Reflections and Resolutions

I'm not one who thinks much about the coming of a new year. January 1 typically feels much like December 31 to me. But this year is different. Not only am I ready to leave 2009 behind, I am ready for 2010 because this year the new year feels like a fresh start – a rebirth.

The last 14 months have been difficult for me. I've been in a dark place since we moved to Virginia. But in the last month or so, I've turned a corner. And in turning that corner, the lessons from this year are starting to come into focus more clearly. There's some good, some bad, and some ugly. Here are a few things I've learned.

I am (still) a survivor. I've always believed that I could survive anything. I was raised by my mother's strong example about how we are survivors and how we will do whatever it takes to make it in life. Period. But this year, I've struggled to rebound from the sadness I've felt leaving family and friends behind when we moved. It has certainly taken much longer than I expected to get on my feet again. But I have come to a place where I am starting to see a breakthrough.

Surviving might have been a little easier if I had pursued my faith. I've lacked the desire and the discipline to seek a meaningful relationship with Christ in the last year. I've found it very difficult to get motivated to attend church regularly, to read my bible regularly, and to give praise to God regularly. I know from experience that life is richer when passionately pursuing that relationship with heart, mind, body, and soul. And I know that God wants us to rise up from the ashes. Where I've been trying to survive, He wants me to thrive. Well I want to thrive, too. More on that later.

Love languages can change. For as long as I can remember, my love language has been words of affirmation and Jerry has been "bi-lingual" with acts of service and physical touch. Funny how a move across the country, a new job, a major home remodel, and a baby can shake things up a bit. We've been reassessing our love languages and how we can better meet each other's needs. I'm excited to see where this is headed.

I need to take better care of myself. Through diet. Through exercise. Through doing more of the things that bring me happiness. I've neglected all of this. That's got to change.

A baby changes everything. You know my thoughts on this. I love being a mom. Alex is a delight. I can't imagine life without him.

Blogsville rocks. Blogging has become one of life's simple pleasures for me. I get to keep up with my mom and my best friends. I get to see all kinds of fabulous home decorating inspiration. And I've gotten to meet some wonderful new friends, which just so happened to lead to Alex's first date. Meet Nanny, Solar, and Lila. Such a fun outing.

So these are a few of my reflections from 2009. In one of my reflections, I mentioned something about thriving. Well that's my ultimate goal for 2010. And if I'm going to thrive, I've got to set some resolutions to do things differently. Here's what it looks like for January.

Mission: THRIVE

Goals for January 2010

Deepen my faith by

Attending church every weekend we are in town

Starting a bible study

Deepen my marriage by

Reading His Needs Her Needs

Having a date night at least once a month

Demonstrate self-care by

Committing to some type of physical activity/movement 4 days a week

Eating at least two fruits or veggies per day (sadly, this is an improvement!)

Happy New Year, everyone!

The Greatest Blessing

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

What a wonderful blessing we celebrate today with the birth of baby Jesus.

This Christmas season, I've spent some time thinking about the virgin Mary. Her story hits closer to home now that I'm a mom. It's hard for me to imagine what it must have been like to give birth in a stable - surrounded by animals and hay - with no doctor, no pain relief, no comforts. Just Mary, Joseph and an immeasurable amount of faith that their Lord would make provisions.

Mary's sacrifice amazes me. An unwed, teenage mother. As if that weren't scary enough, she was an unwed, teenage mother to Jesus - God in the flesh. Not just any innocent baby - Jesus - the one person who was sent to save the world. As parents, we feel a responsibility to raise our children well, right? But this takes that responsibility to a whole new level.

And then there's the fact that she knew from the beginning that her sweet bundle of joy would suffer an incomprehensible death. Can you imagine knowing that? The one thing I was so ill-prepared for when Alex arrived is just how much I would worry about his well-being and hoping that nothing would ever happen to him to make him suffer. I'm sure this demonstrates a lack of faith on my part. But this is how I've felt. And I just can't even imagine what it must have been like to be Mary. And to physically witness her son's death - even if she did know the resurrection was coming - it makes me weak in the knees and sick in my stomach to think about.

I am thankful for the birth of Jesus and all that it means for my life. And I'm thankful for Mary, and the faith she demonstrated to live a life with amazing sacrifice, so that we could rejoice in our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord...'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'"
Luke 2:11, 14

Photo Session - Round 2

A couple of months ago, Liz came out to our house and took photos of Alex. Alex was not amused. He didn't even so much as hint at a smile. In fact, we got so few photos that Liz offered to come back for a second session. I'm so glad she did because she got a few smiles this time around. Thank you, Liz.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas! Lots of hugs and love from our family to yours.

Sammy and Alex - Five Months

Five months.

Four months.

Three months.

Two months.

One month.

Eleven days.


Can you believe how much Alex has changed?! I sure can't. He doesn't even look like the same little fella I brought home from the hospital because he's getting so big. But he's just as sweet as ever.

I'm still a little surprised at how much I love being a mom. I went from scared out of my mind and wondering what I had done, to scared out of my mind and head-over heels in about a milli-second when he entered this world. He's just the most wonderful blessing, and he has completely captured my heart.

Let's see, what are we up to five months into this gig...

For the last month I've thought he was teething. Apparently I'm not so great at reading the teething signs because we haven't seen a tooth one. I've now determined that all that fussiness is really just that one certain little boy is spoiled rotten and likes to be held. =)

Alex has achieved mobility status - level 1. He is now rolling from back to front AND front to back. He just rolls himself all over the place.

He also had his first taste of rice cereal. Bless his little heart - he's still trying to figure out how to eat it. Right after you put the cereal in his mouth, he sticks his thumb in to help him swallow. It's hilarious.


Little Man also got his first cold two days after he turned five months old. It really would be so nice if he could blow his nose. I can't stand the sound of that stuff in his nose and throat. It just sounds miserable. Until that time comes, I'll be "chasing slugs," as my neighbor calls it. And Alex HATES the slug-chasing.

On a side note - Alex's cold meant that we had to skip out on this weekend's trip to Charlotte to cheer Jerry on at the marathon. Thank goodness for technology - we sent text messages every hour or so to lend our support instead. Not nearly the same, but at least we could be there in spirit. I'm not sure of Jerry's actual finish time, but I'm proud to say that he did finish despite experiencing some cramping in his legs and neck. Congratulations, babe!

One last update. Have I ever mentioned that Alex enjoys watching Handy Manny? It cracks me up. In the mornings while we're getting ready, we plop him in front of the TV in his swing, and he just smiles at Manny and the tools. Too cute!

Holiday Parlor Tour

Saturday night we bundled up and set out on the Holiday Parlor Tour in our neighborhood. We put Alex in his pjs so that when we got home, we could put him straight to bed. He also sported his new toboggan from his Aunt Candy and Great Granny. They bought him some mittens, too, but please note the action happening with that thumb. It would have been a crisis if we had taken that thumb away from him.

We strolled the streets of Old Southwest looking at one gorgeous beauty after another. These first two weren't on the tour, but they were decorated up so nice that I couldn't resist snapping a photo.

These two were lovely. I'm amazed at the restoration work that the owners did to these homes. So many of the homes in our neighborhood have seen good days, bad days, and good days once again. It's fun living in a place where people are passionate about loving their homes back to life.


Now here's my very favorite house on the tour. Maybe even in the neighborhood.

This is the house across the street from us that I told you was on the tour. I had house envy prior to walking through it. My house envy quadrupled after we got to see the inside. OH MY GOODNESS!! It is marvelous! Kevin and Tarcizio did an amazing job of dressing this beauty up for the holidays.

Merry Little Mirabelle

Last year, Mirabelle saw almost no merry. I was too sad because we had just moved here and the house was under too much construction to decorate. She had wreaths on her upstairs windows, but that was about it.

This year, though... Mirabelle is all decked out in merry splendor - snow included. She's ready for the holidays - and this weekend's Holiday Parlor Tour.

Each year, our neighborhood has a magnificent event called the Holiday Parlor Tour where you can buy tickets to go through seven or eight beautiful old homes. When we moved here, my goal was to get Mirabelle on the tour this year, but then we found out we were pregnant, and, well, that dream fizzled.
Our neighbors across the street are Parlor Tour Participants, and I want Mirabelle shining like the bright little star she is when people come down our street.

I'm excited about the holidays this year. We've got our trees up, Santa watching all that goes on, and a little garland hung here and there. We're ready for a Merry Christmas.