happy father's day

So happy to have this new way to celebrate Doug: as an amazing father.

Happy Father's Day, Doug!

I'm constantly in awe of you as you raise our son.

We're so blessed to have you.

I love you!

And to an incredible father and wonderful grandpa...

Happy Father's Day, Dad! 

xoxo

life lately

A catch-all post for our friends in Michigan... 

(Sorry I've been horrible at updating)

Doug: 

Loving his new job. 

He's able to utilize the "organizational development" side of his brain a lot more at this job... 

whatever that really means. He also gets to work with a lot more men. 

He even went to a baseball game the other night with a new work friend! 

Rachel:

Still working part time for the same company. 

Officially resigned from my position as webmaster for the school I taught at!

I found a babysitter for Bo for the month of June which allows me to work more regular hours 

(thanks, Martha!)... and I'm already bemoaning losing her when she goes back to South Dakota. 

Bo:

Has been rather a handful recently. Lots of tantrums and screaming. 

I'm not a very patient person, so I'm praying that God will just bless me abundantly in that arena.

 Toddler frustrations aside, there are also so many moments that he just takes my breath away. 

Bo is pretty affectionate, and loves "kissing" and "hugging" - 

especially stuffed animals, books, and... other babies. 

We picked him up from nursery after church one Sunday, 

and the nursery worker said, "He's a little lover!" Yes... yes, he is. 

Zooey:

Who even knows. I think she's probably bipolar.

Depressed because she doesn't see us nearly enough for her liking (she's at my parents'),

and manic because she gets to roam the farm to her heart's content.

Church: 

We are attending Grace Road in Rochester, and we love it!

We're looking forward to getting involved in a small group this fall.

House:

We're buying one! Woo hoo! 

It's in Brockport, which is about a half hour from my parents.

More details to come as we get closer to closing - fingers crossed, July 30th!

What else...?

Not too much "big news" (besides the house, I guess),

but I am just loving being able to walk to the pond... when it's not raining every single day, that is.

I love being able to call my mom mid-afternoon and throw together an impromptu dinner.

We've already been to three family parties.

I went to the zoo twice, with 3 of my cousins and their kiddos.

I've visited with my best friend from high school. 

I can bake cookies and run them over to my parents' house just for the heck of it.

So many wonderful family times already.

These are the things that I focus on, because the transition has actually been pretty hard for me.

I miss my small group and friends so much. 

Doug is working longer hours, so I feel like my evenings with him are substantially shortened.

And while we LOVE living with Grandma and are so, so grateful for her hospitality,

we do miss being in a space of our own. 

But God is so good, and we are blessed so abundantly.

first haircut

June 6th was Bonsa's first haircut.

I asked the Mocha Mamas for barbershop suggestions, 

and the resounding response was "Sherrod at Stonewood Barbershop".

He. was. AMAZING.

Before:

 I warned Sherrod that Bo had some stranger danger and "impressive vocal chords".

Bo did a little screaming when we first put him in the chair, 

and Sherrod said, "Oh, you weren't kidding."

Sorry, Sherrod.

But a bottle and a little phone slideshow of pictures of himself,

and Bo was ready to go! 

He did SO well and Sherrod was awesome with him.

Although, he wasn't a huge fan of the spray moisturizer!
(Or the apron, which I tried to convince him was a big bib.)

He started to warm up about halfway through the cut. 

By the end, he was ready to fist bump Sherrod for doing an awesome job.

We were so happy with our experience, 

and Bo obviously loves looking at himself with the new 'do. 

Another mommy milestone down!

Thanks for a great experience, Sherrod!

If you're looking for a barber in Rochester, we can't recommend him highly enough!

recently i'm...

Rejoicing: 

My boy finally says "Mama" upon request

Walking: 

to the pond multiple times a day

In Awe Of: 

God's extravagance in our moving process - 

our house appraised for the exact amount of the offer we accepted!

Loving: 

Bo's little lips trying to blow dandelions. 

Dirty hands and feet from summertime fun. Weekend bonfires. 

Swooning Over: 

My reception upon returning from packing up our house in Michigan -

Bo laughing and smooching me over & over again.

Reading: 

Ordered Khaled Housseini's newest book And the Mountains Echoed. 

I like his other two better, but his writing never fails to tear at my heart.

Planning:

Showers for my future sisterS-in-law! 

Casually Looking:

For a new house. We close on our house in Michigan on Tuesday.

Still feels surreal.

Frustrated By:

Bo is at a stage where he likes throwing tantrums.

Screaming and biting. Help please.

Missing:

Doug is on a "man trip" to the Adirondacks this weekend.

We're all ready for him to come back.

mommy education

I decided I should do a more lighthearted Mother's Day post after the last one. 

Because I have this problem where I don't do well with serious situations.

I have to make jokes. So after a serious blog post, I needed a little humor.

Things I've Learned/Gained From 8 Months Of Motherhood

Health and Exercise:

- Catlike Reflexes: Catching a stream of hot poop barehanded at 2:30am.

Or, grabbing little hands covered with poop to prevent them getting all over the wall.
- Balance & Agility: Learning to complete multiple tasks with one hand while
hoisting a baby on the opposite hip.
- Personal Care: Wiping bath-time boogers before they run into a little mouth... with bare fingers.

Housekeeping Skills:

- Innovative Domestic Techniques: Scraping soggy Golden Grahams from the carpet with my fingernail.
- Organizational Methods: Rubber bands. Empty bottom shelves. Child-accessible pots and pans.

Culinary Prowess:

- Creativity and Experimentation: What will my son hate today that he loved yesterday?
- Refined Palate: ie getting used to lukewarm, constantly interrupted meals 

Personal Style:

- Unique Accessories: This season, I'm wearing drool, half-masticated Cheerios, snot,
and I-don't-know-what-that-is-or-how-long-it's-been-there.

- Unparalleled Flair: By which I do mean yoga pants and ponytail erryday. 

Culture:

- Language Expansion: I know all basic colors in English, Spanish and French. Thank you, Baby Einstein.

- Memorization Skills: Learning through repetition of a variety of classic children's literature,

including, but not limited to Barnyard Dance, Mr. Brown Can Moo and Hippos Go Berserk.

Psychological Acumen

- Analytic Ability: discerning the confusing emotional behavior of a toddler
- Conflict Distraction: Oh, you want to play with that glass/sharp/fragile/antique object?
Here look! Why not dump an entire container of canning lids on the floor instead?

And I'm running out of steam, but there are many other lessons I've learned over the past eight months.
So grateful for the sweet boy who teaches me these lessons and makes me a mama.