Stylish Blogger!

Last week, a sweet blogging friend Jill @ Pathway to Purpose passed on the Stylish Blogger Award to me.  It was such a crazy week I forgot to mention it!

Jill is always such an encouragement to me, I hope you will check out her site!  And while it was so sweet of her to pass this on to me, I have to say, I do not consider myself to be particularly stylish!  :)

Anyway, the rules for this are:

1.  Link back to the person who gave it with you

2.  Share seven things about yourself

3.  Pass it on to seven other stylish and trendy bloggers

4.  Let them know about the award!

Soooo...seven things about me:

1.  I married my high school sweet heart after dating for almost five years.  <3

2.  I love, LOVE cherry coke.  I have probably said this before, but I'll say it again. :)  The other day I was reading this post on Stuff Christians Like. Creating Your Own "Love Language."  (Go read it, it's hilarious!).  So my husband and I starting talking about what our love language would be, and I said mine would be a cherry coke from Sonic.  Yup, nothing says love like showing up with a Sonic drink to make everything better.  :)

3.  I love to read historical fiction (especially Philippa Gregory) but I never have time anymore.  Shocking, I know!  But I have a whole pile of books to read as soon as I get the time to get caught up!

4.  I have a passion and a love for the people of Nicaragua, and I have been there three times to share the Gospel.  I also have some very special friends who live there and are serving right now.  Check out their site and please be in prayer for the work that they are doing!

5.  Some of my favorite t.v. shows are Friends, Glee and Psych.  And I just realized I have all of them on DVD, so I guess I really do like them!  There are not many shows (or movies, for that matter) that I can watch over and over and over.  But I could definitely watch these all day long!  

6.  I am currently reading Daily Readings from the Life of Christ v. 3, by John MacArthur.  It's a simple daily devotional, but what I like about it is that it goes verse by verse through scripture.  One or two verses a day.  I would highly recommend it!

7.  It took me a solid half hour (maybe longer? I'm not really sure...I took a break to get a cookie and some milk...) to think of seven things to share about myself.  Man, should it really have been that hard??

And now, I am supposed to pass this on to seven stylish bloggers.  But honestly, I don't really have the time or the energy to share seven blogs and then contact all of them.  (After all, I just spent way too much time making my about me list...).  So instead, I will just share two of my very dear in real life friends who each have a sweet and beautiful blog.  :)  Maybe they will pass it on to seven others!!

Katie @ Simply Sweet

Brittany @ Naturally Estes

Enjoy!  

My Temporary Home (Literally)

A while back, before we knew exactly what God's plan for us would entail, (but feeling fairly certain that that plan would take us somewhere other than Texas), I wrote about my temporary home.  I did not necessarily want to leave my nice comfortable home, in a cozy suburb, surrounded by everything I could ever need or want.  But I was able (most of the time) to keep things in perspective knowing that God is in control, and wanting more than anything to surrender to His will and His plan.

What I did not know at the time, was that God would be calling us to New Mexico, and would provide us with quite literally a temporary home.  After my husband accepted the call to our new church, he set a start date for the beginning of December, and we decided to move our entire family later that month (after our baby girl arrived).  So of course, we began to look for a place to live.

For a while, there was really nothing available, but we weren't concerned because we still had time and assumed places would be coming available December 1st.  Well, after the first of December, my husband met with a couple people in town to officially start the search and go looking at places.  What he discovered, however, is that there is virtually no rental market in this small town.  And when homes do become available, they are pretty run down, and very overpriced.  So after driving around town and talking with several people, my husband had seen EVERY rental listed on the market.  And by that, I mean two or three homes, only one of which he was actually able to go inside and view.  

So there we were.  We were set to move our entire family of five in about a week and a half, and still had no place to live.  Now, we are not very picky, and we were certainly not looking for a mansion, but we are a family of five.  We at least needed enough space for our family!  All that was left was for us to pray.  Of course my husband kept an eye out, and continued to spread the word, but really all we could do was pray.  God had so VERY clearly called us to this place at this specific time, and had worked out every other detail, that He would not leave us without a place to live.

A day or two later, the director of missions for our local association of churches notified us that another church in town owned a parsonage that was not currently being used, and they were willing to let us rent it from them.  Talk about an answer to prayer!  It is definitely smaller than our old house, but it is everything that we need.  And the church has been incredibly gracious to let us live here, and did not even list an end date on the lease, so we are not bound to any specific time table.  We really can not even express to them how thankful and grateful we are to have a place to live!

Because this house belongs to another church, however, we know we cannot stay here forever.  They have been very kind, but they would like to have their facilities back to use as they need (for office space, or bible studies, etc.).  So we are very literally in a temporary home.  While it can be frustrating knowing this is temporary (not being able to unpack everything, not hanging pictures and making it "home"), it is also a good reminder of our temporary home here on earth.  And it has been a great reminder that ultimately, even a home is just "stuff" that I can't take to heaven with me.  Being here I have been able to recognize what we actually need versus what are just my own materialistic desires.  So for that, I am even more grateful for this house.

And so now, we have just one more hurdle, and that is to sell our home in Texas.  It is the final detail that we are praying about and waiting patiently for God to answer.  Although I am not worried, because I have no doubt that God has the perfect buyer and we will sell our home in His perfect timing, I am praying that it will be done sooner rather than later.  We are definitely hindered by having to maintain a home that we no longer live in, as I'm sure you can imagine.  But through this we are learning patience, reliance on the Lord, and to continue to trust in His plan.  He has called us here, so He will continue to work out every detail.

And until then, we will continue to live in, and be thankful for, our temporary home.          

Wordless Wednesday

Growing Like a Weed!

Well, I am so excited, that I just have to share.  I have found a FABULOUS pediatrician here in town.  Between all three kids, as well as everything my son has been through, we have seen a lot of doctors.  And we have been to a lot of pediatricians.  And let me tell you, I have not always had a very pleasant experience.  They were either rude, or judgmental, or had rude nurses, or had a very small, over crowded waiting room full of sick kids.  Or a combination of these.

But when I brought my baby girl in this morning to meet our new doctor, I was immediately impressed.  They have two separate entrances, with two separate waiting rooms.  Yes, one for the sick kids, and one for healthy kids just in for a checkup!  That is obviously a plus with the way kids spread things around!  Then I met the nurse, and she gave me the welcome packet and then explains that there is an after hours number to call if I have a sick child and need to talk to an on-call nurse without having to go to the emergicare!  What?!  Her exact words were, "If you can't get through at 2 in the morning, just keep calling.  We're heavy sleepers, haha!"  Oh my goodness!  Most nurses I have called during business hours, have not been that happy to answer questions or ease concerns!

Then I met the doctor, and she was fantastic.  She is the first and only doctor who had a real discussion with me about vaccines, addressed and understood my concerns, and did not blow me off or act disrespectful.  And, I might add, is the only one who seemed to actually know what she was talking about.     

So it was a very good visit!  But the real reason for this post is to tell you how the check up went, and brag on my youngest, chunkiest baby.  :)  Just as a reminder, when she was born she weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce, left the hospital weighing 4 pounds 12 ounces, and was 17 inches long.  But today?

10 pounds 5 ounces

21 3/4 inches long

She has already doubled her birth weight!  So we were all very pleased with that!  

  

She is now in the 50th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for height.  And she is SO strong.  She tries very hard to hold her head up.

And she smiles all the time (even though it doesn't seem like it in these photos!), and I think she has the longest eye lashes I have ever seen on a two month old!  Although if I'm being totally honest, I probably don't pay much attention to other two month old's eye lashes.  But hers sure are beautiful!  :)

The Problem With Presents

So around our house lately, we have been opening a lot of presents, and by we, I mean mostly my daughter, who thinks every one of them is for her.  Between her birthday (Christmas Eve) and Christmas day, we had two whole days of present opening fun.  But it's not just that.  Because of our move, several friends and family waited to send packages to our new address, so for the past couple weeks we have been receiving even more presents.  (Thank you's will be coming soon, I promise!!)

Well, let me tell you.  This has created quite the little monster.  My daughter has become obsessed with opening presents, and thinks everything is a present, and must obviously be for her.

So yesterday, a very sweet lady from our church stopped by with a little fuzzy, pink jacket she had sewn for her granddaughter.

Turned out, the jacket was too small, so she brought it to me for my girls.  We chatted for a few minutes, and then I said goodbye and closed the door.  When I turned around, jacket in hand, my daughter jumped out of her chair and running towards me says, "Peasants?  Yay peasants!! My peasant, my peasant!"

Um, when did she become such a greedy little munchkin??  Haha!  But technically, it was for her, so I said, (laughing) "Yes, this is for you.  See?"  And held up the jacket.

My sweet, innocent girl (looking up at me in wide-eyed wonder):  "Oh...I wuv it!!"

Me (laughing even harder at her beyond precious response):  "Well, good!!  Do you want to put it on?"

My girl (so very matter of fact):  "Yes.  I put on."

And with that, she put it on and wore it the rest of the night.  Even though the only other thing on her tiny little self was a diaper.  It was sweet, and adorable, and made me forget all about her sudden onset of narcissism.  :)

Two Whole Months!

Believe it or not, my sweet girl is TWO months old today!!  She is growing faster than any child I have ever seen, and while I know (of course) that this is a good thing, I wish she would slow down just a little!!  She still spends more time sleeping than not, tends to be fussy in the evenings (7-10 pm), ususally sleeps for 5-6 hours when we first go to bed, and of course, is just as beautiful as ever!

I often get asked, "So who does she look like, big sister or big brother?"  Well, honestly, she just looks like herself to me.  And depending on the day or the picture, sometimes I see her sister, and sometimes I see her brother.

So I'm curious, who do YOU think she looks like?  Here are a couple pictures of her siblings at the same age:

Little Miss Priss, two months old

Handsome Bubba, two months old

I get lots of different answers from different people, so I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion! :)

My Favorite Two Year Old

She is my very favorite two year old.

She's so smart, sometimes it blows my mind the things she does or says.

She's curious, and friendly, and active, and chatty, and observant.

These days, she is speaking in pretty long, complete sentences (as well as quite a lot of jibberish still!), counting to thirteen, and always remembers to say please and thank you (well, most of the time, anyway).  She also knows most animals and animals sounds, and knows a couple of shapes.

She is quickly becoming a very picky and opinionated eater, and loves to give her siblings hugs and kisses.

Of course, she still loves Dora, and because I love her, we watch it all day long.  Yup, she amazes me everyday, and she is without a doubt my very favorite two year old. :)

Shops, restaurants and...UFOs?

As promised, I have some pictures to share of our trip to Roswell, New Mexico.  Of course I am aware that Roswell is known as the site of the alleged UFO incident in 1947.  But I was not fully prepared for just how much the city tries to capitalize on this and attract tourists!  We went to Roswell to simply shop and eat lunch, but we were thoroughly amused by the multitude of little green men everywhere.

(I would like to apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures, as most were taken out the window of a moving vehicle.)

Every restaurant and store front has alien pictures or statues:

I know it's hard to see, but the McDonald's is even shaped like a flying saucer:

The street lamps are also made to look like aliens:

And then of course, there is the UFO Museum:

We have not actually gone to the museum, but I am sure we will make it there one day, and I look forward to telling you all about it!

How Does She Do It?

In case anyone out there has forgotten, I have three (very) small children.  Two months, fourteen months, and twenty-five months to be exact.  And although I love them beyond belief, and feel undeservedly blessed to be able to stay home and care for them, I'm just going to be honest.  Taking care of all three at once is no small task!  And don't even ask how I get all four of us ready and out the door in time for church!  Well, ok, maybe if you ask nicely.  :)  

I am always amused at the reactions and comments we get, either from friends, or the occasional not so occasional stranger in public:

"Wow, you must be one busy lady!"  Yes, busy is one way to describe it!

"Oh my, you sure do have your hands full!"  Yes, throughout the day, my hands are literally, quite full.  Some days, you don't even want to know what they have been full of!

"Honey, I just don't know how you do it."  Most days, I don't know either.

But somehow, with much too little sleep, and probably too much caffeine, we make it through the day.  And yes, my daughter may have peanut butter and jelly in her hair, and a piece of chicken tender stored for later in her pull toy.  And I may have skipped a shower (again) and have seventeen spit-up stains on my shirt.  And my son may have gone to bed in the pajamas that he wore the entire day.  But everyone got fed, and played with, and no one got hurt.  So, all things considered, I would call that a success!

On those days, the trying, exhausting, why won't anybody listen to me, days, I am just thankful that we all made it through in one piece, and that at the end of the day, I have three beautiful babies, finally asleep.

But other days, everyone is calm.  Baby girl sleeps and eats and coos all day.  Bubba is happy and content, eats well, and takes two good naps.  There are no terrible twos temper tantrums.  Our "schedule" goes on without a hitch.  Our time is spent just enjoying each other, and there is more laughing than crying.  

These are the days that get me through all the other days.  When I am reminded that things are not always as difficult as I sometimes make them out to be.  When I realize that the challenging days are not really as long as they seem.  And when I remember that they will not be this small forever, and I have to cherish each and every moment, even the moments when I want to pull my hair out.

I am not perfect, and this is not easy.  But that is how I do it.

The Land of Enchantment

So it turns out, New Mexico is called the land of enchantment.  I'm not exactly sure why, or where that came from, but it is.  No lie.

I'm learning a lot about New Mexico these days.  More than I ever knew about it in my whole entire life, and I'm so excited to explore this state more!  The first thing everyone told me (and this is of the utmost importance) is that in New Mexico, the question is red of green?  Red or green chiles that is.  (Hence the sign.  Which I just now got as I am typing this.)  Yes, here in New Mexico, they put chiles on everything.  This is not an exaggeration.  I mean everything.  We were recently out grabbing a bite for lunch and I ordered a turkey sandwich.  It had turkey and bacon and cheese...you know, the usual.  Oh, and also green chiles!  I should have taken a picture to prove it, but I was too busy, ahem, scarfing it down.  Thankfully, I like spicy food, and I like green chiles, so I rather enjoyed the southwestern twist.  

I have also learned that there are 2 million people in the entire state.  That's one third the population of the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.  Because of this, there are only two area codes for the entire state.  I don't know the exact number, but I think it's safe to say there are quite a few more than that in DFW.  :)  We also just swore in a new governor.  She is the first Latin American woman to be governor in the country, which I thought was pretty cool.

One more fun fact for you.  New Mexico has not even been a state for 100 years.  2012 New Mexico is celebrating its centennial.  Being from Virginia, one of the oldest states in the nation, this was a very strange fact to learn!  But I'm excited to be here to celebrate such a big event!

Well, I have also recently made a trip to Roswell, and have lots of fun pictures, but that will have to wait until next time.  :)        

Little Miss Personality

I think it's safe to say that it has been entirely too long since I posted pictures of our ever changing little one.  So here you go!

 Is she cute or what!!?  :)

J.O.Y.

A wonderfully sweet and encouraging woman at our church gave me this to hang in our house.

While it may technically be a Christmas decoration, I think it will be something that stays on our wall year round.  Why, you ask?  Well, when she gave it to me, she explained that joy is her favorite word and that she has it hanging all over her house.  "Oh, that's neat.  My favorite word is probably grace," I responded, thinking the conversation was over.  Then she explained why. 

"JOY stands for Jesus, others, yourself.  It's a reminder to put Jesus Christ first, then others, before yourself and your own wants and needs."  Honestly, my first response was, "Oh, that's nice." Smile and nod.  I don't usually like silly phrases and sayings.  All too often they sound good, but don't really mean anything.  But when I really thought about it, I realized several things.  First of all, even if it were just a silly acronym, I could definitely use that reminder in my life!  But besides just being a visual reminder of my life's priorities, it points to a deeper spiritual truth.   

If you want to have TRUE JOY in your life, you have to put Christ first. 

"You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." Psalm 16:11

"O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God."  Psalm 43:3-4

Scripture is clear that to live a God glorifying life, and thus experience the joy that only comes from Him, you must put Jesus Christ first in all things, and before all else.  He has to be first in your job, in your marriage, in your family, and in every decision that you make. 

Of course, this is not an easy task, and I'm not going to pretend like it is, or that I have mastered it.  But it is the life that God has called me to.  And I want to have "fullness of joy" in my life.  So I will keep this up as a daily reminder...

And I will work to put Christ first in my life.