My Ambitious Babes

A few weeks ago at dinner we were asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. Here's what they said:

Jack: A garbage truck driver or a doctor.

Anna: A fire chief, a nurse, or a mommy.

Lily: A big girl, or a mommy. :)

When asked what Max was going to be when he grew up, I was met with confused looks, and told Max wasn't going to grow up. He was going to stay a baby. *Sigh* if only that were true...

And speaking of ambitions, here's something for the rest of you to make fun of me about. Heaven knows I haven't heard the end of it from my husband( and now my dad!) A couple of Fridays ago, on our date night, Erik and I were having a romantic evening. We got to talking about our future and what our goals were. Aside from the obvious things, like wanting to buy a house one day and hoping to be more secure financially, Erik also mentioned his desire to travel and do some mission work once our kids were older.

And that's when he asked me if I had any other ambitions or goals that he didn't know about.

Now before I tell you what I said, please keep in mind that as far hopes and dreams go, I'm living them. I've always wanted to be a wife and mom. Ever since I became a Christian, my heart has been that I wanted to be a homemaker, and take care of my family. You also need to understand that I am loving learning to eat healthier, and I'm always trying to figure out ways to stretch our budget in order to buy quality food.

So when asked what my goals were the first thing that popped out of my mouth was,"I just really want to be able to buy really nice meat."

And I haven't heard the end of it ever since.

Yes, my husband wants to travel and spread the gospel in other countries.

And I want to be able to buy "really nice meat."

I'm Thankful for..

My husband. Yes, it's (hopefully) an obvious thing to be thankful for, but sometimes you just need to say it out loud. Or write it in a blog post, as the case may be. :)

Erik and I have been married for a little over six years, and in those six years we've survived unemployment, brought four little ones into the world, and made some pretty terrible financial decisions. We've had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way, and it's not always been easy for us. But we've learned to cling to each other, and more importantly we've learned to cling to the Lord. I am so blessed to be married to a man who loves God more than anyone, or anything else. And I can honestly say that, because that has not always been the case. But that's a different story for a different day.

Erik's heart is to take care of his family and lead us well.  He wants our marriage to be focused on God as much as I do, and has even set an alarm on my phone to remind me it's time to pray together. He wants to teach Jack and Max to be providers and protectors. He very much desires for them to grow into godly men. And he adores Anna and Lily, and wants to protect them. I'm not sure anything melts my heart more than watching my husband with our children.


He's humble. Seriously he's one of the most humble people I've ever met. He's also quick to forgive the somewhat stubborn woman he's married to.

He's also hilarious, and we have so much fun together.

We don't have marriage all figured out, and we are far(very far!) from perfect. We still have arguments, and hurt feelings just like anyone else. But we are learning. And I'm so very thankful for the awesome man, the Lord has blessed me with!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Weekly Menu Plan

Does anyone else ever get in food ruts? Some weeks I feel like I'm making the same things over and over again! I always enjoy reading menu plans, so I thought I'd share our menu for the week.

Breakfast

Cinnamon Rolls x 2
Baked Oatmeal x 2
Blueberry Muffins & scrambled eggs
Banana Muffins & eggs

Lunch

Peanut butter& jelly, grapes, carrot sticks
Tilapia, mushrooms, fried potatoes
Cheeseburger Mac, Green Smoothies
Leftovers x 2

Dinner

Pancakes & eggs, Green Smoothies
Lemon garlic chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad
Cheeseburgers(with homemade buns), Carrot sticks, Oven baked fries(just some thinly sliced potatoes dredged in olive oil and parmesean cheese.)
Homemade Corn dog muffins(I thought this sounded interesting!) Mac & cheese, carrots, and probably a green smoothie
Chicken Tacos(Just shredded up chicken thighs in the crockpot with a little garlic added) with homemade tortillas from the freezer, chips, and guacamole.
Homemade pizza(using this crust), salad, green smoothie.

Snacks- Grapes, Carrot sticks, Graham Crackers, yogurt, and apples.

Desert-Honey bun cake, and maybe chocolate chip cookies. The one stipulation my hubby has for us eating healthier is that we must have one desert in the house made with "normal" ingredients(read: white flour and white sugar.)

I just got a vitamix a few weeks ago, so I've been grinding my own wheat, and making a lot of smoothies. While I won't say we love the taste of green smoothies, they are still a great way to get the veggies down!

What's on the menu at your house this week?

My fifteen Minutes(more or less...;)

Every afternoon, after I've laid my babies down for their naps, I can be found drinking some coffee and munching on some dark chocolate. Perhaps I'm reading a book or reading blogs. I used to feel guilty taking this time every afternoon, but I've found that taking a little bit of time to relax gives me a much better attitude for the rest of the day. I jokingly refer to this time as "Mommy's sanity time."

What do the rest of you do for your "sanity time?"






Linked to A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

9 months

Ok, seriously, I feel as if I just wrote Max's birth story. How is it possible that he's nine months already?! It really doesn't seem fair that nine months of pregnancy goes so slow, and yet as soon as the baby is born time seems to fly. *sigh*

Here in the last week Max has started sitting up really well. He also scoots around on his belly. He's still at a nice age where I can sit him down, and I don't have to worry about him getting into something, though I don't anticipate that lasting much longer!

He's ridiculously laid back, except when it comes to meal times. Typical man ;). He's starting to not like it when Erik or I leave the room, and he adores Jack, Anna, and Lily. Especially Jack. Just looking at Jack sends Max into a fit of giggles. 

I can't believe that in just three short months, we'll be celebrating his first birthday. We are so blessed by this precious little man, and we pray everyday that he'll grow into a godly young man!

"How can a young man keep his heart pure? By guarding it according to your word." Psalm 119:9

In Which I Eat My Words

This morning it took me an hour to unload my dishwasher. An hour. To unload a dishwasher! It was a crazy morning, but truthfully this is becoming normal around here. As soon as I start, someone needs their diaper changed, someone else needs discipline, and on it goes. Before I know it it's 11 o'clock in the morning and the breakfast dishes are still on the table, and Max is up from his morning nap needing to nurse. I'll be honest with you and say that there's been more than a few occasions where I've buried my head in my hands and and said, "This. is. Insane."

And it is. I think every mother can relate to feeling this way. Having little kids is hard work. It's give, give, and more give and it doesn't matter if you have anything left to give. It's constant reliance on Christ to get you through the day. This season of life is fun, and beautiful, and there are many cute moments I want to hold on to, but I'd be lying if I pretended it was all rainbows and butterflies. The truth is that I have never been more aware of my need for a Savior since becoming a mom.

And here is where I sigh and reminisce about Erik and I's younger years. Back then we would tell people we wanted a big family, and how we wanted to home school, and probably even adopt one day. Most people would laugh at us and make comments about how their two kids were more than enough. And I would smile politely, but inside I was prideful. Inside I was saying things like, " Ah, yes, the boy for me a girl for you and thank the Lord we're finally through attitude.Well that's fine for them, but I love children. God says children are a blessing. I am so glad I don't have that attitude."

And now here I am, laughing at myself, but wishing I still had some of my former confidence. Please hear me, though. I love my children. I adore the life God has blessed me with, and I absolutely believe children are a blessing from God. Erik and I still have the same convictions, and by God's grace we will see them through. Actually, it's only by God's grace we will see anything through, or do anything remotely good in our parenting.

And that's the truth. I can't be the wife or mother I want to be in my own strength. Praise God for His all sufficient grace!

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.....For when I am weak  then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Meet Mike

The other day I was playing babies with my little girls. I was asking Anna whether her baby doll was a boy or a girl.

"BOY!" She declared excitedly.

I then asked her what her dolls name was.

"MIKE!" She exclaimed.

This was funny to me, because, well, just look at baby Mike.

You know, I have very strong convictions about raising my sons and daughters. I want my boys to be boys and my girls to be girls.

Clearly Anna does not share those convictions.