I should probably get a new web address...

Our First Easter
2010

This month we make five years married!!! HOORAY!
I just LOVE LOVE LOVE my man.
Thank you Jesus for him.
And for the fruit of our marriage - they rock too.

But so this blog started off as "cajun newlyweds" and then morphed into "jambalaya" because it ended up being more than just updates on family life and now…now we are really about to not be newlyweds.

So I'm thinking.

Might be time to change it up. Or just accurately label this blog.

But for now…I'm going dream of long, endless hours of sleep.

Newborns are awesome but some nights sleep is a bit hard to come by. So worth it.

Opa, Emerson, Rita and Jonah
(Hey Micaela! Y'all have an Oma! German roots too?!)

How Cell Phones Have Improved My Arguing

Like many people, I almost prefer text messages to phone calls. Phone calls seem so urgent and pressing and...did the ringing phone just wake the baby because I might just sit and cry. I know. Pathetic. So mostly my phone is on silent and I text message. And voice mails? We really shouldn't even pay for the service!

ANYWAY. 

I process better when I talk or write, which has made text messaging a real blessing. I can sit there all hot and angry and "write" a massive message, then put the phone down (away from little people) and come back to it when I've calmed down. 9/10 of the time I just delete the message - it isn't about causing conflict, it's just about the need to express how I feel and if that is to my cell phone, then so be it. 

This has been especially helpful in my marriage. I can look at what I have ready to send and think, gosh that sounds ugly/negative/whiny/ungrateful/bossy and hopefully I reword it or, as mentioned, delete it entirely! We are all the better for it!

Have you found the same thing - that typing (writing) your thoughts helps you to internalize what it is you are actually communicating?

Happy Day 1 of Bloggity Blog Challenge!

P.S. This was a post started in Autumn of 2012!

Some Sappy Thoughts

Just listenin' to a little Beatles while typing this ( I originally wrote this, hello OCTOBER 2013, update, publishing this in November of 2017!!!)...that makes me so happy.  Beautiful music.  I am so grateful my husband expanded my music knowledge beyond 90s rock, country and Christian.  A good man!

Speaking of, this is the week that the love-spark started between us.  Cue googly eyes, hand-holding, and lots of starring into one another's eyes...a nice handful of years ago.

I love that we fell in-love in Autumn.  I love that he met my family for holiday gatherings.  I just love him.  *blissful sigh*

Five Favorites: Linking Up with Links!

Linking-up with Moxie Wife for some faves!

Speaking of favorites and favors - can you pray for a friend? Her dad passed away. He was young. She is young, younger than me. She and her husband just married last month. Thanks peeps. I can't imagine how deep her grief is.

How about some good article reads?

Interesting might be a better word - because you aren't me and surely "good" reads is a personal preference. Anyway!

1. ModernMrsDarcy has a nice article about Highly Sensitive People - very intriguing. I'm not going to lie. Just about everything Anne writes captures my attention! A blog worth following.

Early riser. Busy in the kitchen!

2. Bonnie wrote a post back in 2013 that I still muse over. It's good stuff. I tend to want to do something if I think I can do it perfectly - but if I think I might "fail" in some way, I just don't attempt. Tragic. So this post about Little Moment Parenting really touched my heart.

Thankfully we have raincoats and the kids delight in the constant cold and rain
...for like six minutes...but who's counting? ;)

3. Does your Amazon cart stay filled with items that you reluctantly click "save for later" when you finally do make a purchase? I know, me too. But here is a screen shot of some books I've read and others I haven't that I really would like to own. My children and I have collectively incurred nearly $200 in library fines and damage over the 2013 year. So honestly, buying on Amazon saves us money!

Is it so obvious we have Amazon Prime? We love it. Serious.

4. I still love Auntie Leila's post about debt and life, etc. I think it really shows her depth of wisdom.

Primary color painting. My girl loves window sunshine and the freedom to create. It's awesome. Messy. But awesome.

5. Finally, Hallie Lord's letter to a young bride.
It hits home for me. Tyler and I knew each other a couple months before we started dating, then were engaged nine months later and then eight months after that the bells were ringing and these two imperfect souls were united with all the love and grace that comes with the sacrament of matrimony. A few months before our two year anniversary we had our first bambino and have been steadily (and prayerfully) growing our family ever since. It hasn't been a walk in the park as we have sort of learned each other all the while learning to be parents. It has been so incredibly deep and wonderful. It has made us throw back the veil and really reflect on who we are, who God is calling us to be, etc. It has actually been an amazing journey. Amazing. I would do it all the same!