M.I.A. and President's Day

Look who's feeling better!

First, yesterday was our boy's SIX month birthday! What?! I can't believe it! What an awesome six months it's been.

Secondly, I have been M.I.A. recently (which I now will say stands for Mom In Action). A couple weeks ago Finn came down with RSV which then turned into pneumonia. While taking care of him at his sickest, I was so struck by the depth of love for him. I really felt like a momma more than ever in those times.

Speaking of mommas, mine came down during the next week to take care of him so that we could go back to work. While she was here Jeremy and I both got sick too. I had a terrible stomach bug that will go down in my personal history book as I day I never want to repeat. Little did my mom know that she'd be taking care of all her kids. She was wonderful and I was so glad she was with us!

So now we're all on the road to recovery and, as you saw, feeling much better!

Finally, Monday was my favorite holiday, President's Day. (Not really, but any day I get to take off of work becomes my favorite.) So in honor of the Day, Finn and I went to the historic downtown Charleston to soak up all the presidential info we could. (Again, not really why we went.) We had a blast! The weather was perfect, Finn loved it and I got to treat myself to Yogurt Mountain. What could be better on President's Day?

Here are some pictures of this monumental day.

This is how it began.

So while Finn was fast asleep, I took some snapshots with my phone as we walked.

Finn woke up and was excited to find out he was no longer in the car, but outside instead.

So we piddled around Waterfront Park. He felt the breeze through his quickly growing hair, looked over the rails at the water and watched kids playing in the fountain.

After Waterfront Park we began our trek to the Mountain. Yogurt Mountain. Finn settled down in the bottom of his seat and played with his feet the whole way.

We finally arrived and I made a delicious concoction. None of that fruity stuff for me. Espresso and peanut butter yogurt with chocolatey goodness was my combo of choice. While I ate, Finn played and then I told him he had to throw some academics in there. It's never too early to learn about horses, so he gladly obliged. Once I finished (I had to eat first. I mean, my yogurt would've melted!), I gave him a bottle and then we made our way back home.

Now that I think about it, if I got to do this every President's Day, I do believe it would be my favorite holiday.

Oh How I Love Thee

There have been a few staples in the food world that I regretfully missed out on for the majority of my years - honey mustard, sweet potatoes & guacamole - to name a few.

This is the newest but I have resolved to make up for lost time.
Well...as much as I can without it getting too much in the way of dropping some post-pregnancy LBs. 
We'll see which wins out.

YUM! Nutella, I love you!

Sunday Funday

Here are a few things Finn loved this Sunday.

He loved riding on his daddy's shoulders and flying in the air.

Don't worry - Jeremy has him by his strap.

I love Finn's expression here.

He loved playing in his walker with his bears while waiting on his daddy to get home.

We made a pitstop at Zaxbys so we could get some sweet tea with that good ice!

My blue-eyed drooler.

The Situation Onesie, Where's Jeremy?, Toothing

I think every little boy should have this onesie...JUST KIDDING! Is this disturbing to anyone else???

Remember that fun book Where's Waldo? Well, the other night I walked into our room and played Where's Jeremy?

Toothing has been happening very often in our home. No, I did not mean to say teething, although that too is happening. Jeremy has been exploring places from our neighborhood all the way up to Summerville in search for shark teeth, in hopes of finding a ginormous Megalodon tooth. He has found a ton of teeth and it's just crazy to think that the sea was at one point all the way up to at least Summerville.

Our Little Hawk

"But the littlest Hawk fan, not impressed."

 

Yeah, you know who that littlest Hawk fan is. He has high expectations for high school basketball games and so it takes a lot to impress him. There at least needs to be a dunk or two in the game.

Such-and-Such Moments

This past weekend was beautiful and we finally got to play outside and even wear short sleeves. As you can see, Finn loves going on walks and he would start laughing every time I stopped. 

 

Finn is 5 months now and he keeps getting more fun as his little personality is developing. He's a laid-back little fellow who smiles and laughs easily. However, when he realizes he's hungry, you get him his bottle stat! I mean, he didn't get this big quietly. 

I had lunch this weekend with someone I consider not only a great friend, but also an example of a godly wife and mother I hope to be. After our time together, it was really impressed on my heart to become more steadfast in prayer for Finn. 

I have the tendency to be very quick to look towards books & websites when I am unclear about something. Like when I was pregnant, I tried reading everything recommended, such as Babywise, Secrets of a Baby Whisperer, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Healthy Sleep Habits, You Having a Baby and on & on. 

Do you know how overwhelming and exhausting this can be? But in my mind I thought, "I need to know as much as possible before this baby gets here so that I can be prepared to know exactly what to do when such-and-such happens." 

Well, do you also know how stressful it can get when that such-and-such happens and the books' solutions are not working? At least for me, very stressful.

Thankfully, there was a defining moment when I gave up trying so hard for Finn to fit into these nice, neat boxes that the books presented and to know that the Lord made him to be an individual. My Father would be the one who guides me, His daughter, in what do in these such-and-such moments if I would just seek the wisdom, direction and steps that He promises to give when I ask. 

For instance, 2 Peter 1:3 says that God has given me everything I need for a godly life, which in turn means being a godly wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend - things my heart wants so badly to be. Truly knowing that God has equipped me with all I need has been extremely freeing in my daily life. 

Later in that same chapter it says we need to be constantly reminded of what God has done for us and the things we are to pursue with our lives. I think that's what the ultimate purpose was in hanging out with my friend on Saturday. Like Peter did, she reminded me of important truths. And sometimes we just need to be reminded, not instructed, right?

She retold that God has given me exactly what I need to be a good wife and mom. Things like: His forgiveness that lifts any guilt I carry, Scripture, prayer, discernment, the mind & wisdom of Christ, common sense, godly friends' counsel & experience. 

And I was refreshed.

Again, isn't God good? He's big enough to create the universe and yet personal enough to give me wisdom on how to calm my crying child. That's a God I can worship, trust and love.

My friend and Finn. She also has the gift of putting him to sleep.

(I also just wanted to say I don't think books are bad. I love reading books and gaining insight from them. However, this has released me from looking to them as my first line of answers and guidance. They are a tool for me, not THE tool.)