His mercies are new EVERY morning.

Parenting is both the hardest job you'll ever do, and your greatest reward on this earth. 

I've seen it in myself and I've seen it in my friends.  Every day is a battle to feel like you are good enough. 

Did I teach my kids something today? Did I show them grace and mercy like God has shown me?
Did I feed them healthy meals?  Did I remember not to raise my voice?  Did I spend as much time with my kids as they need?   Did I love them well? 

 A constant stream of questions going through your mind as you face your day, wondering if you are good enough. 

Some days, we do well.  Others we fail miserably.  

There are days I cannot WAIT until bedtime.  Does that make me a bad parent, no.  Does it mean I love my kids any less?  NO!

And we have great days where everything seems to go right. 

Then there are days where the kids watch too much tv, and don't get enough school done, they don't eat anything but junk and bedtime doesn't exist.  Meltdowns are abundant and mommy has a short temper.     

But God. 

Lamentations 3:22-23Amplified Bible (AMP)22 It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.23 They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

I may fail my kids, I may fail my husband, and I certainly may fail God on a daily basis, but thankfully there is mercy.  And it is new for me, every morning. 

Satan wants us to believe we have to be perfect. Perfect people, perfect parents, perfect spouses, perfect friends, perfect christians. 

No one in this world is going to attain that. We can only try harder and do better when we mess up. 

Give yourself some mercy today.  Show yourself some grace.  Love yourself like God loves you and know that tomorrow is a new day. Get up, try harder, and when you fail, try again. 

Well, hello there long lost friend. *an introduction*

It seems the last few months got away from me and blogging and photography took the hits. 

When I'm down, I tend to run away from the things I enjoy... weird I know, but hey. let's be real. It's just who I am.

So... we are FINALLY in a new house.  We are still in the organizing and unpacking phase, but we are here. And we couldn't be happier.

Our kids are growing like crazy. 

And this little beauty who was meant just for us, graced us with her presence. 

(she's 2 weeks old in this picture)

She arrived on October 25th at 3:05 pm. Weighing in at 8 lb 12 oz and 19 1/4 inches long.

She is the sweetest baby, and the big kids just adore her. 

To say we are in love, would not even suffice.

I'm looking forward to getting into 'normal' again. I am craving routine and things I love, so hopefully you'll see more of me around here soon. 

What's new in the world of our kids.

I feel like I haven't updated on how our kids are doing in a LONG time. So I want to document here, where they have grown and  how much fun they are having!

Kyley is now a THIRD GRADER!  She finished her very first chapter book and is almost done with the next. I knew it was just a matter of figuring out it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. 
She told us after she was almost done with the first that reading was FUN!   If you have followed the blog for any length of time, you KNOW this is huge for my girl, and I'm so excited for the opportunities this will open up for her to flourish and learn at her own rate now!
She finished her 5th year of dance and her 1st year of softball this past month, and she had a blast. She made a lot of new friends this year, that I think will stick around for a long time and for that I am grateful.
She had a great time at camp already this summer, and came home excited that she feels called into children's ministry as she gets older!  I'm so glad to know she's listening to the voice of God and hearing His plan for her life!
Some of her favorite things right now are:
Making crafts, any and everything, especially jewelry.
Writing her own songs.
Reading.
Shopping.
Driving her brothers crazy :)

Elijah just finished preschool and is now officially a KINDERGARTENER!
He is growing and learning so much about life right now.
He just finished his first year of t-ball, and while he had a hard time paying attention sometimes, he did a great job and had a great time! I can't wait to see how he does in the next few years as his attention span extends and he learns the game.
Elijah has grown so much over the last year and I'm constantly amazed at the things he is learning.
Some of his favorite things right now:
Singing praise and worship.
Playing with his superheros.
Playing his leappad.
Playing on the Kindle.
Playing in the pool.

Asher is 2 & 1/2 and thinks he's 12. The kid cracks me up daily.
He thinks he's as grown as the other two and can do anything they do.
His vocabulary has grown leaps and bounds over the last few months. He tells me full stories, and can hold an entire conversation with you.
He recently gave up his paci, which I'm sure helped the speech, but also he's been working on potty training.  We haven't gotten the hang of it yet, but it won't be long, I'm sure!
 Asher went through a few months recently where he was TERRIFIED of water. It was so bad that just to give the kid a bath I'd have to pretty much throw him in, hold him down, bathe him while he tried to climb out and immediately get him out. All while he screamed.  I'm happy to say that he is finally over that and loves the splashpad and our kiddie pool to no end. He still isn't as happy in the bath as he is outside in the water, but it's no longer a how fast can I climb out act.
Some of his favorite things are:
Singing oh happy day (over and over and over again)
Playing the guitar or drums
Hanging out with Matt Matt
Playing Elijah's Leappad
Eating peanut butter with graham crackers
Making a mess with EVERYTHING.


I cannot believe how fast they are all growing. I cannot wait to see what the next few months hold in store for them all. 

Daddy.

My kids seriously have the most awesome daddy in the world. I couldn't do my job as mommy without him and we are so thankful for HIM. So in honor of him today... here's a whole lot of fun pictures of him over the last few months. We love you Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

Free/Cheap Summer Outings with the kids!

Well, as you all my know by now, we are staying with family for a bit until we close on the new house, so it's been so important to find things to do with my kids OUTSIDE of the house. This keeps everyone sane. It keeps the kids from getting bored and terrorizing the house, and it keeps mommy from having to constantly stress over whether we are making a mess or getting in the way.

With that said, I thought I'd compile a little list of the fun things we have planned so far this summer. 

We are saving as much money as possible, so cheap/free is a MUST, and yet we are still having a blast!

Our favorite so far has to visit the local splash pad.   It's just a few miles from here, and it's absolutely free (unless you have to park at a meter). We like to take snacks or lunch and make it a fun time with any friends that care to join us.

Next up, are these awesome programs we just discovered this year. 

www.kidsskatefree.com

www.kidsbowlfree.com

These are simple to register for, and every week I get coupons in my email to print and the kids can skate twice a week, or bowl 2 games any day for FREE!

The one thing you need to know about these, is there is a rental fee for skates ($1) and for bowling shoes if they don't have their own.

Another freebie we love is the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. 

They have a great art selection for the adults to browse through if you like that kind of thing, but they also have an amazing, hands on kids area. You can spend hours in there at a time and the kids can't get bored!

Of course, there are SO many parks in the area that we love to visit.  My personal favorite is a fenced, wooden park downtown that is great for all of my kids, but I'm sure that any park would entertain a kid just as easily!

We also love to have playdates for ice cream at Chick Fil A or Burger King because they have indoor play places.  These are great on super hot, or rainy days!

These next two are free building clinics, they are usually on a Saturday morning (every 1st Sat at Home Depot, and several Saturday's a month at Lowe's)


Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic

Home Depot Kids Clinic

  And here are a few more we enjoy, though they aren't totally free, they are cheap and a fun time.

We love to visit  Nancy's Italian Ice with the kids on a hot day.  Cheap cold treats, and always a good time. 

We also enjoy taking the kids out for donuts (not near as cheap as italian ice!), and they love watching the donuts be made through the big window at Krispy Kreme.

And one final thing that is great around here... the minor league baseball team.

Montgomery Biscuits Baseball

This one is a little bit more costly than the rest, but if you are looking for some good fun, this is certainly a good time!

There are of course random events that go on through the summer, such as the Dragon Boat Races, and 2nd Saturday events by the river, but those are things that you have to watch for and know when they'll be held. We enjoy doing things like that as often as we can though!

Do you have any other great ideas for getting kids out of the house during the summer?

Old Navy Activewear!!!

I recently got to go shopping with one of my bestest friends and pick up some more Old Navy Activewear.

It's turning into summer around here quickly so I went in looking for something cool and comfortable to keep me motivated to stay in shape.

The selection in store this year was great. I loved all the bright color combinations and I loved almost everything I tried on. 

Ultimately, I picked out a black short with pink trim and a matching pink shirt, and I'm thrilled with my choice.

 The shirt is a relaxed but fitted shape and I love how it doesn't show too many bulges without being too loose to comfortably work out in.

 The shorts and shirt both have these mesh panels for ultimate comfort. It lets the air flow freely as you work out and keeps you cool. Definitely a plus!

The color in these pictures doesn't do it justice either. I love the colors together! Such a great combination.

As a bonus feature, Old Navy's shorts have these cute little pockets inside the waistband. They are big enough to fit some change or a key to a locker in, just perfect for keeping up with it without feeling tied down.

The shorts are so comfy I've slept in them and I love them. I think I need some more!

Overall, I loved the quality of these products and I'm so glad I got to pick these out because I am loving them!

*full disclosure:  I was given coupons for me and a friend to pick out one top and one bottom from Old Navy's Activewear line, by Crowdtap.  All opinions are my own.

Raw.

Some days I just need to be raw here, and today I guess is one of those days.

Things with the new house are moving along, but not nearly fast enough for my liking.

I'm tired of not having my own space. I'm tired of living out of boxes and in someone else's home.

I'm doing the best I can to enjoy this time and to make it memorable for my kids, but it's hard some days.  

Some days are amazing, and we have a great day and all seems right in the world. And others, I just want to crawl in a hole and cry for a good while.

 I know that all of this is nessecary, yet some days I wonder why.

I trust God, and yet I often question where this is all leading.   What he is teaching me.

 I find that I often don't wonder WHY it is happening, just what it is he wants me to learn, and then when I don't get answers to that, I get frustrated.

Anyhow, friends, if you could just lift our family up over the next few weeks as this finishes up.  Pray for good attitudes, for more great days than frustrating days, for peace for our kids hearts.