Thursday, December 27, 2012

Moving Day!

So now, hubby and I are homeowners!  It's the best Christmas present we could ever have asked for.  It's amazing how different it feels to have your own home!  I love it so much.  I can already tell a difference in the kids too...they are trying to let it sink in that we don't ever have to move again, poor dears (God willing, of course.)  There is a forest/state park across the street that we didn't even know about, where the kids can go on nature walks (which Jackson LOVES), and where JW and I can run to our hearts' content.  There are deer that just show up in our yard.  We have a fire pit on our front patio and we actually had s'mores on Christmas Day!  All the boxes are unpacked, the house feels like our HOME, and we are so thankful.  I am so excited about the memories we will be creating in our new dwelling. 


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tears

So, it seems everyone is posting and blogging about the horrible tragedy in CT last week; and me, not usually one for news, can't stop thinking about it either.  I've been crying randomly, just imagining dropping your sweet child off at school and...that's it.  Especially at Christmastime, when the excitement and joy usually are running high, and our minds are constantly racing to find new ways to bring the magic of Christmas to their lives.  This picture was posted on facebook, and I love it.  It is comforting to me to imagine Jesus there with those 20 children even before the event happened, waiting with them, easing their fears, possibly even showing them His glorious face so they would not see the bloodshed around them.  I'm weeping right now.  And you know what..."Jesus wept" too.  And I love it that our President reminded our nation of that fact...He is crying with us all too.  And He is here to give us a hug and wrap us in his warm, strong embrace.  Let's run into His arms right now and be comforted; hug your children tighter tonight; and pray for our nation, which is somehow seeking God even more it seems like after this tragedy.  Once again, Romans 8:28...

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Liebster Award

I am so excited to tell you that I was nominated for the Liebster award by Natalie Lingren at "The Nurse Practicioner Mom".  Thank you so much Natalie for nominating me and for your great blog, which I discovered while doing the Five Minute Friday series on lisajobaker.com, a great way to meet other bloggers.   Liebster means dearest or favorite. According to Natalie “It's an award for new and upcoming bloggers who have great potential.”

Liebster Award

There are a few rules for this award:

1.Thank the person who nominated you and link back to the nominator in your post.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions presented by your nominator.
4. Create 11 questions for your nominees and answer those too.
5. Nominate 11 fabulous up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers for the Liebster Award.
Eleven Random Facts About Me:
1. My favorite "food" is Cool Whip.
2. I love to scrapbook and wish I could spend more time doing so.
3. I wish I could be a stay-at-home-mom, but I'm also thankful that God has called me to service as a physician.
4. My favorite Bible verse is Psalm 37:4, and has been since high school when I first became a Christian.
5. I speak Spanish.
6. My favorite book is Anne of Green Gables.
7. My favorite movie is "Legally Blonde."
8. The best day of my life was when I became a mommy.
9. I drink too much Diet Coke.
10. I won't water my flowers and they die very early.  No clue why I do this.
Questions for me from my nominator:

1. How did you meet your significant other? When I was in med school at Michigan State, a guy I had a crush on introduced us--we talked on the phone for a month, finally met, and despite 2 break-ups and some drama (on my part, of course), we have been married now for 6 years and have 2 kids ages 2 and 4.
 
2. Vacation at the mountains or the beach? Beach, preferrably in NC
 
3. Favorite childhood book?  Anne of Green Gables
 
4. Are you cooking a Holiday meal? Are you happy about this?  I just cooked my first Thanksgiving meal with my mom's help, and it went very well.  We are moving into our first house on Dec. 21, so I'm thinking very low key for Christmas dinner.  I will probably enlist my mom's help again.
 
5. What current project are you working on?  Learning all I can about Sensory Processing Disorder and autism so that I can better help my son succeed in life.
 
6. Do you own an Esty shop, and if so what is the URL so we can check it out? I wish!  But my friend's shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/ittybittyforkids?ref=em, so you can check that one out.
 
7. If money wasn’t a factor and your kids were all grown what career would you choose?  Same as now, family doctor delivering babies. 
 
8. Cloth or disposable? Napkins, diapers, towels, or nursing pads…your choice.  All disposable.  I applaud those who can use cloth diapers, though.
 
9. Are you a messy or a cleany?  Somewhere in between, though I think my husband would call me messy.  I am very organized, but sometimes I get overwhelmed and tired and don't always pick up after myself.  I try to live by the poem in this post.
 
10. What kitchen appliance can you not live without?   coffee machine--I still use an "old-fashioned" type vs the pods.
 
11. Favorite season?   Autumn--the pretty leaves and the anticipation of Christmas to come.

Questions for my nominees:
1.  What is your favorite thing about blogging?  I love to get a chance to express my thoughts creatively, and I love the opportunity to feel connected to other moms.

2. What is a New Year's Resolution that you find yourself making year after year?  I'm going to read my Bible every day.

3. How do you find time to stay connected with your "real-life" friends?  It's really hard; I have to make a conscious effort to call when I can concentrate and not be distracted by crying babes in the background.  Face-time is very hard for me still.

4. Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest?  Facebook sometimes, it lets me feel connected to friends that I'm far away from.  Never Twitter yet (maybe if I had a smartphone).  Pinterest on occasion, but it kind of makes me gloomy that I'm not making all of the cool things I see on the site.

5. What is one of your favorite TV sitcoms from when you were growing up?  The Cosby Show.  I still love to watch reruns.

6. What is a piece of clothing that you wear even though it's embarrasing?  A hunter green Winnie-the-Pooh sweatshirt from the Disney store from high school; I don't wear it out, but I love it.  Embarrasing!!

7. What is one thing you are proud of from your school years that you sometimes think about to make yourself feel better?  I won the spelling bee in 8th grade!  (But then I misspelled "gherkin" at the State Bee.  Darned pickles.)

8. What movie are you looking forward to watching this holiday season--holiday classic and one coming out in the theaters.  "Elf," with Will Ferrell, and "Les Miserables" in theaters.

9. What books are on your nightstand to read right now?  "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun," and "Jesus Calling" devotional.

10.  What did you make for dinner tonight?  Cheesy Garlic Chicken in the CrockPot from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

My 11 Nominees:
Emily Nelson at http://emilyfirebrand.com/
Meg Danekas at Itty Bitty
Andrea Long at Full Circle
Bekah Kaskubar at The K-bar Ranch
Becky Emerick at Reaching Ahead
Julie at Mercy Notes
Erika at Ltrs2mom
Ali at Glory Itches
Michelle at Moments with Michelle
Kelly at Rocke Blog
These Little Lives

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Wonder

From a series on lisajobaker.com
This one is easy!  I've been admiring the wonder of my children surrounding this beautiful season of Christmas.  They are so excited by Christmas lights, our Little People nativity set, and the idea of Santa coming to bring them toys (of course).  Two nights ago I had one of the best times with them that I've had in months.  I took them to the mall to go to Barnes and Noble (a weekly ritual), but we decided to walk around the mall to check out the Christmas decorations.  When we walked into the mall, we found out it was Spirit Night at the North Pole, and "Santa" was decked out in UNC Tarheel apparel.  I couldn't resist...despite messy hair and being in "normal" clothes, I decided to have their picture taken.  What better way to document our first Christmas back in North Carolina than to have UNC Tarheels plastered on Santa's shirt, ha!


Savannah was afraid at first, but once she got to hold Rudolph, all was right with the world.  :)

Next, we managed to go to B+N, and Savannah pointed at this older gentleman, roundish, white hair, and a red shirt from his employer, "Apple;" she started saying, "Santa, Santa!"  I explained to the man, named Ralph, that she thought he was Santa because we just came from seeing Santa, and he looks a little like Santa because he, um, has white hair too, yeah.  :)  He took it great, and then proceeded to answer the kids' questions about the North Pole.  It was priceless.  I was cracking up, but just enjoying the moment.  At the end, he praised me on my well-behaved and extremely "bright" children; always something nice to a momma's ears! 

On our way out of the mall, Jackson was in amazement over the strategically placed rocks outside that played Christmas music--he didn't want to leave!  It was really cute, which made another nice stranger laugh and we had a nice conversation about kids and he ended with saying how cute my kids were.  Again, filling up my tank with compliments over my kids that I just haven't heard in awhile, so it was very much well-needed.

God knows just what we need and when we need it, and He planned a great evening filled with "chance" encounters for me to get encouraged.  I am filled with Wonder and Awe at He who knows the intricacies of my soul and who loves me so much that He sent His only son as a baby on Christmas, to be my Savior.  Wow.  Don't you just love Christmas?