hard work...

Between yesterday and today I actually feel as though I accomplished something! We went out last night and picked up 2 yards of mulch (more than we needed), and finished our front yard flower garden....then we were just going to remove the rocks from the garden on the garage and use the rest of the mulch, but rather than just remove rocks, we planted 4 new plants as well! It feels so good to get things done! So excited to see what we can accomplish next summer! Praise the Lord for an amazing day of great weather!

praying...

Tonight, I am praying until something happens (PUSH)...there have been a lot of decisions to be made in our family's life as well as my own these past couple of weeks. We feel now that we have come to the best conclusion for our family, and yet I still feel overwhelmed with worry and stress. I am praying tonight that God will calm my heart and mind and help me to sleep and depend on HIM that the right outcomes will happen. He knows more than anyone our family needs and HE will supply. I just need to trust in HIM and pray until something happens...knowing that whatever happens, whether it's the outcome I hope for or not, is in God's plan....I ask those who are reading this for your prayers as well....

Everything seems to blend together...

I am so tired lately that everything seems to blend together...I have been waking up every 2 hours or so during the night because of leg cramps...I was told that I have them because I am dehydrated, so I have been drinking a TON of water, and when I am not up walking around or stretching, I am using the bathroom....I can tell it's bad, because I apparently slept walk and talked to Paul the other night and attempted to go wake the girls up (at like 11pm) and I only know this because Paul told me...ugh! I guess I am going to have to change my schedule around so I can get to bed earlier and nap when the kiddos nap?! Somehow the household stuff will just have to get done...

So many blessings...

Today is my daddy's birthday and I am thinking about all of the wonderful blessings in my life and in life in general. My family has been so fortunate over the years to have our health, and my dad celebrating another year in his life reminds me of that. Yesterday we were able to go to Pontiac, MI to visit Amber and her new little princess, Madison. Babies are such a huge blessing and I am so thankful I was able to meet her! I thank God everyday for my babies, and all of the other blessings in my life....God is surely good!

just in case...

I just finished reading this amazing book called, Crossing Oceans and it really made me think about so much in life that I wouldn't normally think about...this may be morbid of me to talk about, but important none-the-less...when I go into labor with this 3rd princess of ours, there are a few things I need for people to know...I plan on telling Paul all of this (some of it he knows because we went through it with both Rachel and Abbie), but just in case I forget to bring it up, or if there is any kind of controversy, I want others to be aware too....If, for some reason, there are complications during labor the 1st thing that I want to happen is for my baby to be taken care of...even if it means life or death for me, this baby is my world and I want the Dr's. to fight for her life BEFORE mine. I have already discussed this with Paul and my parents, but when the circumstances arise, people can forget...the second thing is, I have a folder that is for bills....I am going to write down the different websites, user names and passwords, so if something (heaven forbid) did happen to me, Paul would have access to pay the bills...I have just recently thought of this after reading that book, so I haven't had the chance (yet) to talk to Paul about it...so maybe someone can remind him of it if something does happen???? Thanks....

Enough of being morbid for now....frightening to think about, I know...but it has happened to people before and I want to be prepared....

This weekend was a wonderful weekend (so far) minus sleep....We were able to get our front yard flower garden finished (minus one plant and mulch) on Friday and then we went to Holland for the night and all day today. Rachel and Abbie were both awake until at least midnight last night and I had TERRIBLE leg cramps that actually made me cry...my legs STILL hurt and are shakey....ugh....I am trying to get more potassium to see if that will help at all....

change will happen...

Paul and I discussed work possibilities for the fall and I am feeling a little more at ease about things...I am still praying A LOT about it all, but I feel more at peace today than the past few, so that's a plus. Change will happen though....

Another change that I am really excited about it our flower bed in our front lawn. We went out and bought border blocks (I don't know if that's the correct term or not?), flowers, top soil, and a bunch of other items to redo the garden. I love that this house is becoming our own!

More changes have happened in our girls in the last week and I just find it so unbelievable they are growing so fast....Abbie talks with the cutest voice I have ever heard and she is saying so many words! She LOVES to brush her teeth and she is learning to share...Rachel has her responsibility chart now, and has been being such a great helper...she feeds Dizzle, water the hanging basket, stays dry all day, brushes her own teeth twice a day...the list goes on, really and I am so proud to call these two beautiful girls my daughters. They are definitely the best things I have ever done....

Whew....that's all for now....nothing inspirational...maybe someday though!

P.U.S.H.

Back in high school I had a couple of different bracelets I received in youth group. One said, "PUSH" and the other said, "FROG.." I wish I still had both of them...as much as I hate to admit it, I don't always "Pray Until Something Happens" or "Fully Rely On God" the way I should. A lot of times I find that I am much more talk than I am walk...I was reading Take Four by Karen Kingsbury when I was reminded of the "PUSH" bracelet and I got to thinking, 'why am I not constantly praying until something happens?!' Which reminded me further of another book I had bought before Paul and I got married called, The Power of a Praying Wife....I realized how important (I already knew this, so maybe I should say I was reminded) it was to be praying for my husband daily...same with my children! Why have I not been continually doing this? So then, I felt even more compelled when I read the opening verse in The Power of a Praying Wife to change the way I pray; Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12 This was the verse read and focused on at my Grandma's funeral...the verse described her to her fullest and I remember thinking about how I wanted that verse to be about me too....I realize I am rambling my thoughts here, but sometimes that's the best way to get things said....so, tonight....I "re"begin my book with chapter one, "His Wife." Because if my heart is not where it should be in this, my prayers won't mean a whole lot...and I want to be the wife God created me to be!