Saturday, September 27, 2014

Evie turns 2!

Today, my baby girl turns 2 years old.  To be honest, this is probably my least favorite age, but she is still a cutie and totally worth celebrating and keeping around ;)

So what all is Evie up to these days...

*She can pitch a fit with the best of them.  She will throw herself on the ground and scream.  Bless her.

*She is talking more and more these days.

*She loves shoes.  Loves them.  Wants to wear them all the time.  Today she got some dress up shoes for her b'day and stripped her shoes off and put them on and pranced around the playground in her new dress up shoes.

*She isn't a fan of sitting for long at meal time.  She would rather get to run around and play and occasionally come over for a bite of food.

*Speaking of food...her favorites would include: chicken, any kind of beans or peas, chips, cereal bars, ice cream, fruit, more fruit, and a little more fruit.  :)

*She loves her big sister.  They are really fun these days to watch as they play together.

* She likes to brush her teeth like her big sister and cries when we brush her hair, not because it hurts her, but because she watches her big sister and wants to act like her when she gets her hair brushed.

*She is still a good napper.  She will go down around 1 and sleep about 2 hours most days, sometimes more!

*She doesn't know a stranger most of the time.  She will go up and talk to anyone she happens to run across when we are out and about.

*She likes to rock with momma before bed and is such a sweetie snuggling.

*She loves to play outside, and LOVES to swing.

*Being the 2nd child, she has had more opportunities than her big sister did to try different drinks that mommy has.  The kid will snag any drink unattended and drink it.  She so far has loved sprite, any form of juice, and root beer (which I have on hand more these days as they help with my nausea).

*She will cross her arms at us and yell "No!" when she doesn't want to obey.  And she has made a run from me in Target before, which was really fun.  Stinker.

*She loves stuffed animals.  Esp. doggies it seems these days :)

Alright, that is enough for now.  Just wanting to update on what all Evie is up to these days.  We had a fun morning celebrating her at the park with a little party with family.  We had popcorn with different seasonings and cupcakes.  It was a simple but fun party.  And she had fun, which is the main goal!

Here are some pics from our morning!  She is napping now and we are planning to take her out to a park for dinner and playing more later!










Friday, September 19, 2014

Let's get real again....

So looking back on my blog, I have shared mostly the fun stuff we have been up to since our move from STL.  To be real, life hasn't been completely just full of fun and laughter.  2 nights ago, I had a little break down and a good cry was overdue.

Life since leaving St. Louis.  hmm...

Now let me preface this that we love being in AL for many reasons.  Our families are closer.  We love our home church.  Shoot....we lived this summer (at least while we were in town) with a pool in our backyard.

But, it has been hard if I want to be honest.

We have changed from the last time we lived here.  We aren't on the same track of life we were on 4 or 5 years ago before we moved.  We have gone through 3.5 years of hard, challenging, beautiful and fun, and all sorts of adjectives that could describe our time at Covenant Seminary.  Unless you have been there, you can't truly grasp what life was like for us there.  It's kinda just like if you haven't lost a child before, you can't truly know the pain.  If you haven't had the experience of the birth of a child, you can't truly know the excitement and joy.  It takes being there yourself to truly grasp it.

Life was different in St. Louis than it is here.  And that is just how it is.  We lived in a unique community where everyone around us were pretty much all on the same boat.  We lived life together and struggled together, and cried together, and rejoiced together.  We were around each other every single day pretty much.

So now living back in AL, the best word Michael and I have found to describe how we feel at times, is lonely.  We feel lonely.  There I said it.  This is not a stab at anyone here in AL.  We do have friends and family here.  We are so thankful for that.  Don't take this the wrong way.  But we are on a unique path here that not many can relate to.  Where we have been and where we are going can't truly be understood by many unless they have been there themselves.

Full time support raising can be exciting and fun.  It can also be discouraging and hard.  What I have learned most is that this time is where the Lord is refining me more.  He is showing me that HE is going to be our true comfort and strength.  We have to lean on him to get us through this and HE will be the one to raise up our whole support team in his perfect timing.  Why do I feel like he keeps wanting to teach me patience and how to "wait on the Lord".  Why do I keep failing at that?  Why do I have to be reminding daily that he is close to us and cares and hasn't forgotten us.  He knows our hearts.  He wants to grow us more into his likeness and it isn't a pretty process.

So why do I share all of this on here?  I guess mainly to say we need your prayers.  We aren't anything special.  While we do have a unique calling that is different than many of our friends, we aren't any different.  We struggle with our own sin.  We struggle with our belief.  We need encouragement from the body of Christ when we feel like giving up and crying.  We need each other and that is how Christ intends for his church to act.  We are to love one another and lift each other other when 1 is struggling.

I am struggling.  We are supposed to be leaving for England in 4.5 months and a lot has to happen in that time in order for that to happen.  We need Jesus.   We need to trust him and his timing.  I need to take moments out of our chaos each day and rest in him and fall at his feet.

So last night my husband, pointed me to Christ.  He read  Psalm 77 to me and it encouraged my heart.  I need to look to Christ when I am struggling.  I need to turn to scriptures and be reminded of what is true.  I need to cry out to Christ and cry on his shoulder and cast all of my anxieties on him and leave them at his feet.  Then I need to trust that he is big enough to handle it and that HE WILL handle it.  It might not be handled how I want it to or as quick as I want it to be, but the Lord knows best.  Better than me that's for sure.

So I leave you with this, because I need to keep going back to it myself and maybe it can encourage someone else today....


Psalm 77
cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
“Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God is faithful.  He has been when I look back and he will be as we look ahead.  He loves me more than I could ever imagine.  I need to remember that daily (even moment by moment each day).

I know I am not the only one who feels like this?  If not right now, I know many have felt like this at some point right?  We all need to cling to Christ.  And keep being reminded every. single. day.  Because, we are broken and forgetful.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

Our month in pictures....

I have been a bad blogger these days...I guess we are a little busy these days and naps win in the afternoon if I don't have school still to do with SK.

So instead of trying to remember what I haven't blogged about in words, let's just look at what pictures I have taken this last month :)

Here is our "First day of school" pic this year :)  SK is enjoying 1st grade and homeschooling has gone well so far.  Our first day we got everything done then got to go swimming!



This kid.  I will do a 2 year old blog on here in a few weeks.  Hard to believe this little one is almost 2!  She has fully embraced her 2's already, can you tell?

We have done lots of this.  There was one week a couple weeks ago we travelled to Bristol, TN, then back to B'ham for a couple days, then down to Florida for a few days, and other small drives to the Birmingham area for different meetings and such.  I think I counted around 24 hours of being in the car that 1 week.  Shew.  And this little one hasn't been too thrilled about her time in the car, but she has done well all things considered.


Here is a pic of the girls with Mimi while we were in FL.  


We had our first Doctor appt and baby looked great.  I was crying and so anxious before we got to the doctor office, and was so thankful to see our little nugget growing well and his or her little heart beating on the ultrasound.


Last Sunday we travelled down to Tuscaloosa, AL where Michael preached and we got to share in Sunday School about our hearts for England.  It was fun to drive around a bit and see our college town.  

So that gives you a little update right?  We are in full swing with homeschooling with SK and so far so good.  It has been so helpful to be able to do her school work while we are traveling and such.  SK is taking piano lessons and we will start ballet in a couple weeks too :)  

We are headed to South Carolina for a couple days next week.  I think we are getting the hang of what this fall is going to look like, with travels, homeschooling, kid's activities, preparing to move overseas, all while growing a baby in my tummy :)  

Sickness has set in a bit for me, but not horrible (about the same as with the other pregnancies).  I feel like I stay nauseous a lot, so I just snack and eat all day it seems.  Michael has been great doing some cooking around here so I don't have to see raw meat and other things that make me want to throw up. bleh.

Alright, off to tend to kiddos.  See you again soon!