Here We Go Again

 

I am starting to resign myself to the fact that my boys are gonna be ALL boy...and they're gonna break bones.  Sigh.  Micah took a little tumble on Saturday night- somehow jumping over or falling off of a chair.  We thought he was fine but he kept favoring it and crying anytime he fell- which, let's be honest, is a LOT with a rambunctious little 3 year old.  So we took him for an x-ray and he had a small buckle fracture...so, here we are.  Broken bone #2!!  He chose a cute little orange cast after we left the pumkin patch : ) 

 Here he is sitting patiently while they wrap the cast...

 Here he's a little less enthusiastic. He said he "wants it off".  Sad : (

We got home, let everyone sign it (waaaay fun), and put on his "Tough Guy" PJs, and he was feeling very tough.  He's so stinking cute. 

He is handling it pretty well...it looks like we'll only have to wear the cast for about 3 weeks.  I'm hoping that this is not a sign of the way my life is going to be!!  The Dr. assures me that his bones don't look weak, but that he is just a hard core little boy.  Let's hope he's right!  At this point, I feel sure that DHR is gonna pay me a visit.  Maybe I should be cleaning my house right now : )



Lily 6 Months

Here is an update for little miss Lily...even though she's actually 7 months old. : )  Ooops...I'll have to do that update soon.

Sweet Lily is just that- sweet. She is a gift.  She is a laid back, happy baby...I say that she is exactly what a third baby should be.  She rolls with it most all of the time.  She is in love with her brothers- they are the funniest little boys ever to her.  Her daddy makes her embarassed and turn her head when he talks to her- it's so precious. 

She was in the 50th percentile for everything at her check-up.  That makes her feel so small to me- even though she's average!  The boys were always in the 90th and 95th, so it's awesome to have a little baby that wears clothes true to size. 

She is a good eater and a good sleeper- even though at 6 months she still refused to take a bottle and starting waking in the night again : (  Boo.On.That.  We are now over that little phase, Praise God!  Momma needed some sleep. 

 We think she's gonna keep her daddy's brown eyes.  I.LOVE.THAT.

 Sweet cheeks.

 I know I'm totally biased...but she is so cute I could just eat her up.

Cutie pie.

The Need for Change: My Mommy Vow

Over the past few weeks I have been keenly aware of the need for change.  Change from within myself and change in our culture.

Last week, my pastor's sermon was on the Grace of God.  It was so timely and perfect for my life...just as always.  During that sermon he asked a question:  What numbs your heart to the wonder of the Grace of God?  I have pondered that question all week, and I have come up with one very specific area that I feel like the Lord is pressing His finger on:  my scale. 

 

The endless new exercise regimens, latest and greatest diet programs, and my scale have been continuously choking out the wonder of the Grace of God in my life.  You see, I'm not very easy on myself.  I'm not kind towards myself in my thoughts many times.  I can give ample grace to others, but when it comes to giving grace to myself, I usually fail.  (There you go, fail...no grace for myself even in that!).  But what I am realizing, is that it is the very Grace of God that has enlightened me to my need for change.  I need it deep down in my bones.  My pastor reminded us that as we see what things are numbing our mind and heart, we can eliminate or manage them because ultimately God Himself is after our freedom and joy.  I love that.  I want that.  I haven't felt very free or joyous these past few months.  I have kept myself in bondage to the idea that I should be the same size I was in college even though I am now 30 with 3 beautiful oh-so-worth-it children.  It's ugly.  It's living like our culture and contrary to the Word of God.

 

So, today I am making a vow.  I am throwing out that scale.  I am vowing to model for my daughter healthy living.  I am vowing to stop the negative words about myself that flow freely out of my mouth.  I am vowing to focus on God's Word and His Grace and not the latest thing that can make me drop a few pounds.  I am vowing to pray wholeheartedly that there is a shift in our culture, to pray that my daughter Lily grows up knowing and believing that her true value is in the eyes of her Heavenly Father, and that this value comes from who He is and not a number on a scale. 

 

Are you with me??  Change in our culture- the culture that tells us to focus only on our outward appearance-  starts with us... it starts with me! Oh, I pray that it will.  I pray that this change will start within my own heart, within my own home.  I pray that Lily will grow up with a mother that focuses on Her Lord more than her appearance.  I pray that our home will be one that is full of the Grace of God...for ourselves and toward each other.  We are far from it...change us oh, God. 

Lord, help me to focus on my body as Your temple, not as the idol that I so often worship.  And thank you for your Grace that surpasses anything I could ever hope for our imagine. 

 

As I bleed my heart right out on the page that will be posted for all to see, I feel jittery and nervous.  Being open and honest about my struggles isn't something that I typically do for just anyone to read...but I feel the Lord pressing me to say it.  So, be kind in your response, please : )