Birthday Weekend, Etc. {Instagram Style}

Saturday was my 33rd birthday which sounds soooo old to me:).  It's not exactly fun to see myself entering into the mid30's...but I'm thankful for another year and for another fun birthday!  I got lots of cards and lots of texts and lots of facebook comments so I felt well loved and encouraged!  I also got to eat out for lunch and dinner which was such a treat! Then, I finally got to go see The Help which was good (but not as good as the book of course). 

1.  Jeff got me these adorable earrings that I'm IN LOVE with! 
2. He also got me this cute cross to hang somewhere:).

3. Ellie Kate giving me some love at my birthday lunch
4.  Since daddy doesn't bake, we got to get Gigi's cupcakes for my birthday! Yay!

 1.  The red letter art I won came in the mail Friday which made it sort of like a birthday present:).  

2.  Getting ready to blow out my candle with the kiddos.

So these aren't birthday related but just some random updates...

1.  We rearranged the girls room a bit recently by taking down the bunk beds and making them just single twin beds.  I also put up this cute fabric tree I ordered from etsy. 

2.  I've been doing some thrifting this week as I've gotten the itch to do some painting and crafting.  I got this little side table for $10 at the Tuscaloosa Garage Sale site on facebook (which is such a fun page)! I'm planning on painting it and using it in the nursery.  I have a few more projects in the works too once it cools off enough for me to paint in the garage. 

3.  The bottom left picture shows you some of our pumpkin vine/plant.  This is just one of them...we have 3 or 4 right now growing in our woods and I think we are going to have a lot of little pumpkins much to Samuel's delight. 

4.  This is a pic of our first little pumpkin growing.  So cute!

Dying and Trusting

Ever since I found out I was pregnant with this 4th little miracle, I have struggled with dying to myself and trusting my Father.  Dying to comfort.  Dying to my plans.  Dying to more work.  Dying to gaining weight and throwing up and headaches and lack of sleep.  Dying to less room in our house. 

At the same time, I have struggled with trusting.  Trusting despite fear.  Trusting God's plan for this baby.  Trusting even when I don't always feel the flutters.  Trusting despite the anxious thoughts of something being wrong because I so desperately want this baby to be healthy and arrive on or before February 2.

And you know what, it's been exhausting.  My mind has been a whirlwind of thoughts and it. never. stops.  I hate it.  I hate that I complain about being pregnant and I hate that at the same time, the fear of something being wrong or going wrong are crippling.  It's a paradox that has left me broken and done. 

But instead of coming to the only One who can calm my fears and give me joy, I go to Pinterest, or Facebook, or cleaning, or organizing, or tv.  It leaves me empty and trying to do this life as a wife and mom in my own strength...which I don't do well.  I need the Spirit and I need the Holy Word to guide me each and every day. 

This morning, I sat down and read my favorite chapter in Philippians (4) and then read today's entry from Jesus Calling.  It was just the words I needed from the Lord...

"TRUST ME in the midst of a messy day.  Your inner calm - your Peace in my Presence - need not be shaken by what is going on around you.  Though you live in this temporal world, your innermost being is rooted and grounded in eternity.  When you start to feel stressed, detach yourself from the disturbances around you.  Instead of desperately striving to maintain order and control in your little world, relax and remember that circumstances cannot touch My Peace.  Seek My Face and I will share my mind with you, opening your eyes to things from My perspective.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.  The Peace I give is sufficient for you."

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually.   Psalm 105:4

Random Bullet Points

• This week, I won a fabulous giveaway from Mel at The Larson Lingo.   I am SOOOOO excited! I never win anything...probably because I actually rarely enter givaways, but I did this time and I actually won something that is really cool.  I won a 12 x 12 cafe print from Red Letter Words.  I still haven't decided which one I'm going to get...there are of course so many I like! 

This is an example of one of the prints I like as it's one of my favorite verses...

• Samuel has several vines of pumpkins growing in our woods!  We came back from Colorado and had these huge vines growing.  He has been so excited.  There are a lot of blooms on them, so we are all anxious to see if we will actually grow any pumpkins.  You may be wondering how we have pumpkins growing in our woods.  We wondered the same thing and then realized that last fall sometime in November, Samuel took all our pumpkins that were old and rotting and just beat them to pieces in the woods and then scattered all the insides/seeds.  So, apparently some of those seeds got far enough into the dirt to take root!  It's crazy! 

•  Ellie Kate is going to start ballet in a few weeks.  To say she is excited would be a huge understatement!  Her shoes and leotards came in the mail today and she of course had to immediately put them on and practice...

 

•  Abigail has become obsessed with wearing t-shirts.  I have no idea where this came from since we really don't have that many t-shirts her size, but it's all she wants to wear.  It's really funny and sort of maddening at the same time! 

• Thanks for all the comments about my laundry room.  I am really enjoying it and am going to look into some of the suggestions some of y'all made! 

• We find out the sex of this baby in less than 2 weeks hopefully!!! I'm so curious and excited and hoping it will make me connect a bit more to it's sweet self.  I'm always nervous too leading up to these ultrasounds about finding something wrong so I'm just trusting the Lord and His plan and praying for my mind to not be worried or anxious. 

• Which brings me to this final bullet point.  I really want to do cloth diapers for this baby.  Jeff and my mom think I'm crazy, but I REALLY want to do it.  I am a bit overwhelmed by all the choices out there, so if any of my awesome readers have any suggestions, I will welcome them!  The main reasons I want to do them are they are eco friendly, safer and better for babies skin, and cheaper in the long run than disposables.  I have really sensitive skin and Abigail got horrible diaper rash from any diaper besides Seventh Generation or Huggies Pure and Natural as well as any wipes besides a sensitive no fragrance wipe.  SO, I also sort of want to make my own wipes, but that may be getting way ahead of my capacity with this being the 4th child!

Laundry Room Makeover!

I don't know about y'all, but laundry is my LEAST favorite chore to do.   I really hate putting it away the most!

So when we found out about the sweet little unexpected 4th blessing in our lives, I decided that I really wanted (needed) to make my laundry room more functional.  My top complaints were...

1. small washer and dryer = lots of loads of laundry = lots of time
2. ugly hot water heater in the back left corner
3. no space to set laundry baskets or fold clothes

For our anniversary (which I have failed to discuss on here) we went to Atlanta for a little getaway.  Top on my list of things to do was a visit to Ikea!!!!  Jeff was less enthusiastic about that, but since he loves me so much...he went along willingly and I think even though he wouldn't admit it, he had a little fun there too! ANYway, we got a few things for the laundry room makeover I was planning in my head.  Then this past weekend, Sears had a friends and family sales event and we got a new washer and dryer that I am IN LOVE with for about 40% off retail price.  Score!!!!

So here is the way before of our laundry room

(It got really messy really quick - this was probably about a year after moving in.  Seriously this picture grosses me out...how was I so unorganized???? oh that's right, we had just added 3 children to our lives in 3 years!:))

Then we did a few things to make the room look better.  I painted the cabinets, cleaned out and organized the room a bit...getting a little better -

 

And here is the AFTER as of today!!!! YAY!  I am in love with it and how functional (and pretty considering the budget and where we started) it is!!!!! 

Ikea frames with some digital scrapbook paper I printed off at home.  Sort of modern and funky and just helped fill up that blank wall. 

I love this little gem from Ikea.  It was pretty cheap and it holds a lot of stuff!  We got two and I wish I had gotten more for the kids closets.  I'm going to put the other one in Samuel's closet.

The cube storage boxes are from Target (I already had most of these but had to buy 3 more I think) and this shelf from Ikea is awesome!  It was $69.99 and the quality is amazing.  Jeff thought it was also one of the easier things he has had to put together.

I already had the bulletin board for pictures, artwork, and miscellaneous stuff...

My new loves...these are high efficiancy large capacity washer/dryer set.   They will save on energy, water and time!!!! WOOHOOO!!!  I went with the top loaders instead of front loaders because so many people I have talked to and read about don't really love their front loaders.  Plus, these were cheaper but have great capacity.  I can do about triple the amount of laundry in one load than what I used to be able to do!

And here is one more look...

(I use the top of the Ikea cube shelf to fold clothes on and the cheap white curtain from Ikea mostly covers up the ugly hot water heater)! 

Beautiful Eyes

I love looking into my  Samuel's eyes.  They are the most amazing shade of blue/green/gray with specks of amber in them.  They are sparkly and mischievous most of the time and the right time of day, my camera of course loves them!   This picture was taken at the county fair when we were in Colorado at about 7 pm.  I am in love with this handsome boy...can't believe how fast he is growing up though!

First Day of School

I promise one of these days I will sit down and actually write more than a few sentences on this blog.  But for now, all I have time or energy for are a few pics...

 {2nd grade}

{Pre-K}

{2k}

I mean, I don't even get out my big camera hardly at all anymore. What is wrong with me???  The iphone is so much easier!  On a side note, I actually toyed with the idea for about a week to keep the girls out of preschool this semester since our summer was so busy.  But then I realized I was crazy!  I have so much cleaning and purging to do in our house to get ready for baby #4 and I am going to hopefully maybe do some more ministry with Jeff this semester too.  And then when I mentioned to Ellie Kate that she might not go to school, she got all dramatic on me and wailed on and on about when would she see her friends and on and on.  I have got a social little girl on my hands:). 

A Decade...

 

Tomorrow morning if you wake
up and the sun does not appear 

I will be here 

 
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here 

I will be here 

When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen 

 

And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together 

I will be here 

 
 

 

  
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up  
And the future is unclear 

I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change  

Our lifetimes were made for these years

So I will be here 

I will be here
 

And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older 

I will hold you
And I will be here 

To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me 

I will be here 

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me 

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here 

I will be here

Happy 10th Anniversary to us!!! 

The lyrics above in the midst of all the pics from the last decade are from the song "I Will Be Here" by Stephen Curtis Chapman and was sung (by 2 of my great friends while one of Jeff's best friends played the guitar) at our wedding.  I heard it on Pandora yesterday and just smiled.  It's so true...the covenant vows we said 10 years ago are basically that we are committed (I will be here) to each other through ever season of life and every part of the journey God leads us on.  I wouldn't want to walk this journey with anyone else!