oh hey

Been hanging with my little crew,

and thought I'd pop in to say hey there to the bloggy world....

and share whats on my heart for the 5 minutes I have with you today.

God has shown up in a really powerful way to me this week...I am experiencing His constant presence like I haven't in a very long time.

It is refreshing and needed.

I am hearing Him speak and drop things into my heart that I know are from Him.

He is good like that, ya know.

and He does speak, y'all.

It may be an audible voice, or just a prompting, or a feeling in your spirit, or even a word through scripture or from someone else.

But He DOES speak.

He is alive and very much powerful and real.

In our relationship,

I have seen Him provide, protect, and pursue in supernatural ways.

I have even experienced His healing more than once, for myself and in others.

And I mean like miraculous healing...

like there yesterday, gone today.

{feel free to ask me about that...I have yet to share my healing stories here, but def will when the Lord leads me to}

And this week...He is reminding me that he cares for me enough to speak to my heart.

To remind me about things He has done and will do.

He has given me words of knowledge for my family and myself,

encouragements that will hopefully propel us further into His presence and His will.

all that (jumbled thoughts) to say...

He is showing up, He is real, He is GOOD.

So..I am making every effort to bask in that goodness right now.

Yall have a great week...be blessed!!

a legacy of worship

Parker and I were given an amazing gift to have a couple in our life, Joe and Kim, that we call our spiritual parents.

They have been a huge part of our lives for about 15 years now.

We even met each other at their house, where they hosted youth to worship and pray every friday night while I was in high school.

I could go on and on about the incredible impact they have had on us, as individuals and as a married couple.

This weekend, we get to go home to celebrate Joe's 60th birthday.

But it's not going to be just a birthday party.

It is going to be an amazing night full of worship and testimony about the impact Joe has made in so many lives.

(I am crying as I write this, just reflecting on how my life has been touched.)

One of the ways he touched me most was that he facilitated a love and desire in me

to WORSHIP God.

To EXPERIENCE His presence, to be ministered to through Spirit and Truth, and a worshipful heart.

Joe gave us a legacy of worship, and for that I am forever grateful.

Now we get to pass this on to our children.

One thing I learned from Joe and Kim, well from the Lord through Joe and Kim,

was that there is FREEDOM to worship Jesus however He led me.

That it didn't look like religious duty or rote meditation.

It was not something that was expected of me or something that could be taught in a lesson.

But that it was a way, through song and prayer, to MEET with Jesus.

To know Him better, to taste His presence closely and sweetly.

Worship and meeting together in this group at Joe and Kim's house taught me that there was more to God.

That He is a sweet, gentle, caring, loving Father who loves to draw near to ME as I draw near to Him.

There are so many ways to worship God...art, music, dance, writing, teaching...and on and on.

One of my favorite ways to worship is through music and song.

That is something I learned from Joe and Kim.

I have learned that when I stop and worship...as I GIVE to Him...

HE gives back to me.

Their willingness to simply step back and let the Lord move in the lives of those that were meeting in their home was such a gift.

It allowed for the Holy Spirit to move and speak and touch us.

And it facilitated a desire for more of His presence.

I pray that I will be able to facilitate this same desire in my own children.

That they would know the deep goodness and character of God by meeting with Him,

by learning His Truth, by interceeding for each other,

and by honoring Him through worship.

"For a time is coming - and indeed it is here now - when true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way.

For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth."

John 4:23-24

Not only did Joe and Kim teach us the things of the Lord,

but they have loved us, counseled us, supported us, cried with us.

Joe married us, and also spoke at Parker's Dad's funeral.

He has walked though business decisions with Parker, and has encouraged me in my blogging.

He is an amazing man of God who I love deeply and dearly.

We pray that that our children will also be blessed with spiritual family who walk closely with them.

Thank you Joe and Kim for the gift you have given us.

You have not only blessed us, but now Abigail and Bethany get to taste what we have tasted because you were obedient to the Lord's calling.

I cant wait to share more with y'all next week about the celebration...

it's going to be powerful. Have a great weekend!

making it up the stairs

Mamas...

In the midst of feeling like you need more grace that you can "muster" in moments with your littles...it is paradigm-shifting to remember that

HE is enough.

HIM. HIS love, His perfect love and grace and favor for us.

Like today, when I was carrying a crying, (way) overtired 6 month old up the stairs to put her down,

following behind my 2 year old as she climbed with us.

Then Abigail jammed her finger into one of the steps and lost it. like, LOST it people.

So here I was, in the middle of my very steep stairwell, two crying babies, now one on each arm, trying to keep everyone from falling,

including myself.

Kissing the flowing finger-jammed tears while shhh-ing my tired infant.

My heart became overwhelmed with how to "do it all" in that quick moment.

How am I supposed to comfort these two crying babies, convince an injured Abigail to keep climbing so we can get up the dangerous stairs, keep Bethany from crying even louder which made Abigail cry even louder...

I wanted to just sit there on the steep stairs and cry myself.

You get the picture. You've been there.

But as I looked at Abigail's big sad eyes, I remembered:

God is with me on these stairs.

God is with my babies on these stairs.

I need HIS strength right now.

It was like a sudden wave of supernatural peace came over me,

encouraging me to make it back up to the top.

And telling me that He was near and close to us.

That HIS ability was all I needed.

And so we did. And both girls immediately stopped crying as we reached the top.

And i can say without a doubt that it was NOT because we were off the stairs.

It was because they too sensed His nearness and His comfort.

It sounds little and silly I know.

But it was just one of those small moments that became a HUGE moment...

all because I recognized His Presence was with me.

I was blessed by a post the other day, and I think you mamas will be too...

Click here to read it.

Just a powerful reminder that we DO have the ability to apply His grace and His gospel and His love to every situation in motherhood.

Even when sometimes the application is just making up the stairs.

olympic games 2028...

...here we come!

no but really, Abigail did amazing at her first gymnastics class tonight, and LOVED every second.

Parker is going to be doing it with her and he had (almost) as much fun as she did.

{as evidenced by the pic of him doing a cartwheel...don't miss is below!! ha. sorry love. :) }

We left there both just amazed at how much Abigail acted as though she was just totally in her element. I know that most preschoolers love to do gymnastics...but it was like we saw a fire in her eyes like we haven't ever seen before.

It was so, so fun to see!!

seriously, she is SO strong!

Her stalky, powerful little body might just be perfect for gymnastics!

We will obviously support whatever our baby decide to do in her life...

but it's exciting to be starting these new adventures with her!!

celebrating 40!! and some baby food making/feeding tips:

Before I say anything else:

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY to my precious parents!!!

yes, FORTY YEARS, people. that's amazing. :)

My parents are some of the most generous, caring people you will ever know.

They give well, serve well, and love well.

If you know my parents, you know how true that is.

I LOVE YOU, Mom and Dad!!

So thankful for you and for your marriage.

(Wish we were there to celebrate with you!)

- - - - - - - - - -

last week I said I was going to be sharing with you about

my new adventures in making baby food...so I thought Id start today!!

My hope is that these posts can be a "guide" for new mamas who need some tips or ideas,

or just some encouragement to take on the new journey of feeding your baby!

I'll start with a few tips/thoughts that have worked well for me:

{and please note that these are what have worked for US, and definitely not what may work best for everyone...y'all know that. But I just had to say it. :) }

1. We waited until 6 months to start solids.

Most Pediatricians recommend starting between 4-6 months.

When she started grabbing for my food, and watching me bring my food to my mouth,

I felt like she was ready.

2. We chose NOT to start with rice cereal.

Not for any crazy reason, other than that I believe my baby is getting exactly what she needs from my breastmilk and that it was a healthier idea for us to just start with fruits and veggies.

When looking at it, there is just not much nutritional benefit to having the cereal.

Most babies will get all the iron (a big concern for some people) from their formula or breastmilk.

3. It saves money.

I decided to make my own this time around because it is saving a HUGE amount of money.

I will do a post sometime comparing prices...but I have been SHOCKED at the comparison to buying jars! woohoo for money saving! :)

4. We WILL still use jarred food when needed.

I am not one of those moms that won't ever let my child have "commercial" food.

Sometimes the situation (or day) just calls for it...like if you end up going out to eat and don't have anything prepared, or if you are out of town,

or if I will be gone all day and fresh food won't keep.

5. a good blender/food processor is helpful.

We actually didn't have one when Abigail was starting food, but we have an amazing blender now (my very first infomercial purchase and totally worth it, ha!)

If you need one, we highly recommend the "Ninja" Blending system!

6. get or borrow a few baby cookbooks.

some i recommend:

Super Baby Food, Blender Baby, and First Meals.

7. shallow spoons are easier starting out.

Through trial and error, I found that the spoons that are "flatter" are a little easier for the first few weeks or months for your new eater.

The more hollowed out spoons are better for later, but for me, the flatter spoons allow for smaller first bites and for baby to "suck" and get used to the spoon.

8. feed baby until she signals she is done.

She will probably turn away or push the spoon away.

My recommendation (and my pedi's) is to not push it. Baby may simply not be ready to start solids at all, or may need to get used to the taste and texture.

Remember, this is brand new for them!

9. some good foods to start out with:

mashed bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, squash, apples.

{and on this point, remember that their poop might start changing a bit so don't be alarmed!}

we started with just two different food a week, twice a day.

(one food for half the week, another food for the other half of the week)

Abigail started with avocado and banana. Bethany started with squash and banana.

10. Continue to breast feed or bottle feed as normal.

starting out, solids are NOT a supplement to the very needed nutrients they are getting from you or from their formula. eventually, you will be able to "drop" quite as many feedings as they get used to having something else in their bellies. But for now, just know that starting solids is just an addition to their diet.

11. stock up on some ice trays.

and also some small tupperware for the food you will use in the next day or two.

ice trays is an awesome way to store and freeze bunches of baby food!

*more on that to come!

12. Relax and have fun with it!

I know myself, and a lot of other mommies (esp first-timers) can stress about "am I doing this right?" or "I don't want to hurt my child for the long run" etc etc.

But here's my two cents:

YOU are their mother. So just remember that with a little help and guidance from those who have gone before you...you will probably do what's best for your baby because YOU are the one doing it. And there's honestly not much you can screw up here. :)

oh...and take pictures of baby's first bites...

Can't deny loving those sloppy baby mouths!

what are YOUR baby feeding tips/advice for mamas starting out??

I'll post a few baby food recipes later this week!

Happy Monday!!

{linking up here and here today}