On Blogging

Or in my case, not.


It's been a slow, quiet month here on the blog, and I can't say that last month was all that exciting either.

Conversely, life around my house has been full. With the exception of one week with no internet (thank you near-daily severe thunderstorms), my lack of writing has been largely due to a lack of time. I went back to work and have been on the labor unit two 12hr shifts per week for the last month. That might not sound like much, especially to you moms who work 40hr weeks(!!), but it's been an adjustment for me. Fortunately, I have a job I love and a trusted friend to keep the boys, meaning they don't have to go to daycare.

And then of course, my days at home are filled with lots of catch up housework, grocery runs, never-ending laundry, and plenty of time with my two sweet boys. If these things are accomplished before the day is dark again, you can usually find me zoned out on the couch or reading a book in silence.

My brain is full, my ears are ringing, and I'm over being touched.

Parenting small children is exhausting.

Can I get an amen?

It's beautiful, selfless, and full of moments so sweet I think my heart may just burst. But it is also exhausting. And it doesn't discriminate: parenting one small child is exhausting just like parenting 4 small children is exhausting. It's just a never ending cycle of cleaning spills, cutting food, diapering/pottying, kissing boo-boos, playing with toys, picking up toys, coloring, nursing, running, laughing, bubble-blowing, rocking, cooking, feeding, and so on and so on and so on. The physical demands are relentless. Then you add in the battles that come from a toddler who tests his boundaries over and over again or a teething baby who just can't get settled. The emotional wear is tiring to the point of tears. This chapter in life has a beginning and an end, where coloring pages are replaced with homework and trips to the park change from swinging and sliding to soccer practice and catching fly balls. Friends of older children tell me, "just wait until the next stage. Then you'll really know what hard is." I don't doubt that parenthood is a challenge from conception to the end, but there is something unique about being a mommy to children who are dependent on adults for a large majority of needs.

I don't really know where i'm going with all this, and truly, I should be up cleaning bathtubs while both boys nap simultaneously (!). Maybe there's another mom out there reading this who feels like she's barely treading water ... you're not alone. I would say our case is unique (it's not), because so much of our free time is given to ministry (just like all the rest of the men & women in full time or bivocational ministry) and we are several hours away from family (just like plenty of other young families), but the more I lean in to other mom friends for support and guidance and encouragement, the more I find that we're all basically in the same boat.

We're all tired.   "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

We all wonder if we're doing the right thing.   "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

We all feel low on joy.   "This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm118:24

Parenthood is a challenge, and we likely won't see the fruit of our labor instantly. A dear friend recently remarked, "Motherhood is lived in the trenches. It's beautiful, but it's in the trenches"  Just like life is hard when you want to do it well, we press forward through the difficulties to produce a home full of love, joy, and life.

And in the process, sometimes we neglect our blogs for a little while. ;)

2 weeks & Thankful

We've made it through the first 2 weeks of Ian's extrauterine life and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thankful for sweet boys.

Thankful for a healthy home after battling the flu this weekend (Isaac).

Thankful for Netflix, SheReadsTruth, clorox wipes, and Tamiflu.

Thankful for pediatric dosing of Zofran to take with Tamiflu.

Thankful for losing umbilical cord stumps and first baths together.

Thankful for a little brother who doesn't spit up nearly as severely as big brother did.

Thankful for how much less laundry I do as a result of the above statement.

Thankful for growing baby eyelashes. And kissable baby lips.


Thankful for an awesomely easy time breastfeeding so far.

Thankful for a growing freezer stash of liquid gold.

Thankful for a sweet visit with Aunt Casey. Not nearly long enough.

Thankful for all the loads of laundry and dishes Aunt Casey did for us while she was here. (Come back!)

Thankful for all the meals that have been provided for us by our church family.

Thankful for the prayers, love, and support pouring in from all angles.




So thankful for sweet boys.

It's a Boy!!!

Introducing

Ian Michael Mims

Born January 21, 2015 at 12:52pm

7lb 4oz   20in long

We are all happy and healthy and blissfully in love with this little boy. I cant wait to share all the details of his incredible arrival. For now, I'm drinking in every little moment of sweetness and praising God for His incredible blessing.

My Firstborn

It seems like the blog has seen its share of pregnancy related posts. And with good reason; at 37 weeks along now, it feels like my entire world kind of revolves around this coming baby.

With the exception of my firstborn.

I thought i'd spend a little time updating the world on my sweet Isaac. For at least a few more weeks, he's still one of my very favorite subjects to talk about.... and something tells me that's not ever going to change.

Making funny faces in the tub.... 

...and on the couch!

First off, Isaac is a chatterbox. There's very little time during the day where he isnt trying to talk about what's going on in his world. He constantly surprises me with his expansive vocabulary as well as his perception of the world. Oh, and he has this incredible little memory! It's becoming harder and harder to talk about him without talking in "code." I just love how expressive and verbal he is though! He has a lot to say! And in true boy style, he can have entire conversations that consist solely of growls and roars... like tigers, monsters, dinosaurs, and sharks.

Bet you didn't know sharks say "Rawr!"

Isaac loves cars (the movie and the matchbox variety) and Curious George. Occasionally he will tolerate Veggie Tales, Monsters, Inc., and Toy Story. He could "pway cars" all day long. Recently, he has started insisting on napping and sleeping with some of his cars. We compromise by setting his cars along his side table and chest, so they can "watch him sleep"... because he also insists on having a hoard of stuffed animals and blankets in his bed. He is hilarious.

Going along with bedtime related things, I wake up each morning hearing him on the monitor saying, "Moooommmmmmyyyyyy! ....ARE YOU?!?! Moommmmmm ....ARE YOU?! (Where are you?)" It's so sweet and silly and funny. He stays in bed until I open his door, and he'll greet me with a "Hey Mom!" and then rocket out of bed.

Annnnnd he's also two. Which has really started to rear it's stubborn, loud, tantrumy, ugly head. For so much of the time, he is sweet and funny and a big helper. Then there are moments where he makes me want to bang my head against a wall. Parenting a toddler is such a mind game, and it is emotionally draining! Some days are tough and I just pray that consistency, discipline, love, and a lot of chocolate will get me through the difficult days.

He loves bath time more than most any other time of the day. Often times, more water ends up outside the tub than in it. He got a few dozen new bath toys for Christmas, which have been a huge hit (thanks Aunt Jennifer!). I haven't even attempted potty training yet, but he is proficient in peeing in the tub, so there's that.

I adore my little buddy and I seriously couldn't be more excited thinking of him as a big brother.

2014 in review

Happy 2015!!!!

We hope you have a blessed year! It is going to be a big year for my family, considering anytime now, we will be adding a new member to the Mims clan. I'd say that we have lots of other things on our plate, but honestly, all I can see right now is baby #2. And that's not because I can hardly see the keyboard around my pregnant belly. I've had fun looking over the past year's posts and pictures. It's hard to believe Isaac looked so little! I only blogged a measly 70 times, which breaks down to only 5.8 blogs/month.... it's been a busy year! It's nice to reminisce about the good times and see where the Lord has taken and grown our family this year.

Here's a quick recap of 2014:
January: Girl's Retreat 2014 was held at a fantastic waterfront home and we studied Gods at War. It kicked off a really wonderful small group of girls that I've met with regularly ever since.

February: Student Life Conference and Passion 2014 kept us away from home two weekends in a row. Also, Isaac and I went on a whirlwind trip to Austin to visit some dear friends.

March: While Jordan spent spring break traveling the southeast with our students, I spent spring break with Isaac. This was also the month I started the journey towards becoming a Fetal Monitoring Educator (which didn't become official until November! Sheesh!) and we took a family trip to Austin to spend the weekend with another set of dear friends. Lastly, this was when our stubborn little boy decided he wanted to walk (finally) and ever since hasn't stopped moving.

April: One of our two 2014 trips to Augusta was in April and I was able to celebrate the pregnancy of an especially dear friend.

May: We learned that our family would be expanding! Positive pregnancy test and a due date of 1/25/15! I also ran my one and only race this month.

June: I rolled over into a new decade! 30 years old as of 6/4. Hubs turned 31...Old man. We also took our first Isaac-free vacation, spending a long weekend in San Antonio.

July: Jordan and I celebrated our 8th year of marriage. This was another busy month where we spent almost as much time away from home as we spent at home. Isaac took his first trip to the zoo and we took our first lengthy road trip to visit friends in north Texas.

August: This was a pretty quiet month, which was well appreciated after a busy summer.

September: I took a rejuvenating mommy only trip to Nashville to visit my sister and her husband.

October: My sweet boy had his second birthday! It was perfectly low-key where we spent the whole day doing and eating exactly what Isaac loves. He also moved out to his big boy room and the nursery was stripped down and rearranged to prepare for baby #2.

November: Second trip to Augusta and my first baby shower for kiddo #2. Instead of flying this time around, we drove the trip and it was a huge success. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our Houston family.

December: We celebrated Christmas and continued prepping our home and family for baby #2.

It was a wonderful year! Here's hoping for another fantastic year!!

Tired but Joyful Hearts

We are back home again from a whirlwind trip to Augusta. As always, our time there was just not quite long enough. I desire leisurely visits with quality conversations, but so often our visits home are hurried.  Our days are jam packed full and rarely do we ever get to see all the people we love. Despite this conundrum of time, our trip this time was wonderful. Absolutely exhausting, but wonderful.

Isaac hanging out with his namesake, Papa Ed

Isaac sitting in the very place Jordan and I were married

We specifically went to Augusta to help host a baby shower for one of my dearest and most wonderful friends. She is expecting her first girl in June and I wouldn't have missed this opportunity. This sweet baby Hannah is so very loved. It also allowed for some awesomely fantastical girl time, which was so good for my heart!

3 of 4 generations: Nana, Grammy, and Isaac

Papa, Me and Isaac

Isaac could play on the pool table all day long. 

We stayed at my dad's house for this visit, which thrilled Isaac to death. My dad gave him full reign over his pool table, so that meant pool balls flying through the air. I'm pretty sure that by the end of the trip that he had learned the difference between rolling and hurling the pool balls. He also had access to a golf cart (his favorite! He still says golf cart over and over and over again during the day), a dump truck and a tractor. Basically, he was in boy heaven. And my dad was equally tickled to entertain him.

Me & My sister

The Two Hollie/Hollys

We introduced our favorite game to some new people, which meant that every night we stayed up until the early morning hours playing Killer Bunnies. Holly and her husband, Andrea, and Casey's husband Duane all got to play for the first (and then second, third, and seventh) time. Maybe these perpetually late nights had something to do with our exhaustion by the end of the trip. Regardless, it was a majorly fun time, even if the game is baaaaad for my competitive ways. 

Isaac and Dad on the golf cart

Thankfully, we can now rest for a little while. A nap would be lovely.