Just when you think you've got it...

... you realize you don't. 

You thought she loved her binky but she doesn't.

You thought she liked nice, long naps but she doesn't.

You thought she knew how to roll from her tummy to her back but she doesn't.

You thought she was mesmerized by her toys, but she isn't. 

You thought you fixed a bad habit but you didn't.

You thought she was finally over fussy feedings but she isn't. 

OKAY - I'm exaggerating. Today was more difficult than usual, but it was still a good day. I guess I'm just realizing that this whole motherhood job is pretty unpredictable. 

Teaching is an unpredictable job as well... you never know just how the students are going to behave and a lot of time their attitude is affected by things out of your control. But still, at the end of a class you can analyze what you need to improve on and generally it will go better the next time. 

But with a baby I can analyze and plan the heck out of things and the truth is, I'm not the boss. I can do everything in my power to create some kind of "normal" in our routine or to work on a bedtime habit or to prevent fussiness while eating, but if she's tired then she's tired - I can't do much to fix that. 

Anyway, I love being a mom just as much as ever. I'm just simultaneously realizing that I have a lot left to learn AND that no matter how much I know I can't solve all the problems or have our day fit into the organized, happy, perfect vision in my head. I guess motherhood is kind of like a daily experiment. But it sure is fun.

And even on a less-than-perfect day, these smiles are worth all of it!

Forever and Always my Friend

Today I feel grateful for Bret. He is my best friend and I can't imagine spending my life next to anyone else.  I loved getting to spend the weekend with him: shopping, snuggling, folding laundry, crawling on the floor with our baby, eating delicious breakfasts, sitting together at church... this is a good life. 

Bret knows that while I am loving our life in Georgetown I am missing my friends, my work, and our ward in San Angelo.  A lot.  I am constantly taking about how anxious I am to make friends.  (I even came home from a boring workout class yesterday saying I was going to go again on Thursday anyway because there was a girl my age that I might be able to meet. Pathetic.)  He is so sweet to me and doesn't make me feel silly for needing friendship and interaction. 

But this morning I was thinking, despite how much I look forward to making meaningful friendships with people in this area, I really have everything I need right here in my own home.

Picture from our honeymoon in 2009

This guy makes me laugh if things get tense. He is the perfect compliment to my personality. I love the excitement of planning our future together. I love that even though we are on the verge of major life decisions he is as "vanilla" as ever. He recognizes the little things I do throughout the day and thanks me for them. It makes me feel like being a homemaker and a mom is important. He doesn't complain about the difficulties he faces but listens to mine. He is Molly's personal trainer and my personal sounding board. I love spending time with him, whether we're out and about or just sitting on the couch watching Psych or Ray. He is my forever friend.

"You stand by me. You believe in me like nobody ever has.

When my world goes crazy you're right there to save me.

You make me see how much I have...

"I don't know where I'd be without you here with me.

Life with you makes perfect sense.

You're my best friend."

~ Tim McGraw

Today was AWESOME

I love being a mom. I love being Molly's mom. 

Two nights ago she slept for 10 hours. Last night she slept for 9. Say WHAT?!

Today she took 4 naps - good, long naps. She was happy during her awake time. She is learning to reach for her toys and I love that she will smile at as when we make funny noises at her.

Isn't she a cute sleeper?!

She also has a special talent for spitting. This was her first outfit... I obviously had to change her.

Tell me she isn't the sweetest thing ever.

(Actually, don't tell me that - I won't believe you for a second.)

Georgetown Apartment

We've been in our apartment almost a month now, so I thought I'd share some pictures of our apartment. Overall we like it pretty well. We had a lot of complaints about our old apartment (a dryer that didn't vent to the outside but to inside the laundry closet, windows that got major condensation, windowsills that were molding because of the condensation, old cupboards) but there were also things we loved about it (vaulted ceiling, skylight, well maintained, big bedroom, very very quiet). This apartment is kind of the same. Lots of pros... a handful of cons. We're very happy to be here, but it makes us dream of the (hopefully not so distant) future when we can purchase our first home.

Our door is the one with the wreath and that balcony is ours.

So come on into our apartment...  Watch your step! There's barely room for the door to open before the steps begin (a little tricky to maneuver carrying the car seat).

At the top of the stairwell, look left. This is our living room. 

(HELP - I can't decide how I should decorate that white wall. Nothing looks quite right!)

Can you tell there is a half wall behind the couch? So the stairs are behind there. And here's a view of our nice big balcony... and our lovely view of the parking lot.

And when you come back in from the balcony, here's what you see. The kitchen is just past the living room.

The picture isn't very good, but with an IKEA gift card my parents gave us for Christmas, we got the shelf behind the table. It actually looks AWESOME there and we love it. Looks good and is great for all the stuff there isn't room for in the kitchen.

A little more counter space than our old apartment :).

But let's move on... The door on the left is Molly's room, straight ahead is our room, and on the right is a coat closet, the laundry closet, and the bathroom.

But to Molly's room. It is tiny, but it's perfect. My favorite room of the house.

We just got the rocking chair a couple weeks ago as the Christmas gift Bret and I gave to one another. We love it, BUT after three days of use it started squeaking like crazy! (Hopefully we can get it fixed - tightening bolts didn't make a difference and we're hesitant to use WD40. The company said it shouldn't be squeaking and hopefully they'll send us a new base!)

We just barely hung up the mobile... and Molly LOVES it.

Shhh... don't wake her up! Let's go back to the hall and catch a quick peek of the laundry closet.

Thrilling. Let's move on to the bathroom.

We seriously miss the counter, cupboard space, and general space of the bathroom in our old apartment, but we came up with some ways to make it work. A few stackable plastic drawers under the sink, some cups on the back of the slanted potty (yes, the floor slopes), and...

some cool things from IKEA! I'm sure this isn't how they were intended to be used, but it is fantastic! Genius!

And finally, the bedroom! I finally finished the quilt for our bed. I seriously need to put some pictures up on the wall now.

That door on the right is our closet - another high point of this apartment is lots of closet space.

And that's it. You've now seen our entire apartment. Not bad, huh? We're glad to be here. 

AND we love visitors!!! Lauren and Nate are coming next weekend and we're so flippin' excited! Any other takers? We'll show you around Austin, feed you, and even let you sleep on our air mattress!

It's Beginning to Look Like A LOT of Christmas...

Is this my third Christmas post? Dearest family - it is for you :)

After opening gifts, eating breakfast, getting ready, and possibly taking naps on Christmas morning we always go to my Grandma & Grandpa Wood's house for brunch. It is a great time to be with the whole extended family. Then, the past few years we have gone to a movie in the evening. We were nervous about going to Les Miserables with Molly and decided not to go. Luckily Jack and my parents decided they'd rather not go so we all went back to the house and played games, sat by the fire, and when everyone got home we watched a movie together. 

Here are some pictures of Molly in her Christmas outfit. Isn't that awesome?!

On the 26th we headed to Burley for a week of fun with the Wardles. The whole family got to be together for a few days, including New Years'. As usual there was lots of food, lots of games, lots of kids playing Wii and watching movies, lots of sleeping in, and lots of fun catching up. Molly got held almost all the time and loved showing off her new skill...

SMILING!

Isn't she adorable. We sure think so.

Bret (and a bunch of the family) was hooked on this maze-ball thing. You have to guide a small metal ball through this really intricate maze. I got stuck at the same place every time and didn't have the patience to keep trying, but Bret beat the whole thing. 

This is Molly in the tutu that her aunt Zenna made for her. Cute! 

Jay and Millie's 40th anniversary was on the 29th and all the siblings had been planning a big surprise (we were a little out of the loop for the planning, but loved seeing it come together). They have a big, empty white wall next to the stair case that was just crying out for some love, so...

Kristi found the awesome clock. Marisa made the flower thing out of toilet paper rolls. Zenna and Kurt built the big black frame and edited the temple picture to have Jay and Millie's marriage date in the corner. Karina and Craig built the shelf. Rachel cut and painted the "W"and made blocks that spelled "family" (not pictured) that hang from the hooks on the shelf. And I'm sure others were involved in ways I don't know about. All we did was cheerlead :) but we're so happy that we could be there to see it all come together. Jay and Millie were really touched and I know they'll love it.

And finally, on New Year's day I took pictures of all the grandkids playing with balloons. Why? Good question. I'm not exactly sure, but it turned out really fun.