hallelujah.

my baby slept through the night for the first time since he was born.

i stumbled upon this video today - and had the last 9 months of memories flood my heart. even that afternoon when Amos came into the world. how much my heart has grown in love towards him. how he's made me a different person. how the Lord is good, so very good to us, to let us partner in watching new life be brought forth.

and here i am. 9 months later. i would read mother's words, as they wrote about their children, about their journey - and it was so incomprehensible to me. so disconnected.

i don't think i've ever worked harder than i have this year. i can't remember what it's like to choose which position i sleep in, or sit at a coffee shop reading - uninterrupted, or to eat a meal without first considering another's hunger.

and it's all a beautiful place to find yourself in. selfishness, the kind you didn't even know dwelt within you, is pulled out like a swallowed string by a helpless little boy. sanctification is a gift he gives me, and for that i am so very thankful.

and it all comes from the Lord. who has saved me, made my heart new, called me into His kingdom of life, welcomed me into a eternal family to dwell in an everlasting city, with a resurrected body - to forever gaze on His beauty.

this is my reality.

and while i wait to see that which is unseen to be revealed in all its fullness, and all its glory - i get to walk out my days with a family - full of mothers and sisters and brothers and fathers and sons and daughters. this family i've been given. and i'm thankful for what it represents - for what it is pointing to.

the love i have for Amos. the nearness i feel with Ricky. the protection i feel from my father. the acceptance given from my mother. and the journey i've walked with my sister that reminds me to carry on - these things are only a downpayment of what's to come.

because the Father has called for a family, and the Son has asked for a Bride.
and this is who i am. this is who we are.

hallelujah.

new times. new times indeed.

my heart has been in the strangest place lately. i am trying to emotionally amp up for ricky's start of graduate school in a couple of weeks. he will be back to 7AM-9:30 PM days, with weekends filled with homework, reading, and projects. i know this is wisdom for us, and he really is in the midst of the Lord's journey for him (for us)... but i'm trying to mentally plan out how i'll pass my time.

before Amos, i would jump at the opportunity of solitude. long hours in coffee shops reading and studying. afternoons worshiping on my piano. writing and creating. late nights in prayer meetings.

now, as a mother, i have to relearn how to embrace these "alone" times (which really aren't that alone). it's Amos and I. long days of discovering how to invest our time wisely. knowing this season really is a gift to be seized, and not a trial to overcome.

so Lord, what should the next 4 semesters look like for this little boy and I? what do you have for us? i am confident in Your leadership. Your sovereignty is beautiful. Your will is a delight. usher us into Your presence and make the Word come alive. may all else fade away, as Your face shines on.

we are Yours, and these long days to come, in our small one bedroom apartment, in this busy west coast city - these days are for Your making.

so make them into something beautiful.

snap it pretty! workshop // Part 2

i hope you remember my post on the snap it pretty! workshop hosted by my cakies and oh, hello friend. i wanted to revisit it and go over some of the lovely sponsors and giveaways that were at the event. there are so many unique and charming small businesses, both on etsy and here in southern california - that they all deserve a moment in the spotlight.

after our camera session, lunch, and picture taking afternoon - we were given a box bursting with goodies from the we like it pretty team. they were it adorable cardboard boxes, and wrapped in burlap and vintage material.




Some of the goodies inside are pictured below. Also, you can find the link to each item (and some not even pictured) below.

camera strap covers / camera tape / "smile" card / camera stickers and card pack / we just click cards / wood camera button / mini bunting / keep calm and snap on print

after exploring our goody boxes, we devoured some of the delicious macarons (uhhh, they are so addicting!) and cake pops.

macarons / cake pops
there were also giveaways - that I sadly didn't win. i am in major need of a beautiful camera bag, as our is very "best buy"-ish, so i'm hoping for christmas perhaps?


 

colored camera bag / camera handmade necklace / black camera bag / polaroid camera

 it was a grand event - and follow my cakies and oh, hello friend for future workshops in the LA area!

busy weekends with blue burritos.

i'm not having the greatest of days. i feel a little behind and unorganized with so many things! whenever i check out for a weekend, and actually live my weekend out - Monday hits and i think to myself, "OH NO! I'm so behind."

Oh, isn't life just an unending list? Oh well. In the midst, the Lord still loves me and is calling my name.

Last week Amos and I had a rather successful trip to the thrift store. I found this shirt and sported it with my jeans for my thinnest of thin days pre-baby. YES! It's true! I fit in my nice quality J-Brand jeans!!! I've fit in them for a little while, but not "comfortably." It's pretty exciting. I gave myself a gracious 9 months to return to my old size, and even though I've been at my old weight for awhile - the stomach takes a little longer. I really didn't do much working out, besides carrying around a 25 lb baby. I think I owe most of it to nursing (day and night still), cutting out dairy for Amos' ear infections, and re-watching Food Inc. which gave me a greater disdain for eating out... because it's hard to enjoy a meal you know is full of hormones, antibiotics, and a whole array of chemicals. So thanks Food Inc. for grossing me out with everything!!!



That's my lovely grandma shirt and my bow from this shop.

The weekend was lovely, despite the tasks piling up. On Friday we lead our prayer meeting at JHOP. Our band is coming together - and I'm enjoying leading worship more and more. Even though we are singing before an audience of one - LITERALLY, it's a beautiful thing.

On Saturday we went to a barbeque with our church and swam. Amos is a little fishy, and he sits in his blow up baby boat that his grandmother bought him and swims around all by himself. It's so crazy to me how big he is getting. I know I say it every post - but it really is astounding. Afterwards, we went to the nighttime zoo and watched all the animals come to life. We've started doing this pretty often because we have passes and the crowd dies down. It's cool weather, and we visit the lions every time. They are up and prowling, and are about 2 feet from us. Literally.

On Sunday, we woke up early and ate breakfast in our old neighborhood - and then spent time in our home relaxing, cleaning, and reading. Afterwards we headed to church.

Here's some more iPhone snapshots.

thanks to instagram.

that's Amos rolled up like a burrito because it gets a little chilly in the evenings here.

well i hope everyone's Monday is lovely! we have a giveaway this month - so be looking forward to that. please don't hesitate to stop by and say hi. i love meeting readers and would love to see where you come from (if you have a blog, of course!).

farewell*

mission beach / grey skies / flying kites

Last Saturday, we all woke up early and threw on some clothes before our showers to take a walk on the beach. Every time my mother's here we carve out a morning or afternoon to get our feet wet and shoes all sandy. This time we went to Mission Beach (one of the last beaches to check off on her list) and walked the board walk. It was overcast and cool - and the vacationers weren't out yet which made it more relaxing than usual.

 
 
 







After the beach we went home to shower and stopped by Ricky's parents work picnic. Amos made his awesome dino visor and played in a cake walk. We watched the boats on the bay and enjoyed our San Diego summer weather.



 




Here's a little video of our morning:



A day at the beach. from Tiffany Valdez on Vimeo.