Marriage Time and More

Scott and I are participating in our church's Marriage Alpha program. It started a couple weeks ago, and we go every Friday night for 8 weeks. It's a way to focus on your marriage and learn skills and tools to help improve and strengthen it. These are Biblically-based principles, but someone does not necessarily have to be a Christian to benefit from the program.

One of the first principles that they introduce is the concept of "marriage time." They recommend that you set aside approximately 2 hours each week to focus on your marriage - free of interruptions like kids, phones, dishes, etc. During the program, you have "homework" to complete during the marriage time. Last week, we had the blessing of having Steve & Jess babysit for us while we went out to Starbucks for a bit. This was a great time to connect and discuss some things that affect our marriage. Thankfully, Kirsten did pretty well while we were gone and was well-cared for by Steve and Jess, of course.

This week, we decided to try and do marriage time one evening without having someone babysit. And guess what, tonight is that evening! I was very excited when I got Kirsten to sleep around 7:00, because it meant we might actually have some time together. Well, shortly after I came downstairs triumphantly, I heard her crying again. I waited a bit and then went back up to try and soothe her back to sleep. Once again, I thought I had succeeded, only to look down and see her big eyes looking up at me as she pushed her entire torso off the mattress. Nope, not sleepy time. Argh! So, I came downstairs with her and Scott said she'd take her for me. So currently he's outside walking her around the yard attempting to get her to sleep. Meanwhile, I am chilling inside and attempting to relax a bit.
********************* Blogging Break *************************************************
Okay, I took a blogging break because Scott came inside with a sleeping baby! So we had time to talk and do our marriage time. Although we didn't do a full 2 hours - hopefully we can snag another hour somewhere in the next few days.

Other news: I have recently found out that I have an issue with my thyroid. Apparently I have hypothyroidism. I am not good at explaining this whole issue. What I do know is that some of the symptoms that I have been having are most likely related to the thyroid issue. So I will be taking some medication for this and hoping that perhaps it will make a difference. And I will also be making an effort to get more sleep and take better care of myself. I know that sleep-deprivation is par for the course when you have a little one, but I also know that my constant fatigue and exhaustion has been affecting all areas of my life, including my mood. So I am thankful to perhaps have some answers and hoping that these changes might make a difference. Not to mention that spring is definitely here, and getting outside will be good for me and Kirsten too! Watch for another post about Kirsten's latest developments!

Dog Meets Lobster

Okay, I know I also posted this on facebook and some of you have already seen this, but it's really funny. This is our dog Mia last summer when she met a lobster for the first time. I had to tie Moxie out because I knew he wouldn't be afraid - he would just grab the thing in his mouth. Mia, however, is much more cautious about these things.

Slowing Down

Well, as you can probably tell by my serious lack of posting for the last few weeks, things have been crazy. I can't even really tell you why, I just know that it has felt like I haven't stopped moving until tonight. And I am realizing my need to just slow down - in a variety of ways. This post really sums up how I feel a lot of the time.

I feel like I am never able to get caught up on everything, and therefore I am constantly trying to get things done while also caring for Kirsten. Instead of just savoring and enjoying the moments with her, I often attempt to "get something done." Whether it means trying to fold laundry (which never seems to end), do the dishes, work on business stuff, or check my email - I am always doing something.

Yet when I sit down and just focus on my girl - just watch her, talk to her, and listen to her - I have such a great time, and I feel more relaxed. It's hard for me to let go of needing to do something. Especially when I feel like I am probably letting someone else (or myself) down by not getting those things done. But it's so important to take this time to just savor, love, and snuggle. I know that I can't give Kirsten 100% of my attention 100% of the time. But I do want to take time every day to just focus on her, and enjoy that time so that I don't just let it pass by.

Here are some fave photos of recent times with Kirsten: