It has been awhile since I last wrote anything for my blog. Life has been filled to the brim with things to do. Eleanor is now 4 months old (pictures to come in a few days…if I remember), Sofia is now 5 years old, Charlotte and I have birthdays coming up in a couple of weeks, and we moved into a three bedroom apartment just up the side walk from our old apartment and I ended up having two surgeries within a 24 hour period and the recovery has been difficult and ongoing.
We are so excited about having more space and so thankful the Lord provided a great job for Malachi so that we could afford the move comfortably. The only real stress we faced with moving was that there was a minor flea infestation that had to be remedied quickly. Fortunately the apartment management made to have pest control come out and fix the issue using the least amount of chemicals.
We did run into some car trouble, but we’re thankful that it got fixed and the van is running fine now. We are praying about upgrading by the beginning of the year, hopefully to a 2008 Honda Odyssey; Lord willing.
Life has been so full these past 4 months since Eleanor was born, that I don’t have much time for anything other than maintaining a clean home, getting meals prepared, taking care of the girls, spending time with my wonderful husband, and trying to make sure laundry gets done. Moving, while the easiest one we’ve ever had, was stressful. We neglected our healthy diet and ate foods we haven’t eaten in over a year and this caused SO many problems with our digestion, and this has not aided in my recovery from the surgeries I mentioned above. I am even more convinced that we cannot compromise on nutrition, especially when I watch my children suffer when it is time to use the bathroom. We are now back on track though, praise the Lord!
Sofia is doing really well. We have yet to have her seen by the specialist I mentioned in previous posts. With the van needing to be fixed so we could safely drive it with the girls, we have had to postpone her appointment. Although I still maintain contact with healthcare providers, friends and family who have been so helpful and encouraging. We have been gluten free and casein free for about 4 months now, which has it negatives and positives. Positives being that we can tell a difference in Sofia’s ability to manage herself, and her meltdowns have decreased substantially, although sleeping is still a struggle for her. Much of her anxiety will increases when the routine of our day (although very loose) changes. She has gotten a bit better at handling the days when Malachi is late getting home from work, or when he has to stay at work through lunch. As long as he is able to call and talk to her about it for a few minutes, she does really well. We are slowly trying to introduce some gluten back into her diet to see if it aggravates her again. This is much like what we did with her red dye allergy to be positive she was indeed allergic to red dye. We have actually cut down drastically on the bread products we eat anyways, which is also beneficial to our health. I’ve been making breakfast every morning too and phasing out all breakfast cereals. This forces us to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and true whole grains, such as oatmeal and quinoa. In fact, I’ve been making smoothies a lot, and plan to do a semi-juice fast soon for a gentle detox. I can’t do a full juice fast since I am nursing, but I can do a simple version of it to help detox my body from the chemicals that may be hanging around from my surgery.
Malachi is enjoying his new job and finding that he is more needed than he anticipated. He is the Quality Assurance Manager and Analyst for a medical software company and is learning all kinds of information about the inner workings of the medical world. He will be up for a review and pay increase in a couple of months, and we are continually praising the Lord for this job!
I am 4 classes away from graduating with my Bachelor’s in Social Science with a concentration in Education. It has been a rough three years trying to get this degree, but has been such an eye opening learning experience as to what our young people are being taught within the mainstream universities. Out of all of the professors I’ve had over the past three years, only two have really made a lasting impression on me, and have been more than appreciative of my input into the course discussions. I make no apologies for my personal philosophy of education and that I believe that the Department of Education should be demolished and al public school buildings should be done away with. Education should be privatized, not controlled by the government. Nor should we be taxed for the funding of an institution we will never use. That is a whole other conversation best left for another day. I am however, very excited about being finished with this chapter of life, although I still have grandeur thoughts of completing my Master’s someday in journalism, but that will have to wait for now. I have more important things to do :) But should the homeschool laws ever change and require that I have a degree to legally homeschool, than I’m all set!
We are truly blessed. I am always in awe as to what the Lord continues to do in our lives. I have an amazing godly husband who leads our home with dignity and humility. I have three blessings that are the delight and joys of my life. I look back on the last 7 years of my life and I am humbled before the Lord for choosing to show me mercy when I know I did not and do not deserve it. I have the love of a husband that continually captures my affections. I cannot put into words the amount of respect and love I have for Malachi. He has continued to bear with me in my imperfections and extended so much grace in my ungraceful moments. He took care of me, the girls, the meals and the house while I was down from my surgeries. He has prayed over me over and over again when I was suffering in pain, and did everything in his power to ensure my comfort. He has far surpassed any of my expectations as to what a god-fearing husband should be like, and I pray the Lord lavishes much favor on him throughout all of his days. (I love you Bebe!)
In the past few months I have learned that my husband and children are the MOST important and that there are friends who will do anything to help when I need it. I have been humbled and brought to my knees in thanksgiving for the blessings the Lord has given to me. I pray that if you are struggling right now that you will look not at what you don’t have, but what you do have. That the Lord would pierce your heart with conviction about anything that you feel entitled to and that He would become your focus in all things. May we all continue to search His word for truth and wisdom because it alone is sufficient for guiding us in all things pertaining to this life, and may He alone receive the glory as He finishes the work He began in us. Soli Deo Gloria!
Serving God and MY Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
1 comment:
LOVE YOU.. <3 Megan
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