Elijah Scott Marvin is two!

My baby turned two on Sunday and my husband turned 39. I love that they share a birthday...it is very sweet to me. I feel blessed to have birthed my youngest son on his daddy's birthday. It was a beautiful sunny day for the party. A perfect fall day with sunny skies and 60 degree weather. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

Me with the big birthday boy.

Eli had a Nemo (Memo, as he calls it) cake. He calls every fish Memo right now.

We had our first balloon release. The kids (and some adults) wrote messages and attached them to their balloons.

The cousins played in the trucks and pretended to be long haul truckers. As Travis said when he was at the wheel..."I got this".

and fun was had by all...

Frustration...

Here is my little Eli. He gets frustrated easily...just like his mom. He has a short fuse and he wants what he wants, when he wants it-and how he wants it. I see myself in him daily. I can sympathize with him, because if I have so little patience and self control at 32...what must a child feel like when they are not even two? His behavior frequently reminds me of how I act so often and what the areas in my life are that need improvement. Often I think about myself being God's child and how frustrating I must be for him at times (many, many times!). That's when I thank him for his patience, unconditional love and endless grace. Oh, that I can be more like my savior and show my boys (and husband, family & friends-everyone that I meet) a glimpse of who He is, through me.

We need to "communicate" mom!

It was a typical drive in to town last week, when my five year old decides that he needs to school me on how to communicate. I guess this is what happens when our little ones start school. They know everything all of a sudden-and so much more than mom!

Well he tells me that we need to communicate more. And "mom, do you know what communicate means?". "Yes, I do", I say. Well, I guess he didn't hear me, because he starts to tell me that communicating is when you talk to each other and tell your feelings. Then he proceeds to tell me that we need to work with his two year old brother more so that he can communicate. Because we don't know what he wants (because he has a very small vocabulary that is comprised of "NO!" 90% of the time!).

Oh, these precious moments. When we get to watch our children learn, express their feelings and become little smart people. His Nena (grandma) always says that he is gifted!:)

An inspirational blog

So I recently had the opportunity to visit the most inspirational blog and it has truly changed my life.

When I was on Rhonda Jean's blog http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ the other day she posted about Stephanie (nie nie) Nielson's blog http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ . Stephanie and her husband Christian were recently in a tragic plane crash. She was burned on 80% of her body, Christian was burned on 30% of his body and their flight instructor friend was killed in the crash.

After reading her blog (every post from the last three years) in a matter of days, I was so inspired by her. The adoration that she has for her husband, children and family. She is full of faith, spunk, creativity and humor. I find her to be an amazing inspiration and her life has challenged me to be a better mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.

So I have added the button for her blog, to my blog. Please check it out and be inspired!

Reducing stress...what do you do?

I am curious as to what other people do to reduce stress. In the past, I have tried deep breathing, taking a bath, being quiet, reading the Bible and watching a funny movie. What have you done to reduce stress? Please share!:)

Clothes washing & drying

Doing laundry is something that I enjoy. Okay, I know, to many that may sound very strange. But there is something about clean clothes. The freshness of them...how clean they smell coming out of the wash and how crisp they are coming off of the line.

My laundry room is adequate, my line outside is perfect for one load, my detergent is homemade by another mama and my dryer works if I want to use it. What more could a girl want?! My favorite time to hang clothes is in the morning, when the dew is still on the ground. I talk to God as I hang them and feel a peace about life. I feel so blessed.

During the warm months I try to use my outside line a lot. I like how the clothes smell, it uses less energy and the sun bleaches my whites for me. My husband doesn't appreciate crunchy jeans or towels...but he lets me dry as I please. Some days I do use the dryer. Sometimes it is just out of plain laziness...other times I don't plan ahead for the needed drying time.

If anyone is interested, you can make your own homemade laundry detergent. It is very simple. I plan to make my own when my current stash is gone. The recipe is as follows (This is from a mama on Diaperswappers)...

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1 bar Kirks Castile Soap

Slice soap into strips and run through food processor to make "soap beads".
Combine soap beads, borax, and washing soda. Done!
Use 1 tablespoon for small loads, 2 tablespoons for large loads. Twice as much for soiled clothes, half as much for HE washers.

This should save you money and doesn't have all of the ingredients that commercial brands do.

Happy laundering!:)

Finding contentment at home

I am trying to find contentment at home. I love our home. I say home, instead of house, because our home is a home. It is so much more than a house. Our house could use some updating and isn't everything that I would like it to be...but we have made it a home. I feel completely relaxed when I am home. I like finding things to do, taking walks with my boys, spending time with my husband at night while the boys are sleeping, sewing, and sometimes just sitting in the quiet.

But there are days when being at home with a five and almost two year old feels suffocating. I find that I want to leave to keep my sanity. Why is that? I feel like a trapped monkey at times. I guess running around seems easier at the time. Then we get out to run errands, go to the park, etc. and I think..."what was I thinking?". This is not easier! We end up eating out, I end up frustrated, the little one doesn't get a nap, and I don't even like driving. What was I thinking?

This realization has given me the opportunity to try and find contentment at home. Yes, sometimes that means letting them watch television midday (we usually do not have the tv on during the day), or it means me having a nap when they do. Staying home is so much easier and saves so many resources (gas, money, energy-to name a few). It just doesn't seem as fun at the time that I am searching for an escape.

So what do you do to find contentment at home? What are your ideas for bringing relaxation in to the sometimes hectic days? Thanks for sharing!