being a good mom

It is hard. I try so much everyday and I still feel like I fail most of the time. How do we know we are giving them everything they need to grow, learn, and love? When I have one of those days where I don't come up with any "educational" activities and I spend most of the day doing laundry and dishes..how do I know i haven't totally held him back?

There are some days where I know that I'm on the right track, but somehow that same feeling can be flushed down the toilet the next day.

Just a mom venting a little.....just a mom getting through a day.....just a mom who loves her child so much she worries too much about messing him up :)

A babbling we will go...

The joys of friday evening. Well, the joys of a parent's friday evening. Cameron and I are currently laying on our bed watching Red Dwarf, too tired to do anything else but veg. Some may say we are boring...others understand we are old married parents ;)

This past week has been an eternity. I can't pin point exactly what has made it seem so outrageously long, but I'm sure some of it has to do with Elliott's crankiness from teething. Throw in my first chiropratic appointment that resulted in the knowledge that my back pretty much sucks and an adjustment that has left me writhing in pain and I've been praying for the weekend. At this moment we have no concrete plans for it, but I personally think that is beautiful. We might go to a pumpkin patch tomorrow and I know a toddler bed and mattress are being brought to us for free. And on that note...can I say how amazing people in this world really are? Everybody is on a budget and I'm so thankful that so many people are willing to help each other with things they might need. A lovely woman is giving us this bed just because she wants someone to be able to get use out of it. I know that that is what I will do with my baby things once we are done having them.

I really think we should do some cleaning this weekend. Cleaning...cleaning...cleaning. Ugh. The very word gives me the creeps. Not that we have a dirty house by any means, but it still needs work. Toys everywhere, a pile of dirty clothes next to the washer...some vacuuming...bathroom cleaning...garage clearing. It is never ending. Why in the world did I want to play house so much when I was a little girl?? Seriously.

But for now, I see Cameron's sly looks at me....hoping I'll get off this thing and give him a cuddle. Better be a good wife ;)

Life is precious

Right now I'm rocking out to Veggie Tales with my boy. Well, technically he is sort of whining, but details...details.
Life has given us a few twists and turn. Good and bad. My best friends sis-in-law recently passed away from cancer. I didn't know her very well personally, but it hit me pretty hard. Which I thought as weird, but maybe it is because I love Beth so much and hate when she is in pain. Either way, I know that she was a person who loved life and her kiddos. I sincerely hope that those around will be able to help her children know her very well as they grow. She was young, so young and I cannot fathom her courage and strength as she came to know that she was going to have to leave her husband and children for a time. I am so blessed. I am here on this Earth and I have my health..I have a husband and a child and hopefully more to come. I am here to watch them grow with me. I love the Lord and all that He has given me.

We got a piano for free! Now, I have no idea how to play and at this point I do not have any musical talent. But, our little boy is a lover of a music. I have never seen such a child. He will dance at the drop a hat, loves to look through the hymn book and pick songs for us to sing to him...and now loves to play the piano. This Sunday during Relief Society at church he was determined to help the pianist play the closing and opening hymns...you could hear his bangs on the piano through the melody. I conduct the music and was having a hard time not laughing at his innocent enthusiasm for helping. What a sweet boy I have.

Slacker....

Hello, my name is Lindsey Rounce and I am a huge slacker. I claim to want to do this blog to preserve memories and such for my posterity but then I don't do it at all. Seriously Lindsey, what is your problem ;)

Now that I have confessed and will hopefully be forgiven..we can move on to the fun stuff. sort of.
We did indeed buy our house. Boy, did we ever. It has been crazy busy...the first week we painted just about every wall in the entire house, including the ceiling. I think it looks absolutely fabulous, now we just need to finish moving stuff in and setting it all up. Oh yeah, and post pictures. did I mention I was a slacker??

Elliott is a fun little squirt. He shall be 17 months old on Friday. How time does fly. He is running, brushing his teeth, trying to put on his own diaper, babbling up a storm, and generally bringing joy into our home. He isn't especially keen on saying words when you want him to. he knows mama and dada. Diggy (doggy), kitty cat, and Jesus. However, he understands so many other ones, he just chooses to not say them. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn.

I've been weaning off my anxiety meds. That is a barrel of laughs, let me tell you. The first week was pure hell....sorry for my french, but it really was. Took me right back to the post partum depression and I felt like I wasn't going to be able to do it. But, my husband is totally cool and helped me get through it and now I'm hoping to be off them completely in a month or a little more. Depends on what the therapist says. I'm eager to be done with them and to start planning on baby number 2:) Scary huh?

Hmmm....I think I smell a dirty diaper.

Moving on up....

It is true. We are moving on up to the...north side. Our family is leaving Bellevue. Such a bittersweet feeling. This is where Cameron and I have spent our married life so far, where we decided to expand our family, and most importantly where we brought Elliott home. He has spent this first year here...the year of so much change. Our family and ward family helped us through a tough couple of months after my son was born. These people are amazingly loving and embraced us from the beginning. It gives me hope that the next ward we are going to will show us the same.

Now, I will let you in on a little secret. I am pretty darn terrible with change. It can make me cry just moving from one place to another in the SAME city. That being said, moving this far away is giving me the heebie jeebies. Good ones though. In my heart and soul, I know it is the right move. We have prayed and cried and prayed some more. So here we are on a Sunday evening, watching Iron Chef America (which I absolutely love), eagerly awaiting a response on an offer we put on a home. Please send good thoughts our way---we really really really want this home. The thought of our children growing up in one place, in one home gives us great joy.

Okay dokey. Moving on...to another subject. Life here has been off the wall. The last time I updated the blog was just after Elliott's first birthday. I'll give you an abbreviated version of our life since then.

*Elliott got a horrible stomach bug the night of his birthday. He spend the next week and a half upchucking everything and anything. He spent some time at the ER of Children's Hospital getting some hydration. No worries though, he is in tip top shape. Gained the weight back and is finally sitting in his carseat facing forward. YEAH!!

*I stopped working out. lol..I know big surprise...ya'll probably didn't know I was working out to begin with. Well, I was. And then Elliott got sick and I was in a haze of smelly laundry and holding a sick baby. Oh, such joy it is to hold your child in your arms...no matter the reason. However, back to the lack of working out. I sort of got out of the habit...and believe me, I need to be moving my butt. Gots to get this extra baby weight off so I can start planning for the second wee one. So...I'm going to the gym tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning. What?!? I am!

*Cameron is busy busy as always. He is currently looking for more projects....Yeah, I don't get it either.

*At the moment I am knee deep in paint samples and laminate floor samples. I have got to figure out what to do and what colors before we actually move in. I was so not born an interior decorator. Props to those who actually know what goes with what.

*I don't think I have anymore at the moment, so I'll leave you with some pictures :) Or...I won't. I can't make it work...let me see if I can do it in another post.

A little bit of an unplanned blog vacation

I had grand plans of sharing with you the wonderfulness of my son's birthday and quilt progress and my new super way of getting healthy...oh yes I was a visionary.

However, the plans of Lindsey often go astray. The night of my dear ones first birthday he woke us up in the middle of the night with a crib full of puke...it was clearly apparent that everything he had eaten that day was now laid before us....to clean. Shortly after that, he spewed again and again and this has gone on until yesterday. So as you can imagine, my time has been limited. I have spent hours cleaning up puke, doing endless loads of laundry, and holding a very lethargic baby.

Now that we have gone through the tunnel and now see the light...I will get that post done. First I have to get some pictures on the computer. But please be on the edge of your seats for the forthcoming post!

Oh yes and a shout out to my dear friend Jess on her birthday!! We love you and your family and STILL miss you.

i am really bad at thinking of titles

Yo ho ho. Hello world. How are things out there? Here in the Rounce household we are doing fairly well.

Recent events:
We put an offer on a condo two blocks from our current place. Super excited about it, but still waiting to hear back from the people

Elliott is almost one!! His little bitty attitude is hilarious---though I'm trying to hide the laughter to keep the 'tude at bay.

I've got hyperlipidemia. Not so excited about this update. Means I've got to change our diet slightly and exercise a whole lot more. Anybody have yummy healthy recipes for me to add to my recipe cabinet?

I'm using a cane to make my knee better. Go figure

Cameron has a whole bunch of cool projects going on...never ceases to amaze me how he finds time

oh oh oh! I'm making a quilt. Seriously. And I am going to finish it. Eventually

For your viewing pleasure....I give you Elliott

His new favorite game...much to our dismay :)

Looking studly in daddy's hat

I love how innocent he looks with the light behind him

Look at those chipmunk cheeks!

Daddy was tickling his tummy

Doesn't he look like a little boy instead of a baby?

Breaks my heart

Best friends! We miss you Friedmans!

The monkey and his girlfriend Emily

Don't know why I love this pic, but I do.

He is chewing on the camera cord

Old man face

I love his crinkly smile

Helping us make Valentines

Notice the intense concentration

He really got into it : )

I made him mad. Don't remember how

just makes me laugh

He is a super monkey baby with upside down

ready skills

You want me to do what....

. New discovery. He can open the wipes container....

Isn't he just a doll?

Heartache

Did you ever think that when you got older you would feel things differently or view more in a long term perspective? For some reason, I found out this week that I had thought that.

My good friend Jess and her family moved to Cali this weekend. And when I heard this good news (for it is good news for them) I was happy for them. However, when I put the phone down I bawled. Like a baby. It hurt so much to know that I wouldn't have this great person around to spend time with. She has two super cute kiddos, one who is just a tad younger than Elliott. We use to spend hours chatting, playing with our babies and baking. Jess is geniuely one of the nicest people I've ever met. She is energetic and thoughtful and quite hilarious. I really am going to miss her.

Feeling so much sadness when a friend moved away...it made me realize how special friendship is. I didn't think it would matter as much as you got older or maybe I thought I would deal with it in a more "mature" fashion. But I didn't. I cried for me and prayed for their happiness there. It doesn't really matter how old you are...you still need friends and it is okay to feel for them..to love them.

Now, I don't make friends easily. Maybe that statement isn't quite right...but sometimes I do find it difficult. Shyness and self conciousness being key players in the problem. I hope that as I miss Jess, that I might still be open to building stronger bonds with others.

Onto happier notes. We are all well. Elliott has a sinus infection, but is getting better with the meds he got from his pediatrician. Cameron and I just love to sit and watch Elliott play. He is such an inquisitve little guy. It is lovely to see the concentration on his face when he is figuring something out. This leads to his understanding of the word "no." And make no mistake, he understands...he just chooses which times to adhere to it. My baby is getting to be a little boy---I now understand why everyone says cherish these times while they are there because it is all gone in the blink of an eye. It's just too darn bad that you don't realize it during those time.

I've gonna try to post some pictures in a second post because my computer is being dumb. Go figure. I have a husband who works for Microsoft and I can't even get the image link to work...