WayfaringStrangers

Soon! Oh my word, I have NOT been motivated to blog. I think the baby must be in a growth spurt because I have been wiped out. All I want to do during the boys' naptime and in the evenings is lay on my bed and watch full episodes of HGTV online. Today I had a burst of energy and wrote and accomplished a to-do list. And now I am exhausted and sore! Serves me right haha. I'll try to catch up soon, with pics and updates.

Ahhhh naptime. I should be digging a flower bed, cleaning my kitchen, and writing a grocery list. Instead I will blog. Recently someone saw G's cloth diaper peaking out from his pants and skeptically asked if we cloth diaper. My response, with a smile, is of course yes. We've been cloth diapering Graham for more than a year now. When I was pregnant with him, I was brainstorming ways to save money and decided that if I was going to be home with him, I may as well take the plunge and cloth diaper. When I first heard about the cloth diaper trend, I laughed. That was years ago, before I was pregnant or had kids. I just thought it was a hippy trend and lots of extra work. And here I am doing it! Cloth diapering works for us. I know it's not for everyone, and I don't push it on my mom friends (very few of whom are CD'ing). When my friend asked me about it recently she immediately went into full-on defensive 'why we don't cloth diaper and I'm not c...

We had a great weekend in Delaware! Behn had a conference in Philly for much of the week, so on Thursday evening, Emily and Seth drove up from NC and picked up Graham and I and we all trekked to Delaware. It was nice to have all day Friday to make the weekend a little longer. Graham got to spend time with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and Shane the dog of course. The toddlers are so cute! It's so sweet to see them all interacting. Behn and I really enjoyed the family time, too. On Friday night I enjoyed some quality, much-needed girl time with some friends. Saturday was extra special as we celebrated my brother-in-law's recent success in being promoted to operator of a Chick-Fil-A. My, that was a great meal. It was a really fun day. We really enjoyed the time with Behn's parents and siblings. We miss everyone so much! And on Sunday when we woke up exhausted (Graham did not sleep well...too much stimulation I think), it stunk to think about the weekend bein...

Lately I've been thinking about how I've traded lifestyles...dreams... We've traded fun weekend getaways and vacations for taking a toddler to the park because it's easy and free. I've traded sleeping in (sleeping much at all, for that matter) for hearing my husband tease my son in the kitchen while I lay in bed for 15 extra minutes on a Saturday morning. We've traded saving money for penny-pinching. We've traded romantic dates for family walks, movie nights in, and cheap take-out. I've traded my hobbies (running and riding), for diaper changes, cleaning up mess, bath time, and babysitting another child to make ends meet. My 'me' time is nearly non-existent, at least in the context of being out of the house. I've traded buying myself new clothes to making sure Graham has all he needs. I've traded time with friends for time with family. I've traded a career I really wanted in social work for raising kids. There's more...

Here's a day in photos. It's not a special day, just a regular day, doing regular things :) Things I didn't photograph: me snipping at the toddlers, toddlers throwing food, me force-feeding Graham mashed potatoes because he wouldn't eat lunch, diaper-changes, me wasting time on the internets. Also, there's 1 picture of Graham watching a movie...that wasn't the only  time he watched a movie though... But here it is: Waking up happy:  Breakfast: Burned egg that Daddy made. Didn't go over well. Ended up eating a million blueberries instead.  Frankie and Graham love books right now. Especially this one:  Naptime = Mommy's snack. Homemade carrot cake from Behn's co-worker:  Up and ready to play:  A walk downtown:  Daffodils:  Playing at Hopkins Green:  Movie Time:  Got a hold of mama's phone:  Smiling because he knows he can't have the phone:  Dinner: Homemade Fettucine Alfredo, Spi...

Anyone else not like Fridays?? I love the idea that the weekend is imminent but on the actual day of Friday I'm burned out, tired, cranky, and bored of the everyday routines. And after a few lovely days, it feels so chilly outside again. That's March for ya. Good news is, it's supposed to be like 78 (!!!) next week! Despite my crank, I'm documenting today in photos, to bring  you, my lovely 25 readers, "Our Day In Photos," to be published tonight or tomorrow. It's not too exciting, but a cute idea I've seen on other blogs. It's been a good week. A long one, but good. Blessings abound and hope is rising.

Puma Gear from Uncle Luke, Aunt Jess, and Lilyana:  Concentrating very hard...on a sing-a-long movie: I wish I had fun updates for you! Other than the big baby announcement, this blog has been kinda boring lately. I think that's because winter has been, well, kind of boring. The ins and outs of our days aren't too post-worthy. We haven't had guests and we haven't really gone anywhere. I have lots going on in my mind and heart and have sat down to write up posts about that, but always cancel them. I don't want this blog to be an online personal diary, at least not often. It's started out as a family blog to keep friends and family informed on our lives, and I think it's best that way. At least for now :) It's snowing again today! Of course all the snow is coming at the end of the winter, but it's too lovely to be upset over a little extra cold. Also, this time has been more fun because Graham is not sick, so seeing the wonder in his eyes ...