Joyfully Weary

A weekly reflection inspired in part by  Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces" . Sometimes they slip by without notice Sometimes they're very hard to see Other times it's all so clear When they're happening to me 1 - fresh snow 2 - watching the delight the crosses Baby Z's face when he experience/discovers something new 4 - indoor waterparks 5 - great friends to share the experience with and who make everything more fun 6 - birthdays 7 - candles 8 - cinnamon cake 9 - matching outfits 10 - watching these two grow in friendship and work as a team. 11 - subscription boxes that bring something new and exciting every month.  These are the small graces The little moments when the miracles come These are the small graces Small graces pointing me to the larger ones Small graces Little glimpses of the kingdom come From unexpected places These are the small graces

Just two outfits this week. We spent a few days at an indoor waterpark with some friends and when we got back a couple of the kiddos started running fevers again. 😳 Happy we were well enough to go on our mini vacation but starting to feel like we are never again going to go a week without illness. 😤 Sunday These shoes were a Christmas gift from mother-in-law. Doesn't she have great taste!? I know I've said it before but I totally scored in the in-law department. Monday If you are looking for more outfit inspiration please check out these link parties:  Watch What I'm Wearing ,  Style Sessions ,  Trend Spin ,  Pleated Poppy  and  A Labour of Life . 

Jeremy and I were both voracious readers as kids and young adults. We look back fondly on our first two years of marriage, before kids, (and before we had a tv or Netflix) were would spend most of the weekends and evenings curled up on the couch reading books. Kids obviously make getting lost in books harder. Sadly, we've also gotten in to the habit of spending too much of our free time staring at our devices instead of pages.  We want our kids to have a love for books so we spend a lot of time reading aloud to them. I start off most weekdays by reading part of a children's bible (we have three we rotate through) to them and Jeremy always has a chapter book he reads night. Plus, we usually have a couple books the correspond with whatever time period we are learning about in history. In addition to these, I try to find good quality books to read to the kiddos when we have spare time. I don't find much joy in playing pretend or building legos so reading has become my go-...

This current political season has left my heart heavy. Everything has become so polarized and I feel like there are few (or at least few people in the public field) who share my sentiment. I am a misfit in both the conservative and the liberal camp.  I consider myself a feminist. I believe God created both men and women in His image. We are equals and should therefore be treated as such. I believe in equal pay for equal work. I believe that both sexes should be respected and that abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, etc) should never be tolerated. Women are not objects or lesser-thans and should never be treated like they are.  I, however, am also  unequivocally  pro-life. There is no situation where I could ever see myself seeking an  abortion, and  if a friend came to me with an unwanted pregnancy I would do all I could to encourage her to carry the child to term. I don't judge women who have or will seek  abortions.  I don't ...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces" . Sometimes they slip by without notice Sometimes they're very hard to see Other times it's all so clear When they're happening to me 1 - quiet moments to study God's word 2 - and enjoy some coffee with a caramel wafer 3 - kids who are healthy enough to go on errands with their daddy 4 - a husband who is more than willing to take them along and who  never ever refers to it as babysitting 😙 5 - Baby Z's cool kid pose 😂 6 - ice skating 7 - kids who are excited and happy to help 8 - valentine decorations 9 - candles to light up dreary days These are the small graces The little moments when the miracles come These are the small graces Small graces pointing me to the larger ones Small graces Little glimpses of the kingdom come From unexpected places These are the small graces

We were all healthy enough to make it to church last Sunday so I was hoping that we were through with whatever virus has been ravaging our home. Come Monday though, I wasn't feeling very well and the rest of the week the kids took turns complaining of aches and have low grade fevers. Everyone was healthy enough for Jeremy to take them on a few errands today while I throughly cleaned our house...here's hoping we are finally done being sick!  Most of the week I was in my pajamas but I did manage to get dressed on Sunday 😏 I picked up these shoes while shopping with my little sister. I was looking for a black 'winter' heel but wanted something that would still be comfortable while running after my kiddos. I was drawn to these shoes because of the fun gold detail. Lucky for me, the chunky heel makes them easy to walk in and gentle on my feet.  If you are looking for more outfit inspiration please check out these link parties:  Watch What I'm Wea...

I'm way late in posting Christmas pictures but you are just going to have to bear with me. 2017 has gotten off to a bit of a rough start; we've had rashes, pink eye, ear infections, stomach bugs, etc. My 2017 resolution was to not get caught up in to do lists and agendas but to focus on relaxing and enjoy the humdrum of everyday life. Maybe, all this sickness has been a good thing because less than three weeks in and I've already had lots of practice. I've had to coach myself several times that it's ok to just rest...to just continue to sit still and cuddle. We really enjoyed the Christmas season. Jeremy was able to take 11 days straight off of work! In past years we've traveled a lot but this year we made it a point to spend some restful days at home. It was going to be just our little family but then we found out my baby sister Angel could come visit and we quickly jumped at the chance. She has less than two years of college left and we realize that ...