Parenting with God

God put me on this earth to be a Mommy, I know this with all of my heart! Charlie and I are so blessed to have a very sweet daughter. As sweet as she is, she can be quite a handful, just like any child can. There are days when I start to feel frustrated and I tell myself "MOMMY needs a time out... not Lula Mae". It is not her fault that I am frustrated, it is mine! Many times children misbehave and fuss because they don't know any other way to express themselves. How much would an adult misbehave and fuss if we were running around in another country asking for a drink and no one understood us? VERY! I have been trying very hard to parent the way that God would want me to, purely and for His glory! I can feel God telling me when I need to step back, take a breath and pray. I pray for His help in understanding what my daughter needs and patience with myself. I also pray that he will teach her patience as well (I truly don't think that patience can necessarily be "taught" like the ABC's or 123's). I don't want to be a parent that yells and spanks. I want my children to learn self control and obedience, but I don't want to scare it into them. God helps me each day to build Lula Mae into a wonderful child! He gives me strength and understanding! I am so blessed to be a Mommy! Charlie and I are very blessed to have God to help us parent!

Lula Mae's Second Christmas

We went to Davenports Tree farm again this year to pick out a tree, see the animals, and buy a new ornament for Lula Mae. This is going to be a family tradition I do believe! Eric and Heather have gone with us each time and we have really enjoyed it! And after the boys set up both of the trees, we have a hot dog supper!




And here is our tree! It just isn't quite the same when you have to put the ugly baby gate around it... but that is life with an 18 month old!



Lula Mae did not get to see the tree decorated until the next morning. She is very much in love with the tree! I love to hear her say "tree" and point to it and get excited! She is such a sweet girl! We have been teaching her about how God gave Baby Jesus to us as a gift. It is hard to teach certain things to an 18 month old! We aren't really sure how deep you should go into the story for her. We are sticking to the simple facts about the Christmas Story this year and perhaps next year we can add in some new things.

Santa Claus and Popcorn

You really just have to listen to this one! It is not a traditional song at all, but I love it. It is on my Christmas record that I love so much. It reminds me of being a kid and of my Mom. This song is a must in my house at Christmas time! Hope you like it too!

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed lots of great family!

Today I am thankful for:

-The good health of my family

-God taking care of everything and providing for us in every way!

-The love that my husband and I have for each other and our beautiful daughter

-Time to spend with friend and family

-Being a Mother

-My husbands wonderful career that allows me to stay home

-The unconditional love my daughter shows me every day

-The wonderful relationship I have with God and my Savior, Jesus Christ


I think I could go on and on! I have so many things in my life to be thankful for! Thanksgiving is my husbands favorite holiday. He loves that we get to gather with family and eat great food without the pressure of "presents". He is a very humble man and I am very lucky to have him in my life!





With that said, our next holiday is obviously Christmas. Charlie and I started our traditions on our first Christmas together. We wake up and open stockings first. Then we cook (from scratch) pancakes, bacon and eggs with chocolate milk! Yummy! Then we gather around the tree and listen to my very favorite Christmas record (Christmas America) and open our gifts. We want our children to believe in Santa, but we have our own way of explaining Christmas to our growing family. In our eyes, and many others, Jesus was a gift from God to us and that is why we give gifts to our loved ones and friends. We do not want Christmas to be about the newest toys or hottest fashion. We want it to be about the birth of Jesus and it true meaning! Charlie and I want to raise a family that looks past the "watered down" version of Christmas. Yes, it is fun to get presents, but do kids need hundreds of dollars of toys to be happy? There are some who may, but they won't be living here. I have finished Lula Mae's Christmas shopping this year and spent a total of $56.00. She will be just as happy as the kids who open $300.00 worth of stuff! Christmas is such a beautiful time of year! I can't wait to enjoy the Christmas season with my family. I hope that everyone will try to focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year, and every year to follow!

What Will She Think Of The Baby?

I have to say that I am very nervous about how Lula Mae is going to react to her new sibling. Anytime we have some type of baby item out she insists that it is hers. I am sure we are going to witness quite a few fits when the baby gets here, but we are very prepared for that. A new baby is a huge change for a family, especially the children. We are going to pray very hard that Lula Mae will adjust well to her new brother or sister. We are trying to prepare her now, but there isn't much we really feel like we can do. I know she will be a great big sister!

Remembering To Pray

I pray several times a day. Sometimes it is for little things like patience and sometimes it is for big things like good health and safety for my family. I have to keep myself in check sometimes though. Do you ever feel like you pray only when things are not going great, or when people are hurt or sick? Why is it harder to pray when things are going so great in your life? I struggled with this for a very long time. On the day that my daughter was born my entire life changed. I started to really understand how and why I needed to change. I use to get "mad" at God for things that happened in my life. I tell myself that I need to be thankful to God for some of the bad things that happen in my life. Now I know that He has a plan and I have ultimate faith in Him. Now, I remind myself each day that I need to thank God for sending his Son to die on the cross for my sins. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us! I am very far from perfect and God knows that. I pray each day that I am raising my family in the way that God would want me to. I hope to teach my children to pray no matter how hard or easy life seems at the time. Prayer should not seem like a chore, it should be like a hobby. I am so thankful that God has helped me change! Now prayer is a hobby for me and I hope that for my children!

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

I have this Christmas CD and it is the most relaxing music! Her voice is beautiful and perfect for Christmas music! Enjoy!

Stress Level

I am not a stranger to stress... unfortunately. I am always reminding myself that I need to take one day at a time. Even though I feel very overwhelmed today I know that tomorrow is a new day! I know that God is taking care of me and my family. Things are not looking great right now, but we are still very blessed. I will keep praying and keep trusting.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. -Lamentations 3:22-23

New Name

A lot has been going on in my life right now and I started feeling like my blog didn't convey what I wanted it to. I felt like "Destination Life" explains my attitude towards life a little bit better. Life is a very important destination. I spend too many days wondering "what will happen tomorrow, next week, next year?" "what will happen when I die?" Why not make life your destination? Enjoy life now, while you have it. I can't wait to meet my Savior, but I want my life to mean something first. I feel like if I focus on making life my destination it will be fuller. My goal is to fill my life with God and His word and His glory! By doing this I will understand all of the things I was so worried about before. My life is a journey and God is my compass!

Determination

I am determined not to let life get me down right now. Charlie and I just found out that the people who were going to buy our condo backed out. We were set to close on November 18th... so 8 days before closing they backed out. It is very hard news to process all at once. We know that this must not have been what God wanted for us. Even knowing that, it is still hard to process and understand. Now we are trying to figure out how to make our family of 3, soon to be family of 4, fit in our 1200 square foot condo. It is not going to be easy, but it can be done. I was really ready to have a house with a yard. I would love to have our families over for holidays and dinners, but right now we just don't have the space. I would love to have a big yard for my kids to play in. Someday I know it will happen. Right now, we just have to pick ourselves up off the floor and move on. We just have to pray that in God's perfect timing we will have a house. God is taking care of us in every way and nothing will make me forget that... no amount of bad news will shake my relationship with God. He is my strength. He is my all. He will help us heal from this rough time and make us stronger in the process. He is a very mighty God!

Christmas Music

I have to say that Christmas music is my FAVORITE music of all! I really could listen to it all year round. It brings joy to my heart! I love feeling the spirit of Christmas through the music. From now until January I will post a Christmas song for my "Lyrics That Mean Something" section. I hope all my Christmas picks bring joy to your heart too!

God's Reason For My Life

God created woman to be a companion to man and to give life to God. This beautiful face is why I am here on this earth. God picked Charlie and I to be parents to this precious child. We are raising her for Him, not for us. We are so blessed to have her! We pray that every decision we make for her is the right one. We want to please God with her life! I thank God each and every day for giving us this amazing gift!



This is what I gave Charlie while we were eating dinner in the Magic Kingdom in September. Yep, we are being blessed with another miracle in May! The funny thing is that my estimated due date is on Lula Mae's birthday (May 14th). I love my life as a Mom and am so glad that God picked us to raise another beautiful child. I hope that we can do a good job raising this baby for God too. It will be very sad for Charlie to leave right after the baby is born, but God will be there to guide me. God knows the plan he has for us! We are so excited to be parents again!

Trusting in Him

Charlie and I are going through a lot right now. The house is a big part of our stress these days. It seems to be slipping through our fingers with no end in sight. We know that God has a plan for us and we are trusting in Him. Why does it seem so hard to trust Him sometimes? Everything within me knows that if we trust we will be fine, but my brain just isn't catching on I guess. It seems to be a constant struggle for me.

We also have the constant thought of Charlie being deployed in May. I know that we can get through it, but it is still going to be very hard. I am so worried about how Lula Mae will react to the situation. How can I be strong without Charlie here? How can I raise a 2 year old and a newborn alone? The only way I will get through this is to trust in Him. He will be by my side everyday. He will be my strength.

I find myself having to force myself to say "I think I can" a lot these days. I feel very negative even though I know I need to be positive. I know that we will make it through this rough time. Good things come to those who wait!