There’s been a lot going on at our house and in our family. Here’s a little peek into this past week:
He woke up one morning last week and said, “I’m going to make eggs for breakfast. How many eggs do you want me to make for you?” I watched as he then prepared our fried eggs, dished them onto plates for both of us, and came and presented mine to me like this.
This is what parenting is all about — raising adults who are self-sufficient, take initiative, and look for ways to serve. However, you should know that there are many moments where I feel like I’m failing as a parent. It’s the beautiful stories like this that remind me that we are making headway, even if it sometimes feels like 2 steps forward, 10 steps backward.
There was a hair in one of my eggs. Usually, I would gag and throw my plate of food down the sink. But somehow, I was able to just pull it out, throw that section of eggs out, and eat the rest. A mother’s love overpowers even gag reflexes, I tell ya!
{By the way, Silas loves to wear Daddy’s t-shirts to bed. Do your kids ever do that? I did as a child and thought it was the best thing ever.}
This picture is rather fuzzy, but what it represents to me is powerfully clear… Almost a year ago, we moved to TN in a huge leap of faith and obedience. We didn’t really know the why behind it and we didn’t really know what was waiting for us here. But we moved anyway, because we knew that if we didn’t, we would always wonder what we missed out on by staying where it was safe and comfortable.
The first five months were hard. Jesse went through an identity crisis and struggled to believe he had any worth or value.
I struggled to know how to walk through this dark time with him. We wondered if we’d made a massive mistake in moving.
But God, in His amazing grace, brought us to Fellowship Bible Church where Jesse connected with Eric (our campus pastor — who is standing by the camera in this picture). Eric invited Jesse to be part of a Men’s Small Group where Jesse has been welcomed, challenged, poured into, and built up.
I’ve seen him slowly transform from the inside out these past 8 months. He no longer believes he has nothing to offer; he now wholeheartedly knows who he is in Christ and the value and worth he has. As a result, he has more joy and passion for life than I’ve ever seen.
Last week, Eric asked him if he’d be willing to share his story on video for a project he’s working on. As I sat and watched Jesse record the video, my heart felt like it might burst. God is good!
I had a date by myself to Panera. For real. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone out to lunch BY MYSELF. It was an introvert’s paradise.
Please note the receipt. Yes, only $2.24 for lunch! And that was just for my overpriced cup of coffee (I should have gotten a small or just skipped it altogether!).
I logged into My Panera account the other day to check to see if I got the free coffee all month offer that a bunch of you all said you received (did you get it?). I didn’t have it in my account, but I did have a FREE You Pick Two Meal. Woot!
{I have no idea why I “earned” the free You Pick Two Meal because I haven’t been to a Panera in months. But hey, I’m not going to complain!}
Inspired by this video and the encouragement you all gave me in this post, I did a LOT of laundry last week and ended up getting all caught up on laundry. Which I couldn’t be more excited about!
Apparently, I need to do the laundry more often! In just one load, I found 4 quarters and a $10 bill!!! I’d say that’s much better than finding a wet diaper or food (two things I’ve found multiple times in the past while transferring wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. Yes, gross, I know!)
Kaitlynn had an assignment to write a letter in her language arts lesson last week. She came and handed me this… And there are no words.
I don’t deserve my children’s love — especially after the past few weeks where I’ve had a lot on my plate and have struggled with irritation and lack of patience. I am so grateful for the grace and love that my family constantly extends to me, even when I least deserve it.
Excuse the early morning hair that I didn’t have a chance to do anything with as I was getting everyone out the door for our early morning flight to Maine on Saturday morning {Yes, I didn’t have time to fix my hair but I did put on makeup. Priorities, people!}
Apparently, I was rushing just a wee bit too much as halfway to the airport, I realized that I LEFT MY PHONE AT HOME!
Since I recently missed a flight because security took way longer than usual, I’m a bit paranoid so I didn’t want to turn around to get my phone lest we all miss our flight as a result. So, I’m involuntarily phone-free for 5 days.
It’s only appropriate that I had planned to finish reading Hands Free Life on the plane this morning!! I did panic a bit when I discovered I’d left the phone at home, but I quickly worked through it and reminded myself that it’s just a phone. I lived for years of my life without one. Okay so I was a baby and child and pre-teen during most of those years, but still… Surely I can survive for 5 days!
We headed to Maine with all of my family — my parents, my 6 siblings, and their children (my parents paid for all of us to come as a celebration of their 40th anniversary). All 23 of us are staying in one house and we are loving exploring Maine (we’ve never been to Maine before!).
I got my feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean and had Tim Horton’s coffee for the first time. The ocean here is breath-taking. The crashing waves. The rocks. The lighthouses. I felt like it was the scene from a painting.
It’s cold here. Cold and wet. I sort of wish I would have brought more warmer clothes, but we’ll make do. Our kids thought the ocean was incredible.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed with Tim Horton’s as I hoped to be. The coffee was just sort of so-so.
Yesterday, we went on a supposedly “moderate” 3 to 4-mile hike up to some cliff overlooks. I’m pretty sure I have a different definition of “moderate”! I would be scared to know what a “strenuous” hike is!! (Maybe I’m just a wimp?!?)
We slogged and slid through areas that had up to a foot of snow and ice. We climbed uphill for almost two hours — mostly through unmarked trail areas, scaling some large rocks in the process — in order to hit both the North and South Cliff Overlooks. But, it was worth it for the beautiful and spacious views at the top!
I am blown away by how NICE and friendly people are here! We met multiple hikers this afternoon and they went out of their way to ask questions and give us helpful advice for other trails/attractions we should check out in this area. We are loving it here and so thankful for my parents gifting us this family trip as a Christmas present!
How was YOUR week last week?
