Morning Nap

We are in Colorado visiting my family and celebrating my Dad's birthday!!

And it seems to be that each time we travel someone in our family gets sick : (
Little B-man is sick, horrible cough, fever, he is just sad!
I was up with him at 4:30am
Then up with all the kids at 6:30am
I was wiped out
Sweet B couldn't fall asleep for his morning nap
Little man fussed for 45 minutes
I knew he was so tired... and so was I...
So I scooped him up
We crawled into the huge king bed
And laid down
He wrestled around for a little while trying to get cozy, 
He thought the most comfortable position was to crawl across me
And that is how we fell asleep, his sweet knees on the bed, and chubby cheeks on my chest

This mama soaked it in
At home I would have never had the chance for this morning snooze with my baby
I would have had "too much to do"
I would have had 2 big kids needing my attention
But today, I fully embraced one beauty of vacation, and snuggled my littlest Love so his tired body could get some much needed rest!

Thank you Mr. Steady for taking the big kids on a hike!
Thank you Lord, for the precious time with my baby!  Help me to stop more often at home and take full advantage of sweet times like this!

Grow where you are planted

I have seen this quote many times before on plaques, blogs, cards and more... I have always loved it and been especially challenged by it in the last year and a half to really grow where I am planted.  I think that growing has a very conscious element to it.  We have the ability to choose to enjoy the here and now, to grow in relationships, delight in our circumstances and grow in our faith... or the counter of these, to be a hermit, to wallow in pitty and to be complacent in our relationship with God.

I am choosing to grow!  Specifically, I am choosing to make a very conscious choice to find true delight in where God has us.  There are times that I still really miss Utah.  But to be honest, we do have a great life here! I am choosing to look for things to be thankful for (not that I wasn't thankful before), but to be conscious of, acknowledging the specifics and to count it all as gifts!  I have been really challenged by a new book that I am reading "One Thousand Gifts" so, so, so worth a read! Especially if you are struggling with doubts, complacency and bitterness.  {more on this book in a later post}

Parts of life still very much feel up in the air, I want roots, I want to feel settled... yet God, has us in this place with some uncertainty.  Though part of life is not exactly figured out, I want to grow, right where I am at, in this very moment and within these exact circumstances.  I want to be thankful for life, all of it... the figured out parts and the not yet clear parts!

How about you...
Are you growing?  Are there specific things that you can see are hindering your growth... your attitude, habits, expectations or past?  Do you have relationships you can dig into that encourage growth in you? Have you smiled today?  Have you seen thankfulness transform you, grow you, mature you?  What are you thankful for today??