They Won't All Be This Way

Some days are just bad.  Not life-altering bad, but more of I'd like a re-do please, bad.  Today was that day.

I've had poop on me twice today.  One of them was my own kid, but the other was someone else's kid.  I suppose it comes with the territory, but I hate poop.  Just gross.  I feel the need to shower myself clean just talking about that part of my day.

I burned my mouth/tongue/teeth this morning.  I enjoy hot drinks.  I always order coffee "extra hot," as I become greatly bothered when I pay over $4.00 for a drink that's only lukewarm.  If I pay that much for a beverage, I'd like it to last more than 4 minutes.  Anyway, back to my story.  The mug I was drinking from this morning has a little air hole so when you are drinking from the mug, the liquid flows out nicely.  Well apparently my little air hole was plugged.  And I knew my tea would be hot (I poured boiling water in myself), but I was just going for a sip.  You know, the Is it still too hot to drink, or can I start sipping so it lasts a little longer sip.  And GUSH!  It came pouring into my mouth.  In a flash of WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY MOUTH?? I grabbed a used glass off the counter and starting gulping cold water. Oh, one other detail - I was at someone else's house.

I saved my tea so it could get nice and cool - as I have NEVER burned my mouth like this and I still can't eat or drink appropriately.  But I didn't want to waste the tea.  So as I was heading home, I placed my mug on top of the car so I could buckle Justice in the back seat (you see where this is going...).  Yeah, I forgot about it, and pulled away.  I heard it thump across my hood about the same time I saw tea streaming down my back window.  Lovely.  I stopped to pick it up off the side of the road... in pieces.  Perfect.  

I still chose to attend a playgroup this afternoon.  I mean, I tried to take a nap while Justice was napping (The world needed me to sleep a little longer), but I was awoken not once - but twice - by a co-worker.  If napping wasn't in the plans, then I would clean.  So I snuck quietly into Justice's room to lovingly place a warm blanket on her little toes.  And she sat STRAIGHT up.  Deep breath.  And off to playgroup :)

I had a little time at home before needing to leave for work.  Eric is gone tonight, (chef-of-the-home), so I peeled, chopped, sauteed, spiced - and poured it into the crock pot.  I knew I was pushing Justice's dinner time a bit (as I also had to go pick her up from the sitters... once again, something Eric usually does).  But soup would be ready as we walked through the door - can't get much easier than that, right?

Wrong.  I turned the crock pot on "warm" instead of ANY other setting that would have cooked my food.  So the squash was still hard, uncooked, and the whole pot is, well, warm.

I talked to Eric as I was driving home from work and he said, "I wish I could eat it with you."  And to that I say, "No worries, friend. You can.  It's slated to be done at 10."  

Finger Nails

My nails look like this right now:

Fridays are dubbed "Fun Friday" at the after-school ministry I work for.  During the week the kids work hard on homework, reading, and other enrichment activities.  Fun Friday is a reward for the week's efforts.  Volunteers teach classes like sewing, painting, football camp, percussion, duct tape art, guitar, music production, tennis, and nail painting.

Yesterday a young girl kindly asked, "Ms. Joy, will you come into our nail salon?"  And while I rarely sit down to enjoy a class, and never have colored nails, I thought why not?  Little did I know my nails would be 3 shades of brightness with polka-dots, but it's okay.  It's good.  Because yesterday the relationship between 4 young girls and myself was more important than the outcome of my nails.

I pray I will stop going, going, going.  That I will participate in relationship building opportunities. To sit, and simply be in the presence of those around me.

First Sewing Project

My beautiful mom gifted me with a sewing machine as an early birthday present :)

Or the real story... I showed her a pattern I wanted to try, asked for her help, and she loaded me and the baby into the car.  We returned with a sewing machine, set it up, and then she had to leave for the airport.  Yep, she stranded me.

And when I sat down to try a few days later, it got stuck.  Before I had even sewed ONE straight line, the machine was stuck.  My first thought, This is why I asked for help, Mom.  Was quickly followed by my second thought, I'm calling her right now! So I called my lovely mom on facetime, showed her the sewing machine and the parts I had removed, and she talked me through fixing it right on the phone.  Gotta love technology, and moms.

So a few sessions later, I actually do have my first project completed (except for one row of embroidery branch stitching - what is that, anyway?).  This was intended to be ready for Justice's 1st birthday.  While it wasn't finished (or even started) on her actual birthday, I still plan on calling it her 1st birthday gift.

I do truly hope that I come to love this sewing machine.  But one thing is certain, every time I sit down to use it, I'm sure to think of my mom and my grandma and all of the heartfelt gifts I have received.  I'm so excited to continue sewing for (and someday with) Justice.

Birth DAY

Who told that kid she could grow up so fast?  And how did she get that big? 

Morning time with Daddy

Talking to her new plate! 

Needs a picture on the right side.

ICE CREAM!!

Seriously!  Her head is already bigger than mine! 

Getting her ornament...

and helping Daddy (and Monster) put it on the tree.

Birthday book (On the Night You Were Born)

LOVING the doggy wrapping paper! 

Thanksgiving

With family in various parts of the country, we rotate holidays between Virginia and Michigan.  This Thanksgiving was spent in Virginia, and we also celebrated Christmas with the Paul family.  We had a great time and Justice loved exploring a new space and playing with her cousins! 

Weekend Away

Earlier this month, Eric and I took a weekend away.  It was my first night away from Justice and I couldn't have asked for a better experience.  A few (hundred) tears were shed the night before we left - and then I was ready!  My mom came to Nashville for the weekend - so Eric and I took off :)  After much trial-and-error trying to find the perfect cabin for a weekend away, we settled on a bed and breakfast located in downtown Chattanooga.  It was just what we needed.  We did indeed enjoy great breakfasts, along with over-the-top generosity from the innkeepers.  We stayed for two nights and planned our days full of things we love - coffee shops, walking, outdoors, food, and chocolate!  

Walking/Riding through the park.

 Mean Mug Coffee

Shaved Ice - Now this is REALLY vacation! 

The Hot Chocolatier 

Justice spending quality time with Grandma.  THANK YOU, Mom!! 

Blooper Reel

I could title every blog, "She's Getting So Big!"  Because she is.  And doing new things every day.

Justice took her first steps this week.  She's so happy!  She giggles and smiles, and falls on her face, and gets back up and does it all over again :)  We have also been picking up on a few new words.  Justice talks CONSTANTLY.  She speaks with such conviction, points, and uses fabulous voice fluctuations.  So perhaps she's had a few "words" for a while, but we're just now deciphering through the noises/sounds/screeches/screams to pull out those words.  Our list includes: doggy, ducky & kitty cat!  Eric is pretty sure she says "daddy," and our babysitter thinks she says, "that."  One of these days her vocabulary will explode and I won't be able to say, "Oh yes, I think so too" to every sentence :-)

We acquired a little play set for the back yard.  It is tiny, but perfect for Justice.  Eric calls her a pint-sized person so I suppose the play set is pint-sized too!  She seems to like it, and we're hoping to get some good use out of it this fall - now!

We have been trying to capture Justice's first (week of) steps on camera.  We have not been successful.  When discussing this yesterday, Eric said, "How does everyone get such great videos of their kids, and all we can get is a blooper reel?"  So, without further ado, I present Our Blooper Reel (with a few actual steps toward the end)!

Celebration Plates

 About a month ago I was reading a dear friend's blog and saw a picture of her "Celebration Plate." The idea is that any time someone is celebrating something (first day of kindergarten, birthday, promotion, etc) they get to eat off the Celebration Plate. (Thanks, Britt!) She decorated one for her family with a Dr. Seuss theme "Oh, the places you will go!" Clever, huh? Well, right around the same time I noticed "plate making" appeared on the calendar for the MOMS group I am a part of.

My MOMS club hosted the activity primarily as an "easy Christmas gift for a family member - have your kid color a picture and make it into a plate." The plates turned out adorable, and some super clever mamas helped their children create masterpieces, and hand prints, and beautiful works of art that will be given away this Christmas season. Well my dear Justice wasn't going to be coloring, and since I have zero creativity in me, I borrowed Brittany's inspiration!

I first decided to make a plate for Justice. I thought I would use Brittany's idea and pull out the plate for special Justice moments. I landed on this (with some help from Eric). We have called Justice "J-Bird" since birth - so out came this simple-yet-meaningful image.

During this process, I was doing some googling of celebration plates to gather a bit more creativity. And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that we needed a family plate. As our family grows, and ages, I want to celebrate all members. I also think our children will need to see Eric and I celebrating each other and rejoicing together over special occasions. And out came our first ever family plate!

I love it.

I'm a little annoyed that some of the words aren't straight, or evenly spaced, but I'm trying to let go of my it's not perfect attitude, and cling to the reality that it's so much more! We have so much to be thankful for, so why not start by being thankful for one another?

Photo Dump

Peek-a-boo with Daddy

Family days at the park

Emptying the kitchen cupboards

And wearing a dress for what is likely our last 80 degree day (10.25.12)

Umbrellas for Peace Event

Choosing a winter hat

Big Girl

It seems unbelievable how fast Justice has grown in the past few weeks.  She us pulling up on objects all over the house, and has gotten very quick!  As you can see, her mouth is always open.  Justice is super talkative and crazy expressive! 

*Pictures taken at 41 weeks old*