I'm back!

Ok, so I am back. I haven't posted here in a long time. So I decided to start updating this again. I am going to track my pregnancy (which has been a doozy so far, let me tell ya). Also, I am going to talk about building my AVON business that I just recently started. Maybe putting my goals into words will make me keep them. Campaign 19 is half way over and I have been sick over most of it, so I didn't do as well as I'd like. But there is always campaign 20!

Goals for campaign 20 include:
Passing out all 50 brochures that I ordered.
Getting atleast 15 new customer orders.
Getting atleast one new representative.

Now, as for the pregnancy:
It has most certainly been difficult but things will get better. I am currently 22 weeks, and its a BOY! We are stoked. He's growing well, and appears to be developing great. We are so excited.

No More Take Out :)

I have made it my goal to quit relying on take out to feed my family. I have decided that working is no excuse to rely on overpriced, less than desirable take out 2-3 times a week. Not to mention, it is SO expensive!

So I will start cooking every day, even if it means cooking a day or two ahead and having it stored in the freezer. Doing this will also allow me to spend more time with my daughter, and to cultivate her interest in cooking.

I also plan to try new recipes all the time so that I can expose my family to new and exciting dishes.

Tonight? Its Salmon Cakes, recipe courtesy of RecipeZaar and "Tater Fries", recipe courtesy of my mother in law.

Pics to follow
-Shannon

Mommy's Hat Collection

Realizing that I am only human has really dampened my spirits lately. In life I have always felt the need to do more, the need to be more. I have never been satisfied with me, in the now. This feeling only intensified after I had Maddy, and even more so after I went back to work. A part of chatter in my head says "Go ahead, keep doing. You can do more, you can do better". Then another part of the chatter in my head tells me "Not so much, your only one person!" Which chatter to listen to? Well, my pregnant body has begun to side with the voice of reason, that is the one that says "Not so much, you are only one person!". Is this true?!?!? I really can't do it all?

In my opinion, I think it is deeply embeded in every mother's personality to try to be everything, because truely, we are everything. Moms are nurses, managers, accountants, teachers, and chefs. We wear every hat every day. One hundred jobs wrapped up into one box with a shiny label on it that says, "Mommy". And the older our children get, the more they expect us to be.

So this mommy is torn between the "what I could be's" and the "what I am". Any other moms feeling torn?

Introducing Maddy :)

So, since I introduced our baby to be, I thought I would take a second to introduce our 1st blessing, Madelyn, to my blog. She is 4, and she is a cracker jack. She lights up our lives and we are incredibly blessed to have her :). She enjoys singing and dancing and is quite the entertainer.

The first picture was taken at Cheif Logan Park in Logan, WV. We took her specifically for a photo session on a warm day this spring.

The second picture was taken on our vacation last year.

We are quite lucky to have this darling little lady in our lives, and I just wanted to take a minute to show her off. :)

Aww!!! The Bay-bee!!!!!!

So, I just wanted share the details about my first prenatal appointment! We got to see the baby today. Its very small (I am 7 weeks pregnant, due on January 9th) and its heart beat is very strong. All the tests so far look good, and we are extremely excited. I wanted to post ultrasounds pictures to let everyone in on our little blessing :)



It may be a long way to January, but this baby is gonna be worth the wait.

Our Little Bean *lol*

Marriage

So, laying in bed with my husband the other day, I am reminded of how lucky we both are.

Some of my friends who have been married are divorced.

Some are miserable.

But yet, by the grace of God, we are still married, still strong, still happy, and working on our second baby. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not reminded of how lucky we are. We have weathered some pretty intense storms, but the storms passed and we were left standing strong.

I think that there are three big factors that combine to make a successful marriage.

One is, of course, unconditional love for your partner. I think so many people go into a marriage not really knowing what love is. Love means loving your partner through anything, so before getting married, one should ask theirself. Could I love this person if they were paralyzed? Could I love this person if they were disabled? Could I love this person if they were in a coma? Could I love this person if they sustained a massive head injury and lived the rest of their life needing my total care? These are negative things to think about, but if you don't love your partner enough to stick through them through these circumstances, then marriage should not be considered.

Second key to a successful marriage is knowing your partner well. Although I didn't know Randall for that long when we married, we both got lucky and have not grown apart during our marriage. So many people marry and grow apart.

Third, people have to be determined to stick out a marriage for the long haul. Divorce is looked upon as a desirable option, and almost half of all marriages fail. Thats more and more children with broken families, and if this cycle continues, if we teach this to our children, then even more children in the next generation will grow up without both parents in the home.

Not that there aren't good reasons for divorce, there are plenty. Its just that divorce should be looked at as a last resort, not a first option. I think if we can teach our children anything, its the importance and sanctity of marriages. Don't preach about age of the couple, age is irrelevant to love. Just teach your kids how important and difficult marriages are. Be honest with children about the challenges married couples face and allow your children to see you be affectionate with your husband. By teaching your children about marriage and setting a good example, maybe we can instill these family values in the next generation and create a period in time where divorce and broken families aren't the norm.

The First Blog!

So, I am creating this blog to keep in touch with my family and friends and make new ones. I want to chronicle my life at this exciting time. Currently I am a mother of one, expecting a second. I am married to the most wonderful man, Randall. We are extremely blessed with a roof over our heads, food on our tables, and both with good jobs.

I plan to update the blog with my daily adventures (lol). I am sure there are plenty of adventures to come considering the new baby. I work tomorrow, first OB appointment on Monday. :). There are wonderful blessings in my life and I plan to write about them and share them with everybody.

-Momma From The Mountains
-Shannon :)