We Do Hard Things

We do hard things. It's kind of like my family's mantra. We say it a lot when things are tough. Sometimes we say it as a question- "We do hard things, right?". It is encouraging.

Doing hard things is what helps a person to grow. It strengthens family, friends, and spiritual relationships. It encourages self confidence. When you do hard things, you find out just how much you are capable of.

Greg and I have done some hard things. We have gone through a couple miscarriages, we have struggled to find where we are supposed to be in life, we have made difficult decisions that will change our lives and the lives of our children forever.

We do hard things.

We are about to do a very hard thing. This is hard for us, and for those who love us. However, it is also incredibly exciting! As most of you know, Greg and I have wanted to travel the world. Our plan has always been to home school our kids and make a lasting impression in other countries. This is what we have felt called to do. We will finally get the chance to do this.

We are moving to China.

Greg is going to teach English in China and I will get to stay home with Kris and cook and clean my house. I am so excited about this. I have always felt that I was supposed to be a stay at home mom!

Now the hard parts.

We will have to leave all of our family and friends. We have made a two year commitment, but will be home in the summers. It will be so difficult to leave all of you. We will be able to keep in contact with everyone while there, so it's not like we are disappearing, but I know this is particularly hard on our friends and family because they won't get to hold Kris as she grows up.This is definitely the hardest part of this adventure.

We have to find temporary homes for our pets. Our pets have always been like children to us. We adore them so much. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs. Our cats need to be together, but I know that will be difficult. One of the cats has a bad attitude sometimes, though she is becoming more docile with age. She is very sweet to us, and adores Kris, but isn't so content with people she isn't familiar with. Our dogs are awesome, though one is a little bit special needs as she is blind, deaf, and old. She is very loving and sweet. This is definitely a hard thing for us to do because of our pets. I don't want to leave them. My heart breaks just thinking of it.

We have to sell all of our things. This to me is the easiest one, though it is in no way easy. We are thinking of getting a small storage unit for all of the things we just can't part with-pictures, yearbooks, homemade gifts, etc. Everything else, including our house and cars will be sold. I think this will become more difficult as we sift through our things preparing to sell them. It will bring up memories and make parting with these things much more difficult.

There are other hard things that we  hadn't put  much thought into until recently. A big one being peoples' responses. Some people totally understand what we are doing. They support our desire to go where we are led and encourage us with prayers and smiles. Others are supportive of us, but not of the idea. They tell us they will pray for us and don't really know how to react other than that. The worst reaction is more common than I expected. This is the reaction that to me feels like hate and anger. People disagree with what we are doing and voice their opinions with no filters. They tell us we aren't thinking of what is best for Kris. They try to guilt trip us into staying. Our friend, Damon, said that this reaction is just because people don't understand. Perhaps they have never had a calling like this. This viewpoint makes me have more love for them. They aren't trying to be rude, they just don't understand.

Prayers:
Please be in prayer for us in the coming months. We are leaving at the end of July to start our journey.
-continuing peace in our decisions.
-we will be working on fundraising money for this trip, which will be very difficult, but we know that He provides.
-a home for our pets
-a better understanding from those around us

Thank you for thinking of us as we prepare to depart. We are excited to see where we are led and how we can show love to people in this very different culture. I will keep you updated as we continue our journey.

New Year

I am a little late in noticing that it is a new year. My Christmas tree is still up, my lights are still framing my house, and I still sing Christmas songs to my sweet little Kris.

It is 2013. I feel like God has so many plans for our little family this year. As always we are working on getting a job that will change the way our family functions for a very long time. This is Kris' first full year. She will get to experience every holiday this year. I turn 23 this year, which is on January 23rd (23 on the the 23rd). I am told this is supposed to be an exciting birthday.

So far this year Kris had a surgery on her upper lip (a detailed post to come). She is a different baby now! We get so many smiles and laughs all the time. She had her 2 month vaccinations (poor baby). She is falling behind on weight and on height so we have to get her checked again in a bit to make sure she is still growing well. She seems to be right on developmentally. She tries very hard to roll over, and can get to her side. She actually enjoys tummy time. Her favorite song is "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". She giggles so much when we sing it to her. Greg actually sings it to her in Spanish. She seems to know that the mouth comes after ears, and the mouth is her favorite part. She will open it wide as we touch it and giggle.

I have said it before, but being a mom is amazing! I love waking up to her beautiful face and coming home to her sweet smiles. She is so loved  by so many people, and I hope she realizes how special she is. I want to be the best mother that I can be. I seek advice from other fantastic moms, and I am very prayerful about my parental decisions.

My word of the year is DELIBERATE. I want to be deliberate in my parenting. That means putting the phone down and picking the baby up. That means doing as much research as I can while away from her so I know what to do to help her become the best that she can be. It means continuing our nightly Bible studies and prayers. It means to do everything I can to be everything for her.I won't just keep this word for a year though, hopefully I can keep it for life. I just really want to focus on it right now, while she is still young and growing. Hopefully I will create deliberate habits for myself that will continue forever.

And, what's a post without some of this cuteness?