Happy Lent (Let's celebrate with a Giveaway!)

It's that time again... Lent.

As with most things, motherhood has given me a new perspective on the season of Lent. I was reading this post yesterday and could relate so well to it as a fellow Type A-er. Just as I often do as a mom, Lent has become a checklist for me. Do more this. Do less that.

However, these little people are forever forcing me to put down my checklist and, heaven forbid, focus on them. And isn't that what Lent is about too?! God doesn't ask us to check off fasting and almsgiving, 40 days of no coffee and not talking like a sailor, because He likes checklist. We do Lent so that we can get rid of things that take us away from Him. So that, heaven forbid, we focus on Him.

Lent (and motherhood) can be so humbling...

I hope these 40 days bring you a little time to rest in Him. To help in your Lenten journey, Magnificat Magazine has two e-copies of their Magnificat Lenten Companion that they would love me to give away to two of you. Just leave a comment here or on Instagram with what you're doing this Lent to bring you closer to Jesus and I'll draw a random name tonight.

Happy Ash Wednesday friends!

Learning Curve

God bless my boy... Gotta love him.

However, he has such a 'cautious' spirit and it has caused a lot of frustration on both of our parts. I can't say I blame him. Not overlooking the fact that Nate and I weren't exactly adventurous children, he came into this world to experience pokes, pricks, tests, surgery--lots of doctors and not enough mama. So I try to be patient with him when he's leery to try something new and would rather just watch. Both nature and nurture didn't start him off on the right foot to exude trust and confidence in all areas of life...

Since day one, Damian has only done things of his own volition, after much thought and consideration. I'll be honest, I did not realize this at first. Lots of tears (mine included) could have been spared had I just accepted his timing over mine. To me some things seem so simple or fun that I couldn't fathom why he wouldn't even try.

The slide... Why won't he go down the slide?! Strangers... Am I the only mother out there that wishes their child would at least speak to a stranger?! It's pizza... Just try the yummy yummy pizza!

As time has gone on, I'm beginning to trust him more to know when he is ready. All I can do is offer help if he wants it. The wonderful thing I've noticed from him though is that he's beginning to respect that trust and return it--both trusting himself and me.

The other day we were at the park running and playing on the jungle gym. Clare, of course being his complete opposite, loves the slides. The higher, the faster, the better. In all the ways Damian hasn't caused me heart failure, she's quickly picking up the slack. But I'm digressing... I'm talking about Little Man today... I noticed him eyeing the slide. I considered saying something, but thought better of it.

He will do it when he's ready... even if that's at 25. Lord, please don't let him be 25...

He sat down at the top of the slide, but then started to back away. I offered my hand and he agreed, and down he went. He lit up and, of course, loved it. I let him have his moment, and then off he went to do the slide on his own over and over and over again. Then, a few days later he finally conquered his fear of a "high slide" and I've never seen him more proud of himself.

It's hard to let him do things at his own pace. Because I, as the adult, so often "know what's good/right/better/easiest," but if he isn't ready... he isn't ready. The frustration I cause by trying to force him only sows more doubt in himself. He has to conquer that fear on his own. I can't do that for him, and that's something I have to let go of. My preconceived notions on when he, or any of my children for that matter, should be daring, interested in sight words, walk, talk, eat, draw, anything they do, did or will do... All of these things are theirs.

It's taken me 4 years of being his mom to figure this out. But I can finally say that seeing him begin to trust himself, trust others, and succeed in even the smallest areas, is worth the learning curve it took me to get here.

Blog Life

If you haven't noticed...I've backed off of blogging recently.

There have been numerous reasons for this, but most of them had to do with time management skills (which I lack) and the weird stirring in my heart that I needed to truly think about what I was doing as far as the Internet was concerned. As the kids get older, I've begun to question what the effects of having their lives recorded online might be. Sure, mostly just friends and family see this blog, but that doesn't stop anyone else from finding it. I also started noticing the amount of time I spent using social media as a distraction, and how often I used it to compare myself to other people. I then wondered if perhaps me sharing my life online was just causing someone else to be tempted to compare themselves to our life (and then I chuckled because, uh hello... my life be a mess.) But still, the more I thought about a blog, the odder it sounded. Self-promotion? Open letters to no one? Talking about yourself for hours on end? Why??? (Bloggers, don't get offended.... just keep reading)

So I took a break and really thought for a long time that I was done. Limited social media. No more blog. I wanted real life... not this pseudo-internet life that was edited and filtered! I wanted real community that could come to my house, go to the park, get a drink with me. More importantly, I wanted to go to their homes and see that real life looks a little messy--that there's no Instagram filter on it. And while I was at it, I was going to start an intentional community! With a wall! And no Internet... And lots and lots of chickens.

Perhaps I lost some perspective on the whole matter.... Perhapssss.

But, I'm not going to lie. Despite my irrational desire to go "off the grid" for a bit, it was a good break. However... being away from the world of blogging didn't necessarily make a lot of sense given the world we live in. Our neighborhood is filled with a lot of elderly people. I can't exactly go outside and let the kids "play with the neighborhood." My village is spread out all over town... and all over many states! If I don't talk to another adult for hours on end, I will go mad; but sometimes the cashier at Target has no interest in my life or the fact that my child prefers to lick her shoes rather than wear them this week. I actually kind of missed my friends and their internet lives, which I discovered actually are real things.

Our world is different from what it's been in decades past. And part of that world is social media. There are a lot of faults with it, but there are a lot of blessings too. A lot has to do with guarding my own heart and my children. There's a balance on what to share and when to share. Just as there's a balance between how much time we spend "checked out" online. There can be an escapism element to it, but there are real needs being met through the online community. All of you mamas out there that I'm friends with because of this little website or this little Instagram page, you know what I'm talking about!

I was listening to a Fountain of Carrots podcast the other night. They were discussing how hard it had been for them becoming mothers, especially Catholic mothers, when they realized they really didn't even know what that style of motherhood looked or felt like. Blogs became their little peak into the world of other mothers. Hearing that rang so true to me that I began to understand that my longing for community could still be found online. Nothing will replace a long coffee date with a friend. But drinking my coffee while skimming through what another mama wrote while drinking her cup of coffee is pretty darn close. Even if it takes both of us 3 reheats to get through our writing and reading. Sharing life on a blog or twitter isn't necessarily some vain pursuit, but rather no different than wanting to be hospitable to anyone who "swings by for a visit." 

So I think I might be back up to blogging. Why not? I still want to monitor how much I share about my children, but I want to open the door of my home to any other mother who may need just a peek at what's going on inside. So she can say..."oh good! Me too!" Because, we all need a village.

7 Quick Takes on Advent

I love Advent almost more than I love Christmas. There's sometimes more fun in the preparing I think. Nate and I are trying really hard to make this a prayerful time and not just a YAYCHRISTMASISCOMING time. However, Damian definitely understands "Christmas" and his excitement is contagious. He's so very ready to do everything--decorating the tree, going look at all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood, and, of course, making it to "Santa Day." We weren't even going to play up the whole Santa thing, but apparently it's born in them... Another day, another post... Anyway, I wanted to share some of the Advent-y things we are doing around the house in hopes that you could share some of your favorite advent traditions with me!

.1. 

Advent wreath

Pretty standard as far as Advent traditions go. We light ours every night at dinner, which may have been a bad plan because I don't know if this first purple candle will make it to Christmas. Damian loves it. Because fire. 

.2. 

Advent calendar

I found the free printable cards here. They're a little above Damian's level, but they have pictures so we can talk about the pictures and it's a good reminder for Nate and me. I had no intention of going all crafty and making one this year, but then slacker me missed out on all the not chocolate ones; so next thing you know I'm at Michael's buying small brown envelopes and tiny cloths pins (and ribbon and wreaths and and and.)

.3. 

Journeying Wise Men

These little guys are a favorite in this house. They're so jolly though! It makes me laugh. Anyway, they're slowly making their way around our house in hopes of not getting stolen by small hands/furry paws making it to Baby Jesus by the Epiphany. 

.4. 

Magnificat and Liturgy of the Hours

This is mostly something I'm doing, but I've really been enjoying saying the Morning or Evening Prayers out loud with the kids. It's also good practice for them in "being quiet." I let them  run around and play as long as their quiet, so far, so good. 

.5. 

St. Andrew Novena

I've always loved this one and have done it as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I got the St. Andrew Novena holy card from a priest for St. Nicholas Day. Sadly that card has been lost but there are wonderful printable versions. And because I don't have 15 fingers, I made a little decade + 5 bead string to help me keep track. I usually do it while cleaning the kitchen because multi-tasking is my middle name.

.6. 

Slowly decorating

Ok, so this is only semi-intentional. Despite Damian's pleas to decorate all the things all the time, it's not as easy as he thinks to get that done. I won't point fingers at why that might be, but I'll let you guess. Anyway, we're trying to explain that we have 4 whole weeks before Baby Jesus is born and can use that whole time to prepare for it. He is not impressed. (Notice my thanksgiving gourds still hanging out in the lantern. Slow and steady. Slow and steady.)

.7. 

St. Nicholas Day

I LOVE St. Nicholas Day. It's always been one of my favorite memories of Christmas from growing up. Yesterday, we all made St. Nicholas ornaments to help me teach Damian (and Clare?) the story of St. Nick. He was intrigued by this "Bag of Gold" but was wayyy more interested in coloring his beard and the glue. Always the glue.... You can find the printable we used here. Also, feel free to guess who did which ornament.

So there you have it. What are y'all up to this Advent??

What We're Eating

Anyone else out there dread meal planning?! I must say it's one of my least favorite things to do. Thanks to this gal, I've started doing a month at a time using a mix of "Good Ol' Standbys" and new recipes giving me only one day a month of the dreaded "meal planning chore." However, with the month of December being full of holiday fun, I'm only doing a week at a time. And since I have to do it, I thought I might as well share it with you.

: Monday : 

Roasted Potato and Asparagus Lentil Salad with Tangy Lemon Mustard Dressing

: Tuesday :

  Foil baked Salmon with Leeks and Peppers and rice

::source::

: Wednesday : 

Blackbean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

: Thursday :

Cheap and Easy Pasta Night and salad

: Friday : 

Firecracker Cauliflower

::source::

: Saturday :

Go see the Lighting of the Christmas Tree-- Eat Out

So there you have it! Meals....

You cookin' anything good this week??

7 Thankful Takes

In the spirit of the now over Thanksgiving, and in an attempt to stem the tide of Christmas insanity just one more day, I bring you seven "quickish" takes of thanks.

1.

First I have to start with my husband. 

On any given day, I'm pretty darn thankful for this guy. He keeps me sane, provides for us, gets up approximately 80 times at night with the kids, and is all-around not too shabby. Sure... we have our fights, but usually he'll just concede that I'm right and we move on. ;-) But on Thanksgiving, this man single-handedly prepared two turkeys, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, brussels sprouts, mac n' cheese, and a pumpkin cheesecake. And it was all delicious. #keeper

2.

Next would have to be the kids. There are many days I'm not sure what I'm doing. I lose my temper so often. And sometimes I just down right stink at being a mom. But you know what, they love me and forgive me constantly. They've taught me so much. I'm also very grateful for their health. Damian is doing so well right now, and Clare is full of energy and spunk. They will inevitably send me to my grave, but I love them for it all the same!

3.

Keeping it in the family, I would have to say that having such a supportive extended family is at the top of my Thankful List. My family provided our lovely new table first used for Thanksgiving. Nate's family generously drove to Charleston to celebrate Thanksgiving with us because Nate had so little time off of work. Combined they've never turned down our request for help--from looking after the kids to offering advice to moving us in and out of homes. They've also been known to provide us with meals at foreign places commonly known as "restaurants." I believe Nate and I used to travel there much more often in our pre-kid days, but that's such a distant memory now... I know we probably don't say it enough, but we are very grateful to be surrounded by such love.

4.

Leaving the family, but not far from it, I'm thankful for my friends--both new and old. My old friends have seen me at my best and worst and yet still call me their friend. They're loyal, loving, and brilliant. And as for the new friends, they've made the move to a new city a little bit easier and a lot less scary. I don't know how I have all these wonderful people around me, but I'm not going to ask questions ;-)

5.

On a lighter note, it's no secret that I love my city. Walking around downtown, driving over one of the bridges, enjoying the warm weather, the beach... all these things are a blessing to me.

6. 

An understatement, but I'm thankful that all my necessities are met. Never do I go without food, running water, clothing, warmth. I have a bed to sleep in, a shower to bathe in, and a stove to cook my food. Hell, I can grow a garden for "fun." It's hard in America to not take those things for granted, but in comparison to most of the world, I live like a queen. If only I would remember that more often and not always want more...

7. 

Last, and certainly not least, I'm thankful for God's faithfulness. I'm not deserving, but I guess that's the point. He is the reason for all the things listed above and I try to live my life as a thank you to Him, although I fail so often. 

Hope you all had a wonderful and yummy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving will be here in approximately 5 minutes. I'm not sure how that happened, but despite my excitement, I feel... less than ready. Perhaps this is because we're hosting Thanksgiving for the first time so I actually have to do something other than show up and eat.

I should probably stop here and clarify something (on the off-chance Nate is reading this, which he is not, but I like to pretend.) I'm not doing anything for this Thanksgiving either. Nate, aka Husband of the Year, is cooking the Thanksgiving feast. I have no clue how I lucked out with this guy who likes to cook. He loves to cook, I love to eat. Basically we're perfect together.

And while he excels at dishing out elaborate and tasty meals, I'm not too shabby at (watch out, here comes humility) everything else that hosting entails. So while he's food prepping, I'll be cleaning and decorating... We're Martha Stewart when we combine forces. (Ignore the fact that I've left out who will be watching the children. They're almost 4 and 1--totally fine to be left unsupervised.)

I don't exactly have an entire warehouse stocked full of turkey decor, which is fine by me.... Never been a huge lover of turkey decor.

However, I do have a brand new, beautiful, handmade by my dad dining room table that only deserves to be covered in a Thanksgiving inspired "table scape." (Yep, the sarcasm runs strong in this post...)

ANYWAY....

I thought I would share some of my Pinterest inspirations with you, that way we can all laugh together later when I show you what my actual table turns out to be. Dream big Mary Helen, dream big.

{Inspiration 1}

For when I take my new table outside. Just look at those succulents! 

::source::

{Inspiration 2}

Subtle fall decor... Casually strewn apples, over sized basket. Burlap (classic.) It's like we just got home from apple picking and are sitting down to supper. 

::source::

{Inspiration 3}

For the inner child in all of us... or just Damian and Clare. 

::source::

{Inspiration 4}

Ok I just love this one... Neutrals, metallics, pumpkins... roses... be still my heart. be still.

::source::

I'll let you know what my final project ends up looking like (hint: see first picture in post...)

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

A few months later....

Well hello there! Nope, we aren't dead... It's been awhile hasn't it? Why not catch up with a few quick takes from the past few months. Perhaps this will start me blogging again... perhaps... (But let's not get ahead of ourselves.)

1.

 Since we last talked, Clare turned one! How is my baby not a baby anymore?! We had a "sweets" themed party for our "Sweet Cheeks," and I think it turned out really well. However, in typical second child-ness, I never took pictures of any of the decorations or food until after it was all said and done. Oh well... It was fun, and she had a BLAST opening presents. Once she got the hang of it, she was tearing through them. Makes me excited for Christmas!

2. 

Nate and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.  Two cities, two kids, and one house later-- I still love that guy more and more. *awww* I know, I know. How sweet. We celebrated by having a weekend to ourselves (and all our college friends) at our 5th college reunion. Not necessarily romantic, but a whole lot of fun! I must say I felt naked not having a kid touching me 24/7, but... I got used to it ;-)

3.

We then had Halloween. You may have seen on Instagram that the kids dressed up as a pumpkin (Clare) and a ghost (Damian.) Both costumes were chosen by Damian. I told him that next year Clare was going to have an opinion so not to get used to this level of control. The night before Halloween, Nate's office hosted a huge trick or treat party (Candy Land themed--so cute) so the kids were prepped and trained for the official Night of Candy. They clearly aren't related to me because the candy has very rarely been asked about or thought of... meaning I *have to* eat all of it.

 4.

Clare is walking and destroying everything she can touch. She climbs on everything and gets into everything. She loves to "help." Slowly, slowly I know my hair will be gray by the time we are out of this phase.
 As far as having two kids go, I love it. But it's busy.

Thankfully these two love each other 90% of the time. The other 10%? Well.... we just don't need to go there.

5.
We've been doing stuff around the house. Mostly painting and boring things like cleaning/fixing windows. My few fall decorations have my heart so ready to decorate for Christmas. Is it Advent yet?

6.
This past weekend, we went to Atlanta (and froze.)  Damian needed to have some procedures done to check on his liver's status. Thankfully, everything came back stable, and the doctors are remaining hopeful that he will have at least a few more years with his liver. Being in a children's hospital is always such a draining experience. We were there almost all day and the little man couldn't eat the entire time, but he was such a champ. I was cranky after an hour of not eating so I don't know how he does it. He makes me so proud with how brave he can be even when I know he's scared. #gushing

7.
And one last picture....

So how have y'all been?! Good? Ready for Thanksgiving??

The Balancing Act

It's been a little quiet around here recently. On the blog that is.

Life seems to be ever busier and busier. And as much as I hope God blesses us with more children eventually, there are days... Oh, there are days....

On the bright side, things seem to be doing a little better around here. It's almost as if Survival Mode has moved to Survival Mode Plus. It's where you're still hanging on for dear life, but the house gets cleaned every so often.

However, it does seem the blog has been put on the back burner some. I've taken on a few other writing projects, I'm trying semi-successfully to train for the marathon in December, and now that Clare is walking there's just constant something going on around my feet at all times. I'll be the first to admit that I do kinda love the chaos. But it's not super conducive to lengthy novels about the minutia of our lives.

Over the past few months, I've seen quite a few mamas refer to this book. I read it back while in the early stages of pregnancy with Clare, and it didn't sit with me quite like I had hoped. Maybe it was first trimester-ness or perhaps the fact the I'm at a different stage of motherhood than the author. For the most part, the book overwhelmed even the most Type A part of me. I will say though, that if nothing else, the book did make me think and it has stuck with me. In brief, the premise is that structuring your life on a schedule, such as monastics do, allows your life to become more orderly and in turn more prayerful. Now who doesn't want a big heap of that?!

Sign. Me. Up.

Sadly, I've not been able to implement her plan for orderly perfection in my home. In fact, that last statement is an understatement to how this house runs. If the floors are clean, it's because the kids aren't. If I'm writing here, I'm not working on other projects. If I've actually run... well that never happens so I'll just stop there. But you get the point... If I'm doing something, it's because I'm obviously not doing something else. Yet when everything looks or feels to be of equal importance, how do you schedule time/stay motivated/ sleep, etcetcetc? I've not got the answer to that, and for the most part, my life rarely feels in balance.

Recently, I've been so proud of the fact that I've been keeping my house decently clean. I'm not talking about zero clutter, I just mean there is at least the appearance that I care about what's going on around here. I've found that I just have to do it despite my biggest desire to sit at the end of the day and veg or blog. But see... sometimes I need to veg, or blog, or read your blog and comment. I miss those things. I miss you. However, it seems I can't have my cake and eat it too.

There are the moms who do it all I suppose, but it seems they are a rare breed. We all have our moments where we have to slack on something to excel in another area. Or even just exist in another area. I hope there's a day when I can slow down some and make my life a habit of order and prayer. But right now, that seems like only an ideal worth striving towards that will never fully be realized. And I'm ok with that.

Damian-isms vol. 3

Oh Damian Damian Damian... From the mouths of babes or so they say.

Scene: Dinner table
Damian: Mommy, you're a dog. Clare, a cat. Damian, a dragon. Daddy. YOU'RE A DRAGONFLY!!
Me: *Deaddddd*
Daddy: *offended*

I have about 8945973498276 of these selfies on my phone

Scene: Me attempting to clean up because sometimes I like to pretend we don't live in a war zone and Damian trying to undo my attempts
Me: Damian, could you stop. I'm trying to clean up the house.
Damian: Who's coming over?!
Me: ..... no.one. ..... Thanks kid...... You know, sometimes we clean even when we don't have company coming over........ 

Making me proud by finding the Dr Who section of B&N

Scene: Damian having one of those *rare* moments of badness 

Me: YELL YELL YELL FUSS FUSS FUSS
Damian: Mommy, you are too loud. We don't yell inside, only outside.

Me:

Damian's offering to the Holy Family--a used lollipop and a washed out photo filter

Scene: In the lab about to give blood.

Lab tech: So I guess he ate today?
Me: Yea he did. They didn't need him to fast.
Damian (slightly enraged): I'M NOT EIGHT! I'm three!!
Everyone: *dead*

No really, why?

Scene: Dinner time when he was supposed to be in his seat but instead was over by me
Me: Ok bud, you really need to go sit back down.
Damian (in the sweetest voice ever): Mommy. You are the sweetest mommy ever!
Me: ok you can do whatever you want for the rest of your life... 

10 months...

Dear Clare,

Oh my girl. You really are such a fun little girl. Always happy and smiley. I love it! This month has been one of watching you go from a "passive" family member to a much more active participant. It's very clear you understand what's going on and what we're talking about. You love interacting with us and carrying on your own little conversations. It's been a great month...

As far as talking goes, you've started shaking your head no while saying "uh-uh." You usually do this when I ask "Are you ready for a nap?" or when you are about to do something you shouldn't... Like climb on the fireplace. You've also started meow-ing and woof-ing. And you love to say BOO to Damian during peek-a-boo. 

You've started taking more steps and can now stand yourself up without pulling up. We all know it's just a matter of time before you're running. 

We all got horribly sick this month. For almost a week, it sounded like you had been smoking a pack a day for the last 20 years. Thankfully we seem to all finally be better now. You got to come back in the bed with us while you were sick which kinda caused a regression on all the progress we had made on sleep. However...

Before that, we had kicked you out of the bed and were working on convincing you that you could sleep in a crib without nursing. I had changed up our bedtime routine so that nursing was not the last thing we did and instead would walk with you until you were asleep. And then one night you asked (pointed) to get in your crib. I thought I was going mad, but sure enough you happily played with your doll and animals. I sat on the floor for almost an hour but you finally just fell asleep. I thought it was a fluke but you kept doing it every night until you got sick...

You love to eat and so far like everything I've offered you other than eggs and blueberries. We still nurse about 5 times during the day, but you also love drinking from a straw. Especially if that straw is attached to Damian's cup...

Speaking of you and Damian, it's a constant game of "monkey see, monkey do" around here. Even when y'all are being bad, it's still kind of cute....

You love your daddy! Often you'll leap out of my arms for him and will give him a ton of kisses. You are very, very generous with the kisses. Unfortunately your favorite game is to smack us in the face and then when we tell you No to give us a big kiss as if to say "sorry." Over and over and over again.

You've graduated to the big kid tub with Damian. It was a little crazy at first, but now you both know the drill and no one is crying (usually) during bathtime anymore!

In typical girl fashion, you love having me do your hair. I hope this continues... But if you find a bow or hair tie on the floor, you will bring it to me and then point to your head. I'm always amazed by all the little connections you make. 

Alright my big girl, I love you and I'm looking forward to another month of adventures with you! 

Love,

Mama

Damian's Scope

Just a quick hello to let you know Damian is currently having his scope done to find the source of bleeding. Say a prayer for him that there are no "surprises" and anything they find is a quick fix! Thanks friends.

ps: I asked him to change into "something nice" for some pictures recently, and he refused saying his coordinated PJs were nice!! lol

Heartbroken

The blog community is a crazy thing. Back in the day (2 blogs ago and before I had even had Damian) I signed up for a Blogger Christmas Gift Swap. The idea was to help network and meet new people. I was paired with Julia Haney. She lived across the country from me in LA, and I'm not sure what she thought about being paired with a southern girl like me. But before we knew it, we had exchanged numbers and were texting almost daily.

Fast forward 3+ years and now we both have two kids. While we don't talk as much as we used to thanks to the craziness of our lives, she is still a dear friend to me and one I'm so thankful to have met. She's always been there when I needed her and encouraged me beyond no end when I've been worried about Damian.

So now it's time for me to return the favor. I'm sure you've seen me post about her on Facebook and on Instagram, but I need you guys. I need you to pray and pray and pray for her sweet little girl, Bailey.

Bailey is the cutest little 17 month old you could ever find. She's got the sweetest cheeks and the most beautiful blue eyes. However, this precious girl was just diagnosed with High Risk Stage 4 Neuroblastoma Cancer. I know a little bit about worrying for your child's life, seeing them in pain and hooked up to machines, and wanting so desperately to wake up from this nightmare you've suddenly found yourself in. It's a hard thing they're up against. She is blessed to have such a strong and loving family, but she still needs our prayers and a miracle.

So if you could tonight, say a little prayer for Bailey and her family. Pray for healing, positive responses to the chemo and other medicines, and for the skill of the doctors and nurses. If you're interested, you can follow along with her battle on her Facebook page. And if you can, you can also donate at their GoFundMe page.

Thank you friends! I know it will mean the world to her!

First Day of School

Today was Damian's first day of Pre-School!
We went to an open house yesterday so he could meet his teacher and plenty of my old teachers as he's attending my old Catholic elementary school. It's crazy to think I have a child old enough to be there. I guess time flies and all that jazz.

Anyway, let's get to some token "First Day of School Pictures."

So Excited!!

His beloved monster bookbag with even more beloved matching water bottle.

Mama hen with her confused chicks.

No really guys... What are y'all doing?

Happy First Day of School to everyone else starting the school year today! 

Why Am I Doing This?

...or  "A Post About Running"

If you are a stranger to these parts (first off, welcome.welcome.) let me start by saying, sleep is not happening in this house. If Clare is having a miracle stretch of sleep for longer than 2 hours, then Damian is waking up. If Damian is sleeping like the good boy he used to be, then Clare is all like HELLNO will I sleep.

It's a mess. I suggest you buy stock in Starbucks.

What does this have to do about running??

Well I may have signed up for my 4th marathon. In December. (That's in 4 months for those of you not counting down to Christmas. What? Only me?)

If you've ever been active before, and by active I mean "Do you chew your food??" you know how important sleep is.

Part of me is very excited to tackle the marathon yet again. Every time I've run a marathon, I've been injured or sick. I would love to get out there healthy and well-trained and see what I can do.

However, part of me is very worry this won't happen because I haven't been running as much as I would like and that's mostly because I can't seem to find the time or energy. I'm hoping as it gets cooler I will be able to take the kids with me more (never thought I'd say that.) Now that's I've actually signed up though I'm feeling more motivated. Sooo shall we say the runner in me is back?? Let's hope! (Otherwise it's going to be a long 26.2 miles...)

If anyone else is interested... You should sign up for the Kiawah marathon and come run with me! There's also a half marathon too.

What a Weekend

Hi friends. Can we just take a minute and talk about this weekend? What a mess.

Nate and I were so happy to have a weekend of "nothing going on" so that we could do all those things we haven't done in awhile (like finish hanging this light.) We are so silly.

As I'm sure most of you know if you follow the Instagram, we took Damian to the ER on Saturday. I had been painting the dining room when I realized it was all too quiet in the house. Nate texted me that Damian had decided to take a nap on the sofa. My mama sensors went off a bit at that, butttttt who doesn't love peace and quiet and the miracle of both children napping at the same time???? 

However, not only does my child not ever nap. He never turns off his beloved Curious George in order to take a nap, so the second he woke up we took his temperature--103.4. 

UGHGHHHHHHGGHHHHHHH

We asked him over and over "Does anything hurt??" and every time he responded that nothing did. 

UGHGHHGHHHHHHHH

For Damian, a sudden fever with no other symptoms means we need to rush him to the hospital.** So we did. He was pretty pitiful, but after some Motrin, IV fluids, (a lollipop,) and blood work he seemed to be doing much better. It was a long couple of hours waiting for answers.

At first I was all over it-- "Clare you can't touch anything!!!" But after an hour of being in a little room and having brought her two different shoes (both the left feet--oh the irony,) I decided I was fighting a losing battle. She's probably horribly diseased now too, but at least she had a milestone moment and said "bag" while trying on her new bookbag. Apparently she's 13.

Four hours later we all cheered that the labs said his liver looked fine but showed positive for RSV. Probably not the norm, but nothing ever is with Damian. It's hard to explain what goes on inside me as Damian's mom, it's a complicated mess of emotions. Let's just say no one has been so relieved for a virus.

As we go to leave Damian goes "WHAT'S THAT?!" 

Oh buddy... It's the GIANT picture of a sea turtle that's been on the wall behind you the entire time we've been here... Clearly little man wasn't feeling 100%.

Then we tried to leave, but we were flooded because downtown Charleston does that. 

So we hung out a little more until we could float drive our car out. 

Sunday consisted of a lot of Curious George watching and apple juice drinking and nothing else. He still had a bit of a fever but still no other symptoms. I kinda feel like this weekend was a waste, but at the end of the day, we're really happy that it's just a virus. That is until the rest of us get it... 

**Thank you to all who prayed for Damian! We know for most a fever doesn't seem like much, but for Damian repeated infections of the liver would speed up its deterioration and cause him to need a transplant much sooner. I try to not ever focus on the bad things, but when these little moments happen sometimes it can feel overwhelming. I know we are incredibly blessed by how well our Miracle Boy is doing.