Alex and Mommy!

I just had to post some pictures of me and Alex. I am not in a lot of the pictures because I am always the one taking them :)!! (I prefer it that way..HeHeHe...)

Once Upon A Child

Yesterday I went to Target to get little man some summer clothes. I walked out of Target with a few shirts, a couple of pairs of shorts, a couple of sets of pajamas, and a pair of sandals. My jaw hit the floor when the cashier proceeded to tell me the total purchase amount on a measly few items that Alex will grow out of in two months if that! Also the shoes I bought were too small…I proceeded to try them on Alex in the store, but since he is not used to wearing shoes he protested loudly. I decided it would be just as easy to hold up the bottom of the shoe to the bottom of his foot and there you have it…an inaccurate shoe measurement. Talking to my mom later that evening she mentioned I should try to go to a used clothing store. Suddenly I remembered Once Upon A Child! You see, I have been fortunate to not have to buy many clothes for Alex until now. His drawers were literally empty!! Luckily I kept all the tags on the stuff I bought for Alex at Target and the receipt (got to have the receipt at Target). Today I proudly walked out of Once Upon A Child with more clothes, pajamas, and books among other stuff for less than the price I spent at Target. I was able to return the stuff at Target and feel really good that I got such a great deal at Once Upon A Child. I got lots of name brand stuff that looks immaculately clean and also like it has never been worn. The truth is toddlers who are 12 months old don’t usually wear out their clothes or shoes before they grow out of them! Hooray for being thrifty!! I am never thrifty. Once Upon A Child is my new favorite store for Alex’s clothes. The other neat thing is that you can sell back the clothes you buy as long as they are in good condition!! I would encourage anyone to check it out!!

Pinochle Anyone...

Dan, his mom, and I learned how to play Pinochle over Easter. We had a blast. I had a blast because I won most of the time!! Dan and I have been playing this past week and been having a lot of fun. It is a strategic game that really makes you think. It is a nice change from watching TV. I beat Dan pretty bad a few times but now he is starting to get good. I am learning that I am not a good loser to say the least. Once after Dan won, I threw all of his cards in the air (I was mad because he played me and I could not meld some good cards that I had)…needless to say being a sore loser is not a good trait to possess. I always prided myself on not being competitive, I was sorely mistaken. I don’t tell you this because I am proud of it, but because I was surprised by it! With that said I will try to hold it together when playing cards in the future. I have enjoyed the time that Dan and I have made to keep our friendship and marriage strong.

Best Friends Emma and Alex!!

Emma visiting Alex in his stroller!

So Happy!!

Playing...

Emma and Alex are so cute!! I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with Lori and Emma. I had to post a couple of pictures of Alex and Emma playing!! Emma is such a sweetheart, she is so happy and laughs at Dudley. She also thinks it is funny when Alex crawls...or when he does anything!!

Cousins

Melanie and Alex had fun at the park near our house. Both Alex and Melanie loved the swings. Alex loved being in the dry grass and was trying to eat the woodchips in the playground. It was fun to be outside playing in the beautiful 70 degree weather. I am so glad that Alex has a cousin!! They are so cute together. Alex always wants to see what Melanie is doing and join in. He is still at the age where he thinks everything is his and doesn’t know the meaning of the word “share” yet. Melanie looked at me at one point while they were playing with toys and said, “Alex is not sharing.” We then explained that he doesn’t understand how to share because he is too little – try explaining that to a three year old…nonetheless fun was had by all. Alex was tuckered out by the end of the day for sure!! I hope we can have many more times of the cousins getting together to play. We are so blessed that our family lives so close!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Dan made Indian Cuisine for Dinner! I would much rather have that than ham any day!! It was so great to see Dan's mom! It is always a much needed rest when we go to Gunnison. The drive is long but breathtaking. I was just telling Dan how easy it is to take the mountains for granted! They are beautiful!!

I had to get some pictures of Alex in this Easter outfit before he grew out of it. He is too cute. (By the way we took a million pictures and only got a few keepers, let's just say that Dan and I could not be a photography team taking pictures of children-they are too squirmy and we wouldn't get along)!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!

Alex's New Favorite Place to Play

It is so funny that even the most flashy toy cannot compare to a Tupperware lid!

Dan and Alex's MegaBlock Castle

Well... really Dan's MegaBlock Castle.

Grandma Long bought Alex some MegaBlocks at the Garage Sale for Adoptions a couple of weeks ago. Alex likes the blocks, Dan loves them! He has been asking me if he can buy legos for Alex before he was even born. Much to his dismay, I said we cannot start the lego collection no matter how much he (Dan) wants to. I argued that I would have to be the one to figure out where to store them. Not only that, if Alex did get into them they are a major choking hazard at 10 months old! Here are a few pics of the MegaBlock fun that Dan and Alex had!! I loved watching them play together!! It melts my heart!

Only By God's Grace

The last couple of weeks have been good but tiring. Last week I had a UTI and this week I am struggling with a cold. I admit that part of me was wishing I could just take a day off and sleep like the good old days. Instead I had to get up and take care of little man. I tried to lay down while he played but he wanted me to play with him. The days I was feeling the worst he didn’t nap as well as he usually does. He seemed to roll around more when I was changing his diaper. My attitude admittedly was not the best and little things were getting on my nerves. Then Dan came down with the same cold and he couldn’t take a day off either because he has a lot of work to do. While I could just roll out of bed and keep little man in his pajamas all day, Dan had to get up and look presentable. He had to speak and participate in adult conversation, act like he felt good to keep his teams motivated. He was out in reality while I was at home with a 10 month old who has all the grace in the world for me. Alex smiles and loves me even when I lose my patience. It makes it hard sometimes because I put a lot of internal pressure on myself – like if I only I could be like so and so, I should cook more meals, I should be better at grocery planning, etc. Dan doesn’t put that pressure on me, but I tend to be hard on myself. I want to be the best mom, friend, and wife I can be. The truth I cannot be good at any of it if I do things in my own strength. The last few posts I have posted about homemade baby food and some of my creative endeavors but I realize that I have a lot more time than most people. I get the privilege of staying home and only have one child to take care of. With that said my heart in the matter is to communicate that I struggle just as anyone does. I am desperate for God to help me daily. Life can be tiring sometimes.

This is where Christ comes in. I have been praying more throughout my day because I have to. My attitude like I said is not always the best and I can get very impatient. I see the ugliness of my flesh and it is not appealing at all. A couple of verses that have been speaking to me lately are listed below:

Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

The truth of the matter is that our flesh is always waging war against our spirit. (Romans 7:15) We will never be the women that God wants us to be if we dwell in the “what if’s”…and the “I should be’s”….we are not perfect in our own strength (Phil. 4:13). We can approach Him at any time (Heb. 4:16). He looks at us as friends (John 15:15). He see’s all that He has created us to be (Eph. 2: 8-10). He wants the best for us (Jer. 29:11). He delights in us. So my goal for today is to anticipate my struggles, meditate on His word and cry out for Him when I need help. As Easter is fast approaching I am so thankful that I am in His care. That He died and rose again so that I could spend eternity with God. My sin no longer separates me from His love (Romans 8:39). That I will see my savior face to face one day!! Thank you Jesus for the sacrifice you made for me even when I didn’t deserve it!! May God strengthen you today and give you peace!!

Artistic Diva..Well Not Exactly...

One of my goals for 2009 was to invest in my creative side. As many of you might know I have a million art supplies. Dan is really into hobbies and is always trying to get me to join in. You could just imagine his delight when he came home from work on Friday to see my new paintings. He was thrilled. This year I have kept up on Alex's baby book and scrapbook which has been great. I have also finally used my sewing machine that my mom got me Christmas of 2007. Dan and I had a running joke that I wouldn't use the sewing machine within the first year of owning it. Of course I couldn't let that happen so I did finally make some baby blankets and burp cloths for a couple of friends in October of 2008 (I had to - my deadline was fast approaching). Recently my good friend who is very creative taught me how to make pillow slip covers. Since she taught me a couple of weeks ago, I have made four pillows covers and have plans to make many more.

My other recent project has been trying my hand at painting. Dan got me a painting set for my birthday probably 2 years ago and I was too scared to really bust it out and give it a real effort. Just a few weeks ago I got an itch to create some art for our family room. I had a few attempts that I was not proud of but recently I created four pieces that I am proud to hang over our fireplace. Who knew a few acrylic paints and some canvas could give me such enjoyment. The key was just having fun and letting go. I had to realize that if I didn't like what I created I could just paint over it or start over. I have a feeling we will have more of my new art displayed and many new pillow covers in the near future. I would encourage anyone who is afraid of letting out their creative side to give it a try, you might find you really enjoy it!!!