Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Easter Egg Hunt

This past weekend we went to our first Easter egg hunt of the season. My mother-in-law let me know about it earlier in the week, and we love being able to get the kids out of the house and doing something fun when we can, so this was perfect! There were also going to be bunnies to pet and a little fair going on so we figured Noelle would have a blast.

Sadly the weather had not received the memo that it is indeed officially spring, and my smart phone told me it was 28 degrees, feels like 17. But we decided to bundle the kids up and were greeted by snow flurries when we arrived. I think the actual egg searching was supposed to take place in a park, but they ended up having it on the second floor of a parking garage. Each age was roped off into their own little areas with eggs just scattered about. We stood outside the area for two year olds and waited until the countdown was finished and then walked in with Noelle.

not too sure about the bunny

She was definitely not into it, and just wanted Luke to hold her. I was trying to take pictures of her and convince her that there were fun things inside the eggs, but she wanted none of it! Finally another little girl came over and picked up the three eggs right at our feet and put them into Noelle's basket. It was the sweetest thing! And then I grabbed one more for her, and by then all the other eggs were gone. We headed over to the little church where the fair was going on and opened up the eggs to see what we got.

Jonah loose in a pet store

I convinced Noelle to play one game, but she refused to pet the bunny that a woman brought over to us, and she just seemed overwhelmed by all the chaos. We decided to leave, and as we were walking to the car Noelle said she wanted to look for Easter eggs.  I guess she just needed the reminder that there was candy in the eggs! We ended up swinging by Pet Smart to see all the animals. Noelle and Jonah enjoyed peeking in the reptile tanks and seeing the cats and fish. When we left to go meet Lydia for lunch, Noelle made sure to say goodbye to all the animals. ("By kitties, see you tomorrow!")


The rest of Saturday involved naps, Strawberry Shortcake watching, and grocery shopping. We were hesitant about taking the kids to church on Sunday morning because they both had runny noses (again!), but Noelle seemed cleared up enough by morning that we figured she would be safe. Normally she is so excited about going to nursery and seeing her friends, but for some reason she was so upset when we left her. We figured it would just take her a minute and she would be fine.

checking out the mall fountain before lunch

By the time the singing was done and it was time for the sermon to start, Jonah was being too active and his nose wasn't running at all, so I decided to drop him off in the nursery. As soon as I got there, I saw Noelle standing at the window in the 2's and 3's room crying her eyes out still. The nursery captain told me she was just about to page me to come and get her. Poor girl! So I dropped off Jonah and took Noelle into the sanctuary. She didn't last long either, so she and I sat in the lobby while I tried to pay some attention to the sermon.

Sunday evening we hosted a cookout with a bunch of friends from church. Jonah seemed to soak up all the attention, while Noelle stayed fast asleep on the couch for the first hour that everyone was there. We had lots of fun catching up with everyone and getting to know some newer people better. It was the perfect end to our weekend!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Staying At Home

As of tomorrow, I have officially been a full-time stay at home mom for a year. It's crazy how quickly the past year has flown by. When I left my job, I was about 8 months pregnant with Jonah and wanted to have that last month to spend more one-on-one time with Noelle and get extra rest before we became a family of four.

The day after my last day of work, Luke and I headed out for a little baby-moon weekend away to Williamsburg, VA and it was so surreal to me that I wouldn't be heading back to work the following week. It was also a really good feeling knowing I didn't have to go back. I was finally going to be starting the job I wanted even when I was a little girl- to be a stay at home mom!

the one picture I took on our baby-moon

It certainly hasn't been the easiest year of my life, but being able to watch Jonah grow and being a part of all his milestones is so worth it. It was great to not have to stress about scheduling things like doctor's appointment, speech therapy, and being able to join my MOPS group. Working part-time certainly had its perks (adult conversation, friendships, using my brain in a different way, extra income), and I do miss my co-workers, but I had no doubts about leaving and being home with my littles.

As good a mommy day as this past Monday was, the rest of the week has had its fill of challenges. Noelle and Jonah both have cold number 1000 of the winter, and whenever Noelle is sick she is (understandably) extra whiny, and she is also extra disobedient. I feel like I'm constantly putting her in her room. Jonah has been waking up wailing in the middle of the night and just seems to want cuddles (even before he got sick), so that's been rough for the sleep department.

some time in the sun

But despite how hard it seems at times, I'm so thankful I'm home with them. Noelle and Jonah will only be little for so long and it's already zooming by faster than I want! There was a great post floating around the internet this past week where a mom with slightly older kids talked about how it can be challenging being home with tiny humans all day, but also about all the big feelings you have as a mom with littles. And how it goes so fast. But the big, tender feelings you have for your children continue to grow as they grow. I'm always worried I won't love the older years as much, but this is a tad reassuring (though I'm sure I won't know for sure until I'm there on that side- I can't imagine being done with babies!)

just dumping out the cat food, spreading it around, and eating it

As per the usual with many things related to motherhood, I cried my eyes out while reading the post. I was also running on about four hours of sleep thanks to lots of wailing from Jonah and all four of us being in our bed at one point. But all these hard things are only here for a time. One day they won't want to share anything with me or live here anymore. So I'll enjoy it while I can.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

100 Kisses A Day

To my littles,

I want to give you 100 kisses (at least) a day!

I want to kiss your little baby cheeks, your pudgy little feet, and your sweet little heads.

Because one day you won't let me kiss you anymore. And one day, when you're off to college, or off living on your own, I won't be able to kiss you every day.


When you grab my leg, or say "uppie", or lay your head on my shoulder, I'll take the opportunity to smother you in smooches. When I rescue you from your crib in the morning or fall asleep next to you at night, I'll give you kisses. When you fall asleep on my shoulder, I'll kiss your head and breath in your scent. I'll kiss you because I'm your mommy and I can. And I love you oh so much.

Some days you drive me crazy cleaning up all the spills and crumbs.  Or the disobeying me and constantly having to put you in your room, even though you say "i unnerstand" whenever I ask if you understand that you need to obey. You are almost one and almost three and I know that you have a lot of learning and growing ahead of you.


Some days I feel my love for you so much my heart hurts. The weight of my responsibility in raising you is heavy, and all I can do is pray that God gives me the wisdom and strength to do it well. Because I can't do it well on my own- I need Jesus to get me through and give me guidance. He is love and because of Him, I can love you. You are blessings from Him, and are forever tied to me and your daddy.

I love both of you more and more every day. Sure, there are a lot of things we gave up when we became parents, but the love that is gained makes it so worth it. I never understood my parent's love for me until the two of you came along. And I also feel like I understand, in the tiniest way, the Lord's love for me, though His love is bigger than I will ever be able to fully grasp. It's amazing to me all the things I've already learned in my short journey of motherhood, but the amount of love I feel for you is still so big.

 

The days may seem long, but I'm sad at how quickly they are going by. Sometimes I can't even believe that I have two babies! And you will definitely always be my babies, even when you are grown and have babies of your own.

So I will kiss you as much as I can. And hold your little hands for as long as you will let me. I will pray that Jesus moves your hearts to love and desire Him above all else, and I will pray that I can be a good example of that to you. Because nothing else matters if you don't trust Him with your lives, and there is so much joy, peace, and love in knowing that He is all you need.

Love and kisses,
your mommy

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

My Monday Thoughts (on Tuesday)

I know Mondays tend to be kind of blah- the weekend is over, Daddy is back at work, more responsibilities, and no sleeping in.

But I had a really good mommy Monday yesterday.

I've been enjoying getting my long runs in on Monday mornings, and since I did 10 miles last week, I decided to cut back to eight and a half yesterday. I'm usually finishing up my run just as the sky is starting to lighten, and then I'm showered and ready to go by the time the kids wake up.


Jonah was crying by the time I finished blow drying my hair, and that of course woke up Noelle. But once we battled the diaper change and putting clean clothes on, Jonah was happier and we got Noelle ready for the day. As we were finishing up, Tyler and Sienna (the kids I watch before school in the morning) got here, and Noelle exclaimed "Sienny's here!" And then as we headed down the stairs she called out to Sienna, "Sienny, it's me, Princess Ellie!" And then twirled around in her dress at the bottom of the stairs. Oh how I love the random things she says!

Once Jonah went down for his morning nap, I got in some time in the Word while Noelle watched Strawberry Shortcake. I'm continuing the Lent series on She Reads Truth, and today I was reminded of the fact that my efforts to draw closer to Christ don't make me "better" to Him- I'm already loved by Him beyond measure. What a great truth!

so proud of himself for knocking over a chair and standing on it

We ate lunch and played for awhile once Jonah woke up. At one point, he fell down and hit his head. I scooped him up and cuddled him on my shoulder until he stopped crying, and Noelle followed my lead and picked up Care Bear and soothed Care Bear's "crying". I love seeing the little mommy in her, and it's a reminder to me just how much she mimics everything.

Our afternoon fun involved a trip to the library, and then a date at Dunkin Donuts where the three of us split a chocolate chip muffin and I got my free iced coffee. The perfect afternoon pick me up, and a good reason to get out of the house. I got a little punch card in the mail a few weeks ago for a free medium iced coffee for six Mondays in March and April and I have used them all so far!


On the drive back home, I started thinking about the sermon at church on Sunday and was struck again by Pastor Randy's question- do we expect the Holy Spirit to show up when we come to worship? And that made me think about whether I ask that question in any situation in my life. I know He's always with me, but do I expect Him to work through me and in those around me when I'm in various situations? Made me think more about praying for specific encounters with those around me, and then consciously acknowledging when He is at work.

More play time and then baths for the littles before dinner with Daddy. And then the usual "Once Upon A Time" viewing and ice cream with Aunt Lydia. I'd say it was a good Monday!

Monday, March 23, 2015

Jonah: 11 Month Update

I just can't grasp that my baby will be one next month! It seems like he just got here, but I also feel like I can't really remember life before Jonah. He is such a perfect addition for our family and I'm SO thankful for God's blessing!

chewing on my keys kept him happy

Height and Weight: Sitting him on our scale at home fully clothed he was a little over 19 pounds and no idea on his height. Looking forward to his official stats next month! 

Sleep: Just this past month we've had a lot more consistency with sleeping through the night, but we've also had a few nights where he'll wake up really upset. We've given him a 4 ounce bottle and he sucks it down so it seems that he's hungry. I'm trying to make sure he gets enough during the day, but he doesn't always focus on eating.

His naps have also been a little bit all over the place, with a sometimes shorter morning nap, but sometimes long morning nap. He still usually naps twice a day though, going down around 3:30 for his second nap.


Eating: We are officially done with nursing. I nursed him before bed one night last week, and then just stopped. I haven't had any problems with milk building up, so I think it's safe to say I'm dried up. What a journey nursing has been, but now it's on to formula full time for one more month and then cows milk!

For meals he often gets a fruitie (what we call our fruit and veggie pouches), and he also likes peanut butter sandwiches, sweet potatoes, little bits of chicken, cheese, applesauce, and usually just little bits of whatever I'm eating. He usually takes four bottles with four ounces of formula throughout the day, but I'm trying to increase that to at least five bottles. We did have a week this month where he was barely taking 12 ounces total throughout the day so I called the pediatrician. They told me to keep an eye on it, but since their tummies are still changing so much it was normal for babies to sometimes eat less. Thankfully he seems to be making up for it now by wanting more to eat, which is exactly what they predicted!

Diapers/Clothing: He is in size three diaper and is mostly wearing 6-9 month sized clothing. I've been pulling out the six month sized clothing to put away and need to get out his 12 month stuff. It just seems like we've flown through the two bins I have set aside of boys clothing. Thankfully two people at church have offered their hand-me-downs so hopefully that will keep us for a little while!

 

Social/Milestones: No new teeth this month, but he has been drooling a lot lately so I'm wondering if more will be coming through soon. Just in the last week he's started clapping. I've been showing him how to do it, but he hasn't really copied or initiated it until this past week. He gets a big smile on his face when he does do it!

He is pretty consistent with walking, especially at home. He walks from place to place and can squat down to pick up something, and then stand back up. If he falls on his bum, he has to crawl over to something to pull himself back up. But he is everywhere and into everything!

big sis likes to copy little brother

Likes/Dislikes: Pretty much the two things he hates are diaper changes and being away from mom. It feels like an epic battle every time we change his diaper and we have to basically pin him down while he screams just to clean him up and get a clean diaper on him. And leaving him in nursery seems pretty traumatizing, but he is all smiles once I'm holding him again.

Fun things we did: This past month seems to have been a bit quiet as we've dealt with being sick and the end of winter weather.  But we did spend time with the grandparents, had a few playdates, and made it to Bible study a few times. We even had a few trips to the play ground, which Jonah enjoyed despite not being able to really do much. I think he just loves being outside!

Pictures from the month:

 donut date at Dunkin Donuts

"helping" daddy with the faucet

 first time in the swing!

 playground time

 playing at the mall

two serious drivers

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Kitchen Sinks and a Date Night

Weekends are always best started when you get a date night! Luke and I had our March night out while Lydia was home with the littles. Per the usual, Jonah was asleep by the time she got here, and Noelle was engrossed in watching Strawberry Shortcake. Noelle had gone almost two full days without watching her beloved Strawberry and the gang because we told her she couldn't watch anymore until she took a bath or shower. Surprisingly she chose being dirty over watching her favorite show.

Luke and I headed out to Papa Joe's, a somewhat local Mexican restaurant. They recently moved to a new location and we hadn't been in a few years so we were excited to eat their yummy food. And it's always nice to be able to actually sit down for a meal together (most dinners we eat standing at our counter while we help one kid or another) and talk to each other uninterrupted. Plus the 25 minute drive to and from gave us even more time to just be together.


Saturday was going to be a quiet family day and we headed out to Home Depot to look for a new faucet to replace the leaky one in our kitchen. The kids had fun sitting in the shopping cart with two steering wheels, while Luke and I perused the selection of faucets. (I never knew faucets could be in the $300 price range!) After picking a more affordable one, we headed home and Luke started what he hoped to be a quick project.


Fast forward about six hours later, three more trips to Home Depot, a call to Luke's dad, and Luke's parents coming over, the faucet was successfully replaced. Luke did an awesome job, but because the faucet was so old (probably from the 80's), and things have changed a little, the task was a little more complicated than it would have been otherwise. But it's done and we won't have a constant dripping anymore! Meanwhile, I got the kids out of the house, who otherwise were "helping" daddy and took them to the park and then grocery shopping.

Jonah's first time on a swing!

After a rough night for Jonah, Sunday morning was church as usual. And Jonah survived the whole service in nursery by being held by the nursery captain and not actually being inside the nursery. But hey, I got to sit through a sermon! Jonah took a car nap on the way home, and that was his only nap of the day. Following family time at home, we headed out for our "baby" Bible study where we got some sweet fellowship surrounded by the craziness of  seven kids under the age of three. It was a smaller crowd than usual, but a good ending to the weekend.

And last week my post on owning a minivan was up on MomQuery for anyone who wants to check it out!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Speech and Spring

We got some good news on Thursday- Noelle's speech therapist did a one year assessment of Noelle's speech a few weeks ago, and she is now where she should be for a toddler her age. Praise the Lord!! Granted, the therapist also had to make that assessment based a lot on what I told her rather than what she heard because Noelle gets super quiet whenever the therapist comes to our house. But I'm so thankful for the program and for the therapist who has worked with us for the past year.

We did decide to keep going with the twice a month therapy appointments until she turns three just to continue to work on clarity in her speech. Plus if we stop now, if anything came up in the next few weeks, we would have to start all over with a different program because of Noelle turning three in a few months. But we figure more therapy will only help and we love having the therapist come to our house.

 
we also went to the mall after meeting with the therapist

Within a six day period I had three girls nights! Love, love, love having other ladies to connect with. One was with my MOPS group for a moms night out, and then the next night I went to a Mary Kay party with some girls from my Bible Study. As usual when we get together, there was lots of hilarity and catching up, especially since the weather seems to have cancelled a few get-togethers over the last few months. This past Wednesday I met up with a group of mamas who get together once a month for dinner or dessert. It was great to catch up, and of course we talked about our littles for most of the time.


Jonah is most definitely all boy. Last night I looked over where he was playing and he had stepped up on a little riding car toy that we have so he could see what was on top of the little book shelf. I do not remember Noelle doing anything like that at 11 months. He's also quite cheeky and knows when he's about to do something bad. When the gate at the bottom of the stairs is left open, he'll make a break for it and stand at the bottom step. As I rush over to get him, he gets excited and laughs, acting like he's going to crawl up. Such a stinker!


And to celebrate the first day of spring yesterday, we headed up to Rita's to get our free flavored ice. We also got a nice little bit of snow yesterday, which made the line super short, and we ate inside the van. But Noelle loved her Strawberry ice, and then wanted to eat the rest of mine. Girlfriend certainly loves her sweets!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Playground and the Dentist

Spring is coming! I think we're being teased a bit as there is a chance of snow/rain at the end of this week, but we had an absolutely beautiful sunny 65* day yesterday. After my every-six-month teeth cleaning, I put the kids in the stroller and walked to the playground. We had also gone to the playground on Sunday evening before heading over to our Bible study and Noelle had been asking to go again ever since.

helping Jonah on the monkey bars

Noelle is such a goof because she wants so badly to go to the playground, but once we're there she's very cautious about everything. She won't go down a slide by herself even though she has a blast whenever she actually does go down one.  And when I'm holding Jonah it's hard for me to help get her down. She does love going on the swing, but she's cautious about walking over the little bridge. Meanwhile Jonah wants so badly to just follow around his sister and any other kids.

the playground on Sunday evening when it was a little chilly

Yesterday morning I ran 10 miles outside and it was glorious!  It feels so good to be running outside and it will only get better as it gets warmer. After running on the treadmill for about three weeks straight, I finally ran outside for the first time last week and my legs were so sore the next day. Thank you hills! But it feels so good to be out, and I definitely prefer running outdoors. My outdoor 10 mile run was about six minutes faster than the 10 mile run I did on the treadmill a few weeks ago.

When I was at the dentist I was telling the hygienist about how I had chipped one of my teeth on a safety pin after running the Rudolph 6K back in December. I had eaten half a multi-grain breakfast bar before the race and stuck the rest of it in my coat pocket. After the race I took off my race bib and put the safety pins in my pocket and one managed to get stuck in the breakfast bar. When I took a bite later on, I heard and felt and nice big crunch. Definitely something I would do! It was a good thing the safety pin stayed closed or I could have been in a lot of pain.

And thankfully the chipped part is on the inside of my mouth so no one can see it, and the dentist says I don't need to do anything about it since it's not bothering me. The hygienist happens to be a runner as well so she and I got to talking about various races that we've done. It got me more excited for my half in April and for the American Odyssey Relay in May. Lots of fun running coming up!

from the first American Odyssey Relay we did in 2010

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Wedding Dress and Toms

I'd really like to know how other moms with a potty- training toddler and infant manage to help their toddler use the potty while out and about. I don't usually bring Jonah's carseat into stores anymore because I know he would be unhappy if he was stuck in it and couldn't look around.  And since it's been cold, I haven't really been using the Ergo- therefore he must be carried or sitting in the cart. Yesterday I took the littles to the doctor to get Noelle checked for her never ending cough (we're on week 4 of this thing!), and twice while we were there she said she needed to use the potty. I managed to tuck Jonah into a football hold under my arm, while lifting Noelle up, but it was not easy!  It's a good thing Jonah is as small as he is, but he probably could have easily wiggled out if he'd really tried.

probably getting more germs at the Doctor's office

The kids have also had runny noses for a few weeks now, and Noelle alternates between demanding help ("Wipe my nose!") and using a napkin or toilet paper to wipe her own nose. I've caught her numerous times going into the bathroom and unwrapping a long length of toilet paper ("I want a big one."), and then wadding it up into a ball, taking one swipe at her leaky nose, and throwing it into the toilet. She's definitely not saving any trees.

Yesterday while Jonah was napping, I decided it would be fun to take out my wedding dress and try it on with Noelle. She loved it, and kept exclaiming, "It's your princess dress, Mommy!" over and over again. So adorable! It made me happy to see her excitement, but it was also a tad depressing because I can no longer zip up the dress. Two children and my love for sugar has made me a little bit rounder than I was when I was 23. Makes me almost feel a little bit more motivated to cut out some of the sugar I've been inhaling. Almost.


This week we have finally been blessed with spring-like weather.  Praise the Lord! We spent a little bit of time outside on Monday before the rain came the next day, and Noelle and I were finally able to break out our matching Toms that my sister Becky gave to us for Christmas. I asked Noelle if she would always match me, even when she's a teenager, and she agreed.  I should probably get that in writing so she can't back out.

matching Toms

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Snow Day (Again!)

The other day I was lying on my back on the floor of our bedroom, and Jonah crawled over and started poking me in the eye and sticking his finger up my nose.  And he was laughing hysterically. Which of course made me laugh. I love those little moments with my kids, and it makes me want them to stay tiny forever! (And have lots of babies!)

This was on Thursday when we were having yet another snow day. Thankfully Luke was working from home and didn't have to attempt to drive in the snow, and it was fun having him pop up from the basement to hang out with us for parts of the day.

For some reason, I always feel like I must bake when we are stuck inside and snow is falling outside. With a tiny bit of encouragement from Luke, Noelle and I set to work making M&M and chocolate chip cookies during Jonah's morning nap. Noelle loves to pour the ingredients into the bowl and stir them around with a spoon. She also likes to sample the mixture, even if it is only flour and baking powder.

 my little baker

Once Jonah woke up, we played upstairs.  We played downstairs.  Noelle wanted to put a headband on Jonah. Noelle "helped" Luke do some work in the basement. We read books and colored.  We watched some Strawberry Shortcake and Angelina Ballerina. And after Jonah woke up from his very short afternoon nap, cabin fever made me feel like I needed to get out of the house. I decided to get the kids bundled up and play in the snow.


Luke came up as I was getting them ready and decided to join in on the fun. The snow was too deep out front, but Luke was able to shovel a little bit off the back deck and we tramped around out there for awhile. Our new neighbor came over with her little girl and we got to chat with her about the preschool that we're planning on sending Noelle to next year. Jonah, meanwhile, was pretty much unimpressed by the snow.


Snow days are so much better when Luke is home, but I was still so ready to get out of the house the next day. So we of course hit up our current favorite, Chick Fil A!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Family and Friends

Just in time for us to be gearing up for this coming weekend, I want to make sure to recap last weekend!  It was a fun one, with lots of quality time with each other and with friends.

On Friday evening, I was excited to head out for a girls night with some fellow mamas.  We met for dessert and spent about two hours sitting and chatting (uninterrupted!) about life.  Of course, as usual, when you get a group of moms together, a lot of the talking revolved around our kids.  And around breastfeeding, potty-training, sleeping through the night, and all that fun stuff.  I always feel so refreshed after spending time with girlfriends, even if all we pretty much talk about is our kids.

I love that this group of girls is a mix of stay at home moms and working moms.  Some of us nurse, and some of us don't for various reasons. There's cloth diapering and one is on her third baby, while two just had their first. The diversity brings something to the group, and I love that we can just sit and encourage one another in our journey of motherhood.

 Jonah watching some play place action at Chick Fil A

On Saturday we had plans for some college friends to come over for dinner, so we spent the morning getting the house clean.  In the afternoon, I took the littles and met my sisters and my parent's Chilean exchange student at Chick Fil A for lunch (and one last free vanilla iced coffee- I am hooked!).  It's become a little more rare for all of us to be together since my youngest sister moved to Virginia for work, so it's always good to see her when she is around.

They of course loved on Noelle and Jonah, and we laughed at Noelle's goofy antics and when Jonah rested his head on the table while sucking down a fruit and veggie pouch.  I love that my kids have family close by to love on them, and to build relationships with.  And hopefully someday, in the not so distant future, they will have cousins to play with!

The downside of the trip was Noelle having a potty accident.  She told me twice she wanted to go, so I took her to the restroom, but she didn't do anything either time.  And then she peed right next to our table. I knew as soon as we started taking her out in public without a diaper that this would happen eventually, and I'm just glad it happened next to the table instead of in the play place!  It was super helpful having my sisters there who cleaned up the mess on the floor while I took Noelle and changed her in the bathroom. I know it's just all a part of the potty training process!

In the evening, our friends Jason and Deb came over for dinner.  Jason was in our wedding, and we haven't seen them since before they had their son, who is now 17 months old.  Total fail on our part for not keeping in better touch since they live less than an hour away!

But we had a lot of fun catching up with them, and hearing about what's been happening in their lives.  Their son and Jonah will be the same year in school, and at one point while their little guy was "feeding" Jonah his bottle, I joked that we should snap a picture so they can hang it in their dorm room when they are roommates at Grove City someday. Because of course all of our children will be attending our alma mater.

Sunday evening scene

On Sunday morning, we knew the weather was going to be bad so we were keeping an eye out for any email potentially cancelling church.  We weren't sure if we should go anyhow since both kids were sick and we wouldn't be able to put them in nursery.  But we hadn't been for the previous two weeks because of weather and sickness, so when no email came, we decided at the last minute to attempt the drive.

Thankfully it wasn't too bad, but when we got to church a little bit late, we were greeted by a friend who is on staff telling us we got there just in time for the last five minutes. Oops! Apparently the pastor had decided after the Sunday School hour to just share what God has been teaching him personally for a quick 20 minutes so that everyone could get home before the roads got too bad. Jonah was moving around too much, so I didn't really end up getting to hear much anyhow, but I'm at least glad we attempted!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Forever Faithful

Lately I find myself feeling drained, discouraged with how frustrated I get with the kids, and feeling like I just can't keep up with everything that I need to do.  I also keep falling into the pit of wanting what isn't in God's plan for me at the moment, and then getting jealous of those who do get what I want. Definitely not a fun place to be.  Which also leaves me feeling frustrated that I even have those feelings to begin with.


The culprit of all of this is obviously my lack of spending time with God and trusting Him with my life.  Especially with my feelings of jealousy.  Not the first time I've felt them, but hello Megan, you are so blessed! I'm married to my best friend who works so hard for our little family, I have two kids whom I love so much, and I get to do the best job ever- staying home with my littles to raise them and watch them grow.

God is forever faithful and even though I haven't been seeking Him like I should, He has reminded me that He is always right there beside me.  Praise Him for that!  Motherhood certainly has a way of constantly showing me my need for Him.

loves having her Anna braids

Yesterday while Jonah was napping and Noelle was playing with a friend, I had a moment to sit down and read the Scripture and the lesson for Lent from the She Reads Truth study (the super great Bible Study app I have on my phone).  Even though I'm about two weeks behind, I started with the study on the introduction to Lent.  And it was so what I needed.  The reminder that I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

poor, sick boy

The study reminded me of who Jesus is and what He has done.  For ME.  I was created by and for Jesus, and I am in need of His reconciliation. every. single. day. It's so easy to forget the significance of what He has done for me, but I love that during Easter and the time leading up to it, I can be reminded of just how very significant it is.

Lord, how I need Thee!

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  ~Colossians 1:17