Trusting

It has been months since I have posted but I have thought about blogging so many times, missing the outlet that I have found in writing.  This school year has been one of much transition and learning to trust in deeper way than I ever have.  In the third week of school I started working full-time and am now just six weeks away from finishing the school year (can't wait).  While I have loved it, there have been some bumps in the road along the way. 

Chris was laid off from his job in January and is still looking...we are learning to trust 

Chris is considering a new career...we are learning to trust

Melia started Kindergarten this year.  It has not been without a few rough patches...we are learning to trust.

Parker is two short weeks away from having tubes put in his ears and tonsils and adenoids taken out...we are learning to trust.

We are living on the least amount of income in recent months than we have since having kids...we are learning to trust

I agreed to work full time again next year...we are learning to trust

There are days my kids push me to my limits...we are learning to trust

Days come when I question everything I am doing...we are learning to trust.

There are days I want to crawl in a hole and hide away from the world...we are learning to trust.


I was texting with a friend tonight and we were talking about this very thing...TRUST.  Why is it so hard sometimes?  In the areas that it should be the easiest, it seems the hardest.  It is easy to trust when things are good, but then a bad day, week, or month happens and trust becomes a choice instead of a given.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...Proverbs 3:5


Today I am choosing to trust the Lord in ALL things...big and small...those things I have control over and those things I do not...for my husband and kids...for our family and friends...in all things!  I am not sure what life will look like in a month, three months, or a year from now, but the Lord does and I find peace in that.   

 

12

Twelve years ago today, I married Chirs. We have been together since March 1994 (high school sweethearts). 3 children, 2 cats, 3 houses, and so many wonderful memories, brings us to today.

Two kids walked down the aisle that day...one just starting his career, and the other with a year left of college. I remember all the emotions I felt on that chilly, snowy, winter day. Tears of joy as I walked toward Chris, and tears of saddness as I looked into my dad's tear-filled eyes as he let his little girl go. I couldn't stop smiling during the ceremony...I was marrying the man (boy), I loved. We didnt know what life would bring, but we agreed to find out together.

I love him more today than 12 years ago. There have been ups and downs along the way, but they have made us stronger and made us who we are today! No matter what we faced he would say, "it will be okay" (even though he was convincing himself at the same time). He is a wonderful provider for our family, and continually puts the kids and I before himself.

There is no greater joy than watching him roll around on the floor with the kids, and then snuggle them in bed and whisper prayers in their ears. His eyes light up when they come racing through the kitchen as he walks in from work. He has little routines, that only he can do with them. Little games that only dad can play.

I love you Chris! I am looking forward to what the next twelve years and beyond will bring.

Changes

1st day of school for E and P...Melia started one day before them





He looks so grown up



Sister love for E's first day

first day of 4 yearl old preschool

Melia and her teacher (I was able to pick her teacher...She is the teacher I co-taught with for many years...she moved to kindergarten 2 years ago. I am thankful she is M's teacher)

Mommy and Daddy got to go with her on her first day

Sister love on her first day!

This last six weeks since the start of school has brought about many changes. Melia started Kindergarten this year. She goes all day everyday, the first major change. I miss her when she is away from me all day. She is learning so much. Yesterday, she came home counting to 20 in Mandarin Chinese. At her school, all students get 30 min of Chinese every day. It is incredible all that she is learning. She also started violin lessons last week. It is an optional program that the students can participate in. There is a small fee, but she gets two 30 min lessons on the violin with a small group of kindergartners during her school day. She has had three lessons, with the first one taking time to measure each student for their violin. She brought it home for the first time yesterday, and told me the names of all the parts, the rules involved in holding it and the name of each string. She is amazing me with everything she is learning. Eva's preschool class also gets Chinese instruction and she came home counting to 10 this week. I am thankful to work in such a great school system, and very glad we made the decision to send our kids to that district.

About three weeks into school, the preschool special education teacher in my building had to be hospitalized unexpectedly due to complications with her pregnancy. (she has since had her baby who was born very early weighing under 2 pounds, but I am pleased to say that he is doing very well at this point). That brought about a second huge change for our family. I took over her afternoon class, therefore, I am now working full time. It could be for several months, but I am up to the challenge. I am enjoying working with 3-5 year olds again. E and P are in daycare 4 days a week now and my mother in law graciously takes care of them one day a week. The biggest challenge is getting up and out of the house every day, having three young kids, fed, dressed, hair done, and in the car by 7:30-7:40am. We are falling into new routines and I am thankful for the opportunity. By the end of the week we are all pretty tired, but we are cherishing family time on the weekends. I have had to learn to prioritize at a whole new level. Some things (mostly around the house), have had to be let go or expectations drastically decreased. I would be lying if said there weren't moments in the last few weeks, that I questioned my sanity and a few tears weren't shed, but all in all it is working. We have a lot on our plate right now, but we are just taking it one day at a time and learning to let go of the small stuff.

Enjoying the Process

Yesterday a reoccurring theme made its way through my mind. I participated in my second sprint triathlon in the early hours of the morning. This race was much harder than the first race I did in June for a variety of reasons. The course was much more difficult and my training has lacked in the last month. The bike course was a very hilly road path through Holly Recreational Park. It was a two loop course, so after completing the first loop, I knew what was coming. :) Part way through the second loop the thought, "enjoy the process", went through my head. Even though I was completing one of the hardest things I have done in my life, I wanted to enjoy the process. The park was beautiful, the weather gorgeous. The path was tree lined and in a few spots lakes lined the path. It gave me something to focus on instead of looking at the massive hill I was pedaling up. It was a great experience overall.


Later in the day yesterday, when 2 out of the three kids were napping, I decided to mow the lawn. I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and the lawn was looking like a jungle, so why no mow it? It is actually a task that I enjoy. Up and down each row, and again I thought, "enjoy the process." Instead of trying to rush through, just enjoy it.


Sometimes I get caught up in the tasks of life, that I don't stop to enjoy them. It is easier to say, I just want this to be done and try and get it done and move on to something else. I do this with the kids sometimes. Some phases that kids go though are not so fun. Yet, they are only little once and I want to try and focus on "enjoying the process" more often. Again, it is easy sometimes (at least for me) to fall into the trap of complaining, focusing on how hard something is, or just rushing through something to get it done. I'm not blind to the fact that there are terrible tragedies and difficulties in life that people face, and enjoying the process just isn't feasible or seems impossible at times. But in my day to day, I want to try and accomplish this. I believe it will make me a more patient, can be attitude changing, and put a smile on my face instead of a scowl. I hope that you stop and "enjoy the process" in something today!

Summer

This summer has been filled with all kinds of adventures, changes, and growth. I can’t believe school is just around the corner.

· Melia graduated from preschool and will be heading to Kindergarten in a few short weeks
· Parker turned 2
· Just weeks later he was potty trained!!!! No one in diapers now! (He was the youngest to be trained out of the three kids)
· Parker moved from his crib to his full size bed. He looks like such a peanut in his big bed
· Chris and I completed our first Sprint Triathlon
· Melia and Eva learned to swim with out any rings or arm floaties and Parker is swimming just with arm floaties...We spent alot of time in the water. All three of them are jumping into the pool (the girls by themselves and P with floaties) :) I am so proud of their accomplishments.
· Parker learned to ride a scooter and a tricycle this summer.
· The girls learned to pump their feet on the swings and LOVE going as high as they can
· Melia is reading simple words and phrases
· The girls can both count to one hundred by 10's

I love that I have the summer off and can spend so much time watching them learn and grow. I would not trade it for anything in the world. I am so thankful I have this time with them.

· We spent ALOT of time in the pool, at the beach, splash pad, and parks (gotta love free fun)
· Had a great 4th of July party with family and friends
· Went to 3 firework shows
We went to a few festivals and parades
We spent a week in Lake City, MI with my family and closest friends (19 people...11 adults and 8 kids (all 7 and under) in one house. We had an awesome time.
We went to the Armada fair and watched the Monster trucks
We spent a lot of time biking and running
We celebrated with my BFF who turned 30 and finished her MBA with a Pirate Murder Mystery Party!
We are ending the summer spending three days camping with our best friends and their little guy in tents (with no water or electric) over Labor day weekend...it doesn't get much more fun than that :) Can't wait.

Everyday was an adventure and the kids woke up asking what are we going to do today! I start school again next week and Melia starts Kindergarten the week after that...all day, everyday in school. While I am excited to watch her continue to learn and grow, I will miss her. It will be strange to only have Eva and Parker home on my days off. While I am sad summer is coming to an end, I am excited for the new season we are embarking on. It is amazing the changes that can take place in ust a few short months. I am one blessed momma!

Paker kissed (he loves animals) a variety of animals this summer...here it is a cow at the Strawberry Festival

Arrrr Matey!

Melia walking across the bridge at her preschool graduation

A trip to the zoo

Parker's big bed

A Work in Progress

A few weeks back we rescued this gem from what would of been eternity in a garbage dump.

Slowly, we have been stripping the old paint away layer by layer to reveal the pure beauty of the wood in its original state. It is a work in progress.

Last month we heard a message at church titled, "Taking the Plunge." It was a back to the basics message on salvation and growing up in the Lord. A few days later, I was stripping the layers of paint away, and I pondered the words I heard earlier that week. Just like the dresser before me, I (and you) are works in progress. When we were 10 years old we knew more than when we were 5, at 20 we knew more than we did at age 10 and so on. As we grow in age, hopefully we grow in maturity. The Pastor mentioned during his sermon that "growing up" brings stability and wisdom. Words that seem simple, but they impacted me differently this time. I want stability and wisdom in my life. I want to be stable (or even more stable) for my kids, for my husband and others around me.

I want more than the stability that comes with age, I want the stability that comes from growing up, maturing, and increasing in wisdom in the things of the Lord. A stability that cannot be shaken. A stability that brings a new level of maturity. This stability takes some work. I am done sitting on the sidelines, waiting for it. I am chasing after it with all I have. The Pastor mentioned sitting in church for 10 or 20 years does not make you mature in the things of the Lord. While it is very beneficial, there is more to it than that. As a family, we are reorganizing and reprioritizing. I am sure it will stretch and change us, but in the end we will be better for it.

Just as the old paint is being stripped away, so are layers in my life. I am a work in progress and I am thankful for the things that the Lord is doing.

Setting a Goal

Last summer a good friend of ours particiapted in several Sprint Triathlons. After listening to him talk about them, I thought, I wonder if I could ever do that. This thought ran through my head several times throughout the winter. Spring came, and I decided, I was all in. In April, Chris and I signed up for our first Sprint Tri, which was going to take place in June. Let the training begin! I already had a love for biking and have always enjoyed swimming, but more just for fun. The running had me a little nervous. I ran track in highschool for a couple years, but lets be honest that was a long time ago :) I made a training calendar and set out to accomplish this goal. Because we signed up together, Chris and I took turns taining in the evenings, and on the weekends tried to train together (along with the kids). We would pull them in bike trailers while riding, come home put the wheel on and push them as we ran. If I could do it with the kids, I was confident I could do it without the kids. After a few months of training, race day was finally here.

The race took place at Belle Isle in Detroit and consisted of a 500 meter swim, a 12 mile bike and a 3.4 mile run. My three goals: finish the race, do it under 2 hours, and run the whole run. Two out of the three I was able to do. I did finish the race and did it in 1 hr and 47 min, but I did walk a few times during the running portion. Both of our familes came out to support us the day of the race. I felt so honored to have them there. We had to be at Belle Isle at 6:30am and our familes were there, with our kids by 7:30am (that's love). I am so thankful for there support.

Our Support Crew!

Our racing buddies: Team Woodruff, Spina, and Rayner

Getting ready for the swim. The water temp was 65 and the air temp was 60...brrr

There were 50-60 people in my wave to start the race...About 700 people participated in the race that day!

2 down 1 to go...swim and bike are done. Coming into the transition area to drop of my bike and put my running shoes on!

Chris coming in after the bike...the sun did peak out from behind the clouds during the bike, but it was still in the 60's!

Coming down the chute to finish the race!!!

VICTORY!! I couldn't have been more proud. I came around the final corner and all of our family (as well as Chris, Corey, and Jason, who had already finished) were cheerning me on. I fought back tears, hearing all of them shout my name and knowing that I was just feet away from finishing the race. Corey yelled, "Sprint" as I ran by. I put my head down, and with the rush of pure adrenaline, sprinted the final 150 feet to the finish line.

Thank you Chris for supporting me and letting me drag you into this!

It was a cold and dreary day, but I had a great time and was so proud that I had accomplished the goal. I took a few weeks off and am now back to training for another tri at the end of August!!!