Merry Christmas

Well, its the day after Christmas and usually I feel at least a little "let down" after all the anticipation is gone and the celebration has past. But this year was just about perfect and it was a memory filled and wonderful Christmas. (The only thing missing was my sister, Dave, Hannah and Kaleb. I am still figuring out how to move Oklahoma closer...or just them!) Jon and I had so much fun celebrating Caden's first Christmas, and I think he had a lot of fun too! He was cheerful and happy on Christmas Eve and all Christmas Day, and both days were packed! Christmas Eve day Caden and I snuck out to do some last minute shopping, then had lunch out together before heading off to church since I had to work one Christmas Eve service. Luckily, I got the 1pm shift (earliest it could be) & Caden stayed in the Tidepool (infant room) while I worked. I was done by 3pm, so we came home and he went right down for a quick nap. He woke up just in time for us to head off to my aunt's house for Christmas Eve dinner & gifts with the extended family. Here are a few pics from that!

Christmas Day we woke up and opened our stockings together just the 4 of us (Roxy too) :-).

It was nice to spend some time with our little family before we headed off to Jon's aunt's house to be with Jon's family.
There we opened present and ate breakfast. It took us almost 2 hours to open presents--partly because I wanted to take our time so we could enjoy it and so Caden wouldn't get overwhelmed, and partly because he had so many presents!
Caden meeting Max, Jon's cousins new puppy they got on Christmas morning. So cute!

One of Grammie & Grandpa's Gifts

After breakfast, we went over to my parent's house to continue the celebration!

A Special Gift from Poppie

The fam in the t-shirts my sister sent us from her volleyball team. Kristi is, what the team calls her, the "Coachie". So my parents got sweatshirts...

...and they on the back they say...

Wow that was a lot of pictures (and that wasn't even half of them!).
So all in all, it was a great Christmas.
I pray you and your family enjoyed time together remembering our Savior's birth!

December

As I am sure it has for everyone, this month is just flying by. I can't believe Caden is 9 months old and its almost his first Christmas! Our little family has been busy with work stuff, going to some fun Christmas parties (even more to come), trying to squeeze in Christmas shopping somewhere in there and me, well, mostly chasing Caden around the house. He's crawling, pulling up everywhere, and is getting quite the little mind of his own. He's eating lots of new things: he LOVES black beans, sometimes some chicken, rice and crackers. I love experimenting and having him try new things. The little looks on his face are classic.
We are of course looking forward to Caden's first Christmas and the time we will spend with family. It will be interesting to see how he 'reacts' to presents, being that he is more obsessed with boxes and paper then anything else. I think its time to go wrap some empty boxes for him! :)
That's all for now. Here are a random array of pictures!

Here is a pic of the first time he pulled up by himself--luckily I had the camera out! It was when we were in San Clemente at the time share.

I constantly find Caden in the bathroom, just sitting on the floor 'hiding' from me. Here he is so proud of himself cuz I couldn't find him for a minute.


Some pictures of us at church--the construction on campus is almost done after, gosh, 7 years of building new buildings. The lake finally was done; so pretty, especially with its "water features" (as they call it). I'm gonna push for a Bellagio type water and lights show next Christmas. (kidding)


Here is our family at our church's Christmas Breakfast for young families! This pic didn't make the Christmas card (cuz Roxy wasn't in it) so thought I'd post it here.

Merry Almost Christmas!! :)

A Day at the Beach

Jon, Caden and I got to spend a day in San Clemente last week because Jon's family had a time share all week, so we got it for 2 days in the middle of the week. (Strangely enough, that timing worked best for us since I work weekends and it was so great because we got it all to ourselves!) We packed the car up (and boy was it packed), and headed down there on Tuesday night. It was fun to get to go to dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant, walk around the cute little city, walk on the beach, eat at Pipes (Jon always told me about the place since he and his surfing buddies used to frequent it, so it was fun to finally go), and just be away for a day or so. Most importantly, it was Caden's first time going to the beach. It was a beautiful day and Jon got to 'introduce' him to the waves, which for a future surfer was very important. :) Jon assessed that Caden "didn't seem scared of the ocean" which was a good sign. (insert giggling under your breath here)
Here are a few pictures from our quick get away!

Thankful

As both my boys are napping in preperation for a big day, I thought I'd take a moment and make a quick list of things that I am thankful for!
1. My family. This one spans so much and I feel like I could go on forever. Its so amazing that it was only one year ago that my little bump in my tummy was just finally showing for everyone else to see, and here we are a year later with a little man who is crawling around, giving smiles and laughs that warm my heart, and Jon and I are officially immersed in the world of parenthood. I am so thankful to be a mom. I am so thankful that I have a husband who is an amazing, involved and loving father. I am so grateful God has blessed us and given us a child. I am constantly amazed that He gave is this gift, and how He created this little person that has so many traits and characteristics of both Jon and I. Its just so amazing.
In addition to our little family of 3, I am so grateful that we have so much loving family. I am grateful for my sister and her family, and even though we aren't able to see each other very much, how they show their love and care for each of us and the things going on in our lives. I am thankful for my sister's transparent and caring heart, and how she is so honest in where she is at and what struggles God takes her through and how He grows her through these things. I am grateful that she is a strong, woman of God who stands firm in her faith and is an example to so many people she knows. She encourages and inspires me as a mother and as a friend.
I am also thankful for all of our family who is able to live close by. This has proven to be such a huge blessing especially since Caden was born, and I am so thankful with how involved they all can be in our lives. I am grateful for parents who sacrifice their time and schedule to spend time with their grandson, and love and spoil him. I am thankful that they offer to spend time with him so Jon and I can have time just the two of us. I am grateful for my aunt who watches Caden once a month so that I can work. We are so blessed to have so many family members who we get to celebrate holidays with and see so often, and sometimes I forget that not everyone has that. For them I am extremely grateful.
2. My friends. Here is another one that could take a while, so here is a summary. I am blessed with friendships in my life that are genuine, deep, loving relationships that I honestly don't know what I'd do without. Each of these young women bring unique things to my life that encourage me, make me laugh, challenge and grow me in different ways, and I am so grateful that God has brought them into my life. I am grateful for the times we get to spend together and the many memories that are created through talks over coffee, late night chats, and spur of the moment phone calls to catch up. I love them and am so grateful God created each of them to be who they are, and placed them in my life.
3. My job. Ministry can be hard. Ministry can be tiring. But ministry is also something that God has called me to do. And I love that God allows this to also be my vocation. It is so rewarding to see God work in the lives of so many, and that I even get to be a tiny part of that is amazing. I love what I do, and thinking back to a year ago, I had no idea what my job would look like (or if I'd even have one!) and how I could be able to work some and still stay at home with Caden. God worked things out so perfectly where I was able to stay at my church, work part time, still be at the level of leadership I was at and make it all financially work out more perfect than I could have imagined. I am grateful that I work with people I love just doing life with in addition to ministry. I am so thankful God has placed me there for this season of my life, and look forward to what He has in store while I'm there.
4. All the extras. I was writing a Thanksgiving Lesson for kids church this week and one of the things I included in this lesson was how God provides us with the things that we need, and so much more. And so much more. This is something I need to be reminded of on a daily basis. In an area of the country where people around us are always getting more, and mistaking those things for what we "need", this was a reminder to be grateful for all the extras. Because I don't need them. I don't deserve them. They are just icing on the cake. And take them all away, and I still am extremely blessed. Don't get me wrong, I struggle with this daily as I get frustrated loading my car that I think is too small, or try to find a place to stash things in our ever shrinking house. But, I have a house. And we have 2 cars that we own. And Caden has more toys then he could possibly play with and our closets are full of clothes. I am grateful for the "so much more".
5. My relationship with God. This year has been one of many blessings and much change. Through all those things, it has brought many challenges and growth points in me, and given me new eyes to see so many things about who God is. As a mother, He has given me a new view on unconditional love and grace. He is daily refining me and revealing things in my life I need to change. And yet in the midst of all things, all the ugliness of who I can be, He still loves me. And He still cares about every little frustration of my day and speaks to me. I am grateful for a loving, personal and active God who I can interact with. Who is bigger than it all, Who provides, Who cares, Who's mercies are new each morning. I am grateful that He didn't just create us and end it there. He is always there. And for that I am thankful.

Well, I will have to end it there because I hear my little one stirring (and when I say stirring I mean I just heard him chuck his pacifier against what I can only imagine to be the closet door or a window.)
I pray you and your family enjoy your time together as you celebrate today and that we all take moments to thank God for His many blessings.

Vegas Baby!

Just wanted to write a quick one now that we are back from our little weekend trip from Vegas! Jon and I had so much fun getting to hang out together and just be. My parents were nice enough to watch Caden (and Roxy hung at her 'friend' Mocha's house i.e. Jodi's) and I am pretty sure they all enjoyed the weekend just as much as we did! Caden did SO well which made the weekend all the better. My mom knows his schedule and "him" backwards and forwards, so it makes it so easy and fun for both of them. It was fun to see my dad get to spend more time with C as well since "Poppie" doesn't get as much time with him as Grammie does (stupid job...I keep trying to get him to quit). Caden got to crawl all around their big house which was probably a nice contrast to our 1000 sq. foot place.
Jon and I loved being able to go to yummy meals, play penny slots, and see all the cool things to see in Vegas. On Saturday night, Jon took me out to a really nice meal at a place called Kokomos. Its was SO good--pretty much the best prime rib I've ever had. I know I gained a few lbs. after the weekend, but it was well worth it.
With work being what it is right now (insane), it was so nice to regroup and get to spend some much needed time with my husband. We hope to be able to do it again soon, especially since we know Caden enjoyed his vacation as well!
Now that we are back to "reality", I am grateful I only had one day of work, and now have some more days off to unwind again. I love the holidays! I am looking forward to a cozy Thanksgiving at my parent's house, and spending time just the 5 of us on the actual holiday. I can't wait for Caden's first Thanksgiving--we got to give that boy some turkey!

Professional Learnings

I've often talked about this with coworkers of mine: Sometimes I feel like everybody knows what I know, is able to do what I do, and I sometimes wonder if it really takes that much brain power or knowledge to do what I do, or if anyone could step in and do it. Not that my job is "simple", its just that when you spend so much time doing something and its 2nd nature, you just tend to start thinking everyone know what you know. The thought "doesn't every one know this" (I don't mean this arrogantly) pops into my head when someone asks a questions at work, and then I realize, oh ok, I guess I do know some things others don't, hence why I do what I do and it is my role to get these things done. Through years of working in the same field of ministry, God has gifted me with certain knowledge and experience, thus placing me in my role where I am considered a "professional". But for some reason, it still boggles my mind a bit.
Well, this same thought transfers to motherhood as well. I sometimes forget that not everyone knows all the little things about Caden that I know, and through these past 8 months of experience as his mother, I've come to realize that I've gained specific knowledge on certain nuances about him and raising him. Now, of course, this doesn't mean this is the ONLY way of doing things or raising him, but as I've tried to explain things to sitters, I've realized--wow, I guess I am a "professional" at raising Caden. (please note I am not writing this as dead serious, but kind of laughing that there are so many things that I consistently do and know, while very few are non negotiable and necessary). So I decided to write a list of things that I've learned as being Caden's mom the past 8 months.
(Please note that these are written tongue in cheek, so please don't think that I believe all these are necessary, but just little things I've learned)
1. Don't do laundry close to a possible nap time. The laundry room shares a wall with Caden's room and the spin cycle usually wakes him up or keeps him from taking a nap.
2. Never be without extra C Batteries in the house. If Ocean Wonders runs out of juice, we all are in trouble. (Ocean Wonders is his little song/lights toy that helps him go to sleep).
3. Always try to give Caden a toy or binky when you put him in his high chair. If you don't, as you go to grab/prepare his food, he takes this as a sign of abandonment and goes into panic mode. Toys and binkies are excellent distractions until you return with food.
4. Socks can double as teethers and toys. Just don't plan on them actually keeping his feet warm.
5. Changing his diaper often turns into a wrestling match, so distractions are necessary. Toys, stuffed animals, or an overly animated song are a must if you want to get clothes or diapers successfully changed.
6. Don't put more than a few Cheerios or Puffs down for him to eat at a time. This kid double fists it like no body's business and will either shove all of them in his mouth at the same time or "share" them with Roxy (knock them all on the ground).
7. You might want to "hide" bottles from him even when washing them, or transferring them to the baby bag. If he sees it, its fair game and apparently, time to eat (even if he just ate).
8. He warns you when the end of his "Praise Baby" DVDs are near...he starts talking and making loud noise in about the last minute (before the credits are on). This is your one minute warning, so you might want to wrap up what you were doing.
9. Slippers or socks are necessary when in his Rainforest Jumper. He has found a way to blister his toes from the excessive jumping if he doesn't wear some sort of foot protection. (Its ok, though. We take it as a sign of a future Olympian.)
10. Bring a bath toy to bath time, or the wash cloth becomes his bath toy. And you become soaked.
11. Cutting nails and toenails have to be well timed. During the day--a battle. First thing in the morning---golden. Catch him in that first half hour when he is still snugly after we bring him in to our room, and he will let you hold his hand or foot as long as necessary.
12. If you can't find his binky when he's in his crib, he's either sitting on it or he's thrown in within a 3 foot radius on the floor.
13. When playing with him, if you build any sort of tower, he will knock it down. When you aren't playing with him and build a tower, he will knock it down. Something we will need to work on before preschool...
14. Any sort of stuffed animal on the ground, dog toy or not, is still a toy for Caden.
15. While green veggies seem like a good idea, unless disguised with some fruit on the spoon, will inevitably end up on your shirt.

So there are some of the things I've learned and know to be true. While I might not be able to list these on my resume as "experience and special skills", I love that I am blessed to get to spend so much time with my little man and have gained this knowledge that I know to be more valuable and special than most things in life. I definitely am thankful to be a professional mama. (I'm considering getting a business card.)

Learning #4

I Know It's Not Halloween Yet...

...but here is a preview from Boo Fest. :) Caden experienced his first Boo Fest and had a great time playing with friends in his costume. Here are a few pics from Saturday evening!Little Tiger!


The Hostesses and us

Caden playing with Everett

Just some random Caden Pics

What... I shouldn't eat my sock?

Crawling!

I see you!