House Hunting

If you don't follow me on Facebook then I will update you here that we did not get the house that we put our offer on. We were disappointed but had kind of set our expectation up to not get it so we were not crushed. The events of last week have served to push us to that next step of finding a house with a bit more room for us to settle in. Now that we know we can buy something without selling this place first we are inspired to look around and see what we can find. The fact that we won't sell this place does lower our price range a bit so we are prayerfully seeking what is available in town within our budget. (We refuse to be enslaved to a home that we cannot afford!)
House hunting is always such an exhausting process and I admit that I lose sleep as my mind whirls with the pros and cons of all the options that are available out there. House hunting with 2 rambunctious boys in tow makes it even more complicated to try and look carefully at the house. So on Thursday afternoon we will be leaving the boys with the Rapier grandparents and taking the afternoon to look at about 5 houses that we are interested in.
As we search for "the perfect home" we are aware that this world is not really our home and that the house we choose to live in is to be used for God's glory not only our own satisfaction. It is our desire to find a home that we can enjoy and with room to minister to others. We trust that since this desire is from God He will provide what we need. God promises to give us good things and he has shown His promises are to be trusted!

Easter Egg Hunt

We had an Easter egg hunt at grandmommy and grandaddy's house yesterday. The boys loved it and each staked out their own territories on separate sides of the yard so there was no fighting involved. Nathaniel broke out into fits of exuberant joy when he figured out that some of the eggs had candy in them and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around asking "mo cady? mo chacat (chocolate)?"
Aaron is home on spring break this week. What we decide to do this week will somewhat be determined by whether or not we get the house we made an offer on. We should hear today.....

Rough Day

It has been a rough day. I woke with a stuffy nose and sore throat. My realtor called me early in the morning to tell me that multiple offers were received on the house, the seller was offering the chance for counter offers, and did we want to try and make a stronger offer? The next few hours I basically ignored the boys while I was on the phone to multiple lenders as well as Aaron. Imagine trying to have a conversation with a loan officer while your 4 year old is spitting chewed up animal cracker into your 18 month old's hair which then causes your 18 month old to scream so loud you are sure an eardrum ruptured.
Finally right before lunch time I just lost it. I started crying so hard that I couldn't talk anymore. Thankfully my realtor is a sweet woman who decided that intervention was needed and she came over to the house. She calmly and simply showed me various numbers and within 30 minutes a good, strong counter offer was drafted and a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.
Tonight our counter offer will be made. For better or worse. It is an offer that Aaron and I are comfortable with and won't streatch our family budget too far. Now God is in control. If we don't get the house then it wasn't meant to be. I think I am ok with that. I told my mom that even if we don't get the house this week has forced Aaron and I to think more concretely about our future and our goals. We have finally had conversations that we have put off for the past few years because we have just been too busy. We will be disappointed but we are a step further in our process.
Of course, there is part of me that wonders what God is up to if we don't get the house. This whole process this week has been pretty miraculous and so I am wondering why we wouldn't get the house.
Now we wait. And rest in God's love and provision.

Pray Pray Pray

God is surprising and amazing.
We made an offer on the house this evening.
Now the hard waiting begins. The seller has 2 business days to consider all offers that we have been informed that there are probably at least 2 other offers in there.
What an opportunity to trust God!
Please pray that our offer would be accepted. Pray that we will have peace and rest in the meantime (we probably will not hear anything until Monday). Pray that we would completely trust and rest in God's plan and care.
Thank you!

All in a dizzy

You will remember the other day I posted about a house that we looked at and loved but couldn't buy. Well, it appears that God is opening the doors for us to buy it, if we really want it. I am not going to go into too many details other than to say that somehow all the obstacles that I thought were insurmountable are being removed one by one in ways I never could have imagined. Really.
Tonight we will go look at the house again to see if we really and truly could see ourselves living there. A contractor friend is going with us to make sure that the floor will not cave in or the roof fly off.
Pray that we will be given wisdom. Pray that we will continue to trust God through every step of this process.
It is still hard for me to believe that the house we initially looked at a mere 2 days ago could possible be ours.

Completely Random Stuff

Jeremiah now weighs 40 pounds and is 37 inches tall! He has grown 1 1/2 inches since September! He is smack dab on the 50% mark for everything, which still doesn't explain to me why the 4T pants are too big around the waist.

Nathaniel's iron count is finally in the normal range!

We made the mistake of looking at a house last night. A house we fell in love with. A house that we cannot buy because our house hasn't sold yet. Aaron is acting completely out of character and calling people we know asking them if they want to buy our house. I have never seen him this excited about a material object and am praying that God will show us how to trust his providence and provision.

Next week is Aaron's spring break so we have been inspired to work our butts off to get this house on the market. We are going to spend the week painting, cleaning, and moving extra stuff to a rented storage unit. Until then the house is listed on Craigslist.

Did you know that I have had the desire recently to have chickens? Crazy. We have started thinking that we would like to have a house with a little bit of property for a garden, chickens and maybe even a goat or two (or a miniature pony!). Nathaniel LOVES animals and has no fear of them (the way Jeremiah does) and I think he would be in heaven with some animals around for him to love on. My dreams of urban living may be put on hold until the boys are older. Also, Aaron really and truly is a farmer and country boy at heart.

Aaron and I attended a mercy ministry training at our church on Saturday. We both feel continually led to minister in practical ways to those that the world demeans and ignores. We are not yet sure what form that will take but are encouraged that our church leadership is making definite moves in that direction. Yet we wonder how our church can really impact our community when the majority of our members do not live in this community.

I have been memorizing this verse:
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galations 5:16, 17, 22 -25

Painting on a rainy day

It has been raining for about 4 days in a row. You can imagine how crazy it is getting in this house with 2 boys who desperately want to go outside and run around. So the other morning I broke out the paints.
Nathaniel did finger painting. Which really was just fun for him to glop his hands around in different colored paint.

Jeremiah did water colors. He has come beyond the smear-paint-all-over-the-page-until-it-is-all-one-color" stage and showed more creativity in use of color and shapes.
Of course a proper painter:

holds one hand up in the air to steady himself...

sticks out his tongue...

and tilts his head. :-)

Not quite the real thing

There are some days when being able to Skype is just not enough......

Cloth Diapers Rock!

I always wanted to use cloth diapers but was afraid. It seemed so complicated and time consuming. Last week we took the plunge and made the switch and I am kicking myself for not starting with cloth diapers for Jeremiah. Maybe if I tell you what I love (and how simple it is!) you will be inspired to try it too.
Here is what I love!
1. I love that I am being environmentally friendly. I am no longer throwing away hundreds of disposable diapers that will take 25 years to decompose and leach chemicals into the ground!
2. I love that I am saving money!
The initial investment in cloth diapers is hefty (a few hundred dollars for the kind we chose, but you can certainly go cheaper). But when I did the math we figured that even if we only use these cloth diapers for another 18 months (until Nathaniel is 3) we will have saved almost $500.00! If we had started using cloth with Jeremiah for a total of 6 years of diapering we would probably have saved close to $2,000.00! I was initially thinking that the cost of water and electricity to launder the diapers would increase but a friend told me that their water bill only increased by $3.00 per month when laundering diapers for an infant and that she hardly noticed any rise in their electricity bill. So 10 months of extra water would equal 1 months supply of disposable diapers. We really and truly are saving money here!
3. I love the actual feel and look of the diapers!

These are not the boring, complicated cloth diapers of yester-year. We now have a basket full of soft, comfy diapers in all kinds of cute juicy colors. We chose diapers that work exactly like a disposable diaper with velcro tabs and a simple pocket insert. No folding, no pins, no covers. We also chose a one-size diaper which is supposed to last from infancy until potty training. It makes me feel good as a parent to put a soft, chemical free dipe on Nathaniel's little bottom and know that he is probably more comfy.
Another plus - no sign of diaper rash since we switched! Did you know that traditional diaper rash ointments have all kinds of toxins in them? I have been spending some extra money to get the more natural kind. Now I don't think I will need to.
4. I love that there isn't as much work as I thought. Really.
When I take off the diaper I remove the insert and throw it all in a covered bucket that I have next to the changing table (poopy gets plopped in the potty). I throw them in the wash every other day. The washer does all the work. I throw them in the dryer. When I take them out of the dryer I don't even fold them, I just throw them in the diaper basket that sits on top of the dresser. That's it. Maybe an extra 10 - 15 minutes of work every other day!
5. I love that Nathaniel loves these diapers!
He loves the colors and is now learning yellow and green. I always let him choose what color to wear next. The other day when we were going to the store I put a disposable diaper on Nathaniel. He immediately protested and said, "cwof dipe mama!" Enough said.

A Strong Foundation

It seems like lately I have been spending time in the blog world reading about 2 major topics; parenting & frugal (simple and/or green) living. The reasons for this are obvious. With 2 little boys I am finding myself challenged daily as a parent. As new discipline issues arise I want to "do it right." And of course with the economic "situation" that we are in frugal living is all the rage now.
There is so much information and opinion out there. It is easy for me to be overwhelmed with the newest method of discipline or the plethora of money and environmental saving ideas.
Yet I am finding that many of the ideas or opinions I read about are not new to me at all.
I grew up in a home where frugal and simple living was a way of life. I watched my mom make weekly menu's, clip coupons, and shop for what was on sale. I learned how to cook healthy, yummy, inexpensive meals. It was normal in our house to wash and reuse zip lock bags, take short showers, turn off the water when brushing our teeth, turn off lights when we left a room, bring our own bags to the grocery store, shop at consignment stores, and save up our (meager) allowance to buy what we wanted. I remember being frustrated that my mom always packed our meals on road trips - I just wanted to stop at a restaurant! As kids we never were given the latest technological toys, we had to save up for them.
As far as parenting goes I remember a lot of trust, freedom and conversation and very little corporal discipline. As children we were encouraged to be who we were not molded into what society (specifically Christian society) thought we should be. We were allowed to make choices for ourselves even at a young age. I remember my mom pretty much always letting us chose our own clothes (those pictures of us with mismatched outfits may be embarrassing now but how freeing it was not to be controlled in such a way at that age). We were encouraged to talk about our faith, ask questions about religion, discuss hot button issues such as premarital sex, homosexuality, poverty etc. etc. We were encouraged to read, play, and discover. My parents involved us in the ministry that was their profession - we visited lepers in Nigeria, spent summers doing street evangelism in Amsterdam, and constantly had a stream of people from all walks of life coming through the house as we watched the ministry of hospitality in practice.
As I continue to mature as an adult I am thankful for the strong foundation that my parents laid for me. Trends in parenting and simple living will come and go but it is clear that I have been given the basic tools and building blocks to raise my children and care for my family in a way that is responsible, sustainable, and honoring to God.
Thanks mom and dad!
Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Random Wrap-Up

It is a rainy day (again) and I will head off in a few minutes to the library for Story Hour. So here is a random weekend wrap-up.
* Aaron was off on Friday so we had a great day at home as a family. I made coffee cake as a special treat and we just hung out all day. It was awesome.
* The boys spent the night at the Rapier grandparents Friday night and Saturday. They had a blast and probably wore grandmommy and grandaddy out.
* Aaron and I saw Watchmen on Friday night. Disappointing and uncomfortable. I continue to wonder why our society is so accepting of graphic violence and sex in movies.
* Saturday was spent cleaning our whole house from top to bottom! That's right. The whole house is clean. All 1200 square feet at the same time. It feels amazing.
Aaron patched the holes and cracks in the living room walls in preparation for painting. It looks great and once that is done a "For Sale" sign will go up in the yard!
* Sunday we went to Mrs. Linda's house for food and fellowship. It is always refreshing and encouraging to spend time out there. The boys roamed the 3 acres climbing trees, swinging, hiding in shrubs, chasing a soccer ball, and trying to coax the neighbors sheep to come closer. They came home tired and dirty. They were so happy and adventurous. This time of little boyhood is so fleeting. It made Aaron and I feel like buying some land, raising chickens & goats, having a vegetable garden and giving the boys the opportunity to roam free. I guess we will see how we feel when this house actually sells.
* Nathaniel has been eating non-stop since Wednesday of last week. He follows me around the house saying, "more cracker" "more cheese" "more grapes" "more milk." It has been a challenge to feed him snacks that are healthy and will put meat on his skinny little bones. I am convinced that he has gained some weight since the 18 month onesies I bought him are snug. I will have to pass them on to some one else....
* So today we are back to normal routine. It feels good to start the week with a clean house and a clean slate. It feels good to know that we have started the major projects that need to happen in order to put the house on the market. I feel energized and ready to face a new week.
Well, my little monkey's patience has run out and he is pulling on my leg saying, "up mama!" so it is time to sign off.

A sinful heart

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26

Easier said than done!
These past few months of mothering have been challenging. Jeremiah's active brain is always in search of something to keep it occupied while Nathaniel's active body is always in search of something new to explore and discover (read destroy). As the boys start to play together I have started to navigate the challenging waters of dealing with sibling interaction. I feel like a broken record, "Be loving!" "Don't hit!" "Don't push!" "We don't jump on furniture!" "Forks at meal time are not for banging, throwing or hitting!" "Please share your toys."

I grew up knowing all about the theology of original sin but to see the depths of sin and selfishness in the heart of my sweet 4 year old takes my breath away! We have entered a stage of aggressive behavior, disrespectful talk, screaming and yelling, door slamming, not to mention passive aggressive disobedience. I literally can't count the number of times that I have felt completely inadequate with this responsibility of raising Godly men.
But here is the real kicker - the behavior I see in my 4 year old is a direct reflection of the behavior he sees in me!
Ouch.
Believe me I have been scouring parenting books looking for the right formula and answers. There is so much advice and opinion out there that it boggles the brain. But a few days ago as I was praying (and crying) I realized that I have to acknowledge (and control) my own sinful, angry and selfish behavior as the first step to helping my children acknowledge and control theirs.
Duh.
What a difficult and humbling process it is. I fall every day (sometimes every minute) at Jesus' feet and beg for strength, for insight, for discipline, for selflessness. There are practical steps as well as emotional steps to take. Like waking early enough to be ready for the day before the boys are up. Making myself go to bed at a decent hour so that I get enough sleep. Controlling my tongue when I want to speak in anger or complain. Carving out time to read the Bible for the encouragement and wisdom it offers. Being disciplined about completing household chores at certain times. Getting away from the computer to focus my concentration on the boys. Those are just a few things I am working on.
But really, this is all a process of letting go of me. If my heart is selfish and my desire is to please myself then my mouth will speak anger, bitterness, and complain. If my heart's desire is to serve God by serving my family then my mouth and my actions will reflect that. And I suspect that if my kids see Christ's love in me then they will learn to reflect that love in their own little lives.

At the park

Aaron had to work late last night so I decided that a trip to the park was the perfect way to fill the time between naps and a late dinner. It was great! Jeremiah is old and big enough to basically play independently, running crazy and climbing everything with me keeping a watchful eye. Nathaniel was obsessed with the slide (that looked like an alligator) and basically spent an hour going up and down and pointing excitedly, "tor-tor!" We finished off the afternoon with an ice cream cone at Sonic.

Nathaniel also loved the little cars on springs.
Jeremiah would rock them like crazy while Nathaniel just laughed hysterically.

I love the excited looks on their faces.
Nathaniel made this face every time he prepared to go down the slide.

Our little explorer goes off the beaten path.

Jeremiah scaled the climbing wall all by himself!

I love this picture that captures the pure spirit of being a boy.

My baby just hanging out.

Feeling Better

Nathaniel had a follow up doctor visit this morning, and we sneaked in the well-child check too. He weighs 22lb 10oz and is 33 inches long. He has dropped pretty far down the percentage chart for weight (I think he is below 10th percentile now) but is still up around 75th percentile for height. All of which I could have told the doctor because if I dress him in clothes that have snaps on the bottom they always come unsnapped! This kid is like a string bean!
Anyway, the bronchial infection is cleared up and we are to do breathing treatments if it seems like he needs them.
The weather has warmed and the boys are reveling in outside play time. Our last trip to Wal-Mart yielded kids sized yard tools (rakes, trowels, etc.) that provide for hours of entertainment. Nathaniel's little knees have been perpetually scraped the past few days and both boys have dirty dirty clothes by the end of the day. I am learning that when you are a mother of 2 boys dirty bodies and dirty clothes are just par for the course.

Getting along

These pictures are proof that there are (brief) moments of quiet and cooperation in our household. :-)

Theology according to Jeremiah

This afternoon Jeremiah was using a paint stick stir-er (?) as a sword. He advanced toward me brandishing his sword and proclaimed, "I am going to kill you!"
I replied, "You don't want to do that. It is not kind and loving to kill other people, especially people that we love."
"Well....mama.... Don't you know that God killed his son?"

Police Officer

My brother-in-law would kill me if he knew I posted this on here. But that is him in the video!
Most people don't have a very positive view of police officers. My brother-in-law is a police officer in Dalton, GA (a town a few miles south of here). I am always impressed by his maturity and presence of mind.
This video reminded me that I should pray for him more often. Especially since he and Cherise are expecting their first baby (my very first niece or nephew) in September!

Breathing treatments

Nathaniel's first two breathing treatments were a disaster. I had to hold him against my body with his arms pinned down and his head tucked in and keep the breathing mask close to his mouth and nose while he writhed and screamed. The third time he seemed to accept the inevitable and sat quietly the whole time, watching Baby Einstein and fingering the equipment. While sickness has not been fun it does give me the opportunity for some quiet, snuggly moments with an otherwise non-snuggly child.

Little fingers...

This is the glamorous face of a stay at home mom who has spent the past few days nursing a sick baby, trying to entertain an active 4 year old, keep the house in some semblance of cleanliness, and maybe get a few hours of sleep in order to fight off her own scratchy throat and persistant cough.

I think that after 2 days of antibiotics and breathing treatments Nathaniel is starting to feel better. He is chattering away, finding things to dismantle, and his appetite appears to be returning as evidenced by the fact that he crawled up to the table and tried to finish off the leavings of Jeremiah's breakfast!

A good way to end the day

Yesterday turned out to be one of those days. I had plans to do some major cleaning and organizing in my bedroom (which has been neglected since we moved in here despite all the marriage advice books that say to make your room a peaceful haven). I was motivated and ready to go. But as the morning progressed it was obvious that Nathaniel needed to see a doctor. So my day was spent at the doctors office, pharmacy, and attempting to give breathing treatments to a less than co-operative 18 month old. I accomplished absolutely nothing on my "to do list" and was completely wiped out at the end of the day. My loving husband saw my distress and ran out to get Taco Bell for dinner. What a blessing then to see my two little ones playing together in the dryer while I was trying to fold clothes. A beautiful reminder that my primary task is the nurture and care of these precious ones. I may not have accomplished my task list, Jeremiah may have spent the better portion of the day in front of PBS, Nathaniel may have been clingy and whiny all day, we may have had fast food for dinner and ice cream for dessert- but my goodness, they don't look much worse for wear. :-)

On a technical note. Nathaniel was diagnosed with bronchiolitis which is a result of a lingering and acute upper respiritory infection. He is on breathing treatments and antibiotics. You have no idea how horrible I felt when I heard that. We had a busy week last week and I dragged him all over the place assuming that his runny nose and extra sleeping was a virus or result of the pollen starting here. So I have cancelled all plans for the rest of the week and plan on staying at home letting this little one rest up and get better.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a beautiful, simple, relaxing weekend. A visit from my grandparents was a gift and we enjoyed conversation and play with them. I did not take a single picture because I was just reveling in the joy of being in their company as well as watching my kids enjoy them. Sunday we relaxed at home taking naps after church and watching Wallace & Gromit as we snuggled on the couch with popcorn before bed as a special treat for the boys.
And so Monday morning has begun with my regular routine of "loving my house" (quick vacuum of all floors, load of clothes started in the washer, beds made, living room generally picked up, and kitchen counter free of dirty dishes or clutter). The boys are paused in front of Curious George so that I can catch up on some quick email and pay some bills before we head to our weekly Story Hour at the library.
This morning the verse I read in my devotional was this:
If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, if profits me nothing. - I Corinthians 13:1-3
My prayer for today is that I am able to love those around me well.