Big Life Changes Coming SOON!

Life is about to get really crazy-busy and just plain crazy! We are soon going to start a 2-month travel period, then 2 months of training, and then we'll be moving to South Asia in October! I'm slowly starting to prepare by tackling the closets and sorting all our junk and treasures as we decide what goes, stays, and needs to be sold. It is pretty exciting for me because it means our time is getting close. We've been praying about this for so long and with all the emotional ups and downs, part of me is just ready to go. I hate goodbyes but at the same time I'm trying to savor our last days and moments at home with our loved ones so we leave with good memories and full hearts!

Our day to day life is drastically improving (from my viewpoint) this week. Hudson has FINALLY started sleeping all night without us having to go in multiple times to "re-plug" his paci b/c despite being almost one, he is somehow "unable" to do it himself. So this last weekend I was fed-up of being tired of being tired, frustrated by a failed attempt at potty training jackson, and just ready to be over these two big milestones for the kids and for me! So after refreshing myself with a much needed review of Baby Wise II, I was armed and ready to turn this house into baby/toddler bootcamp! Things have gone so well with it all. We took away Mr. Paci for good and Hudson is now sleeping all night and napping better. We haven't had long periods of crying himself to sleep either, just 5-10 minutes each. Jackson is on day 3 of "no diapers" and undies only and is doing really well. (plus he looks so cute in his big boy underwear!) Had a few accidents but has really gotten the idea of it and is enjoying the rewards for sure. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for brighter days without needed naps and changing 15-20 diapers! I see myself with more energy, patience, and time to play with the boys, read, and do anything else we want to do!

So life is looking on the up and up and I can't help but recognize it all as blessings from the Lord! I have been praying for all these things to happen for a while now and He is truly good in the big and small things. It amazes me He cares about the "little" things (like sleep) that are so huge to me. While I haven't been great at blogging, I think I'll have more "free time/energy" and more things blog-worthy to come in the next few months. This year is full of bitter-sweetness but God is good through it all and constantly reminding me of His unfailing love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. What an awesome God we serve!

3 Little Monkies

A few weeks ago we had the joy of keeping my niece, Charise, for two nights while her mommy and daddy went to Lubbock for medical reasons. Man, is 3 work! It was really a fun but busy time. I think the hardest part is that all 3 are in diapers. It felt like every time I turned around it was time to change a diaper and fill a juice cup! They sure kept me on my toes and it was good practice for us since we want to have a "quiver full" of kiddos some day. Here is a funny video from our first night of fun. It takes a while, but if you watch it long enough Hudson starts cracking up at the other two and it is priceless. (I had to use You tube because it was too long.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMU2doFOx7s

Happy Day!

We celebrated Jackson turning 2 this past weekend with a small Chuggington party! If you haven't seen this new train show, it is so cute and Jackson's absolute favorite thing to watch. It is the only show he really sits down to watch because he is currently fascinated with trains, firetrucks, planes, cars, and tractors. What a guy's guy huh?

Kit's mom, sister, and brother traveled near and far to join us. My amazing sister Nicole, made three adorable train cakes. She's unbelievable with her cake talent! Jackson recognized each train by name and when Nana ate Koko's head, he sweetly claimed, "Oh no, Koko!" Since he was given a train set with the "real" Koko in it, he quickly recovered from the disappointment. Instead of saying "Happy birthday" or just "birthday", he kept exclaiming it was his "Happy Day!" So precious! I can't believe how much he is talking now. He still has his moments of pure jibber jabber (that I wish I could understand because he's very expressive and tries so hard) but mostly he is speaking in clear, if not short, sentences. It is so amazing to see this littler person developing right before your eyes. I think my love grows for him every day (if it is even possible that I could love him more!)

He's so excited for Hudson (bubba) to play with him and is getting a bit rough in his attempts to make it happen. Although I don't blame him for not understanding. His little brother is nearly his size after all! Hudson is 6 months now (we didn't have a 1/2 birthday party, poor kid gets gypped again!) and weighs 22.6 lbs! He's in the 95th percentile for his age and is about to crawl any day now. He's developing much faster physically than Jackson did. I guess he's in a hurry to get to play with Jackson too. So far he handles the big brother laying on top of him, forcing pacies in his mouth, and ramming his head into Hudson's just fine. He thinks everything Jackson does is funny and entertaining. Something tells me it won't be long before this changes.

Radical

If you are a follower of Jesus, then I highly recommend reading Radical by David Platt. I just finished this book and am still processing the weight of the challenges he poses through scripture and how I am supposed to respond to them. David is the lead pastor of The Church at Brooke Hills in Burmingham, Alabama and a really inspiring, gospel-centered, and missional pastor. Kit and I have enjoyed listening to his pod casts for some time now, so when we heard he had a book out, we knew we had to read it. Kit is also leading a group of men from our church through the corresponding bible study (which I'm a little jealous it's just for men!). But I must give a word of warning: Don't read this book if you don't want to be challenged, if you don't care about truly being obedient to the commands of Christ, and if you're perfectly satisfied with living out the "christian version" of the American Dream. That being said, here is a short description of the book and a link to learn more. If you go to this website, you can sign up to read the first chapter for free and watch a video of Platt explaining the premise of the book.

http://www.radicalthebook.com/

"Do you believe that Jesus is worth abandoning everything for?"

In Radical, David Platt invites you to encounter what Jesus actually said about being his disciple, and then obey what you have heard. He challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated a God-centered gospel to fit our human-centered preferences. With passionate storytelling and convicting biblical analysis, Platt calls into question a host of comfortable notions that are common among Christ's followers today. Then he proposes a radical response: live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world changing.

What part of the Gospel is optional?

It’s easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily…

But who do you know who lives like that? Do you?