Nap Boycott

Lately sleep has been hard to come by with a sore back and frequent trips to the restroom during the middle of the night. So naps are a precious commodity around here. Unfortunately for me, the boys decided to boycott their naps today. This wouldn't have been a problem but it resulted in their little sister not sleeping very long, thus I didn't get a nap at all. Needless to say, I was one TIRED Mama! I was feeling overwhelmed and on the verge of a pity party when I simply knelt before my God and pleaded for the grace and energy to make it through the day!

While we were outside, trying to get them to run off their excess energy, I turned on a Christian station on Pandora! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Pandora?!? Anyway, the song "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin came on and I was once again reminded that I'm not doing this thing, called life, alone! I am blessed beyond measure to have God's grace and it's ENOUGH for me!!!

"Your Grace Is Enough"

Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me [x2]

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Your grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your grace is enough for me
God I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me
For me

Missing my little ones

No, I'm not talking about the three children I live with and I'm not even talking about the little lady stretching and kicking in my womb. I'm missing my two babies that are waiting for us in Heaven. I often wonder what life would be like if we hadn't lost Urijah. Would we have the children we have now? Would we be where we are in life now? What about if we hadn't lost Aubrey? She'd be about one month old right now. How would her siblings feel about her? How would they be reacting to her?

I wonder what Heaven is like. What are they doing right now? I'm sure they're loving every moment with Jesus but I sure do miss them. We may have only had them for a moment here on Earth but I'm thankful for their lives. I wish things were different but I praise God for the three, almost four, wonder blessings we do have here in our arms.

We named both of our babies that we lost and I often wonder if we chose the right names since we won't "know" their gender until we meet them someday in Heaven. I'm glad they at least have names, I just hope they're right! I know it won't matter in the end but every life deserves a name!

I wonder if we would have six children here on earth if we hadn't lost our two babies. Or would we have stopped sooner? Would we have Jacobi, Micah, Shaelyn or this Baby Girl? Would these other children be with us? I long for the day I can see my babies again.

Urijah and Aubrey, Mama loves you and misses you! I hope you're proud of your family!!! I can't wait to meet you and see who you look like! I bet you're both gorgeous, just like your Brothers and Sisters!

Last Resort or First Call for Help?!?

I tend to be very DIY in every area of my life. Being raised by a single Mom, I learned from a young age to be very independent. We didn't need help, mainly because it didn't exist. We learned a lot about how to do anything we wanted done. We fixed things around the house, traveled in our RV, etc. Not having help from a Husband/Father never stopped us!

Unfortunately, that independence has transferred into every area of my adult life as well. I'm learning, ever so slowly, that I can't do it all. I can't be SuperMom/Wife or even a decent Mom/Wife if I don't look to my creator first.

My Husband refuses to teach me how to use any power tools. At first I was offended because I thought he was hoarding that knowledge. Then I realized he wants to be able to do something for me that I'm unable to do myself. My Husband wants to feel needed in my life and wants me to rely upon him.

I think God feels the same way. I often picture Him saying, "If only you would rely on ME, this wouldn't be so difficult"!

I've always gone to God when things are BAD! I seek Him as a last resort vs calling on Him for my first defense. I figure - if I can fix it, on my own, I will. Problem is, it says very clearly in the Word that I've got it backwards!

In Matthew 6:33 it says 'But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.'

So instead of looking to myself for whatever it is I may need, I should be seeking God! Only God can give me the grace, patience and wisdom I need to Parent my Children. Only God can give me the heart of understanding and submission I need to be a Good Wife to my Husband. Only God can provide all my needs and He can only fulfill them if I'm seeking Him FIRST!!!

What are some ways you seek God before trying to figure out life on your own?!?

Routine Adjustment...

In just about two months we'll go through another routine adjustment as a family. As much as I wish I was talking about an adjustment from the Chiropractor, which I love, I'm actually talking about our daily schedule. We've got a fairly consistent schedule everyday that works well for us. Once we add another Baby to the mix our schedule will be thrown off and that freaks me out a little!

I know, I know, I just need to work the Baby into our schedule. I get the idea behind integrating Baby into our day vs working our day around the Baby. Unfortunately, it's never worked for us! When Baby is hungry - I nurse Baby. Remember how often Babe's get hungry in the first few months? Yep, every 2-4 hours! Which means if I'm trying to get lunch ready and Baby gets hungry I have to stop cooking to feed Baby…Yes, I do distract as long as possible but if you've ever had a hungry newborn you know there's only so much time before the true meltdown begins!

I won't be able to cuddle my older children as often as I do now, mainly because they will have to take turns with another sibling.

I won't be able to run after a child disobeying like I can now.

I'm not complaining at all! I'm so thankful for this new life and can't wait to meet this new Baby girl! I'm just a little overwhelmed at the thought of how much work it will bring. How am I going to fit another little one into the bathtub?!?

The Sting of Disobedience

As I've mentioned before, our kids have three kiddie pools in our backyard that they LOVE swimming in. We have a no jumping rule to prevent injuries but it's almost never followed. I'm always terrified someone is going to slam into someone else, scrape something on the edge of the pool and end up with a deep cut or fall into the side and hurt something internally. I know, I'm an over-reactor!

Anyway, today while we were in the backyard the kids were swimming. After warning them, for what felt like the millionth time, not to jump into the pools…Micah fell into the side of one and came up screaming bloody murder! Honestly, I'm surprised our neighbors didn't call 911, it was ear piercing! Sure enough, he was bleeding and already bruising on his side, right under his rib cage.

We headed inside to dry off and inspect the damage. His injury is pretty tender and for the first 20 minutes, or so, he wouldn't even stand up. I was so frustrated that this was such a preventable injury and yet, because of their disobedience, he got hurt and this time it was pretty bad.

It was in the midst of telling them I was frustrated because they didn't listen and thus suffered the consequences that I was reminded that the same goes for my disobedience in life. I may not get scrapes and bruises from jumping in a pool but I do get plenty of other consequences for not doing what's right.

It says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. If I don't eat right or exercise I suffer the consequences of excess weight gain, excess fatigue and a host of other medical issues.

It says in Proverbs 22:26-27 Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. If I over spend or depend on money from others that I cannot repay I could end up homeless.

The list goes on and on. Being foolish with my bed time, spending, eating, exercising, etc can and does often result in consequences. How quickly I forget that my children are not perfect BUT neither am I!

Total Upset!

Once you get to know me you'll learn that I'm the type of person that, when I decide I want to do something - it MUST get done NOW! For example: When I decide I want to cut my hair I go out the same day and get it cut. When I want to redecorate a room I want to go buy the paint today and get the first coat on the wall immediately. Seriously, it's such a part of who I am that it has become a running joke in our family that when Mama wants it done it better be done now or she'll be up all night pouting. It's a terrible personality trait that I try so hard not to give into. Being pregnant and nesting makes it a million times worse!

So, I started out by organizing our bathroom, which I think works really well for our family! I should probably take some pictures and show you all how it's looking now…I'll work on that soon.

Next up was our (My Husband and I's) bedroom. I went through both of our nightstands and cleaned them out. My Husband tends to hoard receipts like nobody's business. I also got a charging station for my Husband's electronics because I HATE seeing all the cords draped everywhere. Next up was purging clothes from our closet. Can I just say it's nearly impossible to purge anything when pregnant? I'm not sure how anything is going to fit me in two months. So, needless to say, not much was actually taken out. Following the closet, I cleared out our dresser. I only use four of the eight drawers for clothes, the rest are "stuff" drawers, a printer drawer and then I turned one into a "Baby Girl" drawer that houses diapers, sleepers/swaddlers and burp cloths. We co-sleep our Babes in our room and thus it's much easier to have their necessities in our room. I'm hoping having this drawer will help me keep the Baby clothes chaos to a minimum. Anyway, I digress…

Next up was the Girls Room! I LOVE their room more than words can say. It's truly embarrassing how giddy I get whenever I think of their design! I keep saying I wish I could spend all day in that room…cheesy, I know!

Now I'm left with our Laundry Room and the Boys Room. Our Living Room/Toy Room is always a work in progress so I've pretty much given up on doing anything with that room until the kids are MUCH older!

Well, we decided to start in on the laundry room today. Unfortunately, it's a HUGE mess. It's become a store-all for junk. We had everything from fish supplies to beach towels, cleaning supplies to a litter box. It really was a hodgepodge and I hated going into that room. The biggest problem is that to give us a well-functioning room we had to remove three heavy pieces of furniture. So what did I do because of my "must get it done now" attitude? Yep, I hired movers to get it moved for us. I'm 8 months pregnant, my Mom is "weak" (don't take offense Mom, you said yourself you're getting weaker) and my Husband has chronic back issues. So I took it upon myself to get it moved…by someone else!

Another problem is that we moved the fridge that was in the laundry room to our kitchen to replace the older and smaller fridge we had been using. Can I just say that adding three inches to the fridge size made a HUGE difference. Our previous fridge was stuffed to the gills and this one looks so empty! Since we moved such big furniture we had to shift other things so it now looks like a bomb went off! We have a shoe rack in our hallway, miscellaneous food stuffs that need thrown out sitting on our counter, the basement is a disaster. It's really quite overwhelming at the moment.

Next up we'll get to painting and organizing! It is sick how excited I am to get this room finished! Seriously! Embarrassing! Our Plan of design attack!

Anxieties at an all-time HIGH

I never had problems with anxiety until I became a Mom. Now, I freak out about everything! Fevers make me dizzy with fear that a seizure will soon follow. Blood always seems to multiply ferociously, making me think stitches are the only option. Headaches, stomachaches, ear pain - it all makes my knees quake, my stomach churn and my heart start pounding! You think I'm kidding? I was considering medication because I literally could not function I was always terrified there was a huge storm right around the corner.

So, what did I do? Well, I chose not to medicate. Not because I don't think medication is helpful, I know it can be the exact opposite. I just didn't feel comfortable with taking anything while pregnant. Instead, I dove into the Word of God and now have these verses listed where I can see them all the time! I read them, meditate on them, I truly take them to heart. I ask God for the calm amidst my storm!

Philippians 4:6-8
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.

Matthew 6:27
"And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span"?

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Whenever I feel myself becoming anxious I simply look over these verses and pray for that peace that God promised!!!


This post is linked at Christian Mommy Blogger

Why so judgmental?

Have you ever noticed how judgmental people can be? Doesn't it seem like Mom's can be some of the worst offenders? We often have some VERY strong opinions about how children should be raised and when we encounter someone who doesn't feel the same way we do we can turn nasty quite quickly. We know better than to judge another, we try to teach that to our children. Yet, we still have the cruel thoughts or nasty comments that prove we're not perfect either.

We judge each other on:
*Foods we allow our children to eat
*Clothes we allow our children to wear
*Discipline techniques
-Spanking vs Time Out, etc
*Baby Wearing
*Breastfeeding vs bottle-feeding
*Cloth Diapering vs Disposable Diapering
*How loud our children are out in public
*How long (or not) they can sit still

The list goes on and on and on. We've all been in the check out lane when the child is screaming and throwing a fit because they want the candy or toy sitting by the registers. We've all had those thoughts of, "I wouldn't let my child behave that way" or, "I wouldn't give my child that candy", etc. We've seen the screaming child who doesn't want to leave the park. We've heard the tantrum coming from the table next to us at a restaurant. We also know we all have had days where we hope nobody sees how our children are behaving, or lack thereof. We've had moments where it's our child throwing the fit or begging for something.

Instead of judging each other we need to remember that:
A) It's not our place to judge another
B) You could very well find yourself in their shoes TOMORROW
C) We don't know what is going on in their life
- That Mom who gives into her crying child in the check-out lane could have just lost her Husband.
- The Mom who has children that are "out of control" could be suffering from a life-threatening illness and doesn't have the ability to parent like you do.
-The reasons for the differing parenting choices don't matter. We all fall short, we're not perfect and neither are our children.

We need to give each other grace! Instead of complaining about a fellow Mom try praying for her. Try helping another Mom by putting her cart away at the store, by distracting a crying child with a smile, by simply offering a kind word. Think about how you would feel if you were put in their shoes and try to respond accordingly! Life is hard but being a Mom is the hardest job there is! Let's cut each other some slack!!!

It's a new day!

After Shaelyn's injury last night we were up a few times in the middle of the night comforting her. She slept really well considering how much her mouth must have hurt. She still won't really let us look at it but her mouth is not nearly as swollen as I thought it would be. She ate all of her lunch today, which included crunchy fish sticks, so it must not hurt too terribly much. Praising God for the quick healing!

So much blood!

*Contains some graphic details, DON'T read if squeamish at the thought or mention of blood!
Picture two little boys and one little girl running around, chasing each other. What is bound to happen? Yep, somebody falls and gets hurt. Unfortunately we experienced this exact scene tonight.

The boys were running around their train table in the living room and Shaelyn happily joined in. She loves being chased by them and giggles her head off every time they turn her way. Tonight however, she ended up slipping and hitting her mouth on the side of their leather chair.

I was in the kitchen and saw it happen but Daddy was in the living room so he made it to her first. We're fairly used to accidents around here so I figured her owie just needed some TLC. Wrong! My Husband hollers at me that Shaelyn is bleeding. He's not one to overreact to blood, like I do, so when his tone said, "Hurry up" I knew it was serious.

Sure enough, she ripped the skin connecting her top lip to her gums. There was blood literally pouring out of her poor mouth. I'm serious, it was just gushing and I was afraid she was going to get sick from all the blood she was swallowing. We tried ice, popsicles, wet rags, yogurt and even squirting water from a syringe into her mouth to try and get the bleeding to stop. We prayed over her and asked the Lord to grant her speedy healing and no more bleeding! After 20 minutes the bleeding did stop…until Shaelyn saw her tooth brush and wanted to use it. We said no since we didn't want her to re-injure her mouth. She freaked out, melted down, screaming and crying and her mouth started bleeding again.

After another 15 minutes we couldn't get the bleeding to stop so we headed to the ER to get it stitched…per our pediatrician. Well, not even two minutes down the road the bleeding stopped. Since we didn't want another unnecessary $75 ER trip we hung out in the parking lot for a few minutes. She had no more bleeding so we decided to head back home. She cried a little in the car on the way back but no more blood!

We got home, she had a bottle and was complaining of the owie in her mouth so I gave in and gave her some baby tylenol. She fell asleep peacefully and is quietly snoring in her bed right now.

I'm so thankful she seems to be doing well right now. I'm praying she's not in pain tomorrow. I hate not being able to help my children feel better when they're hurt…better yet, I wish I could just prevent all of their pain. I guess that's a little how God feels towards us. He sent His Son to die for me so that one day I will feel no more pain!

We're back!

Ok, so we got back two days ago but I've been busy catching up on laundry, dishes and being tired! The trip went well considering we were traveling with such young children. The ride up was fine.

We ate on the way and they watched a movie the whole way up. They didn't end up going to bed until midnight, after running around the rooms for a while and then eating pizza while giggling at 'America's Funniest Home Video's'. They all slept well, aside from Shaelyn who is not used to sleeping with someone in bed.

The next day we were up and going by 6:45am, thanks Cobi!

We got breakfast on the way up to Gooseberry Falls. Walked the trails, saw the waterfalls, bought some souvenir's and headed back to Duluth for the college tour.

I ended up bringing the kids into Target with me to kill some of the 2 hour wait we had. They each got a toy, hoping it would keep them entertained on the way back home. Unfortunately by the time we were done shopping and then picked up my Mom and sister the kids were all overly tired. We ate some snacks and tried to get them to fall asleep. Unfortunately with construction traffic and Duluth rush hour we were in the car a lot longer than expected. They all melted down and cried quite hard for a good while. We made pit stops to change diapers and let them out of their seats but that almost made getting back into the seats harder.

We finally made it home and let them go straight to the backyard to run off the pent up energy. Overall, it was a good trip. We were all exhausted upon our return but we made it safely! I don't think I'll be taking any more road trips without Daddy and definitely not while 30 weeks pregnant!

Jury Duty - Awful timing!

I was just discussing with my Mom how I think jury duty could be a great experience but really hoped I didn't get called up for a few years. Well, on Monday I opened a letter that couldn't have come at a worse time! JURY DUTY!

I really do want to serve, or attempt to. Jury duty makes me nervous as you're basically deciding what happens with someone's life. It's up to you to decide if the evidence shows their guilty enough to go to jail for a long time, or even the rest of their lives. In some ways I don't feel old enough to be in this position but here I am.

Ok, now for the timing. I'm the sole care provider for three children during the day so finding a sitter, or in my case, three sitters was tough. My Husband can take off two days, my Mom can take off 1 day and my Sister can take of the last 2 days. If the trial goes longer than a week I'm in big trouble!

Other problem, we were supposed to go to the State Fair on the Tuesday after jury duty begins. If I get called up we won't be able to go until after I'm off. Ok, so this isn't really a problem, more an inconvenience.

Last problem is that I'll be 35 weeks pregnant! Again, this might not be a problem but they probably won't want an insanely pregnant, hormonal and emotional pregnant woman deciding someone's fate.

I'm able to get a 9 month postponement and my OB offered to write me a note excusing me from jury duty. However, if I were to get called up in 9 months I'll have 4 kids to find a sitter for, one of whom will be a nursling!

So my hope is that I'll either serve now or be dismissed! If I go and am dismissed based on my viewpoints, which are pretty strict, or because I'm hugely pregnant I won't be called up for 4 years. If I do get dismissed I really hope I'll get called up again in the future!

I find the whole justice system very interesting and would love to see how it works behind the scenes. I guess time will tell if they'll choose me or not…

Have you ever served on Jury Duty?

Mini Vacation!!

I'm not sure if I'm more excited or more terrified about leaving on a mini vacation tonight. My Sister is touring a college in Duluth so we're making it an overnight, staying in a hotel, swimming, sightseeing and road tripping! 3 hours in the car shouldn't be that bad, right?!? Hopefully not! We're leaving around dinner time tonight so the kids can be eating on the way. I'm praying they'll fall asleep and stay asleep so we can just transfer them to hotel beds. My Kids have never been great at falling asleep anywhere other than home, mainly because they're too excited!

My Husband is staying home to get some much needed R&R, alone time. My Mom and Sister will be there to help but I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed! This is the last vacation we'll be taking before Baby #4 arrives so I hope it goes smoothly! I guess we'll see…

I'm going up prepared though! I've got bins full of special toys, plenty of snacks and lots of movies and books! They'll also have chalk boards, coloring books and the iPad. Lord willing, this will be an easy and FUN trip!!!

What are some tips you can share on road trips with young children?!?

Bucket List!

I've never written a bucket list but, once again, I was inspired by Pinterest to create one! I haven't done any real searching for things to add to my list. I'm just going to get one started based on things we've always talked about wanting to do! Hopefully having a written bucket list will encourage us to actually do some of these things!

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Bucket List
* Go to FIJI
My Husband and I have always wanted to go to Fiji. We almost went on our honeymoon but ended up going to see family who were sick in California. We'll get there eventually, I'm hoping for our 10 year anniversary!

* Go to Australia
I had been going to go to Australia on a missions trip and ended up blowing out my knee and needing surgery. Ever since that failed trip I've always wanted to go back!

* Go on an African Safari
Ok, so this one isn't really my idea but my Husband's. He is always talking about going on an African safari so I hope somebody I can make that dream come true!

* Travel the U.S. in an RV
I have this crazy desire to load up my family in a nice RV and just drive around to every state in the U.S (obviously finding a way to get to Hawaii and Alaska). I really hope I can do this while my children are still school age so we can really immerse them in history!

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* Buy a Home
Seems like a fairly obvious choice…I hope some day soon this one gets checked off!

* Run a 5K
I plan on training for and running in my first 5K next June. I'm hopeful I can check this one off…although 8 months after having a baby and hating to run will make this one interesting!

* Plant a HUGE garden
I would love to plant a huge garden someday. Huge, as in, big enough to supply all of our fruit and vegetable needs for the year.

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This is a fairly short bucket list compared to what I've seen but it's just made up of things I've always wanted to do! I'll have to keep looking!

What's #1 on your bucket list?!?

Why didn't I think of that?!?

I have fallen head over heels in LOVE with Pinterest! Seriously, whenever I need motivation to clean my home, an idea of what to do with the Kiddos, what to wear to a party or even how to organize my daughter's nursery the first place I look is Pinterest. I love the variety of choices and how I almost always find something that works perfectly for my situation! It seems like every time I look I'm asking myself, "why didn't I think of that"?

One thing I have to be careful with is taking these amazing ideas too far. I can find something I think will make our life easier or more fun but if it doesn't fit the budget it doesn't fit the budget. I have to constantly remind myself of what are WANTS vs NEEDS! I want a bigger kitchen but I can't afford one. I need to be able to find the pots, spoons, knives, etc that I need to cook with but that just means getting creative with the space I have.

Contentment is definitely something I've been working on for quite some time. The problem with Pinterest is that it creates endless opportunities to become disappointed with the way my life is shaping up.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. – Exodus 20:17

Ok, so we don't have donkey's or maidservant's like they did back in Bible times. BUT we do have nice cars and Nannies, mansion's and personal Chef's.

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We don't really use the word covet much anymore either but to covet means: to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others. In other words, we're not grateful for what we do have, instead we look at what other's have and wonder why God didn't bless us with the bigger house or nicer paycheck.

While Pinterest can be a great resource for finding idea's to implement into our daily lives we have to be careful to not let it steal our joy for the life we have been given. We're blessed with what we have in the here and now and need to be content and thankful for what it is we do have!

I will continue to search Pinterest but will definitely keep in mind that I'm beyond blessed! God has given me more than I could ever deserve and I need to remain thankful to Him for it all!!!

Don't worry…about a thing!

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My Sister got my Children this singing reindeer for Christmas last year. It's pretty cute and it dances while it sings the song, "Don't Worry about a thing. Cause every little thing is gonna be alright". My Kids love dancing and singing along, even though they have no clue what that really means.

It says in Matthew 6:34
'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'

Recently a friend shared with me something the Lord had put on her heart from a devotional, 'Jesus Calling' and it totally changed my outlook on life. (I love that we get to spur each other on and are able to share what God has taught us to better the lives of those around us!) The entry reads, 'Do Not Worry About Tomorrow! This is not a suggestion, but a command. I divided time into days and nights, so that you would have manageable portions of life to handle...When you worry about the future, you heap day upon day of troubles onto your flimsy frame. You stagger under this heavy load, which I never intended you to carry...As you affirm your faith, trusting in me, shackles of worry fall off instantly.'

The Lord truly doesn't want us to worry about tomorrow because we can't handle tomorrow until it is today. In other words, our physical minds and bodies are not built to deal with the worries that come with dreading or fearing our futures. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, so why worry about it? God knows, that's all that should matter. God never intended us to carry the weight of worry that tomorrow can bring. Instead he wants us to take on his yoke which is EASY and his burden which is LIGHT, Matthew 11:30!

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I tend to focus more on what tomorrow means in terms of finances, chores, energy, etc vs staying focused on God and what He is calling me to TODAY! It's like the wise old Turtle in 'Kung Fu Panda' says, "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery but today is a GIFT, that is why it's called the present"! I hope I can stop worrying so much about the mysteries of tomorrow and start relishing in the gift that is my today! Tomorrow will either come or it won't and that's not up to me to decide! Live life to the fullest now and have no regrets tomorrow!!!

Too stressed to….stay home?

After the 50th fight that ended in someone screaming bloody murder, the third spilled cup, the second potty accident on my couch and the hundredth, "Mama, I NEEEEDDDD you" I was more than ready to throw in the towel. I wanted nothing to do with the day-in and day-out duties of being a Stay-at-Home Mama. I wanted someone else to come in and watch my kids, cook their meals, clean up after them, potty train them and fix their attitudes. I was ready to look for a JOB!

Ok, for starters, who is going to hire a woman who is 7 months pregnant and hasn't worked a "real" job in 4 years? Yeah, that would be nobody…at least nobody who would pay what I would need to be paid to afford this Nanny I mentioned above. Secondly, I don't even know what I would want to do for a job much less have the current skill set to do anything other than raise these Kiddos. Thirdly, while looking at Daycare options, yes…I was THAT serious about getting out of SAHMville, I literally broke down crying at the thought of leaving my Children to someone else.

Life really would be way easier if I was working. My Husband wouldn't have to bear the burden of our financial state all on his own. We'd have more money coming in and could buy our own home, put more aside in savings and simply have less to worry about regarding bills, debts, etc. My Children would survive Daycare, as would I.

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Unfortunately, it takes me coming to the end of my rope before I realize how truly lucky I am to have the opportunity to stay home with my children. While the long hours and relentless chores are overwhelming at times I wouldn't trade it for anything! So why do I have such a hard time remembering this? I'm too blessed to be stressed so why bother? I'm so thankful for my Husband who works his tail off so I can stay home.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better, but even if it's not, my attitude will be! Staying home with my Children is a great privilege NOT a right! I have got to remember THAT!

Heart BURN!

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One of the things I HATE most about being pregnant, aside from the backaches, frequent need to pee and exhaustion is the heartburn! As you can see I'm not a huge fan of pregnancy, I just love the reward at the end! The BURN never fails to kick in around 23 weeks and with a vengeance! I don't even take tylenol for a headache during pregnancy so I'm not about to take an antacid, especially since I was informed that taking too many antacids during pregnancy can actually affect the Babes ability to regulate their own acid production. So, I suffer.

I recently did a little digging to see if I could find any natural remedies for heartburn. Unfortunately most resources I looked at recommend TUMS or some other antacid. So I had to dig a little deeper.

My Mother-in-Law read an article somewhere that said apples can cure heartburn. I tried it and it didn't help me but she said it works great for her.

A dear friend of mine told me during my first pregnancy that apple cider vinegar works great for her heartburn but again it didn't work so well for me.

So, I dug a little more and found out that there really aren't anything's you can do to stop the heartburn once it has begun so it's best to prevent it from starting in the first place. What does that mean exactly?

*Eat Smaller, More Frequent meals.

*Avoid foods that stimulate the acid production
-Chocolate
-Spicy anything
-Acidic anything

(It feels like I can only eat salads!)

*Sit up Straight
Sitting up allows the food to pass through all the tubing it needs to without causing any burning. Basically you need to sit up straight for 30 minutes or more after eating anything.

Ok, so I'm a little frustrated that there's nothing I can do to stop it. I will try these tips to prevent it. I just hope these next few months go by quickly!!

The old wives tale that lots of heartburn means lots of hair on Babes head has been true for us but I know plenty of Mama's who have had bald Babies and still suffered with heartburn. Guess we'll see how much hair this little lady has once she's born!

Baby Girl Shaelyn!

Shaelyn Faith, where do I even begin? She's our most easy going child! She's got the Joy of the Lord in her and everybody knows it!!! She's a gorgeous little girl inside and out. She's Mama's big helper, always taking things to the garbage, bringing her brothers cups or snacks, and cuddling with whomever needs it! She's constantly trying to make us laugh and is always successful!

She's not sleeping through the night consistently yet but she's only 1 so we're not worried, just tired! She started walking early, uses her silver wear well and talks more than any 1 year old I know.

Her current vocabulary includes:
Mama
Daddy
Oma
Mikee (Micah)
Cobi
Eta (Beca)
Baba
Ball
Bottle
Kitty
Puppy
Please
Thank you
Up
Down
Swing
Yea
Stuck
Snack
Cookie
No

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting....





Her desire to do as her big brothers do is causing a lot of anxiety for the adults in her life. She loves climbing the play set in the back yard to slide down the big slide....it's scary high but she does really well. She's able to swing on a big kid swing like her brothers, although not as high. She's eating foods we don't think she should be able to consume considering she's only got 3.5 teeth.

She's just a doll and we love having her in our lives. We can wait to see what she'll be like as a Big Sister!!!

Micah is Middle Man!

Micah is now 2 years old! He's the sweetest little boy you've ever met. He's always checking on those around him and loves to share, in his timing of course. He's learning so much really quickly and somewhat overwhelming us with his new found knowledge!

Micah was a slower walker and a slower talker than his big brother and little sister but he's definitely making up for it now. He wasn't late with his walking or talking, just not early. He was perfectly on time! He's no slouch in the language department now and he loves showing off his new words! I'm always amazed with what comes out of his mouth.





Micah is a ham just like his brother and sister. He loves taking pictures and being silly. He was always more reserved and "shy" but he's definitely coming into his own and coming out of his shell more and more! His favorite moments are either spent running like a mad man around the room or snuggled up with someone he loves. He wears his emotions on his sleeve for the world to see. When he gets upset the neighborhood knows it. He's got a scream cry that could set off car alarms! He loves playing with his animals or his trains, his sister's dolls or his books. He plays so contentedly by himself but can play so well with others as well! He loves his puppy, Chloe.





Micah is definitely our sleeper. He is so much like his Mama in that he needs loads of sleep to be happy. He sleeps all night and takes great 3 hour afternoon naps!

Swinging is another favorite for Micah. He will literally spend all day on the swing if we're willing to push him. I'm not sure I've ever seen another child like swinging as much as he does!!

He's still working on using his spoon and fork with meals. He's a great eater and loves food, to the point of not slowing down to use the silver wear. Come on folks, fingers are way faster! Fruit is his all time favorite but meats really trip him up.

Overall Micah is just an awesome little man. We're so blessed to call him ours and love every minute we have with him!!!