A New Year

I'm sitting here watching Taylor Swift perform on the Primetime Rockin New Years show and listening to my husband snore on the couch next to me and wondering if I'm an old boring person now. We were going to go to a party to ring in the New Year but this afternoon decided we would stay in. I'm a little disappointed we didn't go because I know it would have been a lot of fun, but mostly I'm happy to be here with my wonderful husband, my precious little boy (who's sleeping) and our dog and cat. I look back on the past year and I can say that I've become much more confident in and truly embraced my role as a mother. I have learned to really cherish every moment of this time with our son because it's already going so fast. I also look at my husband and have a whole different kind of love for him. Not only do I love him and respect him as a person, but I appreciate him as my partner in this roller coaster of life. We are rounding out four years together now and we've been through so much in this short time. Topping this list is adjusting to our role as parents. It's not easy and we have come through the first part of this journey closer than ever, with more respect for each other, and a big sense of teamwork (not to sound too "business-schooly"). We have accomplished a lot this year and I only look forward to the upcoming year with excitement and curiosity as to what it may hold for us. Happy New Year!

Scratching On The Wall

So a few weeks ago I was taking a bath and heard a curious tap tap whoosh up in the corner of the bathroom. I looked up at the wall/ceiling where it was coming from but it stopped and I decided to continue enjoying my sacred bath. Then a couple of days ago I was awakened by "my cat" who I figured was up to his usual tricks to get me out of bed around 6am. I was so fed up I sat up in bed to scare him in to thinking he was in real trouble, only to find him sitting on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Hmmm. So I got out of bed to investigate the mystery sound which led me to Luke's closet. At that point I made the unfortunate realization that we had an unwanted houseguest...hanging out in our wall. When I was about 8 there was a mouse in the wall next to my bed. I know what a mouse in the wall sounds like, and this was no mouse. There was no scampering or running of any sort. This was scratching and turning around in a tight space. I reported my finding to Luke who guessed it was a squirrel or something. I knew better. This morning he ventured up into the attic to see what we were dealing with and he promptly yelled down to "CALL MY DAD". What we were dealing with was an approximate 30 lb racoon!! So my first instinct is to call some type of animal control. Nope, as I anticipated, Luke wanted to deal with it himself. So he armed himself with a bb gun and proceeded to shoot the racoon 6 times. My worst fear came true and the poor racoon ended up bleeding, angry, and not dead. Luke decided to get a "real gun" to take care of the racoon once and for all but when he went back up to into the attic our friend was nowhere to be found. Apparently he has crawled down into the wall where we cannot get to him - probably to die. So I guess we'll wait around to begin smelling the old poor racoon. Being the animal lover that I am, of course I've been praying for God to please forgive us for making that poor animal suffer and die a slow and painful death. hmmm, my Have A Heart trap and food to lure him in wasn't such a bad idea after all now was it?

Being a Parent

In June of 07 Luke and I had a son, Will. He is 18 months old and the most adorable, funny, intelligent, sweet, and charming little man ever. And I'm not biased because I'm his mom either. I am convinced that even if I were a stranger I would feel the exact same. When Will was first born we had a tough time adjusting to taking care of another person 24-7. Will was, I'm guessing, by all standards a fairly easy baby. But months of sleep deprivation and the process of completely changing life as we knew it definitely took it's toll on both of us. Slowly we began to get the hang of it and now are completely in love with Will and every second of joy he brings into our lives. I find the two of us staring at him and waiting for him to do his next cute thing - just like the "obnoxious parents" did before I had my own child. Becoming a parent definitely changes your life. You get up earlier, prioritize differently, are suddenly scared of things you weren't scared of before, and are full of a love you never knew you were capable of feeling. Just thinking of our sweet little boy makes my heart swell with love and can easily bring tears to my eyes. If I would have read this post 5 years ago (maybe even 2 years ago) I would probably have rolled my eyes and hit NEXT but now this is my life and it's the real deal. I am incredibly blessed with a wonderful and loving husband, a healthy son, and a fantastic family. I guess because it's the Holidays and it's customary to talk about what we're thankful for, I'm a little more sentimental than usual, but I'm ok with that.

First Blog Ever

I have decided to create a blog! (!??) I know that I enjoy reading the blogs of my friends - it seems like a great way to keep tabs on people you care about. I hope that you will enjoy reading ours. It will probably take me some time to get used to this, so please bear with me while I get the hang of it and hopefully soon I'll be posting more interesting things.