Happy Anniversary to US!!!!

WOW, I'm so terrible at updating this blog!!!! I think I'm W-A-Y addicted to facebook and it sucks all my energy/time..haha. No but seriously...tonight Doug and I went on a date to celebrate 4 years together! Our anniversary was yesterday but we had the pleasure of having friends from Florida stop through for a visit so we went out tonight. Before we left Florida, I had 2 friends tell me that they were beginning to pray that I would meet great Christian friends here in Maryland and find someone quickly that I could trust to watch my kids...and find someone I could share my heart with, etc...I'm sure there were others praying but I specifically remember 2 friends telling me that.
WELL, God answered that prayer...I've actually met several really great folks here that I could ask for help but the one friend in particular, Kristen, is just exactly the kind of person and friend that I truly prayed for...She was a real gem tonight (and her mom too!) and I was able to go out with my sweet husband and enjoy a really nice dinner and some shopping and just some quality time talking..we laughed because it was our first date in 4 years without a nursing baby in tow or a baby in my belly...haha!
We went to PF Chang's...our favorite...!!!..then we continued on to REI (YAY!!!) and then of course, Walmart..I don't think we can go on a date without hitting Walmart!!!
I just want to say that I feel like the luckiest girl alive to have such an amazing husband who is so involved in my every day life and loves our girls so much and is attentive and excited to be with us as much as possible. He's truly a gift from God and I can't believe it's only been 4 years. I feel like we've walked together for many many years. Our relationship is such a picture of God's grace...we both have quite the past behind us...stories of brokenness and heartache and sin and disaster...but we lay awake just about every night basking in the beauty of our relationship. It's not typically all mushy and lovey dovey...but the way we communicate and interact is truly a gift...I know I take Doug for granted most of the time and I thank God for anniversaries to really make us stop and thank HIM for the blessing of our relationship and to reflect on all we are so graciously given through one another. I hope our relationship is a light to others...to our children first and foremost and then to friends and relatives and even strangers.
Walking with Doug is a blessing...it's comforting...it's relaxing...it's safe...it's undeserved and I'm so thankful...
"Thank you God, for every minute that I'm able to spend here on earth with this man. I hope to honor you, O Lord, through my relationship with Doug..."

All about me...according to my 8 year old daughter, Lily

I shared this on facebook too but since it was time for an update on my blog, I figured I would post this...I'm lacking the creativity to come up with something new!
I'm sure you'll figure out that my private comments are the ones in parenthesis!
Enjoy!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Be quiet the babies are sleeping!!!!"

2. What makes mom happy?
"when someone babysits us and you can go on a date with daddy"

3. What makes mom sad?
"when the freezer door won't shut"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"when she starts breakin' down in the kitchen" (oh my goodness!!! busted, trying to dance!!!!)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"goofy on christmas morning"

6. How old is your mom?
"32"

7. How tall is your mom?
"I don't know that stuff!!!!"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"laying out in the sun with me"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"clean and take care of babies"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"basketball"

11. What is your mom really good at?
"cooking"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"ooh that's hard! nothing really..." (Lily must be easy to please!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
"stays home and takes care of us"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
stonewood grill (decent guess but not exactly the case)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"when she drives us safely to virginia and back" (Lily doesn't know about my speeding ticket since it wasn't a cop pulling me over, it was the photo type)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"something awesome!"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"cook and schooling"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we like to bake goodies and we look alike"

19. How are you and your mom different?
"you like math and I hate it" (um...I hate math too..shhh!!!)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"because you take care of me"

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"rita's" (um..i've been once)

the secret of being content

You know, with all this talk about recession, I really wasn't sure I was feeling the effects of it. Sure, I was hurting when gas was 4$ a gallon and it makes me really sick when I see the price of orange juice or bread and peanut butter going sky high...but honestly, I've never been rich...well, I realize that is a relative statement because compared to most the world we are very wealthy. My point is, even when Doug and I first got married and things were "normal", we pinched pennies because we had to. Doug allowed me to stay home and with that came sacrifices financially because Doug's line of work wasn't exactly bathing us in dollar bills. We had what we needed to pay the rent and all the bills we had and occasionally go out for dinner and even take day trips to Miami Zoo once in awhile ...but really, those treats were when Doug was getting quarterly bonuses from his boss. Those bonuses stopped about 2 years ago. Now, we are in a different state, in a different house with a different job and a very different pay check amount. With the amount of our income decreased and our bills the same (and in some cases, increased) we are going to have to get creative as this makes no sense on paper... I haven't really felt like the recession is cramping my style at all because we've always been in a position where we had to really pay attention to what we were spending.

This is how I felt before tonight.

Tonight at dinner Lily starts talking about how she wishes we could go out to dinner more and she wishes she could go get ice-cream all the time, etc. She said that she doesn't understand why we can't make more money so she can have all the things she wants. I started to get really annoyed with how she sounded but then it dawned on me that deep inside I was actually feeling that way. I do miss going out to dinner every week. I do miss having enough play money to be able to swing through the drive thru and get a cup of coffee or take the kids to Chick-fil-A. I needed to actually admit that to myself. Thanks to the child in my life who doesn't really think before speaking, she helped me see where my heart was at.
It was a good opportunity for her and I and Doug to really talk about where we all are. We all admitted that we do miss the luxuries we had and we do hope that someday things will look brighter and we can take more trips and plan more outings and eat out at our favorites places . For now, we will make a point to thank God for what He IS giving us daily in those moments where we feel like whining or feeling sorry for ourselves. That is a commitment Lily and I made tonight. What's so funny about this whole situation is the other night Lily was saying "wow, mom, I love that we moved here and we are doing fun things here that we never did in Florida like making s'mores all the time and having fish stick and french fries for dinner!!!" (ha!!) but then tonight she was saying "whoa is me"...so really, she was just being a kid. That is how children are...but I was able to see in myself that I still behave in those childish ways and if she had not voiced her mind tonight, I might not have seen how discontent I was growing. I reminded Lily (and myself) that one day things may be so tight that we won't even be able to buy ingredients for s'mores. I taught her that s'mores are NOT a need (I know many of you may argue that point and say that chocolate IS one of the food groups!!!) but something we want. We are blessed to be able to have things that we want. Doug and I, as her parents, want to bless her with things she wants....and God wants the same for Doug and I as HIS children. We may not be able to eat out once a week or splurge on curtains and new furniture(and the list goes on) but God HAS given us good gifts in other ways. I am close to my parents...Doug is working a job he has a passion for, I'm STILL able to stay home with my kids(and that list goes on too).
David was famous for saying "Bless the Lord, O my soul"....I can't remember where I heard it (maybe my mom..?) but someone told me that David had to command his soul to bless the Lord. It wasn't always a voluntary thing. He was down and out many times and I doubt he was complaining because he didn't get his Chick-fil-a fix for the week!
So with that, I will command my soul to Bless the Lord in all my circumstances. When I have little and when I have much. When I have Cracker Barrel for dinner or when I spend the day preparing meals for my family. When I am able to go the mall and splurge on new clothes or when we spend hours in the Goodwill hunting down what it is we truly need.
I want to be like Paul when he says "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances"...Paul knew what it was to have little and he knew what it was to have a lot. I can't say I've ever truly been in need...There may come a day when that is the case and I hope I can trust God as much as I do now...I thank God for providing ALL our needs. With that, I'm going to go enjoy a cup of coffee and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...for those of you that know me, THAT is the royal treatment!!!! I would choose PB&J over the finest of restaurants....now who's living high on the hog???!!!

Fresh perspective...

Well, that last post left a lot to be desired...yikes! I was in such a terrible mood...but I was feeling humorous as well...
Today I'm feeling like things are more normal than they have been in quite some time. The girls are all sleeping all night without waking up to wail for no apparent reason. Aspen is sleeping 12 hour stretches so I feel like a new woman! It was pleasant today in terms of temperature and I could see a silver lining. I wish I could rejoice even when all is gloomy and I'm irritable but hey..we are all a work in progress, right?
We have decided to continue home schooling Lily. Our other options didn't really work out and I figured out some of the hoops I needed to jump through in order to keep doing what we were doing in Florida without having any major issues. I am slowly making some new acquaintances that are home schooling and I'm confident by the fall we will have a lot of the resources that are available to us figured out and can feel a bit more connected here.
Doug's job is going well. He's got a big task before him but I'm confident he will be able to do it (with God's help!) and it's great to see him enjoying his work for the first time since I've known him! Praise God for that!!!
So, that's it for now folks...here are some more pictures that were taken in Naples before we moved..enjoy!

Warning...I'm not in the best of moods...

When I leave a cup of ice water on the counter/table and return an hour later, it's still a cup of ice water....not a melted, sweating cup.

When I leave butter on the counter to soften so I can bake with it, it doesn't soften.

When I bring a mug of coffee in the car on the way to CBS and leave it because I don't have enough hands to carry it in with, it's iced coffee when I return to the car instead of being warm like it was when this would happen in Florida.

When I open my car door to get in or out of the car I have to hold the door pretty securely or it might just rip off the hinge...I'm not kidding. This has happened to people we know.

I never needed GPS in Florida, nor wanted it. Doug bought me one for Valentines Day after I got lost on one of my first outings.

I find myself staying in pajamas all day on many days. The thought of going anywhere in this cold is anything but appealing.

Sage throws a complete tantrum whenever I try to put her winter coat on. She sits in her car seat and looks so stiff and...well, basically ticked off.

My hands are borderline numb as I'm typing this...I'm not exaggerating. Do they make heated keyboards?

I have to remind myself every day that GOD brought us here. Otherwise I would be hauling butt back to Florida.

That is all for now.

Home sweet....house

Well, we are here trying to set up our home but it's still feeling like I'm on vacation or something. I'm not living out of my suitcase anymore, in fact we are all unpacked except Aspen. I need a dresser for her room so she's living out of a suitcase but I don't think she minds! She's been SUCH a trooper....good girl, Aspen!
Holly and Sage on the other hand are still out of sorts quite a bit. Holly doesn't do well with change and Sage has become quite attached to her daddy since he's been off work for about 6 weeks now. She calls him "Doug" which is hysterical to hear...
Lily is doing pretty well but she R-E-A-L-L-Y misses her friends! Speaking of Lily, Doug and I are contemplating sending her to the school that is affiliated with the church Doug is working for. They have a small Christian school...her class has 7 other kids in it. She went the other day to check it out and loved it so now we are just waiting on the Lord as to whether this is what we should do. The homeschooling laws are a bit more regimented here in Maryland and I've been completely overwhelmed since Aspen was born (with the move and stuff...she's an easy baby!) and so we will probably send her to traditional school for an indefinite amount of time. I'm thankful that we have the option....!
Doug has only been to work for 4 days now so it's hard to tell how the job will be but so far he's loved it. He's like a kid in a candy store. I'm SO thrilled...
The house is great. We are adjusting to not having a garage, which is really a pain to me but hardly seems like something to complain about. We need a lot of new furniture because our old living room stuff won't fit here. We have it in the living room but it's really too big for it..our original plan was to put it down in the basement but the movers (and Doug and my dad) couldn't fit it down the narrow halls/stairs...RATS!
For those of you that don't know, I do NOT like to decorate and shop...it's stressful to me...crazy huh?!!
We have had mostly decent weather since arriving last week. Yes, it's been cold but not unbearable, however the past 2 days we've had terrible wind and apparently much of the country has had it as well so we aren't alone but it's been very strange/eerie to hear it. Even after living downtown Chicago, I have never experienced wind like this!
I'm starting CBS (Community Bible Study) next week and I'm so excited to get plugged in again with that ministry. I am going to be teaching again but I'm not sure what age I'll have yet.
The move itself was a nightmare and one that is still not over..we are trying to work out a lot of issues, like fees and unexplained charges and damaged items.. all this is what is contributing to it not feeling like home yet but I know in time and patience we will be feeling warm and cozy! I have been reminding Lily that although these times are hard because our friends and family aren't right here, we have each other. This is one of those rare times when a family is really forced to stick together much more than any other times when friends and family ARE right at our doorstep all the time. We have had to come together and really encourage each other in the last couple weeks because it's been very difficult. Leaving Naples was one of the hardest things I've ever done...
The folks at our new church have been MORE than helpful and welcoming to us and I'm excited to get more involved. I actually had to call there today and ask one of the ladies for directions because I was out looking for Wal-mart and got lost! I couldn't find Doug on his extension so I called the receptionist...it was so funny. I really need GPS!!!!!
So, that's about it for now. God is awesome and still very faithful and taking really good care of us! My children are healthy and happy and Doug and I are stronger than ever together...!
The picture of our entire family was taken in Naples before we left...what a great memory!

would you LOOK at that tree!!!!????

So, Doug and I had a WONDERFUL time in Maryland scoping out the land and the church...it was a whirlwind! We almost weren't even sure we would both be going because the girls all got the flu the day we were leaving but thanks to some awesome friends of ours who took our sick kids (the O'berski's ARE amazing!) we went! Doug and I both were sick like dogs on the plane so we traded baby Aspen back and forth....thankfully the entire back of the plane was empty besides us! All the realtors turned us down and no one was much help at all when we were up there and on the day we were to leave to come home we were pretty discouraged! We KNEW God was calling us to this church but where were we going to live??!! Surely God wasn't calling us there just to have us staying in a tiny apartment? Was He? Well, we were willing...I had really resolved myself to apartment living because I was just so excited for this job opportunity for Doug and I fell in love with the church upon sight...
God had this cute little cape cod house up His sleeve for us! The landlady called us in just the nick of time and we drove out to the country (but only about 15 minutes from Target so it's OK folks!! haha) to see this adorable house...when we pulled up and saw this enormous chestnut tree in the yard we about had heart attacks. Lily prayed very specifically for a house with stairs in it (she has a love of stairs...?) and she also wanted a big tree she could climb. The ladder was just another way of showing His incredible love for us all...it's just sitting there waiting for Lily to climb up! He is so good to us.
I really could go on and on about the weekend trip but truthfully I'm still digesting it all and I'm so extremely tired these days. Aspen is completely bucking the system with us...the other 3 girls were all "trained" to sleep through the night by 6 weeks of age and she is just not about to comply. Between that and all the packing and the planning and the organizing and the WORRYING (because although I cast all my cares upon Him, I still have this thing for worry....blah!) I am so exhausted! But I really did want to update this and let everyone know that God really does care about us. He is a personal God..not some "big man upstairs". For those of you that don't really understand having a PERSONAL relationship with Him, wow...ask me about it! Let me share with you about it because things like a tree in a yard of a house with 2 sets of stairs is just the beginning. He manifested Himself to Doug and I in so many ways these past 2 years in search of the job that would allow Doug to do what he has a passion for doing.
The journey isn't over. In fact, there are still PLENTY of obstacles to overcome with this new job and as with most new jobs, we are on a probation period so by the grace of God, this will be a great opportunity for Doug.
We plan to pull out of Naples on February 2...with many tears being shed. I can't bring myself to think about how painful it will be to not be "pajama distance" from my "Ant" Barb...and all the friends and family we are leaving behind...ahh!! But we know we are following God...with that, g'night folks...more to come!