Happy 1st Birthday, Isabel and Elliana!

(L to R) Elliana and Isabel

Elliana

Isabel

(L to R) Isabel and Elliana

Elliana

(L to R) Mommy, Isabel, and Elliana

Isabel

(L to R) Elliana and Isabel

A Time of Refreshing

It's been awhile!  Despite my recent absence from Blogland, I can assure you that life is going on here in Mommyland. :-)  In a word, this past month has been for me a time of refreshing--just what I have been needing....

Since writing my Self Reflecting post and reading the many heartfelt and encouraging comments (including this one from Michelle at She Looketh Well) I received on it, I feel that I've made some strides towards altering my expectations for myself.  Instead of trying to live up to my idea of the perfect woman (and failing), I am learning to ease up on myself a bit.  What a relief it has been to realize that 1) I am not alone as I go through this "tired Mommy" season and 2) I don't need to feel guilty for not being "better" at what I do (or don't do)!

On April 23rd and 24th my mom and I attended a women's retreat at our church.  The theme for the weekend was "Living With a Forever Focus."  Considering that the name of this website is Eternal Outlook, this concept of living with an eternal perspective is obviously one I try to live by; but sometimes--and especially lately--I let life get in the way of living, and my focus turns off the forever and onto the temporal.  I was so blessed by and thankful for the reminder to set my eyes on eternity--to really focus on what I'm living for!

After that weekend was over, my mom stayed with us through the whole next week and helped me prepare for our first ever garage sale.  While the work itself wasn't too refreshing, the time I got to spend with my mom (and the getting rid of stuff!) was.  And to top it off, the kids and I went back home to my parents' the following week and had a wonderful time.  I got to watch the kids bond with Grandma and Grandpa, visit some extended family, eat Mom's good home cooking, take a nap, relax.... All of that was wonderful, but the highlight for me personally was probably the day we flew kites.  That may sound silly coming from this 27-year old woman, I know; but there was something about it that I just needed.  After Mom and the kids went back inside, I lingered there in the stubble field by myself and flew Abel's blue dinosaur kite.  I felt the warm sun and the gentle breeze on my skin; I listened to the birds singing sweetly; and I just felt good.

We've been back home for about a week now, and the time of refreshing has continued:  time spent in the Word, time spent reading to the kids, time spent just enjoying my husband, time spent playing Nintendo Wii (our post-garage sale/pre-anniversary purchase!) as a family.... God is supplying me with just what I need for each day.  I am so thankful--and refreshed--to know that He is with me here in Mommyland (and that one day I will be with Him in Heaven!).

Kids Say, vol. 6

Me:  Abel, you have bed head.
Abel:  No, pillow head.
(pause)
Travis:  Yeah... why do they call it bed head?  It's really just pillow head.

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

Me:  Did you know that Jesus went up to heaven to prepare a place for us so that we can go live with Him in His house?!
Abel:  But how are we going to get there?
Me:  He's going to come get us when it's time!
Abel:  Is He going to carry us?
Me:  Well, I'm not quite sure how that's going to work....
Abel:  Maybe He'll have a cloud helicopter or something!