Happy late Easter

Sorry I haven't got anything up here sooner. We had an awesome Easter. After an uplifting sermon at church we spent the day with Dave and Cort. Emma had an adorable Easter dress. So cute. For Lent, Kev and I both decided to give up TV. It has been awesome. It's now 4 days later and we still haven't turned the tube on. I don't know that we will totally give up all television forever (we really love a good movie...and Guitar Hero) but we have learned alot about our priorities and what can give.

Kev's mom came for a visit Monday - Wednesday. That was really great because we hadn't seen her since January. And, I'm excited to say, we're going to Farmington this weekend. We haven't see my dad since the first week of December. That is entirely too long for a grandpa to go without his baby granddaughter. We're also going to meet up with my Aunt Cindi and cousin Lesley. I'm really excited and will hopefully have some fun family photos to post.

Hope you're all having a great week!!

TAG!

I've been tagged by my dear friend Laura.

You have to tag 5 people (you can't tag the person that tagged you)-You leave them a comment on their blog (‘you’re tagged’ and ‘why’)-Direct them to your blog for instructions…when you get tagged, you post ten fun facts about yourself!

So, in no particular order, here are my 10:

1. I love coffee. I drink it every single day and feel miserable if I don't. I tried desperately to give it up when I was pregnant but then I was getting caffeine-withdraw headaches! I love it with lots of cream, no sugar. I am totally happy to pay outrageous prices for Starbucks and Churchills. Coffee is how I socialize, it's how I work, it's how I worship. You'll never see me at work, with friends or at church without my trusty travel mug.

2. I love video games. Mainly in the Nintendo family. Recently, however, I've developed a love for PS2 Guitar Hero. Rock on, baby. I grew up playing Mario and Zelda with my mom, who was also a video game nerd. Before miss Emma came along, I could completely lose myself in Zelda Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask and an entire day would pass before I realized it. Unfortunately for me, I'm really good at getting all the way to the end of a game but then not having the skills to beat "The Big Boss." Oh well. One of these days when I have some free time...

3. I love naps. Sometimes on the weekend, I will mentally "schedule" a nap. I like to stretch out on our couch with a blanket and pillow and crank the ceiling fan and snooze away. I was one of those weird kids that always asked if it was nap time yet. I've always been a person who needs plenty of sleep to function but I always seem to come up short. (Maybe that's the reason for my #1). I like to take naps outside, too. I grew up on a country road with no neighbors in sight. I would lay on our picnic table and sleep under the sun. Those are some sweet memories.

4. I love my husband. I've known since the day I met Kevin, when I was 15, that he was the one God had for me. We have so much fun together and think the same things are funny. He lets me be a dork and clumsy and awkward and then tells me I'm beautiful. He picks me up when I'm weak but still allows me to be strong. He can read my heart and knows all my secrets. He is gorgeous and romantic and funny and smart and faithful. He is my everything and I am thankful to God for blessing my life with him.

5. I love my baby. She is my joy and my earthly purpose. I never tire of staring at her or snuggling her or comforting her. My biggest fear is that I will fail her (which is probably inevitable to happen at some point). I daydream about the plans God has for her life and the great things He will do through her. I hope she loves God. I hope she hates scary movies. I hope that she will let me hug and kiss her when she's 14 and I hope that she can come to me with any problem. I hope she is athletic like Kevin and has a heart for people like me. I hope she keeps her blue eyes.

6. I love God. I've always known He was there but I ran from him for a long time. I didn't discover a personal relationship with him until about 3 years ago. I am thankful for his mercy and grace; without them, I wouldn't stand a chance. He has proven himself faithful in my life, has blessed me beyond what I deserve and gives me a hope.

7. I am domestically disabled. I want very badly to be June Cleaver, but it ain't never gonna happen! I know how to cook but I absolutely hate to do it. I can often be pretty lazy (see #3). I hate to run errands. I hate balancing the checkbook. I leave laundry in the dryer for days and pretty much refuse to clean the litterbox. That being said, I do clean quite a bit (the kitchen, bathrooms, sweeping, dusting, etc.) The problem there is that I don't pick up after myself once everything is clean. It's kind of a never-ending battle. Thankfully, Kevin is a great and willing cook. He reluctantly but faithfully cleans the litterbox. He's good with the money and doesn't mind running to the Post Office.

8. My name is Mandy, and I am a Shopaholic. Just ask Kevin, the one with the checkbook. I love to buy things. I love shoes and clothes and purses and baby stuff and home decor. I love scrapbook stuff, electronic stuff, and pet stuff. If there's a sale in a 40 mile radius, I'll find it. I'm exaggerating a little, but not much. I think I've gotten better since Emma has arrived. I really really really hope that I don't pass the shopping gene on to her.

9. I love to read. I used to read borderline romance novels by Jenny Crusie. I have most of them. My latest passion has been Christian stuff. I really like Max Lucado, John Ortberg and Gary Thomas. My favorite book of late has been Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This book was totally written for me and has changed my life and my relationship with God. If you've never been into Christian literature or if you've ever struggled with your faith on any level, I totally recommend it.

10. I really enjoy my life. I don't have much room for complaint. I have an awesome job with Jordan Valley Community Health Center and recently got a promotion. I work with amazing people who are totally dedicated to serving others. I have an awesome church that lifts me up, inspires me and refreshes my soul. I have some amazing friends who've become like family and are always around when I need them. My family is amazing. Both my natural peeps and my in-laws, I am truly blessed with a circle of love. My husband and daughter complete my happiness. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

So, I can only tag 2 people because everyone else I know has already been tagged! I'm going after Mae and Jill.

6 months ago today

my baby girl was born. Wow. Half a year. I can not believe that so much time has passed already. In a sense, I feel like I have loved and known her forever. Other times, I feel like it was only a month ago that our lives changed.

I had my first date with Kevin 10 years ago and feel like we have a solid relationship. Boy, has Emma put that to the test. It's amazing how conversations with your spouse change when it is 4:30 in the morning, and you've both been surviving on 2-3 hours sleep for over a week. Or when you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to decide the course of action when you have a screaming child, but your food hasn't arrived yet. Or when you just know if your spouse would bounce her this way she would stop crying but you can't say anything because you're BOTH the parent and you BOTH have to learn your own ways to care for her and your way is NOT the only way. My life is changed forever, and so is my relationship with my husband.

I never knew how sexy a man could look with a child sleeping on his chest. I never knew my heart could skip a beat from seeing my husband brushing our daughter's hair. I never knew I could laugh so hard by watching a man make silly faces and noises, just to make our girl smile.

I know I have changed, too. I can't tell you how, you'd have to ask Kevin about that. I know I have more stress and chaos in my life than I've ever had but that comes with more love and joy and kissies and laughter too. My life is awesomely blessed. Thank you all for being a part of our daughter's life. There's more to come.

Overheard in the nursery...

Today at church, I had the joy of volunteering in the nursery. So after Sunday School, Kev took Emma to service and I hung out with a bunch of 3-4 year olds. It was a blast! It's been awhile since I've been around kids that age and I had forgotten how funny they are. But, today I remember. Here are some things I overheard today:

"Jesus should have shot a web at the mean men!"

"I have to go potty!!!!........Nevermind."

"I got a tattoo on my chest, like Daddy."

I'm sure there were more mention-worthy conversations but I was too busy chasing after them to remember.

Face-Lift

Do you like the new look? I was getting sick of the pink and this seemed a little more like Spring. We've had a great weekend so far. Kevin's family is Irish so we had an early St. Pat's celebration yesterday with Dave and Cort. Cort got us all some silly hats from Wal-Mart and we played dice all night. We don't get together and hang out much anymore (with the exception of our Sunday night Bible study) so it was great to have some fun. Dave and Cort are both in grad school so that keeps them pretty busy.

We've started using a doorway jumperoo type thing for Emma and she absolutely loves it. I have a cute video of her in it that I will try to post later. She's getting so big! She will be 6 months old this week! Time has flown by and I have loved every second of it. I thought I'd post some of my favorite pics that we've taken recently. Have a great Sunday!

Kevin passed the HESI!

What is the HESI? Basically, MSU's nursing program requires all seniors to pass a comprehensive HESI in order to graduate and be eligible to sit for their boards. It is a huge, standardized test that covers everything they've learned from the start of the program. It's rumored that the HESI is designed to be more difficult than their acutal boards. Why? Simple. In order to remain in good standing for their accreditation status, MSU needs a high pass rate on state boards. They don't need a high graduation rate. So, they administer a test harder than state boards as a graduation requirement with the idea that everyone who takes the boards has already passed a harder exam. Whew, that was kind of exhausting!

Anyway, it's a huge test that they anticipate for 2 years and they finally got to get it over with today. I am happy to report that Kevin passed with a 96%!!! Yay!!! It's easy sailing from here until graduation.

I've had a good week, too. I'm getting settled into my new job as the Pediatric Clinic manager. It has been really awesome (and a little nerve-wracking) stepping into this new role. Everyone has been really supportive and encouraging.

Emma's first two teeth came through last week. She really didn't have too hard of a time with it. I'm hoping the rest come in as smoothly. She's getting better and better at rolling over and is getting close to sitting up on her own. Also, she has fallen in love with her feet! She loves to hike her legs up in the air and grab on to both of her feet and stick them in her mouth.

Our Bible study with Dave and Cort has been going really well. We're in II Corinthians now. I really feel like I have grown and developed alot during our studies. We've also decided to become accountability partners for each other.

We hope all of you are having a great week and are ready for a fabulous weekend!

Here's a sweet pic of Emma. She looks like she's doing a hula dance! I love her blue eyes...

Thanks!

My meeting today was an evaluation at work. I've been waiting for a while for this to come through and it finally did. I can't divulge all the details yet, but I have been given a promotion and a raise and am very excited about it. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers today!

A favor to ask

I wanted to make a quick note to ask for prayers tomorrow. I can't go into too much detail yet but tomorrow is a big day for me (Mandy). I have a meeting tomorrow morning around 9:30 during which I will find out some significant information. I will post more on what the meeting is and what the outcome is tomorrow, but if you could just keep me in your thoughts and pray that everything goes well, I would really appreciate it!

In other great news, I can finally post that my friend Misty had her baby girl!!! Isabel Grace was born last Monday and is thriving and doing fabulous. I've been able to see a few pictures of her and she is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Misty, Joel and G-Man!

The above pic is from last Saturday at the park when we were having some fabulous weather. Emma and Daddy had their shades on to keep the sun out of their eyes.

I'll be back with a report tomorrow. Much love, good night!

Heat Wave!

Missouri weather: you never know what you're going to get. The past 3 days have been absolutely gorgeous! We're talking temps near 70. And what's the forecast for tomorrow? Snow. Go figure.

We didn't let one second of this great weather be wasted. Yesterday, we took Emma to the park for about 2 hours. We walked along a trail, played on the swings and then stretched out on a blanket in the grass. The girl had so much fun and really enjoyed this new adventure.

We went to the same park today after church and walked the trail again. Emma smiled and played the whole time. She loves it when a breeze blows across her face. When we got home, she and Kevin stretched out on the couch under an open window and took a nap. Paradise.

We're just gonna hang out the rest of the afternoon. Dave and Cort are coming over tonight for our Bible study. I hope you've all had a blessed day in the Lord's presence and feel refreshed for Monday!