Recent Fun-Sponsored by the Letter "C"

Crowns, Cookies & Caps

Lately I have been trying to do more intentional projects with Moses that are fun, but also educational. The other day we decided to make crowns out of paper and some elastic. We practiced cutting, taping, and coloring the crown. He did such a great job and loved running around the house pretending to be "King Moses"

A friend from work was selling some items as a fundraiser for her kids for sports, so I wanted to support her in this endeavor. I was really excited because they sold sugar cookie dough that looks like play dough. You can make your creations, bake them and eat them. I knew Moses would be really into this because he loves baking. It came in yesterday and I couldn't wait to bring it  home what Moses wanted to make. Much to my dismay, he said "Mickey's Spaceship" (I am not artistic so I was really worried about how this was going to turn out)

Here was our inspiration:

We got to work and I must say, I was really proud of how it turned out...

This activity was also extremely educational because we were able to talk about colors and shapes. As you can tell, we made Mickey's Spaceship, Mickey, and a couple of stars. 

Emery is turning into such a little Daddy's Girl. Whenever he goes somewhere, she walks into every room in the house calling for him to make sure that he is really gone. Jarrell almost always wears a baseball cap so whenever she sees it, and it isn't on his head she gets worried. She picks it up and says dada and tries to find him to give it to him. I snapped a few pictures of her putting it on though and she looks so cute.

The Best Part of My Day

The best part of my day comes when I walk in the door after work. Moses and Emery are both super excited to see Jarrell and I. Both of them run towards the door (Side Note: Emery running is the cutest thing ever. She can't keep up with herself so she ends up on her tippy toes and eventually falls flat on the floor where she bursts out in laughter) laughing and screaming. Moses usually jumps into my arms and says, "I love you, I love you." Emery says, "My Daddy!" and then we switch. It feels so wonderful to know our kids love us, miss us, and are excited to be with us. 

There is something so comforting about being home. It feels safe and secure here, in the midst of the craziness of life. At times, it can be chaotic and noisy but I wouldn't have it any other way. It means there is life happening here. 

Brother and Sister time. Moses was explaining to Emery about rain and singing
"If All the Raindrops." It is my prayer that they will continue to be good friends
throughout their entire lives.

 

A Good Reminder

As I have mentioned in some previous posts, my health is not great right now. I was feeling worse then normal the other day, so I decided to go to the emergency room. Normally I wouldn't take such drastic measures but it was going to be awhile until I was able to get into a doctor. I knew that I was having problems with my ovaries and I was right. The lady doing the sonogram said a couple times, "I can't believe that you were able to have children."

I didn't think about it too much at the time, but as I drove home those words kept echoing in my head. From the time I was a teenager, I was told I wouldn't be able to have children. Obviously at that time in my life, having kids was the furthest thing from my mind, so it never really bothered me. When my relationship with Jarrell got serious, and I realized how badly he wanted to be a father, I was worried. For the first time in my life, it sank in that more than likely that I wouldn't be able to have his children. I was scared that he wouldn't want to be with me, but we decided that if we couldn't have kids we would adopt. That was our plan, but God's plan was much different. 

A couple of months after having a really discouraging doctor's appointment (once again confirming that I probably wouldn't be able to get pregnant) I became pregnant with Moses. I didn't even know that I was pregnant until 13 weeks because in my mind it wasn't even a possibility. The timing wasn't great, we didn't have the financial situation that we wanted, and we weren't sure that we were "ready" for kids, but none of those things mattered to us because we were so overjoyed with the news that we were going to have a baby! Literally this was the most amazing, life changing news I probably have ever received. 

The sad thing is, I forget too easily how much God blessed us with the ability to have children. I take it for granted and am not thankful enough. I get overwhelmed with the busyness of life that comes with having two babies. I know a lot of people, who's stories don't end the way that mine did and I can only imagine the pain and the sadness that they experience and my heart and prayers go out to them. So, even in the midst of health problems, I was reminded of the amazing miracle that God did in my life. I hope that I continue to remember that woman's words, "It can't believe that you were able to have children" because those words humble me and create a deep gratefulness in me. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without these two amazing blessings:

Keeping It Real

You would think that by now I would know myself pretty well, but I am constantly learning about who I am. Some of the things are really important and are deep into the core of who I am as a person, while other things are small. The small things don't really define me as a person, but are preferences. I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately

We will start with the small things first because they are less personal.

I am a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf kind of girl. I just wish that hey had a drive thru because it is more convenient with two small children.

I really enjoy reading and wish that I had more time to devote to it.

Coke Zero >Diet Coke. Frozen Yogurt >Ice Cream. Iced Coffee>Hot Coffee.

Now that you are aware of a bunch of useless information regarding me, lets move on to the bigger things. I care deeply about all the people in my life whether they are supporting roles, minor roles, or extras that were in a couple of scenes and never show up again. It was not a surprise to me when I took the Strength Finders Test and got a result of Individualization. You can read more about it with the link, but in a nutshell it means that I love and have the ability to spot the differences in people. They inspire me and motivate me. For each person in my life, this is very true. Each unique print that you have left on my life is invaluable.

At this point and time you may wonder where I am going with this... I have known for awhile, but have recently learned to a greater extent, that I am incapable of adequately expressing my love for people.  I wish that all the people in my life could tap into the part of my heart that is represented by them and see that love, so that I did not have to try to communicate it or try to show it. At times, I fear what this may do to my marriage or to my relationships with my babies as they get older. It is my prayer that God changes my heart and teaches me to articulate my love and gratitude for others in real, beautiful, tangible ways. I hope as time passes, that you all will see a transformation in my life regarding this and will be blessed by it.

Things I Love

There are so many things that I am loving about life lately and I would love to share them with you all.

I have started working out again! This is a really big deal for me because I have always been healthy and every since I have had Moses and Emery, this has not been the case. I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and got some not so great news. It looks like I have liver problems (there is still a lot more testing to be done) and he told me that I wasn't healthy. I am not very old and I decided that I was going to take care of myself the best that I can which means I need to eat better and exercise. I have been doing HIIT workouts and running. I will keep you all posted on the results.

I learned how to make traditional Chai Tea and it is absolutely amazing. It is low in sugar, inexpensive, and easy. I am drinking a glass as I write this blog and it makes my heart happy :)

I got my first ever smart phone. I can't believe this is even on my list. My husband had to convince me to get it but I love my new Iphone.

Recently, a co-worker of mine asked me to lead a session at a Junior High Retreat for girls. I am not in love with speaking in front of a lot of people, but I am super excited about this awesome opportunity. The name of the conference is Seeds and is put on by Forest Home Ojai Valley, which is the other camp owned by the camp that I work at.

I have been reading/researching a lot about Henrietta Mears, which is the lady that founded Forest Home. She was an incredible lady and I am blessed to be a part of the work that she started so long ago.  She is such an influential, inspiring lady. There are several books written about her and I just recently finished the one called "Teacher"

Recently I got a haircut that I love. It is shorter and easier to manage.

I am definitely enjoying a slower pace these days. Working in the camping industry you don't have a summer. It is one of the most crazy, intense experiences of your life. I love it, but I am happy to be in a slower season for a little bit which means I get to spend more time with my husband and babies.

So it is nearly impossible to get a picture of Moses and Emery together, let alone a good one, but this one turned out pretty good. Moses is saying "Cheese" and Emery is saying "NO" :)

Moses helping me cook chicken enchiladas. I love his big cheesy smile.

My beautiful baby girl at 15 months.

Why I Am Not A SAHM

I am going to address a topic that is really hard for me to talk about on my blog today...

I am not a stay at home mom. I was the first 19 months of Moses' life and the first 4 of Emery's. I actually only planned on staying home for the first year of Moses' life and going back to work part time, but God had different plans. When Moses was six months old we moved to Southern California when Jarrell accepted a job at Forest Home. We quickly realized the cost of living in California was very high compared to what we were used to and I started looking for part time jobs immediately. I never found a job and I was thankful in a lot of ways because I found out I was pregnant with Emery and wanted to honor the commitment I made to myself to stay at home with Moses for a year, but it was so hard on our family. A job came along for me that was literally PERFECT for me, but it was (and had to be) full time. I knew that this is where God wanted me to be, but it was so hard for me to go back to work.

It has taken me a long time (I have been working for ten months) to be content with my situation. It is not easy for me to leave in the morning and there are so many days that I just want to cuddle up with my babies and call in sick. Days like today help me realize that my job is important, purposeful, and worth the sacrifice. I am truly blessed to work in a ministry that serves 800+ churches in Southern California. I get to see God work in amazing ways through peoples' lives every single day. I get to see God restore broken people. I get to work with an amazing team of people that have answered God's call to serve Him and I get to witness them use the talents that He has given them for His glory. I get to lead a team of people that passionately love God and though they aren't perfect, they love deeply, strive to be better, and teach me how to be a better version of myself everyday. I am thankful for where God has me even though it isn't always where I want to be. God's plan is so much bigger and more purposeful then we can ever begin to imagine. When things aren't going the way you think they should, remember that God is sovereign.

This is a picture of the beautiful place I am blessed to work at...

Just a couple more thoughts...

#1-Please respect working moms. There are so many times that other people (more than likely unknowingly) have made me feel like less of a mother because I don't stay home with my children. They make comments as if I don't want to be with my children or that I have my priorities in the wrong place, which leads me to point number two...

#2-There are so many things we don't know about people, their lives, and situations so don't assume other people's motives. Always believe the best.

#3-Seek to take part in God's Story. It is an adventure full of crazy turns, valleys, mountaintops, and unexpected circumstances but it is worth it.

Proud Mama

Today was a huge day for me and Mimi... Since Mimi was born, she has never successfully stayed in the nursery at church. Well today was the day my friends. I am so proud of her! She cried for about the first ten minutes but then she was fine. {I think her new baby doll helped} I was finally able to sit through a whole church service. She was all smiles when we picked her up.

I think that we may have a future lawyer on our hands. Moses is pretty skilled in negotiation for being two. When he used to ask for something and I would say, "no" he would reply with "just one?" Then I would say, "Zero." It didn't take him long to figure out that he needed more leverage. The other day he asked for something and I said "no" in which he replied, "Just two?" Once again I said, "no" and he replied, "Just one mama?" At that point I had no choice but to give in :) I wonder how long it will take for him to figure out how to ask for more...

This is completely a side note--> It is so crazy how certain songs can invoke such deep emotion in us and even take us back to certain moments in our lives... Are there songs that do that for you?