Thirty Day Challenge- Week Two

So here we are at week two of the Honor Your Husband challenge and I'm two days late. Sorry about that. We just got back from our trip to Salt Lake City last night, so I'm behind on everything.
As for my goals from last week, to be honest I haven't been as conscious about my efforts/successes/failers this week as I would have liked to have been. I'll blame it on the chaos of planning and going on our trip, but that feels like a lame excuse. Actually, a road trip is just the formula to bring out some of the struggles I mentioned last week. But here's what I can remember:

Goal #1: Don't use sarcasm!
I feel like I did okay with this, meaning there is no specific episode of sarcasm I can remember, but I want to be more consious of it this week, so I'm keeping this goal.

Goal #2: Suggest a free time activity for him to do and provide the opportunity for him to do it.
I actually do recall a specific time I did this! This weekend, I was needing Travis to be on duty with the girls several times while I went to pre-wedding events, like the bachelorette party and girl's breakfast. Needless to say, he was feeling a bit jipped out of "vacation time". So on Monday, the day of my friend's wedding, I suggested that he go meet up with some of his paragliding or school friends for the afternoon until the wedding. He took me up on it and came back obviously refreshed. I think I'll keep this on my goals list this week too however, because I think it really feeds his spirit and makes him feel honored.

Goal #3: Say good things about him, both when others are around and in private
I remember a specific time this weekend when I told him what a good daddy he is when we were at the pool on Sunday. He had both girls in their floaty toys, swishing them through the water, fixing hats, calming fears, just being a wonderful dad. I commented alowd what a great dad he is and I could see him beeming. And you know what, I'm going to keep this goal as well, because I know it speaks love and honor to Travis and that I need to do it more, and genuinely of course.

I'll try to get my update up on Monday next week, sorry about the delay. This accountability is wonderful!
Sarah

Thirty Day Challenge

I just had to participate in this wonderful challenge, courtesy of Christine at Fruit in Season.

As easy as it is to know in my head how important it is to honor and respect Travis, it's much harder to put that knowledge into practice on a daily basis. And while I'd like to think Travis feels honored and respected most of the time, the truth is, I fall short in my efforts more often than I'd like.

What do our husbands need from us? What does honor look like? Christine gave some great answers to this question and I'll try to add a few more. The best reference I have is my own husband, so here are a few things I've learned make him feel honored and respected:

1. When I whole-heartedly support his goals for our family, specifically financially. That means, not only that I understand the value of good stewardship, but I act accordingly, staying within our budget, discussing purchases with him, telling him what I buy on a given day and entering the amount into our budget sheet right away.

2. When I talk to him without sarcasm. I mess this one up way too often! I find it so much easier to make a point using sarcasm, but it is so ugly and only creates defensiveness.

3. When I make an effort to give him down time or free time, without asking for help with the kids 24/7. Along with this, he appreciates it when I don't make him feel guilty for taking that free time.

4. When I cook a delicious meal for him, something I know he likes.

5. When I "brag" on him, both in front of him and when he's not around.

6. When I pursue quality time with him, and for him that means, doing something fun together that we both enjoy.

7. When I make the effort to have good relationships with his family, biting my tongue, thinking before I speak, and creating peace with an attitude of grace and humility.

8. When I show genuine interest in his work, hobbies, struggles, thoughts, desires, all of who he is.

I'm sure there are many more I could add to this list that are not coming to my mind at the moment, but the point is, I know what makes him feel honored and respected, now I need to go about prayerfully increasing those things in our relationship.

So, my goals for this week are:

1. Don't use sarcasm!

2. suggest a free time activity for Travis and create the opportunity for him to do it.

3. Say good things about him to others, in front of him and when he's not around.

I'll keep it at three this week for more focus. This will be great accountability when I report in next week!

Happy Anniversary My Love!

Happy Anniversary Travis!Four years ago today, our two lives became one.
The beginning of our adventure, the happiest day of my life!

Here's to decades of kisses from my best friend in the whole wide world!
Always, Your Bride

Can't wipe the grin off my face!!!

I can hardly believe it myself after four years without a car, but this mama now has some wheels of her own!!! My precious husband, for a killer anniversary gift (our anniversary is tomorrow), bought me a 2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L! It is simply beautiful. Low miles, a gorgeous pearlbrush sage color, leather interior, I'm just speechless. We had been looking for a couple weeks now and found this one yesterday for a great price. At a little after 1:30pm today, I was handed the keys to my new car, and I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since. Thank you, thank you, thank you Travis! Words just aren't enough my love! Happy anniversary! There's no way I can match your gift, but I'll do my best to make tomorrow special for you. And THANK YOU Lord for this amazing provision! I, in no way, deserve this tremendous blessing.

Chloe is Crawling!!!

That's right, my little "Baby Moses" (that's what we call her) is CRAWLING!!! She's been scooting and crawling backwards for several weeks now, but for the very first time this morning, she figured out how to put it in first gear and is crawling forward! Here are a couple samples, mama is so proud! I think our first order of buisness this evening when Travis gets home from work will be buying a baby gate for the top of the stairs.

The Conflict Within

^{Romans 7:15-25}

¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²²For in my inner being I delight in God's law; ²³but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Can I get an Amen!? Oh, how this passage sums it up for me!

The morning is upon me. After nursing Chloe at 4:30am, her occasional morning drink, I go into the bathroom for a drink myself. I hear the first birds of the morning start their song outside my bathroom window. For a moment I delight in their sound, but the moment passes and I fumble back to my warm, soft covers, hoping for another couple hours of slumber. It was a difficult night. Chloe had some crying bouts up until 12:30am, then Emma came in at 2:00am for comfort after a nightmare. Needless to say, this mama was tired at 6:15am when Emma was up and in chipper form for the day. She crawls in the covers between us. I know it's coming, but perhaps this once, this one blissful once, she won't say it..."Mommy, get me some juice please!" "Just a minute," I grumble. Five seconds later, "Mommy, can you get me some juice please, I'm thirsty?!" With a little more volume I answer, "Just a minute! Mommy is very tired, I need to rest a little longer, please be patient." This banter goes back and forth several times, complete with rolling the other way in a huff. Travis finally succumbs and gets her the juice, what a guy! It's about 50/50, but we never know on a given morning who will make the self sacrificing choice to jump out of bed. Shamefully, when I decide to answer the plea, it's usually in a big huff of covers thrown, storming down the hall to the kitchen. By the time I make it back to the bedroom, I'm already feeling guilty for my little tantrum, and then we ease into the day as usual. By post shower, I'm in a better mood, but invariably, the next irritating whine or tantrum from Emma will evoke in me the teeth clenching, complete with steam out the ears, and of course an occasional (as Travis calls them) toothpaste tube yelling episodes when I must resemble the Wicked Witch of the West. James 3:10 says: "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."
I long to be the patient, gracious mother, always calm in response to chaos, always seeing the greater character goal in all my discipline, only administering consequences for behaviors that truely need correcting, not simply out of selfish annoyance when Emma is just being a normal child of her age. I long to be Christ to my children, ever patient, always seeing the best in them when they are giving me their worst, responding in love when it seems they must surely exist to reveal all my shortcomings. My days are full of choices, continue doing the dishes, or grant the request to "play with me mommy", sweep the floor, or get down on it with my sweet little Chloe, clammering for my attention? To make a house or make a home, how does one do both? Some days I am lonely, isolated in my car-less existance, longing for an adult conversation and an end to the incessant whining from my two year old. Sometimes it's hard for me to see the emmence value of the position I've chosen as a stay-at-home mom when I feel that I fail at being the mom I want to be at least once a day. Some days, I just want to be selfish, I just want to do something that I enjoy, without interruption, but then feel sorry for myself when I can't.

"Oh Father, my Savior and Friend! Help me! I want so much to be all that You've called me to be. I want to drink up your presence and your promises every day, be my fuel to do what I cannot do without you. Be my joy when I am in the pits of despair, be my patience when I have none left, be everything in me that I cannot be. You have entrusted tender, precious lives in my care, they need me to need you with an insatiable hunger. Reveal your purposes for me when I am feeling hopeless, remind me of your forgiveness when I refuse to forgive myself. Little eyes are watching, little ears are listening. Help me to lay down my life each day for my family, filled to overflowing with YOU! Help me to resist the tempation to think as the world thinks, that I am somehow entitled to selfishness, that I am in some way in need of more than the portion you have given me, the job you have asked me to do."

We Have Succumb!

Yes, our very first video game system as a married couple! Travis bought the Wii Nintendo system today, we've been having so much fun this afternoon. Truth be told, it's HIS, but we decided we wanted a completely family friendly game system, and this fits the bill. Not to mention, it's almost impossible to sit still while you play, so there might even be some calories burned. I'm the bowling queen so far, but Travis beat me in tennis. Nothing like a little competition to spark the romance! Now we'll just have to limit ourselves so as not to waste away too many hours. Let the games begin!