So the windows are open...

I came downstairs tonight after putting the kids to bed, and the windows were open.  It had just rained, but now there was just the view of the final rays of light as the sun was setting, and I could hear birds chirping and felt a cool breeze come in through the window, and I knew I had to sit down and blog out a few of my thoughts.

Tomorrow my dad is leaving after a quick visit on his way back from Missouri, and I'm finally going to declare this crazy, fun, stressful, fast season of have a baby, move, house hunt, move again, with visiting and visits from family sprinkled in between at an end.  All (well mostly all) the boxes are unpacked.  There is still some little things that need to be organized in the house, but our house is operational.  Our family visits have come to an end for a while.  Alain is settled in at his new job.  And I'm no where near getting used to this mom of 3 kids thing, but we are all still surviving anyhow. We have a new local church, a few new friends and working on making more. Things are coming together into a new normal (whatever that is for us!)

My God is the same yesterday, today and 

tomorrow.  Grateful for that.

At least we did it together...

Setting up the Christmas tree with my 2 babies didn't quite look like I thought it would in my imagination...

 There were moments of delight...the excitement of being handed an ornament, the joy of playing with strings of bright lights, so I caught glimpses of my "vision".

But a 2 year old and a 1 year old don't understand why they can play with lights on the floor, but not the ones on the tree. There was confusion expressed in anger over why it was ok to put ornaments on the tree, but not take them off again. And there was a whole box of broken snowman decorations after the 2 year old dropped them on the floor. (Mom, I've totally paid back for breaking your "favorite" Christmas ornament years ago. :-P)

 But we pressed through. And we did it together. And the next morning (after they all slept in until 8 a.m....apparently putting up a Christmas tree is hard work!) Benjamin pointed out excitedly that he put on "This one and this one and this one" so I know he has good memories of it. So it was worth the effort, and we've learned some lessons, and the kids still look cute in front of the tree.

It's back! (for now) :-)

So it's been a while. Just reopening the blog to announce that Benjamin is engaged! Well it hasn't quite been that long but it seems like it :-) Last night Alain and I were having trouble remembering when a certain event happened, so I looked back at the old blog. It was so fun looking at all the old pictures and reliving old memories I had forgotten. So Alain says I should start it up again. And then he saved the link on the iPad so it would be easier for me to work on it. So he really wants me to do it :-) So I will!  Hopefully I can keep it going, but no promises!

This is actually a good time to start it up again, because we are once again in a season of major transitions!
**Alain will finish up his residency (woo-hoo!) in December and we will be moving to Fort Campbell, KY, where Alain will be working as a staff physician at the hospital on base. It still seems a little surreal to us that this season of our lives is coming to an end.  Alain has worked so hard and I couldn't be more proud of him!

This man is seriously an amazing father.  In the midst of one of the busiest work seasons, he makes time for big memories like trips to pumpkin festival and the state fair, or minimally a light saber battle or dance party before bed. I just love him so much, and these kids don't know how good they have it!

**Our move--We have no idea yet exactly when this will take place, but probably mid-January some time. Fort Campbell was #1 on our places to be stationed, so we are so excited to be heading there. God is so kind!  We will be within a one day drive of my family in Maryland, and only 7 hours away from my family in Missouri so we are excited to get to see them more often. Also our excellent friends David & Samantha Martin, and their 2 girlies are also stationed at Ft. Campbell, so it will be a wonderful reunion. SO glad to be going to a place where we already know people!!

My big helper and my warrior princess. Seriously don't mess with her ;-)

**A new princess joining our family--As most know from Facebook we are expecting another little girl to join our family in January (hopefully before our move, lol). Her name is Priscilla Joy, and we can not wait to hold her in our arms. Benjamin now understands that baby Priscilla is in my stomach, and he occasionally will ask me to "open it" so he can see her. :-)

The cupcake we had specially made so we could find out new baby's gender as a family 

So as excited as we are about all God has for us as we start off the new year, it's a bittersweet transition, as we have been so blessed here at Ft. Hood. We have a wonderful church family and great friends in the Residency program that we are sad to leave behind.  Such is military life I know, but it doesn't make it any easier!  It is faith-building though...God richly provided for us at Ft. Bliss and Ft. Hood so I can honestly say I have no anxiety, only anticipation of what God has for us at Campbell!  Another sad thing is to be leaving behind Texas, where we started our marriage and our family. So many good memories here.  But this world is not our home and nothing like military life to teach you that!  So onward we go to a new temporary home :-)

Please be praying for Alain as his board exam is Tuesday! The day after we will be leaving for a trip to Louisville, KY to go to a medical missions conference.  Alain is hoping now that he is done with Residency to be able to do some short-term missions work, and my parents have graciously agreed to join us there to watch the kids, so we are excited to go and see what doors God will open for us there.

Also, some of you know that I have been fighting a bad case of excema.  Well, still fighting it, but several things have helped including a corn & gluten free diet, and an amazing lotion made of coconut oil infused with lavender and chamomile, plus a couple treatments of steroid creams when it gets out of control.  I think there is probably more alterations to my diet I need to make, but I'm going to wait until little Priscilla is born before I pursue those or any additional allergy testing. Thanks to those who have been praying for me!

Until next time :-)

Goldfish crackers and playdates

Real-life number two: We went to a friend's house for a play date today, and Benjamin ate the goldfish that his little friend had glued to a picture for a craft. Right off their refrigerator door. Real life is sometimes really funny.

Blessing number two: I am really grateful to have friends to have play dates with!

Blessings and Real Life #1

So, I would like to blog more, but don't always find the time to really write posts that express my heart. So I'm going to try something new.  I've been inspired by other blogs to write about real life--the good, the bad, and the ugly, and not make it look like our lives are "perfect" all the time, which is easy to do on a blog.  So however many times a week I can post, I'm going to write one real life moment.  But I also want to grow in gratefulness to God for the many, many, many blessings I experience every day. So I'm also going to post one thing that I'm grateful for.  And I will add lots of pictures to make it interesting :-)

So here is my start:

REAL LIFE #1: Last night, during bath time (which is normally a fun time, as both of my kids love the bath tub), they instead decided to have a "who can scream and cry the loudest for mom's attention" contest. I lost. Does anyone have the same experience that the kids only seem to lose it after their husband leaves for work?!

SO GRATEFUL #1: Benjamin has learned to play hide and seek with me!  It is so much fun to "hide" from my little guy and see and hear his excitement when he "finds" me! :-)

Photos from this past Saturday when we went to a nearby Pumpkin Festival at Silo Christmas Tree Farm. Another real life moment is that Benjamin had a breakdown as soon as we got there, until we gave him a bag full of animal crackers.  :-)  It was fun times from then on!

Benjamin visited the petting farm! To be truthful, he enjoyed acting like a goat and playing in the dirt, more than he did actually interacting with the goats.  He was in his element though.  One father, after his son refused to go into the farm because it was too dirty, actually pointed to dirt covered Benjamin and said his son should be more like "that boy". :-)

Trying to find some family resemblance

 1 month photos

2 months photos

What I see: Esther is definitely chubbier, and I had forgotten how Benjamin's ears stuck out, LOL! Also Esther's head seems longer to me.  But they both have the same killer smiles.  

What do you all see?

How does life with 2 kids work?

Long time, no blog.  It's because I only have 2 hands and they are both wonderfully full of children now.  We have only had Esther Grace for 7 weeks now, but it already feels like she has been a part of our family forever, and life would not be the same without her.

Benjamin & Esther meeting for the 1st time

Our first family photo

  I have 2 kids to snuggle, read to, feed, bath, play with, and smile for.  Of course that also means 2 sets of tears to try to solve (often at once!) and 2 sets of diapers to change and all of the other "work" that comes with being a mom has doubled.  I do get less sleep, but I wouldn't trade my littles for all of the extra sleep or time in the world.

Esther Grace, 1 month;  Benjamin, 16 months

The first month of Esther Grace's life was a whirlwind for me with the hospital stay, the first two weeks of just trying to function with little sleep and figuring out how to hold life together for 2 little ones, a last-minute (but much needed and enjoyed!) trip to MD for Brynn & Natalie's wedding, and then the passing of my much-loved grandfather.   It was a crazy time indeed, and my emotions were all over the place, and it was a daily struggle to lean on God for strength, and fight for joy.  Thankfully I have an amazing husband who consistently prayed for me, led me, and provided for me during that time, and wonderful friends who brought us meals.  I am so blessed!

Esther Grace with Uncle Brynn at the rehearsal dinner, and Aunt Natalie at the wedding (p.c. Featherlove photography).

Then Lola (Alain's mom) came to visit, and cared for the kids, cooked and cleaned for 3 days.  Can you say HUGE blessing of a respite?

Benjamin especially loved having his Lola here!

Now for the last two weeks we have been back to real life..no visitors, Alain is working the night shift at one of the busier rotations, and I'm back to being responsible for all of the cooking, cleaning, etc.  And I'm still trying to figure out what to prioritize, what to let go, how much time to spend with the kids vs. taking care of other stuff, and how in the world to get all of the "other stuff" done in the 2 hours (if I'm lucky) that the kids are sleeping at the same time during the day, and what to do when I have no such time!  Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing. :-P

Baby bath time

A verse from my quiet times that has encouraged me lately is Proverbs 19:14, "House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

Prudent: Acting with or showing care for the future, wise or judicious in practical affairs.

Prudent defines everything I feel like I'm failing in right now.  How can I show care for the future, when I feel like I'm struggling to hold on to the right now...When just making sure that the kids are fed, there is food in the fridge, that Alain has a lunch packed, etc? Sometimes it seems that as far into future that I can manage to be prudent in is tomorrow morning.  And sometimes not even that.  And all of these "practical affairs" are things that I tend to get overwhelmed by because I am so lacking in wisdom for how to manage them daily.  There are many days when I feel like I'm barely hanging on to all of the details, and there are even more days when I know I am failing at many of these practical affairs.

One of my new "practical affairs" that I needed wisdom on...how to grocery shop with 2 kids!

So how did this verse encourage me?

A prudent wife is from the LORD.  I have spent much time trying to be a prudent wife on my own strength, and I fail every time.  I can't do this on my own.  I need His strength, His wisdom, His care.  I need discernment and guidance from the one who knows the future in order to be able to care for the future.  I need wisdom from the source of all wisdom for how to organize my days, weeks, and years so that I can best glorify Him as a wife and mom.  I'm so grateful that the one who called me is faithful, and that He will bring this work into completion. 

So how does this truth change my day?  

1. More prayer.  When I'm unsure, I pray. When I feel overwhelmed, I pray.  When Benjamin is throwing each temper tantrum (he is the cutest kid ever, but boy does he know how to get angry when he doesn't get his way),  I pray.  I admit my need for God, and ask him for the gift of wisdom I need to be a prudent wife in each situation.

2. Seeking out others. I am seeking to be more faithful to ask other godly sources of wisdom for help. I ask Alain for wisdom on what he would like me to prioritize, and for wisdom on training the kids. I call my mom. I am having a godly wife & mom who was in my exact same position in life at one time (wife of a resident, had young kids, etc) come over to share her wisdom with me.  This all takes humility that I don't have in myself, another thing that I need from the LORD for this season.

He is faithful. He loves me and saved me through the cross, and is now at work to sanctify me.  And I can't think of a better way to be sanctified than through being a wife to an amazing husband and have the privilege to care for these 2 wonderful kids. 

Much love, and a few more photos from the Abellada family.  If you read this, leave a comment!  Seriously, it's required. We love hearing from you!

Going to the zoo, and the pool have been 2 of our favorite family activities this summer. 

Benjamin is 17 months old now and his favorite activities are riding on his car, drawing with chalk, and anything to do with water (taking a bath, watering the garden, going to the pool, turning on the faucet when mama's not watching...)

Esther Grace is 7 weeks old today, and her favorite activities are snuggling, eating, & sleeping. Gotta love being a baby...

 Alain & I are just old :-)  But we have a great life...