I've taken my kids to the Library before but they never were as excited as this last visit; this time we had a blast! There was a thunderstorm and we got soaked on our way inside.
All my kids love books and I'm so grateful. I love to find them reading (looking through the book) in their beds or a cozy spot. It calms them down as well as gives me some quiet during the day.
We've all heard this saying 'the days are long but the years are short' and its so true! My children are growing up so fast! I'm sad and happy at the same time. My twins aren't babies anymore, my four year old all of a sudden isn't a little boy, it's all about big boy now. And my oldest is so grown up and starting school already!
We've had lots of make believe story telling at our house lately. They are starting to see the world a little differently then they did when they were younger.
Recently there have been many weddings and all these new couples are waiting to have kiddos. While you are waiting, here's some things I would like to share with you as I have learned from my past so your time as a couple pre-children could be intentional and well spent with many memories made and no regrets later!
1. Enjoy the quiet time.
Anyone else sitting by a cozy (digital) fire listening to Christmas music? Yes I'm thinking about Christmas already and I know it's only July! I miss the cold and cozy evenings as a family, the peaceful spirit of the season, celebrating our precious Jesus' birthday, reading heart warming Christmas stories, sipping hot cocoa and making memories.
Forgiveness. It's a word we have all heard of at one point or another in our lives. I grew up saying sorry for everything, whether it was needed or not. I have been blessed with amazing parents and wonderful family and I will be forever grateful. My father taught me to apologize for everything and to be at peace with everyone as much as I am able to. My mother taught me to forgive even when the person who hurt me doesn't apologize. This exercise was very difficult to learn and hard to do especially with those closest to you. I thought I knew how it all worked but I still have much to learn. Just recently God has been taking this a step deeper for me.
I love, love, love to be a mommy! My kiddos are so precious and growing up so fast, I just try to soak in every moment I get to spend time with them and get to know them more. They seem to be changing all the time and watching them become their own person is so much fun!
What do you want to be when you grow up? Growing up I disliked that question,
Driving my daughter to school God reminded me of how fearfully and differently we are all made in the image of God.
Early in life and most of my marriage I had this false idea, that things would be better if they went my way and everyone thought more like me. I spent far too many years trying to make that happen. I am open to change and always asking the Lord to show me what I'm doing wrong or what I can improve in. He has been working on me and teaching me how to see His uniqueness in every person He has created.
God is so good and so faithful, and He always bends down to listen and not just that but He can read my thoughts!! (I already knew that lol) But seriously He cares soo much about the smallest detail of our lives that I'm still in awe of how much He loves us. Sometimes I'll just make a note to self in my thoughts about something to pray for later and God will answer that thought before I get around to my prayer time, it just make me feel special that with all He has to do and all the people in the world He is not too busy to know me and know my thoughts. (Matthew 6:8)
Last week my husband got my oldest daughter a dress and she absolutely loves it. At the preschool she attends they have a dress code Monday-Thursday, Friday is free day. So its a Tuesday and she just got the dress the night before and really really wants to wear it and keeps asking to. As im doing my bed, trying to stay on top of things, I'm getting a little annoyed that she won't just take no for an answer. In my mind I ask God for HELP, I really didn't want the morning to start off the wrong way for either of us. This whole time she is still trying to tell me how other kids in class sometimes come in out of dress code clothes and the teacher doesn't say anything and that she would not get in trouble wearing the dress and over and over it goes...(do any of your kids do this or is it just mine??)
In that moment as she was talking God clearly showed me that now is the time for me to teach her who she ultimately answers to. Yes teacher, mom, dad, friends, siblings might not always see or care and just let things slide but there is someone who is greater and sees everything, and not only that but he lives inside of us.
Wow! My days and weeks just fly by! I thought I was getting the hang of things but time is just not slowing down. Anyway this week I've been spring cleaning. Yes there is spring in Hawaii...sorta, lol. It gets warmer and mentally it's spring for me so I've been organizing, going though things, giving baby things away and it feels great! But I have noticed that I've been out of time and energy at the end of the day. Still too many things, so what I've been doing is putting things away into storage, specifically toys, lots of toys; they never seem to end and they don't clean themselves up. At our house the kiddos need to put their things in order and have their room nice and clean before bed. If they don't, I help them, by storing away more of their belongings until they can manage cleaning up what they play with without complaining.
I just love this song! I am not a song writer but if I was, this is the song I would write because it just sooo says what I'm feeling and living. When Kyle first suggested I start blogging I asked God for an answer, Yes or No. I got a few of them lol, and I kept asking for confirmation. One answer I got was if I am doing something for him then I'm not going against him and my fear is the worst reason to hold off on something. My relationship with God came to another level; sometimes I receive so much from him, I feel I can't contain it. I'm not a speaker or writer but if this can be a way for me to pour out what he shares with me so I can be filled again, I'll do the thing I fear most and step out on the water.
There is a desire that I believe is inside each of us to have a "perfect life." We want the perfect house, marriage, children, body, day and the list goes on! I have had this "perfection" desire deep down inside; sometimes without realizing my expectations. I feel like it should just all come together one day but just recently, I finally got it! My husband asked me "If God says to move, would you could you? I said "I could I would move if God told me so!" (we've been reading 'Green Eggs & Ham' to the kiddos. lol) I just spoke the right answer without really thinking about the question.
