Latest Favorite Quotes (Courtesy of Pinterest, of course)

These are a few of my favorites - check out my pinterest boards for more fun :)  Yes, that is my kind of fun.

Our family day (gotcha day)

Does it really get any cuter than this?

Blake was trying so hard to get on the ground and I kept pulling him up to try and get one decent family pic. Oh well.

I'm sure eating Ethopian was on my grandma's bucket list. Lol...she has not stopped telling me how much it meant to her though, so very sweet.

Iris picked out what she wore for the big occasion - I tried so hard to get her in an Ethiopian look but this girl is all out girly with her sparkles & glitter. She wouldn't have any of it. My parents and grandparents joined us, it was a really nice time. You can see how Iris hardly tolerates being around my mom, they can hardly be in the same room. Ha! If only I could get that kind of a grin from her :)

Lots of this going on with potty training this week...but we are learning as we go!

Had a great dinner @ Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant in Tampa on saturday. What a fun experience to feel like we are sharing a little bit of Ethiopia with Iris and my parents and grandma. The food was better than I remembered and I loved seeing Ethiopian people there at the restaurant. It's worth the drive!

Joe's job is going well, thanks for everyone who has prayed and cared so much these last several months. It's been a busy first week for him but seems to be going well and a good fit.

This is week 23 of my pregnancy and I always look forward to my monthly check up week to hear the heartbeat, but it's always scary too, that secure feeling doesn't happen till AFTER birth. (Then all the other insecurities begin...)

Had a sweet visit with my sister last night. I don't take that for granted, ever, after all the years of wanting to just sit in each other's living room and talk for hours. It's so nice to live here.

We are in week 2 of becoming members at Lakeside, how strange it feels to have been away for 13 years and now coming back & yet it's such a part of me. Lots of fun stuff happening the next few weeks. Can you believe my Joe will be 41 next month???

The Prodigal Song

You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent, I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute, a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life


Where now are the friends that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh, to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house


You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child.

I love this song. Really beautiful.

Smiles

Changes, they are a coming...

I feel like the kids are growing by the second. Iris is really ready to be potty trained. Blake is not showing signs (has before we moved though) but this momma needs a diaper reprieve before #3 so ready or not, let's do this. Any tips or thoughts on the process is appreciated! I'm going to do some studying on it soon and in the next month take this on.
Next, Iris is ready to move from the crib to a toddler bed. She never before has shown signs of wanting to climb down on her own, but this morning I found her placing her feet on the ground after climbing down the side. We can't have that & so it's time for both of them to be done with crib mode.

We've been putting off the paci war for WAY too long & even though he only has it to sleep, it's time  put it to rest, well past time, in my mind so I'll be snipping that puppy soon & hope for the best but expecting the worst. Thankfully Iris never had one! (She used to sleep with bottle but we stopped that months ago).

It's nice to know they are moving along and growing but it's strange to not think of them as babies anymore, especially Blake. I'll get my baby fix soon ... it's around the corner!

S is for Sawyer! As of now I'm loving the name Sawyer Benjamin for baby cotton. I've been known to change my mind from time to time, but I'm pretty sure this one is sticking. Atleast for now. :)

Never been happier to say Joe starts work on Monday! Not having the freedom to run in my car during the week will force me get cleaner closets, organize life a bit better & do more diy projects so it's not a total loss.

My grandpa was moved to a new nursing home today so please keep him in your prayers as this will be a difficult adjustment for him and my grandma. He is still with it enough to know he'd rather be home, but not quite understanding why he can't be. It is taking a toll on everyone & hard to watch at times.

Life is always changing! Focusing on Proverbs this week & loving my first week's study in Habbakuk for bible study.

Strawberry Fields Forever ( & House Pics)

Despite my wicked cold this week, we ventured out with friends & fam to the strawberry capital of the world - Plant City, Florida. We took the kids and it was the perfect day to pick some amazing strawberries. I will forever now be aware of how much I'm being ripped off at the grocery store as we were able to fill up 5 freezer bags of strawberries all for a mere 6$. And they looked perfect. It could become an addiction if it wasn't 45 min away - the more you picked, the more you had to pick. Lots of fun.

Next up I wanted to share a few pieces around my house that have been provided for free from wonderful people who are above and beyond generous and kind.

My lovely view - free table from our neighbor put out by the street. Bench from my mother....The light was not free but for 6.99 at Goodwill it might as well have been. Boo ya.

I am obsessed with this desk. Kathy S. in my church gave it to me & besides adding my own hardware (which was not new) it is perfection. The garden stool is my hobby - I could seriously go on the hunt all around the county for them & buy one in every color. I love those things. I know if it makes it through years of small children it was meant to be. Lamp base was a steal from salvation army & I had a giftcard to penney's where I picked up that cute little frame that's from the new Jonathon Adler line. I waited 10 min in line for that baby so I feel kind of attatched to it.

This book case was free from the lovely Jan K. at my church. It is the perfect comparison to the Expedite Ikea bookcase & used to be cherry wood until it stepped foot in my white loving home (only things , not people!). I have big dreams of what to do with this, but for now it works the way it is. And contrary to popular opinion, I LOVE my reindeer & keep him out all year long. I'm thinking about naming him Finn or Knox since that's not going to work for a baby name.

This desk was also a gift from Jan and as much as I want to paint it some amazing color it's kind of perfect to me the way it is right now. The chair needs some love, but in time...in time...Can't wait for Joe's ugly alarm clock to die, but it just keeps on going...

Where I rest my feet at the end of a long day. I'm over my ikea lack tables& wanting their coffee table version, but alas, I wait. The dresser really needs to be in our room / changing station for baby so I'm on the hunt for a credenza if anyone hears of something. I'd love something much longer and narrow that I can paint :) That brass tray is a favorite 1$ find at salvation army.

The tea cart is also a generous donation that was given from Kathy & it has moved from a kitchen island to a nightstand back to a different place. I love it, but don't know what to do with it. Now that I see this pic I realize how high my little sunburst mirror is flying there - must change! Yes I'm brave to have cake plates with two year olds who play but I like living on the edge like that. And I ran out of paint so that wall is crying out to not be naked anymore. (hint hint Joe)

This room needs the most love, but I wanted to show how pretty my view was compared to looking at a dead tree and my condo's neighboring front door. We just got the cheapo ikea dresser as nightstands and I'm so excited to transform them from looking like 10 bucks to atleast 30 bucks :)  On the agenda? New lamps, different pillow, paint, ceiling fixture...too many to count.

Hope that gives you a little glimpse into our home that has been so welcoming to us....so thankful for the generosity of so many. We were given two kitchen appliances as well that makes cooking functional, but with now dish washer it was in no state to be captured. One more week of having Joe around and then it's the start of our new reality here in Florida.
A special birthday shout out this month to Danielle my sister in law, Jack, my nephew and on the same day my lovely grandma, Luke my nephew & then celebrating our family day with Iris. It's been a year since we had Ethopian food so I think I'm finally ready for it again.