Our Family, My Blessings

Photos by the adorable and talented Wendy of Blue Lily

Grateful

Tonight I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the life that I live, bumps, mountains, valleys and all.  Life can be difficult, more then once I have been thrown a curve ball.  And each time I have fallen to my knees and reached out to my Lord and Savior for guidance, love and help.  I have often stumbled but I have never fallen so deep that God could not pick me up.

There have been times when I felt alone, scared, and uncertain of what the future would hold.  There is no promise of a tomorrow and that can be frightening at times.  However, I find great comfort is knowing that there is a promise of eternal life with Jesus, if I only believe.  And believe I do, with all my heart, with every fiber of my being.  There is nothing or no one that could make me believe otherwise.

To know a God that is all loving, full of mercy and grace.  To have that intimate relationship with Him and know that no matter how lonely I feel, how scared I get, that He is always with me.  He never leaves me, not for a second.  He is all powerful, mighty and majestic.  He is sweet and loving, comforting and caring. 

During my moments of weakness I often think of God our father.  What would my Dad here on Earth do if I was hurting, in pain? He would comfort me, probably give me a hug, bring me a milkshake :) and tell me that he loved me.  I know that our Heavenly Father would do the same and on an even great level.  I find so much comfort knowing this, it makes choosing happiness even in the valleys or climbing the mountains of life just a bit easier.

I feel so blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for the people that he has put in my life.  My husband, the man who has taken care of me, comforted me, gently rubbed my head and calmed my fears.  The man who has literally put everything on hold to help me get well.  He has shown his love for me and our family, time and time again through his actions.  Our family is stronger because of Trent.  Our family is happy and loving and kind and good, because of his example and love.

I often pray for Trent as the leader of our family.  What an incredible responsibility to hold.  And yet, he leads our family with such ease and confidence.  I know the experiences of the last few weeks have made him an even greater leader.  He has had to do things that he had never done before, make difficult decisions, and be brave and strong when I am sure he felt weak and alone.  But God has been right beside him, leading him. 

I feel as if our family has been protected, literally covered by God's grace these last few weeks.  My heart is full of gratitude tonight for my life, for my husband, our three sweet healthy children, our family and friends that have reached out to us in our time of need.  The daily phone calls checking in, emails, cards, flowers, dinners, babysitting, rides, and most importantly, prayers.  There have been so many people loving on our family, it has been amazing.

I thank God for all things. 

Life if good.

In Sickness and in Health

I think that there must be many times in a marriage when you look at your spouse and you truly know that they have your back.  That they love you, flaws, illnesses, quirks and all.  And it is in the safety, the comfort of that love that you are able to grow strong again, to heal.

The vows we made to each other on that hot July day, are not just a group of words, a pretty sentence.  They are real, they have meaning and are to be lived.  I have witnessed in our marriage how when one is weak, the other one is strong and helps pick up the slack.  But never before has there been a time in our marriage when not only was one weak, but one was  not able to participate in the day to day basics of life.  Not until two  weeks ago.

Postpartum depression/anxiety isn't fun.  In fact it is rather painful, mentally and physically.  It takes its toll on not just the individual but the family as a whole.  I am getting better everyday but it is a process.

I am thankful for a husband who has graciously and lovingly, without complaint,  taken care of me and our children during these last few difficult weeks.  He is my partner, my best friend, greatest fan, hero and forever love.

I love you honey Trent, now and forever!

Happiness is.....

being surrounded by our babies.

Happy Daddy Day 2011

Letters to the Daddy's in my life:

Dear Honey Trent,

       Tommy came crawling into our bed again last night, crying because he missed his Dada.  He snuggled up next to me on your side of the bed, I think he feels closer to you there.  It was sweet, and reminded me of how much that boy loves you. 
    Tommy loves you with an intensity, Charlie loves you with his silliness, Penny loves with her smile and I love you with my entire being.  That is a lot of love!  And you handle it all so well!
     You work all day, long, stressful hours, to come home to two boys who have been wanting you all day.  Their energy can be exhausting, I know, but you rise to the occasion and give hugs and kisses all around.  You make or finish up dinner, you wash the kitchen table, you play trains or race track, you kiss a sweet girls forehead goodnight.  You exercise the dog, you mow the grass with you helper, you wash 20 dirty toes, you help the boy with his reading, you run out for a treat, and you endure one of "my shows" just so we can sit and be together.  You are not only present, but you live our life with such a zest and that rubs off on all of us.
    I pray that our boys will be just like you when they grow up.  I pray that they will be the same kind of Daddy that you are.  Many men are Fathers, but it takes a special man to be a Daddy.  And special you are!

Playing "Knights" with Daddy, their Father's Day present to Trent

  We love you!

Letter to my Daddy on Father's Day.

Dad,
When I was  little girl one of my favorite things to do was go for walks with you back in the quarry.  I often was scared by the snakes that lurked in the crevices of the big rocks and even by the stillness of the woods.  But I was always confident that I would be ok because my Daddy was with me.  You were strong and tall, firm, knowledgeable and kind.
Even today, though I am not such a little girl anymore, I still find that same comfort and security in your love.  And the best part is that now you have 3 more little buddies, to take on walks and teach how to drive John Deere tractors.  I see them building some of the same kind of memories with you that I did when I was little, it warms my heart.
Thanks Daddy for the Godly, real, example of what life can look like when you try your best.  Sometimes life is really hard, but it is a whole lot easier when you let God on your side....I learned that from you!
Love you Dad, you are the best!

Grandpa and the crew

 

Life Lessons

Trent and Charlie, March 21, 2006

Life lessons I have learned this week.

*I don't need a break (a few weeks, days or hours) from my kids, my husband or my "life".  And if I feel that way then I just need to stick closer to the Big Guy, you know, God.  Even though I have learned this week that I get way more accomplished around here when one kiddo is off doing fun stuff, I have also learned that then the house is strangely quiet and I would rather have the noise and all my little buddies,  then an empty yet clean house :)

*It is really ok to leave dirty dishes in the sink over night.

*A stern, loud voice can break a spirit.  A gentle, yet firm voice can settle even the silliest of boys.

*Chocolate chip cookies don't taste as good as they use to.

*Life and death happen, but God has it all under control.

*I need to be more flexible and I am not talking about my body.

*I love my husband, I really, really, really love him. ( I didn't just learn that this week though!)

* The kids daily devotion was about letting vile things come from your mouth.  They used a story about 2 little girls that were talking badly about a friend. The story went on to say how God wants to be nice to others and not say mean things.  I think I need to be a better example of this to our children and my husband.  How often do they hear me not using the nicest words to describe someone or something.  How often do I run to Trent and "unload" my opinions and judgement of others.  Not too pretty.

*One of the biggest gifts I have been given is TODAY, right now.  So, what am I going to do with it?

mon coeur

mon coeur = my heart

Dear Mr. Lydic,
  You know I don't need a holiday to express my love for you.  But I will never refuse a reason to tell you how my heart is filled with love, love just for you!
  I woke up early this morning to feed a certain small child and I glanced your way.  Your head was laying sweetly on your pillow, one hand tucked under it, the other one  lightly leaning on the bedroom wall.  I could hear your breathing, long, shallow breaths.  You slept soundly, snuggled up in our warm blankets.  I thought you looked beautiful laying there and my heart swelled with love for you.

I said a prayer and thanked God for you. I love our children, I love our families, I love our friends and where we live.  I love our life.  But nothing matters if you are not laying next to me.

So Mr. Lydic, Happy Valentines Day.  I pray you know how much I love you, today.and.everyday!!

6years

We have come a long way baby! Happy 6th Anniversary!! I thank God for your love each and every day!