Tired...

What sort of mischief do you think they are up to?

I have been exhausted recently and really all over the place as far as emotions. Allen and I went on a date this past weekend and I asked him what the best thing about living here was and the hardest thing so far. And of course, he was sweet but his answer to the hardest was me and my emotional rollercoaster. Anyways, as our Father is always so good at doing. He has really given me understanding and some grace for myself recently.

The first thing he showed me was that I have 2 children, 14 months a part. Who does that? Not many people. And though I love it and wouldn't have it any other way they are both at very demanding phases. Ben is a 2 year old and really starting to assert his will and his desires. So, we are learning all about training and correction. He really is a great kid but it is demanding and the need to be consistent is so important. Nate is super laid back but he is on the move. He is not walking yet but he can crawl like lightening. He can crawl up a flight of stairs. Oh, plus, he is teething so not sleeping great at night. I was at the park with them yesterday and Nate is no longer content to just sit in the stroller he wants to be down crawling around. So, I have Ben trying to climb to new heights and Nate tasting every bit of dirt, sand, rock, along the way. Kinda crazy!

So, you think that that would be enough for me to give myself grace and be ok with taking a nap in the afternoon when they do. However, on Sunday I went for a run and again I was talking to the Father about my life and he reminded me that a year ago I could not have run the 40 minute run that I was doing. For one, I was recovering from major abdominal surgery, aka a c-section, and two I was in the middle east! So, in the last year, we have lived on three different continents, said, "hello and goodbye" to more family and friends than I want to think about some days and now we are here starting over with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Wow! Ok, there is a reason, I am tired.

However, I am seeing small victories! I am reading some great mommy books that are super encouraging. We are really getting to know people in our neighborhood and more and more when I go places I see people I know. VERY FUN! I am thinking about starting a toddler group in my home once a month or so. I have met lots of stay at home moms in our neighborhood but first we move this weekend!! YEAH!! Looking forward to having my living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom all on one floor!!

Teddy Bears Picnic

Yesterday was the last day of Under 5's at Holy Trinity! So sad! The schools here are now on holiday until the middle of September so we will have to wait till then. To end the year, they have a Teddy Bear Picnic. We had a great time of singing, a story and then food!
Here Ben is up front listening to the story.

Nate and I in the pew. It is a beautiful church!

Ben with his new friend Isaac. Ben was very focused on his crisps (aka chips).

Ben still focused on his crisps and Nate wondering if he can sneak one...

Our temporary home

We are moving!! YEAH!! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about moving. Oh, there are tons of reasons why I am excited but mostly I am just ready to make our house a home. We have been living in this house since we arrived and will only be here for about 2 more weeks. This past Saturday they wanted to show this apartment to future tenants and so we got it ready and headed off to IKEA. But since it was tidy I thought I would take some pictures. Our next house is in the same "village" or subdivision but a different layout. So, here is our "lounge" or living room.

Kitchen/Dining Room

Boys room

Our Room

This house is actually 3 stories. I did not show you any pictures of the ground floor because it is a guest room and laundry room as well as another bathroom. Our next place, we will have our living room, kitchen, and half bath on the ground floor which I am SUPER excited about! Looking forward to finally getting settled after over a year of moving.

The Fourth

We had a great celebration for the Fourth of July. Not the greatest weekend but a great time with friends. Our boys have been sick 3 times now and I actually took Ben to the doctor on the morning of July 4th because he had been so ill. But it was just a sore throat! Then two days later Nate got the same thing. I just have to remember that they have lived on three different continents in the past year so it is understandable that they have gotten sick. However, we have not had any fevers since last Wednesday!! YEAH! Anyways, sorry a little ranting from the mommy, back to the Fourth. Some new friends invited us over to celebrate and since they had invited us at Easter but we cancelled because the boys were sick, we did not think it would be nice to cancel again because of illness (They might think we are trying to avoid them, which we are not!) Don't worry, I did not just take my sick kids over to their house without letting them know that we had been running fevers and been under the weather.

We are so glad we did not miss the celebrations! The hostess did a great job! The food was amazing!! We had ribs, corn on the cob, watermelon, bread, and of course dessert!

The big kids at their table.

Ben focused on his watermelon.

Nate enjoying watermelon for the first time.

So, we all looked very festive in red, white, and blue and of course, I forgot to take a picture! Oh, the mommy brain sometimes is out of control.