Portland

I just returned home from a lovely trip to Portland, Oregon. I have a great friend from high school that lives out that way and she was dieing for visitors.

Also, if you recall, from our trip last summer to Denver, we had some Southwest vouchers that needed to get used up so we combined them and got a killer deal on a ticket for me. Since Audrey is still nursing full time and her flight is free as she is a "lap child", I brought her with me.
And we had a blast. Such a great time out in the beautiful city and loved all the one-on-one time we got together.

Thanks Austin and Lindsey for being such wonderful hosts!

Just had to add this photo- we asked a guy to take this for us because we could see the mountain that day, which doesn't always happen, and here's what he took. Thank you sir. No, we just need the stroller in the photo, don't worry about getting my child in the shot. Thank you.

The Knitter's Year

So it was my birthday last week.
27!
Yup- late twenties, here I am!

(here am I, on my birthday, with my darling Greta!)

Anyway, my mother-in-law got me this lovely book, among other things, and I haven't been able to put it down. Nope- it's not the latest best-selling fiction. Nope- it's not the newest trilogy. It's a knitting book. By Debbie Bliss. And I'm in love. It's called The Knitter's Year and it has outlined how to make 52 projects, each taking a week long.

So I was talking about this with another friend and she mentioned how I should try to blog about each project as I do it. (disclaimer- I'm terrible at finishing projects. And, I'm terrible at doing them fast. So I might get one or two mostly completed in the next year!)
(that friend with my little G- her God daughter)

So project number one is from the Spring section of the book (which is ironic because technically, it's Spring in MN but yesterday was 90+ degrees with some lovely humidity thrown in there and just last week it snowed). So I'm going to do the first project in the book- A basket! I plan on making to go in our bathroom that we just redid.

Happy Knitting!

Facebook

Well, it's official, I'm off facebook. (Just saying it makes it sound like a drug, "Well, I'm off crack"!) It was a pretty easy decision I'll have you know. I took a break from facebook for Lent this year and it was the best thing I could have done. After Easter I went back on for a total of two weeks and I hated it. All the drama that was there before, was still there. All the comments people make, without saying how they really feel, were still happening. And the time I used to waste on that site started to get wasted again.

I realized all too often how much I checked it. How much the status updates of my friends would consume me. How little I was actually connecting with people, in real life. And, the saddest part of all, or rather, the greatest discovery I made, was that I needed it. But in actuality, I didn't.

So, I'm done. I'm done for a few reasons.

• I want to actually be present to my girls and for me, having facebook on my computer or phone does not make me present.
• I want to be intentional about connecting with friends and family and it was getting a little too easy to feel like I actually knew what was going on in someone's life, based on their status updates or notes.
• I want to find my true value in what God thinks about me, not what people say about the photos I take of my kids.
• I want to step away from "humble bragging" (a term I picked up from a friend over dinner a few weeks ago and love!) The world (or my facebook friend list) does not need to know about all the things I accomplish in one day. My God sees me. My man appreciates me. My kids love our house. That's really all that matter.
  

So, yesterday was my first day officially off. And I loved it! And now, today, on this gloriously rainy day, I feel free. I feel great about my decision! I've already had a lovely morning with my girls, in which I feel I've been truly present.

I'm in love!

Both babes are still asleep...

This never happens.
And by never I mean, NEVER.

My oldest daughter woke up at 5:50 but with some gentle soothing from my man, went right back to sleep.

(A photo of Greta with her Abba during church yesterday)

My youngest daughter has been asleep since 1 am. We started night/sleep training with her two nights ago and it turns out, she was super ready. I've pretty much just fed her every time she's woken up since she was born. And to be honest, I haven't minded it. As soon as we got bf-ing to work I was all about it. However, now that she's almost 5 months old, I'm ready for a little more rest. So, two nights ago, when she woke up at midnight to eat, my man went in and calmed her down and then left the room. She fussed again, we let her go for 3 minutes, and then I went in. Repeat. Three times and she was fast asleep. Our goal was for her to make it to 3 am and then I would nurse her before she went back down again. She slept until 5!

(A photo of Audrey asleep on our couch- I promise she can breathe!)

So last night she woke up around 11 pm and I just soothed her back to sleep with some gentle butt pats (she sleeps on her tummy) and shushing (thank you "happiest baby on the block" book!). She hasn't woken up since. That's right. She's been asleep, other than that one wake up, since last night at 7:30. We're going on 12 hours here. And no nursing! WOW!

All that to say, I have loved my extra time. Usually I sleep until one babe wakes up but this morning I was well rested at 6:15 when my man gets up. So I got up. And made coffee. And finished my Bible Study. And changed the load of laundry. And ate a bowl of cereal. And checked my email. And drank another cup of coffee.

Thank you girls. Mama needed a Monday morning like this. Bless you and your sweet sleeping faces!