Death Before Decaf: The Tale of a Caffeine Addicted Preeching Scientist.

My name is Carmen, and I am addicted to coffee. I love coffee, and I drink entirely too much of it. I'm talking morning, mid morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, - and depending on what all I have to do in the evening- sometimes I'll have more after dinner. I like my coffee strong, black, and lukewarm (weird right?). Decaf does not exist in my universe. Ever. I think I would give up baking before I could give up my keurig, and  that is a big deal.

Again the weekend is upon us, and again, we have been blessed with the most beautiful weather.  Today was a wonderful Saturday. I was up and out the the house early! Nolan and I got the weekly grocery shopping done first thing in the morning, and when we got home I did some baking. This afternoon I had a Mary Kay consultant come to the house and one of my dearest friends and I enjoyed a free makeover, which was a fun change of pace! After the makeovers, I took my Saturday nap, and spent dinner time over at my in-laws grilling outside and enjoying the beautiful weather with the boys.

Onto the verse!  

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

I study. A lot. And my studies are pretty varied. I am a biology major, and a religion minor. A lot of people, hubs included, think that one cannot believe in both science and God. That it is black and white, one or the other. I beg to differ. Science is belief in what can be seen, and just as said here in Hebrews, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. For me, this conclusion was difficult to come to- but now that I am here, I wonder why I had so much trouble on my way. I am finally at peace with what I believe, and it is a wonderful place to be.

Happy Weekend,
Carmen



Brothers and Ducks.

Brothers. The fact that Yosi and I actually created a pair of best friends is fairly spectacular. Sometimes I'll have people ask me 'gosh you must have wanted a girl' (<----- that question usually comes when I am chasing after, wrestling with, or breaking up a fight between the boys.). But it isn't true.
Don't get me wrong- having a girl would have been great too- BUT I have said before that I wanted Christian to have a brother more than I wanted myself to have a daughter. I see Yosi with his brothers and there is something.. some sort of special sibling bond.. and it really seems to be priceless. While my little guys may fight like mad at times, I know that forever and ever they will always have each other. And that makes me happy.

My project is TURNED IN. Done deal. Finished and over. I am feeling really good about the time and effort that I put into it and I'm proud that the end result reflects all of my hard work. I am also feeling good that I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Today I had an 8am lab which went smoothly and then I had my afternoon class, and I while I planned to stick around campus for a bit after class, I headed home instead. I got home and took a long nap in a quiet house and it was wonderful.

When I woke up and Yosi came home with the boys (they had been at grandma's - that's how I was lucky enough to nap in a quiet house), we headed to the duck pond. Watching the boys feed the ducks really was an awesome time. We went through almost a whole bag of bread, so I would guess that those ducks will be sleeping good tonight!  This is the kind of fun I am blessed enough to enjoy:

This is the brother thing I'm talking about <3

Yosi snapped a picture while I was making sure Nolan didn't just jump in with the ducks.

 I love this picture.

Nolan heading down the slide, debating of whether or not to hang on for dear life.



After the park, we came home and I made pancakes and eggs for dinner. Not quite a spring-y meal, but it was yummy and I do love me some pancakes every once and awhile.

Onto the verse for today

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

This verse really speaks for itself. I like that there is even some reassurance in that first sentence. Jesus knows that sometimes things seem to hard, or heavy, or seemingly impossible, but he just lays it down. Don't worry about it and just trudge on with courage, He's got this covered. 

Until next time,
Carmen

Titles and Talking.

This clock makes me laugh. I need one of these in the house. While I am (almost) never late, this clock fits me. Sometimes it's just nice to be, just to enjoy the time, without worrying about what time it is. This clock reminds me of the weekend we had here. It wasn't so much about being on time, it was more about making the most of the time we had. 

But before diving into my weekend festivities I wanted to talk about the name of the blog. So what is with the title of the blog anyway? Well it's kind of complex, but mostly not. When I was pregnant with Christian I would sing this song to my belly. I don't even know why it was this song I chose to sing, but I sang it at least a couple of times a day.While it sounds kind of goofy, it was our bonding time before he was born. Even today, we sing the song before bed- or when he is hurt, or sad, or upset, or just whenever. So when it came time to name the blog, I thought it was fitting not only because it has been an important song in our family story, but also because I am here telling you all what is going on in our lives lately.

On to the weekend

I spent a good part of yesterday and a couple hours today working on my project and, with only a few details left, I am feeling confident. I'm glad that my weekend was as productive as I was planning for it to be. I got the bulk of my project finished, I cleaned the house, I had a date night with hubs, and I spent one-on-one time with each boy. Whew! It was a busy one, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Talking about boys, I took Christian to the campus library with me today and we had a great time. I needed to work on my project, and I wanted to spend some time hanging out with my big guy. He did a fantastic job while we were there! I almost forgot crayons (thanks for saving the day there mom!) but I'm glad I didn't because he colored me some adorable pictures while I worked. It was a great time, one of those that I hope he remembers :) After dinner Christian and Yosi went to watch a soccer game and Nolan and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was awesome! He is at that age where everything he sees is the best thing he has ever laid eyes on. I think his favorite was watching a couple of birds play in the neighbor's yard. He could not stop laughing, and neither could I.

The verse for today is from Ephesians and (again and not surprisingly) I really like it.

"Become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

It seems that many people these days, myself included, talk to talk. We find whatever it is that sounds good and just go with it. Spitting out all sorts of words and not really thinking about them. It becomes so easy to speak things we don't mean, and equally easy to hold a grudge against another persons harsh words. 

Surely I can do better than that.  I think this week I'm really going to focus on this verse and apply it to my everyday goings on. I will be sure to tell you how it goes!

Until next time,

Carmen

Busy Hands.

I love this. As I continue to become a real-life adult I strive to hold  myself to a standard of grace. Perfection is boring anyway.  

Well the weekend is here, and it is absolutely beautiful! The mornings are cool, the afternoons are warm, and the evenings have are perfect for eating dinner outside. I love springtime almost as much as I love the fall, and that is a big bunch. Mostly, I'm just glad to be able to let the boys run around outside. I think we all were starting to go a little stir-crazy being cooped up in the house this winter, however mild it was. There is just something about playing outside that brings out the best in kids.

On such a beautiful weekend it is a smidge disappointing that I have a mountain of homework to tackle. On Tuesday I have a big project due for my religion class. So while I will be spending a great deal of time working on my project this weekend, I might just move my studies outside so I can enjoy the gorgeous weather.

Balancing home life and school life is a skill I am still mastering, but most of the time I think I manage pretty well. I am so grateful to have a Yosi who supports my dreams, and all of that comes along with them. There are some nights I'm on campus studying late, or some afternoons where I just can't make dinner, or on weekends like this where at my nights will be filled with textbooks at the table instead of movies on the couch. And he is there. To do baths, or make dinner, or to watch the movies he knows I won't like on nights where I have to hit the books. We sure do love him a lot.

For the verse today I picked something that is timely for me and my project.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Ecclesiastes 9:10

Today I will find my hands doing homework, and the product will be thoughtful, well organized, well researched, and appropriately creative.

Until next time,
Carmen



The Morning Olympics.

     Today was a morning like this, and I'm positive that today I earned a gold medal. It's almost like a one step forward-two steps back kind of event, until finally everybody is dressed and fed, with brushed teeth, combed hair, and shoes on. Two of the same shoes on.


     After dropping off the boys, I have about a 30 minute drive to campus. I use this time to decompress, drink my much needed coffee, and refocus on the tasks at hand for the new day. I also spend some time praying, which brings me to a new idea for the blog... A daily verse! So for the very first day I thought I would pick one that really speaks to my heart.  


Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. - Timothy 4:12 (NIV)


     I love this verse. Yosi and I became parents at a (very) young age. There is a stigma surrounding young parents. Think of Teen Mom, or Maury Povich maybe? As if becoming a parent (at any age) isn't enough of a roller coaster, but then there is the stereotype that comes along with being a young parent. For quite some time after Christian was born, I felt as though I was being judged by those around me. I was *that* girl who got pregnant and is now trying to get her poop in a group. The Timothy verse is perfect for us. It is what I strive to do as a young mom. Set a positive example, not necessarily in what I say, but in how I live my life. Gotta give Yosi a shoutout because we stand together here, and I couldn't have asked for a better man to stand beside.


  In other news, I am striving for a 94% on my next anatomy exam. And no matter how much I do love verses and blogging, I've got to learn something about respiration in order to achieve that goal. So this is all for now, but I'll have more to say along with another verse next time.


Until next time,
Carmen

A Corner for Us.

Hello Blogland!


While this blogging world is a big big place, I am so excited to have a corner to myself.  Here is some Q&A to get you up to speed.


Q:Who?


 A:Me: I'm Carmen, and I am young mom, wife, and student. I love to enjoy my boys, learn about science, and grow as a wife. I've had what I consider to be a 'turbulent spiritual journey', but I have now landed and my faith is growing everyday. Now we can move on to hubs-


Yosi: calm, cool, and collected. He is my rock, and my happy place. Love him lots, matter of fact; we love each other - and we love our boys a lot too-


Christian: 4yrs old.  Smart, funny, and wild. He is my ball of energy. He beams wherever he goes, and his ray of light warms my heart. Yos and I liked him so much we ventured to try it again. Enter-


Nolan: 2 yrs old. Clever, sweet, sensitive. He is my affectionate little man. He giggles all. the. time. And it is a beautiful sound.


Q: What?
A: While we may be the average family, I think we have some extraordinary memories to share. I think this blog will be a wonderful place to do that.


Q: When?
A: Whenever I feel like ;) I'm hoping to have something to say at least a couple times per week with some variation of course.


Q: Where?
A: Right here silly! us-lately.blogspot.com


Q: Why?
A: There are a few reasons I decided to create the blog, but mainly it was to keep in touch with family. I live at least a 4 hour drive away from my nearest family member (other than you mom!). And while Facebook has been a handy tool to keep in touch, I have some family members that aren't on FB, plus I can't always do all of the bragging I want to there without looking ridiculous. And who doesn't love to be a least a little creative every so often?!


While I realize that most of you reading this already know most of the above info, I figured it couldn't hurt to add in some background stuff.


I hope you all enjoy reading our memories as much as I enjoy making and sharing them!