A Caring Heart

My mom, Diana, is one of those people who truly likes to be behind the scenes. She is at her happiest putting other people first.  Since it is her birthday and a special day, I just want to let Mom know how much we appreciate her.

From a young age, Mom has been a thoughtful caregiver. She helped look after her baby sister. As a young mother, she cared for three children sacrificing so much for us.  Professionally, Diana has carved out a successful career as a nurse. Mom spends many hours caring for elderly patients. It is much more than a job for her as she loves and listens to her sometimes forgotten residents.

I know she is probably cringing now and I don’t want to embarrass her much more. I just want to say, Mom, I am so fortunate to have you as my role model. You have a caring heart. Thank you for all that you do for us. I love and miss you. I wish we could be with you today to celebrate. We are there in spirit and can’t wait to say hello via video.  Xoxo

Happy Birthday Albert

As of 9:12 pm tonight our sweet Albert Aaron is one year old. It’s hard to grasp how fast this past year as gone by for us. I am amazed at how much our little guy has grown. I can’t imagine our family without him.

Albert has been walking for two months now and he is fast. He adores big sister Ivy and is determined to keep up with her. When we play music or Daddy makes a milk shake, Albert will start turning in circles. I call it his happy dance! He says Dadda and Mama and uh-oh. He’s a pretty good mimic with sounds. Albert loves to eat and some of his favourite foods are cheese, blue berries, turkey nuggets and toast. He gives the sweetest cuddly hugs and it just melts my heart when he toddles over to me with open arms.

Happy Birthday Albert Aaron! We love you. We are so proud of you.

 

The World According to Ivy Grace

Both of my babies are crazy about my phone. Their little eyes twinkle with glee and triumph whenever they get ahold of it. They become Gollum and my cell phone is the Precious! I often find photos I know I haven’t taken when I get the phone back. I don’t know how Ivy, as the oldest, manages to take pictures but she has figured it out like a pro.

Whenever I get the chance I scroll through my gallery to delete the repeats of our carpet or stairs. Once in a while one of Ivy’s photos will catch my attention and I have to save the image. It’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her world; a unique chance to see our grown up world from Ivy’s fresh perspective. I like her point of view.

Sometimes in the routine of mommyhood I can forget that my little ones are constantly investigating. I forget to see life through their eyes. This is one of the things I love about raising babies. It’s a perk of the job to see the world as a child again. I get to remember the awe and wonder of the everyday. I know this isn’t a new concept but when you are in the thick of things as a parent it can be really uplifting. Remembering Ivy and Albert’s perspectives helps me to have more patience and compassion. How exciting and daunting life must be to a toddler!

Sometimes I’m too tired or in a hurry or dealing with a typical baby emergency and I miss the magic of the moment. Hopefully this gallery of photos will remind me to be present. Enjoy my life, even the mundane parts of it. Enjoy my babies and “Rejoice always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) So let’s see if this puts a smile on your face. I give you the world according to Ivy Grace.

 

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Last day in February

Snow falls like goose feather down outside my window. I can hear the babies playing in the hall. I sip my coffee. I am thankful.

And Then There Were Four

Albert Aaron Mitchell was born on May 19, 2017 at 9:12 pm in Cambridge. It was an extraordinary experience delivering this sweet baby and I will never forget that night. We are now a family of four. Life with a toddler and a newborn is exciting and exhausting and challenging and full of precious moments. I now have even less time to myself. Thus I am blogging three and half months later in bed whilst pumping milk and eating chocolate! Ivy is asleep in her bed. Albert is asleep next to daddy watching a game downstairs. I should be sleeping but really wanted to get back into my blog. So you may get a semi-coherent sleep deprived  litany of motherhood and life and faith whenever I can write one.

Psalm 127 says that “children are a gift from the Lord.” Ivy and Albert are the best gifts we’ve ever been given. Mama is the hardest job I’ve ever had in my life. It is a role that requires all my physical strength, creativity, mental energy and prayers. I make a lot of mistakes. I do my best. We giggle a lot during the day. Cry. We make messes and read books. Sing. We dance like fools. Play. We give/ get a lot of hugs and kisses. I try to cherish each day even the really hard ones. Mostly I’m just so thrilled Jason and I get to be parents to our special little ones.

 

 

Pregnancy Perks

“Kiss the baby Ivy!”

At 38 weeks, I realize that I won’t be pregnant much longer. And I really have no idea if I will ever be in this condition again. So, I just want to share my experience in childbearing thus far.  I love being pregnant. It’s true a lot of weird and wonderful things happen to your body. (I’ll try not to get too gross here.) At the same time, there are perks to being pregnant. For instance, I can nap when Ivy naps without  judgement. No one will begrudge a pregnant lady the chance to sit and put her feet up! Secondly, the FOOD. I could write another blog just on eating whilst pregnant alone. It’s wonderful. When you crave something and finally get to eat it, wow how satisfying. I love having a healthy appetite and knowing that my choices are nourishing my growing baby. I also love feeling the baby move. It is at the same time exciting and alien and wonderful and uncomfortable. This baby moves so differently than Ivy. Ivy was a kicker. This little one seems to roll around making my belly ripple and look grotesque. It’s so cool.

No two pregnancies are alike, yet I have this shared experience with millions of other women. This is very comforting as delivery day approaches. I love that my body was created to nurture another human being as he or she prepares to come into the world. I love that the Holy Spirit is in my womb “knitting together,” this unique and precious person. (Psalm 139:13) Children are a blessing from the Lord and it is a privilege to have one. And now we will have two! We are doubly blessed. I am humbled and grateful. Life is a miracle. My pregnancy may make me extra emotional, but it also brings into focus the fragility and preciousness of life.

While I don’t love the back pain, indigestion, and a list of other annoying symptoms, these are a small price to pay.  Now hurry up and come out little one! Your family is thrilled to meet you.

Strength for All Things

Ivy Grace is 18 months old. This is hard to believe! She has grown so much and the time has gone by so fast. Now we are expecting our second little bundle. Despite the growing physical evidence, it doesn’t seem real sometimes.  This pregnancy is different. I don’t have time to focus on it like I did before. Ivy keeps me hopping. I feel so blessed and privileged that our little family is growing. At the same time, I hope I can be enough for two babies at once. As we still struggle to get Ivy to sleep through the night, I can’t help but think what am I going to do with a newborn?! How I am going to night feed and settle a toddler climbing out of bed running to our room?! Though we are enjoying parenthood, the nights can seem long and dark at times. Sleep deprivation combined with hormones have done a number on me.

Caught in the snow.

Philippians 4:13 AMP- “I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me. I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.”

Sometimes I don’t feel very strong. Most times I don’t feel very strong. I know in my heart this verse is true. It doesn’t always feel true. It doesn’t feel like I can be up all hours and then gracious as Ivy refuses to nap meaning no sleep again for me. Smiling and entertaining a toddler through tears is not ideal. But I am learning to be led by the Holy Spirit instead of my ever-changing emotions. It is a process and a daily challenge.

The above verse is the first one I memorized this year as part of the Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2017 with Beth Moore and Living Proof ministries. This online challenge is really sweet to me as I participated in 2015 when I was expecting Ivy. It seems fitting to do it again during this pregnancy. It must be God-designed. He knows how much I need Him. I have so much love in my heart for my husband and babies, but I am not physically able to do what I need to do without God. The dark days happen when I get caught up in my feelings and negative thoughts. When I get so caught up in the circumstances that I forget to pray, forget to recite my verses, forget that I don’t have to do this on my own, that is when I really struggle. Even still I know God is there nudging me to come to Him. And when I do cry out to God, He is faithful. Always. The more I work on my verses, the more the Word comes to mind just in time.

Daddy/daughter cuddles!

I know I’m not the only one. Maybe you are a parent like me juggling family life or caring for an aging parent or dealing with a stressful job. Maybe you are dealing with a loss. Maybe you are kept up at night by the evening news. Whatever it is you are going through, please, know that you can have strength for today. You can have strength for all things through Christ. You only need to ask.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. I think this holiday is really special. It is a whole day set aside to be grateful.  It is time for friends and family to come together. I am truly thankful for our blessings. We had a really nice day today with good food and time together as a family of three. I appreciate my husband making an effort to celebrate with me knowing that it isn’t his thing. I am grateful for the beautiful flowers he brought me this morning. I am so thankful for Ivy Grace’s giggles, squeals, and joy. I am also grateful that I was able to video chat with my family in America and share in their holiday. I miss them more than they know, but I appreciate our connection no matter the distance. We are healthy. Our bellies are full of turkey and we have a nice roof over our heads. Sometimes it is so easy to get down about things in life. Whenever I catch myself in a bad mood or having a bad attitude, all I need to do is find something I can be thankful for to turn it around. In these uncertain times, I am grateful that God is in control. God is good and He doesn’t change. I am thankful for His unending love, mercy, and grace. He is so patient with me. Tonight I feel wrapped in His love.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) I love this scripture. I especially like that it says to “give thanks in all circumstances,” not for all circumstances. Even if I am in the midst of a problem, there is always a blessing to be mined. I hope you are enjoying this day and counting your blessings as well. If you are hurting and this Thanksgiving isn’t particularly a good one for you, I pray that God brings comfort to your heart. Good night.

Lord of the Harvest

This is the last day of my favorite month. It would not be me if I didn’t write about it. I love autumn. I know this is really trendy now, but I have always loved the fall. It evokes childhood memories of school, zipping up my coat, splashing through piles of red, yellow, and brown leaves. I was born in Ohio and lived there until I was about 6 or 7 years old.  It was a thrilling time. I remember hay rides and harvest festivals, carving pumpkins and dressing in my Mamaw’s clothes as an impromptu costume. When my family moved to Florida and the excitement of the beach wore off, I missed the seasonal changes especially the beauty of the fall. I still love the crisp cool air and changing leaves. I love all things pumpkin and spice. Autumnal flavors are so homey and comforting. I don’t mind the early nights. It is a natural time for me to rest and take stock of the year thus far. It is curl-up-and-read-a-good-book weather when I’m not chasing Ivy now of course!

All four seasons are important. It is God’s perfect design. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will not cease.” (Genesis 8:22). We can count on these changes year after year. There is just something about harvest time for me. As I don’t have the privilege of living on a farm and the literal satisfaction of reaping seeds sown, this season takes on a spiritual meaning for me. I feel thankful, thankful for my family and all that the year has brought us. I look ahead to the new year that is coming and hope for growth and blessings. I examine myself. Am I sowing good things in life? Am I someone the Lord of the harvest can rely on? Am I pursuing those things that God has laid on my heart to pursue? I get excited in the fall. I just feel alive. My God loves to bless us and He loves for us to reap the fruit of our good decisions. That is what this season represents for me.

We took Ivy to a pumpkin patch this past weekend. She loved it. It was special for me to be able to share something with her that I used to do as a child. Especially now that I live in another country, it means a lot to be able to show her things that remind me of home. I look forward to making many more memories with our family in the seasons to come. I hope that I can pass on my love for all things autumn. I hope and pray that I can be an example for my daughter. I want to live out my faith authentically before her as a labourer of the Lord. I will hopefully make this time of year exciting and fun for her. Now as we wake up into November, I look forward to Thanksgiving and of course Christmas is coming! And it’s too early yet to stress about it! My plan this week is to work on some pumpkin recipes. I think pumpkin muffins and pie are definitely in my future. So, if you are a spring or summer person, I have no illusions about converting you. I just wanted to share some of the joys this season can bring.

“He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'” (Luke 10:2)