Friday, December 31, 2010

2010...Thank you Jesus for a Great Year

Thank you Jesus for this: 
This year has been all sorts of transitioning. Transitioning to being a mommy, staying at home, moving to San Diego and then working from home to be with my little man. When I think of this year, 1 Corinthians 9:15 comes to mind: "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" I could not be more thankful for a God who loves us so much He sent his precious baby boy to the Cross for our sins. He loves us so much and is the ultimate provider of all things. I am so thankful for my friends and family and the blessings of love and community we get to experience, even with moving. I am so thankful for an awesome, sweet, passionate husband and the gift of having a sweet baby boy with him. I am so thankful for Ryan and the smiles, cuddles, giggles, and the fun that we have watching this little man grow. I am so thankful for motherhood, and for God knowing the desires of my heart, and blessing me with such a great life, and also for the times of growing that He takes us through. What a great year. Excited about all that the Lord has in store for 2011!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Of course we need an update on Ryan!

Oh my sweet boy! I cannot get enough of him, and everyday just seems to be getting more and more fun with him. He is constantly making us laugh with his silliness and is becoming mommy's little love bug. He is 10.5 months now, and I am in the thought process of planning his 1st birthday...can't believe it!


Ryan is on the move...he is a fast crawler and is constantly going! He loves to go towards cords, Layla's food, our phones, and the lights on the Christmas tree....so we are chasing him!! :) We have baby proofed to the max, so the cords are like the ones for our laptops and the fan. :) And most of the pictures I try to take of him are of him on the move. I love it though...I was nervous about having a 'mobile' baby...but its so fun to watch him play and explore. :) He loves to pull the dvd's out, climb on chairs and chew on some spatulas....so much for all the toys we have bought him. :)
 Here's his favorite jungle gym: the kitchen table :)


He has also become quite vocal. I love his little voice. He says ball very well and says 'uba' for his bear that 's named Umbrella. It's really cute. He also signs all done, more and knows what I mean when I saw 'nurse.'

He decided about a month ago that he was done with baby food...so its all finger foods! Some of his favorites are bananas, sweet potatoes, cheese, rice, avocado and black beans. :)

He also loves loves loves books! He says "buh" for book. After his afternoon nap is one of my favorite times of the day: we sit and cuddle and read books together. We have been reading Christmas books and all about baby Jesus...such a gift to share Jesus with our son! I love that he loves to cuddle with me, I treasure those moments.

Mommy hood is the best thing ever and I am so thankful that God has blessed us with such a sweet boy.

What I've been up to....

Well hello there blogging world. It's been a while...I feel like our lives have been a whirlwind these past couple months. Since I have started working, there isn't as much time for the 'me' time where I can spend blogging. But, such is life. It makes the times where I can sit and write all the more sweeter.

An update on what I've been up to:

I am now a working mommy! It was actually quite crazy how everything fell together. Since we have moved down here and Jason hasn't been working, things have been quite tight, and there was a time where we weren't really sure how we would pay the next months rent. I have never felt more unsettled and out of control in my life. So, we started looking for something. Jason is not technically 'allowed' to work, but he was able to get the school to allow him to work at least 10 hours as a a teachers assistant in a local elementary school. And I was tutoring a couple hours of week. Still, it wasn't enough...I mean we live in San Diego where the price of living is about 20 thousand times everywhere else. :)

So I found this online charter school and called to find out more information. The Principal then called me back (which surprised me-Principal's never call back!), and he said that they didn't have any openings, but to send a resume anyways. So I did, and then about two weeks later I get a call about a position opening up. Before I knew it, I was interviewing before a panel, then with the superintendant and before I really even knew what the job was, I was hired. It was a crazy time, and I really didn't want to go back to full-time work. But, this job allows me to stay at home while I teach, has full benefits and pays more than what I was making when I was in the classroom....and I can work in my pjs! :)

But it has been a crazy transition...to be honest....life has been hard. I have kicked and screamed about going back to work. I miss my care free days spent just being with my sweet boy. I miss being able to be involved in MOPS and bible study. I miss being able to take Ryan out during the day, explore and allow his schedule to shape my day. I miss having the energy to serve my husband and do all of the housework myself.

But...God is using this job to provide for my family while Jason is preparing for our future. God is showing me what it means to allow His plans rule my life and not whine when things don't go my way. But believe me...it's hard. I have whined a lot, and my poor, sweet husband has to put up with me. There are days where I want to quit, but then there are days when I am sitting on the floor playing with Ryan and also teaching math and I could not be more thankful that God has allowed me to at least be at home for this time when I need to work. For the situation that we are in, God has truly blessed us. Also, since Jason in only in class a few hours a day, he helps watch Ryan when he is home.

So, life has been busy. The hardest part is learning how to teach through a computer and also teaching 4 grades is quite a challenge. But, the longer I do it, the more I am learning and am feeling like I am getting in the groove. So, blog posts won't be as often....but I praise the Lord for how He has provided and knows my heart is to be a mom, and how I can be at home during this season of life even though I am working. We serve a good God.