A month, really????

Life is ever changing in the Nelson household. I figured I should blog because it has officially been a month. So for anyone who is still reading, HELLLLLLOOOOO out there!

The highlights of the last month:

- Max -
1. Spent a week in Oklahoma with grandparents and no parents :) It was a weird feeling being without a child for week but I think Max had the time of his life. So much so, that Max and I went back a couple of weeks later and spent the week at Grandma Flo's with frequent visits to Bop and Ebe's.

2. Tried potty training. Stopped potty training after Max declared "I'm a baby, I wear diapers".

3. Enrolled at a PDO. Un-enrolled at a PDO after they raised their prices astronomically. Found a new PDO at a local United Methodist Church. Max will start after Labor Day.

4. Has started a new love affair with his dinosaur rainboots. He wears them frequently. Oftentimes accessorized by nothing but a space helmet and diaper. I will hopefully capture this on camera soon.

5. His imagination is growing by leaps and bounds. On the way home in the car he told me a story: "The polar bear said, 'I'm going to eat you up'. So, he was sent to his polar bear room where there was a train and a tunnel and a crocodile. The crocodile said, 'I'm going to snap you up!'"

6. He is definitely a boy. The fart jokes have already started in the house, well there were always fart jokes (thanks Lane) but it weird to now how have a 2 year old participating!

- Lane -

1. Still working hard and being an awesome provider for our family!

2. Getting ready to turn 32 next month (jeez, what an old man)!

3. Has been spending a lot of time helping a friend with some design. It's been nice seeing him excited about designing again.

- Laura -

1. Flipped than flopped about what to do with my career. Which is slightly ridiculous considering I'm not even working. I think I've finally figured myself out...

2. Turned 29 and a half. That is slightly depressing.

3. Will return to working daycare afterschool starting tomorrow!

I think that touches on the highlights of our life the last month. Nothing too terribly exciting or life changing but now all my loyal readers can feel caught up!

Hopefully I won't go a month again with no blogging.

Life is Good!

Priorities and Life Decisions....

My life has a very predictable pattern to it right now.
*Lane wakes up with Max (he is such a good daddy and an excellent husband)
*I roll out of bed and see Lane off to work.
*COFFEE
*Max time, taking care of the house time, and occasionally outside activities with friends.
*Lane comes home
*Max goes to sleep
*Off to bed for all of us, it will be time to start the day again soon.

There is nothing too dramatic in our days, not counting Max's terrible two tempter tantrums. We have a fairly predictable schedule. Despite the lack of "excitement", I'm very happy in my life. I have become very content being Lane's wife and Max's mommy. I like taking care of my house (although I will NEVER like laundry) and I like making our home and family my priority. Things can be tight because I don't work but I wouldn't trade this time with Max for any sort of paycheck, even if it does mean I need to watch all our pennies very carefully and there are times we have to sacrifice a lot of material things.

I'm a mom and wife and for now that is my career. It is a good and right thing for us and it is something I've come to love.

But in a few years Max will be in school (isn't it crazy that in 3 years he will be on his way to kindergarten). If we are blessed with another child, they won't be that far behind Max in going to school. And I will be left with a lot of hours to fill. I could certainly maintain my mommy and wife status and be very active in their schooling. I could continue to not work and I'm sure I could find some way to fill the time. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be bored with no Max at home and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to want to return to work. My priority will still be my family and home, but there will be room for more in my life again.

The question I've been struggling to answer lately is what will I want that "more" to be. I have my bachelor's degree in education. I worked for 4 years as a teacher and I'm certain I could return to the field of education if I so desired. I'm just not sure I have that desire. I have certain strong beliefs about children and their learning and school systems today are in direct opposition to my beliefs. I was already becoming frustrated with the direction being taken in education and I'm certain that frustration will grow if schools continue on the path that has been laid. Add to that the long hours preparing a classroom, the work you bring home, the low pay, and the high amount of money I put back into the classroom and that career just isn't appealing to me any longer.

I have some thoughts about what I would love to do instead of teaching. I've even started taking some steps to make a new career a reality. I'm trying to plan all of this in such a way that for the next few years my family can still be number 1 job but I am also able to start pursuing my new goal. And....

I'm scared. I'm having to pray nightly for the ability to see past my fear. There are so many questions about the path I'm taking and whether it is right for my family and for me. The unknown is always hard not to fear.

So, I'm doing what I can to answer the questions I have and for the ones I cannot answer, I'm relying on my faith. Faith in God. Faith in my abilities. Faith in my family.

So my challenge for right now: don't let the fear grow bigger than my faith (and still do the laundry).

Our Magic Prince

This is a really low quality video, but it is the best I got! This is Max in the hotel before heading over to the hotel to be ring bearer in my cousins wedding ( I took it with my phone for Daddy back in Kansas City which is why the quality stinks). I'll try to load some pictures later.

By the way, we got him to put the tux on by telling him he was wearing a magic shield (the vest) and a magic sword (the tie). Then he found some plastic sticks in the shoes and pretended those were a gun! That's our boy:)

Roll the Ball!

Here are some pictures from an afternoon spent bowling or as Max likes to say "roll the ball". Max bowled a couple of frames and then Lane finished the games out for us. Max did an excellent job cheering for daddy, even if Lane got gutter balls! We leave today for California. Max is going to ride a plane for the first time, see the ocean and we're going to Legoland. Plus, he is the ring bearer in my cousin's wedding! I'm sure it is going to be a great trip and we'll have lots to share when we get back.

Lucky.

It is Sunday at 9:23pm. Max is talking himself down to sleep in his room. Lane is watching a military show and muttering "uh huh" and "that's right". I'm next to him typing a blog post.

Nothing too exciting going on. But I can't help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

We didn't do much this weekend. We played in the backyard a lot. Swam in our little "pool". Cooked out on the grill. Walked around the neighborhood three times. Grocery shopped at not only Walmart but also Costco.

There was no big event. No hanging out with other people. No exciting party to attend. But it was a great weekend. It was just the three of us and I was reminded just how great the three of us can be.

We talked about stuff going on now: my mother's visit and how much we enjoyed her, Max's inability to fall asleep on his own, the need to get our garage cleaned out.

We talked about stuff from the past: Max's birth (a friend's new baby brought about this, welcome Jackson Danger), living downtown in Kansas City, and other little moments in our life.

We talked about stuff in the future: when we'll need a larger house, when will a new baby enter our life, and what will be the next big step we take.

We also talked about how lucky we are. We have a beautiful boy who brings more laughter and more love to our life than we ever could have imagined. We are still happily married after 9 years of marriage and still very much in love. We have a cozy little home that provides exactly what we need right now and Lane has a job that allows me to fulfill the most important role of my life: mama.

Is the checking account sometimes a little low? Of course. Could we use an extra bathroom in our house? Absolutely! Do we wish there was extra cash for vacations or that car we want? That would be nice.

When I get past the superficial wants that society tries to convince me are important, there really is nothing I need.

My life is wonderful and tonight I'm just taking time to thank God for all these blessings.