In a word, *yawn*

I am the proud parent of one determined baby.

I used to think that my sweet little man was incapable of putting himself to sleep. I told myself that surely, he has to be among the 25% of 5-month-olds who can't soothe themselves into dreamland. So I would rock, and pat, and shhh, and pace, until Charlie fell asleep.

I know better now.

Without revealing my silly first-time-parent mistakes to the rest of the world, let's just say that I've been outsmarted by an infant more than once in the past month.

So, without further ado, we're about to lovingly ferberize our dear, sweet, determined-to-stay-awake baby. {I'll let you know how this goes.}

Until next time... this bleary-eyed mom is going to bed. {Let's hope baby follows my example...}

The beach {and the end}

The beach {10}

The beach {9}

The beach {8}

The beach {7}

The beach {6}

The beach {5}

The beach {4}

The beach {3}

The beach {2}

The beach {1}

As promised... a week of photos from the Sunshine State :)

25

Yesterday, I was bemoaning my idealistic tendencies to my mom.

"Really mom. I hate birthdays because I'm always disappointed. I have these crazy-high expectations, and they just get blasted to pieces, every year."

My mom is really wise. She laughed a little, leaned over {like she was about to give away a secret}, and said, "Here's what you do: on your birthday, thank God that you were born. Thank Him for the blessing you have been in so many people's lives. Thank Him for the joy you've been able to bring to so many people, and for what an incredible, unique individual you are."

She leaned back in her chair. "It's a hard thing to do. But if you can keep that perspective, you'll have a great birthday, no matter what happens."

***

I woke up to a gurgling baby and his daddy, singing "Happy birthday to you" in that familiar scratchy morning voice.

***

And then, I came downstairs and saw the giant poster:

"GOOD MORNING 25 YEAR OLD!"

Underneath, in small print, Marty had written seven reasons why 25 is way better than 24 {including "cheaper car rental" and "you won't get carded as much"}, along with fun facts about June 19th...

1988: world's largest sausage made (13 miles long)
1981: world's heaviest orange recorded (2.5 kg)
1862: US congress prohibits slavery, nullifying the Dred Scott decision
1903: Lou Gehrig was born
1623: Blaise Pascal was born
1985: YOU were born!

***

Today, I went to a bridal shower, diverted construction traffic, drove with the convertible top down, had dinner with Marty at one of my favorite restaurants in the world, participated in a Walk for Life, got a free car wash, drank Starbuck's, decided to switch from PC to Mac {gah!}, chatted with my mother-in-law, snuggled with my sisters, was blessed with the company of parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers, and one very special grandma, opened presents, held my giggling baby, and ate so much that my stomach hurt.

***

Year 25 looks like an almost 5-month-old baby who will grow to an almost 18-month-old toddler.
Year 25 looks like a third year of marriage to my best friend.
Year 25 looks like a house that's turning from "livable" to "home."
Year 25 looks like remembering to treasure family and friends above my "to-do" list.
Year 25 looks like knowing God better.
Year 25 looks like running a half marathon.
Year 25 looks like learning to be a better parent, wife, sister, daughter, and friend.
Year 25 looks like squeezing every single drop of goodness from every single moment.


Here's to year 25...
:)

happenings

Well, hello there, long lost blog...

Since I last posted:
*we successfully survived two 20+ hour car rides with a 3 month old.
*I unpacked our suitcases. {trust me. you should be impressed.}
*I've discovered that my husband is an absolute grill expert. {yum.}
*I've just now uploaded my pictures from the last two months onto the computer. {can you say backlogged?}
*I've learned the hard way that giant slimy slugs are attracted to sweet yummy basil plants. especially if you leave them on ground level. {boo.}
*I start my days off with time alone with God. Everything else can be thrown off-kilter, but yikes, if I miss that time with my coffee, bible, and journal in the big white armchair? Write the day off as a failure. It really matters that much.
*We have successfully eradicated our house of spiders. {Now, on to the big fat black/blue wasp things that are bumbling around. Gross, right?}
*Charlie is just starting to laugh. {bliss.}
*I can successfully run for 30 minutes straight, without stopping, falling over, or throwing up. {rawr.}
*I can write that last sentence, and then laugh at myself, because I'm now planning on eating a bag of chips to celebrate...

Coming up: a week of pictures from our Florida trip. Enjoy!