I'm back!

We are all settled in after spending 9 days back home at my parents. We had a really nice Christmas & got to spend a lot of time with family which was great. Philip is enjoying all of his fun gifts. His favorite is a Thomas the Train ball pit from my parents. He plays with it endlessly! I love it. I can't find the attachment for my camera but when I do I will post some cute pictures I have of him in it.

Oh and I am officially a stay-at-home mom! I had my last day of work Saturday at Simonson's. I'm going to miss some of my co-workers & my clients but it feels really nice to not have to drive back every weekend. I feel like we are finally able to begin our life here & I cannot wait to find a church! I will post more when I find the attachment.

I have been tagged

My cousin, Miss, tagged me...here are the rules: You must go to your documents folder (or wherever you store your photos) and go to your 6th picture folder, then go to the 6th picture in that folder and post it on your blog. Tell us a story about that picture.
















Nice lighting, huh? I was just married in our cute little apartment. Richie was making me my first dinner, so I was a VERY happy girl :)

Just for fun, here's the 5th picture in that folder :) hehe

I tag.....Barb, Mamie, Jen, Katie, Julie & Rae

Cold outside but warm in my heart

Philip & I had our first dance this morning. We were in the kitchen and the song "The First Noel" came on the radio. I picked him up and held him close and he snuggled in as close as he could get to me. If you know Phili, you know that he is NOT a cuddler, at least with me anyways. Then as we swayed in the kitchen, holding one hand & wrapping the other around each other, he proceeded to hum through the whole song! I have never heard him hum before and even though it was slightly off key, it was the sweetest thing I've ever heard! He had the sweetest most peaceful look on his face. Awww.....I love my little Phili :)

Work with me kid!

The following are a few out of the 50 pictures I took of Philip trying to get a good Christmas card. The other 40 or so were so blurry you couldn't even see it! I could never be a photographer (obviously) and I have a lot of respect for those of you who are! He thought he was pretty cool with the remote :)

Just because he's so cute..... :)

Ooops....Merry Christmas Sam....I mean...Philip? Don't look at the present Mamie :)

Funny, that's how I feel after trying to take all these pictures too :)

It's Christmas time....

As I write this, I am thinking of a friend. A dear friend who lost her beloved Grandfather recently. For her family, this Christmas will not be the same. For her family, something will be missing. As they celebrate, or try to celebrate, someone will be heavy on their hearts. My heart is heavy for her family. And for many other families who are facing a tough time this Christmas.

Next month will mark 8 years since Richie & I said goodbye to one of our closest friends who chose to take his own life. That January is somewhat of a blur & was the hardest time in my life but one thing I will always remember is the constant regret I faced everyday of wishing I would have told him how much he meant to me.

In the hustle & bustle of this holiday season, I encourage you to take a moment to call that old friend who's been on your heart, send a card or pay a visit to a relative who means so much to you, tell the people you love how much you care. You will never know how much it means, but they will. One thing I will never regret is a kind gesture done for somebody else.

His mercies are new every morning

Today is a much better day! It's amazing what a little scripture, prayer, Joyce Meyer & Max Lucado will do for the soul. With all the extra time I've had lately I've been reflecting, which I don't usually do because I have a horrible memory. But, it's been really good. I realize that a big party of my feeling empty is that I can't remember the last time I've been to church :( With working every Sunday, we used to go to the Tuesday night service but now that we moved, we haven't gone yet. I suppose it's sort of like when your car starts to run out of gas. It slowly starts to go empty until you realize that you have to do something about it if you want it to keep working. Luckily my gas light went off!

A Glimpse

I'm not very good at staying home. As much as I like it here and appreciate the fact that I'm not working FT anymore, it's been hard to stay home lately. I think a big part of it is that since the accident, we've been down to one car so I can't go anywhere during the day. I am so used to being on the go everyday that to just sit here has been a real challenge. I'm not looking for sympathy, I know that many moms have to work and leave their kids when they don't want to and my heart goes out to them. I told Richie tonight that it's hard not having adults to talk to during the day and he pointed out that I have my blogging friends & family so thank you :)

In the past week, we've had Woody's family, Mamie's family (minus Dan), my mom & Putter & Lindsey come visit us. It has been wonderful having them here. As my mom & Mamie were driving away yesterday I felt my chest start to get heavy & my eyes start to fill with tears. As I came inside I couldn't fight back the tears anymore and I broke down & started bawling. I'm not sure why because I really do like it down here. I've never moved away before so maybe it's all part of the process. I'm not really sure why I'm writing about this but it feels nice to let it out. I know how blessed we are and I really truly do like living here, I just miss you all.

What do you do when your one year old is addicted to the internet?

A Thanksgiving to remember

The day began with laughter and fun,
time spent with family and eating a ton
We played some cards and watched the game,
before we knew it the time to go came
So we said our goodbyes and got in the car
Thankful we wouldn't be driving too far

But everything changed within a flash
The next thing we knew, we were in a car crash
Headlights, screeches, spinning and screams
I feared goodbyes and broken dreams

Please God no, don't let us die
were the thoughts in my head as I let out a cry
My baby's in the back, I'm afraid to know
But as I turned around to see him
God's protection would show
That He was right there with us carrying us through
He would not forsake us for His word is true

He had us in his care that night
Though the roads were pitch black,
we could only see His light

We escaped with only minor injuries
Our thankfulness continually brings us to our knees

Thank you Jesus for keeping us safe, thank you for your refuge, protection and loving faithfulness.

Phili

Since some of you are not fortunate enough to see Phili very often...proud mom much? hehe just kididng, but I'll give you an update on him :)

His favorite word is "Hi" and he says it ALL the time to anybody who will listen. Yesterday at the grocery store, he kept saying it to an old man stocking shelves but the man wasn't responding so Phili just kept saying it louder & LOUDER until the man started chuckling a little bit & had no choice but to play with him for a moment.

Speaking of old men, Philip LOVES old men. I think they remind him of my dad & grandpa because they are two of his favorite people in the world. Philip loves visiting my grandparent's house. It's one of his & Richie's favorite things to do when I'm at work.

He gets so excited that he giggles really hard when he gets to eat a really good snack.....he giggles equally as hard when he toots too!

He is OBSESSED with the computer. I know he's one, crazy, right!? He slept with us one night and the first thing he did when he got up in the morning (it was 5:30) was roll out of bed and get online. When Richie got home from work that night, I had to pry him off the computer to bring him down for dinner & he stubbornly marched back upstairs to go back online twice. Uh-oh, sounds like he may be taking after his mom? He was on the computer doing his thing the other day when he saw a picture of my mom, he got so excited he started kissing it!!

He loves the swimming pool & the bath tub, Richie takes him to swim at the YMCA here & he is NOT happy when he has to get out!

He doesn't like to watch TV, although I am working on getting to him to like it so I can get some things done! What kind of mom am I!?

He loves to dance. He loves to play peek-a-boo, hide-n-seek & he LOVES wrestling with Richie.

He loves talking on the phone & insists on saying "Hi" whenever I'm on it.

He loves when we read to him but he HAS to hold the book of course!

I always think one age is the most fun, but then it just gets better & better! He is such a blessing & truly a joy to be around.

I know this is cruel but......

Philip-14 months, Mary-13 months. We all thought it was pretty funny....

.....everyone except Daddy

A new & wonderful kind of normal

I love it here. It's hard to explain how I feel but it's really good! We have boxes to unpack and things to organize but we are together as a family now and that's all that matters. Richie has been so delightful. We had dinner at a restaurant our first night here and when we left he declared, "We belong here!" Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, it really is lovely! I feel sort of like we're in a scene from a cheesey movie where everyone walks around town with huge smiles on their faces greeting each other, but it's a good kind of cheesey! Phili's about to wake up (now that I don't have to get him up at 6:30, he sleeps in until 9!) so I am going to cut this short but I'll try and update more soon. Miss you all!!

Did I mention we're moving?!

I'm sorry for my long absence in posts. We've been busy packing and getting ready for our move to RW!! We found a nice little town home to rent and Richie is all set up there as of last night. (Thanks Mamie & Dan for helping us move some stuff :) I get to move down there next week. We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives!! As far as my job situation, I will possibly do hair very PT there in the future, but mainly I get to stay home with my little guy!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am about that. I've been blessed with two really good jobs since Philip was born & knowing that I had to work, I never really allowed myself to think about what life would be like staying at home with him but now that the opportunity has presented itself, I couldn't be more thrilled! It is such a neat town and I really appreciate the history and the beauty of it. I can't wait! More to come soon :)

Silly Boy

Richie made the mistake of putting my haircutting cape on Phili the other day, now he won't let us take it off!


Hey tough guy, your wearing a purple cape, try not to look so cool.

A weekend with Ellie

We had the pleasure of dog-sitting for Mitch & Abby's dog Ellie two weekends ago. We fell in love! :) Her & Philip played so well together..they were the best of friends! I never thought I'd let a dog sleep with me but we did every night and we loved it! In the second picture, she put Philip's nuk in her mouth all by herself :) The picture of Richie with both of them pretty much sums up how his mood was all weekend. We didn't want to give her back!

The picture

Here is the picture of Philip that my mom & Mamie had taken as a suprise!

Please help

My friend April's
apartment started on fire today. The fire began in the attic. She lived there with her younger sister and her son who just turned two. Thankfully, they are okay but they lost everything. If you would like to donate anything to them (especially for Ayden) please email me at marylockwood11@hotmail.com. They could really use our help. Ayden is in size 6 diapers. Thank you.

My "Baby Boy" is one today

A year ago today I was handed the most precious gift I have ever received. I had no idea that this little joy was about to come into my life and change it forever. From the moment I first held Philip I knew I would do anything to protect him and love him. He came into this world a little early so he had a few obstacles to overcome but he's come a long way and we couldn't be more proud of him. He is such a blessing.

How wonderful

I got the best surprise ever yesterday morning. My mom called & said she was bringing a surprise over with Mamie. I had no idea what to expect. They had me close my eyes and when I opened them I saw the most adorable professional photo of Philip, framed and all. They had taken him to David's one day while I was at work. I cried tears of joy, I was so happy! We were given a gift card to David's for our wedding from his family & Mamie & Dan but we forgot to use it and felt silly using it now (almost 3 years later!). So, knowing this, Mamie & my mom decided to do it & surprise us. It is hanging up in our living room. I can't wait for you all to see it! I must have stared at it half the day yesterday. Philip gets excited when he sees it too! I am so blessed to have them in my life.

Their kindness reminded me of a year ago (almost) when I was in the hospital with Philip, they came over & cleaned our house & bought us some new stuff so that when we came home from the hospital, it would be nice & clean. We are so blessed!

A new post

Not too much going on since the boob post...It's been a good week. Philip was able to spend some quality time with a few of my aunts this past week and boy did he love it! It is so much fun for me to see other people enjoy him as much as Richie & I do. I think my mom makes up excuses to stop by just so she can see her Phili for a few mintes :) He really is at such a fun age right now. He is starting to walk! It is the cutest thing in the world. He started taking a few steps last week. Friday night at my cousin Rachel's shower, he was in a room with Richie and my aunt & a few other kids and out of the blue, he started walking across the room! He adores my aunt (all of them) so I think he was trying to show off for her!

It was a wonderful shower spent with family. Most of you know this, but my cousin and her husband tried for over 2 years to have a baby. To see her carrying a child is one of the most beautiful things in the world. At this time last year, I was 8 months pregnant and although I was very excited to meet Philip, I was also very sad for her. To be able to celebrate the precious little life inside of her is such a joy & a huge blessing!

We stopped by Julie & Brian's to wish Liam a happy birthday. It was so much fun to see the kids. Philip was trying to take all of Carys' toys, he's the same way with Hannah. He never does that to the big kids. He knows better! It's going to be fun watching them interact this year :)

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God"

I've heard this verse all my life but the older I get, the more I cling to it. I find it very hard to just be still. I find myself always anxiously awaiting the week ahead and what I have to check off my to-do list. If I could just get this done, I will be happy, once I get through the weekend, then I can relax. The truth is, once I get through the weekend, I am already anxious about the next weekend. It is a never ending cycle. Recently, God laid it on my heart that I need to stop being so anxious and enjoy & be thankful for where I am at right now. So, how do I "Be still"? This may seem like an easy concept to grasp for some people but I really struggle with it. I've been praying diligently about a particular situation recently & I've found the more time I spend with God, reading His word & seeking Him, the more I am starting to feel a little bit more "Still." If that makes sense. I can really truly only feel God's peace when I am spending the time with him that he so deserves. The older I get the more I realize how much I need God in my daily life. I've been blessed in so many ways, I don't want to wish away these busy times. I need to Be still and know that He is God & be thankful for every moment I have.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Papa's boy

My dad stopped by yesterday morning
on his way to work & it honestly made Philip's day. Philip is NOT a cuddler one bit (except for a select few which doesn't include me) but as you can see in this picture, he had no problem cuddling right up to my dad. He did it the moment my dad picked him up. It was so sweet. Then when he had to leave for work......well you can see for yourself just by looking at his facial expression above! Aren't they both handsome!?

Nick Arrojo!

I got to meet Nick Arrojo from one of my favorite TV shows today. He does the hair on TLC's "What Not To Wear." He also owns Arrojo Studios in Manhattan, NY. He came to Simonson's and did a haircut demonstration & a question and answer session. He was even nicer in person & hilarious too! He is very down to earth and talks a lot about being postitive and helping people feel better about themselves through doing hair. He is my FAVORITE! You can see him on TLC weekdays at 11 & noon. He's also kinda cute, eh?

My little love & I

My aunt Barb took this picture of me & Philip at an event for church. I would normally feel silly putting a picture up of myself but this picture is different. I cried when I first saw this picture. (Good tears).

Ever since I first laid eyes on Philip, my heart has never been the same. It is filled with so much love and joy. Words alone could never express how I feel about him, but when I see this picture, it says it all.

Thank you Barb for capturing how I feel about Philip in such a unique & wonderful way. What a gift to use your God given talents to bless others in such a special way. I love you Barb!

You know you have a lot on your mind when.....

you start pouring formula in the coffee filter.

Happy Birthday Miss Roses

It was my niece Hannah's birthday on Monday. She had a fun party at her house that night but I got to have the kids over for the morning so we had our own little celebration. We had a little baking class & Olivia, Sam, Paige & Hannah all made a birthday cake. I must say that they did a very good job! Hannah was being too shy to blow out her candles so the "big" kids stepped in to get he job done!


Something's wrong with this picture?!

The birthday girl scoping out the scene

Sam putting on a puppet show =)

Olivia acting silly =)

Please watch this

If you have a moment. Please click on the link. You will have to scroll down to view the whole thing.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

Beautiful

The following poem is from a weekly email our Pastor sends out. It brought me to tears. I hope you will find it as beautiful as I do. The picture is from google image. I've never googled Heaven before. There are some gorgous photos.


Corrie Ten Boom penned these words;

“When I enter that beautiful city above
And the saints all around me appear,
I hope that somebody will tell me;
Hey, it’s you that invited me here.”

Phili

Since I created this blog to talk about Phili, I thought I would give an update on him =)

I am very excited to say that he has started to say "Mama!" The first time I got him to say it, I kept saying Mama and he sat and studied my lips for a little while and then said...."Mum." It was so sweet.

He has 3 teeth now, two on the bottom and one on top. He has started crawling, pulling himself up on furniture and taking steps with the help of me or Richie.

He loooooves seeing family & friends, ecspecially little kids. He always has a big smile for them. He is at such a fun age right now. I hope you're all enjoying this nice weather!

Interested?

If you or anyone you know would like a haircolor/cosmetic makeover, please let me know. It will be Tuesday, June 24 from 3-5pm at the Plymouth Simonson's. You won't have to do anything drastic for your current haircolor, just something different than you currently have. It may even be just shifting the tone you currently have on your hair. i.e, if you have dark hair, we may add more warmth to it, or add some highlights, etc...The class is to help us identify what colors look best with your skin tone. You will learn free makeup tips from our amazing cosmetics director. Best of all, it will be FREE!
Here is a little info about Leeanne, the cosmetics director, from the Simonson's website. It really is a wonderful opportunity to get lessons from her!

Leeanne has been with Simonson's Salon & Day Spa as the Cosmetic Educator since February, 2005. She has been in the beauty industry for over 25 years, as a Cosmetologist, Esthetician, and Cosmetology Instructor; including 15 years with Estee Lauder at Saks Fifth Avenue and EL National Makeup Artist for Marshall Field's Midwest Region.From the classroom to the salon floor Leeanne mentors our aestheticians and stylists with her creative ways to bring service to another level by evolving their roles as "problem solvers" and perfect their skills as "makeup artists" with our Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. Leeanne believes that being an effective listener, asking the right questions and truly understanding their guests' needs is vital to a satisfying experience for both.Leeanne has built her career on helping women to discover their own personal style through the art of makeup by designing a look that will enhance and complement both their facial features as well as their lifestyle. Her philosophy on cosmetics is that not just about the new trends in makeup, but how that look can be adapted to each woman's individuality. Leanne is available by appointment for makeup lessons and applications at all four Simonson's locations on a rotating basis.Leeanne's flair for creativity has transcended beyond cosmetics and given her the opportunity to take on an added role as Simonson's Sales & Events Coordinator. In her position she coordinates all of Simonson's charitable donations, events and new corporate gifting program. Leeanne is very excited about the prospect of developing new programs that will benefit the community at large as Simonson's continues to evolve.

A few things

For those of you who are faithful blog readers of mine, I did get the $51.00 reimursed for those 3 payphone calls! Also, Richie is really enjoying his new job. He loves the people he works with. I think it's a really good fit for him.

Phili is starting to wean himself from breastfeeding. He was only nursing in the morning for that last month or so but now it's hard to even get him to do that. I should have figured he'd be the one calling the shots. He is quite the big shot afterall! It is really hard for me. I had an emotional breakdown last night. I'm not sure if hormones are involved when you stop brestfeeding or if it's just a sad realization that he's growing sooo fast. He's starting to do the army crawl now and loves to pull himself up in his crib and on furniture. He is at such a fun age.

Some recent pictures

For those of you we haven't seen in a while, here are some recent pictures =)