When Life Gives You Presents...

You take the tissue paper and make snowballs! At least that is what we did this morning in the Peak house this morning.

I was busy trying to clean and organize a closet in our house this morning. It is one of those areas that things just end up in. As of recently, it has been a jumbled mess of diapers, wipes, and lots of gift bags filled with tissue paper. I started by pulling all of the tissue paper out of the bags to discard of. There was a colorful pile sitting next to me when a moment of inspiration struck! I wadded them all into balls and placed them in a bag. I sat the kids down on the couch and told them that a huge snow storm happened, dumped out the "snow balls" and started throwing them. They quickly jumped in and our living room became a flurry of color and full of laughter. It was such a special moment, that words don't even do it justice. 

So often I can get caught up in the tasks of the day and lose focus of what is important. I am thankful that today I made the choice to stop cleaning and start playing. 

Some of our snowballs

Emery jumping over the couch to avoid being hit

In the end, I still got my organizing done :)

Heavy Heart

I usually tend to look at all situations in life in light of the bigger picture. I know that my family and I are blessed in so many ways, that most people aren't. The situations that are the hardest for me to deal with involve my children. With that being said, I feel so incredibly stuck right now. My heart is heavy and I have cried many tears over what we are going to do when I go back to work after my pregnancy leave. Our current situation was/is fine for Moses and Emery, but will not be with Amariah. I literally have never felt more helpless as a mom. I absolutely have to work, at least for the time being, but childcare is so expensive, especially with an infant. 

I am not really sure where I am going with this... I guess it would be wonderful if you could all pray for God's direction and wisdom for our family. For His provision. For His good and perfect will. Also, if you know a nanny that would be a good fit for our family (live in or out) please send them my way or if you have any other suggestions regarding childcare, please let me know. 

Brothers+Sisters=BFF

One thing that I have really enjoyed about being home, has been watching my kids interact. I don't know if it is because of the new baby or because Emery is a little bit older, but Moses and Emery are the best of friends. They have such huge imaginations and play all sorts of fun things together. They love each other and look out for one another. If one of them is not happy the other is genuinely concerned. It really melts my heart. They have also developed a deep love for Amariah (Emery's is a little more hit and miss) and they always want to hold her and shower her with kisses. When I see the love that they have for each other, my heart couldn't be happier, and I pray that they will always have a close bond. 

Excuse the poor quality...Here are so sibling love pictures

The other day Moses and Emery would not take a nap. We could hear them giggling and whispering so we knew they were up to something. When we  checked on them they had set up a tent in their room, moved all their bedding into it, and decided to camp out together for their nap. Once again, we have Curious George to thank, because we had just read a story about when George went camping in a tent. 

Community

About six months after we moved to California, I was having a conversation with someone and they asked me the area that I wanted to grow in most as a person. I quickly answered community with others. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that Jarrell and I never had community in the other places that we lived, but we moved so often that it was hard for us to stay connected to people. It made me guarded and not want to open up fully to others, because I knew that we probably wouldn't be in that place long term, so I didn't want to develop deep attachments to others. I wasn't super intentional with relationships. God is good and He brought wonderful friends along in those seasons despite my attitude.

When we moved to California, I deeply desired community with roots. People that I knew and that knew me. People that I weathered many seasons of life with and that understood me. I knew this wouldn't happen overnight and knew that it would mean opening myself up to others. I can say currently I am experiencing the community I desired three years ago. Beautiful things don't just happen, they are made. This community was made through times of joy, pain, sorrow, lots of tears, laughs, honest conversations, big life changes and just life in general.

The past three weeks have been filled with so many blessings of this community that I am so completely overwhelmed with love. I truly have a full cup. We celebrated the birth of Amariah with so many friends. So many people have provided us with the most amazing meals. People have brought such thoughtful gifts for not only Amariah, but for Moses and Emery too. We have had people that came and visited us from hours away to catch up with us and to meet Amariah. People have watched Moses and Emery for us, so that we have time to rest and time to spend together.

Our lives are so rich and full because of this community that God has placed us in. I am so thankful that I have grown in this area as a person because I would be missing out on so much.

Heart Check

Recently I had a once in a lifetime type of experience. Several other people were present, but I am not sure they felt the same way, but God used this to challenge me and to start to transform my mind and my life. Vonette Bright (who was the wife of Bill Bright, the man who founded Campus Crusade, Jesus Film, Athletes in Action, etc.) came and spoke at Forest Home, the place where Jarrell and I work. Bill and Vonette Bright were shaped greatly by Henrietta Mears, the lady who founded Forest Home, and the ministry of Forest Home.

Vonette shared about her life, her and Bill's love story, how she came to know the Lord, the ministries that Bill started (and her role in them), her time with Miss Mears, and her time at Forest Home. The whole time you could tell how deeply in love she had been with her husband. She always spoke of him in the highest regard and beamed when she recounted their love story. What amazed me the most, was her unending support and complete surrender to God's plan for her husband's life and what her role was in that.

She was a complete servant, which wasn't always the case. Early in their marriage she asked God to transform her heart in the day to day events in her life. She said slowly her perspective changed and she became increasingly happy with even the smallest tasks. Due to her dependence on God, she may have been the most calm spirited, loving, gentle lady that I have ever been around. She is the type of wife and mother that I want to be.

I am not sure about you, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the day to day tasks. As much as I love my kids and my husband, at times I get tired of the endless amounts of dishes, laundry, cleaning, and cooking. I feel like I continually serve and to be honest, at times I get tired. At times I feel like my life she be much more glamorous than it is. It is at these times, that I need to be more like Vonette. I need to depend more on God and rely on him to transform my heart. My kids and husband are the most wonderful gifts that ever have been given to me and I want to be more content with serving them, even in the smallest things.

They Fit-Update #1

Yesterday I took Amariah to the doctor and I wanted to share two highlights with you all.

Less than a week ago, I posted about my post-pregnancy weight loss plans. If you missed it you can read about it here. I already have my first update for you all. I am so excited and shocked about the results. Here is a quick over view of my goals:

#1- To lose all the weight that I gained with Amariah

#2- To lose my post-Emery weight gain of 20 pounds

#3- Healthy range of weight for my height, I haven't landed on a number yet.

So, as of yesterday, I officially have met my first goal. Like I said in my last post, I don't own a scale, so I wasn't sure where I was at with this goal, but yesterday when I took Amariah to the doctor I weighed myself. Much to my surprise, I have already lost all the weight I gained with her +1 pound! So to reach my second goal, I need to lose 19 more pounds. I am really excited because right now I am not even trying and I am getting results, so I can't wait until I am actually exercising. One thing I do know, is that in this pregnancy I made better decisions regarding what I ate and those are continuing now. I only wish that I had made the same choices in pregnancies one and two, but I can't go back and change that, so I am focusing on now. I can't wait to share this journey, as I feel like it will help me stay on track to my goals. 

Amariah's appointment went really well too. It was her two week checkup and the doctor was hoping that she would get back up to her birth weight. She not only got back to her birth weight but gained an extra pound and two ounces, which was no surprise to me because she loves to eat. Here she is at two weeks old:

One day we will get a picture when she isn't sleeping! 

Fun Fall Festivities

Our weekend was filled with all kinds of Fall fun. On Saturday evening, we met a bunch of friends at the local pumpkin patch. All day the kids were excited to go, so by the time they got there, they were full of energy. Emery wanted to ride the ponies and Moses wanted to go down a massive inflatable tiger slide. Both of these events were ridiculously overpriced, but sometimes you have to give in and it is totally worth seeing the smiles on your kids' faces.  was busy attending to Miss Amariah, so I didn't get too many pictures...

Emery rode Oats and she didn't want Daddy' s help. She is getting so big!

On Monday evening, some friends through a spectacular Halloween party. Everything about it was very planned out and it was so fun. We played games, had yummy treats, made our own caramel apples, trick or treated at each person's bedroom door, and took fun photos. I really wished that we could have stayed longer, but it started late and the kids were melting down quickly. 

Moses and Devon with their mustaches

Moses showing off his caramel apple. 

Their little bags of candy. Thanks friends for thinking of the kids!

I laughed when I saw these lips...anyone remember these? I am trying really hard to get a picture with one of the kids using them, but they are a little freaked out by them.

On Monday evening, some friends through a spectacular Halloween party. Everything about it was well planned out and it was so fun. We played games, had yummy treats, made our own caramel apples, trick or treated at each person's bedroom door, and took fun photos. I really wished that we could have stayed longer, but it started late and the kids were melting down quickly. Tomorrow we are taking the kids to a Fall Festival at a local church to wrap up all the fun. They are more excited to play the games than to get the candy and I am sure they will have a blast. I hope that you all have a safe and fun Halloween.

J-E-L-L-O

I have already said this, but I absolutely love being home. I enjoy doing activities with the kids and just spending time with them. I had to run into Walmart the other day to pick something up and found this Jello Mold, which is all the characters of Phineas and Ferb, for $1.00 I knew Moses would love it. We have already used it four times and when we finish Moses always brainstorms what color we are going to do next.  I wish they sold these in Princess or Hello Kitty style, but couldn't seem to find any on the internet. 

We have been trying to spend a lot of time outside because winter will be coming here soon and the kids don't get out much after the snow falls. The other day we went on an adventure at camp across the Suspension Bridge. It was a pretty big deal. Moses loved it, Emery wasn't so sure. I am always amazed at what the kids notice that I don't and how the smallest things can bring them so much joy. Moses' favorite part of the trip was drawing in the sand with a stick. So simple. 

Now that the cooler weather is coming, I need your help...What are some of your favorite indoor activities to do with your kids?

They Fit!

I can't even begin to tell you all how ecstatic I am right now! As some of you read, this morning I decided to put on some of my pre-pregnancy jeans and they fit! I didn't even have to try and squeeze myself into them or anything. When I picked them up off the ground, I was not expecting them to fit at all, I was just simply curious as to how long it could potentially be until I wore them again. Now before some of you freak out, I am not on a crazy diet or anything like that. I am not on a diet at all. In fact, I am eating more now than ever. I attribute being able to wear my pants again to a few things: I didn't gain much weight at all in my pregnancy, I was extremely active the whole time, I ate fairly well, and Amariah is a power eater. All of these things didn't happen in my last pregnancies. 

I am very aware of the fact that I just had a baby, so I know that my body has some limitations right now, but I am intentionally planning on how I will live after those limitations are removed. I am setting very distinct goals and methods on how I plan to reach them, all being very healthy and realistic. The reason that I am doing this is because pre-Amariah I was very unhappy with my body and with myself. I had gained 20 pounds post-Emery and was the biggest I had ever been. I had a million excuses, I had two kids, I worked full time, I didn't have time to exercise, my eating habits weren't that bad, etc. All I have to say to that is those were all lies I told myself and I will not live by them any longer.

The fact of the matter is this, I love food and struggle with moderation. One of my bosses always used to say, "If you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else." In this case, I was saying yes to food and no to being healthy. I was saying yes to chocolate and peanut butter (a deadly combo for me) and no to being able to wear the clothes that I wanted to. 

So what is my end goal? My first goal is to lose all of the weight I had gained with Amariah. I don't have a scale nor plan on owning one for awhile, so I don't know if I have achieved that yet or not. My second goal is to lose the extra 20 pounds I gained after I had Emery. My last goal is to get into a healthy range of weight for my height. The end number doesn't matter to me. I just want to be healthy which means I will exercise regularly and consistently make healthy eating choices. 

Once I really begin this journey, which will be when my doctor releases me to exercise and when he recommends that I can safely reduce my calorie intake (in a way that doesn't affect nursing) I will be posting regularly about my progress. At the bottom I have included a goal picture of what I want to look like when than process is done. Mind you, this is not a time in my life when I was at my thinnest, yet a time when I regularly exercised and practiced some decent eating habits. I understand however, that I have had three children since this picture and my body may not be capable of reaching this point, so this is just an idea. (This isn't the best example either, but I seriously have very few pictures that show my body):

  

Coal into Diamonds

Since Amariah was born early in the morning, we only had to spend one night in the hospital with her, so I was discharged when she was a day and a half old. The next morning I woke up and was feeling great physically and emotionally, so I went on with a normal morning routine. I was in the kitchen warming some food up when all of a sudden I felt lightheaded, dizzy, and lost vision in my left eye. It was one of the craziest things I have experienced with my body. Frantically I started searching for my discharge papers, because I remember them mentioning something like this. After I found them I called my doctor right away, which is what the papers instructed, and he told me to go the emergency room immediately. I tried to convince him to allow me to come to his office, since I had a two day old baby and didn't want to expose her to the germs in the ER, but he insisted that was where I needed to be and casually mentioned something about a stroke due to post delivery preclampsia. At that moment, I freaked out a little bit because during a point in my pregnancy they were worried about this.

We made it down to the ER and had quite the frustrating experience. The other local hospital had experienced a chemical leak and was shut down, so everyone was being directed to the ER of our hospital, so it was crazy busy. With all of this being said, they did test upon test and ruled out all major post delivery complications and attributed it to a migraine (which I get frequently). 

This experience illuminated some faulty thinking that I had regarding God. See, during my whole pregnancy I was fearful of having a baby that had some sort of complications or serious medical problems. I thought that God had already given me two healthy babies, so I ran a higher risk of having one that wasn't healthy. How twisted is that thinking? That God would only allow me to have so much good in my life before He authored some bad. So when this experience happened, my mind immediately jumped to the worst possible diagnosis because I felt like it was what I deserved. How is it that I could think this? God loves me and has good plans for my life. Even if he allowed me to experience challenges in labor or the birth of a child with serious complications, it would be okay.

I know several people that have children with severe medical issues and all of them have said that their lives are better off because of it. Would they have ever planned for those things? Absolutely not, but they are better people because of the limitations of their children. So often we run from things that we are scared of, but don't realize that those things can become the deepest growing areas of our lives. That God can use those areas to shape our lives in deeper, more meaningful ways than we could ever realize.   Some of the most amazing people that I have met in life, are people that have embraced their circumstances (good and bad) and have allowed God to use those. It is a messy process, but it is a worthwhile process.

I will never be able to fully understand the horrible things that happen in this world. I will never be able to comprehend why innocent people are victimized in horrible ways. I will never be able to understand why sicknesses and illnesses happen. So often we blame those things on God. I have been there and done that in my life. The fact of the matter is this. God is good. He is love. He has incredible plans for each and every single one of our lives. Even when we don't understand, when we doubt, when we are afraid, when we feel like our heart is in a million pieces, we can find rest and peace in knowing that God is good and that He is in control.

I read this quote on someone's Facebook or Pinterest the other day and it really seems to fit:

Being Home

One of the best parts about having Amariah, besides Amariah herself, is that I will be staying at home for the next two months! While I am at home, I am going to make the most of it spending as much time as possible with the kids, catching up at stuff around the house, and trying out new recipes. I have already adjusted to the slower pace and love it very much. Today Jarrell stayed with Amariah while the kids and I went on a date. It was good to be able to give them all my focus and attention. Our first stop was to pick up some hot chocolate for the slightly chilly morning. After we left the coffeehouse, we headed out on a nature walk. One of the best things about where we live is that it is conducive to all kinds of outdoor adventures.

We started our walk by talking about the seasons, particularly fall. 

Next we played a game of Which is Bigger with pinecones, sticks, leaves, rocks, etc.

Our next activity was collecting acorns so we could practice our counting.

The final stop was the playground for some free play. I love listening to my kids, they have the biggest imaginations. While we were out we went on a bear hunt, played house, had a birthday party (of course), tip toed up to a witches' house and knocked on the door, and went rock climbing up a mountain. I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for us while I am home. 

Happy Birthday Amariah

My kids love birthdays. For them it isn't just about the presents or the cake. They love the decorations, people gathering together, balloons, the singing, but their favorite part is the candles. Almost every night they thank Jesus for birthdays (even if we haven't been to or had a party for weeks). We were really hesitant about the transition of Baby Amariah coming, so we always explained it as her birthday. Since it was her birthday, of course it called for a party. In my mind I thought we would bring home a cake, throw some candles on it, and sing Happy Birthday. 

I should have known better. The day that Amariah was coming home Moses asked a ton of questions about her party. Who was coming? What food would be there? What type of decorations? What type of cake? Jarrell quickly realized that both kids were expecting a full out party. When he got to the hospital, he relayed the information to me. The day the kids met Amariah was really hard on Mimi (she hid in a closet from the baby almost the whole time), so we decided that we needed to have this party for her and Moses. We knew that it would help them bond in a special way. So once we left the hospital, our first stop was Target where we picked up all the essentials. Hello Kitty became the decorations of choice. We were hoping that if Amariah liked Hello Kitty (which is Mimi's favorite) that Mimi would relate to her in some way. At this point,  I know that we probably sound crazy and like we over thought this whole thing, but in the end, it really was great for the kids. 

The party ended up being close to perfect, minus the fact that some very special people were missing. The kids loved celebrating Amariah and helping her blow out her candle:

Amariah's First Birthday Cake, with one candle (for one day old)

Singing Happy Birthday and getting ready to blow out the candle. (Thanks for the picture Jacob Kaiser)

Happy Birthday Amariah

Falling In Love With Fall

We have been so busy lately and there were so many things that I wanted to update all of you on, but never got around to. Basically, we have been enjoying the wonderful fall weather and spending our last month together as a family of four. I feel like it is such a bittersweet transition, definitely more sweet than bitter though :) Amariah will be joining us in approximately 5 days. I have already progressed quite a bit, so I am surprised that she hasn't made her entrance into the world yet. 

Some of the kids' favorite things to do right now are: skateboarding and bike riding, going down to the river, playing at the park, anything to do with Halloween (Moses wants to be a cowboy and Mimi wants to be Hello Kitty), and waiting for the snow (the kids are so excited to make snowmen). Also, Emery is really into dressing herself and the things that she comes up with are amazing! I can't believe I don't have any pictures to show you, but if you can imagine every type of accessory possible paired with pants, a tutu, a long sleeve shirt, and a short sleeve shirt, and two different shoes that is Emery's style. I always joke that if Heidi, Michael, or Nina saw her they would be seriously concerned about her styling and editing choices. (That is for all your Project Runway Lovers)

Here are some pictures to catch you all up... 

If you can't tell Emery was super excited for the pumpkin lollipop. She said, "Thank you mommy for getting this for me" at least twenty times

Emery is still super excited. Moses has never really understood the concept of lollipops

Emery conquering the monkey bars triangles (as she refers to them) with Daddy's help

Trying to do the climbing wall like Bubba.

Moses is proud of himself for making it to the top of the climbing wall

Daddy showed Moses a new way to go down the slide

I hope that you all are enjoying the fall weather as much as us!

Chocolate Covered, Mickey Mouse Strawberries

Yesterday I knew that I had a limited amount of time at home from the time that I got off work until I was leaving to go spend some time with girlfriends. As much as I need time away by myself, I can feel guilty taking that time away from the kids, but I know that balance for myself is important and healthy. Since this was planned, earlier in the week I thought of a special project that I knew that I could quickly do with Moses before I left, to spend some one on one time with him and make it a "special night" even though I was leaving. 

Thanks to inspiration of a friend, I picked up some strawberries, chocolate dip, and Mickey Mouse toothpicks to make chocolate covered strawberries, kid style. This is a super easy process that allows little hands to do the whole thing. Moses kept talking about future possibilites such as sprinkles, marshmallows, etc. so I feel like this will be a regular occurrence in our house. 

Here are some fun pictures:

Of course our Strawberries had to have Mickey Mouse toothpicks in them! This was such a fun project and it only took ten minutes total. We even threw in a little education in the mix with colors and counting, which is always good with Moses because I think that he is a kinesthetic learner. 

What are some activities that you enjoy doing with your children? I am always looking for fun little projects. 

Wise Words

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Our lives' are meant to be lived in community with one another and God. I am so thankful for all the relationships that God has blessed me with that make me feel loved, supported, cared for, and encouraged. I also love to be that person for people in my life. I was once again reminded of this today when my wonderful friends and coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower. I will be posting about that tomorrow, but just wanted to encourage you all with this verse tonight. 

A Trip to the Candy Store

I am at the point where I have to go to my OBGYN every week now. This is exciting because it means the end is so close, but also super annoying because my doctor is always running behind. I see him fairly early in the morning, so how he gets off track, I have no idea. His nurse put him on blast this morning though and told me that his first appointment was at 8:30 and he didn't show up to work until 9:15. Must be nice. Our whole family was is tow for my appointment this morning and anyone with small children knows that waiting 5 minutes, let alone an hour, in any setting is challenging. The kids were extremely well behaved and Moses had a lot of questions about how the baby was going to come out, which took a lot of creativity and redirecting in the answers. Since the kids' morning was absorbed by the appointment we decided to reward them for their behavior.

There is a really cute local candy store that makes everything in house, so I took the kids. It was so fun to watch them press their faces up to the cases and run back and forth excitedly trying to decided what to get. They both landed on chocolate covered, sprinkle marshmallows on a stick.

After we made it home, I put the kid's down for a nap and nesting mode kicked in. I started digging through all the boxes of Emery's baby clothes and separating them into piles to be washed. I organized them by sizes and decided what could be used for the different seasons. (Emery was born in summer and Amariah will be here is fall, which is significantly colder here) After that I made a list of things that I need want. Today it really hit me how drastically our lives are about to change. I am really excited for Amariah, but am also want to make the most of out of our last couple weeks being a family of four. 

Moses and Emery were both late, so I am wondering when Amariah will be here. If you have kids, were they early or late? 

Books, Babies & a Prayer Request

A Collection of Current Thoughts:

*I have been reading a book called Recapture by Becky White and it is amazing. It has literally transformed my thinking regarding the hard situations in our lives. I strongly reccommend this book to anyone that is going through a divorce, can't have a child, has experienced the death of a loved one, has miscarriaged, has been abused, has poor health, or is experiencing any type of harship really. Becky is incredibly gifted at intertwining her story, the book of Ruth, and the rest of the Bible to challenge your thinking regarding what she calls the famines of your life. (Which she defines as anything we were created to need but do not have). I have the awesome privelege of working along side Becky and she is as amazing & inspirational as her book.



Her book can be purchased here.

 

*The other day Jarrell and I made a trip to the Fashion District in Los Angeles for work. It is always a blast to go down there and I will be back soon to do some personal shopping! Seriously, you can get the best deals in the world. A couple highlights of the trip were:

 

 #1- As most of you know, we finally decided on a name for Baby Peak #3

 

#2- We stopped at an outlet mall on the way back because Jarrell insited he needed new shoes. (Side Note: He didn't end up with new shoes but did end up with new skateboard wheels and bearings. I think I was switch and baited) While he was looking at shoes, I went into a store that sells baby clothes that I had never seen before called Janie and Jack. They have the most adorable clothes, but I would not recommend shopping there because the average price item (for baby clothes) is in the $40-$50 range. However, I was able to pick up this adorable shirt for $5.99. My favorite color is turquoise and I fell in love with the pattern.

 

 



 

*Moses doesn't like the name we chose for Baby Peak #3, Amariah. He said we needed a new name, but we told him it was staying Amariah. He informed me that he was going to call her, "Princess." We will see how long this lasts and how much Emery likes that idea :)

 

*Speaking of Amariah, she should be here in +/- 30 days! It is so close, I can't believe it.

 

*I can't even put into words how incredibly thankful I am for all the wonderful people in my life. This past week there were so many reminders, some big and others small, about how much the people around me care about me and my family.

 

*I am addicted to Sour Brite Crawlers right now. So good and so bad, all at the same time.

 

 

The last thing is more of a prayer request... God is moving in some really awesome ways in our family right now. Jarrell has been added onto a rotation of leading worship at our church, which is his passion, and it has been so amazing. There are some opportunities/passions that God has laid on our hearts that look really promising, so please pray that God just makes them clear for us either way.

 

 

 



 



 

 



Home Is Wherever I am With You

Basically since I started writing my blog I have been trying to come up with a name that I loved for it. I knew that it wouldn't stay My Beautiful Life, but didn't know what it would become. Yesterday we were coming back from Disneyland singing one of Moses' favorite songs, which is called Home. It is originally by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, but was covered by a father and his young daughter. Moses loves the version with the dad and daughter and likes to think that he is the little person singing the song. If you haven't listened to it, you should because it is super cute:

 

Anyway, there is a line in this song that says "Home is Wherever I'm With You" and it resonates so deeply with me. Since I mainly blog about my family and this line makes me think about them, it just made sense to me. So My Beautiful Life is now Home Is Wherever I'm With You permanatley. Thanks to all who read my blog and have encouraged me to continue to share my life and story with you.

PS- As a little present to all of you who do read our blog... We have landed on a name for Baby Peak #3. Her name will be Amariah Eleanor Peak. I have read a couple of meanings for Amariah (depending on how it is translated) which are Gift of God or Promised by God, either way, I LOVE it.



If Grace Is an Ocean...

One of my greatest struggles is trying to control my temper. I get really upset over things that I shouldn't and most of the time, it happens before I even realize it. This is an area I have grown in tremendously since having kids, because I do not want it to affect them, so I am even more conscious of it. When I react out of anger, especially towards them, it breaks my heart and I can't even begin to tell you how sad and ashamed I feel.

For a couple years, we have pretty much avoided eating in a sit down restaurant with the kids, because it seems to be the perfect environment for complete meltdowns. The other night we were out eating dinner as a family which always puts me on edge. The kids were being extremely well behaved, so I was able to relax and enjoy it. Moses became impatient and reached for something across the table and spilled Mimi's drink everywhere. As liquid came rushing down the table and into Jarrell's lap, I remained calm. So calm, I shocked myself. Normally a situation like this would turn me into a raging monster. As Moses apologized over and over again, I kept telling him, it is okay we all make mistakes. We can clean up the mess, but next time you need to be patient and wait for us to help you. I silently prayed and thanked God for the changes that He has made in my life regarding my temper. 

As I was sitting there, all of a sudden something clicked with me. How often do I hastily make decisions and cause messes? How often do I do something in my own strength and make a mess? We are all like Moses. I am so thankful that God is patient with us. That He doesn't lose his temper with us. That He gently encourages us, even in the midst of discipline. In that moment, I became even more aware of how good God's grace is and much more thankful for it. 

The Baby Whisperer

Friends, we have had a breakthrough in our house! I am a little hesitant to write about it, but hopefully it continues to happen. Moses started walking at 10 months old. Right around the same time, he figured out how to climb out of his crib, so when he was still a little guy we had to transition him into a bed so he wouldn't hurt himself. It was so hard to contain him and make him understand that he needed to stay in his bed because he wasn't even a year old! This started the habit of him coming into our room every single night and getting in bed with us. At the time I was pregnant with Emery, so I constantly was tired and let him take naps with me, so we just set him up to want to sleep with us. 

Look at how little Moses was when he started climbing out of his crib!

Fastforward two years later and the kid still comes in our room. Emery never really had this problem until recently, but about three months agos, when we put her in a bed, she decided mommy and daddy's bed was better too! Trying to sleep with two kids in a bed is nearly impossible. Saturday night Jarrell ended up sleeping on the floor in our room because the kids were just taking up too much space. His neck hurt him really bad the next day. He decided enough was enough and we became determined to make the kids stay in their beds all night. This really is a better option for everyone, plus with Baby #3 on the way, we need to make sure the kids are in their room so they don't wake up everytime she wakes up.

The kids are so cuddly, Moses decided to sleep with Mimi

I have very little willpower when it comes to our kids (and I LOVE my sleep). I am thankful for Jarrell in this situation because he was determined to make it happen. Sunday night the babies woke up and came to our room and Jarrell took them back. Monday night the babies work up and came to our room and Jarrell took them back. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were a huge success, the babies stayed in their room the entire night! I think my husband in the baby whisperer. I can't tell you how much more rested I feel without two little lumps (as cute as they are) sleeping in our bed.

A Lazy Rainy Day

Yesterday was a lazy day. If I didn't have a doctor's appointment in the morning, I wouldn't have left the house. It was pouring down rain and I don't know about you, but days like that make me want to sleep. We were able to get a lot of cuddles in with the kids. Moses has been showing an interest in music lately, so Jarrell played guitar with him. It is so cute hearing Moses sing. He kept strumming notes on the guitar and tried to match them with his voice.

 

After the rain let up in the late afternoon, we were able to spend some time outside. Moses practiced his skateboarding. He is getting so fearless, it scares me. He does look super cute in his helmet and all his safety gear though. Mimi mainly wanted to play in the mud puddles. We discovered a pretty little waterfall by our house and she splashed around in there for a while. She was having the time of her life. I love how the smallest things bring kids joy and it reminds me to be thankful for the little things too.

 

Also, I was on Pinerest a lot yesterday looking up crockpot recipes. I feel like the only way that we will have meals for a while after I have Baby #3 is if I use the crockpot. I came up with a couple and one we are trying today... I will let you know how it goes. With that being said, Do you have favorite Crockpot recipes that you use? If so, please email them to me at jdf922@cccb.edu.

 



{Saving} Money, Money, Money

I absolutely love a good deal. When it comes to clothes for my kids, I refuse to pay full price because they can be crazy expensive. At times, I think this annoys Jarrell because I am constantly checking the clearance racks in stores, even if we were there the day before. I have been in Target one day with stuff for 30% off and the next day it is 75%, so you never know. A lot of the time I don 't end up with sizes that we need, but I store the clothes for the right time, and it saves us so much money. I bought a skirt at Target for $2.20 today which inspired me to share some of my recent savings with you. I am focusing on stuff that I have purchased for Baby Peak #3, since I don't really need anything, EVERYTHING I have bought for her has been on sale. (As before, I apologize for the poor picture quality from my phone).

Aden+Anais Security Blankets 

Cherokee Skirt

Genuine Baby Top (this picture doesn't do this justice)

Twinkle Specks PettiRomper and Lace Leggings*

 So let's add up the savings of these items:

Security Blankets: Originally $19.95, paid $7.50

Cherokee Skirt: Originally $8.00, paid $2.20

Genuine Baby Top: Originally $9.00, paid $4.00

PettiRomper: Originally $17.95, FREE

Lace Leggings: Originally $7.95, paid $3.01

Orignal Totals: $62.85, paid $16.71

That is 74% of the total price!

*I would totally recommend this site www.twinklespecks.com for cute dressy clothes for girls. The quality if good and the clothes are adorable. 

If you haven't been much of a bargain shopper, I would seriously recommend trying it. It is one way that I have been able to be a good steward of our families' money.

Fun Day Trip





Los Angeles

Today was such a fun day. Jarrell worked a long weekend, so we took an extra day off this week. A friend of Jarrell's, named Blaire, from North Carolina had recently moved to LA so we went out to visit her. On the way, I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and it was absolutely delicious. It made me feel like fall is just around the corner.

We met Blaire at The Grove and headed to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I have never actually had a good experienec at The Cheesecake Factory, so I was a little weary, but it ended up being wonderful. I had an amazing Chinese Chicken Salad for lunch, which was massive. The kids actually behaved fairly well, minus a pretty entertaining/embarassing moment by Emery. The restaurant had two levels and we were seated at the top next to the edge where the escalator brought people up. Emery thought it would be a good idea to throw the pepper shaker over the side and it dropped 20-30 feet down. Luckily, no one was on the escalator. The pepper shaker rode it's way back up the escalator and rejoined our table thanks to a kind hostess. Needeless to say, we moved Emery after that!

There is an amazing candy store that stared in New York called Dylan's Candy Bar and much to  my delight they opened one at The Grove a couple weeks ago, so we had to stop in. The kids ended up getting suckers that were about as big as their faces. It is always so fun to spoil your kids a little.

The kids with their suckers watching the water fountain.

On the way home the kids were so cute. Emery and Moses kept tapping their suckers together and screaming, "Clink" while giggling. (If you have ever seen Despicable Me you will understand this) After a while, Emery fell asleep but kept waking her up. Moses grabbed her hand and said,"It is okay Emery, I am right here." It was the sweetest thing. He is such a good big brother and I love watching them interact together. Nothing makes me happier than my family and I am so incredibly blessed by them.

Moses comforting Emery