Beyond Survival

Joseph and Mary visited on Christmas morning to tell the story of the first Christmas

It started out fun- Christmas followed by bringing the kids to my parents' cabin. Daniel stayed home and my parents met us there. Our days will filled with snow, hot cocoa, and Pie in the Face. Wonderful memories.

She loved being buried in the snow

Snow Sisters

Sledding Buddies

We returned home for a couple nights and then I went to California...alone! It was glorious. I enjoyed my week-long "work-cation" where I could spend every evening catching up with friends. I did feel a little guilty knowing what Daniel was dealing with at home, but I still enjoyed it.

Hotel Living

Unfortunately Daniel had caught a bad bug and generously shared it with the kids. They were all coughing and napping while battling fevers and snotty noses. To compound the situation, the plumbing on the house we are renting went out for the third time in a year so Daniel was also dealing with the plumber. Finally he'd decided he'd had enough and after being told, "can't you just deal with it for a few days?" he moved himself and the kids into a hotel. Not sure why he cared so much about flushing the toilet more than twice a day and being able to bathe once in awhile (or as a special treat, do laundry or dishes) but he'd decided he was done and the hotel-living for the rest of the family began.

Like I said, it was rough!

I returned home for one night and essentially just unpacked and slept, then met the family at the hotel before they were awake the next morning. The next few days were a fun little stay-cation as the kids were feeling better (just a little tired) and I hadn't gotten sick...yet. The pool was warm, the pillows were soft, and the complimentary breakfast was plentiful. We were finally able to return home to a hole in the yard but working pipes...then I got sick.

I don't remember much about that week except that I was miserable and the kids weren't because they were watching endless amounts of Paw Patrol and Little Einsteins. They even probably watched My Little Pony and some of the other shows I usually don't let them watch.

As I've come out of the fog, things have started to return to some form of normalcy (if that's ever possible!) Capper turned 5 (I'm still in denial) and the kids returned to school. I've gotten almost caught up on work and Daniel and I have started having real conversations again instead of just getting through the evening and heading to bed. We're hopeful that we have our sickness for the year out of the way and that the rest of it will be a little smoother. Maybe challenging in other ways instead?

So with a growing belly and a growing building, we are now starting to GROW into 2017! It's going to be an exciting summer as we meet our newest addition in June and move into our long-awaited house in June or July! Capper and Sweetie (if she still lives with us) will start kindergarten in the fall and Evelyn may even begin preschool in the fall.

My toes are hiding already!

I'm hoping for more than just traditional life changes and growth though. I want to go deeper. The last few months of 2016 were a struggle as this surprise pregnancy knocked me off my feet. I couldn't get up as early as I had been and I definitely couldn't stay up late, I needed as much sleep as I could get! My quiet time quickly became non-existent and as I worked on surviving the juggle of motherhood and working from home, putting effort into marriage slipped down on the priority list. But now I'm back!! WE are back. Daniel and I have talked about how to keep our marriage a priority no matter what life throws at us. I've made tangible plans on action steps to support spiritual growth. I'm ready to grow with God, grow as a mother, and grow in my love for Daniel. So here we are, almost at the end of January and moving beyond survival. I'm excited for what the year will bring!

I know you're anxious to see the house progress, but I need to give you SOMETHING to look forward to!