Bethel is 2 years old!

Bethel turned two years old last Friday! Gosh, it is exciting! Exciting for so many reasons! But mostly because life is awesome and crazy for us right now with Darrell working on an online degree and us maneuvering through life with three kids under 4. And it's exciting to watch Bethel grow. Here's what she's been up to lately ...

- Her favorite shows: Little Einsteins, Dora the Explorer, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
- Her favorite things to do: Draw, drink tea out of a tea cup, sit in her high chair, look at books, play outside, play with glue, paint, and carry around tiny objects like coins.
- Some of her favorite things to eat: Macaroni and cheese, chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars, oatmeal, broccoli, cucumbers, strawberries, cantalope, watermelon, and apple sauce.
My favorite phrase that she says: "Oh, my dear!"

Bethel is super passionate and talkative. She cries at the drop of a hat when she's tired. She is not someone you want to wake up from a nap ... she needs a good 30 minutes on her own before she greets the world, or everyone will regret it! She likes giggling and running around with her sister until Haddie starts getting too rough or picking on her. And she likes holding her little brother. Bethel is a doll! So, so thankful she is mine!

Elisha is 1 month old!

Well, I'm guessing that all of Elisha's posts will be late because life with three kids is cray cray! But here it is ...

Our Elisha Daniel is a dream boat, and here's what he's been up to ...
- Not the best sleeper out of the three kids ... gives us a lot of 2-hour stretches, but he has given us a good number of 4-hour stretches, and maybe three 8-hour stretches.
- Very much our biggest piglet of the three kids ... he eats 4 ounces of formula every hour and a half!
- Loves to be held
- An early tummy-sleeper like the girls
- Likes laying on his back on the dining room table for decent lengths of time
- Started sleeping in his crib but has slowed down with his newborn nose congestion going in full-force
- Smiles but not quite in response to stimulus yet

He's pretty much the cutest ever! 😍

What mama's been up to ...
- Praying a lot! 😉
- Growing in my faith and as an individual more than ever before!
- Striving to be thankful in all circumstances, pray without ceasing, and tap into the power of the Holy Spirit so that I can grow and overcome each day as a wife and mama and Christ-follower
- Reading the book of Psalms, The Confident Mom by Joyce Meyer, and some mama devotionals on YouVersion.
- Loving my mamas' bible study group on Tuesday nights
- Hanging with the kids more while Darrell works on his Business Management degree
- Living in thankfulness for this incredibly tough and amazing season of life! ❤

Season of Sanctification

Well, being a full-time stay-at-home mom is definitely not helping my blogging presence. Ha! That's ok. I'm a mama first. And about to become a mama to THREE kiddos! Any day now, our Elisha Daniel will arrive on the scene. It's super exciting and scary! I can't wait to try mommin' a boy.

I've been thinking a lot about my outlook on life over the past year, and I think about it all the more with baby #3 arriving any day. I am in a season of hardcore sanctification! Motherhood is definitely THE hardest thing I've ever done. My perspective about pretty much every aspect of my life has been tested since becoming a mom.

Every single day I have to ask myself ...
Am I gonna choose joy today even if I'm exhausted, grouchy, burned out, bored, and just plain tired of putting my kids needs before my own?
Am I gonna be thankful no matter what?
Am I gonna choose to be selfless even when it's the hardest choice of my day?
Am I gonna do my very best to cherish the moments because I know that this season with my children is like a vapor?
Am I gonna press into Jesus through prayer and His Word in some capacity and keep growing that quality time with Him so that I can be the most powerful mama possible?
And so many other questions!

Some days, I really do a good job keeping my cool, being thankful, and taking deep breaths when needed. Some days, I wanna crawl into a hole because I know how I responded to that lip from my 3-year-old and the hitting back-and-forth from sister to sister and the fit thrown at bedtime. But everyday, I am learning to hold tightly to God's grace, ask for forgiveness and repent when I mess up, believe God is working in my momming and in my life for my good and His glory, and keep at it! I AM making progress. I AM becoming more like Jesus everyday. I AM chosen by God to be Hadassah and Bethel and Elisha's mama. And it may be the hardest thing E.V.E.R. But it is also THE most rewarding, fulfilling, and sanctifying thing, and I am so thankful for the privilege that is motherhood.

Help me, Jesus! Empower me with your perspective each day. Teach me mightily. And shower me with your grace and mercy to continually practice in all things rather than aim for perfection.



"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each morning. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him.'"
Lamentations 3:22-24

2017 and beyond!

Hello, 2018! Wow, I am excited to see you! 2017 was an amazing year full of new (and continued) lessons in my faith and about who I am and who I want to become. And I am looking forward to this year with joy, thankfulness, determination, practice, and excitement!

In 2017, I renewed my perspective about my physical health and lost 30 pounds!!! I started learning how to parent TWO kiddos under the age of 3. I took a step further in learning that I have to take care of myself spiritually, physically, and emotionally if I'm gonna take care of my family and reach out to others well (started practicing regular self care without guilt ... ok, with far less guilt ;)). I grew in my understanding of God's grace and took a step further in learning to practice in all things rather than be perfect. I finished out my first year as a Bible study group leader of young moms, and in 2018, it will become a Bible study based on Titus 2, where all women are welcome, and we will hopefully minister to each other, older to younger and younger to older. ... I know there is more that I'm forgetting.

So watch out, 2018, 'cause I'm ready to grow and change and overcome even more!

Bethel is one year old!

Yep, our sweet girlie number two is a year old! 13 months to be closer to exact. ;) It's been so fun to watch the differences in development and personality in our two spunky girls. They are both so full of spirit and personality ... some days they kill me with cuteness and/or attitude! :)

Bethel is the morning person in our family. When the rest of us are grumpin' it, she's all smiles and sweetness and ready to explore ... And eat! Haha! Bethel is a mama's girl. She wants me to hold her a lot these days. She's kind of confusing because one minute she's slapping me in the face with a huge smile on her own face and the next she's grinning at me and digging her face in to my chest to cuddle. Bethel really likes playing with blocks and wooden puzzles and balls. She likes to be seen and heard, so she squeals, yells, giggles, and makes all kinds of noise to get our attention. Some of her favorite foods are bananas, applesauce, Graham crackers, cheese, and yogurt. She likes drinking out of straws, especially mommy's big water glass. Bethel loves to giggle and play with her sister ... sadly, Haddie is not very good at sharing yet, so Beth gets pushed around and run over and her toys taken away from her quite a bit. But we're working on it. ;) Their giggling matches are adorable though! Bethel is still not walking, but her furniture-coasting skills are getting fast and fantastic. She also loves crawling all over the couch. She's a super happy kiddo, but she let's us know when she's ready for a nap. And she's got the cutest baby thighs around!

Mama is officially a full-time stay-at-home mom and loving it ... for the most part. ;) The days can be long, especially with daddy staying after work to study, but I am super thankful to be home with my girls. I try to practice thankfulness and cherishing the moments daily. The struggle is real some days, but it is constantly on my mind. I'm learning so much about myself in this season, including that I need to work on my tone with both my husband and my kids; I still struggle with perfectionism and self-condemnation; and an eternal perspective is something I can attain if I just keep practicing. And yes, I am insane, but I do have a bit of baby fever. ;) Just really loving being a mom and all that I'm learning through it. Thank you, Jesus!

Bethel is 11 months old!

This girlie's faces and smiles and noises are just the cutest!  She has been a bit fussy the past couple of weeks ... but she still brings me so much joy! I'm pretty sure her grumpies are because she's trying to pop her third tooth through the gums.  She is definitely on the go as well!  She is pulling herself up against tables and chairs and couches and anything and everything she can manage.  She hikes her booty up in the air a lot too.  She enjoys standing and exploring table tops, throwing everything to the floor.  She's also climbing the stairs too!  She surprised us with that for the first time yesterday, making it to the second step before we stopped her.  So the baby gate is back up at our place!  She's doing so well.  I'm so thankful for her amazing development!  She and Haddie are playing with each other (and driving each other crazy) more and more all the time.  I can't wait to see their interactions once Bethel is walking and running around with Haddie.  Bethel really likes to swing, be outside, explore anything and everything new, make her "o" face (pictured above!), eat regular food rather than baby food, and be held by her mama more and more often all the time.  She's a doll and a diva!  Love her!

Mama is full of excitement in this season of life as well!  I am just loving having time with my girls each day, and I'm looking forward to having more time with them in the next couple of months, as I will be making a transition to being a full-time stay-at-home mama.  I'm excited, nervous, and really looking forward to this new adventure!  I'm reading a handful of great books including Song of Solomon (in the NIV and NLT), Love Unending by Becky Thompson, and The New Dare to Discipline by James Dobson.  Actually, I'll be honest ... I'm not excited about Song of Solomon.  I have trouble seeing what's so great about a "love story" from a man with hundreds of wives and concubines.  But it's one of the three books of the Bible I haven't read yet, and I've been reading some other books about a godly view of sex lately ... so I thought, "what the hey!"  And Dare to Discipline has some good stuff in it, but I think it's kinda slow and dry.  I'm determined to finish both anyway though.  Haha!  But Love Unending is fantastic!  It's all about putting Scripture and practical ways to serve our husbands into practice each and every day.  Good read!  And a wonderful book to go through with my mamas' group!  I'm LOVING my mamas' group and being SUPER encouraged by my mama friends EVERY week!  I'm also excited and thankful that Darrell is working on a Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Management online.  I'm looking forward to seeing what doors God opens and watching my husband grow in confidence.  He's gonna be a KILLER manager someday!  And I'm praying hardcore for my best friend, Emily, whose husband is overseas with the Army for a year.  Those are the main things I'm up to these days.  Loving life!  Growing all the time in my faith and attitude and health goals.  Just super thankful for the mountaintop!

Bethel is 10 months old!

Gosh, I love this girl! She is the sweetest, most adorable, lovable baby I know! She is quite the diva, as my husband, and now my older daughter, call her. ;) We think she's gonna be full of personality, and perhaps, a bit of a drama queen. Haha! But what girl wouldn't when one minute your big sister is hugging you and the next she is hitting you ... and she takes away your toys ... and you gotta share your mama. ;) She's a good girlie.....full of random yells of displeasure or yells to simply get some attention, and she has the sweetest smile around!
Bethel started crawling at 9 1/2 months, and she took off fast from there! She's pulling up on coffee tables and chairs and couches but only up on her knees. She is very dynamic and makes a huge variety of noises and facial expressions. She loves to go after cords, eat any and every object she finds on the floor, and crawl after Haddie often. She must be pretty intimidating because Haddie runs away from her a lot and says, "save me!" Bethel will be able to hold her own as she gets older, I think. ;)
Bethel loves to swing on the playground, eat solid food much more than baby food, and she seems to enjoy playing by herself in her crib. She plays in her crib first thing in the mornings before I get her up for what seems to me to be quite a while. And I've been putting her down for quiet time every afternoon, and she plays quietly in her room for quite a while before she falls asleep! You better believe this mama knows she's blessed, and oh, I am so thankful!
I can't believe Beth is gonna be 11 months old in less than two weeks! Slow down, baby girl! What a privilege to be this girl's mama!

Oh, and I am simply enjoying this season with my girls, working part-time, growing in Jesus, reading some great books, loving my mamas' Bible study, and feeling challenged, alive, encouraged, and hopeful! Thank you, Jesus!

Bethel's 8 and 9-month posts!

Well, once again, I am super late with Bethel's monthly posts. I kept telling myself during her eighth month to get her post done, but I finally just decided to combine 8 and 9. Maybe I can make it my goal to stay caught up for the rest of the year ... it's only 3 more posts for crying out loud! Ha! Oh, the curse of being the second child!

Anyway! Bethel is up to so much these days! As her 8-month picture shows, she makes this scrunchy-nose face as she breathes heavy through her nose, and it is beyond adorable! She is quite the babbler, lots of baby sounds, grunts, squeals, yells, and screams! Her "words" include "had" and "dada". She is not crawling still, but she is a professional scooter, backwards and in circles. She's still trying to master going forward. But she's getting close to crawling! She's beginning to like pacifiers, chewing on them mostly. She enjoys crinkly-noise toys and rattle-sounding toys and spikey balls the best. She popped one tooth through about a month ago, and the others are taking their time following, no more just yet. She sits up well but can't get to a sitting position on her own. She is starting to explore getting herself down from sitting positions, but she often bonks her nose on the floor when she does. She's very good at picking up tiny objects, so we have to keep the floor picked up a bit better these days. She weighed over 22 pounds at her 9-month appointment. Bethel loves it when her sister makes her laugh. She likes peek-a-boo. She's a professional sleep fighter, doesn't take very long naps during the day but sleeps really well over night. She's eating lots more baby food and much less formula. She is a fairly good independent player, and we are slowly introducing her to quiet times in her crib in the afternoons from time to time. She enjoys sitting up, being outside, and anytime daddy gets home from work.

Mommy is loving this season as a mama! Yes, there are burn out days and days when I wish they would both take their nap at the same time and days when I'm ready to skip the bedtime routine and "clock out" at 8pm. But wow, I am loving it! Ready for number three, but we'll see how that goes. ;) God has been teaching me so much about thankfulness and worship and prayer and priorities in this season of my life! I have to fight for a thankful heart and wise attitudes to set the priorities that line up with God's priorities. I have to fight for the discipline to eat well and exercise regularly. I have to fight for the time to pray for others and prep for my moms' Bible study and simply breathe in God's presence. I have to fight for an attitude that says, "I'm gonna make everything I do worship ... whether dishes, diapers, drawing pictures, playdoh, no time to myself, cooking, spending 45 minutes feeding my baby in her bumbo, exhaustion ... I can turn these things into worship if I just refocus my attitude." And grace, sweet grace is always a lesson I'm enjoying learning. God is awesome! I'm so thankful for His work in my life!

Bethel is 7 months old!

Gosh, I love this beautiful, smiley daughter of mine! She and her big sister are my joys! Love, love, love being their mama!

Bethel turned 7 months old on June 2nd, and I think she's gonna really take off with her development any day now.
She is ....
~ rolling back and forth from back to belly constantly
~ beginning to rotate herself around in partial circles while she putters around on the floor
~ clapping often
~ laughing at all kinds of goofy faces and peek-a-boo
~ not a fan of people she doesn't know well, especially men
~ 21 pounds, 26.5 inches!
~ eating tons of baby food, yogurt, and bananas
~ grabbing everything she can get her hands on
~ occupying herself in her bumbo and saucer for good chunks of time
~ liking our morning playtimes outside
~ Starting to give kisses ... at least to mommy ... as of today ❤❤❤

Mama is totally enjoying this season of motherhood. I still get worn out. I'm still ready for them to be in bed by 8:00 every night. But wow, I am so thankful to be Bethel and Haddie's mom! I am ready to start trying for baby #3, but the practical side of life may keep us from that for a bit. *Sigh* ... So I'll just enjoy my girlies and continue growing and learning for now. Continuing to learn so much about thankfulness and practicing it too. I'm also continually trying to practice prayer for others and proper prioritizin'. Keep first things first and let unnecessary things go, ya know? It's a process, peeps! And I am completely in love with my young mamas' group! So excited and thankful for these friendships and weekly refreshment for my soul. Also! Darrell recently started a Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Management online, and we are super excited for the opportunities that will open up for our family. It feels amazing to have a plan in place and goals to work toward. So proud of my hubby! ... I just feel so thankful and alive and free! God is so faithful and so gracious!

Until next time! ;)

Haddie is 2 years old!

This spunky beauty is 2 years old already!  Haddie is full of personality and so much fun!  She can also be pretty stubborn and loud and crazy.  She's timid in new surroundings with new people, but she warms up pretty quickly.  She loves to play outside ... swings and slides are her favorite activities.  She likes to jump and run ... she hardly ever walks.  She smiles all the time, loves her pacifier, and is learning to brush her teeth.  She gives hugs and kisses every night.  Milk is her favorite drink, and she would drink tea all the time if we would let her, sweet or unsweet.  Haddie also likes to color and draw with just about any utensil ... markers are probably her favorite.  She would paint all the time if we were brave enough to let her.  She's pretty good about going down during quiet time, but she'd stay up all day and all night being silly and crazy if we'd let her ... we don't. ;)  Haddie is super smart ... she can already count to 10, knows all the uppercase letters of the alphabet, and knows the names of several colors and shapes.  And she can say all kinds of words and phrases, as well as, repeat a lot of things, whether we want her to or not. ;) She enjoys looking at books.  She likes animals, especially dogs.  She gets excited about trucks, trains, and airplanes.  Some of her favorite shows are Little Einsteins, Dora the Explorer, Daniel Tiger, Curious Buddies, Monster's Inc., and Finding Dory.  This sweet, spunky, stubborn, super awesome girlie has stolen our hearts, and we are so thankful the life we get to share with her!

Bethel's 5 & 6-month posts :)

 

Wow!  And I thought I was behind with Bethel's posts when I typed out her 4-month post.  Nope, this one takes the cake!  This will be Bethel's 5 and 6-month posts because #momlife is a REAL thing, folks!  Oh, well.  Sorry, Beth ... the woes of being the second born, I guess. ;)

This girl is so beautiful and chubby and happy and amazing!  We are so thankful for her beautiful, little life.  And of course, just like Haddie did (and is!), Bethel is growing like a weed!  She is learning to do all kinds of fun things.  She can roll from her back to her belly, but she's only done it a handful of times.  She grabs hold of everything, and of course, it goes straight to her mouth.  She is eating some solid food but not as much as her sister did at this age mostly because life is out of control with busyness most days!  But mama is working at it.  And sadly, it's not pureed food like Haddie's was.  Again ... woes of being the second born. ;)  I don't think she's hurting for food though. ;)  Bethel has this hilarious and adorable head bang that she does often.  She has all kinds of baby talk.  Her favorite sound is "da da."  It's always dad first ... geez. ;)  No teeth yet.  But surely, they will be here just around the corner.  She loves to sit up and watch what's going on, so she spends lots of time in her bumbo and saucer ... she lets us know when she gets bored and wants to be held. ;)  She likes to play with the baby hanging rings that you hang toys with, rattle-like toys, like her rudolph rattle toy and her rattle ball, and crinkly-sound toys.  She doesn't get much tummy time because mama is afraid she'll get trampled by her crazy, older sister.  She is a spitter, not much of a napper, but sleeping through the night (as far as we know), and she has a crush on her daddy.  I know there's plenty more to share, but that's all I have time for.

This mama is LOVING being a mama.  It's the hardest thing ever, but it's the most amazing too!  I am learning so much about grace, thankfulness, finding balance, choosing what's most important and saying yes to those things, growing in my health and fitness, excited about the young mamas' group I started at my church, and currently hearing my 2-year-old bang around in her room during "quiet time."  Should probably think about going to check on her soon, huh?  This mama is out for now!  We'll see if I can get Bethel's 7-month post up on time. ;)

Bethel is 4 months old!

Well, this post is oober later, but here it is! 4 months already! My dad came up to me yesterday and asked, "Does it seem like the days are just flying by?" And yes, yes they are!

What Bethel is doing and learning these days ....
Drinking sometimes 5, sometimes 6 ounces every 2-3 hours ~ Interacting with toys more ~ Exploring everything with her month ~ Shooting through her clothes - she will very soon be moved up to 6-9 month clothing! ~ cat nappin' throughout the day ~ Sleeping through the night a lot more consistently - whoop, whoop! ~ Becoming quite the little grabber ~ Still so chill ~ Growls and grunts a good amount ~ Likes to be rotated to new positions around the house ~ Has been sitting in her saucer and bumbo and doing so well in them ~ Holding herself up better when sitting and pushing herself up better when on her belly ~ Such a smiley girlie! :) ~ Got her first baby rash all over her body last week .... thankfully, Benadryl, prescribed by the doctor cleared it right up, and she was such a trooper! ~ Still as sweet as ever!

What Mama is doing and learning ...
BALANCE! ~ Giving myself grace ~ Rockin' my health bootcamp! ~ Trying to carve out more time for reading, Bible study, and prayer ... I'm gonna get this! ~ ADORING my young mamas' group - wow, it is life-giving! ~ Continuing to LOVE being a mom!! ~ eating so much better and exercising so much more than I ever have before! ~ Incredibly encouraged and thankful ~ Growing in pretty much every way all the time, it feels :) ~ Feeling empowered! ~ Excited for Spring!