the end of 2012

well, here we are at the end of another year.  i'm not much for new years resolutions or anything like that, and maybe that's because i'm horrible at actually sticking to them...but at the end of this year i do feel the need to look back at the things that the Lord has blessed my family and i with in 2012.  i'm not going to list them here, but i'm just saying that in my opinion it's good to look back and think about ways in which we have been blessed.

 

"how can i repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?" -psalm 116:12

 

this year in particular has probably been the hardest year of my life so far.  we were blessed with child number four back in january, and it really does seem like from the day we brought her home that our lives have been forever changed.  changed in many more good ways than we will ever know, but at the same time changed in ways that have been so hard.  it's hard for me to even put into words most of the time.  the best way i can explain it is that this year has just been hard.

 

in the midst of this past year we have also received many more blessings than i will ever know.  the Lord has been good to us and especially to me.  seeing me through day after day after day of feeling like i just can't do this, and to be honest, feeling like i just plain don't want to do this. 

 

i am looking to this new year as just that, a new year.  the baby is almost a year old, not as fussy and not as needy (although there hasn't been one night, not one, where she isn't crying as i get her dressed and ready for bed at night).  the boys don't need as much physically from me anymore.  number three is hopefully going to potty train soon.  and i won't need to buy formula or wash bottles anymore pretty soon as well.  those things may seem small, but to me things are looking up in many tangible ways.  maybe you have some small ways that things are looking up for you this next year.  if so, i'd love to hear about them.  i do believe that seeing the blessings in the small things can help with how you go about your day.  really, it's not always easy, but it is helpful.

 

"how can i repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?" -psalm 116:12

 

the verse above has been in my mind this week after i received it in an email.  the Lord has been good to me, to my family.  i will never know to what extent, because in reality His goodness is unfathomable to humans, but i do know that His goodness overflows.

 

so, as i look at the picture below of Miss L, our number three, i can't help but smile.  i also wish that i could bottle up that happiness that exudes from her daily.  oh to be a child again.  this year i want to be a happier wife and a happier momma to those four precious ones that i care for daily.  i don't want to get in the poor me rut.  i want to seek out the daily joy in this house that we call home.

 

happy new year.

 

 

real life

the boys are home today, Christmas break has started.  we ate breakfast a little late, watched a morning cartoon, still in our pajamas, and legos/toys are all over the place.  this is my real life.

real life wednesday

here it goes, real life wednesday take two...maybe this will turn into a weekly post.

anyways, how is your week going?  things have been moving on here as normal, except for the fact that the tragedy of last friday at Sandy Hook Elementary lingers in my thoughts throughout the day.  i found myself not really wanting to take the boys to school on monday, but i did.  i found myself praying for them throughout the day a little more than normal, for their school, and for other children at school that day all over the place.  i couldn't wait to drive up and park in the parking lot and wait for gate to be unlocked so the girls and i could walk up and get them that day.  it was a little easier yesterday and maybe a little more so today when i took them to school, but still making sure i give them that extra tight hug in the morning.  i can't even imagine what the families of those that lost their lives on friday are going through...

Christmas is approaching fast and i am trying to get everything in order.  we will be visiting family for a little longer than the normal this year, and i'm looking forward to that.  not exactly looking forward to the packing though.  it sounds so easy to only pack for a small amount of time, but in all honesty, even just a day trip requires a pretty good amount of packing and prepping on my part.

still trying to finish up some of the handmade presents for this year.  i have really enjoyed making things and feeling like it was a success, because believe me, it doesn't always go that way.  here is a sneak peak of one of the things that i made for my sweet nieces this year.  i am planning on doing a post with everything that i made, just not yet.

i have to laugh a bit because i have been asked to bring dessert to three different gatherings over Christmas.  the reason for the laughing you ask?  well, i've grown to really not like baking over the years.  it seems that every.single.time i try to bake something it doesn't go right, it doesn't go as planned, i'm missing an ingredient, i didn't follow the directions correctly, i under or over cooked whatever it was that i was attempting to bake.  really, not exaggerating when i say every.single.time!  ask my husband, he knows because he hears about it every.single.time.  so, i'm just going to the store for dessert this year and i'm not going to feel bad about it, not one bit.  i may put what ever store bought treat that i get on some pretty Christmas plate though, no harm in that!

oh, and one last thing.  i don't usually have a late afternoon cup of coffee, but i sure did need a cup (or two) on monday afternoon, and i mean late afternoon.  help was definitely needed to wake up and get something done, like dinner!  oh, and i had to get out my camera and take a picture!

oh, just one more thing to keep it real for everyone.  today is wednesday, so ya, i have one child that seems to be coming down with a cold, again.  seems to always happen on a wednesday, and my best guess is that they usually pick up something from sunday school.  oh joy.  lets see how many this cold takes out.  i'm not complaining, but definitely telling it like it is!

the munchkins

 Little A's first Christmas this year

 

 our four fun children

 

these pictures are from our tree decorating evening.  the kids did a great job.  the three older kids were really into it this year, and so excited when i pulled out one of their ornaments.  i remember hanging my very own ornaments as a child.  i only have one from my childhood, it's from my very first Christmas.  i always hang it on the tree every year, no one else get to do that one.

 

i hope all of you are enjoying this Christmas season, hopefully slowing down a bit and really reflecting on what this time is all about, the birth of Jesus.  i'm taking it easy this year on presents, making a lot of them myself.  i will have to do another post on that when i have more of them done.

real life wednesday

maybe {real life wednesday} will become a weekly thing here on this new blog of mine...hmm.

anyways, here it goes.  seems to me that i already feel behind the minute i wake up.  does anyone else out there suffer from this, it must be some kind of momma condition or something.  i go to bed thinking of things that i didn't get done today and will need to try to get done the next day, only to lay right back down in bed that very next evening with another list of many things i didn't do in addition to the other things that i didn't do from the day before.  really, is this how it's going to be from here on out?

i have these ideas of how i'd like the day to go, and before you know it it's 2:45 in the afternoon, the school bell is ringing, we wizz home to do homework, maybe a bit of cleaning, dinner prep going on, i'm sure i need to unload the dishwasher again, etc, etc, etc...

often times i have so many things on my "to do" list that i end up not doing any of those things, but find other things to do.  anyone else do that?  i'm sure there some kind of term for that, maybe i'll look into what that is called.  well, i have been able to get a few things done that i wanted/needed to do.  i also enjoyed putting the "to do" list aside yesterday afternoon and putting this Christmas lights on the tree, so that tonight we can hopefully decorate it as a family after dinner.  the kids wanted to decorate last night, but my husband couldn't get home in time.  he usually does the lights, so i thought that i'd surprise him and do them myself.  i really didn't do as good of a job as he does, but it still looks pretty and i loved to see all four kids reactions.  the boys were able to help and when the girls woke up from their naps they were happily surprised.  so, tonight we decorate the tree.  before that i'm going to attempt to make a huge bow for the top of the tree, hello youtube!  the three older kids are going to make an ornament while dinner to cooking.  i'm getting excited just thinking about the rest of the afternoon.

i'm not sure if this post qualifies as anything other than a bunch of ramblings, but i guess it feels good to write this stuff down sometimes.  and really, i'd love to hear from any of you readers out there who feel the same way or have something funny to tell me about your week.  sometimes a girl just needs to laugh!

and who knows, maybe there will be a few pictures to follow this post tomorrow!

daddy duty

i just love that my husband will care for all four kids so that i can go do something out of the house, by myself.  i know a lot of husbands who do this, props to all of them!  When i returned home yesterday afternoon i turned the corner and onto our street to find the boys playing in the front yard and my husband walking our older daughter around in the wagon.  yay, they were all having so much fun!  upon closer look i noticed that the little lady was playing in the front yard not in pants, but in tights!  oh my!  before we headed in to find a pair of pants, i quickly ran in and grabbed the camera.

 

 

 

my latest deal, a blog & one more thing

one thing that i love with a passion is a good deal.  what about you?  i clip coupons, look for sales, shop on craigslist, occasionally do the garage sale thing, etc.  well yesterday i scored on a great deal, one of the best ones in quite awhile.  here is what i found for freeeee....

 

i was really excited about this table/shelf and thought that it would be a great addition in the bathroom.  well, both right and wrong.  this little table/shelf looks great in the bathroom, but it's a little too big...ugh.  it's just a little too close to the toilet.  well, i still really like it and will have to find somewhere else in our home to put it.  and unfortunately i will have to paint it as well since the bathroom is the only place that something blue would go.  still, a great score. 

 

on to another topic...

 

i must admit that i'm a bit of a procrastinator.  yes, me.  i'm organized and all, but i procrastinate like crazy!  so, last year i made a lot of Christmas presents and really enjoyed it.  i'm wanting to do the same thing this year, but guess what?...i think that i need to start a little earlier!  who would have thought?!  four kids, school, errands, cooking, shopping, changing diapers, laundry, and everything else that i do makes it a little hard to make a lot of things for presents.  i'm still going to do it, but thinking that next year if i get going a little earlier that would be a great idea! 

 

if you are looking for some handmade gift ideas this year, here is a blog that has some really great ideas:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/12/simple-handmade-gifts-part-seven.html

and if you are getting all crafty this Christmas and have something to share, please leave a comment!

just one more thing.  today was "dress all wintery" in my sons kindergarten class.  well, guess what?...big fail momma moment this morning.  i forgot all about the "dress all wintery" day until i was pretty much driving into the school parking lot this morning.  boy, it's days like that when i feel like a big failure as a momma.  i can't even remember to get out a few items for my son to wear to school for a fun wintery day.  **sigh**  on the upside, this friday is "wear a santa hat" day, and you can bet i'm not going to forget that one!

pushing buttons & pouring soap

the title of this post pretty much sums up how the week has been going.  i'm sure that i've accomplished many other things, but today is friday, and i find myself feeling like that is all i have done, push the buttons on the washing machine and added some soap.

i look around the house on this gloomy friday and see a ton of things that i should be doing, but not feeling that i really want to do any of them.  bathrooms need to be cleaned, dishwasher needs to be unloaded and loaded back up again, dust is multiplying before my eyes, floors need mopping or at least sweeping, and the list just goes on...

do you ever have days or even weeks like this?  seems like i have been feeling this way all week long.  little A has been sick since sunday and not really getting any better, so a trip to urgent care with all four children in tow will be happening later this afternoon/evening.  there is a womens event tonight at church that i would love to attend, but i don't really see that happening.  my hard-working husband has worked so much this week that i'm not sure if we've said more that 10 words to each other each day.  i'm not complaining about the job, but i don't really like weeks when the deadlines just keep coming and he doesn't really have a choice.  all we've really done this week is a target run and getting the boys to and from school.

it seems like weeks such as these have me feeling a bit down.  wondering what in world i am doing, and if anything i am doing really matters at all.  if often seems like i look around and everyone else is doing something, like they all have their thing, even the moms with young ones.  then i look at myself and think hmm, what's my thing, i don't have a thing, why can't i just have my thing that i do? do you understand what i'm saying?  deep down i know that my role as wife and momma to these four precious children of mine is important, but i think that we all have times when we feel like this.

well, the sick one is waking up from a nap, so i must go.  hoping to get something done today, one of things that i listed above, something other than pushing buttons and pouring soap, really i am.  but, i guess if all i did this week was push buttons and pour soap, at least we have clean clothes to wear.

road trip

our little family of six went on a road trip during Thanksgiving week, our destination was Austin, TX.  round trip we went a little over 3,100 miles in seven days.  that's a lot of miles for anyone, especially when you have four kids aged 10 months to seven years.  to our surprise, the kids actually great most of the time {thank you dvd player for your help at times}.

lake austin from Mount Bonnell

 

our family was able to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in a ver long time.  our friends have two children of their own.  all of the children warmed up to eachother fairly easily and ended up having a fun time together.  the S family also had us over for Thanksgiving.  it was so nice to visit and just spend time with someone we knew while we were out of town.

 

 

the S family introduced us to The Salt Lick.  as you can see, it was just plain awesome!

 

this Thanksgiving also marked the Mr and I being married for nine years.  nine years filled with many changes, ups and downs, highs and lows, everything in between...i wouldn't want to share my life, or build a family with anyone else.

 



it was fun visiting a new place, getting out of our normal routine, and all that comes with a little vacation.  and yes, it was hard getting back into that routine that i love so much.

here i go again

many of you are familiar with my other blog, i will now refer to it as my "old" blog.  well, i haven't been much into blogging since Little A was born, as you can see if you view the "old" blog.  the last time i checked in there i was about to become a momma of four.  things were a little easier, a little simpler.  there seemed to be more time in the day.  the list of what life used to be like goes on...

but here i find myself almost a year later, a momma of four wonderful children, wanting to start up something new, something fresh, a new place to share what's going on here in life as we tredge on day to day.

bear with me please, i know that my blog entries will be spotty at times.  i pray that you will enjoy them when they do come, that they may encourage you, make you laugh, or even give you that feeling of ok-i'm-not-the-only-one-who-feels-like-that!

so, here goes the "new" blog.  and yes, comments are always welcome!

-andria