One Word For Twenty Thirteen

Since I opted out of making a resolution list this year, I joined Gussy and Ali in their One Word tradition. I love the idea and spent quite a while reading through the comments on both pages. Most people said they chose words that seemed to have 'chosen them'. That's how mine came about, too. I felt it sneaking through my thoughts during middle of the night crib parties, whispered into my heart while waiting impatiently for Camillo to be done studying for the night. Then one week, the word practically fell into my lap while reading my bible. 

Challenge accepted! This year, I want to choose a happy heart over a grumpy one. I want to be cheerful rather than full of worry. I want to give Camillo a smile instead of an irritated side glance. I just want to choose joy!

What would your word be? Tell me in the comments below, I'd love to know!

xoxo

Joy

A Dirty Four Letter Word

MCAT

Oh my gosh, just the sound of it makes me cringe! Camillo has been studying for this test for six months and I can't wait until it's over and done with. If it's been this hard on me, I can't imagine what it's done to Camillo's brain. Mine would be mush but somehow I think he gets even smarter when he studies. Go figure. 

Saturday is the big day. We'll send him off with a good breakfast and lots of prayers. If you're not sure what I'm taking about, the MCAT is the Medical College Acceptance Test. His score will dictate which med schools will even accept his application (the fancy schools don't even take your application unless you score above, say, 30/40). Yeah, huge friggin' deal.

Both of us are making lists of all the things we'll do when this test is history. More family dinners at the table rather than at his desk. More family walks rather than leaving him behind every time. More time to take turns going to the gym, more time with Oliver, more time to pursue each other, more time to spend with friends, more time to ... You name it. 

Thank you, Jesus this four letter word is almost a thing of our past. And thank you that Camillo is gonna rock that test. And thank you for his smarty pants. And thank you for helping us through the last six months. And thank you for being with us still. Because this is only just the beginning!!

xoxo

Joy

Today Is Wednesday, Right?

Things are a little off around here in the Candido house. What I thought might have been a constipated tummy ache  turned out to be a toofy coming in! Not sure how I mixed those two things up but, hey, we're learning! Ollie's first tooth popped through on Monday night and we're still working on the second one. His poor little gums are swollen and bulging from the pressure of that tiny tooth trying to get out of there! Needless to say, the days have been filled with moaning and groaning (mostly from baby..) and the nights have been long and lacking sleep. I've found myself whispering "we're gonna make it" over and over under my breath. I'm sure I'm being a little over dramatic but this is our first teething rodeo, folks. 

To end on a lighter note: Oliver is gonna look so cute with those two little toofies! :)

We're gonna make it...

xoxo

Joy

Sometimes

Sometimes there are 6 loads of laundry, sorted neatly on the floor, waiting to be washed, dried, and folded.

Sometimes there is a sink and 2 counters full of plates, cups, mugs, pots, bowls, pans, and silverware waiting to be scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and put away.

Sometimes there are blog posts waiting to be imagined, written, and posted.

Sometimes there are projects waiting to be started and others waiting to be finished.

Sometimes the bed is a mess with the covers waiting to be made neat and the pillows needing fluffed.

But sometimes, a baby boy needs his mama to snuggle him through his tummy aches and rock him while he sleeps. And then that's all that matters. Every time. 

5 Things You Should {NOT} Do When Cutting Your Own Bangs

You should not cut your bangs in your skivvies, 5 minutes before your friend is supposed to show up at your house. No matter how close you two are, you will be mortified if she knocks on the door and you're not only undressed, but also only half way through your trim.

You should not cut your bangs while wrinkling your forehead or raising your eyebrows. Especially if you are using your eyebrows as your length guide. Doing so will result in..well, you can probably guess.

You should not cut your bangs all at once, in one big swoop. Start at the center and work your way over to the sides. This way, you won't accidentally cut way. too. much.

You should not cut your bangs and then leave the texturing for later. Even heavy, blunt bangs need a little love from the texturing shears.

You should not cut your bangs and then panic. If you need to, get them wet and re-blowdry them. Now try again and blow them in a different direction. Okay, well.. Look on the bright side: in two weeks they'll be the perfect length.

Good Luck and Happy Trimming!

xoxo
Joy

Five Months!!

Hell-o, Sonny! What a big boy you've become this month! You've learned so many new things - Mama and Daddy are so proud of you!! You're such a sweet little person. Mama loves to be your mama!

We were going to wait until you turned 6 months before we gave you your first taste of food. I thought we could skip the whole rice cereal step all together and go straight for the avocados and sweet potatoes. But since you're the size of most 9 month olds I've ever known, you were too hungry to wait another month! You're doing really great at eating with a spoon. The first few tries made for some funny faces but, now that you got the hang of it, you love eating like a big boy! My favorite thing is to watch Daddy feed you. It's pretty funny. And messy!

We went to Yogurtland with Uncle Jordy and you sat in the high chair all by yourself! It was a little wobbly at first but, by the look on your face, you were pretty impressed with yourself.

Your arms are getting stronger by the day - you can even push up onto your toes and hold the plank position. Mama can hardly even do that! Oh, gosh. You make the cutest faces when you're proud about something. And when you're holding yourself up - that's the best!

We've got a roller in the house! You started by going from your back to your tummy. A couple weeks later, you figured out how to go from your tummy to your back! Now, Mama can put you down on the floor with your toys and walk away for just a minute..when I come back, you're across the living room!! Yay for Mama and Daddy!! :) 

It's been a pretty great month, I'll say. We celebrated your first Christmas and New Year. Somebody (Daddy?!) taught you how to growl like a lion, oh my! You're a very chatty little guy and when you talk to Mama, I'm certain that you're telling me all sorts of stories. What fun adventures you imagine! 

Love you, Suga Baby. Seriously, we love having you in our family. Thank you for being such a sweet boy. What are we gonna learn this month?!

xoxo
Mama and Daddy

Photos from the first snow of the winter at my parent's house

December was kind of rough for me. Okay, honestly, all of 2012 was rough. There were some huge blessings (um, like my baby!!) but then there were also a few really really hard challenges. All of these life changing events had left me feeling completely upside down. Not sure where I stood or who I wanted to be. Or, maybe more importantly, who I was supposed to be. 

During the last week of the year I felt such a burden to make a list of resolutions. Promising to do this or that within the next 365 days. Trouble was, my mind was completely blank. How can I make goals towards being a better person if I don't know who I want to be when the year is done?

I was in a bad place, folks. I felt lost, anxious, mixed up, unsure, confined, overwhelmed. The worst part? Feeling guilty for carrying these emotions in the first place. There is so much to be thankful for, happy and excited about..but somehow all I wanted to do was hide under the covers, in the dark, by myself. I couldn't handle the pressure to have it all together when in reality I felt like I was falling apart.

I wasn't going to share this with you because I don't like to be a Debbie Downer. I figured I could write posts about my happy baby, the sunshine, and holiday baking while hiding what else is going on. But I'd rather be real. Because if I don't share some of the hard things that go on in my life, how can I share with you the victories? I know God is still working in my heart. And Jesus hasn't left me alone to deal with these issues by myself!

So now you know. The fog has lifted a bit but I'm still feeling pretty low. But I'm not hopeless! I know all of this is just for a season, and God is with me even when I don't know where I am. On the other side of whatever {this} is, I know I'll have an amazing story of His grace in my life and I'll be sure to tell you all about it. In the meantime, I'll continue sharing with you the things that cheer me up..like my happy baby, the sunshine, and holiday baking. Thanks for listening.

xoxo
Joy

Spring Fever

This morning I woke up at 7:30am thinking of spring. I don't know why, I'm not minding winter. Maybe I'm just ready to get out of the house with some sun shining instead of rain pouring. Lucky me, it's turned into a sunny, pretty day today! Let's go for a walk!!

Any weekend plans for you guys? Saturday I get to hang out with a friend I haven't seen in way too long, yay! Then Sunday we'll be watching the game and then going to church. 

LET'S GO SEAHAWKS!!

xoxo

Joy

Our Merry Little Christmas

   Since we spent Christmas with my family earlier in December, Camillo and I decided it'd be a good year to start our every-other-year-plan. We don't get to take turns between families because Camillo's  family lives in Brasil. As grand as it would be to travel to South America biennially, we just can't do it. So the last couple years have been spent with my family but this year, we stayed at our house - just the three of us! I was really looking forward to an intimate family Christmas and I wasn't disappointed. It was perfect. 

On Christmas Eve we brought the air mattress out to the living room for a little slumber party under the tree lights. It was so fun! We're going to keep this a Candido Family Tradition. Yay! We stayed up a little too late watching catch-up Dexter episodes. What?! I know. That part won't be tradition :) Maybe some holiday movies would be more appropriate..

Oliver finally slept through the night again. The week before he'd been waking up every two hours screaming hungry. Oh, and every night since then, too. So much for 10 hour nights. Anyways, it was a great Christmas gift from my little guy. I woke up feeling rested and ready for a happy day. We stayed in bed for another hour or two, taking pictures, singing silly songs, and snuggling. I love my boys!

The rest of the day consisted of a yummy breakfast and good coffee, a couple gifts, Christmas storybooks, thankful conversations, and naps. Really, it was exactly what I had been hoping for.

By next year, when Ollie is old enough to kinda join in, I hope to establish a couple more Christmas traditions. What are some of your family traditions? Do tell!

xoxo
Joy

All Is Calm

After a month of traveling and hosting company, our holiday shenanigans have come to an end. I'll be sharing photos over the next couple weeks: a trip to Seaside, snow at Grammy's, baby's first Christmas! Now it's just the three of us here in this little house and, aside from Ollie's delighted squeals, all is calm and quiet. We enjoyed a wonderful season and hopefully you did, too!

There's been so much on my heart that I've been trying to work out. All of it has kind of left me speechless. I really don't like not being able to explain how I feel or what I'm thinking. Sydney hit the nail on the head, though. I'll figure it out in my own words but for now, I'll appreciate how well she put it and and be thankful I'm not the only one! 

xoxo

Joy

Off To A Good Start

 Our first day of this new year was spent outside in the gorgeous sunshine! While daddy was studying, this baby and I bundled up for a nice, cold walk around Queen Anne. It was magnificent! Ollie loves being outside and had a great time watching all the things we passed by. Trees, cars, houses, coffee shops, bikers, runners, stop signs. He's such a curious little bug and I can already tell he's going to love learning - just like his daddy!

I didn't really know where we were exactly but it was fun to explore and walk down streets we'd never been before. Except for when the raised sidewalk suddenly ended and the only way to get down to street level was a flight of sketchy, potentially icy stairs. That was a little too 'all-terrain' so we turned the stroller around and found a different route. We were obviously on the upper/outer parts of Queen Anne Hill because the views were so great. Can you see the mountains through those phone wires? 

We've had the best couple weeks as a family of three celebrating our first season of holidays together. It's been perfect, really. 

And now, January is here. Are you excited? Me, too. 

xoxo

Joy