More Than Enough

Kevin's been working and helping friends move this morning. While he was out, I got sucked into blogland again.....you know how it is. You find a cute craft on Pinterest which links to a blog, which links to another blog, and so on and so forth.... I spent the morning looking at other people's beautiful blogs.

These blogs tell the tales of their seemingly professionally decorated houses which they actually did themselves (for only $5!). On top of that, their perfect house is being lived in by their wonderfully behaved and boutique dressed children (no "hideous" baby gates necessary)! They eat at their table which of course has a beautiful seasonal decoration on it and on which no processed foods are ever served and everything looks garnished and fresh from the organic section of the grocery store. And somehow they still have time to dry and style their hair and go shopping for fashionable clothes.

Yes, I've been looking at pictures of the "beautiful people" out there again today feeling insufficient, overwhelmed, and like I somehow need to catch up in life... Then my loving God whispered in my ear that he's enough....I don't need any of that stuff. So I am logging off the blogs and facebook (no, not deleting my accounts....just logging off so I have to make an actual effort to get on there next time), and I'm going to go enjoy my Saturday which will probably NOT be picture perfect, and I'm ok with that. I have a neon tunnel in my living room (a MUCH loved toy in our home), a laundry basket turned toy bin spilling over with less than "attractive" but FUN toys, dog hair on my floor (which I'm going to try to lessen today), baby gates everywhere because my boy loves to CLIMB, I have to run to the store today (and I shop at Wal-Mart because I don't have time to figure out couponing), and we're probably going to eat hotdogs and Kraft macaroni and cheese at some point this weekend. But here is what I'm choosing to rejoice in:

1. I have a GOD who thinks my life is special!

2. He has richly PROVIDED for us! - we have food, clothing, shelter, and MORE!

3. We are (relatively) HEALTHY!

4. We have FUN in our less than perfect home!

5. My messy husband and rambunctious 1 year old and I LOVE each other more than words could say!

I'll leave you with those thoughts and the chorus to Jeremy Camp's song "Enough":

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me.
More than all I know
More than all I can see
You are more than enough for me.

Motherhood: Transparency

As you can see from Carter's monthly postings, we are pretty busy people around here! We are always, always on the go - always! For this reason, I treasure my mornings/early afternoons at home with my sweet baby! Life slows down during that time - if I let it. You see, I am a Martha. I've always been a Martha - task oriented - that's me. The youth pastor at my church preached a sermon the other day, and he talked about Satan's tactics. He said that if Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. That really hit home with me. Since I've taken on the job of "Stay at Home Mom," I've really taken to heart my many jobs inside the home. I'm making an effort to not only take care of Carter and all his needs, but I'm also putting my efforts towards having a clean and organized home where we can rest as a family (when we get home from all our crazy adventures :-) I'm also trying to be better about planning and preparing meals - not one of my strong points.... All that to say, I'm focusing on all the tasks that I must do, and God is telling me,

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

So now, I'm adding that to my list. You may think that's silly to "schedule" a time with the Lord, but it is absolutely necessary for me to do that. If I don't schedule in the time - I'm not ever still. Granted, I have just started doing this in the past week or so, but the Lord has really begun to put the desire in my heart to - SLOW DOWN!!! It's not something I usually do or enjoy, but I'm starting to - baby steps...

Another battle I've been fighting recently is a feeling of being in the trenches of motherhood. I firmly believe that this is a direct result of what I just wrote about. Satan is attacking me with these feelings because I'm starting to do what God wants me to do, which is spend time with Him. This is the passage I keep telling myself when I start to sink down into the trenches:

"The joy of the Lord is my strength." Nehemiah 8:10

At 3 months into this thing known as parenting, the novelty has slightly worn off. Sometimes it's hard to feel joyful when you're covered in human excrement (which is really just a nice word for poop/pee) and spit-up (which is really just a nice word for barf), or when you feel like a feeding machine/milk cow, or when you feel lonely because you spend 8-10 hours a day without another adult in sight, or when your baby is crying and you don't know why.

It is at these times, when Satan attacks me most! You know, the whole "Kick her while she's down" tactic. Therefore, I've been very purposeful in my thoughts lately. During these times, I dwell on the passage above, and I must say that it helps! I've also noticed that it IS, in fact, possible to be joyful during these times. But only by the Lord's strength am I able to focus on the smile Carter flashes me AFTER he's pooped/peed/or barfed on me, or the fact that I am actually able to offer my baby healthy milk because God has blessed me with the ability to afford food for myself, or the fact that I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my precious baby all day long, or that I can rock and soothe my crying baby. I've found that some of my most joyful moments as a mommy have been in the trenches - the moments I purposefully choose to focus on God's blessings rather than my frustrations.

Plus, after a long, hard day "on the job," I still love being a mommy more than anything in the whole world, and I wouldn't trade if for a thing!!!

Flashback Tuesday

Check back soon, and I'll be posting about my Top 10 baby products and our visit to see the cousins!!! Until then, here's some flashback pictures...

I can't believe it's been 10 weeks since this...

Here's something I REALLY don't miss...

Ewwwwwww...Haha!

Happy Tuesday!!!

Ready for the Weekend

We are packing up and heading down to Auburn! Carter is going to finally get to meet his cousins, Aubrey and Layla! He's also going to get to meet his Aunt Michelle and Uncle Brett :-) He's pretty pumped about this as you can see. I'm sure we'll be back on Monday with no shortage of pictures! Happy Weekend

and WAR EAGLE!!!

Tomorrow's Friday!

Happy Thursday!

Reflections on a Mother's Love

There really are not words to describe the love that enters your heart as you become a mommy for the first time. It is the strongest feeling and most powerful emotion that I've ever felt! I've tried to capture what this love looks and feels like in these few reflections on a mother's love:

I began to love our baby boy before I ever saw him! I begin to carve out a special place in my heart and home for this precious little one, long before I met him!

When I finally got to hold our baby in my arms, a completely overwhelming feeling of love filled every part of my heart! I could not help but weep when I held our baby boy in my arms for the very first time! I cried on and off for about 36 hours after he was born! Every time I thought about the precious gift of a child that God had given me, I was moved to tears.

For the days following his birth, I sat and watched our precious boy for hours on end. Even though he didn't do much of anything but sleep, I would just sit and watch him breathe - in awe of the miracle of birth and life!

When I became a mommy, all the little things I had worried that I would not know how to do came so naturally. I was filing little finger nails, giving baths, and changing diapers like a pro - even though I had not helped take care of a small baby in close to 20 years!

After you come home from the hospital, the family leaves, and the dust settles - a mommy gets to snuggle with her baby for hours on end - whenever she wants :-) This is my new favorite past time!

Even though the demands of becoming a mommy make me very tired - it was all so very worth it!!! I would do it all again, and again, and again!

Every time our little man looks up at me and smiles, my heart melts just a little more! And even though it's only been (almost) 3 weeks since his birth, I cannot imagine my life without him!!!

I have found that being a mommy is all about love, and I love being a mommy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a lighter note, this video absolutely cracks me up (even though I find it sad that this little girl is already crying over a celebrity...). If you replace the name Justin Bieber with "Carter" and pretend that this little girl is a 27 year old....this is pretty much what I was like for about 36 hours after Carter was born :-) Every time I thought about how much I loved Carter - I couldn't help but cry!!!! I know that hormones had a lot to do with that, but this video pretty much sums it all up ;-)

Thoughts on Memorial Day

It is the

VETERAN,

not the preacher,

Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the

VETERAN,

not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the

VETERAN,

not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the

VETERAN,

not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the

VETERAN,

not the lawyer,

Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the

VETERAN,

not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the

VETERAN,

Who salutes the Flag,

It is the

VETERAN,

Who serves under the Flag,

God Bless them all!!!

Renovations in BlogLand

You may have noticed, but my blog now has a new name and a new look! I decided that since our "Cord of Three" was soon becoming "A Cord of Four" that I probably needed a new name for the blog! I wanted the title linked to a Bible verse, so the new name - "Me and My House" - comes from one of my favorite statements in the Bible:

 

"...As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  - Joshua 24:15

 

I've also done some decluttering here in blog-land. Content will remain the same - completely random :-) Hope you all continue to read, and please feel free to comment! I love hearing from those of you who do read :-)