At the pool today, and yes we moved and now have a neighborhood pool (more on that later) a new Mommy friend asked me if I found it hard to be a working mom with a toddler. When I stop and think about it, yes it is. I'm so thankful to have the job that I do and am able to be home in the summer. However, during the school year, life is crazy. I feel like so many things suffer, especially my friendships. This new Mommy friend and I went on to have a discussion about how it's hard to maintain your friendships when you have babies. It's hard to understand all the challenges that babies supply. I mean, you hear about them. But until you experience something, I don't think you can quite get how it works. And this is not a hate on the people without babies. (I envy you sometimes) And I'm not saying you can't have Mommy friends if you don't have a baby yourself and that those relationships can't be some of the most meaningful in your life. Simply put, Babies invade EVERY area of a parent's life. I mean EVERY area. No more room for selfishness. Life becomes what baby needs when they need it. You can't just pick up and go. Leaving the house takes prep and you must time it around a beautiful thing called The Nap. It's just hard and a lot of work and sometimes, it's just easier to sit at home with your kid and long for adult companionship. I feel bad that my friends without kiddos always come to us because Addy is in bed by 6pm and it's easier to just hang at our house. Not to mention, cheaper. Babysitters cost a lot these days. I do work with a wonderful group of people and that definitely helps fill some of my longing for friendships. But then that lonely feeling creeps in and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this because I have an amazing husband. I also have a handful of really great friends including couples with kids and those without them. But it's the girly times that I long for all the time. Maybe it's because I don't have a sister. Aaron doesn't want to hear about the inner workings of my crazy mind and that is ok. He's a guy. I love the times when I do get a night with a close girlfriend and we drink wine and chat about girl stuff. I wish they happened way more often. I wish it was easier to make it happen See now I'm thinking about all my friends and I'm saying a prayer of Thanksgiving for each and every one of you.
I think all of this is on the front of my mind because Addy and I have been going to the pool every day since it opened and I see all the other Mommies with their little ones and I want to be friends with them all. I am grateful for my neighbor but more on that later.
Yes, being a Mommy is wonderful but it definitely means you sacrifice a lot of other things. But the bottom line is that Addyson is worth it. And here I am complaining about how difficult life can be with one child, a super easy child. I can't even begin to imagine more than one but the way it's shaping up to be in the Rice Home, it will only be the one. I have an admiration for the Mommies out there with more than one. I would be in the looney bin.
I suppose I should now move onto the life updates. Everyone has had enough of my Mommy complaints. So I see my last post was from November. And as I say every time, a lot has happened in our world. At the end of January, we moved into the beautiful home we built in Nolensville, TN. WE LOVE IT. Love the neighborhood, love the house, love the residents, love it all. We still have the town home but have a lovely renter in it at the moment. Being a homeowner and a landlord is a bit scary but God definitely opened up doors for us to build our new home and we are forever thankful. A month after we moved in, our neighbor moved in. Beautiful family with 3 little girls. The youngest girl is just a year older than Addy so that will be so much fun for them both. I love the family. She's a stay at home Mom so we've been able to go to the pool together and it brings me joy to see Addy's little face light up when she sees them. Our backyards aren't fenced yet so we're always chatting about something out back. And that also goes for my other neighbor. It's so nice to walk out back and have neighbors out in their yards to talk to. Everyone I've met at the pool has been very friendly and I love the community that I feel well, in my community. Aaron and I couldn't feel any more blessed making the new house a home. Decorating a new home is a process and so far we have enjoyed every minute of it.
In the midst of all the crazy of working, parenting, maintaining a home, etc. Aaron and I continue to train. He trains for triathlons and I keep at the running thing. We ended up not doing the Country Music Half because he got hurt and I was beginning to hate running. I had to take a step back and remember why I loved to run and then start over. I am really considering doing the Woman's Half in September. I'm trying to keep pressure off myself and just go out and run because I love to do it. The heat and humidity along with the giant hills have really slowed me down but it's a challenge I like to try and overcome. I've recently had a birthday (blah blah) and an anniversary (yay) and both were wonderful. A week after that was Mother's Day. I have to say I was totally spoiled on all 3 occasions. Being spoiled included massages, dinner dates, breakfast in bed and a sewing machine. I finally pulled the sewing machine out of the box yesterday and set it up. So it took me forever to figure out how to get the darn thing threaded and now I just need a project to sew. I think I have some pretty lofty ambitions for myself and I hope my first project doesn't make me want to throw the machine off the deck.
Ok so I'm going to switch gears again here and turn back to the icky personal stuff. Stop reading if you don't really care. I know you are just reading my blog to be nosy and it's ok. :) I have found myself on quite a spiritual journey for the past year. I can't believe I am going to admit this but I have had low points where I have questioned who God really is. Of course, I immediately feel guilty because I should know the answer to this. But I will say I have had some hard discussions with God that i never had the courage to have before now. But you know, the deepest and most meaningful relationships we have in our lives are the ones that survive hurt and anger. They are the ones that never faltered when we needed a shoulder to lean on. I supposed this is what I need to go through with God, once again. I am still on that journey. I know I have felt much closer to Him at other times in my life. But He is watching over me. He may be patiently waiting for me to make some great discovery about Him and myself. I don't see myself the way He does and quite frankly, feel very undeserving of His greatness. Yes, I will continue on this journey and I believe it to be the most important one of my life. It's easily over shadowed by life but I cannot forget how important it is to keep pressing on.
Okay so now it's crazy storming so I'm gonna go observe the wind damage to my precious plants. Btw, I am attempting the green thumb thing and so far, I'm doing ok. Maybe I'll get around to posting new pics of the house and our life soon. No promises though.
