Brr.

Whoa. Bet you weren't expecting to see this face so up close and personal today! 

I dragged took the girls on a walk today even though the temps were only around 35 degrees and the wind was chill-ay. I need to move, get some exercise, just be outside and I figured the girls wouldn't mind. Well they kind of did, but they are stuck with me as their mama so they dealt with it.

We survived. 

Have a nice day!

Dedicated

We dedicated our girls to the Lord this weekend. Instead of baptizing our children, we choose to dedicate them. It's more for the parents than for the kids, because we understand that it is our responsibility and duty to do our very best to raise them to be believers in Jesus Christ. Making a public commitment can be useful in holding us accountable. If you are interested in more, here is a good article that explains the why's and when's and other FAQs. 

We hadn't dedicated Josie yet because we had been looking for a new church when she was a baby. Once we knew we were having another baby, it seemed easier to just wait and do them together. It was fun to have them share something like this. 

We picked Deuteronomy 6:5-7 as our verses for our girls.

5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

We invited our family to join us in church and then spent some time at our house afterwards to enjoy the beautiful day and each other's company. It was a great day! I'll let the pictures say the rest.

Some of our friends in our small group (Missional Community) came up to pray around us. It was so touching to feel their support and love.

Hubby changed clothes before we could get family pictures... good thing he kept it classy with his business's t-shirt.

So forced.

Much better.

The best we could get.

She wanted to hold both of her grandma's hands.

My nephew. He's a heart breaker already.

Someone (ahem) was done with pictures by this point.

Dean looks so much like his uncle did when he was a baby.

Playing with grandpa's glasses.

This girl is too smart. She lined up all of her farm animals around the ball of "food".

This girl is growing up too fast.

Such a mover, but even her profile makes me smile.

 

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

What a Week

But seriously, it's been crazy around here! Bullet points seem appropriate.

• We no longer have a foster child. It was supposed to be short-term (we found out the day of that he was leaving in the early afternoon) so we weren't taken by surprise. We have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, we don't feel like we really got a taste for what foster care is like since the first week is usually full of the unknowns like getting to know the child (who comes in as a total stranger with his/her own habits, character traits, and quirks). On the other hand, sometimes you just know if a child clicks with you right off the bat. It doesn't take longer than a few hours to figure that out. As always, the future is unclear. 
• Josie recovered for a total of two days before coming down with another cold. I swear I could fill a gallon milk jug with what comes out of her nose throughout the day. It is so gross and I feel terrible for her. On top of that, she has a wheezy, constant cough and is just tuckered out most of the time. 
• Tomorrow, we are getting the girls dedicated at church so I've been slowly prepping for the meal we will serve afterwards. We aren't making a huge production of it so I haven't been going overboard with planning. I'm just excited to spend some time with my family.
• Having three kids really showed me a lot. I forget sometimes that as kids age, they also mature. A five year old is much more helpful than an almost two year old so there were many times that things actually went smoother and faster. I had another person to help corral Josie so I had a little more flexibility going places that didn't include carts or strollers. Of course, there was also more whining, questions (oh, the questions), and the "I'm bored"s than we were used to. One thing I do know for sure is that I am not afraid of having more kids. I hear all the time that the jump from two to three is crazy and overwhelming (and of course usually its with a newborn that is needy and helpless) but I think I just need to remember that I am quite the "go with the flow" parent and so is hubby. Being a circus show doesn't really scare us much. We usually look for the humor and try to enjoy the crazy moments.
•  The weather is finally nice. Today, we are enjoying 65 degrees with a light wind and blue sky. I have pretty much forgotten what that is like! Audrey isn't a fan of the sun in her eyes (although she is usually laying down so it is really in her eyes) but other than that, we are all enjoying the freedom of coatless adventures outside. 
• With the upcoming summer season comes the dreadful closet stare down. I have been pregnant for the last two summers, so there isn't much there for options. Today, I tucked my pride in the trash can as I walked out of Walmart (yes, Walmart) with two bags of summer clothes. I want comfy, cheap, light clothes and they surprised me yet again with their selection. First perfect skinny jeans, now perfect summer dresses, shorts, and tops? Nice.
• I love having the windows open.  This post is all over the place. That is all.

Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!

A little Update

It's been quiet over here on this little blog. Having three kids in our house  has created a lot of chaos and adjustment and we are definitely being stretched in more ways than we are used to. 

Hubby heard someone describe it, "Our parenting has gone from one on one to zone defense" and that is exactly what it feels like! Having three kids around is definitely busier. It helps, though, that the newest child is also the oldest because he has been much more reliable than a newborn would be. He is able to do a lot of things on his own when I am too busy to help him with something (put his shoes on, eat his food, use the bathroom, etc) and while he has his needs that are different than the girls' needs, we are figuring it out. 

I'm finding myself unable to put into words what I would like to express here because of the privacy concerns with foster kids. It will be an adjustment for me as I'm used to sharing anything I feel like. It's hard for me to separate experiences with my kids (that I can share) and the experiences that include our foster child. Bear with me, I'll hopefully figure it out more and more as time goes on.

One thing I do know for sure, though, is that being busy like this is not such a bad thing. Yes, I'm completely exhausted by the end of the day (who am I kidding, by midday most days) but I have purpose and I know that I am following God's will, which is really what is important. I have no idea what the future holds for us with foster care (sound like a broken record yet?) but for now, I'm thankful to have heard His calling and for answering it.



Want to leave a comment? Click on the title of this post and scroll to the bottom. You'll see the comment section there. Can't wait to read what you have to say!