Wednesday

Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

That's what I keep telling myself as I find it so difficult to find time to get on here to blog about ANYTHING!

Keep me in your prayers as I am working ALOT, still working Saturdays...and desperately wanting some time home with Bob and Maleah. I see no end in sight. I have an account....it's new....I need to get it done...and get it done right. I feel like until it's accomplished I will not be able to get out from underneath of this.

It certainly can't get much worse....right????

Hope everyone is well. Don't give up on me! I'm sure there are many more confessions to come!


Oh, and if you haven't tried the Pizza Mia pizza from Pizza Hut...do it! It's awesome! Wonderful, buttery crust and only 200 calories per slice is what I hear! :)

YUMMY!

Tuesday

One Year Old

We had Maleah's first birthday Saturday. Bob will post later on the excitement of that day.

I wanted to mention the sadness of that day. I mentioned the other day how I wished as she was a fussy baby, that she would grow up quickly so she would get out of that stage. Saturday night, I was laying her down, and felt this huge sorrow wash over me. I struggled just to lay her down to sleep. I cried (which seems silly now) because all of a sudden she's this big girl...she's not a baby anymore. I have spent the last 10 months away from her. I like my job, I do, but I HATE that I have spent 4-6 days away from her each week since March 5 of last year. I hate that I am not home with her everyday. It doesn't matter how great the person babysitting her is (which we are so grateful for Stacy and all she does)...it's still the hardest thing to walk out that door every single day, knowing that is one more day that I am missing with her.

I'm grateful that my job allows me Fridays off through most of the year, that I can spend that extra quality time with her...and I cannot WAIT for it to come around again! Everyone be praying that I can get all of my work out ASAP...the sooner I get this stuff done, the sooner I am home with her on Fridays again! I am guessing 3 weeks or so....which seems like forever away!

We'll post pictures soon too. She was such a BIG GIRL! :)

Friday

Time Flies...

Well, this day last year I worked over 11 hours...busting my rear end to try to get as much work done as possible. Who knew that the next day would have me giving birth to my baby girl? It's amazing how time flies. Maleah is one year old tomorrow, and it doesn't seem possible. One year ago today she wasn't even here yet...and now she's walking, talking, and just the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. It's amazing what can happen in a year....

I think it teaches us all that we shouldn't take any time for granted. I'll confess (shocker, huh?...me...confessing something...hehe)...when she was about 6 weeks old, I would long for the time when she would be Kaitlyn's age...because she was SO fussy...and I knew it would get better. And here we are. One year old. She's so DIFFERENT. She's such a good baby, only fussy now when she needs something (or throws a fit when she WANTS something). She is amazing. Now I wonder...should I have really wished for time to fly by? No. But at that time...I just wanted sleep!

Wednesday

It's About Time...

You can spend it, but you can't save it. Whether or not you do anything with it, it will still be gone by the next day. Though you can't save it, you can invest it.

We talk about "saving time" or getting "more hours in your day". The truth is that there are 24 hours in every single day. We get no more. We get no less. What matters is what we do with the time we're given each day.

You never realize how important something is to you until it is gone. Miranda started her tax season schedule and it has been hard on her. She went from working 8-4 Monday through Thursday to working 8-5 Monday through Friday and 8-4 on Saturdays. It wasn't as difficult before we had Maleah. She'd plug along and be fine. However, missing this time with Maleah is killing her.

Soak in the smallest moments: a wife's smile, a husband's touch, a child's beautiful smile, or the quiet times alone with God. Don't take time for granted. Even doing chores around the house gives an opportunity for a memory (see: Confession # 1) . Take the limited amount of time you have with your loved ones and invest it. Invest it in laughter. Invest in special moments. Invest in lifelong memories that time can't take away from you.

Friday

The Sweetest Thing...

My little girl is the sweetest thing...and she knows so much. The sweetest thing she has begun doing breaks my heart. She lays on her changing table (for reasons that are obvious) and Emily's shadowbox is above the wall where her head is. She will arch her back and turn her head to strain to see the shadowbox, point, and say "baby". So I will tell her "Emily", and she will try so hard to say Emily. The other day I told her "sissy" and she said it back. She pointed and said sissy.

Last night, she kept looking at it, so I picked her up and took her over to it. She grinned really big. I told her "Mwa" and blew a kiss at it, and she did the same thing. She put her little tiny hand up to her mouth and blew the box a kiss.

Though Emily's not in that box, I just think it's so sweet that Maleah noticed it, and continues to notice it and pay attention to it. She must know it's special.