Life

Boy, life can be busy. And short. Life is really really short. It is really easy to forget to look around yourself and get caught up in things that really aren't that important. Money. Ugh, I hate money. I hate the need for it and I hate the differences of money between people. I don't know why it bothers me but it SO does. I'm not a communist. But sometimes it just bugs me how some people can make such ridiculous amounts of money, live in big houses, drive nice cars, and simply have nice things when we struggle. Sometimes, we really struggle. Life has not been easy to us and it has not always been kind. We work HARD, we try HARD! It just gets me how life is not fair at times. Sometimes it doesn't make sense.

But, does it matter? Really? Does it matter where different people live? Does it matter how much or how little money people have? In the end, are people going to care what we have? No, I don't think so. It matters WHO we are. It matters who we are to others. We are here for a purpose. Our job is to live out that purpose. It doesn't matter what kind of house we live out this purpose in, or what kind of clothes we live in. My only hope, my only prayer is that on the day I meet my Maker, I can fall at His feet and He will look at me and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

I look around during these times where I am seeing clearly (lol) and I see just all I have. I have a beautiful family. I have a wonderful husband and partner. I have been blessed with two wonderful children. I am living my dream. It may not always look like what I pictured, but really, when does our life go the way we planned? I have an amazing "extended" family that I am so very thankful for every day. They have been such a strong support system, there for us no matter what.

I know I have a purpose, but I also believe my purpose changes and grows as time goes on, as life happens. When we are serving God, when we are living His love, we are doing His purpose. Right now, my purpose is to bring up my children in a world where they know Him and His love. If I can raise my children to know God and have a meaningful relationship with Him, then it was all worth it. That will always be my first and most important purpose in this life.

Soon, I will be expanding my duties and responsibilities and calling. Teaching is a passion of mine that I never thought I would have. When I entered college, I swore I would NEVER become a teacher, but halfway through my freshman year I found myself exactly where I belonged. (Not without much angst and searching of course.)

I have noticed through this blog that it is hard for me to stay on the topic I was planning on and can be a bit rambling and random. I have decided to stop trying! I want for this to be a source for me to remember everything about my wonderful life that I get to live. When I go back to work full time, I want to continue this, because it is not just about being a stay at home mom. It is about being a mom, it is about living a dream, it is about making life meaningful.

My life means something to me, it is important. It can also slip by you so quickly that you want to look back at where you have been. This will help.

Vacation Is

Vacation is...

-spending much needed quality family time
-escaping the normal day to day of life
-going new places, seeing new things

Vacation is...

-eating Oreos and snack packs because you can
-having movie nights two days in a row
-going swimming as much as humanly possible

Vacation is...

-train rides
-cowboys and "bad guys"
-silliness

Vacation is...
-love
-family
-important

It doesn't matter how far you go, or how long you go for. Vacations are a time to get away from normalcy and be with family. Both are important. Family will always be there, and you should take the time to be with them and know them. Life is stressful. We can't just keep at it all the time. We have to escape from time to time to recharge and actually enjoy the life we are living a little ;).

Gentleness

Last week I read a wonderful article on what God wants for moms of young children. It was a wonderful article, and such a good reminder.

Here is the link:
http://www.thebettermom.com/blog/2015/2/22/what-god-wants-for-mom-with-young-children

Please read the article, you won't regret it.

The bottom line is this: Gentleness

We are to be gentle. When all else fails, remember to be gentle.

This is my reminder to continue to "Grow in Grace".

Grace. Gentleness.

Potty Training

Oh. My. Word.

Potty Training.....

I never thought I would dread potty training as much as I do right now, and I have potty trained before!

I have tried just about every trick I have ever heard of with this girl to no avail. People say girls are easier to potty train than boys are. That's a big fat NOPE! John was a breeze, AND there was a new baby in the house. I would potty train him over and over and over again. He was completely potty trained when he was barely two. Ella is past barely two. She will be honing in on 2 1/2 soon and I have decided it will be easier to train her how to clean her own diapers than it will be to potty train. She has no interest in it, treats and bribery mean nothing to her. If she doesn't want to do it, she isn't going to do it. Of course, she is like that with everything, so I don't know why I thought this would be any different.

I am sure of a few things: all children are different, siblings are still different. girls are NOT easier to potty train than boys, and every single able-bodied person should be able to use a toilet!!!!!

I am also completely unsure of a few things as well: how to get my child to properly use a toilet, am I even going about this the right way, and why does this have to be so hard?!?!?!

I have been rather quiet on the blogging front for a little while now, mainly because we have been so busy living life. In January, I began watching my precious niece and nephew (twins, 6 weeks old, now 4 months old) 3 days a week. 4 kids is so busy!!!! But I have had so much fun being with my two and the twins. It has been more than I could have ever hoped for and busier than I ever thought it would be. And though I am still working on finding ways to spend quality time with each individual child every day while maintaining  my sanity, I am happy to say that all of them are still alive and well ;)

Through all this, potty training has reared its ugly head again and again. I will find a new tip and stick to it until it nearly drives me crazy. Nothing has worked, and believe me I have tried it all. I am sure one of these days something will stick or I will simply stumble upon her one day using the toilet all on her own. While we have made minor improvements in the potty training world (she no longer kicks and screams her way to the bathroom), I don't think she is any closer to being "trained".

There really is no way to end this post as the story has not yet ended. So I suppose I will end with a request: please send some good potty training thoughts our way, This child may well be the death of me....sigh

Homemaking Fail

I experienced a rather dramatic homemaking fail today....it was very sad for me.

I am a beginning seamstress. I have always enjoyed it and tackled a number of projects and had fairly good success. Not today though, not today.

I recently had the brilliant idea to make myself a maxi skirt. I am too tall for the ones in the stores and I figured it would be easy enough to make one. I found a simple tutorial on pinterest, and purchased so super cute fabric from JoAnn's. The fabric was purple and black with sparkles and a little bit of zebra print. I loved it. It was perfect.

I followed the instructions exactly, measured myself correctly (I think), and wrote everything down. I sewed the proper sides together and bustled happily on my way. The skirt was taking shape! I got it all done in less than an hour.

I decided to try on the skirt before I hemmed it so I could make sure to get the length right. Here is where things went wrong...

The blasted skirt didn't fit! I couldn't get it up much past my knees! I had had a dreaded suspicion that it might be small as I was inspecting it, but I never thought it would be THAT small. Good grief.

I am positive I messed up somehow. Maybe I measured wrong. Maybe I cut it the wrong way. Maybe the stretch was supposed to go the other way. I dunno....I may never know.

I will not let this be my last sewing effort, but I am slightly discouraged. However, I choose to see this on the funny side. All that effort for such horrible outcomes. It is a little funny and I am sure a fly on the wall would have had a good laugh.

Maybe I will make the horrible skirt into a skirt for Ella. Maybe I will keep it as a reminder that sometimes, fails happen. Maybe I will someday be skinny enough to fit into it, but I doubt that. Today though, I just sigh a little and giggle to myself.

I don't even want to take a picture to remember it by...

Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello

2014, what a year. I can honestly say this year has been one of the most life-changing, eventful years my little family has ever had. We had great loss, we had great gain, we had great change. Through all the events this year has brought, love has remained.

In love, family took us in and we were practically homeless (no, it wasn't THAT bad, but it was not good)

In love, we said goodbye to family members this year that we didn't think we would have to. Hearts ache with their absence, and we think of where they would be now and what they would be doing.

In love, we accomplished goals and passed milestones.

In love, we said more goodbyes as we packed up everything(almost) we had and started a new journey in a new place. Friends and family bid us well and sent us off; people we had never planned to say goodbye to.

In love, we made drastic changes to our circumstances, our family, our home.

In love we welcomed more family members we had longed for, prayed for, and hoped for.

Even though not everything that happened this year was easy, I can look back and see the good. Family came together and clung to each other in heartache. We will forever be closer to each other because of it. We have seen and felt more support from loved ones this year than we could have ever hoped for. We have had a fresh start in a wonderful place. My husband has an amazing job that he loves and worked so hard for. I have a job I always dreamed of and hoped I could have. I have big plans to return to my previous career choice of course, but in this time and this place, my dream is this and this is where I am called to be.

Changed. New. Loss. Family. Goodbye. Hello. BLESSED. Truly Blessed. This is what I will take away with me as this year closes. I am truly, deeply blessed

As I reflect on everything that has taken place, I do have a big ache in my heart. The loss experienced was great. I miss my niece that I never got to know. I miss my friends and coworkers desperately. I miss family we left behind. Sometimes I sit back and just ache with loss and the tears can overtake me. But I also look at all we have gained this year and still I settle with truly blessed. I could not ask for more.

We say goodbye to 2014 tonight. We say goodbye to adventures and trials. Even tough we say goodbye, we can carry on the memories and the love. This year moves into the past, and into our memories. Goodbye 2014.

Hello 2015. Who knows what this year will bring. We can guarantee there will be good and there will also be bad. We will make new memories and love will carry us. I have quite a few New Year's resolutions of course, and most are the usual, overused resolutions. but I make them all the same:
-lose weight (the baby weight plus more that I am 2 years overdue in losing)
-gain more patience
-enjoy every minute even more
-become better off financially
-eat better
-excercise more
-all in all become a better me
-read my Bible more and know Him more

I know that I will not accomplish all these things. We never do. But maybe, just maybe I will do a better job this year than I have in year's past. I wrote it down now. I cannot ignore it. So, welcome 2015, and please, please be good to us

Little Girl Hair Part 2

I love attempting to style this girl's hair. I have a looooooooooooooong ways to go before I can actually find myself successful at it, but it is fun nonetheless.

PS, that one in the middle, well sometimes a girl just needs a crown ;)