So Much to Say!

WOW!!

It has been two weeks since I have posted.  Shame on me.  But, my lack of posting proves how busy I am these days...being a working gal and all!  :)

But, seriously.  A LOT has happened. I have so many pictures and so much news. Most of it has to do with Eloise, well probably all of it actually. :)  She is our little smiley bear cub that we can never get enough of, and as each day gets closer and closer to Christmas it seems as if she gets happier and happier.  (It's like she already understands!) 

So, first, let me just update you with some cute pics taken around the house over the past couple of weeks.

oh yea and she can sit up now!

The pictures really tell it all!  :)

We put up our Christmas tree the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.  This year Ted picked it out by himself while I stayed home with Eloise. (She was asleep and we only had that specific night available to have time to put the tree up and decorate it.)  Ted and I decorated the tree with white and colored lights and opened up all of our prized ornaments while listening to Frank and Bing sing Christmas songs. 

We really wanted to wake up Cheesy so she could see it, but we thought better of it. 

Plus, she woke up at around 11pm on her own and so we showed it to her then.  Let's just say that she LOVES it!

The putting up of the tree was on Dec. 2nd and the next major event happened Dec. 6th.  Not only was it Cheesy's Six Month Birthday, but it was also the day of her Baptism.  I could have a whole seperate post on how long it took Ted and I to pray/think/discuss whether to get her baptized or dedicated, but I won't.  In the end, we agreed that we thought scripture and God were pointing to infant baptism, and if Eloise decides when she is older that she wants to get rebaptized to proclaim her decision of her faith, then that is okay with us.  Ted had a good point that we aren't going to be able to bring any new information to the table, no matter how much we study on it, so we made (what we thought) was the best decision.  So, here is Eloise on her big day!:

Her dress is over 100 years old.  Ted's great Grandma, great Aunt, Aunt, Sister (Anne), neice (Bailey) have all worn it.  (Ted wore it too.)  And, now Eloise has worn it. :)

She had no problem with Chip holding her either.  She actually gave him her classic stare that says, "Wait a minute who are you?  ...Oh okay, you look nice.  I like you." all at once.

It was a very nice service, and we were glad that some of our family could make it.  She is now a part of God's family and it is Ted and I's responsibility to raise her to know God and his Son. 

Whew...not exactly a small task.  We can do it though, with the help of our family and church family and lots of prayer. 

So, this is a super long post, so I think I will post more tomorrow....or later today.  Not sure yet.  But in the next post you will see:  1.  Eloise meeting Santa for the very first time, 2. Eloise in a super cute holiday outfit for her very first Christmas party, and 3.  More photos of Eloise loving the Christmas tree.

Forever Changed

Over the past couple of days I have been working on an article for our church's In Touch newsletter. I was asked to write about anything I wanted when it comes to the verse of Psalm 126:3. (The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.)

It didn't take me long to think of what great and amazing things God has done for me, but it did take me a while to really consider whether I was filled with joy or not from these things. Am I really joyful? Do I take the time to recognize what God has given me and has done for me? Because if I did, I would be filled with joy.

So, here is my article, which shows my thought process on that. Enjoy! It will be in the January Newsletter.

When I was asked to write this article, I began thinking: God has done great things for me…but am I filled with joy?

Ted and I have been blessed beyond belief with Eloise. Her ear to ear smiles and pleasant personality just add to how amazing she really is. Before she arrived, Ted and I always tried to imagine what life would be like with a third little person in the house, but we never could have believed how our lives would change. Who would have thought that we would both become teary-eyed after the movie Up because we feared losing each other and how that would affect Eloise. And, we never, ever could have imagined the feeling you get when you look into her little blue eyes and your heart swells with so much love that you feel like it might explode, because you have never felt that much love for anyone or anything in the whole world.

Sure, there have been challenges with preparing for and raising Eloise. Which “method” of parenting is best? Do we let her sleep with us? When should we start giving her some solid food? But, one challenge I wrestled with a lot is whether or not we should put Eloise in daycare. Being a stay-at-home-mom seemed quite appealing to me, once we had Eloise all settled in.

When Eloise was born, I was blessed enough not to have to worry about that question. She was born in June, so even if I found a job, it wouldn’t start until the following fall. I worked part time at the library, but the hours were always manageable enough and a family member could babysit.

But, recently on a weekend trip, Ted and I came to the realization that that one job would not hold us afloat for much longer. We talked and prayed about it a lot those few days. The Monday after that weekend I received a phone call, which ended up developing into a job opportunity. Had God answered our prayers that fast? Of course. Had God known all along that we would eventually need something more? Of course.

Looking back, I see that God gave me those five months to spend with my baby; to raise her and stay home with her. Many families never have that opportunity and I am eternally grateful. Naturally, it is extremely hard to leave her at someone else’s house while I go off and “make a living,” but I think, or rather, I know, that this is what God has for us now. Eloise is going to be perfectly fine spending six hours a day away from home, and so will I. And, God knew that. That is why he provided us with this financial blessing.

I never used to fully acknowledge all of these things that God does and how thankful I am for them. But, now something has changed inside of me. We were right! Eloise has changed our lives in a way we never could have suspected…she helped us see.

The Lord always does amazing things for us—for me. If I can’t find the true joy in that, then I am crazy. God is putting it right in front of my face like a bright shining light yelling, “Sarah! I am here for you. I will always take care of you, do not worry. I am your provider. Rejoice in Me!” It would be extremely hard for me not to see and feel that joy, I would have to deliberately look away. But, why would I want to do that?

Mama got a J-O-B

Right now I am sitting in a living room with a contently full-bellied Eloise sleeping peacefully on my lap. I just told her that I am extremely sorry, but mornings like these are soon going to come to an end.

Why?

Because I just took a job that will pull me from Eloise's little clutches for 6 hours a day. I may be sounding sad, but trust me, I am not. If anything, it is bittersweet. I have had 5 solid months at home with my little sweet baby...more than a lot of mom's can get. And, my new job will only leave me away from Eloise from 9:00 to 3:00. That's less than a whole school day. No sweat. She will be perfectly fine. The real question is: will I?

:) Yes, I think I can handle it. Millions of moms do it, so I can too. I have been blessed to be able to stay home this long. God brought me this job opportunity at the exactly right time; just when we were hitting a breaking point finance-wise. 24 hours after Ted and I had a very long conversation about his career options and my lack of anything in the immediate area, I had a job offer in my lap. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

25 hours a week I will be assisting a 2nd grade teacher in a team teaching style. It is a couple less dollars an hour than the library, but I will be working three times as much. (I am keeping the library job as well... at least through the holidays.) I also got vision insurance at n0 cost to me, so that will supplement the vision we already have through Ted. I also have retirement benefits...although it is minuscule.

Ted and I can barely comprehend what an extra $800 dollars a month is going to do for us! We feel as though we are going to rolling in money (if that doesn't tell you how tight it has been around here, I don't know what will).

So, now on to the plans for Cheesy:

2 days a week she will ride to Boyne City with me, and I will drop her off at Nana Polleys'.

1.5 days a week she will stay home with her Daddy (he doesn't work Fridays or Wednesday morning.

and...

1.5 days a week she will go to a day care.

I have called about 5 in-home day cares in Charlevoix and they range from $20 to $35 a day. All of them said they would have to get back to me (today hopefully) because of infant limits and timing issues, etc. So, hopefully, God will help us get this part figured out too!

I start Monday!! Yay!

On a more serious note...

I have been thinking A LOT about the baby that is on its way. I read every night about how it is developing, how it is changing me, and how I can most help the baby to develop and grow healthily. But, something that Ted and I have been thinking about the most is the baby-to-be’s spiritual life. Will our child grow up to know who Jesus really is and have a true understanding of Him? How can we help our baby to know and love Jesus? How can we help our baby to be confident about his or her faith? And, one of the most important questions is how can we support and help our future child to be comfortable enough in his or her faith to ask questions and seek answers when it comes to faith?

Whew! I feel like we have so much we are going to be responsible for. (Which, of course, we are) But, I am not worried about the diaper changing, the feeding, the bathing, etc. because I can learn all of that with practice and advice and help. But, I am worried (maybe worried isn’t the right word) about our child and his or her faith in Jesus Christ. We want to be able to share that with our child and experience God and Jesus as a family, and know that in hard times (and in times of joy) we can rely on Him, thanking and praising Him, knowing that he will take care of us.

Lately, Ted and I have kind of had a hard time with all of these things, which is partly why I am concerned how we will help our children, if we are not good models. So I pray, that God would renew us and that we would kick our butts into gear and stop whining like we are 5 years old. God is probably growing tired of us being “luke warm.” Sorry Ted, I know you hate Christianese terms.

The verse that the message was based on in church today was really a good reminder and it was uplifting for me to hear.

“You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.” Colossians 1: 21-23 (CEV)

(The person who is talking is Paul.)

The question we need to ask is ‘Are we servants of his message? Or are we observers?’