Life

I've come to the conclusion that life is what you make it. If you choose to get overwhelmed and feel like you are just surviving, then you are! If you look at the positives and try to find the silver lining, then you will. Although life has been crazy and I felt as though I was falling short in every area, I realized that God never gives us more than we can handle... if we allow Him to help us carry the burdens. I'm trying to simplify life and get back to basics. Being a working mom will never be easy (being a stay at home mom wouldn't be easy either), but there are things that make is easier.
1. When I'm home with Emma... PLAY WITH HER! Yes, I need to get dinner on the table, do laundry, dust, etc., but if I give her what she needs first (mommy time) she is always more willing to play on her own while I get these other things done.
2. When Emma goes to bed and Matt is home... RELAX! I forget that Matt needs my time too. I can't use "our time" to clean and do chores.
3. When Matt's gone and Emma is in bed... CLEAN! This is when I should get things done! No one around to bother me and I can just get it all done quickly.
4. Find time for myself... for me this means getting up a little earlier in the mornings. During the week I am up WELL before the rest of the house. I use this time for my devotional a QUIET breakfast and just mentally preparing for the day. I fought this because it meant loosing more time for sleep, but it actually gives me more energy for the day.

Trying to find the perfect balance is nearly impossible, but I keep trying and trusting God to help me through it all!

Hello world!

Well, we finally did it. The Turner Family has started blogging. Up until the past few days we were the oldest twenty-somethings on the planet. We had no blog, no facebook accounts, and even had text messaging BLOCKED from our phones. That has all changed (almost... still not on facebook). Matt's phone died earlier this week, forcing us to look into new cell phones... this meant we had to upgrade to a cell phone plan that included data and messaging. We are still trying to figure it all out, but it feels good to re-connect with the world again.
Emma is now 13 1/2 months old. She still refuses to walk on her own, but we are pretty sure that she will take off running as soon as she re-joins her mobile friends as daycare in a few weeks. She now has 8 teeth (4 on top and 4 on bottom), and it seems like there is always another new tooth on the way. She is VERY interested in the world around her. She points at everything and asks "That?" wanting you to tell her what the object is. Sometimes you just have to guess what she is pointing at, but we try to give her correct information.
Matt and I have enjoyed our summer at home together. It has FLOWN by. For those of you who don't know I had my gallbladder removed on June 9th (my second day of summer). So after 2 weeks of recovery, then 2 trips, and then a week of training for me...we feel like summer just started. I only have this week and next week "off" before I have another training and then new teachers report to work on the 10th! Although, I am not a NEW teacher I will be new to Kerrville this year, so I have to go in a few days before Matt to learn all about KISD! Matt and Emma go back to school on the 16th.
Well, I think that is all for now. I am not sure how often I will get to update, but I will try to post as often as I can. Thanks!