Sitting in an apple tree eating muffins.

I feel like blogging, but truth be told, there really isn't anything exciting to write about. The apartment is a mess, the boy is sleeping (finally). I'm listening to Katie Herzig and loving every song on her Apple Tree album. Music is such a wonderful thing. It's soothing, energetic and sometimes even mind numbing.

Right now, I don't really feel like cleaning the kitchen or living room. I feel like curling up with a glass of iced tea and my book The Kite Runner and reading until Simon wakes up. I feel like munching on these amazing muffins that I made earlier (Healthy Morning Muffins - made with carrots, banana and raisins - so moist, delicious and healthy!). I feel like forgetting about life as I know it right now and just tuning everything out. I'm a wee bit tired, so that's probably what's making me feel like this. Waking up at 5:30am for no apparent reason is kind of frustrating.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, Peter surprised me by coming home after his morning coffee with Andrew instead of going to work. He took the day off and we enjoyed a family day. Simon slept in and we were able to have a lazy morning getting ready for the day. We ended up going to the St. Paul Como zoo where we spent an hour walking around, eating ice cream and sweating...who knew it was going to be so hot - 90° weather was not what we were expecting. After arriving home around noon, we promptly changed into our bathing suits and splashed around in our apartment outdoor pool. Simon adores being in water and is such a little cutie floating around in his little yellow floatie.

That evening, Peter's mom, brother and little sister came over to hang out with the Simonator while Peter and I went eyeglass shopping. We both ended up finding new glasses and will be sporting new frames on our faces by the end of the month - yay for BOGO free deals! :)

Okay, reality just hit, the boy just woke up (really, you're only going to sleep for an hour today!?) and I just noticed what time it was. I guess I should scoot and get the little guy up, clean the apartment and get the steaks marinated for tonight's dinner. Ciao.

Just for fun...

My friend Liz, is doing a giveaway on her blog. Check it out!! :)

My odd little sanctuary.

There are times when my sweet little boy just isn't, well...sweet. 8 out of 10 times he'll go down for his afternoon nap without hardly a fight. Not today. We have something going on tonight, so I needed him to sleep this afternoon, hoping that a little nap will make for a happy boy later on tonight. When you're in an apartment building, the loud cries of an almost 2 year old can get quite old, very fast. There really isn't any place you can go in our 1,000sq.ft. apartment where you can escape from the noise, except for the bathroom. Today, rather then waiting out the cries at the computer or on the couch, I escaped to the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the overhead fan. I put on my headphones (I'm currently listening to Crazy Love), moisturized my face, did a little cleaning, clipped coupons and painted my nails. 5 minutes later I poked my head out door and heard only silence. It's amazing (and a little embarrassing, you'd think I'd be better at this by now) how 5 minutes of crying can grate on my nerves. I usually get headaches and my blood pressure raises when I hear his persistent and rebellious cries. So the bathroom getaway, or sanctuary as I like to call it helps me very much. And now I have all of my coupons clipped my nails are a nude pink, I have a smoother face and a cleaner bathroom...oh, and and a sleeping little boy.

A new look...

We re-signed our apartment lease yesterday. As I look back on this post written almost a month and a half ago, I don't have any regrets. God met me when I needed Him the most and I know He's still here by my side, still mighty to save. We still have a place to live and store all of our stuff for the next couple of months and for that I'm grateful. We're not giving up on the house, just giving it more time. At the end of the month, we'll see where we're at and decide if we're still willing to go forth with this long process. There is hope that we might still get the tax rebate, if congress goes forth with extending the bill until the end of September. This article gave us hope. Please Lord let it go though! We have slowed our packing process, still packing up here and there, but only the things that we don't use on a daily, or even monthly basis. We have a nice stack of packed boxes sitting in our massive closet out of the way and out of sight. The 40+ empty boxes are still in our bedroom, collecting dust.

It's hard to believe that it's the middle of June already. Spring is almost over and we're ever so close to hitting Summer, although the rainy cooler weather that we've been experiencing lately would make one think that it's early April. Here are a few pictures from this month that make me smile.

These pictures were taken in the car on our anniversary. I'm trying to impersonate Justin Bieber's (or Beaver as I like to call him) famous hair. I think I wear it better. ;) Four years and counting. :)


And of course, I couldn't post pictures and leave my little one out.



I'm trying out a new look...

Bangs:

Bangs off to the side:

Which hairdo do you like better?

Jesus, the name that charms all fears...

I've started the long and intense process of packing up the apartment. I'm hoping that I gave myself enough time...and not too much time. I began my packing list at the first of the month and am almost done with that. I also have about 5 boxes fully loaded with books. The last time we moved, I was 8 months pregnant and we moved out of a 600 sq.ft apartment. It's funny how a few hundred square feet and an additional person can change the packing process so much. I've realized that I'm in need of more boxes then I thought possible. I've been saving Simon's diaper boxes and have a few random-sized flattened boxes for such a time as this. Last time we were fortunate enough to acquire boxes from friends who had recently moved. That was a huge blessing!

I know a lot of you are wondering if we've heard or gotten official word from the bank yet. The answer is: nope. We're really living by faith right now. The good news is, our apartment hasn't been taken yet, the bad news is we have yet another showing that's suppose to take place any minute now.

It's been 2.5 months since we last walked through the house that we're interested in purchasing. I feel like I need to see it again to reassure myself that it's not a fuzzy dream and to remind myself what we liked about it. These 2 months haven't been kind to me. Doubt and discouragement are two things that I can't abide. I just wish the bank would officially approve our offer so we could get the house inspected and so I could see it once again.

We sang O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing on Sunday and the first line of verse 3 has stayed with me since singing it. Jesus, the name that charms all fears. Such a simple truth. :)

Four Beautiful Years

"If I had known I would get to spend the rest of my life with you, I would have started the rest of my life much sooner."

Four Years ago, I was in my hometown of Fort Wayne, IN. with my dearest and closest friends and family lovingly surrounding me. I was wearing a beautiful white dress and feeling like a princess that day. Four years ago, I looked into my best friend's eyes and said "I Do" and four years ago I kissed my husband for the first time.

So much has happened to this brown eyed girl in just four short years. I look back and hardly recognize that girl that Peter married on a bright June day, back in 2006. God has blown me away by His numerous blessings. I certainly don't deserve them and I try not to take them for granted. Pictures and memories help remind me of the past Grace in my life.

These rainbow pictures always make me smile as they were taken on the eve of our wedding day, during the rehearsal. They have a way of causing me to take a breath and remember the promises of God. I like to think that God set those rainbows in the sky just for me.