Dancing Queen

Newest obsession...DANCING!

Here is the first video of her dancing by herself that I took a few weeks ago

After spending a week studying GeeGee's excited interpretation of The Wiggle's "Hot Potato", she has picked up on a few more moves...

Friday Photo Favorites

It's pretty hard anymore to get a picture of Brenna without her trying to eat/play with the camera.  If she's doing something cute I'll pull it out and start snapping, but quicker that you would think possible, she's headed my way, salivating, with outstretched fingers. 
Here are a few cute faces that I managed to catch the other day.

Check out those teeth!!

"I hear that shutter, and I'm coming for you!"

"What's in there?"

Financial Responsibility

Its hard to believe that it has already been two months since we have moved into our house, it has flown by in the blink of an eye.  We have been so busy with various tasks that all home buyers encounter (painting, decor, etc.) that it has been very easy to let other things fall by the wayside.  In our case, one of those things was our finances -- and when you are trying to make your house a home it is VERY easy to buy everything in sight.  My brain must have subconsciously known this because I have lately taken an interest in the Dave Ramsey radio show.  His views on personal/family finances have started to rub off on me which led me to this video.  I can't sum up our responsibility to our Lord as it relates to money (and all possessions for that matter) better than Dave does so just click play...

  

Friday Photo Favorites...

...that I can't wait until Friday to post!

 

Brenna just loves being outside exploring.  Hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather as much as we are! 

Nothing left to give

Last week I had one of those days that at the end of all you want is a glass of wine, a quiet room, and maybe a good cry.  These types of days don't happen often for me, but when they do, I'm a huge baby about it and get so snippy, feel sorry for myself, and usually take it out on my poor husband as soon as he walks in the door.  On this particular day we had planned to go for a family run when Chris got home from work, but when he got home the last thing I wanted to do was go for a run with Brenna.  So, when he asked if I was ready, I made some snarky comment and Chris suggested I just go by myself and he would take Brenna.  I decided to run with my iPod, which I very rarely do, but figured it might help me unwind.  With about a mile to go on my run, one of my favorite songs by Relient K started playing.  At first, I wasn't paying much attention to the lyrics, just singing them in my head from memory, but then it got to the chorus...

Yeah I'll give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)
Give, give (and I'll have no regrets)
I'll give until there's nothing left
I'll give

The words hit me like a ton of bricks and I literally stopped running and started crying right there on the sidewalk, with all the 5:00 traffic bustling by on the busy road.  

In the past when I've listened to this song, I've interpreted it to mean "I'll give my all to you, Lord." But on that run it was saying so much more to me about motherhood and the complete selflessness it requires.  Some days I really do feel like I have nothing left to give anymore, like everyone needs something from me, but there just isn't enough to go around.  My natural reaction is, obviously, sass and impatience.  But it shouldn't be, because when we are at the end of our rope and feel like we can't give anymore, that's when the Big Man upstairs will step in and give us a boost if we ask.  My problem is admitting that I need help, that I can't do it alone, that there really isn't enough of me to go around, but if I just accept some of His love, I can pass it right along to the people who need it from me.

After I pulled myself together and ignored looks from passing cars, I set the song on repeat and listened to it the rest of the way home.  

No one told me
The right way
The right way to go about this
So I'll figure it out for myself
'Cause how much is too much to give you?
Well I'll may never know
So I'll just give until there's nothing else

Yeah I'll give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)
Give, give (and I'll have no regrets)
I'll give until there's nothing left
I'll give

No one told me
How bad I need you (need you)
But I somehow arrived
To that conclusion all by myself (all by myself)
And I want
All you have to offer (to offer)
So I'll offer myself and I'll just give until there's nothing else

And I'll give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)

Give, give (and I'll have no regrets)
I'll give until there's nothing left to
Give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)
Give, give (and I'll have no regrets)
I'll give until there's nothing left

Sometimes it seems
Like all I ever do
Is ask for things
Until I ask too much of you
But that's not the way (that's not the way)
I wanna live (I wanna live)
I need to change (I need to change)
But something's got to give
Yeah something's got to

Give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)
Give, give (and I'll have no regrets)
I'll give until there's nothing left to give
Give, give, give (until there's nothing else)
Give my all (until it all runs out)
Give, give
Give until there's nothing left
I'll give

Back in action!

Hello, all!  Sorry it's been so long since we made a post, but a lot has been happening around here.  My first excuse for a lack of posts is that I lost the cord to our camera and couldn't get the computer to read the SD card, so I had no way to get pictures off the camera and onto the computer.  But, what once was lost is now found and the camera a rearing and ready to go.  My second excuse is that in the span of about two weeks these things took place:

-Closed on our house
-Spent a weekend in Traverse City with Brenna at Geegee and Papa's house
-Came home to pack/move and Brenna got a fever for 3 days
-Moved (despite the sick little one)...(and found the camera cord under the couch!)
-Grandpa Blaxton passed away (the very night that we moved)
-Applied about 15 gallons of paint to the walls/ceiling of our house (much thanks to Mom and Dad Leikert)
-Attended the viewings and funeral for Grandpa
-Got new carpet and moved into the rest of the house

Everything has definitely settled down since the move and our house is slowly starting to feel more like a home.  Our families have been amazing through the whole transition and we TRULY could not have done it without their help.

In the weeks since the move, Brenna has had an explosion of development.  I swear, in one week she went from little baby to toddler.  She is now walking confidently and has successfully stood up with no assistance one or two times.  She eats three meals a day (of solid food), which is a HUGE improvement from her erratic bouts of liking/disliking solids.  She claps, sings, says "Dada", "Mama", and "Uh-oh".  She loves stuffed animals and anything soft and cuddly, books, music, dancing, and being outside (especially cross country meets where she claps and squeals for the runners).  Everyday she changes and picks up on some other little noise or skill.  And at 20 lbs she outweighs her 4-months-older-cousin by almost 4 pounds now.

I can't believe she'll be one in less than a month.

 

Hopefully soon our house will be put-together enough to post some pictures or a video.  Until then, here are a few more of Miss B.

Beach!

We had our first outing to the beach a few weeks ago!  Two of our best friends are training for an Ironman Triathlon and wanted to get some experience swimming in the open water so Chris, Brenna, and I went with them to Grand Haven and had a nice walk down the pier while they swam.