Snuggles - Smiles - Snacks

 Just some random photos I don't want to forget....lots of them snuggles and smiles and some food of course...happy January.

Sisters are the BEST

 You may just see flowers and clean dishes.  What I see is a special lady who drove over an hour AFTER picking up groceries for us and then helped her sister meal prep for her week THEN did all the dishes.  The sister who went to the ER with a sick kiddo last night and hasn't gotten much sleep.  A sister who was exhausted and doesn't accept help well.  I am the sister and that special lady would be Emily, my amazing sister.  Emily, you went above and beyond your sister duties and man words can't express how thankful I am for you.  Love you, Maenee.  Truett has a double ear infection and is enjoying LOTS of cuddles and naps.  We are ready for him to be his happy, playful self again soon!

A Beautiful January Day

 Not many January days in Kansas, will you find me bundling in a light jacket to play on the swing set in the backyard.  This unusual day was too beautiful not to take advantage of.  The swing nap was also a bonus!

CONFIDENCE 2021

 I have watched people pick a "word of the year" with envy.  Because inevitably I always set myself up for failure with "resolutions", so I've never allowed myself to pick a word of the year.  This year I decided to change that.  Sometime in the last year, I have lot a lot of the confidence I had built up in myself.  

It took me a very long time to admit that after having Truett, right at the beginning of the world turning upside down with a pandemic, that I was struggling.  I didn't even know myself any more.  It was post-partum anxiety.  Something I praised friends and patients for admitting and getting help for, but something I couldn't admit to myself.  I should be able to just get over it, to pull myself up from my boot straps.  But I couldn't.  That fact alone was embarrassing to me.  Which is crazy, because I would be so proud of someone else in that situation for reaching for help.  So I finally did.  I will be forever grateful for friends, family and my awesome provider, who all loved me and supported me.  With some help from medication and investing time in what makes me feel myself again, I am glad to say I am feeling more like myself than I have in months.  I am smiling more, laughing more, playing with my kids more, cooking meals more, reading more, just MORE.  The smile I was sporting for a while had someone hiding behind it, now man I am not hiding anymore and that feels good.

Sporting the makeup covered face mask...such is life now-a-days.

Here's to growing in 2021 and finding my confidence again.

January Randomness

Some randomness from our lives:

Coffee is life.  Not only do we battle a 10 month old who gos in spirts of sleeping all night to not sleeping at all, our 3 year old, Charlie Mae, has decided that sleeping with mommy and daddy nightly or 5/7 nights a week is pretty cool.  Don't get me wrong, I love the cuddles, but mama doesn't sleep great with little feet in her face or a little head on her belly.

Trying something new.  I wanted to feel better in many different aspects - one of them was I wanted to just FEEL better and I knew a lot of the feeling better physically started with my diet.  I can never follow a "diet", so I am trying to integrate healthier decisions.  Working until 6 and not getting home until almost 7 makes it hard sometimes to prepare meals.  Or it used to.  I just needed to prep, but meal planning and prepping was overwhelming.  Was then introduced to this book.  Now, we are only a few weeks in, BUT I am thinking this is going to be a game changer.  3 meals, all things prepped before and then ready to put together and bake/cook the night we decide.  Stay tuned!

This little boy and his sissy are as ornery as they are sweet.  Man are they getting fun (and hard to keep up with).

Charlie snapped this picture of her daddy and I.  Just liked it, so here it is for your viewing pleasure.  I warned you, randomness.

Charlie "wearing her baby".

Daycare wears a guy out.  We are blessed with the best care for our sweet kiddos.

Santa gave Charlie press on nails.  She was pretty proud of them.

Waking up tired to this view is still pretty sweet.

 

Truett's First Church Service

2020 was WEIRD, yall.  This last weekend was Truett's first time to go to church in person.  He's 10 months old.  This is insane to me.  We masked up and headed in with some really happy hearts.  I know that church is not a building, but man was it good to worship with our church family after so long.  How handsome is this little man?  Thanks Aunt Allie and Uncle Jeff for the shirt, looking pretty spiffy.

Little mans pants fit a little like mama's.  Had to get comfy during the sermon.

 

New Years 2021

 New Year's Day 2021 brought some snow and in turn lots of fun!

Truett got some good Papa snuggles in.

Papa and Ben went and helped some friends with their new horse, Judge.

Nana and Aunt Maenee came and helped shampoo carpets and watch kiddos, so I could start 2021 on a cleaner, more organized slate.  I didn't realize for a long time what physical clutter did to my mental state, but man, it is a huge factor for me.  So coming to help me do this was like a breath of fresh air.