And Baby Girl Makes Four

Hello again!  I thought since we've now been a family of 4 for 7 months now, it would be a good time to start blogging again.  Actually, 7 months ago would've probably been a better time but, hey, it is what it is :-)  

Our sweet Callie came into the world on November 5th, 2013.  Her "full" name is Calista Kathryn.  She weighed 6lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long with big, blue eyes and red hair.  And let me tell you...she is a feisty one!!!  Here is a pic of her from a few days ago.  I love the look on her face because it is so "her".....

Since I have 7 months of pictures to catch you up on, let's get started shall we?

Callie's first picture.  She came into the world after 20 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing.  I ended up being induced at 40 weeks, 1 day because my OB didn't want me going too far past my due date because of my age.  I really wanted to go drug-free, but once my water broke, I just couldn't hang.  The contractions after my water breaking were so intense that every single muscle in my body was shaking uncontrollably.  I kept trying to breathe through them but I just couldn't get air.  It was like trying to breathe through a straw.  So, I gave in and had the epidural.....which made me vomit repeatedly the entire time I was pushing.  Good times.  This little sweet potato was more than worth it though...

 

Here she is at 4 days old.  I have a whole series of pictures like this of her examining her hands.  I swear this kid has never been a "baby lump".  She has been very alert and very aware of everything since she was born.  Which made her newborn photo shoot a real treat...ha!  The photographer said she was the most "challenging" baby she had ever worked with.  Like I said....fiesty!!!

I love this picture.  I think she was a week old here.  This is one of the few pictures I have of her sleeping.  Her little face is so darn precious.

This one just cracks me up.  I think she was 6 weeks old here.

Two months old.

Cuteness at almost 3 months.

Four months.

Five months.  This, my friends, is when my child began to crawl.  She started with army crawling a few days before she turned 5 months and was full-on hands and knees crawling by 5.5 months!!!  Trying to keep up with Ben I suppose.

 Another picture taken between 5 and 6 months.

The day she turned 6 months, we began to introduce solids.  Here Ben is feeding her avocado.  We decided to try baby-led weaning, which is a British term that basically just means slowly giving the baby the same foods that we eat (no purees, no "baby" foods) and letting them lead the way on what they are ready for.  However, after offering multiple foods that Callie subsequently hated, we decided to switch to purees instead.  She LOVES the purees.  So, that's what we're doing for now.

Two weeks after she began crawling, she decided to start pulling up on furniture.  Yikes.

And now, at 7 months, she cruises along the furniture and can stand on her own without holding onto anything for a few seconds before she falls down.

So, there you have it.  The first 7 months of Callie's life in a nutshell.  Ben, by the way, has been a fantastic big brother.  I'll do a separate post about him.  He has a lot of big boy stuff going on :-)  Looking forward to blogging again!!  More to come!

Brooke

Is It Fall Yet???

Hey all!  Notice I said "all" and not "y'all"....Texas will not convert this midwesterner, Ha!  Anyway, greetings from hell (I mean that strictly from a weather standpoint).  Not to start on a negative note, but I am sick of this heat.  We have had 28 days of triple digits since late July!!!  Normally this area only has 18 of those on average (oh, is that all?!?) but it just won't let up.  Normal temps for this time of year are low 90's.  Sigh.  I'm sure being 32 weeks pregnant isn't helping my heat tolerance...or lack thereof.

Other than being hot and sweaty way too often, I'm still feeling really good!  Still getting in about 5 workouts a week.  Those workouts have been a life-saver.  If I go more than one day in a row without exercising, I feel like death warmed over...achy and tired.  But, as long as I stay active, I feel great!!

I feel like we still have a lot to get ready before the baby comes, but it's all very overwhelming, so I'm not really sure where to start.  We haven't done anything at all with the nursery.  It's completely bare other than the crib and dresser.  Every time I go into Buy Buy Baby, I get so overwhelmed I have to leave.  Newborns seem to require a lot of stuff.  Oh well, I'll buckle down here soon and get my act in gear.  Right now I'm really concentrating on getting the rest of the house looking like someone actually lives here and less like a furniture storage facility.  It's getting there...

Ben started Pre-K a couple of weeks ago.  He goes 3 days a week for 5.5 hours each day.  He did great his first week, but last week was rough.  I think once the newness wears off, he's kind of over it.  His teacher and room aides are so sweet though, so I know he's in good hands.  I cannot believe he'll be in kindergarten next year!!  Where does the time go??

That's really all the news I have for now.  Here is my next round of belly pics!!

26 Weeks

28 Weeks

30 Weeks

32 Weeks 

Feeling large and in charge at this point.  It's hard to believe my belly is going to keep getting bigger for 8 more weeks!!

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Brooke

You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

Hello!  As usual, it has been awhile.  Things are going great here.  We've really been enjoying the summer....even in the hot Texas sun.  Having a pool has been an absolute GODSEND.  When we first looked at homes here, we thought we'd be fine buying a place with no pool, but in a subdivision that has it's own community pool.  I am so glad we bought a home with a pool.  We use it ALL THE TIME and it's so easy to just walk right outside and get in.  No packing for the pool, no awkward trips to the community pool bathrooms and no "scene" when it's time to get out.  But, best of all, I don't have to worry about Ben getting lost in a sea of children.  

Speaking of Mr. Ben....I have to brag on him a bit.  Other than a few trips to Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds' house, Ben's experience with pools (that aren't baby pools) has been nil until we moved here.  The pool has been in use approximately 3 months now and he has pretty much taught himself to swim. He is absolutely fearless in the water (which means I have to watch him like a hawk).  He jumps off the side, swims with his face in the water (eyes open, no goggles) and has been wanting to go sans arm floaties over the past month.  Soooo, we started official swim lessons yesterday and he did GREAT!  His teacher couldn't believe how well he did.  She said to me, "Well, you know, he can swim by himself.  I'm just trying to teach him to really use his arms to full capacity".  There are 3 other kids in his class (all who have been going for awhile) and he was just as good, if not better, than all of them.  I was blown away.  So, maybe the swim team is in his future ;-)  Can you tell I'm a proud mama?  Here is a pic from a month or two ago....

 And now, some baby bump pics.  Just like in my last post, these pictures are horrible.  All but one was taken with my iPhone....so I apologize.

17 Weeks

18 Weeks--you may need to squint to see this one.  I should have cropped it, but I'm lazy.

I don't have any pics from 19 or 20 weeks, but I do have one of Ben with my 18 week ultrasound photo.  Can you tell he's excited to be a big brother?

 Speaking of my 18 week ultrasound, it was also my detailed anatomy scan where they measure everything to make sure baby is developing properly.  Turns out SHE is doing wonderfully.  I had to go in for a second anatomy scan due to her not being in the right position to get all the necessary measurements the first time around.  I went back this week (at 24 weeks) and the doc was able to get all the right measurements this time (and re-confirm she is still a girl).  She said everything measured wonderfully and looked 100% normal, so that is a big weight off my shoulders.  Her size is a "textbook perfect" 1lb 11 oz at 24 weeks, 3 days.  I went to a perinatal doc (read: high-risk doc) for the anatomy scans due to some family history and also my age :-/  (apparently being in the over 35 set makes you geriatric). But now that everything has been measured and looks great, I no longer have to back there.  I'll only see my normal OB from here on out.  I'm glad the perinatal office did my anatomy scans though, because the doc herself did the scan.... as opposed to an ultrasound tech.  She explained everything to me as she went along too, so that was nice.

Ok, enough talk, more pics.....

21 weeks---This is the week I started getting some good baby kicks!!  Now I feel them several times a day...so strong it moves my stomach and clothing :-)

22 weeks--This is the week I really started to pop!  I was at my mom and dad's house for the 4th of July here.

23 weeks--get out your glasses again to see this one...sorry!

24 weeks--well, this one is a decent size pic, but so dark.  Again....sorry!

24 weeks again---Front view...just to mix it up a bit ;-)

As far as how I'm feeling, I don't think things could be any better.  I don't know if it's just because I had such a hard time in the first trimester and I'm comparing everything to that, but my energy is through the roof.  I exercise 6 days a week, so I think that is really helping.  Nothing too strenuous, just a 45 min speed walk (I usually go approx. 3.25 miles in that time period) followed by a 20-30 min session of light strength work (I alternate arms and legs).  Unfortunately, in addition to my energy being through the roof...so is my weight gain.  I've put on a good 19lbs and I'm 2 days shy of 25 weeks.  EEEK!!!  The gain has been very steady (about 1 lb a week) which is what the doc wants to see at this point, but it sure isn't easy watching that scale creep up and up.  Oh well, it is what it is.  I eat much healthier now than I did pre-pregnancy and I'm exercising, so that's all I can do.  The recommended weight gain is 25-35lb total.  If I continue on my 1 lb a week schedule, that will put me right at 35 lb and that's fine with me.  I was on the low end of "normal" weight for my height to start with anyway, so I'm OK with that.  It's all for a good cause, right? 

Well, I think that's enough jibber-jabbering for now.  Hope you didn't fall asleep.  

Hope you all had a great 4th of July!!  

Brooke

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Wellllll, it has been awhile hasn't it?  Sooo many things have happened between the last time I posted and now that it seems absurd to try to fit it into one post, but I'm going to anyway.

So, here is the short version:  We found out in December that we would be moving to the Dallas area for Greg's job in March.  And thus began what seemed like an eternity of sheer craziness.  Greg had business trip after business trip during that time, I flew to Orlando to run my first full marathon, we had to find a house, sell a house (and deal with all the showings of the house, of course) find a new preschool for Ben and on and on it went.  I was beyond stressed out.  In fact, I think it's fair to say I have never been that stressed out for such an extended period of time in my entire life....

Which is why I didn't really think much about it when my "time of the month" was late.  Even though I've never been more than a couple of days late in my life, I figured the stress I was under was to blame.          A week before the actual move took place, Ben and I went to Illinois to stay with my mom and dad while Greg dealt with the packers and movers and then went ahead to Texas to get things squared away before Ben and I arrived.  During that week, I started to feel "off".  Again, I chalked it up to stress until I went to lunch with one of my best high school friends and had to have her pull the car over because I thought I was going to be sick.  At that point, I was a week and a half "late" and started to think that maybe there was more going on than just stress, so I mentioned it to my friend and she couldn't believe I hadn't taken a pregnancy test yet.  She knows our history of infertility and was dying for me to take a test, so I told her I would as soon as we got to Texas.

Fast forward a few days and Ben and I were on the road to Texas and I was noticing that NOTHING sounded good to eat (that NEVER happens to me...I love to eat :-)).  Normally, when we're on a road trip, we stop at McDonald's and Ben gets a happy meal and I get chicken mcnuggets, but it sounded absolutely repulsive to me all of a sudden.  Just the thought of it made me want to throw up.  So we had tacos at Taco Bell instead.  

When we finally arrived at our house in Texas, I knew I needed to take a pregnancy test ASAP (I was 2 weeks late at this point).  Greg went out and picked one up for me and the instant I peed on the stick....two blue lines.....PREGNANT!!!  WHAT THE ?!?!?

So, a few months later, here we are.....new house, new state, new job for Greg and now a new baby on the way.  Due date:  November 3rd.  Yowza!!  I will admit it took me awhile to wrap my head around it.  Greg and I had actually already started the adoption process again in Korea and I had it in my mind that child #2 was about 2 years away....not 9 months.  Aaaaand I was expecting an 18-24 month old, not a newborn!!!  Needless to say, the adoption process has been halted for now...maybe for good, but we aren't 100% sure on that yet.

I'm planning to post regular belly shots and updates.  Since I'm 16 weeks and some change now, I already have some pics to share, but there isn't a whole lot going on belly-wise yet.  As far as how I'm feeling goes, I'm not gonna lie, it was ROUGH there for awhile.  I had really bad nausea and food aversions until about week 13 and then I started having some good days here and there.  Now I have several good days, but still deal with the nausea and exhaustion to varying degrees at least a couple of days each week.  Hopefully I'll be completely done with the nausea very soon!!  Ok, on to the pics.....

9 weeks 4 days

11 weeks 3 days

13 weeks

14 weeks--I think I was extra bloated in this one

15 weeks

16 weeks--Please ignore my alien claw-hand

Sorry, most of these pictures are awful since I took them with my phone.  I'll have to get Greg to start taking them for me.  It's really hard for me to tell if I'm actually showing or if I'm just bloated because when I wake up in the morning, my stomach is pretty close to being flat.  As the day goes on, my belly gets bigger...so that leads me to believe most of this is bloat right now.  Looking forward to a legit bump so I don't just look like I ate too much :-)

I also want to take a moment to say how blessed and thankful we are.  Only our God could weave our family together the way he has.  He never ceases to amaze me with His plans.  More to come....

-Brooke

In The Hood

Hello!  Happy almost-Friday!

Ok, so...I have a couple of completely unrelated things to talk about....per the usual.  First up....Halloween!  Ben had A BLAST!!  I'm not going to post any pics since you already saw the pic of him in his costume in my last post, but he really did have a great time.  I think his favorite part might have been helping us hand candy out to other kids when Greg and I were done taking him around to houses.  He would see the kids coming and yell out "More kids!!"  Then he would run out and meet them at the top of the stairs that lead up our yard to our house and tell them "HI!!!" very loudly :-)  It was so cute.  He acquired a pretty good haul for himself too.  I've been letting him have one piece of candy most days since Halloween has ended, so we should get through that sometime in 2015.

With the Thanksgiving holiday only a week away, my thoughts are turning to the excitement and happiness of spending time with family.  One of our neighbors across the street had several family members arrive at their house today and they were all hanging out in the yard, throwing around a football and talking and just enjoying each other.  This made me think about my own past family get-togethers.  Specifically, get-togethers we had when I was a kid.  They often happened at grandparents' houses and we kids often found "creative" ways to entertain ourselves.  I specifically remember something my brother and I would do when we went to my Grandma and Grandpa Rade's house.....

 We went through a phase where we would sit on their front stoop and just watch the neighborhood kids play.  Since we grew up on a farm, and not in a neighborhood, the idea of living in close proximity to other kids that you could just go out and play with whenever you wanted was fascinating.  We were so enthralled, that we (or maybe it was just me :)) would actually get out notebooks and write down what they were doing.  We would give them made-up names and record everything like we were spies on a fact-finding mission.  For example:  10:30am--The King (yes, we actually named one of them "The King") rode by on his bike.

 I know, I know....nerd alert, nerd alert.  So be it.  We loved it.

Remembering this made me think how, at this point in my life, I've now lived in several neighborhoods.   And ye old tradition of watching and assigning made-up names to fellow neighbors has continued.  I may or may not have begun worrying that I am the only one who does this.  But then I remember the movie "The Burbs" (one the BEST MOVIES EVER) and realize that spying on and talking about your neighbors is a time-honored tradition that I feel a responsibility to uphold.  And Greg gladly joins in on the slightly creepy fun.  So, my Thanksgiving gift to you is a brief list of some of our unsuspecting neighbors and the names we have anointed them with.

Let's see.....we have "Man On Bike With Dog" (hey, I never said the names were creative).  This is a man who rides his bike at the same time every day, wearing a reflective vest (even in the middle of summer when it's completely light out), and "walking" his dog on a leash while he rides his bike.  He makes one lap with the dog, and then another lap without.  And usually he rides by while we're eating dinner.  Whoever sees him first (usually me) announces to the other "man on bike with dog".  And then we go about our business.  Actually, Greg doesn't go about his business until he watches the man go ALL THE WAY by to ensure his dog doesn't do his business in our yard.

Next up:  "China Man and China Woman".  This would be a lovely, older Chinese couple who goes on walks together.  Or rather, China man walks approximately 20 feet in front of China woman with his hands clasped behind his back while she does the power-walking "arm pump".  Except she isn't really power-walking.  In fact, she's actually going at a glacial pace.  Which could be why he is always 20 feet in front of her.

Our next-door-neighbor has earned the name "Motorcycle Charlie" due to his penchant for firing up his motorcycle at approximately 9:00pm EVERY SINGLE NIGHT OF THE SUMMER.  Not only that... he also enjoys just sitting on it in his driveway, revving it up for what seems like 15 minutes.  I should take it easy on him though.  He's had a spot of bad luck recently with his third DUI offense and 6 months in jail.  Whoops!  Greg and I were talking one night about how we hadn't seen (or heard) him in a long time.  Greg had a sixth-sense that he might be in the slammer, so we Googled his name and, sure enough, he was in the slammer indeed.  He's out now....just in time for the holidays.

And we can't leave out our personal favorite:  "Man Who Hates His Family".  This is a man who is always in the opposite location as the rest of his family.  We often see him just sitting in a lawn chair in his driveway....and no other family members are anywhere to be found.  We assume they are in the house.  Conversely, if his family is outside, laughing, cavorting, enjoying each other's company... man who hates his family is MIA.  The other day, we spotted him just sitting in his truck in his driveway.  The engine was not running, the garage door was closed.  Just. sitting. there.  I'm guessing the holiday season is that man's own personal hell, so we should be seeing a lot more of him in his driveway very soon.

I can only imagine what our neighbors say about us :-)

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Don't be like Man Who Hates His Family.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love- Brooke, Greg and Ben

Halloween Spoiler

Hey peeps!  It's Friday!!!  Hope you had a great week.  Things here have been pretty calm and uneventful.  Which I like :-)

Ben has decided that he wants to be a bat for Halloween this year.  He has actually known this for months and has been completely unwavering in his decision.  So, after scouring some stores online, I finally found one I thought might work.....

I know.....the cuteness.

I was kind of nervous ordering a costume online because it seems like so many costumes out there are thin and poorly made.  Since it is usually cold on Halloween night, I didn't want him to end up with some paper-thin costume.  I was so pleased with one.  It is thick and plush and seems much more expensive than it actually was (it was only $25).  I consider this a major costume win!!  Oh, and here is a fun little twist.... Ben wants me to dress up like a spider.  And I'm actually considering it.  Can you imagine?  Ha!!  I have no idea if adult spider costumes even exist, but I need to start looking now if it's going to happen.  Don't worry, I will post pictures if this indeed becomes a reality.  Lord, help me.

Ben is very eager to go trick-or-treating and even more eager for his upcoming birthday and Christmas.  We have already started making a list of things he wants and Ben asks to see it (and have us read to him) almost daily.  We've been trying to explain to him that he won't be getting everything on the list, but I'm not sure that is really computing with him right now :-)

Ok, I have one more cute Ben story.  We have several kids in our neighborhood, but not many around Ben's age.  Our closest neighbors have kids that range anywhere from grade school, all the way up to high school.  Ben is very intrigued by the "big kids" and sometimes will just sit on the sidewalk in front of our house and watch them play.  It makes me a little sad for him, but he's just too little to play with them right now.  He has friends his own age that we have play-dates with and he plays with the kids at preschool, so he gets plenty of time to play with others, but my heart still breaks a little when I see him longing to play with the kids in the neighborhood.

Well, the other evening we were outside playing and several girls were playing a couple of houses down from us in our cul-de-sac.  They noticed Ben watching them and said "Hi, Ben!" very enthusiastically.  He looked at me, gave an enormous grin and then yelled to the girls "I'm coming!!!".  Then he walked over to their house (I followed, of course) and they played with him for about 30 minutes (until it was bath-time for Ben).  It was so sweet.  And I know it meant THE WORLD to Ben.  He was in "big kid" heaven.

I think I mentioned last time that I was starting some private sessions a couple of days a week at a pilates studio near our house.  I've been about 5 or 6 times now and ... I. LOVE. IT!!!!!!  It is so stinkin hard, which makes it kind of addicting.  It is completely different from any kind of pilates classes I have taken in the past.  Probably because this is an actual dedicated studio where the instructors know their stuff.  The other classes I have done were at whatever gym I was attending at the time (and no equipment was involved).  Don't get me wrong, the mat classes at the gym can be really challenging as well (depending on the instructor), but this is on a whole other level.  The equipment we use is kind of intimidating at first, but once you get used to it, it's actually really fun.  It requires a ridiculous amount of concentration because if you aren't using "proper form" the instructor is right there to call you out on it.  Very different from running :-)  Every time I leave there, my muscles feel like jello.  I would totally recommend it to anyone who is looking for a low-impact exercise that is still very challenging.

Aaaand, that's all I can think of right now.  Have a great weekend!

Brooke

Mish Mash

Hey everyone!  Not a whole lot going on around here (surprise, surprise) so this post is going to be pretty random.

I'm starting to get really pumped for the holiday season (who am I???).  Normally, I dread this time of year because of all the stress, but I'm trying this new thing in my life where I'm making peace a priority.  I pray A LOT for God's guidance in my life because, at this age, I've learned (sometimes, the hard way) that His plans are so much better than my own.  Really, deep down, the only way I want to live is His way.  The problem is, I have difficulty recognizing His guidance at times.

Sooo, I've started praying for the ability to recognize his guidance, and He started showing me that I really need to strive for peace in my life.  My mind is always going, going, going.  And I let myself get stressed for no reason, often.  All this "noise" in my mind has the tendency to drown out whatever guidance God is trying to provide for me.  I've been reading a couple of different Joyce Meyer devotionals in addition to my Bible and I keep seeing this theme of peace and how vital it is to our spiritual lives and our walk with Christ.  So, I'm trying to really make it a priority, and you know what??  After just a few days, I'm already feeling less crazy :-)  Good times.


I mentioned in my last post that my marathon training has started.  I'm running 3 days a week and I'm supposed to be cross-training at least 2 days a week.  Normally, when I cross-train, I either do my P90X videos or the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred or some free weights.  I'm kind of sick of the same-old, same-old though, so I wanted to do try something different. At first, I considered doing Crossfit on my non-running days because it seems like a very efficient full-body workout and I've heard nothing but great things about it.  I know it's pretty intense though, and since this is my first marathon and my body is already taking a beating from my running workouts, I wanted something a little less "high-impact"....for now.  So, I decided on pilates.  I've taken a few pilates classes at different times in my life and it is low impact....but also a great workout.  Very challenging.  I like that it both strengthens and improves flexibility.  It's a nice break from pounding the pavement.
I'm going to a pilates studio that has all the fancy equipment.  I've only taken mat classes in the past, so the equipment is new for me.  I'm doing a few private sessions and then moving on to semi-private when I feel comfortable with the equipment.  I had my first session today and it was great.  My instructor is awesome and hilarious.  I think every muscle in my body was quivering by the time I was done....yet I felt completely and totally relaxed.  Sign of a great workout!!!


Oh, I did something I've never done before the other day.  My friend, Tara, is a writer.  She writes children's books and is also a talented writer in the "spoken word" genre.  She invited me to come to a reading with her and I was like "heck, yes".  I've always wanted to go to something like this.  However, I am clearly not a writer (apart from this oh-so-riveting blog) so I felt weird about just going and listening to strangers reading their personal stuff when I had nothing to contribute.  So, when Tara invited me, I was so excited...both to hear her work and just for the experience in general.  It was so interesting.  There were only about 7 or 8 of us there, but it was a very eclectic group.  Each person's contribution was so unique.  I was blown away by the talent of these folks.  Very inspiring.

Well, that's all I have right now.

Until next time,
Brooke

Fall Has Arrived

Happy Sunday!  So, the last several days here have been gorgeous.  Cool in the mornings and evenings and up in the 70's to low 80's in the afternoons.  Perfect.  Since the weather has been so cooperative, we've been spending some time at the pumpkin patch.  Ben and I have already been twice.  Once during the week and once on the weekend.  The weekday was awesome. Almost no one was there, so we pretty much had the run of the place.  The weekend, well, the weekend was busy, but that was expected.  Greg really wanted to come with us, but we switched from cable to Direct TV and he had to be home so the service man could install the new system.  The jury is still out on whether I like it or not.  It seems we lost a lot of good channels and gained a lot of infomercial channels.  Greg loves it because the sports package is superior and the picture is clearer.  It was a money-saver for sure, so that's always a plus.

Anyway, here are some pics of Ben at the pumpkin patch:

With a dancing Shrek and Fiona....

Jumping on the bouncy pillows....

                                                    In the "Corn Bus"....

                                
                                                         Climbing the hay bales....    

Coming down the long tunnel slide.....

                                          
We had such a blast.  I'm convinced that the pumpkin patch is one the best places EVER to take Ben.  He runs/bounces the ENTIRE time.  We stayed between 2 and 3 hours each time we went, so he really got a chance to run wild and get all that energy out.  Which made for a pleasant nap time :-)

Switching gears a bit.  My marathon training officially started this week.  So far, so good.  My first "long run" was a 10 miler that I completed earlier today.  I decided to run it on my favorite rural trail because A) It is mostly pancake flat and B) It is very beautiful.  Especially this time of year.  I decided to take my phone with me, so I could snap a few pics.  

The scenery on the trail alternates between trees and open prairie.  Here is a nice prairie pic:

And one of a more treed portion of the trail:

There are also several cute wooden bridges like this one:

 And some winding creeks:

There are also a few homes here and there.  Most are off in the distance.  This one was fairly close to the trail though.  I thought it was quite picturesque.  

It's so much easier to run 10 miles when you have nice scenery to look at :-)  Have a great rest of the day !

Brooke

The Comparison Game

I think I've mentioned a few times on my blog that I am a perfectionist.  My mom saved all our report cards growing up, and my kindergarten one has a comment from the teacher that includes "cries when she thinks she isn't doing something correctly".  That says it all right there.  I have always been my own worst critic.

Here is Merriam-Webster's medical definition of perfectionism:

: a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially : the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness

Umm, yep, pretty much.  

As I get older, I am becoming somewhat better at cutting myself some slack.  Being a parent, however, tends to lure that perfectionist in me right back to the surface.....often.  I am not proud of that fact.   If Ben is behind in an area, I automatically think it was because of me...because of something I did or did not do.  And I frequently catch myself trying to "gauge" where he is in comparison to other kids his age we know.  I know this is ridiculous.  What can I say...despite my perfectionistic tendencies....I'm NOT perfect.

I think this past year, though, I have been a lot better about just letting go and letting Ben be who he is. And what a little joy he is!!  The boy is hilarious.  He is silly and dramatic and wild and loving and completely and utterly full of life.  He is one of the happiest and healthiest children I know.  And I am finally starting to embrace the fact that comparisons are a miserable waste of time.  No two children are alike....and that is what makes life BEAUTIFUL!!

Unfortunately, just when I go a decent period of time without partaking in the comparison game, something always seems to draw me back in.  Today, it was the dreaded "Development Questionnaire" for Ben's 4 year check-up.  Ok, I know he doesn't turn 4 until December, but....hello!....I'm a perfectionist, remember??  And perfectionists are preparers!  So, I decided to take a look at the questionnaire today to see where he needs to be development-wise by the time he turns 4.  Here is the first question (or, should I say, statement):  Have your child write his/her name in the column to the right.

WHAT?!?!!

Instantly, panic set in.  Surely this can't be right.  Four year olds are supposed to know how to write????  So I quickly consulted Mr. Google and sure enough, a developmental milestone for 4 year olds is writing their name and starting to write other letters of the alphabet.  Immediately, I was kicking myself for (purposely) avoiding "childhood development" websites.  I stopped doing this a year or so ago because all it did was make me a crazy person.  Those sites send my perfectionism into serious overdrive. 

 "See??" I told myself ,"SEE??".  "This is what happens when you "let go".  Are you happy now?!?".

Let me just take a moment to tell you.....Ben is NOWHERE NEAR being able to write his name.  The most intricate thing he can draw is a circle.  A very LARGE circle, because he hasn't quite figured out how to make them smaller.  Trust me, we've worked on it.  

So, like a nut, I started Googling to find parenting websites that are chock-full of other "worry wart" parents like myself.  My first click sent me here:  
What-should-a-4-year-old-know?  

Please read it. It is such a great reminder for all parents.

Seriously.

When I read it, I actually laughed out loud.  Ok, God, I hear you.  Time for me to take a step back and CHILL.  

And with a smile, I closed my laptop.  End of Google search :-)

Have a great day!
Brooke

New Beginnings

Hello again!!  I decided it's probably time for me to start blogging again.  Don't you just love how reliable and un-flaky I am as a blogger??  I have determined that I'm going to have to force myself to start blogging at least once a week.   I think my problem up to this point has been that I would only blog when I had some "news" or something semi-interesting to share.  The issue with this tactic is that the life of a stay-at-home mom is not what most would consider "interesting".  Soooo, I'm going to go ahead and post once a week....even if you (and I) are bored to tears.  Consider yourself warned.

Ok, so, because it's been a handful of months since I last blogged, I actually do have a few fun things to share.  The first being that Ben started PRESCHOOL!!!  Can you believe it??  I know I can't.  And it is the most precious school.  It is a house that has been converted into a preschool for ages 3-5.  It has been around for such a long time that when I went for parent orientation night, they asked that any parent that had attended the preschool when they were little, raise their hands.  About 5 or 6 of the parents raised their hands!!!  And two of the three teachers that work there, were teaching when the parents were there as students.  I think that says a lot about what an amazing school it is!  And Ben is IN LOVE with the place.  This was his first week going (twice a week, in the mornings) and he ran from me both times when I went to pick him up.  He kept yelling "Mommy leave!!".  Can't you just feel the love?  Here are the "first day" pics:

             Ben holding the sign that Pinterest makes you believe you MUST HAVE!!!.....

Love this big, cheesy grin!!  Can you tell he's excited to be going to school??

And, a view of the all-important backpack!

In other Ben news, his talking is really starting to explode.  He graduated from speech about a month or so ago!!  Each day, his sentences are getting better and better.  And he says the most hilarious things and has a tendency to be very dramatic (I wonder where he gets that from).  Like today, he took off his shoes and said "I put in laundry room."(that is where our "everyday" shoes are stored)  followed by "Mommy, come open door....locked"(we have a child lock on the laundry room door...we keep household cleaners in there).  Anyway, when I didn't come quickly enough he let out a big sigh and then said "Or, not".  And then said "Put shoes right here" and sat them on the kitchen island.  HA!!!  I say "Or, not"(preceded by a sigh) sometimes when I ask Ben to do something repeatedly and he continues to ignore me.  So funny.  At least now I know he hears me!!

Also, Greg just got a promotion!!!  This is something we having been hoping and praying for awhile now.  Our lives over the last couple of years have been in a constant state of "we could move at any time, so we can't really make any long-term plans".  Just when we were both coming to the end (and I mean the VERY end) of our ropes, a position opened up right here in Lincoln and Greg was asked to interview for it.  We were really hoping it would work out, but we didn't want to get too hyped about it because the vast majority of the time, if you want to continue to "move up the corporate ladder", you are going to have to relocate.  That's just the way it works.  But, after all the interviews in several different states, God saved the best for last....and Greg got the job....and we get to stay here in Lincoln.  Now, a year or so ago, I don't know if I would have been pleased with this outcome.  I was kind of over Lincoln and ready to move on.  However, I've really grown to love this place.  Everything has settled into a comfortable rhythm and I'm so glad we get to stay awhile longer.

Although I could write about a 5 page post right now (lots to share).  I'm going to cut myself off for today.  Catch ya next week!

Love,
Brooke