Crazy Blissful Moments

Just one short year ago....... It was a beautiful fall day.... so so beautiful. The weather was perfect and warm. I started my day early, as most Sundays are for us. We were to church early to help Robert lead worship at Riverside. I remember savoring the way you always danced so delightfully within me during worship.... how it almost seemed as if you were praising in your own little way. We worshiped together, you and me, and I wanted to always hold on to that moment. I knew you were coming soon and that having you always so near to me was coming to a close. My heart wanted to meet you, to see your sweet face, to kiss on you, to snuggle you in my arms-- and still it wanted to keep you safe within me... to let you grow more, to savor more of the beauty of you developing within me. We came home from church and relaxed for a few hours. Your big brothers and sisters wanted to go to the park, so we ventured out on a walk to enjoy the beauty of the day. We walked to the park and ran...

This week I am so thankful to be home with my kids (ALL of them) and to be homeschooling. There is so much flexibility with our day, I really love it. I love that we don't have to get up early and rush. I love that everyone knows what is expected and works hard to do what needs to be done. I love that we have plenty of time for doing things we love to do together- that there is even LESS stress in our daily life. I love the amount of time I get to spend reading aloud to the kids and the fantastic variety of truly excellent literature we get to consume. I love that we can drink hot chocolate with the windows open while we fill our minds with knowledge and our hearts with God's word. I love the moments I get to spend discussing books with the older girls and teaching the younger ones to love reading as much as I do. I love that the boys get to be boys... robust and full of energy - full of creativity and life - and that no one here is making them sit still for 7 plus hours. ...

I can hardly believe I'm already over half way through my 30 day Facebook hiatus. There's so much I'm learning and enjoying about being present. I'm not gonna lie though-- there have been a few days when we've had special things going on that I BADLY wanted to share with my facebook friends. Instead, I persevered and really enjoyed sharing these fun times on a more personal level with those I love.  This past week was big and full of memorable moments.  Monday we celebrated our spunky Miss Zeah's 2nd birthday. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day or better people to share it with. The weather was perfect. Zeah is so blessed to have so many wonderful and loving people in her life to share in the joy of who she is. There is so much Zeah brings to our lives. She is full of energy, opinions, and incredibly thoughtful. She has no problem speaking her mind and loves to snuggle. She is every bit as stubborn and sweet as any 2 year ol...

Yesterday I got my first email from Facebook saying "Look what you've missed since you last logged in! You have 5 new messages and 6 new event invites" Thank you but no thank you. :) I'm quite enjoying my time without you. What is slightly disturbing to me is the amount of time I'm finding to do things I never have time for. It is entirely possible that all the "few minutes" I have spent daily checking up on Facebook actually add up to being a significant amount of time. Sometimes introspection really hurts. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily  entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy (!!)  set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such ...

My first day out from Facebook and I'm noticing that I think in status updates .... it's oddly funny to me. Several times today I have caught myself documenting funny things my kids have said or things I have thought about... on Facebook... in my head.  Somehow without Facebook, I am finding I have waaay more witty and funny material than ever. This leads me to believe that either 1: I haven't been paying enough attention to real life or 2: I am actually allowing my brain to breathe which is causing so much blood flow that my brain is simply overstimulated- resulting in all kinds of epiphanies.  It's probably a little of both. The scripture I have been meditating on today is from Philippians 2:3, 4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." The question I posed to myself today was this: Am I truly valuing others above m...

Yes, you heard me. I am taking a break. Not just any break, a break from social media. About a month ago, we got new phones-- we previously hadn't had cell phones for 5 years. We were happy that way, we loved the pace of life-- that we could go places and not be 'bothered' with the unimportant. We chose to return to the 21st century for many reasons... mostly for convenience sake. However, I gotta be honest. Since getting my new smart phone, (which can do so many neat things-- and is so helpful in organizing my chaotic life) I have found that I am consumed with this little thing called facebook. The facebook app was one of the very first things to go on my phone-- and I loved it. Until I realized how much time I was spending "checking up" on things. Holy moly. Its just so easy and quick and convenient and ..... seriously. It feels like a time sucking addiction. That's the long and short of it folks. This girl needs a break. In my bible time today I was r...