Change

So far this year seems to be a big year for CHANGE in our family. Some of the changes we have welcomed and some we have found ourselves questioning WHY, but when it comes down to it I know that God sees the overall picture and always has our best interests in mind - for that I am very thankful. Some of our friends are also facing exciting changes right now - new jobs, new homes, new babies - and some are facing very difficult changes - loss of jobs, medical problems, financial problems, etc. I want you to know that you are all in our prayers and that we love you very much. As I was doing my Bible study this week I read a Psalm that is very comforting whether the changes you face are exciting or discouraging...

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-

he who watches over you will not slumber,

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you-

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm-

he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore."

Psalm 121

On the lighter side, I've been trying to make changes in my own life this year to better myself. I made a New Year's resolution to begin taking better care of my body and I committed to exercise on a regular basis. I have now made it a little over half the year and I am still as committed to it today as I was in January! Not bad for someone who's motto used to be "I only run if my life is in danger!" :) I've also been trying to "lighten up" a little and not be so structured all the time (anal as Joel would put it). I'm slowly getting better at this, however there are some things that I will always be particular about... I can't help it, that's just the way God made me (is that a good excuse???)

Another change we've been working on around here concerns the girls. I've always made them eat healthy, and I've always made them eat whatever I put on the table (I don't fix them separate meals), but for the past couple of months I literally fought with them about eating at every meal. I felt like the wicked stepmother forcing food down their throats, kicking and screaming all the way. I decided one day that I was done with that. So Joel and I came up with a plan and some groundrules. We told the girls that there would be absolutely NO complaining or arguing about food. If they started to complain or argue about it they would simply get down from the table and go to bed hungry. The next rule was that they must eat everything on the plate - no questions asked. The last rule was the time limit. We just automatically set the timer for 30 minutes and if they are not finished there will be a consequence. Unsure if the new plan would work we set it into action. The first couple of days we had some consequences, but once they understood the rules and knew we were serious about it, they have been great! I must say that the past couple of weeks I haven't had to fight with them about any food and I've got them to eat and even start liking some vegetables they would never even touch before! And all without raising my voice...I'm loving it!

We've made a couple of changes to our house too. For a while now our house has needed some serious attention on the outside, but we've put it off because we added on the playroom, then we had to get the addition sided, and now we have finally had the time to paint. Joel painted the main part of the house, then I added all of the finishing touches with the trim and shutters. Joel really topped off the project by tiling the front porch. We were really pleased with the final product!

We also made changes to Lily's room. Last year we tried to get her to move to a big girl bed and she refused, so we just took the front rail off of her baby bed and let her have a "toddler bed" (check out this old post). Now she is officially in a big girl bed and we got to redecorate her room. While she was away spending the day with Mamma and Papa (Joel's parents) I went shopping and fixed up her new bedroom. She was so surprised and absolutely loves it!

I made one more change today and it was to my hair. When I get sick of a hairdo I want to change it immediately. I don't want to think about it, I just go DO it. I went to a salon today and found a really cute picture of a haircut that I loved, and showed it to the lady. She said it would work perfectly with my face shape and the kind of hair I have so I was so excited, then when she was done I was disappointed. I like my new haircut, BUT it does NOT look like the picture. ARG! Is that frustrating to anyone else??? Oh well, I'm sure it will eventually grow on me (key word here being GROW I hope!)

With all of these changes - whether exciting, discouraging, lighthearted or serious - I'm glad to know that there is always a constant that I can count on, and that is my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Hebrews 13:8