Wednesday, October 12, 2011

It's been a while...

I know, I know... where in the world have I been?
To answer you honestly, I'm not sure... I've been struggling with some "writers block" or maybe it's been "my life has been topsy turvey lately" block. HAHA.


Nothing has been bad, it's actually probably all good. A new adventure may be afoot. I like to think I am a she-woman who loves to take on a good adventure or two, maybe throw some change into the mix. However, I've noticed something over the last few years since my husbands combat deployment to Iraq... I handle change and separation a little differently. SHOCKER? Probably not, I threw up for 2 days after he came home. My rubber band ball of nerves felt like they'd all sprung lose at the same time!


Anyway, We're looking out on the landscape of some pretty big changes.


We've felt really displaced for about the last 3 and a half to 4 years. We moved from our perfect little house in North Carolina, our INCREDIBLE church we were crazy about. All of our amazing friends who we'd become so close to through deployment. I mean come one, I lived across the street from my still very best friend Mal! Thankfully, she has moved back to Georgia but she still lives almost 2 hours away. I look back on that part of my life with a lot of nostalgia. A lot of good memories, sweet memories, firsts.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back AT ALL... I've got two of the most beautiful little boys this side of the galaxy! But when you're young (I don't think I'm that old yet hahahaha), and in love... you THINK life can't get better. Aaron is/was my first in every sense of the meaning and so every moment with him felt like a perfect adventure. Still does... I love him so.

We've seen our share of some hard times since we moved home.One thing after another... some things that were pretty big blows, some very personal; like the loss of our first child. I was in my second trimester and the loss was considered a "late term" miscarriage. We felt like the baby was a girl so we named her Bella Grace. This among one event after another made us wonder if we'd made the right decision leaving the military and moving back to GA. The following years were full of one trial to the next, and both of us feeling very alone. The only church home I had ever known took a major blow that disheartened me to my core. We couldn't find anywhere where we felt like we "fit" and so we haven't been consistent. My husband broke his leg in a fight with an auto thief, and shortly thereafter suffered a life threatening blood clot and was hospitalized... we've been dealing with blood clot issues since then. I AM NOT complaining, just sharing my experience. These things, among some major more personal things... I didn't handle them all as well as I thought I would/could/should have. I found myself until about 6 months ago... struggling... struggling to be encouraged, struggling to feel motivated to looking forward to what God had in store when I was honestly afraid I'd be "disappointed". There were moments I felt "abandoned". In truth there were days I thought "Lord, where in the world are you?"

My very small human mind huh?

What have I learned? It's okay to walk through valley's... as long as you keep walking.
That's what God's grace is for.

CUE: the open field, the expanse... the freedom!!!

THANK YA JESUS!

Here we are. My marriage... I could go on and on, I am so madly in love with this incredible man, praise God for moving in, and strengthening us! My children... they're almost 3 years (Levi) and 14 months (Blaise) and they are BEAUTIFUL little human beings. Our finances... God's bringing conviction, wisdom, and blessing!

Now here's the part where we're making decisions... and we want it to be the right ones...

I don't want to walk in fear, I want to hear from God... I want to know clearly what we are supposed to do.

We may be making some big changes, and I'm quietly trying to hear exactly where God wants us. We want to feel like we belong because we want to be RIGHT where God wants us, the center of His will. We're ready to "fit" into His will for our lives. We're ready for an awesome church home. We're just READY! Whatever that means, we're listening and want to hear what God says!
 
























Thursday, May 19, 2011

Mommy of two 2 & under - top 10 must haves!!!

 These are a few of my favorite things...

I always wanted to do a blog post like this, as I've collected things for my boys I've really studied, researched and taken time to consider before investing in them. I thought I'd share my "finds" with you!

I consider them life savers/ peace of mind/convenient/ ooooo I just really LOVE this thing!!!

The titles of each item are connected to the links for those items!


 These are a few pictures, but they DON'T do this stroller justice... 
The seats are detachable! They are very light, can face toward parent, away from parent, toward sibling, away from sibling, be used with almost every infant car seat thanks to a handy attachment that comes with the stroller (most you have to buy separately) and of all it's amazing perks, they took it up a notch, it also comes with a detachable ipod dock w/ a speaker for us walkin momma's

I was skeptical about how easy it would be to remove the seats and flip them around but I did it three different times in the middle of the mall a few days ago - they are so light and easy to switch around if infant wants to see mommy but toddler wants to face out and/or you need toddler to face infant to entertain him when he's ILL (PHEW!) I won't lie, this stroller is not for the faint of heart, or those who want something they can just toss in and out of the car, the frame is heavy (54lbs) it's tall when folded up so it's a little awkward if you're short (like me) haha. But in my opinion all it's perks make up for it's weightyness BY FAR.
 
 


 (not sure why in the world there is a halloween bag in this photo I found?)

I love this because I didn't want an icky potty seat sitting around with my 10 month old sure to find it. It has an adjustable tab in the back that makes it fit to almost any toilet, has a built in step stool and handles so they can climb up and down by themselves, and MOST importantly, a splash guard... haha, mom's of little boys will greatly appreciate that feature. I really like that Levi can do it himself; if he needs to run to the potty while I'm nursing I won't have to worry about him falling in... it took me 45 minutes to get him off of it the first time he used it because he liked it so much... haha he sat there read Dr. Seuss books.




This doesn't really need a lot of explanation, except that it's easy, large enough to hold several diapers, a wipe case, and some booty cream. BUT it's small enough, and has a wristlet attachment so that you can slip it on your arm or button it on the stroller. I also really like that it is wider on the sides then your average straight lined changing pad... it keeps little arms OFF of nasty public changing tables.



Now, this is not a necessity for everyone, but for us, after lots and lots of research we came to the decision it was a necessity for our newborns. It is an expensive investment, but we plan on having at least two more children so we knew we would put it to good use... AND it gave us peace of mind. It is made without the use of harmful chemicals used in conventional baby mattresses to make them "flame retardant" (formaldehyde etc...) It is also dual sided, one side is firmer so new borns don't "sink" into the mattress, flip it to the softer side for toddlers. I also highly recommend this website (just click for link)
 


 I LOVE mine! My parents got it for me for Christmas when Levi was little and I've been crazy about it ever since. There are several different brands coming out with babyfood makers that are similar and less expensive. This steams, puree's, cooks rice and grain - it does it all. I like it for it's convenience, I can nurse Blaise and by the time I'm done his meal will be cooked, I just puree it and dump it in a bowl. You can purchase a spice ball and a separate rice and grain cooker which are very inexpensive, I think there are several other attachments and goodies you can add to it as well as those.





I've used several different types of these, some are individual with lids that you can just take and go, some are units with "cubes" like an ice tray. For long term "food cube" storage I prefer the silicone ones you can just push the food cube out of. I do that with items I can't just smush with a fork, the individuals pots with lids are easy for planning meals to grab and go.




We LOVE Melissa and Doug, I love the "old school" look of wooden toys, but these have a modern fun and EDUCATIONAL twist. Bright colors, they hold up well... we have lots of the puzzles, learning toys, play sets, and pretend food, we love them all!



These are like giant foam puzzle pieces. We have hardwood floors so when the boys started walking and crawling I was constantly chasing after them to keep them from falling on the hardwood. Also, it's hard to keep clean & my husband is a police officer so I'm always like "I don't even want to know what's on your boots" (If I could get him to remember to take them off... anyone know of a product for that?! People are NO ALLOWED to step on the play mats!!!) We found these and they made things SO much easier. I've seen them at Target, Walmart, Sams Club etc... they're inexpensive and easy to find.



What's there to say?! I love dressing my boys like "little men" I especially LOVE distressed blue jeans on my boys... I love getting great deals on them too! Gap, Crazy8, and The Children's Place all offer "grown up" looking jeans in little people adjustable sizes!

So... I LOVE my coconut oil... and so do my kids. It was introduced to me by another "Oatmeal mom" (click "oatmeal mom" for previous blog link... it's good for a giggle) It's great for skin, hair, eyes, and nutrition all around. It contains Lauric Acid which is SUPER HEALTHY for everything from digestion, to eczema, to cancer, to weight loss & even boosting YOUR metabolism (haha, I forgot that benefit, I need to start drinkin the stuff). It's extremely beneficial to baby's health. I put it in the boys food (tastes buttery not tropical, great served on veggies, lentils, avacados etc.) It is also a natural anti-fungal (thrush)     
 
                                                                                             

      There you go, My mommy must haves vol. 1                        
 




Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday the 13th FUNK!

I am by no mean "superstitious" BUT if I didn't know Jesus, today might have started to make me wonder

Was it Friday the 13th AND a full moon?!

Blaise
  • Blaise pulled a (kiddie size but wooden) chair down on top of his head creating his first "pop knot"
  • He (some how) found a grape & tried to eat it... resulting in one horrifying moment for Mommy
  • He has a yeast diaper rash... again. (thanks anti's & strep throat)
  • He's cutting 4 or more teeth - two of the evil doers have popped through, there are "pearls" in 4 other places... Levi did the same thing, cut them all within 3 and a half months... You can start praying...
  • Would NOT let me put him down, nursed me dry... wondered why I was so sore... hello thrush... OUCH... meet my friend vinegar... OUCH.
  • pooped through clothes... TWICE
  • spit up... all over me

Levi
  • Asked to watch a movie in his room & since I'm working on the baby shower I'm hostessing with some girlfriend's this weekend, I obliged. Ah, quiet... right? I think not... 
  • BOOM CRASH BOOM
  • toy box broken (antique passed down for years and years)
  • Every item in his closet removed and strewn EVERYwhere...
  • Marked on his new white shirt with markers
  • Pee'd through clothes
  • painted himself with organic expensive chocolate pudding
  • locked himself in his room... while I was nursing... a baby who didn't want to stop nursing... run w/ baby attached to booby; set free toddler...
  • mommy says no; Levi says GOOOOOOOOOOOO (I.E. he didn't listen to a cotton pickin thing I said today)
  • rearranged my furniture... seriously...
  • Tried to play "basket ball" with my CATERING RACKS (with fresh lovely bows I'd worked on for 2 hours last night) needless to say he missed the shot, but my catering rack did not miss the random pan with olive oil sitting behind it... but bless the Lord my beautiful bow was spared.
  • Levi pretty much climbed, karate chopped, jumped, or crumbled everything in his path today...
It was just one of those days
All in the middle of me planning a baby shower... I was wrestling them and...

   THIS: this is just what I've been working on last night & today... not the weeks of prep we've already done (yes, I'm serious about party throwing)... and not what the other 2 girls are working on at home right now...

  • I have 22 dessert shots to make (strawberry cheesecake, & "dirt" pie)
  • I have strung 9 letters & tied 66 bows
  • One of my very best friends, Mandy, and I have tried our hands at hand designing & making almost every item at the shower...
  • I have skewered 70 olives, 30 tomatoes, 50 cheese cubes, 30 pickles, 60 dollops of cream cheese, ANNNNNNNND 60 delicately folded pieces of ham... hahaha bet you're wondering "what the heck?"
  • annnnnd sliced my hand with... tin foil

Pictures to come!

I am passionate about design... and excited to see how everything turns out...
I don't mind chasing after two cute boys while I do it either... BUT I'm pretty sure they have a "my mommy has something important to do" sensor... so let's act CRAZY....


A day in the life...








Monday, May 2, 2011

Pardon my poo panic

Pardon my poo panic
Tonight we began to wind down our evening and I was getting Levi ready for bed, I flipped back his covers... and was horrified to find an ominous brown pile staring up at me

My breath caught...

You see, all I could remember was the day before yesterday...

We attempted a "naked" day so that every time Levi had the sensation that he needed to use the bathroom he would know to tell me instead of going in his diaper or underwear... I have a lot of friends who've used this method and had a pretty easy time potty training their kids... 

plus, he loved tee teeing on our organic fruit loops

Levi has a routine, he does his "business" twice a day on a normal day... and I can always tell when it's almost that time.

He hides in his closet, behind his door, or behind the leather chair in our living room. Always.

I had just gotten him off round 2 on the potty. We were aiming for every 20 - 30 minutes

He was playing in his room and I didn't think anything about him going in his closet, normally he shuts the doors, if he's got "work" to do plus, he was digging around in his toy box so I went about my laundry duties...

All of the sudden.... I hear "MOMMY MOMMY I POOPED IN DA FLOOOOOOOOR"

did I mention our 9 month old was ALSO in the room playing with Levi, and all I could imagine was the horror stories I've heard from other friends... something about "poo becoming finger paint... or (gulp)... food.

I ran. He ran. We met in the middle...

I saw the poo down the backs of his legs, & went flying past him to secure the baby and started yelling for Aaron (beloved hubs) to come help me.... 

Thank GOD my two years old's WELL KNOWN mischievous streak didn't rear it's naughty little head... 

and my fabulous husband cleaned up the offensive funk in the closet floor

SO....

Tonight when we began to wind down our evening and I was getting Levi ready for bed, and  I flipped back his covers... and was horrified to find an ominous brown pile staring up at me...

upon closer examination I realized he'd tucked some of our afternoons meal on the go (arby's roast beef) into his cowboy boot, and had left it behind in his bed after nap...
I've never been so relieved to see fast food in my life...


(pardon the blur, taken w/ camera phone, old pic,  he's now (mostly) paci broken & no longer sporting a mullet  haha)

- Always - (willing to add a little dramatic flare to your day,)
  Sunshine

Monday, March 28, 2011

To my sisters, Military Wives; & our beloved HEROES.


I say (sister's) in all seriousness
 Only you know what I have known... and only I know what you have known...


I saw something online that cut me so deeply I haven't been able to get it off my mind.
I can't quote it directly anymore because when I went to find the quote it had been far removed by comments from other peoples reactions to a youtube clip from the movie 'Good Will Hunting', the comment I saw stated something along the lines, that anyone who enlisted in the military were puppets for the government administration and deserved to be... killed.
 
I cried when I read this - yes, I really did. It broke my heart... Is this really what people think of my husband? Is this really what they think his motive was for serving in the Marine Corps... 
 
and my precious friends, who have sacrificed time, memories and moments they can never get back for something they BELIEVE in...
that belief is that Freedom means sacrifice. Their sacrifice.
 
I am NOT starting an argument, you have the right to believe what you will. I do know this, my husband nor any of the other men I know who have served in our armed forces signed up to be government puppets. They enlisted in the military for me, you, our children, our parents, friends, sisters, and brothers...
 
 To undermine the motives of my husband and other men like him, and call them murderers, and government puppets made me physically ill.
I am going to share my vantage point as a military wife... and how I view 
MY MARINE.
 
His heart is to serve, protect, & honor his God and Country
 
His Sacrifice.
 
blistered bloodied feet
chapped faces, hands, any skin exposed to wind, and sand.
120 degree heat
below 30 at night
hot water in his canteen
socks that haven't been washed in a month plus, sometimes underwear too.
48 plus with no sleep
days with no food
witnessing the deaths of comrades he'd stood beside that very day, his brothers.
Holidays: family birthdays, halloween, his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas (our first married) New years, Valentines day...
kisses and hugs, sleeping by his new wife.
sick with no one to comfort or take care of him
fear, being surrounded by people who would love nothing more then to see him die.
bullets
wounds
the comforts of being home
his puppy, Dixie.
Walking for miles with 90 plus lbs of gear, in 120 degree heat, weighing down his exhausted body

Military wives sacrifices (from my perspective and experiences)
 
only tee shirts, and the clothes he wore right before he left to remind me of his smell, I never washed them.
I only shared the first month of our marriage with him
Alone in bed at night
Thunderstorms alone
cockroaches, alone (The horror)
I battled his stolen identity, alone.
holidays, birthdays, alone
my first apartment without him in it, but his clothes filling our closet
waiting for the phone to ring every second of every minute
once it fell in the toilet, the hour it took to get a new phone... was torture. What if he called.
Pregnancy scare/buying my first pregnancy test... alone
taking care of his dog, who missed him, and ate everything in our house just to prove it.
managing finances for our house hold for the first time. alone.
buying his new truck alone
living, breathing, waiting, marking the calendar alone.
fearing every knock on my door... alone.

This is minor in comparison to the women whose husbands don't come home
or the mothers.
or the fathers.
or the children without daddy's.
 
I realize it offends some to say that being married to someone in the Military is more difficult... but in some ways it just is...
Some girls marry Marines, Soldiers, Seamen, or Airmen with the notion that it's special or extrordinary... and it is. But they fall in love with the idea of being married to a hero and don't realize the sacrifices they too will have to make. They don't know how to really be ready to support someone who chooses a life of sacrifice, and a life of missing out on moments they can never get back... it gets hard, and scary. It gets lonely. 

The divorce rate for our Precious Heroes is one of the highest in the country.
It's a hard life to live...
but some things are just worth it. 

To my precious friends who stand beside their beloved men in uniform no matter how hard things get...

God Bless You. God bless your sweet man. Or Brother. Or Father.
 
We say goodbye to our husband, brothers, fathers, and friends for 4 months, 7 months, 9 months, 15 months............
Because this is their mandate; To protect the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. YOU are their mandate.

Please appreciate them.









Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thankful Thursday # 1

Thankful Thursday # 1

I wanted to start this weeks (34) ago, a challenge of sorts from my friend Candra to find things I am thankful for every week. Sometimes the "small" blessings get lost in the chaos of 2 boys, a husband who works full time, and goes to college full time, and trying to remember that we're out of clean towels/bowls so I need to do laundry and dishes... amongst much else, but too much to say.

I have struggled over the last two years, I have struggled in my christian walk and battled with my faith. After my family has taken some pretty hard blows, I have been unsure of what to do next, and afraid to step out on God's promises for my life because things didn't happen the way I thought they would or should...

BUT

God has been stirring me... I feel like I'm waking up.

Praise God.
I don't know if I'll remember to do this every week, for those of you that know me I am relatively hair brained, which I hope to be an endearing quality....

I hope. haha.

  1. I am thankful and blessed to be watching my eldest little boy, Levi (2)... turn into a bright, INTELLIGENT, handsome, mighty little man of God. I cried looking at him in the car today because I am just so amazed by him.
  2. He still gives me kisses on the lips, I'm really thankful because they make my day!!!
  3. I am thankful and honored God chose me to be the mother to my two little men... He chose me to raise up leaders, that blows my mind
  4. I am thankful for the last 8 months with Blaise Judah, my sweet "Bumble B" and his life time to come!
  5. I am thankful for SUCH a patient husband, as I stated above, I'm a little hair brained and he just takes it all in stride. 
  6. I am thankful God has heard my prayers to order my steps in His word, I struggle with being organized but need the stability. I've been praying God would help me be focused on organizing my/our home/finances/priorities, and more importantly teaching my children.
  7. I am thankful for fantastic gray (sidewalk by N.Y.C) nail polish! It's so super chic! 
  8. I'm thankful for the relationship my husband has with my family, it's brings me so much joy.
  9. I'm thankful for hunger for the Word.
  10. I am thankful that I know right motivation for good health is coming, I LOATHE diets, but struggle with my weight... I've been praying God would purify my motives for weight loss because I know only then will I be successful.
- The End -

Monday, March 21, 2011

Pawpaw and the pickle; In memory of my Pawpaw James Larry Williams

This is my Pawpaw
James Larry Williams 

I could cry writing this, but I won't. My Pawpaw was a SPIT FIRE, he'd get onto me if he caught me writing this memorandum with grief... so I will do it with Joy.
I want to make him proud. 

"Amongst a crowd of Angels there's a cowboy hat; That would be him"

Here's where my ABSOLUTE most favorite memory of my Pawpaw comes in.

Levi was about 5 months old in this picture - and that thing in his mouth, is in fact, a pickle...

When Levi was little he had bouts of reflux pretty badly, he'd cry and cry and I felt so helpless. There were times when almost nothing helped him and it broke my heart...

We went to visit with Pawpaw one day and Levi was fussy with his tummy. Pawpaw said "Give that baby a pickle" I said "WHAT?"... 

Give my baby a pickle?!
Many of you know I'm particular about my kids, funny about what they eat and drink. I use natural/organic remedies when they're sick, and I make their baby food, following the "they can eat this when they're this age guidelines" to a T... I wasn't so sure I'd seen pickles in the section for "Your 5 month old can eat this"
 
Pawpaw swore to me a pickle would cure Levi's upset stomach...

I guess a pickle is natural?

Not only did Levi thoroughly ENJOY his pickle... but sure as the sky is blue... he stopped fussing with his tummy...

I am a firm believer that pickles can in fact cure stomach aches, and that my Pawpaw is brilliant...

So sure of it in fact, that Blaise is gumming on a pickle as I write these very words...

Not only do pickles appear to cure stomach aches, they are a GREAT, COLD, teether for achey baby gums!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

When kid containers become posessed; and why I'm so glad I'm saved...

Fishing trip +
Levi (2)
Blaise (7 months)
Mommy (25)
Daddy (28)
(Parental ages included for visual consistency) 
= Mass CHAOS/diving in goose poo contaminated lake water to make a daring rescue...
(don't get too worried, it's not what you think)

Yes, you may be thinking:
"Sunshine & Aaron, WHY, did you ever go there?" 
 This I say to you: 
I blame it on a temporary loss of the common sense God gave me...


A brief history lesson...

 Sometimes I look around, and think to myself (occasionally out loud) "Did that really just happen?" Anyone who knows me, knows I have an affinity for getting myself into (we'll call them unique) situations... Today was a whopper.  Be it catching weird illnesses (once I had something called "Labrynthitis" (an infection of the inner ear, like, way deep down in there) Symptoms: Vertigo (I.E. inability to walk, b/c the world whirls about you, and you're too busy throwing up b/c you can't seem to get a hold of your equilibrium, your speech is slurred, and you walk like someone who's been on a 3 day drinking binge) Yup, I totally caught that, also how I figured out I was preggers with Levi!
(it's just strange, you've got to admit)

more current, but still history... 

We have had Levi's "Spida Man" fishing pole hidden in our bedroom for a couple of weeks now because Levi did not understand the concept that fish live in lakes... I'm pretty sure "catching" your baby brother, who is not a fish, nor any other form of aqua life, was not it's intended purpose...

A day that will live in infamy...
(I'll tell it like the tale it is)

"One small step for (Levi), one giant (show) for mankind"

When we laid Levi down for his nap, and laid his head to rest on the promise that if he took a good nap... we were going fishing. One and a half hours later we hear from Levi's room "DADDY, MOMMY, I ONNA GO FISHIN, I ONNA GO FISHIN!"... Aaron and I looked to one another adoringly "AWWWWWWE... He's so excited" says I. 

In preparation for our trip, Aaron took Levi to the back yard and showed him how to cast and reel (obviously assistance was required.)  We got everything together, (Spida man fishing pole included) Fishing is actually a special and favorite past time for Aaron and I, we did  a lot of it in North Carolina (I did most of the actual catching, muhaha) So... We were super excited to pass on our favorite past time to our 2 year old (again, what were we thinking?) 

We got to the Lake, got everything out of the car... Blaise was sleeping (perfect) ... (he woke up 2 seconds later)... We made our way to the shore line and set Levi up with his pole... he was content slapping it in the water, screaming "COME HERE FIIIIIIIIIIIISH"... Aaron and I cast a few lines, Blaise was content in the stroller... things were going nice and smooth (aside from massive amounts of goose poo) Levi and I decided to walk down the shore line, and Aaron stood by Blaise working on his pole. As we made our way down the shore line a little ways, Levi kept getting closer and closer to the water...I kept fussing at him and telling him to stay back (anyone who knows my child knows he's about as stubborn as fat on butter) I cast my line and was reeling away while watching Levi throw rocks in the water and... SPLASH! (oh my gosh) Levi slipped on mud, and fell in the water (and goose poo) thank the Lord the water was only about 5 inches deep, he came out muddy, but none too worse for the wear (Thank you Jesus)

By that time Blaise had decided he loathed the car seat (attached to the stroller) So Aaron and Blaise were making their way toward us...

We cast a few more lines and then IT happens...

Out of the corner of my eye I see something moving toward the lake... 
I see a man running...

I re-adjust my focus and realize, our stroller AND car seat... has plunged to it's death (okay, less dramatically, it's goose poo'd soaking) and is sinking rapidly (pacis, shoes, two sweet teas, baby toys and some sani-wipes all met their demise) Aaron hands me Blaise and takes off running toward the stroller, where a man who saw the tragedy take place was also headed... 

this is the worst part...

 The stroller was on a FLAT patch of ground, about 6 feet from the shore line, with the BRAKES engaged!!! All we can figure is that a gust of wind (it was extra windy) caught the shade and blew it into the water? I was standing there watching, with a muddied Levi yelling "I NOT WEAVIN" (fat on butter) and my poor poor husband wading into 4 feet of COLD, crap infested water trying to rescue Blaise's stroller and car seat! Some how along the way Aaron got a fishing hook stuck in his flip flop, a few curse words were "muttered" and Aarons flip flops also met their demise by homicide (drowning)

40 minutes, a February swim, a few curse words, a tantrum for "pwetzels", finagling a toddler seat into a rear facing infant seat, a sopping stroller and car seat in the trunk, the eyes of every person around the lake seemingly boring holes into our foreheads, a toddler nervously strapped into a regular seat belt, and a shot set of mommy, and daddy's nerves later... we have just completed out very first family fishing trip... 

EPIC FAIL... funny memories


At the time I was so stressed out, I didn't find the humor in the whole situation...


But here's a few thoughts:

(1) Levi only fell in 5 inches of water and goose poo, thank you Jesus for protection (and thank you for a healthy immune system)
(2) Blaise was not in his car seat, again thank you, thank you, Jesus for protection!

(3) Aaron can always buy new flip flops :)

(4) If we had caught that on video, we could have sent it to America's funniest home videos
(it totally would have won)

(5) Prayerfully since we know God covers a multitude, he gave the people witnessing our very public melt down, grace for two flailing, panicked parents just trying to keep it together...

 (6) we learned, we will never, ever, EVER, attempt fishing with an infant and toddler again... There is a no fishing until an age 5 MINIMUM. 



A day in the life... Thank God for His grace.