Refocus and Redirect

Have you ever had those moments (or extended periods of time, as my case happens to be) in life when everything for whatever reason is shifting to some degree? From deep, personal relationships to the needs of your children to your very growth as an individual. Ecclesiastes 3 sings for fifteen verses about God's perfect, provisional timing and seasons for everything. I'm learning in this season of change to trust in His guidance. Seldom does He let me see past the very next step I'm about to take, but I know that my footing is firm and planted as long as it is in line with His will. 

I took a bit of a "break" from blogging. Aside from becoming another task to complete in the midst of wrangling two little ones, play dates, personal commitments, chasing runny noses, attempting a preschool curriculum, managing the ins and outs of our daily household chaos, and a barrage of illnesses, it just became a chore (and what mom needs another one of those?). So instead of blogging, I hope to start posting a little more about the boys, especially Everhett since most of Emory's milestones were documented and Everhett's life is currently sitting on my iCloud in hopes that I remember some of the details to write down. I also want to start focusing on ways to give back and get involved in truly being God's hands and feet.

I recently read several books that really caused me to pause and reevaluate a lot of decisions Phillip and I were making as a couple and some of the ways we were approaching ministry in our comfy, cozy Americanized style. I don't agree 100% with everything these authors wrote or continue to write, but I do know that I was convicted about our consumption, our naivety of the world around us, and our apathy towards the very people God COMMANDED us to love and minister to with abandon. So if you're interested in watching God potentially move you to action, I would highly suggest picking up 7 by Jen Hatmaker and Radical by David Platt. If not, you might want to stop reading because you're going to grow tired of my harping quickly.

As far as our family is concerned, we officially have a one-year-old. The feistiest, most vivacious, and definitely the most cheerful little redhead in the world, he's pure joy at this age. Everyone says time flies with the second one...and they aren't kidding! I catch myself trying to find a pause button on a daily basis. Even more shocking (at least to me), is that Emory will be hitting three in a a little more than a month. I have no idea how and it makes me want to cry thinking about it. It's so funny to watch them and how different they are, but their love and delight in each other is so incredibly pure. Everhett definitely has more of his Daddy's daredevil in him. He's scared of nothing and is largely the most enthusiastic baby in the world so long as he's attached to my hip or perched on Phillip's shoulders. I can't lie, Emory is my emotional child, but in this I praise God because he truly has a heart that MOVES for other people. There are challenging moments (but he's a toddler and I don't know of any parent that will sing the praises of learning boundaries as a two-year-old), but I can turn around and he will be kissing his brother on the head, or helping his sweet little girlfriends out of their shoes on the playground, or whispering in Gracie's ear as he's hugging her. Emory FEELS everything. I'm sure it's overwhelming, but I can't wait to see where God takes this strong characteristic. I'm so blessed to be able to watch these days firsthand.

Phillip and I are trying to enjoy our time together as a couple while balancing it with the demands of parenthood. I hate to admit it, but he's exponentially better at this than I am proving to be. This past weekend we took our first trip away. I only lasted a night, but it was great to get away in the midst of a lot of illness and stress. I pray we stay the course and this becomes more of a habit. (Shout out to Grammie for watching our buddies!)

I'll post in the next few days about a few organizations I've learned about over the past few months that we've become involved with. As for now, I'll post this from Everhett's one year session (My sweet friend, Erika Melson Palmer, ran her precious little preggo belly around for over two hours capturing tons of images of our boys. She's amazing! Check her out! :

This is life. This is what it's all about. It has nothing to do with status, looks, the size of our house, the money lying in your accounts, etc. All that matters at the end of the day is the love that binds us all together. We're not perfect, but we get up, dust ourselves off, hug it out, and start out anew. I believe God blesses our attempts to please Him and trust Him.

Check back soon to see how Emory is learning all about giving back!

Kristin