weekend update

FRIDAY

friday was a great day! this week was a familia (my bible study group) week and chatting and praying with those ladies never fails to give my soul a boost. then friday evening Luke came home! when i saw his face it was like a weight lifted and when i hugged him i didn't want to let go. the whole family got together for dinner and an evening of simply enjoying the blessing of having one another in our lives. it was such a joyful, fun filled evening. one i know i will always cherish.

SATURDAY

saturday we began some spring cleaning. i try to keep the house tidy during the week, but i like to do the deeper cleaning on the weekends when Beau is home because he has this natural talent for organization. once you get that guy started he gets in the zone and doesn't stop until he thinks its perfect. he's my kinda man ;)

SUNDAY
sunday was a beautiful day. we spent the morning finishing up the cleaning we started saturday and then headed off to Mass. after Mass we went out to lunch and then to the park to soak up the gorgeous weather.  Owen didn't enjoy the swing quite as much this week, but he did LOVE the sand box.

Beau has today off for MLK Jr. day and O and i plan on taking full advantage of the extra time with Dada.

how was everyone else's weekend?

h54f

hey y'all! 

i'm linking up again for high five for friday.

these were the highlights of my week :)

1. my january birchbox arrived. i can't wait to try out all the products. 

2. Owen's first time on the swings. he loved it!

3. O has always been a water baby, but now that he can sit up in the tub he gets crazy excited for bath time.

4. i'm so proud of my hard working hubby as he begins his journey in the academy

5. Luke was granted bond and freed from jail yesterday. we are having a big celebration tonight. i can't wait to give my brother a huge hug!

i hope everyone has a great long weekend!

30 second thursday {vlog}

i have some wonderful news! 

Luke is free!!! he had his second hearing yesterday and the judge granted him bond.

thank you so much to everyone who was praying for Luke. God answers the prayers of the faithful!

"ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" -Matthew 7:7

i'm linking up again this week for 30 second thursdays!

it's so much fun, so if you haven't done it yet click over to one of the hosts and join the party!

beautiful hosts

Kaitlyn // Wifessionals Samantha // Hooah And Hiccups Hallie // Life Oceanside

question

What are the top 3 worst or most annoying things you can think of?

so now you've (sort of) met my super silly husband who loves to mess with me, especially while i'm trying to do something important.

despite that... 

i love you, babe!

sick and tired of feeling sick and tired

lately i feel like i'm dragging. 

does anyone else know that feeling?

it's 5:30am. the baby is crying in his crib and you have to force yourself to admit that you aren't just dreaming. he's not going to stop until you get your lazy bum out of bed and change his diaper/give him food/entertain him. so you flop out of bed and, eyes still glued shut, stumble your way to the baby's room. 

you satisfy whatever baby's needs are, all the while willing him with all your might to not be awake for the day. to please, please fall back to sleep, just for 1,000 30 more min.

and so begins the day.

a day full of never ending loads of laundry, floors to vacuum, meals to plan, groceries to buy, bottles to wash, diapers to change.

at times you feel like your using all your energy to keep yourself from collapsing on the bed and passing out until tomorrow. you feel like you can't remember the last time you had a good night sleep and don't think you'll ever have one again. your life is spent just going through the motions counting down the minutes until you can hit the bed again.

this has been my life lately.

i've spent so much time blaming chores or motherhood (it's tough, right?) when the truth is those things have nothing to do with how exhausted i'm feeling.

this morning, as i was popping doughnut holes into my mouth for breakfast, it hit me.

i'm doing this to myself

i have no one else and nothing else to blame but me.

many days i hardly eat and when i do it ends up being 'easy' junk food, i complain about feeling tired all day and then stay up until midnight watching hulu, and i can't even remember the last time i did any exercise... i think i took Owen for a stroll... two weeks ago..?

although i weigh less than i have in a long time, i have never felt so out of shape in my life.  

so today is the day i'm deciding to make a change.

not a diet for a couple weeks or a 10 week workout routine.

a lifestyle change

i'm going to make an effort to eat less processed foods and eat more fresh fruits and veggies.

i'm going to be in bed by 9pm and asleep by 10pm.

i'm going to do some sort of physical activity- every day.

and i'm going to track my progress to hold myself accountable.

i'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and today is the day i do something about it

proud wife

i just want to take a moment here to brag a little bit about my handsome hubby.

yesterday was Beau's first day in the police academy. 

he's in a class of 25 recruits. 25 men and women just like him, embarking on a 23 week journey to becoming a sworn police officer. it isn't going to be an easy journey. it's a journey that is going to cost a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. but it's also a journey that i have confidence my husband will complete. not only complete, but master. 

and guess what...! it turns out his instructors have that confidence in him too! yesterday he was asked to be the class leader!

i can't begin to tell you how proud of him i am. but, at the same time i was in no way surprised when he came home and told me. Beau is a natural born leader. that's just who he is. 

i have confidence that one day i will be the wife of the chief of police!

weekend update

FRIDAY

Beau got off early and we had our typical pizza and a movie night. this time we watched the bourne legacy and it was actually kind of good ;)

SATURDAY

this was the best day i've had all year. the day started off with a cuddley morning with my guys, and there really is no better way to start my day than that. 

after Owen's 2hr morning nap we headed out to run some errands and grab a quick lunch at the mall. O is so funny at the mall, he just stares wide-eyed at everything around him. there's just so much to take in!

while we were there i talked Beau into letting me go shopping at F21. my parents had given me a gift card for christmas and i was just itching to spend it. i ended up with a bunch of cute new clothes and a pair of earrings. it felt so good to buy something for myself since i hadn't bought anything except maternity clothes in over a year!

since it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to go to the park after we finished our errands. it was O's first time at a playground and he, again, was wide-eyed taking everything in. we put him in the swing and at first he was a little apprehensive but it didn't take long for him to start loving it. he would kick his feet and squeal every time the swing went back. so sweet!

the park we went to has a skate park, so we walked over to watch the skateboarders doing their tricks. O would follow them as they went back and forth.

after the skate park we walked over to the library to check out some books. 

on our way back to the car we saw a big group of Luke's friends in the park pavilion. they had all gotten together to write letters to Luke! it was so awesome to see how much love and support my brother has. 

when we got home i had gotten a letter from Luke. it was so wonderful to hear from him and know that he is doing alright. after reading his letter it was like a weight was lifted off my heart!

while i put Owen to sleep, Beau grilled dinner. when dinner he said he wanted to eat outside because it was such a nice night. when i went out this is what i found!

i have the best husband! 

he even made a vegetarian meal because i'm giving up meat until Luke is free. 

SUNDAY

sunday started early with Owen waking up (ready to play) at 6am. 

 the rest of the day was typical sunday stuff. we went to mass and then hung out around the house. Beau made sure everything was ready for his first day at the police academy and i made him flashcards for all the codes, signals, and 10-codes he has to memorize.

overall it was a really great weekend.

i hope everyone else had a good weekend!

5 ways to cope with difficult situations

with all of the craziness that has been the beginning of 2013 i never really had the time to sit down and make resolutions. this is something i normally do on new years day, and lets face it, i was a little preoccupied this year. but after a week of neglecting any of my duties and being completely consumed by worrying about Luke i've decided that it isn't fair to Beau or Owen. Beau has been so fantastic- picking up my slack, taking O from me when he can see me getting overwhelmed, and just being there to listen and let me cry when i need to. although i still often feel like just breaking down in tears i realize that life must go on. yes the pain and worry are still there and very real, but i have to figure out how to fulfill my families needs and cope with the situation at the same time.

1. prayer- i'll admit that i'm not one of those people who says "i'll just give it to God and not worry about it" that's just not how i believe it works. but i do believe in the power of prayer and asking God for strength and guidance and to fill me with the Holy Spirit so that i might know His will.

2. exercise, fresh air, and sunshine- when something so life changing happens it is easy to let it get you down. sometimes the situation is so consuming that it seems impossible to feel happy. my mother always said "sunshine and exercise are more effective than antidepressants." she read it in some article somewhere, but i believe it to be true. forcing yourself to get outside and get moving can make a world of difference in your mood and your outlook on any situation.

3. journal- this is a huge help for me. i'm someone who will just think about something over and over. i replay situations in my head, i make up situations that i hope will happen or i'm scared will happen. the only way to prevent all these thoughts from taking over my brain is to get them out. whether it's by blogging, writing a letter, writing in a personal diary, or even just jotting down my random thoughts on a piece of scratch paper. it's like as long as i can somehow get my thoughts out i no longer feel as though they're consuming me.

4. share- reach out to family and friends who might be feeling the same things. share how you are feeling and listen to how the situation makes them feel. there is nothing more comforting than knowing that your feelings are normal and that you aren't going through this alone.

5. take care of yourself- i don't know about you, but when i'm faced with a difficult situation my natural instincts to take care of my self kind of go out the window. i can't sleep or eat because i'm consumed with the situation. i don't shower, get dressed, or put on make-up. but i've come to find that one of the quickest ways to improve your mood is to take care of yourself. drink a couple of glasses of wine before bed if that's what it takes to get a good night sleep ( i know that works for me). set an alarm on your phone or leave note reminding yourself to eat and take a shower. get dressed in the mornings, no matter how difficult a task it may seem. i promise feeling attractive will always improve your mood.