Hey!  So I guess I’m supposed to post a selfie right about now.  Oh my goodness, how I despise selfies!  This is probably due to the fact that I’m almost always in workout clothes and have my hair in a pony tail.  Definitely not selfie-worth!  But I did actually send a selfie as a joke to some friends the other week.  I had just shipped the kids off to my parents’ for the night and we were all getting ready for a fun time with each other and our husbands.  If that doesn’t call for a small bottle of wine, I don’t know what does!! ?

My time is spent wearing the mom, wife, and general household manager hat.  Those alone are pretty overwhelming for me !  My free time is spent writing, planning learning activities for my son who I do “preschool” with, volunteering my time at church, working out, and helping to lead a running group through my church.  I manage to keep busy. ?

I have a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.  Plus, I can’t forget about my two dog children.  Sometimes they are more work than the human children!  My kids are social butterflies, which is pretty much the exact opposite of my husband and me.  My son never stops talking, except when he is sleeping.  He plays hard and he sleeps hard.  He loves meeting new people and running around the house.  We’re trying to start channeling some of that energy into sports.  My daughter is really starting to show her personality.  She’s a bundle of energy as well, and she loves to run around almost as much as her brother.  Dancing and singing are some favorite activities, and she is starting to show a really strong love of baby dolls.  These kids keep me on my toes, that’s for sure!

Surviving the past year has been a huge mom win in my book!  Most people will warn you that having two kids is tough, but it was actually really easy for us…for the first six months.  Then my daughter started to move and it was like my son finally realized he wasn’t the only kid in the house anymore.  Between my son’s tough behavior (directed at his sister and our dogs) and my daughter finding her voice (and making sure we all heard it), my patience was stretched to the thinnest thread I could imagine.  I didn’t always handle things the best way, but I tried to muster up as much patience, love and strength each day to guide and teach my children.  We are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!  I know this phase will just be replaced by another tough one of a different nature, but man, am I glad to see this one go!

The other week I texted my friend, “I just sat and played with my kids for 30 minutes straight!  Mom win!”  I’m not proud to admit it, but pretend play is just not my jam.  I’m really terrible at it.  It takes a lot of energy for me to get on the floor and play with my kids.  I love to do outdoor activities, learning activities, crafts, and the like…but pretending to fight a big fire with our Little People is outside my comfort zone.  So 30 minutes of pretend play was a huge win in my book! ?

My favorite quote right now in life is “Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser.”  I’m trying to live this out in my life every day.  God has been leading me in some interesting directions lately in my life, and my desire for control can sometimes butt heads with God’s plan.  I’m learning to listen, start moving in the direction I think God is leading me, and then continue listening to where God wants me to go.  My plans are not necessarily God’s plans, so I’ve had to learn to let go of trying to control my life.  God continues to surprise me with what doors He opens before me and which ones He closes.