A tribute to my Mama friends

One thing I have learned in life is that it truly *takes a village* when it comes to raising kids. So, in honor of one of my top two love languages, I've decided to write out some words of affirmations for some of the mama's that I know read my blog. I'm so inspired and challenged by each of them in different ways.

Tiffany: How fun to have kids close in age with your BFF? Though she doesn't live nearby, I still feel so connected to her and her kiddos. I'm borderline obsessed with the little girl she's going to be having in September. You know what they say, end of Summer babies are the coolest. That's why I had two of them. (Okay, so maybe nobody really says this...but they should!). Tiffany is a great mom to her two little boys. She's always made it look effortless too. Her oldest has had stomach issues and she's been an amazing advocate for him, always looking outside the box for solutions. She is now making gluten free meals for him and oftentimes for their whole family and it's helped Riley tremendously. I admire her dedication to doing whatever it takes to keep her family healthy. As I was doing Emersyn's hair this morning, I was SO excited for my BFF to have a little girl of her own to pamper.

Emersyn and Riley, Tiffany's oldest son.

Rachelle: I knew Rachelle was going to be a wonderful mother long before she ever got pregnant. I admired her strength and positive attitude going into her c-section once they determined that sweet stubborn Sophia Rose wasn't going to be turning. Some women would have felt sorry for themselves but Rachelle decided to have a good attitude as as a result, she had a great experience. She has been therapeutic for me in letting me pass down Emersyn's clothes to a loving home where they are worn and fully appreciated for their cuteness. She has agreed to let our son marry her daughter so that's one less thing I have to worry about as Everett grows up. She has influenced me with her crafty ways and helped me make Everett's nursery into a custom, hand crafted little boy's room and I love all our *rustic* sewing creations. I'm so proud of how she's balanced serving in ministry, working and being a mama.

Emersyn and Sophia

Caitlin: Caitlin is like a sister{wife} to me. ;) We met in our birthing class and I am so so thankful we did. She is an incredible mom to Emery May and together we are learning to raise these dramatic, whiny, precious, beautiful girls. Our girls fight like sisters but recently that seems to be getting better. Caitlin inspires me to be a better mama every time I am with her. She is so patient and loving and has never judged me or my kids, despite Emersyn taking a swing at her daughter her now and then. I can talk to her about anything and she totally gets me. She has gone through a couple really crappy situations since we've become friends and she has amazing strength. She's never one to feel sorry for herself and always sees the positive in every situation, even when they stink. Caitlin is the mom that you see at the fountain with fifteen containers of fresh cut fruits and vegetables. And after nearly 4 years of friendship, she can always count on me NOT being prepared and so she always brings enough for Ems too.

Caitlin and our kiddos

Vanessa: I always like to think that Vanessa is the cooler, better looking version of my self. (She's probably so sick of hearing that, ha!) Her sense of humor is unparalleled and every time I hang out with her (which is not NEARLY enough), I always laugh and feel refreshed. She is an amazing mother to Audrey Jo. Having been a single mother since Audrey was 14 months (or so), she has created an incredible life for the two of them. She is a hard worker and throws parties like nobody's business. Audrey is a sassy little fashionista, truly her mama's mini me. Her always perfectly polished phalanges (her words not mine...see, she's so clever) inspire me and now I too am addicted to colorful fingertips. I admire her transparency in life and am believing with her for good things to happen. I also am praying that she find a tall, rich, handsome husband (the rich part is negotiable...tall and handsome are required however) soon so that they can have a destination wedding and that I can be a bridesmaid. ;)

Audrey and Everett

Sarah: I'm not positive that Sarah reads my blog anymore due to her lack of time in life but she deserves a tribute nonetheless. She too has been on the road of overcoming some seriously crappy life issues. But nonetheless, her faith in the Lord triumphs and as a result, she's been an amazing single mama to her two kids who are the same ages as mine. She is a marathon runner and one of those moms who casually posts on FB "ran 18 miles today". She is amazing. My relationship with her has deepened over the past three years that we've had kids together and even more so this past year as devastation overtook her family. Despite all that she has going on in her life, she always takes the time to shoot me encouraging texts and is a big cheerleader for me as I'm in a season of getting healthy. Sarah is one of my heros in life and someday her children are going to be amazed and the incredible woman that raised them.

Sarah and my kiddo's in Central Oregon, Fall of 2011

Melissa: I have known Melissa for a long time. We got married the same year, waaaay back when. :) I have actually gotten to know her better in the past five years since she had her first child and started a blog. Oh the magic of the blog world in getting to know someone better who lives less then a mile from you. :) She has a crazy busy life, much like myself, except she's raising a 5 year old girl and 3 year old twin boys. Her kids and her business keep her on her toes and I wish that our paths collided more. She's super creative and has successfully started and maintained a party business. 5mcreations.com She's always so sweet and supportive via FB comments and just a positive, upbeat person.

Dara: I met Dara via Melissa's blog. They have been besties forever. Anyways, I figured that since Melissa is cool, Dara probably would be too so naturally I started blog stalking her checked out her blog and became a frequent reader! She too lives nearby but our paths don't collide much. We've had a few playdates and enjoyed them a lot. Though I detest her love for our pathetic cold and rainy Oregon weather as of late, she is still a great mama to her two girls. Her blog posts make me smile and she is such a sweet generous person. She got Everett his first Oregon Ducks gear and provided a meal for my family when he was born.

Kristi: I've known Kristi since elementary school. We grew up in church together and it's been fun watching her become such a great mom to her two kiddos. Her son is almost exactly a year older then Emersyn. She has a blog too which always gives a good glimpse into what daily life is like. She has a baby bow and headband business (Bebe Boutique) that has been very successful and I'm happy that she's making some extra money doing something she loves. She has been a big encouragement to me through my pregnancies and also in transitioning from one to two kids. When Everett was born I had remarked that I had no idea it would be SO hard and she so wisely said that it will never get easier but it will get better. And she was right!

Okay, these are just a few of the mama's that I wanted to give *shout outs* to. There are many more in my life (including my own of course...more on that tomorrow) and I'm so thankful for each and every one of them! I pray that as we and all of our kids grow up that we never lose our sense of community and continue to encourage each other to be the women and moms that God has called us to be. 

Faith

Faith is a blessing. Some may say that it's hard to have faith during the hard seasons of life but I say it's hard NOT to have faith in hard times. If it weren't for faith, I would bury my head in my pillow and never get out of bed. I'd be too afraid to raise my children in this world, get in a car and drive.....too afraid to do much of anything. 

Sometimes faith seems like an "easy" button. Granted, my faith right now about my situation is somewhat euphoric but when I have to pay the bills that first month on Brett's new income, that's when my faith will truly be tested right? Still, I just believe that God will do what He says He will. He's done miracle after miracle in my life. I consider marrying my best friend a miracle. I consider giving birth to two healthy children a miracle. Staying in our home despite financial hardships was a miracle, remember this post? With all that God has done in my life, He deserves my trust. 

Two great things have happened since I wrote last: 

*Brett started at his new property yesterday and he really likes it. His new manager is awesome and empathetic to Brett's situation. Best part: she gave him Monday through Friday off!!!!!!!! He will still work an occasional Saturday when he chooses (because I have to get my farmer's market on still with one of my besties) but that will be great too because week days are nice to have off for activites like going to the zoo and other venues that are so crowded on the weekends. Also, Brett's commute is nearly 1/3 of what it was. This morning Brett took Emersyn to preschool so I'm still sitting in my jammies, drinking coffee with my baby boy who's munching on cheerios. Bliss. Brett's new office is literally 2 minutes from Ems school. Hallelujah. 

*Yesterday a gal that works at our church office handed me an envelope that had my name on it. I opened it up and in it was a letter and a little envelope. The letter said this:

Patti, I felt like the Lord has been prompting me to tell you something: You are not forgotten! The bible tells us to delight ourselves in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm37:4). 

I have been amazed by your faigh in regards to the circumastances going on in your family. With Brett's demotion you could ahve easily questioned the Lord, but your faith has been astounding. I would encourage you to go and read the whole of Psalm 37. I believe this is a chapter for you and Brett to hold firmly to. It's God's promise to you! 

Enclosed is enough money for a month of Emersyn's preschool. I know that it is not a lot, but I want you to know that you are not forgotten. The Lord knows the desires of your heart. And this is just the beginning.

You know what's funny? I think this next part makes the Lord giggle a little bit. This incredible generous soul *thinks* they gave me enough money for one month of Emersyn's school (and it's the exact amount...they must know where she goes and have looked up the tuition). However, since our tuition was reduced at the beginning of the year, it's actually enough for TWO months. Praise God. 

When I opened this letter I was stunned and almost felt guilty like I shouldn't have been so vocal about this situation and somehow me being vocal was like asking for a hand out. Wouldn't the enemy be so happy if he could convince us all to keep quiet about what's going on in our lives? There is a blessing in being transparent, and I want my life to be a blaring testimony. Someday if my children are ever wavering in their faith, I want to be able to say "look what God has done in our lives". You can dispute someone's testimony

I am in awe and admiration of this person who took the time to write me such a beautiful note and bless my family financially. They could have signed the letter so that I would know who exactly to thank but instead, they don't want the recognition or glory....they wanted those things to go to the Lord and for me to have no strings attached. Thank you Jesus. I cannot wait to be this person in someone's life someday. 

I am also in awe at how this person knew my desire for Emersyn to go to school and honored that. They could have given me money for our mortgage, utilities, gas....but they picked preschool because they/God knew that was a desire of my heart. I just love Him. 

Feeling so so blessed and encouraged this morning. Thank you LORD. 

Nothing else matters....

....when you've got these two cuties to hang out with all day. :) I am one blessed mama. 

UGH!

I'm one to post negative blogs but I need to vent. My heart is hurting for my husband and my mind is full of rage towards these awful women who are mistreating my husband. The punches just keep coming. I must vent.

1) Brett is still at his {old} property, being forced to notify vendors and people he's worked with of the management change. Don't you think that given the circumstances that Brett's manager should be doing that? Do you know how fun it is to send an email saying that you've been demoted? Now granted, that's not what he's telling people...he's telling them that he's going to another property but still, that seems like it's rubbing salt in the wound. He also has to train the girl that replaced him while he goes and takes her job. Also extremely unprofessional.

2) Brett has struggled at his job for the last 6 months due to being understaffed. His manager took away his full time leasing agent (because she said *he didn't need her*) even though the full time leasing agent had already been hired and budgeted for and so as a result Brett was swamped with work and yes, his performance suffered. Anytime he asked about getting the leasing agent back, he got in trouble. He tried to find a compromise and asked that the office hours be changed from 9-6 to 10-6 so that he and his assistant manager could have an hour of admin time in the morning and his manager said no. Brett learned today his old manager hired a full time leasing agent that is starting as soon as Brett leaves AND is changing the leasing office hours to give the new team an admin hour. He is having a really hard time not taking this personally. Actually, he's completely taking it personally and that's why it is so hard. I am so so frustrated because Brett was sabotaged and set up for failure so that this new manager could promote her own girl. Meanwhile my husband has worked his tail off and has a family to support. UGH.

3) Brett is more then capable of being a property manager. Therefore, he will have the same responsibilities at his new property, no doubt, only he'll be making nearly half the salary. Awesome.

I try to just be supportive to Brett and encourage him to not dwell because let's be honest, dwelling and stewing exerts energy that can be better spent other places. But I'm ticked off on his behalf. I know the Lord's plan is in all of this but the devil keeps kicking him while he's down.

I am fully aware that we aren't the only people in our world suffering from demotions, pay cuts, etc. And I do have a good attitude (for the most part). But that doesn't make it any better for our situation. And I get angry at people that hurt people I love.

Okay, enough venting. I just had to express my irritation in a healthy way.

^"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4...........Believing this verse!!!!

Miscellany Monday

{1} Last week Brett found an almost brand new Oreck vacuum at work that someone had left out with a sign that said "free" on it. When he brought it home, Emersyn was ecstatic. You would have thought that he came home with a pony for her but no, it was a new vacuum. My girl totally gets me. I have to admit, I've been cleaning extra this weekend just so I can use this new, light weight, amazingly sucky beauty. Ladies, your husbands may bring you flowers but mine brought me a vacuum. Awesome.

{2} Last night Everett woke up at 1am (we were still up....horrible!!) and didn't go back to sleep until after 3am. He was so so fussy and I think it was gas. I ended up having to bring him downstairs to give him a bottle and calm him down with an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. He has never woken up like that, poor little bug. Anyways, he's still sleeping this morning and Ems asked when he was going to get up. I told her that Ev was naughty last night and kept us up with crying and I kid you not, she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh mom...babies cry sometimes, it happens and you can't be frustrated". What!?!? Easy for her to say! The things that child says make me LAUGH.

{3} I'm making spaghetti squash tonight and I'm a little giddy about it.

{4} I planted some new plants yesterday that I had bought a few weeks ago. {It's a good thing that I had already bought them because now they would be a luxury that I couldn't justify paying for now}. I love spring plants. I planted some peony bulbs too that I'm praying work out. As I was planting the bulbs, I was so reminded on the verse of keeping our eyes fixed on not what is seen but it unseen. That's so where we're at in life; believing that good things are happening under the soil where we can't see.

 

{5} I cleaned my kids rooms while they were gone this weekend which brought me much joy. It's hard to clean their rooms because often when I get a chance to clean them, they are sleeping in them! As I cleaned, I thanked God for a boy and a girl to clean for. I also prayed that we would get a chance to paint Ems room soon because it's rather bleak. :)

{Notice the gorgeous Oreck created vacuum lines}

{6} Emersyn gets to sing TWICE on stage this month with her darling preschool choir, "Tiny Tunes". She sings Mothers Day morning and in the evening for our kids musical night at church. I may just black out from the cuteness. We've been practicing the two songs and I can't wait to see her sing her little heart out. 

Have a great week blog friends!!!

Putting my money where my mouth is

On Friday I got a call with some news that has drastically changed our lives. Brett's manager got promoted and then she promoted a new gal to be Brett's new boss. Brett's new boss decided that she wanted to work with her old assisant so she decided to promote her old assistant to Brett's job and make Brett take a demotion. Brett called me at 4pm just devastated and my head started spinning when he told me how big of a paycut that he will be taking.

Thankfully, my in-law's had already arranged to take our kids for the weekend and this was totally a God thing. Brett and I have needed to process, think....and relax a bit. When Brett called me on Friday I was just trying to get my kids packed up and into the car and I felt like I was going to fall apart for a minute or two but then I did what all of us mommy's do....pushed how I was feeling aside and took care of my kids.

We had a small group meeting that night with the "Young Marrieds" at our church. Our core group of friends is in this small group with us and we knew that even though we didn't *feel* like going, we needed the support and prayers of our friends. It was great to hear their encouragement and we hope to encourage them as they watch our story unfold for the next several years and Brett pursues school.

Since I love a good list, I'll continue this blog post in list format:

*We've known for quite awhile that God has called Brett to a different career, though we weren't sure exactly what. Brett hasn't gone to any college, a huge regret of his (and mine too really) and we've known for a long time that he simply has to get his degree in order to secure his future and our family's future. However, Brett's job was extremely stressful. Without going into too many bitter details, his job has been a source of stress and frustration for at least the last 6 months or so. Now that we've seen how the details all play out, we know now that in a way Brett was sabotaged and his new manager (who was supposed to be mentoring him for the past 6 months) had no intention of keeping Brett once she was promoted, therefore she continually found reasons to belittle Brett and question his ability to do his job. I feel like Brett has changed so much bascially since Everett was born and these transitions started to get in the works with his company. He's been so stressed, distracted, and many times unhappy and frustrated. I chalked it up to the job but it really was starting to drive a wedge in our little family. Anyways, like I said, we've known that Brett NEEDS to go to school but there was really no way that Brett could do school and his current position. It was too much stress and too many hours of work. He'd mentioned maybe becoming an assistant so that he had less responsibility so he could pursue school but that seemed foolish to walk away from a good salary. We feel like this demotion is God's way of making it possible for Brett to go to school.

*Brett's new work location is so ideal. It's about 10 minutes from our house and right down the street from Emersyn's preschool. His commute right now is about 40 min. We'll be saving on gas a lot and even on lunches. Brett can come home for lunch if he wants! The manager that Brett is going to be working for is also ideal. He's known her for quite awhile and I really believe that she will treat him with respect and reward him for his hard work.

*Brett already seems like a burden has been released off his shoulders, though I know his ego is bruised. He's overqualified to be an assistant manager and his company knows that. They are going to get the benefit of an experienced manager but pay him nearly half what he was making. It's hard not to be bitter.

*We believe that God is setting our family up for a miracle. Our whole goal in life is to pave a way for our children and if that means setting an example for them of trusting in God through tough times then by all means we will do it. At the suggestion of our young married's group leader, I'm going to start writing down all the ways that God provides for us during this season. It will be so neat someday to show our kids all the things that God has done in our lives and how He never leaves or abandons us.

*Please pray that Brett can get a somewhat flexible schedule. It will be a bummer not having weekends off again but I'm praying that he can get Sundays off.

*Please pray that we can find a way to make our budget work without me having to go back to work. I still have my real estate license and will continue to pursue that but I'm hoping to avoid getting a traditional 8-5 sort of job, even part time. My heart wants to be home with my children but I'm willing to do whatever our family needs. Also, I'm praying that there's a way that Emersyn can still go to preschool. She's been doing so well and thriving there. She's such a bright girl and I love watching her learn and grow.

*Please pray for widsom and guidance for Brett and I as we figure out the best career path for Brett. He's such a talented, hard working, genuine, caring and loyal man.

I've had so many friends going through stressful situations in the past year or so and I'm forever the eternal optimist, encouraging them to have faith and believe that God will provide for them. I guess it's time for me to put my money where my mouth is. :)

Fill in the Blank Friday

 

1.  My bedtime routine includes,   watching TV after the kids go to bed, then brushing teeth, taking off makeup, making sure I have fresh water on my nightstand, playing with my phone, going to sleep. This is not a very exciting answer. :)

2.   I am   TWELVE pounds lighter then I was two weeks ago today! This makes me happy.

3.  I can't stand     whining      because    it is the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard to me. Who knew 3.5 little girls whined so much?

4. My idea of relaxation would be   magazines and a pool. Enough said.

5. If I had an extra $50, I would    go by myself some new black flats.

6. The best thing about a bloggy friend is    they know all the ups and downs of your day-to-day life and they're so sweet and encouraging. I have found some really great quality women in my life that I SO wish lived closer to me! (Yes I'm talking about YOU LeAnna, Melissa, Tyler...) 

7.  A recipe I've been dying to try is  anything that sounds delicious that is lean and green. I made a new recipe last week (posted it on my other blog) and it was delicious and healthy, whoo hoo! 

Okay, that concludes my Fill in the Blanks Friday. This weekend my kiddos are going to be gone TWO nights....a first for us. Everett has never been away from us for even one night so two is kinda crazy but when my in-law's offered to take the kids to see their Great Grandpa (and cheer him up since he lost his wife recently), I couldn't say no. The idea of TWO nights and one WHOLE day to ourselves was just too good of an opportunity to pass up! Tomorrow night we're going on a triple date with some of our best friends and it's KID FREE! We've never done that before. We're going to eat dinner in peace, happy hour in a bar of course, something we can't do with kids!! Then we're going to play games at a house, also something that we can never do with kids. I'm so excited!!!