Max & Kaylee

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

I've seen this on several other blogs/sites in the past few days and it's really struck a chord in me.  What if I woke up today with only that which I thanked my God for yesterday?  What would I have?  Who would I have?  Where would I be?  This statement has been sitting in my brain all morning and I keep rolling over and over it.  And I continue to be convicted, for I have not been thankful enough lately.  In fact, I feel rather ungrateful for much of what I have in my life.

I've been in a funk lately - I dunno if it's a season of life for me, or if my body is just regrouping hormonally after having two babies in two years - but I feel all wonky - unmotivated, without purpose, moody (and yes, I've been to the Doc - he didn't seem concerned by my "mood swings"...).  And after ruminating on the above statement this morning, I began to wonder if part of my issue as of late, was that I have not been near grateful or appreciative of what I have in my life.

For I have been incredibly blessed.  I can see this full well, when I really stop and take stock of what is going on in my life.  But sometimes, the moodiness, the lethargy, the "fog" I sometimes feel I am in, it hinders me from seeing these blessings.  And sometimes, I am just plain unaware or too busy to see what is right in front of me.

So, I thought I would share a few of the things that I am truly am thankful for, some of the blessings in my life:

1.  Jesus - I don't deserve what has been freely given to me.  I would not be who I am today if Jesus wasn't at the center of my life.  I screw things up a lot - I'm human and I made human mistakes - but there is always forgiveness, there is always grace, there is always love.  And for that, I am overwhelmed and I am thankful.

2. Maxwell - To be married to my very best friend is something that still astounds me.  Max encourages and lifts me up in ways I never knew I needed.  He loves on me even when I'm "moody" - he knows I only FEEL crabby and that really, I'm not.  We have our moments, don't get me wrong - we are two human beings and that means we are not perfect - but life with Max is good and it is beautiful to see how God has made us one, in spite of our flaws and failures.

3.  Our babes - God has entrusted our sweet little ones to us.  Sometimes I look at them and wonder why He saw fit to give us these babies.  There are so many days I feel I have absolutely no idea what I am doing or how to be a good mama - L and Z are constantly teaching me about life, being a mama and love.  I can't imagine life without them in it.  They are our joys and I pray that we would raise these babies, knowing that they belong first and foremost to God.

4.  Family - Here I am, at "home" in MN and still need to be reminded to be thankful, even though I am smack dab in the middle of some of the greatest people.  Our family is amazing.  I don't know where I would be without them.  They have taught me so much about life - about what it means to truly live.  Knowing I we have such a strong support system is huge - they are always there for us and continually shower us with gifts and love.  I have no idea how we would be where we are without them, our community.

5. Friends - Really, my friends belong in the category above, for they have all become my family.  My friends are beautiful and I am always blessed by them.  I have friends that I have known for years and I have friends that I am only getting to know, and they have all taught me something.  I am thankful that God puts people in my life and I am thankful for the ways He uses them, even when they don't have any idea.

6. Security - Some days, it's hard to be at home all day with two small babes - there can be lots of crying, lots of smelly poop and lots of whining - but really, it's a blessing - I think I would be a mess if I had to leave them everyday.  I am so thankful that Max has a great job that allows me to stay at home right now.  We don't always have very much money, but we always have enough to eat and fill up the car with gas and stay dressed and feed a puppy.  It can definitely be a challenge, but I'm thankful that we are learning to live on less.

7.  Life - Maybe this sounds silly, but I am thankful for the air that I breathe and the water that I drink; the flowers that I smell and the warmth that I feel.  I am thankful for the way God has created this world - for even though there is evil and famine and drought and war - there is also love and beauty and light and hope.  I am thankful that I can wake up each day, walk outside and smell the earth, the sand, the dust, the air.  I am thankful I can drive and touch the ocean, the mountains, the cornfields.  I am thankful I can see the stars at night, the trees that sway, the animals that move.

I take so much for granted on such a regular basis.  I have been blessed with so much.  And you know what?  As I was thinking on the statement I started off with, and the things that I am indeed thankful for, my sour mood and usual funk lifted earlier today.  When I became aware of how much I have been given and stopped to actually thank God for these things, I gained new insight, a new perspective.  I only hope and pray that I would always make the time to do this - that I would make it a habit, that I would never grow ungrateful or miss seeing the beauty and life and hope that teems all around me.

Hello!  I feel like it's been so long since I've opened my computer!  I've missed writing blog posts, sharing photos and reading blogs - I am excited to catch up :)

We made it to MN really late last Wednesday.  The flights went well.  The kids were a bit squirmy - to be completely expected - on the first flight, and then fell fast asleep on the second flight.  I think we were blessed to be traveling late in the evening, so they both WANTED to go to sleep!

It's been awesome being here in MN, staying at my parent's house, seeing friends, visiting family, enjoying cooler weather!  We've been busy spending time at Max's parents house, helping with wedding stuff, going on a mama-daddy date, having people drop in to visit, attending a lovely wedding, getting coffee, hanging out with dear friends and playing outside.  I've been pulling my camera out and am excited to start sharing pictures and stories in the next few days!

This week, we have more plans to see friends and family, a bridal shower, a trip to the zoo and farmer's market, as well as relaxing and enjoying being here in this lovely state.  I forget how much MN has my heart, until I come back and feel so at home!

Max headed back to NC yesterday, to work this next week and to hang out with Lucy - I know we've been through a year deployment and can handle lots of time apart, but I might kind of miss him :)  I'm already excited to see him again next week, ha ha!

I am so incredibly excited that TODAY is our travel day to Minnesota.  We're heading up to attend two weddings (1. dear friends, and 2. Max's brother), visit with family and friends, enjoy cooler (although it HAS been hot there - apparently, we're sending the hot, NC-like weather up there...) weather, and relax.  The kids and I will be in MN for almost 3 weeks - although Max doesn't get that much time off, so he'll be back in between to work.

It's been 8 months since I've been to MN and I can't wait to be flying overhead, seeing the green landscape dotted with a thousand lakes!  Hopefully it won't be as I hold a screaming toddler in my arms :)

Oh, and by the way, I updated the Lucy, Recipes and 11 in 2011 Pages on the sidebar.  I noticed that pretty much all the recipes I've shared in the past two years are desserts or muffins - I'd really like to start sharing more recipes, maybe once every week or so - and I'd really like them to be more than just desserts!  Still working on the About Max & Kaylee, as well as the Little Ones pages, but they'll be done soon!!

I really enjoy getting comments from y'all - it makes me smile to open up the good old gmail and find notifications of comments on the blog.  I enjoy reading them AND I enjoy responding to them.  However, there are times when I hit the reply button that instead of being able to email you directly, it says noreply-comment@blogger.com - and this is no fun!  It's way easier to reply to comments via email than to have to go search for an email address or head to your blog to comment (I don't always have tons of time, ha ha!).

I thought I would share how to change this setting on your Blogger, so that if you want people to be able to reply to your comment via email, you can do so!

1. Click on the Dashboard link in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
2. Click on Edit Profile, which is on the left-hand side of your screen, next to your picture.  This will take you to the Edit User Profile page.
3. Look in the 'Privacy' section.  Check the box that says "Show my email address".
4. Next, in the 'Identity' section, enter in an email address.  It does not need to be the same email address that you sign-in to blogger with, although it certainly can be.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on 'Save Profile'.

There ya go!  Hope that's easy enough - if you have questions, ask!

ALSO, I need advice/tips!  Please!  We are flying to MN this week for a visit/weddings, which we are very much looking forward to.  However, we are flying with both of the babies as lap babies.  Max gets one and I get the other (he claims he gets the "easier" baby - what, who is that?!).  I am not as anxious about Z, because he is little and will most likely fall asleep, but L on the other hand - oh boy!  She is so independent, mobile and "bossy" right now.  And to keep her on our lap for a few hours?!  Any tips, suggestions, advice would be much appreciated...

I've made some changes to the blog - just in case you didn't see it, ha ha!
I know I've mentioned a few times over the past few months that I was working on the blog layout/design, but it wasn't until I had a 3-hour chunk last night that I actually sat down and made it all come together.  I'm not quite done with what I wanted to do - there are a few little edits I want to make and a couple things that are still to come - but it's mostly there!

I added some tabs on the right, and if you click on them, you'll see that they are not complete yet, so stay tuned for those to be written and put together in the next few weeks.
I was also thinking about writing a post about our story - about how Max & Kaylee came to be - what do you think?

Lately, there have been so many ideas floating around in my head, and although I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends up-to-date on the happenings of our family, and as a way to record my thoughts and feelings regarding my pregnancy with L (over 2 years ago, wow!), I was thinking I would start sharing more of me and what's on my heart.  Maybe a little 'Get to know Kaylee' mini-series sort of thing.  Thoughts?

Sugar-fast update and confession time.  (I started a sugar-fast two weeks ago).  I was doing really well, chugging along, leaving all the sugar behind me these last few weeks.  I was eating a lot of veggies (they make a great vehicle for dipping hummus up with!), fruits (oh man, fresh peaches and blueberries are the BEST!), good proteins (homemade hummus, eggs, almonds, meat -we have been grilling like crazy - chicken, eggplant, ribs, pork loin), a little dairy (cottage cheese, feta cheese, splash of milk in my coffee - have I ever mentioned that I love cheese?  No, really, I LOVE cheese!), and a starches (sweet potatoes and popcorn).  I was cruising along.

Until yesterday.  This is where the confession comes into play.  Max came home after a really tiring day - he had run 12 miles in the morning, then had worked on a project for hours and came home, only to have to work 3-4 more hours on the project last night.  It was hot out - our thermometer (thanks, Papa D!) read well over 100 degrees - and the humidity was brutal (and I made my sweet husband stand over the grill too, ha ha, oops!).  Max was tired, a bit crabby and just wanted some downtime before resuming his project.  He informed me that ice cream would help the situation immensely, and that it would make him feel much better if I had some with him.  How could I resist?!  Yeah, I obviously couldn't.  There's really no justification, especially after going 14 days without sugar.  I just wanted ice cream and I gave in.

I'm only a little disappointed in myself - it was a delicious treat and we had a fun time sitting at the table, enjoying our ice cream and watching L get it ALL over the place - but in a way, I did fail my sugar-fast. I didn't hold out the entire 21 days, like I intended and committed to.  Does this mean I'm giving up completely though?  Nope!  I'm right back at it this morning - no sugar for another week for me.  I want to try to stick with it for another week before I scale back the severity of the foods I cut out.  I have, honestly, been enjoying eating sugar-free, except for the moments of incredible cravings for a piece of chocolate, ha!  I've noticed that I have more energy when I get up in the mornings, that I've been enjoying the flavors and tastes of fresh, raw (but not raw meat, don't worry!) foods more and that I don't crave sugary goodness quite as much as I normally would.  I just feel healthier, knowing that I'm not eating mass amounts of dessert and such.

That's it.  My confession.  My fail, and now, re-commitment to another week of the sugar-fast, to finish off my original 21-day plan.  All I know is that, even though I had a treat yesterday, all I can think about right now is that iced caramel macchiato that will be mine in just over a week - oh man, oh man!

Oh man, oh man, I want cake so bad.  Or ice cream.  Or a cookie.  Or pie.  Or gooey dark chocolate brownies with peanut butter swirled into them.  It's day #3 of my sugar fast, and although it's going pretty well, I have been craving something good and sugary since I woke up.  I've been eating a lot of fruit, tons of veggies, homemade hummus, nuts, eggs, cheese and broiled chicken the past few days.  Oh, and drinking glorious coffee every morning - and you know what?! I don't really miss the sugar in my coffee at all!  So far the hardest part has been sticking with my sugar fast, while having to make food for L - like toast for breakfast or a sandwich for lunch - or putting a piece of coffeecake in a lunch for Max.  My husband LOVES his desserts and we had a few leftovers from last week, so I think I'll feel better once he finishes them off and they are out of the house :)  Other than the food prep, the sugar fast is going well and I'm eager to keep on keeping on...

A potty-training update?!  I may or may not have lost some of my motivation.  The first day went alright.  My method was to let L wander around the house without any pants or diaper on.  Within the first 10 minutes, she peed on the floor.  We had a discussion about how that wasn't ok, and that we need to go pee in the toilet.  As we were discussing (read: as I was teaching her), we went and sat on her potty.  Nothing.  Went back to the table and had breakfast.  She finished her food, said she was done and then told me "potty".  I got her down, got her situated on the potty and within 5 minutes, she peed!  Go L!  The rest of our day was pretty similar.  We had a few more accidents, but also a few successful trips to the potty.

I woke up on Tuesday and for whatever reason, decided to switch my methodology.  I thought that maybe she would find incentive in being able to wear her "big girl panties" and that she would try not to wet them.  Epic fail on my part.  I think the panties felt too much like a diaper and she went in them pretty much right away.  It was much too soon for panties.  The following day, she got a cold and it was just easier to lay low and relax.  I, obviously, did not have very good follow-through on the whole potty-training thing.  With all the fun things we have planned this weekend (trip to the Farmer's Market, shopping, a beach day, fireworks, family movie night), we are thinking we'll wait until next week to re-start.  I just need to be diligent and patient, and give her a few days to figure it all out.  She'll get it.  So that's where we are on the potty-training front.  Next week, I'll have yet another update.

I've been busy (ok, in my free time, which is pretty much never...) working on the blog layout/design.  Which means that today is yet another post with pictures (calm down, Mama D, they'll come soon enough...) - I do have some that I want to share, but it'll be a few more days!  We have a fun long weekend planned, and although I have some household chores to get crossed off my list, I am already in relax-mode!  I hear the babies stirring from their morning nap.  Off I go to see them, shower, grab lunch and head out for an afternoon of errands!