Well, I have never been happier to see a Friday. This has been one of the most challenging weeks I have had in a long time. Let 's start back at the beginning.
On Monday, Riley was in full two-year old mode! She had a day full of whining and temper tantrums and I felt like all I did was discipline from morning til afternoon. Luckily, Georgia slept like a champ, having to wake her up for every feeding.
But, Tuesday was a different story. Georgia hit her 6-week growth spurt, and was wanting to eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Her growth spurt continued into Wednesday, and top that off, Riley came down with a fever. She work up perfectly happy, but started becoming lethargic around 10, at the same time that I noticed she was feeling very warm. She was running a temp of 102.3! She wasn't exhibiting any other symptoms, so I just started alternating Motrin and Acetaminophen to manage her fever. I could tell I was going to need to bring in reinforcement, so I called my Mom. She was already planning to come on Thursday so that I could take Georgia to an appt, so she came on over and spent the evening with us. She got up to check on Riley's fever throughout the night, so that I could just worry about Georgia.
Thursday was busy, busy, busy! We had a previously scheduled appt. for Georgia at 9:00 a.m. at the hospital for an ultrasound. Because she was breech when she was born, they automatically do an ultrasound to check for hip displasia. Luckily, everything was perfect with her hips - praise the Lord! We left the hospital and drove to Goldsboro to see Dr. Wilding. Since I didn't know what was going on with Riley, I wanted to be on the same side and get her adjusted. We left Goldsboro at 11:30 to come back to Greenville. We got Riley fed and down for nap, so that I could get her up at 3:00 for a 3:15 appt. at Our Children's Clinic. It was at that appt. that we found out that Riley has Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. In a nutshell, it causes a moderate fever, lethargic behavior, and blisters on the hands and feet and in the mouth. Because it is viral, you just have to let it run its course. Unfortunately it is highly contagious among children, so the doctors were concerned about Georgia being exposed. As you can imagine, the thought of having to keep Riley away from Georgia for 5-7 days when I am home by myself was overwhelming! Riley adores her sister and wants to kiss and love on her all day. Praise the Lord for having family close by, because my Dad and stepmom volunteered to keep Riley Friday through Monday, so that she could get through this sickness and not expose Georgia.
So, my sweet girl left this morning for Nana and Papa's and I already miss her. But, I know that this is what's best. So, today it is just me and Georgia! I thought I would be getting a break, but so far she doesn't want to nap at all. It's par for the course this week. I will never be more happy to see my sweet hubby tonight! Although he can't change the circumstances, it is nice to have someone to share in them with!!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Crying It Out!!
When I was pregnant with Georgia, everyone said that I would do things differently with her than I had Riley - that because she was my second child, I wouldn't be as anxious about things so I would be a lot more "go with the flow". So far, that seems to be coming true.
You see when Riley was born, my closest mom-friend was my sister-in-law Kellie. Dayla had been born two years earlier and so I had a great opportunity to see Kellie in action and take lots of notes for when I became a mother. Lucky for me, Kellie and I agree on about 99% of parenting issues.
When it came to sleeping, Kellie and Clay had always rocked or bounced Dayla to sleep, so when Riley came along, I did the same thing.
For the first 4 months of Riley's life, she was a great napper and nighttime sleeper. Then, to the day that she turned 4 months, she started waking up early from naps and would only go back to sleep if I rocked her. Then, 15 minutes later it would all happen again. I began spending hours in her nursery trying to get her to sleep. I was at my whits end, when I talked to another mom friend of mine, Tracy Moore, who had put her children down awake, allowing them to teach themselves to fall asleep. I was desperate and so I decided to try it. I didn't have enough will power to just let her cry endlessly, so I would rock her for a few minutes, not to get her to sleep, but to soothe her. Then I would lay her down. I would return to her room at 5, 10 and 15 minute intervals to calm her down. Let me tell you - the first few weeks were absolute torture. A 4-month old has a lot of energy and strong lungs, so she could go for quite a while. She was also having to break all of the bad sleep habits that I had trained her to have. But, once she figured out how to soothe herself, let me tell you - it was fantastic!! Since that time, I have been able to go into her room, lay her down and walk out. Then, when she wakes up, she just sits and plays until I return. She even does this now that she has her big girl bed. She has not once tried to climb down (I should probably knock on wood at this point:)
So when Georgia was born, I knew that I would handle her sleep training differently. First of all, I knew that my time would be more limited when getting her down for nap, because of Riley. Secondly, I knew I couldn't put myself through what I had done with Riley. So, Georgia was only 8 days old when I started putting her down awake. I swaddle her, hold her without rocking for 5 minutes, and then lay her down in her crib. To this day, she has not cried for more than 5 minutes when falling asleep. Occasionally she will wake up in the middle of her nap and cry for a few minutes, but she has learned to get herself back to sleep.
I wanted to write about this, because I remember when I started letting Riley cry it out, I felt a lot of guilt. I felt that as a mother I was supposed to be nurturing her and soothing her, not letting her scream at the top of her lungs. But, what I realized was that it was my responsibility to teach her to become a good sleeper by allowing her to learn to soothe herself.
If you are in the midst of letting your little one "cry it out" I would recommend two books regarding sleep habits for babies - "Babywise" and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby". I reference them all the time!
You see when Riley was born, my closest mom-friend was my sister-in-law Kellie. Dayla had been born two years earlier and so I had a great opportunity to see Kellie in action and take lots of notes for when I became a mother. Lucky for me, Kellie and I agree on about 99% of parenting issues.
When it came to sleeping, Kellie and Clay had always rocked or bounced Dayla to sleep, so when Riley came along, I did the same thing.
For the first 4 months of Riley's life, she was a great napper and nighttime sleeper. Then, to the day that she turned 4 months, she started waking up early from naps and would only go back to sleep if I rocked her. Then, 15 minutes later it would all happen again. I began spending hours in her nursery trying to get her to sleep. I was at my whits end, when I talked to another mom friend of mine, Tracy Moore, who had put her children down awake, allowing them to teach themselves to fall asleep. I was desperate and so I decided to try it. I didn't have enough will power to just let her cry endlessly, so I would rock her for a few minutes, not to get her to sleep, but to soothe her. Then I would lay her down. I would return to her room at 5, 10 and 15 minute intervals to calm her down. Let me tell you - the first few weeks were absolute torture. A 4-month old has a lot of energy and strong lungs, so she could go for quite a while. She was also having to break all of the bad sleep habits that I had trained her to have. But, once she figured out how to soothe herself, let me tell you - it was fantastic!! Since that time, I have been able to go into her room, lay her down and walk out. Then, when she wakes up, she just sits and plays until I return. She even does this now that she has her big girl bed. She has not once tried to climb down (I should probably knock on wood at this point:)
So when Georgia was born, I knew that I would handle her sleep training differently. First of all, I knew that my time would be more limited when getting her down for nap, because of Riley. Secondly, I knew I couldn't put myself through what I had done with Riley. So, Georgia was only 8 days old when I started putting her down awake. I swaddle her, hold her without rocking for 5 minutes, and then lay her down in her crib. To this day, she has not cried for more than 5 minutes when falling asleep. Occasionally she will wake up in the middle of her nap and cry for a few minutes, but she has learned to get herself back to sleep.
I wanted to write about this, because I remember when I started letting Riley cry it out, I felt a lot of guilt. I felt that as a mother I was supposed to be nurturing her and soothing her, not letting her scream at the top of her lungs. But, what I realized was that it was my responsibility to teach her to become a good sleeper by allowing her to learn to soothe herself.
If you are in the midst of letting your little one "cry it out" I would recommend two books regarding sleep habits for babies - "Babywise" and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby". I reference them all the time!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Brown Family Beach Trip
In my last post, I talked a little bit about our beach trip with the whole Brown family, but decided it needed a post all of its own. We were there from Sunday to Sunday and had an awesome time! But, Corey and I decided that vacation takes on a whole new meaning when you have kids (at least really little ones). There is no more sleeping in, reading books, or laying in the sun for hours, but it is all replaced by the joy of seeing your children have new experiences.
We were very blessed to rent both sides of a duplex that is owned by a friend of Clay's. Both sides have 3 bedrooms, giving us plenty of room. Corey and I stayed with Corey's parents and our girls on one side, and Clay, Kellie and there 3 girls stayed on the other side.
We spent the first two days on the beach. It was quite an adventure. Hauling all the stuff you need for five kids 4 and under, including 2 newborns is not an easy task, but we made the most of it. Dayla, Bailey and Riley had a blast playing on the beach and in the water. Tuesday night we had dinner at Amos Mosquito's!! If you have never been - it is a must! I had the meatloaf and it was to die for - and I am not a big meatloaf eater! Also, for the kids, they have a smores dessert that they bring out - so the kids can roast their own marshmallow and then make their smore. The girls loved it and were covered in chocolate by the end.
On Wednesday, we decided to take a break from the sun and visit the aquarium - it was great! The girls loved it! I was rather impressed - it has been years since I had visited and it has changed dramatically! Riley was checking out the sea otters in the picture below - that and the sharks were her favorite!
Thursday Clay volunteered to keep the little babies (Georgia and Reagan) for us so Kellie and I could enjoy some time on the beach with just our big girls. Unfortunately, because we are both nursing, we only had a short window of time to go, but we made the most of our couple of hours!
Friday we found the Atlantic Beach town park to take the girls to. We wanted to be outdoors but weren't up for the work that it took to get us all on the beach. Swings and slides are always a hit! That evening we went to Cedar Point to have dinner with Jason and Jennifer Watson and their kiddos. The Brown's have been friends with the Watson's since before Clay and Corey were born, so it was great to catch up with old friends. Jason and Jennifer have a set of 2 1/2 year old twins (Tucker and Massey) and a 10-month old (Fin). Fin wasn't at home when we visited, but the other seven were plenty to keep us busy. The pic below is of Dayla, Bailey, and Riley with Massey and Tucker - they are getting ready to eat dinner!
Since Saturday was our last day, we made another trek to the beach for the day! We got rained on for a brief bit, but luckily we had taken up home under the pier and didn't get too wet!
By Sunday, I think we were all ready to come home! Vacations are great, but there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed! This was the first year since Corey and I have been married that we have vacationed with his whole family for a week! Good news is we all survived and had a blast!! Already looking forward to next year!
We were very blessed to rent both sides of a duplex that is owned by a friend of Clay's. Both sides have 3 bedrooms, giving us plenty of room. Corey and I stayed with Corey's parents and our girls on one side, and Clay, Kellie and there 3 girls stayed on the other side.
We spent the first two days on the beach. It was quite an adventure. Hauling all the stuff you need for five kids 4 and under, including 2 newborns is not an easy task, but we made the most of it. Dayla, Bailey and Riley had a blast playing on the beach and in the water. Tuesday night we had dinner at Amos Mosquito's!! If you have never been - it is a must! I had the meatloaf and it was to die for - and I am not a big meatloaf eater! Also, for the kids, they have a smores dessert that they bring out - so the kids can roast their own marshmallow and then make their smore. The girls loved it and were covered in chocolate by the end.
On Wednesday, we decided to take a break from the sun and visit the aquarium - it was great! The girls loved it! I was rather impressed - it has been years since I had visited and it has changed dramatically! Riley was checking out the sea otters in the picture below - that and the sharks were her favorite!
Thursday Clay volunteered to keep the little babies (Georgia and Reagan) for us so Kellie and I could enjoy some time on the beach with just our big girls. Unfortunately, because we are both nursing, we only had a short window of time to go, but we made the most of our couple of hours!
Friday we found the Atlantic Beach town park to take the girls to. We wanted to be outdoors but weren't up for the work that it took to get us all on the beach. Swings and slides are always a hit! That evening we went to Cedar Point to have dinner with Jason and Jennifer Watson and their kiddos. The Brown's have been friends with the Watson's since before Clay and Corey were born, so it was great to catch up with old friends. Jason and Jennifer have a set of 2 1/2 year old twins (Tucker and Massey) and a 10-month old (Fin). Fin wasn't at home when we visited, but the other seven were plenty to keep us busy. The pic below is of Dayla, Bailey, and Riley with Massey and Tucker - they are getting ready to eat dinner!
Since Saturday was our last day, we made another trek to the beach for the day! We got rained on for a brief bit, but luckily we had taken up home under the pier and didn't get too wet!
By Sunday, I think we were all ready to come home! Vacations are great, but there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed! This was the first year since Corey and I have been married that we have vacationed with his whole family for a week! Good news is we all survived and had a blast!! Already looking forward to next year!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Back to Blogging!!
Well, I am back to blogging again, and hoping this time I can be consistent!! I started this blog about a year ago and have been on again/off again with it since I started. While I really enjoy blogging, it always seems hard to find the time to keep it up. But I am determined to stick with it this time.
The last time I blogged was almost 3 months ago. At that time, Corey had just started his new job and I was coming home full-time to prepare for the arrival of our 2nd baby girl. Since that last post so much has happened in our lives, so I will give a quick overview.
Georgia Reese Brown arrived on July 7th - 3 days past her due date. She had to be delivered via c-section because she was breach. While most people would have been disappointed with that news, I was a little relieved. During Riley's delivery I suffered a cervical tear which lead to a pretty severe hemorrhage which lead to a blood transfusion. So, needless to say, when I was preparing for Georgia's arrival, I prayed continuously for a complication free delivery. So, when the ultrasound revealed that she was breach, I felt like the Lord had orchestrated it so that I wouldn't have to experience anything like before. Dr. Stephenson even tried to externally turn Georgia, but she wasn't budging. It seemed like a clear message to me that this was the way the Lord wanted her to enter the world.
What's even more awesome about Georgia's arrival is that her cousin, Reagan, arrived 4 1/2 hours after her. Kellie was due on July 2nd and while I was getting prepped for the c-section, she was at the doctor's office getting checked. They sent her on to the hospital to have her water broken and within a few hours she was delivering!! Our in-laws were beside themselves having two new grand-daughters on the same day!!
Since Georgia's arrival, things have been crazy!! Riley turned 2 on July 23rd, and we had a Sesame Street birthday party for her at our house. Alot of our friends joined us to help her celebrate and although it was the hottest day of the year (110 degree heat index), we all had a great time!
Then, the first week of August we spent the whole week at the beach with the Brown family!! It was chaos having five kids 4 and under, but we made the most of it and had a great time! I wanted to share a quick lesson I learned the hard way. Kellie and I both agreed that we would take the newborns on the beach - otherwise we would never see the sun. So, we decided that camping out under the pier would be the best option, as it would provide the most protection from the sun. Boy was I wrong. I had Georgia in her carrier, with the canopy pulled over top and sitting under the pier the entire time, and she still got sun burned on her face. I was devastated. I was doing everything I knew to do to protect her, but it still wasn't enough. I have since learned that under the pier is one of the worst places to be - apparently because of a combination of the reflection of the sun off of the sand and the wind whipping underneath. Luckily, her face has healed perfectly, and it will be the last time it sees the sun for a long time!
And, now that we are back from the beach, I decided to really jump off the cliff and start potty training Riley!! Let me tell you - it has been a crazy two days, but is turning out to be a resounding success. The Lord has given me tons of grace and we are making it work, but I will be glad to be over this hurdle!!
So, until next time......
The last time I blogged was almost 3 months ago. At that time, Corey had just started his new job and I was coming home full-time to prepare for the arrival of our 2nd baby girl. Since that last post so much has happened in our lives, so I will give a quick overview.
Georgia Reese Brown arrived on July 7th - 3 days past her due date. She had to be delivered via c-section because she was breach. While most people would have been disappointed with that news, I was a little relieved. During Riley's delivery I suffered a cervical tear which lead to a pretty severe hemorrhage which lead to a blood transfusion. So, needless to say, when I was preparing for Georgia's arrival, I prayed continuously for a complication free delivery. So, when the ultrasound revealed that she was breach, I felt like the Lord had orchestrated it so that I wouldn't have to experience anything like before. Dr. Stephenson even tried to externally turn Georgia, but she wasn't budging. It seemed like a clear message to me that this was the way the Lord wanted her to enter the world.
What's even more awesome about Georgia's arrival is that her cousin, Reagan, arrived 4 1/2 hours after her. Kellie was due on July 2nd and while I was getting prepped for the c-section, she was at the doctor's office getting checked. They sent her on to the hospital to have her water broken and within a few hours she was delivering!! Our in-laws were beside themselves having two new grand-daughters on the same day!!
Since Georgia's arrival, things have been crazy!! Riley turned 2 on July 23rd, and we had a Sesame Street birthday party for her at our house. Alot of our friends joined us to help her celebrate and although it was the hottest day of the year (110 degree heat index), we all had a great time!
Then, the first week of August we spent the whole week at the beach with the Brown family!! It was chaos having five kids 4 and under, but we made the most of it and had a great time! I wanted to share a quick lesson I learned the hard way. Kellie and I both agreed that we would take the newborns on the beach - otherwise we would never see the sun. So, we decided that camping out under the pier would be the best option, as it would provide the most protection from the sun. Boy was I wrong. I had Georgia in her carrier, with the canopy pulled over top and sitting under the pier the entire time, and she still got sun burned on her face. I was devastated. I was doing everything I knew to do to protect her, but it still wasn't enough. I have since learned that under the pier is one of the worst places to be - apparently because of a combination of the reflection of the sun off of the sand and the wind whipping underneath. Luckily, her face has healed perfectly, and it will be the last time it sees the sun for a long time!
And, now that we are back from the beach, I decided to really jump off the cliff and start potty training Riley!! Let me tell you - it has been a crazy two days, but is turning out to be a resounding success. The Lord has given me tons of grace and we are making it work, but I will be glad to be over this hurdle!!
So, until next time......
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Back in the Loop Again!
As I sat down to write this, it feel like it has been forever. Then I realized that it has - my last post was on March 11th - so nearly two months! I am going to go ahead and give the warning here that this will be long. But, please keep reading, because the Lord has done some amazing things in the Brown household the last couple of months, and I just have to share!
When I last posted, we were still in the middle of Corey's job search. As a recap, Corey decided to stop his Pre-Paid Legal Business in December and began looking for a new job in January. Little did we know where this journey would take us.
Although I was working only part-time with United Way, we weren't all that concerned about finances, because we knew that Corey would have a decent residual income still coming from Pre-Paid, so we felt like he had a good couple of months to find something. For anyone that knows my husband, you know that he is a born salesman - as the saying goes, he could sale a "snow cone to an Eskimo." He just has this booming personality and very little fear of rejection - a great combination for sales. So, we felt confident he would find something quickly.
He has always had an interest in medical sales (not pharmaceuticals), but like medical devices. So, that was where he started networking. He also had quite a few job offers while he was selling Pre-Paid (from CEO's of companies he was selling to). So, he started following up with those companies. Let me just say that the Lord's favor was overwhelming. In total, Corey probably ended up with 5 or 6 offers from some really great companies, but nothing seemed to be the right fit. Over the last few months, we constantly felt the Lord telling us to wait. Meanwhile, Corey's residual income was slowly trickling down, so were facing the possibility of surviving off of my part-time non-profit salary as of March 1st.
While Corey is continuing his job search, I am still working two days a week at United Way. I had given my notice the end of November and agreed to work until the end of March. My replacement had already been hired, but a few other positions needed to be filled to keep things running. Well, as the first of March rolled around, we were still two positions short and kicking off a HUGE transition within the organization. To say that they could use another full-time staffer was an understatement. So, I proposed coming back on board full-time, and allowing Corey to be a stay-at-home Daddy until he could find something. My boss was thrilled, and so on March 1st, I jumped back into full-time work and Corey took over baby duty!! What we thought would be a four-week stint turned into 8, because at the end of March, the Lord had still not made it clear what job Corey needed to take. So, we continued to wait.
As April rolled around, United Way work really kicked into high gear as we conducted 17 community forums in one month. I went from working 15 hours a week to nearly 50, and was completely exhausted - hence the reason I haven't posted in a while. But, I felt like I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. Also during April, Corey was in discussions very heavily with two different companies about a job - one was a very large company (over $400 million in sales), the other one fairly small (around $2.3 million in sales), but with a lot of potential for growth and for Corey to help lead them there. For literally three weeks, it was a back and forth - we both felt peace about both of them, but wanted the Lord to show us very clearly which was the right opportunity.
In the end, Corey accepted a job with Down East Protection Systems - he will be head of their Sales and Marketing. We are super excited about what the future holds and the Lord has overwhelmed us with his goodness once again.
I wish I could say that I never doubted the Lord, but I'd be lying. There were many days that I just kept asking the Lord - "why." Here we were jobless and 6 months pregnant, and there was an offer on the table, regardless of how good or bad - it was so hard not to just take whatever came along. But, our Provider knew what was ahead and what he had planned for us - we just needed to be obedient and wait. And talk about timing - Corey accepted the position with Down East on Thursday, April 29th and my last day of work with United Way was April 30th (they had hired the needed staff and couldn't keep me on beginning in May). Only our heavenly Father could have orchestrated it so perfectly!
So, as of yesterday my hubby is back to work and couldn't be happier, and I get to be home full-time with my sweet Riley and in the near future, our new addition, Georgia. As hard as the last few months have been, I wouldn't trade them for anything because the Lord has used them to teach me (and Corey) so much:
Lastly, just a special note of thanks to everyone who has been praying us through this - we could feel them lifting us up, so much appreciation!!
When I last posted, we were still in the middle of Corey's job search. As a recap, Corey decided to stop his Pre-Paid Legal Business in December and began looking for a new job in January. Little did we know where this journey would take us.
Although I was working only part-time with United Way, we weren't all that concerned about finances, because we knew that Corey would have a decent residual income still coming from Pre-Paid, so we felt like he had a good couple of months to find something. For anyone that knows my husband, you know that he is a born salesman - as the saying goes, he could sale a "snow cone to an Eskimo." He just has this booming personality and very little fear of rejection - a great combination for sales. So, we felt confident he would find something quickly.
He has always had an interest in medical sales (not pharmaceuticals), but like medical devices. So, that was where he started networking. He also had quite a few job offers while he was selling Pre-Paid (from CEO's of companies he was selling to). So, he started following up with those companies. Let me just say that the Lord's favor was overwhelming. In total, Corey probably ended up with 5 or 6 offers from some really great companies, but nothing seemed to be the right fit. Over the last few months, we constantly felt the Lord telling us to wait. Meanwhile, Corey's residual income was slowly trickling down, so were facing the possibility of surviving off of my part-time non-profit salary as of March 1st.
While Corey is continuing his job search, I am still working two days a week at United Way. I had given my notice the end of November and agreed to work until the end of March. My replacement had already been hired, but a few other positions needed to be filled to keep things running. Well, as the first of March rolled around, we were still two positions short and kicking off a HUGE transition within the organization. To say that they could use another full-time staffer was an understatement. So, I proposed coming back on board full-time, and allowing Corey to be a stay-at-home Daddy until he could find something. My boss was thrilled, and so on March 1st, I jumped back into full-time work and Corey took over baby duty!! What we thought would be a four-week stint turned into 8, because at the end of March, the Lord had still not made it clear what job Corey needed to take. So, we continued to wait.
As April rolled around, United Way work really kicked into high gear as we conducted 17 community forums in one month. I went from working 15 hours a week to nearly 50, and was completely exhausted - hence the reason I haven't posted in a while. But, I felt like I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. Also during April, Corey was in discussions very heavily with two different companies about a job - one was a very large company (over $400 million in sales), the other one fairly small (around $2.3 million in sales), but with a lot of potential for growth and for Corey to help lead them there. For literally three weeks, it was a back and forth - we both felt peace about both of them, but wanted the Lord to show us very clearly which was the right opportunity.
In the end, Corey accepted a job with Down East Protection Systems - he will be head of their Sales and Marketing. We are super excited about what the future holds and the Lord has overwhelmed us with his goodness once again.
I wish I could say that I never doubted the Lord, but I'd be lying. There were many days that I just kept asking the Lord - "why." Here we were jobless and 6 months pregnant, and there was an offer on the table, regardless of how good or bad - it was so hard not to just take whatever came along. But, our Provider knew what was ahead and what he had planned for us - we just needed to be obedient and wait. And talk about timing - Corey accepted the position with Down East on Thursday, April 29th and my last day of work with United Way was April 30th (they had hired the needed staff and couldn't keep me on beginning in May). Only our heavenly Father could have orchestrated it so perfectly!
So, as of yesterday my hubby is back to work and couldn't be happier, and I get to be home full-time with my sweet Riley and in the near future, our new addition, Georgia. As hard as the last few months have been, I wouldn't trade them for anything because the Lord has used them to teach me (and Corey) so much:
- He never leaves us - through every trial he is at our side and with us in the waiting
- He is our provider - no matter how bleak things seem financially we don't have to worry, because he will meet all of our needs (note that says "needs" not "wants")
- The "wants" really aren't all that important.
- What you think may be the right path for your life really may not be - the Lord makes our paths straight, so we should look to him for direction
Lastly, just a special note of thanks to everyone who has been praying us through this - we could feel them lifting us up, so much appreciation!!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Lord's Perfect Timing
As much as I love blogging, I never seem to be able to find the time to do it! But, miraculously, I have found a few minutes to share!! You see, most of my evenings are spent with my hubby, once we get Riley to bed. We are early to bed and early to rise, so our short time together in the evenings is precious, and I hate to spend it blogging. But, tonight I am flying solo, as Corey left this morning for 4 days. It's tough being away from him for so long, and this time especially, because we won't even have any phone contact! It will be the longest we have ever gone without talking:(
Corey has gone to Colorado for a four-day Men's Retreat. His birthday is coming up at the end of this month and this was my surprise birthday gift to him. Many of you may be familiar with John Eldredge, who wrote the acclaimed book "Wild at Heart". Many of you women may be more familiar with the book his wife Stasi wrote, "Captivating". Well, The Eldredge's put on a series of Men's Wild at Hearth Retreats and Women's Captivating Retreats in Colorado at Crooked Creek Ranch. Because of the high demand, the selection process is done by lottery. I have tried a few times before to get Corey in one of the Men's retreats, but was unsucessful. But not this time - and it was totally because of the Lord's perfect timing. The lottery opened up last fall, and although the timing wasn't the best for us financially, I prayed that Corey would be accepted if it was the Lord's time for him to go. A few weeks later I found out he was accepted. I had one week to reserve his spot with payment. Not only would this be the biggest financial decision I had ever made without Corey's input (since we've been married), but it was also only about four weeks before Christmas, so we were up to our ears in gift expense. But, I felt the Lord leading me to move forward and trusted that he would provide.
I had no idea then, how perfectly timed this trip would be for Corey (but, I have a feeling, the Lord did:) As I have shared before in previous posts, Corey has been looking for new job opportunities, pretty much since the beginning of the new year. He has been self-employed for the last two years selling Pre-Paid Legal Services as an employee benefit. Although he found success with the company, he didn't find happiness. For most of the end of last year, he was discontent, and made the decision at the turn of the new year to actively pursue something different. So, he really started seeking the Lord for his purpose, direction, and next step in his career. He has had lots of opportunities come his way, but still doesn't feel like he has a clear direction from the Lord. As this week began, Corey had four different job opportunities, in four very different companies, and no idea what he should do next. Not to mention the financial pressure he feels to provide for his family.
And now in light of all of this, he gets to go on this amazing trip this week. I mean, does the Lord know what we need, exactly when we need it, or what!! I absolutely love watching our Father work so intricately in our lives - his love for us can be seen so clearly in how involved he is in every little detail!
I have been so excited for Corey all week, because I just know that Lord is going to rock his world this weekend!! I can hardly wait to talk with him on Sunday and hear about all that the Lord has done! Please keep him in your prayers as he is away from us and travels back home on Monday!!
Corey has gone to Colorado for a four-day Men's Retreat. His birthday is coming up at the end of this month and this was my surprise birthday gift to him. Many of you may be familiar with John Eldredge, who wrote the acclaimed book "Wild at Heart". Many of you women may be more familiar with the book his wife Stasi wrote, "Captivating". Well, The Eldredge's put on a series of Men's Wild at Hearth Retreats and Women's Captivating Retreats in Colorado at Crooked Creek Ranch. Because of the high demand, the selection process is done by lottery. I have tried a few times before to get Corey in one of the Men's retreats, but was unsucessful. But not this time - and it was totally because of the Lord's perfect timing. The lottery opened up last fall, and although the timing wasn't the best for us financially, I prayed that Corey would be accepted if it was the Lord's time for him to go. A few weeks later I found out he was accepted. I had one week to reserve his spot with payment. Not only would this be the biggest financial decision I had ever made without Corey's input (since we've been married), but it was also only about four weeks before Christmas, so we were up to our ears in gift expense. But, I felt the Lord leading me to move forward and trusted that he would provide.
I had no idea then, how perfectly timed this trip would be for Corey (but, I have a feeling, the Lord did:) As I have shared before in previous posts, Corey has been looking for new job opportunities, pretty much since the beginning of the new year. He has been self-employed for the last two years selling Pre-Paid Legal Services as an employee benefit. Although he found success with the company, he didn't find happiness. For most of the end of last year, he was discontent, and made the decision at the turn of the new year to actively pursue something different. So, he really started seeking the Lord for his purpose, direction, and next step in his career. He has had lots of opportunities come his way, but still doesn't feel like he has a clear direction from the Lord. As this week began, Corey had four different job opportunities, in four very different companies, and no idea what he should do next. Not to mention the financial pressure he feels to provide for his family.
And now in light of all of this, he gets to go on this amazing trip this week. I mean, does the Lord know what we need, exactly when we need it, or what!! I absolutely love watching our Father work so intricately in our lives - his love for us can be seen so clearly in how involved he is in every little detail!
I have been so excited for Corey all week, because I just know that Lord is going to rock his world this weekend!! I can hardly wait to talk with him on Sunday and hear about all that the Lord has done! Please keep him in your prayers as he is away from us and travels back home on Monday!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Playing Catch Up!
It is amazing how fast time gets away from me. My goal is to post at least one blog a week, but that never seems to happen. So, I am going to spend this week playing catch up on all that has been happening in my world over the last few weeks!
Baby Girl #2
On February 1st, Corey and I found out that we are having our 2nd little girl - Georgia Reese! He was secretly hoping for a little boy, but hey they say that the third time is the charm - so we have another chance! We are both really excited that Riley will have a little sister - we have already taught her to say her name, although it comes out more like JooJoo than Georgia right now, but she has another 4 1/2 months to perfect it!
I can already tell how different things are going to be for the 2nd child, based on how I am with this pregnancy. Last go round, I knew exactly what week and day in my pregnancy I was - now I sometimes I have to check the calendar! Also, as soon as I found out that Riley was a girl, I had registered for everything - bedding and all - within one week. This time, I have barely thought about it! I'll get there soon enough!
Motherwise Bible Study
The first week of February, I started a new Bible Study called Motherwise at Covenant here in Greenville. Can I just say that it is awesome!!! I don't attend Covenant and it has been a great way to meet mothers of all ages and really seek the Lord about how to become a better wife and mother. Apparently there are multiple studies in Motherwise (they did Wisdom for Mothers last fall), but for this semester we are doing the Freedom for Mothers study. It's quite funny because I thought this study was going to be all about learning Biblical parenting skills which would then lead to Freedom!! But, oh how I missed the big picture. Ultimately, Freedom for Mothers is about realizing that nothing we do - work, marriage, parenthood - can be done well apart from Christ. The reason we struggle is because we are trying to do it all ourselves, instead of laying it all at the feet of the only one who can! For the past three weeks I have had several a-ha moments! The first of which was the following: "Jesus did not come to help me be a mom. He came to do it for me" - WOW!!! Now this is where freedom really is!! My prayer is often, "Lord, help me do this" or "Father, help me do that" as if he is my assistant or something!! I should be asking him to fill me so completely that he actually is me!
I am sure there will be much more to share as the study progresses, but for now I will stop there!
Prayer Requests
This week has been one filled with sickess in the Brown household. Last Friday, Riley came down with a 24-hour stomach bug that she then passed along to me! I spent all day Sunday sick on the couch. We thought we were in the clear, but then Corey got sick with the same stuff on Wednesday. Luckily, we each only had it for 24-hours! Once we had that behind us we thought we were in the clear, but now Riley and I both have colds - runny nose and coughing. She has been a champ - handling it better than me!! I won't complain much though - this is the first sickness any of us have had all year!! So, we are just praying for speedy healing!
Also, continue to lift up Corey's search for jobs! He has a lot of open doors (thank you Father for favor), but we need discernment about which one to walk through and when to walk through it!
For now that will be all, but I promise to not let as much time pass before my next post! Blessings until then!
Baby Girl #2
On February 1st, Corey and I found out that we are having our 2nd little girl - Georgia Reese! He was secretly hoping for a little boy, but hey they say that the third time is the charm - so we have another chance! We are both really excited that Riley will have a little sister - we have already taught her to say her name, although it comes out more like JooJoo than Georgia right now, but she has another 4 1/2 months to perfect it!
I can already tell how different things are going to be for the 2nd child, based on how I am with this pregnancy. Last go round, I knew exactly what week and day in my pregnancy I was - now I sometimes I have to check the calendar! Also, as soon as I found out that Riley was a girl, I had registered for everything - bedding and all - within one week. This time, I have barely thought about it! I'll get there soon enough!
Motherwise Bible Study
The first week of February, I started a new Bible Study called Motherwise at Covenant here in Greenville. Can I just say that it is awesome!!! I don't attend Covenant and it has been a great way to meet mothers of all ages and really seek the Lord about how to become a better wife and mother. Apparently there are multiple studies in Motherwise (they did Wisdom for Mothers last fall), but for this semester we are doing the Freedom for Mothers study. It's quite funny because I thought this study was going to be all about learning Biblical parenting skills which would then lead to Freedom!! But, oh how I missed the big picture. Ultimately, Freedom for Mothers is about realizing that nothing we do - work, marriage, parenthood - can be done well apart from Christ. The reason we struggle is because we are trying to do it all ourselves, instead of laying it all at the feet of the only one who can! For the past three weeks I have had several a-ha moments! The first of which was the following: "Jesus did not come to help me be a mom. He came to do it for me" - WOW!!! Now this is where freedom really is!! My prayer is often, "Lord, help me do this" or "Father, help me do that" as if he is my assistant or something!! I should be asking him to fill me so completely that he actually is me!
I am sure there will be much more to share as the study progresses, but for now I will stop there!
Prayer Requests
This week has been one filled with sickess in the Brown household. Last Friday, Riley came down with a 24-hour stomach bug that she then passed along to me! I spent all day Sunday sick on the couch. We thought we were in the clear, but then Corey got sick with the same stuff on Wednesday. Luckily, we each only had it for 24-hours! Once we had that behind us we thought we were in the clear, but now Riley and I both have colds - runny nose and coughing. She has been a champ - handling it better than me!! I won't complain much though - this is the first sickness any of us have had all year!! So, we are just praying for speedy healing!
Also, continue to lift up Corey's search for jobs! He has a lot of open doors (thank you Father for favor), but we need discernment about which one to walk through and when to walk through it!
For now that will be all, but I promise to not let as much time pass before my next post! Blessings until then!
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