A Week to Forget...

Whew! What a week! Write this one down in the books as one to forget! Having a baby with a cold is no fun! All she wants is Mommy when she isn't feeling good. I feel so badly for her stuffy little nose & drainage in her ears, yet it is so hard to have patience with 7 nights of no sleep! Lexi & Petra also had slight colds/coughs the past week, so it's been a triple whammy. I'm sure those of you with kids know how easily they pass it around! Although I knew that Nova's whining had to do with not feeling good, I must admit that I lost it several times with all three of them in the past 4 days. I wish I could take it all back, but alas, I made wrong choices & am now stuck with the guilt of "going crazy". Isn't it amazing, though, how quickly young 'uns forgive & forget? Nova still prefers me over anyone else. She still reaches for me 24-7 and wants my hugs & kisses. She still smiles when I whisper in her ear (one of her favorite things) or tell her "Say, mooooo..." Forgetting that I got so frustrated when she wouldn't stop screaming or pushed her spoon away, flinging oatmeal & blueberries at breakfast & squash at lunch...all over the tray & mommy's arm. Yet, she still wants me to cuddle her before bed. And how Lexi & Petra seem to forget that I was so angry over a bowl of milk & cereal in Lexi's hair or Petra's fork somehow stabbing potato chips, creating yet another mess to clean up! Why would they still want me to read to them before naps, or tell me 500 times that they love me? Aaah, the love of little girls. How often I soon remember they are God's gift to me, one I don't deserve. Too often, I take them for granted. Too often, I lose my temper. Too often, I forget to extend the same love, comfort & grace to them that God offers me when I make a mess of my life! And so, I must ask their forgiveness & learn somehow, to remember to pause before discipline. I need to learn how to laugh at the milk dripping down Lexi's sweet face & see Petra's creativity with a fork! I must know that a cold only lasts 7-10 days, not forever, when my baby is extra fussy. I will somehow find a way to surrender my frustrations/anger to the One who has an endless patience for my childish ways & mistakes!

Just a note, here are the other "frustrating" things that happened this week. Most of you will look at these & laugh. Now that I am less stressed, I probably will think about the "cuteness" of my children:

1. Lexi & Petra both weigh 40-45 lbs, both are about an inch difference in height. Lexi told Petra she is too little to carry Nova (who is around 22 lbs.). I walk into their room to see Nova in a completely different location than where I'd left her! Who do you think carried her? Yep, Lexi! Hmmm...I guess 20 months makes you much more capable!

2. I asked Petra & Lexi to give Nova a FEW toys to play with in the living room. When I came back through, Nova had the entire basket of toys dumped over with Petra pushing all the toys around her. When I asked Petra why she gave her all of the toys, Petra replied, "She wouldn't tell me which ones she wanted!"

3. Lexi asks everyday to watch a movie first thing in the morning. Most days, I try to keep it under an hour & a half before lunch, but she doesn't understand why that's important. On Tuesday, she was begging. After a few times of telling her "no", I hear her tell Petra, "If Mommy would let us watch a movie, I bet I would quit bugging her about it!"

4. One thing I've learned about cleanup time: giving each daughter a specific area or group of toys to put away makes the job go faster. Most days, I get a good round of "I don't want to" or "Why do I have to do it? Why can't she?" Yesterday, I told Lexi to carry 2 things back to her room and Petra also 2 toys. Lexi took her time obeying, so Petra picked up all of hers & came back. She saw Lexi wasn't doing it, so she grabbed hers as well. Lexi's comment, "Petra, Mom told me to do that! Mommy, Petra did it for meeeee...You told me to do it! It's not fair!" How do you teach a 4 year old that when someone does your work for you, just say "thanks" and move on? That is definitely not something I complain about!

Have a blessed day! We love you all!

Hard Times...

I wonder if anyone has about $1 billion to spread around? We could use some! This month has been a time of financial crunch. When you have 3 daughters, a mortgage, van payment, groceries, electricity, phones, internet, fuel, little bills here & there, doctor...all these bills are cause of some major headaches! Times are tough, cost of living is high, income is low, and there is really nothing anyone can do about it! The bailout didn't seem to affect us much, anyone else? The stimulus check came & went, anyone else?

It is hard when you have to start cutting corners here & there, when you've been used to having little luxuries without it causing too much pain to the checkbook. We don't have cable/satellite, no credit cards (which is good as I would be tempted), no expensive hobbies, etc. And yet we still find ourselves in this situation. Internet will be the first to go, I guess. Something we take for granted already, even though we just got it 2 months ago.

The things I am extremely thankful for despite the economic crunch...our good health, aside from colds the girls caught this week and Chris' strange rash that started with athlete's foot. I am thankful for not having credit card debt (something we've avoided on purpose) or huge hospital bills to add on. For a warm home to shelter us from the chill outside. For a van that gets us here to there. I am thankful for my daughters' love no matter how often I seem to mess up. For Chris' love through hard times & his persistence to figure out how to take care of his family. For God's grace, blessings & provision, even when we can't always see His hand on us.

So, what I am saying is that despite all the bad things, there are others worse off than us. Those without their own home, transportation or a job to even get the basics. Those who have lost someone they love & those who don't know the Saviour I know. I have it all!

May Christ bless you as you go about your life this week. I pray all of you see God's hand in your lives, no matter your circumstances. God be with you!

Where in the World

I am curious to know...

If you found out you were dying and someone offered you an all-expense paid trip for you, your immediate family and 10 of your closest friends... where would you go?

This is not something I imagine will ever happen to me. First of all, I don't know anyone that wealthy! Second, there are so many places I want to visit. Third, I hope to not find out when I am going to die! I want to always be prepared for that event, ready if death surprises me. I am really not in a morbid mood, I was just wondering.

Hmmm...where would I go? Someplace warm, relaxing, with lots of possibility for adventure! I mean, heck, I've already jumped from a plane! Something to ponder!

Wedding is Done...

Whew! The busy weekend has come & gone. Chris' mom got married yesterday & I just want to say how beautiful & happy she looked. It doesn't matter what age the couple is, a wedding is always fun!

We started the weekend off with decorating all day on Friday, then rehearsal that night. May I just say, I do believe my daughters are the prettiest flower girls ever!!!! They were so excited & I was kind of nervous they wouldn't walk down the aisle in front of everyone. Lexi didn't want to at first on Friday, but I convinced her! She waited so long, she even counted down the days this last week. It was so cute to hear her tell people, "Grandma's wedding is on Saturday. First 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then only one day...and then it's time!" Not kidding, every single person she talked to!

Saturday morning, we woke the girls up at 6:30 to get their hair done at a friend's house (thank you Heather K.)! She made them look like such princesses! Look below for lots of pictures of my beautiful girls! Pictures were at Krider Gardens in Middlebury. It is the most perfect spot for outdoor photos.

At any rate, everything went perfectly for Mom & Dave the rest of the day. We are happy they found each other, although we will miss the girls' favorite babysitter and going to Mom's for supper. That is all I really have to write. I am ready to take a nap!

God's blessings to all!

2 Samuel 22: 31

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

What a great verse! His way is the only perfect one! If we follow his way, we will find refuge & strength in Him! We can follow our own way, he gives us that choice, but we will forever be searching for someone or something to give us strength, refuge, peace & love. I am so thankful today for his strength & love. When I follow his way, I am at peace!

Seven Years Together...

Wow! Has it really been 7 years? They say if you can make it thru the first 7 years, you can make it thru anything. My first question is "who says that"? Do the people who study these statistics make it thru the first 7 years? I know they just go by how many people actually stay married a lifetime. I know that most divorces happen in the first 7 years. I have heard of many that end after 20 years, though. Maybe those are the ones that didn't go through anything major the first 7 years, so they didn't have practice time for after the kids left. Maybe the ones that end in divorce early on are the ones that never really had a fighting chance to begin with? Why do marriages end in divorce anyway? Do those couples never really love each other when they say "I do"? Maybe they never have support of family or friends, no one rooting for them to make it. So many different things it could be...

There are times when I wonder where the years have gone. Other times, I wonder why it seems so long! So, here we are...7 years of marriage and 3 kids later... I am amazed when I look back & see what God began in our lives & see where we are now. In some ways, I don't think we've matured the way we should, and in other areas I know we have grown tremendously. There are experiences I never thought we would have to endure & there are things I am extremely grateful for. The ones I love to look back on are the births of all 3 of my babies. I have been blessed to have healthy pregnancies & easy deliveries compared to many women. I look back on these events & remember the happiness (along with exhaustion) that I felt! I remember feeling grateful for each healthy checkup, all the milestones reached & the pride of having extremely intelligent children! I also remember the fun times Chris & I have had with friends in the past 7 years. Going to Cedar Point (our favorite place) with Elva & Sharon Yoder for a weekend, and another year with a group of 3 other couples. Getting to know the Yoders has been one of God's major blessings in our life the past few years as they have 3 boys the same ages & have walked thru similar life experiences. In our first year of marriage, Chris went to a school for his CDL liscense (trucking). After being away from home & away from me for 3 months, I got to quit my job & go with him cross-country in the truck for 6 weeks. That was a fun time of travel for both of us as newlyweds.

Along with the good times, there were many hard/bad times. Before we were married, we walked thru the death of Chris' father and then the death of one of my close friends & her infant daughter. Of course, there's always the financial hard times, too. There were changes in our relationship with each daughter's birth that seemed to always get worse before better. I guess when you are young & in love, it's hard to imagine children will change your relationship. I always thought we would still be in love, even more so, but things do change & when I look back, I realize our love wasn't as strong as I thought. And now the past 6 months have been the hardest ever in our marriage. We have gone thru things I thought we knew how to avoid. We have gone thru things that have torn the strongest marriages apart, that have destroyed the strongest Christians faith in God. We have questioned God's love, our love, and the people we thought loved us. We are still going thru these feelings as we continue healing & working on our relationship. We continue to push thru the mud in hope that we will be stronger in our faith & in our love for each other.

So, I guess in all that I've said, my main point is WE MADE IT...thru the first 7 years, thru the good times, thru the bad times, thru the changes in ourselves, thru the battles Satan throws in our path, thru the blessings, thru the challenges of raising children (girls nonetheless), thru the testing of our faith, thru the paths that lead the wrong way, thru finding our way back to the right way, thru feeling in love one minute & out of love the next, thru times of contentedness, thru times of wanting something more... Granted, it hasn't been a lifetime, yet, but we beat the statistics so far! I am proud of us for sticking with it when we didn't want to & knowing that God has a higher calling for our marriage than what the world expects of us.

And now, one last thing I want to say. Happy anniversary, honey! I love you now, in this moment. You are the most precious 'thing' God has given me. In everything we have gone thru, you are more important to me than anything we have gone thru. You are & always will be the one I want & need to hold me at the end of the day. You are a wonderful father & husband in so many ways & I am learning to appreciate all that you do right in spite of the things I point out too often! I love you & saying "I do" is still the best decision I ever made!

God's blessings to all who read this!