Captured In Clay

When Isaac was 5 weeks old, my good friend brought us to a woman's house in Ada to get his footprints and hand-prints in clay. It was such a thoughtful gift and we have loved having this keepsake!

So when Hope was around 4 weeks old, I called here to make an appointment so we could get one made for her.

She was actually going to be out at a consignment shop in Ada, so the next weekend, we headed out there. 

She has different size tiles,  colors, fonts, stamps, beads and ideas. We chose the same size and fonts as Isaac, but got to add a girly color and stamps.



It takes less than 5 minutes to actually get the prints taken, and she does the hard work of actually making the impression.

A few weeks later we got to pick up the final product. I was very pleased with how it came out!

New Years Resolutions?

Anyone have any?

My specific goals are to: 
1. Run a 10k
2. Lose 20lbs

My difficult-to-actually-measure goals are:
1. To live with no excuses. I think "No excuses" is my theme for this year. From little things, like neglecting to unload the dishwasher, to more important things like time with my family - no excuses. I don't want to settle for less than what God has in store for me, and I think I do that by procrastinating, being lazy, or making excuses.
2. Follow my husband. Obviously, we will be following God first and foremost, but it's time for me to follow my husband and allow him to use the gifts he has and is now certified to use!

Love. Love. Love.

Trying to Trust

I've realized how lousy I can be at trusting God. I am such a planner, a list maker, and an almost obsessive trying-to-figure-everything-outer, that being in a position with so many unanswered questions about our future is tough.

To prove my extreme planning nature: There are two positions open at a high school in St. Louis, MO. I've gone on the schools website probably 50 times. I've looked up the location on mapquest numerous times. I've looked up apartments/houses for rent to see what you get for your money. I've looked up the local seminary (which Marc and I would both LOVE to attend) to see if my classes would transfer. I've looked up parks nearby. I've got us packed & moved already, and Marc hasn't even applied yet!

And before you lecture me, yes, I know this is not a healthy behavior. Yes, I know the job market is tough and the likelihood of Marc getting the first job he applies for is not high. Yes, I know there is a chance he might not find a full time teaching job, or even a job at all. Yes, I know I'm romanticizing moving and starting over.

But how do I stop? I need to learn to trust God's plan rather than create my own. Easier said than done. I need to trust that God is Sovereign and in control of our lives and our family. Trust that he knows our future and where we will be. Trust that he will figure out our finances. Trust that he will provide what we need when we need it.

I feel like an Israelite.

How many times did God provide for them, lead them, prove his faithfulness to them, and yet time after time they created idols to worship, doubted, complained and stopped trusting.

God has certainly proved himself faithful. Now if only I can prove that I can surrender and trust him.

Routine? What's that?

Next week starts our true family routine. We've never had one before. Never. I guess we've had semi-schedules, but with 3 different people watching the kids weekly at different times, Marc's class schedule changing every semester, my youth group events new each semester and a kid who went from napping to not napping, I'm not sure we can legitimately call it a schedule.

I'm a pretty laid back person. I like to go with the flow, and I really enjoy flexibility. HOWEVER, I have learned that I function MUCH better in a routine. My Mission Year days taught me that. I thrived that year. But I had 4 other adults living with me to keep me to it. I'm not so sure Isaac is going to be my best accountability when it comes to less TV and an earlier bedtime. I know it's good for me, and really good for our family to be in a routine, it's just tricky to start, especially when I value sleep more than, well, just about anything.

So, this week is a practice week. Marc is teaching a J term class at Northpointe each day, so we can't truly get into our schedule until he's done. I started this morning by getting up on time & getting ready, bringing Young to school, waking up the kids (waking them up hoping that = going to bed earlier), feeding Hope, going to the post office & heading to the office all by a little after 9am. I'm hoping to get the kids on a better schedule, giving me more time to sleep and hopefully I can wake up even earlier to get a work out in. I'd also love to do my devotions in the morning instead of at night, but one thing at a time.

Any tips for creating & sticking to a family routine? What's your routine?