Hello friends!
If you've read my blog before, you will notice that it looks much different now!
It seemed a little bland and boring before so I changed the background,
added some color, changed some fonts, and voila!
A new blog!
Let me know what you think? Anything I could change, add, etc. to make it more interesting?
Thanks for your input!
Love,
JaM
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
A Heart Full of Gratitude
Sometimes life can be pretty challenging, y'know?
Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed...
being a mom
a student
a wife
etc.
...and I feel I will never be able to get everything done that I need or want to get done.
There are just never enough minutes in the day.
Despite the challenges that life brings me, I know that someone is looking out for me.
I know that God is looking out for me.
He knows me.
He knows my name.
He knows my heartaches,
My stresses,
My desires.
I'm pretty sure He knows me better than I know myself.
I know this because He continues to place people into my life who help make my burdens lighter.
Right now, those people are my friends who sacrifice their time and energy to take care of Kaiya while Joshua and I work and go to school.
I cannot thank them enough for their willingness to help.
I truly feel blessed to have these people in my life.
Plus, who wouldn't want to play with this cutie patootie?!
And there are so many more people who make my life
sweeter and more meaningful than I could ever hope for.
Who are you especially grateful for in your life right now?
Love,
JaM
Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed...
being a mom
a student
a wife
etc.
...and I feel I will never be able to get everything done that I need or want to get done.
There are just never enough minutes in the day.
Despite the challenges that life brings me, I know that someone is looking out for me.
I know that God is looking out for me.
He knows me.
He knows my name.
He knows my heartaches,
My stresses,
My desires.
I'm pretty sure He knows me better than I know myself.
I know this because He continues to place people into my life who help make my burdens lighter.
Right now, those people are my friends who sacrifice their time and energy to take care of Kaiya while Joshua and I work and go to school.
I cannot thank them enough for their willingness to help.
I truly feel blessed to have these people in my life.
Plus, who wouldn't want to play with this cutie patootie?!
And there are so many more people who make my life
sweeter and more meaningful than I could ever hope for.
Who are you especially grateful for in your life right now?
Love,
JaM
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Where have you been?!...
This is probably what you have been wondering for the last month, right? Probably thought my family had disappeared mysteriously or that I had given up on blogging...no way! We are alive and well.
We just happened to get super busy with finals in December and then traveling to AZ for Christmas and New Years. Speaking of Christmas, we had an amazing Christmas with Joshua's family. Seriously, we have been so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I love my in-laws as if they were the family I was born and raised in, and they have been so loving and have treated me like their own daughter from day 1.
Christmas was very special this year. This year, all of Joshua's siblings were together for Christmas for the first time in several years (Joshua served a 2-year mission for our Church, and then his brother, Jake served a 2-year mission as well). It was also Kaiya's first Christmas! I can't believe I was pregnant with her last Christmas, just dreaming about what it would be like to have her in my life. Having her here this Christmas was so special--even though she had no idea what was going on or how spoiled she was (Grandma and Grandpa McG got her this exersaucer that she adores)! Christmas was really just a special day, and it was so fun to see the excitement everyone had with the "toys" they received.
For New Years we didn't do too much. On New Year's Eve, Joshua, Haley (Joshua's sister), and I had a dance party with Zumba and Just Dance 4 on the Wii (we danced for 2 hours...or at least I did!). Joshua and I then enjoyed a nice glass of Welch's sparkling grape juice as we watched the ball drop in New York and made a toast to a new and happy year. It was a very simple celebration, but it definitely gave Joshua and I something to look forward to: a new year full of unexpected twists, excitements, and goals to improve ourselves.
With a New Year comes New Year's Resolutions. Joshua and I have several resolutions in what we believe are important areas of life: financial, educational, physical, spiritual, social, and mental/emotional. We were so excited to sit down and write these together! Okay, so maybe I was a little bit more excited than Joshua...but we still had fun!
Here are some of our goals!
We just happened to get super busy with finals in December and then traveling to AZ for Christmas and New Years. Speaking of Christmas, we had an amazing Christmas with Joshua's family. Seriously, we have been so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I love my in-laws as if they were the family I was born and raised in, and they have been so loving and have treated me like their own daughter from day 1.
Christmas was very special this year. This year, all of Joshua's siblings were together for Christmas for the first time in several years (Joshua served a 2-year mission for our Church, and then his brother, Jake served a 2-year mission as well). It was also Kaiya's first Christmas! I can't believe I was pregnant with her last Christmas, just dreaming about what it would be like to have her in my life. Having her here this Christmas was so special--even though she had no idea what was going on or how spoiled she was (Grandma and Grandpa McG got her this exersaucer that she adores)! Christmas was really just a special day, and it was so fun to see the excitement everyone had with the "toys" they received.
 |
| Joshua got Legos for Christmas! Such a kid at heart. |
 |
| Kaiya and mommy on Christmas Day 2012 |
For New Years we didn't do too much. On New Year's Eve, Joshua, Haley (Joshua's sister), and I had a dance party with Zumba and Just Dance 4 on the Wii (we danced for 2 hours...or at least I did!). Joshua and I then enjoyed a nice glass of Welch's sparkling grape juice as we watched the ball drop in New York and made a toast to a new and happy year. It was a very simple celebration, but it definitely gave Joshua and I something to look forward to: a new year full of unexpected twists, excitements, and goals to improve ourselves.
With a New Year comes New Year's Resolutions. Joshua and I have several resolutions in what we believe are important areas of life: financial, educational, physical, spiritual, social, and mental/emotional. We were so excited to sit down and write these together! Okay, so maybe I was a little bit more excited than Joshua...but we still had fun!
Here are some of our goals!
- Financial:
- 10% to tithing, 20% to savings, and 70% to budget (thanks to Shawni Pothier of 71 Toes for the idea!)
- check our budget on Sundays
- save and organize receipts
- budget for organization supplies (our apartment is slightly unorganized--and that might be an understatement)
- Educational:
- Check grades weekly as a couple
- Write down homework assignments on a calendar at beginning of week so we keep track of what is due and when
- Look at grad school requirements for Joshua and start working to fulfill them
- Physical
- Exercise daily
- Increase veggie intake (it's harder to do than I thought!)
- Sweets in moderation (also difficult...)
- Increase water intake
- I'm working for a 6-pack (should probably start working on that!)
- Spiritual
- Attend temple every other Saturday
- Nightly family prayer
- Personal and couple scripture study and prayer
- Social
- Girls' night once a month
- Call parents more often
- Mental
- Learni to sew (Mikaila)
- Learn guitar (Joshua)
- Stay positive--avoid complaining
- Write in journal/blog often
- Read The Hobbit as a couple
So far we've been pretty good at the financial, educational, and spiritual goals, but the other areas could use some work!
What are some resolutions you made this year?
Love,
JaM
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
5 months ago...
5 months ago, I was so blessed to have little Kaiya enter into Joshua's and my life.
We were full of awe, joy, love, and (yes) a little bit of fear.
How are we going to take care of this thing? This living, breathing, little human life?
The task seemed so overwhelming at the time. (Hormones may have played a part in that.)
There were so many unknowns, and there still are. But I feel more and more confident in my role as Kaiya's mother every day. She is a little piece of Joshua and I that I will treasure for ever.
And to celebrate Kaiya's 5 months of life, I decided to take lots of pictures of this cutie patootie to document how much she has grown!
We were full of awe, joy, love, and (yes) a little bit of fear.
How are we going to take care of this thing? This living, breathing, little human life?
The task seemed so overwhelming at the time. (Hormones may have played a part in that.)
There were so many unknowns, and there still are. But I feel more and more confident in my role as Kaiya's mother every day. She is a little piece of Joshua and I that I will treasure for ever.
And to celebrate Kaiya's 5 months of life, I decided to take lots of pictures of this cutie patootie to document how much she has grown!
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| For some reason, she reminds me of Santa Claus in this picture...funny, huh?! |
 |
| Ooooo, camera! |
 |
| Just chillaxin'. And no, I did not place her hands there. She did that all by herself. She's that cool. |
I love my big, 5-month old baby girl.
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