I've been reflecting lately on all that has taken place in my life since I married my guy, Darin, almost nine years ago and I realized that in a way, I am just now "catching my breath". After our whirlwind courtship and engagement, we married in 2003 (just 11 months after we met). We went headstrong into a major home renovation project during our engagement and first couple of years of marriage. From there we walked through two years of infertility, followed by the adoption of our sweet daughter, Lucy. Before we knew it, we had the surprise of our lives when we learned that we were pregnant with our son, Collin, just 8 months after Lucy's arrival!. After his birth, a little bit of post-partum depression was thrown into the mix, and then a few more months down the road we began to realize that our Lucy was experiencing some special needs. The challenges of staying home full-time to mother these two knocked my socks off and I would say that our family went into a "survival mode" that has lasted pretty much up until now. :)
It hasn't been easy but with God's grace, I DO feel that at present, I am catching my breath or at least getting a better handle on how to manage my responsibilities in my home and to my family. Thankful to be in this new place, I'm thinking that it could be valuable to pull together and share the things I am learning, trying, and taking inspiration from. So here I am with a new blog, It's New Day.
Perhaps you are a friend or family member who followed a link here from my Facebook timeline or you wandered here by some other means. Thanks for stopping by! I am looking forward to posting here and I hope that it will be a pleasant read and that you come often!
Hey Erika, glad to see you're blogging again! Look forward to hearing updates on your life. This time with little ones is chaotic (and fun), but sometimes I have to remind myself to enjoy it because it will only last so long.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're blogging again, Erika. Use it as a creative outlet and don't let yourself fall in the trap of seeing it as an obligation to keep up with. I look forward to reading future posts, whenever you have the time to put them up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mom! Good thoughts...you know me so well. :)
DeleteI am also glad that you are blogging again. :) I also whole heartedly agree with the advice your mom gave you and will heed it for myself as well. Take care and I will look forward to seeing you later this month.
ReplyDeleteMiss America!
ReplyDeleteI am so proud or you! This blesses my heart, even though I am no longer the mother of little ones. Thank you for helping us at that stage: I appreciate all of your investment into our family. Love you!
Erika - I don't know if you remember me from the Valentine's party we had at our church but I just stumbled upon your blog from Bianca's blog and had a quick read through. I just saw that you adopted your little girl and wanted to share that my husband and I also struggled with infertility for 6 years and we adopted our twin girls (who are now 3). I enjoyed reading about your homeschooling endeavors - I'm trying to do something similar with the girls this year. Anyway, hopefully we'll be able to run into each other soon at another event! Feel free to stop by my blog - www.jillcornell.blogspot.com. I mostly post about my scrapbooking and papercrafting projects but they are all about my family. :) Jill
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jill. It's always fun to know more adoptive mamas, thanks for sharing that with me! We had such a beautiful experience with Lucy's adoption.... Her adoption day is next Monday, so it's been on my brain lately. I'll give your blog a follow!
DeleteWe've come a long way since our handbell days at Shepherd of the Hills, but it's always good to hear how you are doing, Erika! You are doing a beautiful job of writing and sharing your life - and the lives you are shaping of your children. I look forward to staying in touch again a bit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Kristen! I have many fond memories of doing handbells with you! You obviously still have the gracious and kind spirit you always did back then, and it's so fun to have FB and blogs to stay in touch somewhat. :)
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