It’s Monday, so that means there’s another Carnival of Family Life – check it out! Thanks to Jennifer at Snapshot for hosting the carnival this week.

It’s official: L. is one month old today!

The first month with a new baby is definitely the hardest. Everyone is adjusting – mom, baby, dad, siblings. Predictability goes out the window along with sleep, the guarantee of a daily shower, and in some cases, sanity. But we made it! L. is figuring out how to cope in this big world, and the rest of us are learning how to care for his needs while getting back to some semblance of “normal.”

And along the way, I have been blessed by some very special people and today I would like to thank them.

• Chad - my wonderfully helpful and patient husband. He got me through my emotional breakdowns during the first week, made sure C. felt loved and included, and continues to daily help me with the demands of caring for two kids and keeping the household running. Not to mention the fact that he works hard so that I can stay home and be a full-time Mom.
• C. - my precious seven-year-old. He’s been helpful, sweet, independent. He loves his little brother, suggests naps for me when I’m tired, and gives a much-needed feeling of normal to each day.
• Friends who have been praying for me - There are so many friends who I know have prayed for me both before and after L.’s birth. The little phone calls, notes, and emails that I have received, asking me how I’m doing, offering help, reminding me that they’re praying have been much appreciated and much needed.
• Friends bearing meals – We were so blessed to not have to think about dinner for more than two weeks after L. arrived. Every other day or so, another wonderful person would arrive on our doorstep with a delicious meal for our enjoyment. This simple act of service made our lives so much easier during those wearying first couple weeks. (C. particularly enjoyed Dianne‘s yummy meatloaf – thanks, Dianne!)
• A special thank you to Jennifer - This week, a special package arrived on my doorstep. It contained an adorable outfit for L., a book of cool mazes for C., and a “new mom devotional” for me. The wonderful thing is, Jennifer wrote the devotional and put it together in a notebook. Along with encouraging Bible verses, it contains her thoughts and prayers that have been personalized for me and my family. And it means more to me than I can express that she would take the time to do this for me. She’s a very talented writer and a very special friend.
• And of course, God – I could never make it through most days without His help, His strength, His grace, and His guidance.

Patience is something that, at times, eludes me. Especially when I’m driving. I just don’t understand why some people find it hard to drive responsibly. It’s really not that difficult to drive safely and politely, to avoid pulling out in front of people, to use a turn signal, to stay on the road. In case you haven’t guessed, bad drivers irritate me. From the time I started driving, I have found myself easily annoyed when on the road. I don’t necessarily think it’s so bad to be mildly annoyed…it’s what I do with that annoyance that counts. And for a long time, I thought I was handling it just fine.

It took an 22-month old to show me that I needed to re-evaluate.

C. was almost two years old and we were heading down the road on some benign errand. We weren’t in a hurry, we didn’t need to be anywhere urgently. We were just on our way to the store. As I rounded a corner, a big ‘ol Cadillac sedan pulled out right in front of me. And promptly hit the brakes. Clearly this driver had no clue what he was doing. I slammed on my brakes…

And from the back seat, I heard a tiny little voice say, “Idiot.”

Ouch.

Clearly, there was a pattern. When Mommy hits the breaks that hard, the proper thing to say is, “Idiot.” And I knew there was only one person in that car who could have established that pattern. Just one person who had inadvertently taught a toddler that it’s okay to call people names when you’re irritated with them. That would be me.

Funny how kids can be our mirrors sometimes. They show us parts of ourselves that we’d rather not see. They remind us of our short-comings, reveal our bad habits, and magnify problems that we need to work on.

The good news is that those mirrors also work in a positive way. When your preschooler says, “Thank you” without prompting, or your school-age child expresses empathy for a classmate, you know that you’ve done something right. Kids can reinforce our own good behavior and are a constant reminder that we are role models, and have a huge influence on those little lives.

I no longer call people names when I’m driving — even if I encounter a really, really, really obnoxious driver. But I have been known to say things like, “Excuse me, sir, but if you would use your turn signal, I would really appreciate it.” Okay, so I still need to work on patience a little. But I’m sure my little “mirrors” will help me with that, too!

If you have a moment today, read Job 26:7-14.

These verses give us a glimpse of God’s great power as it is displayed in the world around us. Job speaks of God spreading the northern skies over empty space, wrapping the waters in the clouds, and covering the face of the full moon. You can’t help but feel a hint of God’s majesty as you read of his mighty work day in and day out.

But the part of this passage that jumped out at me today is found in verse 14: “…these are but the outer fringe of his works.” I love how the NKJV says it:

“…these are the mere edges of his ways.”

Wow. How humbling and awe-inspiring and encouraging, all at the same time. All the might, all the power that we can see is just the beginning of who God is. It’s just a whisper of His true essence.

So, knowing how amazingly powerful God is, why is it so hard to trust Him with every single aspect of my life sometimes? Why do I work so hard to control everything I can and worry about the things that are out of my control? The truth is that all the details of my life are in the hands of a loving, all-powerful God. Who could ask for better circumstances?

So today, I thank God that He has shown us the edges of His ways, and I commit again to trusting Him more, and watching to see what He will do in my life.

Check out this post by my friend Dianne, too. It was a great reminder to me to trust my Heavenly Director to orchestrate my life.

Thirteen Things about Katrina

Since this is my first “Thursday Thirteen,” I decided to just list 13 random things about me, by way of introduction.

1. I’ve been married to the same great guy for 12.5 years.

2. I’m mom to two boys – a seven-year-old and a four-week-old. I love having my kids “widely-spaced” and don’t think I could have done it otherwise.

3. I love to read. There’s at least one bookshelf in every room of our home and my nightstand usually has a teetering pile of books-in-process. And I can’t seem to read all my existing books before buying new ones!

4. I like to bake. Banana bread, brownies, cookies, cakes. I love paging through baking books and picking new recipes to try out. My husband and oldest son are always willing guinea pigs for my newest attempts.

5. I’m probably addicted to chocolate. There’s a drawer in our house that has “my” chocolate – no one else is allowed to touch it; I never know when I’ll need a fix!

6. I’ve been known to play video games with my husband and first-born. Sometimes I even win.

7. I tend to worry.

8. I have a crazy cat named Sprite.

9. I love fruit, but am not so crazy about veggies.

10. The ladies at the local Panera know me on sight and get my “usual” ready before I reach the counter.

11. I dabble in freelance writing.

12. I’m a night owl trapped in a home with three morning people.

13. My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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