Tender Mercies

The recent hurricane here on the East Coast has caused Riley and I to really pause and count our blessings.
It has become more and more clear that The Lord knows us, hears our prayers, and is mindful of our situations.
The other day I decided to venture out with Mason to the local Walmart. I have only been brave enough to take him out by myself a handful of times, but we really needed groceries and with my only other option being to sit at home alone all day, I decided to go. I knew I was pushing it with his feeding schedule, but I was sure I could make it a short trip and be in and out before he was hungry.
Ha! Boy, was I wrong!
The place was an absolute zoo but Mason did great for the first half. I ran up and down isles trying to get everything I needed before he woke up. Finally my cart was full and I was ready to check out. When I got to the front, my heart sank. There were just four registers open, and lines were no less than five or six people deep. And more people were coming. I moved to the line that seemed to be moving the fastest and that is when Mason started to cry. I rocked his car seat in the cart, put his binky in his mouth, and with my (slightly unrealistic) fear or germs did everything I could not to take him out of his car seat. After about two minutes, he started to scream. I picked him up and tried to snuggle him back to sleep while still pushing my cart forward with my foot. I dropped his binky (which meant the germ covered thing was out of commission), and as I went to pick it up, the diaper bag fell from my shoulder and hit the ground. For a minute, I though about aborting the mission, abandoning my cart, and running to my car to hide.
Just then, a sweet voice from my left said "Honey, I'm up in line, why don't you and that little one come take my place." I won't lie, big crocodile tears filled my eyes. This kind woman grabbed my cart, pushed it to the line next to mine, unloaded it for me, helped me get out my wallet and debit card, got all the groceries back into my cart and then pointed to some poor bagger and said "What are you doing there? Nothin! Come over here and push this lady's cart to her car." She then put her hand on my shoulder, smiled at me and said "I would trade places with you any day honey. You're doing a good job."
Needless to say, when I got to my car I called my mom and burst into tears. That woman was so kind, and while it probably didn't change her day a bit, she was a huge answer to my prayers.
Obviously our housing situation (which I previously mentioned) was another huge blessing. And with Hurricane Sandy wreaking havoc here, it has really become more of a miracle.
When we heard Sandy was headed for New Jersey, I didn't think much of it. We rode out Irene last yet after all the hype it had. I assumed Sandy would be the same way... A good rain storm, some howling wind, and a few days of paid leave for the Coasties. But as the storm started to hit here in Virginia, it became clear this was no small storm. I immediately thought of our dear friends in Jersey, and of our little blue house on The Shore. I waited anxiously to hear any news, or reports as to the condition of Station Sandy Hook. Yesterday, photos started to show up on various Facebook pages. As we had suspected, the Coast Guard Base took a pretty hard hit.
My heart aches for our Coast Guard family up there. Sure, there are technically homes to return to, but they are in poor condition, if livable at all. And while they eventually will be able to go back, we have no way of knowing when. I am sure it's not anytime soon.
Then our thoughts turned to our current situation. What if Riley and I had been there? Or worse yet, what if it had been just Mason and I while Riley was at school, as it was supposed to be?
Another huge tender mercy. Words can't describe the gratitude I feel for the past few weeks. Things have been absolute madness. A move is never fun, especially with a new little baby. But I am so thankful to have a loving Heavenly Father, who knows our situation, and the blessings we need, and delivers them in some interesting ways.
And again, another unbearably long post, my bad! I really should work on paraphrasing!
Below are some photos of Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook. I'm sure they would appreciate some prayers.
Xoxo

Two months!

At two months old Mason loves:
Taking a bath
His binky
Grabbing the collar of my shirt
The sound of the shower
His daddy
Driving
Grabbing my hair
Laying on his Boppy
Singing songs

He does not like:
Tummy time
Burping
Getting his nose sucked out
Laying flat on his back
Waking up
Getting his nails clipped
Being swaddled

I cannot believe my little guy is already two months old! He really is so much fun and I'm so thankful Riley is willing to work so hard so I can be home with Mason. He is getting super smiley and we are loving every minute spent with him.
Xoxo

Have a little faith...

So we arrived in Virginia on a Friday and after spending the weekend looking for housing, Riley had to report to school on Sunday evening and it was decided that Mase and I should spend the week in a hotel until Riley got some time off to continue the hunt.
The week was good. Mason has had a bit of a cold so it was nice to just hang out in the hotel and let the craziness of the move and everything else catch up with us.
Anyway, we had paid for the hotel through Monday, and when Saturday evening rolled around and we still hadn't had any luck with an apartment, the anxiety started to sink in a little bit. Of course, we wouldnt be homeless. We could stay in the hotel longer, but it was getting super expensive and we wanted to badly to stop living out of suitcases and settle in a bit and give Mason some much needed normalcy.
I really didn't want to take Mason to church. The doctor had advised us not to have the little guy in public for three months, and after having him in two airports (six states if you count the drive down!), and the grocery store a few times, I was feeling a little guilty. The kid already has a cold, and now I'm going to haul him in to Sacrament Meeting? Mother of the Year, right here!
Anyway, Riley had said a few times "I really feel like we should go to church. Someone will have an idea of where we can go." I, of course, was the Negative Nancy. What are the chances that we will just meet someone who knows of a fully furnished, month-to-month apartment that is close to the base, and in our price range? But I agreed to go, knowing very well that I could use a talk on faith.
The meeting was wonderful. The talks were great and Mason was a champ. Fussed for a minute, slept the rest of the meeting, and didn't fart or have any other bodily functions when reverence was present! Success!
After the closing prayer, the bishop walked right up to us, introduced himself, chatted for a minute, and then said "Well guys, have you found a place to live yet or are you still in the hotel mode?".
Riley explained that Mason and I had been in a hotel all week, and asked if the Bishop had any ideas for an apartment.
And then, the words I had been waiting to hear... "Actually, my second counselor has a studio apartment above his garage. I think it's vacant, let me find him."
Twenty minutes later, we had a home! It couldn't be a more perfect situation. Our apartment is teeny, but since Riley will spend a huge portion of time at school, we really just needed a kitchen, a bed, and somewhere for Mase and I to chill. It's great because it is right in our budget, and Riley and I both feel better knowing that on nights he is away, I will have someone I know just downstairs. And they just happen to be the nicest people in the world.
This week went from being stressful, and scary. To being a huge faith builder.
Riley, once again, knew what was right for our family. I am always thankful for how in tune he is, how close he is with The Lord, and how strong his faith is. He is the best example of prayerfully taking a step in the dark, and trusting Heavenly Father in times of uncertainty.
The Bishop somehow knew that this little family needed some help. He followed a prompting, offered a solution, and made sure we were taken care of.
So, lesson learned for me. Faith doesn't mean believing that things will work out. I knew all along that they would, I just didn't know how. Faith means to take action, to pray about the steps that should be taken, follow our promptings, and move foreword knowing all will be well.
Mase is pretty stoked about the new place too...
Xoxo

<3

Ya'll come see us again!

Well, we made it to Virginia. It's been a crazy couple of days but Mason and I are now settled into our temporary home, a super nice extended stay hotel. And a "suite" life it is! Just call us Zach and Cody.
The moving part actually went pretty smooth. Again, Riley was a super hero and did pretty much everything. I wasn't able to help much. It seemed like every time I was able to start packing a box, or cleaning a room, Mason would need to eat or be changed. And since Riley was battling a mean cold, Mason was solely my buddy.
Anyway, we are loving it here. I know in my previous post I said we were just Utah people. But after being here I am starting to realize maybe we are just really NOT New Jersey people! We went to breakfast this morning and immediately I knew I would love this place. Our waitress was adorable, the food was delish, and as we were leaving we hear "ya'll come see us again okay?". Love that.
Virginia is beautiful. Or maybe it's just this area... I haven't been anywhere else yet. But we are right by all the battlefields, and it was so fun to cruise around with the windows down and our country music playing and just enjoy the scenery.
Stay tuned for more Stewart adventures... I have a feeling this is the start of many more! But for now I'm going to snuggle my Mason, drink my Diet Coke, watch Kardashian reruns, and enjoy this new phase of life.

Heaven

It is 1:21 am, and my Sweet Mason is struggling a bit with the time change after returning home from Utah. Plus, a nasty case of reflux doesn't help much in the sleep department either. Poor little guy.
But since sleep will not be visiting either of us for a while, I figured I would take the chance to write a few thoughts...
These times are some of my favorite. Certainly not always. I admit that some late night and very early morning feedings and changings are less than enjoyable. And on nights like tonight, I admit its nice to feel needed, to have this sweet little boy just want to be held by his mom. But more than that, it's these times I am able to pause and thank my Heavenly Father for my blessings. I can't help but look at Mason and be overcome with gratitude that God would allow someone as imperfect as me, someone who makes mistakes daily and is still learning hard lessons the hard way, to be a guardian for this perfect little boy. And laying next to him, my incredibly supportive and amazingly patient husband. I don't deserve these two guys, but I'm so indescribably thankful. And somehow looking at those two faces at 1:21 in the morning makes the fact that we are all going to be incredibly sleepy tomorrow seem okay. More than okay actually. Heaven.

Meeting Mason

We were lucky enough to spend the past 10 days in Utah for Tanner and Jess' wedding. The timing was crazy (with the move this week... Yeah, more on that later) but perfect since it gave both our families the chance to meet Mase while he is still tiny(ish).
It truly was the best week. I have always loved being with family, so getting to spend 10 days surrounded by all our friends and loved ones was the best.
Riley and I decided we are just Utah people. We love the weather and change of the seasons, the people, the mountains, the fry sauce, the country music stations, the grocery stores,Cafe Rio, Temple Square, the lack of toll roads, and Neilsen's Frozen Custard. And while we are in no hurry to end this Coast Guard chapter of our lives, I think it's safe to say we are both looking forward to returning to the homeland when the time comes.
Anyway, the wedding was beautiful, we had dinner with our married buddies, hung out with "the guys", went to Riley's mission reunion, took Halle to preschool, and got some much needed R & R.
It was pretty hard to come back to Jersey. We leave for Virginia on Friday, so to come home to the stress of a move was less than ideal, but we are looking forward to another Coastie Adventure... And heading back to Utah in December!