Oh.....the changes!!!

Well, our little Ethan is now 8 months old. How time has flown by. Everyone said it would. I'll try not to go on and on about just how wonderful and adorable he is at this age. I used to want to throw up when people would talk incessantly about their kids as if nothing else in this world existed.

He is sprouting some teeth on the bottom. He smiles all the time. He does have a little temper and believe me....he lets you know when he NOT happy. lol I believe he gets that from me. Wink wink.
He is making his best effort to crawl everywhere he can. He can no longer be left "alone" except when we put him in his saucer.

I haven't talked to a good many loved ones in awhile. Just to give you a quick update on things...Daniel still owns his own restaurant, Shreno's. He still manages to work full-time for C.C. Dickson Co. as an outside sales representative so he is in the car just like I am every day. He began a new journey in the restaurant world this past month. He will managing the restaurant on the mountain at Hickory Ridge golf course. He has had his eye on this facility for awhile since it first opened and was approached by the current owner to run it and serve his Shreno's food there.

It is a beautitful facility with a spectacular view from the mountain. I consider it dining at its finest in T-Town. As many of you with children know, having a child is expensive. I am so proud of him for making the sacrifices he makes to provide and take care of our family by trying to bring in more income. Although he wanted to take on this venture, it is not "his" restaurant and he is still willing to put his best foot forward and take pride in making another restaurant grow.

With Daniel having his other two commitments, it is a challenging at times to get the laundry done, load the dishwasher, take a shower, shave my legs, wash my hair, go to Wal-Mart, feed/bathe and go about our daily routine when it comes to taking care of little one and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes I miss spending time with friends. Having that occasional glass of wine on the back porch watching the sun set in complete silence doesn't happen anymore. However, I wouldn't trade Ethan for anything in this world. Being a mother is the best feeling in this world next to being a wife, a daughter of such wonderful parents and a sister who is finally pregnant!!!!

Yes, my beloved Erin is pregnant. Praise the Lord. This is nothing short of a miracle after all of the effort she and Jonathan have put in to conceiving. I am so proud for them and so excited!!!

Well, Christmas is on the way and it will be Ethan's first one. I cannot wait to see how he reacts to the lights! It makes my heart melt when I look into those big blue eyes!!

I am going to try to do better at this blogging bit. Today, I read one of my dear friend's blogs and it inspired me to get back to mine. Thank you, Cristin. I miss you so.

My Miracle

Well, my precious 6 month old, 3 week miracle is now gibbering and jabbering all kinds of things. He is holding his bottle on his own. He can sit by himself. He can't pull himself up to sit yet, but he's working on it. Still trying to figure out this crawling thing. He has figured out that he can roll everywhere. lol He is eating "mushy" food as I like call it and loves it. Why wouldn't he? He's going to love food like his mama and daddy.

He woke me up at 5:04 this morning and was ready to eat of course. Although I am quite frustrated at having to get up earlier than I would like to, it's hard to be mad. He won't let me. Lately, when I'm feeding him his bottle, he reaches up and wants to touch my face. I act like I'm going to eat his fingers and he laughs. He laughs a lot and for that we are thankful. He seems to be a very happy baby and we couldn't have asked for anything more.

I am tired though. It seems that sterilizing bottles is a never ending task. I feel like a machine sometimes. I'm not complaining mind you, but I feel like I'm always in a hurry. I hurry to do the laundry. I hurry to vacuum. I hurry to go to the store.....rush, rush, rush. Is there anyone out there who feels the same way I do?

Forgive me. For some reason, I never posted this......yeesh!! Two months later......

A Good Weekend

Well, as you can see, I haven't blogged in quite awhile. I was really hoping this was going to be something I would do very regularly. However, time just doesn't permit it these days. There are a lot of things I don't do the way I would like to do anymore such as clean house, read, pray, exercise, keep up with friend/family, sleep, cook....the list goes on and on.

I was fortunate to have a good weekend with my two favorite men. Daniel took Saturday night off (something he is trying to do every other weekend now). This has been great for us, I believe. We had a "date night" and went to Griffin. We were going to go see a movie but the one we wanted to see would've put us a lot later picking up Ethan so we headed back to T-Town. We took the Williamson route and ended up watching 2 hot air balloons for awhile. Then, when we got back to town, we stopped by Wal-Mart and purchased Monopoly (which Daniel ended up forcing me to go bankrupt!!!). This has never happened to me fyi. Funny how we can have a good time together just doing simple things.

Sunday, we went to Macon after church to grab a bite to eat at Taki (our favorite Japanese restaurant). Then, we dropped in on my sister and brother-in-law. After visiting with them, we went to see my old neighbor and very dear friend, Miss Nell. Miss Nell is now 95 years young and still lives alone. Her apartment is still as immaculate as it ever was when I lived back to back with her at the Vistas (in Macon). She is truly an amazing woman and I am proud to have known her. When we visit, it reminds me of chats I had with my own gramama, Betty. She was amazing too and would've been so proud of my marriage to Daniel and Baby E just as Miss Nell was.

We were neighbors when Daniel and I met. I had many a chat with her while I was "waiting" for Daniel. She helped me understand that it was o.k. to be alone and she also made me take pride in being a strong, single woman who could take care of herself. She was and still is invaluable to me.

It's so crazy how much of my life has changed in the last 3 years. Everything has happened in fast forward, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. What a blessing to have a loving husband and a beautiful, smiling baby boy to wake up to and come home to every day.

God is good.

Women of Faith

I went to my first Women of Faith meeting last night. This is a group of women from our church, Mountain View Baptist, who get together once a month to have prayer, bible study and to fellowship with each other. I had my reservations about going because Ethan is about to be 3 months old and I feel like my evenings are cut short as it is with my commute. However, God has been working on me for awhile to get more involved with our church. As I have gotten older, I'm not so easily swayed to "step outside the box" when it comes to doing things like this. I am a big believer in praying about what God wants for us. So, I went. It was wonderful.

I met some very kind, strong Christan women. We ate together, chatted about our families, work and how God IS working in our lives. We brought up prayer requests for those who are in desperate need at the moment. We listened to our hostess read some scripture and then we did something that was truly amazing. From the moment everyone walked in the door, everyone was asked to take a helium filled balloon and tie it around their wrist. I will admit that I was less than enthusiastic but I played along. I knew it would be irritating to me to try to "deal" with this ridiculous balloon while eating, talking, etc. Most of the meeting was held on a deck outside looking out over Hagan's Mountain. It was beautiful.

Anyway, before we adjourned, we were asked write on a small piece of paper all of the things we wanted to give to God....things that are weighting us down in our lives. When we finished, we slid the piece of paper onto the string of the balloon and tied it so it would fall off. We proceeded to talk about what God wants for us. Then, at the same time, we all released our balloons and watched them float away from this house sitting high atop the mountain. The balloons were many different colors. It was truly a sight to behold. It was the neatest thing to see all of those burdens floating away with those balloons. Just knowing that each woman had released something to God was truly amazing. I felt like I could instantly breathe better.

We all have "things" that weigh us down or irritate us. I am not exempt just because I'm trying my best to have a more positive attitude. It's difficult sometimes to "choose" to be happy when it seems as though most everyone around you isn't, but I have to keep plugging on and pray that God will give me the strength to help lift them up when they can't seem to lift themselves.

I continue to be amazed at God's love each day. He has given me so much to be thankful for. I will continue to praise him and I will try to continue to see good in everything.

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me"

Philippians 4:13

My Drive This Morning

It seems that I got behind everyone that had no sense of time this morning. I tried to shake off my frustration by listening to my favorite tunes. They are as follows: Soulshine by the Allman Brothers (always helps me put things into perspective), Dancing In the Moonlight by King Harvest (because it's just fun), Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus (yes, I said Miley Cyrus), Into the Mystic by Van Morrison (my absolute favorite), Free/Into the Mystic (live) by Zac Brown Band and last but not least Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams (this one really gets me pumped). So, a beginning to another day. The sun is shining and I am fortunate enough to be alive. I was blessed enough to kiss my husband and my baby boy goodbye this morning. I also was fortunate enough to see my parents due to dropping Ethan off on my way to work. What a blessing to get to see so many people I love as I start my day. It's going to be a good day. Thank you God for the gifts you have given me.

The End to a Monday

"The long day is over" or so Norah Jones says and for that I am thankful. Mondays always seem to be the most difficult day at work. Noone is in the mood to be back at work especially if they've had a good weekend. I think it's harder for me now to return on Mondays since we have been blessed with Baby Ethan. I miss him so much on Monday mornings as I'm driving my 55 miles to Mercer. I never thought I could love someone so much. I mean, it's a given I love my husband, but a child? I have never been a woman who just loves children. However, it's true what everyone told me: "You'll feel different about your own." He is evolving into this little person with this little personality. It's amazing!!! He has made it easier for me to have a positive outlook on things. Brittany & Scott Storey spoke at our church on Mother's Day. They sat there sharing their testimony with little Beau sitting between them. She shared a handful of stories about the children that had gone to heaven while they were in the hospital watching their own son fight for his life. All I can say is there are so many things in this world that are of no importance. There are so many things that deserve our complete focus. So, as for the negativity I mentioned in my previous blog....it's out the window and I'm focusing on the people and things that really matter; my relationship with God, my family and my friends. Tonight I pray for those who do not have the peace I possess right now. I have waited a long, long, long time to acquire this peace. It is such a wonderful feeling.

Avoiding Negativity

Trying with all my might to douse all flames of negativity surrounding me today. Life is too short to be angry and frustrated with things I have no control over. I wish everyone would feel the way I do at this moment. I am at peace. Thank you Lord for sending our son Ethan. He has already taught me a handful of valuable lessons. Life is mostly made of choices. I choose to pray and believe that things will always get better. I have decided to ask myself two questions every morning on my drive to work:"Am I proud of how I conducted my thoughts and my actions yesterday and if I'm not, how can I make today different?"