Music Mondays

There's only 1 way to listen to this song...

On BLAST- on the interstate- cruising at 70mph- while belting out the lyrics. Also, preferably alone (so as to save other's ears & sanity)

Jason Gray- Remind Me Who I Am 

Tyler- 9 months

Tyler- 9 months old 

• Likes
• Peas! A total victory
• Reading books- but mostly just turning pages
• Walking while holding on to furniture, especially when Dad chases him!
• Paper- playing with it, tearing it, crinkling it, etc etc etc
• Holding his own bottle 
• Standing at laundry baskets or open drawers or suitcases and pulling every article of neatly folded clothing out to throw on the floor. 
• Saying "ba ba ba" and even a little "da da da" every now and then. 
• Crawling on hands and knees is new within the last week- he had been a sole army crawler even pulling himself up to standing from there. Now real crawling has entered the picture. 
• Hair- especially Mom's long (easily pull-able) hair. He also pulls on his own at times, which by the way, is getting curly and fuzzy and really growing in. (note to self- find pictures of Kevin as a young boy. Tyler has his hair, no doubt)
• Dislikes
• Having said paper taken away from him after he demolishes it into small pieces
• Diaper changes aka wrestling matches. The little punk wins sometimes. 
• Closed doors. He now knows there is something behind the door, he knows how to swing open and closed doors that aren't latched shut so if we close a door he immediately lets out a protest cry for a second before he gets distracted by the next entertainment piece. 
• Details
• Weight- 20 lbs, 9 oz
• Height- 29.25 inches
• Head size- off the chart (on the high end). Which explains why 12 month hats fit him/are almost too small?! Hope that slows down a bit before his next check-up! 
• Tooth Count- 2- one on top right middle, one on bottom right middle
• Sleep- Bed time is more like 730pm these days. Wake up time is (on good days) around 7am plus once in the middle of the night. 2 naps a day is pretty typical and always at least an hour if not 2. Glorious. 
• Also notable- he doesn't cry tears. When we told our Dr. at his checkup, he looked at us for a few seconds and literally said "I don't know, let's see what happens between now and 1 year." By the way, he DOES cry just not tears. 

Wordless Wednesday

This happened yesterday. You can't tell from the photo but he is standing on the second stair, reaching up to the bag on the 4th stair. 

Whole.New.World. 

And a throwback to this one...

Taken in February when stairs were first discovered. 

Music Mondays

Tyrone Wells- Simple Life

I've known other Tyrone Wells songs (note to self...future Music Mondays) that I really like but this is one I heard for the first time a few days ago.

As you may have figured out by now, lyrics matter...

"And when it's complicated, we just need to simplify....
Do justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly.
Live a simple life."

Murphy's Law- Friday Edition

Why does the garbage man ALWAYS arrive on Friday mornings within striking distance of the time Tyler falls asleep for his morning nap?

Also, why are garbage trucks so beepy and obnoxiously banging and loud?

Nap time is sacred, Mr. Garbage Man. You can leave now. Quietly.

Science!

I recently went on a hunt around my house to find a book I read awhile ago but all of a sudden felt like I wanted to read again. It's called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

When I read it the first time, it was earth-shattering and mind-boggling in the best way possible. I remember at many different points throughout the book thinking "YES! That's totally how I feel." 

Exhibit A- A story from the book that stands out in my memory...

The author was discussing church and the significant differences in contemporary vs. traditional worship services. She told a story about a guy who truly enjoyed the majority of the contemporary worship service but became visibly uncomfortable at only one certain time, every service...the inevitable part of most worship services where they ask you to greet your neighbors. Might be going out on a limb here to admit this but "YES! That's totally how I feel." I despise that part of our church service. I can't explain it, I just do. I totally start sweating during the minute leading up to it, during, and for the few minutes afterwards. 

Actually, that last sentence would be explained perfectly in another section of the book in which the author explains in full detail the physiological response that introverts feel in social settings. She uses science to completely back up "YES! That's totally how I feel."  Yes...my friends...it's science! My body is hard-wired to have a physiological response- heart rate increase, sweat production increase, heightened awareness, etc etc etc- in some (or mostly all) situations involving other human beings. Which in turn, kicks my brain into overdrive- analyzing every little detail of the interaction and responding to "feeling" uncomfortable (totally out of my control) by being uncomfortable.

By the way, I read this book in its entirety probably 2 or so years ago so all of this I'm writing is out of my memory. I have just gotten it out to start reading again...sometimes it's nice to know you're not the only one! 

Music Mondays

It's Monday again- and boy do I love this idea...it lets me revisit so many old favorites and/or revel in a song when I hear it and think " I NEED to blog that one."

This week's song is:

Paul Colman- One Thing

This isn't the "official" music video but I needed the video to show the lyrics because the lyrics are the reason this song matters.

I literally remember the exact place and time I first heard this song- Spring 2012, Rockford Illinois, random store parking lot while eating some sort of sub sandwich in between soccer games I was coaching. Why do I remember this? Because this song hit me THAT hard.

Paul Colman is a Christian artist so the undertones of this song indicate that we don't have to question God's love for us. I remember the specific season/year this happened because when I heard this song I was engaged to Kevin and planning our wedding which was rapidly approaching. I took these lyrics to heart because there are a lot of things I've questioned ...... "All the things I've ever called certain- my race, my religion, my country, my mind"

but with Kevin I can "pour my heart out", "think of all the roads that brought me to you" and know that "he really loves me the way he says he does".

And for that, I'm a pretty lucky girl.

So here's the song........LISTEN to the lyrics. No, really LISTEN to them. Then repeat 5 more times. (at least)

Wordless Wednesday

First time on my back, means he's actually old enough for this move!

Music Mondays

Decided to add another "feature" to the blog, so Music Mondays will begin. Although I don't promise it will be every Monday just like Wordless Wednesdays isn't every Wednesday and Throwback Thursday isn't every Thursday. It will be a way for me to share & remember & love some of my favorite songs.

So to start it off, with no big surprise, I'm picking one of the most obscure songs that I know and love- because, after all- one of my favorite hobbies (that I don't have a lot of time for anymore) has always been to find the "next big thing" before it becomes a household name song or artist. I alluded to this hobby before in this post about a Matt Nathanson song.

This is actually TOTALLY fitting because I heard Quiet Corral open for none other than Matt Nathanson a few summers ago at the Simon Estes Amphitheater in Des Moines with Kevin (before I was a Hockemeyer!) in an awesome concert series called Nitefall on the River. Nitefall on the River is definitely one of Des Moines' finest gems.

Without further ado- here's the song.

Quiet Corral- Fly, Bird, Fly

Wordless Wednesday

Got outside this past weekend for a few new experiences...here's one- 

Tyler swinging- I think his look screams "I'm not really sure I like what's happening to me!"