I am trying to navigate this journey of new motherhood as best I can. I know that I will not be perfect and thank you God that I don't have to be. I glean from others who have gone before me or who are also in this same journey, I look at blogs on parenting and I read, well at least skim, parenting books on occasion, and I pray. And pray. And pray. And when I see something that stands out to me I have to force myself to pay attention otherwise I will not be able to retain it whatsoever. I saw this list somewhere on the world wide web and thought it was worth paying attention to.
How to be a terrific mother: (Seriously who wouldn't want to be described as terrific)?
1. Love your children unconditionally.
2. Honor their uniqueness & cultivate their talents.
3. Insist they say Please & Thank You.
4. Let them make mistakes.
5. Let them know that they can always count on you.
6. Remember too much t.v. is bad & too much reading is good.
7. Play outside & do fun things together.
8. Be there to listen.
9. Don't be afraid to set limits.
10.Teach them to be grateful.

She makes me laugh so hard I cry. Literally. There was actually a documented moment of us looking at one another laughing -one of those big opened mouth laughs- I think I looked a little too much like a hyena so I thought I'd share something a little more respectable. Congratulations my friend.

Pumpkin patches. Making soup. Crunch of the leaves. Warm coffee drinks. Scarves. Cozy evenings at home. New season.

The "terrible twos". That is what it has always been called. I suggest renaming it to the "terrible nineteen month olds"...at least that is what it is being called in my house. It is funny, because whenever we are in public for as long as I remember people always say "what a happy baby, is he always that happy?" and my standard response is "most of the time, but he has his moments". As if for some reason I would feel badly for letting them down and telling them that Levi is just like every other child his age dealing with frustration and a struggle for independence and the outlet for those confusing emotions are screaming, throwing himself on the floor, hitting, biting (that is a new one) and throwing things. Some days this struggle is very hard for me. It usually depends on the day, the amount of sleep I had the night before, and whether or not I take it too personally. One night in tears after I put Levi to bed for the night that is what my loving husband said to me after I gave him the play-by-play of the "terrible" day I had. Too personally. At the time I was in disbelief-how could I not take it personally that the child I had longed for, cried for, prayed for and then was blessed with had suddenly taken to hitting me when he was tired, frustrated or bored. Me! His mommy. You know the one who carried him for nine months, breast fed him, changes his diapers, kisses his bumps & bruises, and sings his blues away~I am the person he was hitting of course I would take it personally. But, then I realized my husband was right (as usual:) and that the best way for me to weather this phase is for me not to take it personally at all. So now I am going to try to take it all in stride, pick my battles, praise his good behavior more often, and enjoy every moment with him regardless if they are "terrible" or not.

Cute as cousins can be.

Payton, Levi & Terin

While in Spokane a few weeks ago Levi & I were able to spend the afternoon with some special friends of mine (who have known me since the days of crimped hair & braces) and their kiddos. What a treat to see our kids playing together! levi, thomas, sierra, kailee, sam & isaiah

My son is sleeping, our house guests are out, and my man is at work so you'd think I would have something more productive to do other than post an embarrassing photo of myself. I thought it would be fun to see if anyone could come up with a title for this pic. The Pioneer Woman sometimes does this on her blog and it is a riot. Since I am guessing I only have about 2 people who look at this blog it shouldn't be too hard to choose who has the most creative title. And by the way I am in no way comparing myself to the Pioneer Woman so don't get your hopes up for a prize!