Lincoln starts Kindergarten next week. And really, I'm pumped. Yes, I'm going to miss him in the house every day - after all, he is my little helper - but he has been waiting for this day to come for 2 years! His little personality thrives around others and I'm pretty confident the American school system will suit him well. The crazy part for me is recognizing this as my first "release". I'll be honest, had I a child to "release" 4 years ago, my mind frame would have been drastically different.
But over the past few years, the Lord has been dramatically cleaning house in mine and Jason's lives. Things I used to think were critical, pale in comparison to the glory of God and the narrow path of surrendering all to follow him. It's forced us to consider how we're raising our children. And I don't mean what we verbally teach and say to them (though important), but how they see us live our lives. We've wrestled through some tough questions lately, and though I feel we're still in the sanctification process on some of these, we have already begun to see layers peeled away as we strive, as a family, to really follow Jesus the way He commanded in the Bible.
Do they understand that we are wretched and in need of a Savior? Or are we expending all our energy making sure they are shielded from the realities of this truth, trying to make sure they follow every rule and never even engage with people who don't know Jesus? Not that they should be "little evangelists" but are we presenting them with a "cliche gospel" that only mingles with people like them, or a true Gospel that uncovers and displays the need for a Savior? And then what about the day-to-day way we live our lives in front of them? What do we spend our money and time on? How are we setting the stage and standard for the rest of their lives on what's important int he eyes of Jesus? These are some areas in particular that the Lord is really stretching us on (which means it's not very comfortable for me!), but they are questions, which answers have heavy consequences in what kind of "gospel" we present and teach our kids.
We have started on a quest as a family recently to teach the fruits of the spirit to our kids in a very practical way. Before, we had a "behavioral chart" that was Biblical (and not bad by any means!) where when we saw the kids demonstrating things like "sharing" or "diligence" we would give them a "star" as a reward. I have recently felt the Lord leading me in a different direction, however. I cringed one day when I praised Lincoln for sharing and subsequently told Noah he need to "try harder" at sharing.
I never want my kids to just "try harder" and I had been teaching them just that. Now there is a place for trying harder, but I want them to know they can do NOTHING apart from Christ and that every good and perfect gift comes from Him alone - not because of any merit in them.
So now we have on-going talks about the fruits of the spirit. That's our new "behavioral chart" per say, but instead, when I see them displaying a fruit, I call it out and we praise Jesus for giving that to them and placing that in their heart! He gets all the glory! And wouldn't you know, the boys are starting to look for ways to demonstrate fruits of the spirit, can now recognize a few of them when they see it, and Lincoln has prayed for specific ones for the past 2 days. Even better, I have also been on a journey with the Lord revealing to me areas that I quench the spirit. My 2 lately are JOY and LOVE. I do both miserably and it's been a not-so-fun, yet exceedingly rewarding journey for me to be on.
Anyway, I am excited to release Lincoln. I am excited for what the Lord might have with his life and I am even more excited to continue to teach him - even at age 5 - to have open hands to Jesus, ready to say "yes, I will follow You and forsake my comforts and treasures and abandon all to do whatever You will."
The past 2 days he has taken notice of my prayer journal (or "journey with Jesus" journal, I call it) and has asked me to write down his prayers. We did it yesterday and then he sat next to me this morning wanting to pray again and write them down.
His prayers brought tears to my eyes. In the past (like recent past) his prayers usually go something like this: "Dear God, I love you, please help me to be good. Amen".
These were his 5 prayers over the last 2 days which I hold dear and as great encouragement from the Lord as I release him for the first time:
"Dear God, please help people to be nice to the poor people and show me how I can help the poor people."
"Dear God, please help me to be kind to people, and to give my money away."
"Dear God, please help me to go anywhere you want me to go and tell people about Jesus - I'll go wherever."
"Dear God, help me to be kind to others and help me to have grace with them."
"Dear God, help other people be kind and learn about Jesus all around the world and help me go to hard places, ever where you want me to go - wherever."
I know he has lots of mistakes, heartaches, and areas where he will fail miserably ahead, but Lord please give me the grace to continue pointing him to You and not being a stumbling block for Him fulfilling Your purpose for his life!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Josiah 10 Weeks
Josiah Abram is 10 weeks which is crazy because I wouldn't be shocked if you told me he was 10 months...it feels like he's been a part of the family for a long time! It's so miraculous to me how with each child you have, the Lord expands your heart that much more, to have the capacity to love BIG in even more ways than you could imagine.
Josiah started crying less and being content more around 7 weeks, and each week has just grown more and more adjusted. I actually feel like he rarely cries now which is amazing because for the first month, all he did was cry. Thankful for rounding corners!
SLEEPING
My big thing. I try out all sorts of stuff during the first few months, trying to figure out what works best. He's slept in all kinds of baby contraptions, the crib, our bed on a boppy sleeper, reclined, swaddled, not swaddled, etc. and so forth.
We got rid of a middle-of-the-night bottle around 7 weeks and I feel we have hit a new strife and discovered what works best - for now.
He sleeps swaddled, in his bassinet flat on his back from 9:30pm-6:00am (with one feeding at 11:00pm). I feed him at 6:00 and he goes back to sleep until 9:00am - then we start our day! A routine I can definitely live with for a long time! It took some work to get there, but he did it. :) If he happens to wake up before 6:00, I just put his pacy back in and he usually is fine.
He then takes a nap from 11:00-12:00, then his long nap with the other kids from 1:00-4:00. He then takes a catnap here and there before going to bed for the night.
We lay him down calm, but wide awake and he usually has hardly any problem going to sleep on his own (sometimes he has harder times than others but nothing too bad).
EATING
He takes a bottle of 4oz. every 3 hours.
And that's about it on that.
He has started smiling and cooing (a little) in the past few weeks which is heart melting! He does it to the kids too which is awesome to see him delight in his siblings! He doesn't mind the chaos of the house, thank goodness, and so far has the bluest eyes of all of them! The others started out blue but changed to green...I'm so curious what his will do!
He still spits up but it seems to be getting better. He doesn't mind strangers (yet) and is still not a huge fan of the car...though he is getting slightly better at traveling.
We go for his 2 month well-check next week and I'm so curious as to how he measures up against the others. He seems big like Lincoln and Adelynn. Most people think he looks the most like her and after looking back through some of her pictures, I definitely see it - especially his mouth.
Love this little sucker!!!
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Josiah started crying less and being content more around 7 weeks, and each week has just grown more and more adjusted. I actually feel like he rarely cries now which is amazing because for the first month, all he did was cry. Thankful for rounding corners!
SLEEPING
My big thing. I try out all sorts of stuff during the first few months, trying to figure out what works best. He's slept in all kinds of baby contraptions, the crib, our bed on a boppy sleeper, reclined, swaddled, not swaddled, etc. and so forth.
We got rid of a middle-of-the-night bottle around 7 weeks and I feel we have hit a new strife and discovered what works best - for now.
He sleeps swaddled, in his bassinet flat on his back from 9:30pm-6:00am (with one feeding at 11:00pm). I feed him at 6:00 and he goes back to sleep until 9:00am - then we start our day! A routine I can definitely live with for a long time! It took some work to get there, but he did it. :) If he happens to wake up before 6:00, I just put his pacy back in and he usually is fine.
He then takes a nap from 11:00-12:00, then his long nap with the other kids from 1:00-4:00. He then takes a catnap here and there before going to bed for the night.
We lay him down calm, but wide awake and he usually has hardly any problem going to sleep on his own (sometimes he has harder times than others but nothing too bad).
EATING
He takes a bottle of 4oz. every 3 hours.
And that's about it on that.
He has started smiling and cooing (a little) in the past few weeks which is heart melting! He does it to the kids too which is awesome to see him delight in his siblings! He doesn't mind the chaos of the house, thank goodness, and so far has the bluest eyes of all of them! The others started out blue but changed to green...I'm so curious what his will do!
He still spits up but it seems to be getting better. He doesn't mind strangers (yet) and is still not a huge fan of the car...though he is getting slightly better at traveling.
We go for his 2 month well-check next week and I'm so curious as to how he measures up against the others. He seems big like Lincoln and Adelynn. Most people think he looks the most like her and after looking back through some of her pictures, I definitely see it - especially his mouth.
Love this little sucker!!!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Last Day
Tomorrow I get to go pick up these guys:
And I am SO excited! Jason won't be home for a few more days, so I'm about to go from quiet and peaceful to total craziness - and I can't wait!!!!
I have LOVED it being just Josiah and I...with multiple kids, it becomes harder to bond with the littlest because they just kind of get thrown into the mix, but this week has been a treasure with Josiah. And to top it off, he SMILED at me for the first time this morning!!!!
Another treasure this week has been spending a lot of time with my 10th grade cell group girls. It has been so much fun. I told them last night I feel like we are at camp and I'm their counselor this week because I have gotten to hang out with them almost everyday. It's helped the time pass in a perfect way - they are so much fun!
I talked about this some in my last post, but here are some observations from only having a newborn in the house:
1. I never knew it until this week, but all of my kid dishes DO NOT FIT IN MY CABINETS! Half of them are always being used so I never knew this nor had this problem until this week! I had to rearrange!
2. I have folded clothes ONCE.
3. I have run the dishwasher ONCE.
4. I haven't had to pick up a single toy...ALL WEEK.
5. I don't have to be home from the hours of 1-4 for naps.
6. I can go to the gym whenever I want...not at 10:30 when kid's class starts.
7. Josiah and I get up between 10-11 - seriously?!
8. Their bathroom hasn't needed disinfecting every 2 hours.
But I just got back from a 2 hour grocery store trip to re-stock the house for kids and husband coming. And I'm ready for them and all the messes and noise they bring. Can't wait for the sword fights, the wrestling, the boxing matches (yes Jason teaches them how to box all the time), tutu's and princess dresses, pool time, playing with the neighbors in the front, and making PB&J sandwiches again.
And I am SO excited! Jason won't be home for a few more days, so I'm about to go from quiet and peaceful to total craziness - and I can't wait!!!!
I have LOVED it being just Josiah and I...with multiple kids, it becomes harder to bond with the littlest because they just kind of get thrown into the mix, but this week has been a treasure with Josiah. And to top it off, he SMILED at me for the first time this morning!!!!
Another treasure this week has been spending a lot of time with my 10th grade cell group girls. It has been so much fun. I told them last night I feel like we are at camp and I'm their counselor this week because I have gotten to hang out with them almost everyday. It's helped the time pass in a perfect way - they are so much fun!
I talked about this some in my last post, but here are some observations from only having a newborn in the house:
1. I never knew it until this week, but all of my kid dishes DO NOT FIT IN MY CABINETS! Half of them are always being used so I never knew this nor had this problem until this week! I had to rearrange!
2. I have folded clothes ONCE.
3. I have run the dishwasher ONCE.
4. I haven't had to pick up a single toy...ALL WEEK.
5. I don't have to be home from the hours of 1-4 for naps.
6. I can go to the gym whenever I want...not at 10:30 when kid's class starts.
7. Josiah and I get up between 10-11 - seriously?!
8. Their bathroom hasn't needed disinfecting every 2 hours.
But I just got back from a 2 hour grocery store trip to re-stock the house for kids and husband coming. And I'm ready for them and all the messes and noise they bring. Can't wait for the sword fights, the wrestling, the boxing matches (yes Jason teaches them how to box all the time), tutu's and princess dresses, pool time, playing with the neighbors in the front, and making PB&J sandwiches again.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
6 Weeks
Yesterday marked 6 weeks since Josiah Abram was born.
And it feels like he has been part of our family for lot longer than that! The little guy just fits right in (not that he really had a choice though).
His eyes are BLUE (for now), he spits up a lot (but not as much as Lincoln), if he's not sleeping in the car, he is crying - uncontrollably, he eats every 3 hours (4oz) and takes a nap in between each bottle still, he falls into a deep sleep between 10-11/wakes up around 3-3:30, then at 6:00, then at 8:30ish (which is when i get up)...I am in the process of working to eliminate one of those, he looks like a McMahan, is soooo close to smiling, loves sitting outside, and that pretty much covers a 6 week old's life. :)
As far as my transitioning:
- The hardest transition for me was going from zero to one kid (Lincoln); The 2nd hardest transition was going from 2 to 3 kids; this one hasn't been that bad for me. I think recovery has a lot to do with it. Noah and Josiah have been the easiest recoveries but Josiah actually wins out in this category (which I think is weird??). I had some major pains with Adelynn in the coming month, but Josiah has been a breeze. I started working out 2 weeks post-partum (walking and such), and running 3 weeks post-partum - and I am feeling great! I think that's one reason it's seems crazy to me he is only 6 weeks old. It's been a blessing though!
4 kids under the age of 5 definitely is insane at times. It's forced me to slow down a little because just shuffling them around to do errands gets exhausting.
I now go to wal-mart at night, for instance. Josiah does great at our pool just hanging in his seat, and Adelynn is pretty independent in the water (praise the Lord!) so we have done the pool a lot...and I can just sit there, get a tan, and enjoy watching the 3 kids swim. I like those days. I will get in eventually but our pool is way too cold right now and I am not a fan of bathing suits yet. :)
Jason's currently in Africa and the older kids are at their grandparent's house, so Josiah and I have had lots of sweet bonding time! Gran Gran sent me some pics of the kids at her house...they LOVE spending time with all 4 of their grands - thankful for that!
Positives of kids being gone for a week:
1. My house is clean when I wake up, and it's still clean when I go to bed
2. No sudden shrills jostle Josiah from his sleep...lots of quiet
3. I don't have to plan my days around naps
4. No cooking
5. The laundry was done 3 days ago...and it's still done
Negatives to kids being gone for a week:
1. There are no Elsa dolls or swords lying around reminding me how fun and adventurous my kids are
2. It's too quiet
3. It's too clean
4. The dogs are starving because they don't get all the table scraps they are use to
5. I miss my naps with Lincoln
The dichotomy. It's nice to rejuvenate but I miss my kids and husband! Can't wait to see them soon!
And it feels like he has been part of our family for lot longer than that! The little guy just fits right in (not that he really had a choice though).
6 wks.
As far as my transitioning:
4 kids under the age of 5 definitely is insane at times. It's forced me to slow down a little because just shuffling them around to do errands gets exhausting.
I now go to wal-mart at night, for instance. Josiah does great at our pool just hanging in his seat, and Adelynn is pretty independent in the water (praise the Lord!) so we have done the pool a lot...and I can just sit there, get a tan, and enjoy watching the 3 kids swim. I like those days. I will get in eventually but our pool is way too cold right now and I am not a fan of bathing suits yet. :)
Jason's currently in Africa and the older kids are at their grandparent's house, so Josiah and I have had lots of sweet bonding time! Gran Gran sent me some pics of the kids at her house...they LOVE spending time with all 4 of their grands - thankful for that!
1. My house is clean when I wake up, and it's still clean when I go to bed
2. No sudden shrills jostle Josiah from his sleep...lots of quiet
3. I don't have to plan my days around naps
4. No cooking
5. The laundry was done 3 days ago...and it's still done
Negatives to kids being gone for a week:
1. There are no Elsa dolls or swords lying around reminding me how fun and adventurous my kids are
2. It's too quiet
3. It's too clean
4. The dogs are starving because they don't get all the table scraps they are use to
5. I miss my naps with Lincoln
The dichotomy. It's nice to rejuvenate but I miss my kids and husband! Can't wait to see them soon!
Monday, June 2, 2014
Africa
On Saturday my husband and all 3 of his assistant coaches leave for Mali, Africa to run a basketball skills/evaluation camp for the top 50-60 players in the country. This is an incredibly unique opportunity they have been presented with and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds! There is supposedly great natural talent and athleticism throughout this country, but a desperate need of qualified coaches willing to come and invest in skill development to help these players achieve potential professional goals. We've been told there is great excitement for this next week and that it is a national event that will be kicked off with a televised press conference - which I'm so hoping will be somewhere I can watch online! Under Armor is sponsoring the camp and funding for the elite athletes to attend. The athletes have been scouted by some American NBA agencies over the years and have been marked as potential talent.
This is an extremely poor country that is in the middle of terrorists conflicts, so what a great opportunity to bring some fun and joy to a nation that is in the middle of experiencing some difficulties. But also a great opportunity for y'all to pray for our husband's safety - and energy (their schedule is relentless!!).
As for the rest of my family, Jason's parents are taking all 3 older kids while they are gone! So a little vacation for Josiah and I...we should head to the beach. Ha.
Can't wait to hear all the stories of the precious people in this country and their experience! My small experiences in Africa have been nothing short of incredible and I know theirs will be the same. There's lots more details with all of this and I'd love to share more if any of you have interest...just email me! :)
This is an extremely poor country that is in the middle of terrorists conflicts, so what a great opportunity to bring some fun and joy to a nation that is in the middle of experiencing some difficulties. But also a great opportunity for y'all to pray for our husband's safety - and energy (their schedule is relentless!!).
As for the rest of my family, Jason's parents are taking all 3 older kids while they are gone! So a little vacation for Josiah and I...we should head to the beach. Ha.
Can't wait to hear all the stories of the precious people in this country and their experience! My small experiences in Africa have been nothing short of incredible and I know theirs will be the same. There's lots more details with all of this and I'd love to share more if any of you have interest...just email me! :)
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Lincoln's Moving to Kindergarten
Lincoln had a graduation ceremony at his preschool this morning. I have been super excited for it, to watch their little performance they've been working on for the past month now, but it never even crossed my mind it would be emotional.
Y'all - it hit me like wrecking ball (yes, I just said that).
The minute we sat down they started a slideshow of pictures throughout the whole year, set to super sad music and it all just went "downhill" from there (in the bittersweet way!). The program was just awesome. It was such a treat for us parents, but oh my - the TEARS. :( I don't know what I was thinking, but I was just not expecting to get so emotional. It was all just so overwhelming how fast these little guys grow up and I realized sitting there that my first child is now phasing out of the house as he transitions to public school - 5 days a week.
And I'm tearing up again.
So Lincoln, these past 5 years of having you at home have been an absolute TREASURE. I never thought I would enjoy being a stay-at-home mom until I had you...then having a job just sounded ridiculous in comparison to spending my days with you. You unlocked a world of adventures in my life I never knew existed and I wouldn't trade forgoing my career for ANYTHING. A huge part of me wants to keep you with me and home-school you, but God designed your little personality to be around people - it would crush you to be home-schooled! Ha. We've always prayed prayers of leadership and strong-will over you, so I guess it's only natural how much you love being around large groups of friends and social events. Though it has definitely been challenging at times to parent your strong-will, I know the Lord will continue to develop your character after His heart. I can't wait to see you flourish in the social/school setting! You're my first-born, my helper, my nap partner, my question-asker, my lively entertainer, my perceptive one, my fighter, my adventurer-seeker, my social one, my cuddler, and you have a brazen confidence about you that I pray becomes so tightly grounded in the Lord.
I love you to pieces and am thankful God chose me to be your mommy.
Y'all - it hit me like wrecking ball (yes, I just said that).
The minute we sat down they started a slideshow of pictures throughout the whole year, set to super sad music and it all just went "downhill" from there (in the bittersweet way!). The program was just awesome. It was such a treat for us parents, but oh my - the TEARS. :( I don't know what I was thinking, but I was just not expecting to get so emotional. It was all just so overwhelming how fast these little guys grow up and I realized sitting there that my first child is now phasing out of the house as he transitions to public school - 5 days a week.
And I'm tearing up again.
So Lincoln, these past 5 years of having you at home have been an absolute TREASURE. I never thought I would enjoy being a stay-at-home mom until I had you...then having a job just sounded ridiculous in comparison to spending my days with you. You unlocked a world of adventures in my life I never knew existed and I wouldn't trade forgoing my career for ANYTHING. A huge part of me wants to keep you with me and home-school you, but God designed your little personality to be around people - it would crush you to be home-schooled! Ha. We've always prayed prayers of leadership and strong-will over you, so I guess it's only natural how much you love being around large groups of friends and social events. Though it has definitely been challenging at times to parent your strong-will, I know the Lord will continue to develop your character after His heart. I can't wait to see you flourish in the social/school setting! You're my first-born, my helper, my nap partner, my question-asker, my lively entertainer, my perceptive one, my fighter, my adventurer-seeker, my social one, my cuddler, and you have a brazen confidence about you that I pray becomes so tightly grounded in the Lord.
I love you to pieces and am thankful God chose me to be your mommy.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Miss Princess Turns TWO
I'm usually super excited for each new phase the kids go through and never really wish they could "stay" at any certain age...
Except for her.
Maybe it's because she's the only girl...maybe i identify with her on the that part...maybe the clothes are just so stinking cute...maybe it's because she prefers me and likes to snuggle with me...I have tried to pinpoint what makes her different and I'm not really sure, but if i could bottle her up at this age I most certainly would.
I find myself holding her just a tad bit longer, staring at her in awe for just a few more seconds, and literally having tears well in my eyes when I see newborn girl clothes at stores.
While she is a mix of both Jason and I, she definitely takes after my personality which makes her hilarious to me at times; all the stories I've heard from my parents about me when I was a child are unfolding in real time right before my eyes, and I can't help but just sit back and giggle at this little mini-me.
Likes:
the color pink, princesses, Frozen, to sing, going to church and workout class, making friends, asking any and everyone what their name is, to color (oh my she colors for hours every day!), the trampoline, to swing on her belly (no baby swing for her anymore), playing with her brothers, dirt, wiping herself (seriously), putting her shoes on by herself, "stealing" Jason's ipad and secretly playing on it, dressing herself, baths and showers.
Dislikes:
Holding our hand to go places, chicken, waking up in the morning, getting dressed in things without a "princess" association...to name some.
Accomplishments:
Knows most of her colors, talks mostly in short sentances, draws complete circles, can "sing" a few songs (which she does on repeat), can put her own shoes on, started semi-riding her tricycle, knows most people's names - is very intrigued with everyone's name, can get on/off trampoline by herself (which is awesome), knows how to navigate my phone and ipad better than she should!
This little firecracker is strong-willed, verbal, vivacious, social, independent, opinionated, stubborn, sneaky, clever, loud, tough, sweet, smart, hilarious, and an absolute JOY.
Except for her.
I find myself holding her just a tad bit longer, staring at her in awe for just a few more seconds, and literally having tears well in my eyes when I see newborn girl clothes at stores.
While she is a mix of both Jason and I, she definitely takes after my personality which makes her hilarious to me at times; all the stories I've heard from my parents about me when I was a child are unfolding in real time right before my eyes, and I can't help but just sit back and giggle at this little mini-me.
Likes:
the color pink, princesses, Frozen, to sing, going to church and workout class, making friends, asking any and everyone what their name is, to color (oh my she colors for hours every day!), the trampoline, to swing on her belly (no baby swing for her anymore), playing with her brothers, dirt, wiping herself (seriously), putting her shoes on by herself, "stealing" Jason's ipad and secretly playing on it, dressing herself, baths and showers.
Dislikes:
Holding our hand to go places, chicken, waking up in the morning, getting dressed in things without a "princess" association...to name some.
Accomplishments:
Knows most of her colors, talks mostly in short sentances, draws complete circles, can "sing" a few songs (which she does on repeat), can put her own shoes on, started semi-riding her tricycle, knows most people's names - is very intrigued with everyone's name, can get on/off trampoline by herself (which is awesome), knows how to navigate my phone and ipad better than she should!
This little firecracker is strong-willed, verbal, vivacious, social, independent, opinionated, stubborn, sneaky, clever, loud, tough, sweet, smart, hilarious, and an absolute JOY.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Princess!!!!!
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