My Life as a Mommy

I LOVE being a Mommy!!

I have the best job in the world being a wife to Aaron and a mom to Jason. The Lord has blessed me with two of the sweetest guys ever, I am so thankful for them, and thankful I get to take care of them.

I am amazed at how much Jason has changed in just 3 1/2 weeks. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter little guy. He loves to snuggle (so do I, we make a great pair), he loves to lay by the window in the sun and soak it all up, he has a sweet little smile, and he only cries when he wants to eat or has a tummy ache. He only wakes up once at night to eat (can't beat that), and he already rolls over from his tummy to his back (I will post a video on FB soon.) Bath time is one of his favorite things as he LOVES having his hair washed. He smiles the whole time we wash and comb his hair. I hope this liking his hair being played with will carry over to his first haircut, because it won't be long before I will be cutting his hair. We absolutely love having him around here.

Jason and I have been out and about twice now by ourselves. We went to Sams last week to print his birth announcements, and this week we went to the mall to have our wedding bands checked and cleaned for warranty purposes. Both times we went out Jason was perfect. He slept most of the time, and when he wasn't sleeping he was charming the socks off of the ladies (which he is also able to do while sleeping...go figure.) Never have I had so many strangers approach me, it was rather fun! I can't wait to get back to BSF in a couple of weeks, it has been so hard being away. I wouldn't trade the months at home though because it is what God had planned for me in order to take care of our precious boy. I have been thankful for the opportunity to do the lessons at home, but it will be wonderful to hear the lectures again, see all the kids, and fellowship with all the leaders again.

Jason has had lots of visitors which we have loved. After 3 months of me not being able to do too much, it was so much fun to have people stop by to visit and Jason loved all the snuggle time with everyone. We had friends stop by from Discount Tire, BSF, and ofcourse family from Texas.

Since I had a c-section, my youngest sister Kathryn came up to help out for a week. She was a tremendous help, and I am pretty sure she didn't mind the time with her nephew either. She was so sweet to make us meals, do the laundry, clean the house up, and basically "fetch" things for me that I wasn't able to do or get on my own. I enjoyed her company and was sad to see her leave, but I feel pretty great and have healed well, so there isn't really a good excuse to keep her around. Ah well!

I am thankful to the Lord the many blessings He has bestowed upon me!

O Christmas Tree

It's hard to believe, but this is our third Christmas together as husband and wife. We are still working on making our own traditions, so each year has been a little different but lots of fun. One of the traditions we have established is buying a new ornament for our tree each year. We try to find an ornament that represents something we enjoyed over the last year. Last year we found a polar bear ornament that represented our trip to the Tulsa Zoo (they had the most incredible polar bear there.) We have yet to go looking for one for this year, but it is on the list of things to do.

Another tradition is turning on the Christmas music and setting up the tree together. We love decorating the tree together, but I have to admit, this year I wasn't feeling so great, so I was kind of a bum. Our first year married I strung popcorn and cranberries, and we LOVED it! I fully intended to do that this year, but I never did work up the energy for that task. Maybe next year.

Another tradition we established/copied is making pizza after decorating the tree. This is a Palmer family tradition that we carried over to our marriage. You can't go wrong with pizza! And lastly, we go to look at Christmas lights each year. Here in our city we have a huge park that you can drive through that is all lit up beautifully. We grab us some Starbucks (which is always a treat to us) and we just drive around, listening to music, talking about whatever, enjoying the lights and each others company. This year we couldn't help but be excited that we will have a little toddler to share all of our traditions with next year! Surely with a child we will add more traditions, and some of our current ones may change.

Here is our little tree

Nesting

"The nesting instinct is the name given to the distinctive urge to clean, tidy, and organize that occurs during pregnancy."

While Aaron was home for lunch today I was sharing with him all the things I want to clean before the baby comes. We decided that I must be "nesting" because my list is really quite ridiculous. Do the couches really need vacuumed under the cushions? Are the windows and blinds really that dirty? And the fridge...yes, I plan to clean it out as well. The baseboards need dusted, and the tops of the washer and dryer need wiped down. I even made a list for Aaron. He cleaned the ceiling fans for me, and still has to wash the top of the fridge and vacuum the air conditioning vent. He always says, "you aren't going to over-do it today, are you? You need to be very careful!" He has been so sweet to help me out, and he is also good at reminding me that cleaning can wait. Each day that I feel up to it, I tackle one project that I want done before baby arrives. I don't think I will be disappointed if the list isn't complete before baby arrives, but I sure am glad each time I check something off the list.

Only a few more weeks to go!! We are looking forward to meeting out little gift from God!

Thanksgiving

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Lord has blessed me richly! I have a never ending list of things that I am thankful for, and would like to share a few of those things with you today.

I am thankful for:

-a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His great love for me, and that He intercedes on my behalf.

-my sweet husband. He loves me and takes such wonderful care of me. God has truly blessed me.

-our little baby. We prayed for the blessing of a child in our lives, and God answered that prayer for us. I am thankful that baby Palmer is about to be born, and that so far he/she is healthy.

-my family, both mine and Aaron's. I am thankful for believing parents, who raised me up in the Word of God. I am thankful for all my brothers and sisters, for their spouses and all of my sweet nieces and nephews.

-my best friend. I am thankful for Andrea Snow! She is a faithful and godly friend, and I am truly blessed to have her friendship.

-all my friends. The Lord has blessed me with many wonderful friends.

-our house, vehicles, clothing, food, Aaron's job etc... I am so thankful for the Lord's provision in our lives.

-BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). Though I have had to miss a good portion of this years study due to pregnancy complications, I am thankful for the opportunity to keep up with the study of Isaiah. I am also thankful for all the leaders who have been faithfully praying for us, and who have been such an encouragement to us.

-There is so much more for which I am thankful, but these are some of the things that top the list.

Aaron and I spent Thanksgiving with my family this year. We drove down Wednesday night and were able to stay until Sunday. All but my oldest brother and his family were able to be there this year, so it was great to all be together again. We enjoyed our time there, and look forward to next year with our little one added to the crowd. My grandparents joined us for dinner on Thursday, along with 2 different families from my parents church. Over the weekend, the girls enjoyed a nice breakfast out one morning, we played a few different games (Farkle, Monopoly, Risk...), we did lots of sitting around and talking, and of course had really great food. Aaron and I were able to visit our "old" church in Texas. We were so glad to be able to see all of our friends there, and to worship the Lord with them. We are thankful for each one of them. My personal favorite thing I did over the weekend was spend time with my niece and nephews. I sure do love them all! Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday!

Camping

The town of Ozark, Arkansas

Cherry Cobbler over the fire

A beautiful stream we found

Enjoying the view

Aaron and I took a little camping trip several weeks back, just to get away for a bit of relaxation. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, enjoyed being away from everyday distractions, and just being together. We went to the Ozark mountains just across the border in Arkansas. They were absolutely beautiful, and we imagine that as the colors change they are even more stunning. Having never been there before, we chose a camping site blindly, and though it was okay, we found MANY nicer sites as we drove through the mountains in the following days. Now we are better informed if we ever choose to camp there in the future.

While there we enjoyed mostly nice weather (it rained the entire first day). We spent a lot of time driving around, walking, playing card games, sitting by the fire talking and reading, sleeping, and eating campfire food. Some of the things we didn't enjoy so much were the nasty, HUGE spiders in the bathrooms, wild hogs snorting and keeping us awake at night, and an air mattress that decided to spring a leak. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and one we were so grateful to be able to take together.

Cajun Roasted Pork Loin

Here is a new recipe I tried this week that was delicious and worthy enough to pass along. I've made some adjustments to the original recipe.

Cajun Roasted Pork Loin

2 T. margarine
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
2 garlic cloves minced
1 (3-4 lb.) boneless pork loin roast
salt and pepper to taste
1T. olive oil
6-8 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
You can use green peppers, celery etc...also if desired

Optional Gravy:

Pan juices
3 T. flour
1/2 c. chicken broth


Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Melt the margarine in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cayenne, oregano, pepper, thyme, mustard, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Use a knife to make several slits in pork loin. Stuff the slits with the spices mix. rub the remaining mix over the surface of the roast. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper.
3.) Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan over medium heat. Put roast in the pan, and surround with carrots and onion. Lightly salt and pepper the veggies. Place roast in the oven and cook for 1-1/2 hours, or until roast is done.
4.) If desired make the gravy. Remove the roast and veggies from the pan. Whisk flour and chicken broth into the pan juices, and cook for 3 minutes. Serve with the roast.

Fall

Fall has arrived and the box of fall decorations has come out of hiding. Today I have been putting out the decorations, spreading fall cheer throughout our home. Fall is my favorite of the four seasons. I enjoy the cool, crisp air that comes breezing through the open windows, the smell of the fall scented candles burning in our home, and the little splashes of fall color placed throughout our home. I also enjoy the smell of apple pie baking, the changing of the leaves outdoors, and the times spent with my sweet husband snuggling and drinking apple cider. So many things about fall make me happy!