Announcement: {Moving to a New Blog}

Since starting this blog way back in 2008, its been a wonderful place to share about our lives with YWAM.  But since we have moved to Oregon, we decided that the blog needed a facelift.  A facelift turned into a completely new blog.  Please continue to follow me and keep up with us over at Wild Oak Stream!

I will keep this blog up for another month or so, but will eventually delete it, so make sure you make the move with me over to the new site!

Thoughts...

This past week has been a difficult one.  Capri came down with a virus that gave her a fever then a rash.  She was extra snuggly, which is great for my mommy-heart, but not great for washing dishes.  But the hardest is that Shiloh has begun to test her boundaries a little bit more than before.  New testing=new discipline=new parenting.

I have been praying a lot this past week about it all.  How to continue to discipline her.  How to grow in my parenting.  What kind of behavior do I want to see in Shiloh?  What kind do I not want to see?  Talking with Brandon about it all so that we are on the same page.  {Children have this way of 'divide & conquer'... we are on to you, we know your tricks!}

But one thing I have noticed also this week is just how much Capri watches her older sister.  I mean, she literally will watch her every move.

She will observe the things that we don't see Shiloh do, and she may imitate it.  Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.  This won't always be true.  But as of this past week, if Shiloh goes into one room, Capri follows.  If Shiloh gets hyper, Capri gets hyper.  I realized that in these tough and difficult times of learning how to discipline and teach Shiloh, I am perhaps going to reap the benefits with Capri too.

Its hard work to discipline our girls.  Sometimes it feels like I am chasing my tail.  But it pays off... or at least that is what we tell ourselves.  Shiloh is learning what we expect of her behavior-wise, and we are learning what works and doesn't work to teach her those things.

And we are praying that Capri begins to learn too... because frankly, that little girl is as curious as a cat... and I don't like cats.  :)  And telling her 'no' 20 times a day when she tries to eat our shoes is getting old.  It'll pay off... I am just hoping that is sooner rather than later.

First Month.

We've been living in our new home for a month.  We are doing great, adjusting accordingly, and embracing this new season in our lives.  Here is a roundup of our first month... pictures do speak louder than my words.

 Brandon working alongside his dad.

Shiloh completing her chores.

Our amazing heater/wood stove.

 Sister reading to sister.

 The dandelions keep us entertained.

 Oh, and Capri does too.

Shiloh's potty chart.  We are hoping potty-training-round-6 is the final round.

Can one ever have too many chalkboards?

 Shiloh is my little bug-hunter.

 Cleaning up after the girls is endless.

 Its hard to decide where to hang things.

 Big chevron planter & little get brought inside on freezing nights.

Dirty work boots have replaced the usual flip-flops.

Shiloh painting.

 Her masterpieces.

 Our second front door is my favorite.

 Napping on Mommy & Daddy's floor.

 Ah, the clean laundry that stares at me until I fold & put it all away.

 Working on hanging & framing... I can't wait to have decorated walls.

 I love my ceramic urchin.

 I don't love my ever diminishing stock of my favorite Trader Joe's items.

And Capri LOVES her some sweet potatoes and beets.  Seriously, its her favorite.

Big news... {Spring 2013 Newsletter}

To read our latest, Spring 2013 Newsletter, click here.  We have some big news, announcements, and would love to have you partner with us in prayer and support!

Fear.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now.  But I always hesitated.  I don't have much to say about it... due to the fact that I am in the midst of it.

I never really have been a fearful individual.  I have always been an either adventurous girl, or a cautious one, depending on the season of life... but not fearful... at least not how I have been experiencing fear lately.

When Shiloh was born and little I remember having a few anxious moments where fear gripped me.  Becoming a Mommy tested my faith.  It made me responsible for another delicate life, but I wasn't always able to control things that happened to her... I had to experience faith in new ways.

But when Capri was born, the anxiety and fear tripled.  Okay, maybe it doubled, then tripled, and then multiplied by 10... then lets be honest, then by 100.

I have a hard time putting it into words.  But I felt like I was holding a stack of balancing wine glasses that could topple over and spill at the slightest mistake and then crash to the ground and shatter.  But those wine glasses were my children.  I feared their safety. I feared their health.  I feared for their lives.

I am daily working through this fear thing.  Having to stop when it hits, take deep breaths, pray and praise Jesus, and then collect myself and move forward.  I haven't conquered it.  I don't know when I will.  But I know its growing me and testing me.  Its testing my faith and trust to relinquish control and place my children in God's hands.

"In you, Lord my God, I put my trust."

~Psalm 25:1