www.sandraevertson.com
9 years ago
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Victoria
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A new house, a new church, a new tradition...Advent. Prior to coming to Lenoir and visiting Mt. Vernon my only knowledge of what Advent was consisted of a wreath in the middle of the kitchen table with candles that you lit each Sunday before Christmas and a calendar with windows that the girls would open each night in December to discover a small piece of chocolate which they would usually fight over before breaking it in half and heading to bed. I never knew the real meaning behind Advent or the purpose of celebrating it, but that has changed this year thanks to Mt. Vernon and MOPS ( a mothers of preschoolers group that I now belong to at the church). This church encourages the celebration of Advent and it has brought a new level of joy in our home. After taking a class at the church on what Advent was and how to celebrate it I decided that this would be a great way to keep the girls focused on the true meaning of Christmas and it would be a wonderful time of family togetherness.
The class began by helping me to understand that Advent meant "coming", and just like the people of the Bible waited eagerly for God to reveal His promise in the coming of a Savior, we also can spend this Christmas season waiting with joy and anticipation on the birthday of Christ. I then set out to make an Advent log which is different than the wreath because you light it every night of Advent instead of just on Sunday. I decided this would help our family stay focused. I wanted the girls to know what it was like to anticipate Christ being born just like the people in the Bible so we start each morning with a "reason for the Season" box. This is a small box that contains a "heart reminder", a scripture to go with the reminder, and a little paper ornament with the heart reminder symbol on it which the children hang on a small tree called a Jesse Tree. This is based on the proverb which says "Put something where you can see it so your eye will remind your heart" ( you can Google Jesse tree or heart reminders to get the verses and the list of items) this starts the day already with a sense of anticipation. Then in the evening after dinner and pajamas we begin our time of Advent. The girls get a little cushion to sit on ( we made one out of a white pillowcase that they drew on with Sharpie markers and stuffed with cotton) and I give them a little snack in a cup to hold while we are doing the devotions ( this helps keep them still mostly...haha!) each night of advent the snack gets a little better starting with something like Goldfish and then as it gets closer to Christmas we may do ice cream or sugar cookies ( in keeping with the building of anticipation) then we light the candles and we begin the devotion time with Jason reading the nightly scripture. I was given a notebook at the church class that contains the scripture for each night but you can look up Advent scripture readings online and find some listed. The ones that I have are grouped into a theme for each week of Advent starting with week one "Reflecting on the Promise" which contains short readings from the Old Testament about why we needed a Savior, the second week is "Waiting on the Promise" which contains readings from prophets in the Old Testament, the third week is "preparing for the Promise" which are readings from Isaiah and the New Testament, and then the fourth week until Christmas day is "Celebrating the Promise" readings from the Christmas story ending on Christmas day with the birth of Christ. After Jason reads the scripture I usually explain what it means and then we say a short prayer. We then go over a Christmas memory verse that was chosen by me to teach the children- kind of like a theme verse for all of the Advent season. We then end this devotion time with a prayer for a missionary, lost family members or church staff members. Then I let one of the girls (we rotate who it is) pick out a Christmas book to read. ( I mix Christian story books and secular story books but some people only do Christian based Christmas books). After we read the book we blow out the candles. Total time for all of this is about 20 minutes. We then have an Advent paper chain that counts down to Christmas and we rip off one about 10 minutes before bedtime. Each link has an activity written on it that we do before bed. Some of them are as simple as talking about Mary and Joseph and giving your mommy and daddy a hug, some are crafty things to do like draw a christmas picture for your room and some of them are family time activities like pop popcorn and watch a Christmas movie. I made most of them up on my own but I had an idea sheet that they gave me at our class. Another thing we do each day, which we normally do in the afternoon when Jason gets home from work, is that we have a mason jar on the counter and I have a calendar that says things such as " put a dime in the jar for every birthday you have had" or "thank God for giving you shelter put a nickel in the jar for each room in your home" We then collect that days money from each person and put it in the jar. Once Advent is over we will donate it to a local charity. This was an idea that one of my Sunday School couples gave us and we have had a lot of fun doing it.
I have enjoyed learning about Advent and in the midst of presents, parties, programs, and Santa I am looking forward to taking this time each evening to direct our family to the true meaning of Christmas and help our children to focus with joy and anticipation the birth of our Savior. May you have a blessed Advent season and a very Merry Christmas!
"but when the time had fully come, God sent His son." Galations 4:4a
The class began by helping me to understand that Advent meant "coming", and just like the people of the Bible waited eagerly for God to reveal His promise in the coming of a Savior, we also can spend this Christmas season waiting with joy and anticipation on the birthday of Christ. I then set out to make an Advent log which is different than the wreath because you light it every night of Advent instead of just on Sunday. I decided this would help our family stay focused. I wanted the girls to know what it was like to anticipate Christ being born just like the people in the Bible so we start each morning with a "reason for the Season" box. This is a small box that contains a "heart reminder", a scripture to go with the reminder, and a little paper ornament with the heart reminder symbol on it which the children hang on a small tree called a Jesse Tree. This is based on the proverb which says "Put something where you can see it so your eye will remind your heart" ( you can Google Jesse tree or heart reminders to get the verses and the list of items) this starts the day already with a sense of anticipation. Then in the evening after dinner and pajamas we begin our time of Advent. The girls get a little cushion to sit on ( we made one out of a white pillowcase that they drew on with Sharpie markers and stuffed with cotton) and I give them a little snack in a cup to hold while we are doing the devotions ( this helps keep them still mostly...haha!) each night of advent the snack gets a little better starting with something like Goldfish and then as it gets closer to Christmas we may do ice cream or sugar cookies ( in keeping with the building of anticipation) then we light the candles and we begin the devotion time with Jason reading the nightly scripture. I was given a notebook at the church class that contains the scripture for each night but you can look up Advent scripture readings online and find some listed. The ones that I have are grouped into a theme for each week of Advent starting with week one "Reflecting on the Promise" which contains short readings from the Old Testament about why we needed a Savior, the second week is "Waiting on the Promise" which contains readings from prophets in the Old Testament, the third week is "preparing for the Promise" which are readings from Isaiah and the New Testament, and then the fourth week until Christmas day is "Celebrating the Promise" readings from the Christmas story ending on Christmas day with the birth of Christ. After Jason reads the scripture I usually explain what it means and then we say a short prayer. We then go over a Christmas memory verse that was chosen by me to teach the children- kind of like a theme verse for all of the Advent season. We then end this devotion time with a prayer for a missionary, lost family members or church staff members. Then I let one of the girls (we rotate who it is) pick out a Christmas book to read. ( I mix Christian story books and secular story books but some people only do Christian based Christmas books). After we read the book we blow out the candles. Total time for all of this is about 20 minutes. We then have an Advent paper chain that counts down to Christmas and we rip off one about 10 minutes before bedtime. Each link has an activity written on it that we do before bed. Some of them are as simple as talking about Mary and Joseph and giving your mommy and daddy a hug, some are crafty things to do like draw a christmas picture for your room and some of them are family time activities like pop popcorn and watch a Christmas movie. I made most of them up on my own but I had an idea sheet that they gave me at our class. Another thing we do each day, which we normally do in the afternoon when Jason gets home from work, is that we have a mason jar on the counter and I have a calendar that says things such as " put a dime in the jar for every birthday you have had" or "thank God for giving you shelter put a nickel in the jar for each room in your home" We then collect that days money from each person and put it in the jar. Once Advent is over we will donate it to a local charity. This was an idea that one of my Sunday School couples gave us and we have had a lot of fun doing it.
I have enjoyed learning about Advent and in the midst of presents, parties, programs, and Santa I am looking forward to taking this time each evening to direct our family to the true meaning of Christmas and help our children to focus with joy and anticipation the birth of our Savior. May you have a blessed Advent season and a very Merry Christmas!
"but when the time had fully come, God sent His son." Galations 4:4a
Posted by
Victoria
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A couple of days ago Emma's teacher asked her to share with the class one Thanksgiving tradition that her family had, so she came home and asked me what she should share and that is when I realized we were in trouble. You see, we don't really have any Thanksgiving traditions other than eating lunch with my family and eating dinner with my husbands family (not the most exciting thing to share with your class). It was kind of sad as I began to think about what we did year after year and couldn't really think of a single thing. Finally Emma said she thought of one and I breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you going to say?" I asked. "I am going to tell them that we eat ham" she said. Great! The only thing the poor child could say with confidence that we did every year was eat ham....pitiful! I began to think about the legacy of tradition that we were passing down to our children and realized we have very little in the way of tradition that we do for any holiday. We get so wrapped up in just getting done what we have to do to prepare. Then the actual days are spent in a whirlwind of travel between families, lots of eating and chaos and then the final drop into bed late at night, a quick sigh of relief that we made it another year, and the next day it is time to prepare for the next thing. No family traditions that belong to just our family for our kids to look back and say "we did that every year and it was great" and nothing for the next generation to pass on. I decided at that moment that we were going to have a tradition for each holiday that we celebrate. Something just for our own household to do that our children can look back later and say it was our tradition to do this...
This Thanksgiving we are making a Thanksgiving tree, just a small branch, and everyone gets to write on their paper leaf what they are thankful for and hang it on the tree. Emma wanted to help bake a pumpkin pie, which I have never done before, and Lydia wants to watch a movie with nana and papaw after we eat our Thanksgiving lunch. I will be watching the Macy's parade, which is my own little tradition, while I cook the tradtional lunch meal with the main course already set- ham!
I also have been thinking about what I am thankful for this week. I decided to focus on the little things that I normally take for granted but that I need to remember that God wants us to be thankful for ALL things no matter how small. Here are some of the things I have thought of:
1. The love of my husband! I feel blessed to not only have a good husband but to have a husband who shows me love daily. I love that I still get excited when I know he is coming home and I still look forward to having him here. I am Thankful that he still hugs me, holds my hand while we walk, tells me he loves me everyday, kisses me in front of our children, tells me I look nice, tickles me while I am trying to cook, rubs my shoulders after a long day and always helps take care of the girls. I am also thankful that he spends quality time with us and always puts family time first!
2. My children! I am blessed to have to healthy children who are sweet and thoughtful (most of the time) and who love God and still think that their parents are heros...ha!
3. My parents and extended family.
4. My new home.
5. The ability for me to stay home with my children for another year. God has blessed my time with them and I am so thankful I have not had to miss a single minute! I love being a stay-at-home mother, it is the best job in the whole world. I prayed and prayed for God to let me have children and I am thrilled that He not only gave me two of them but gave them to us at a time when I could spend this time with them. God's timing is truly perfect.
6. Jason's job. Although this year has been stressful and we have had to move away from all we have known God has blessed us tremendously when so many others are struggling- Thank you God!
The list could go on and on but I have to go pick up Lydia from her nana's house so I will stop for now, but please take the time to be Thankful to God this week for all He has blessed you with and don't make your legacy to the future generations be what you eat. Start a new tradition!
" Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
This Thanksgiving we are making a Thanksgiving tree, just a small branch, and everyone gets to write on their paper leaf what they are thankful for and hang it on the tree. Emma wanted to help bake a pumpkin pie, which I have never done before, and Lydia wants to watch a movie with nana and papaw after we eat our Thanksgiving lunch. I will be watching the Macy's parade, which is my own little tradition, while I cook the tradtional lunch meal with the main course already set- ham!
I also have been thinking about what I am thankful for this week. I decided to focus on the little things that I normally take for granted but that I need to remember that God wants us to be thankful for ALL things no matter how small. Here are some of the things I have thought of:
1. The love of my husband! I feel blessed to not only have a good husband but to have a husband who shows me love daily. I love that I still get excited when I know he is coming home and I still look forward to having him here. I am Thankful that he still hugs me, holds my hand while we walk, tells me he loves me everyday, kisses me in front of our children, tells me I look nice, tickles me while I am trying to cook, rubs my shoulders after a long day and always helps take care of the girls. I am also thankful that he spends quality time with us and always puts family time first!
2. My children! I am blessed to have to healthy children who are sweet and thoughtful (most of the time) and who love God and still think that their parents are heros...ha!
3. My parents and extended family.
4. My new home.
5. The ability for me to stay home with my children for another year. God has blessed my time with them and I am so thankful I have not had to miss a single minute! I love being a stay-at-home mother, it is the best job in the whole world. I prayed and prayed for God to let me have children and I am thrilled that He not only gave me two of them but gave them to us at a time when I could spend this time with them. God's timing is truly perfect.
6. Jason's job. Although this year has been stressful and we have had to move away from all we have known God has blessed us tremendously when so many others are struggling- Thank you God!
The list could go on and on but I have to go pick up Lydia from her nana's house so I will stop for now, but please take the time to be Thankful to God this week for all He has blessed you with and don't make your legacy to the future generations be what you eat. Start a new tradition!
" Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
Posted by
Victoria
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A couple of weeks ago I attended a revival service entitled "Why don't we get our prayers answered?" and it totally changed the way that I think about prayer and the way that I pray. I went into the service thinking I was pretty much on top of things in my prayer life and in the course of a couple of hours I came to the realization that my prayer life was probably the one aspect of my christian walk that needed the most work. Amazing how God can change our heart so quickly. There were a lot of points that were covered in that sermon but the two that struck me the most were 1. That we give up too soon and 2. We aren't diligent. Prayer takes repetition and patience and I lack both of them when I pray. I also learned that a holy hour is much more effective than a holy five minutes and that my quiet time truly needed to be QUIET! I don't need to be praying, reading, and singing worship songs the whole time. I learned that if I spent more time being quiet that I may quit wondering what God wants from me and I might quit wondering why God isn't answering me and I might actually get to see God work and hear God speak. As I look back now I realize that the one thing that I spent the least time praying about, and the most time complaining about, God was actually working out and I was too impatient and noisy to see or hear it...
When I began to realize we were actually moving I began to pray. I prayed about school for Emma and I prayed for my parents who had never had their only child farther than a few miles from home. I prayed about our new neighbors and friends for my children and I prayed for Jason and his job but the one thing I didn't really focus on was church. I prayed occasionally that God would lead us to a church but I just took control of that one and began to research churches in the area online. I already had my list of prospects. I knew exactly which ones I was going to visit and was positive that I could find one in a short time, after all I live in the bible belt, there is a church on every corner. No problem God I've got this one covered.
The last Sunday we were at Center Grove (our home church) a girl named Julie visited my Life Group and heard me ask prayer for our move. She asked me where I was moving to and I told her. Amazingly she had just moved to the area from the same town I was moving to and so I laughingly asked her what church they went to because I would be looking. She said they had been members at Mt. Vernon and that they loved it and missed it greatly. That was not one on my list but I promised to look it up, which I later did, and determined that while it looked fine it was kind of far from my house and didn't really seem to have the "programs" I was used to so I dismissed it and went on. One week went by and I began to visit the churches on my list. The first one was huge and seemed to be active but the people were not friendly and as I sat there alone ( Jason was working) I began to feel very out of place. No one spoke and when the pastor announced that everyone should shake a hand no one even turned around to me. I didn't know a single song they sang and when it was over I found myself praying on the way home that God would lead us to the right church. Week two came and I visited another large church on my list and while it had a more friendly congregation it was very far from my house and I knew that I would never be able to be involved like I wanted to and the largeness of it made me feel lost in the crowd. I began to pray a little more but I still had some more on my list. Week 3 came and went and I visited yet another one. This time Lydia cryed when I left her and begged to go back to "our" church and I spent most of the sermon in tears as I thought about my home church and missed my family, who I never worshipped without. Week four I prayed like I had never prayed and my mom called that week and said that she had a new member in the choir who was from the area I was living in and she went to a really good church in Boone called Mt. Vernon. Her name was Julie and my mom thought she was so sweet and maybe I should check it out. I looked again but was still hesitant to drive up the mountain in my old car alone with two kids and try it so I passed...again. Week 5 Jason was off and went with me and now I was down to the last church on my list and I just knew this would be the one. I had looked at it online and talked to someone in the office and they were very friendly and positve so I was happy. Jason and I sat through the sermon...not bad, we made it through the welcome of guests... pretty good, we were excited when the childrens minister got up to speak and then as he read his letter of resignation and the church body began to weep and people were angry and hurt I realized that my ability to find us a church home was gone. My list had run out and I had drug my children to a different church every week since we moved here and I began to cry and I decided that it was time for me to listen and let God lead.
My dad called that week and he had just gotten out of an ushers meeting. The new intern at church had led the meeting and talked about his home church, afterward my dad said he asked him what church that was and the intern said Mt. Vernon in Boone. I began to wonder was God answering my prayer and I just wasn't listening? Two days later my mom called and said she had been asking the music minister to pray for us because we couldn't find a church and he asked if we had tried Mt. Vernon. He had heard great things about it but didn't know if we lived near enough to try it out. O.k. God, I hear you now, I think I will try it out. So the next Sunday I packed up the girls, took Jason's more reliable car and the GPS and headed up the mountain to Mt. Vernon. From the minute I walked in the door I felt like I belonged there. The people were welcoming and friendly, the church was very spirit-filled, the girls came out with a smile on their faces and I knew that God had led us to that place. God answers our prayer so much better when we stay out of it.
Since that first week I have experienced a new awakening in my personal walk with God. I was able to attend the revival, which was an awesome experience, and I have joined a Sunday Schoool class and begun the process of making new friends in Christ. The first week Jason went with me he was nervous. Jason is very quiet and he has never gone to any church other than the one he grew up in, but God worked it out. I prayed before we went that Jason would feel as at home there as I did and that he would feel God leading us there also. Within five minutes of arriving, he saw a guy named Patrick from our home church that he grew up with. We didn't even know he attended that church but he has been a member for several years. He was able to talk to Jason and introduce us to the Sunday School class we now attend. I have also seen other people that I know there and just last weekend we were at the fall festival and saw yet another couple from Center Grove whose parents go to Mt. Vernon. We enjoyed talking to them and getting to meet their family. God has truly blessed us and would have been willing to bless us sooner. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble had I just been patient, diligent and QUIET! Prayer is answered and God does speak we just have to ask diligently, be patient and then hush and let Him be God!
"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act." Psalm 37:7a
When I began to realize we were actually moving I began to pray. I prayed about school for Emma and I prayed for my parents who had never had their only child farther than a few miles from home. I prayed about our new neighbors and friends for my children and I prayed for Jason and his job but the one thing I didn't really focus on was church. I prayed occasionally that God would lead us to a church but I just took control of that one and began to research churches in the area online. I already had my list of prospects. I knew exactly which ones I was going to visit and was positive that I could find one in a short time, after all I live in the bible belt, there is a church on every corner. No problem God I've got this one covered.
The last Sunday we were at Center Grove (our home church) a girl named Julie visited my Life Group and heard me ask prayer for our move. She asked me where I was moving to and I told her. Amazingly she had just moved to the area from the same town I was moving to and so I laughingly asked her what church they went to because I would be looking. She said they had been members at Mt. Vernon and that they loved it and missed it greatly. That was not one on my list but I promised to look it up, which I later did, and determined that while it looked fine it was kind of far from my house and didn't really seem to have the "programs" I was used to so I dismissed it and went on. One week went by and I began to visit the churches on my list. The first one was huge and seemed to be active but the people were not friendly and as I sat there alone ( Jason was working) I began to feel very out of place. No one spoke and when the pastor announced that everyone should shake a hand no one even turned around to me. I didn't know a single song they sang and when it was over I found myself praying on the way home that God would lead us to the right church. Week two came and I visited another large church on my list and while it had a more friendly congregation it was very far from my house and I knew that I would never be able to be involved like I wanted to and the largeness of it made me feel lost in the crowd. I began to pray a little more but I still had some more on my list. Week 3 came and went and I visited yet another one. This time Lydia cryed when I left her and begged to go back to "our" church and I spent most of the sermon in tears as I thought about my home church and missed my family, who I never worshipped without. Week four I prayed like I had never prayed and my mom called that week and said that she had a new member in the choir who was from the area I was living in and she went to a really good church in Boone called Mt. Vernon. Her name was Julie and my mom thought she was so sweet and maybe I should check it out. I looked again but was still hesitant to drive up the mountain in my old car alone with two kids and try it so I passed...again. Week 5 Jason was off and went with me and now I was down to the last church on my list and I just knew this would be the one. I had looked at it online and talked to someone in the office and they were very friendly and positve so I was happy. Jason and I sat through the sermon...not bad, we made it through the welcome of guests... pretty good, we were excited when the childrens minister got up to speak and then as he read his letter of resignation and the church body began to weep and people were angry and hurt I realized that my ability to find us a church home was gone. My list had run out and I had drug my children to a different church every week since we moved here and I began to cry and I decided that it was time for me to listen and let God lead.
My dad called that week and he had just gotten out of an ushers meeting. The new intern at church had led the meeting and talked about his home church, afterward my dad said he asked him what church that was and the intern said Mt. Vernon in Boone. I began to wonder was God answering my prayer and I just wasn't listening? Two days later my mom called and said she had been asking the music minister to pray for us because we couldn't find a church and he asked if we had tried Mt. Vernon. He had heard great things about it but didn't know if we lived near enough to try it out. O.k. God, I hear you now, I think I will try it out. So the next Sunday I packed up the girls, took Jason's more reliable car and the GPS and headed up the mountain to Mt. Vernon. From the minute I walked in the door I felt like I belonged there. The people were welcoming and friendly, the church was very spirit-filled, the girls came out with a smile on their faces and I knew that God had led us to that place. God answers our prayer so much better when we stay out of it.
Since that first week I have experienced a new awakening in my personal walk with God. I was able to attend the revival, which was an awesome experience, and I have joined a Sunday Schoool class and begun the process of making new friends in Christ. The first week Jason went with me he was nervous. Jason is very quiet and he has never gone to any church other than the one he grew up in, but God worked it out. I prayed before we went that Jason would feel as at home there as I did and that he would feel God leading us there also. Within five minutes of arriving, he saw a guy named Patrick from our home church that he grew up with. We didn't even know he attended that church but he has been a member for several years. He was able to talk to Jason and introduce us to the Sunday School class we now attend. I have also seen other people that I know there and just last weekend we were at the fall festival and saw yet another couple from Center Grove whose parents go to Mt. Vernon. We enjoyed talking to them and getting to meet their family. God has truly blessed us and would have been willing to bless us sooner. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble had I just been patient, diligent and QUIET! Prayer is answered and God does speak we just have to ask diligently, be patient and then hush and let Him be God!
"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act." Psalm 37:7a
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Victoria
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The moment I have waited for for a couple of months now has finally arrived. God, in His perfect timing, has sent a buyer and my house is now "under contract". I was begining to think this day would not come, although in this housing market and economy it came relatively quickly compared to most, and I feel blessed.
Lessons Learned:
PATIENCE- I have never been known for patience, although I pray for it daily, but God has shown me that if I would take a breath and patiently wait for Him to work or lead, I would be much better off. What has seemed an eternity to me, has actually been amazingly fast by most people's standards and by real estate standard's it truly is a miracle to be under contract this fast.
In all things- PRAY!- I have worried through every step of the process- would my house sell? would Emma get to move before school? Would my house pass an inspection? Would we find a house we like? Would we be able to live in a nice area?...on and on and on. After much worry and stress I finally began to pray through it and turn it over to God. - God, please send a buyer soon. God, please let Emma get settled before school. God, please lead us to a nice area and let us find a house we can afford. God, guide the inspector and help him only see the good things in about our house (haha...although I did pray that) and as usual I learned that God's ways are not ours and if we just trust Him it will all work out for good!
FOLLOW- I like to lead and be in control of things in my life and it is hard for me to step back and admit that I have no idea what to do and just let myself follow, but I have discovered throughout this process that if I just follow and let God lead, the path is so much easier!
I have learned so many more things that I can't even put in here, but things seem to be working out for the best. We have a buyer that appears to have things together so we believe it is going to close on time. We have found a home, in a very nice area, that was on the market when we first started looking up there and we thought it would be sold by now, but they were waiting on a house in Florida to be finished and so here we are with it under contract. Emma is going to get to go to a nice school I believe and we will be able to get settled before school starts so she will hopefully get to know some kids before she goes. God has blessed us so far throughout this time and I hope He continues to bless us as we seek to follow Him down this new path in our life.
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above the heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost- Amen!"
Lessons Learned:
PATIENCE- I have never been known for patience, although I pray for it daily, but God has shown me that if I would take a breath and patiently wait for Him to work or lead, I would be much better off. What has seemed an eternity to me, has actually been amazingly fast by most people's standards and by real estate standard's it truly is a miracle to be under contract this fast.
In all things- PRAY!- I have worried through every step of the process- would my house sell? would Emma get to move before school? Would my house pass an inspection? Would we find a house we like? Would we be able to live in a nice area?...on and on and on. After much worry and stress I finally began to pray through it and turn it over to God. - God, please send a buyer soon. God, please let Emma get settled before school. God, please lead us to a nice area and let us find a house we can afford. God, guide the inspector and help him only see the good things in about our house (haha...although I did pray that) and as usual I learned that God's ways are not ours and if we just trust Him it will all work out for good!
FOLLOW- I like to lead and be in control of things in my life and it is hard for me to step back and admit that I have no idea what to do and just let myself follow, but I have discovered throughout this process that if I just follow and let God lead, the path is so much easier!
I have learned so many more things that I can't even put in here, but things seem to be working out for the best. We have a buyer that appears to have things together so we believe it is going to close on time. We have found a home, in a very nice area, that was on the market when we first started looking up there and we thought it would be sold by now, but they were waiting on a house in Florida to be finished and so here we are with it under contract. Emma is going to get to go to a nice school I believe and we will be able to get settled before school starts so she will hopefully get to know some kids before she goes. God has blessed us so far throughout this time and I hope He continues to bless us as we seek to follow Him down this new path in our life.
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above the heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost- Amen!"
Posted by
Victoria
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My house looks the best it has ever looked, to bad someone else is going to get to enjoy it. All the work we needed to do is finally done. It has been so hard to get it all done quickly on a tight budget with two children who are always needing something just at the moment you open the paint can and dip in the brush or right when you climb all the way up the ladder and find just the right spot to balance everything so it won't fall off the ladder. I think it has been God's way of helping me let go because now that I have painted and nailed and boxed up clutter, and scraped, chipped, repaired, and scrubbed I am done not only with the work, but the house itself. I am kind of ready to see it go. We have great memories here (it is the only house Jason and I have lived in since we have been married) but I am ready to make memories in a house that requires less work and more fun. I have been looking at houses in Caldwell county for months now and I have seen some go that I really liked, so now I am ready to find the one God leads me to. I know that the one for us is out there, and I am excited to find it. Emma is anxious, and worried, and I am ready for her to be able to settle in and know that this is where we are going to stay. I want her to understand that all of her things that she loves will be with her. She asks me everyday if her bed is going and if her dog is going and if her sister is going. She is so confused and it bothers me to see her upset about the unknown. I really want to get up there and get settled so that we can all get acclamated to the area before school and fall activities start. I would love to have a relaxing summer learning the area and getting familiar with everything. I am praying every day and every night that God will help send a buyer to our home. The economy is bad and the housing market is worse and we live in a little old starter home in a corn field in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly ideal circumstances for selling a home, but I am convinced that God has led us to this place and He will not leave us stranded.
"Answer me when I call to you, oh my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 4:1
"Answer me when I call to you, oh my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 4:1
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Victoria
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Easter... one of my favorite holidays. I didn't really know it was my favorite holiday until I had children. My favorite time of the year is fall. I love to watch the trees change, I love the crisp air, fall festivals and the beginning of winter. I have always loved fall and winter and Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. The birth of my savior is a great reason to celebrate, but I also enjoy the presents and the cookies and the music... Spring is one of my least favorite seasons. Don't get me wrong I love warm air returning, and flowers blooming are o.k., but I don't like head colds ( which I get every Spring), allergies, bugs, yardwork, and rain, all of which arrive in the Spring. I never look forward to the arrival of Spring, but I have found myself looking forward to Easter this year. Easter celebrates the greatest moment in all of History, Jesus overcoming death and the grave. I like that Easter is simple. Christmas is so busy and I feel as though it is hard to keep my family focused on the true meaning of Christmas in the midst of shopping, cooking, entertaining, shopping, presents, Santa Claus, did I mention shopping? I don't have to shop for weeks and weeks to get everyone I know a present for Easter and I don't have anything to wrap or take back afterwards. I enjoy getting dressed up and letting the girls dress up to look their best to worship Christ. I have gotten so casual in the way I dress for church and sometimes my attitude is a reflection of how I look and feel. I want my girls to know what it is to look nice and give your best for Christ. I love that the activities that we do at Easter are just family time activities, dying Easter eggs at the kitchen table, baking cookies with the girls, going to nana and papaws to eat dinner and play. I love to see my children get excited over a simple basket of candy and a stuffed animal. I love that I don't have to worry if the true meaning of Easter is getting drowned out by the world's view and the hype because Easter is about Jesus. Emma asked me the other day what we celebrated Easter for and I told her because Jesus is alive and we celebrate the fact that He died to save us and that He lives so that we can live also and that was that. I didn't have to keep reminding her to focus on the true meaning, and I didn't have to worry that she was going to miss it in all the chaos. She could see it in the bird's nest full of new life on our porch, she could hear it in the songs about Christ as we drove down the road, she could read it in her Bible before bed. The meaning of Easter was coming through loud and clear, all the world had to offer was the Easter bunny and the Easter bunny is no Santa. The Easter bunny is fun and the Easter eggs taste good and look pretty, but Jesus is what it is all about. A simple holiday that has such a huge meaning in a season which brings new life. HAPPY EASTER!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3
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Victoria
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Kindergarten registration is tomorrow night. I don't know how I feel about it yet. Part of me is so happy to see my little girl growing and learning and experiencing so many new things, but another part of me is afraid to let her go. I worry about the "big" kids and what they will teach her and I worry about how her personality will change once she is around a lot of other children and their ideas about how she should act and dress and talk. I have tried to decide whether home school would help her, but then I worry that by the age she would really need sheltering she will be fighting me to go to school. I wish we could afford private school so she could be in an enviroment that reinforces the morals and values that we are trying to instill in her, but right now that would be difficult and then when Lydia starts it would be impossible and I don't want to send one if I can't afford to send both, so it appears she is off to public school. I tell myself that I went to public elementary school and I turned out just fine, but that was then and this is now. We went for the Kindergarten visit last week. Two hours of touring the school and sitting in a classroom and meeting the teachers. They got to do activities that the Kindergarteners do and the highlight of the day was riding on a real school bus. Emma was so excited. She talked about it all week. She is a book worm and she loves school. Then we arrived. Her first reaction was " it is big" and she took on somewhat of a deer in headlights appearance. She never spoke a word the whole time we were there. She sat on her carpet square and stared at the smartboard while the teacher asked them their ABC's. She has known her ABC's since she was 2, but she sat frozen while the teacher smiled a sympathetic smile and called on someone else. She refused to do the excersize portion of the class, because she refuses to do anything she deems embarrasing, and when it was time for centers she sat on her carpet square and stared at the wall until the teacher took her hand and walked her to the puzzle table. I felt so bad for her. She seemed so small compared to the other children there. She couldn't reach the smartboard- she was to short and she seemed overwhelmed by how many kids were there- about 15. I told her there would probably be more in her class and she said " I hope not". The bus ride was fun though she decided she wanted to be a car rider because there were no seatbelt to keep you safe. ( That is fine because she was going to be a car rider anyway). You might be saying to yourself- why send her? If she is that little she may not be ready, but she is turning 5 in June way before the cut-off and like I said academically she is ready. She knows how to write basic words, count to most of the way to hundred, she is reading sight words and tying her shoes. Her pre-school teacher said she would be to bored to stay in preschool another year. They believe she is ready and that she will come out of her shell once she is there. I don't know if I am ready for her to come out of her shell, but I guess the time has come to let her go... even if it is only a mile down the road. Thank goodness lydia's birthday is after the cut- off so I still have three more years before I have to go through this stress again!
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I was reading a blog several weeks ago and they had posted random things that they had heard said around their house that week. I thought it was so funny when I read it and since then it has made me pay more attention to the little random things that I hear around my house. The things that normally would be funny for a moment and then forgotten. My children are growing up so fast and many days we are rushing to get things done. I am hurrying them up to go go go and I forget to stop and listen to the sweet things they say. All to soon these days will be gone, they are getting older and more independent every day. I don't want to miss these little moments because I am so busy focusing on myself, my house, and what we need to get done. Last week I went to the mall to look for summer clothes and realized that Emma is no longer in the "toddler" sizes. She has moved up to the "big" girl clothes. We were standing next to a little girl that was probably nine years old and looking at the same shirts, it really scared me to think that we were now shopping in the girls section and not in the baby and toddler section. In the Bible James says that we are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes and I never really felt that until I had kids, time truly does fly and we don't know what tomorrow brings so my prayer is that God will help me to slow down, listen, remember and enjoy every minute of this season He has blessed me with.
Some of the things I heard this week in the Hartman home:
"Mommy, I pushed out 16 babies today." (Wow Emma that is a lot.) "Well mommy you have to take care of what God gives you. Tomorrow He is gonna give me 22 more... First there is Josiah, Mary, Emily and then Slinky and I have to think of the other names for them."
"Tickle my belly button Mommy!... do it again... do it again... do it again... do it again..."
"Be careful, it is a jungle out there... watch out for lions and tigers ( and bears, says Lydia)"
"Love you back.. Da-dee! Love you back... Mo-mee!"
"Me shaken' my booteee."
"Daddy your face rough..." ( Emma used to say it was fuff, but Lydia talks plainer than she did)
"Pillow fight!!!!!" ( daddy's idea)
"Nobody worry about that dog you just sat on!"
"When I get big I want +8 babies just like Kate... but I am going to have to call a babysitter because I am going to be a veterinar..a vetriner... a dog doctor."
"Look mommy I'm climbing daddy mountain..."
"Mommy... Lydia says she is gonna eat me."
"You get to have dinner with a princess tonight..."
Thank you God!
Some of the things I heard this week in the Hartman home:
"Mommy, I pushed out 16 babies today." (Wow Emma that is a lot.) "Well mommy you have to take care of what God gives you. Tomorrow He is gonna give me 22 more... First there is Josiah, Mary, Emily and then Slinky and I have to think of the other names for them."
"Tickle my belly button Mommy!... do it again... do it again... do it again... do it again..."
"Be careful, it is a jungle out there... watch out for lions and tigers ( and bears, says Lydia)"
"Love you back.. Da-dee! Love you back... Mo-mee!"
"Me shaken' my booteee."
"Daddy your face rough..." ( Emma used to say it was fuff, but Lydia talks plainer than she did)
"Pillow fight!!!!!" ( daddy's idea)
"Nobody worry about that dog you just sat on!"
"When I get big I want +8 babies just like Kate... but I am going to have to call a babysitter because I am going to be a veterinar..a vetriner... a dog doctor."
"Look mommy I'm climbing daddy mountain..."
"Mommy... Lydia says she is gonna eat me."
"You get to have dinner with a princess tonight..."
Thank you God!
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After much prayer, discussion, and deliberation we have decided that we are moving. We just feel like God opened the door for this job and we would always wonder what other doors God would have opened if we had gone, so we decided we should trust God and go. I have been so worried and stressed about what to do, but after we just said let's do it I have been pretty much at peace. I still worry about some things, whether we will be able to find a great church like the one we have here and whether or not the schools will be as good as the one Emma would go to in the fall, and of course I worry about the fact that I am an only child and this will be the farthest I have ever been from my family ( I know it is only an hour, but still it is the farthest I have ever been); however, I know that God will work it out. I have laid it in His hands and I choose to trust whatever He plans.
Now comes the fun part, trying to fix up an old house on a limited budget, trying to sell an old house in a horrible market, and trying to get our finances in order to be able to buy another house in a broken economy. My house has always felt tiny until I started painting it and now all of a sudden it seems huge. We had not really painted the whole house since we moved in and it has been a huge project, especially with two little sets of hands and feet that want to "help". Emma just keeps begging to paint her door purple and doesn't understand why that is not a good idea and Lydia just wants to paint anything any color and doesn't understand that paint doesn't dry that quickly. I never noticed all the little things that need to be updated, repaired or painted until I started. I started painting the bathroom door and then noticed that the doorknobs front to back didn't match. Someone just replaced the front of it but left the inside one original. I never noticed it before, but now we have to replace the doorknobs and since they don't make the doorknobs that are on it anymore we have to replace all the doorknobs going down the hall or none of them will match the bathroom. It is the little things that are driving me crazy, but God is in control and if it is meant to be it will be. The other morning I heard Ty Pennington yelling "MOVE THAT BUS" and I fell on the front yard as I saw my dream home revealed... and then I woke up.
The LORD says," I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8
Now comes the fun part, trying to fix up an old house on a limited budget, trying to sell an old house in a horrible market, and trying to get our finances in order to be able to buy another house in a broken economy. My house has always felt tiny until I started painting it and now all of a sudden it seems huge. We had not really painted the whole house since we moved in and it has been a huge project, especially with two little sets of hands and feet that want to "help". Emma just keeps begging to paint her door purple and doesn't understand why that is not a good idea and Lydia just wants to paint anything any color and doesn't understand that paint doesn't dry that quickly. I never noticed all the little things that need to be updated, repaired or painted until I started. I started painting the bathroom door and then noticed that the doorknobs front to back didn't match. Someone just replaced the front of it but left the inside one original. I never noticed it before, but now we have to replace the doorknobs and since they don't make the doorknobs that are on it anymore we have to replace all the doorknobs going down the hall or none of them will match the bathroom. It is the little things that are driving me crazy, but God is in control and if it is meant to be it will be. The other morning I heard Ty Pennington yelling "MOVE THAT BUS" and I fell on the front yard as I saw my dream home revealed... and then I woke up.
The LORD says," I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8
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Victoria
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Monday... cleaning day at the Hartman home.
Me: Emma, can you and Lydia please go to your room for five minutes so I can get something done without you guys dragging more stuff out?
Emma: Yes mommy, we can read books.
Me: That sounds like a great idea. I will come read to you in just a minute when I finish the dishes.
Emma: o.k. come on lydia. Do you want me to read to you?
Lydia: Emma read book to me mommy.
Me: o.k. follow Emma
Five minutes later...
Me: Emma, What are you doing? I thought you were going to read a book.
Emma: We are reading mommy, these are the lily pads to keep us from sinking in the ooey, gooey, muck.
Lydia: Me sitting on Lily pad.
Emma: We only dragged out books mommy nothing else.
Me: Thanks Emma.
Me: Emma, can you and Lydia please go to your room for five minutes so I can get something done without you guys dragging more stuff out?
Emma: Yes mommy, we can read books.
Me: That sounds like a great idea. I will come read to you in just a minute when I finish the dishes.
Emma: o.k. come on lydia. Do you want me to read to you?
Lydia: Emma read book to me mommy.
Me: o.k. follow Emma
Five minutes later...
Me: Emma, What are you doing? I thought you were going to read a book.
Emma: We are reading mommy, these are the lily pads to keep us from sinking in the ooey, gooey, muck.
Lydia: Me sitting on Lily pad.
Emma: We only dragged out books mommy nothing else.
Me: Thanks Emma.
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Another Valentine's day has come and gone. I am not romantic by nature and have never really been a mushy girly girl, so I do not normally get too impressed with Valentine's day. Jason and I show our love to each other and our children daily so I don't get really worked up over Valentine's, but I did begin to think about it after reading all the Facebook posts and other blogs and I realized just how much Valentine's Day has changed for me over the years.
Jason and I have now spent 17 Valentine Days together. I had to add that up twice before I believed it, but it was true- scary! In the beginning, when we were just dating, I would get so excited about Valentine's Day. My love language is gifts and I would love getting a present- usually chocolate or sometimes a piece of jewelry. Jason and I would plan a date with a special dinner and a movie. I would sometimes get to stay out past curfew so we could see a late movie and then we would go home and exchange our little gifts and kiss goodnight and talk about how much we loved each other. I know- mushy!
We didn't have children until 8 years into our marriage so the first few years after marriage we would still make plans. The gifts became smaller now that we had bills to pay and groceries to buy. We normally counted dinner out as our gift to each other and then we would exchange cards. We still planned romantic dinners out, ususally at the nicer resteraunts in town, the ones we wouldn't go to normally. I loved to get dressed up and get my hair done and go on a "date" with my husband. Valentine's Day was a special date night.
Now that we have two children under 4, Valentine's Day has changed dramatically. We no longer have time for late night dates, fancy restaraunts, and the only gifts that we exchange now usually consist of me getting a bath with the door locked or Jason getting a shoulder rub on the sofa in front of the evening news. Luxuries in our eyes:)
As I look back I don't regret any of it. I loved our special dates, our special gifts and our alone time, but as life changes so do I and now my joy comes in knowing that Jason and I are still in love and we get to share that love with our children. This year our gifts were homemade Valentine cards and stuffed animals, our special date was at the local library watching a puppet show and eating a heart shaped cookie, our fancy restaraunt was the kitchen and our steak dinner was homecooked and enjoyed amidst giggles and milk mustaches. We have come such a long way and we have loved every minute of it. May God bless us with 17 more Valentine Days together.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
Jason and I have now spent 17 Valentine Days together. I had to add that up twice before I believed it, but it was true- scary! In the beginning, when we were just dating, I would get so excited about Valentine's Day. My love language is gifts and I would love getting a present- usually chocolate or sometimes a piece of jewelry. Jason and I would plan a date with a special dinner and a movie. I would sometimes get to stay out past curfew so we could see a late movie and then we would go home and exchange our little gifts and kiss goodnight and talk about how much we loved each other. I know- mushy!
We didn't have children until 8 years into our marriage so the first few years after marriage we would still make plans. The gifts became smaller now that we had bills to pay and groceries to buy. We normally counted dinner out as our gift to each other and then we would exchange cards. We still planned romantic dinners out, ususally at the nicer resteraunts in town, the ones we wouldn't go to normally. I loved to get dressed up and get my hair done and go on a "date" with my husband. Valentine's Day was a special date night.
Now that we have two children under 4, Valentine's Day has changed dramatically. We no longer have time for late night dates, fancy restaraunts, and the only gifts that we exchange now usually consist of me getting a bath with the door locked or Jason getting a shoulder rub on the sofa in front of the evening news. Luxuries in our eyes:)
As I look back I don't regret any of it. I loved our special dates, our special gifts and our alone time, but as life changes so do I and now my joy comes in knowing that Jason and I are still in love and we get to share that love with our children. This year our gifts were homemade Valentine cards and stuffed animals, our special date was at the local library watching a puppet show and eating a heart shaped cookie, our fancy restaraunt was the kitchen and our steak dinner was homecooked and enjoyed amidst giggles and milk mustaches. We have come such a long way and we have loved every minute of it. May God bless us with 17 more Valentine Days together.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
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1.) For my healthy children. I am truly blessed to have children that are rarely sick, who were born free of any kind of physical or mental disabilities, who are able to run and play and learn. I so often take this for granted and forget to daily thank God for their health and well being.
2.) For my husband. I rarely think to tell God thank you for sending me a best friend, a soul mate, a godly man who thinks of me and our children first. A man who tells me everyday that he loves me, takes care of our needs first, brings the car around to pick us up in the rain so we won't get wet, rubs my shoulders at the end of a long day, always tells me I look good even when my hair is in a ponytail and I have the leftovers of lydia's lunch on my sweatpants. I so often choose to focus on the negative that I forget to be thankful for the positive. I am blessed to have someone who loves me just for me.
3.) For the ability to stay at home with my children. I feel so blessed by God that he has allowed me to focus on what I do have instead of what I have had to give up in order to be at home with my girls. I may drive an old car, wear last years fashions and shop at Aldi, I may not have a blackberry, an Ipod, or a flat screen TV, but in light of eternity I would not trade a single minute of the time I have enjoyed watching Emma and Lydia grow and learn. I pray everyday for the moms who I know that have to work outside their homes- may God bless them.
4.) For my house, which is small by American standards, but large in comparison to what most in the world are living in. May God let me always see the good in the midst of the clutter and noise.
5.) For having parents that are still living and enjoying life and that they live close enough to enjoy their grandchildren. My children are blessed with both sets of grandparents and one set of great- grandparents- a lot of wisdom and love being passed down.
6.) For my salvation. Thank you God for saving me early in life and sparing me from a lot of misery. I am thankful that my testamony is boring.
7.) For Jason's job. Thank you for leading us to good employment opportunities and for helping us through the difficult times of lay off.
8.) For sending your son to die on the cross to save me from myself and allowing me to spend eternity with you in Heaven, may I be an example of your love to others.
My list could continue for miles and miles, but I have to go get my children up from nap. In the midst of all the bad news I have heard and read lately... I just want to say Thank you God. God, help me to never forget to be thankful even for the mundane things that I take for granted. Help me to see you in the midst of the ordinary.
"But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23
2.) For my husband. I rarely think to tell God thank you for sending me a best friend, a soul mate, a godly man who thinks of me and our children first. A man who tells me everyday that he loves me, takes care of our needs first, brings the car around to pick us up in the rain so we won't get wet, rubs my shoulders at the end of a long day, always tells me I look good even when my hair is in a ponytail and I have the leftovers of lydia's lunch on my sweatpants. I so often choose to focus on the negative that I forget to be thankful for the positive. I am blessed to have someone who loves me just for me.
3.) For the ability to stay at home with my children. I feel so blessed by God that he has allowed me to focus on what I do have instead of what I have had to give up in order to be at home with my girls. I may drive an old car, wear last years fashions and shop at Aldi, I may not have a blackberry, an Ipod, or a flat screen TV, but in light of eternity I would not trade a single minute of the time I have enjoyed watching Emma and Lydia grow and learn. I pray everyday for the moms who I know that have to work outside their homes- may God bless them.
4.) For my house, which is small by American standards, but large in comparison to what most in the world are living in. May God let me always see the good in the midst of the clutter and noise.
5.) For having parents that are still living and enjoying life and that they live close enough to enjoy their grandchildren. My children are blessed with both sets of grandparents and one set of great- grandparents- a lot of wisdom and love being passed down.
6.) For my salvation. Thank you God for saving me early in life and sparing me from a lot of misery. I am thankful that my testamony is boring.
7.) For Jason's job. Thank you for leading us to good employment opportunities and for helping us through the difficult times of lay off.
8.) For sending your son to die on the cross to save me from myself and allowing me to spend eternity with you in Heaven, may I be an example of your love to others.
My list could continue for miles and miles, but I have to go get my children up from nap. In the midst of all the bad news I have heard and read lately... I just want to say Thank you God. God, help me to never forget to be thankful even for the mundane things that I take for granted. Help me to see you in the midst of the ordinary.
"But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23
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Emma's favorite sleep toy is a guinea pig that she affectionately calls "pig". She has had pig since she was about a year old. Pig is a beanie baby that is very well loved which is evident by both her appearance and smell, but we just keep on washing her the best we can and hoping she survives Emma's attachment phase. About six months ago Emma began to tell stories that involved Pig, they were long drawn out sagas about Pig's life and adventures Pig had been on. Whatever was going on in our life, Pig was doing also. Pig was shopping at the mall or Pig had gone to the beach or Pig was having babies, birthday parties or sleepovers, etc. Emma can can tell the whole story without even thinking about what she needs to add and if you ask a question about Pig, Emma always has an answer right on the spot. I decided to write down Pig's latest adventure just so I could remember these great imaginative stories for later. This one unfolded while we were on our way to church the other night...
Emma: Guess where Pig went today Mommy.
Me: Where?
Emma: The Zoo
Me: really, What was her favorite animal?
Emma: All of them except one- the Lion. She had to feed it and it kept growling at her.
Me: Did it try to bite her?
Emma: Yes, but she had on these special gloves that were as hard as a rock so it couldn't hurt her, but she was scared so she went inside to look at the fish.
Me: That's good, I wouldn't want her to get eaten. Did she like the fish?
Emma: Yes, they let her touch some of them. One of the scorpions had babies and you could touch them, they didn't have their pinchers yet.
Me: Don't you mean lobsters?
Emma: No Mommy scorpions.
Me: Did they have stingers?
Emma: No, the big ones had rubber bands on their pincher claws so they couldn't hurt Pig, and she loved the babies so much that they let her take one home.
Me: that was nice.
Emma: Yeah she is going to put it in her 'quarium and let it eat blueberries and yummy fruit.
Me: I bet it will like that. Sounds like Pig had a great time.
Emma: Yes, she said that we really need to go to the zoo with her next time so we can see all those animals too.
Me: Maybe when the weather warms up, we can go.
Emma: O.K., that would be good, but I don't know about those mean lions.
I think this was Emma's creative way of asking to go to the Zoo, but I hope that we won't have to feed a lion. She is too funny:)
"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3
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Potty Training- no two words frustrate me more than these. I have very little patience for potty trainig. God spoiled us when he sent us Emma. He fooled us into thinking that child rearing was simple and that it took very little effort to teach them. Emma sat up at 4 months, she walked at 9 months, she knew her colors and shapes before she could even say them. Jason and I just had to show her what to do one time and she would just do it. I don't know where she gets it from, but the child is smart. Emma potty trained in three days- literally. She turned two on a Monday and by Friday she was wearing big girl panties. She was out of a nighttime pull-up within about three weeks and in the last two years has maybe had 2 accidents. I think she came with an easy button. I loved it, but then God sent me a reality check.
Lydia came into the world and we realized that Emma was the exception not the rule. Lydia loves being the baby. She was content to sit and let us bring her what she needed so she didn't walk until 15 months. She doesn't like to read or be still and she has very little tolerance to learn anything new. Don't get me wrong, she is smart. Lydia can figure out how anything works. She can take something apart and put it back together the first time. At two years old she was already speaking in full sentences, and she has an amazing ability to remember names and faces. She just doesn't care to learn about things she is not interested in. This includes potty training.
I started taking her to the potty months ago, but nothing. She loves to sit on the potty, read books on the potty, sing on the potty, but she refuses to potty in the potty. She likes to use it as a step stool so she can reach the sink and she likes that it makes the perfect chair for the baby dolls, she just doesn't like for it to be the perfect potty for her to use. I think she is ready. She can tell you when she goes in her diaper and she will even go get a clean diaper so you can change her. She knows what the potty is for and how to use toilet paper. She just doesn't do it.
I have tried everything from stickers to gummy bears. I even got a different potty because I thought she just didn't like the one we had. Nothing!
Then the answer to my problem came in the form of an e-mail. A friend of mine e-mailed me a motivational video the other day. The man in the video said to set a goal, write it down on a piece of paper, put it in your pocket, look at it everyday and it will happen. All this work and that was all I had to do? Lydia should be trained anyday now;)
"We pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need." Colossians 1:11a
Lydia came into the world and we realized that Emma was the exception not the rule. Lydia loves being the baby. She was content to sit and let us bring her what she needed so she didn't walk until 15 months. She doesn't like to read or be still and she has very little tolerance to learn anything new. Don't get me wrong, she is smart. Lydia can figure out how anything works. She can take something apart and put it back together the first time. At two years old she was already speaking in full sentences, and she has an amazing ability to remember names and faces. She just doesn't care to learn about things she is not interested in. This includes potty training.
I started taking her to the potty months ago, but nothing. She loves to sit on the potty, read books on the potty, sing on the potty, but she refuses to potty in the potty. She likes to use it as a step stool so she can reach the sink and she likes that it makes the perfect chair for the baby dolls, she just doesn't like for it to be the perfect potty for her to use. I think she is ready. She can tell you when she goes in her diaper and she will even go get a clean diaper so you can change her. She knows what the potty is for and how to use toilet paper. She just doesn't do it.
I have tried everything from stickers to gummy bears. I even got a different potty because I thought she just didn't like the one we had. Nothing!
Then the answer to my problem came in the form of an e-mail. A friend of mine e-mailed me a motivational video the other day. The man in the video said to set a goal, write it down on a piece of paper, put it in your pocket, look at it everyday and it will happen. All this work and that was all I had to do? Lydia should be trained anyday now;)
"We pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need." Colossians 1:11a
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Victoria
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I heard it said one time that we set the expectation for our children. That what we expect out of life will ultimately be what they learn to expect. This week I realized how true that can be, and that maybe sometimes I need to let them set the expectation for me.
My childhood was fun. My parents made sure that family time was important and enjoyable. I remember roller skating, bike riding, swimming, traveling to the mountains and the beach, I remember movie nights, playing board games, building forts under the kitchen table, and laughing a lot. We spent a lot of our time off from work and school doing things together as a family. On the other hand, my husband didn't have a lot of family time growing up, but he really wanted that for himself, so we decided when we had a family that we wanted to spend lots of quality time together and to make it as fun as possible for our children. My problem becomes expectation. I guess it is the perfectionist in me, but I want what my husband likes to call the Hallmark effect. I want everything we do together to look a certain way or be a certain way. I want everybody to be happy and have fun, but I tend to want it on my terms. Sometimes I find myself disappointed, even when things seem to be going well, just because it doesn't look like the picture I built up in my mind. This week, however, I learned that the truly fun and memorable moments in life come when you have no expectation at all.
I love snow! I mean really love snow. I am worse than a kid when it comes to a snow day. Before we had children, Jason and I would even pack up and drive north in search of snow just so we could play in it. When the forecast called for snow on Tuesday I was thrilled. Jason was off work anyway and I thought that surely we would get a couple inches or more. My girls have rarely seen snow, so I had this expectation of playing in the snow with them and building a small snowman and maybe even sledding or a snowball fight. Before bed Emma prayed and asked God to please send snow. When I tucked her in I prepared her for the fact that snow may not come, but she was convinced- after all she had prayed about it. When I got up with her in the night to potty and looked out the window I saw no snow. I was disappointed for her and myself. I told her it didn't look good for snow and the look on her face about made me cry, but I tucked her back in bed and promised her we would have a fun day no matter what.
The next morning I heard her run down the hall and then she began to holler- "MOMMY... IT SNOWED!! IT CAME! GOD SENT US SNOW!!" I jumped out of bed and looked out the window and there it was- a dusting- you could still see the grass. I thought she was crazy, that wasn't snow, but she was already jumping on our bed and waking up her daddy to tell him God sent us snow. He answered our prayer. She wanted to go out and play before breakfast, but I made her wait since it was only 18 degrees outside. I kept thinking to myself how disappointed they were going to be when they realized that it was just a tiny bit, not enough for a snowball let alone a snowman. We ate breakfast and began the task of getting ready for snow play. Hats, gloves, extra layers, coats. It took what seemed like forever to get them ready to go out and the whole time I kept thinking... Is this worth it? They won't stay out there 5 minutes when they see what it really is. I got the camera and we all headed outside and then I saw her face, but it wasn't what I expected. My children were thrilled, they stayed outside all morning. They made snowballs, even though they were tiny, and they ran around and fed the birds and slid down the driveway on an old piece of plastic that Jason found in the storage room. They laughed and giggled and it was contagious. I found myself laughing with them and looking for berries and sliding on the driveway with them. After we all had been frozen to the bone, we came inside, drank hot chocolate and hung up our wet snowy clothes.
While they were napping I began to think about the day and I realized that they have never really seen snow at least not a deep one. They had no expectations. They just wanted God to send some. The snow didn't have to be deep, they didn't have to make a snowman or build a snowfort or eat snow cream. They didn't care about any of that. Emma just wanted to play in the snow with her family and all she understood was God answered her prayer. Such a lesson for me to see. I don't need to worry about things not being good enough or fun enough or big enough. I need to see that the life God has allowed me to enjoy is enough. Children are happy with very little. They are not born wanting the biggest and the best, they learn that from us. Our expectations become their expectations. I pray that God will help me to understand and show them that He is enough. He did answer our prayer- He sent us snow...and sent me a lesson in humility. Thank you God!
"Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind." Ecclesiates 6:9
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Victoria
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We went out to eat Sunday after church. We had not been out to eat for a while as a family so we were excited (or at least I was since that meant I didn't have to cook or clean) We went to a family style resteraunt in our town- a more elderly crowd usually frequents there, but the food is good so we figured why not?
Lydia, my two year old, is not very patient. She is also very loud at times when she doesn't get her way and it can be highly embarrassing. We have been known to evacuate resteraunts, libraries and other normally quiet establishments, rather than have to subject others to the deafening noises that her tiny lungs can produce; however, she is two now and can understand what she is not supposed to do, so we thought all would be fine. WRONG!
It all started when the waitress brought out the food and said "hot plate... be careful" and then proceeded to set the grilled cheese sandwich right in front of Lydia. I reached over and touched the plate and it was very hot. I think they may have cooked the grilled cheese on the plate, so my husband, worried that Lydia would get burned, picked the plate up and moved it over to his side of the table so it could cool. That was it... she began to say NO DADDY!! over and over and then when I told her hold on a minute it has to cool down she began to scream. People began to stare and my husband began to panic. He tore the sandwhich in half and handed it to her thinking she would stop and eat it, but no, she started to scream louder and cry out " NO CUT IT DADDY! NO CUT IT!" now people are giving us the look that says "Please shut that kid up!" so I bent over and whispered in her ear that I would have to take her out to the car if she didn't get quiet and then she threw her head back and began to yell " NO POP MY TAIL MOMMY! NO POP ME!" I never said I was going to pop her tail, but now I am getting the looks that say " you mean mother- spanking that little girl- how dare you" What to do?
We decided to completely ignore her. So we all bowed our heads and closed our eyes and Emma began to pray. Lydia continued to scream and when we were done we all began eating and talking and not even looking at Lydia. After what seemed like an hour, but was really about 2 minutes, Lydia began to eat and announced " Happy now, mommy!" She took several bites and all of a sudden she put down her fork, folded her hands and said "Oh MAN! Prayer!" She had been so caught up in her tantrum she didn't even know we had prayed. The people behind us began to snicker and I just smiled and thought "Thank you God for the sweet moments- to help balance out the stressful ones"
Though next time I think we will just make the grilled cheese at home:)
"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." Hebrews 4:16
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Victoria
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It was inevitable. From the time that Emma became familiar with the famous siamese cat who thinks that he is a chihuahua, if you have small children than you probably guessed it, Skippy Jon Jones, the bed was doomed. Skippy likes to bounce and bounce on his big boy bed. Emma was two at the time and from the first time she heard the story she began to bounce and bounce on her big girl bed. Then came the book "Olivia Joins the Circus" in which Olivia pretends her bed is a trampoline and she is queen of the trampoline, and so began Emma's love of jumping on her bed. It was only a toddler bed, but every time you went in her room she was jumping, and she would say "I am queen of the trampoline, mommy." and I would say "Emma, your gonna break your bed and then you will have to sleep on the floor- not fun!" but she would only stop until I left the room and then I would hear the sounds of her poor bed straining to stay together while she bounced and bounced to try to touch the ceiling like Skippy or soar through the air like Olivia. We tried time outs and punishments and taking away her sleep toys, but she didn't seem to care. I even got her a book called "No more jumping on the bed" in which a little boy, jumping on his bed, falls through the floor in his apartment and ends up in the cellar. Emma didn't care, jumping was more fun and time out was short. "Emma... if you break that little bed, you will sleep on the floor- not fun!"Lydia has grown up sharing a room with a sister who bounces on her bed daily so of course as soon as Lydia could stand up and walk she began to bounce also, then they began to bounce together and they would laugh and laugh as I fussed and complained " Someone is gonna get hurt." "You are going to break your bed.", but no one ever got hurt and the bed held on so they thought I was crazy until... yesterday!
The poor bed had had enough. It was naptime and everyone was supposed to be sleeping but not Emma. Emma was standing on the siderail and jumping down onto the bed (about a 4 inch drop) when I heard a crash and then all was quiet. I ran down the hall and into her room. Everything looked fine... Emma was laying on her matress with her blanket pulled up over her head pretending like she was asleep except that her bed was crooked and she was holding on to the broken rail to keep from falling on the floor. When I pulled back the blanket she was looking up at me with tears in her eyes, not because she got hurt, but because she knew that her mommy's warning had come true.
Needless to say her bouncing days are done for now, it is not as much fun to jump on the floor.
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Victoria
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I was in Walmart yesterday and I came to the conclusion that if you ever want to truly know what kind of town you live in just spend some time people watching in your local Walmart ( it can be quite an interesting experience). While I was wandering through the store, I began to think about the town I live in, my comfort zone, the place that I have called home for the past 11 years. Is this where God wants me to spend the rest of my life? Is this where God wants my children to grow up?
A few months ago my husband accepted a job in a small town about an hour away from where we live; as a result, we now have the choice of moving our family closer to his work or staying in our comfort zone and him continuing to commute. We feel God played a very active part in him getting this job. Everything that we prayed about fell into place and we felt God answering our prayers throughout the process, so we find ourselves questioning why we can't seem to decide what God's will is in our deciding whether to move or stay? Some days I feel strongly about moving and other days I feel just as strongly against it. We have prayed about it- but maybe not enough. We have talked about it- maybe to much. We have listed the pros and the cons- maybe that was just a bad idea to begin with. We tell ourselves it is for the sake of our children and their future that we don't just pack up and go but maybe for their sake we should. As you can see, we are truly on the fence so I just decided to quit worrying about it and take a break, after all we have time, we like our house and we have to do things to it before we could even put it on the market and with the economy it could be even longer. Gas is cheaper so the commute is not so bad- so I decided to just let it go and then it happened- God spoke.
My Life Group (Sunday School) lesson yesterday- discerning God's will for your life. My teacher listed four factors to consider in seeking the will of God: 1. Listen to the Holy Spirit as you study God's word. 2. ask for counsel from mature godly christians. 3. Use your God-given common sense. (that one is a little scary- for me anyways) 4. courageously obey God's will once you have discerned it. ( this one is the most difficult) I began to realize that I haven't really done any of these things- I have been relying on my own methods and ideas to decide what I think God's will would be, but haven't really considered thinking it through God's way. I have to begin again and get out of the way and then maybe I can begin to see the direction God is leading.
Tommorrow we are going to go visit the area so we can see what it has to offer our family. I am praying God will begin to lead us in the right direction, but first I may have to spend some time at their local Walmart.
" Do not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is." Romans 12:2
A few months ago my husband accepted a job in a small town about an hour away from where we live; as a result, we now have the choice of moving our family closer to his work or staying in our comfort zone and him continuing to commute. We feel God played a very active part in him getting this job. Everything that we prayed about fell into place and we felt God answering our prayers throughout the process, so we find ourselves questioning why we can't seem to decide what God's will is in our deciding whether to move or stay? Some days I feel strongly about moving and other days I feel just as strongly against it. We have prayed about it- but maybe not enough. We have talked about it- maybe to much. We have listed the pros and the cons- maybe that was just a bad idea to begin with. We tell ourselves it is for the sake of our children and their future that we don't just pack up and go but maybe for their sake we should. As you can see, we are truly on the fence so I just decided to quit worrying about it and take a break, after all we have time, we like our house and we have to do things to it before we could even put it on the market and with the economy it could be even longer. Gas is cheaper so the commute is not so bad- so I decided to just let it go and then it happened- God spoke.
My Life Group (Sunday School) lesson yesterday- discerning God's will for your life. My teacher listed four factors to consider in seeking the will of God: 1. Listen to the Holy Spirit as you study God's word. 2. ask for counsel from mature godly christians. 3. Use your God-given common sense. (that one is a little scary- for me anyways) 4. courageously obey God's will once you have discerned it. ( this one is the most difficult) I began to realize that I haven't really done any of these things- I have been relying on my own methods and ideas to decide what I think God's will would be, but haven't really considered thinking it through God's way. I have to begin again and get out of the way and then maybe I can begin to see the direction God is leading.
Tommorrow we are going to go visit the area so we can see what it has to offer our family. I am praying God will begin to lead us in the right direction, but first I may have to spend some time at their local Walmart.
" Do not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is." Romans 12:2
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Victoria
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My four year old Emma is very artistic and creative. Her imagination is endless and as a result she spends most of her life in a fantasy world full of baby dolls, princesses and fairies. She can build an entire script in her mind and act it out without ever coming out of character. She can turn seemingly mundane tasks into a game or adventure. For example cleaning her room can turn into Cinderella cleaning the castle or while we shop at Walmart for groceries- she is buying supplies for Emily and Pig (her favorite doll and sleep toy). While I am thrilled that she is so creative I spend a lot of time telling her to focus. Emma, please focus on what your supposed to be doing... I ask myself where does she get her lack of focus from? Unfortunately I have to say probably from me- her mother, who also seems to lack focus. I often start projects and then lose focus and move on to something else. I spend a lot of time saying I am going to "catch up" on things but not a lot of time actually doing it. God has blessed my family in 2008 with health for myself and my family, my husband continuing to have a job, a church family that loves and continues to grow, a home to live in and food on our table, while a lot of the world goes hungry, and the list could go on and on; however I feel God telling me to focus in 2009. Since I don't make resolutions, because I never focus long enough to keep them, I do want to make a list of things that I need to "focus" on in 2009:
-God's will for me. I say I want to do God's will, but I don't spend enough time really searching for what that is. In 2009 I want to seek to know what God's will for my life is and I want to begin to live it.
-Others. I always see opportunities to help and serve others but a lot of times I find reasons why I can't do them. In 2009 I am going to focus on voluteering and serving others more. As my pastor says- "we look most like Christ when we serve."
-Family. I want to spend more quality time with family- not TV, not the computer, not work. Children grow up so fast and I don't want to miss anything.
-Finishing what I start. I am going to set a goal to finish projects that I have started and lost focus on-Bible studies, craft projects, home improvement, etc. I have a lot of unfinished projects that need to get done!
God, please help me to focus!!! ( even if I have to wear a tiara while doing it:D)
"Let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith." Hebrews 12 : 1b-2a
