Currently

Loving: This warm fall weather. I think we have finally had a true fall, where it hasn’t gotten too cold too fast. Yes, there has been really cold days, but for the most part it has been beautiful weather around here. I’m also loving the fact that I am done with Christmas shopping and my Christmas cards are sitting here ready to be sent out. I feel prepared for the upcoming chaos.

Reading: A Mother’s Book of Secrets. My mom gave me this book for Mother’s Day a couple years back and I loved it. I decided to re-read it now that I am a little more in the thick of parenting. It is a very uplifting read, highly recommended.

Listening to: General Conference on my kindle. Every night while I am getting ready for bed I try and listen to a general conference talk. I am just starting my second round of listening to it. Let’s face it, it’s hard watching conference with little ones around and sometimes I don’t get much out of it until I listen to it again (over and over) until things finally click. Yes, it takes awhile for the messages to sink in.

Thinking about: Traditions and Mothering. Christmastime is a chance to establish some family traditions. I want my kids to look forward to certain traditions every year and I’m hoping that I can start establishing some this year.
Being a mother is hard. Period. I can already tell that Luke and Hank are SO different and they are each going to need their own parenting style. Luke is stubborn, very stubborn and I am already worried about him as a teenager. I am hoping and praying that we can turn that stubbornness into being determined and focused. Luke can also be the sweetest boy, full of I love yous and you’re the best mom. I hope and pray I can continue to have  a good, open relationship with him. Hank has had me worried the last couple days with his eating habits and not feeling well and gave me quite the scare last week. I’m already a basket case over losing one of my boys that I am going to have gray hairs before my next birthday. (Plus it doesn’t help that all my health problems stem from being stressed/worried). I also think constantly about raising good boys in this crazy, messed up world. It scares the hell out of me to think about what they can be exposed to at such an early age. See what I mean about the worrying? It never stops when you are a mother.

Waiting for: News from my friend, Stacie. We met Stacie and Matt while living in Vegas and they became some of our closest friends down there. Currently, they are waiting in the hospital right now to meet their heaven sent baby thanks to the miracle of adoption. It has been a long journey for them to get to this point and I am so incredibly excited for them. I think adoption is one of most selfless things people can do, on both ends, the birth parents and the adoptive parents. I can’t wait to see pictures. I wish I was living in Vegas right now so I could snuggle that baby boy.

Working on: Luke’s scrapbook & being thankful. I am four pages away from getting Luke’s first year scrapbook done and it will be a huge relief once it is complete. From there, the rest of his books should go pretty fast until I start working on Hank’s….
With Thanksgiving coming up in a couple days I am really trying to take time each day and remember how truly blessed I am. I have been provided so much in my life and I hope I can recognize it all. I struggle daily with being the person I want to be. I can see her in my mind and think it shouldn’t be that hard, but then two minutes later I am falling short again. Taking one day at a time.

Looking forward to: The holidays, of course. This time of year is the best. I am looking forward to putting up my Christmas tree in my new house and enjoying our first Christmas here. I am also looking forward to my bell’s palsy going away so we can finally take a family picture. It is improving daily, but it’s still hanging on with an iron fist. This crooked smile just isn’t going to cut it for pictures, but I sure hope Hank isn’t one before we finally can take pictures that I will approve of.

Current pictures around here:

 
{Hank exercising in his exersaucer}

{Luke’s thankful turkey}

{Luke reading Hank a story}

{Introducing Luke to the world of Christmas movies}

{Luke snuggling his new Curious George from his birthday}