A Night Out

Although we love our children dearly (more than anything), a night out is always nice. Aaron and I went out to the Kress for Inception (whew... what a flick). Funny, though, how you look forward to these date nights and you spend about 70%+ time thinking about the reason you are taking a break... your kids. :) Let's just say life would really suck without the two of them. Aubrey (new to the blog since her parents aren't really that good at it) is almost 8 months old! Zach is almost 3 years old! Looking back at older posts it's apparnt we were in need of an update.

MUD

Zach came home from daycare with a healthy dose of mud on his clothes, hair and skin. I thought to myself, Ahh what a boy! Our little baby is no longer just that. He is growing ever more into a exciting little boy who has a huge personality. I can't wait to do father-son camping trips (quite often involving mommy too of course) and other "guy" type stuff. Somedays it is hard to imagine him growing up, but then there are times like today where he comes home muddy and toddles around with an oversized football that I remember that these days are numbered. Parenting has been a balancing act between holding onto the present while looking forward to the future and missing the past. I think that is what makes multiple children so much fun. I suppose I will have to wait on that though...

So big!

Zach is really growing up. He's started saying a few words now... "ooooooohhhh, apple, cookie, up, mama, dada," and sometimes he'll copy what we say. I have to explain the "cookie" one, which actually sounds more like "cucu". He has a Cookie Monster book that says "Cookie" when you press a button and he will repeat that now when he wants to read that book. It is SOOOOO cute when he does it, because he tries to say it like the book in Cookie Monster's grumbly voice. He's such a great little kid and mommy is really really REALLY enjoying being home with him these past two weeks. It's hard to believe how 14 months can change a person (him and I)!

Congrats Ryan!

So, when I think of my siblings this is what comes to mind... Rachel is down in Alamosa playing basketball as a freshman or sophomore. Ryan is at CSU, perpetually a freshman. Kayla is at Horizon, perpetually a sophomore or junior. Don't get me wrong, it's not just them I picture to be stuck in time. I picture myself as a recent graduate (like a month ago). Hardly!!! I was thinking about this at Ryan's graduation, but I've been out of college for 4 years. That means I started over 8 years ago and graduated high school! Wow. Sometimes I turn around and realize... "Oh my gosh, I'm an adult... I have a kid, a job, a house, and a husband. Where did all this come from?" I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with all of these wonderful things, but I am amazed at how fast time flies. So, Ryan, and all other graduates out there, enjoy the day and live in the moment, thankful for what God has blessed you with!

Toddling Toddler

Zach is so close to walking now! It's evident by the many bruises he has on his cute little face. Let me just say I am ready for him to be steady on his feet so he doesn't keep falling into and on things. :( Sometimes I just want to tape pillows to him so he has a cushion to land on... but he is getting better. We celebrated his 1 year birthday a little over a month ago! I can't believe he's been part of our family already for over a year!!! He's got such a little personality too. It's amazing how much he knows what he wants and how to get it too. Daddy and mommy are going to have to work a little harder at sticking to our guns and ignoring that adorable little face when he starts to get into trouble. It's just so hard to resist, especially when those big aligator tears start rolling. I read in an article (there are so many of them out there) that kids don't really remember specific instances where there was a power struggle, they remember the overall way things were. I know we have many more laughs, play time, and hugs than rough spots, so I'm not too worried. It just breaks my heart to see him sad or hurt. Luckily I know God is always watching over my little Z and no matter what, is there whether I am or not!

Snow Day

No school today!!! I got to enjoy a free day at home with little Zach! He is very excited to watch the snow falling down today. It looks pretty nasty and I really with Daddy could be home with us too. I just pray for safe driving and road conditions for Aaron. I'm also secretly hoping he calls saying they've decided to let everyone go home early today (perhaps at lunch). He says that never happens though, and I think he's right. So, I guess Zach and I will have to enjoy the day for Daddy too. Let's just pray we get another one tomorrow!!!

Daddy Daycare

Through a chain of events I was able to spend the day with Zach on Thursday... all day Thursday. I must say I have a tremendous amount of respect for stay-at-home moms, single parents, daycare providers... and of course - my wife. This was the first time in a while (since Zach has become more active!) that it has just been "us guys." I soon re-realized how much work it is even when he sleeps for 4-5 hours during the day! By the time I recouped from getting him ready for his morning nap, it seemed like he was waking up for lunch. I thought that before/after lunch we could cruise out and do some errands and enjoy the day. Nope, it was soon time for his afternoon nap and a quick run around the house so that I could get it clean (by clean I mean back to the way it was before we tore it up) before his momma' came home from work. I did nothing aside from taking care of him and it exausted me!
All this being said... I wouldn't trade it for the world!! I am gradually begining to truly understand what it means to be a parent. It really is a labor of love! I don't think I will ever be an expert and I don't know that I ever need to be. Perfection never is a requirement. What really matters is that we love our kids and do everything in our power to see that they grow up to be self-sufficient Christ following adults! We are going to make mistakes, become worn out, even loose our composure every so often, but our love for our kids and overall our love for our Saviour sets our priorities back in place. Thanks be to God - without Him all would be lost!

My life as a Mommy

It's nice to know I'm not alone. Nobody ever told me that when Zach was born he would become number one in my life. Don't get me wrong, I love Aaron more than ever, but Zach seems to take priority these days. Nobody ever told me that would happen... until after it did. I've been praying for a rearrangement of priorities these days, that God would be first, then Aaron, then Zach. It seems lately I've got that upside down and that's how life goes (upside down) when you get things mixed up. Zach's just so darn cute, along with everything he does, it's hard to put him in his place, but that's how it should be. After all, I would want my parents to love God and eachother more than me. It seems like my love for God, Aaron, and Zach are all very different. Is this normal? I don't know. But what I do know is that for any mom out there, going through this impossible pull of emotions, just know that you're not alone, and that I'll pray for you too.

Through a child's eyes...

There are many reasons why I am thankful Zach entered our lives. Not only is he the cutest baby in the world, he lightens any moment with his giggles, his rolling makes you want to join in the play, and his growling noises bring out the lion in all of us! Another main reason is how much he makes me slow down in my daily life. Zach makes me realize what's important when other things are trying to push my priorities out of whack. When my job seems tiresome and pointless, I come home and get to experience what all the parents of my students have been through. When I get angry at a student for not listening or being disrespectful I try to image how I would want Zach to be treated in that situation. As a teacher, Zach has made me rethink a LOT of situations. I sympathize with giving too much homework and I realize just how important family time and unorganized play really is. Zach has helped me slow down, enjoy the lazy evenings and playing make believe with cars, trucks, and duckies. He's helped me see how even the simplest things can be fun and enjoyable if you look at them the right way. My successes no longer come from my job, they come from the simple pleasures like having a splashing fight with Zach in the bathtub, cuddling up with Aaron during a movie, or staying up an extra hour to play a competitive game of Scrabble (we've gotten good). Life IS good. :)

Tis the Season

Zach's first Christmas has been building with anticipation. With our Christmas parties, Advent services, decorative lights, holiday baking, and last minute shopping, it's been a busy month. We headed northwest in search of the perfect Christmas tree. We found a great blue spruce (20 ft) which Aaron single handedly took down and drug back to the Jeep. Zach enjoyed riding in his sled while mom and dad searched and searched and searched. I think we'll do it again next year! Christmas sure seems a lot more fun now with Zach, he adds a whole new dimension and feeling to the season. Shopping for presents seems more fun now that we get to find ourselves back in the toy department! :) (Aaron's already checking out the latest Lego collections.) This year has been one of the most amazing and I can only imagine the joy that Mary felt as she held her newborn baby close. To know the power he had and the task ahead I can only image what thoughts went through her head. As a mom I like to think about how much happiness and excitement she had that first Christmas season.

Mental Health Day

I had the opportunity to take a day off this week as my mental health day. I stayed home, slept in until 7am, and enjoyed hanging out with my little one for the day. It was so wonderful to go for walks, play at the park, and just take time to be with him. I wish I could do this once a week (I'm afraid my sick days would run out pretty fast though). Wednesday really made me think about the summer and how lucky I was/am to have all that time to just bond with Zach. I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring, and Summer breaks. Sometimes I feel as though teaching isn't my career of choice, but who doesn't get tired of their career every once in a while. My heart belongs with my family and I just have to remember how blessed I am to have such a great job. Although my job may not be my life, it definately helps make an enjoyable one. Don't get me wrong, I like teaching, but being a mommy and wife is really the only career I want.

Conservation

So I just finished my Hunter Safety course and it was a very worthwhile endeavor. I think that if everyone were to go through a course on firearm safety and habitat conservation like the one that the DOW offers, we would see a tremendous drop in accidents involving firearms and an increase in funding for the environment. (Hunters provide an overwhelming majority of the funding for increasing wildlife habitat.) I am looking forward to someday share this knowlege and love of the outdoors with my son Zach! I value the times that my father has taken me shooting and I think it has given me a resonsible respect for not only firearms but for the wildlife that share our space.

Sooooooooooo big...

Zach is now going on 6 1/2 months old! I can't believe he's been here that long and yet I can't remember life without him (nor do I want to)! He went in for his 6 month pictures on Sunday, very cute indeed. If you'd like to see them, send me an email and I'll forward you the link to the Sears website. We took Zach to a pumpkin farm today to find the great pumpkin. Apparently we waited too long and there really weren't any good ones left. Aaron managed to find one that worked and wasn't too squishy or over 50% green. Maybe it was the weather this fall? Who knows, but tomorrow we've got a pumpkin to carve. :) We're almost ready for Halloween now!

Roly-Poly

Not counting the Roly-Poly lab I had my 7th graders do a few weeks ago, we've been seeing a lot of roly-polying around our house... Zach's rolled over! He went from his back to his tummy. It's kind of funny, though, because once he makes it over he doesn't like being on his tummy much. We've started sitting him in his high chair while we're eating and are debating starting cereal soon. It's crazy to think he's already 5 months old. In some ways it feels like he's always been with us, in other ways it feels like time has flown by and he's only been here for a few days. It's hard to explain, and I think it's another one of those situations that only parents can understand. I had a meeting with a student's parents this morning and were discussing how the student talks badly of/to her parents at home. I wanted to pipe up and help the student understand how much work and love her parents had invested in her throughout her life and that she shouldn't be disrespectful to them like that. But then I realized she's a 12 year old and figured she wouldn't understand anyway. To anyone who doesn't have kids, you have no idea what your parents went through to keep you alive and happy when you were young. It's so worth it, but it definately wasn't easy. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you've done for me!!! I love you!!!

The Tank

It's so amazing how much Zachary changes in such little time. We were sitting at dinner tonight talking about how it's still hard to believe (at times) that he is ours! What a miracle to think that he was knit together by God, inside his mommy (me), and is now experiencing the world around him. I can't even remember life without him, what that felt like, and yet he's only been here for 5 months. It makes me wonder what I did with myself before he was here. I have to say... even though I have next to no me or free time anymore, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I still get really excited for friends when I hear they're pregnant because I am excited for them that they will soon get to experience the enormous amount of emotions we've been able to experience. Looking back at pictures of Zach when he was only a week or two old it's hard to remember what it felt like to hold such a tiny baby. Although we didn't want him to grow up, we're now so glad he's getting to the point where he is interacting more (giggling, babbling, playing, watching, etc.). I can't wait to see what a fun little boy he'll be. I just hope it doesn't go too fast! The world seems like a whole new place now that we get to experience it through Zach's eyes.

Routines

Well, Zach had his 4 month check-up today and second set of vaccines. He weighed in at 18 lbs, 2 oz and is a healthy, happy little guy (we knew that though)! He took his shots pretty well and is sound asleep as we speak (write, I guess). He actually slept through the night for the first time on Monday, Aug. 19th... he must have known Nicole had to teach the next morning. :) He's growing so much, he looks more like a little boy every day. The doctor said he'd be a handful in a few months and in a way, I guess we prayed for that. We wanted him to be an active, talkative little guy and I think that's exactly what we got. God bless our little angel!

Outdoor Man

Zachary successfully survived his first camping trip! He's also now been to the mountains and experienced his first s'more (through mom of course). What a trooper he was, despite the continuous rain. Aaron and I have decided he was born to be outdoors, which is really great since we love it as well. We're hoping to go on many more camping trips with the little guy, and someday hope to take him on some snowshoe trips as well.

All Alone

The most obnoxious feeling in the world is to sit alone in a movie theatre. Fair amounts of folks go to the movies alone right... Nope. Just one last night - Me. I realized that although the movies are not a place to take someone you want to get to know, they are one of the worst places to take absolutely no one. Nicole wasn't there to talk with during the stupid slide show they show at the beginning and Zach wasn't there to urge me to pause the movie so mama could feed him (giving me the opportunity to grab a fudge-sicle from the freezer), so I sat there very awkwardly doing nothing but answering the movie trivia in my head. I watched the Dark Knight, which I thoroughly enjoyed, (a brilliant movie that I will see many more times - hopefully with someone this time) and then had to call Nicole to tell her how good it was without being able to say much because she wasn't there to see it. It was at that time that I realized that anything I would have the opportunity to do in Steamboat would be diminished by the fact that my other half isn't here. So I do very little.
To add to it I am missing a week of my son's life. This may not sound like much, but when you are 3 months and about 2 weeks, this ends up being roughly 1/14 of your life. He will be just fine, but I miss the little guy!
Things aren't all meloncholy here. I am enjoying doing something different (leak survey as opposed to reading meters) in some incredible surroundings. Today I walked along the tracks next to the Yampa river with a beautiful view of the green (and red - due to pine beetles) ski slopes. The weather is amazing and the work is good. Speaking of which, I need to try and get some sleep so I can start fresh tomorrow. I haven't been sleeping well - I blame it on the lack of static from the baby monitor. So until I return home...

Our Little Fishy

Well, we're back from our travels and had a great time visiting everyone! Zach did really well, but I think he's glad to be back with his own things. He's definately well-traveled and seems to adjust well. We took him swimming for the first time in Wisconsin Dells and he seemed to like it. Aaron's really glad considering he's a swimmer himself. Zach and I have been enjoying relaxing days around the house, the few I have before school starts up again. I'm really going to miss him. I honestly can't think about it much because it just makes me cry... pretty hard. I don't want to miss out on him, he's so much fun and I love him so much. I'm so afraid the time will just fly by once I go back to work. I guess you could say I'm already looking forward to next summer with him. Say some prayers that I won't be a blubbering baby the first weeks and that our relationship with Zach will continue to get stronger regardless of returning to work. I love that little kid and know it's going to be rough.

Off we go...

Well, it's another late night at the Bishop household. Aaron and I are rapidly getting ready and packed for tomorrow's trip to Minnesota for Grandma's birthday party. We're all very excited. Zach's sleeping (thankfully), so he will be rested and ready for the long car ride. I feel bad making him sit in his car seat for so long, but when I think about it, the rest of us are sitting that long too. At least he has a cushioned seat. I just hope it doesn't funktify his growth or something. Anyway, wish us luck and safe travels!