The Joy Dare - Day 22

• A husband who is patient with my technology inept-ness
• Watching my son take two steps tonight. Oh that made me (and him!) so excited! 
• The ability to be crafty and make valentines for the sweet people I love.  

Day 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Catching up.... 

• I love when Rich thanks me for making dinner. 
• I'm blown away that out of all the girls in the world, Rich chose me. 
• I think it's funny that Rich can be a morning person when his son wakes him up. :) 
• I'm glad for a husband who sees a problem and comes up with a solution
• It brings me so much joy to hear my husband talk about how much he loves discipling students.

• I love watching my son sleep. Precious. Peaceful. And cuter than CUTE! 
• I'm blown away that God has entrusted Carson in our care. Thank you Lord!
• I think it's funny to watch Carson learn to problem solve... "Hmm... Mommy put me in this box. I wonder if I can climb out?" 
• I'm glad that Carson likes music so much. A fun trait we share in our family. 
• It brings me so much joy to watch Carson enjoy life. Today, he got to see birdies and "ditties" at the pet store and he enjoyed it so much! 

• I love having matching socks to wear because it means that I'm caught up on laundry. (Currently, one of my socks is white and one is blue...)
• I am blown away by how much food I have to sweep off the kitchen floor after Carson eats... but at least I have a healthy little boy who likes to eat...and checks that gravity is still in place each day. 
• I think it's funny that my husband finally had to tell me that I had been singing the same Les Mis song all day, and if I didn't stop immediately, he might go crazy. :) 
• I'm glad that I got to enjoy a fun afternoon out with a friend, a yummy lunch at Panera, and a trip to TJ Maxx. Seriously...one of the funnest stores out there! 
• It brings me so much joy knowing that in the morning, there will be FIVE clean sippy cups in the dishwasher, ready to be used over the next couple of days. Yes! Mommy joys! 

Thank you Lord!

The Joy Dare - Days 14, 15 and 16

• I love when my husband is home. And when he got home from his trip, Carson and I were both overjoyed! 
• My poor hubby is sick today, but he apologized several times for nMot being able to help with our very busy son... and that meant a lot to me that he recognized that it was going to be a tough day or two while he recovered. 
• He offered to load the dishwasher, despite not feeling well, because the ones that go in the dishwasher will be sanitized. :) He's the best. 

• I get so much joy when Carson says new words. He is such a talker for being 12 months old! This week, I taught him "please". He loves this word because it usually means he gets something to eat.
• He found a toy phone that I had planned to pull out on a rainy day. Because he was so clever in finding it, I let him play with it today. And without me showing him it's a phone (you know, the typical "Fisher Price" curly corded, ringing dial phone...and he's only really ever see flat, rectangular cell phones)--- he held it to his head and started "talking". Adorable. 
• As much as I groan when he wakes up after going to bed, I do treasure those moments of rocking and singing to him... because someday, he will be too big to rock. So I reminded myself to enjoy those few minutes with him tonight because someday, I won't remember that it interrupted my end of the day "me time".... I will just think about how much I enjoyed snuggling him and smelling his sweet sleepy baby smell. 

• I'm so thankful that I disciplined myself to get the house clean over the weekend so that I could enjoy the freedom of a clean house on Monday! 
• I enjoyed a few minutes looking through pictures from a year ago... I'm so thankful for the memories in those photos.
• A fresh haircut. It had been 7 months and it wasn't lookin' pretty. I have got to cut it more often...! It feels literally 5 lbs lighter and my hubby has complimented me today. Win! 

The Joy Dare - Day 13

I'm smiling about...

• My husband coming home tomorrow! 
• Carson wake up after sleeping 2 hours tonight.... He didn't want to settle down, so I rocked him for a few minutes till he was asleep. Oh I love holding him when he's asleep... I love how he smells, feels, and is so snuggly!
• The kitchen is clean. Things have been scrubbed, washed, swept, mopped, loaded, and are sparkling... at least until 8:30am tomorrow morning when Carson starts dropping cheerios on the floor again. :) 

The Joy Dare - Day 12

Tryin' on Daddy's boot

I'm feeling pretty whiny this evening... my husband is in Michigan for the weekend, with some of my great friends and favorite teens... and I'm here at home. I love being a mom. Love it. Wouldn't trade it for anything! But I do miss going on youth trips and retreats. I miss being Rich's right hand lady, his go-to person to help him out. I'd be happy to bring along my little guy for the weekend on these trips...but since that wasn't an option (nor does it really sound like much fun to take a 12 month old to winter camp to sleep in cabins and brave the miserable cold), I'm blinking away a few tears and practicing gratitude, even when I don't feel like it.

• I'm so glad that it makes me kind of miserable when my husband is away... because it means I'm crazy in love with him. 
• I'm so thankful that Carson needs me. It's nice to be needed. :) 
• I only have to be a solo parent for one full day. the other two are halves. I can do one full day!
  

  

  Saying goodbye to Daddy

  
  *All the while, trying to not think about next month when my man will be away 5 nights and 6 days. Really, in my opinion, it's one of the hardest things about being a pastor's wife. Sure, lots of husbands travel. But he's my bestie! :)

• I'm praying for a super fast weekend for me and Carson and a nice, slow weekend for Rich and the youth! :)

I love this funny little family of three :) 

The Joy Dare - Day 11

• My husband took the time to do the dishes today on his day off. 
• My son was very entertaining to the baby sitting in the next booth at dinner tonight. They kept talking to each other and entertaining each other, as well as the wait staff. Too cute!
• A week of healthy food choices that is reflected in how much clothes are fitting... yes! 

The Joy Dare - Day 10

• Rich tells me when he really enjoys what I made for dinner. 
• Carson is so fun to play with.... today, we were being puppies. And hours later, he started panting like a puppy to get my attention. Adorable. 
• Being crafty and re-purposing things...Jersey Finger Knit Bracelets are really fun to make! Just sayin'. :) 

Source: V and Co.