And then I was 30

This afternoon this picture came to me via text. :)
Hubs is on the main land and will spend the day tomorrow in NYC before a flight back here in the evening.

I miss him.

And, today I turned 30.

A Million little ways I know I'm loved

There were moments in these last many days that I have felt the arms of my Lord so close around me. It was in the dark moments when I heard the whispers of truth and it was on the mountain top days where I could sense His joy in me.  One of the ways the Lord works is though His body - the local Church. I can testify, and I will, how deeply loved and cared for I have been while my husband has been away. The body of Christ has comforted, protected, loved and treasured me. The character and person of Christ is shown through them - it. was. awesome.

Tomorrow I turn 30 years old and enter a whole new decade. It's crazy to think about. 30 years. But really I have been celebrating my birthday this entire week - thanks to my church family and friends. I got to open a few more gifts this week from the Haiti team families, and it has been so much fun. In total I've received:
- Oreos & tissues
-Starbucks card
- fluffy pink sugar cookies
- sparklers and an olive garden card
- 30 gold coins

And all this from people who I'm not even blood related to. On top of these things I've had a brunch in my honor, cards in the mail, a Vera Bradley bible cover, texts and emails from people praying for me, babysitting offers, new wall decor, kcups and creamer, dinners with friends in their homes, a breakfast play date, deep conversation, etc. It has been a once in a lifetime kind of week! I feel like a queen. :) But even above all those awesome things and the million little ways I've felt loved - I have sensed something even more, even greater. Like the body of Christ just helped paint a picture of the Love of my Savior for me. Only...without the screaming children, coffee stains, cake crumbs, and clothes saturating heat. I've never felt alone or abandoned, only Grace, mercy and refreshment. My soul was thirsty for it. Who would have even thought a week without ones spouse would bring that?

And now we begin the descent... Daddy flies to the States tomorrow and will be home with us {Lord Willing} Sunday night. I'm giddy. And, in true form, I have a LOT of housework to finish. :) I know two little girls who are more then ready for our leader to return.

Yep. We've had a few more tears as we get to the end of the week. It's time. :) Praise God for His Grace to this momma this week.

Let's be honest...this is hard.

All in the span of 15 hours things have gotten rough. The three year old is grumpy, disrespectful and just plain ol' acting awful. My wee babe is teething - which, I can handle. But still...more crying there. Nap time is not happening as the three year old is currently kicking her wall and protesting. I could just scream! And, it's hot. It reached over 100 yesterday and its lingering around that today again. So thankful for our central air!

It's no coincidence that the topic of God's Grace is presently on my mind. More specifically the character of God's grace from Psalm 145 -

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

When tempers are hot and patience runs dry and Momma's are missing daddy's... 

When the temptations to not even try surface...

When it seems like everyone in the house just cries all the time...

 I'm thankful for David's words of reminder about the character of MY God. Because on days like this I NEED, we NEED truth. We need to be reminded of WHO our God is and why we need to be like him - imitators... Christians.  Not for the purpose of just looking like Him, but for the ultimate goal of BEING like Him. 

There is a light at the end of this tunnel - it's called Sunday. 

But even when daddy is home and life normalizes - won't the battle against ourselves still wage? I have so much to learn. So thankful for my gracious God.

It's Wednesday...which means it's almost Sunday.

 

After a pretty calm day yesterday, we enjoyed a play date this morning.  The girls were exhausted and were practically begging to go down early for a nap once we got home. So here I sit - thinking about time and how it either seems to fly by or drags its feet. I'm feeling somewhere in the middle. It's hard to believe we are on day 6 without daddy, but also... we still have 4 more full days {and nights} to go.  This week has been so great and even pretty easy. Anyway, it's Wednesday...so, basically almost Sunday. :) 

Tonight we are having dinner at a friends house for which I am thankful. I just have not been feeling the whole cooking thing with hubby gone. The girls could care less what I serve them, really. I still try to keep it fun and healthy...but, so weird to only cook for little girls. We are excited to go eat with friends. And, as Ava reminds me, "play wif their toys". 

I got to open another birthday present today! A Starbucks gift card was tucked into a very sweet birthday card. Ah, so thankful. A gal could get used to this opening a present EVERY day for a week! I'm so humbled and thankful for this church family. So thankful for the Lords direction here and His constant provision and reminders of His love for us. 

Back to thinking about time...

I turn 30 in 3 days. 3 days. 

It's day FIVE up in here!

Half way point! Wooooo hoooo! 5 more days till hubs is home. We are all so eager to see and hug our daddy. We've kept busy and I'm actually feeling a little tired this morning. But, I'll blame most of that on the new Janette Oke book I started last night. It's an oldie but a goodie.... "A Woman named Damaris". Anyone read that... in the 90's? :) {btw, don't really click to look...just snagged it for an example} I def burnt a few hours of the late night candles to get part of the way through it. A few weeks ago my friend Andrea handed over a stack of these Oke "classics" and I've already polished off one!

 

We have kept busy around here. Yesterday we had a play date and lunch at a friends house. It was lovely. The kids feasted on Mac n' cheese and hotdogs while the mommas had those AH-MAZING Berry almond salads from Wendys :) Both our hubbys are away this week, so its wonderful to have each other to talk to, laugh with, and share heart issues with. I'm so thankful for those kinds of friendships the Lord is allowing me to build.

Last night Ava and I did some balloon painting - that was highly anticipated and asked about every half hour. ;) She did a great job and I was impressed with how she took her time and focused in on her task. Once it dries we'll frame it up and add it to her bedroom. 

And, not to be left out... little sis clawed at my legs for attention the whole time. :) 

After painting and all that fun - I found the girls doing this... 

Folks, I think we've entered the "tea party" stage. I'm so excited! I have Ava a few real glass tea cups and you would have thought I'd given her bars of gold. They play at this table all the time now - even now I'm watching them pretend to serve each other. Well, at least, Ava is. August is just smiling at the fact she's allowed to sit in the big girl chair.

I love these girls. I love this awesome responsibility. 

Continuing on with birthday gifts - today I got to open another one. 

So far I've opened: mint oreos & tissues - for times when I felt like crying I could grab a cookie instead, 30 gold coins for my 30th and golden birthday, and today... those amazing super soft sugar cookies with pink frosting. The card was so sweet and went with the cookie theme - about being a tough cookie while Brad was away, but to be a smart cookie if I needed anything. So creative! I love these people! And yes, all 3 of us have already had a cookie...before 9am. Hey, it's a special week after all! 

Today is kind of a down day, in the sense of not much going on. This morning is supposed to be play group at the beach day - but, wondering if the day off just might be more appropriate. I need to go to the store as we are completely out of fruit and I don't really have a plan for lunch or dinner. I'm thinking of turning half of our unfinished basement into a workout space, or, painting the upstairs hallway, or, doing nothing and just enjoying time with my ladies. 

5 more days... 

We can do this.

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

It's day #4 of daddy being in Haiti. It's a no communication type missions trip, so, what I know is: He is in Haiti, he is serving the Lord with the rest of his 18 team mates, He is probably sweating. :) I have googled the area several times where he is working - it's not pleasant. I'm really hoping and praying this experience impacts our team and that the Lord is glorified through it. I know He will be!

Happy Monday, by the way. I'm excited for this week. I have several things planned for my little ladies - play dates, new crafts, etc. Let's hop to some HHM! 

The weather:::

80's, 90's and even up to 100 this week. I've got the kids pool set up and full - even if I'm the only one who goes in. :)  Due to the tropical storm that went past Haiti, looks like they are in the same temps there. This might be a blessing as it's normally WAY hotter!

 
On my reading pile:::  
::   Bible. Book of 1 Kings.
::   "Julia's Last Hope" by Janette Oke
::   Finishing "Made to Crave" this week - hopefully.
::  A few chapters in "Strong Women Soft Hearts" for bible study.
 

On my TV:::

- Our cable picked up the NEW Disney Jr channel. Loving it. It's all preschool aged shows, no commercials and the cute Disney movies... 24 hours a day. Last night we watched, "The rescuers down under" - one I loved as a kid! 
- I'll admit that I watched some of the "Sister Wives" marathon last night on TLC. Ugh. It hurts my heart - they struggle so much and I find myself yelling at the TV, "because this is NOT God's plan for you!". Bah.

On the menu for this week:::

Yikes! With hubby away this week, I have minimal food planned in general.


Monday -  Some salad for mommy using whatever I have left in the fridge. Noodles for the girls.
Tuesday - baked hamburgers
Wednesday - Dinner at a friends house
Thursday - Dinner at a friends house
Friday - Brunch with a friend and... maybe eggs and toast for dinner.
Saturday - MY BIRTHDAY! Not sure.
Sunday - Whatever I can find in the freezer or cupboards, honestly.

On my to do list:::

Laundry
Clean first floor
Paint the upstairs hallway
Deep clean bathroom
Organize the hutch - I'm making a kids craft drawer, so all my things need to go!

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Well... Ava and I are doing LOTS of craft type things this week. We'll be doing some balloon painting and more finger painting later this week. Personally, not really doing much creating.

Homemaking Tips:::

If toys are broken, missing parts, or just not played with... GET RID OF THEM! 

I'm finding half of my overflow problem in this area is from toys or half-toys with no purpose! I don't know why I have such a hard time getting rid of stuff like that, but, it does help so much.

Looking around the house:::

My girls have trashed the living room. Toys, craft paper, sippy cups and books litter the entire floor. August is trying to climb onto the couch with her chubby 1 year old legs. Ava is still in her jammy shirt from sleeping. Disney Jr is on for a few minutes while I drink my coffee and mentally prepare for the day.

From the camera:::

30 golden coins for my GOLDEN birthday this week! If you didn't read my post from the weekend - here's whats happening...

The families of those who are in Haiti all got together and got me a birthday present to open every day this week until my birthday!  Yesterday I opened Mint Oreos and mini packages of tissues - cute, so if I need to cry I can have some chocolate and tissues. :) Today was the gold coins! How thoughtful is this?! I love it! 

Also - MY CAMERA STARTED WORKING AGAIN! woot woot! 

Something fun to share:::
The Gospel Coalition {for women} was this past week and apparently they are putting up all the sessions, plenary sessions and workshops online! Check it out here! 

I know I'm eager to listen to some of these when the girls are asleep in the evenings. We, women, NEED to hear truth!

On my prayer list:::

My husband in Haiti, and his team.

My children - especially my 3 year old who seems to be missing daddy so much already!

Diligence in getting things done around here

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Still loving 1 Kings - entering the part where Solomon's riches are described.

Day 3, and some tears.

Today is day 3. We spent a great morning at church followed by lunch and playtime at a friends house. It was lovely to spend the main meal with a family :) It's only three days in and I miss our chaotic, noisy, family dinners around our table. I'm so thankful for our church family who do an excellent job at being "family" to me during these times.

When I pulled up the driveway upon arriving home from the service - I found a gal from church and her soon standing on my back porch. I was surprised! They were holding what looked like presents and gift bags...curious. They brought the gifts inside and this is what I read:

You cannot know how blessed and special I felt in that moment. And still now. :) My 30th birthday week has begun and I'm so thankful for these people who love me and thought of me in such a special way! I get to open a gift a day and I'm giddy about it!

The girls and I are doing "ok" so far. Last night my biggest girl was struggling. She misses daddy so much, bedtime is usually his thing, complete with stories, rocking, etc. Big, fat, alligator tears just came and came - so we talked about daddy, we looked at pictures, and then changed the subject. I'm leaning so hard on the grace of God during those times, especially. I feel inadequate in those moments as a momma. How do I help my baby's breaking heart, when mine is aching too? Bah.

Tomorrow we start our full week. We'll have dinner and playtime at a friends house tomorrow night - and we have a craft and maybe a trip to the splash park for the morning/afternoon. Sounds like a good start to me! Thank you for praying for us and checking on us and loving us! Keep it up!