Bed Time Talk

Bed time talks are the best.  As our minds and bodies are winding down from the day and thoughts of what we did earlier run through our mind and allow us to evaluate the things we did or should have done, it's nice to have someone there to share all these thoughts with.

Last night, Sym was having a really rough time falling asleep.  She has nights where she thinks so much about going to school the next day that she has anxiety.  As she was crying last night and giving me all her same reasons for not wanting to go to school (long days, nap time, too many rules, mean friends, etc) she said that a lot of her friends miss their mommies, too.  I saw this as an opportunity to point out the fact that she's not alone in not wanting to go to school because she misses me.  That she needed to be tough and be a big sister to all her friends b/c she's one of the biggest kids in class.  She then proceeded to tell me a story about her friend, Heidi.

There's a little reading nook in their classroom that only fits one person.  To be in there, you have to have a center tag. Heidi was hiding inside the nook, but didn't have a center tag, so Sym went and got one for her.  When she did, she saw that Heidi was crying in there and asked, "Why are you crying?" To which Heidi responded, "Because I miss my mommy."  My sweet Sym reassured her little friend, "Don't worry.  You're mommy will be here later." And Heidi said, "Ok." Just like that, she helped her friend to feel better.  Even though, in that moment, I know she was thinking about how much she missed me and how she wanted to crawl into a little space and cry, she chose to help reassure her friend that everything would be ok.

I was so proud at that moment.  I told her how happy that made my heart and Jesus's heart that she chose to be a loving friend and help Heidi.  I know that it's tough for them to be away from their mamas for such a long time, but I can only reassure her that I'm there to pick her up at the same time every single day, and that I will ALWAYS be there for her.  It takes so much strength to allow them and teach them to spread their little wings and fly.  I am praying for patience, love, strength, and wisdom.

Blogging = Reminders of God's Faithfulness

Everything has been moving so fast since the beginning of the year that I have yet to really sit down with God and reflect on 2013 as a whole and think about my goals for 2014.  This is an attempt to jot down my thoughts to remind myself of God's faithfulness.

Last year was an emotional roller coaster of a year for us filled with lots of ups and lots of downs.  I don't ever like to say that I'm happy a year is over with, because I know that God redeems even the lowest of times for His glory, but God broke us numerous times in 2013 to teach us and rebuild us.  It was a year that we'll probably remember for the rest of our lives.

Valleys

God has been speaking to me a lot lately.  Not directly speaking to me like - in a low, rumbly voice - "Savannah, this is God," but speaking to me through people and things around me.

First was at church in the meet and greet with our Children's coordinators.  It was just a simple meeting to get to know all the ladies who take care and teach our little ones every Sunday.  They gave us a taste of what the kids' Sunday lessons look like.  We watched a video on Job, and the whole time, I'm thinking, "Oh my goodness, I feel like Job!"  Watching and listening intently to the adorable video of children portraying Job and the other characters, I was reminded of Job's perseverance and God's faithfulness.

Be-u-full Days

Lately, we've been having pleasant weather, so Sym has been waking up every morning saying, "Mommy, it's a be-u-full day!" as she looks out the windows.

But today was no such day.  We woke up this morning to a gloomy, wet, and yucky day.  We spent the morning getting ready for church:  showers, getting dressed, brunch, loading all of our church's equipment into our church trailer from our basement.

Year 2013

I said that 2013 was going to be my year.  It has started off with lots of great events:

• Alliance Community Church officially opened!
• I chopped off all my hair and loved it.
• My husband bought me a new mountain bike, and I actually survived an intermediate trail!
• The hubby and I enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend in one of my new favorite cities - Charleston, SC.
• We enjoyed a memorable, long weekend in Pensacola, FL with family and friends.
• I completed the Dirty Girl Mud Run with a group of awesome, tough ladies.

My first post in 2013 - better late then never!

Oh.  Well, hello there.  :)

I was talking to a friend about my blog this past weekend and felt inspired to come back on and just write as much as I can.  I just finished reading some old entries and they gave me a big smile on my face:  remembering God's faithfulness to us; recalling every emotion I was feeling with each post; and seeing how much my kids have grown since I first started this blog!

Life has been busy for us.  Our church plant launched at the beginning of this year, and God has been faithful in leading us and growing us as the Body of Christ.

Nathaniel is preparing for the CRCT's next week.  He did great on his report card and his teacher expressed how proud she is of all his hard work this past nine weeks - as are we!

Symphony is definitely growing in every aspect.  She is extremely smart.  She is maturing.  She actually allowed me to sleep in til 10 am this morning while she played quietly and entertained herself.  That has never happened before!

God has been teaching KB and I a lot about being good stewards of our finances.  He revealed something to my husband, and we are running with it!  A five year plan that will hopefully put us in a position that will give us more financial freedom and not be so tied down to our debts.  Which leads me to an announcement which changes a lot of things on this blog:

One of the biggest changes has probably been the fact that I am no longer a full time SAHM.  I've started working again!  Part time only, but still working.  Details on this will have to be in another post, though.  I work three evenings a week, but am still home with my kiddos during the days and with my family on the weekends. 

Speaking of work, I'm scheduled to go in tonight, so it's about time for me to start dinner, clean up a little, and get ready to go in later.  Kudos to all you working moms who make it work and do so with so much grace! 

Have a great Tuesday!

 

My first day of training for work!

 

The best group of little people at Alliance Community Church.

 

My kiddos enjoying a gorgeous Spring day.  Ready for some warm weather!

Hotel Menu Planning

We will be FL bound in about two weeks!  My husband has a conference in Orlando, which just so happened to fall on my son's Fall Break from school.  It was meant to be, I tell ya!  God knows we need a small vacation.

We will have a couple days to vaca as a family, and then my husband will be at the conference from Wednesday through Friday.  That means me and the kids hitting the hotel pool and venturing across the street to Downtown Disney by ourselves during the days he's busy.  As we are on a budget, I have the challenge of cooking meals for us in the hotel room, which has a small fridge and coffee maker but no microwave.