Things I learned in the first month

I haven't been doing this mother thing very long, but during the short month and a half that I have been a mother I've noticed.

1. Give yourself a break. I don't mean sleep when your baby sleeps. I mean definitely try and do that, but don't be so hard on yourself. When we first brought little Ezra home I was trying to do the most that I could. I was doing my best to be the perfect mom because I had an idea of how this whole motherhood thing should look in my head.After the first 3 weeks I had to do some serious soul searching and I realized that I could not continue putting so much pressure on myself to be the best. I just had to be what Ezra needed.

2.It is okay that your house does not look like it is out of a pinterest picture. Sometimes social media sets these unrealistic expectations of what a mother and homemaker should look like. I must say, that as I sit here typing this. There is laundry in our bedroom right now that has been siting in a basket waiting to be put away. There are Christmas decorations still sitting in the box from 3 days ago that need to go up, and our bed hasn't been made by me since Ezra came home from the hospital. Ladies, it is okay to not have everything cleaned, put away, or looking perfect all the time. You're a human being and you get tired.

3. Treat yourself! This one is my favorite. I would definitely say that since having a baby I've spent less money, but at the same time I have treated myself to coffee (I quit coffee while pregnant). Do not be afraid to do something nice for yourself!

4. Accept help. My mom stayed with us for 2 weeks after Ezra was born and I have to say it helped us out a lot!!! My recovery was rougher than I thought so it was nice to have her here to help us out. Ezra wasn't sleeping and at first he wasn't eating. Having her here for support was exactly what we needed. Ezra had his first evening away from us so we could see a movie and as hard as it was, it was needed. When someone offers to help take them up on it!

5. Don't forget that you are married. Ladies, it is so easy to forget about your husband once that baby comes home. Especially if you are a new mommy. Take a date night, watch a movie he loves, or play that video game he likes. Just don't forget that he is there!

Enjoy some cute one month pictures of little EZ (Tim calls him this).

Isn't hr handsome?

Hard to get a good picture with him because he is always moving. I look psycho!

Parenthood

Parenthood...
Is a job. The one job where you don't get paid in money but in moments and memories, because if there was a salary it would be an obscene amount! Anyways, its been almost a month and I feel that Tim and I are finally making our way off of the struggle bus and are about to board the insomnia train. This first month has been filled with so many struggles and I know that there are more to come. The biggest struggle so far has been the lack of sleep. Baby Ezra enjoys being up at night just like any other baby. But my baby started this practice in the womb. Yesterday, I got the baby carrier out and put on Zumba music and danced him around the kitchen just like
he used to do when I was teaching, he fell asleep. So the baby carrier is a must!

Ezra is one month old! Time please slow down!!!!

We're going on a bear hunt

  Timothy and I ABSOLUTELY love camping! Not cabining or rving (words I made up). Camping in tents is the ONLY way to do it. We took this camping trip right before school started but I thought it would be fitting to share them now.

How do you camp?

Here's to a year!

This past year has flown by! Everyone said that it would and I thought that it would move slower. Has it been a fun year? Yes. Has it been a hard year? Yes. Tim keeps saying "The hardest year is behind us". I truly feel as if each year is going to have its own hardships, but it has been interesting learning how to live with a boy! So here are a few things that Tim and I have learned in our first year:

* Being roommates is tough. I thought learning to live with three girls was tough. Nope, I was wrong. Learning to live with Tim was harder. Boys have a different idea than girls about what clean is. Boys also have a different idea about how dishes should be washed and loaded into the dishwasher.

* Just because you now live together doesn't mean you will see each other ALL the time.

Our first year of marriage has been super busy. We were both in school. Tim was finishing his degree and I was pursuing a new teaching license. Now that we are both done Tim has been interviewing for jobs and I am now on summer vacation. Whew! Thank you LORD for getting us through all this.

* Money, Money, Money! It is amazing how money has become a huge priority since we've been married. I can honestly say that I did not worry about money so much when I was single. But now, money has become much more important. Learning how to not become so consumed by it is a struggle. Tim and I do enjoy ourselves, but we have started to plan for the future (babies!).

* Date nights are the best! Just because we got married doesn't mean that the romance stops. Tim and I thoroughly enjoy getting dressed up to go out and enjoy each other's company. In all honesty, we only get to dress up for church and date nights and we take getting fancy seriously!

* Fight to keep your marriage. I remember growing up and hearing my parents disagree sometimes and thinking to myself that I would NEVER argue with my husband. My parents are coming upon their 30th year of marriage and you know how they made it there? Arguing! Tim and I don't argue or fight about much, but I can tell you that arguing is a way of communication. Do we say some things that hurt? Sometimes. Do we fight a lot? NO. Tim is a very easygoing guy ;) But after a fight is always the best to me because I feel like I understand a little more about him. There is a closeness after a fight and after each misunderstanding we seek to understand each other a little bit more.

Scroll down for some pictures of our year one!

Dinner with the fam!

 Tim after graduation. So proud of this man of mine :)

 We're awkward kissers. It doesn't help that Tim wasn't being serious...

Anniversary dinner :D

So here's to year two!

That time we had our second anniversary

I realized that this will be the last time that we will be able to celebrate November 11th as our anniversary. After next May we will officially have a new anniversary. It actually makes me sorta upset :(. November 11th is an important day for us. It is the first day that we saw each other for the first time, it is the first time we held hands, had our first kiss :D, had our first date, the first time Tim bought me something, and when we officially decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Oh and I forgot to mention that it was the first time we watch Star Wars together. Star Wars and Star Trek are very important to Tim :). So, you see November 11th holds a lot of firsts for us, but I know that May 25th will hold a huge first. It will be the first time that we will be husband and wife.

So this year we went to Olive Garden. We always eat Italian for important things. Our first date was at this cute restaurant in Chattanooga called Tony's. They make their sauces from scratch, amazing! We actually took a trip there in October on our visit to see my sister. We ate outside at night, so pretty. After Olive Garden we hit up Starbucks, because that is where we first met each other for the first time. Unfortunately I was not able to get the drink I ordered. We then came back to my place to watch 30 Rock and it started to snow. Like REALLY snow! Best anniversary ever! I took pictures and opened my first official snow present from Tim's sister. And of course I took pictures to share with you guys. I hope you enjoy :)

On being content

So as most of you know I moved to Ohio this summer to be with my fiance'. We really needed the time together before we are married because our whole relationship has been long distance. I was very happy to make the move, and everything went so smoothly that I thought I was going to have a teaching job right away. Doors were opening for me here and I had two interviews, one with a job offer. I knew it was not the job for me so I turned it down. I just knew that I was going to be given a teaching job. The year came upon me and I started subbing in a school district almost an hour away from here. I was frustrated beyond belief. I knew that I needed something that was more consistent. I even contemplated working outside of education. I was going before the Lord and that was wrong of me. An opportunity opened up for a sub aide in a school closer to home. It paid WAY less than what I would make just subbing but I just felt that I should try it out.

My job was a one-on-one aide with two little prekindergarten boys. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. I went in and LOVED it! I never thought I would love working in special education. I immediately emailed the lady who books the job and told her I wanted the job for the rest of the year. Well, I have moved up to another position there in the same classroom, and I love working with the team of ladies I work with. The kids are super sweet! I love going to work. I literally wake up happy. I can honestly say that this has never happened before with a job. THANK YOU GOD! He is truly the best. I think He has taught me about faith, yet again, and that not everything is about the money. I truly love what I do. I feel for the first time in my teaching career that I am actually making a difference. I love my job.

And even better news. Timothy and I have finally booked a place for the wedding ceremony and reception. It is final we are getting hitched on May 25, 2014. 5 months and some days from now. Woot woot!

Well I wasn't going to leave you guys without pictures because we did make another trip to Columbus to get all my junk. As always thanks for the prayers. Here ya go. ENJOY!

We just got done with engagement pictures and were going to this awesome restaurant to eat in Chattanooga.

We, well Tim drove a huge Penske truck all the way to Ohio.

Look how awesome Cincinnati looks! 

I had to save goodbye to my childhood home :(