Semi-homemade Christmas

So, i'm not super crafty and creative but I enjoy trying when I have time.  Of course when money is tight it's sometime necessary to be creative with Christmas gifts.  Pinterest has helped me be a bit more creative, so I thought i'd share a couple of my pinterest-inspired Christmas gifts (I can only post some of these advance because others may see this and ruin the Christmas surprise).  Also a given that when it's your child's first Christmas...everyone gets a picture of your kid...and no one can say they don't like your gift! :)

 Scrabble letter tiles connecting my entire family...gift for my parents!  Me and each of my siblings names coming off "Scarbrough" (my maiden name) and includes grandkids and spouses (soon-to-be-spouse).  Made a few other versions of this not shown here too!  Got this shadow box frame 12"x12" for $5 at Goodwill and ordered a set of Scrabble letters for around $6...scrapbook paper background I already owned!

Elias' first autograph...this fits perfect in his sports themed bedroom and makes a great gift for our baseball loving family!  This was a fun one to create...also made ornaments with his handprint!  I already owned the paint and just bought baseballs for around $2 and autographed baseball holders for $3!

Lessons I'm Learning

Lessons i'm learning (in no particular order)...

• Being mature and disciplined is hard work and isn't fun, but allows you to do so much more of what is truly important!
• Diaper sprayers are soooo worth it when it comes to cloth diapering 
• Doing a little laundry everyday helps it not to get quite as overwhelming
• 8 months olds can grab and spill something before you even get it set down
• It doesn't really matter if the schedule changes every day as long as your family gets time together and has what they need
• The story of Jonah in the Bible is much more than just for a kids' Sunday school class...good life lessons!
• Watching your man in all his strength and masculinity, compassionately caring for your baby is every wife/mom's dream come true!  
• Keep things in perspective
• When you have 5 classes worth of lesson plans to prepare, it's okay to only be ready for the next day and maybe only a few minutes ahead of the kids...most of the time they won't ever even know
• There is no better sound than the giggle of a baby
• When given the opportunity, middle school kids can have very deep and meaningful conversations
• Living life in community with other imperfect people is really messy and difficult but absolutely essential and totally worth it!  I'm thankful for a church family that does life and ministry this way
• I've always known this, but never cease to be amazed at how true this is...I have been redeemed by a loving Savior and am BLESSED beyond belief!!

I'd love to hear any of your lessons...

Fall Family Outing

Tonight was absolutely gorgeous weather and we took advantage of the evening we had together as a family (they are few and far between) and went for a walk!  I really love our new apartment by the way and when we were out and about we discovered all sorts of cute little nature spots and peaceful neighborhoods to walk around.

Elias generally sits back and chills out when he's riding in his stroller.  Which is so funny because normally he is an outgoing smiley baby, but when he gets in his stroller (without his carseat) he just sits back, completely emotionless and goes along for the ride.  He loves to watch everything and has always been an observant baby, so I guess the times when he gets to ride facing forward in his stroller he takes full advantage of this.  The one pic with a smile below was coaxed out of him with lots of silly faces by mom and dad, probably quite funny to any passers by! :)

This might sound silly, but I really enjoy days where I don't have to put on any makeup.  Now I know I don't ever HAVE to wear makeup, but you know what I mean.  Even if i'm going to be out running errands, as long I don't have somewhere that I have to go or an event i'm attending I won't put any makeup on and today was one of those nice relaxing days!  :)

Here's some pictures to document our family outing...ENJOY!

 Chad pushing the stroller while I made faces trying to get a smile out of Eli

 Elias hung his arm over the edge of the stroller for about 25 minutes of our walk, just chillin not even caring about the toy we hooked on to his stroller for him!

Momma & Eli (arm still hanging)

Some self-taken family photos...amazingly Eli was looking at the camera! 

(even with a slight smirk below)

Old Fashion Momma

It's been a month now since my grandma passed away.  Not a fun or positive way to start a blog post I know, but it's been on my mind a lot the past couple days.  As I was thinking back on the quick overnight trip to Mound City, MO for my grandma's funeral my mind went to the many beautiful things about that time.  I got to see so many of my relatives, most of which live out of state in Florida, California, New Jersey, Georgia, etc.  It was a great time to connect with the Scarbrough family who, despite their many dysfunctions, love each other deeply and most of whom have a strong, personal relationship with Jesus!  My Aunt boldly preached the gospel at Grandma Bonnie's funeral and shared about the amazing woman my grandma was and the incredible 88 years of life she had!  She raised 3 talented, wise, God-fearing children (all of who were prodigal kids who came back to God later in life...a lesson to never give up on God or your kids!)  I hope I can have just some of the legacy my grandma has left behind!

While in Mound City at the local restaurant (really one of the only ones in town) I had a chance to chat with a more distant relative who was just enamored with Eli.  She was a mom to a big baby of her own (her children now all grown with kids of their own).  I've found moms that birthed large children all have funny stories to tell and are very partial to big babies...funny how much this comes up when people find out how old Eli is compared to his size.  These moms all have advice for me and tell me how their kids grew up to be, it's fun to hear these stories and somewhat humorous at how passionate people get about it.  Most of these moms ask me all the basic questions (did I have a C-section? am I breastfeeding? etc.) and when they find out I gave birth naturally think i'm crazy, but this mom was seriously giving me high fives...it was funny but also very encouraging.  She was quick to tell me not to let people convince me big babies need solid foods any earlier or that they should be supplemented with anything besides breastmilk and was relieved to hear that I and our pediatrician agreed on this point.  So, this woman and I are somewhat bonding by now, and then she discovered I use cloth diapers.  She was thrilled to pieces and amazed at the progress made in cloth diapering products today and called me an "old fashion momma!" Lol!  I've never really thought of it like that...does having children naturally, feeding them the way God intended and using reusable diapers make me old fashion?  

I don't know if i'm old fashion or not, but I took all of this as a compliment and realized just how much I have loved my experiences of bringing Eli into the world and caring for him as much as I can without interruption from our modern society.  Not that the modern conveniences are bad, i'm thankful for things like formula and medical technology when it's needed (and trust me I like many of my modern baby toys and gadgets that make my busy life easier).  But, I know for me it has been such a beautiful connection time with my son to breastfeed (this has truly become one of my favorite things, and trust me it wasn't always easy).  It is the healthiest thing for both of us and even now that i'm working full time and it's not convenient anymore, it's still one of the best gifts I can give Elias as a good start in life, so that makes all the pumping so worth it!  I love our cloth diapers and don't even really mind the laundry (maybe i'm a weirdo).  Of course the money savings for these 2 things are amazing too!  Now that i'm just rambling I will stop, but I guess the moral of my story is...naturally caring for your children shouldn't be an "old fashion" thing...why am I some sort of phenomenon to women I meet all the time?  I know many of my like-minded mommas out there have experienced this too, I guess i'm just shocked at how often I come across people like that who think i'm the crazy one...this is how God intended it to be, it shouldn't be so weird!

Crazy unpredictable month

It's been a month since my last post and wow has it been quite a month!  Many of the transitions I wrote about this summer have come to fruition.  Although it's been overwhelming to say the least, God has been faithful to our family (as He always is) and i'm excited for the possibilities and adventures on the horizon!  If you're interested in an update read on, if not don't bore yourself you can just skip ahead to the pictures!  :)

- We moved into our new apartment on August 1st...unpacked rather quickly and settled in (still a few boxes lying around and no pictures on the wall yet, but it's a work in process)

- Chad began his internship in pastoral care and recovery ministry on Aug. 5th.  Throughout the summer we attended both The Rock (campus church) and Woodcrest (our new church where Chad is interning).  Around this time we began attending Woodcrest full time and really diving in to this new community...this has been a huge blessing in our lives!  They have great pastors and leadership teams, amazing childcare facilities for Elias and incredible programs for me connect and grow with God and others!  I'm excited to see where God will take us through this opportunity!

- I began my new teaching job on Aug. 8th.  I had 7 full days of preparing and planning with meetings and time spent in my classroom before students arrived.  This was my "test run" with Eli in day care and me pumping at work to continue providing him breast-milk.  He did great...it was difficult for me to leave him, but knowing he's in great hands is very relieving!  He stays with a good friend who is a stay-at-home mom to a 17 month old little boy (whose husband works with us at The Rock).  This is a transition for all of us, as she is getting used to caring for 2 babies and her son is getting used to sharing his mommy!  But I cannot express how thankful I am for this arrangement!  As for pumping, it's not exactly fun, but my teachers are very accommodating and i've gotten good and quick!  This may be too much info, but i'm proud of it...I can send students down to break with other teacher, set-up my pump, pump with my Medela double electric pump (about 7-8 oz total), pour milk into storage bag, label bag, and clean up and get back to my students within 10 minutes!

- Aug. 14th my grandma (dad's mom) passed away and funeral was set for Aug. 18 (my second day of school).  So, I survived my first day of classes with kiddos and left immediately after school to go pick up Eli and drive the 3.5 hrs to be with family.  Those of you who have babies know that traveling with a 5 month old isn't always easy...he did great for most of it but cried his little eyes out for about 45 minutes at the end of our trip.  I finally arrived in Mound City, MO with a worn out red-eyed baby.
I created sub plans for my second day while I was absent and came back in time to finish off the week on Friday with my class.  My first day of school while I was on duty, one of my 6th grade students got stung by a wasp on the playground...just my luck!  I'm now almost done with my second week of school and it seems like this past week and a half have been forever...but i'm beginning to adjust and get the hang of all the ins and outs of my school (much to learn, this is a never ending process)

- Eli is 6 months old today and after school I took him to his 6 month check-up where he weighed in at 20 lbs. 10 oz. (93rd percentile) and 28 inches long (92nd percentile)...he's our awesome BIG baby and I wouldn't change our life for anything!  He's been eating rice cereal from a spoon for about 3 weeks now (just a few times a week really) and he's getting great at it and totally loves it...imagine that!  I'm excited to start introducing a few new foods to him and see how he likes it...pretty sure he'll love it!  Another thing to add to my to-do list, but it will be fun to experience with him.  By the way, I would love any ideas and recipes for homemade baby food if you want to share!

As usual here's some photos from the last month of Elias' life...

 My adorable, rolly little man!

He loves to chew/suck on dad's finger...just waiting for those teeth to come in!

Working on his crawling skills

Rock superhero stress ball doesn't stand a chance with Eli

Big eyes and open mouth...the norm for Eli if you haven't noticed

Standing with daddy

Smiley!

His feet are one of his new favorites this month

Getting himself into funny positions is another new skill...if you turn your back for even a second he is often in a new spot or position on the floor (couch is only when supervised these days)

Hanging in his firetruck pj's

Can't decide between his thumb and big toe

5 months of AMAZING growth!

Today Elias is 5 months old!  I have been very overwhelmed lately by how much he has grown and changed in such a short period of time.  With the recent birth of some of my close friends' babies, I have found myself looking back at all my newborn pictures in amazement at how different Eli is now!  He is at an age where he is truly changing every day and learning new skills all the time.  We have been told by many people how alert and observant Eli is...he ALWAYS wants to be upright looking around at everything!  Even while he's eating (obviously one of his favorite activities) he will now stop nursing to look around if someone new walks in the room or if I start talking.

Here are some side-by-side pictures to document this amazing growth over the past 5 months...

 

Coming home from hospital at 2 days old vs. 4 1/2 months old

(notice the location of the side impact safety sticker on the right side of the carseat compared to his height!)

 

One of Eli's first baths at home vs. nearly 4 months old after bath

Eli on Chad's chest in the hospital vs. 4 month old Eli on Chad's chest.

 

About 3 week old Eli in Chad's arms vs. 4 1/2 month old Eli in Chad's arms

Loving summers at the Lake

Just yesterday while driving back from the Lake of the Ozarks, where we spent a long weekend at my parents lake house, I realized how quickly the summer is flying by!  I began getting really anxious (freaking out really) and very sad.  I have just a few weeks to get everything prepared...an entire apartment to pack, classroom and lesson plans to prepare, daycare and feedings to coordinate for Eli and every other little thing that goes with life and all our transitions going on right now.  Plus the realization of leaving Eli and only getting to spend maybe 3-4 hours each day with him in the evenings after I get off work.  I have been so blessed to spend just about every minute of every day with him for the past 4 1/2 months...I truly don't know how i'm going to leave him! :( 

I have to keep myself focused on the positives because I can get so easily caught up in the negative.  I'm very excited for the opportunity to teach and for the challenge of having my own classroom!  The moments I do have with Eli once i'm working full-time will be that much more precious (as well as the time I get with Chad will be more cherished)!  

This realization hit me so hard because I've been somewhat avoiding all the work I need to do and enjoying my last bit of time with Eli without working.  I've had a lot of fun this summer and spent quite a bit of time at the lake.  I enjoyed a week with my mom, a few weekends with the whole family, including some time with my good friends Ashleigh and Justin and their awesome daughter Chloe too.  I've also gotten a lot of time to hangout with my crazy fun nephew Sam (4 1/2 yrs old) and cutie patootie niece Kinley (20 months old)!  So, for now i'm cherishing the moments I have and looking back on the great times this summer...enjoy some photos to document my summer fun!

Eli with Grandpa 

Sleeping on the boat in his life jacket 

Justin & Chloe in their shades on the waverunner 

Sam & Kinley hanging on the tube

Relaxin in the hammock

Sam jumping off the dock...he loves the water!

Showing off his diving skills 

Sam and Kinley watching their daddy tube with Janey (Brad's girlfriend) 

Mommy & Eli getting ready for a swim on the 4th of July weekend - sporting the red, white, & blue! 

Taking a dip in the lake 

Did I mention that we love the lake!

Happy Father's Day!!

It is such a joy to see Chad as a daddy, he absolutely loves Elias and is so great with him.  In fact Chad really loves all kids.  Anytime we're out and he sees a little kid (including our Father's Day breakfast at Cafe Berlin) he waves to them, smiles at them, and basically tries to get any reaction out of them he can...it's adorable!

For Father's day, like I said, we went out to breakfast and relaxed a bit in the morning.  Eli and I gave Chad some grilling gear for Father's Day...typical I know, but he liked it a lot!  In the afternoon we spent some time with Chad's brother Mike and their dad, who had traveled down from North Dakota (after spending a few days in Minneapolis at a car show with his sons).  This was the first trip down he has been able to make, so Father's Day was also the first day that Grandpa Gene got to meet Eli.  We spent the day playing games, hanging out, and then had some delicious grilled food for dinner with an ice cream run for dessert!

My two loves, all smiles!  It's amazing how much they look alike...just look at those cheeks! 

Elias with Grandpa Gene

Grandpa Gene, Chad, and Elias - 3 generations of Clootens

A crazy couple years

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of our miscarriage.  Late night, into early morning 2 years ago Chad and I spent 4 or 5 hours in the Emergency Room only to find out that our first child had passed away.  For more of our journey over the past couple years check out my first post detailing our Birth Story.

Then a year later (one year ago) we conceived our second little love, Elias!  It is such a joy to have him in our life.  I truly cannot describe the love I have for him and every day I thank the Lord for giving him to us!

Today Chad and I were pondering the craziness of the past couple years.  It has been a roller coaster of emotions, almost surreal to look back on.  God has given us strength in the midst of weakness, joy in the midst of sorrow, and love in the midst of heartache!  Praise be to God!

Elias reached another fun milestone today...rolling over for the first time!  It is so exciting to see him growing up before our eyes.  He continues to be more and more fun and interactive, i'm loving the time I get with him and cherishing this full-time until I have to begin work in August!

Changes on the horizon

My 12 weeks of allowed maternity leave just ran out.  I have been trying to decide what I would do ever since I got pregnant and would love to stay home with my little man full-time.  The past 3 months since he's been born have been amazing to be able to be home with him and I am so thankful i've had this time.  But, me staying home isn't really a possibility for our family right now.  I have been totally stressed out about what I would do...up until now I have balanced 2 part time jobs (not making much money at one of them) and that arrangement would be too difficult with an infant at home.  Therefore, I went looking for a new job.

God has totally provided for me in completely unexpected ways and I have just been hired at Christian Chapel Academy as next years 8th grade teacher.  I will actually teach 6, 7, & 8 grade science and 8th grade social studies and bible class.  Most small Christian schools have their teachers fill many roles.  I am nervous about the work load this will require (on top of maintaining a home with a husband and baby), but very excited for this opportunity and have felt extremely welcomed by Christian Chapel already!  

This is not the only change happening...August brings lots of change.  I will be starting this new job, Chad will be starting a new internship, we will be moving into a new apartment on August 1st, and at the same time Elias will be ready to start solid foods and will have to begin going to daycare.  I get very anxious and stressed thinking about it and would appreciate any prayers for peace and preparedness!  

But, for now i'm enjoying some free time...currently spending a girls' week with my mom (and Eli of course) at the Lake of the Ozarks!  I will miss my hubby, but am looking forward to down-time.

And because I can't resist, here are some more pictures of Eli and our family (taken by Breezy Torres)...

Love this face...

My precious little man!

Exhausted from the photo shoot, he couldn't resist falling asleep in daddy's arms!

The letters I made to match his sports-themed room

Having fun with the "Party at my crib" shirt

Love our family!!

He's such a happy baby!