Growing

When the Hubs and I first thought about expanding our family with a child, we were excited... anxious... nervous... JOYFUL. We didn't anticipate it would take so long to conceive, but it surely did. God's plans included us waiting for over a year from when we decided to start trying. It was a heck of a journey in that time, as we had to deal with some health concerns that we had no idea existed. When we did find out we were preggo on New Years Day in 2015, we were over the moon!! Reflecting back to that time, we were actually beyond grateful that God had selected Hubs and I to be the parents of some precious little child... He entrusted us to be responsible for shaping someone's life... He loved us both enough for us to teach our baby what life lessons we had learned. We knew it wasn't something that was a fluke or was handed to us, but rather it was God's plan the entire time on His own terms and in His time.

My little boy is a gift to our family every waking day. I try to never to take things for granted with him, from having the luxury of staying at home with him, to temper tantrums, to hugs and kisses, to screaming at the top of his lungs because he thinks he's coaching like Daddy. I wouldn't trade the good, the bad and the ugly with anything else because he's God's special gift for us.

Hubs and I knew we just couldn't stop there... we wanted so bad to give Mata a little brother or sister. Under the circumstances of trying to conceive the first time, we just didn't know how it would go or what would happen. What we did know was that God had our back (as He always does) so long as we kept talking to him and praying for what our hearts desired. And that's just what happened...

I'm happy to announce that we are expecting our second baby, and as we were the first time... we are over the MOON!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day lovers! Though my 17-month old isn't quite in school yet, we still had an opportunity to make some darling Valentine's Day cards for a little Valentine's playdate we went to. I opted for bubbles this year because they were TOO cute to pass up with their heart wants and colorful packaging! I designed the card and we attached the bubbles with adorable Valentine's themed washi tape.... gotta love our Target stores!

Since this year's lovers day falls in the middle of the week, my LO and I will be enjoying some gym time, outside time, and hopefully NAP time until Daddy comes home from work! Maybe I'll make the Hubs breakfast-in-bed with one of these fine recipes I posted on Friday!

What are your plans for this fine Tuesday?

Spruce up your Romance

February has arrived and love is in the air! Later this year, the hubs and I will celebrate our 15 year annie (5 years of being married) and I'm just feeling blessed. I haven't loved the hubs any more than I do today, and my heart just feels like it keeps growing and growing. Being that it's the official month of LOVE I thought I'd share some tips in how we've been able to keep the romance alive for so long!

// Treat each other like you're still girlfriend-boyfriend
It's so easy to slip into routine as hubs and wife, especially when there are children involved. You both go to work, come home, make dinner and get ready for the next day of events. But back in the day when we were dating as girlfriend-boyfriend, we would go see a movie at the theatre on a weekday, or meet for coffee at a coffee shop, or even go to the mall and just people watch. I recommend to shake things up from the regular schedule and revisiting a place you used to go to when y'all were just dating [better yet, don't plan it and just suggest to go spontaneously on a Monday Funday!].

// Make time for date nights (or days)
This has been a challenge for us in the last 16 months because of our energetic spunky baby boy. BUT who says dates have to occur outside of our own home? When baby is asleep for the night, we love to watch movies together, eat dinner alone without chasing the LO around the table, and even just sit and chitter chatter about life and our future. It's so nice to break away from the phones and computers to just be with each other and connect in an intimate way.

// Tell each other I LOVE YOU
My hubs and I have always been A students at this point. Every single phone call, departure for work, and sleep time is capped with an I LOVE YOU and a kiss. It's second nature and just feels bare if it's unsaid. Until the next time we speak again, I want the last thing my hubs to hear that I appreciate him and all he does for me and our family, which is captured in the word LOVE. It makes us feel complete and adored by each other. If it's not a habit in your relationship, try and remember to end your convos with an I LOVE YOU as you would with a goodbye.

When you find the one you love, magic changes your life. You become more selfless, your eyes and ears open up to other perspectives, and you grow alongside each other. I couldn't imagine living this life with another best friend and partner in life other than who I have today.

Have any tips to spruce up the romance?

Weekly Reflections

Looking back isn't the hardest thing to do, and I choose to look back for positivity, growth and appreciation for what I have today. Some of the things that I struggle with today seem so minimal when I really think about what I went through 5 or 10 years ago. As I said here, I want to take time to reflect on memories to help appreciate today for today!

// My Hubs Career
As hard as it is to think about, less than 10 years ago, the Hubs and I (at the time- the fiancé and I) were in one of the lowest lows financially we have ever been in. He had the opportunity of a lifetime to intern in the weight room at Oregon State University, so we packed up our goods and 2 doggies and hit the road from Cali to Oregon. I left my full-time job and he left his high school coaching job to endure this journey which we had no idea would lead to. Almost 10 years later, we survived many months of being more than broke, away from our family, and in the midst of busy football seasons! Today, I'm so proud of where he is with Nebraska Huskers, and we are blessed to own our first home with our first baby!

// Learning is my Game
I was in school for what seemed like a lifetime! I loved (most of) everything about it... from the new term school supplies, to my classmates, to my professors, to just learning new theories and research about topics I was passionate about! School brought me lifetime relationships that I still hold onto dearly today, from classmates to professors. Nobody understands the hustle and grind other than the peeps that surrounded me day in and day out. To my surprise, I'm still in the educational setting, but this time I'm the one teaching. There's something about education that is new, exciting and ever-changing!

// Professional Coaching
Coaching has always been a fun topic in my books! I love helping people in general, but to actually help someone help themselves is on another level. I worked quite a bit to get through coaching training, and then thereafter with clients to actually practice coaching. What I would love is to continue that journey and coach student-athletes towards career goals upon graduating and playing ball.

One

Today, my sweet baby boy turns the big ONE! It was just a short year ago that I went through this life changing experience, and I am in complete awe...

... that I was blessed one year ago with a healthy infant boy
... that he's taught me so much about patience and presence
... that God kept me sane with my LO thru the most difficult obstacle I've ever faced, losing my Mom
... that we got the hang of nursing, and STILL loves it
... that he is responding to commands like blow kiss and clap your hands
... that I've had the opportunity to be with him every waking night and day
... that he is all MINE (and my Hubs, of course!)

Happy FIRST birthday, my sweet son. Thank you for being the smart, funny, witty little boy Daddy and I have witnessed you to be throughout this past year. I pray that you stay faithful in God's word and teachings of life. I love you forever more!

Hello August

August is here... Fall camp is near! Although the Hubs will be back to the grind as they kick off camp this week, we surely have enjoyed all the R&R we had with him for the past week. Part of the festivities having him home included taking our LO to the Lincoln Zoo for the first time ever. The Hubs and I have been a few times prior with other kiddos in the family, but there's nothing that compares taking our very own to see the wild kingdom of animals!

Yes, it was SUPER hot outside this day.... yes we waited until the afternoon to take him... and yes, we decided to take him during his usual "nap time" (whatever that means these days). BUT with Daddy carrying him, and a few ice cold mandarin oranges slices, we managed to crack a few smiles on his face!

Having a coach in our lives as Hubs and Daddy has many translations. One of which is how much we truly appreciate his presence when he is available and able to spend some QT with the family! I love witnessing the love between father and son, and the chuckles they exchange amongst one another. Life is good when you can laugh and love!

What cool things have you been up to this summer?

June Gloom

It is no joke when I say- June was a tough month for this household! Nebraska Huskers reported back for workouts the first of June... Nebraska coaches hosted Friday Night Lights every Friday eve which had coaches at the school until 10-11pm... Then it was right back to campus first thing Saturday morning for them to host recruits and how em' how the Huskers roll. It was a rough one on the Hubs... which translated to a rough one for myself and my LO.

We were only able to enjoy breakfast together as a family on Sunday mornings. When the Hubs got off from work, baby would be showered and in bed majority of the time. Yes, we've had minimal time with Coach Hubs in the midst of the season and well after, but June felt like a super long month without him around much.

Though being a coach has many rewards, there are also quite a bit of substantial sacrifices that come with the job. One of which is the lack of time available to be a family. This is a HUGE one for us, as it may be with other coach's wives! I miss having the Hubs around the house, or just going to dinner with him to catch up on life. I especially miss him when I witness so many different milestones and moments I am SO blessed to have with baby.

As I embrace these rough patches as a coach's wife and mommy, I can't help but think about how it must be to be a coach working towards work-life balance... working hard (and some!) for the love of the game, but also spending some good QT with the family and oneself. This article that was posted on Football Scoop put it into perspective in such a clear cut way for me. [It could have been because they compared the coach's life to a consultant's life- my kinda' language!]. They discussed a study that was conducted comparing the number of hours of work and actual productivity. Turns out that you don't have to put in 23482734 hours of work just to be productive... you can work less hours IF you learn to manage your time and utilize the minutes in a day to accomplish meaningful tasks. High pressure (indeed)... high rewards!

Needless to say, June is over and we're working on life in July. I refuse to let this month be as rough, especially since we have the weekends with Hubs around! These sacrifices that WE make helps us become stronger and closer. I, myself, definitely feel even more blessed to be where I am and be who I'm with. I appreciate our time together even more, and cherish all the memories we make together as if time is at a standstill.

Do you know what today is?

**singing** "It's our anniversary... anniversary...." Today marks 14 years of a blissful journey with my life long partner. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry (in a good way more than bad). He is there to grin and bare it through all my drama. He reminds me how to remain purposeful in all situations. He supports my dreams and aspirations. He is the father to my blessing. He is my Husband.

Literally - first came love... then came marriage... then came baby in a baby carriage!

Happy anniversary to my sweetheart!

He Cares for You

As we face one of the hardest football seasons we've had since the Hubs has been on a coaching staff, we do our best to stay positive and uplifting. The Cornhuskers are 3-5 thus far, and those 5 losses have been by a TOTAL of 13 points. We tend to do great throughout the game against our opponents, but it's towards the end of the game that we tend to give up those very few points... which makes the losses that much tougher.

There's only so much we can do or say as coaches wives, as fans, as football lovers. But this verse says it all... and even better... it's from the most reliable source mankind has - the Word of God. If we cast our anxiety and cares on God, we need to trust that the anxiety and worry we carry will be taken care of by our God because he cares for us. Having such worries in life does nothing for us... it doesn't make us stronger... it doesn't change us for the better... in fact, most of the things we worry about do not even surface in reality meaning it's SUCH a waste of time!

This is such an important message I have to meditate on quite frequently in life. Although I can't stop myself from worrying about many things, I can definitely remind myself to trust in my God and cast my cares upon him, for He cares for me.

This week as we prepare to face Purdue, I will pray for our coaches and players, and leave my worries behind me (as should you!).

My Birth Story

It was a nice Sunday afternoon last week when my family and I went to enjoy a scrummy brunch. I was scheduled to go into Labor & Delivery early Monday morning to be induced, so the plan was to eat good, and mentally prepare myself for this hard labor that I would partake in. I don't know if it's better to not expect when you would go into labor, or to schedule it ahead of time... either way there's nothing you can possibly do to completely prepare yourself. In my case, I didn't have my hospital bag or the baby's diaper bag that have been sitting in my living room ready and prepped for the past few months. It was just my purse, my husband, my aunt and mother-in-law and I checking into L&D that day.

By the time I started this thing called labor, it was 3:30pm. Since they induced me to jump start my contractions, I wasn't sure what to expect. Mild contractions started to make their appearance, and it wasn't so bad. I was able to breathe through them and patiently await for 4-5 minutes to pass until the next one came. That is until they started to get more and more intense. I called for the epidural as I squeezed my eyes shut trying to bear the pain of the contractions in the meantime. Once I got the epidural, it felt like the time just flew by. I went from 4cm dilated... to 6cm... to 8cm then to 9cm. I was told to get ready to start pushing in about an hour. SIKE to me... what they really meant was to start pushing in about 15 minutes because I dialed to 10cm that quick!

Pushing was a task for me. I wasn't sure if I was pushing or not, but I shut my eyes so tight so I could stay in my own element as my husband coached me like I was one of his athletes. Before you know it, my sweet baby boy has finally made his arrival at 8:39pm. Words can't express how I felt in the moment, or even today. 

I can say this one of the most precious special moments I've ever had in my entire life (besides the day I married my best friend). I'm head over heels over this little human being that has taken over my life in the most fascinating way I can imagine.

I can't wait to build special moments with my little family. Cheers to our party of THREE!

40 Weeks

We took these maternity photos with the lovely Kate from Kate Florian Photography when I was 37 weeks preggo, and I'm just so thrilled with the way they came out!

{Fast forward to a few weeks down the line} I'm now a tad over 40 weeks preggo, and I still feel amazing. All that I can ever ask for is our baby boy to bless us with his debut into this world! I'm counting down the days until we get to snap photos WITH him here on earth... outside of my womb. I'm so grateful for this life, and my hubs and I look forward to being the best parents we can ever be to our angel.

I'm also looking forward to getting back to some regular posting (after I get through this hump of labor!) and sharing what the season has been like in Husker Nation!! We've been watching nothing but college football, and it just feels SO right!!

37 Weeks

I seriously could not handle holding off on these pictures to share with you all! The Hubs and I had an amazing blissful maternity photo shoot with Kate Florian Photography here in Lincoln, and she gave us a few sneak peeks! She was amazing, and completely captured these moments as I imagine they would be captured.

I'm 37 weeks today and am counting down patiently until we meet our love. As you may recall from this post, I've been having all sorts of different feelings waiting for baby to come. But today, in this very moment, I feel excited, calm and at peace. I keep telling myself that in order to be the best I can be throughout labor and the beginning of motherhood, I have to keep things cool, calm and collective. Labor will be such a beautiful thing that is about to unfold, and I want to cherish each moment as it comes (I'll have to report on that reality once I'm clear to share the birth story!).
Any tips you mommies out there want to share in these stages? I'm all ears!!