School Days

I can't believe the Summer is over. Time went too quickly. Today we began the 2014-2015 school year! Preston is in 3rd grade and Mckenzie is in Preschool. It seems that one of the biggest challenges this year is going to be keeping Sophia entertained. :) She is 19 months now and loves to climb up to Mckenzie's desk and sit in her little chair or try to get into whatever Mckenzie is doing. Fun times. I am going to take this year "day by day", as my Sister and I were talking about last night. I know I need the Lord's grace to handle the busy-ness of this school year and hopefully become more patient in the process. Excited for things to come!

 The "big kids" this year!

What about me?? :)

The Things Kids Say

Lately my kids have been cracking me up. And amidst the fighting and tantrums that can occur on a daily basis...it is good to sit down and remember some of the "funnies".

Kenzie has a very vivid imagination. We have to be careful about what we allow her to watch, because even a seemingly friendly cartoon can have something that will scare her and cause her to wake up at night, from a bad dream. The other morning she was telling me about a dream she had. She said, "Mom I had a dream last night, but it wasn't a scary dream. But it wasn't good either." When I asked what it was about, she replied with, "Well I got to go outside, so that was good. But then I didn't get a snack, so that wasn't very nice." Of course! I can understand what a concerning dream that could be. Snacks are obviously very important to her. :)

And then there was today, when I told her to stop jumping on the couch. And she replied with, "I'm not jumping. I'm BOUNCING." Of course.

Preston also told her today that her breath smelled like sasafrass. That was a new one for me. ;-)

I got to have an afternoon date with my Honey on Sunday. We went through an open house (it was quaint, but not one we loved) and also bought him a suit at Kohl's. We got P a little blazer too, his first! They will be decked out on Easter Sunday. :)

Really pondering this year what it means to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We were talking at Bible study the other night, about the pain and shame that Jesus endured on the cross, taking our sin upon him. My mind cannot comprehend all that he suffered. And I can't fathom the fact that He paid the penalty for all of my sins, past-present-and future and the sins of everyone that has ever lived (and ever will live.) And the pain of that moment, where God the Father had to turn his back--because He is a Holy God, and can not be in the presence of sin. Jesus cried, Eli Eli lama sabachthani : which means, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?, and in so doing...directs us to Psalm 22. I am so humbled by His willingness to die. And so thankful that He is Risen!

Life in Motion

We are plugging away. P is working on 2nd grade school work. Kenzie is working on her flair. ;-) And Sophia is teething-she is up to 9 teeth now, with another about to pop through. We have battled sickness in our house, for the past few months it seems! Kids all have something now...from hacking coughs to a tummy bug for Sophia. It seems that every virus going around tries to find its way into our lives. Ready for Spring weather to arrive--and stay, so that maybe we can all be healthy for a little while.

Today I was able to go to a luncheon at the Hilton downtown : the Completely Kids Author luncheon. We got to hear an author speak. Her name was Rosalind Wiseman. Her latest book is about relating to boys and the pressures they face today. We're not quite at that stage yet, since P is only 8...but eventually, I will see more of what she talked about, I'm sure. Some of the things that she shared, I could relate well to--boys can still have complex emotions and struggle with how to share them-girls are not the only ones that can have emotional turmoil over how to solve a social conflict, etc. She also mentioned that if your son is telling you about someone that is giving him a hard time, it is probably something that has been on his mind for a while! So if we as parents respond with a, "Get over it" kind of attitude, that is not acceptable. They have been TRYING to get over it! Working at problem solving together is what will hopefully bring about a positive outcome (and perhaps a stronger bond between parent/child). Overall, I'm glad I went and thankful for the invite. It was a tasty meal and I was able to sit at a table with 4 of the ladies I go to Bible study with. What a fun event...even though it was way {way} outside of my comfort zone. ;-)

 Sweet little lady...wearing Kenzie's lady bug antennas. :)

 Math worksheet for today...see how excited he is?!? Haha.

 All ready to go to my luncheon today...{Yes, I know I am way past the age of bathroom selfies...ha!}

I asked P if I looked very "luncheon-y". And he responded with, "I don't know what that is." :)

 Just excited to get dressed up mid-day. I don't usually get to go out to fancy events like this.

 Sweet Sophia and a dolly.

The girls over the weekend at We'll Smoke You BBQ in Gretna. We ate there with family visiting from Iowa...oh my! 

I want to go back. Seriously good barbeque.

My Sister in Law

I love Kelly's blog and am always intrigued by her "Show Us Your Singles Posts". There have been 9 couples get engaged/married that met via the blog, and I just think that is such a fun way to meet someone, for single gals/guys! My husband comes from a big family, and happens to have 6 sisters and 2 brothers. The great girl I have in mind for Kelly's link-up today, is one of Joel's Sisters : my sweet Sister-in-Law, Rachel. She is 26, and lives in Iowa.

 

Rachel is small...but strong. :) She works as a paramedic/EMT. She also enjoys running. She raced in the Color Run this past Spring in our city...so many fun colors--everywhere!

 She loves the Lord and wants to honor Him with her life.
She is also tenderhearted and a good listener.

 She loves to travel, and in the past few years has taken trips to Michigan, Nebraska, and Florida to see family...Her family is important to her! She is very loyal and has a high moral standard which can be hard to find now days. :) Above, she's pictured with her two younger brothers.

She loves babies and kids, especially her amazing nieces and nephews. ;-)

 Stylin' in the gorgeous dress she wore at her Sister's wedding!

We think Rachel is pretty terrific, and needs a good Christian man that is equally amazing. :) To find out more, comment on this post and leave your contact info. and I'll pass it on to Rachel or you can email me at jenlschmidt@gmail(dot)com. Thanks for stopping by!

One Already

My baby girl will be ONE in 6 days. Wow, time has flown. She is such a sweet little peanut. :) I weighed her this past week and she finally weighed 17 pounds!! Sophia is by far my smallest baby. And she is also my latest crawler...But she is finally "army-crawling" more and more these days!! We just love her...she is such a sweet baby. :)

Letting Go

Sometimes, I just need to let go. This has been a recurring theme for me lately. Things the Lord has been teaching me. There are 3 areas where I need to let. go. Why is this so hard?

1. Social media. First, I deactivated my Facebook account. But then after a week and a half, I had to reboot my phone. Doing so made my Words With Friends require my login information to play the games I had going. So I tried to sign in, but since I'd first signed in with FB...it was going to lose all 7 games I had going, so I "reactivated" my FB account. Willing to stop using FB, but not really wanting to stop playing WWF at this time. ;-) Now I no longer have the FB app on my phone, and I only use the site on Mondays and Fridays, trying to limit my time to 10 minutes on each of those 2 days. It's just good for me. Facebook had become another thing on my "to do" list in a way. I was spending more time on there than I ever had intended to, logging on with my phone without even thinking about it, really! Minutes here...minutes there...wasted. Now I feel like I've broken the addiction. ;-) I can log on and check updates from friends, but overall I feel like that's a whole world of stuff that I don't have to be involved in anymore. Strange, but true.

2. What people think. This is a biggie for me. Why is it so hard to not be liked? Or feel like you're not liked/accepted? I honestly wish that I just wouldn't care so much. But since that isn't likely to happen, I'm just trying to not let it affect me/my disposition if someone makes a comment that sounds tacky or just plain rude. Overall, my confidence needs to come from the Lord. I know that. And I don't want my mood to alter with the circumstances around me. I've come to realize that the year after I have a baby can be a rough one for me...emotionally. I love the sweet baby snuggles...but the sleep deprivation of that first year does a number on my psyche. The anxiety/depression/exhaustion that can be a part of life seem so much more present and intense for the year or so after giving birth. In some ways, I wish a Mama wouldn't have to be responsible for her own actions towards others in that first year after having a child, ha. Except I know life doesn't work that way. Wow!! I'd hate to think what I'd be if I didn't try to incorporate Trim Healthy Mama principles into my everyday life. I've lost 24 pounds since May (and have 32 left to go!!) but more than the lost weight and feeling healthier...I long to feel more emotionally...stable. And sometimes I think this healthy lifestyle is helping. Maybe. I'll get there! ;-) I'm seeing some rays of sunshine (not literally, today is super gray and rainy, ha) and trying to choose happiness. I'm also trying to start my mornings with my Bible (and coffee) and reading a great book to encourage Moms : Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. 

 The best way to start the day! But so much easier when baby doesn't give me her 4:30 a.m. wakeup call.

3. Forgiveness. There are just sometimes in life where I will be hurt/offended and most of the time, those are things I just need to let. go. of. Hanging on doesn't do anyone ANY good...and especially me. :-) Also in marriage...I need to let go. Not of my husband of course, but of past hurts/etc. Something I thought I'd forgiven from a few years back in our marriage recently came back to me. And there it was again : the hurt...the raw emotion...the wanting to know more about it...and good grief! The Lord had to remind me to let it go. He is so faithful. And it amazes me how He has been working on me in my life in 3 different areas and all with the same theme.

Letting go (or trying to)...and hoping with it I will feel freer, happier, and this smile will be less fake with time! ;-)

Now that I've put it out there...Wondering what things do you need to let go of? Anyone care to share? Message me if you like, so we can encourage each other! :-)

Pumpkin Patch

I think Fall is my favorite. I love pumpkin spiced coffee, pumpkin baked desserts, the sound of a Saturday football game playing in the living room, crisp air with the sound of crunchy falling leaves underfoot, apple cider, hay-rack rides, celebrating Thanksgiving, and the pumpkin patch! We try to hit up our local pumpkin patch every year. This time we went on a Saturday, and wow--it was crazy busy!! Lines for everything--and the parking lots were packed! I'm glad for the chance to go though before the weather got too cold. Here's a few pics of our time there. :)

I love this huge chair there! Sophia is not in the chair with us because she was resting happily in the stroller during these--

and we didn't want to mess with a good thing! ;-)

Posing in the bright sunlight...next to the beautiful mums!