10 things I have learned since being a mom...

#10  Don't sweat the small stuff! All that really matters at the end of the day is that my baby is healthy and safe in my arms.

#9 No matter how hard the day is ... it is still a blessing! 

#8 I want others to hold my baby! (after washing your hands please :) ). I don't want her to be afraid of people. I don't want her to be so attached to me, her mother, that she doesn't go to other people.

#7 Sometimes all she wants is just someone to hold her... and that's just ok!

#6 No matter how old she gets ... she will ALWAYS be my baby!

#5 Poop! Poop! Poop! Sometimes it is hard to believe how much smelly poop can come out of such a cute girl. But after some time it doesn't even gross me out anymore. :)

#4 When people love and reach out to my baby, it feels like they are loving and reaching out to me. My love for my daughter and my connection to her runs deeper than I ever thought possible. When I look at her it feels like my heart is beating outside of my body.

#3 Being healthy is not just about being skinny. Ok, I confess! There have been seasons in my life that I was more focused on being skinny then I was in just being healthy and strong. But now that I am a mom, I realize more than ever... being healthy is about being STRONG and FIT! I need to be strong so that I can carry my baby in her car seat across parking lots. And I want to be FIT so that I can still run and play with her in the back yard after a full day of work. I want to be healthy so that I can live a full life with my baby!

#2 Never underestimate the power of a small act of kindness even to a complete stranger! I can't tell you how thankful I have become when a stranger opens the door for me when they see me coming with a stroller or when a stranger offers to help me in the public bathroom when I am changing my baby's diaper or when a family member offers to hold her so that I can finish eating my meal. Small acts have huge impact!

#1 The more I lay down my life for my daughter the easier and more joyful being a mom becomes... let me explain! When I try to take care of her while having my own focus and agenda for the day I start to notice that I get frustrated with her a lot easier. I get frustrated because she's crying and not letting me do the dishes when I want to. Or she needs a diaper change AGAIN when I am trying to relax and watch some T.V. When I focus on myself it becomes a burden to take care of her. But when my focus is on HER and HER NEEDS then it becomes a whole lot easier and enjoyable. Instead of getting frustrated at her for interrupting my schedule I will gladly put those unnecessary things aside, those things can wait because my baby needs me. Instead, I find myself approaching her with more compassion and desire to help her in any way that I can. Being a mom is ALL about sacrifice on a daily basis. But that sacrifice does not have to be a burden! It can be a joy if we have the right focus.

Our baby Girl!

Jael Victoria 

What’s in her name? Yes, her first name is very unique but it can be found in Judges 4 in the Bible. Her story is short and somewhat intense in what she did but there is more to this woman than what first meets the eye when reading through her story.

When Curtis and I read through her story we see a woman of bravery and hospitality. She was a woman who guarded her home, who would not let evil dwell within her house. She was a woman of loyalty, loyal to God’s chosen people, Israel. She was a woman of action, who would not sit idly by when faced with injustice and God blessed her for it.

Her name, Jael, means “gazelle/mountain goat”, animals who have hinds feet and are able to climb the highest on mountain tops where others are unable to go because of the difficulty of the terrain. Why is this so important? Because God will establish His Kingdom on top of Mount Zion and He calls us up the mountain to meet with Him there. (Isaiah 2:2-3) We pray our daughter would have a heart of perseverance and strength, having a desire to endure any trial that comes her way in order to truly meet with our Father in Heaven and experience His liberating presence.

Her middle name, Victoria, means “one who is victorious”. We pray that she would be victorious in life, which means to hold to her faith in Jesus, no matter what may come her way. We pray victory over her!

1 John 5:4-5
 “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” 

Our home in progress!

Wow! I can't believe it has been 5 months since my last post! I feel like so much has happened since then but also at the same time I feel like not a lot has happened to update on. To sum it up short... we have been working on renovating our house and we got pregnant! :) Other than that, not much has happened.

This renovation has been intense and has consumed our lives... but we are not really complaining. We are so happy to be working on OUR HOME where we will raise our baby. We are so excited to see the dramatic transformation as we tear down walls and ceilings, totally gut the kitchen and bathroom and make it completely our own from top to bottom. But man is it a lot of work! We are doing all the work ourselves, with the guidance and help of my dad. Without his expertise there is no way we could take on a project this big.

Although it has been an immense blessing to be home owners, we have to admit that there have been times that we have grown so weary and tired, wondering if the house will ever get finished. Just this past week or so Curtis got discouraged and I had to encourage him, but then a couple days later I got discouraged and he had to encourage me. It has been busy, emotional, and exhausting. But just this past weekend God sent reinforcements to encourage our hearts, lend a helping hand and give us a HUGE jump forward in progress.

We had a painting party and a handful of individuals from our church came out to help. We were so encouraged and blessed to have them come but we were even more blessed by how hard they worked on our house. Within one day, they had helped us paint the entire first floor of our house. A project that would have taken us at least a week, they completed in a matter of hours. Our hearts were overwhelmed knowing how much time and work they saved us.

Thank you so much to ALL who helped us!!!

Now we can focus on refinishing the wood floors and working on the kitchen this next week. And then we are on the home stretch. We are so relieved knowing that we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our house is moving forward and we will soon be in our home!

I also just want to take a moment to honor Curtis. He has been working so incredibly hard for months now and keeps so much joy in his heart. He is empowered knowing that he is building a home for our family and that knowledge gives him strength and motivation for each day. My heart is moved by how hard he works (60-80 hours a week between his full time job and working on the house). Before I got pregnant we would work on the house together all the time but now I slowly have to back away from the hard labor because it is not safe. But Curtis never complains or makes me feel bad. He just tells me to take care of myself and our baby. What an amazing man that I am so thankful for!!!