Picture Post

We went on a movie date this week. :-) M lasted an entire hour & is still talkin about our date & popcorn.



We tried to go shopping as a family, but it didn't work out so well. G took M out. When I got to the car I found him watching Curious George, wearing his own 'lellow hat' and eating Funions! This boy.




This 'assident' happened this week too. That's nail polish.



We had an impromptu family picnic last Sunday & it was WONDERFUL! I wish I had taken more pics. This is my favorite park! We all had a blast, Makafui ran the entire time & great memories were made.

Bubbles on my couch, I need Jesus

Makafui is quite the active little fellow. I have discovered that he needs a LOT of physical activity/outlets and social/intellectual interaction...like way more than I realized. Now that I know this and in an effort not to 'provoke my child to anger' I have been working really, really hard at planning our days with that in mind.

When Makafui does get those outlets, he is tired enough to take a nap, so he is also well rested. On those days that we hit the mark, he is a complete doll! He consistently listens, he obeys, he is less frustrated, he doesn't hit and he is all around faaaaahbulous kid. He also makes it 'til Daddy gets home and has a blast running around and wrestling with him. It's a win-win.

However, this is no easy feat! I have already started planning out our summer (May-August before the baby comes) and frankly, I am exhausted just trying to figure it out!

Today the rain really botched my plans (as well as the lack of sleep due to a crying toddler for h-o-u-r-s last night), but I did what I could...including H-E-B at 7:00am. I packed our morning and completely wore myself out in the process! Then nap time came and M didn't sleep. Instead, he shoved diapers under his door, bellowed, "I bonk-e head!!" and other ridiculous things for an hour.

Our afternoon was full of whining and meltdowns-and me wearing a stupid baseball cap because I was too tired after swimming to look good. In the worn out midst of this, I got a call from a Dr.'s office about a billing issue from my surgery. Oh great. Everything was going wrong from about 11:00 on.

Finally, it was time to start dinner and we were in the home stretch. I was at the stove when I heard a glug-glug and looked to see a naked (why? because he could) Makafui sitting on the couch and pouring an entire, large bottle of bubbles on it!

I had had it! I yelled his name (still feeling bad about that yelling thing) scooped him up and put him in his room. Then I tried to clean it up, while burning dinner.

After things settled down and M was asleep (and I was still an exhausted to tears, stress-ball-freakazoid) I wanted to call my husband so bad and tell him to bring me some sort of chocolate peanut butter ice cream and bubble bath. Because that's what I needed.

And then I was reminded just how weak and needy I am. It's Lent, I'm not eating sweets. And oh yeah, ice cream won't make me suddenly feel like a good mom despite failing in so many ways today. A bubble bath will not make me chill the freak out about my constant battle to have a clean home. Neither of those things will make me not stress about how on earth I will handle this precious, high needs toddler AND a newborn. And no, they won't make my worries over medical bills and finances go away either.

Jesus can though. If I let Him.

Geez. Who knew I would get that from bubbles on my couch?

Permanent

Last year, George got a promotion at work. I think it may have been the worst promotion in the history of all promotions. First, he went from hourly to salaried plus commission. His hours increased a LOT and he moved branches, so his commuting time did as well and he couldn't come home during the day. For nearly two months, he only received base (still never figured out why that was standard procedure) so we took a gigantic, I mean gigantic pay cut. Once the commission started rolling in, we were right back to what he had been making, only he was working a lot more! His weekend work increased and Mon-Fri he would leave home around 6 and not come back until 7:30 or even 8. To put it lightly, this was hell.

As soon as we realized the promotion was going to look like this, George started applying for jobs elsewhere. The promotion came a wee bit sooner that we had expected. Since George was working all the time, I really stepped up the oh-so-frustrating job search and broadened the search to include most of Texas (but no Lubbock, because....just no). He had phone interviews just about every month and some in-person interviews as well. The problem was, once in the interview, the company would end up being just as sweatshop-y as where he was, only there was not the same level of job security or seniority. Boo!

In August, George went to a hiring blitz at his dream company. Dream company! It was an intense interview- it consisted of an orientation, a presentation he prepared, a panel interview and a sales call to managers in another room. I was so proud of him, he did so well!!

Then, he got the call. They said they were sorry, but they weren't able to hire as many people as they anticipated. However, they said they were really interested in him and wanted to keep in touch, that he would just need to interview with a hiring manager in the future. We were sad. That was the dream job.

Well, each month, Dream Company would call with an update, insisting that George was on the top of their list, but that hiring kept getting pushed back.

Then came December. On the day I found out I was pregnant, Dream Company called. With an offer. No more interviews required. They wanted George to start in January...as a contract employee! He would be contracted for 6-9 months and hired "upon performance" afterward. It couldn't be easy could it?

They gave us a week to give an answer and ask questions. Believe it or not, this was a VERY hard decision! Hell Job had one major, major thing going for it- job. security. G was golden boy there and basically nothing could threaten his job. He also had benefits and though he rarely used it, time off (and would be eligible for paternity leave when the baby came).

Dream Company made the same amount of money, but get this, it's only 40 hours a week. George has NEVER only worked 40 hours a week. The company culture is about a million times better than Hell Job and the career outlook is amazing. That contract thing just kept grabbing us. The contract would be up right around the time we have baby #2. What if it wasn't renewed or he didn't get permanent? We had about a dozen 'what if' questions. None of them were answered definitively.

So we prayed. A lot. And this is what we figured, a hundred bad things can happen at any time and there is nothing we can do about it. We can trust in God and try our hardest to be where we think He has us. The safest place to be is squarely in the will of God. Figuring out 'where' that is can be the hard part.

So, we did it. We took the biggest leap of faith we have ever taken as a family.

And God showed up!

On Friday, after 6 weeks of work, not 6-9 months, George was informed that he will no longer be a contract employee. He becomes a permanent, full time employee of Dream Company starting March 31st.

I am still in shock and awe of God's goodness to us. Yes, my hubby is rockin' this new job and working hard, but God is oh-so-good! I cannot even begin to express the ramifications of this change and the massive amount of joy and gratitude I am feeling. We are so overwhelmed with this blessing and it is just so much more than I imagined would happen to us. What I love most about this job is that George is valued. No one mistreats him or tries to cheat him. He comes home mentally exhausted sometimes, but glowing. I know that sounds so cheesy, but this is work that is good for him. I couldn't ask for more! Thank you, thank you, Lord!!

Now of course, it couldn't all be so easy. Dream Company is quite the commute, so in September, when our lease is up and we have a brand new baby, we will be moving! I don't know where, but surely I'll figure that out in the next 5 months or so. We still have to keep things lively around here. ;-)

And on a side note, I know I refer to his last job as Hell Job, but I am joking. It was career boot camp and prepared him for where he is now. It wasn't easy for any of us, but it was a good job for us for a season (a season that ended before the job did:) and we are very grateful for it. It also serves as a giant dose of perspective to what a "bad day" really looks like. Ha!

Catch up...

I haven't been a big blogger lately, so it's time to catch up!

-After a nap-free winter, I THINK Makafui is starting to nap again. All I have to do is take him to the Y  for an hour or two, to an outdoor or indoor playground and to a less physical, more mentally stimulating errand (like the library or a pet store) by 11:30. Then, he will nap. And if he starts his nap by noon, then he'll still go to bed at a decent time.

-This crazy weather is driving me nuts, I am ready for the cold to be gone for more than 3 days and to enjoy real Texas spring. I crave outside playtime with SUN everyday!

-Makafui got to wander the library at large (instead of me holding him or being in the stroller) for the first time last week and loved it! He just kept saying, "I at the libary, I at the libary!" He only picked one book (about tractors) but had a blast!

-I've been getting these crazy pregnancy headaches nearly everyday. Thankfully, they aren't as bad as the week I went off of progesterone, but still, no fun! They suck, but remind me that even discomfort can be full of blessings. I am thankful for this Little One.

-Makafui has been cracking me up lately, he feels very strongly about things, like he "neeeeds" pretty much everything and he really "loves" his ball, his car, you name it! He is also learning sarcasm, he asks me, "Well, how did that happen?" and after telling me excuse me or taking my food, he says, "Sorry 'bout that Mommy, sorry 'bout that."

-He is quite the snuggle bug and I love it! Every morning, after he gets up, we just sit on the couch and snuggle and sing songs for 10-15 minutes. He tells me, "I want Mama hold you!" at least 10 times a day!

-G started a new job in January and it is going great! We are so grateful for the change and for the amazing company he is working for!

-I plan on spending the summer at the pool with Makafui. In preparation, we have been trying to swim at the heated indoor pool at the Y. This boy is certainly not a water baby. He likes baths (to the extent that sometimes he takes 2 a day) but the pool and splash pad have not been a hit. We have spent more time getting dressed and undressed for the pool than we actually have in the water! I am hoping that the positive peer pressure of seeing cousin Sophia swim will help him out. We will keep trying, but geez, it's a lot of work to get ready to swim when he BEGS to get out after only 5 minutes!

-The hitting situation with M is getting much better. I think it's a combination of consistent discipline, a phase he is getting out of, and working my butt off to get him the physical outlets he needs to burn off that pent up energy. Whew! He wears me out sometimes. :)

-Our kitchen sink has not worked 100% since we moved in the week of Thanksgiving and as usual, it gets really nasty on the weekend when maintenance isn't here. Add that to the crappy management team we have, dog poop everywhere, loud neighbors and the nickel and diming to death (and I'm sure hormones have something to do with this) I am just soooo over living here!! First world problems- I know, I know.

-Did I mention at Makafui's well check his height was in the 92nd percentile?! Whoah! His head has leveled out to about average and so is his weight.

-I'm trying really hard to figure out good building blocks to teach M about Easter at his age. This year, we are focusing on Jesus gives new life. I had thought about teaching our kids about the Lord before we had any, but I didn't really think that much about how you teach a toddler with limited understanding. I'm leaning on grace here and trusting I will have many years to build onto these little blocks.

-My 16 week appointment is this week. I am always excited to check on the baby, but I'm super excited this week to schedule our big anatomy scan (and gender reveal!). Yay!

-I'm concerned about some people I love very much. It's a hard place to be in, to care, but not to be anxious all the time. I'm trying to give these concerns back to God. Some days this goes better than others.

-Life is full and exhausting right now. It probably will be for many years though, huh?

To Lent or not to Lent?

My big brother asked me if I would be observing Lent this year or not & I just wasn't sure. I had been toying with it, but just hadn't committed. I grew up (and still am) very protestant- mainly Baptist, Non-Den & Bible churches. None of those observe Lent & some were so anti-Catholic that is was something you didn't even talk about.

Lately though, I've been wanting more. More from my lackluster church, more in my personal relationship with Christ, more peace, more joy. More.

For a few years now I have purposed that Easter NEEDS to be a bigger deal. And for a few years, Easter has come and gone and it just wasn't.

I did more research this week about Lent for the protestant. Aside from feeling totally stupid, I really appreciated what I learned.

Lent is not about legalism, it is not about buying your own grace by fasting from something, or getting on God's good side by depriving yourself for 40 days (40 instead of 46 because you take Sundays off, say what?!). Its not a game & its not for show.

It IS a tool and opportunity. Similar to Advent at Christmas, Lent is a time to look toward the coming celebration and meditate on what Christ has done for us. Fasting from something during Lent is just another opportunity to take our focus off of worldly desires & focus on Christ & His sacrifice for us...to dwell on Easter. To grow, not to just go through the motions.

And the word Lent? It just means Spring. Sweet, warm Spring. Renewal. Freshness.

Hmmm, it seemed so stiff and contrived before. Not so much anymore.

So for the first time in my life, I'm observing Lent and I'm very excited about it!

What am I giving up? Sweets! It ain't gonna be easy, but that's really the point, isn't it?