Getting out of the house...finally!

Well, this has been a much better week. My energy has finally returned and hopefully it will stay a little longer this time! I've been able to get more done around the house and spend a lot of time with Ali Greis. We even went to the Aquarium on Tuesday with a friend and the two kids she is a nanny for, and we had a picnic lunch and played in the splash pad/pool downtown. I did take a nap with Ali Greis when we got home but was so thankful to have the energy to be able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

We were able to go to the Ocean Journey at the Aquarium last week with another friend and I was able to take some pictures of Ali Greis enjoying the fish. She LOVED it!!

Talking to the fish

 

Ali Greis and Elliott get along so well together. They are both going to be a big brother and big sister soon so it's good practice!

We got to see a diving show!

On Tuesday, we went to the River Journey and they have a place called Ranger Rick's Backyard Safari where they will bring out different animals for the kids to touch and learn about. While we were there, there was a box turtle and some kind of snake. My child wouldn't touch the turtle but she touched the snake! We then got to see a bird show and she was fascinated with them. She also touched an otter fur and loved it :) I'm glad she's so fearless but I don't think I'm ready for her to grow up just yet! I'm so thankful for this time that I'm able to stay home with her before the baby comes. I love watching her learn and grasp ideas. We're also working on potty training and she's so excited about it! Me on the other hand? Not so much. But she's showing signs that she's ready so we might as well give it a try!

I have noticed that I'm getting a little more clumsy and a lot slower and realized it's probably because I'm 18 weeks pregnant! I'm definitely going to be more careful, especially when it comes to picking up my 30lb 16 month old! She's getting more and more independent so that does help. I can't believe we're almost halfway there! This pregnancy has gone by so fast. Just 2 more days and we find out what we're having!!

This one was taken at 17 weeks. I'm carrying a lot lower than I did with Ali Greis so I'm guessing it's a boy...but we'll find out soon enough!

The joys of staying home

I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed my husband with a great job and has provided all of our needs so that I can stay at home with my baby girl. It is one of the greatest blessings in my life. For some reason, I am even more exhausted with this pregnancy than I was with Ali Greis but that probably has a lot to do with keeping up with a 15 month old! So, needless to say, I look forward to nap time and try to take advantage of at least one if not both naps.

I was warned in the beginning that being a stay-at-home mom is challenging and sometimes it might be hard not to get impatient or wish I could catch a break just for a little while. I'm going to be honest...it's been harder at times than I had ever imagined. But the problem I've found is me. God has really been working in my heart the past week and I don't normally post personal stuff for everyone to read but I felt like I should this time. Maybe some of you are struggling with this or will soon be a stay-at-home mom and have expectations of what it will be like. I don't want to discourage you but I'm going to be real and hopefully encourage you in the end.

I've always found myself to have a good work ethic and to be willing to sacrifice the extra few minutes resting on the couch to pick up the house or wash dishes. Now that I stay at home all day, I will put Ali Greis in bed with us when she wakes up and find myself staying in bed much longer than I should. I'll make breakfast and get Nacho off to work and then just hang out with Ali Greis (in our pj's) most of the morning. I love this time we spend together and I love seeing her grow and learn...but I always feel unaccomplished and lazy. I feel like getting a shower and ready for the day at 11:00am is a wasted morning. So this has been affecting the rest of my day and I'll just stay lazy and go days without doing my domestic duties and blame it on the pregnancy. I told Nacho last week that I think I just need to establish a routine and just suck it up and do whatever needs to be done, no matter how I feel. So I did. On Monday, I didn't feel very well but I cleaned the house and got so much done all in one morning! Then I started having sharp stomach pains and, long story short, was put on bed rest for that night and the next day. It wasn't anything serious, but it was just what I needed for the Lord to get my attention.

Obviously, being pregnant, I am extra emotional. But with having lost a precious baby once already, I found all of those memories coming back and I couldn't imagine going through it again. I grabbed my phone to call my mom, best friend, anybody that I knew would pray for me and be there for me. But then I heard that still, small voice. I love it when God speaks to me this way, even in unpleasant situations. He said, "Who do you turn to first in trials and hard times? This is a sign of where you place your trust - in people or in Me?" I can't say I instantly calmed down and stopped crying, but I did feel this peace come over me that I will never be able to explain. I spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the couch watching Ali Greis run laps around the room yelling happily and talking nonstop.

Being on unofficial bed rest gave me time to think and just to be still and listen to what God was trying to teach me. I started thinking about my attitude the last couple of weeks and how I had neglected some of my daily responsibilities in order to lie around the house with my baby girl. God really convicted me about this. Surprisingly, I wasn't convicted about being 'lazy' but instead, I was convicted about my attitude and where my priorities are. I was reminded that I will never get this time back and in less than 5 months I won't be able to give Ali Greis my undivided attention. How selfish of me. I was also reminded that a clean house, clean clothes and a home cooked dinner pale in comparison to a healthy baby. My priority must be this little miracle inside of me and it is selfish of me to not listen to my body and take it easy when I don't feel good than to compromise my baby's health (and mine) just so my husband can come home to a clean house and hot meal. Another thing God showed me (I told you He's really been working on me this week) was that my husband would probably rather come home to a rested wife than a grumpy one with a clean house. And honestly, he's never complained about a messy house or dinner not being ready.

So, I'm learning to let things go. I don't mean let the house and chores go, but let the small things go. If I am feeling tired and have a horrible headache like I have lately, I'm going to take it easy. If Ali Greis is talking up a storm and showing me all of her toys, I'm going to leave the bed unmade and play with her. Now, I have been doing this lately, but I've been beating myself up about it. The difference? My attitude. I'm going to play with my baby girl WITH JOY. I'm going to take it easy WITH A THANKFUL HEART because God has blessed me so much so that I CAN take it easy! I CAN leave the dishes and play with my baby.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."  James 4:13-14

Let us not forget to take advantage of every day we have and not focus on earthly, material things but instead, on eternal things. My child watches everything I do so what kind of example am I setting if I spend more time doing chores than I spend playing with her? My responsibility as her mother is to express God's love to her and to pour my life into hers. My prayer is that Ali Greis comes to know the Lord as her Savior at an early age so my priority should be to live it out in front of her.

So, even though it's almost 11:00 and we are still both in our pajamas, I'm going to join her as she is redecorating our living room with her toys and enjoy her funny personality. Plus, it's my birthday so I don't have to do any chores today anyways, right?

Let's try this again

Well, it's official. I am the worst blogger ever. I started this blog as a way to keep our family and friends informed on all that is going on in our lives as we are away but it's been a year and a half since I posted the second of only two posts. How sad. So...here's another attempt. I can't make any promises but I will try and blog often. If you know me, I would much rather have a face-to-face conversation than over the phone or even on facebook. But we could not do what we do without your prayers and so appreciate people asking about us and being so interested in what God is doing in and through us.

To quickly catch you up on what's happened since my last blog post, we are still living in Chattanooga, we have a lively, independent, happy 15 month old and are expecting our second baby! My official due date is January 4th but because of Ali Greis being early, the doctor says I will probably deliver before Christmas. We find out on August 3rd what we're having! So far, the pregnancy has been uneventful and the baby is very healthy and VERY active, praise the Lord! I've felt him/her move since 13 weeks and yesterday, at 16 weeks, Nacho was able to feel him/her move! The Lord never fails to amaze me with His many blessings and provision. This little miracle is a daily reminder. No matter what I do or how many times I fail God, He never fails me. Not only that, He continues to bless me even in my disobedience and spiritual laziness!

Nacho is busy but loving what he does. As of June 1st, he became the assistant men's soccer coach and event manager here at TTU. Because God provided this awesome opportunity for him, I have been able to stay home! I am also doing what I love :) My baby girl is growing so fast and I am so thankful to be able to be a constant part of her life and not miss a thing. The Lord is so good to us.

This picture was taken at my parents' house on July 4th. Ali Greis loves being outside, especially in the pool or sprinkler.

Nap time is almost over but I will try and blog again soon!

Here we go!

This past month has gone by so fast and it's only going to get crazier! We had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend almost a week at home in Alabama with family. We had such a good time and Nacho even got to go hunting several times with my little brother. We also spent a weekend in Gatlinburg with my whole family, together in one cabin. It was such a blessing and we even got snowed in! I am so thankful for my family and enjoy spending as much time with them as I can.

Nacho officially started on his Masters in Ministry last week and he's started working on the soccer outreach he will be heading up at our church. We'll also both be working with the AWANA ministry that starts back up this week. The TTU soccer team had a big recruiting weekend last week and that kept Nacho pretty busy. I didn't mind because I went shopping with the coach's wife and got some cute stuff for Ali Greis' room.

My friend and I got white wooden letters from Hobby Lobby and mod-podged scrapbooking paper to them. I found this idea on www.landofnod.com but wanted to pick out my own patterns. We found all of the other accents at local antique stores.

This week we got to hear Ali Greis' heartbeat and everything is going great! I'm finally gaining weight and she's moving like crazy and kicking me all the time. I'm 26 weeks and it's showing!

Please be praying for us as we start this new chapter in our lives. Nacho is taking two classes that are about the same amount of work as four undergraduate classes. Plus, he's working 20 hours a week at the church and 20 hours a week with the soccer team. We will also be moving to a small apartment on campus in March, Ali will join us in April and then we'll move in to a house on campus in May. We're excited about these changes and everything that God is doing in our lives. I'm trying to prepare as best I can now so that I don't get overwhelmed but God is faithful and He has taken us through every step so far so I know He won't let us go now.

Thank you for your prayers!

He's done!

What a crazy last couple of weeks it's been! Most importantly, Nacho took his last final today! He's done with his undergraduate degree! We've been praying about the next step for our lives and God has opened the doors for us to stay here in Chattanooga for at least two more years. Nacho will be studying for his Masters in Ministry degree while being the Graduate Assistant for the President of Tennessee Temple University, Dr. Danny Lovett. His ministry will be starting and heading up the Upwards soccer league at our church. We are so excited about this opportunity because it will not only pay for Nacho's school as he better prepares for a future in ministry, but he will also get more hands-on experience at the same time. God is confirming this next step in our lives through His Word and the encouragement of other believers. He has also provided free housing and a part-time job for Nacho, doing what he loves-coaching soccer! These are just a few of the things that God has been doing in our lives lately.

Another exciting thing is that we're going to have a baby in April! We can't wait to welcome Alice Greis and be her parents! God has given us this little surprise and by faith, we are getting ready for her arrival. Just to list a few of the ways (so far) that He has provided for little Ali Greis, we have been blessed, through the giving of friends and family, with a changing table, stroller, car seat and base, highchair, bouncer and pack-n-play. Then yesterday, God provided a barely used bed and mattress! He has completely blown us away as He has provided every big expense and continues to provide. We can't wait to see what else He has planned!

We are also excited about spending Christmas and New Years with my family in Alabama and then coming back to get ready for Nacho to start on his master's!

I'm going to try and keep up this blog to keep our friends and family up to date with all that God is doing in our lives so keep checking back!