Raising Littles - My Journey

Hope

2011-11-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Today, things seemed to be little on the stressful side. We woke up happy to Aiden at 5:30 am talking to us. Then as Derek was leaving for work we got some bad news regarding our finances. It comes at a bad time when just last week, we were informed that Derek might have to go on unemployment soon. Then thought started swirling in my head. If we are having financial troubles now with the size of family we have, how much more difficult will it be when Emily arrives. We started talking about me seriously going back to work but after calculating the expense of daycare for 2 babies, I will have to find a great paying job. I did have an interview a week or so ago at a doctor's office. We talked about my pregnancy plans and when I could start so maybe that will work out. I just feel that God wants me to be at home but I'll have to wait and see what He has planned for our family.

After having all of these thoughts race through my head, I started feeling very stressed and overwhelmed. I felt like I needed to fix things. How could I do the will of the Lord and help my husband with income? I then heard the words, "I need to turn to God for guidance and understanding." I felt the inner peace of the Holy Spirit reminding me to be still and know that my Father will handle this situation. He has always provided us with our needs. He has chosen our family to be the size that it is for a reason. We may have had to cut back on wants and at first it was hard, but we have never gone without a meal. We have all that we could ask for. We have a wonderful home and a loving environment for our children to grow up in.

I feel so blessed to have my Savior in control of all of our situations.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

I know that no matter what happens in the future, God will continue to love and provide us with our needs because we are His children. I know that there will be hard times ahead, especially in this unstable economy and that we are blessed to have what we have. I trust God with all of my heart and I know that He has a path for our family to follow. I just need let go and let Him take full control. I need to worry about the responsibilities that He entrusted to me, which is being a great mom to my kids and a wonderful helpmeet to my husband. I will spend my day today with the love of God in my heart. I will pray more today, not because of this hardship but with the song of praise for all of the things that He has blessed our family with. To God alone be the glory! Amen.

But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

(1 Corinthians 2:9)

Daylight Savings Time..

2011-11-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Today was a rough one for us. I thought I would love gaining that hour but I woke up feeling more tired than ever. It could be because no matter what the clocks says, my children woke up at their normal 7:30 am. The clock read 6:30 am but that made no difference to them. So we started our day early and got off to a great start but for some reason, motivation was lacking for me this morning. I did the best I could to get everyone breakfast at a decent time. My husband had to work again today so it was just me and the kids. They seem to be full of energy but it is something that is missing for me today.

How do you keep up with littles while being pregnant? That is one secret that I am craving to know. I feel so blessed to be able to mother such wonderful kids. I see them growing such a heart for the Lord. Madison last night told Aiden, "Aiden, you need to know God". It was so cute. All I could do is smile.

I'm starting to feel a little nervous as I get farther along about how I'm going to be able to manage my house, keep that upbeat attitude, and raise multiple littles. I tell myself every morning that God never gives me more that He can handle. I trust in Him and the plan He has for us. I know that I can either be stressed about having 2 babies at once or I can embrace it with joy. It's funny how I get down sometimes (probably just the hormones) but then the moment someone asks me, "are you planning on having more children?", I get this lifted spirit and start defending our choices.

Yes, I know my 2 youngest will be 14 months apart. Yes, I know there will be tough moments. I'm used to a 4 year gap between Madison and Aiden. The best thing I can say is God gave me these beautiful children because obviously He feels He can trust in me to be a good mom to them. Will we think about more children once Emily arrives in Feb? Who knows but no matter what choice we make, we choose to follow God's leadership and let Him guide our hearts to do what is best for our family ♥

Getting to know me...

2011-11-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

      Hello, my name is Kristina and I am a stay at home mom. My husband and I share our older daughter, Madison who is 5. We have a 1 year old son together and we are expecting a little girl in February 2012. We love Jesus with a passion and do all we can to glorify Him.
      I started this blog becuase I love reading all about larger families, saving money, homemaking, and being a helpmeet. The one thing I didn't find is a blog of someone who was just starting their large family. All of the blogs I read seemed to be about families who were already very large and had a few older children to help out. They have all figured out (somewhat) how to run their large families from laundry to making large meals. I am not that experienced with having a lot of littles.
      So now you kinda know how this blog is going to go. It's going to be my daily journal of how my little family is turning into a larger family and the day-to-day things I am learning and experiencing. I'm sure once Emily comes in February(ish), things will get more interesting.

     So now on to my day - This weekend is our weekend with Madison, she is 5. She comes to visit us every other weekend. We woke up pretty early this morning and have been go go go ever since. Our days usually start early, daddy has to leave for work by 7:30 am and we do our best to get him coffee and say our goodbyes. Daddy doesn't usually work weekends, but this weekend he will be working. So it's just me, Madison (5), and Aiden (1).
      After breakfast this morning, we played and did chores. The most difficult part of my day is mornings. I am almost 7 months pregnant and finding energy to get everyone ready, make breakfast and start my daily chores is a task in itself. I'm hoping that soon the energy that comes in this stage of pregnancy will arrive soon :)

     This is just the start of my daily posts, so keep checking back. They will become more informative. I will have posts on my daily activities, my spiritual walk with Christ, and my journey as a mom.