Hello, Summer!

It's been one week since summer officially began. Because Seth was out of town, we didn't get to have an official First Day of Summer Celebration. We have, however, been enjoying lots of summer fun. One of the most summery things that I can think of is catching lightning bugs. For the last few evenings we have been catching lots of them. Seth is able to spot and catch the fireflies better than both Bryan or me. He hasn't quite learned to not immediately squish them as soon as he catches one though. Last night we used a jar to help him see the bugs just a little bit better. Boy, was that a big hit! He was just so cute carrying that jar around and peeking inside.

Hello, Summer!

Being Away

Being a stay-at-home mom is not something I take for granted. Out of the last 14 nights, Seth has spent 7 of those away from home. He has been enjoying time with both sets of grandparents and last week he spent his days enjoying the company of my sweet friend and her baby girl. While it hasn't phased Seth a bit, I have been on an emotional roller coaster. I did fine at first, while he was spending time with Nana and Pop. But after being away from him for several days I think it only made the next week harder. As I dropped Seth off each day at our friend's house, in order for me to spend my days teaching and assisting during the Kentucky Reading Project, I began to feel the toll of being away from my boy. I felt as if I was missing out on everything. Even though I picked him up before 4 p.m. each day I was saddened by how little time I got to spend with him before it was time for him to go to bed each night. By the time we dropped him off on Saturday, so that he could spend these last few days of the Project with his Granna and Papa, I was an emotional mess. My heart has been aching because I miss the little guy so much. Luckily, Seth has been in great and loving hands throughout this whole process. He has adapted to each and every situation without any problems and I am so thankful that he has been able to grow close to both sets of grandparents. I am also glad that he has had so much fun with so many new experiences. While I don't regret participating in this very short-term (in the grand scheme of things) opportunity, I have realized just how thankful I am to be able to stay home to raise our son (and very soon our children).
The last day of the Project is tomorrow and as soon as we pack up all of the boxes in our classroom, I am heading to Nashville to pick up our sweet boy and I just can't wait!

Happy Father's Day 2011

You know, I am not sure we should celebrate Father's Day just one day of the year. I say that only because in our family we have more than one day's worth of thankfulness for the husband and father God has given to us. So just because one day is set aside to honor fathers, we want to make sure to show our love and gratitude each and every day.

A Stay-at-Home Pop

If you know my parents at all then you know that they are head over heels in love with their grandson, Seth. A few days ago as I was scanning over the most recent facebook statuses, I saw my dad's status on my feed.It read: "I have decided what I want to be when I grow up. A stay at home Pop for Seth. I am a proud Pop."

My heart melted and I instantly knew my time away from Seth this past week meant that both my parents and he were having the time of their lives.

Back in February, I was asked to help out with this year's Kentucky Reading Project as a Teacher Leader. I participated in the 2007-2008 Kentucky Reading Project and have been so grateful for all that I learned that year during the project. I was completely honored to even be asked to help lead this year's project, and was not going to pass up such a huge opportunity in the realm of literacy. So since last Tuesday evening, Seth has been staying with Pop and Nana. Pop had some extra vacation days that he was able to use and has spent the last few days being a Stay-at-Home Pop, and Nana was able to join in on all the fun during the early afternoon each day. They played and played and Seth didn't miss us a bit. He had the best time and the phone calls, pictures, and videos prove it. Thank you Pop, Nana, and Uncle Michael!
(Oh, and Pop, Seth says you can be his Stay-at-Home Pop any time you like.)

30 Weeks

I feel like 30 weeks marks a milestone in a pregnancy, although in all actuality it doesn't. Regardless, I feel just so happy to be one week closer to meeting our baby boy face-to-face. Just two months from now our sweet Silas will be with us. Right now he is doing his part in letting me know that he is thriving and kicking up a storm on the inside. All throughout the day I feel and see little kicks and punches. Last night as I was reading a book, which happened to be propped up against my ever growing belly, I had to consciously keep it steady because it kept moving with every kick. It makes me smile each and every time.

Harvesting Blueberries

It's the simple things in life that I think I enjoy the most. For instance, a couple days ago we were able to pick some ripe blueberries from our very own blueberry bush. Seth picked and ate all the "blue" berries off within a matter of minutes. I managed to snag one and instantly knew why they didn't last long. They were sweet and delicious and we are anxiously awaiting more!

The last few days...

During the last few days we have enjoyed...

• walks around the neighborhood
• breakfast at the Farmer's market
• lots of fun at the park
• a visit from Granna and Papa
• testing out the new sprinkler
• bumping into sweet friends
  
• and lots and lots of playing in the backyard

Fun! Fun! Fun!