Wednesday, October 17, 2012

New Beds!

All the children have new beds!  and they are VERY excited about them.  We put the older 2 in bunk beds and decided that while we were rearranging things we might as well put up Elijah's crib and set up Hudson's old bed in Elijah's room.




Elijah posing for Parker













Switching an active toddler from a crib to a toddler bed can be scary, but honestly for Elijah we were not really anticipating much change.  This child was so proficient at jumping out of the crib that a toddler bed wasn't going to be much change for us.  We were right.....thank goodness.  He has been sleeping great and we are still working on training him what to do when he wakes up (we were having to do that with the crib too).  Our youngest seems like such a big boy now!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Out with the old and in with the new


The Old




























About 6 weeks ago we had a small air conditioner leak and it lead to a small section of our hardwood floors warping.  Total bummer!  We ended up filing it with our insurance and ended up with ALL new hardwood floors!!!!  Here is a small glance at what that process looked like.  And while we were at it, we decided to go ahead and replace the carpet in the kids' room......why not?

Friday, October 12, 2012

Discontentment and Joy

This morning, these words spoke to me deeply.  It is from the ebook, Mindset for Moms written by Jamie C. Martin.  She also has a blog, SteadyMom.com and writes for SimpleHomeschool.net.

"There's a dangerous force lurking inside our homes.  I wrestle with it at times, kicking it out the door in triumph.  But at other times it sneaks up on me so slowly that I don't realize until its claws are deeply entrenched in my mind.

     Discontentment.

     Why is it so easy to live in the past or future?  Why is it so much more work to remain in the now when the now is all we really have?
   
     The solution is so obvious it seems almost redundant, so clear it's almost pointless to verbalize.  The solution is to want what you have.

     In any aspect of life - from parenting  to blog growth, from marriage to book writing - another goal always lies ahead.  There's always another dream to strive for.  And that's good and right.  We invite beauty into our lives by living with dreams.

     But often we don't realize that the now we currently live in represents dreams of yesterday fulfilled.

     How many of us hoped for the day we could become mothers?  Yet does that hope seem as thrilling when our two-year-old screams for hours in the middle of the night?

     Last night little people interrupted my sleep three times:  two potty accidents and one nightmare.  As my groggy eyes slowly opened this morning, my first intentional thought was a phrase my husband Steve and I say often - "It doesn't get any better than this."

    Because right now, this moment, is my only guarantee.

    So today, in spite of life's hardships, pain, or disappointments, make a decision.  Make it for your children and your husband, but most of all, for yourself.

    Want what you have."

Thank you Jamie for these words.


Recently I have felt God's generosity towards me in form of great edifying conversations. In these conversations we have tackled insecurity, discontentment, lust (not just how we typically view lust) and pride. These are all things that I wrestle and war against at a deep level. What I have loved about these conversations is that they didn't end on the struggle. In each of the conversations we pushed through the darkness and into the beautiful light of Jesus Christ. We encouraged one another that He *ALONE* is enough, we spoke loving truth to one another, reminded each other that pure joy comes from Him. Yes I wrestle and struggle with these things (and other sin) but Jesus loves me and He loves me enough to die on the cross. How can I not find deep joy and delight in that!?!?

Last night in small group we were discussing lust. Lustful thoughts can, and often do, come in the form of I would be happier if......... Initially, we don't think that way, but if we really examine our thoughts it will often lead us here.  We then went around the room and shared our "I think I would be happier ifs". It was beautifully difficult.

With that, I want to encourage you to think about where you are discontent and answer the "I would be happier if" question. As difficult as it is, there is freedom to be found and joy to be had in reminding ourselves that even where we fall short and struggle that Jesus loves us and deems where we are and what we have to be good for us right now.  Joy is not circumstantial - Praise the Lord!!!!!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

End of Summer






A couple weeks ago we had popsicles on a warm night.  Elijah and Parker were in a mood to be photographed (that does not happen often) and so I took advantage of some fun photo ops.  Elijah was just too cute not to take tons of pictures of.

I can't believe we have already said good-bye to another summer, school is already in full swing.  The kids have matured so much in the last couple months.  We had a wonderful summer together and have had a great start to school.  

As the seasons (low temperatures in Tx) change and my kids continue to change right before my eyes, the Lord has been gracious to remind that He never changes.  He creates change around us and as I view His changes it should lead me to worship.  Lord, help me to worship You in ALL things.  Change isn't always easy and can require sacrifice but if my eyes are focused on Him then it is all worth it.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Soccer season has begun!

H *LOVES* soccer. I don't think I can adequately describe how much this kid loves to play; not just soccer, really any sport. My prayer for him this season is that he will begin to see his teammates in a new light and that he will have a desire to share Jesus with them.

For the next 2 months we will spend an hour or 2 at the soccer field each saturday. Pray for our relationships with the parents and for H's relationships with his teammates.