So thankful (checking off the bucket list...)

I went to bed last night so grateful! Oh how the Lord knows me and knows when I am about to totally lose it! I feel like my previous post needs an addendum as God is really showing himself to me right now. On Sunday (the day after I last posted), the girls took long afternoon naps that overlapped by ~1 1/2 hour. It was incredible and magical and something I could totally get used to! I was able to sit next to Graham during that time while he wrote a paper--there is something about being next to a person when they have been gone a lot--though we both sat with computers in lap, working on our own things, it was wonderful. Then that night, while I was at a MOPS meeting, a sweet friend sent me a text to say I needed a date and could she please watch the girls? I'm totally serious and spoiled.

On Monday, Isla did the unheard of and slept in until 9:30 AM!!!! For a girl who has woken up religiously between 7 and 7:30 for over a year, this was incredible. I put Emma down for her morning nap and once again found myself with an hour of time to myself which I used to finish reading my square foot gardening book. That afternoon, I was able to book appointments to a) get my haircut, b) get the carpet cleaned (something I've been wanting since before Isla was born) and c) set up a time to go to the dentist (not something I'm looking forward to but hey, it needed to be done!) 

Then yesterday, Graham knew I needed a day "off" from the normal routine so sent me to Home Depot with his gift card to buy the soil ingredients I need to get my garden going. After lunch, he shooed me off to Starbucks where I was able to pound out a couple hours of MOPS tasks that had been piling up with my lack of free time. And the barista just so happened to forget to make my drink so gave me TWO coupons for free drinks next time--3 for the price of 1! Oh and you know what Graham did while I was gone? He cleaned the house-a task he has not been able to help out with for quite some time.

Last night we got to go out on our little date and it was totally refreshing and wonderful and so here I sit with a full and thankful heart. Oh and did I mention that my Dad was declared CANCER FREE last week?!!!? More on that later but I just feel so passionate right now that the Lord knows how much we can handle and that He truly sustained me his week and said "I've got this" when I was feeling about ready to totally lose it.  I am so thankful!

Today's Bucket List

If I had all the resources in the world today (time, money, supernatural mothering capabilities), I would do the following:

-Make reservations at The Herb Farm to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary in two weeks. Dream on sister, I know. I keep telling Graham that I'm still hopeful an extra $500 is going to show up in the mail to make this one possible. He seems doubtful. But, to his credit, we played a rendition of The Newlywed Game with some friends a couple weeks ago and one of the questions was: "If you were given an extra $500, how would you spend it?" Guess what he said? He said he'd take me to The Herb Farm for our anniversary!! What a guy!

-Teach my children to nap at the same time. I think it is safe to say I am about to go insane. Free time is not in Graham's vocabulary at present. He's either a) at work b) at a coffee shop writing a paper c) in class or d) sleeping. And the girls have been perfectly alternating their naps for about 2 months now. I thought it was hard with one kid but two? Waaa, waa, waa, I know but seriously, this is HARD.

-Go get my haircut! I honestly can't recall whether I've had my haircut since having Emma. I went back to work last week and after spending 30 minutes trying to do my hair in the morning, I looked in the mirror at work and saw that my post-baby kinky crazy hair had reemerged despite my straightening efforts. GASP! I totally looked like a mother of two!!!

-Go somewhere, anywhere for 4, maybe 5 hours. Like shopping. Or sitting at a coffee shop and reading/blogging.

-Book a trip. Europe would be lovely, but really anywhere would be nice. It's that seeing it written in PEN on the calendar that I'd like-a trip to look forward to.

-Set up weekly dates with Graham. I love that man. And I miss him too. I can do this! 9 more days until the quarter ends!

-Buy new running shoes. I've had mine since pre-Isla. Oops.

-Shop for skinny jeans. This one is mostly to make my hubby happy. The bonus is that I'd get to wear my cool boots just that much more if I had me a pair of these.

-Find some closed-toed black dress shoes. Apparently I threw all mine away? I realized that the day before I went back to work....

-Get Emma to sleep through the night.

-Read my book on Square Food Gardening. And then go out and buy my soil and compost so I'm ready to plant when my seeds arrive!

-Figure out a way to have a few hours to myself each week. (See almost all of the above). :)

These are the things I would do today if I had endless resources. I like lists so writing these things out is helpful to me so I can refer back (ok, let's be honest--so that I can remember what is was I wanted to do--I'm still infected with "baby brain"). I certainly can't do them all but, I CAN do some. So I'm gonna!!!

It's that time of year again...

It's almost spring! And we all know what that means.....time to put some seeds in the soil! I'm excited because in a couple weeks we will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Apparently the traditional gift for 5 years of marriage is something made of wood so how perfect is it that I would request a new garden planter this year? My father-in-law ever so kindly agreed to make me one and I plan to try my thumb at square foot gardening, thanks to the recommendation of my mom. I have a book on hold at the library that I hope will offer a little more insight but it seems like a pretty effective way of growing the most bang for my buck in my limited space. My planter is going to be 2' x 6' which will give me 12 squares to work with. I just placed an order last night for the following: bush beans, both red and golden beets, a broccoli seed that is sort of a cross between traditional broccoli and broccoli rabe, carrots, arugula, a variety of lettuces (including romaine) and kale. I am so excited (and hopeful!) that I will be successful. I plan to do hanging tomato plants and strawberries again and will probably add some cilantro, basil and maybe chives somewhere in there as well. I moved my rhubarb out of a planter and into one of my garden beds at the end of last year and was pleased to see some buds on it yesterday. Hooray! I didn't kill it!

Emma: 6 Months

Emma is hitting her milestones at a fast and furious pace. She no longer seems like much of a baby now that she is half a year old! A lot has happened since I last posted.

The biggest news is that we started solids on February 25th! Emma got her first taste of avocado. I think it'd be stretching the truth to say she liked it but she did manage to swallow a few bites through her gags (pictured below). I think her favorite part was the sippy cup of water which she figured out how to use right away.

Today, Emma's half birthday, I introduced her to lentils which she found much more appealing. Either she's getting used to the texture of this solid business or she like the flavor of lentils more than avocado.

Emma is officially sitting up! I think the first time she did it for any length of time was on February 12th. Now she is nearly a pro and stays pretty well balanced unless she sees something exciting. I usually surround her with pillows to buffer falls or just stay close by to catch her when she falls. She seems much happier now that she doesn't have to lay around on the floor all day and I think we are officially done with the bouncy seat.

Emma finally rolled over back to tummy on Isla's half birthday, February 25th. She was so close for a really long time but couldn't quite seem to get over her shoulder without Isla's help (which she likes to do often).

Emma discovered her hands, feet and even her shadow this month and loves to watch each of them move while I'm changing her. I love seeing how intrigued she is by her own limbs!

Emma is really into papers and magazines lately. If she can get her hands on them, she'll rip them to shreds and try to eat them. It cracks me up how eagerly she lunges for them.

She started doing this funny thing when you are holding where she will suddenly tilt her head to the right really fast. It usually is rather forceful and she's nearly thrown herself out of my arms on a number of occasions. Part of me wonders if that's actually what she's doing--trying to get down--because she usually does it when she's squirmy and usually the only thing that fixes it is putting her down. She also started babbling last week. This video captures a little of the babble but mostly the head tilt. :)

So in case you've been under the impression since my last post about Emma that she's sleeping through the night, ha! Not so much. Unfortunately, we went through another period of her crying on and off again when we put her down at night and she also started waking a few times a night. I temporarily put her back in the pack n' play in the guest room so we could let her cry a bit. So frustrating! Binky plugs no longer stop her crying in the middle of the night so we tried letting her cry a couple of times. Only once did she actually fall asleep so usually I just get up and feed her because it's amazing HOW LOUD a crying baby can be in a small, otherwise silent house. It's a major bummer as I know she's capable of making it to 5 or 6 AM (after going to bed at 7 or 7:30 PM) since she's done it a number of times. I'm averaging 2 trips to her room a night so I'm really tired but at least I'm "getting" the opportunity to do my devotions every day as a result (Kindle with reading light!!) She has gone down without crying the past couple nights so I'm hoping we're back on track with that and so I'm trying her in the crib again tonight.

I am happy to say we do have a good morning nap in place now! Emma usually goes down ~8:30 or 9 AM in her crib and sleeps for an hour, maybe an hour and a half. I am grateful for the opportunity it provides to clean up breakfast and sometimes even get dressed!

We spent most of the month cat-napping it through the rest of the day as I couldn't get her to sleep for any, regular, extended length of time. The last few days she's napped for almost an hour on a couple occasions which is progress. I'm still hopeful I'll be able to get both her and Isla napping in the afternoon at the same time (and maybe even in the same room!??) but I have yet to be successful on a regular basis. I'm putting her in the guest room currently although it doesn't seem to make a huge difference as both girls are light sleepers and can hear the slightest noises through the shared wall.

On another note, I'll close with a video of my new most favorite thing: the girls laughing in the back seat of the mini-van. It brings me so much joy!! And along with that, I should make a little confession. I actually am really, really enjoying taking my van out for little spins. I like to bring along a big cup of coffee, listen to music and call various people to catch up. I am blessed to have girls who like the car because we drive to Seattle A LOT. :)

Sweetheart Dinner

I have been following the date ideas on Rebekah and Andi's dinner at eight project for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge this month and join in. I'll admit I was a bit intimidated by the idea as I am much less crafty than they but couldn't agree more with their premise to date our husbands so here goes!

I used to wonder how women could convert to sweat-pants-wearing, non-hair-doing individuals after they had kids. Now I know because I'm one of them. Graham is lucky if he gets home before I've changed into my pjs for the night. I've forgotten what perfume and jewelry are. And as for shaved legs--do people still do that?! Needless to say, a nice night filled with intentional romance was in order for my dear man. Neither of us wanted to bother with finding a babysitter so we option to follow tradition and celebrate at home.

As you can see, our dinner started a little late. :) Graham had to work and so didn't get home until after 8. He wanted to have a fire after dinner and insisted on picking up the firewood himself as I think he wanted it to be a treat for me. He said the line of frantic men trying to buy flowers for their ladies at Safeway at 8 PM was rather comical. :)

I think Graham nearly fell over when he came in saw that I'd actually cleaned up and put a dress, jewelry AND perfume on for our little "date." I think my attire must have inspired him to change out of his scrubs and get dressed up too. Both of us completed our outfits with slippers which unfortunately I neglected to document on film. 

I had a light appetizer ready for Graham when he came home. I used a cookie cutter and to keep the olive tapenade in the shape of a heart (almost!) on slices of baguette. And I splurged just a little on this Spanish tempranillo (a wine recommended by Bon Appetit Magazine to pair with our entree). 

Graham handed me these succulent plants when he walked in the door (he's been instructed over the years not to bring any "dead" flowers home, only live, potted ones) and a tear-jerking card. What a guy!

We've been on a duck kick lately and so a special request was made that duck be on our Valentine menu. Graham selected a phenomenal (and easy!!) recipe from Bon Appetit: Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Sauce. Seriously amazing if you like duck! After enjoying a couple appetizers, we got to work searing our duck breasts and reducing our sauce.

I made a Potato and Celery Root Puree to accompany the duck and boy was it a great combo! I replaced the russet potatoes with yukons and used garlic salt instead of celery salt. It was a breeze to make and definitely came out restaurant-quality.

Graham voted for brussel sprouts to complete the meal (seriously who is this man that I married!?) so I found a recipe that included red pepper flakes for heat and a dash of nutmeg.

The plate came out near-perfection if I do say so myself! And I'm pretty sure the entire meal could come together in 30, maybe 40 minutes tops, depending on who's cooking.

We savored our meal over candlelight, exchanged cards and enjoyed in-depth conversation over wine. I think in the busyness of this season of young-child-rearing, it is so easy to forget to intentially compliment one another. We were able to spend some time doing that as we read each other's cards. I really, really love this man and he truly is God's perfect match for me.

I felt so blessed by our evening together. It took a little advance planning but the experience was so worth it!

Oh and lest we forget about dessert! We closed out the evening (nearing midnight!) with Graham's favorite: Rhubarb Custard Pie. A la mode of course.

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie! Here's to many more!

Contentment

I am desperately in need to developing some of this in my life right about now. On and off over the past few months, I keep finding myself in this yucky space of dissatisfaction, fear, anxiety and self doubt. I guess you could call it discontent. It isn't a place I enjoy being and it's a place I'd really like to learn to stay away from.  The Lord kind of thwacked me over the head this weekend and pointed it out to me as if to say this needs to change. I am grateful but I'm also at a loss. How does one learn to be content?

I'm kind of excited because usually when I realize one of my faults, I get overwhelmed and end up running away and not doing anything about it because I don't even know where to start. But this time I keep hearing the Lord speak to me. Stick with it. Study. Be honest about your struggle. Read my Word. So last night I told my pastor's wife and a couple other women I am in leadership with. I wasn't really planning to but I sort of just blurted it out. I felt very vulnerable but also very free. (And now I'm telling you all, whoever "you all" may be!) My pastor's wife immediately began quoting Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." That is my heart's desire but how do I get there?

Today I came across this old devotion from Our Daily Bread:

"A poet once wrote: “As a rule, man’s a fool. When it’s hot, he wants it cool. And when it’s cool, he wants it hot. Always wanting what is not.”

What an insightful observation on human nature! So when we read in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” we wonder, Can this be possible?

For Paul it was. Philippians 4:12-13 describes Paul’s response to life: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (NIV). Paul’s relationship with God superseded whatever he did or did not have. His contentment was not based on his circumstances, but on his relationship with Christ.

Paul reminds us that contentment doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something that we learn. As our relationship with God develops over time and through experiences, we learn to trust God more and ourselves less. Paul knew that Christ would give him the strength to persevere in whatever situation he encountered (v.13).

No matter what you’re facing today, through prayer you can receive the strength to be content."

My contentment is not based on my circumstances but rather on my relationship with Christ (praise God!) This is my take away snippet for today. On that note, any other nuggets of wisdom from you readers who might be more mature in this area than I? How have you learned to be content?

Valentine's Past

Just for fun, I've been reminiscing over Valentine's Days past and figured I should get down to business and document them. It's a good thing too because my memory is fading fast! Someday I'm sure my girls will want to look back and see how their parents did romance "back in the old days." We must really be getting old because the first few years are in the pre-digital camera days so I have no pictures.

2004? - Or possibly 2003? Graham reminded me today that we've spent more Valentine's Days together than I originally thought. Our first V-Day was actually before we were a couple. He was chasing after me but I was oblivious. Somehow he sneakily managed to go take my sister, our friend Danae and myself all to dinner. Very smooth. We went to the Mongolian Grill because "none of us had other plans" but looking back I'm pretty sure Graham had a hand in orchestrating it all. He didn't pay (because he would have had to pay for all three girls!!) so I guess technically it wasn't a date. Following dinner, we met up with a group of fellow SPUers for mini golf at Bullwinkles. I'm pretty sure I won.

2005 - Technically our first Valentine's Day "together." I told Graham to be ready at 6 AM or some ungodly hour and picked him up before our classes and drove him to a neighborhood on Queen Anne hill where we had a "sunrise" breakfast (in quotations because it was so cloudy there wasn't really a sunrise to be had). I served him hot chocolate, fruit and heart-shaped scones and introduced him to homemade raspberry jam which he now adores. We always joke about this part because the jam jar had an old label on it that never washed off from a prior batch that read "Rasp 1999." Graham called it "Vintage Jam" and barely believed me when I promised the stuff I served him wasn't really that old. Graham returned the romance that evening and took me to a place we think was called The Atrium downtown Seattle. I'm not sure if it is still around but it was up in one of the tall buildings with a nice view. The main reason he chose it was because he had a coupon for it from the entertainment book and when you are a poor college boy, you do what you have to do. Unfortunately, they didn't honor coupons in Valentine's Day so he had to pay full price--oops! I asked him about it today and he said "It was ok because you ordered gnocchi which was pretty cheap." I love that he remembers! :) Then he brought me back to his place for some homemade chocolate fondue. He had candles burning and everything which proceeded to leave smoke stains on the walls--sorry SPU housing! I bought him a CD storage book (you know the kind with all the sleeves to put the CDs in?) and wrote all the things I loved about him on these heart-shaped cards and put them in the pockets. Apparently that was back in the day when I had endless time on my hands.

2006 - This was a hard V-Day as I was in Texas for my internship and we were smack dab in the middle of our year of long distance. Graham sent me a special package that I remember opening in the car outside of the WIC building before I went inside for my rotation. I think the package contained a letter, a CD of burned love songs (a classic Graham gift that I always cherish) and probably some chocolate. He claims there was a book of love poems in there too.

2007 - This year was really memorable. So memorable that neither of us can remember it. We were engaged and must have been deep into wedding planning as we got married the following month. I'm pretty sure this was the year we went out to breakfast at Dish in Fremont. I remember something about red strawberries and whipped cream. Maybe Graham was working the night shift or something? Whatever the case, we couldn't celebrate that evening and so did breakfast instead. That's all we could glean from our fading brains.

2008 - I came across this picture of our Valentine's Day in 2008. Too bad it gives me absolutely zero hint as to how we celebrated except that apparently we drove in the car! :) I'm pretty sure this was the year that we decided to go down to Pike Place Market and buy all the ingredients for a fancy, make-it-yourself Valentine's Day dinner. We bought fresh pasta, scallops and mushrooms and made one of our all time favorite dishes: Seared Scallops with Portobello Mushroom and Truffle Emulsion (apparently our Valentine's tradition as it also made an appearance on our 2011 menu pictured below).

2009 - I remember this evening pretty well, mostly because I was beyond exhausted which is probably why I didn't think to take pictures. I was early in my pregnancy with Isla and, as is tradition in our house, we were a little behind the eight ball on making reservations for the big night. Sooooo, when we finally got around to it, the only option left at our restaurant of choice, Brad's Swingside Cafe, was 9:30 PM. We should have just said "forget it" and stayed home but apparently that didn't feel right either. It was a work night for Graham and I remember feeling ready for bed before he even arrived home at 7:30. I made some appetizers to enjoy (mostly just to keep me awake!) until it was time to go to dinner and we ended up having a lovely time out. What sticks out in my memory the most is that, in my naivety, I asked the waiter if the pasta sauce was simmered for a long time because wine was listed as an ingredient and I was absolutely paranoid that it might hurt the baby. I'm sure he probably left our table laughing his head off on the inside.

2010 - This was probably one of my favorite Valentine's. You can read more about it here. Since Isla had joined our family, we got creative and had a family overnight date at the downtown Seattle Sheraton, complete with swimming at the hotel pool, Thai takeout and champagne. Fun times!

2011 - Wouldn't you know it, I was pregnant again. And Graham had to work. So, it was another home date for us which have actually become quite fun when I have my act together enough to do some planning. I built a fire and made a multi-course meal of our favorite French salad with puff pastry-wrapped goat cheese, Scallops w/ Truffle Emulsion (mentioned about) over pasta and strawberries with whipped cream which we ate in front of the fire after Graham got home from work.

Graham was in the middle of an unbelievably busy week with school, work and church so hadn't even had a spare second to think about V-day. I was really shocked when he came home, gift in hand with a sweet card and these lovely silver lace earrings

 

Well, that was a fun little walk down memory lane. Looking forward to whatever we may conjure up for Valentine's Day 2012!