It's been three months now since we decided to move and it's probably been that long since I last wrote on here. This summer has flown by for us. So many things have happened but during this whole time, one day at a time I've been saying good bye. Letting go and saying good bye are one of the hardest things for me to do. God has been so gracious to me, he's been preparing me and helping in ways I couldn't have thought of or imagined, even starting from the first post I've ever written on this blog , Not our home. Honestly in my heart I always knew that day would come and now it's here. 

My twins are potty trained! I can't be more excited, it was a long journey but it's behind us now. I've potty trained three times now and the first two were different then the last. I'll share my experiences to hopefully make someone's journey in this stage of life much smoother. 

First off, I want to say that kids are smart! Much smarter then we may think sometimes. They act up to what we expect of them. I'm learning this by comparing my oldest, with my youngest two. I still treat them as babies and they are to me, but when my oldest was eighteen months she did, said, and had more responsibility then they do at two and a half! They will live up to what you expect of them. 

I am so excited when the Lord answers my prayers!!

I've been noticing my kids behavior get a little disrespectful and independent. It started to concern me because I was going all out for them, taking them to beach and other places, and trust me I don't typically go out with them all to relax. But the response I would get back is rude and disrespectful behavior. It grieved me because I didn't want to stop treating them to fun activities but I saw no other solution. Of coarse I brought this issue to my dearest Father(God) and what do you know he answered and quite quickly actually.

The answer came in one word. CONNECTION.

God is faithful and answers our prayers. I will forever be grateful for that. 

{It's been a little tense in the house. The children and I have been having some difficult moments, conversations and testing of authority (as my father would call it). Raising kids is not an easy responsibility. So many times I find myself not knowing what to say or do.

I earnestly started to pray for wisdom not really knowing what that even fully meant or what to expect.

There is no formula to raising children or having a relationship with them. It's about being there and hearing them when they need you to. It's about listening to their heart between the lines. But it becomes tricky sometimes, to know how to differentiate between your child's heart and complaining. This is where hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit comes in key.  

My twins are two! I can't believe how fast the first two years flew by. I soaked in every moment of it but it's time to let go of them being babies. Although I really like this stage, all ages bring their own differences and joys! I think being two is really hard for a toddler, you don't know what to touch and what not to and it seems that anything that's fun is not allowed, right? The little ones are so confused sometimes, but it's real life and that's when discipline begins. They need to know right from wrong and how to obey quickly more then ever at this age, for their own safety. 

For those of you who have kids that are or were once two, you know whats it's like. Some people call them terrible two's, and for twins almost everyone says double the trouble. But I don't agree because it is how you make it.

Woke up yesterday morning with a a list of things to get done, mostly phone calls to make and all things that require quiet. And of coarse can't get any of it done until it's nap time in the house. Well the morning began, even if it was one of those days that you would rather do nothing. We had some worship time and after that, I began to get as much done as I could but I could sense the kids were not going to let me off so easy, so I asked the Lord to lead me and help me with my plans. I didn't even notice how but some time later I found myself out side with all my kiddos, snaking on macadamia nuts that my father had picked for us. The weather was so beautiful and the kiddos were so peaceful, laughing and playing together, it was a memorable moment. I love living here where we can pick fruit and nuts in our back yards all year round, it's absolutely amazing! I am thankful and content and spending precious time with my kiddos each day is the highlight of my life. 

Most of the time you hear of entitlement, it's related to kids and how to deal with entitlement in children. But when you step away and look inside, focus on yourself, you might actually find that there are plenty of things we each are entitled to, sometimes without even realizing it.

f I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness, not godliness.
If I scream at my children for every infraction,
and fault them for every mess they make,
but have not love,
my children become people-pleasers, not obedient children.

I don't know about you but I seem to always have something going on that I need to pray about. At times I start to feel guilty that I come to God so much with all my needs and requests. I was sharing how I felt with my mother and as always she spoke truth into my life that lifted the guilt. She said "don't even think for a moment that God feels burdened or doesn't want to hear your prayers, he is a loving and caring father who wants and loves to have us come to him."  It wasn't anything new but I needed to be reminded, that my Daddy can handle it ALL.  Unlike us, God does not have a limit to how much he can take, and that's why he tells us to bring all our worries and burdens to him. It's so good to know that he is always there inclining his ear to listen and to be there when we need him. In his word he says to ask and keep asking and we will receive, I know that he is always faithful to fulfill his word.

I can't imagine how to live without handing over my burdens to someone greater than myself.

I was telling my husband the other day that I am grateful to have Hope. True hope that doesn't fail. If I didn't know God, I don't know where my marriage would be. I would probably be too afraid of having children, writing or sharing what I'm going through with people. There is so much evil in this world and things seem to be getting worse. How do you live when there is no hope for a better tomorrow?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Gods love for us is incredible! Thank you Father God for sending your son and thank you Jesus for dying for us. May all come to experience the gift of knowing you and the love you have for us. 

I love Christmas time, it's so heart warming and wonderful. People are more open and friendly. It's a time to give and receive. A time to celebrate and remember our precious Savior and the reason he came. This Christmas season I've already received so many wonderful gifts from my Heavenly Daddy. I'd like to share a few of them with you because I'm so excited of how much our Father loves us. 

Ladies, girls, wives, mothers, etc.. I feel maybe some us need to be reminded of this today. We are daughters of the Most High God. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 

What does that mean exactly? Well it means that you are worth something, that you are visible, that you are so loved and adored, and you were created with a purpose and there is so much meaning to your life. 

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. 

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,