Finding & Creating 'Joy'

Tonight was a great night. A handful of us ladies got together and had a bible study hosted by Amanda. It was really good to fellowship and share with eachother. What I really took from tonight's lesson was to not only find, but create Joy in my life and it will be more fulfilling. It's not always easy to be joyful and sometimes it is downright difficult to find any joy in some days. The focus was also on being our spouse's 'help mate' - if I have that term correct.

Anyway, I was a bad student and didn't write down the verses that we read, but have found others that work well in a marital appilication.

Philippians

2:2-4

...make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaingin the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others.

14-16

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life...

In applying this scripture to my own personal relationship with my husband, I find that I need to be more thankful and appreciative, giving affirmation to him each moment that I can find to do so. Being aware of all the little things he does and be thankful for each and every one of those things. And, in doing this, focusing on the positive, creates joy in my life and his as well.

For example, being thankful that he's watching the kids while I'm out doing shopping and upon returning, actually thanking him for watching the kids, and not grumbling about all the toys being on the floor and the kitchen not being cleaned up. The point is to focus on the fact that he was willing to 1) watch the kids in the first place 2) acknowledged that I needed some 'me' time and let me have it 3) gave attention to kids that they deserved and needed with their father.

Well, I'd better get to bed, Mike is snoring next to me as I'm typing.

Connor Potty Training

Well, tomorrow Connor will be 18 months. He has surprised me in many ways, but today, he wanted to sit on the toilet like his big brother. Hope this is a good sign of easy potty training to come!

Baby Names

OK, so I found our baby name book about a month ago, but not until a week ago did Mike and I start looking at it and found some names that we had considered back when we found out we were pregnant with our first. We've narrowed down the names and come up with the following list (Girls and Boys). We have decided not to know the sex and let it be a surprise. We still have a ways to go and some time to think, we have a rather large list of boys names and a smaller girls' list.

Please Comment, I'd love to know what you think!

Baby Girls:
Lorelei
Collette
Mirielle
Stasya
Starr

Baby Boys:
Kingston
Layne
Harley
Monroe
Trae
Chevy
Drake
Etienne
Ezven
Schyler
Xavier
Xander
Wesley
Weston
Zebediah

House Hunting & God's Plan

What a pain! We really need more room, have been looking for an AFFORDABLE home in Juneau for a few months now. Thought we found one, but it turned out to be just too small for our needs, three of the four bedrooms were about the size of walk-in closets, and the 'living space' (kitchen, dining, living room) wasn't any bigger than our current home's living space. It did have a large two-car garage, yard, and one bed rental, but we would have felt just as cramped as we do now in our two bedroom, one bath trailer.

I do have to say that we are very fortunate that our trailer is paid for and all we owe is lot rent, but we have such a storage issue, not having a garage, and my poor parents see me at least once every two weeks carrying bags or boxes of things into my old bedroom to store for later use. Not to mention, we also have furniture in their crawl space under their house.

We recently came across another, what we thought was, a viable option - purchasing a brand new manufactured home on a 'leased lot' (4 bed, 2 bath, 1500+ sq ft) with everything we want in it, for a very reasonable and affordable price, only to find out along the way that the two floor plans that would fit our needs best (and we looked thru dozens) were no longer available. - Back to square one.

I have to remind myself many times that God has a plan for us, and a perfect home for us, but we must be patient and wait for the opportunity to present itself. And that every step of the way is something to learn from. But for all of you out there who have had any house hunting in the past, know too well, that it can take up a lot of your time and be rather frustrating and/or disappointing.

I keep thinking about how Mike and I wanted kids so badly, only to be frustrated after trying for several years with no avail. Only once we 'Let Go and Let God' fulfill his plan for us did I see the perfection of his timing and his plans for our family. And here we are, two kids later, and two on the way, we couldn't be more happy to be blessed so richly.

I just have to keep telling myself: "Patience, Patience, God's Plan is Perfect."


I keep thinking about the following verses in Philippians

4:6 (I need to let God handle this and not worry!)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

4:13 (I can make do with what I have and be thankful for it)

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

4:18-19 (Reminding myself of the blessings I have and have yet to recieve)

But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received .... what you have sent, .... And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Sick Kids

Gotta love it. I've had sick kids for two days now (cough and runny nose). They're so much more lovable when they don't feel good. They want extra hugs and kisses, cuddles and one-on-one time. Not to mention, they take naps and go to bed early. I'm not 'happy' my kids are sick, but enjoying the extra attention that I get with them, as I'm sure, one day, not too far in the future, they won't want a hug or kiss or cuddle and I'll have to squeeze it out of them. Just one of my thoughts of the day.