an FYI for conservatives about Beauty and the Beast

I just emailed Disney regarding my disappointment about their upcoming movie Beauty and the Beast. I told them that I had been excited to see it since I first heard the announcement about the live action movie... that I am a huge fan of the theater play and have seen it probably 10-15 times... I had planned to see the movie 2-3 times in the theater (which I rarely do!)...

But all that changed because they decided to proudly advertise their decision to include their first openly gay character in the movie. They changed a classic tale to appease what they thought society wanted to "move" Disney forward to whatever place they thought they should be to promote "equality"...

Honestly, if they hadn't advertised it, I would have seen the movie and been potentially annoyed by an openly gay character, probably even disgusted and certainly disappointed that they would change the story to that degree - in a time period/setting that a gay character doesn't even make sense - but I probably would have made the most of enjoying the overall movie.

Because they've chosen to advertise their choice, that is what disgusts me. They're proud they are changing their stories and standards to match what media promotes as society's wishes. I would suggest that if they were going to create an openly gay character, use a new character from a new movie that had no previous attachments or character profiles in the audience's minds.

No, I'm not against homosexuals, and no, I'm not trying to start an argument, so please, no comments against my decision to avoid seeing the movie. The reason I'm posting is because I told Disney I would alert my friends who agree with me that they may not be interested in supporting the movie anymore.

Yes, in general, I shouldn't expect anything different from a secular company, but I can be disappointed and voice my disappointment for their decision. Being silent about these types of things allows them to keep happening.

#bummed

why do we have to go through valleys?

Psalm 23 says that David waked through the valley of the shadow of death. That doesn't sound like much fun. In fact, for many who are going through a difficult time, it begs the question, why do we need valleys? If God is good, couldn't He use His goodness and power to keep life fantastic for us at all time? Wouldn't a life of mountain tops be better?

Actually, that question itself is impossible. A land filled with mountain tops would be a flat valley. Mountaintops are made beautiful by the very fact that there are valleys. And depending on where you are, valleys are filled with foliage that cannot be appreciated from the mountaintop. Both experiences create a fuller experience of life.

For us to be dogmatic and assume all of life should head in a certain direction is an invalid conclusion because the beauty in life and the beauty in creation comes from the multidimensional terrain.

God didn't make this life a flatland. He made it a beautiful world of valleys and mountain tops. It's our job to trust Him through it all. As we trust Him, we can hunt for the beauty in the valleys and soak in the majesty of the mountain tops.

just another day in the life...

So it's a little too chilly to go outside. That means it's time to put on the thinker cap and figure out how to keep Brayden entertained at home. :-)

As some of you have seen on FB, here are some recent ways we've done so....

taking family selfies... (or just "self" selfies if you're Brayden)

playing with cornstarch, water, and food coloring

playing in the sink

Today, I decided it would be a grand idea to make cookies with him. We could bake a batch and then freeze the rest of the cookie dough in premade balls. That went pretty good, although he was very anxious to pour in the oatmeal, which wasn't called for until the end. By the time I had gotten to pouring in the oatmeal, he was much too preoccupied with the raisins and dried cherries I was adding in and wanting to pour those in... and of course, eat them! 

So after we poured the raisins and oatmeal in, we were ready to put the dough on the cookie sheets, but Brayden's plan was different than mine. After he put up a fit when I put the raisins away, I decided I didn't want to fight that battle and I wanted to continue enjoying making the cookies... so he sat there eating raisins while I loaded up the cookie sheets. Then, out of the blue, he decided to try a cookie dough ball... then I had to explain to him one cookie dough ball was enough.... 

Well, the cookies are in the oven now and Brayden is eating a half a PB&J sandwich before the cookies are done. 

I do love living with a two-year-old. They always keep you on your toes! Such an adventure! :-) 

parenting, the speed of time, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2

Yes, I just teared up watching Cheaper by the Dozen 2... and yes, I decided I may keep it around on our DVR for the next six months just in case I need to be reminded of what's coming in January. (The oldest daughter has her baby boy at the end!)

It made me tear up for a lot of different reasons, probably mainly the pregnancy hormones... but I really like the picture of a family it presents. You can't over-parent or your kid will go bonkers, but you love and cherish every moment and let go as they grow older. And I know Brayden is only 1 1/2, but I know how quickly 1 1/2 came... and how time continues to tick by. I just want to enjoy the moments and love my family with everything I have.

I also love that two mom-and-dad homes are prominent in the movie, one of which the marriage has lasted probably 20-30 years and they are still in love with each other. The morals, although still "American," are so much better than what is presented in today's movies. It makes me think it's almost "classic." I know... a movie from ten years ago, classic? Definitely not in the sense of 1950's classic, but there's something about the family morals and values presented that I desperately wish was still presented in media today. A mom and dad... kids who are just kids... humor that isn't bathroom humor or crass... just good, old-fashioned entertainment.

Anyhoo, this wasn't meant to be a post all about media. I'm pondering this whole time-going-by and parenting thing as I watch Brayden get to know our nanny who is helping out while I can't lift him. He already loves her and has developed a relationship with her, and it's a little weird to watch. I can say (as many mommy t-shirts probably say), I will always be his first love. We share a bond that no one else can have... and he will develop different "bonds" with different people.

It makes me think back to the special place in my heart that all the kids I babysat I have... particular the neighborhood families I took care of. I still love those children like they were my own. It makes me realize it's okay to share Brayden.

Now, it might sound silly to write all this down, but as a blogger, I "tip my hand" a little just in case sharing what I feel helps someone else.

I get to share Brayden a lot during this time of bedrest... and some days that's hard, some days that isn't. Brayden has plenty of love and smiles to go around, so I always know I can have special time with him, even if I can't carry him upstairs or lift him into his crib or car seat. I will get to do all that again in six months. Yes, he will be older and it stinks that I'm missing out on putting him to bed for so long, but that has to be okay. I'm learning to enjoy this time with him in a different way.

I think I'm sitting back and watching him more.... He's grown so much in the past month... he's learning life like crazy. I just look at him and think, "He's not a baby any more. He's a little boy!"

I'm looking forward to the future. As I watched the movie tonight, I just thought, I love my family... all six of us... Erik, me, Brody, Brayden, Tucker, and baby number next.

This is exactly the place I want to be.

what works for you doesn't always work for me!

Yesterday I was heading out on an errand after lunch. I grabbed Brayden, put his coat on, and ran out to the truck, which was already running. Halfway there, I noticed that one of Brayden's feet was bare (he had pulled off one sock during nap time). Horror and shame washed over me... "I'm a terrible mother!" I ran back inside and found one of his socks and headed back outside.

One important detail... I live in a state with cold winters. Yesterday was a winter day. Think: below freezing.  ... now do you know why I was chiding myself after Brayden's bare foot was traumatized by the cold weather? Okay, I know that's an exaggeration because I caught the mistake of no sock right away, but still. Cold weather + bare baby feet = not good.

Then I realized that my friends who live in warm weather states would never be traumatized by such a situation because they have different weather. If their kid went out barefoot, it would be normal!

It was a quick reminder that all of us are facing different circumstances and what is expected of some people is not expected of others simply because they aren't facing the same situations.

In other news... the sock I put on didn't match the one he had on the other foot, which confused one lady in the store we went to. She stopped us and said, "Oh no! He lost a shoe!" I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't that concerned about it. Here's why....

what comes next?

It's interesting to see how everyone is responding to what happened recently in Connecticut. I've been watching the news articles, blog posts, and Facebook status updates. So much can be said. So many angles to the story. So many potential solutions and so many reasons why such-and-such a solution will or won't work. We all have an opinion on what happened and how to resolve the situation. You will prefer your viewpoint, but that doesn't mean mine is wrong or to be ignored.  We all have different experiences to pull from that create who we are today.

I'm trying to absorb all the sides to the story of gun control, massacres, mental illness, violence, and this idea that America wants God in schools during crises, but not during everyday life.... I encourage you to listen to the stories that are coming from this too. They might paint a bigger picture than the media will. For example, an Oregon mall shooting happened three days prior to what happened in Connecticut. It didn't get as much attention, potentially because a conceal and carry citizen showed his gun to the shooter and that curbed the violence from going beyond the three killed (which included the gunman).

One way you can implement change at home is to remember to take care of each other. If you see someone hurting or not fitting in, take time to smile at them and reach out to them. A kind word can go a lot farther than you ever imagine. You have no idea if your connecting with someone who is hurting will save them from taking a wrong turn in life.

We can all also pray. Pray for God to comfort families. Pray for grace to surround everyone indirectly or directly involved. Pray over those children and staff and the flashbacks they will face. So many prayers to be given for everyone involved in this shooting.

Also, pray for our lawmakers so that they know how to address this and protect our nation, if possible, in a legal way. We all have opinions on how they should do that, but realize that yours isn't necessarily the opinion that you should pray for them to have. Pray that the right laws get unearthed and the right paths get made so we can protect our nation as best as possible from the legal standpoint.

Ultimately, God is our only hope. If you don't yet know Him, I encourage you to consider attending church on Sunday. You may just find that true hope only comes from Him.

problems or solutions?

Hi there! I apologize if any of you have been waiting on pins and needles for my next post! ;-) Wifehood, motherhood, working, housework, and napping when I can keep me busy. Plus my laptop is on the fritz.... fun, fun!

So much could be said about Brayden. He's growing fast, as all babies do. It's pretty clear, he has one thing on his mind: moving. He knows he should move forward and he is very intent and moving as quickly as he can figure out how to do it! He's making good progress... so here's for my days being thrown into another "tizzy" when he starts booking it around the house very soon!

Quick non-Brayden story that I've been pondering recently - Erik and I came downstairs one morning a week or so ago and we immediately noticed our sprinklers were on out back. We were like, "What?!?" We live in a townhome, and the sprinklers are on an automatic, nightly schedule. Translated: they don't come on in the mornings.

So pretty much we were both thinking, "Really? Another problem to deal with?"

Ten minutes later, we opened the front door as Erik headed to work. Crouched down at the edge of our driveway looking at something on the ground was a strange man. I was taken back at first, then Erik commented, "Ahhh, that's why the sprinklers were on." 

One of our sprinklers out front had been broken for a few weeks and we had let the association know about it. That happened to be the morning he was fixing it and he had to turn on the sprinklers in order to figure out which sprinkler was broken!

All that to say... I immediately realized that what I saw as a potential problem wasn't a problem at all. It was a solution for a different situation in my life. I just couldn't see it because of my perspective.

Sometimes we choose to have a single perspective in life; other times we are unable to have a different perspective. Our house only has windows on the back side on the first level. That means Erik and I couldn't have seen that someone was working on the sprinklers until we walked out the front door. That's when our perspective changed and we saw the truth of the situation.

So remember that next time you face a problem, perhaps it's actually a solution in disguise!

rambling thanks

Thank you, Lord, for...

Salvation
Grace
Unending favor
Strength
Merit with You because of Jesus
Family
Friends
Unending love
Care
Comfort
Smiles
Hugs
Love
Blessings
Messy, lived-in houses
Clean, sparkly houses
Health
Money
A job
Dogs
Leashes
Trees
Pretty flowers
Funny-looking fish
Crazy things to watch on tv
Cool stuff for my home
Roses
Memorials
Thoughtful people
Jesus and His life on this earth
The disciples and how much they messed up
Babies grunting and scootching around in bed after waking up
Anticipation of good things
Comfy sofas
Turtles
Books
eBooks
Authors who write great books
Snuggly soft blankets
Marshmallows
Fruit
Burning coals to look at
Comfy pants
Hoodies
Travel
Safety
Electricity
Knowledge of You
Worship
Music
Babies
Marriage
Beautiful things
The jigsaw puzzle of life

Most of all, thank you, Lord, for You. You made all of this and make life worth living. I'm excited to meet you one day! May you help me live honorably before You before then!

food for thought

I just had the strangest thought.

So I was making cereal this morning and added some frozen strawberries and fresh blueberries. Not sure if that sounds strange to you, but it works for me. :-) The frozen is nice to just have around for when you don't have fresh fruit. And it's funny because I thought to myself, I just spent $7 or $8 on this big bag of frozen strawberries so I could have them on hand for nutrition in the morning (and because I love them!). Even though I only add five or six to a cereal, I realized that I fully expect me to get an unseen pat on the back because I was being good and eating fruit and those five or six strawberries would make all the difference in the world because they made my day slightly healthier.

On the other hand, I have blamed pregnancy and nursing for higher than usual sugar cravings ... my hubby would say it's completely normal and not worth blaming Brayden for them, but I don't mind the "excuse" ... All that to say, I've been craving sugar quite often and almost every time I have it I think, "Well, it's just a little sugar; it's no big deal."

So I finally caught up to the double-mindedness. I expect a small amount of nutrition to make this amazing nutritional difference in my food intake for the day, but want all the bad sugar intake to just slide by. Then I wondered how much I do that with my life. (I know, rather deep thoughts while eating breakfast....) I want a couple minutes of prayer to transform me, but time wasted on ___________ to just "slide" by and not be noticed.

All that to say, I need to be more cautious about how I expect my time to affect me. So-called good, bad, and indifferent uses of my time all affect me and if I really want to see an increase in my life from time spent with God, I need to take a lot more time than a few minutes here and there. A "nutritious" life is one that is a lifestyle of nutrition, not a few moments or a few strawberries of healthiness.

:-)

So Brayden's photo contest is still going on, and if you haven't yet voted for him, could you do so? You can vote once or twice a day per computer from now until Sunday at midnight. :-) You don't have to register... just click on the link, vote, and type in something to show you're not a computer.


http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/1322737 


Thanks. I'm having fun watching Brayden go up the ranks in the contest and I appreciate every vote to make it happen. :-)

God is watching over us!

Hi there! Hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend! We enjoyed being with family. Always a blessing! I learned once again that traveling throws off a baby's schedule quite a lot... Brayden didn't really get a good nap in on Saturday or Sunday. Finally by Monday he either gave in to the fact we weren't at home or was that exhausted and slept a good chunk of the day!

Erik and I were extra grateful last night to make it home safely because we drove by a very bad accident that Erik guessed had happened just a few minutes before we passed. That means if I hadn't forgotten what kind of sunflower seeds Erik wanted at the gas station and had to go back and check with him before we decided to go through the drive thru for food or if we hadn't gotten stuck behind a super slow driver, we might have been in it ourselves! Not to mention two other instances of crazy things happening on the road where it could have an accident if Someone up above wasn't watching over us! Thank you, Lord!

In other news, can you do me a favor? I entered a cute photo of Brayden in a photo contest just for kicks. Could you vote for him? You just have to click on the link, vote, and type in numbers to show you aren't a computer. You can do it every day between now and June 3. here is the link... 

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/1322737 

Thank you! Have a great week!

a lesson learned from Hollywood, Avengers style

So I have to admit it. I'm a fan of superhero movies. In fact, I've been waiting for a few years for May 2012, when the Avengers was released.

I have to follow those statements by saying, no, I'm not a movie buff. In fact, I shy away from a lot of movies because of content I don't care to watch. But I am a creative person who loves a good story. (That's why I get super excited about movies I actually want to see!)

I also love watching Hollywood take biblical truths about how to live life and turn it into a movie plot. That's exactly what I saw in the Avengers. I could rave on and on about all the truths I saw tucked away in the movie, but I won't bore you with the complete ramblings of my brain. Just some of them.

After pondering my excited thoughts about the movie (and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it), I came to a few conclusions. (Okay, I was drawing conclusions all the way through the movie, to be honest!)

1. The other worldly creatures Hollywood portrays in movie have one thing in common: they don't have individuality. 99.9% of the time, alien invasions are done by creatures who obey orders. That's pretty much all. Some aliens have personalities (Transformers for example), but when the power source to the alien world is shut down, the aliens shut down too.

2. Humans have a common strength which double as their common weakness: their individuality.

The Avengers portrays this perfectly. If you haven't seen it, I don't think I'll be spoiling anything by saying that the Avengers don't work together so well in the beginning. In fact, they fight against each other... which I was thoroughly annoyed by as a casual viewer. I kept thinking, "Don't you know you're fighting for the same cause? You each have strengths, and if you just put them together...."

I couldn't help but think of the body of Christ right then. The body of Christ has moments of brilliance where we work together in amazing ways. We complement each other and portray Jesus as He truly is. Then we also have moments of stupidity where we fight against ourselves. We compare ourselves against each other (yep, the Bible talks about that) and mistakenly view each other as the enemy.

Now here's the cool thing. When good ultimately battles evil in movies (think: climax), the darkness has a solid attack plan that can only be thwarted when all the good side (humans, in this case) use their individual strengths in a united stand against the evil. That's when the dark is pushed back and ultimately conquered.

Our weapon of individuality truly is our greatest weakness and strength. It makes us prideful. It keeps us humble. It makes us opinionated. It gives us diversity. It divides. It pulls together. It causes a web of wonders that can truly be used in our favor if we choose.

I'm guilty of being on both sides of this equation so I'm glad this movie reminded me to pull together, not apart, in our walks of life on earth. When we embrace other people's differences, it actually helps us. It allows their uniqueness to complement our own individuality and ultimately strengthen the body of Christ.

Neat, huh? :-)

no longer newborn!

So Brayden is no longer just a newborn baby "doll" I can play with and dress up and put to sleep! :-) He's starting to develop personality. Of late, here's what he's learned.

1. He's learned how to protest. Apparently he's not a super huge fan of being carted around in his car seat all day... which leads to not being a fan of his car seat in general. He sticks his bottom up in the air and arches his back like, "No, Mommy, I don't want to be in here!" That doesn't stop me from putting him in the car seat, but it definitely makes me aware that he has definite likes and dislikes and I have to get used to considering those when I go about my day! :-)

2. He's learned to roll over. Yep. Mobility has begun... and we can tell Brayden seems to wish he was a whole lot more mobile than his body will allow him to be! We help him stand up on his toes (love how that looks when he's all wobbly) and he just leans forward like, "This is how I walk, right?" It's pretty cute. Same thing when he's on the ground sitting. He folds himself in half because he seems to know that's the direction of "motion."

So life continues to get interesting with him. Right when I think I have it down, something changes. His smile and hugs and squeezability is amazing!

Bray turns four months on Friday... but I have a ton of wonderful pictures I have from his three-month photo session that I haven't posted yet. I'll probably keep sharing them over the next few months, even though he's changing all the time! Thanks to my family at Beyond Photography for their great photos! Here are just a few!

Halfway through the photo shoot... he wasn't too sure about all this!

Our favorite picture of him!

me and my boys. Love.

this stage is beautiful

Every stage of life has beauty. For me, part of the beauty is here:

We put him in this a little early and he loves it. You can almost tell he's thinking... this is how I walk, right?

As I grew up, I thought the best stages of life were when you learned how to drive... then turn 18... then 21... then 25... get married... have a baby. Now I realize that every stage has beauty.

For Brayden, the "stages" are coming super fast! But instead of dwelling on how fast time goes, I'm enjoying life as it comes.

That's all for now. The boys and I are going for a walk. :-)

coloring inside - and out - of the lines

Last night, I went on another "adventure" in the kitchen. I wanted to make a quick bread for Erik to have in the morning for breakfast (and me to eat the sweet goodness of it...). I have a great mix-and-match quick bread recipe from Food Network, which I had most of the ingredients for. I could have made carrot bread, but every time I've made it, Erik hasn't loved it. I wanted him to love it, so I decided to switch it up. I used all the kitchen knowledge I've acquired through Food Network magazine and programming and I branched out in my interpretation of the recipe. Instead of carrots or zucchini or something that the recipe called for, I used up the leftover strawberries in my fridge. I thought... Strawberry bread. Why not?

I couldn't find the nutmeg, so I substituted Chinese five spice, something I've heard chefs on the Food Network use a lot. I don't really know what's in there, but it seemed like something sweeter rather than savory. I also substituted a vanilla yogurt Erik usually has for breakfast in place of the plain yogurt and vanilla extract; in my head, that worked as a substitution. Lastly, I used lime juice and zest in place of all the citrus juice/zest the recipe called for. I considered it a strawberry lime quick bread.


I was so excited to see if my substitutions worked. This time, though, I did something different then every other time I've made this recipe. I was patient. I followed the final directions to a "t." I cooked the bread for the full 55 minutes. I cooled it in the pan for 30 minutes (something I rarely do!). I then put the frosting on it and waited 15 minutes before I finally dug in (again, I never do that!). And yes, that was over an hour and a half of waiting after putting it in the oven! Ack!

It was worth it though. Letting everything cool as they specified set the frosting in place, let it sink in a little, and gave the bread a much more "put together" taste. I could actually cut it and have the frosting stay on top. Previously, I would be so anxious, I would put the frosting on hot bread and eat it right away. It was always a mess as it melted everywhere. This time I did it right and it was worth it.

So that made me think... sometimes, it's appropriate to think outside the box. Be creative. Take liberties. Explore. Figure out if you really can make strawberry bread instead of the normal zucchini bread.

Other times, it's much better to stay inside the lines. I had to let the bread cool and then let the frosting set on the bread. Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out right. Those rules needed to be followed.

Somehow, my little brain, translates that to a life lesson. Take, for example, dating. I thought I initially was going to marry the first man I dated. I didn't. I had to allow myself to think outside my "box" and be okay with getting to know a few different guys before meeting Erik. On the other hand, I was determined to do it right, stay inside the lines, and obey God when it comes to purity before marriage. Both Erik and I knew our marriage would be much messier if we crossed that line before we said "I do."

And how about job selection? I grew up wanting to be a teacher, but in high school, the Lord pushed me outside of my box and told me to study writing, something I never considered until that point. Now, I find that my writing job is a perfect fit for me!

It's often hard to find that balance between where to explore in life and where to just obey the rules... perhaps the line is, don't be afraid to color outside the lines of your own box or someone else's box for you. We don't always know what is perfect for us, so it's good to be creative and use our God-given imagination.

On the other hand, God does know what's best for each of us, and it's vital that we don't color outside the lines of the box God has provided - the foundation of the Bible. Following the Bible's principles of living will keep your strawberry lime bread coming out perfect every time.

:-)

(If I hadn't been so excited to eat the bread, I might have remembered to take a picture of it to post! Oh well!)


Here's a link to the quick bread recipe in case you ever want to try it!

forgive and forget, part 2

So this "forgive and forget" thing is a whole lot harder than I'd like it to be. It seems as though we as humans have an innate desire to criticize, compare, and convince ourselves that we are right and the other person is wrong. Once we've convinced ourselves of how wrong they are, we like to replay those thoughts in our head over and over so we can feel better about ourselves or remember exactly how wrong they were.

This morning I read Ephesians 3:20: "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us...."

God is able to turn around every situation into something glorious, above-and-beyond our wildest dreams. That's amazing. That's the kind of God I serve. Sometimes I wish He wouldn't let situations get so bleak or frustrating before changing things, but then how much more glory does he receive when it restores someone from their death bed then restoring someone from a common cold?

I remind myself over and over that every person on this earth is here for reason and God has an amazing plan for them just as He has an amazing plan for me. If that person's plan and mine don't mesh like I think they should, then I really should move on and let them complete their plan God's way and I'll complete God's plan in my life.

I sometimes wonder what to do when I see something wrong in someone's life that I feel like I could help fix by pointing out the problem. Well, first, I have to make sure I'm following Matthew 7, which says don't judge the speck in someone else's eye when you have a log in your own. I have to get my attitude right about the situation. Second, Matthew 18 says if our brother sins against us, we should go to him and talk it over. Maybe, if the opportunity arises, it is something you should talk to them about, as long as you don't lambast for their stupidity and provide, instead, constructive criticism in love.

(I'm not sure that I want "talking to them" to be the answer. I'd much rather talk to them in my head and imagine a perfect conversation where they take my every critique to heart and become a better person because I offered my sage advice.)

So I don't have any massively huge conclusions here. Just wanted to say that "Forgive and forget" isn't easy, but somehow God creates beautiful plans out the ugly messes we find ourselves in.

Blessings!

getting things done

Motherhood puts a whole new meaning to the term "busy."

Holy cow... I could be doing so many things with my time, it's crazy! It seems like every moment, my brain is spinning, what should I be doing right now? And don't worry, I'm not stressed about life or overworking myself. I feel like I'm handling it and growing into the mom position. I'm just adjusting to thinking about an additional person to care for, make sure that he's bathed, clothes are washed, etc.

It is especially funny how fast my mind is moving when Brayden isn't in my arms and sleeping somewhere, with Daddy, etc. My seemingly single-minded thought is, "How much can I get done before I get to hold him again?" and if he's sleeping, "How much longer is he going to sleep?"

I feel like I'm playing a squeeze game and trying to squeeze all my time and chores into an undisclosed period of time while Brayden naps or hangs with someone else. It makes me laugh.

Being down on bedrest while pregnant has taught me a few things about getting stuff done though. First, it's taught me the beauty of accomplishing one thing. I am so happy when I put away one shirt - which makes me smile at how good I feel after one when there's a stack still left behind. Second, I'm learning to utilize every moment. If I'm walking upstairs, I think, "What can I bring with me?" When I come down or switch rooms, I think the same thing. I'm always trying to contemplate what I can do to accomplish something.

Granted, all of my small things don't always look like they add up to anything, but every bit helps. :-)

My friend, Stacey, passed on some encouraging words from Renee Burt who teaches at HomeMakers at Living Word Christian Center. What I remember Renee's general idea was: "When I see something I can do, if I can do it in a minute or less, I should do it right away." That stuck with me and now if I see something I can quick do, I try to do it or at least have an argument within myself telling me to do it.

I have a long ways to go, but I really like the journey. I've always enjoyed multitasking and having multiple things on my brain and I think I've learned pretty well how to put something on the "backburner" if it stresses me out to think about it. I only ponder what I can handle and I'm always setting goals for what I can do within a time period.

I am very grateful to the Lord for His grace that helps me do everything I need to do as a wife and mother. He's awesome! :-) I'm not always the best at listening or following through on what He wants me to do, but I really do want to follow Him and when I mess up, He is amazing at letting me keep coming back to Him and trying again. Thank you, Jesus!

remembering brody

Ever since Brayden was born, I've been thinking a lot about my first son, Brody. For those of you who don't know, he was born on November 21, 2010 at 21 weeks along in my pregnancy. He was a beautiful one pound, one foot boy - absolutely perfect - who lived an hour before going to meet Jesus. (He's lucky - he's in heaven!!!)

I don't know if I ever thought about how I'd respond to having Brayden after Brody didn't make it, but it's been an interesting ride. During my pregnancy, I had to pinch myself that the baby in me was a completely different baby than the first time. After I met Brayden, I actually missed Brody the most I've ever missed him because I saw what I missed the first time.

So yes, I've thought about Brody a ton and miss him dearly as I wonder what Brody would have looked like and how life would have been with him around or even more so, both Brayden and Brody - I would love, love, love to have both boys on earth right now.

The crazy thing is that if I had Brody in my arms right now, Brayden wouldn't exist, and now I wouldn't trade Brayden for the world, especially since I know Brody is better than all of us in heaven.

That makes my mind go tilt.

What makes it tilt even more is that my grandma miscarried between my dad's older sister and him. Again, the timing works out that if that baby had stayed on this earth, my dad wouldn't have existed, which means I wouldn't exist either.

Strange!

This is where I just say, God is amazing, and rely on His goodness and purposeful plan because I don't get what happened, but I know He's working everything -- bad, good, and in between -- out for His purposes.

By the way, if you read all that and got confused about which baby is Brody and which is Brayden, that's okay. I think I've said it before... Brody Mark is named in honor of my brother, Brian Mark, who passed away in October 2010. Brayden Allen is named in honor of both of them. :-) It's a wonderful way that I can remember all three of them and let their memory live on in a unique way on this earth. And I fully don't mind at all if anyone gets the names mixed up.

Also, thank you to all of my friends who remember Brody and talk about him in certain conversations. That means the world to me that you remember him.

One last thought - when asked the question about Brayden, "Is this your first?" I switch up my answer all the time, depending on the person and situation. Sometimes, I take the easy way out and say, "Yes," and other times, I say, "My first full-term" or something along those lines. Having a baby in heaven is interesting because we are family of four, but you can only see three people on earth. So I'll probably keep switching up my answer, but Brody, you always will be my firstborn and in my heart. I'm super excited to tell Brayden about you.

Okay, one final, final last thought. The best day of my life after the day I met Jesus and my wedding day, was probably the day I took Brayden home. I might have been one of the few mothers you see walking out of the birthing center crying while taking home their newborn. Given our previous situation, that day was the best, most surreal day in my life.

a bowl of marshmallows is too sweet

Although some may not want to admit it, we all have them: people in our lives who frustrate us, make us mad, don't make sense to our perfectly logical way of thinking, and overall just don't mix well with our personality.

The other day I was dealing with a few of those people and was reminded that God loves them just as much as He loves me. He thinks they are awesome, loved, amazing. He created their personality (as much as it may not seem to blend with mine). They have a purpose on this earth, just as I do.

My little mind can't wrap itself around that truth, but I know it's a reality. Then I remembered the cereal Lucky Charms. Everyone's favorite part of Lucky Charms seems to be those sugary puffs of marshmallow goodness. Isn't is great to pick those out and eat them on their own?

The only problem is that if you want to have a complete bowl of cereal for breakfast, you would be sugared out with a bowl of marshmallows. The crunchy cereal part is needed to balance out the sweetness of the marshmallows.

People are the same way. We need all types of people to make this world work. We all are friends with different people and each one of us has a unique purpose and reason on this earth, without which the plan of God wouldn't be complete. If the world was filled with one type of personality, we would be overloaded with too much sugar or too much crunch. We need variety to be the "spice of life."

So that's what I've been pondering recently. The people who frustrate me are loved by God and needed on this earth. Their perspective is just as important as mine and I need to learn to love - even like! - and appreciate them like God does.

thank you

My brain seems to be on overdrive.

Balancing motherhood, wifeyhood, and Christianhood is a monumental task! So many things run through my brain everyday - some of which I ignore until I can handle them better and others of which I have to keep remembering until I do it.

Today I just want to thank so many of you over and over for what you've done for me and my family. You have supported us by doing any one or more of these things:

a. blessing us with gifts for Brayden
b. letting us borrow things for Brayden
c. passing on baby things you don't need anymore
d. sending cards to say congratulations
e. blessing us monetarily
f. bringing us meals
g. running errands for us
h. watching Brayden while I run errands or work around the house
i. listen to me process, vent, talk
j. making sure I take time for myself
k. making sure Erik takes time for himself

That list might cover it. Then again, there's probably a ton more - including all your prayers. You've done so much for us that I honestly don't know how best to say thank you. As Brayden uses and wears and plays with the things you've passed on, I want to tell you again how blessed we are. As the money you've given multiplies in the bank or gets spent on a needed item, I want to tell you thanks and how awesome it is. As I look at how cute something is that you've given me (for example, the monkey changing pad cover on the left - I love it!), I often want to tell you again I'm thankful.

You'd probably get annoyed with how much I would tell you I'm grateful, blessed, and honored that you'd think of us and help take care of us during this time.

Family, friends, acquaintances... really just loving kind people... are what make this world a better, easier, more blessed place to live in.

So thanks. I'm grateful for you.

happy four years!

Four years ago yesterday (2/15/08), Erik Wegener called me. We talked for an hour and a half, then he asked me out on a date. I said yes because, generally speaking, I'd go out at least once with a guy to see what he was all about.

We married over a year later (3/8/09) and I must say, I've loved having Erik in my life these past four years and look forward to many more years with him! And who'd have thought that four years after that phone call, I'd be writing this blog with our baby on my lap! :-) Love it! God is awesome.

Yesterday was week five for Bray-Bray. We reached a few milestones over this past week.

1. He moved up a diaper size. I learned a small diaper was a potential cause of blowouts, so I'm super happy that we changed diapers... less laundry this week!

2. He moved out of newborn outfits (except some newborn pants). He now wears 0-3 month clothes, and even wore a 6-month outfit. (Baby clothes are sized funny!) And for all you newborn mothers out there, the advice I received was "Just try the outfit on and ignore the label! You'll never know when it will fit until you try it!"

3. Yes, I was that mother in Target with the screaming baby who was calmly looking around because I didn't have a pacifier with (new mom mistake) and there was nothing I could do about Brayden being hungry! I just timed my shopping trip wrong!

I'm adjusting better each day to having him around and I love watching his facial expressions. Super funny! He even looks cute when he's crying. I continue to look forward to all the fun adventures ahead!!!