7 months.

friday to friday {in photos}

friday

went to auntie jill's and hung out with some adorable kids

grandma was there, too!

saturday

had brunch with some ladies from church
M loves listening to nate play guitar

went for a nice walk with nate and M

mykenzie loves broccoli!

sunday

i wore purple tights

it wasn't a fashion statement, but more a resistance against buying new tights in spring

but by the end of the day, i really liked them...

and, by the end of the day, nate still didn't.

monday

gorgeous weather

worked on a craft for lisa's baby shower
cut coupons for summer acitivites that i really want to do

had family dinner at our apartment

tuesday
another gorgeous day
M proudly wore her chubbiness with her arms and legs out
i love summer clothes on her
went to auntie jill's for a nice walk
went to our friend's house for dinner and pictures

wednesday
went to the outlet mall
auntie jill's
and church!

thursday
realized how many articles of clothing i have with stripes
a-d-d-i-c-t-i-o-n
baby girl turned 7 months!
what?!?!

friday {today!}

:)

special toy.

picture texts to daddy

we text pictures to nate several times a day.

usually they include glasses, bed hair and pajamas...



syndrome.

ever find yourself feeling a little down in the dumps?

a little sad for no reason?

slightly bored?

monotonous?

in a funk??

if you're saying "no" right now, i'm convinced you're lying...

because we all feel that way sometimes!

we're not alone!

but even though it's natural,

it stinks to be there...

so, why stay??

let's de-FUNK ourselves

here's a few simple things i do when i feel like i'm slowly sinking into the quicksand of routine, worry, anxiety, depression, boredom or anything else that causes Rut Syndrome.

TAKE THE TIME TO SPIRITUALLY NOURISH YOURSELF BY:

1. READING THE BIBLE AND MEMORIZING IT

as a Christian, this seems like a no-brainer...but it really isn't...

because most times, you start feeling anxious and realize after the fact that you haven't been in the Word at all!

the Bible is a Rescue for us that meets our needs specifically.

fear? no problem.

anxiety? yup, it covers that.

finances? in there, too!

2. PRAYING AND JOURNALING

again, a lot of times reading the Bible and praying are the first things to go out the window when you're experiencing a funk...and it shouldn't be...they're the most important.

TIGHTEN UP QUALITY CONTROL STANDARDS BY:

3. DRINKING MORE WATER

there are countless benefits to drinking plenty of water.

from hydration, to proper organ function, to cancer prevention

drinking water allows your body to feel clean,

allows your mind to think clearer...

and it promotes healthy skin!

4. EATING LESS CANDY

i am completely jelly beaned out!

we invited those little devils into our house over easter weekend and my consumption of them have had my nerves on edge.
maybe you don't have a candy addiction...

maybe you don't eat chocolate for breakfast

 (who would do that??? not me :)

but take a good look at what you are eating...

your sugar consumption could be throwing off your moods.

(it's important to remember that sugar isn't just candy.
sugar is also anything starchy like breads, etc.)

5. GETTING ACTIVE

nothing makes you feel worse than sitting around doing nothing.

now that the weather is getting nicer, it makes it easier to get off our butts, intake some Vitamin D, listen to the birds and just get our bodies moving.

STABILIZE YOUR EMOTIONS BY:

6. GETTING CRAFTY

or do something that makes you happy,

whatever your hobby is...

doing something that you're good at or is self-gratifying

will help you feel good about how you spent your day.

7. SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH

PEOPLE YOU LOVE AND LOVE YOU

if you're with these types of people, then you are likely

 smiling,

 joking,

 laughing and

 hugging more!

all of these things are important to healthy living!

EVALUATE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT BY:

8. LISTENING TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC

your body responds to everything you put into it...

even the things you put into it through your senses.

if you listen to angry music,

you'll feel angry,

if you listen to sad music,

you'll feel sad.
if you listen to encouraging music,
you guessed it, you'll feel encouraged.

also, a lot of christian music is based on bible verses so it's a great way to keep God's word in your heart. 

my go-to spirit-lifting, christian music is Leeland.

they just sound like a sunny day to me.

9. WATCH LESS/NO TV

i watch so much Investigation Discovery sometimes that it gets me thinking that everyone is plotting a murder conspiracy...maybe even against me!!

i joke, but really...

there's a lot of junk out there!

10. READ AN ENCOURAGING BOOK

with all the time leftover from not watching tv,

there's plenty to read a book!

i don't like to read {gasp}

but short, encouraging snippets are good for me.

i love the book, "The Rabbi's Heartbeat" by Brennan Manning.

(i stole my copy from a friend)

It talks about the intimacy we can have with Jesus...

an important topic when in a rut.

So, that's all i have right now;

although, i know there's so much more that could be added.

these are the things i'm working on now and thought i'd share in case it could be helpful to someone else out there in Blogland that's diagnosed themselves with Rut Syndrome.

Being in a rut is no fun....

believe me, i've been there

 and felt myself going there again which is why i made this list.

i'm no expert,

but i'm experienced.

it's also important to remember,

that ruts are usually temporary,

there's a reason for every season,

and Jesus is just a prayer away...

even if it's only frantic ramblings we're offering,

He's happy to hear from us.

story.

once upon a time,

we waited...

and our hearts ached...

and we prayed.

once upon a time,

we doubted...

we feared...

but we hoped.

once upon a time,

we were surprised...

with a gift...

smaller than a mustard seed.

perfect perfection...

that grew and grew...

once upon a time,

we were blessed.

it was time...

the right time.

and she was here.

once upon a time,

our world completely changed...

as it became less focused on us

and more focused on her.

there once was a time before her...

but i can't quite remember it.

it's almost as if she's always been.

we couldn't be more blessed with the little girl God gave us.

she's so close to perfect (but not quite).

{sidenote: God, we'll take three more just like her.}

...and they lived happily ever after...

friday to friday {in photos}

friday

nate and M
later that night, we were able to participate in our church's annual easter concert.

saturday

nate's family came in late thursday night to celebrate easter.

everyone chipped in to prepare dinner...

(except for me because i was feeding M etc.)

mykenzie tried new foods and enjoyed time spent with mamaw and papaw.

easter sunday

after church, everyone came to our apartment for lunch.

{me, jill, mom, dad}

 {frank, katie, me, nate and m, mamaw, papaw, lisa (with lucas), josh}

{soleil, jill, eric, jayden}

monday

in the elevator

on our way to family dinner

tuesday

eating yummy puffs

learning to self-feed

wednesday?? oops

let's just post these cute pictures here...

thursday

sunny morning

cute outfit

just being cute

just being m

 ...and later that night...

...nate bought me flowers, made dinner {which was super yummy}, provided a small cake, bought me three cards {he does this because he can never decide on one}, found me a chocolate easter bunny, and teased me with a secret, still undisclosed gift that "is in transit, but not in the mail"...

i turned the big 3-0.

30.

30.

30.

yeah, i'm not use to it, yet.

friday {today!}

lazy friday morning

before bath time

getting ready to go to auntie jill's