We're Baaacckkk!

Hey!

Perhaps you're thinking, where did we go? Why the long period of silence?

Well, in a short answer, my brain needed a chance to simmer down. We have been in a season of change and reprioritization, and are emerging on the other side for the better!

With that said here are just a few highlights of the last three (almost four) months.....

Jarrod GRADUATED!! 

Praise the Lord! They mentioned this thing called graduation and talked about classes not continuing forever... but to be honest I didn't quite believe them. Isn't it funny how some seasons of life seem to fly by and others drag on for ages? Our family learned so much through seminary, but more on that topic later. As for what's next...... well, Jarrod is actually still finishing a class this summer, so while the pomp and circumstance has already happened, we are still in a similar routine till mid-July. But we are so excited for the change in what I call Jarrod's "brain divisions". School requires less space and leaves more for family, church and just plain old fun! (not sure who enjoyed the bounce house more.... J or the girls). We are praying about the next step and excited to see where God might lead us to serve in ministry. Meanwhile, we are busy loving the opportunities God has given us and will keep plugging away!

princess.... with a lightsaber! 

 E1 is now 3 years old! Who can believe it??? She loves to ride her tricycle, play with her doll house and attack the "bad guy droids" with her cardboard lightsaber (hmmm.... where did she learn this from??). She has kid-neighbors now (oh right, btw we moved! The Lord provided a house for us to live in and we are loving it!) and she wants to play with them all the time. She is an energetic as ever and loves to talk about what she's learning. We've discovered that she has one volume, and even with her best attempts to whisper, she can be heard anywhere in the house :)













E2 is almost a year and a half and we are daily amazed at how quickly she tries and learn new skills. Perhaps at some point we should tell her she's not the same age as E1 :) She is quite the talker and has a soft spot for all babies and dolls. At meal times she makes sure to offer everyone a bib.

              

We revealed the news in a previous post about the Lord growing our family from 4 to 5: can you believe that, in spite of pretty much everyone (myself included) confident we would have another girl... it's a BOY! Little man Reed is due sometime around September 1st. When we first told E1 about having a little brother she looked perplexed at us and said "hmmm..... no, I want a little sister" then walked away!  She has since come around to the idea and is looking forward to teaching him all about Star Wars and how to use a lightsaber, and the lyrics to "Let It Go". Poor boy. But, he will make a great husband someday ;) As a mom of girls and one without any brothers.... any boy-raising advice is welcome! We are getting into the third trimester and I'm feeling good, especially thankful for days when both girls take an afternoon nap at the same time! haha.

Books I'm reading (or at least attempting to slowly and in pieces benefit from): Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison, just finished Twelve Part Harmony by Pat and Jill Williams (heart-string tugger!), and we've started reading The Secret Garden (childhood fav!!) out loud to the girls. Not sure that E1 understands much of it yet, but it's a habit we want to develop. That little girl can tell when we're within a mile of the library and starts frantically asking "is the libary open??? Is it open???"

Thanks for checking in on us, and I promise to share more updates and funny stories over the next few months. For now, this momma is headed for the couch while the little ones are fast asleep!

Till next time,

You're Wearing a Tool of Mass Destruction

Recently there was a *phenomenal* article circulating around facebook declaring that leggings are in fact, not pants.  And that we as women yield very powerful weapons in how we dress our bodies, capable of destroying those around us.

Craziness.

How dare some one attempt to tell Christian women (and women in general) what they can and cannot wear! There's freedom in Christ, right? It's not our problem if men can't keep their eyes to themselves and minds out of the gutter, right?

Bologna. Pure bologna.

Ladies, let's be real. When we get dressed in the morning, or mid-afternoon as the case may be sometimes, what goes through our minds? I'll be the scape-goat here and give you a peek into my thoughts.....

When planning for a day at home, comfort is key. And since I just don't feel right about staying in my pjs all day, the next most comfortable thing is yoga pants, throw on a t shirt and I'm ready for chasing some toddlers. Of course, we all know that very rarely can you spend a whole day at home with toddlers... for sanity's sake you've got to get out of the house. How I look is ranked about 5th or 6th down on my radar, so I don't even change before heading to the grocery / out for a walk / to the playground.

On the other hand, when getting dressed to go out with friends, I care more about appearance than comfort. I try on a few outfits trying to find one that makes me feel attractive and stylish (or at least more stylish than I looked earlier at the grocery).

My thoughts in both those processes weren't intentionally aimed at destroying anyone. It's not like I'm walking around in my underwear or wearing hoochie shorts. I'm not hurting anyone!

Again, bologna. This line of thought is totally naive. It's turning a blind eye to how human weakness, temptation and sin work. And, Christian ladies, this is an area we cannot afford to be ignorant. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us we are to "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for some one to devour." Christian woman, the devil wants us to remain oblivious and non-chalant about how he attacks, especially how he attacks the purity of men.   (For more on this, please check out here)

Ladies, take time to have an honest conversation with your husband. Ask him to walk through the thoughts and images he is bombarded with when the Victoria Secret ad comes on during the super bowl. Then ask him if women wearing short dresses with skin tight leggings / low cut tops / bikinis (gasp, I  know, I just went there) is really any different. It's not. They all encourage temptation in an area of weakness. And that's a deadly combination.  James 1:14-15 tells us that we all battle fleshly desires.... and that those when given in to... give birth to sin, and sin when it's allowed to grow gives birth to death.

God doesn't take the holiness of His children lightly. Don't be an avenue allowing a brother to walk to his death. Don't encourage him to commit adultery against his wife (or future wife). PLEASE, read 1 Corinthians 6, especially v12-20.  (here's a link so you have no excuse. Do it now!)

So, you're telling us to dress in moo-moos and sackcloth, never to look attractive?

No way! All I'm saying, and I think what Scripture encourages, is to care more about our personal holiness.  Honor God with how we treat our bodies. They are not pieces of meat to be given freely to every male we pass by in hopes of getting our pride stroked by eliciting a response. Honor our husband by reserving our sensuality and nakedness solely for him. Demonstrate our love for others by refusing to be a means for temptation, and an encouragement to pursue what is of great worth in God's sight... the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3).

It takes effort. I'm still in process of clearing out my closet as I try on clothes and think through whether a certain garment draws attention sexually instead of being modest. It takes a lot of prayer and begging God for wisdom (we know He's faithful to give it! James 1:5). It takes parting with some really beloved outfits - at least getting rid of their public use. (By all means, dress to impress your husband! Be creative and really surprise him! Have outfits that are for his eyes only, what a gift!) It takes not always being able to shop what's currently available in stores. It takes wrestling with our flesh that says we can do what ever we want. It's hard.

But isn't it worth it to do what is pleasing to the Lord? Isn't it worth it to know you are not being used to destroy some one? Can you think of a better gift to give your husband than sole access physically and visually to your body?

The battle for our and our Christian brother's holiness is on and it's high time we started to fight back.

Where We've Been

Elora is ONE. Whoa, when did that happen?!?!?

The birthday girl!! E2 is 17.5 pounds and 29 inches long. She loves to climb on everything, push the baby stroller, read books with E1 and EAT

 

 

Second Christmas as a family of 4, initiated hiding baby Jesus game (huge success! Will post about that at some point....)

 Ah! Can they get any cuter?????

 Little miss suzzy homemaker here

 LOTS of dress up :)

And some other big news.......

"Reed, party of 5" ---- sounds weird, but it's true!

More details to come :)

Happy Thursday!