Health & Fitness

My goal for this summer is to be more active and work out more and this morning was the first day of mine and my hubby's serious workout and I am soooooooo sore! But it is definitely in a good way! I felt like my battery was recharged. I want to focus on us being healthier as a family and just being more active. It will definitely take a lot of dilligence because with mine and his schedules there is hardly any time to do anything but we are going to make it work not only for us but because we want to be good examples for our little girl!

Here's to Health & Fitness!

~M~

"Mommy Guilt"

No matter what, every day I seem to have Mommy Guilt come over me. As I look back on Little Mama's first year, I am blown away with how quickly it has flown and how much she has grown. I just want to freeze time so that I can spend as much time with her as I can. But life still goes on and there is still a pile of laundry that needs to be put away, dishes in the sink and work that I still have to go to. When I am not working I do try to spend as much time with her as I can. Playing with her, snuggling with her and talking with her. But it still doesn't seem enough. This mommy hood is very difficult trying to balance everything that you need to. Even as I do the laundry and do the dishes, I will take every moment I can to stop when her little hands reach up to me and she says, "Mama? Mama?" Then the world will stop and I will put all of my attention on her. Because the laundry can wait a little and the dishes won't go anywhere, but one day she will be moving out and will be starting her own life and I want to look back and feel that we made sure that we cherished each and every moment possible with our Little Mama.

Time To Organize...

I have had it with clutter! I am on a mission to completely organize every single bit of this apartment to where everything has a place and if it doesn't have a place it gets thrown out. It might seem a bit drastic but I am so tired of clutter...I seriously get depressed and anxious when I just see clutter everywhere. Yes I have been very cluttered in the past, really bad, but it is just because I haven't put the time and money into organizing everything like I should. It takes a lot of time to figure out exactly how I am going to design certain rooms (specifically the closet right now) in order to maximize the small amount of space that we actually have. And with Baby Girl up, walking and exploring every single thing within reach, I need everything to have its own place in order to keep some order around here. Otherwise I literally go crazy and I feel like my life is just one big hectic pile of mismatched clutter! I will be so happy when I am done with all of this....My mind will feel so much clearer.....

Those Little Moments....

Today I experienced the most amazing moment that completely melted my heart and made me feel so much like a Mommy. This morning, Justin was so amazing and got up with Kendall for her morning feeding (Thank you hunny - you are the best!). A little while after that while I was still in bed, I heard the bedroom door creak open. I raised my head to look up towards the door and I saw Kendall standing, leaning on the door and she reached her little hand out to me and in her sweet, soft voice I heard her say "Mama? Mama?" I reached for her and lifted her up and held her tight in my arms as my heart just melted! Such an awesome way to start my day! I love those little moments!

~M~

The best gift EVER!

Christmas day has come and gone and usually I am always so sad right about now, but I have to say that it's completely different for me this year. I feel like I have my ultimate Christmas gift that will continue to grow, change and allow me to experience new and wonderful things and that is our little baby girl Kendall! The excitment and anticipation that comes around for Christmas seems to still be a part of me even now because I am eagerly awaiting her first step, her first birthday, her first real word, etc. I feel like she is a gift from God sent down to us to continue to keep on giving us excitiment, love, and so much more!!! I love Christmas and yes I am sad that it is over yet again, but I feel like I have so many more things to continue to look forward to and experience as Kendall grows up! I defenitely have to say that she is the best gift that Justin and I have been given--- ever!!!

~M~

No matter what happens outside these four walls, I love knowing that we have our little safe haven where we can come and be close to each other and once we walk through that door, we know that we are loved unconditionally, totally and completely accepted for who we are and that we have each others support. Even through the hard times, I love how we have managed to still have our home be this way. My goal is to continue to keep it this way for the rest of our kids. I have always loved that one line in the theme song of 7th Heaven...."where do you go, when the world don't treat you right? The answer is home." We may argue and take our stresses out on each other at times but I love knowing that Justin and I love each other unconditionally and accept each other for who we really are no matter what we have done in the past, no matter our faults, no matter how much we frustrate each other....we know that the other one will always be there for us. And this goes for baby Kendall too. I want her and all of our other kids to always know how special they are, how they are loved and accepted no matter what! Because if they don't feel that at home in their safe haven then where are they supposed to get it from??? just a few thoughts :-) Never take anyone for granted or the precious moments of the day because life is so short!

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Traditions.....

It is my favorite time of year.....the holidays! I have been looking forward to this Christmas season because it is Baby Kendall's first Christmas! I have been so excited to start our own family's traditions that we can carry on. I am big on traditions because I think that it creates wonderful memories and something that binds the family together. I was wanting to start our traditions this year even though she will only be 9 months because I think it's best to start them as early as possible so as far back as they remember they will remember doing them - and plus there will be lots of pictures that they can look back on as well!!

Some of the traditions that we have started or will do this Christmas season.....

1. Stocking Stuffer: One of the stocking stuffers that we are planning on giving our kids every year is a snow globe and Kendall will be getting her first baby Mickey Mouse snow globe this year!!!

2. Decorating a new ornament each year and adding it to the tree

3. Decorating a different stocking each year....and as the kids get older then they will be able to personalize their stocking exactly the way they want. I came up with this idea because I thought that over the years as the kids grow up it could be a fun thing to get some stockings and a multitude of crafty items out and sit around the table and just let their creative juices flow as they create their special stocking that would represent them that year.

3. Opening one gift on Christmas Eve....pajamas

4. Baking a Birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Day

These are just a few of our traditions....The lights, the music, the weather....I absolutely love everything about Christmas but my favorite is looking forward to the memories that we create each year!

~M~

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