I’m forcing myself to sit down and write. I feel like I have had nothing to say for the last 6 months, so I haven’t bothered writing. Now, it’s time to just sit down and write. This post is more of an update than anything super profound. The last 6 months have been harder than the first with adding another child to the family. I’m not exactly sure why, but they just have been.
To risk sounding cliche, Continue reading
That’s how old my baby girl is today. Something about this little girl puts me in a pile of mush. Maybe it’s a girl thing? But, I could seriously die thinking of how fast 6 months went. The pain of her birth is already a distant memory. It’s already hard to remember those newborn coos. Time flies by with a bundle of laughs, tears, and kisses and hugs. It doesn’t stop for me to barely breathe.
I’ve never ever been a kid person. In fact, I have always said I would have 2 kids. A boy first and then a girl. Then I could be done. Crazy enough, that’s exactly what God blessed me with. A boy first and then a girl! But motherhood has rocked me in ways I never knew possible. I am experiencing life in ways I never did pre-kids and certainly experiencing love in an extra-special way. There are multiple times I look on my 2 children with so much contentment and love that I could burst, truly. If you are wondering whether you should have children, it is a crazy journey that you won’t regret. The hard moments are many, but the joy is out of this world.
I want to update you all on Lilia. A few observations about her from her short life so far.
It will be fun to see how these observations pan out.
Thank you, Lord for a small boy who loves his family with his whole heart. Thank you, Lord for a beautiful girl who already shines with strength and loveliness. I am beyond undeserving and will be eternally thankful for the gift of my 2 children.
In one half a year, I will have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Time, please be kind to us and not go *too* quickly.
This post has been in the back of my head for quite a while now. Life has been a bit more hectic than usual and finding time to sit down and blog proves to be harder than it used to be. But, tonight, my husband took our son out for a daddy/son night, so it gave me a chance to sit down and do this. Ironically, he is the focus of this post.
I run a Facebook group of about 1600+ moms. We see a lot of different posts. Anything from talking about children’s poops to asking for style advice to crying out for help because we are so sleep deprived that we can barely think. One trend I notice a lot in our group is a need to talk about marriage as well. I see a lot of women crying out to be noticed, to be helped, or to be appreciated. I don’t look at these posts as women bashing their husbands, but more like they are crying out for help. They are hurt and broken. Continue reading
Tired Parent: “Yah, my newborn woke up every 2 hours last night. I am so tired. My toddler is going through the terrible 2s on top of it. Try dealing with an explosive tantrum over not wanting milk, but wanting juice instead (when the kid asked for milk in the first place) while getting 3 hours of sleep the night before. Oh and don’t get me started on trying to go anywhere. It takes 30 min to just get out the door. Seriously, wait as long as you can before having kids. Enjoy your time as a couple, because it’s never the same again when you have children. . . But, they are worth it!”
I have heard this type of monologue many times when I was yet to become a mom. Then, I became a mom and I have spouted out this dialogue many times. It’s funny to me. We go on and on about the tortures of parenting and then tag on an “It’s worth it” on the end. But we don’t talk often about the “It’s so worth it” part. So that’s what this blog post is intended to do!
Look at those honeymoon babies. So rested. So free to do whatever we wanted. 🙂
Nathan and I got married with the thought of having children far into the future. We received a lot of pressure from the start to have children soon, but we were not interested. We always said we would wait about 5 years. Due to various roles in plays that I couldn’t pass up, we pushed that date a little further back. It took us a year to conceive Logan which put us at being married 7 years before we had our first child.
The little guy who made us parents
I heard the above dialogue many times! It really scared me to think that our lives would change so dramatically. But everyone said it was worth it, so I held on to that. We were definitely behind all of our other friends who already had 1 or 2 kids by the time we became parents. So, I have compassion for those that are waiting to have children. You may feel pressure. You may wonder if you are doing the right thing by waiting. And you certainly wonder if you can handle it. After all, your friend who is a new parent seems to be a walking zombie!
So, dear friend, here is the “it’s worth it.”
But, mostly, being a parent is seeing God’s love in a whole new way. I watch my toddler throw a tantrum and my eyes fill with tears knowing that that is EXACTLY how *I* look when I fight and struggle against God’s calling in my life. As a parent, I mostly fail at showing grace and love how Christ does in my life. And it is humbling to me to see myself through my child and to know that I am responsible for helping lead them and discipline them to the glory of God.
It is so worth it.
I am an honest blogger. I have always shared my struggles very openly with you all. But sometimes, we need to be reminded of the beautiful result of all of the struggling. My family is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So all of the hard times; they really are worth it.
We may have been rested and free to do whatever we wanted 9 years ago on our honeymoon, but we didn’t have 2 precious faces that looked at us like we were their whole world. We didn’t have 2 human beings that were a direct result of our vows of love to each other. It’s worth it.
My family. Could I be more blessed?!
So, if you are nervous or scared to start that new journey called parenthood. Don’t worry. You aren’t alone. And I promise. It’s not as bad as we can make it seem sometimes. So, yes, enjoy the sleep and the freedom, but know that God gives the grace when it’s time. You will be ready because He will have called you to start the journey. And it’s worth it.
I often get the question now, “So, is the transition to 2 harder or easier than 1?” In some ways, I feel like it’s a funny question. Like, of course taking care of 2 children (one being a child entering the terrible 2s) is more difficult than taking care of 1. When you add a child, no matter how many kids you have, you are adding another human being to take care of and keep alive! However, I am going to try and answer this question. Continue reading
It was about 4:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday, September 16th. I looked over at my sister who had been visiting since Monday and told her that something was up. I was feeling “different.” More crampy, but in an impending labor kind of way. Haha. Shortly after that, I started having mild contractions. Based on my last delivery, I knew that mild contractions didn’t necessarily mean anything and that this could go on for a few days. The contractions were consistent enough that I was pretty sure I was in early labor, and I knew I had a long night ahead of me. Because of the graciousness of God, I did sleep a little that evening in between contractions. I woke up pretty discouraged, but I had an appointment already that morning, so I was looking forward to that. Continue reading
Dear Logan,
Well, your baby sister is coming in about 4 weeks, give or take. I have no idea what to expect. I know the initial days will be long and hard and sleepless. But, overall, I’m not even sure what to expect. Not just because I will all of the sudden be a mommy to TWO of you, but also because all I have known is YOU. My spunky little boy.
I’m really not a huge Pinterest person. I get very overwhelmed by all the cuteness, and let’s be honest, I am NOT crafty. Thankfully, I have a builder husband who can take a picture and recreate it! So, when we decided to build, I became a Pinterest person for a few months. I thought some of you would be interested in seeing a few of our Pinterest Projects.
First, as an update – we are really enjoying our new home. Nathan has a huge gift. God has blessed him with a beautiful craft. He can take an old home and make it look brand new and he can also take a piece of land and build a beautiful new home on it from scratch. We decided to build from the ground up this time. A lot of people have asked for pictures, and I may post some in a blog post eventually. We shall see! If you would like to see my husband’s work, you can visit his website, http://greenvillehomebuilder.com. Continue reading
I’m not sure what I expected before I became a mom. I think you hope your child will be good and kind and gracious but at the end of the day you sort of *expect* that they WILL be. I’m surprised at my own surprise at my son’s sin nature. What did I expect? That I would have this perfect son who tells me he loves me all day long and plays quietly in a corner and eats all of his food without ever complaining? Well no. . . Or did I? Because I seem certainly taken by surprise by the child that wakes up every morning starting the day off with a battle. Continue reading
My husband and I went on a weekend trip without our little sweetheart for the first time a few weekends ago. I brought my kindle and was able to crack open a book (that wasn’t a Christian self-help book OR a parenting book that is) for the first time since Logan was born. I chose “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown. Continue reading
Investing in heavenly treasures
My messy life. Grief. Grace. Gospel. Good things.
Daily Joy 