Praying for my Husband

This guy rocks my world!  I know, I know...cheesy!  But, it's true!  I'm so thankful for Matt.  He is such an amazing husband and father.  February is my hubby's birthday month.  It's also holds Valentine's Day.  So, in the spirit of loving my husband, and going after the best God has for him and our marriage, I'm going to do this...

And, before you comment to tell me--yes, I know, February only has 29 days.  I think I'll just double up on his birthday and Valentine's Day and that will take care of that!

It's super duper simple.  There is a day-by-day plan that guides you.  It gives a brief description of what to pray each day and lists scripture references, as well.  If you want to join me, check out the article at Revive Our Hearts and leave a comment so I know who's with me!

Change

That caution sign for change has been displayed in my head for a good month now.  You see, after lots of conversations and lots of prayer, Matt accepted a new position within his company and with this position comes a shift change.  My sweet hubby will now be working 4 nights a week.  Yes, I said NIGHTS.  From 8:30p-7:00a, he will be keeping the bank's phone systems afloat.  And, yes, I also said 4.  He will only have to work Monday through Thursday.

Of course, with this position comes not only a shift change, but some life change, too!  Did I mention that change and I are not good friends??  Change makes me anxious and fretful.  As soon as I hear about change, I begin the "what if?" and the "how will we?" questions.  I long for routine and sameness.  I like predictability and planning.  Is it any wonder I thrived as a teacher of children with autism?!?

So, yesterday, with the help of my wonderful interior designer Mama and my wonderful child care provider Daddy, and my absolutely amazing hubby, we tackled the furniture move.  Matt has always worked from home and for the past year or so, his office was in our bedroom.  With the shift change, that was no longer going to work.  After much thought, we made the decision make the toy room (which is actually a sunroom) into an office/toy room.  That decision required the rearranging and redistribution of some toys to make space for an office, which is turn required some rearranging of the little boys' room to make space for more toys.  Of course, removing Matt's office from our bedroom required some rearranging in that room as well.  I guess you could say, there was much rearranging done at our home yesterday and lots of change.

Matt's new position started last night, so at 8:30 he headed off into his office and I sat on the couch having complete control of the TV channels and complete control of the laptop.  And, feeling a bit lonely, even though Matt was only 10 feet away in the "office." I made it even harder when I chose to dwell on his absence.  Quality time is my love language, friends.  But, as I sat there I began to think of the three-day weekends we will now share.  I thought of the extra time he'll have with the whole family in the afternoons.  I thought of our date night already scheduled and planned for this Friday night.  And, I began to change my thinking.  I chose to settle in and try to find my new normal nighttime routine.  Certainly, I still felt the change.

I heard someone once say, "Just because everything's different, doesn't mean that anything has changed."  I like that.  The furniture is different.  Matt's schedule is different.  Our routine is different.  But nothing has changed.  The big things--the things that matter--haven't changed.  We are still family.  We are even more committed to one another.  God is still in control.  He's still faithful.  So, this time, I'm facing this head on, taking comfort in the fact that although things are different, nothing has changed.

"For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me."  Psalm 31:3

Consignment Sale Blessing

Now that's a lot of clothes!  36 shirts, 20 shorts, 4 jeans, 4 pants, 2 pjs, 1 swimsuit to be exact.  Three boys' entire spring and summer wardrobes laying on my couch; all purchased yesterday at our bi-annual local consignment sale.  That doesn't even include the umbrella stroller, Cooshee seat, 3 pairs of shoes, and 4 DVDs we were able to snag as well.  The pile is stacked with quality brands like Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, Abercrombie, Aeropostale, The Children's Place, Hollister, Stride Rite, and New Balance.

We are so thankful for this consignment sale and the women who run it.  They are Christian women who desire to glorify God while providing a service that helps me keep my kiddos in the nicest clothes for inexpensive prices!  I prayed yesterday, as I was volunteering with the sale before shopping opened, that God would help us be good stewards of the money He had provided us for this sale and He showed Himself faithful.  We went over our cash-only budget by 85 cents (Matt had an extra 97 cents in his pocket), and that is without keeping a running total as we went.  WE ARE BLESSED!!

I can't wait to see my good looking boys all decked out in their "new" clothes very soon!

Preschool

I love seeing my children's firsts!  You know what I mean...first smile, first time they pull up on the furniture, first steps, first words.  Watching my kids grow and learn is such a blessing to me.  I am always amazed and humbled that God chose me for this job; this job of parenting Jacob, Eli, and Abel.

Today, I got to see another first.  Eli had his first day of preschool.  He's attending a two-day-a-week, halfday preschool at a local church.  I'm so excited for him, but at the same time, I'm a little sad.

He gets to learn and do so many things that I couldn't offer him here at home--school routines, playing with others, working in a group situation, making friends, and responding to authority other than Matt and me!  Those are fabulous benefits for him that prepare him for "big school" and life in general.  But, that leaves me without his precious, little presence two mornings a week.

When Eli was little, his first word wasn't "Mama."  It wasn't his second word, or his third word.  As a matter of fact, it came pretty far down the list.  He just didn't say it.  Matt always teased that Eli didn't need to say "Mama" because he just thought he was part of me; that we were one and the same.  He's my boy, for sure!  Now, my boy is leaving my side two mornings a week and I'm feeling a little wistful.

This morning, we drove to preschool.  Eli climbed out, new bookbag thrown over his little shoulders, and waltzed right in.  He greeted his teacher with a "superhero" pose and without any hesitation, walked right in his classroom.  I stood there holding tightly onto my Abel-baby, and called my boy back for a hug.  He put his little arms around my neck, and spoke quickly into my ear, "I love you, Mama!" With that, he turned and headed to a table strewn with toy cars, leaving me standing there with tears filling my eyes.  I squeezed my little Abel, and we walked to the car.

At 1:00, after a morning full of fun with Abel (and feeling a bit like I was missing something), I headed back to get Eli.  I walked in to see him sitting with the other kiddos looking at books.  He looked up, caught my eye, grinned, and ran into my arms...sigh!  He told me about the fun he had, how he played in the gym, and had birthday cake.  He told me about another Eli in his class, and kangaroos.  He took me by the hand as we headed out, and I knew in my Mama's-heart that preschool is going to be great!!