The Hills of Tennessee

On Thursday, Glenn and I packed up the car (and Jonah) and drove down to Tennessee. I totally forgot how beautiful Tennessee is. I love the green hills. I have a feeling we're leaving Tennessee a little too early next week. I guess it will keep me coming back for more. What do they say about "too much of a good thing"?

Despite a LONG day of travel and some sleep issues that Jonah is having adjusting to the change of scenery and time, I'm so glad we made the trip. It has been so good to be here. Already I have enjoyed visiting with good friends, getting to know people better (thanks Jarnagins for the accomodations!), and meeting the friends and family that are important to Jer & Erin.

It will be neat to see the tapestry of people at the Thiessen-Robinson wedding tomorrow. It's cool how we can all pool together and help make a friend's wedding day happen. I guess that's partly what community is all about. Tomorrow is going to be a great day because so many people have contributed, not only to the day, but to the lives of Jer & Erin. Hopefully, the positive impact we have made on their lives will continue into their marriage. If we can help keep them growing and improving, what they have together will be better too!

Seven Years of Bliss

Well, "bliss" is definitely an exaggeration. As of today, I have been married for seven years. Most people who know us can't believe it has been that long. Neither can we. It has been good. We're not very good at celebrating our anniversary. We haven't bought cards, gifts, or made any plans yet, although I think we do better at celebrating the every day than some people. Perhaps all of Glenn's travelling makes us more aware of the importance of the every day.

Last year for our sixth anniversary we were driving from Nashville to Canada, and I was VERY pregnant, so of course, the biggest adjustment we have gone through in our marriage so far is the addition of our sweet little Jonah. It's crazy what love can make. It has been really cool to see Glenn become a Dad. Through my pregnancy and his fatherhood, I have realized that Glenn is even more amazing than I thought possible!

Anyway, I decided today that I need to honor Glenn on my blog. Let me tell you some of the great things about Glenn and some of the reasons why I love him (besides the fact that I chose to love him forever seven years ago today and plan to keep that commitment):

Glenn makes me laugh. He is silly. We have fun together. He is a good listener and encourager. He belives in me. He's not afraid to tell me the truth. He is serious about his faith. He likes to learn and he's not afraid of change. He is adventurous. Glenn is thoughtful. He likes doing good just because good is good to do. He is not judgemental. He talks my ear off when we get into bed at night. He puts up with me asking him to stop talking so I can go to sleep. Glenn calls me a couple of times a day when he's on the road. He plays with Jonah and has changed many diapers. He cares about his health. He is a disciplined runner and is trying to maintain an irresistible body for me. [Tee hee.] I know Glenn is committed to me for as long as we both shall live and that gives me peace. Thanks babe! I love you!

A Perfect Mother's Day

Take that to mean a perfect “mother’s day,” not a “perfect mother’s” day.

It was such a beautiful today. I spent the afternoon of my first Mother’s Day on the deck. We had a delicious lunch with extended family. While the non-mothers were cleaning up (thanks guys!), I relaxed and watched my son have his first experience with potting soil and bonsai tools. I’ll include a picture below. I also re-potted our ficus benjamina, a plant given to us by my sister-in-law when our son was born. (One of his middle names is Benjamin). Eventually we had supper on the deck too, and went for a walk. Oh – I almost forgot to mention the card I got from Jonah this morning! Daddy and Uncle Mark managed to paint Jonah’s bare little bum and put two bum prints on my Mother’s Day card for me. Now that’s precious. So, it was pretty close to a perfect day.

I wish I could say the same for myself! As I review my first year as a Mom, I am both pleased and disappointed. Overall, “I done good” but there sure is room for improvement.

In his first year of life, Jonah has already fallen off our bed head first and fallen naked to tiled floor from my lap after a bath. One day, Glenn and I also noticed Jonah crying on the floor in Zellers… We could have sworn he was in his stroller seconds before that… how did he end up there? No actual serious injuries though. And I never once forgot that I had a child and left him in his crib all day or anything that crazy. [During my pregnancy I had that recurring dream.]

What else? I have definitely run out of patience on many occasions. I have often wished Jonah would just sleep an additional hour or two each day. I got way too worried and stressed about the solid food issue when they told me Jonah didn’t weigh enough. Why did I let that get to me?

And, most frustrating, why is it so hard for me to get up cheerfully at 6:30am? That has been my biggest challenge. I can’t tell you how many times I have given myself the “I am going to be happy when I hear Jonah wake up at 6:30am” pep talk. [I remind myself that so many people would be thrilled to wake up at any hour to the sound of their very own child’s voice. Jonah is a gift from God; it’s an honor and a privilege to have him, and so on.] But, I just can’t seem to do it. When I hear him, I growl internally and just wish he would go back to sleep until I am well-rested. Jonah wakes up at 6:30am or earlier now every day, no matter when he goes to bed… 7pm, 7:30pm, even 8pm… still 6:30am. Why? And why can’t I get myself into bed at 9:30pm? If I could just be asleep by 10:30 I would get my 8 hours and feel good in the morning. Grrrrrrr! I frustrate myself.

But enough of that. Let me finish this on a positive note with a tribute to my Mother and Mother-in-law! When I think of both of them, the word selfless comes to mind right away. I can ask either of them to do anything, and there is no hesitation. The answer is always “Yes!” And so often, I don’t even need to ask. And, they are not just selfless when it comes to me; they seem to be all-around-selfless. So, thanks Moms for being a great example of selflessness for me to follow!

There's a great "sitting rock" in Grandma's garden! 

Anyone want to buy a stick?