welcome fall!

happy fall!

the months of September-December are my favorite. i love fall a LOT. a lot, a lot. but i also LOVE Christmas, so that's why fall isn't exactly my favorite, so I have to include december :) last fall i didn't have Pinterest, so this year i have way more inspiration. a couple of days ago, i made a yarn wreath for our front door. i got the idea from the one below. i'm kind of in love with mine! i hope to be posting more projects soon!  
 

Source: suzescorner.blogspot.com via Angelina on Pinterest

his first time.

hanging with papa at the urgent care.

today my boy had his first of what i am sure is going to be many urgent care visits. he fell off of a kitchen chair this morning. it's something he does confidently several times a day. today just wasn't his day! he fell right as i was walking out the door to go to work. with a call in to a friend, and the pediatrician, i went on my way (he stopped crying within a few minutes and was acting normal). a few hours later, the pediatrician's office called back (yeah, i was a little ticked that they hadn't called earlier!) and recommended that i take micah in to urgent care. so, off we went...i made my dad come with me because alex works too far, and i was too afraid to go alone!thankfully, the doctor said he would put a stitch in if i wanted it, but that he didn't really need it since the cut is on the back of his head and nobody will ever see it. 

after an eventful day for micah (and who am i kidding, me too!), all is well. i am thankful that i got to leave the doctor's office with my healthy and very active child and i thought about the mamas and daddies who don't get to do that. the ones who have to carefully fill out the paperwork because their 17 month old does actually have a long medical history. today, i am thankful for wounds that don't need stiches, and a baby boy who is healthy enough to climb. 

sixteen months.

micah,

somehow i blinked and my baby became a full on toddler. i need to remind myself not to blink too often! you are tall for your age, and most people think you're already 2. you are a ball of energy. literally. you run always and only slow down to sleep! the only calm awake time we have with you is during your "yay-yay," which is micah-speak for yo gabba gabba. it's the only thing you'll slow down for. you love it.

you run from thing to thing. there is no walking. only running. you love to run and climb and dance. active is an understatement. you are also extremely social. you make friends wherever we go. when we're out and about, you are SO happy. you love to say (or yell) "hi" to everyone we meet, and you also are persistent in your friendliness...if someone doesn't acknowledge you when you talk to them, you will repeat yourself even louder until they say hi! on the flip side, you don't stay in the nursery anymore, you just cry for mama. lucky for you, mama is usually right on the other side of the door :) i have to say, because you never had separation anxiety at any point, it's strangely comforting when you cry for mama and daddy.

your current favorite thing to do is to take someone's keys and stick them in the holes on the baby gate. when you get them to hang, you are SO proud of yourself. you back up and laugh and look at what you've accomplished. it's very cute. you have also figured out which keys fit into the doorknob on the front door. you can get them in. you will stand at the door and play with keys for longer than you do anything else.

food wise, you still love all fruits and veggies. if i would let you, you would live off of cucumbers and tomatoes! you do however still love everything your gongi makes you. recently, her shells are your fave. the rice and beans are also standing faves :)

one really fun thing about your budding personality that most people don't get to see too often, is that you have a very sweet side to you. you love to give kisses (just to family. you're a little stingy with them) and are very protective of your mama. if daddy tries to hug or kiss mama, you come right over and push us apart and then want up in mama's arms. it's pretty funny.

micah, it is our hope that you know that you are loved beyond words. you are a joy and every day with you is an adventure. we talk about your craziness and you know what? we wouldn't want it any other way. you are you. 100%. and that's all we want. you.

love,
mama

trying.

that word. 

busy.

i hate that it is used so commonly to describe our life right now. 

fall is always a crazy time for most churches. for us, september is always a blur. this year, i have a new position which only adds to the amount of things that fill my calendar. last year, micah was only 4 months old during september, and i wore him in his beco at most events or evenings out. this year, he's a LOUD toddler on the move and he no longer loves his beco (he actually hates it). sad day for mama. he also no longer loves his stroller, but he'll at least tolerate it.

(side note:: i keep trying, and he just hates being confined. is there any hope that he might one day at least be content again in a baby carrier??) 

what that means is that now micah can't really hang at most events that are all church events where he would need to be at least a little quiet. last week we had our annual week of setting aside the normal routines for a more dedicated pursuit of God...prayer, fasting, and worship. the night gatherings were great, however, it meant 4 nights away from micah. that's never happened for me before and it probably won't happen again until next year, but it was hard. really, really, hard. 

this whole working mama thing is juggling act. really. there are times that are easier than others, but most of the time i feel like i'm lacking somewhere. i just don't ever want micah to feel like he isn't my priority, because he is. 

i am learning that there are things that are just beyond my control. i can't make someone volunteer. i can't will the holes in my schedule to be filled just because i am working on filling them on my days off. what i can do, is to use my time well while i'm at work. to maximize my work hours, and pray that God will do the rest. i can commit to not working on my days off unless it is absolutely unavoidable. i can make sure to take comp days for the days that i do have to work on my off days. there are things i can do, and there are things that i can't. but the thing is, i want to be great at everything. i want to make everybody happy all of the time. i love to please my husband, my baby, and my co-workers. i want to do it all, but i just can't. today i shared some of these struggles with someone i really admire and she shot me an email this afternoon that has encouraged me immensely. She said::

"I want you to know that I think you do an amazing job of being a mom, working full time, and being a wife.  Don't buy the lies that you are not doing enough.  God will fill in where you cannot."

There is so much peace and comfort in hearing that. God will fill in where you cannot. God WILL fill in where you cannot. He just will. Because he is THAT good. i have to remember that God knows. He knows when i am struggling with leaving my baby. He knows that i need him to be strong where i am weak. He knows how to minister to my husband and son more than i ever could. and for that i am thankful. for that, i am eternally grateful. i feel so humbled to know my God will fight for me. and when i fail, he WILL fill in. he will be there in ways that i cannot. i love that. 

so this next week, things kind of go back to normal. kind of. i am happy to be walking forward knowing and repeating to myself that God will fill in. because my God is SO good.

eeew!

oh, hello there brown widow. i don't care for you OR your spiky eggs, so please, please, PLEASE go away! and, if you must come back, i would really appreciate if you would stay off of my baby's toys!!

GROSS!!