Fresh Starts

A lot of changes happening in the Van Vliet household! Where to even start?
~I guess I can start with our house. My husband and I bought our home when we were 20, just married and both working. We knew then that it was an investment for us and not a forever home. Once we found out we were pregnant with Aubrie and that God was calling me to stay home, we trusted that God would help make the finances work... and it has 'worked' the past 2 years but we have been on the look out for a different home that would suit us better not only financially but also to give us freedom to do more as a family together. My husband is an extremely hard worker (like 60-70+ hours a WEEK hard) and when he is home, we all just want to relax together. We have been praying for about a year for an answer to our finances/time together. Last week, we got our answer! We will be buying a townhouse (no yard work for hubs, a pool, close parks, a bike trail) in the town my hubby grew up in.. close to a lot of family, closer to church, and much much more affordable for us. I am SO looking forward to being debt free other than our home and able to put money away, take our girls to do fun things, and most of all, just not worry! We will buy another home again when the time is right.. let's face it when we have time/money for the upkeep of a home and when the girls are a little older.


~Today was a hard day. My oldest was having a hard time listening and I've been busy packing so the morning was already off to a rough start. Aubrie and our dog Missy were running around playing like normal and all of a sudden I heard Missy growl and I couldn't get to Aubrie fast enough and Missy had nipped her hand. I ran to grab Missy to put her outside and she proceeded to bite my hand. Aubrie was of course terrified and hysterical, I was furious. This is so unlike her.. she has been great with both babies, so patient, and we really have not had to worry about her. I knew after this happened that we just could not in good conscience keep her around our babies..(if anyone hurts my babies they are out obviously) so I had to take her to the shelter. It was so so hard and I'm sitting here worrying about her but feel like my hands are tied because I would never put my babies in any danger and they are much more important than an animal. Dogs truly do become part of the family though and I didn't think I'd have such a hard time.


~In other news, I've been slowly weaning Emma.  I nursed Aubrie for 13 months.. baby led weaning..everything. My nursing journey with Emma has not been as pleasant.. much more difficult with a 2 year old running around, a few infections, Emma still not sleeping well at night because she's wanting to nurse constantly. I thought I'd try a couple days of formula and so far it has gone great! She's 6 months now and that was my goal with her.. to at least make it to 6 months. So far, she's on a better sleeping and eating schedule which is essential for me at home with both of them and making our nights much better because I can actually get sleep, making me a much more patient Mommy during the day. O glorious, uninterrupted sleep... you truly don't know how precious sleep is until you never seem to get it. ;)

~Here's some recent iphone pics of our days! Enjoy!

The recipes out of this book are amazing!

Beauty

Gotta love Target

We've all had a cold for 4 weeks now. Ick.

Aubrie put Emma's headband on her ;)

No I never leave her side if she's on the counter in the Bumbo. :)

Sweet pink baby toe nails

First solids

Paleo Dinners

First french braids

With Papa

Aubrie likes to feed her baby too

Aubrie told me this was Mommy rocking Emma. I think someday she'll be an artist.

Can you tell we've been talking about the potty?

Waiting for Beppe

More yummy Paleo Dinners!

Matching babies make me happy ;)

We had Nanny over for a tea party

I truly did not mean to coordinate them for church on this day.

"Bye Mommy! See you later!"

Going to Nanny's house!

Shopping day!

"Just like Mommy! Both have strollers! Both have wheels!" Melt. my. heart.

Give Yourself Some Grace!

Being a Mama is hard work! It takes complete selflessness, more energy than you knew you had, sleepless nights, no sick days, constant cleaning up, constant self-evaluation!

I wouldn't trade all of that for anything because along with it comes indescribable joy and love I never imagined possible.

This pregnancy has been more difficult than my first. I wasn't this sick for this long, this exhausted, less migraines, and no toddler waiting for me to make their day whether I feel well or not :). I was looking around my house today and noticing all of the undone laundry, toys everywhere you could think of and then some, dirty dishes, grocery shopping needing to be done etc.. {not the first time I noticed, this is a daily thing :)}.. for a second I felt defeated and thought, 'How am I ever going to catch up?I feel like all I do is clean and this keeps happening!' Then I felt God give me peace and speak grace into my heart. This is just a season. I won't always feel like this. I should just slow down and enjoy these last few months alone with my girl because soon there will be another little one to share my love with. So, I forgot about the laundry I was folding, took Aubrie to her room, and we played on the floor for an hour. Read books, put her babies and animals 'nighnigh' and read the same books again. :) Fun for both of us, nothing else to think about but being together. That's what's important. Your house chores can wait. Spending time with your babies is what's important!

If you're feeling overwhelmed or defeated give yourself some grace! Taking care of everyone but yourself is not an easy task so just slow down and enjoy time with those you love, the rest will get taken care of.. eventually! Maybe it's time to re-evaluate your schedule and cut some things out, whatever God lays on your heart, do it!

 (To my surprise I found energy somewhere and am now sitting with a picked up house, folded laundry, and a happily fulfilled baby sleeping...yay!)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness."  2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV