Six Months..What!?

                      You guys....Abram is six months old. That's half a year. Please tell me the next six months will not go as quickly as the past six months have. I know, I know, it will go by even faster. Lets not talk about that though.
                       Little man is about 17 pounds and 28 inches long. He is happy, healthy and growing. I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures from the past six months here so we can look back at them later, and maybe even show Abram someday. So, enjoy!

                                                      One month old! He was so little!!

                                                    Two months old! Look at those smiles!

Three months old! Getting big!

                                                   Four months old! Loving food!

                                                  Five months old! He has such a fun personality!

                                          SIX MONTHS OLD!! Sitting up, eating solids, still nursing, smiles so much, laughs so easily, just so much fun! Sweet baby boy, we love you!!

I'm a Mom

                 

                         
 I've been a mom for 2 months and 3 weeks. Holy cow, that's crazy, I'm a mom....what? I've laughed more than ever, cried many times, smiled until my face hurts, and became just a little addicted to my coffee. But, man oh man is it amazing. I've learned so much already and thought I'd share.

1. I know even less than I thought.
I have babysat many babies  and I worked in the nursery at church for a few years. I knew how to change a diaper, feed and burp a baby, rock them to sleep. I prepared the best I could to be a mom.  I mean I knew everything.....HA!
First off, baby poop? Who knew it could be so many colors and travel so far up a baby's back? Oh, you did? Thanks for the warning. Also, burps are often followed by a fountain of spit up. Burp cloths are not a suggestion, go grab one. While you're at it grab a mop.                

2. Sleep is precious.
That whole "When the baby sleeps you need to sleep" thing that people always tell you? They are so right. The dishes and laundry will still be there tomorrow, just nap. Bonus if you wake up and baby is still sleeping, dishes and laundry get done!

3. Coffee.Is.Life.
I drink that stuff like it's my job. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you've had some coffee.

 4. Don't forget to shower
Let's face it, everyone's happier when you've taken a shower.

5. My Mom rocks (we all already knew that though)
   Thanks Mom for being the kind of mom I want to be.   Thanks for answering all my questions, good and stupid. Thanks for laughing at me and laughing with me. Oh, and thanks for teaching me that water is important and what a good cup of coffee is.

6. Jesus
     I need Him even in things that seem small. He gives me peace, joy, energy (more than coffee!), and patience when I feel like all I want to do is sit down and cry. All I have to do is trust him and do my best and He has grace and understanding where I fail.

8. Lighten up
I never want to miss a precious moment because I'm tired or in a hurry. But, it's easy to get a bit grumpy when things aren't going as planned. I've made an effort to laugh in those times when I'm tempted to grumble. Like when all I want to do is sleep and Abram wants to play at 2.00 A.M. Or when he pees right when he gets in the bath. Lighten up, those moments only last so long. 

9.Dealing With Gross
I hate anything gross. I have at least 3 hand sanitizes in my bag at all times. Boogers, poop, spit up, dirt, EW. I was honestly concerned before I had Abram that I wouldn't be able to handle all the gross that I was going to have to deal with. I don't know what happened but, I can change a diaper with food in my mouth and wipe a snotty nose without gagging. It took a few weeks but, I think I got the hang of it now. 

10 . Being a mom, is pretty amazing
Seriously. Morning smiles, afternoon playtime, and evening cuddles, its amazing. Even on the hard days when he won't stop crying or he doesn't want to be put down, he depends on me and that's pretty neat. Don't you think?
 

          In the very short amount of time that I have been a mom, I have learned even more than I expected.   I could go on but, I need more coffee. Comment and share what being a mom has taught you! I'd love to hear!            

Oils!

               

             This past Saturday I got my Essential Oils Starter Kit. I had wanted the kit for a few months but, the kit is a bit pricey and also, Ty wasn't sure what he thought about the oils. After he did some research on them he became interested to see if they really worked. He also knew that I really wanted to start using more natural ingredients in our home for cleaning and such so, he told me I should get them.  It's now Thursday and I am already so glad that I bought them. I have been so happy with the results and have been using them everyday since I got them.

               On Saturday Tyler went surfing in Carmel with some friends. When he got home, he had a pretty bad headache. Ty isn't one to really complain about headaches or things like that. If he says something about it I usually would offer to grab him some Tylenol and water and if he says no, he usually never mentions it again. Saturday though, he kept saying his head was hurting. I asked if I could put some peppermint oil and some lavender oil on him to see if it would help. He said that was fine so I did. He drank some water and ate a small snack and a little while later he felt so much better. The next day his headache was back so, I got him some water and applied the peppermint and lavender again to his temples and the back of his neck. About 10 minutes later or so he was feeling much better.
               Every morning I wake up with Ty and make him breakfast, and put his lunch together while he gets ready for work. On Monday, I thought I would try diffusing some oils. I tried some peppermint and lemon. I thought it would be a good morning blend! I felt more awake and even energized while making food and such in the kitchen and even felt like Ty was a bit more awake and sharp after breakfast as well.
              On Tuesday morning I went into the kitchen and there were some little ants. When we first moved in there had been ants but we had the house sprayed and we hadn't had a problem since then. I had been told peppermint helps with ants and spiders so I decided to give it a try. Before I used a lot, I wanted to make sure it would work so, I put a drop of oil on a cotton ball and drew a circle around an ant with the oil. The ant wouldn't cross the barrier that I had made with the oil. I then took and put oil on the shelves of the pantry and the door way. I haven't seen an ant in the kitchen or pantry since.

              On Tuesday afternoon, Ty came home from running about 4 miles or so for PT. His shins where bothering him  and he asked if I had any oils for the pain. I put some PanAway diluted in coconut oil on his shins and he never said they were hurting again that night.
              I also wanted to try cleaning with the oils so I started out with the kitchen sink. I wet the sink then put about a tablespoon or so of baking soda and 2 drops of lemon in the sink. I scrubbed with just a regular rag and rinsed. The sink was sparkling! I was so happy with how clean it was that I went and cleaned with bathroom sinks too!.
              I have just been so happy with all the ways we have been able to use the oils in our home and am really looking forward to trying lots of new ways to clean with them and am excited to use them in preparation for Abram coming. I so recommend trying them! I use Young Living but, I know DoTerra is a good brand as well. I'm always pretty careful of what chemicals we use in the house because I don't always react well to different cleaners. It will take time but, I can't wait to start using more natural ingredients in our home! Also, I know this is totally different then what I would usually post but, I wanted to share with you all!
             

The Story of Us (part 4)

                               

                                 Like I said, I had no idea Ty and my Dad went out to dinner that night, and I had no idea that my dad told Ty yes. Ty and I went on talking about getting married and such for a few weeks. He asked me about rings and I started showing him some things I liked. There wasn't much that I loved though. One day, my mom came into my room, holding something in her hand. She asked if I knew what it was, I didn't. So, she showed me. It was a diamond, she continued to explain how when my grandpa (her father) proposed to my grandma (her mom), this was the diamond in her ring. It was gorgeous and I loved it.
                                 Soon after that, Ty asked for my promise ring, so I gave it to him. I had gathered by then that he was going to have a ring made for me. I loved that because that meant that no one in the whole world would have the same ring as mine. Pretty cool right?! Anyways, January came around and life kept on going. Mid-terms came and went and Ty left school and started homeschooling. It was really unexpected to everyone in school. They were all asking why he left and we just said it was because he wanted to work and save some money for school, which was true. It was so weird being at school without him, really hard actually. I used to eat lunch with him, study with him, and walk to class with him. When he left I felt a little lost. Not that I didn't have friends but, it was still different. On top of mid-terms and Ty leaving, I also found out that we were moving. It was all exciting but, a lot of change at once. Little did I know what God was preparing me for with all that change.

                               After Ty left, we always tried to hang out after school and on the weekends. One weekend towards the end of January he said he wanted to go rock climbing. That wasn't out of the ordinary, we loved to climb and we had both been wanting to go. I hadn't seen him in a while and was so excited to spend some time with him. He called the morning that we were supposed to go out and said he was pretty tired from the week of work and thought maybe we should go climbing another day. He works in construction so I completely understood. He said he wanted to see me though so he said we would go walk Downtown (Saratoga). I was so excited, Downtown Saratoga is one of my favorite places to go and explore. I got ready and he came to pick me up. We headed to Downtown and we got gelato and walked around to window shop. After a while we decided we were both pretty hungry and Ty suggested we go grab dinner. He insisted on picking the place though. I didn't mind as long as they had food I could eat there. He told me not to worry he had it covered. We drove around and he pulled up to the Ole Bryan Inn. He said he had already made reservations and so, we went in and we were all set to go. We had a delicious dinner and had so much fun together.

                          At dinner, I was wondering if he was going to propose. Dinner ended and he hadn't so, I had given up hope for that day and figured it obviously wasn't that day. We walked out to the car and he said he wanted to run back to his house but needed to make a stop first. We got closer to his house and he pulled the car over. He looked at me and said "Do you trust me?" I know!! Seriously think I died a bit. It was so cute! I said "Of Course!" He nodded, took my scarf, and tied it around my eyes like a blindfold. He started driving again. I was a little bit thrown off and confused. He drove a bit longer and then parked the car. He helped me out of the car and  and walked me into a building. I had a feeling it was his house but couldn't be 100% sure. I could tell it was really dark wherever we were. He took me outside again and he said "Stand here...Ok, you can take off the scarf now." I did and this is what I saw..

                        Ty was on his knee, and I stood there surprised! I thought he was just playing with me and trying to trick me. He liked to play jokes on me. I didn't think he was actually going to propose that night. I said yes! We were so excited! I turned around and our parents were there in the house. His mom got it on camera as well. I was so glad out families were there. We had a mini engagement party with cake, cards, and sparkling cider. Honestly, Ty did such an amazing job with the proposal. It was like a fairy tale!

Right after he proposed

The Story of Us (Part 3)

               

(At my brothers wedding the summer before 10th grade)

                        At the end of my 10th grade year  I decided I really wanted to move on from high school. After much talking, prayer, and thinking my parents agreed to allow me to graduate at the end of my 11th grade year. We came up with a plan, I would take my 11th grade classes in school and homeschool myself for my 12th grade classes on the side. So essentially, I did my 11th and 12th grade year at the same time. My parents talked to the principle and some of the other staff and they agreed it was ok for me to do that. My English/history teacher gave my mom books and tests and work books for me to work out of.
                    Summer went by and soon enough it was September 2012. School started and life was crazy. I was officially a senior, I got senior privileges and everything. Ty and I still led worship together, played soccer, and signed up for drama class. It was a great beginning to the school year. Ty was planning to go to Kenya, Africa in November with the team from our church. Before he left we decided to go on a date. So, he picked me up and we went to Saratoga Battle Field. We walked four miles...and of course I wore heels. Yes, thats right...heels. I always say..I'd rather my shoes be cute then comfy!

                 While we were walking Ty said he had been thinking and praying and wanted to talk to me. He said "We should get married." I kind of laughed and said I know, we are going to someday. He said "No, how about when we graduate?" We were planning to go away to Colorado for school and thought it would be a good idea to be married. We love each other and we knew we were going to get married someday so why not now?

(School year  2012-2013)

                  We went to school that week and he talked to my mom about some of his thoughts. My mom was our study hall teacher, we got to spend a lot of time with her. It was always so much fun when she was there.  Then, he left for Kenya. That was so hard to have him gone, especially right after we had been planning and talking about getting married. He was gone for over two weeks. He called me at school one day. I got called out of class to talk to him, I don't think I stopped smiling that day.

(Thanksgiving when he came home from Kenya)

                 He came home from Kenya right in time for Thanksgiving. I was so happy to have him home. We had still been talking about getting married and we decided we were sure. We knew that was the direction God was pointing us. We knew then we were not called to walk the normal path everyone else walked. After mid-terms Ty decided to homeschool the rest of the year. That way he could work during the day and do school at night. He could save money for Colorado by doing that. During that time we also met with his and my parents to talk and pray about our future. Those nights were so good to have, to talk everything out was seriously a blessing.

(At his parents for a night of prayer with our parents) 

                 In December Ty went out to dinner with my dad to ask for permission to marry me. I had no idea they were going out to dinner. Ty explained to my dad all of our prayers, hopes, plans, and dreams. My dad could tell Ty would take care of me and he knew we were meant to be together. So, my dad told Tyler yes!
             
                                                          (Keep a look out for Part 3)

The Story of Us (Part Two)

                         So, there we are at the Sports banquet after he asked me out. We were all excited and it made for some great pictures! He got me a beautiful bouquet with the colors of my dress. He wrote on the little note "I love you,Ty" I still have the note and rose from that day in my treasure box, I have everything in that box. It  started out as just a little Tupperware container and now it's a full moving tote. It's full of pictures, notes, gifts, and journals. I strongly encourage you all to keep a treasure box! It's so fun!

(The Flowers)

                        Anyways,  ever since Ty and I had been thinking about dating we knew we had our parents praying with and for us. I know my parents saw something in Ty, he was so mature for his age. We really wanted to use that time in our lives to bring glory to God and to point attention to Him through our relationship. We were in a band together at the time called Renovate. It was the two of us and then three of our other friends. We were a worship band, we played at churches and youth conferences.  Renovate was a really great experience for us as a couple, we had a few songs we led together, it was so great to be able to lead together.

(Our first show with Renovate!)

                       After we started dating we did almost everything together.  We always had such a fun time when we were with each other. To this day he is still my best friend. I know, I know, it's cliche...it's true though! When we played soccer we even had the same number jersey #2 represent!

                       In August we were able to go to Colorado. We stayed with my brother Andy and his wife Heather. That was such a fun trip! It was my first time traveling without my parents and it was definitely a learning experience, especially the traveling part. It was another chance for us to grow and learn together.
                        On my 15th birthday he came over to celebrate my birthday with me and my family. We were sitting on the couch and he said he had my present. He pulled out a bag and a card. I read the card first of course. The card was the sweetest card I've ever received. My mom and I cried! Then I opened my present. Unwrapped the tissue..and inside was a little box...inside the box..was a ring! I looked at him still teary from the card, he said "It's a promise ring!".  .... I know..SO SWEET!! I was so excited! He then explained how he had asked my parents permission to get me one and they said yes. It was silver and it had 11 little diamonds in it. That was the greatest birthday present I've ever been given.

(My Promise ring!! ..and a rainbow. I like rainbows!) 

                   Looking back, I'm extra thankful Ty and I were able to spend so much time together while we were dating. It was always weird if we didn't see each other for more than two days. Having the opportunity to do so many things together was really great. We really learned how to work together. Especially since a lot of the things we did together, lead worship, work, and sports, helped us get used to making decisions together and really helped us learn how to communicate well.

                                                              Keep and eye out for Part 3!
                     

The Story of Us (Part One)

                           

                                                     

                Ty and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary last month, it was great! We had such a fun weekend, we bought kayaks and went kayaking, went to dinner, watched our wedding video, and spent lots of time looking back at the past year. I went back to read my previous blogs and realized I never told the story of how we met! So for you who have been wondering, here it is! 

                        (Ty and I at a friends birthday party. Before we started dating.)

                      It's been four years since Ty and I met. We had an interesting beginning. Our friends were convinced we would get married, they decided that before we had met might I add.  I guess they were right though!  I went to a public school kindergarten- 8th grade. At the end of eighth grade I had a long conversation with a dear friend of mine (yes, Jackie, that's you!)  and she was telling me about the Christian private school her and most of our friends attended. I really wanted to go there. I knew I would be able to grow in the areas of my life that really mattered to me with help from friends and teachers there. I could play music and grow in my relationship with Christ while being encouraged by others around me. I want to make it clear that the public school I went to is an amazing school. I really loved it there and the students and staff will always have a special place in my heart. Anyways, After I had this conversation with my friend I went home and asked my parents to pray about it (more like begged). They did and a few days later my dad woke me up and said they had a meeting with the principle to see if I could attend. My mom picked me up from school later that day and had my new school shirt and told me I had been accepted. It was such an exciting day!
                               A few weeks later I got a message from a friend of mine who I have know for a very long time. He also attended the school I was going to attend the upcoming September. He said something along the lines of  " I have a friend  you need to date" To most people this might seem like a bold statement but, from this friend it wasn't that weird. He continued to tell me how he made a bet with Ty's sister that by December we would like each other. Ty's sister said no way. She owes my friend $5.

                                          (When I was a cheerleader. Just talking with my best friend)

                        Thanks to Facebook, I was able to look up Ty and see what he looked like. You might say creepy..i say using my resources. There was no denying he was pretty cute but, I had never met him! We had a lot of mutual friends because he went to my new school too. Everyone thought we would be so cute together. I think we kind of decided we didn't want to take interest in each other because everyone was pushing so hard.
                        Pretty soon the first day of school came around. I was really nervous. It was my first day of high school at a new school and, oh yea, there was a cute guy there who everyone told me I needed to date. No pressure, right? I walked into school and went to my locker to put my books away. All of a sudden my friends came rushing down the hallway (the only hallway the school has) and grabbed me. They dragged my to Tyler's locker and said "here you go!" Can you say AWKWARD!? Ty just laughed at me and said hi. I walked away looking as red as could be..so embarrassed!

                                      ( The first time we ever played a song just the two of us)


                                  After a few weeks of friends trying to get us to talk..or Ty to sit with us at lunch things finally calmed down.  We started to talk here and there on Facebook about the worship team (which we were both on) and music and such. We could talk without pressures from others, it was nice. Music is something we both love and have a passion for. We eventually started talking at school. We really enjoyed being together. Then we became really good friends.  Soon enough we realized we both liked each other but, we decided to keep it "hush hush". We still wanted to be able to see how things would go without comments from the peanut gallery.
                                                         

                                           ( Our first dance ever)

                              We didn't want to date right away since neither of us believe in dating without the intention of getting married. So, we decided to stay friends for a bit. We continued to pray about it and get to know each other. After a few months we decided we were ready to date. So, Ty asked my dad for permission to ask me out, my dad said yes! So, on May 20, 2011 at the school sports banquet Ty pulled me aside and said "So, do you want to be my girlfriend.. like..for real?" .....I know!! SO CUTE right?!? I said yes, of course.  That was such an exciting day. He was my first (and last) boyfriend and, I'll never forget that day.

                                           ( The day he asked me out. I love this picture!)

                             Our story is kind of long (it's been four years after all). So, I'm going to split the rest of it up through out the next few blogs. I really would love to be able to go into some detail and share how God has worked in our lives and through out our relationship. So stay tuned!