Struggling

Our church just started a new series called "Surplus". The whole idea is to get beyond the point of struggling and move to a place of surplus. This past weekend's sermon came with a hand-out in the bulletin to help you figure out where you stand (struggling, stable, solid, or surplus) in various areas (financially, physically, spiritually). As Jaye and I looked at the paper we immediately knew that we fit the "struggling" category when it came to our finances. Every bullet point for the classification of "struggling" applied to us and to be honest, it was pretty depressing.

I'll be the 1st to admit that I am not good with money. I am not and have never been a very good steward of the money we earn and the things we have been blessed with. I'm not sure what it is that causes me to feel the need to buy things that we don't need or things that I know are not budgeted for, but I am 100% guilty. I am horrible at only buying what is on the list, especially when it comes to Target! Since having kid #2 I've found that Amazon Prime is my new best friend...no more trips to Target with 2 little ones when I can order it online and have it arrive 2 days later! This has been good and bad.

Matthew 6 has always hit home with me, but usually in a way that convicts me. That whole "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" thing...it gets me every time. Every time I come across it I am reminded that my treasure and my heart very often tend to be in things, in material possessions. I have become quite the consumer of things that moth and rust destroy...not necessarily big things, but lots of little things that all tend to add up!

God has definitely been moving in my heart the past month or so when it comes to our finances and I have had to apologize for poor choices and lack of stewardship.It seems that I have been reminded of Matthew 6 many times over the past month, whether it be at church, in a quote, a book, etc. On Monday I read this quote: "The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." Again, back to "treasure". The place where my treasure is primarily places is not where I want to be and is definitely not where I want to end up.

So, all that being said, we have a long way to go but I think my heart and my head have finally reached an agreement that where I am at, is not where I want to be. We finally have a plan and an end is finally in sight...now I just need to focus my heart on Jesus and find my satisfaction in HIM and I think change may finally be in the works! I almost want to tattoo the word "treasure" in a place where I'd see it daily as a reminder to stop storing up earthly treasures and to instead, store up treasure is things that last and matter.

A boy and his food...

Hudson has recently discovered food! He got to the point where he'd watch our every bite and started reaching for whatever we were eating so we decided to give him some food of his own! His 1st food was banana and boy was that a mess! His 2nd was avocado, his 3rd was squash and he's had green beans and sweet potatoes since then too! He loves his food and gets upset now if we are eating and he is not!

Avocados were a hit!

1st banana

He's all about doing it himself already...uh oh!

A Visit to Mommy's Work (as a patient)

As if starting preschool on Wednesday morning wasn't eventful enough...We got to spend Wednesday night in the Emergency Department with Hope. After dinner we got her in the shower and were going to get her ready for bed as she'd had a long exciting day. While she was in the shower, I was sitting in the bathroom and she was leaning out the door to tell me all about school. Well, guess who slipped and fell. I knew from watching her fall that she had hit her chin so I picked her up from the floor of the tub, shower still running & Hope soaking wet. Once she stopped crying I sat down with her and turned her around so I could see where she was hurt. I discovered her mouth was bloody and called for Jaye to bring me a paper towel so I could wipe it clean to see what was bleeding. When she fell, she hit her chin and then bit her lip. She had a small laceration just under her lip @ the corner of her mouth. It was a clean cut, but it was deep. I called work and texted a picture of Hope's lip to one of the nurses and asked her to show one of the doctors and ask if I should bring Hope in or if there was something I could just do at home.

 They said she needed to come in. So...I got Hope dressed, she packed her backpack with things to do, Jaye combed her hair and then I quickly fed Hudson before we left. 

 

Thankfully we just walked back into the Emergency Dept. and didn't have to wait in the waiting room. They had a bed waiting for us. (the perks of working in the ED) As we drove to the ED I had talked with Hope about how they may fix her lip. She wasn't nervous or afraid at all & was excited to go to my work. 

After being seen by the resident and then the attending, they decided that stitches were the best choice because of the location of the laceration. They put some topical numbing liquid (LET) on her laceration and Hope and I watched a movie and made necklaces together while we waited the 30 minutes for it to work.

When it came time to fix her lip I was a little nervous about the lidocane they'd inject. Usually the lido is the worst part for kids when they need stitches because it burns/stings really bad. We used Buzzy (my favorite tool for pain-free pokes) and she didn't budge or flinch when they injected it. Praise God! She held completely still the whole time and watched a show on the iPad with my co-worker, the Child Life Specialist.

 Hope did an amazing job and everyone kept commenting on how impressed they were with her! That's my girl! I was such a proud Mommy!!!

 Once it was stitched up (2 stitches later), my co-worker brought her 2 prizes to choose from. Hope was so excited and thrilled with her jar filled with goodies!!! We were out the door about 2 hours after we walked in.

 On the drive home we stopped at Target (at 10:45pm) to pick up some hydrogen peroxide and neosporin and a little prize (she didn't cry or move...I think that deserves a prize). She was happy as can be and even got a few stickers given to her by the Target employee. As we were walking out the door she looked up at me and told me, "Mom, today is a awesome day because people keep giving me stuff!"

 

 Our drive home from Target was 5 minutes max...I think she was asleep before we even drove out of the parking lot! What a busy and exciting day she had!

Preschool!

 

Hope started preschool on Wednesday! We found an amazing little school that we fell in love with and now Hope gets to attend 2 days a week! A few weeks ago she got to pick out a new backpack & lunchbox and then this past Sunday we had "School celebration day" where we had lunch at her favorite place and she got to build a new stuffed animal at Build-A-Bear & pick school clothes for her bear. She's been counting down the sleeps until school started for 2 weeks now!

 

 When Jaye was little, his Mom used to draw monkey pictures/scenes on his napkins for lunch. Jaye drew/colored this fun napkin for Hope to find in her lunch on her 1st day!

 Ready to go to school!

 Hope's sweet teacher sent me this picture & it made my day! When I picked her up she was telling me how her teacher tried to pedal the bike so Hope could have a ride in the back and how Hope just laughed and laughed! I am so grateful for this great place & this new adventure for my girl!

More from our family photo shoot!

Super Dad!

 I've been reminded lately of what an incredible man I am married to! Watching the way he loves each of us so well has made my heart swell with pride and has made me so thankful for him!

 Whether it's making projects with Hope, getting Hudson ready for bed each night, pushing the stroller, wearing the Ergo, building amazing tents, playing legos, coloring pictures, playing XBox, grilling dinner, or cleaning house...he does it gladly. He provides for our family, he protects each one of us, he assures that our home is cared for and we have what we need. I am so grateful for this amazing man that I get to spend each day with and do life with!

 I am so grateful my kids get to grow up with such an amazing Daddy who pours into them and intentionally spends quality time with each of them, doing what they love. I love that he isn't ashamed to be a Dad and proudly wears the baby or carries the diaper bag (even when it was pink with flowers)!

 What a blessing it is to sit back some days and just watch him in action with our family...playing dress up with Hope or teaching her a new skill, snuggling with Hudson or showing him around the house!

 There are so many reasons why I love this man, but right now one of my favorite ones is the fact that he is a pretty amazing & wonderful Daddy to our kids! He dreams big for them and for us and we are all so blessed to call him ours!!!

My sweet Hope!

My house is extra quiet this morning as Hope got to have a sleep-over with her Grammy, Grampy, & Great Grandma last night. I thought I was going to enjoy the quiet, enjoy only having 1 little one this morning... but something is definitely missing! I surprisingly miss the constant chatter, the "Mom, I'm hungry", the "Mom, play with  me" and even the hum of cartoons in the background. This morning it was just Hudson and I and the occasional singing of his playmat or jumperoo. As much as the noise and constant go-go-go makes me crazy some morning, this morning has reminded me that I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I love my sweet little chatterbox! I love the way she can dominate a conversation at a table full of grown-ups. I love hearing about her "obstacle course" that she's imagined/dreamed up for us to do. I love her requests of "play with me" and "help me" or "Mom, let's pretend" or "Mom, let's play a game". She is definitely never at a loss for words and sometimes the things she comes up with make me laugh. Last week at Pretend City, I was showing her the big sandbox/beach area (which I thought she's love to play in). When she looked at the sand, she looked back at me and said, "Mom, I'd rather not get my dress all dirty in the sand"...Okay, good point...but since when did we care about getting dirty?!? She's growing up so fast!

As I sat watching Hudson and encouraging him at play this morning, I couldn't help but think about how different his morning must seem without his sister around. No constant kissing, no getting right up in his face to tell him, "Brother, I love you so so so so so so so so soooooooooooooooooo much!". It was almost as if he was looking around for his best friend, his favorite person in the whole wide world, his daily source of smiles and joy!

Tomorrow she starts preschool. For the first time in 4 years my not-so-little girl will get to venture on her own for 4 hours, twice a week. I am soooo excited for her to explore, to learn, to grow, to make new friends and learn to be a good listener and follow directions. We have celebrated the best we can this past week or so as we get ready for preschool to start. She picked a new backpack & lunchbox. We took her to lunch at her favorite place and Daddy suggested we visit Build-A-Bear and dress her new bear in back-to-school clothes...all part of our "school celebration"! Daddy built her an amazingly HUGE tent to sleep in on Sunday night and we even had a dinner-picnic in it. We want our girl to know that we are so excited for her and we want her to know that this is a big deal and that she can do it!

I've been saying for weeks how excited I am for the peace and quiet those 2 mornings a week, but truth-be-told...I'm going to miss her. It's only a few hours, 2 times a week, but I know I'm going to look forward to picking her up and hearing all about her day and resuming our normal pace, filled with the constant chatter of my sweet Hope! I am so proud of the little girl that she is becoming. I love her sweet spirit, her great imagination, her creativity and ingenuity, her passion about praying at each meal! Why God chose us to be her parents is beyond me but I am so grateful for this precious gift that He has placed in our care and I am so excited to see the plans He has for her as she grows up!

So here's to preschool...to new adventures and new routines, to quieter mornings, and new things learned!