Changes

New Years Eve....we're 365 days done with 2013! In a few hours I'll go get dressed up, drop kids off with in laws, go to dinner with friends and ring in 2014 with my man. And with all the folks on social media shouting blessings and happiness over the upcoming year, I can help but think back to the year we just completed. What was learned? Was time lost? Did I utilize my gifts and resources? Did my year in review make God smile?

I sure hope He smiles on me. I want to live a life that makes it so.

So below are my top 13 of 2013:

1. Tim took on some big responsibilites at church being on the elder's team. To sit and advise our pastor about the going ons of a church, be a spiritual check, and encourager to a man who has to shepherd over hundreds of lives each week is no small task. That Steve would ask my man to be on that spoke volumes. Changes the way I pray over him to.

2. I have intimately learned the powerful force of praying over my man, my babies, our home, business, finances, well everything. God has been gently and ever so faithfully teaching me His strength through prayer. I started last January going through The Power of a Praying Wife and found it started the year out on a different level when I covered my man, my home, my family and my life in prayer.

3. I was diagnosed with and treated 3 different areas of skin cancer on my face. Crazy that this would be a highlight to my year. I know. Weird....but the truth is that the scars will never disappear. Each time I look in the mirror I see them. And I've learned that the scars are my story. Cause as much pain and struggle as each situation took to endure, I grew so much. I learned the power of beauty is more in the heart than the skin, that the strength of ones' friends and family can guide you through pain, and that at the end of the day, to give thanks for the "ugly beautiful."

4. I counted gifts.....and counted and counted and counted. I learned the power of seeing everything as a gift and how the miracle of this life lies in the thanksgiving of our gifts.

5. My biggest little started Kindergarten!!! Huge milestone in our home :) It was wonderful, terrible and amazing to walk him into his classroom the first day. My breath held, eyes misty, and wanting so much to scoop him up like the 8 pound baby he used to be, as he just let go of my hand and walked to his seat with a smile of excitement on his face. It was amazing to see this tiny little man child have the courage to go in, no tears or apprehension, and do his thing.

6. My littlest little survived his first year of life in this crazy world of boy :) Linc adds such a wonderful blend of happiness, stubbornness, creativity, and smile to the family dynamic. With this first year we survived bunking boys together, sleep training, teething, a full year of nursing, crawling and almost walking.

7. My middle little went through the transitions and changes of baby to middle child wonderfully. He is so flexible in going from playing the little brother role, to being the big brother. He sure has stolen my heart and I am very confident he will never give it back. He also conquered the challenge of potty training!!! Some days were quite hairy :) But we pressed on and having only one diapered child in this home is wonderful.

8. I got to spend a lot more time this year with my parents. Having them live close to us is a wonderful blessing. Some days it was a challenge, but all in all it was wonderful. It is amazing to see my dad and the big boys play and learn together. Mom is head over heals in love with little guy, and it's nice that she was able to experience life with him through all the different stages of baby growth, especially since she missed it with the older two.

9. I have really plugged in with an amazing group of women through our morning Bible study group. For the first time in many years I am building relationships with women and more than anything it is safe.

10. I have finally felt like I am making this stay at home mom gig mine. I have routines, I know what I can and can't accomplish in a day, I feel productive and the new normal is working well for my family.

11. My man and I have had a pretty steady year. Some years are hard on marriage, and we were prepared for some challenges as we have faced years with small new babies, but this year hasn't been the struggle we prepared for. Our home life group really grew and we have 5 other really awesome couples who choose to come each week and the time spent has just been really wonderful.

12. Our family's business has been more prosperous this year. Business is starting to pick up, clients are coming by, and there is hope with business for the first time in several years. It has been encouraging and refreshing. And with that, hubby took on some extra side work here and there which is helping to pay off some debts and medical bills.

13. I had my 30th birthday!!!! And with that, I feel like ending this year I am learning to listen to the small whisper of God's voice. I've been able to address some ugly truths about my self and who I really want to become. It's never easy to have to face things you don't like, but the freedom and hope in trusting Jesus to make you whole and like him is wonderful.

Thanksgiving 2013

Hope this Thanksgiving was filled with joy.....thankfulness....and gratitude.....for the good moments in life, like the smiles and giggles, and the hard moments in life like the pain and the tears. Cause each struggle makes the smiles so much sweeter and each giggle makes the pain of life more tolerable, knowing that joy is just around the corner. 

In my world of potty training mistakes, sticky fingers, goopy tempera paint, boogies on chairs and squished bugs in unknown places :) I am reminded so often how much there is to be grateful for. 

God is always good....and I am always loved. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Family Photos....Take 1

I LOVE pictures! I take a ton, want a ton taken of us, (especially my boys), and love looking through them over the years. So when we schedule family photos.....it causes me stress. I want them perfect, I want my hair right, the boys to coordinate, the littles to be smile, the big to grin and I want that perfect, Pinterest worthy shot.....so when we pulled up onto the site where we were going to do our family pictures, I knew it was going to be a bust....

20 mins late for a sunset photo shoot. Crud, there goes the lighting....over the horizon!!!! 

With a cranky big who had a long day at school......

Two littles who wrinkled and crinkled their shirts.....

A hubby who hadn't tried on his shirt in so long it had shrunk.....

Outfits that were picked because we had just had a cold snap.....then on picture night the temp rose 10 degrees! 

Big one who saw friends inside the house and wanted to go play....

Rogue neighbor dog who tackled the littlest and caused screaming and more tears....

Tears.....coming unglued....disaster! Thank goodness we have an amazing photographer who smiled, laughed, and gave me hug....and was still able to shoot some beautiful pictures.....and said to me, we will try again next month :)

Pinterest worthy pictures just aren't my life....my life is messy, and stinky, and crinkled up with tears running down cheeks and sweat on brows. And snapping one perfect photo doesn't capture this idea of a perfect family that I want to have.....we are so far from perfect. Unless you include a perfect mess :) 

We're complicated, and late, and messy, and all over the place.....but we're real, and together, and what makes us perfect for each other isn't that we can take a picture together and frame it up for people to ohh over....we're perfect for each other because we're all we've got. God put us together and we've got to make it through this messy life together. One day at a time...one moment at a time....one picture at a time.....cause every single shot matters....perfect or not.

Last one may be my favorite......

Some things that make me :)

I'm learning to slow down and process moments. 

Not just run through my day and check things off a list. 

But to sit a little longer, hug a little tighter, and smile at the moments the boys give me. 

They grow up a lot faster than I realize and while my days sometimes seem endlessly long.....the years are flying by way to quickly.

Brothers playing in the hallway

"sleeping" in the shopping carts

Learning on his own....

Trying without training wheels....

So tired yet not wanting to let go!

Silence during a shopping trip!

Potty with the Middle

When we potty trained MJD I was in Costa Rica for 2 weeks. With my parents, husband and a maid full time for assistance......I also didn't have to worry about schedules, pick up, drop off, homework, crawling babe, etc.....

Yesterday I decided, enough was enough and it was time to potty train our middle one. Ugh, what was I thinking?!?!? About 15 minutes into the decision, just after I had spoken it out loud, put the kid in undies, I realized perhaps I am in over my head. But alas, I said it, we must commit, it really is time and I just need to get through it.

Day one....went as expected....accident after accident. Bean keeps asking for a diaper. He refused to poop. Morning was rough. He peed on potty post nap, was excited, ate M&M's and then had accidents the rest of the night. Ugh....we have a long way to go.

Day two....I just want to cry! :( One success....we have officially gone through our stockpile of undies and I have done two loads of laundry already. I am working hard to count my gifts today!

Day three.....fewer accidents.....struggling with poop, but I actually haven't been home for most of those situations. (Yet, I am still the one cleaning them up :( ) He is starting to understand the whole, stop the pee, call mama and sit on the potty. Now the goal is to get him to tell me he has to pee before he actually starts peeing! Oi vey! 


Updates will continue......If you read this before the week is over....PRAY FOR ME! I need it!

We have some moderately wonderful success! We are 95% mastered with pee....and about 2% mastered with poo....I will take what I can get! 

Thank The Lord for mini M&Ms :)

Blasting off into ONE!

It is crazy to believe that we have seen our last 1st birthday party in this family?!??! How is it possible that our littest has finally turned one??????

CRAZY! 

So for Lincoln's birthday we had a Rocket Theme party :) I loved it. This time around it was so low key, super easy, and just fun. Kinda like Lincoln, super low key, easy and fun!

We kept the guest list simple and focused on our family, closest friends, and Lincoln's baby buddies.

He loved the excitement of everyone in the house.

Cake smashing took a little warming up to, but once he figured it out he had a blast!

Then add to the fun the excitement of presents and finding toys and snacks buried under tissue paper and he was in heaven!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!! We love you, Lincoln!!!

Just past midnight

The clock just creeped past midnight and we are officially on Nov 2, 2013.....your first birthday! 

Crazy how a year has come and gone since the day you were born. Lincoln, I wish there were words this side of heaven to express how much I love you! 

     

  Happy Birthday Little One!!!!