Perfect Peace

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

My heart hurts.  For a number of reasons.  For myself, my children, my family, my friends, the world.  Even though I had a wonderful time on vacation, a lot of it was spent praying and seeking wisdom for so many things going on right now all around me.  I have many things that make me happy and I am extremely aware and focused on those things, but I cannot ignore the numerous heart issues that I am facing right now.  I won't go into detail because that doesn't matter, and this goes much deeper than what is on the surface, the personal matters that I have faced with people I love.  No, those things have been settled and I have peace.  They were a part of the journey, but there is a much deeper grief I am facing right now.  At at time when God's presence is so strong and all around me, putting the answers IN MY FACE, thank you Lord, I felt like sharing some scripture that has helped me during this time.  Because this world is not an easy place to live in and during these times, we MUST seek Him to overcome victorious in truth and peace.  

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isa. 26:3

That is so powerful, perfect peace, that is where I want to rest and that is my prayer for all.  But we must seek Him to receive this true, unshakable wisdom.  It is not in our power to be able to receive this wisdom from any other method, it will only be temporary.  My prayer for myself and for anyone reading this and suffering heart struggles right now for any reason, is to rest in Him, cast your care upon Him, He is the ONLY rescue, nothing else will be permanent, nothing.  He is faithful to give you the answers you seek.  Always LOVE, Always PEACE, Always! 

So while I am heavy hearted and physically feel grieved for many things right now, I am casting all my cares upon Him and seeking the wisdom to know His will for me concerning these issues.  I know He will show me truth, answers, mercy, grace, peace, strength, wisdom, because that is who He is...never failing!  Thank you Jesus for you have given me all these things, you perfected it all, and I receive it through you alone. 

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you."  1 Peter 5:7

"There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still."  Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom


 


 

Blogging at the Beach, Volume 3

Wednesday morning, I awoke feeling pretty shabby.  I am pretty sure it is allergies, what a bummer!  But I was really excited about the boys getting to go on their pirate adventure with their Dad.  We had a quick breakfast at the condo and headed to Harbour Town.  Jason, Noah, and Elijah got all geared up in pirate attire and set sail into the harbour at noon.  Ava and I did a little shopping, staying inside as much as possible because it was HOT!  She was a sweetheart and slept the whole time I browsed.  The best find was in the Hatley store...matching pajamas for Ava and I!!! :) They are so cute...I will have to insert a picture once we wear them together.  Every stay at home mom can appreciate good pajamas...we wear them most of the day!!
The boys got back from the pirate cruise about an hour and a half later.   Elijah got to drive the boat, if they only knew how much trouble this little guy can get into! lol  During their hunt for treasure, they encounter the bad pirate "Stinky Pete", who approaches on a little boat.  They get to spray him with water cannons and he goes overboard, Noah loved that!   Then they discover the treasure chest, which was actually under the water out in the ocean, how cool!  The boys got to pick out their treasure to keep.  Noah had 5 gold pirate coins and some sea creatures. He was really excited to tell me all about it.  Jason was very impressed with the operation and said the guys running the show were great with the kids.

 
Since it was so hot and everyone was ready for lunch, we braved the eating out world again and had great success this round.  YAY!!  We ate at a place called The Crazy Crab, very neat little restaurant and good food.  The boys played at the playground for a few minutes while I fed Ava and we headed back to the condo for nap time.  By this time, my allergy/cold issue was really making me feel yucky, so I laid down myself and slept the rest of the afternoon with Ava. 
After Eli woke up, Jason and the boys headed to the beach for some fun.  They got to be 100% boys without Mama bird in sight.  Jason got some great exercise since they went pretty far down the beach with the bike.  They got all yucky and wild. lol  I am so glad that they got to spend this precious time with their Dad.  He is such an awesome father and I feel so blessed to have him.

Ava and I woke up around 8 p.m.!  Since it was past dinner time, we went the pizza route again to make things easier.  After baths and popcorn, the boys fell asleep with Jason.  I watched a movie, ate a big bowl of fruit, and laid in bed until I fell asleep again, praying I'd wake up feeling much better.
Jason got up early and took some nature and sunrise photos. 

I didn't sleep that great, but I was really excited that it was my spa day!  I got up, ate some more fruit, and headed off to my appointment.  It started with a really awesome facial.  It was about a 45 minute ordeal with a shoulder and arm massage.  I could have laid there all day, it was so relaxing and my skin felt great.  Then I got a pedicure with a reflexology session.  This was kind of a step up from the normal pedicures I've gotten before.  Super nice massage chair, relaxing music on my headphones, and a very professional nice lady pampering me.  Reflexology was very neat, I enjoyed it a lot.  It does really trigger a state of relaxation, and that felt really nice.  I actually broke away from wondering if the baby was okay for about 30 minutes, and that is not easy to do with a three month old.
Jason did great back at the condo with the kiddos.  Ava was ready to eat for sure when I got back!  She giggled when she saw me and it was so sweet, even if she was glad her food source had returned.  We loaded up and headed out to the Hilton Head Brewery, per Jason's request.  He has been brewing his own beer for the past year and wanted to check out the local beers.  The food was really good too, and it was again a fairly successful experience.  We learned to order fast and give Elijah the table "breaks" he needs.  We still have to eat really quick, but that's part of it for now. :)
We were planning on going back to Harbour Town to see a local children's musician do a show, but my annoying allergy issue was in full effect and we headed back to the condo to get some rest.  Jason took the boys swimming at the pool for a while and I spent some time working on the blog in bed with sleeping Ava.  I was really bummed that we didn't get a chance to get beach pictures, but hoped to do that Friday evening.
Friday morning, I awoke feeling a lot better, praise God!  I was so glad that I was going to be able to enjoy my last day of vacation.  Jason got up early again and brought back breakfast from Signey's.  We loved this place on our last visit, the blueberry and blackberry french toast casserole is amazing.  It is a hidden little place, but was featured on Rachel Ray's $40 A Day show and we happened to see it before our last trip here.  After breakfast, we all got ready and headed to The Sandbox Children's Museum.  I think this was definitely a huge highlight of our trip.  It is the neatest little place for children.  Jason and I had a blast too. :)  It is set up to be very interactive and the boys had so much fun.  Noah's favorite part was the train table and Thomas Cards, of course.  Elijah LOVED the airplane set up, we may have a future pilot on our hands.  Ava looked cute having a tea party.  We played for over 2 hours there and had it not been lunch time and nap time, I would have stayed a lot longer!  Noah was very pouty because he made a friend and was having so much fun with her.  She had the best imagination and he was following her every move.  So cute!  I wish this place was accessible all the time, it was so neat.

We had lunch at Panera Bread via the drive-thru, so we could eat at the condo.  Elijah had already fallen asleep by this point.  We ate our lunch and while little man slept, then Noah and I headed for a bike ride to the beach.  I was really excited to spend time with him, he is such an amazing little boy.  Unfortunately, the rain had other plans.  We made it to the beach and it got really dark and started thundering. :-(  We played in the ocean for about 5 minutes and rode the bike back.  We were so bummed, but it was still fun taking a solo bike ride with my little buddy.

We showered and waited for the storm to settle a bit.  I realized that beach pictures were not happening tonight, guess we'll be working on those back home.  It was still raining on and off, but we decided to see if the children's music show was going on.  We saw this guy last time and he was awesome, so we were really hoping to catch his show again since it is a nightly event in Harbour Town.  Unfortunately, he had to cancel the show due to lightening.  Another rain bummer. :(  But we decided to do what we do best, and brave the dining out experience again.  Another good experience, woo hoo!   We ate at Wild Wings Cafe since Jason loves wings.  Pretty good food but pretty loud atmosphere so thankfully they were fairly quick with our order before Elijah and Ava got too overstimulated.  Noah is always an angel, my little sweetheart is such a good boy.  All of them are good, but age makes all the difference in their patience meter! lol
We headed back to the condo and started packing for our morning departure.  My crazy husband suggested just taking off that night, but the more sensible side of our relationship, me, knew that would be certain chaos.  Gotta love his spontaneous spirit, but my spirit of discernment trumped this crazy idea! lol  So we got most everything packed and went to bed.  I think we all fell asleep in about 5 minutes.  I slept really good and was thankful I didn't go along with Jason's crazy idea!

We woke up Saturday, ate breakfast and packed up the van to head back to home sweet home.  The two little ones slept the first few hours.  Jason and I talked and had an amazing revelation moment, again, God brought us confirmation about an issue in the neatest way!  He seems to love to minister to us while we are on wheels, ha ha, maybe we need to wear roller skates all the time! LOL!!  The funniest part of the trip home was that I had to pay 50 cents to use the bathroom! Yes, you read right, in Georgia there was a country gas station that requested a donation to go potty! It was hilarious telling Jason I needed 2 quarters to pay to use the restroom. We got a good laugh out of this place:

There were some patches of rain here and there, but the sky was absolutely gorgeous.  I took a few pictures from the inside of the van, but these pictures do no justice for the view we experienced.  Truly stunning skies.

 
The ride for the kids was pretty good up until the last leg of the trip.  Ava and Elijah were over being in the car and whined pretty much the whole last 2 hours.  Shew, that is always the longest part of the trip.  I was wishing I knew how to teleport them to the house, because nothing was helping at this point.      
The boys were really wanting to go see Pa and Nanny, but Elijah had fallen asleep about 20 minutes before we got home, so we decided to wait until today to reunite with the beloved grandparents.  These grandkids are so blessed, they are so loved, and love their Pa and Nanny so much.  They asked several times daily to go see them, and I know it makes my Daddy and Mama smile to feel so loved.  :)
So we learned a lot of lessons on this wonderful family vacation.  Jason learned that life with three young kids sun up to sun down is sometimes challenging, my reply was "welcome to my world honey." lol  We learned that eating out is a "bonus" to life right now, sometimes a good one, sometimes not so good.  We learned that this season of life is so precious, these babies are teaching us so many good things.  Getting away from the distractions of life helps put things into perspective.  This trip was a bit crazy at times, went by way too fast, but was much needed for all of us.  I am so happy to share all of these memories with you.  I feel refreshed, reconnected, and excited about life.  Vacations seem to be a little piece of heaven here on earth.  Hope you get to go on one real soon.          

Blogging at the Beach, Volume 2

Sunday afternoon, after a day of lots of rain and settling in, we venture out to eat as a family.  I know, I know, I had just written that we are eating most of our meals here, but the rain stopped and we were ready to get out!  Oh boy, are we learning all about that.  Three small children + nice restaurant = chaos!!  We get compliments on how well behaved our children are all the time, that is not so much the issue.  It's just the timing issue and you never know how that is going to go when eating out.  We called ahead to make sure the wait wasn't insane, and were told, no wait.  Great, but we get there and end up waiting about 10 minutes.  No big deal, but we are sat at a middle table so it's kind of cramped and loud.  The boys are hungry, mistake numero uno, we waited too long to feed them.  Mistake numero dos, Jason orders a spicy appetizer and Noah whines that it hurt his belly.   Elijah has to go potty everytime we sit down to eat, lol.  Ava is overstimulated.  Noah wants to play musical chairs.  I take Elijah for a walk in between appetizer and meal.  Ava wakes up and wants to be held.  I eat my dinner with one hand as fast as possible, which I am pretty much used to by now.  So then a really nice northern lady who had obviously drank a few glasses of wine, comes over to me and says, "It's a bitch, right? I used to be in your shoes honey, I totally get it. " LOL!!!!!!!!  I just replied, "It can be crazy at times, but they are such blessings, it's totally worth it."  She talked to Noah for several minutes which was hilarious also, he talks in this really interesting voice when he meets someone and I have to translate everything he's saying because I am the ONLY one who understands it.  Add translator to my list of credentials.

Go Potty Mom, pwease.

So we head back to the condo, make some cookies, and act silly the rest of the night. I ate too many cookies and got a rush of energy.   I was chasing the boys around like I was a bird, "cawing" pretty loudly until I remembered, we are surrounded by neighbors on almost all sides and it was after 10 p.m. here.. They were loving it, laughing so hard, but I think it scared Ava.  She was looking at me like I was crazy!! lol  Then we played "freeze dance"; dancing and freezing when someone turns the music off.  Noah loved controlling the radio, he got so tickled.  Elijah can really "cut a rug."  Jason couldn't resist and joined us in the fun, so after that we were all wore out and headed to bed.
Monday, we woke up to a really loud thunderstorm.  I actually slept in with Ava since I knew we couldn't go anywhere until the rain stopped.  Around 11, it stopped and the rest of the day was sunny, hot, and humid!  We left a little late in the day and went to a camera shop to get a tripod for beach photos. YAY! :)  I am looking forward to getting some family beach pictures with my new camera.  Eli fell asleep and since we were getting hungry, we concocted a different plan.  Noah, Ava, and I would go to the shopping center we were headed to and find a place to eat.  So while Jason sat in the car with Eli, we headed off and found a really neat little restaurant.  It was kind of swanky, New York-ish, if that makes any sense.  Very slow at this time and a really neat menu, so we headed inside to order.  I ordered for everyone and called Jason to bring Eli in when the food arrived.

Sleepy boy

Worked out pretty good until Jason and Eli arrived.  Eli wasn't ready to get up so he was cranky and didn't want to eat.  Then Ava woke up right as the food hit the table.  My dreams of eating a meal with both hands and chewing my food instead of swallowing it whole were no longer taking place. lol  So, we decided AGAIN that eating out is just a crazy idea.  We do have a couple more places we want to eat at, but we are learning how to make it go a bit smoother, so hopefully the next experience will be a better report. lol
So after that, we decided to go shopping for a bit.  Lesson number 2:  little kids do not like shopping.  lol  They actually did pretty good once we found the toy store, but we hit about 4 shops and then proceeded to the ice cream stand.  It is quite comical to think about Jason and I figuring out this being outnumbered thing.  When all else fails, toys and ice cream seem to fix the problem, for everyone!
One of our goals on this vacation are to spend one on one time with each of the kids.  So when we got back, Jason took Elijah down to the beach to go crab hunting.  They grabbed their little net and flashlight and off they went.  Noah got a new boat for the bathtub so I gave him a bath while they were gone.  Jason and Elijah found a few crabs at the beach and then Elijah had his turn with his boat in the tub.

I made popcorn, a much loved snack in our family, and we played a new game we bought at the toy store called "Pop Up Pirate."  Jason was the last one to do it, and his competitive spirit couldn't hardly stand it!! HA HA HA!! I had to rub it in of course, isn't that what a good wife does?
Tuesday, we wake up around 9-10 a.m.  to a beautiful sunny day.  Jason made pancakes and eggs for the boys.  I cut up some fresh cantelope and watermelon for my breakfast, my stomach needs a break from all this vacation food!  We called and made reservations for Jason and the boys to go on a pirate ship adventure.  I REALLY want to go too, but it is midday and I don't think that is a good idea for the baby, so it's a guy adventure this time.  It will be great bonding time with their Dad, and Ava and I will go shopping while they are out on the boat.  I also made my spa reservation to get a facial and reflexology pedicure, I can't wait for Thursday!! :)
We ate lunch and dinner at the condo today. lol  Dinner was yummy, parmesean crusted tilapia, grilled veggies, and sun-dried tomato foccacia bread.

We had an early dinner so we could spend the afternoon at the beach.  Earlier in the day, we rented some bicycles to ride around the island.  The sand is really compact here so you can even ride them on the beach.  We rented a little carriage for the boys behind one bike and I put Ava in her Ergo carrier and rode the other bike.  We headed off to the beach and rode our bikes to a nice little tide pool.  The boys played and Noah built his first sand castle all by himself.  It even had his boat hidden inside , lol, he was so excited!

Ava woke up from her little nap and did not want to be in the carrier any longer once we started back to the condo.  So we stopped to give her a break and a chance to dig her toes in the sand.  And I couldn't resist a mini-photo session, she's just too cute!  I could take a million shots of her.

Jason offered to carry her and push one bike while I drove the bike with the boy's carriage.  It was not an easy task to manuever those little dudes on a narrow sidewalk in the dark!  It was close to a miracle that we made it back in one piece.  Then I turn around and see Jason had really rode behind me with one hand holding Ava, the other on the handle bars!  Lawd, no wonder the guy we past said, "you guys have really got your hands full!"  And he didn't say anything because I would have never let him do that, good thing it was dark and no one called child protective services! :-/  But since we all made it back in good condition, it was something to laugh at once again.  Maybe we are crazy for the things we attempt with 2 toddlers and a baby, but it sure makes for an interesting life, lots of stares, and a few comments here and there.
We came in and bathed everyone, ate popcorn, and the boys called Pa and Nanny, then went to bed.

Jason and I watched cable for a bit.  We don't have cable at home anymore so it feels like a treat.  Now it's time for us to go to bed.  I am really tired and having allergy issues or something, so good night for now.
Big day tomorrow for the boys, can't wait for Volume 3!!


   
  

  

Blogging at the Beach Volume 1

What a better way to share our vacation fun than blogging about it in REAL time! :)
We are at Hilton Head Island, SC this week.  We LOVE it here, this is our second time to return, it feels like our home away from home.  The first time we came was when we had only Noah, who was 21 months old.  That vacation was VERY special to us, it provided the break we needed from almost two years of feeling like our home away from home was doctor's offices.  It was seriously the point at which my soul was restored and I knew everything would be okay.  So this place holds a special place in our hearts.
The trip here was great.  Jason and I love road trips, we connect on the drive and although it's filled with tons of stops for the kiddos, the moments in between are much needed soul connecting.  We left Friday at around 4 pm.  Elijah and Ava drifted right off to sleep and we decided to use this time to let Noah just "be still".  No movies, music, or video games.  He does great with stillness, no complaining.  I just wish I could see the thoughts going on in that sweet little head.  I also wanted him to be able to listen since I knew we'd be praying before long. 
And that's exactly what happened, after talking about some current life, some of the heart issues, other people in our lives, and our vacation, we began to just pray to set the tone for this week.  It was amazing, a super great time of fellowship with our awesome Father.  I just LOVE Him so much and know He loves me too.  Like I told my friend Missy the other day, it feels like the face of God is right in my face smiling all the time.  Amazing feeling.  If you are reading this and think God is anything other than good and loving, testing or trying you, I challenge you to give Him a chance to prove differently.  He LOVES you so so so much and just wants an awesome relationship, no strings attached.  Okay, okay I'll stop by sermon now. lol
So the drive was fairly good, it took us 10 hours to make an 8 hour trip.  We had planned to drive half way, spend the night and then drive the rest of the way on Saturday since we couldn't check in until 4 pm.  But an awesome blessing happened instead.  I called the condo owners to see if there was any chance it would be okay to check in early on Saturday since we planned on arriving around noon.  She said the family who was here last week had left a day early, so we could check in anytime on FRIDAY!  So we drove straight through and got here at 4 am on Saturday instead of 4 pm, a whole extra 12 hours, thank you Lord! :)  The boys awoke as we pulled in and went crazy running through the condo checking it all out.  Noah was so cute, and Eli just repeated everything he said.  "cation"(Noah's version of vacation) had begun.  I was afraid they'd never go back to sleep, and it did take them a long time, but eventually they dozed off.  Ava and I were out in about 2 seconds!
We rested up and then set out to grocery shop and get things we need for the week ahead.  There is a Fresh Market here, kind of like a smaller version of Whole Foods, so I was REALLY excited to check it out.  We ate lunch at a neat little New York style Deli and did our shopping.  Fresh Market was awesome!  But they didn't have everything I needed so we headed on to Publix.  We don't have a Publix where we live, but I used to shop there in Florida a lot so I was also excited to go to that store.  I know, I am dweeb for loving grocery shopping, but I do.  Jason sat with the nappers in the car while I ran in.  OMG, it was INSANE in there.  Everyone was beginning their week I guess, seriously it was a mad house, so my love for grocery shopping wasn't so great at this moment.  And first let me clarify, that I have nothing against northerners, lol, but it was like New Jersey and New York up in Publix.  It was hilarious!  They are so loud and descriptive about everything they are doing.  If they go to pick up a watermelon, it goes a little something like this, "I am going to pick out a nice juicy watermelon.  Don't you think watermelon will go great with cereal and fresh berries in the morning?  Do you think Bob will enjoy it?  Oh, here's a nice one, let's get this one.  Look at how nice this is."  Ha ha ha!! They are so loud and descriptive, I love it!  So here I am, quiet southern girl, smiling at everyone and getting some weird looks for smiling, and striking up conversations at the Deli counter with a bunch of well-to-do northerners ordering insane amounts of Boar's Head meat...I mean like 6 pounds of deli meat and cheese!!!  Hilarious!!  They are super nice once you start the conversation, it was a great people watching experience but took WAY.TOO.LONG! 
So we get back to the condo, or "combo" as Noah calls it, lol, and unload the goods.  Jason can't wait to get to the beach, so we get load Ava into her stroller and head for the ocean.  Oh the ocean, a piece of heaven on Earth.  So relaxing.  We didn't put swim suits on anyone because for some reason we thought it was about to get dark and we didn't want to do the whole "swimming" thing.  Just go play in the sand and breathe in the salty air.  HA HA HA, what were we thinking?!?!  Two little boys run straight for the first tide pool they see and waller in it like little pigs!!  No reservations on what they are wearing, lol.  Noah introduced Thomas the train to the sand and was so happy to finally be at the beach, he was singing his own little song.

We spent about an hour there and decided to head back to make dinner.
We clean everyone up and as I'm showering, I decide pizza sounds good.  So we ordered pizza and played games for a while.  Jason laid down with the boys and dozed off himself.  Then he came and laid down with sweet girl, and I had to take a picture, it was too cute.  After some time online and straightening up, I decided to get some much needed sleep too.

I woke up the earliest today, which basically NEVER happens.  I LOVE to sleep in, but decided I don't want to waste my morning opportunity of some free time everyday this week, so I got up and made a pot of amazing coffee we bought at Fresh Market, White Chocolate Raspberry Beret.  Noah got up about 30 minutes later and then Jason and Elijah, Ava was the last to open her eyes, she's just like me, loves to sleep in the morning hours.

Good Morning!! My new favorite picture!

We had fresh blueberries, pancakes, and eggs for breakfast here at the condo.  It is so cool to be able to cook a lot of our meals, as eating out is an EVENT with three little ones, shew, I get tired just thinking about it!! We do have a few places we plan to go eat out at, but for the most part, eating will happen here at the "combo."

The boys got all suited up for swimming about a hour ago, but had to come back about 10 minutes later because it started thundering. 

The weather forcast looks pretty rainy this week.  So far though, we have been blessed with some good weather when the forcast shows constant rain.  No rain yesterday or early this morning.  As long as we have some outdoor time each day, it is all good.  Spending good quality family time together is what this vacation is all about...indoors or outdoors.  So that is all for today, I'm going to go spend time with my beautiful family.  Love ya'll.