Wahoo for the weekend!!!

Thank goodness for Friday! With Alex being gone this week and just getting back yesterday, I am more than ready to embrace this weekend with outstretched arms! The weather is gorgeous and I think it's supposed to remain this way for the next couple of days. I see many visits to the park in our future.

One thing we hope to accomplish this weekend is to purchase a new bed. Let me give you some background information that led us to making this decision. We are currently sleeping on a "full" bed with a mattress that I've had since high school. The headboard is a hand-me-down from Alex's little brother, Ben, that he so thoughtfully spray painted black. The frame to our bed is probably over twenty years old and is to the point now where I don't think I would even consider it a frame. Alex and I both knew about this situation when we got married and being the love birds that we were, we happily embraced the opportunity we saw in having to sleep so close to one another. Now, however, we toss and turn all night long desperately trying to get comfortable. The sheets get tangled at our feet, the comforter falls to one side, elbows are flailing, feet are kicking, and just when we start to think it can't possibly get any worse, a sound that I can only describe as a "BOOOOONNGGGGG" loudly trumpets from underneath our bed. I have no idea what is making that sound but at this point, it's enough for me to spend whatever amount of money it takes to give us a good night's rest. We are on a mission and neither one of us is ready to back down until we find the perfect bed. Enough is enough.

In other news, we also hope to get our backyard summer-ready. I love our backyard and deck and since during the summer we eat almost every meal outside, it's definitely time to get the weeds pulled and the plants and flowers planted. I just finished washing all of the windows and doors, inside and out, and so now all that needs tending to is the yard. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

Alex and I are still going back and forth on replacing the flooring in our house. We want to do hardwood throughout the downstairs and then replace the carpet upstairs, but since our moving date has been pushed back about a year, we are wondering if we should wait on doing these upgrades until we're a little closer to moving. I personally think we should do it now because I think new flooring will make living here for another year more enjoyable. I love our house as it is but pretty hardwood and plush carpet would make me love it even more! :)

I hope everyone has a relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!!!

WOF Conference

W.O.W.

That's how I would describe the Women of Faith conference that I attended last weekend in Billings. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting but it definitely surpassed any and all expectations I had. We heard from many amazing speakers, most of which brought me to tears with their stories, and the worship music was phenomenal!!! I especially enjoyed being able to spend that time with my mom, sister, and mother-in-law. I'm not quite sure if I have ever been in the company of so many women at one time in one place. It was definitely an estrogen fest.

I took away many things from what I heard but I think the main thing I will hold onto is God's plan for my life and for the lives of my family. For whatever reason God has for giving me a child like Cale is all in preparation of delivering a "Grand New Day" for us. I've known this in my head since the very beginning but I felt like this weekend helped me to accept it into my heart. God's plans are perfect and He does not make mistakes. Cale was not a mistake. Even though doctors explain Cale by telling us that something just didn't connect right in the womb, God actually made each connection to His liking and His perfection. I truly believe we are at the start of something amazing. I'm still sad and I'm sure I'll get angry from time to time, but I can rest in the promise that God is with me and each circumstance He puts in my life is ultimately part of His perfect plan.

Okay, enough of that. Alex is out of town for a few days and let me tell you, when he is away I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am to have a partner to help me raise our children. I have a tremendous amount of respect for single moms and to be honest, I have no idea how they do it. How do you do it???!!! Alex gets home Thursday night and I cannot wait!

Ahhhhh, kids are napping and I think it's now time for me to take a nap. zzzzzzzz

Updates!

Life has been busy busy busy lately. I'm not exactly sure what we've been doing but for whatever reason I feel like each time I'm able to plop down on the couch deserves a sigh of great relief!

Alex's mom from Washington came to visit us last weekend. Cale loves his grandma and it was quite evident when Monday came and Grandma was no longer around to play with. Can we say "cranky"? Thankfully today has been better but yesterday was definitely a test for my patience. I had a nice Mother's Day despite the fact that we didn't really do anything special. Alex's mom left Sunday afternoon and then we went up to Alex's other set of parents' house for a nice dinner. Cale and Riley got to a ride around in the wagon, stopping at the swing set and a brief look at the horses. At one point one of the horses was sticking out it's tongue and Cale quickly imitated it by sticking out his. I wish I would have had the camera ready; it would have made a great photo!

We finally buckled down and got Cale set up for occupational therapy. It's been one of those things lurking in the back of my mind for quite some time, but the thought of adding yet another therapy session into our week made me sick to my stomach. On one hand, we want to do absolutely everything and anything to help Cale reach his potential, but on the other hand I just want Cale to be able to be a kid. I feel like he's never really able to simply "play" - there's always an agenda of what we need to be working on. We already have therapy three days a week and adding occupational therapy will increase that to four days. We had our first session today and so far I feel like it's going to be manageable...I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I feel like I haven't updated you all on Riley! We truly do love our little drama queen and my lack of writing about her is in no way any reflection on the priority she has in our lives, but Riley is so "typical" and doesn't really spark any desire to comment on her daily activities. She's basically doing everything a ten month-old baby should be doing. She eats absolutely anything in sight, including paper, grass, leaves, etc.. Nothing is off limits in her mind. :) She's crawling everywhere and cruising along any piece of furniture she can pull herself up on. She LOVES her brother and despite the fact that he doesn't always reciprocate that love, she enjoys crawling on him, pulling his hair, laying on him, sticking her fingers in his mouth, ears, and nose. They are quite entertaining to watch and every time I see them interacting I am so thankful God gave Cale a sibling. She is so good for Cale and we have already seen many ways in which she is pulling him along. Riley will one day be so proud to know that she is helping her brother without even knowing it. Riley has also found her voice and pretty much does not stop babbling all day long. She says "mama" and "dada" and has mastered the art of happily squealing. She has started to stand on her own for a few seconds at a time but has yet to show any desire to walk on her own. She loves walking with her push-toy but plops down on her little butt the second you try to take it away. It won't be long...

In other news, Cale has been consistently taking about two to three steps independently!!! It is almost surreal to watch since we've literally been waiting for this for over a year now. I'm so proud of him and even if he's never able to fully walk on his own, I will never forget all of the hard work he's accomplished to get to this point.

My mother-in-law and I are driving to Billings at the end of the week to attend the Women of Faith conference. We are going with my mom, aunt, and sister and I am ecstatic!!! I've heard wonderful things about these conferences and since I'm not able to spend a lot of time with just my mom and sister, it will be so wonderful to share this experience with them. Not to mention the two whole days I will be without a child attached to my hip!!! :) Yes!

I will update you on how the conference goes. I'm sure it will be amazing!