7 Quick Takes.... plus a few days :)

What a week... I was exhausted by the end of it with good reason yet still on the go. I will post my seven quick takes on Monday... No link up but that's okay. 1- First and foremost, I have been praying for a friend's baby, Fiona. Fiona is due in late January and was looking at some serious and life-threatening health issues. Well, Fiona is now Cieran... and some of the health issues are gender specific so there's some relief. That said, baby Cieran still needs prayers because he is faced w/some serious heart complications. I don't know much more but I am still praying. His parents specifically asked that we pray for intercession from servant of God, Dr. Jerome Lejeune. I didn't know much about Jerome Lejeune but he is fascinating and inspiring. 2- My knee. Ouch. I hurt it and that slowed me down last week. I had a complete ACL reconstruction back in high school. I was an athlete and it stopped my volleyball career. For a few weeks it has been bothering me. Then, last Tuesday, it popped and I couldn't walk at all. Thankfully the orthopedic was able to provide relief with cortisone and lidocaine. I am awaiting MRI results. 3- My sweet baby girl, Mary Jane, turned TWO!! We had a very low-key celebration but it was special nonetheless. She had a great day and finally got her CAKE. She's been asking for cake for weeks! I want to write more about my girl turning two and about her birth family... so much to say at a later date. 4- Feast of Immaculate Conception was lovely. I celebrated by attending a mass at 6:30 in the morning.... without my girls. I am actually quite conflicted about mass and mommyhood. How do you manage to be prayerful and reflective while wrangling toddlers? It's tough. That's what made an early morning mass so nice... just me... 5- I am old. And it's good to be old :) I had a nice dinner celebration with my best girl friends. We had dinner at a trendy Los Angeles restaurant. I was so out of place. We drove in my BFFs minivan... we were a sight! We had fun but I am so glad my priorities aren't being in the "in crowd". I never was... but I am glad that it's nothing I desire now. 6- I struggle with feeling anxious over the to-dos of the holidays and just being at peace with my family. I was not nice to John this weekend. I felt PMSy... and I took it out on him. We made up... but I don't like that part of me. 7- We took our Christmas pictures yesterday. More toddler wrangling but it was great! We already have proofs!

A little note about the photo shoot.... we used our wedding photographer. While you might be thinking... oh, that's sweet.. there's more of a story. Our photographer left us high and dry w/o photos for over a year. We almost had to sue her... it was a mess. Long story short, she'd had her own terrible journey of losses.. we've mended our relationship and it felt super good to not have bitterness anymore. I think that's called Grace. :)

Good Enough

Advent is here... and I am good enough. Actually I am good. I love the seasons of our year.... especially Advent and Christmas. But I find myself struggling with too many "to dos" to make the season and holiday meaningful. In my head, I picture my perfect home--- one with holiday scented candles, a homemade Advent wreath like the one here: http://memoriesoncloverlane.com Holiday music would be playing and I'd have friends and family over regularly to drink cider and enjoy the season together. I should add that pinterest is feeding these visions. Instead, I have a purple votive candle sitting on top of a green plastic plant container that is on the corner of our table, out of reach of little hands. I have a toddler that yells for "High Chair Music" (more on that later) whenever I put on season specific tunes. Our tree is up and trimmed... earlier than I'd like but I need to be sensible since we are out of town for a good chunk of the month. But now our tree looks awfully lopsided because all of the ornaments and lights have shifted to the top half of the tree to stay out of the hands of little people. Martha Stewart, I am not. But in this season of Advent, I am good. I am enough. I am present for my daughters and that is much more important than the perfect home. I say this... but it is a mantra I need to repeat. Focus on the important stuff. You are good. It is enough. Being mommy trumps royal-iced sugar cookies.