God is good, ALL the time

So we've been out of touch for a while now.  No excuses or explanations this time, I'm just thankful to have made it through this last shift we went through with my family, my sanity, and a little bit of joy.  One word sums it up: Sonic.  As much as I hated this brief stint, it seemed never-ending at the time, hindsight is 20/20 and I learned a lot.  

I learned that I can handle my children and my household on a day to day basis as needed and do a good job by myself.

I learned how much I miss my husband when he's not here and how much I appreciate what he does when he is here.

I learned to be patient and wait on the Lord, that He really is ALWAYS faithful (that's one of those things you know but at times wonder)

I learned that the phrase "this too shall pass" applies to even the most bleak and hopeless looking situations.

I was reminded that staying in God's timing brings blessing upon blessing and makes things much easier in the long run.

I now know that we are doing what God wants us to do, at least for right now, and we are moving forward in joy and peace and blessing.

So, to sum it up, no more Sonic, whoo hoo!!  The next chapter has just begun.....more to come soon.

Noah on Two Wheels

So my firstborn has taken the first big step toward eventual independence, he took off his training wheels and took off on his own for the first time.  No pushing or running beside him, he just fixed his pedals and off he went.  The celebration that followed was in true Noah style of jumping, spinning, wide-eyes, and tongue hanging out. (see picture below) 

With this exciting event also comes the sadness that every mom faces when a milestone is reached that makes her realize that her kids are growing up and aren't going to be little forever. 

Now, if I can just get him to ride to home from school safely.....

Our Un-Halloween

So most of you that know me understand why we don't do Halloween so I am going to save myself some time and energy and just post cute pictures of my kids in their new dress-up stuff since this time of year is perfect to get dress-up clothes/costumes for cheap. We did go to Matt's parents Harvest Carnival this year because they were working it and they had a train pulled by a riding mower which is my Joshua's favorite thing, besides tractors of course.  The kids had fun and didn't have to see any scary stuff and Mommy didn't have to deal with trick-or-treaters at my door. (Daddy had to work late that night)  

However, this is the first year that Mr. Noah, the big 1st grader, had an issue with us not "doing" Halloween and not trick-or-treating, which we have never done anyway, and all the other peer pressures of public school and 6 year old boys.  We plainly explained to him why we don't "do" Halloween but with that wonderful 6 year old attitude it was not enough and he was still fussy about it but oh well, he'll get over it and thank me when he's older. It was definitely one of those times that I wish I either had the patience to homeschool or that all the kids were old enough to homeschool (any openings at the Petersen school Jenn?? LOL)  

So without further ado, my cuties!

Hope: Pink Giraffe (a "Raff") she had a tail and everything

Noah: Larry the Cucumber

Joshua: Bob the Tomato

                                                            

MAVFEST: A True New Beginning

So I have to say, I am proud of myself and feel super triumphant tonight. For those of you who know me, you will understand, so here's why.....

Matt left for work at about 10am this morning and Jennie came by to hang out and to watch the kids later in the day because I had a doctor appointment.  Since the weather is FINALLY cooling off, we took all the kids to the park and then discovered the bees and quickly came back to my house (both Mommies are allergic to bees so we couldn't risk a sting). The kids still needed to play so we decided to stop by the Cupboard to get Matt's meal replacement bars for work and then go to the mall to let the kids play at the indoor playground where there are no bees.

The kids were having fun but we had to leave because we needed to get lunch and get home before 1pm because Noah has had early release all week.  So we grabbed some quick lunch and raced home. I threw Jennie out with the little ones and ran to get Noah and then we raced to my doctor's appointment that was across town at 1:15.  By some miracle we made it a 1:20. Aside from the usual kid impatience, Noah did great and had fun looking at the charts of the muscle system and was really interested in what all the bones were.

We decided to take some Mommy/Noah time and go to Barnes & Noble to get a few workbooks for the newly at home little brother and sister, and something cool for big brother to help him with reading.  We got home about 3pm and did some praise & worship time with Joshua, Hope, Miriam, and Jennie before it was time to take Jennie and Miriam home.  

After we dropped off Jennie and Miriam we returned home about 5ish to get ready for MAVFEST.  That is the annual festival/carnival they have at Hawk Elementary to raise some money and provide a great time for kids and their families.  So, when we got home we loaded Hope in the stroller and set off to walk to Hawk, which thankfully is not too far from the house. Long story short, I, Heather King, took all three of my children to an event with a TON of people by myself for 2 1/2 hours and didn't lose my mind, get frustrated, or yell at anyone!!! Thank you Jesus!! Praise God it IS a new day!!  I even got everyone bathed when we did get home, an hour past bedtime, and then calmed down and in bed.  By the time the Daddy got home, every one was sound asleep in their beds.

Please Note: I am not tooting my own horn, I am just so thankful and excited and grateful of the wonderful new journey the Lord has me and my family on and for the fact that it was only a few years ago that I couldn't fathom keeping my kids alone much less taking all three of them, on foot, to a huge public event and surviving, much less enjoying it as much as I did tonight!  It is truly an answer to prayer, a giant weight off my shoulders and a light bulb moment that not only did God create me to be a mom but He made me a good mom.  Some of you may think I sound prideful and thats ok, but those of you who know the guilt, shame, and other things I have suffered with and beat myself up about since becoming a mother will understand the triumph in this moment and rejoice with me.  To those who read this and have prayed for so many years, I can't thank you enough, we got our answer, and LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

Friends: the short version

Isn't is great to have friends who love you for you!?  You call when you can and they don't complain, if you have to cancel a lunch because you've had a horrible morning and really just need to be home to pray, they don't mind, and if you call them crying your eyes out because nothing is necessarily wrong they calm you down and love on you.  I consider myself super blessed to have some friends like these.  Those of us who are moms are typically busier than others and rarely get to talk but even if its been 6 months we still have that bond and we know that the other one will be there for us no matter what.  Then there are those that we hold dear that have moved on in their lives and we were sort of left by the wayside because our season with them was over and that too is o.k., we still love them and pray for them even when our heart hurts a little to see them blossom and grow or cry and kneel and not be able to give them a high-five or a hug.  

My best friend is my husband, my other half, the only one who knows me better than him is God.  He is always there for me, to listen, to talk, to just sit in silence with me when the kids are finally asleep.  I couldn't have asked for a better friend than him.

 

New, New, and more New!

New Year: 5769

New Job: Heather- Interpreter at DHS

                 Matthew- Manager at Sonic

New Schedule: Does the word crazy mean anything to you?

New Goals: "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven....." 

New Understanding: All things really do work to the good of those who love God, and we love God!!

(A little pick me up for anyone who might actually read this: "HIS mercies are new every morning" no matter what anyone thinks or says to you or about you.)

Ever have "one of those days" that lasts over a week...

• I am still out of work with my arm injury which causes severe pain all the time so signing is especially off limits
• Yes I am typing this with one hand
• My arm hurts which makes me cranky, I don't like that part
• Doctors are running tests but it takes time and I am not that patient
• Matt started his new job and has some crazy hours, for example, he left at 10am this morning and will get to his parents house to sleep about 1:30am, then wake up by 6am to be at work by 7am which will continue until 8-9 pm, 
• Long story short, we won't see Matt/Daddy until church Sunday and then he has to work Sunday 2-7pm
• Talk about a shift for me....I have one arm to use, 3 kids at home now (which is new), and Matt with a demanding job schedule

Request: please pray for our family right now as we go through all these changes and new beginnings, if/when I am allowed to go back to work, how to handle that, dealing with the kids being home and the lack of help around here because the Daddy is gone most of the time and that the bit of time we do see him that the kids would beable to get a good "Daddy fix."

Thats all for my little rant, and its hard to type with one handl