I was working on backing up and cleaning files off the computer when I found these gems. I’m pretty sure the conversation went something like this:

“Hey Bubbs, take pictures of me being a model!”

It’s 3:24 p.m. and I just got done putting my makeup on for the day. Miss E is sound asleep in her crib, and it was high time that I made myself at least SOMEWHAT presentable!

I just have to blog about what transpired a few minutes ago. Male readers, feel free to log off now. This will be of little to no interest to you. Actually, MOST readers, feel free to log off now.

Who’s still reading? Mom? Okay, cool. Here’s what happened, mom!

After I applied my Almay 16 hour spot cover-up (love this stuff), I proceeded to grab my loose powder so that my blush wouldn’t be all streaky. I tend to be on the not-dry side, so I need a little help in this area. As I grabbed it, I paused. Since I haven’t been out in the sun too much this summer, my Natural Ivory shade is a little to dark for me (yes, I know.)

But I needed SOMETHING. Something that would mattify and soften me up but wouldn’t make my fair skin look all muddy.

BABY POWDER.

Could it be? Could it really work?

It’s absorbent and light. And WHITE.

Hesitantly, I grabbed our big thing of baby powder. I shook some into my palm and dabbed my powder brush into it.

I slowly began to sweep the white fluff across my cheeks. I made sure to blend really well and lo and behold, my face was inCREDibly soft, smooth, and wasn’t too ghostly! (Anyone with a tan, I wouldn’t recommend this) My blush went on super smooth and my face feels so incredibly soft! AND my face SMELLS good too! Who doesn’t want their FACE to smell good??

As I was blending the powder in and realizing that this was FAR superior to my Neutrogena powder, I said out loud to my reflection, “Am I a genius?”

Yes. Yes I think I am.

(That’s me shrugging, thinking, “Could it be? What did I just stumble upon? How come no one suggested this before?”)

Happy Sunday! The Saldanhas are in for a busy, busy week, but we’re so excited about what’s to come! Technically the 2nd best season, Autumn, doesn’t start until mid September, but all of our autumnal involvements begin this week! (In my opinion, Spring is in first place. But only by a tiny, tiny bit)

Christopher is going to work with high school guys at our church. I’m so excited for Chris that he gets to mentor, challenge, and be an example of a COOL godly man to these guys. But I’m actually MORE excited for the group of guys he’ll be paired with. It’s one thing to be a godly, moral, intelligent man, but it’s ANOTHER thing to ALSO be into cool music, have sweet tattoos, play soccer, and rock out on the guitar on top of all those other characteristics. These guys are going to be incredibly blessed to learn from such an amazing man.
He starts on Wednesday!

I am going to be working with Salt Company (the college ministry at Iowa State) girls again. I’m so excited to see my girlies again. Granted, I only have 2 of my girls from last years group, but boy oh boy do I love those two! Two new girls are joining us. I’m excited to get to know Christine and Kelsey!

I’m excited to be back on stage again! It’s been awhile – the Christmas thing was really the last big thing I did. (Well, I guess I was Miss Goose for D6 when I was 7 months pregnant. That doesn’t really count. Mostly because it was super awkward). But this Wednesday, I have my first rehearsal for a 15 minute “drama” (I hate to say drama because there is nary a serious line in it) for next week’s services. D6 rehearsals start on August 30 and Christmas production auditions are right around the corner! WooHoo!

Let’s see…what else is new…

• Eisley is the best
• We’re done being hot
• I’m debating about cutting my hair
• Chris is so awesome
• Gavin starts school on Thursday. Sniff.
• I may be doing bootcamp workout in September
• I may not
• We’re still dairy free even though we may not need to be. E seems to be fine. But cheese and milk make us kind of sick to our tums! Almond milk forever?
• Eisley and Christopher are the best. Have I mentioned that?
• OH! AND. Christopher takes amazing pictures. See?

My days have become pretty monotonous…routine is a prettier word…my days have become pretty routine:

• Feed Eisley at 7:00 a.m.
• Play with Miss Eisley on her playmat/bouncy seat/in Daddy’s lap – look at animals
• Kiss Daddy goodbye
• Lay E down for a nap
• Wake E up at 10:00 a.m. to eat.
• Play with Miss Eisley on her playmat/bouncy seat/in my lap – look at animals
• Lay E down for a nap
• Kiss Daddy hello as he comes home for lunch
• Turkey hummus wrap
• Kiss Daddy goodbye
• Wake E up at 1:00 to eat
• Play with Miss Eisley on her playmat/bouncy seat/in my lap – look at animals
• Lay E down for a nap
• Wake E up at 4:00 to eat (watch Oprah while feeding. But only if it’s a good one. If it’s about money issues/something seedy/Julia Roberts – turn it off)
• Kiss Daddy hello as he comes home for the evening!
• Play with Miss Eisley on her playmat/bouncy seat/in daddy’s lap – look at animals
• Lay E down for a nap
• Have dinner with Handsome Husband (usually something he has whipped up!)
• Wake E up at 7:00 to eat
• Play with Miss E…you get the idea.
• Bathtime!
• Nap
• Wake E up at 9:30ish for her goodnight snack. Jammies on, humidifier on, monitor on, King of Queens on for mommy & daddy’s viewing pleasure.
• Pray for Miss E before she retires for the evening.
• Bedtime for all.

See what I mean? A little repetitive, a lot wonderful. But if I let it, this routine could get me down. Yes, this is what I have always wanted – to be a mommy with a beautiful baby staying at home with said baby – but the adjustment has the makings of woe-is-me. Repetitive, unglamourous, the same day after day. I love my family, my munchkin, my husband, my little home with all my might and I am so thankful this is my life now. And it is IMPERITIVE that I remember that every little thing is an absolute gift. Here is a beautiful thought from Mr. G.K. Chesterton from Orthodoxy:

“A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore. Heaven may encore the bird who laid an egg.”

Okay, GK! You got me!
May we revel in the beauty of the everyday. May I see how the sun hits the mirror at 6:00 p.m. making our whole living room glow and be glad for our little house. May I breathe deeply the smell of Chris’ coffee in the morning and be grateful to have a husband who goes to work to provide for us. May I hear Miss E’s cries from her crib and be thankful that I can be at home with her to hear her cry.

May we revel in the beauty of the everyday.

James 1:17 – “EVERY good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” I guess even our Heavenly Father is kind of “monotonous”…must be an okay thing…

We did it! We made it to three months! Now we can let off the pedal, right? No? There’s more work to be done?

First off, just take a look at the difference between one month and three months. Baby girl is not only surviving, she’s thriving! I love it! Every day we are in complete awe of who she is and who she’s becoming. Our friend Travis said that every new phase with their daughter is his favorite. We can’t agree more.

So what’s new at three months?

• Bean is sleeping 7.5 – 8 hours a night. How’d we do it? A somewhat firm eat, wake, nap routine courtesy of Becoming Babywise. Haven’t read it? Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You won’t regret it one bit.
• Homegirl is doing some major tummy time. At first, she would just whine when we got her on her tummy, but now she’s smiling and looking around. She’s always been a pro with her head, but now she’s an all-star!
• We think Eisley has found her voice. See earlier post, Eisley Learns A New Trick. Warning: your heart will melt.
• Lots of smiles. It’s the best. Period.
• Moms work a lot harder than dads. I know this isn’t Eisley related, but I have to throw it in. Seriously, Kate doesn’t get a break. She cares for and teaches/entertains Eisley all day, and when I get home she feels bad for ME if Eisley cries at all. Don’t worry, darling, I’ll be fine. Give yourself a 10-minute break.

It’s hard to put it all down, so that’s just a few highlights. We have loved every minute of Eisley, but are certainly thankful that the newborn phase is behind us. This is getting really, really fun.

Thanks, Jesus, for blessing us with such a wonderkins. We hope we can honor You with how we raise her.

Man, I kinda wish we had these BEFORE we had Eisley! I had no IDEA about some of these!!!!! (Click on the picture to see them up close)

What’s that you say? You want to know which ones are my favorite? Okay!
Lifting Baby
Feeding Baby
Shopping with Baby
Fun Games For Baby
Bonding With Baby (this one inspired this post. I’ve had this one on my fridge for awhile. Then I got to wondering if there were more like this.)
Making Baby Smile (COULD be my all-time #1 favorite)

We have had our share of “ah goo’s” and “coo’s” over the last several weeks, but last night Eisley decided to learn a new trick. Out of no where she just started “hoo-ing” and couldn’t get enough of it. On top of that, she has the cutest face ever.

Sorry babies everywhere, she really is the most precious.

By the way, did you see Jennifer Hudson on the cover of the new InStyle Makeover issue?!?

I am still amazed by flight. Whenever I see planes taking off or landing, they look to me likes toys on fishing line being lifted and returned to the ground. It’s like I can reach out and pluck a plane right out of the sky.

And when you think about the mechanics of flying it’s really quite a miraculous thing. Thousands of pounds of weight being lifted off the ground by some energy and curved wings. Thank you, Bernoulli. Thank you, Wright brothers.

As I was leaving Chicago, the skies were gloomy and grey. Despite being only 6pm, the sun was choked out and it felt more like 9pm. On top of that, we had been delayed and were sitting on the runway. I just wanted to get home and see my girls.

And then, a voice.

“Flight attendents, prepare for take off.”

Joy filled my heart.

So we began our flight. The engines roared. We were pushed back against our seats. The earth sped past. And then, weightlessness.

Moments later we broke through the grey to bright, blue skies. For a second I was breathless. My bad attitude, my desire to get home, my wrath toward the pilots for getting stuck in traffic and being late caused me to forget that the sun still exists.

No matter what time of day, or what the weather is like, the sun still shines. Constant. Eternal (seemingly). Then, as we climbed thousands of miles above the earth’s surface, cars, houses, and eventually towns and cities became insignificant.

God clearly wanted to get my attention. How often do I let my climate block out the truth that forever shines? How often do I allow worry to become as big and unmovable as skyscrapers? Every day. Nearly constantly.

Beyond the dark clouds of our soul, the light of truth and love shines ever brighter. When lifted toward Heaven by the miraculous we look down to see the worries of the world but mere specks dotting the landscape of eternity.

From God’s perspective everything looks better.