A new year is approaching

Well Christmas has come and gone. I can't believe another year is about to start. Another decade no less. This has been a whirlwind year for sure. And to think that 4 years ago at this time I was pregnant with our little gift from God. The time has just flown by.

Sofie had a ownderful Christmas. Santa was very generous. Since this was her first year of really understanding about Santa I think he got a little carried away but hey, you're only a kid once right? Plus Ken and I had a blast watching her open everything and seeing her little face light up. Now I know some christians believe it is wrong to let your children believe in Santa but I say "who cares". There's no harm in it and the kid is gonna grow up soon enough and learn about the real world. Why not let them have a little more wonder and magic in their lives for a while. I have not met a christian yet who ever said  "Oh my gosh! My parents really messed me up by letting me believe there is a Santa Clause". So just chill people!

Every day Sofie does something that makes me laugh or shake my head and wonder, "how did she figure it out?". Just the other day she put on one of her new tutus ( she's obsessed with them right now) and was dancing around the living room saying "Angelina Ballerina" over and over. Tonight she came out to say goodnight after daddy finished reading books and she jumps into my lap, slaps her hands on my chest and says "boobies". What is it with kids and boobs? Is it becasue I breast fed her? or maybe because mine are rather large? Who knows but little kids have and endless fascination with boobs.

We are heading into a new year and I am hoping to  make some changes in my life. As to whether or not thesse changes will actually occur, well we shall see. I am not really that good with follow through lately. The only thing I seem to have been able to follow through on is having Sofie. That is mainly because I had no choice there. Whether you want to follow through or not, that kid's a comin! So anyway.....I want to change a few things. Mainly I would like to get in better shape and be healthy. I would like to get organized( yeah right) and I would like to be a better housekeeper. Frankly I am surprised we have not had a roach convention in our apartment yet. I am not the best at housekeeping. So those are my goals. Time will tell if I can actually follow through.

Tis the Season

This is the season of Joy. The time when our Lord was born so long ago in a dingy dirty manger in the middle east. What a blessing for all the world that God chose to come to earth and live among his people for a time. What a time of hardship it must have been. Things were much more difficult back then. Even a trip to get water was an exercise in itself. I can't imagine the challenge of childbirth back then. Not to mention safely rasing a healthy child during that time.

l tend to forget all the blessings I have just by being born in the time that I was. By being alive during the 20th and 21st centuries I have been afforded many luxuries that were unimaginable 2000 years ago. Like flushing toilets for example. Now that is a real luxury we take for granted. Or giving birth in a hospital in a sterile environment with docters and nurses on hand to ensure the health and wellness of our little one and ourselves.

This past month has been one of trials and tribulations in our household. I know God is trying to tell us something or teach us something but I have been very focused on myself and on how bad I feel about the whole thing to reflect on God and be thankful for all that I have and all the little things I am blessed with everyday. My daughter is a constant source of joy and laughter but instead of remembering that, I have been short with her and frustrated by her impulsiveness and inability to follow directions the first time around. She makes me laugh all the time because she is so inherently funny. She says and does things that are so hilarious at this age and I have been forgetting to take pleasure in that. 

Also my husband works very hard, AND all the time so I don't have to. I seem to take that for granted often. God has blessed me with someone who is willing to sacrifice his personal happiness everyday by going to a job he hates just so I can stay home and be with Sofie. That is a major blessing from God and gratefulness has not been in my character in that area lately. God blesses me even when I fail to recognize it.

So don't let life steal your joy. Especially now when we are about to celebrate one of the greatest blessing God has ever given us. The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a day!

Boy was yesterday a terrible day. First off Ken gets a migraine which doesn't happen very often. So he wants me to take him to the urgent care. We go and are there for 2 HOURS! Ugh! Then I get an urget call from the real estate agent who is trying to sell our house in Mi. We had a pipe leak upstairs and leak through the ceiling and into the living room all over the hardwood floor. Needless to say it is a disaster. Then we find out that either our gas is off or there is a problem with our heater there. Finally we get a call from the pharmacist who is trying to fill Ken's perscription for migrain meds. Well the med the docter wants him to take is NOT covered by our insurance and costs.....ready for this.....$1,183. Holy Crapola! So needless to say we didnt get it. What a day from hell!

Fortunately we have great friends in the Flint area and a great real estate agent who were doing everything they could to clean up the mess and figure out what went wrong so we can get with our insurance company and have them pay for the repairs. I tell ya, when it rains it pours. So I had me some pizza and chocolate last night and felt a lot better by the time I went to bed.

Sofie is getting allergy tested next week. We went to her doctor today and they got us and epipen and some special cream for her awful eczema. Poor little thing, her skin feels like alligator skin and she digs at herself all the time. She had a flare up of her eczema and we can't seem to get it under control. Anyway, if we get her on some allergy meds this may become a lot easier to deal with.

Well the princess is up from her nap so I better go do some mom things now. Peace out my friends.

Me Time

Well I have just returned from 2 weeks in Michigan. I was able, due to my hard working husband, to spend the Thanskgiving holiday with my family. It was a fun time and I was also able to visit with many old friends and enjoy a lot of catching up time. My mom and dad were gracious enough to take care of Sofie during these times so I could have uninterrupted friend time. Sofie really enjoyed her grandma and grandpa time. We did have one tragedy though. Sofie was supposed to be with her grandpa one night so my mom, my friend Tracey and I could go to a movie in town. Well Sofie didn't want to have any of that. She threw a fit and didn't want to have anything to do with my dad for some reason. This is the second time she has done that. Its actually quite frustrating and I wish I knew how to remedy that. My dad gets really upset when she is like that and I think it hurts his feelings although he would never say that since my dad is not much on feelings. So anyway, that was my trip to Michigan in a nutshell.

Now we are heading into the Christmas season and I am really excited for our first Christmas in Florida. It is a little weird without the snow but we do have some cold weather right now so that is nice. I can't wait for Sofie and Ken to get home so they can see the tree and all the decorations I have put up while they have been gone.

Ken and Sofie are in Mi. Sofie stayed there with my parents and Ken flew up the day after I flew home. He picked her up and took her for a visit with his mom and dad. They will be back on Monday night. I get to have 3 1/2 days all to myself and I am relishing every minute. I plan to watch movies, shop, do some crafts, and sleep whenever and how ever long I want. I love my little girl with all my heart and my husband is my saving grace but I do like my alone time and since having a child it doesn't happen very often. My time alone refreshes me and makes me a better mom and wife.

I am so looking forward to the holidays this year. We are not packing for a cross country move, we dont have to travel anywhere. It's time to start our own traditions. I can't wait to open presents with Sofie on Christmas morning. It is going to be so much fun. She is well aware of Santa and gifts. So now she is old enough to also start learning about Jesus and all that this holiday means to us as Christians. This is a holy time to celebrate the birth of our Lord. I love it this time of year. ' Unto us in the city of David a child is born". Its a great time of year.

I hope Christmas finds you happy and healthy and full of love and joy this year.