I've been away far too long, so I think it's time to make my way back! A few random things to help you catch up on the last few months...

1. I had a gorgeous baby boy!!! Here he is enaging in his favorite hobby...sleeping (this is a daytime-only hobby), but not just anywhere, it has to be in the car seat for maximum comfort.

2. We have had FAR too many friends move away (4 out of the 5 couples invited to B's birthday in May are now several hours, even oceans, away)...but this has forced us to strengthen family bonds, especially with our sibings...

3. For the new year, I decided to focus on a specific word for each family member. I will be praying these words for each family member, as well as trying to be intentional about encouraging each of us to grow in that area throughout the year...

Myself: PRIORITIES

Spiritually: time with God comes before a "perfect" house and "fun" reading or computer time

Physically: eat better...as I'm still exhausted from a baby who's up 3-4x a night, I'm moving slowly on the working out, but I will try to eat more foods in their natural state and less processed foods; more fruits and vegetables

Financially: meal planning to cut back on money spent eating out

Family: spend more intentional time with all the members of my family

My prayer is that God will work in my heart to make His priorities my own. I know my life will move more smoothly this way, and I will feel more confident in my roles as wife, mom, and homemaker when I'm organizing my life around God's timetable.

Hubby: LEADERSHIP

Because in today's society, husbands are being stripped of their God-given role as leader of the household...spiritually, financially, in discipline, etc....I pray that I will be a facilitator and not a hindrance as B continues to grow as the leader of our home.

Goldilocks: STRENGTH

...to control her emotions and sin-nature, to problem-solve and stand up for herself at school, to be confident of her abilities, etc...

Addiecakes: OBEDIENCE

...as she learns to obey the Holy Spirit that now resides within her, as well as obedience and respect of myself and her dad.

Hardware Hank: SECURITY

...that the foundation for a security in God the Father would be laid as he learns he can trust his earthly parents to care for his every need; security at night to sleep peacefully in his crib...

4. I've also been trying to get more on top of all the STUFF in my house! The toys are multiplying like dust bunnies and I'm so tired of feeling the burden of all the things surrounding me. So I'm trying to do something for a few minutes each day to corral some of the clutter. Today's project was the entertainment center and coloring basket. A few pics of the progress:

The basket under the entertainment center is way full...by the way, that's my daily dose of Rachael Ray on the screen...
The crazy jumble of plastic animals, McDonald's toys, Beanie Babies, etc...
All the stuff that's going bye-bye...

The pared-down basket...

should be much easier to clean up after Addiecakes dumps it out for the tenth time of the day...