I Haven't Forgotten!

I haven't forgotten about my blog, I promise!

"Busy" is a bit of an understatement.  I talk about that a lot on here...:)

Here's what's been going on.

MUSIC

We got down to business this month with some important appearances and a LOT of work.  My dear friend Amy got married on October 4th and I got to sing in one of the most beautiful churches in the state of Iowa, with two more of my best girls...

I met these two and the bride 6 years ago in a musical and we have been family to each other ever since.  For the recessional we sang "Can't Help Falling in Love" -- from the show -- and it was super meaningful and special for all of us.  Gahhhh it was so fun.

A solo set at the brewery for me and an acoustic duo show for the Quarry's Oktoberfest were the following weekend.  We have been SO. LUCKY. with the weather this fall!  I love that we were able to load equipment without rain, play outside without cold and wind, and enjoy a lot of beautiful color and sunshine all month long.

The next weekend was our biggest project: Kelsey and JD's WEDDING!  We were honored to play for their beautiful celebration.  It was our very first gig as "wedding band" and we had a great time! We thought it was received pretty well, and we are now in the process of refining our sets and logistics so we can commit to more, hopefully.  

The last big show for us this month was this Saturday at the Mercy Foundation's fundraiser, "Nurses Rock," at NIACC.

When I got a call asking us to play for this event, I said "YES" immediately, without checking with the Gents...which is a huge no-no.  I couldn't wait, though...I wanted to do it to say thank you to the nurses that took care of us when Jude was born.  We had a great time playing for everyone there, and I even got to read a little thank-you tribute for the birth center nurses.  I will always, always be grateful for them.


JUDE

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it over and over: this season of life is incredible.  I love being "Mommy."  It is the best job I have ever had and it will forever be my favorite job.

Our pumpkin is 6 months old (!!!) and as happy as can be.  He loves to play with no clothes on (as you can see), be outside, look out the window, laugh at Mom and Dad, listen to music, play with wheels and noisy toys, splash in his bath, and play in his exer-saucer.  He is ALMOST crawling, and can scoot himself around on the floor pretty well.  

The other day I watched him scoot over to his diaper basket, dump it over, and take everything out.  Then I walked into the kitchen for TWO SECONDS, to come back and see him on the opposite side of the room, chewing on one of my boots.  I think it's safe to say...he'll be a handful.  But I am so thankful.  For nine months I prayed constantly for a healthy, active, happy baby...and we have been blessed a million times over with our little man.

He likes to lift his right arm in the air sometimes when he is sitting up.  Why is this?  LOL

His sleeping patterns have changed and he is now a "sometimes through the night" sleeper.  I'm not crazy about waking up with him, but when I'm rocking and nursing him at 3:30, I try to remind myself that he will only be this small for a blink of time.  I need to treasure every moment and every snuggle.

We've also started solid foods and it's going great.  I've been making all of the baby food, and I'm going to save the details of that for another post!

WORK

I LOVE my classroom!!

My eleventh year of teaching is going well.  The school year is rolling by quickly, as always.  Each day at school has challenges, but the joys are constant.  And the kids are funnier this year than they ever have been - I'm pretty sure it's because I'm spending more time with them, in class and during recess and lunch, thanks to the increased duty schedule I have this year.  More kid time = more chances to notice funny stuff.  Last week I had a first grader ask me if TVs were invented when I was a kid.  I said yes.  Then he asked, "Did you have color TVs?  Because in the olden days, people could only see black and white on their TVs."  LOL!! I told him I was born in 1981, and a fun project would be to research the history of televisions.  I told him to report back to me when he learned all of his interesting new information.

TOM

Tom and I are enjoying the occasional date night...required by every other young parent we've ever met, every doctor I've seen, all of our colleagues, and both families.  It's hard to find the time and energy, and I generally hate being away from Jude when I already struggle with sending him off each morning...but the effort is well worth it.  

It is absolutely true that you CAN'T let your relationship with your spouse suffer because your family has grown.  Our relationship at home is always better after spending time together.  We are lucky to have both sets of parents close enough to come watch Jude basically anytime, and many many willing friends!  

So, here comes November.  I really don't want to let a month go by without writing again...so keep me accountable, okay?  Thanks :)

Love, Betsy