Happy New Year

It's hard to believe 2008 has come to an end! This year was a very happy one for me as it was my first year as a "mommy". I'm sure it was also the easiest year I'll ever have as a mother, since Levi is fast approaching the tantrum-throwing toddler stage. ;-)
I do have a few goals for 2009, and I'll share them with you shortly. I don't know if I'll be able to keep it up, but I'd like to blog once a week on how I'm keeping up (or not keeping up!) with my goals. That will give me a little accountability (I hope) as well as encouragement when I see how well I'm doing. (or a kick in the pants when I see how poorly I'm doing. lol)

My goals/resolutions:

1. Lose weight. This has been a resolution for 3 or more years now. :-p All I've managed to do is gain weight. :-( This year I want it to be different. For my health, for my husband, for my son. So I can feel good about myself again. My plans are to eat less junk, smaller portions, and exercise a lot more.

2. Read my Bible every day. I know from past experience I'm a happier person and have a better attitude when I make time every day to read my Bible and pray.

3. Love my family. hehe....this one's too easy. :-) I love my husband and son with all my heart! But I do want to strive to be a better wife and a better mommy because of course I'm not perfect and I have flaws I need to work on.

4. Finish Levi's "first year" scrapbook. I've only got a few pages done, so I need to get busy and finish it up so I can start another project.

5. Find some income. I don't know how this will work out, or if I'll be successful, but I would like to try to find a little something on the side to do to make a little money of my own. It's not something I want to spend much time on, so there aren't a whole lot of options, but I'm considering selling a few things here and there on ebay.

That's it, I think! I'll keep ya'll updated on how I'm doing as the year goes on. :-)

Christmas

We're home again! :-) Went to Texas to see my grandparents for Christmas. I'm thankful my sweet husband talked me into going....you never know how long they are going to be around, so it was good to get the opportunity to see them again. And of course, they were beyond thrilled to see us, and they loved Levi. He surprisingly took right to them and grinned, flirted, and really showed off.
We also saw one of my sisters, my aunt and uncle and a couple of cousins. It was a fun time. :-) I took quite a few pictures so I put them together in a slideshow for your viewing pleasure. ;-)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Watch This

This video needs no explanation. It speaks for itself.

Happy Birthday Levi!!!

My little baby boy is one year old! Where did the last year go?
I am so, so thankful for my little man. Some of you know this, but we had to try and wait quite some time before we were blessed with Levi. It was a difficult, impatient 18 + months, but God's timing is always best. I grew in those months...I learned to put my trust completely in God and His will. One month I prayed, "God, please let me be content with whatever happens. Even if you choose not to bless us with children, help me be happy. I trust you." It was that month that I got pregnant.
It was also a long, unsure pregnancy, as I had a large uterine fibroid that caused my doctor to fear I would miscarry, or that Levi would have to come really early. But God's hand was on Levi, and he was healthy and protected for 9 months. He grew as he was supposed to, and the only complication from the fibroid was that I had to have a C-section.
The wait for Levi was most definitely worth it! He is such a JOY in our lives and really "lights up our life". He is the sweetest, happiest, funniest baby....and what a GREAT personality he has. I love him to pieces. :-) I love watching him grow, change, and learn. Every stage so far has it's fun times.
"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

Little tiny baby:





One year old:

The newest photo subject

Puppy!

That's right....we got another dog! ;-) I talked Jeremy into it. This little girl is a cutie! And she's incredibly sweet too. She appears to be pretty smart. We have not yet come up with a good name....we're working on it.
Her momma was a German Shepherd and daddy was a Bernese Mountain Dog. She'll get to be a pretty good size, hey? I think she will be an awesome dog though.

 

 

And just because it's so cute:

 

(The lack of) Christmas Spirit

Maybe it started when I was seeing Christmas stuff in the stores right beside the Halloween stuff.
Or as I wandered around Wal-Mart looking at all the useless "stuff" that comes out this time of year...the stuff we're supposed to fill our carts with because we're obligated to give gifts to people who don't need more stuff.
Or did it start when people started saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"?
Or because Santa Claus has become the "reason for the season" for too many people/children.
How about when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death because greedy people were desperate for a "bargain"?

As I mentioned before, my Christmas spirit just seems to be missing this year. I have a feeling God is nudging me....laying a burden on me. "Amber, have you forgotten what Christmas is about? Do you realize the reason for this time of year is to celebrate the birth of my son? You celebrate the birth of your son with great joy, excitement and planning....why does the birth of MY son deserve any less joy?"
Ouch. That is so true. I admit, in the past I have gotten too wrapped up in the presents, the lights, the food, the "stuff" and have lost my focus on WHY we celebrate Christmas. I haven't forgotten the reason, I just haven't acknowledged it as I should.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy getting and giving presents, but it's not as important to me as it used to be. I still think my house looks pretty with all the decorations....but what is the meaning behind them?? I still look forward to getting together with family, to making Christmas cookies and goodies, and hearing some occasional appropriate Christmas music. But as Levi grows up, I want him to grow up having the "right" Christmas spirit. I will definitely be exploring some traditions to start that will help our whole family celebrate the real meaning of Christmas.

So Cool!

MckMama's Blog is doing a really cool giveaway. Boy, would I love this camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The coolest thing about this giveaway is that ALL the proceeds from the raffle go to charity.
If you wanna buy me a Christmas present ;-) buy me a raffle ticket so I can win this awesome camera. lol. This is the camera Jeremy and I have decided to start saving money to buy. How cool would it be if I won? :-D

Christmas Pretties

 

 

 

 

Oh, Christmas Tree *sigh*

I've had a terrible time getting motivated this year to do my Christmas decorating. It's really odd! Normally, about the 1st of November rolls around and I'm just itching to get everything out and put it up, but I always wait until the day after Thanksgiving. Well, this year we had company so that put off my plans a little bit, but I also just have not been in the mood to decorate. I finally got around to digging out the boxes Monday, and I've been working on it since! Yeah....normally it's all done in 1/2 a day. But I've had lots of interruptions, including a sick baby. And I've had a heck of a time with all my decorations!!! First, I had this really cute snow globe that belonged to my sister Emma. For some reason I didn't get it packed very well last year and at some point it got smashed. So when I open the boxes, I find mold. And quite a bit of it. YUCK. I salvaged my tablecloths by tossing them in the wash, was able to clean off a couple glass ornaments and wash a stuffed bear, aired out some stinky stuff, and had to toss a few ornaments. THANKFULLY, none of our "special" ornaments got ruined. All the ones that got ruined were some glass cheapie ones and a couple of my older ones. (still sad, but not as big of a deal I guess.)
Finally, the tree! I got all the lights strung on, plugged them in, and this is what it looks like:


Pretty huh? LOL. That is 2 strings of lights, that were BRAND NEW last year, and this is what they look like this year. EVERY YEAR, we buy new tree lights, because EVERY YEAR we plug them in to find 3/4 of the string not working. Can't they make lights that LAST? I guess not! We've come to the conclusion we will just throw them away every year and buy new ones the next year. :-p How annoying!
I will try to start blogging more regularly again....just been busy with company, sick baby, etc lately.