blessed & thankful & settling in

So, a week has passed and we are settling in quite well, finally! Clara Grace had a hard time for a few days, not wanting me to leave her at all, and not going down for naps or at bedtime very easily, but I think she is finally getting used to her new surroundings.

In this short week that we have been here, we have already been to Wal-Mart like a million times, saved money by shopping at Kroger, established a new Friday tradition {library – lunch – thrifting}, gotten library cards, met {and loved!} our new pediatrician {because Benjamin needed to go}, been to 1 area wide singing {loved it!}, and did I mention we’ve been to Wal-Mart a million times? ha!

Clara has also gotten sick during this time but I am hoping that she will soon be on the mend… and if not, we’ll be headed back to our new pediatrician to get her well! I certainly do not want to spend Thanksgiving at home with her while everyone else eats turkey!

Benjamin and Clara are sharing a room and so far things are going pretty well with that. Somehow Benjamin doesn’t wake up at night when she is crying which amazes me. Here’s there little setup:

 

So, not too shabby.

As for me… well as soon as Clara started getting more used to the whole thing, I started feeling less stressed and that’s been wonderful. It’s not so bad being in this little apartment… especially knowing we will only be here for a short time.

And as for the place we are… we are blessed and we are thankful.

perhaps the acknowledgements before our next chapter?

Wow... I can't believe that we are moving tomorrow and we'll be starting our new work! I'm nervous and excited! Please keep us in your prayers as we start this new work.

I also want to just say this... I have been blown away not once, not twice, but three times in the past 6 years with my parents' generosity and hospitality and love and care as they have allowed us to stay with them during our transition periods. When Carl and I learned that he had been fired, I called my parents in tears, panicking, sobbing, because I was so scared and uncertain and okay I was pretty much just in freak-out mode. I was hurt and sad and so, so terrified. I was flipping out because we had to be out in three weeks, and that gives no time at all to find a new job and to figure out where we were going.

But my dad told me that night, “Please plan on being here in a few weeks.” – pretty much telling me to stop worrying, that we would be staying with them.

And let me also note that they have also extended their home to my brother and his wife in this time as they are in a transitional period as well. So that means, when we moved in, there were EIGHT people living under one roof.

I am blown away.

And really all I can think right now is that I want to be just like them. I want to take care of people when they need it. I want to extend love and hospitality and care.

My parents are so incredible, so Christ-like, godly, amazing… I could go on. I could, for pages and pages. I am so blessed and humbled and so, so, SO grateful.

Please continue to pray for my family as we continue on this adventure, this new journey. We covet your prayers and your friendship and support more than you know!

happy birthday to a little girl who is missed.

Today, I am thinking of the little girl who we fostered for that short time a couple months ago. Today is her birthday and it’s a day I had hoped at one point that we could be there for, where we could throw her a party and shower her with love and gifts and make her feel loved.

I don’t know where she is, or who she is with, or what’s going on with her but I pray that she is healthy, happy, and safe… and I hope she is having a wonderful birthday and I hope she feels loved.

Happy birthday, O!

 

We love you!

starting a new chapter.

I’m somewhat of a control freak, if I were to be totally honest with you about it. Not that I just like to control everything and everyone, but I like to have order in my life and know what is going to happen days in advance. I know that I need to be more flexible and I believe {read: hope} that I’m getting better at this… I’ve learned that I can’t control every situation and it’s a hard lesson to learn, but I’m learning it.

A lot of things have happened in the last few months that have turned me on my head, and I’m sure you all know this. At the spur of a moment, we agreed to foster a little girl, and while that only lasted a week and a half it really did turn my world upside down in regards to … well, perspective.

And then shortly thereafter, or actually during all of this, Carl lost his job and we were uprooted completely. I have anxiety about moving, so this just threw me completely. Having bills to pay and no job is stressful. Having to move back in with my parents, although I am SO THANKFUL for them, is stressful.

However… it’s not the first time we’ve had to do this. All those details were nothing new. But this time, we were leaving behind so many amazing friends, and people that we have grown to love so dearly. That has been the hardest of all.

Last time we were in this situation, it took almost 5 months to find a new job. But, I’m happy to say that 6 weeks after the fact, we know where we are going and we are so excited to be moving next weekend.

Excited, and also… really scared. Well, I am, anyway.

Because starting over somewhere new is kinda scary for me.

Deep breath. We’re about to start the next chapter of our ADVENTURE story!

Happy Halloween!

from the cutest ninja and most precious butterfly around!

Clara, you are seven months old!

 

You have done so much this past month that I don’t really know where to start! Well, you went  through your first move as we moved away from Demopolis, and the night we got to Nana and Papaw’s house, you decided to crawl for Papaw. Like, full-on crawling. And now, you are unstoppable! You’re so quiet when you crawl that we have to keep a good watch on you because your favorite thing to do is chew on wires, my little electrician.

You have decided that you don’t want to eat baby food, so we have gone straight into solids and you can’t get enough of it! You love to eat. You wouldn’t know it by looking at you because you’re still a petite little thing, but you do love to eat!

You still don’t like for your hands to be touched and you’re still pretty attached to me, but you’re getting better about that. You laugh a whole lot more lately and we love this! You especially laugh at your silly brother.

We love you, happy girl! You are such a sweet, sweet baby!

Running Toward God

Up until tonight, I have had a hard time dealing with bitterness and anger concerning the situation we’ve been having to deal with for the last two and a half weeks. I have been confused about why this has happened to my family, why God would allow us to face such uncertainty when we have a baby and a 4-year-old to provide for. Who are we to have to leave our home, our friends, our community?

But who am I to think that I should be exempt from any hardships? Who am I to think that my family shouldn’t have to face uncertainties? I am nothing, I am no better than anyone else.

But my God is everything. my God is powerful, my God cares and has told me that He WILL provide (Matthew 6:25-33).

Sometimes we are put in trials and the only thing we can really do is to run toward God. Maybe that is the lesson I’m supposed to take from this, or at least one of them. To run toward God.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10

So, up until tonight, I struggled with anger and “why me” and bitterness… but now, how can I be angry? I’m running toward God and what really could be wrong with running toward God? So maybe I should rejoice instead. I’m sad for the friends we are leaving behind. It makes me so incredibly sad to think about  that. But at the same time, I’m rejoicing, because I’m running toward God, and I know He will take care of us. Because He always has.