God is such a good Provider

God has been providing so many things as we are getting ready for the baby in November, the KIND of things that I have wanted.
This is Owen's (and eventually Seth's) newly redone room! If you remember about a year ago, I traded an antique dresser and nightstand for a HUGE bunk bed, but it practically took up the whole room. With the baby coming I have to be able to fit a crib for Seth in there too and there wasn't enough drawer space for both boys. So, long story short, after over a month on Craigslist, someone finally bought that bunk bed, and we were able to buy a brand new bunk bed and dresser for only $150 more! There is plenty of room for the crib and train table, and I love the furniture.



I had also been looking for a cabinet to store all our homeschooling (that's another story)/craft/puzzles/etc. Everything I looked for was $300+ that had doors and would hold enough. Well, thanks to Jeffrey and Jessica we have these new cabinets that they gave us when they moved and I painted them white and I am so happy with how they turned out (except for the brown strip on each that I have to paint that I thought was going to be hidden).

I had been wanting an infant carrier that goes up to 30-35 pounds and had been looking for one (new they are about $200). Anyway, there was one like it for $50 that I found. I was so excited and it's in great condition!

Then I wanted a crib mattress just like the one I've had for the other babies, it's really hard foam and no one really carries this kind in the stores except one in Pensacola. Another great find on Craigslist, wrapped in plastic and never used by the kid for $50!

Probably the sweetest one was this bedding in Target that I had wanted before I knew that Seth was a boy. I loved it immediately and was disappointed that I couldn't get it. Well, the day that we found out that this baby was a girl we were in Target buying goggles, and I just went to see if they by chance still had it. Well, there was ONE left, and it was on clearance for $12! I felt like the Lord had saved it just for me. It is just perfect.

Well, I just wanted to thank God for His goodness in our lives and His special care of all our wants and needs.

Seth's advanced Johnny Jump Up skills

Recent things

Sethie's first day of swimming for the summer - he loves it!

Owen is now riding his big boy bike without training wheels, but he happened to take a good spill one day (he's scraped his nose the day before but got his chin).

Bailey's first big date with Daddy! He brought her flowers, and she was so proud. They went to Mikato's and had hibachi and sushi, followed by ice cream. She had such a good time and felt so special. He is a great Daddy.

A hard place

It has been so long since I've really blogged that I'm not sure that my thoughts will really be clear, or that anyone is around to read them anymore! But I am here, at least to share with myself. I realize lately what an awful parent I can be. Now when I say that, I am talking about my heart. This is a good thing because five years ago I thought I was a really good one. That is not fun to say but it is true. I did not think there would ever be a time when I could feel so lost sometimes, or things be so foggy. I know that compared to a lot of people in America, I am a "good" parent. But everyday, and at night when I go to bed and I allow the day to sink in my mind, I am so sad at the way my sin pervades my life and my childrens, how I have failed to lean on Jesus for patience, wisdom, and unconditional love. I fear the damage that is being done every day, especially to Bailey. She is the hardest, maybe because we are the most similiar, she is the older and more complicated, and she, like me, wears her sin on her sleeve for all to see. Some are good at hiding their sin (without trying), their sins of the heart are not easily seen, but not me and Bailey. I know that everyone must see my sin from a mile away, and also I cringe at the visibility of hers. I hope that you can relate to me on this. I love my daughter more than anything. She is one of the 4 earthly treasures in my life. I would die if anything happened to her. I see her sin, but I also see the greatness God has placed in her life (she is such a great kid!, and I love being around people that can see the things I see in her, it is a restful place). But I can see the motives and manipulations of her heart, and I am at a loss as to how to parent her sometimes in a way that builds and lifts her spirit, and doesn't squelch it, and makes her want to love God and other people more. I don't want to produce a Pharisee. My greatest fear is that I would just fix her on the outside and leave her not realizing her need for Jesus to produce any real good in her heart. I don't want her clean on the outside with a heart that is unchanged, even if it means a longer process and more embarrassment at times as I choose to graciously let her little heart be where it is, as the Lord is so graceful with me. He is not interested in my little outside behaviors. He wants to reach into my heart, and the rest will follow, just as hers will. Letting her be sometimes means that I have to look in MY own heart and see the things that are really there - that I don't want people to think that I'm a bad parent, that I sometimes care more about what people think about my daughter than what wisdom says in the moment is best for her (which is not always to correct which is my point in all this), and sometimes what is best for her is not necessarily good for "my image". I feel so many times that she does and says things that my friend's kids don't, and oh my flesh doesn't like that. But then I look past the sin and weaknesses in her and see what she is becoming and one day by the grace of God He will turn those things into beauty and strength, and what she will be (and is)! And so this week, I am trusting to love her better, to spend more time with her showing her how much I love her, and to be quiet more than speaking and pray for that little heart of hers (and speaking a little when needed). I am just thinking that in the same way, Jesus must work in my heart to even be faithful to parent her in the right way. I can not produce it just as she can't. We both need him at every turn.

Family hike

Hike is a relative term right? It can still be called that for 20 minutes of walking, right? Well, the pictures look adventurous. Next time we will take friends so we will not hear, "I'm tired. I want to go home. I want to turn around. I want to go back to the car.", etc. etc. We still had fun, and went to a little beach area afterward and they played. Seth went to sleep for awhile in the backpack. We will have to do things like this more often.

Bailey's first lost tooth

Bailey had to get a tooth pulled last week. She did great! She trotted right off to the back and the dentist said he'd never seen someone so motivated to get a tooth out:) Unfortunately, her permanent tooth won't be in for a couple of years!

Bailey also learned to ride her bike this weekend without training wheels! Duane said it was like all of a sudden a switch went on and she got it. Kind of sad to watch a new milestone pass by - she's getting to be so big.

Cute things

They have both been doing more drawing lately. I used to worry that Bailey didn't know how to draw things, but I have seen as she gets older, she just starts to transfer what is in her head to paper. That's our family on the left. Owen is just learning to do the same. I found this drawing the other day and cracked up laughing. He said that the two dots on the bottom are his knees (it's Daddy, by the way).

Bailey has gotten really creative lately and it is pretty funny sometimes. She got in a phase for a few weeks where she was making things with those Trio blocks and this was a creation of her and Owen (she made Owen just for kindness, she said)- he's the small one, obviously.

Seth, just being his cute self.

I have really started loving Publix

I took the coupon workshop and just started shopping at Publix in Fairhope last month. I got all this stuff tonight for $120 with tax - and normally at Walmart the diapers (2 boxes) and formula (2 big cans) alone would have cost me $92! And I got all this extra stuff, including the whole bowl of fruit, grapes, roast and pork chops! I love this place!!! I have only spent about $250 this month on food so far (including diapers and formula) and literally think I can make it the rest of the month with out spending much more! My freezer is packed! That's like cutting $450 off my food budget for the month. Yeah! (Ok you can tell I'm a little excited).
Update: I just got a rebate card from Publix for $10 more off for buying the diapers, so $110 for everything!