Simply Sara

One of the things that I love about my town is the abundance of Yard Sales. Throughout spring, summer, and winter, our newspaper is full of yard sale listings. Today there were 48. I don't remember yard sales being a big part of my childhood. Our church had a couple to raise money for a youth trip, but I don't remember ever spending a Saturday looking for bargains. I fell in love with yardsales after Matt and I got married. They are a great place to find amazing things as long as you know what to look for. This morning, I got out around 8:00 and perused through 10 to 12 sales in a couple hours. It wasn't the most successful outing, but I did find some pants for Lucas and some skirts to sell on Ebay. Matt is at the Jockey Lot right now looking for an enclosed trailer for his business. The Jockey Lot is the biggest indoor yardsale place in the Southeast. I've only been there a few times, but it is an experience I think everyone should have. You can find anything and ev...

Hooray! After 11 hours of traveling, we have finally arrived at home! Oh, I'm so excited, I can't wait to jump into bed and hug my body pillow. It was too big to take in the car, and I really missed it! I'll tell you guys all about our trip to Orlando and share some pictures of Lucas looking too cute in his swimsuit very soon. But for now I have a very sick husband to take care of. Matt has been sick now for a week with a head cold/flu thing and seems to be getting worse. It has infected his right eye.... ewww! Pray for him! He feels terrible! Woohoo! We're home!

I was just reading Matthew chapter 10, and towards the end of the chapter I saw some verses that I wanted to share with you. "Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." When we left for Orlando on Tuesday, we first had to stop at the gas station near the interstate. I was asleep in the front seat, exhausted after waking up an hour early and packing all morning. Matt had just finished checking the air in our tires when a woman approached our car and knocked on the window. She pointed to her car parked nearby and explained that it had broken down while traveling from New York. She asked if we had any money for food. I quickly tried to think of what to say, when I realized that w...

We are overcoming some sickness in our house this week. Monday afternoon, L woke up with a terrible cough. He's had sinus congestion for a few weeks, but since it had been running clear, I didn't think much of it. (Sorry for the gross image.) I called the doctor in a panic after hearing him gasp for breath in between the coughs. As usual, Dr. Treash asked a few questions and gave some creative advice. He told us to put Lucas's head in the freezer to allow him to breathe in the cold air. We didn't get to find out if it worked or not because Lucas let us know very quickly that he was not going to comply with the doctor's advice. I took him in the next morning and we left with a antibiotic. We stayed in most of the week, allowing Lucas plenty of time to recover. Friday morning, Matt and I took L in for his 18 month check up. Can you believe he's already 18 months?!?! I was so proud of him as he played in the office, wearing only his diaper, pushing his Tonka truck...

Lucas got his first "shiner" today!! That's right, my precious baby has a black eye. He picked it up when playing at Chick-fil-a today with his friend Andrew. I took the boys out this morning for a change in scenery. The rainy day was making the boys (and myself) rather stir-crazy, so I strapped them into their carseats, and we headed to the best indoor playground in the area. Thirty minutes into the fun, I hear a scream and watch Lucas pick himself up off the floor after falling into the windowsill. We left soon after. Somewhere along the past 17 months, I learned to let go of the belief that I could protect Lucas from every sharp edge, bumpy walk, and apparently windowsills! Matt helped me overcome my fears by sharing childhood stories of bumps and bruises and even bloody knees. Basically, it's all in Lucas's future, so I had better get ready for it. We are still in the sometimes frustrating stage of dropping the first nap. I really thought it was going to hap...

Isn't it so pretty outside! Lucas and I were out a while ago to run errands. A brief stop at the Anderson Library for me to pick up some new fiction, a drop off at the dry cleaners, and a shared doughnut at Dunkin Doughnuts. (I had a coupon). Matt is in Simpsonville doing some work and Lucas is currently sleeping, so I thought I would spend a moment with you sharing my random thoughts on this chilly day. First, I have to recommend the cd which I am currently listening to. Bebo Norman has always been a favorite of mine. We even had one of his songs played in our wedding. Check out his newest cd, "Between the Dreaming and the Coming True." My second recommendation of the day (I feel so opinionated) is C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint found at Bath and Body Works . I bought some last week, and I'm loving the taste, smell, and feel! It makes you want to kiss someone. Preferably your husband.... :) And since I think you need to hear more about things I like (haha), here is ...

This is one of those good moments where you try very hard to enjoy it and not ruin it at the same time. Lucas is playing with the shape sorter on the floor beside me. He's busy transferring the blocks from the kitchen to the den, all the while keeping up a constant babble. Matt has been home for 2 weeks now and I'm loving it! We still don't know if he will be leaving out tomorrow, but I'm treasuring the family time we're having right now. It's been a productive week at our house. Matt created a fantastic shelving/drawer/organizational system for our laundry room, which I love; we gathered 4 garbage bags full of clothes to take to Goodwill, and we met with a couple different insurance agents in efforts to find the best health care for us. And we did. Only two things can get me down right now, (1) the fact that I am coming down with a sinus/cold/congestion thingy, (2) yesterday, we discovered a family of tiny mice living in our attic!!!!! Oh boy. I don't ha...

The Alexander household is well again. Lucas made it through with only a touch of a stomach bug. After I got him settled into bed Wednesday night, I called Matt to update him and then fell into bed exhausted. Unfortunately, the virus hit me about 30 minutes later and I was up the entire night. Thursday ranks high in one of the hardest days of mommy-hood as I was too weak to hold Lucas for more than a minute. Thankfully Lucas carried the joy for the day as he laughed while I vomited (he didn't understand, so I'll cut him some slack) and tried to wrestle with me as I collapsed on the couch. I truly believe there were angels that day helping me because somehow I survived and even managed to keep Lucas fed and in clean diapers. My in-laws stepped in that evening and gave me a chance to catch up on some sleep. Then Matt, my knight in shining armor, came home a day early (hooray) to take care of us! All in all, I'm happy we are all well and I never want to go through that again!

We're in the middle of a stomach virus crises. And it is not fun. Pray for us as I am very emotional (Matt is working out of town again this week) and we are running out of clean sheets for the crib! Truthfully, I don't know how to handle this, but I am armed with the knowledge from my doctor and a bottle of pedialyte from a friend kind enough to bring some over. Keep us in your prayers!

One of the greatest joys in my life is getting to pray with Lucas. Since the day we found out we were expecting, Matt and I have prayed over Lucas. During the pregnancy we asked God to give us a healthy and happy child, and He did. The early weeks of his life, we prayed everyday that God would watch over our tiny baby and guide us through the challenges of first time parenthood, loss of sleep and post-partum. We prayed through every sniffle, cry, and struggle. God proved his faithfulness over and over, giving us countless times to rejoice in His consistency and favor. Over the last couple weeks, we have seen a change in Lucas's behavior during prayer time. Instead of squirming and being loud, Lucas now quietly holds our hands as we seek the Saviour. As a mom, my heart is overjoyed that my baby is now beginning to understand the holiness of our God. I want so much for Lucas to understand the power and awesomeness of prayer. I hope that as he watches us struggle and fail countless ti...

The Christmas season has been so much fun this year! We started partying on the 21st at a Christmas drop-in hosted by my in-laws. Kathryn and I spent the first part of the week baking sweet treats to give away. Matt returned home in time to attend his family parties at which Lucas was the center of attention, naturally. As his bedtime came and went each night, Lucas would hit his second wind, entertaining us all, until he finally crashed around 11:00 pm. Christmas eve, Lucas received so many fun gifts and toys, although he did seem to enjoy the tissue paper and boxes more than anything. We let him sleep in Christmas morning since he hadn't shut his bright eyes the night before until midnight! I made sausage biscuits and a cheese omelet as a special, heart-clogging treat. We decided to give Lucas two gifts this year - a flashlight and a fisher price ball popper - and a few small items in his stocking. At noon, we packed up the car, went to Mimi and Poppy's for lunch, then drov...

Today is December 23, two days before Christmas, but Lucas decided it was time to open presents! Thankfully the present he pulled out happened to be one for him! Doesn't he look like such a big boy in this particular picture? I can totally imagine him as a 5 year old, ripping through presents on Christmas morning (or before!). Matt got home late last night! :) We are braving the crowds this afternoon to pick up a couple last minute gifts. Tonight is the first of 3 family Christmas celebrations! All of the good food will be a true test of my self control! Here's to not gaining any holiday pounds! Much love!  

Christmas MEME 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both - but not at the same time! 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa leaves unwrapped presents on the couch, Mom and Dad wrap presents 3. Colored Light on Tree/House or White? White. 4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. 5. When do you put your decorations up? This year we decorated about a week into December 6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mushroom Rice Casserole 7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? My sisters and I would wake up at a predetermined time in the middle of the night, meet downstairs and look at the goodies Santa left us 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't actually remember when I found out. I just sort of did. 9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Never as a child, but occasionally as we got older. 10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Our Christmas tree is full of ornaments from Matt's childhood and special ornaments we've been...

I'm playing catch up again.... Is this becoming a habit?? So Lucas is 15 months old now! :) Wow! We went to his check-up a couple weeks back and were excited to hear that he is moving up the charts in weight and height. His head size has remained in the same percentile (75%) with his body in the 35-45%. Personally, I don't see a big head when I look at him, but I guess he has really big brains! ha Our doctor gave us great tips for handling the temper tantrums and meltdowns that seem to pop up every so often. He even had a plan for a picky eater -- let him go to bed hungry! I must confess, Lucas's current pickyness does frustrate me. I just want him to eat his veggies! I'm super excited that Christmas is coming, but I'm sad at the same time because I don't want it to be over! I told Matt the other night that I want to leave our tree up a little longer than normal. The warm lights and pops of color brighten my mood everytime I look at it. Kathryn is in town this ...

A few days ago, I was feeling adventurous, so I gave Lucas a cup of applesauce and a spoon. As you can see, Lucas quickly learned that the food reached his mouth much faster by his fingers and not the spoon.  

Oatmeal is just the right consistency to stick to a spoon! 12/5/06 

I think he's finally getting the spoon figured out! 12/5/06 

Last week I was digging through some of the mess in my room when I pulled out all of the pictures taken at Lucas's birth. I cried as I looked through them, reminding me of the spectrum of emotions I felt that day. So much has changed in my life since Lucas was born. Only recently I felt like God was bringing me into a new season of life, a time of surrender and faith, after a tough first year of adjusting to mommyhood. Our pastor recently said that marriage is a magnifyer, bringing to light the good and bad we tried to hide in dating. Well I think parenthood is even more so that way. God used Lucas's first year of life to make my heart vulnerable as He dug up the hard places in my heart and restored the hurting places. I am so thankful, not only for the precious little boy still sleeping in the room next door (it's 11:00 a.m. and he's still not up!!!), but also for His mercy which greets me each morning and gently molds me into the woman He created me to be. To be hone...

Lucas is walking now - everywhere! As we were leaving the Y today, he walked the entire length of the building and wouldn't even let me hold his hand! I'm so proud of our big boy!! It seems that everyday brings new and exciting adventures with him. In fact, last night he learned the word "shoe"! Matt is out of town this week for work, so pray for us!

Halloween doesn't have to be a scary, gloomy day! Instead it was a great day full of candy and friends!