Motivated

Shortly after Carson turned 1, I started planning his "big boy" room. I really wanted something he could grow into and finally decided on a Surfer Boy theme. I searched on- line for the perfect bedding but wasn't finding anything I LOVED. I kinda just forgot about it, until today (back to bedding in a few).

After reading a friends blog yesterday I became inspired to craft up a few things she had done. The first was a chalkboard plate that she kept in her kitchen for special messages. The picture she posted was from her sons 1st birthday. It was so cute and seemed so easy to make. Today my goal was to make that plate. I started my search at Home Goods but didnt find any plates that were super cheap or the right shape and size. I just love that store so I decided to walk around. I found myself in the Children Decor section and lone behold I found... THE PERFECT SURFER BOY BEDDING!!!! It was exactly what I was looking for. I just had to have it. I called Greg to make sure I could buy it and he said "go for it" so you better believe I did! I walked around a little more and came across the perfect picture for his room that matched the theme. Again, I called Greg to tell him about the perfect picture and he said I could get it as well. I just love that he lets me shop :) I decided it was time for me to leave Home Goods and move on to the next store to find the perfect plate.
Next I went to Ross. I found a plate for $3.99 and I loved the shape so I got it and headed straight to Jo-Anns for the chalkboard paint and anything else I could find.
Once I got home I showed Greg all of my wonderful finds and he really liked the bedding and picture for Carson's room. When I showed him the plate he pointed out something that would have been good to know BEFORE buying the plate... it had a grooved texture that would be hard write on. Ugh, back to Ross I went. Long story short I found the perfect plate. I couldnt wait to get started. Here are some pictures of the steps:



Taped the sides for a cleaner look.


All finished and sitting on the cute stand I found. now I just need some chalk.


For all of you who are wondering about the bedding and picture for Carson's "big boy" surfer room here you go:



Hopefully over the next few weeks I can finish transforming his room. Next step is spray painting an old shelf that we have had in the garage for years and making new letters either saying his name or 'Surfs Up', I cant decide.

Happy Birthday Greg!

So on Friday, Greg turned the big 3 0h! He has taken it pretty well so far. We started his birthday weekend with dinner at Ah-So (thanks Cassie for babysitting!) and boy was it delicious. I ate so much food I thought I would going to explode. Needless to say we ended up skipping birthday cake that night. The next morning we went out for birthday doughnuts, haircuts and new clothes for the birthday boy. We ended our Saturday with church. When we got home from church we sang "happy birthday" and ate some yummy chocolate cake. Carson loved singing "Happy Birthday" to his daddy and loved the chocolate cake just as much.
Today we continued Greg's celebration with lunch with his parents. We went to The Cheesecake Factory and once again I ate WAY too much.

I hope Greg has had a great 30th birthday. He is a wonderful husband and an amazing father and I wanted to make this weekend special for him.

Leap of Faith...

This year I have been lucky enough to work with an amazing group of teachers. Not only are these teachers an inspiration because of their teaching abilities but also because of their faith. Growing up I never went to church and religion was not really discussed in our house. My mom grew up in a Catholic household and went to an all girls Catholic school. My dad grew up in a Jewish household. When my parents got married they agreed that all boys would have to practice the Jewish religion and must be bar mitzvah'ed at age 13 so they could carry on the last name and religion. Seeing as how I am not a boy, I did not have to go to Hebrew school.
After working with these amazing women and I hear about how strong their faith is it makes me wonder... what did Jesus really do? Is the Bible true? Could someone really do all of those things? I would love to have a strong faith, but since I have been without this knowledge for so long I think it is harder to begin believing. I have really been thinking about Carson and his future. I really want Carson to grow up having a strong faith in God because I feel children who do, grow up to be strong, successful adults.
I talked to Greg in December about going to church and he was all for it. Since we had not been for about 3 years (we used to go with Greg's parents before we were married), it was hard getting back into that routine. It wasn't until Easter weekend I made the decision that today was the day. My good friend and co-worker, Rachel, invited us to come with her and her family and I was really excited. Rachel's son Dawson is Carson's age and I knew they would have fun together playing in their class. We went back to church again this past week because I was really looking forward to their message over the next few weeks which is Revolutionary Parenting. Just after the first week I have learned so much. I am really looking forward to the next few weeks and hope I learn a lot more.

Beyond Confused...

Over the past 2 months, Greg and I have been talking about moving back to Maryland to be closer to my family. I have always dreamed about moving back and now that it is possible I just don't know what to do. If we move, there is no guarantee I will find a teaching job due to all of the budget cuts. If we stay, I know I have a job and the best part is is that I am finally getting to change grade levels. If I stay, I will be moving up to 3rd grade! I am so excited about that and I am really looking forward to it. I love the school I am at and love the people I work with.
We listed our house for short sale about a month ago because we owe more than the house is worth and it is now under contract! If we stay in Arizona we are going to have to rent for a year which I am ok with. If we move to Maryland we would still have to rent for a year. I dont mind making that sacrifice, but I cant help to think of what we have here and how in Maryland our money wont get us as much. I dont mean to sound selfish and stuck up because I know it's not about what you have.
Another reason I am not sure about moving is that Greg and I were excited to expand our family soon. For the past year we talked about having another child when Carson was between 2 and 3. If we decide to move, we would have to postpone having another child for a year or 2. I really dont know if I want to wait. Is it wrong for me to want to continue with my plan?
My head and my heart are definitely telling me two different things and I really dont know which is telling me what. I hear "Move to Maryland to be closer to you family" but then I also here "Stay in Arizona for 1 more year and teach 3rd grade AND have another baby". I really just want to scream because I am SO CONFUSED!!!

New Beginnings...

Ok, so last summer I tried to start blogging but I never remembered to update it, but now I am determined to keep up with it. Several of my friends have started blogging so now it is my turn to jump on the bandwagon.
There has been so much going on in my life over the last 2 months and I think I need to start sharing it with the world. I am so grateful for what I have and no matter what comes our way I know we can get through it together.