You + Me

An evening together. <3

Love my lil buddy.

Moonlight Sonata

About a month ago I was driving home at night with Finn after an outing. Rob was working and Finn was sitting in the back quietly, either sleeping or watching the streetlights. The road was empty, but my brain was full. Thinking about various things like the unknown adventures ahead and praying through my thoughts. The sky was dark, except for the sliver of moon hanging above. I looked at it differently though. I was reminded how the light reflecting off of the moon came from the sun. And even though the sun wasn’t visible at that time, the moon served as evidence that light was still present in the midst of that dark night sky.

You may already see where my thoughts went with this…I then equated this sliver of moonlight to hope.

It reminded me that hope is there even in the darkest place. It reminded me that the sun is still there even if I can’t see it. It was a simple reminder, but a big comfort to me. Hope is always there.

My personal hope is through my faith. My hope is through the reminder that I don’t have to do things on my own strength. I don’t have to worry or be anxious.

I've seen incredibly dark things. I've seen it on the news, witnessed things in my own life, and the amount of bad stuff in this world can seriously weigh a heart down. Sometimes I don’t know how God functions through it all. I remember drowning in it upon the loss of my friend. It was terrible, but somehow God provided hope. I felt it coursing through my veins.

And although my thoughts, questions, pains and worries will come up, the moonlight reminded me of the hope he gives me. Even when it’s hard to see and everything else seems dark, hope is still there.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Thankful for Ordinary Weekends

Woke up Saturday morning and decided to make some muffins. After mama had a baking brain freeze, we finally got these bad boys baked and ready to eat. As you can see Finn in the background, he was ready to EAT.

Geez mom, finally...

Wait that's all I get?! 

Aw, mama, you teased me...now give me another...

Sunday we headed to my dad and Marlene's place...swam, ate, swam and ate again. Love being with family. And how refreshing it is to have a family member that has a pool...it's the best. (that last part said in my best Nacho Libre accent)

That above pic reminded me of a clone pic we took at our vacation in Destin last year. Same sunnies and suit, Finn wearing the same top in the same float...lol. Oh and not smiling at'tall. :))

But back to the present, we also snagged a pic of the three of us...

Here's the boy sporting his shades and hat. I'm pretty sure his second cousin has the same sunglasses.

Love these two...

I'm proud to say that those muffins were eaten up pretty quickly this weekend...Rob may or may not have had the majority of them, but Finn was a fan too. Even though they were just made out of a box, it still made me happy to see them enjoy them. And now that I know they'll be eaten, maybe I'll look for a homemade recipe to try next. Oh and maybe I'll remember to add water to the mixture next time...... . . . . . . . . .  .

We were swooning over Finn's little tiny bites out of the muffin. Lol...first time parents, what can we say?

Monday was a lil chaotic, but still there were moments of remembering the day and those who gave and lost their lives in service to our country. I thought about how they gave up having ordinary weekends with their loved ones. It's a sacrifice I can't truly fathom, but I am so thankful to them. Thankful for this freedom.

Mama Gifts and Pooh

So as I said in my previous post I thought I'd quickly share some of my mother's day gifts/purchases. Rob and I don't have a pantry or nook to hide our trashcan...so it's been on our mental list to upgrade from our white Rubbermaid thingy to something fancy-schmancy. So fancy that my brother makes fun of it. Whatever, brother, you jealous. :))

Here's an oldie from Christmas to remind you of what we used to have. Gah, is it too soon to be aching for Christmas?

Foot petal fanciness has entered this home...

I also got a gift card from my man to Crate and Barrel/Land of Nod...I tried to steer away from Land of Nod because I was tempted to buy things like a cloud pillow, fun prints, cute toys. Yeah, all stuff for Finn, not mama. So I stuck with buying stuff off of Crate and Barrel's clearance. And I gotta say, it was fun.

So along with a fancy (but cheap) duster, a spoon rest, a guest hand towel, I also snagged these cute travel bags...

And this cute dish towel that Finn loves to pull onto the ground.

Speaking of Finn...this kid is climbing. I was washing a dish and I see this peeping over the couch. Eek.

Although I am telling him to sit when he's on the couch, I snagged this shot real quick. Sweet baby boy.

He's also taking to watching the beginning parts of Winnie the Pooh. I'm not sure why this one show has captured his attention, since he doesn't watch anything else, but it has. I'm pretty sure he even says "pooh" while handing me the remote.

My little buddy. <3

Summer Days

It's definitely feeling like summer here in the F-L. I knew last Friday that I wanted to get out of the house with the boy after work and get some ice cream in our bellies. Sometimes I realize I'm sticking to my healthy food regimen for the baby boy so closely, that I forget about the treats. So ice cream it is.  

My sister and nephew were with us and we then ventured over to the park afterward. I was perfectly content going down the little slides with Finn and then my sister peer pressured me to go down the high one. It was so fast that my legs went up at the end, and even a little elbow burn occurred in the process. I think Finn enjoyed it though, lol. No picture of the legs in the air thankfully.

The next day we had a visit from my sweet dad and brother and we went to lunch on the river. Such a beautiful day, it brought a glimpse of vacation that is ahead of us. Ah, don't get me on the topic of vacation...I won't stop I'm telling you. I'm a lover of all things vacations...even don't mind living vicariously through others vacations. Gotta have pictures though, for the full effect.

We were also pleasantly surprised to see Finn taking to wearing a hat. This sweet kid...

So funny visiting parks that I used to run around at...and here we are running around with our own little one.

I think the boy's going through another growth spurt. He's almost always signing and saying "moe" (more).

These cups that hold cheerios/snacks are so genius. There's times that I wish I lived in other eras...but when it comes to baby stuff that we have nowadays, I wouldn't trade it.

So I'm gonna be a nerd and share some of my mother's day purchases in a post soon. I received a few gift cards that led me to purchase some stuff for the house. Fancy trashcan...so nice to finally meet you.

Happy new week to you all <3

Little Mister

We had a very nice mother's day weekend. Because of the nagging frequent guilt of feeling like I never do enough (it's a work in progress), I let myself relax and let Rob do stuff for me. I even let him drive! LOL...yeah, it's kinda a joke that I say I like to drive and Rob doesn't (which he totally doesn't care to drive) but we've come to realize it's probably just me liking to be in control. Yeah, but I totally forgot how nice it can be to "passenge". I just might do it more in the future. Maaaybe.

Like I said, it's a work in progress.

So after a great and chaotic day of going out with our own mother's on Saturday (chaos not due to our dear mothers, but due to Finn not having the time of his life in those highchairs) we had all of Sunday to celebrate me. Lol, I'm kidding...I'm in a weird mood. Anyway, we grabbed some Panera after church, got home and went out back to take a pic with the nice camera of me and my boy. Rob tries to take the pic and the battery dies. Womp, womp. So a phone pic will suffice. I love how you can see Finn trying to say "cheeeeeeeeese", a new little feat of his. <3

So over the weekend, it was also discovered that somehow little Finn holds a pen quite marvelously. Maybe it's just me being a proud mama, but it's awesome to watch this boy adjust his fingers ever so perfectly to draw intricate details or lines and circles on the paper. He also would lean in with a serious look of concentration. Seriously, just beaming watching this boy grow.

Those teeeeeeeeth...rarely get to see those top ones. :-D

He'll be writing love letters to his mama in no time! ;)

Please Be My Strength

I'm reminded that hope sometimes can feel small, however it doesn't mean that it's not present. I'm reminded that there is an awful lot of pain in the world. And although personally this season feels painful, slow-moving and lonely, I'm reminded that he is my strength.

Yeah, what this beautiful song says...

I've tried to stand my ground

I've tried to understand

but I can't seem to find my faith again

Like water on the sand

or grasping at the wind

I keep on falling short

Please be my strength

please be my strength

I don't have anymore

I don't have anymore

I'm looking for a place

where I can plant my faith

one thing I know for sure

I cannot create it
and I cannot sustain it
it's Your love that's keeping me

Please be my strength

please be my strength

I don't have anymore

I don't have anymore

At my final breath

I hope that I can say

I fought the good fight of faith

I pray Your glory shine

in this doubting heart of mine

and all would know that You

You are my strength

You are my strength

You and you alone

keep bringing me back home

New Stuff and a Surprise Climb

Rob and I have lived in our house for almost 4 years. This is what I have to remind myself when I feel bad for buying a blanket or a toss pillow. (it's not Rob who minds, it's my frugal self) This room sat empty for 3 years...hence I get excited for the little purchases that are making this room more us. 

With that said, I recently purchased that yellow pillow in the background and this beautiful blanket. Both from Target. I wanted a lighter blanket for naps, since all we really had were fleece blankets. Fleece + Florida heat = no no. 

Target has these blankets/throws in a few different colors, orange, teal, yellow, navy and gray. Really like it though, it's got a great weight to it and feels like it'll last a long time. Oh and there's little Finn keeping an eye on the neighborhood birds.  

Speaking of lil Finn...while I was taking these pics the little nugget did something that gave me a lil shock. He climbed the couch. Yes, life as we know it, is over. 

He was quite proud. :))

Even climbed up the new pillow...lol. I know one day I'm gonna find him standing on the back of the couch.

We then went for a ride in Finn's car and headed out back. Our gardenia tree is blossoming and it smells amazing. The only sad thing is how quickly these blooms die...they don't last long.

Finn looking for birds while I was taking pics. Looking pretty relaxed in that car, huh?

And here's Jack sitting around waiting for Finn to throw him a stick.

Then we went back inside. There's so many moments that I keep trying to soak up as much as I can. I know with pictures and videos we can preserve memories, but it's something else when I just close my eyes in the moment, breathe in his sweet baby skin and thank God for this child.

Will be sharing some artwork on here soon...been spending lots of time painting and brainstorming. And Grey's Anatomy binge watching. :))

Hoping you all are well.