Unexpected surprises and Homeschooling follies

So last week had many ups and many sideways curve ball's.  First thing that we focused on was the installation of our new wood burning stove.  Now take in that we like to do things on our own(or so we think)and so of course without any knowledge of what we are doing we jumped right in. lol! We did pretty good until it came to the chimney pipe. "UHG!" After 2 extra trips to Topeka Seed and Stove we finally got all the parts we needed. On top of all this I was feeling unusually tired. Can I say "UHG!" again? Now that we had all our parts it was time to put it all together. Then Damian loses the instructions. "REALLY?" A 2 hour search of the house and nothing. Then another 2 hour search on-line and still no luck. "COME ON! " The progress has been on hiatus since Monday:( But the upside is that it's been absolutely beautiful outside since! Thank you Lord!

On to this week. Monday was back to school.  I really didn't want to do it at all. I think I was starting to feel overwhelmed with the messy house because I was down 1 whole closet ( and anyone who's ever been to my little home, can understand my frustration). I had cardboard boxes taking up half my living room and toilet paper taking up the other half. This day is the day I believe I learned my most important lesson from my daughter( she teaches me a lot, sometimes I think she teaches me more than I teach her.) I was reviewing blend sounds as I do every school day, lu,ba, le, to, bi and so forth. She really struggles with remembering the short e sound. I kept redirecting her and telling her to keep focus. She just kept forgetting. That's when it happened(poor girl) I said in a not so pretty tone and to loud of voice "Paisley!, what is going on with you? Why are you not able to focus? Quit fidgeting and getting distracted and let's do this." okay I certainly did not when Best mommy award for that performance. Thank God she has more Grace and Mercy in her then most people I know. I really didn't stop even then to think about what just took place. It wasn't till later that night when I have my quiet time that I even thought about it again. I was reading the bible in Galatians and read" If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." I meditated on my day and asked God, did I walk in the Spirit that day. "no!" "Oh Lord forgive me!" i then realized again how incredibly lucky I am to have the daughter I have. I then also saw that she wasn't failing in learning but I was failing in teaching her. She is the smartest little thing I know so far. She is only supposed to be in Kindergarten but she whipped through it last year and is flying through 1st grade this year and reading 4 letter words already:) and I still think I'm holding her back from all she can do. I'm so very proud of her. I am still being moved into a new direction with this lesson. And to end the night the thought that I might have to buy a pregnancy test popped in my head. "EEEEKKK!"

Tuesday; left and went to Dollar Tree to buy 2 $1 pregnancy test.

Then went to the concord mall to Carson's to exchange Paisley's new snow pants for a bigger size.

Meet my mom there to celebrate her new job and buy shoes!

I then topped her cake with new grandchild flavored icing. lol! That was fun.

Went home played on bikes with kids outside cause it was beautiful outside.

Laid Wesley down for his nap.

Then I had to pee.........

TA DAH! IT'S A BABY!

Then i took it again just to make sure. Who wouldn't. lol!

That was just the 1st 2 days of this week! It's of course been amazing ever since. I'm so excited to have another child in my life. I have found more freedom because of them then I would've if they weren't here. Sometimes I here people say things like " I like my freedom now that my kids are older or I like only have one kid. I can do so much more.  But I just don't get it. I guess I say good for them but for me and my husband we feel our children are more the reason to live and serve for the eternal and put away living for the superficial. " As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." I'm not saying any one's wrong or any one's right. I'm jut saying what I'm called to do.

So anyway, lots and lots have been going on in the Yoder house like always! Please pray for us and this new child of ours. Pray God keeps teaching and leading us. That we get rid of selfish and self-centered desires.( "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.) Gal 5:24-26

What the title (Hand's Full of Good Thing's) means

     A while back I had a revelation about my life.  The story goes a bit like this.  I was getting ready to leave the house to run some errands. The usual diaper bag, purse, water bottle, came along with me but that day was planned to be an extra long day( I wanted to do a bit of garage sales) so I packed the bread, peanut butter and Jelly, a knife and a few more snacks. I also have decided to always have a little potty chair with me now because of the inevitable inconvenient bathroom break that comes when ever we are nowhere near a bathroom.  the first trip out to the car I loaded the potty chair. I went back in the house and grabbed the grocery bag of food and all the other things that I needed and opened the door again to go out.  Somehow my son Wesley (age 2)decided that at the same time his life could not go on without being carried to the car at that very moment.  So what else but pick him up too. Then my daughter Paisley (age 5) says " You have your hands full, Mom." I kinda snickered at 1st and then I realized that this was a very important moment for both me and my daughter.  I want to intentionally teach my daughter how to be a loving mother and encourage her to be exactly who she is meant to be at the same time. I realized that my response at that very moment could affect the rest of her life. I had a choice to make, do I make her feel like she is worth it or do I make her feel responsible for making my life more difficult. I choose for what I hope to live by from this point on. I said "Sweetie, I sure do have my hand's full, I've got my hand's full of good thing's, and I wouldn't want it any other way." 
    
       The smile on her face let me know I choose the right words and that she felt loved and never a burden to me. her response was even greater. She laughed and said " I love you, Mom." Yes she loves me. ME! I'm the luckiest woman alive! She doesn't remember or even care of all the dumb mistakes I have made or all the dumb things I've said before that. Because she forgave me. She gave me GRACE. The littlest ones are the best at giving grace freely and perfectly. If we could all step back and take a lesson on grace from our kids what a different world we would live in. 


       So this "Hand's Full of Good Thing's" is now MY catch phrase. This phrase is a phrase I hope one day my children repeat to their children and so on and so forth. Please use it with your little one's or your spouse or co-worker/boss even. Let me know what kind of response you got when you said it even if it wasn't received well I say keep it up and see if things change down the line. 


    And to my kiddos. I'm sure you will witness me on many off days to come but always no that I loved you with all my heart. You guys have taught me more about what I am capable of then an other person in this world. You have loved me through all my falling shorts and I thank you for your Grace.  

Doing it for these guys

        This guy, he is my husband, Damian. We meet 11 years ago. I didn't even like him at the time at all but somehow he got my attention and has had it ever since. He is the only one in this world that can put up with me on a long term basis( as he should be!). That's good, right! I tell you what if it wasn't for this guy I'd be nothing and nobody. I sure do love him even when I don't like him very much;) ha! ya'll know what I mean. Really come on now!

        These little goobs are our children Paisley Ann and Wesley Damian. Paisley was born on New Years Eve 2005. That was fun. And stinking crazy at the same time! Oh boy I will save that story for another time. Wesley, well he is his father x10! He has absolutly no interest in T.V. AT ALL! i mean come on sometimes I could really use a break man! But no of course I have to have one that gets into EVERYTHING NON-STOP!  I tell ya what if it where easy and I could just plop him down somewhere then really what fun would that be. Hmmm oh wait that would be Paisley she is a couch potatoe if I let her. It's wierd I have Wes who I want to plop down and Paisley who I have to beg to go play. Hmmm!

        And then theirs this guy! Kyle my first born. I had him when I was 17, right after I left my foster home I got pregnant. Somehow I thought that I could raise a child completely on my own. What was I thinking!?! oh boy was he hard! I realize now why he was, the faults of being so young and clueless and alone in raising him. But we made it thru somehow ( Thank you God) and now we are taking teenagerism by the neck and holding on this wild ride! ( yes I realize teenagerism is not a legit word but I don't care, I;m using it!) The last 2 yrs have been kinda a blur. This guy has giving me white hairs already! He is super fantastic though and I would totally do it all over again ( although I would change alot of things) hehe. hey look I can do that its my blog life!

      Thus the interest in writing a blog. I want to kinda write to them from this point on. Give them advise that I could've used from my parents that I never got.  Show them the things that I go through to improve myself for their gain. My mistakes, my pain,my joy, the tears, the laughter. talk to them about all the times there was nothing more to do then to get on my knees and cry out to Jesus. and all the lessons I learned the hard way when I didn't do just that.  Maybe it will means something to them. Just maybe. So here it goes. hope its not to boring for you guys that read this.