Settling into Change

 They always say (the collective wisdom of mothers) that just when you get a handle on things or you settle into a good routine, your kids change and you have to start all over again with the new needs and adjustments.

It has been a while since I have posted here. The past few weeks have been a season of transition followed by adjustment around here.  Lily has recently dropped her morning nap, which has greatly improved our flexibility in our morning schedule.  She is such a trooper as she makes her way through her now long mornings, and by lunchtime (usually around 11:15) she is starting to fade a little bit and is super tired by the time we finish lunch.  I was hoping her afternoon nap would get longer since she was missing her morning one, but her nap seems to be pretty much the same, sometimes even shorter! I continue to hope that like me, she is also adjusting and will eventually settle in for a pretty predictable two or so hour daily nap.  (Hey, I can wish right?) So for the past few weeks, our afternoons have been long with lots of tears by the end of the day due her exhaustion!  We continue to figure this new rhythm out.  Day by day and sometimes even hour by hour.

We have been gearing up for summer as well around here.  We got Lily a little water table to play with on our back patio, we have also been given a little slide for the backyard from a friend.  Lily has a little picnic table out there as well. Now we just need to convince her that playing outside is fun!  Poor little gal does not seem to enjoy the great outdoors yet! She loves to go for walks in her stroller and swing at the park, but when it comes to walking in the grass, touching anything in nature or walking on unsteady terrain, she is just simply not a fan and she lets you know.  So we have been trying to spend a lot of time outside to work on altering her perspective little by little.

With the joy of more time in the mornings to get out and do things, comes the negative of less time to get things done without the assistance of my sweet little helper and less down time for me.  This has made it hard for me to find time to get online, let alone write.  But I want that to change.  I'm figuring out that I need to get up before Lily if I want to have a quiet time now.  As I have mentioned before, getting up super early has never been my strong suit, but on the mornings that I have, I found my heart to be more open, patient and ready to be filled throughout the day.  The reward far outweighs the cost, but sometimes in those wee hours of the morning, that cost seems pretty pricy.  So I've been trying to do get up early to spend time with God...there is a lot of room for improvement here...it was so much easier to do during her morning nap!  Ahhh change.

I have started working out again.  FINALLY.  I have been struggling in this area for years now, first with trying to coordinate exercise class schedules with working outside of the home but not wanting to eat dinner at 8:30pm, and then it was coordinating nap schedules with Jazzercise class schedules...which did not gel at all until now.  I love Jazzercise and have done it off and on for years.  I am the type of exerciser who needs to have someone telling me what to do the whole time and I love to dance, so its the perfect combo.  So why not quit Jazzercise when it was not working for me through the past few years and do something else? I could have and I almost did- dozens of times, but there was always the secret hope that I could get back to class on a somewhat regular basis...and now, thanks to no more morning nap,  I'm there.  Jazzercise for me has been the only kind of challenging exercise that I can genuinely say that I love. And it feels GREAT to move and work up a big sweat again!  I have a loonngg way to go as far as getting back into shape, but it feels fantastic and encouraging to finally be back on a realistic path to get there.  Lily has done okay in the childcare there as well, which helps.  So we've been settling into that rhythm as well.

On top of all of that, we celebrated Joe's birthday, have been to the park oodles of times, have gone for many long walks, still have not sold our house despite a decent number of showings (will write more about this sometime as it has been a BIG challenge for my heart), I have gone to baby showers, helped with a bridal shower, went to see the symphony at the beautiful Kauffman Center (thanks Jenny), saw a movie in the theater, had several play dates, got a bunch of stuff ready for my mom's annual garage sale, had several open houses, prepared and delivered meals to two new mama friends, have been meeting with my small group weekly, celebrated Mother's Day, had friends over for dinner, had my "Sarah" day, just finished a class on End Times at my church, and have been helping with the new baby ministry at our church as well.  It has been a busy month as far as social engagements and obligations go!

I have been trying to carve out time to read as well.  It's very hard to do because usually by the end of the day, I make it through about three pages before crashing out.  But here is a little glimpse of what I've been making my way through this spring...

Not the greatest photo, but my this was the eighth time I had stacked my books thanks to my little helper so we just did our best....and I forgot one! Oh well!

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem - This was the book (don't worry, I only had to read a few chapters!) for my Deep Dives Theology class I took at church about End Times.  Our church has offered many "dives" as they are called on different topics, but the End Times one captured my interest this time, so I signed up.  It was a lot of reading required, but it was very interesting.  In addition to the chapters from this book there were other chapters from other books that were handed out in class.  It was a great experience and quite a time committment.  There is a LOT to learn on this topic.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan- This book has been recommended to me so many times and so when our small group decided to read through it together, I was excited.  Now I can recommend it to others! I really appreciate Francis' enthusiasm and honesty about developing an authentic relationship with Jesus.  His writing is genuine and easy to read.


American Assassin by Vince Flynn - I love these books.  Vince Flynn writes about a CIA operative named Mitch Rapp who is always going up against terrorists in some kind of international situation.  His books are page turners and so good! I'm so glad I picked up one of his books in the airport bookstore all those years ago.  One of the best "blind" choices I've ever made!

So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore -  It's a book I have had on my shelf for a couple of years and finally dove into this spring.  I have been reading it slowly to really take the time to work on some healing and uncovering in my heart that needed to happen.  I'm reading it in the perfect season of my life.

I have also been reading an entry a day from the book Simple Abundance.  It's an oldie but a goodie as it talks about simplifying, ordering, treasuring and savoring all of life's simplest pleasures.  I am sure you are familiar with it.  It was very popular many years ago.  Yes, at times it reads kind of New Age-y, but I just fill in those references with God.  I appreciate the daily reminders to find gratification, joy and beauty all around me in things I already have, things I'm already doing and in places I am already going.

Jesus Calling- Sarah Young - Oh, if you have not read this daily devotional, go get it now! It is so, so powerfully written.  It's written as if Jesus was speaking directly to you and it is amazing. I read this one every day, even though I may not have time to ponder or study its content the way I would like.

I have also been rather obsessed with watching The Good Wife on DVD.  I do not know why it took me so long to start watching despite so many recommendations!  During Lily's naptime, I like to watch an episode while I eat my lunch.  Sometimes Lily's naps are so short that that is all I have time for! But it is a good zone out activity that feels restful to me.  It is something I look forward to each day- and I may have made a special trip (or two) to the post office to get my Netflix mailed that day in order to get my next disc sooner rather than later! I'm already on Season 2 Disc 3!

I have also been thinking and planning a lot for our summer and what I want this summer to be like for our family.  I always have the dream that summer will feel lazy and relaxed, but it never feels that way! It always feels hectic, busy and jam packed.  I will write more about that in another post.  I hope your May was wonderful and that you (unlike us here in eastern Kansas) had a good amount of spring rain followed by lots of flowers.

It is good to be back here...thanks so much for checking back in on me here! I've just been busy settling into change...thankfully I have a lot of help!

-Sarah