8 Months

Today our youngest, Bennett, turns 8 months. I find myself asking if he shouldn't be older considering everything that has happened since he's been born. Here is a mildly brief pictorial summation.

Early May, our then youngest, got his cast removed a week before Bennett was born.

 Bennett was born on Tuesday May 14th, he was a delight & easy addition to the family from the start.

Now we have 3 boys, WOW! 

Ian accepted the job in Corning, NY & we started packing in June. Everyone sat on camping furniture for the rest of the time we were in Eugene, OR.

 And we flew across the country in July. It was 3 flights in one day that turned into 2 days and staying in one of the most shady airport hotels in Detroit with 3 very over tired children. Thank goodness it was only a 1 1/2 hour flight from Detroit to Elmira, NY the next morning!

Come August & we were seeing the sights in NY and getting together with old friends. 

Finally September and we had an accepted offer on our house & drove up to Maine for a family vacation. I was lucky to have my Mom join us for the week!

Oct. 16th Grey, our middle son, turned 18 months!

 In October we celebrated Halloween & continued with paperwork for our home loan.

November came and we celebrated Thanksgiving with Ian's family & Bennett turned 6 months old.

We also closed on our house Nov. 21st and work immediately began! 

Dec. 4th, Boyd, our oldest, turned 4 years old! Such a big boy with a big heart to help people. I love his determined personality that is taking shape!

Dec 14th, also the day Bennett turned 7 months old, we moved into our new home, ready to be closer to get more things done without the drive time & crazy nap schedules. 11 days later, we celebrated Christmas with Ian's parents and a quiet day at home.

We rang in the New Year with continuing the work on the house.

Which brings us to Jan. 14th, 2013. Bennett turns 8 months old, we've lived in our first home for 1 month & been New Yorkers for 7 months. 

I keep realizing God really does know what he's doing! There is a reason that we don't know what is to come, because if we did we'd say 'heck no!'. I know I would have! Praise God for his faithfulness in providing for us through every new road we've traveled down, both literally & metaphorically. 

'Therefore, I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.' 2 Samuel 22:50 

Music

Music is a passion of mine. I grew up playing the flute, piano, alto sax and even the tuba for a brief stint in the middle school band. I also sang, at school in choir and at church, eventually I led worship for high school youth group & for our high school baccalaureate service. I have a musical family, when we get together it isn't uncommon for Jon, my second oldest brother, to pull his guitar out and we all join in song for awhile. And while I haven't done much with this talent for awhile, music still moves me. Even without great lyrics, if it rocks, I'm all over it! I've also seen this love of music start to foster in my kids, I LOVE this! Makes me beyond ecstatic!

Several years ago my oldest brother, Ben, gave us a CD of music, the band was Jesus Culture and I had never heard of them before. It took me awhile to finally listen to them, Ben said they were really good, but I must have been busy at the time, who knows? So eventually turned into finally and I popped them in, it was awesome! Never before had I heard such spirit led worship music. Now when I listen to Jesus Culture, without fail, I am reminded of my brother Ben & his wife Rose. They are a faithful duo! They are steadfast & always aware of where God is directing them in life.

This Christmas I got another CD from them, the title is 'Tides' by Bethel Music, I couldn't wait to listen to it! If it were as good as the last, I wasn't going to be disappointed. Song #7, 'I can feel you' by Jenn Johnson, was amazing from the beginning. First, I loved the music, then I really listened to the words. This song epitomizes what I've been going through in life the past several years. God has really opened my heart to show me how he has been directing me, even though I didn't think so. My life is forever changed with an awareness of who he is and what he really does in my life.

God longs for our heart, I can see that now.


Here is the song on if you want to listen. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77cwl530Ngg

A knitted sweater

I love to knit. I love the feel of the yarn, the sound of the needles when they click, the rhythm you get into and the therapy it provides me. Also, it's great that I can be productive while taking a few minutes to sit down! It's been my favorite past time for over 10 years now and for awhile I was actively selling my knitted items. Now the kids need me more & so I've just made it my hobby, while still making things if others ask.

I made a sweater for our oldest 3 years ago now (here is the blog post about that http://thenannythatknits.blogspot.com/2011/01/knit-sweater.html). It is the first sweater that I have knitted, it reminds me of our first little baby & its soft! I put it on our 2nd son the other day & it just brought back found memories & I got excited to think that all our boys will wear it! Can you tell I'm a bit sentimental?

This is our oldest, wearing it 3 years ago!

And our 2nd wearing it only 2 days ago!

I can't wait to have a picture of our youngest wearing it! 

Consistency

I have a really hard time being consistent in life. Anyone else? I always like the idea of a routine, but between inconsistent sleep & inconsistent moods (both my kids and myself) it's hard to keep doing the same thing every day.

Does this make me undisciplined? Am I allowing my feelings to rule me? Or am I being a 'roll with it' mom? One who lets the kids color her with marker & finger paint freely (but I know I am not that mom!). When can it just be the way things are? When can I just realize that no day, with this many people in a house, will be the same? Why do I have the need to be consistent and regimented? Why can't I stop questioning myself? When will 'flexing' seem 'normal'? When will I give myself a break?

This fight in my head, the one where you compare yourself to those who seem more regimented, or who simply are more regimented, needs to stop! When can I stop the comparison trap, the trap that compares me negatively & sees everyone else as having it all together (not a fair comparison when everyone else has a full pro list and not one con!). I need to see all the things that I bring to my family. Remember that I play with my kids daily & make sure they are comforted when they need it, I'm consistent with that!

I'm pretty sure there's one exception, one thing in my life that has to stay consistent, has to stay right where it is. And that's God. Every day I have to prioritize him! Especially when no one naps, the house looks like a tornado has come through and I'm ready to scream due to overtired children & no sanity saving quiet time (this was just two day ago!). Daily I need him for strength. I need him to give me wisdom. And whether at 12PM or 12AM, it is my resolve to pursue him daily!




'Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.'
Romans 12:2

'But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'
Matthew 6:33-34

Weekend Work

     This weekend was a work weekend for us, with a goal of getting all the wallpaper removed from our dining & living room area. We had some volunteer help from a brother in law and combined with Ian's amazing work ethic, we reached our goal! Hooray!!

     The two rooms are open to each other, as you can see below, so it made most sense to do them at the same time.

This was taken standing in the living room looking into the dining room, the day before we signed papers.

Here is what it looked like on Friday when we started. We were fortunate and had a work day right after we bought the house & some amazing friends from church had already removed wallpaper on walls.

And here it is this morning. Ian spackled, all that is left is smoothing it out and we can prime & paint.

Our little house is a lot of work, but I am learning that just because it's a lot of work doesn't mean it's not worth it. And don't let me fool you, Ian has done bulk of this last weekend's work. He is a hard worker and I am very thankful for him!

A view from the dining room into the living room.

This was Friday, as you can see on the right there was some removal prior to us moving in. I don't have a picture from today... the kids destroyed the living room. Maybe when I clean up I'll get a picture, maybe!

Right our wrongs

     Last week our oldest colored on the wall. Our freshly painted wall. And why?!? He's old enough to know better & he proudly came up to me and said, 'Mommy, I have a surprise for you! It will make you so happy!!' Well, let's just say he was WRONG!

     I stood there, looked at him and then at the wall. Pause. Repeat. I asked him, 'Why would this make me happy?' He smiled & gave no answer. I didn't yell (which tends to be my natural response), but asked him why he did this, no answer. 'Where are you suppose to color?' He answered appropriately, 'on paper.' Good. He knew the right thing to do.

     We then discussed why this made me upset. We just painted these walls and now he had ruined the paint. He genuinely said he was sorry and I let him know that as soon as I got the appropriate item, he would be cleaning it off the wall himself. He's old enough, and aware enough, to start fixing what he has 'broke'.

My big 4 year old, righting his wrong. A good side note, after he was done cleaning, he apologized again for coloring on the wall. What a sweet boy!

     This all makes me think about what I've broken in life. Relationships, feelings and my Mom's book I drew in when I was little. Was I remorseful for any of it? How long after it's done can you still ask for forgiveness or make it right?

     There is someone I've been needing to apologize to for awhile now. It's not that I was out right rude, but I assumed to know their position in life. To me, I broke a cord between us. I've been meaning to say something for awhile now & everything seems to be getting in the way to 'fix' it. Well, I'm pretty sure that if I have time to write this blog post, I have time to write them an apology. Talk about accountability. Please ask me in a few days if I've done it yet!

'So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.'

I Corintians 12:25-26

Our House

We bought our first house (pictured above) almost two months ago, it's all very exciting! It's on a dead end street & has an attic AND a basement (basements don't really exist back west). We have met several of our neighbors and are feeling very blessed by their generosity & kind words. This house feels like the 'right fit'!

I have dreams for this house. Dreams of babies growing school aged, friends being welcomed & wallpaper being removed. Dreams of love being shown to others & God being honored. Dreams of fond memories & wonderful days to remember.

God has shown me that these dreams start with him. They start with loving God unconditionally and without reserve. Praise God for all he has given us! And it is my prayer that we use it to glorify God with every brick, board & plaster wall he has given us!


' But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.'  Joshua 24:15


Here are some fun before & after photos of our house. I love a good project, this house is definitely a 'good project'!!

The Kitchen

There are still a few details that need to be done, like painting the range hood, new counter tops & painting the trim (but I'm pretty sure you can't tell the trim hasn't been painted in these pics!).

Cabinets at the back door.

This is one of my favorite places now! It was my husband & Mom's idea to keep these cabinets open & I LOVE it! 

Don't worry, there will be more fun house pics to come!

History

       About 7 months ago, my husband, Ian, accepted a job in New York. Our youngest wasn't yet 1 month old, his brothers were 3 1/2 yrs & 14 months, and we were living in Oregon. We loved where we were living, we had just found a wonderful church to attend and started to make some good friends.
       When Ian told me he had applied for a job in New York I didn't think anything of it. He is from there, his family still lives in the area, & he would periodically apply for a job when he thought it could be the right fit for his next career move.
       Within 2 days he had an informal phone interview, which turned into a formal offer only 4 days later. It was a whirl wind! But through the whole thing, I knew God was telling me to trust whatever decision my husband would make. I felt almost complacent at times. And this wasn't my 'natural' way of handling big decisions so far in life. I always had an opinion, always ready for a response in the way I felt we should go. Clearly God had his hand in this move, because I could see the good in moving & the good in staying.
       Well, the rest is history now. We packed up our 3 kids & flew to New York (which is another story entirely as we were delayed overnight due to bad weather and had to stay in a hotel. Ack!).
       If I knew what was going to happen ahead of time, I'm pretty sure I would have said 'heck no!'. I was learning how to take one day at a time, and add the kids in there & most days I was taking it 1 hour at a time.
       Now that it's all over, I still know that this is where God wants us. It doesn't make it easy though. At times, I feel like an elementary school girl who misses their family so much it hurts. How can something so right be so hard? How can a good thing hurt so much? I don't understand fully yet and part of me wonders if I will ever completely understand. But for now, I am trusting that God still knows best. And am I grateful that I can trust him for the direction of my life. Because I know that if I were in charge, it wouldn't be this good.

'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a hope and a future.'
Jeremiah 29:11

The family in Oregon, Father's Day 2013. I love this picture because it pretty much sums up our life since having a 3rd child. Crazy, but don't blink or you might miss it!