A Small but Big Dream.

It's Friday. Oh Friday how I welcome thee. The weekend ahead, with nothing on the agenda except celebrating my sweet hubby's birthday. 

Ava and I will bake him a pie, at his request for his birthday. 

We'll do our best to be lazy but that may not happen because I've got to many projects on want to complete. 

When Orion and I got married we lived out of state from family. We lived 4 hours away from my family. During this time it was nice to be only  a few hours away and be able to make it home for parties, vacations and holidays. 

When we moved to Arizona it was a time in our lives where a lot of things were changing that were out of our control. We needed a fresh start, I was newly pregnant and we looked forward to starting a family in this new adventure. 

Once Ava was born everything changed for me. I began to miss my family even more, and longed to be closer to them. I wanted them to see Ava grow up, I wanted them to be apart of our family moments. 

If we were having coffee today I would tell you that for the last couple of years that has been my dream. A small dream. But yet a dream that seemed way to big to ever even happen. 

Orion and I last last few years have attempted many times to move out of Arizona. It's true. We've applied for jobs, sent resumes, had phone interviews all that led nowhere. Doors closed left and right, and it became clear that God had us here. 

So we started looking for a house, and decided that this is where we would be for a while. Orion got a raise at his job which we were so very thankful for, I was able to stay at home with my kids. And I quietly tucked this dream of living near family away in my heart. 

All while silently at night saying prayers to God about it. We've had sort of a "if we build it they will come" mentality. Thinking maybe just maybe the longer we live here, some of our family will move here someday. Someday.

Can I tell you something? Something so amazing, I could just cry right now as I type this! These are my Grandparents, aren't they cute?!! Yes, yes they are. 

I know not everyone is close to their grandparents, but I am extremely close to them. They have been such an important part of my life. They taught me about the Lord, my Grandmother taught me about prayer. She taught me how to sew so many years ago. My grandfather is funny, I get my quick whit from him. And I'll never forget the day he walked me down aisle on my wedding day. 

My small but very big dream is coming true this weekend. 

A dream that seemed so, so big God has had his hand in all the while. 

They are moving here. 

I almost didn't want to talk about it for fear that it just might not be true. I didn't want to rub it in to my other family, but I'm also just so excited I could burst.

And not only are they moving here, but they are moving right across the street from me and my family. 

The Lord has long since known my desires and he has answered this prayer that I've had on my heart for so long. I am so thankful. 

I can not wait to have them close. I look forward to having them around for everyday life, holidays and everything else. 

If we were having coffee today I would tell you that even though something may seem oh so small to you, it may not be small to God. And those prayers that you think are to small to pray God wants to hear them. He wants to answer them. So go ahead, let him.

Happiness vs. Contentment

Can I tell you something about myself? 

It took me a long time to realize that contentment and happiness are not the same thing. 

Can I tell you something else? It took me a long time to truly be content in my life. To come to a place of peace and contentment. 

Our happiness is based on the good things that happen to us. It's based on how good these emotions make us feel. 

I feel really good when my Husband brings me flowers, it makes me happy. But the question is, would I still feel this way if he never brought me another bouquet of flowers again? Would I be content knowing that he loves me?

Being content means that I know he loves me even if he never brought me flowers again as an extra gesture of his love. 

Being content means that you have a peace that only Christ can give and no matter what circumstances you might find yourself in life you will always come back to God's love for you and his plan for your life.

I really struggled with this and I didn't even know it. I didn't know it until my husband really opened my eyes to it. During a period in my life where I had every reason to question our circumstances I made a choice to know God's love for me was much bigger than my circumstances, and that if I allowed him he'd take that mess and make something glorious out of it. 

If you want to breed un happiness in your life focus on what you don't have. Focus on what your friends have that you wish you did. Compare yourself, your families and your lives and you will surely be unhappy, and maybe a little depressed. 

I learned that contentment meant relying on Christ and that my happiness was not determined by the circumstances of my life. 

Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Nope, life is not perfect and it still throws so much at me on a daily basis but I've changed my heart and kept my perspective on Christ. It has made all the difference in living a content life and knowing that my life is NOT determined by my feelings alone. 

As I pursue my relationship with the Lord I believe one of the overflowings of that is a content spirit. 

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I encourage you today if you're struggling with this today to pray and seek God's wisdom. I pray that you would be able to find the source of your discontent, and that it would be replaced with JOY. 

Mom, you are enough.

Being a mother is like being in a whole different kind of culture. And you don't really understand motherhood exactly until you become one yourself. Within that beautiful thing we call motherhood comes joy, happiness, struggle, and lots of other feelings that I could go on and on about. Just like anything in life motherhood has its highs and lows.

One thing I have noticed since I became a mother is that moms (me, you) we all need a little encouragement. We want to know that we're doing a good job, making a difference and that the little things we do for our children and families mean something big to them and matter.

There's so many differences and opinions these days on how to "mother" what you're supposed to do or not do it can really have your head spinning and you may feel like every other mom in the room is about to judge you for your choices and decisions.

I have felt these too.

I have felt the sting of opinions.

The ever flowing guilt that motherhood can bring.

There are days when I don't feel confident at all in my mothering skills, and other days when I feel like I'm super MOM and totally on top of the world!

To the mom who breast feeds, you're enough.

To the mom who formula feeds, you're enough.

To the mom who works outside of her home to help provide for her family, you're enough.

To the mom who stays at home, what you do is enough.

To the mom who just yelled at her kids five minutes ago and feels guilty because it came out all wrong, you're enough.

To the mom who is tired and feels like you will never find rest, you're enough.

Today I'm shouting from the rooftops this, and hoping that as mothers we all take a few moments to realize that you are enough. That you'd take a few moments to encourage that mom you see in the grocery store struggling with her kids.

Today, I'm saying this to myself over and over again.

And on days when I feel like I haven't an ounce left to give I pour myself a big cup of coffee, and ask Jesus for a lot of help along the way.

Though my heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23

four years in phoenix.

It dawned on me this week that, we've lived here in Phoenix for four years now. Four years. Wow, those four years have gone by fast. We moved here just four short years ago, I was newly pregnant with Ava it was the beginning of August and so hot outside.

We were all thinking to ourselves, why did we move to Phoenix in this heat while we were unloading the truck.

I never wanted to move to Phoenix. Sure, I'd lived in Arizona before Orion and I got married for a short time but Phoenix was never on the radar. I was in love with Northern Arizona where I spent some years growing up. No, Phoenix was certainly not on the list.

We moved here from Minneapolis for a ministry position with a church. And during these four short years we have experienced much transition and change but I am forever greatful for a few things that have been brought my way in these years living here.

My two children were born here.

I have met some of the greatest friends. They have become family to us, and we're so thankful to get to share life with them.

We've been blessed to be apart of an awesome church. One that is encouraging, and one that took these broken former pastors and gave us a place to heal and transition.

God has pleasantly surprised me the last four years. This was a huge move for Orion and I, and back in 2009 it was just us, newly pregnant with Ava when we moved across the country and made Arizona home. It took a long time for this place to feel like "home" now four years later we're building a life with our children and that is so good.

It's been harding living so far away from family, and people ask me all the time how we do it. Sometimes I don't always have the best answer but this is my answer to that;

It's hard, some days are easier than others but that is why I am so thankful for our friendships here. Because they have become family to us. The friends that welcome us into their home for Thanksgiving and other holidays we're so greatful. We're thankful for a church and Pastors that care about us. Those two things alone make living so far away easier on my heart and spirit.

Cheers Phoenix. You've been good to us.

Schedules and New Normals

I've been home now full time with my children for almost 4 months (including my maternity leave) now. My how life has changed since I was working full time outside the home. Naturally adding another child and now being a stay at home mom it was time to re work how I was doing things at home.

I'm always interested in how other people make things work, and how their days function so here's a little look at how I keep things sane around here.

The beginning of my week always starts with taking a look at my planner. This happens on Sunday night. I look and see what we have going on for the week, all of our events/appointments/play dates are kept here. It's also the place where I keep our dinner plans for the week.

The only way I can stay sane each week I'm realizing is to make a list. I make a list each Monday of all the things I want to get done that week, people I need to call, bills I need to pay. I keep it in the kitchen or next to my planner so I can see it everyday and start crossing things off my list. It helps me stay on track and not forget what I really need to get done.

When I was working full time cleaning was my nemesis. It still is, but now I have more time to get things cleaned during the week instead of waiting till the weekend to do all the laundry. At this point in my life and the season we're in with a little one I had to be honest with myself and what I can and can't do and stop feeling guilty about it. Here's a little break down of some of the major cleaning tasks I do and how I manage them:

Daily:
- each day I try and get a load of laundry done. I'm usually done with all of it by Wednesday or Thursday. Sometimes I'll do every other day if we don't have that much.
- every night I wipe down counters and make sure the kitchen is cleaned and things are put away. I hate waking up to a messy kitchen.
- pick up toys and take them back to their rooms.

Weekly:
-vacuuming.
- cleaning bathrooms/toilets. let's get real, I don't do this daily. I can't handle it, but I can do it once a week for sure. don't judge.

Now that Ava is home and not in daycare I try to schedule lunches or play dates with our friends who have kids as well so she can have some other interaction with children. We don't do this every single week, but I try to make it happen at least every other week.

I've also realized that if I don't eat lunch when she eats lunch I won't probably sit down and eat till later in the day. So to make sure I'm eating at a normal time everyday we eat lunch together everyday.

I also keep a little yellow notebook in my purse at all times to write down ideas, shopping lists, things I need to get done, etc. Basically whatever I need to remember and not forget I write down in that notebook. It helps me to remember, since I'm always forgetting things.

These days we have a new schedule, I've had to adjust what works for our family during this season of life and that's ok. In everyday I try to keep my perspective and keep my focus on the things that matter. I'm learning not to be so rigid on the routine, take the moments for what they are, take things as they come and always remember that God is first.

A Day in March

3.5.13

It's been over a year since I last did a re cap of our days. I can't believe it's taken me this long to do it again, since our days look vastly different now than they did over a year ago I really wanted to make it a goal of mine this year to document our days at least once a month this year.

So here's a day in March

5:30 am I wake up get dressed before sitting down to feed the baby.

5:40 am Hubby is up getting ready.

6 am he wakes Ava up and gets her dressed.

6:10 am I grab coffee for myself and milk for Ava before heading out the door.

7 am we drop Orion off at work.

We're home by 7:30 am. I quickly fix Ava and I breakfast before sitting down to feed the baby.

I spend the next half hour while Ava plays cleaning the kitchen after breakfast. Put in a load of laundry, check my email and Facebook.



Getting ready for the day.

Sitting down to feed the baby, while Ava watches t.v.

We're off to go meet friends for lunch around 10:30 am.


From 11 am till 12:30 pm we're hanging with friends at lunch. It was such a nice day that we ended up taking the kids walking around the shopping center and playing.



By 1 pm we're back at home. Ava plays someone while I sit down to feed Zane. After that we do some playing together in the yard. Well, Zane just kinda chills while Ava and I play.

Ava also loves to sit and "read" her books to me. It's pretty cute. Today we skipped naps because we got back so late from lunch and only had a few hours before we had to again leave to get Orion from work.



By 3:30 pm we're in the car again off to get Orion from work. He gets off work at 4 pm but with traffic it takes us about an hour to get home.

By 5 pm we're home. This is probably my fave time of day. Orion is playing with the kids while I get dinner ready.


5:30 pm we sit down together as a family for dinner. Tonight it's chili and cornbread.

6 pm dinner clean up and more play time.

6:30 pm Zane and I head out to meet some of my girl friends while Orion gets Ava ready for bed.

7 pm Ava is in bed.



9:30 pm I'm home. I sit down to feed Zane again. While we watch the news together and Jimmy Kimmel.

By 11 pm we're ready to turn into bed.

the spirit of influence

I posted this picture last week on Instagram with a caption that read:

"Ava asked to wear these shoes because they are the same ones Alice wears. Isn't is crazy how they can influenced at such a young age?"

I posted this picture and all day I couldn't stop thinking about the spirit of influence. How people and things influence us good or bad in the decisions we make for our lives. The choices we make.

Most of my adult life has been spent mentoring and influencing young women. Today I am reminded that maybe my most important influencing relationship is the one that I have with Ava.

I am called to influence her.

It made me think as a mother what my spirit of influence will be. I am reminded that I get to influence her in the best way.

Will she be strong and confident because I am and that's what I've taught her?

Will she know right from wrong because I've taken the time to influence her?

Will she know and love the Lord because her Dad and I have modeled it for her?

There are so many influences in our world, most importantly as her parents I want us to have a strong influential voice in her life.

Such a small and seemingly insignificant comment challenges me as a mother to make sure my influence in her life is strong.

Serves a purpose, a purpose for Christ.

Who is in your sphere of influence today? How has God called you to influence him or her? 

my new employers.

When I went back to work when Ava was just 8 months old, I thought it was only temporary. I remember that first day of work like it was yesterday.

Never did I think that over two years later that I would still be working. When I got pregnant again, I knew that in my heart that I didn't want to continue working outside the home.

It was my desire to do whatever it took to be able to stay home with both my children.

Thankfully the Lord knows that desires of our hearts. It's been a long road, lots of hard work and I'm thankful that the Lord has provided in many ways so that I could stay home with my children. 

These guys are keeping me busy & on my toes. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm excited that I get to now stay home with them everyday.

During that period when I was a full time working mom I learned so much about my family. I learned the kind of mother I wanted to be, the kind of home I wanted to have. 

God gave me a heart for working mothers. Very few Mothers know both sides of staying home and working full time. I do. 

I know the struggle. I know how it hurts. I know how guilt comes over you when you're working full time outside the home. 

I know how you judge yourself because you think others are judging you. I also know how God redeems all that. 

How he gives peace and comfort when you're dropping your kid off at daycare when you wish you were in your jammies with them at home. 

As we settle into new routines around here it's a little nuts. They both are so different, but they have my heart. They are mine. 

I'm so thankful for this new season. And there's no doubt that God's going to use it and teach me new things. 

Five Years of Blogging + A Giveaway

Today is a special day, five years ago today the very first post on this blog went live. Each year I'm always reevaluating what I want this blog to be, is it serving a purpose? Is it a true reflection of myself, can others get a sense of who I am and what I'm about through this blog? I feel like after five years in this space I've finally been able to answer all those questions, and made a difference with this space. Using this avenue that God's given me to bless his name, bless others and my family through this. 

I never would have imagined this blog would have given me a creative outlet that I really enjoy five years ago. It's also brought me some of the sweetest friendships that I am forever grateful for. 

Today and always I want these words to mean something. To have weight and make an impact on those that stop by and choose to read. Weather I'm sharing a creative craft project or pouring out my heart and what the Lord is speaking to me. 

Thank you for being apart of that, for taking time out of your day to stop by and leave comments. It truly makes my day. Thank you for making it matter, for making it mean something. 

My heart is blessed. 

The internet is real my friends, so real. 

Today, I have something special for you, a giveaway to celebrate! 

Made by Jewls sells handcrafted fabric button covered earrings, hair pins and scarves. A portion of their proceeds goes to their adoption fund. I have a pair of her earrings I picked up last year while I was at Queen Bee Market. They are offering a $10 shop credit, Check out her shop here. 

A Pocket Full of Sunshine sells adorable kids clothing and accessories for both boys & girls. They are offering a $25 shop credit, Check them out here. 

Worley House Designs is my own little shop selling lots of hand crafted accessories for home, baby, women and kids. Offering a $15 shop credit, Check me out here

Since this giveaway is a celebration in part of YOU my faithful readers you must be a subscriber either via RSS feed or Google Friend Connect to enter. If you're not either, you can easily sign up at the bottom right for GFC, or below my pic for the RSS feed. All entries will be verified. All other entries are optional. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Special thanks for A Pocket full of Sunshine & Made by Jewls for helping sponsor this giveaway.

Soak.

When I was a kid my Mother would often times crawl into my bed in the mornings when she came to wake me up. And sometimes we'd lay there for a bit.

She'd say "let's just sit and soak for a while."

Sometimes we'd sit there for 5-10 minutes before getting up. Sometimes It'd be even longer if it was a Saturday and I didn't have to go to school. Either way I treasured those moments with her, loved having her near brushing my hair and talking to me in those moments before we had to start the day.

I look back on those moments and realize they taught me some important lessons. Lessons like, how important it is to sit back and just be still.

Lessons like how important it is not to get caught up in things that don't matter and focus on what really does. Realizing that it's important to take in these small fleeting moments with my children who won't be little forever and who need me to be present now.

A lot of times we get so caught up (I do it too) in the things that have to get done during the day that we  miss out on moments that really make the day. Soaking it up means, realizing that it's ok if the dishes aren't done if it means I got some extra time to snuggle my babies.

give a girl a pile of paper clips and she'll sort them for a good 15 minutes.

So the reality is that my house is kinda a mess, we moved in over a month ago and we're just unpacked. Nothing is one the walls, beds are rarely made if I'm being honest. But, my kids are happy and healthy. We have cloths to wear and food in our bellies. And my family is complete. 

Things are kinda  all over the place right now, but it's ok because I've given myself grace to know that not everything has to be put together all of the time. 

Today we're soaking. 

And that's just fine with me. 

what's in a name.

Names are a big deal. What a privilege as parents to get to choose a name for your little one. Maybe your name means something special to you, maybe it's apart of a long family legacy. Or maybe you're starting your own naming traditions like we did.

Either way, your name matters.

It identifies you to the world, makes you uniquely your own. Something that's yours and only yours.

I've gotten a lot of sweet comments and emails about Zane's name. Thank you, we love it too. When choosing names for our little ones we thought long and hard about what we were going to name them. We decided very early on when we were pregnant with Ava that we were not going to name our children after family members.

Not that we don't love our families, we do. But, we loved the idea even more of giving our children names that no one else had and starting new traditions.

When it came time to name our baby boy, we debated between a couple of names. Through out my pregnancies I've always prayed for my children. Thinking about the hopes and dreams we have for them. I've always loved the name Zane. I heard it when I was in high school, when we started debating names this was on the top of our list. 

Zane means; God is gracious. 

And, oh how He's been gracious.

With me. With us. With our lives.

Getting pregnant in my opinion is truly a miracle of God. Something amazing to be celebrated. This time around we were able to get pregnant with out the use of fertility drugs, which was such a big blessing and a total God thing.

Everett, is the name of an actor. I heard this name and I loved it. Both Orion and I loved the names together and loved how unique they were. We loved that it's a strong, bold sounding name.

We pray that Zane will be strong and bold for Jesus.

That he will grow into an amazing man of God.

So, there you have it. What's behind the name.

Plus Baby Z, Z'man and "Z" are all adorable nicknames we're currently auditioning. 

scenes from the weekend via instagram.

our weekends have been laid back, no plans, just trying to figure out life with two babies.

here's some of my fave snippets.

 

friday afternoon paiting. learning to make some better eating choices, seeing how i ate a whole lotta sweets during my pregnancy. time to get back on track.

making cookies with my girl. she's loves it, but i think she likes licking the beaters more. either way we're bonding and i love it. make my miss america predictions in my little notebook.

 

i have a son. i have two kids, still wrapping my mind around that most days. it's starting to sink in. ava likes to line things up in a row. can't say i blame her. ;)

follow me on instagram here @photosbyandrea

Peace. My Word for 2013

In 2012 I challenged myself to have JOY. You can read more about that here.  2012 was a great year, so many exciting things happened. We took on a lot towards the end of 2012 with being pregnant with our second child, to house hunting and buying a home, having a baby just 9 days before Christmas it was a whirlwind, and certainly full of JOY, and lots of opportunities where my JOY was tested, and situations where I had to choose to be JOYFUL and have an attitude of JOY.

The end of 2012 was quite chaotic for our family, not bad but we just had so much going on. We took on a lot and it kinda went by like a blur. Looking towards 2013 there are some things on the horizon for us. Things I am excited about, things we're looking forward to, and a few things that could leave anyone anxious about. But, as the last few weeks of 2012 came and went God has given me an overwhelming sense of peace over everything.

A peace that surpasses all understanding.

A sense that even though I'm entering new territory as a mom of two, I feel a sense of peace that HE will guide me and give me all the right tools to be a great mom and make this transition from one to two.

Some goals for 2013;

Create a peaceful home. Moving into a new home this year I am determined to create peace in our home, and make it a sanctuary for us to come home to. A place of rest and peace.

Find a peaceful balance in mothering two young children.


Create an atmosphere of peace in all my relationships, not that there isn't already but for me personally there are somethings/emotions that I need to let go of in order to have more peace in these relationships.

I'm excited for what 2013 will bring, and this word gives me something to focus on for the year. A little bit of a reminder & guide for what I want this year to be.

How about you? Are there any words you're focusing on this year? Any goals you want to meet? Share them with me in the comments below.

Wishing all of you a blessed year ahead!

Christmas 2012 Re-Cap

Christmas has come and gone. I absolutely love this time of year, this year went by way to fast. I feel like since we had a baby 9 days before Christmas that it really has been all a blur. Thank goodness for pictures to help me remember it all. :)

Here's a little run down re-cap of our Christmas holiday in pictures. We were so blessed to have my Mom come into town on the 13th and stay till the end of the month with us. She was a big help to have here, my step Dad came a couple days before Christmas and spent the week with us as well. So blessed to have my parents here for the holidays with us.

Halls were decked.

Cookies were made.

A family picture was attempted. Trying to get a good family pic of the 4 of us with one squirmy toddler and a fresh newborn was interesting.

Is there nothing cuter than siblings in matchy Christmas shirts? I think not.

Merry Christmas! Hope you all had a blessed Christmas as well. 

Happy Thanksgiving from Our Family to Yours

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope that you are enjoying your day with family and friends today. From our family to yours we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

This year I am thankful for my God, who always provides. This year his provision and keeping of my family has been amazing to see HIM work. 

I am thankful for my Husband who is a great leader, father, husband and friend.

Thankful for my children Ava and baby Worley. We're excited for you to come baby brother. 

I am also thankful for my parents, siblings, grandparents and extended family. Family is one of the biggest blessings ever. 

This year we are blessed beyond measure by so many things.

What are you thankful for this year? I'd love to hear your list. 

Have a wonderful day! 

A Coffee Date: 11-9-12

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday, hope you all are doing well. 

Today I'm sharing some random thoughts on what we've been up to these last couple weeks

as we meet for coffee today! Enjoy, and don't forget to visit Alissa and link up your own

coffee date on her blog page! 



I'm always trying to keep these videos around 5-10 minutes,
this one went a lil' longer. Thanks for listening to me :)

Linking up with Alissa at Rags to Stitches today. Head on over
to her blog and catch up on coffee with her and some other fantastic ladies!

GO here.

Scenes from the Weekend: Nov 2-4

My husband was out of town this weekend. 

It's the first time he's been gone for an extended amount of time since Ava was born. 

We made it through the weekend, I have an even deeper appreciation for him when he's here. 

Enjoy some small snippets from our weekend.

Friday I attended a friend's Favorite Things party, 

it was a lot of fun getting out of the house. 

Some of the goods I went home with that night.

Saturday Ava napped for 3 hours and I was able 

to catch up on photo books.

Sunday, Ava slept in till 7:45 am!

Almost unheard of anymore, I enjoyed making

a yummy breakfast for us before church.

My pretty girl after church. I just love her. 

She picked out her skirt at the store, she loves pink & glitter.

Fell asleep 5 minutes before pulling into the drive way.

follow me on Instagram here @photosbyandrea

It's one of my favorite ways these days to capture small moments of life.