Food, Glorious Food!

We let our sweet little lady have her first taste of baby food tonight and I think it is obvious from the pictures that she loved it! We started with baby oatmeal because Cole always had a hard time with rice cereal. She was so funny. We thought it would take a long time for her to get the hang of it but she learned very quickly and ended up eating quite a bit. As you can see from her face she enjoyed every second of it. At first she did not know what to think but once she had a few practice bites she started reaching for the spoon and opening her mouth. She madea big mess of course but that is all part of the fun! Cole made the whole experience though - he was jumping up and down next to her swing chanting "go Lily go!" the entire time she ate! He was so excited for her. Before we started he told her," Lily, you are really going to like eating food. It is just as good as milk!" He loved that he got to pick out her spoon and bowl too. I was kind of dreading this milestone because it makes Lily Kate seem like such a big girl but after tonight I am excited about it. I can't wait to see what she thinks of "real" food since she enjoyed this so much. I made all of Cole's baby food and I plan to do the same with Lily. I am even excited about that. After she was done eating I let her stay in her swing and she was so totally relaxed. Rhonald and Cole were playing and watching the NCAA basketball tournament and Lily was just zoned out happy as can be. Sweet girl - she is such a joy!

8 Years

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy." ---Philippians 1:3-4

Rhonald and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary last Tuesday. I cannot believe it has been 8 years! We had a wonderful dinner out - you know, the childless kind that lasts for 2 hours and you get to talk about grown up things and take your time. It was so much fun - we actually spent most of our dinner remembering the past 8 years. We laughed and laughed over memories that had not been thought about in a long time. It was such a great night of reconnecting. I am so blessed with such an amazing and loving husband. We have gone through a lot this year - moving, job changes, a new baby and through it all we have laughed together and grown closer to one another. It truly is an honor to be Mrs. Rhonald Searcy!

It's 5:00 Somewhere

I saw this cute idea for a post on another blog - what does your house look like at 5:00 on any given day? Well, I am usually just starting dinner about that time and I usually have my 2 helpers in the kitchen with me. Yesterday Cole was busy building towers and other things with his Lego's and Lily Kate was busy chewing on various toys. We were listening to Pandora and singing along with the songs that we knew. It was perfect! So...what happens at your house around 5:00?

Look At Him Go

Spring is here and with that comes lots and lots of outside time! Thank goodness...we have all been longing for it. Santa brought Cole a Toy Story scooter for Christmas this year and he has been very excited to get a chance to try it out. He spent much of Sunday afternoon outside riding around and enjoying the day. In true Cole fashion he was very cautious but got the hang of it rather quickly. He really loved watching his shadow as he rode around and we had to keep reminding him to pay attention to where he was going. The highlight of the day however was when the police man in our small town (I think there is one on duty at all times) drove by and sounded his siren for Cole. He thought he was really big time then! We are so thankful for this awesome weather, as I know everyone is, and we are so excited for many more fun days to play outside!

On Being Thankful

No pictures to share this time...just words....words that are dear to my heart. Being a mom of 2 little ones is tough. I honestly never thought it would be. I thought life would continue as it was and Lily Kate would just join right in and we would never notice the change. Boy, was I wrong. She is a great baby, don't get me wrong, but she is a baby and we were very used to our well behaved toddler...our normal...our routine. I have found it so hard over the past 5 months to balance everything - to clean up, to cook, to love them both fully and equally, to make time for Rhonald, to make time for myself, to find a quiet moment to spend with God....and so on. So many nights have ended in pure exhaustion and with bad feelings about not being the person I was called to be. I have been focusing a lot of my "quiet" and not so quiet time on being intentional. Some days are great - some are failures but every day I try. I try to intentionally smile and hug and love and say "way to go" at a simple task. I try to intentionally make breakfast for everyone and send them about their days full and healthy. I try to intentionally pray for peace and love to fill this home and everyone in it every day. And today, while talking with a friend, I realized that I have not been intentionally thankful. I am thankful every day and I do thank God for my family and the blessing they are but what about the every day things...they small things that make up my life? I am so thankful for them too - heck, some days I am just thankful to make it through the day. So, I am doing something new and I hope to share a lot of it with you. At the end of every day - no matter how sleepy or hungry - I will intentionally write down 10 things I am thankful for (no matter how silly or weird they may seem) until I reach 1000. I will end my day focusing on the wonderful things that I have been blessed with and I will intentionally let go of all of the burdens that I feel. I am excited to get started so...here I go...
1. dancing in the sand box with my first born as the sun went down pretending we were at the beach.
2. belly laughs and baby smiles at bath time.
3. "one more kiss and hug" to end our day right (oh I dread the day that he doesn't want a kiss or a hug from his mama).
4. contagious laughter at the dinner table.
5. freshly painted toenails to remind me that even though I am unshowered and still in my pj's I am a "girly girl" at heart.
6. my littles playing together.
7. a quick, but sweet, kiss in passing on a very busy day to remember that I am still his bride (even unshowered and in my pj's).
8. a chubby hand holding my hair tightly as my baby girl falls asleep.
9. the pink tulips that greet me as I walk down the stairs.
10. Cole singing "Jesus loves me" to "put me to sleep" during playtime.

I may not share every day, as blogging every day is basically impossible for me to do, but I do plan to share my lists when I sit down to share other things as well. It is a new beginning...a time to focus on the blessings I have so graciously been given and time to lay the burdens of every day life aside. After all....life is way too short!

Seriously?

Just seeing this picture makes me happy and it also makes me want to run up to Lily Kate's room and shower her with kisses...but I am not crazy. I may be madly in love with this beautiful baby but I know better than to wake a sleeping child. Until the morning I will just have to gaze at this sweet face on the computer ... and maybe sneak a peak in her room real quick (and quietly).

My Cookie Buddy

First off...don't you love the sweet apron and chef hat that my friend, Keisha, bought Cole for Christmas? And it is so fitting because 1.) he loves trains and 2.) he loves to help me cook. The other day while I was trudging through Walmart with both kids (something I try to avoid at all costs) Cole asked if we could make cookies. Of course! When I asked him what kind we should make I was shocked...he said "chocolate chip." Cole hates chocolate...hates it. But he insisted...and he insisted that they have nuts in them because daddy loves nuts (I believe he said Daddy loves nuts just like a squirrel) which is also funny because yes, daddy loves nuts but he also hates chocolate. I, however, love chocolate so I was all for it. Cole and I had a blast and he gets to practice counting and pouring and measuring so I feel like he is learning too. Ever since I first knew of Cole growing in my tummy I wanted to be the mom with the best cookies. I know, crazy, but you all know of a mom who always had wonderful, yummy cookies to share and I totally wanted to be her. I have tried many recipes and all were ok but these were awesome! It's too bad that no one in our house will eat them but me. :)