Mrs. K and Captain J | Life in Louisiana

February 12, 2012
Mrs. K
5 Comments

Project 365- Week 6

I dropped the ball again with the picture taking. I’m not sure what days go with what pictures but I think this is a pretty close guess. Sorry, it was a bit of a blurrrrrrr.

Day 36: I took care of a sick baby.

Day 37: The sun came out (I think?)

Day 38: I gave my new iphone a whirl by facetiming with my mom. Check out Baby K’s face! Classic.

Day 39: After bath.

Day 40: Playin’ with the pup.

Day 41: This was a terrible, awful day that I’ll tell you all about tomorrow…but I snapped this photo while it was still an okay day.

Day 42: Baby K got carrots for the first time.

February 10, 2012
Mrs. K
5 Comments

Happy Half Birthday! I can’t believe you’re already half a year old. You are growing up so fast. This month you have progressed leaps and bounds. You are rolling over, sitting up by yourself (but just barely), and responding happily to your name. You reach for toys and can pass them back and forth between your tiny little hands. You even hold your bottle by yourself while you eat (and quite well I might add!).

I recently stopped breastfeeding which made me sad, but since I have, you’ve become a much happier young man. The formula must be settling your tummy much better than my milk…and you know what, kid? ANYTHING for you. I mean it.

You’re precious. Our days are spent laughing and playing and on the bad days- teething. I can see one or two trying to poke through on the bottom. Bless your heart- you’re a slobbering mess of cuteness.

This month, we transitioned to your crib in your room. I missed you so much at first but you are sleeping pretty well by yourself. We still have some trouble when your paci falls out, though. You can stop waking up when that happens any time now.

Thank you for making my life so much more rewarding. I’m happier with you around. I love you forever, Baby K.

Love,

Mama

(P.S.- You won’t remember this, but Holly hijacked our photo session! She loves you an awful lot, too.)

February 9, 2012
Mrs. K
3 Comments

Lacin’ Up My Work(out) Boots

Something bizarre is going on here.

I have worked out for the past two days in a row. HARD. Usually (or not so usually) I might go for a run, a very short and slow run. But lately? I’ve been pushing myself and it feels good.

I’m not much of a fan of running until the activity is over and done with for the day and I can look back on my accomplishment and be proud of it. Yesterday, I got chased by a dog, tripped up by another one, and some sort of weird heat rash on the tops of my legs, yet when I was done, I felt so good. It’s amazing what a little running can do to my self-esteem.

I’ve been feeling down about my body recently. While my pre-pregnancy clothes do fit, there’s just something about myself that I haven’t liked as of late. Maybe it’s that weird line near my belly button that still hasn’t gone away? Maybe it’s the love handles? Maybe every time I look in the mirror I’m scared that I look old. Anyway, after just a couple days of working out, I’m starting to feel like myself again.

When I stopped breastfeeding, I gained weight really quickly. Eek!

I’m happy to report that in the last two days, I’ve lost 5 lbs! I’d like to shed ten more but that will probably take awhile.

How have I done it? Well, I had to get creative really…

Since I find running quite boring most days, I wanted to find a way to burn some more calories without leaving the house. It was my backyard that fixed my problem for me! We’ve been doing a lot of digging (by hand) as of late. And by “we”, I mean Captain J! We’re putting in a garden. Anyway, yesterday I shoveled the excess soil into a wheelbarrow and carted it around the yard A LOT! Back and forth. Back and forth. It wasn’t boring because I was actually helping out a lot. It felt good to work (and work out!).

The day before that, I used materials in the shed that we had used to build a dog run in the back of our yard. Rolled up fencing wire was really useful. I used it for doing lunges, curls, and such.

I probably looked like an idiot doing exercises in the back yard and running around back there, but oh well. I don’t mind looking dumb for short amounts of time.

On a related note, I need new running shoes. Any suggestions? I’ve never found a pair that don’t blister my feet after 6 miles.

February 8, 2012
Mrs. K
4 Comments

Le Sigh.

I can think of a million other things that I should be doing right now, but then again that’s not the first time I’ve started a new post with that line. I’m back to talk about more of the same. If that bores you or offends you, there’s a little “x” at the top of the screen–go click that.

As I sit down with my (ahem) third cup of coffee today, I’m reflecting on what in the world I did with my day. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I recently tweeted how I am “completely worthless today.” And it’s true, I am. When Baby K is teething or feeling icky as he has the past two days, I use it as a free ticket to do nothing but take care of him. He’s so whiney. Every time I attempt to put him down for a bit, he wails which means that the only time I get anything done around the house is when Captain J gets home from work.

My mom got me this perhaps because she anticipated when I was pregnant that I would have this problem. It’s a good reminder that I see sitting in my kitchen every day. It says to me- slow down. Enjoy this moment while he’s still small. Smile. Kiss away the tears. The dishes can wait.

So today, instead of worrying too much about the laundry or the dirty shower, I walked Baby K around. Thanks to a pal from high school, Mel, I was able to strap him on my hip because she sent me a new carrier last week. Life saver! We bounced around the house. We went outside on yard adventures. We cuddled. We did our day-to-day.

While I wish I could be the mom who gets up to workout, prepares breakfast for her clan, and cleans the kitchen all before the day really starts- I’ve come to realize that just isn’t in the cards for me at this stage in Baby K’s life. I’m lucky if I don’t have to get out of bed in the middle of the night five times because he has lost his paci. (Side note: How in the heck do I fix this? He’s not waking up entirely, but if I didn’t put his paci back in- he would) This means that I wake up, get K’s bottle ready, and head straight for the coffee machine because I am dragging. And this seems to set the tone for the rest of the day.

I’m beginning to think I’ll never reach SuperMom status. Le Sigh.

Thank the good Lord for thoughtful friends. Not only did I get a hip hammock in the mail, I also got a check for discounted formula from another high school friend, Kari AND my friend here, Jen, brought me and my family dinner last night because she knew Baby K wasn’t feeling well and that I probably wouldn’t have much time to make dinner.

Seriously?

God has blessed me with wonderful people in my life. People who have their own children to attend to. People who have school, jobs, busy lives- but they take time out of their days to help me.

Thank you, all from the bottom of my heart. Your simple gestures remind me how blessed I really am.

Now, that little man is finally snoozing-

I better take advantage of it and be slightly productive.

(All photos taken on iphone with Instagram- Username KSJD22. Follow me!)

February 7, 2012
Mrs. K
0 comments

Dark Mind

I love a good psychological thriller or suspense book. They’ve long-time been a favorite of mine. I think this genre may have been why I fell in love with reading in the first place. I especially love when something happens at the end of the chapter and I just HAVE to read on to see what happens in the next one. Jennifer Chase’s book Dark Mind does just that.

It combines paradise with mayhem as the main character, Emily, finds herself pursuing a serial killer in the beautiful Hawaiian islands. This combination makes Dark Mind even creepier because when you’re relaxing on the beach in the land of Aloha, the last thing on your mind is the possibility of someone so disturbing interrupting your siesta in the sun. Am I right?

As I was reading, I found myself wanting to know more about Emily’s past. I didn’t know this book was the third in a series because it easily stands alone. Still, I may go back and read the other two as well.

In this book, Emily is joined by Richard and Jordan to track down the man who is terrorizing the island. Amid the search, there’s also an intricate love triangle among them. Emily seems to draw the attention of the men she comes in contact with perhaps because of her tenacious, strong, fighter spirit. It’s obvious in this novel that Emily has been through the ringer in her life and she definitely hasn’t had an easy go of it.

The local police seem to be operating off of island time, in no hurry to solve the murders that are plaguing their community. It will be up to Emily, Richard, and Jordan to find the killer before it’s too late.

This book is nonstop action. I really, really enjoyed it!

You can find this book on Amazon among other places and it’s available on eReaders, too

(Note: I was compensated for this review as well as given the book to read free of charge. I was not paid to write a positive review. All opinions are my own and may differ from yours.)

February 6, 2012
Mrs. K
4 Comments

Identity

“You cannot know your identity in Jesus while begging for worth from mankind.” (Jen Hatmaker)

On Friday, my family and I went over to our pastor’s house for dinner with the “young” crowd which in our church means the 26-70 year olds. And I was the 26 year old! Anyway, as I mingled among my peers and was confronted with the question- “What do you do?” over and over, I wondered. What do I do? How do I define myself?

Many times when people are asked to describe themselves they start with their name closely follow by a job title or description. Me? I felt so inadequate saying mom, blogger, or freelancer. I felt awkward saying that I used to be a counselor, too because that feels like ages ago. So instead, I simply said that I stay at home with our new addition and left it at that. But when others were mentioning their roles as teachers, doctors, and lawyers, I began questioning just how I came to be the girl with no formal job title.

I’ve mentioned before that I never had any intention to be a stay at home wife and mother. When I was in college, it was my goal to take a semester off after graduation to travel/relax (and then get a job) and settle into school at the graduate level. Well, I did travel. I did relax. And I did find a job in counseling. But I also met Captain J and my life changed dramatically (for the better). School and career hit the back burner; I was in love. And love meant flying to Alaska at the drop of a hat. I couldn’t be tied down!

Anyway, I came home from dinner that night feeling slightly self conscious about all of it.

Often times, God provides just the right scripture for me when I’m feeling down about certain things. Friday was no different. When I sat down to read through my latest bible study, I came across the woman at the well (see John 4). This story offers so many lessons, but the one I got from it that day was that it matters not what the world sees me as. The only definition I need for myself is that of a daughter of Christ. When I identify with him, anything is possible.

I learned (again) that I don’t need a worldly definition. And actually, I’m happy to be the one who stays home, a military wife, and mother. Now, I can’t imagine leaving Baby K’s care to anyone else but me during the day. I know it’s a blessing to be able to do this. I’m happy.

So while I AM a writer and a mother- those titles don’t matter as much as who I am in the Kingdom of God. It was so nice to have that reminder.

February 5, 2012
Mrs. K
4 Comments

Project 365- Week 5

I’m just going to be honest- I totally fell off the wagon this week with taking photos. I snapped some each day, but many of them are iphone photos. And then my iphone bit the dust (kinda) so those are my excuses. Perhaps next week, I’ll have some creativity to share. Please accept these pics until then!

Link up with Laura if you’re participating in Project ~~365~~ 366

Day 29: I snapped this photo while K and I were busy cooking in the kitchen.

Day 30: We took cute little cupid photos for this post (and for my Valentine!). Here’s a cute lil photo that just didn’t get past the editing stage.

Day 31: We went out to dinner with some friends, but I paused in the hallway to snap a photo of the babe and me because he looked so cute in his UT gear!

Day 32: Holly was snoozin’ inside- enjoying shelter from the rain.

Day 33: K getting some QT with Daddy-

Day 34: We had a waterfall emerge in our backyard. Story here.

Day 35: It was time to break out the ole trusty rain boots. These boots have walked many miles- my college town was awfully rainy in the winter.

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for taking a peek into ours.

February 3, 2012
Mrs. K
5 Comments

Can’t Stop the Rain

There’s never a dull moment around here. After all the rain that has graced this area in the last 24 hours, our yard is looking more like a pond or a river, even. Sure, it has flooded before but nothing like this-

Good thing nothing in that shed is ours really.

Think I’m over-exaggerating?

There’s even a waterfall.

Captain J, ever my hero, saved our recently purchased lawn mower from impending doom when he rescued her from the shed area that was housing her. Notice the waders? I bet he rather hoped the next time he wore those that he would be catching a big ole fish.

Surprise, Captain J.

Not today.

Sincerely,

-Rained out in Louisiana.

February 2, 2012
Mrs. K
2 Comments

Oh, happy day

Eight years ago today, I was getting the biggest speeding ticket of my life. More importantly, though- my beautiful sister made me an aunt on this day eight years ago! Jace has grown up so fast and sadly, I’ve missed most of it. Between going off to college and marrying into the Army, I’ve been away a lot. But I hope he knows how much he’s loved by his old aunt.

Happy Birthday, Jace! Love you bunches.

February 1, 2012
Mrs. K
1 Comment

Because

“Everything happens for a reason” is one of THE most annoying, yet so often true sentiments people say to help someone feel better about the unfortunate happenings in their life.

Well, let me just say…

I think I know why God gave me a difficult child at first and I think He definitely had a reason. I’m just speculating here.

But ever since I begrudgingly switched to formula, sweet Baby K has been a good little napper and a happy little baby. My milk was irritating him- I’m sure of it. The past few weeks of this:

and this:

have made me forget about the awfulness of this:

and even this:

I’ve found myself worrying about him growing up and leaving me which inevitably gets me thinking about a second and even third child.

What?!

I know. Bananas.

Perhaps this is why God gave me a difficult child first so I wouldn’t want to get pregnant again right away….so that when I start to forget how incredibly uncomfortable being pregnant is or when I forget just how loud a tiny human can scream, I’ll reflect back on pictures or old blog posts and know that having babies is no picnic.

Because without these little reminders, I might just want to have another right away.

Because I just can’t get enough of this sweet little man.

So.In.Love.