What do you DO all day?

When chatting with new friends or running into old, I often get asked what I do for a living. When I reply that I'm staying home with our son, Luke, it is almost guaranteed that the next question asked is, "What do you DO all day??" (As if I sit around and twiddle my thumbs while watching Luke take care of himself for the day will suffice). I've taken a lot of time to think about how to answer that question instead of just staring blankly unable to come up with something I won't regret saying later... While a large portion of my day truly does revolve around my son and meeting his needs, I feel empowered and privileged to say that I am staying home to raise my son and take care of our home, which in our house is a full time job.

So what DO we do all day?

Well...

we eat, we play, we sing, we walk, we worship, we take Simon (a 4 year old autistic child) to school, we play with Wyatt (our beloved and ever-so-hyper/needy dog), we change diapers, we sing some more, we do laundry, we eat some more, we (ie: Luke) take naps - while I take a shower-check e-mails-make phone calls-pay bills, we clean the house, we read, we cook, we get things ready for Sunday School, we work on Bible Study, we meet dad for lunch, we take Billy to the airport, we pick Billy up from the airport, we work on Nourish stuff, we connect with friends, we have play dates, we go to the park, Luke takes another nap, we get dinner ready and then dinner time could be a whole post in itself. AKA the bewitching hour when all children turn evil. And the night usually ends with giving Luke a bath, going to community group, going to Bible study, or going to various meetings for other activities that we're involved in. If we're lucky we might have a dinner night with friends or family :) Then, by the time that is all over and Luke is in bed, Billy (when he's in town) and I clean up the dinner mess, throw the diapers in the wash, finish laundry from earlier in the day, grab a snack for dessert and plop on the couch in hopes for just a few moments of relaxation before we're too exhausted and head to bed. Throw in a few trips to the grocery store, Target, the mall or Dr's office visits and my days and weeks are pretty much slammed. Oh, and he's only 8 months old and isn't walking yet or able to talk back to me. So give him a few months when he's on the move and able to blatantly disobey (more than he already does) and I'm sure I can add a few more things to the list.

What do you do all day?

Canned Peaches

For the past year Billy has been encouraging me to start canning. It seemed like a lot of work and quite honestly, I wasn't interested. But now that we have a little boy that eats as much as I do in one day - and he's 6 months old - I've got to keep an eye on that grocery bill of ours, and I genuinely want him to have fresh, healthy food on a regular basis. So, last week since I was late to Yoga and got locked out (crazy strict rules, apparently...) I went ahead to the Farmer's Market since I had a couple hours to kill without a baby on my hip. Out of curiosity, I asked a lady at a peach stand if she had any "seconds." She pointed to a huge flat of peaches and I was able to get about 60 peaches for $4!!! They weren't the prettiest and a few had bruises, but what a steal!

So, on Saturday my dad came over to hangout with Luke while Billy and I dove into the world of canning. We had a fun time and learned a LOT. We canned 10 quarts of peaches, and 9 out of 10 actually sealed. Here are a few pictures of our canning adventure...we now have a pantry full of peaches and I actually want to do it again!

My $4 peaches!

Boiling the jars

Peeling and slicing the peaches

Soaking in water to prevent browning

Into the jars they go

Waiting to be processed

Final product..10 quarts of peaches

The real hero of the day - thanks, Dad!

A Day in the Life of Luke

Here are a few of our favorite videos that capture a typical day in the life of Luke. Enjoy :)

Luke Eats

Luke Scoots

Luke Stands

Luke Takes a Bath

*For those of you that know me, know that I get very excited and very animated when I'm excited. I think this video pretty much sums up what Luke gets from me :)

Little Update

Had a fantastic Dr's appointment today and my hematoma is now just 2x1 cm. That's pretty impressive considering the starting point...8x13 - yikes! Thankfully I don't feel a thing and haven't noticed it for about 3 months. I'm a little bummed that I don't go back for another visit for 3 whole months...Atrium is kind of like my 2nd home ;)

Billy had a fantastic interview in Philadelphia with the cofounders, Director of Clinical studies and Attorney at the company he would LOVE to work for. The CEO e-mailed twice after the interview saying that they're convinced he would be a great hire and that they would love to make him a formal offer between now and mid-September (depending on new clients...). That is great news, but I am impatient and ready for my hubby to come home. For good. So, you can join us in praying for perfect timing of the position, an appropriate offer, and for my heart as the Lord teaches me so much through my loneliness and frustration of being a single mom during the week while he is away.

I went through a funk last week of not wanting to anything after Luke went to bed so I pretty much just stayed on my couch until it was my bedtime. This week I've perked up a little and I'm back to crafting fun things on a budget for the boy :) I picked up some inexpensive winter onsies at Walmart and have been "boying" them up a bit with appliques made out of scrap fabric from some of Billy's old shirts...one of a dinosaur, one with an owl on a branch, a fish with bubbles and an "L." Will post pictures once they're done. I've also begun updating the living room (also on a budget) and getting ready to buy some fun, inexpensive fabrics on etsy to recover the pillows. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures of that as well.

That's all for now friends.

A sneak peak of Luke's 6 month photos

Despite Luke flipping on his head out of the bucket, a few leaves and dirt in the mouth, and crazy mosquito bites for mom and dad + a bee sting...I say these turned out pretty well for home photos :)

6 Months Already???

My little boy turned 6 months old yesterday. I can't BELIEVE it. What is even harder to believe is that in 6 months I will have a 1 year old! We are blessed beyond belief with the amazing gift of our son, Luke. We are humbled daily as we continue to walk out this journey called Parenthood.

The past two weeks have been fun, and busy of course :) Billy and I went to Chapel Hill for a night away to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. It was such a treat, and Billy's parents did a great job watching Luke. Luke loves them so much and we are SO grateful to have family close by that will watch Luke in a heartbeat. Then we went to see our awesome sister and brother in Gainesville, Georgia. What a great time of relaxing and fellowship it was. Billy's sister, Sarah, is 10 weeks pregnant! I am so excited for her and it was fun to chat it up about pregnancy stuff. On that note, maybe I should mention that we ... HAH. Totally kidding. Let's work on paying the first one off.... Anyways, back to Georgia. We spent the day in Atlanta at the Coke Factory. Very fun. We also spent time on the lake, also lots of fun. Ray and Sarah are naturals with Luke and put up with his extreme fussiness due to lack of sleep...bless them.

Then we journeyed into the mountains with my mom's extended family. We all stayed in cabins scattered throughout Vogel State Park. I grew up going to this state park yearly with my family and extended. While we were there I had a lot of time of reflection on all God has done in my life the past 10 years. He taught me about heritage and more importantly He reminded me of all that He saved and protected me from. It was VERY relaxing and beautiful weather. We were tucked away in a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we took hikes to the waterfalls, took lots of naps, tootled around town to random country stores, and ate some gooooood southern food with my biiiiiiig southern family. There was one night that I totaled up the number of butter sticks used in our meal that night. 8 sticks of butter for 12 people. Shew! Billy and I were very blessed to spend time with my great uncle & aunt, Larry and Rita. What a beautiful couple they are and such a sweet example of a marriage that sticks it out through it all! Through various diseases, financial hardships, business deals (good and bad), they are more in love than anyone I've ever met. They were a real treat to be around!

Herbalife is going great! Not only are other people trying it out and seeing great benefits to their health, but Billy and I are both noticing changes regularly! Billy lost 5 pounds, his milk allergy is gone, and his allergic reaction to a glass of beer is gone as well. I also stopped loosing all my hair (after Luke was born, my hair was falling out in mass quantities...a little scary!). We've had fun coming up with delicious recipes for our shakes...so yummy and so good for you.

Here's a few snapshots:

2 Year Anniversary :)

Luke stands!

Family shot at Vogel State Park before hiking to the water falls

Luke & Aunt Sarah!

Billy, Luke & Uncle Ray at the Coke Factory

Luke & Billy down by the waterfalls in Georgia

Holy Moly...

Luke sleeps on his belly.

The bag I made for Lucy's big 1st birthday! In side were matching "memory game" cards with numbers and shapes. Quite a learning process, for sure, but lots of fun and I was pretty pleased with the result.

Grimme fam in PA

Grandma Rust watching the Tampa Rays game.

Blowing out the candles on her 90th birthday!!!

I'm tuckered out! Phew, I can't believe we're already midway through July. WHERE has this year gone??

The Travel:

This summer has been loads of fun so far, quite a bit of traveling as mentioned last time. And with traveling comes packing...and then of course the dreadful unpacking and laundry make-up days to follow. Billy had to work in Pennsylvania so Luke and I jumped on board and went to visit my wonderful cousins who live very close to where Billy was working. We had a great time :) Then the next weekend we moved on to Florida to celebrate my grandma's 90th!! birthday. What a sweet time it was for her... My dad got little poppers with streamers to pull as she blew out the candles. As the evening went on, her description of events evolved from "streamers" to "fireworks" to "explosives" and then ended up at "bombs." I think her exact words were, "I've never had a birthday party as wild and crazy as this...we even had bombs at my party!!" It was wonderful celebrating with her. The flying wasn't bad on the way there (minus the lost luggage...) and Luke did great - slept the entire way, including the connecting flights and even on the way to the hotel. He didn't, in fact, wake up until the next morning - what a blessing. The way home, not so much.....

We had a couple weeks at home which was nice, and now we're gearing up for our next round of adventures. Billy is currently in Alaska working/fishing and Luke and I just got back from spending the night in Henderson with my dad. Next Monday Billy and I will be celebrating 2 years of marriage. I can't believe it. I am BLESSED by such a patient, selfless, and generous husband. The Lord has given him such a heart to provide for Luke and I and he is an absolutely fantastic father. Sometimes when he comes home I think, man he's going to be exhausted after flying all day... and while he is completely pooped, he jumps right in and finds such joy in playing with and caring for our son. Next Wednesday we leave for Georgia to hangout with our AWESOME sister and brother-in-law for a few days and then we will go to a state park in Georgia to camp for a week with my extended family.

The Jobs:

As many of you know, Billy's job requires him to travel. A ton. We have been praying that the Lord would bring something new into his life, a perfect fit for our family. He's had a few interviews but just recently he had a first interview with a company that he would LOVE to work for. He has a second interview on Monday, and the cofounder wants to talk with him Friday before the interview. We've gotten wind of a few things from our friend that works for the company and we are hopeful and believing for big things from our awesome God.

About a month ago (after visiting my cousins in Pennsylvania) I started a program called Herbalife. It's a nutrition company that focuses on whole body wellness and cellular nutrition. After my cousin heard my birth story and how I was STILL dealing with the aftermath of a complicated delivery + a massive baby she was convinced that Herbalife would make a difference. And it DID! I am finally healing (I would say I'm almost 100%..woo!), I've had more energy, my digestive system is functioning better, and I've lost 8 pounds of my pregnancy weight! It has been incredible for me so I decided to get on board with her and become a distributor. Already friends have started on various programs and are beginning to see a difference in their overall health. What I love about it is that it's all natural, all plant-based, and all REALLY good for our bodies. It gives our bodies the exact amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals that we need (according to the American Association of Medicine) without having to add a ton of extra food and calories to our diet. Needless to say, I'm a fan and have had a great time spreading the news.

Hobbies:

Well, I finally bit the bullet and bought a sewing machine :) I've wanted to for a while but was having a hard time finding time to buy one and figure things out. I've had a blast with it and have been making a few things here and there, including something mighty special for some dear friends of ours who's daughter just turned 1. It's been a learning process but I love what I've been able to make.

I'm still working on the Radical book. It's been so great to read through, but with raising a little boy (who doesn't seem to think sleep is a fantastic idea during the day), traveling, laundry, cooking, appointments, sewing, Herbalife and quality time with my husband, I haven't made a ton of time for casual reading lately....

The Boy:

Last, but definitely not least. He is 5 1/2 months and looks like a 2 year old. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. He is huge. Very tall, hands are huge, feet are long, it's just crazy. He is wearing mostly 9 month onsies and anything with feet...everything else is too short or makes his toes scrunched up in the end. His waist is itty bitty, though, so he's wearing 0-3 month shorts. The child loves to eat. In fact, I think that's probably when he's most delighted. It's a good thing I decided to make his own baby food! He's sitting up on his own, for the most part. Absolutely LOVES Wyatt. Laughs hysterically anytime Wyatt makes noises. He is very active and wants to be involved in everyone and everything. Loves faces and is really big into grabbing them to make sure he has your full attention and then gives a monster grin that takes up his whole face. He's been saying, "hyyyyy" a lot lately and I'm wondering if it's just his noise of the week or if it's because we always say, "hiii" to him :) He wants so badly to crawl but isn't quite there yet. He rolls around a ton and startling last week he is officially sleeping on his belly all on his own. One night I went in to check on him and he was curled up in a corner of his crib snuggled on his belly (very sweet).

I think that's all for now. I'll post pictures soon once Billy brings our camera back from Alaska ;)