Playing catchup- A Misty Plum Christmas

"I want to slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God." Ann Voskamp

(I have this quote sitting by my sink in my kitchen. I need it every day.)

So at last I'm sitting by my fireplace, mid February, ice is falling outside and I'm going to try to recall what happen over the holidays. Since November hit, I feel as if my life sped up as fast as possible and I was just holding on for my dear life. We had a trip to Arizona, three weddings, small children, one sick boy, holiday cray cray, and I was having bouts of slight and very strange dizziness/brain fog that began the night before I shot my wedding in Arizona. This has made the last few months really hard as a mom to parent and take care of kids while struggling with this slight vertigo. I went to the doctors a few times, of course they couldn't help me. I also prayed and cried a lot. This went on through the holidays and till last week. I'm not sure what exactly fixed me, it was either me laying on the floor of my sons room with a sinus infection, dizziness, praying and crying loudly. I said "This is enough! I'm done with this. All this sickness and dizziness. I'm done." Or it could have been me going to a wellness chiropractor a few days later and she took x-rays on me. I have had my Atlas vertebrae rotate flat which is causing light vertigo, hormone imbalance etc. She adjusted me, and I'm going on like day 5 without any vertigo. So Jesus or chiro I'm very happy about it. 

So Christmas was sweet, we went to a Christmas tree farm late November and cut down a tree. Laef loved it. He talked about Christmas trees so much all the time. He loved Christmas. These are Atlas' 6 month photos below. I was like a week late in taking them and almost 3 months late in posting. And I have 7 and 8 months to get on here at some point. 

The weekend before and leading up to Christmas day, Brandon and I decided to team effort it and take on potty training Laef. This task is not for the weak of heart. Oh man... It was some of the roughest three days of my life. I think it compared to being a mom for the first time and not sure what the heck was happening. We did it that week because Brandon had the whole week off of work, and I didn't want to have to do it alone with two children.

Laef is successful and has had moments of relapse but he is back on track and I'm holding my breath every time he goes. It's been a hard journey. I'm so proud of him though. 

This was the best Christmas we have had in a very long time. Christmas evening our family sat around my brother and sister in laws piano and sang Christmas carols loud late into the night. We haven't done that in a very long time. Brandon and I felt so overwhelmed by how sweet it was being with family and just being so content with little or much. 

My boys are growing so quickly and I am trying so hard to be the best mom to them in this season of their life. They need me for everything. And it's so hard some days to find peace in the midst of the complete crazy. 

Some days I have to fight the dread of the seeing a messy house, two hungry boys crying, 4 loads of unfolded laundry, a pile of dishes and three toilets that need cleaning. I am so blessed and thankful for my mundane days that are creating a beautiful story in my heart. But I do feel like I hardly hanging on some days. Friendships and relationships take more work then ever these days. And its not because I don't love easily, but its being true to myself and finding the people that inspire me, love me and that I love being around. I honestly don't have time for friendships in my life that are not helping me. It's just the season I'm in. I can give very little to those outside of my home, and I have to pick what to invest my time in. I never thought I would have to say those things. I've mostly been a social butterfly and really good at keeping up with every single person in my life. But no, not this time. I need to be inspired and true to myself when I get moments away from my kids. 

Is this selfish? Maybe. But it's what I have to have right now. The older we get the more our hearts long to really plant deep relationships and not surface stuff. All of us long to inspire others and long to be inspired. 

Atlas is a strong willed, sweet little man. He's crawling everywhere, pulling himself up on everything and longs to be in your lap. He's a cuddle bug. The last 2-4 months he has struggled a lot with sickness/colds/ ear infections and he has had it rough. Since January I've really found myself falling in love with who this little boy is. Being careful to not write him off as another Laef. He is so so different. He is fast at learning, really tough, loves rough play from Laef (thank God) and loves his brother so much. Him and I have bonded through his sickness, and that is sweet. He always preferred Brandon over me. But now, I think he loves me. ;) I'm just falling for this little man. 

My parents got Laef a guitar for Christmas, and He loves it. Anytime I play music super loud through the house, or sit at my piano, Laef comes out to play!

He is seriously the sweetest, kindest little 2.5 year old. He says thank you, I'm sorry momma, He cleans up his room every night. I mean... <3 I've loved discovering with him. I've loved seeing the mom in my come out with Laef. He has made me love like nothing else has made me love. The Love and logic method of parenting has made him so sweet.

That's it for now. I'm hoping to catch up so I'm not so overwhelmed with blogging. 

Happy winter. 

Etching A Mark In My Memory.

"Taking time to write and journal is like etching a mark in your memory. It's like carving on the family tree, and it can be compared to solidifying the running water of time." - Me. Journal entry 1.14.14.

Sitting down to write almost feels like I'm standing in the middle of a waterfall, every drop of water that hits me is a story, a thought, a failure, a beautiful moment, a terrifying moment, a tear or ten, an accomplishment, a dream come true, a victory, a battle, a magical moment, an overwhelming encounter, a fear, a prayer, a day full of perfection, a day full of pure terror... etc. I have had so much that has happen the last three months that I don't have a clue where to start. I've missed posting Atlas' 5, 6 and now 7 month photos. Mostly because somehow I lost all of Atlas' 5 month photos except for maybe two and a few iPhone photos. And I haven't had a chance to even take any of Atlas at seven months. I guess it's true when you have the second child, you wish so badly that you could invest half the amount of energy you did into the first one. I now understand why they sell baby food at the store. With Laef I didn't have a clue why people wouldn't just make their own. I discovered the answer to that judgmental question. TIME. Goodness.

When winter hits I feel as if the earth may crumble. It feels like winter lasts forever.  I don't like being stuck in my house. I don't like strapping kids with giant coats on into tiny seat belts while the cold rain soaks my back.  I like blue skies, and golden sunlight. I like the green woods behind my house, and the way my porch ceiling fan knows exactly how to blow its breeze at me. I like 75 degrees. I like leaving my house without freezing my butt off or sweating my butt off while trying to get out of the door with ten layers on. ah!! 

Anyways, so where to begin. I don't know if I can really back track. I might just post an insane amount of photos and let you do the judging of it all. Or I may post a few blogs and let you decide which you feel like taking the time to read. 

These last three months I've experienced so many different emotions. My boys are growing beautifully, yet I've been so busy with them and photography that I've lost the joy at times of living in the moment. I've experienced dread on certain days, wishing for normal. Wishing to sleep past 6:30. Wishing to eat breakfast before 9:30 or 10.

Me and Brandon took a magical trip to AZ for a wedding beginning of November. We loved every second of our time there, away from our boys. We returned to more work, taking care of the boys, traveling to KC, Christmas shopping. I really don't know where November went. I can sorta comprehend a little bit of it, but it felt like a little breeze that blew across my cheek. 

I've struggled so much. I've had really rough days, and really incredible days. But more on the rough side. I've set my expectations to high in getting things done, and therefore found myself overwhelmed and edgy toward my kids. sigh. I've hit probably the lowest point of being a mom in my 2.5 years of parenting. There were days where the magic of being a mom was nowhere to be found, and I was simply there, living, breathing, and holding on for dear life. I've been trying to lean into the Lords love and find his grace. 

Last night I asked the Lord before bed if I should pick up any of my books and read them. (I don't read much, and I don't really enjoy it.) I wanted the Lord to encourage me before bed. I picked up my journal. My journal of seven years. Its just a simple notebook, with the most horrific scribble scrabble writing that would make most humans have a seizure if they tried to decode it. It is not beautiful to look at, it's not an art piece of hand crafted beauty, but it is the most beautiful thing I own besides my family. It's this glorious journey of my heart. It holds the answers and questions of all the seasons that I've walked through the last seven years. I started it's pages in a coffee shop in Kansas City seven years ago. I was 21, and full of myself quite honestly. Cared so much what the world thought of me, and could only dream of being noticed in the worship leading world. *rolls eyes.* 

When I read through my journals I find the Lords faithfulness written on every page. He is faithful to me in the middle of all my fears, all my victories, and all my struggles. And most certainly through all my bad mom days. He has gracefully led me through valleys, and deserts. I look back and I laugh and cry at the silly things I was afraid of. How small and hilarious they are now that I look back, yet they were so valuable to the Lord, and he had and has hand crafted every small season. Even the seasons where my own heart condemns me. He is and was so much greater then my heart and whacked out post baby hormones.  It is so beautiful to be able to read your heart and to understand that person writing. I know that girl, because I think like that girl, I am her. And her story is not glamorous by any means, but it's sealed with a seal of love. My prayer through almost every entry. "Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where and how will you feed me in this season of my life. Kids or no kids, job or no job, winter or spring, plenty or little, favorite food or not my favorite food, rough relationships or amazing relationships, lonely or loved. How are you, Father, going to find me, and tend to my human weak heart. You are a safe place for my soul to rest in." This coats almost every page of my journal. It's all I have left to pray at the end of the day.

So here is baby Atlas 5+ months and Laef at age 2. These are mostly a few iphone photos. I'm going to post another blog with Christmas photos soon. ;)

Happy New Year!