Joy

Early morning snuggles & giggles
Taking my oldest on a yard-sale "adventure"
Blueberry muffins and iced cold lattes
Finding treasures just for us in the rain
Watching his heart buying gifts for others
Joy in being a family
A hot tub big enough for all of us and our memories
Putting off busyness to simply play
An easy lunch of grilled cheese & diet cokes
Naptimes...oh, glorious naptimes! :-)
Heart to heart talks with the love of my life
Thunder and lightning between the clouds and sun
Lazy Saturday afternoons at home
The pitter-patter of little feet down the hall
Binkys and tickles
Bath time and bubbles; jammies and bedtime stories
Food and shelter and love and blessings

The nudging from the Holy Spirit to drink it all in today
and to treasure these moments
of JOY.

~ A Little Linky Love~

Recently my heart has been encouraged by several different (some of them VASTLY different) people and their blogs. My husband would say that I've been obsessed with my reading, and in reality, he's probably a bit right.
A writer I am not.
However, I do LOVE to get lost in good writing and I love to be surprised by humor. I love to hear stories from other moms that remind me instantly of something I've either recently experienced, or at least can empathize with. Most of the women whose blogs I follow would probably *gasp* at my use grammar, spelling and prose. But I digress.....
Mainly, I wanted to introduce you to several people that I, myself, have never met.
Some of their stories are beautiful; some tragic; some hilarious, but all are heart-warming and worthy of reading.

Today I wanted to list two of my favorites:

My Charming Kids is the blog of "MckMama." She's probably just as commonly known (worldwide I tell ya!) as mama to sweet baby Stellan. I first heard of this miraculous little boy when I noticed another friend was "Praying for Stellan" on Facebook. I clicked on the link and instantly fell in love with this sweet-cheeked cutie and the amazing story of his life! I've followed along as this little guy has quite literally fought for his life on several occasions, defied all the odds, baffled the medical community and proven that God is ultimately in control and truly does answer prayers! His mama blogs about the journey God has them on, as well as the crazy, hectic life they live with three other little ones running around. Her stories will have you laughing out loud! Check it out.

Through MckMama's blog, I've also had the privelege of being introduced to Angie of Bring The Rain.
Oh.My.Goodness. This gal is the real deal. Angie created Bring The Rain as a way to chronicle her family's journey on a road of love and loss; heartbreak, triumph and healing. She is quite possibly one of the most beautiful writers I've come across in the "blog world" and is just lovely inside and out. She also happens to be married to Todd Smith of the Contemporary Christian Recording group Selah. Together they have 4 little girls~three on this earth, and one who dances in the arms of Jesus~
You won't want to miss the privilege of reading their story...just have a box of tissues handy!!

Oh, and there are so much more! For now, though, I hope you'll enjoy getting to know these gals as much as I have.
What are some of your favorite blogs??

Be blessed,
~~Jenn~~

Meet the Objects of My Obsession, er, Affection...

The Journey Begins...

My first post on my new blog!

Now some of you (or maybe none of you) may be wondering, "What in the world was wrong with your OLD blog? You know, the one you haven't updated in nearly a year?!?"
Touche'
Well... yeah. You're right.

However, because sooo much has changed in my life since my last post on my old blog, that THIS blog and title seemed so much more appropriate!
Because, you see, I am a woman on a MISSION!

****I am COMMITTED to doing everything possible to become what I know God is calling me to be...a STAY-AT-HOME MOMMY!!!***

There, I said it.
Out loud.
For all the world to see.
Somehow, it makes it feel more attainable....or at least, it makes me feel more accountable. And believe me, I can use all of the accountability I can get! I hope to use this blog as a way of keeping track of my failures, my successes, the tips and tricks I'm learning as I go along, the encouragement I gain from other mommies out there who have walked this road before me and as a way of journaling my hopes, dreams and prayers along the way.

Wanna come along for the ride? :-)

Now, a little about myself and WHY I want so badly to be home....
My husband and I have been married for 7 1/2 years now, and he is the BEST thing that's ever happened to me! Of course, we've had our fair share of ups and downs, but now, the downs just make the ups that much sweeter! We are continually growing and learining how to love each other better and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! He also happens to be the Worship Director at our church. You can check out our AWESOME church here.
The two of us met while working for the missions organization WorldHelp in Forest, VA where we toured and traveled with the now-disbanned vocal group MISSION. It was, in a word, suh-weet!! We got to see so much of the country, meet many, many wonderful people, record an album, take showers at truck stops...Oh yeah...awesome. We have loved being in ministry for most of our married life and it is still such a privilege to use the gifts God has given us.

Together we have two of the sweetest little munckins that call me 'Mommy'.
My oldest, M, is 4 1/2 and daily brings to mind all of the many times my mother would say to me while growing up "I hope you have one just like you someday!!!!"
Now, somehow in my mind, I always pictured that IF this came to pass, it would most certainly come in the form of a petite, brunette, freckle-faced, tom-boy princess...but, apparently, in God's wonderful sense of humor, He chose to fulfill this "prophesy" by blessing me with the most energetic, baseball obsessed, stubborn/strong-willed, all-BOY you could imagine! :-) I love him to pieces and I know that God has big plans for his life, but BOY does he keep me on my toes AND on my knees daily!

My youngest, sweet baby H, is 15 months old today and goodness does he make us all laugh! He loves music (MUCH to my delight!) and his favorite, as of late has been to bob his head up and down with the beat of "Vertigo" by U2 blasting from our minivan's sound system. LOVE IT.
He has become quite the busy boy recently and I'm realizing very quickly how much still needs child-proofing in my house!! He adores his big brother, loves bath-time, HATES being on the changing table and has slept through the night since he was 9 weeks old. And he's going to be JUST. LIKE. HIS. BROTHER! :-) I think my Mom may have wished a little too hard for sweet justice to take place here on earth!

As for me, I have worked full-time in the medical field for the past 12 years as an Sonographer (fancy term for Ultrasound technician.) My first two years in the field were spent scanning babies and bellies but the past 10 years, I've mainly specialized in cardiovascular ultrasound, or hearts and blood vessels. As much as I love what I do and as thankful as I am~especially in today's economy~ to HAVE a career and a job, I sooo long to be home with my children!!! I know that there is so much that I am missing on a daily basis and so much that I could be pouring into their little lives! Although we have wonderful childcare for our boys, it's still childcare all the same and could never compare to being HOME with their mommy.

I'm not exactly sure what this journey will look like, or how long it will take us, but there are four things that give me hope that we will get there:

1. We have a PLAN! Not too long ago we were introduced to Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover book. If you haven't read it yet, Go.Get it. NOW!! It is absolutely a MUST read for anyone stuck in debt (which we are), those that want to improve their family's financial future (which we do) and want to live like no one else (which we will!!) We are using this wonderful tool to make a clear cut plan towards taking control of our finances. It's gonna take ALOT of hard work and probably even more sacrifice, but in the end we know that it will be worth it.
2. I am realizing that there are sooo many others out there in this big crazy world who have the same hopes and struggles as I do! I would love to make this a place where other moms can connect to share tips, advice, or words of wisdom of how they ARE walking or HAVE walked this road before me.
3. I have a vehicle. Well, actually, two that sit in my driveway. But what I mean is that I have a means. Even though I work full-time, I have started my own business that eventually I hope will replace my full-time income and allow me to transition **HOME**!! I am soooo excited! Is it going to be easy? No. Is it going to be a instant fix to our situation? Probably not. But I'm a hard worker and since I don't shy away from a challenge very easily, I am more than willing and able to put in the effort for the desired results. Not only that, but I feel soo good about what I'm doing. My business is actually HELPING others! Now, I know I had some of you up until #3, but let me assure you that I don't plan on using this blog solely as a means of promotion (although a little never hurt anyone, right?) :-) Suffice it to say that if you're a mom like me who's tired of the rat race and YOUR greatest desire is to be able to work from home and be with your children than go check out my website! You can find the link at the top left side of my blog. I'd love to have you join me!
4. Lastly, but certainly not least is the fact that I serve a VERY Big God, who has VERY Big plans for me. Yep, in fact he promised!! Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my very favorite verses of all time. The reason for this is simple. He loves me. He has a plan for me. And HIS type of future is the ONLY kind I want! "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE." Can I get an Amen?!?! How awesome that God wants the very best for me? I can be confident of this AND in the fact that He has this same plan for my family and especially my children.

So, off we go! I am excited to start this journey and to "journal" as we go. My hope is that along the way I will be blessed to develop friendships with other moms who also have a "Heart for Home Sweet Home." Be Blessed!
~~Jenn~~

Back with a Quote of the Day

So, first of all, let me say that I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last posting!! I guess if you're reading this, you can't believe that there's actually a new posting! What a slacker, huh? Well, much has happened in the last three months and I'm excited to share all of it thru my blog, but since I am writing this from my desk while on a break from work, let me introduce everyone back to my blog with a quick new "Quote of the Day"...

One of the exciting things that has occurred since my last blog is that M FINALLY decided he was through with pull-ups and yucky pants and is potty-trained!!!! Can I get an "AMEN?!" (Of course, whatever will I blog about now??)

This happened all-of-the-sudden one day when H was about 6 weeks old. M just decided he was ready, and never looked back. Yea!

Well, I should say that this mostly refers to daytime training, as we are still working on our night-time successes. Most mornings, M will wake up "clean and dry", but every now and then he'll be wet. This was the case the other morning when Jeff went in to wake him up. Noticing his pants, Jeff asked him "Awww, buddy....your pants are wet...did you go pee pee?" to which M emphatically replied, "No Daddy!...it's DEW !!" :-)

You gotta love how the mind of a three-year-old works!!

Brothers

One of the most common questions I'm asked these days is "Who do you think H looks like?" to which I have been responding "M!"  Seriously, it's almost like giving birth to twins just three years apart!

I was taking pictures of H today while he was in his crib in an attempt to capture him smiling.  I finally got a good one and immediately had a flash back to a picture I have scrap booked of M around the same age.  I thought I'd post both on here so you can see for yourself how similar they are!  The one on the left is M at about 7 weeks, the right is H (he'll be 7 wks tomorrow).  

Cool, huh?

Back in Blogger Land

Sorry for the long break between blogs...life has been pretty busy with two kids! :)

Since my last post here's a run down of what we've been up to:

• H has been growing like a weed!!  At birth he was 7lb 3oz.  At 6 days old he was 7lb 2oz (they give babies 2 wks to get back to birth weight).  At 10 days old he was 7lb 12oz (that's 10 oz in 5 days!) and at 29 days (or one month) he was 9lb 2oz!!!  I think he might just be our chunky-monkey! :-)

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  Two weeks after H's birth my in-laws came into town and spent several days with us.  We traveled with a 3 yr. old and newborn (no small task) and did a day trip to the Jersey shore with them.

• Jeff attended his first Nascar race in Dover, DE on May 31st with his Dad.  They had a blast!  Jeff's cousin, Brian, produces one of the Radio programs for Motor Racing Network and was able to get Jeff into the pits and even in the pre-race driver's meeting.  He was only feet away from many of the drivers.  Pretty exciting for him!

•  H attended his first service at Fellowship on Father's Day and we celebrated the day by taking Jeff and my Dad out to Lonestar Steak House.

• M has been working on his swimming skills and loves to jump into the pool at the Y!!

• I celebrated my 31st birthday!!  We went out to dinner with my Dad and our friends, Ben and Courtney and had a great time throwin' down some mean BBQ at Famous Dave's.  I LOVE me some Famous Dave's brisket! Mmmm...

• Jeff, myself and "the boys" (I just love saying that!) went on our annual RV trip to the Jersey shore the last week of June.  We have a campground that we LOVE going to that's not too far from Sea Isle City, NJ.  It has a man-made lake, paddle-boats, fishing pond, playground, pool, kiddie-pool, club house, putt-putt course, supply store and ice cream shop!  And to top it off, it's only miles from the ocean!  

This was our 3rd year going and it's always a lot of fun.  We also went to the Cape May Zoo and for a walk down the Sea Isle boardwalk, got ice cream, made S'mores, enjoyed our campfires and went out to dinner a couple of nights.  I have to say though, that this year was probably the most stressful, but believe it or not it was M who was the most difficult!  We've skipped the terrible twos and have plunged head-first into the terrible threes!!    You can check out our family pics from our vacation by clicking on the "Family Photo Albums" under "Links" on the right.

• My Mom was finally able to make the move up to DE and my parents moved into their new apartment this past Saturday!!  Yeah, they're here!!

• Unfortunately, I returned to work this past Monday.  Although I'm very grateful for my job, my heart aches to be home with my children...

Well, that pretty much catches you up on our household for the last 6 weeks.  Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July celebrating the wonderful freedoms we enjoy!!