Shame, Shame

I cannot believe my last post was almost 2 months ago!

Talk about blog neglect. Wow. Shame on me.

I have developed another internet addiction, Facebook. (Thanks Val)
I haven't figured out how to juggle blogging and Facebook. If anyone knows how, please let me know! :)

Chloe turned one! Well, a month ago. I cannot believe out little girl is one year old. Some people call her a toddler now. I am still gonna refer to her as my baby because she isn't walking yet and is still relatively bald. I want to hang on to her "baby-ness" for as long as I can. It's already gone by too quickly.

Other than that, we've just been enjoying summer. Trips to the pool, walks outside, playing at the park, yardwork, and all the stuff that comes with summer.

Here are a few pictures.... I haven't posted pictures in ages either. Again, shame on me.

Away... Round 2

So, this is the second time we have left Chloe. The first time was overnight in February for a marriage retreat with our church. This time, it is for 4 nights. Yeah, you read that right... 4 long nights. Over 96 hours, over 5760 minutes... you get the picture.

Keith's best friend and old college roommate is getting married. Outside Detroit. So, I am posting this from our hotel room in Michigan. It wasn't feasible for Chloe to make the trip with us, so we took her to my mom's on Wednesday and left after we put her to bed.

It.was.so.hard.

SO HARD.

I have fought back tears on more than one occasion.

Keith and I went to dinner last night, just the two of us. A rarity since becoming parents. We decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. We looked through all the pictures of Chloe on our phone.

When we got back to the hotel, my mom had emailed pictures of their day.
Surprisingly, my daughter was smiling and playing. I guess she does ok without us!

Actually, I know she is fine. I'm sure she misses us, but I know she is fine. My mom and I are soooo similar, so Chloe is with the next best thing. She ate and napped and slept just like she always does.

That puts a mommy's mind at ease.

I thought it would get harder each day we were away, but today is a little easier so far. Maybe its because I am enjoying a cup of Starbucks. Don't get me wrong... I will be more excited than anything to get back to her on Sunday, pick her up and give her 10,000 kisses.

(Momma, if you are reading this, give her hugs and kisses from me!)

Hello, Old Friend

On Sunday I got reacquainted with an old friend....

my morning cup of coffee.

Oh, friend, how I missed you. We haven't spent time together since October 2007, when I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't spend time with you until I was done nursing Chloe.

Now I'm done breastfeeding. And, while I am still sad about that part of my life being done, I am looking forward to spending more time with you.
I have to admit, I tried to replace you with decaf, but decaf just wasn't the same.

I expect our friendship to pick up right where we left off.
So far, from what I can see, you haven't changed a bit.

My Little Hiatus

I can't believe it's been more than 2 weeks since I last posted.
It was nice, actually. One less thing I felt like I had to do. That is what blogging had become- a to-do. I needed the break. I felt pressure to post, to read, to comment.

And now, after these 2 weeks.... I miss my blogging friends. I miss reading your blogs and knowing what is going on in your lives. Funny, isn't it? How you can miss someone you have never even met.

So, I don't think I am ready to give up on my blog, but I do think that I won't be posting as frequently.

Alot has happened this month. Just a rundown of whats been going on while I've been MIA....

I am weaning Chloe. We are down to one nursing session a day and that is the one right before bed. I've switched her to goat's milk. It was a very big decision. I was struggling between organic formula and goat's milk and in the end, decided to go the goat milk route.

Why am I weaning her before 1 year? Because we are going to be away from her for 4 days in a couple of weeks. We have a wedding out of town and my mom will be watching her while we are gone. I didn't want to pump while we were gone, plus, I didn't want to leave her while I was still nursing. 4 days... I can't even think about being away from her for that long without panic starting to settle in.

Keith turned 31. My mom and dad both had birthdays too. I didn't even give them their proper birthday posts. Sigh.

Chloe had her first Easter. It was great. I cannot wait until she is old enough to understand the importance of Easter. It is one of the most exciting days to a Christian.

I am starting to plan for her first birthday. Is it really just over one month away?

We have decided to go to NC this summer to visit our friends, Bart and Tracy and their two little girls. Another panic- a 12 hour car ride. But, I still have months to figure that out...

Just a few updates from my life.
I can't wait to catch up on all of yours.

???

So, I've been feeling ho-hum lately, especially when it comes to blogging.

I've been contemplating if it is time to end the blog. For more than one reason.

We started a new series at church yesterday. 30 Days to Live.

How would you spend your last 30 days? I don't think I would spend mine blogging. Actually, I know I wouldn't.
And, I should spend each day as if it could be my last.

So, I'm going to pause for a bit. Stop and consider why I am blogging and if I should continue. Along with re-evaluating many other areas of my life.

I'll miss alot of you, especially if blogging is the only form of communication we have. I think I am going to try to give it a week, at first. I may extend it after a week. We'll see.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday.

Leave of Absence

I took one.... this past week. I couldn't help myself.

I was drawn into the Twilight world.

Yup, that's right. I got sucked into the world of vampires and wolves. I can't believe it myself. I had no intention of reading the series, at all. One of Keith's co workers asked if I would like to read the books, knowing that I love to read. I said, no thanks. She sent the first book, Twilight, home with Keith anyway... just in case I changed my mind. And, I did.

I finished my book from the library and was in a reading frenzy. I get in those every once in awhile. I don't want to watch tv or be online, I just want to read. So, I had to feed the frenzy. I picked up Twilight.

That was all it took. I couldn't put it down. I read the first book in about a day and a half. These are long books too! I knew I needed to read the second book. I had to find out what happened to the characters. Over the next 5 days, I read the entire series. LOVED IT. During Chloe's naps, I read. After I put her to sleep for the night, I read. While I made dinner, I read. In the bathroom, I read. For almost an entire week, I had my nose in a book, every spare second that I had.

I was shocked at how good the books are. I don't ever read that type of book. I usually stick to Christian fiction for my leisurely reading. So, imagine my surprise when I joined the thousands of teenage girls, engaged in this vampire-human love story.

My only regret.... I have no more books in the series to look forward too. I wish I wouldn't have read them so quickly.

We rented the movie last night. Watched it. It was alright. Doesn't come close to touching the books. Waaaaay too much detail is left out. I recommend the books instead.

Have you read the series? What did you think?

I Love A Party!

Welcome to my blog! Thanks for stopping by.

What better day to start the Ultimate Blog Party than the first day of spring? I love this time of year.

At a typical "girly" get-together, I would offer you a cup of coffee and some scones or muffins. You can kick off your shoes and pull up a chair. I want you to make yourself right at home here.

I suppose, as your hostess, I should introduce myself.
My name is Corie. I'm a 30 year old Christian, wife, stay at home mom, daughter, friend, book lover (and Book happens to be my last name), ice cream eater, and blogger.

I have an amazing family. My husband and I have been together for 12 years now, married for almost 4 of them. We met in college and dated for 8 years before we tied the knot. He's simply awesome. He recently switched jobs to become a High School teacher. And, he does personal training on the side... for a lil extra income since he fully supports me staying home with our daughter.

Last June, we welcomed our first child into the world. A perfect little girl, Chloe. She is 9 months old and an absolute joy to be around (most of the time). She is the reason I decided to quit my job and stay home. It is the hardest job I've ever had, but the most rewarding. I wouldn't change it for anything (on most days!). I love watching her learn and experience life every day. Right now, she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING, learning to clap and wave hi, and babbling away. Did I say how much fun I am having being a mom?

As for me, I am just trying to do the best I can in life. I'm striving daily for a closer relationship with God. I'm trying to adjust to mommyhood and staying home. I did not expect to still be adjusting after 9 months, but I am. I am working on being a better wife and serving my husband in the ways God intended. I'm ready to be done breastfeeding so I can have some caffiene! Oh, and I'm still trying to unpack. We moved into our first house in October and my office is still filled with boxes. I don't think I will be getting any of that done this week. I'll be too busy meeting you! (smiles)

I'm so excited for this week of bloggin' fun. I hope to meet lots of new bloggin' friends. If you stop by, I hope you'll leave me a comment. I can't wait to stop by your party too!

*Oh, the prizes I would choose...
It was too hard to pick my top three, so I picked my top 6.
USC 11 — See Kai Run baby/toddler shoes provided by Traveling with Baby and See Kai Run
58 – Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
USC 73 — Go baby OutMat provided by Go Baby
89 — $100 gift card to HomeGoods provided by HG Openhouse
16 — $20 gift certificate to Ladybug Limited
USC 58 — Handmade Retro Apron of your choice provided by Kati @ Country Girl, City Life and BoojiBoo!!

Or, any of the Target gift cards. Who couldn't use those?! :)