certain words or phrases touch a nerve with me and I wanted to share it with you...

Watch, Oh Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give Your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend to Your sick ones, O Lord. Rest Your weary ones. Bless Your dying ones. Soothe Your suffering ones. Shield Your joyous ones, and all for Your love's sake. Amen.

what do you get...

...when you mix tired and teething?

This:

Anniversary dinner...

For our anniversary, I wanted to make a special dinner, knowing that we would be home with Ryder. For the very first time in my adult life, I made my own pasta, ravioli to be exact. My grandma made her own and for those who know my grandma, she has many incredible gifts, but cooking is not necessarily something that she is known for. From my childhood, however, one of my favorite memories was making bread and pasta in her kitchen. So making it, with the smell and the taste of the dough, it brought me right back to her kitchen and being 4 years old.

As my first attempt, it was tasty, but it would have helped to have one of those rollers that you put the dough through and it makes it ultra thin... My filling was all stuff that I had on hand:feta, frozen chopped spinach, olive oil, Romano grated cheese, and garlic. I used one of our juice glasses to make the circles and a fork to make the edges enclosure.

I served it with a caprese salad but substituted arugula for the basil. We really enjoyed the whole meal time of just being together as a family.

Ryder's favorite was definitely the ice tea.

(Not really just the acrylic glasses...)

After we ate dinner, we went and got hot chocolate at drove around little bit as Ryder slept.

It was such a fun evening and I look forward to MANY more celebration dinners around our table.

(Isn't just being together worth celebrating?)

8 years...

Today is our 8 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast time goes!

So in honor of our anniversary, here are some things that being married to Kit has taught me:

1.Opperating out of grace and love rather than consequence and judgment is always the better option.

2.If you marry your best friend, marriage can actually give you glimpses of heaven on earth.

3.The things that irritate me (like Kit's aversion to the laundry hamper) are COMPLETELY over shadowed by the incredible partner, father, lover and friend that he is... Perspective it so important!

4. If we are tired and hungry, there is absolutely no good that can come from a disagreement turned argument until we eat. Also, it it's after 10p, table the discussion until the next day and go to bed.

5.My expectations play into things WAY more than I ever realized. I am learning what it means to have REALISTIC expectations. (Kit still exceeds every one...)

6.Kit has taught me what being generous (with time, energy, finances...) is all about. I am humbled at how "other focused" my husband is.

7.If your husband is a man that you respect and admire and has character that you would follow, trusting his leadership will bring a closeness that I didn't realize was possible.

8. It's easier to say "I'm sorry" than it is to say "will you forgive me..." Kit is so good at forgiving and moving forward. I am working on not being such a grudge keeper...

9. When you are in the car, sitting in shot gun, and you are the only two in the vehicle, it is still considered "back seat driving" when I make comments. We always get where we are going... I am learning...

10.I have learned that I wouldn't want to share my life, (the good, the beautiful, the painful, the messy ,the joyful, the hilarious...) with anyone else. Kit you are still the one that my soul loves and I still choose you and only you to spend the rest of my life with.

I couldn't love or respect you more and I am so honored to be your wife. Thank you for all the grace, love and patience that you extend to me on a daily basis...♥

spell it out...

I found these lettered, ceramic spheres at Pier One and I have been having some fun using them around the house. It has been fun to play with wording and the letters that I got on the center of our dining room table, and my favorite word is gather. It just seems to fit a dining room table: a place where you hope to bring people that you love to share a meal and community together. ♥

We are looking forward to gathering the people that we love to share special memories together in 2011.

teammates...

This morning Ryder woke up at 1245am, 3am, and was up from 4am on. Our little guy has a stuffy nose and is teething and because of those things, he has not really been sleeping that well. This morning, Kit and I tagged teamed being up with the little guy, walking around with him, changing diapers, administering tylenol, feeding him, and letting him chew on anything he could get his hands on. I am so thankful for the team mate that Kit is. Having our little guy be under the weather is probably the most helpless I have felt so far in being a new parent, (including recovery from a c-section, learning ot breast feed, and dealing with an abscess...) and to know that Kit is in it with me has taken so much weight off my shoulders, to know that I am not in it alone.

Kit Rae,

you are an incredible partner and parent and I am so thankful to be in this with you. Thank you for all that you do to make life so good! I could not love you more!

Happy New Year!

This has been a very full week, enjoying a week off with Kit, which included some very special moments with Kit's parents coming down for a visit. Ryder loves them so much, it's sweet to see the connection. It was fun to be together and have some family time in our home.

I feel like it's been since Christmas that Ryder has gone from crawling to pulling himself up on EVERYTHING and doing some side steps. I can't believe how fast things change. He is so mobile, we can't have anything out. It is so fun to watch him enjoy his new freedom, (however, he has taken a couple of dives on our floor and we have had a couple of little shiners to show for it...)

And to finish off the week and ring in the new year, we had to purchase a humidifier...

Our little man has had a stuffy nose and a little cough and so we have taken to carrying saline nose drops, bulb saryinge, and kleenex with us where ever we go... Let me tell you that it's a real hoot. But I have to say that Ryder has been a real trooper.

So from our house to yours, we hope that you have a

Happy (and healthy) New Year!