I’m the kind of girl who loves traditions. If it was fun the first time, then it’s got to be even more fun the second time! Our very first Valentine’s Day together, Jeremiah and I drove to Minnesota and skied for the entire day. Our lunch and supper consisted of beef jerky, PB cheese crackers, and fun-sized Snickers. It became a ‘thing’ and we got to take that trip a couple more times before we started having babies......

Congratulations! If you feel like you’ve just been thrown into the deep end, without knowing how to swim, don’t worry. So did I. 

In fact, until Baby’s grand debut, no amount of nesting, nursery-preparations, prenatal appointments, and childbirth classes could prepare you for that precise moment you become “Mom”...... 

So many women begin their journey of marriage and motherhood with bright-eyed wonder and excitement. Their naivety dismisses everything as being new and wonderful. Fast-forward a decade (or two) and many have lost their joy in what once was joyful. It is my observation that they became so consumed with providing for the needs of their husband, children, and family that they completely forgot themselves along the way. Instead of being the gift they wanted to be to the world, they found themselves stressed-out, running on empty, and resenting the very roles they signed up for......

As we step over the threshold of the New Year, many of us have our List in our hands or at least in our back pockets. (You know…that list of things you will do differently, say frequently, or change effectively in the promise of a new year.) New years are beautiful things! They are full of excitement and endless possibilities. Many of us hold onto large expectations and set out with great ambition. Some approach the New Year with a little more caution and skepticism. Others couldn't care less as they've found themselves trying and failing — one too many times......

I found Jeremiah in the Family Room, and was on the verge of tears. It was bedtime and I was holding Titus, who in turn was holding an 8-ounce bottle of warm, whole milk. I passed our youngest son off to my husband and plopped down on the couch. The dam broke and tears gushed from my eyes, spilling onto my lap. I choked out the words, “He chose his bottle over me tonight!” I held my face in my hands and explained that I was unprepared for the wave of emotions that came along with it actually being over......

Earlier this year, my husband and I went on vacation to Punta Cana where I indulged in a cappuccino and a “Pain au chocolat" chocolate croissant every morning. It was bliss. 

Upon returning home, we discovered that all four children were very sick. For a moment, my rested, relaxed self wanted to return to the airport and get back to my bliss. That’s not exactly how it works, so I decided that Punta Cana (and its croissants) would have to wait. I found my big-girl panties, put them on, and spent the next few days of “Re-Entry” doing loads of laundry, sanitizing surfaces, and nursing sick children back to health......