You're going to miss this.

Do you remember when folks used to talk about terrible twos?

I don't even know what that really means, but I can tell you the {almost} three's are special. 

Here's a slice for you:

"Mommy mommy mommy, excuse me, excuse me excuse me excuse me excu-"

"Honey, you just say 'mommy, excuse me', one time, and then wait for me to answer."

"Mommy excuse me one time, mommy excuse me one time, mommy excu-"

You see where I'm going here. 

And then there was the other day at the park when I asked him to come here and he stomped his feet and screamed, while multiple feet away, "NOOOOOOOOO!" so loud that I had to apologize to the other moms at the park. Who laughed with me. 

But he did come.

There are those type of moments, those days, but they are countered by moments so rich with joy that you {momentarily} forget about them. Tonight when I was getting ready for bed I did a double-take in my closet.

There out of place was a 3T button down. I'd seen him frantically run from his room with it, but figured I'd eventually find it in the toilet, oven or fridge. But he had hung it up neatly right in front with all of my clothes. I sighed and quickly forgot all the missteps of the day.

It was like my little reminder that though the days can be long to me, these days- this closet- are his entire little world. Eventually he won't want to be AS involved in my corner of the house, so until then, I intend to slow down and smell the laundry.

"You're going to miss this, you're going to want this back.
You're going to wish these days, hadn't gone by so fast." 
-Trace Adkins

Going for it.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG. 
That is the question.

To those who still follow along regularly, you may have noticed that I made the blog private for a hot minute and I did that because a) I'm not blogging regularly, and b) when I do it's about the boys or life updates, which sometimes feels a little like "me, me! Look at me!" And also I figured, who really cares if last week Cooper told me goose poop is green like the color on the stop light? So, I briefly shut it down apart from close friends and family. 

 And then I got a few nice emails from people I had no idea followed along wondering WHY IS IT PRIVATE? I am always surprised when I hear that people read along, besides my mom and in-laws. Though they are my most loyal readers, this I know for sure.

So I figure I have two options, commit to this thing or shut it down.

I spent some time thinking about what it meant to "commit," and decided if I was to keep it up I had three goals: I want to write regularly, I want to have like, a plan, and I want to connect with other bloggers and readers. My favorite part of blog-land is connecting. After talking to the blogs greatest fan (my husband, which ladies, if you're biggest fan isn't your man, find a new one) and a lovely chat with a good friend about throwing insecurities to the wind I decided,  I'M GOING FOR IT.

Starting today I plan to blog regularly. Weekly. Three times a weeks specifically: Miscellaneously on Mondays, Wisdomly on Wednesdays (you can catch up on previous posts by clicking on Wisdom Wednesday at the top of the home page) and "link up" with other bloggers on Fridays.

Some days it may be all about the color of goose poop. And I'm okay with that.

So glad we talked through this.
See you back here Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!

* Don't forget to follow along y'all! 
You can follow by email or Bloglovin, check out the top right of the blog's home page.
(Bloglovin' is my personal FAVORITE way to follow all my top blogs).
Oh, and be sure to leave comments below, I love to know who stops by!

Dear 2014.

Ah 2014!

You've been a tough one for me, I won't lie.

It's one of those years where all the incredible blessings came with an underlying trial.

I learned a lot about inner strength this year. And love.

You threw things my way that had I known was coming, I would have never thought I would have gotten through them.  But that's the beauty of the unknown, if we were to know the trying things to come we would forever live in fear and dread; always wondering how in the WORLD we would make it through. 

But what we don't know is all the weapons that we will have at our disposal; our spouse, family, good friends, God. 

This is the first year maybe ever, that I actually feel like I want to sit down and think about how I want to live my life in 2015. Sans the title of mama.

What do I want to accomplish? 

It''s been so busy lately I feel a little lost it in it all. 

Lost in the daily grind of raising two children. 

Lost in the hard work of making sure my baby's needs are continuously being met and all the challenges that comes with a baby (can I get an AMEN?).  

I want to get out of survival mode and get more intentional. 

Here's my top 5 (non-specific) goals in 2015.

*** GET ON TOP OF THINGS ***

*** NURTURE FRIENDSHIPS ***

*** MORE FAITH LESS WORRY ***

*** MAKE HEALTH A PRIORITY ***

Happy New Years, friends!

Wisdom Wednesday: Parenting Seasons.

I love having two boys.

I have always wanted two, right in a row, and I don't know if that was God's way of gently giving me a heart for what was to come or random, but when I got two my dreams came true.

I love the dynamic between the two of them, the similarities and differences, and I am so looking forward to the time in their lives when they become buddies. True friends and supporters (and competitors, because let's be real, they're still boys)!

I think a lot about what I will mean to them down the road.  In twenty years, forty years. What role will I play in their life then?

The relationship daughters have with their parents is awesome. An eventual friendship, based on trust, and built on decades of unconditional love from two people. It's a gift from our parents really, to have given us a sense of security that we can now give to our children.

What kind of relationship do boys have with their parents as adults?  

What will I one day mean to Ben and Cooper?

Because now my boys adore mom. I am their world.
And as they grow their world becomes more split between their dad and me, but for now? It's mom. That's the season we are in. They will likely never remember this season of complete love and dependence, but for me it is daily ingrained in my memories and is now a big part of who I am.

Soon these boys of mine will grow older and we will enter new seasons.

I hope to soon enter one where we teach them confidence, strength and kindness -

than one that teaches self-sustenance, commitment and grit -

and eventually these boys will take all of these seasons we've shared and go out into the world and use them to become men.

They'll never know the role they played in my life. 

I'll tell them, probably too much, but, they will never really understand. They will get it a little when they become fathers, but never truly get it.

Recently I stumbled across this blog post 9 Truths Moms of Boys Need to Know. And all the sudden I was reminded of my greater purpose in their lives. Here's an excerpt:

"Raising good men is a wonderful and honorable thing. 
Men who are gentle, kind and nurturing. 
Men who treat women and children well. 
Men who will make loving, devoted husbands. 
This is an overwhelming responsibility but you are up to the task. 
You've been given this amazing opportunity. 
Enjoy it. Own it. And reap the rewards." 
-Abby Rodman

Many blessings friends, from my Santa babes...

Coop's face? To me it screams, "I'm on to you Santa!"