{December Goals}

"I'm choosing not to get stressed. I'm just managing blessings."
{Lysa Terkeurst}

December Goals

☐ Celebrate Christ’s birth through meaningful reflection and activities

☐ Work through PowerSheets for 2-0-1-6!

☐ Cut down our very own Christmas tree (it’s a tradition now!)

☐ Listen to as much Christmas music as possible

☐ Make mini gingerbread houses

☐ Host an Eggnog + Cookies party

☐ Update Maddie’s baby book   

☐ Finish reading From Anger to Intimacy (I'm still reading this one! Really soaking it in).

What are your goals for this month? I'd love to know what your aim and focus are set on!

November Gratefuls

"If you don't recognize the worth of the masterpiece you already have,
you can waste your life looking for more that doesn't matter." {Ann Voskamp}

Every moment of the day is an opportunity to be grateful, to praise God. Especially in the midst of the hard times. I don't want a life lived that will only be joyful and grateful when it's easy to be joyful and grateful. It's during the difficult times, the arguments, the pits when it is actually hard to practice these disciplines that my heart is actually put to test.

Will I trust my way, the way I think things should go as the best?

Or will I choose God's way, choose to praise Him, to trust Him when I'm not sure how the situations will work out?

One small moment at a time is the best place to begin. Not "when everything is happy as a peach, then I'll be thankful." But now, right in this very moment.

"And we could be like a river of that living water. We could widen and deepen, we could course our way through hard things and plow fresh new ways. And our perspective could reflect a Kingdom, our lives could be a refuge and our choices could be a courage that goes against the current."

1. Celebrating the sweet baby of a dear friend / 2. Dressing up an American trio, complete with a baby bald eagle's silly construction paper beak / 3. Experiencing firsts together - first football game for Maddie / 4. Gathering together with family and food and laughter / 5. A teensy bow for her itty bitty hair / 6. Two years of marriage down, many more to come

Fall Bucket List - Trying New Seasonal Recipes

One of my goals for this fall was to try a new pumpkin or apple recipe or treat each week. Talk about fun for your taste buds! It has been so great to bake, buy and taste so many new flavored goodies.

Before you keep reading, just know that Trader Joe's is not sponsoring this post haha! I just happened to peruse (don't you just love that word? It makes browsing sound so fancy!) their aisle and turn up with several delicious new fall items. Their large display of seasonal goods makes it easy to check this goal off.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese - Delicious. Not too pumpkiny or too sweet but juuuuust right. I picked up a small tub of this from the back of Trader Joe's and have enjoyed it from the first bite. They suggest it would be great on pumpkin bread, which I haven't tried yet, or on the more obvious option, a bagel. So far, so good - smeared on toast and as a dip for apple slices.

Spiced Cider -I've definitely had apple cider before this fall, just not TJ's version. It tasted like fall in a cup when you warm it up and sip it out of a mug. We are already enjoying our second batch of cider from the store and it's just as yummy. Last weekend, we drove to the drive-in for a double feature and brought along a thermos. Adding a little flavored rum in it gives it an extra oomph, too.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies - One of my favorite new pumpkin recipes! These brownies are easy to make, have simple ingredients and are so moist. I've made these twice and by far, the first batch was better because I didn't bake them quite as long. Follow along with what the recipe suggests and don't go too much further timewise or you rise drying them out. Nothing that some chocolate chips can't help distract from, right??

Sweet Crock Pot Apples - For a I-feel-good-about-eating-it treat, these soft baked apples are the best! My mom and my grandmother both make scrumptious versions of this that make anyone happy to have gotten a taste. I used a recipe from Tone It Up and made these in the crock pot, easy peasey! Although I nixed the raisins. Just not for me.

Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps - The most savory fall item I've tried, these were OK. I think they would have been so much better if we had eaten them alongside goat cheese or another creamy spread. Instead they also joined Dean, Madison and I at the drive-in, straight out of the bag. If you're interested in a less sweet, more savory fall bite, try the crisps.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins - These muffins were a result of, "Hey, it's Breakfast Sunday at church tomorrow. I have both pumpkin puree and bananas in the fridge. What should I make?" Like the brownies, these were relatively quick to make. Just measure, pour and stir. We decided to bake them in our mini muffin pan and he one downside was they came out quite lumpy and looked more like pumpkin bites, as Dean called them, rather than muffins. But getting past its rough exterior, these muffins were yummy. OH, and I added a few handfuls of chocolate chips.

I'd love to know - have you tried any new fall foods or recipes? Which have you liked?

Happy 6 months, Madison!

It was just 184 days ago that our 8 pound, 3.2 ounce baby forever changes our lives. From her early morning entrance into the world on Cinco de Mayo, Madison has been lighting up our days ever since.

When people tell you, "Hold on tight because they grow up SO fast," they are so right. I can hardly believe 6 whole months have gone by. Even while staying home with Maddie, soaking up midday giggles, rocking her in the evening, afternoon playtime and bedtime baths, there is no freeze, stop time and stay in this moment.

So the best thing to do is make the most of each hour, each day we have together. I think time seems to move even more quickly when babies are this small because they are growing and developing at such astonishing rates.

While I could never fully express or put down words to completely describe our little baby girl, I can tell you the first you'll notice about her is her eyes - beautifully blue and dark but with a sparkle. She has big, baby doll eyelashes and is constantly smiling, giggling and laughing. Madison loves to move, squirm and kick. She is so alert, taking in her surroundings, holding new toys and shaking them, peering over our shoulders to see what's behind her and looking up at us and letting out an excited squeal during tummy time. There is so much personality oozing from such a small little girl!

As Madison turns 6 months old today (!) I'll be sharing photos from Months 1-5 on the blog in the coming days. Since she was born, I have intentionally spent less time in front of the computer and more time with her, trying to be present and enjoy every small, but important, moments.

{Madison's Monthly Highlights}

Weight: Just over 17 pounds at her last doctor's visit (about 2 weeks ago). She's getting the chunky cheeks:)

Clothing: Still squeezing into 3-month onesies but wearing 3-6 months in most everything else. And shoes? Don't stay on her more than 5 seconds or so. She is a master shoe kicker-offer. Socks also fall into this category. Also, with her teething comes more drool on almost every outfit we put her in.

Sleep: She is sleeping well and through the night except when she is teething and restless or sick with a cold. Both really terrible to watch your daughter go through. Same goes for naptime - lately she's seemed to be in pain and poking at her gums right when she is also tired and ready to nap.

Eating: It's all good and she has a good appetite except when she's - wait, what's that over there? - distracted. As our friend calls her baby, she is also a major distracta-baby. We introduced some fruit and veggie baby foods several weeks ago and with the exception of avocado, she seems excited to try new things (yay!!!). Bananas are the top contender right now, hands down. Although now that Madison has grabby hands and is reaching for everything in sight, she also tries to grab the spoon. She's quite messy by the end but it's a good start to solids!

Personality: Full of joy, giggles, little sounds, tapping hands, kicking feet. Madison is what I like to call a verbal processor :) She loves to make new noises, pull at her feet (she recently discovered them!), bounce up and down, fly airplane with Daddy, look in the mirror, make noises back and forth with me. She gets somewhat stoic and more quiet in larger group settings but when it's just the two of us or when Daddy comes home, she lights up, ready to play, chat, squeal, laugh, grunt and bounce some more.

Likes: Scratching different textures (the tablecloth, for example, as I'm currently typing this), being thrown up high by Daddy, being sung to, splishing and splashing at bath time, the sound of snapping, holding and tugging at her crinkle books, having her photo taken (really!) and getting to see it after, when I stick my tongue out at her, being tickled, shaking rattles, shaking anything, dropping toys (her newest phase).

Dislikes: Being confined to her car seat (who can blame her?), teething, having a stuffy nose, when Mommy or Daddy sneezes (too loud), wearing shoes (she gets that from her mama), having eye gookies or boogers cleaned off, when bath time ends, being put down for too long (she'd rather be up high, looking around at everything) and missing out on anything fun.

What I want to remember: How she experiences something for the first time - watching me pour coffee, seeing the blinds open, feeling the ocean waves hit her little toes.

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Follow our daily adventures with #sweetmaddiegirlgram

{October Goals}

October Goals

>> Continue studying Aimless by Ange Smith
>> Commit new verses to memory
>> Finalize plans for our 2-year anniversary trip (YAY!)
>> Decorate our home for fall (with the help of my ever-growing inspiration board)
>> Try a new pumpkin or apple recipe each week (already doing this - yum!)
>> Finish reading From Anger to Intimacy
>> Take a daily walk with Madison, weather permitting
>> Reach out to designers for LMP rebrand
>> Review our budget and plan for November

What are your goals for this month? I'd love to know what your aim and focus are set on!