Currently

Time 1:05pm.  Nicole is napping and I am perched on our living room sofa grateful for the time and mental capacity to write this post.  I think Nicole wrote to Santa early this year because it appears that she'll be getting her two front teeth in time for Christmas.  A few months ago she cut her two bottom teeth which was miserable and exhausting but somehow still laced with excitement.  This time around, the excitement seems to be lingering in the background waiting to step in after the teeth have cut all the way through her gums.  In the mean time, our miserable little girl needs extra care at night and her frequent night waking has left both Shawn and I very tired.   When I am woken up from screams of agony coming from the nursery I feel like I might not survive.  Then daylight comes and I find a few moments to sit down and rest and life feels manageable once again.  When it was time for me to sneak away and write while Shawn and Nicole played on top of all of our pillows in the living room, I found that my tired brain simply didn't have any words to share.  I usually type away to the sounds of laughter and squeals of delight as Shawn and Nicole jump and climb and dive onto the plush mountain they created together.  It's by far my favorite soundtrack.  I'll be back on schedule next week :).  

Loving The weather here.  After surviving what local Texans are calling a "mild" summer, my heart is filled with gratitude each and every time I get to strap Nicole into her stroller and walk around our neighborhood.  The day time temperature is still climbing to the mid 80's but the mornings and evenings are blissfully pleasant in the mid-to-low 70's.  In addition to the walks I'm trying to take Nicole on every day, we have made frequent trips to the park and we've even spent time on the front lawn reading books together and watching the squirrels scurrying around.   We are loving our time outdoors!

Listening to audiobooks!  I became a fan of audiobooks a couple of years ago when I realized that I could listen to them while I cooked.  I was subscribed to audible for a couple of years but when Shawn and I made the decision to go into ministry, my audible subscription was the very first thing I canceled in order to help us cut back on our expenses.  I have been reunited with audiobooks in a big way thanks to something called Hoopla.  I have access to it through my library and I get to listen to 5 titles a month for free.  That's even better than the one book per month I was able to download through audible.  In general I enjoy listening to non-fiction more than fiction since it feels easier to start and stop the content based on the time constraints of my day.  I just started listening to French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon. I'm only about 40 minutes into the book and I'm already thrilled about the insights I will gain about raising a healthy, happy, flexible eater.  

Teaching parent-child swim lessons at the YMCA.  Part-way through the parent-child swim lessons that Nicole and I took together over the summer, the aquatics director approached me about joining their team.  It took a few weeks to get all of the paperwork in order and the trainings done but I've now been teaching there for about 2 months.    I get to bring Nicole with me as my "demo" baby and she does a truly fantastic job.  Everyone in the aquatics department adores her and she couldn't be happier in the water.   I only teach one class a week, which is the perfect time commitment given Nicole's age and our current life-stage.  As a bonus, I get to use my teaching skills and meet other parents at the same time.  It's been fun!

Drinking homemade Kombucha.  I first tried a bottled version of this fermented tea early in 2014 when I learned that it has a lot of health benefits.  I am an avid water drinker but when I want something flavored my first instinct is to track down a diet coke.  I wanted to swap out my occasional diet coke for something that I could feel good about putting in my body and upon trying Kombucha for the first time I was completely hooked.  The only problem was that each individual bottle sells for about $4.00 and I was feeling increasingly guilty each time I spent such a large sum of money on a beverage.  For my birthday Shawn bought me a Kombucha starter kit so that I could start brewing my own tea.  The result is the same rich & tangy drink for a fraction of the cost.  I'd love to pour you a glass the next time you're in town!

Looking forward to my parents coming into town this weekend.  They are flying in to help us celebrate Nicole's first birthday and I'm so excited that I've re-written our menu no less than 3 times.  I get a little teary-eyed when I think about having a one year in only a few short days but I quickly blink my tears away when I remember my parents are coming to town.  Nicole is going to have a blast playing with her Grandma and Grandpa!

What is currently going on in your life?  I'd love to know!

With love,
Erica