random family update

It's been awhile since I've done a Random Family Update.  A long while.  I might change the title to Random Thoughts and Happenings.  That seems more appropriate.  I love to write in bullet points.  I think that's how my brain works.  Or perhaps it's the opposite of how my brain works and this is my way of organizing what's in my brain.  Yeah, that's it!  I desire organization, but deep inside I'm pretty much a messy wreck so organizing my thoughts visually feels appropriate.

*I quite Legacy.  Here is what I posted on our Legacy FB page on Monday:   
This is Tiffany, co-founder of Legacy. After much thought and prayer over the past year I have decided to step down from my current co-owner position at Legacy. I love our little "home grown" business and being a part of this (and your lives!) has brought me and my family great joy and blessing in the past 5+ years. As you can see, Legacy is growing by leaps and bounds! This is wonderful and God has answered my and Amy's prayers in this way. However, it has been difficult for me to put forth the amount of effort and time needed to keep up with this flourishing business and raise my young family at the same time. This change means nothing different for YOU as a customer and friend of Legacy. Legacy will go on and continue to provide you with beautiful bracelets! Amy will be the sole owner and already has a growing support team in place. I will serve as a Design Consultant alongside Amy, but the majority of my "hands on" work will be done. God knows what is best for my family and I fully trust Him with this. May God bless you all! 
Pretty much relieved.  Kinda scared too that I made a bad decision.  But I know it's not bad because I know it's the right thing.  I quit right as this business is getting really big.  Was that just plain stupid or a leap of faith?  Must not dwell too much.  Just trust.

*Every night I ask God that he would give me more grace and help to be a better mom the next day.  It's always two steps forward three steps back.  I am way too impatient and easily annoyed.  God help me.

*I'm trying to be intentional about having face time with each child each day.  Talking to them from the other room isn't quality and herding them around all over together all of the time doesn't necessarily qualify as quality.  One on one.  Ten minutes?  I talked with Josie a lot today.  She's kind of gotten left in the dust a little bit since Justus was born.  Trying to ask them more questions.  They ask me questions non stop, so why not do the same thing to them?  :)

*Dentist appointments, eye appointments, and new baby visits are being crammed in lately.  Wanna get all of that stuff done here before summer time.  Summer time?  I CAN NOT wait.

*We've been having lots of snow.  I love that!

*We got a new (to us) van.  I love it so much I want to drive everywhere.  Too bad gas prices are ridiculous so I shouldn't. 

*I picked up the good old standby parenting book Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.  Read it with the first child.  Must read it and be refreshed for number 4.

* Went with some old friends and some new friends to a cabin (A.K.A. really nice lake home) a few weekends ago.  Ice Fishing and Ice Skating were the highlights for the kids.  We absolutely cannot afford to do family vacations at this time in our life, but we have been SO blessed in the past couple of years to be offered little weekend trips away by various friends to cabins or time shares.  I am thankful for God's provision in that way!

*Speaking of thankful, we love our new small group.  Five families all on the Northside.  We all live within a couple of miles of each other which makes for great community and convenience too.  It's been a really encouraging group to be a part of and just what our family has needed.

*Mom and dad were here 2 weekends ago.  They stayed in a hotel two nights and the three big kids stayed overnight with them both nights.  They loved it!  We loved it too.

*The good Mennonite in me has been coming out lately.  I've been saving all of my old yogurt tubs and glass jars and even the bread bags from Costco.  My freezer is stocked with homemade chicken stock in the yogurt tubs (I used to freeze it in Ziplocs, but that's wasteful!) and my glass jars hold various baking items.  Just trying to be thrifty.  And save the planet too of course.

*Now that I'm done with Legacy I can actually sit and watch a movie with the kids WITHOUT working on bracelets simultaneously.  I also just might have time to actually finish my books for book club.  Awesome!

*I'm really frustrated with my un-disciplined self.  Why is it so hard for me to get into an exercise routine?

*Been thinking about our family size and how we need to approach what comes next for our family.  We both feel right about me not having any more children biologically.  I get too sick.  It makes me feel sick just THINKING about the sickness I feel when I'm pregnant.  Ideally, four is GOOD for us.  We love it.  I am comfortable with that.  BUT, we want to be open to God not just calling us to be comfortable.  If he wants to grow our family size more than what we have now, he can certainly do that through adoption.  We don't feel him leading us to that, but want to have an open mind to what He wants for us.  Basically, I just want to be able say "yes, we are done having children unless the Lord wills otherwise."  Cliche?  Yes.  True?  Yes.  Enjoying and savoring Justus and all of these "last" baby things?  Absolutely!

*The self-clean on my oven just clicked off!  I'm going to go inspect it's shiny-ness and then head to bed.  I love my bed.  I love it so much that I almost feel guilty.  G'nite.