It's been awhile.

"Oh, hi! Welcome!" That's actually a phrase my husband likes to say to me whenever he thinks I've said something foolish or reflective of my purchased hair color. It always makes me laugh. In this case it's just honest to whoever is reading this cause seriously, it's been awhile. My last blog post was two YEARS ago. Let's see, some changes that have taken place... 1. New home address. We are homeowners and it's the best possible house we could have gotten. It's on a quiet street, it has a huge backyard and it's full of character. Me love. 2. The kids are bigger. And more crazy. Watching that one scene in "Horrible Bosses" where Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis' characters accidentally snort cocaine has made me realize that my two children are akin to really small drug addicts. They're highly emotional, very hyper, loud, have the attention span of a gnat, destroy everything they come into contact with and when they're left unsupervised chaos will reign. Iz is 4 and riding his cruiser bike, loving all things dinosaurs and jet planes and reeeeeeally likes doing what he wants to do before doing what is asked of him. He also apparently likes to get spanked and put on time out. Charlie is about a month away from turning 3 and she never looks where she's going, likes anything that has sugar as the first or second ingredient, really wants a kitty cat for her upcoming birthday (no), and gives the best hugs of anybody I know. 3. Marriage is still marriage. Moments of "I'm so grateful I married this man", moments of "If he never came home I wonder if life would be easier", moments of "I can't possibly survive another second without him", and moments of "I want a padded room so I can form tackle his ass". It's a deepening relationship and it's real and beautiful and challenging and it makes me rely on Jesus and THAT is something I truly love. A friend of mine said something yesterday that made me think - she referred to her husband as her "bonus" in this life. Something about that is new to me and new is always awesome. I know I put expectations on Ryan that he can't possibly fulfill, and if I can change that, rid myself of assumptions and just focus on him as this incredible extra, a gift that God has given me, then oh my gosh. What an incredible perspective change. 4. I work out (if you haven't heard that cover of LMFAO's "Sexy and I know it" by a kid named Noah Guthrie - youtube it NOW). It started a little over a year ago. I felt like running. I don't understand it, for real. I've never had the lean body of a runner (*ahem* boobies are big *cough*) and let me be perfectly honest, the "baby fat" I'm still trying to lose is reeeeeeeally stuck on now considering my baby is almost 3. I digress...there was something about getting up early, being in peace and quiet and gazing at this incredibly beautiful place we live in that was really inspiring. So I did it. From May to September me and a couple buddies would get up 2-3 times in the week, early before the kids woke up, and run a 1.5-3 miles. What's cool is that this year we started up again and now there are more friends running, and our distance has gotten a little farther. One particular Saturday, my friend Amber and I went 5 miles. I couldn't walk the next day, but whatever. Totally worth it. Also, a few weeks ago I started attending a class at Eternia Athletics that makes me feel like I have the strength of a newborn deer. The next day I'm wobbly, weak, kinda pissy cause I'm just all-over sore - but it's challenging and motivating and I love that. So we'll see if this is the formula that finally causes my pre-baby body to emerge. 5. Fight Night / Bi-weekly Bible study. God has pushed my heart to seek Him in a meaningful, more open way with my friends and it's been incredibly great. Fight Night #2 is coming up in about a week and a half and I'm anticipating that He will be lifted up, praised and that women will come closer to each other and to Him through that monthly gathering. My close friends and I have been meeting every other week at the butt-crack of dawn to talk through Scripture, what's happening in our lives and pray for each other. I thought I was close to these girls before we started doing this and it has been proven to me that the best way to strengthen a friendship is to center it on Jesus Christ. I love them and I love seeing His work in all of our lives. Other than that life is pretty similar day to day: coffee, Bible, breakfast, play, lunch, no more naps so we play some more, dinner, bath, bedtime for babes, relax time with my sweetheart. Church, friends, family and music all dot the weekly as well. It's a good life. And I'm happy to have this moment to write about it. About two minutes ago Ryan (who was working out on the spin bike down in the basement while the kids were there with him watching a cartoon) started up the stairs and hollered to the kids to follow him - "NOOO!! Wait!!! Leave them down there!!! I'm writing!!!" was my super sweet, motherly response. I've been reading a book called "Carry on, Warrior" by Glennon Melton Doyle and she encourages this act of writing. It is freeing. And I'm hoping to free myself more frequently from here on out.