12 Days After Christmas ~ Day 2... Time for a NEW Year!

Okay so it is December 27th today, not quite January 1st!  However, as many of you know each year David & I select a word for the year for our family.  (This will be #3!)  And... we have already selected one.  Well, I actually yelled it out over a week ago and further discussed it with David prior to Christmas and he agreed... I think ;-)  I thought about waiting to tell you all about it until December 31st or January 1st... but seeing as my level of patience is well, not the best... I have decided to share it with you all here on my blog, on the 2nd day AFTER Christmas!  Many of you may wonder what I am referring to.  A few years back, I heard someone on the radio saying that instead of a list of resolutions each year, they focused on ONE word to focus on the for their family.  In 2013, we focused on FAITH.  This was an especially hard one but necessary one as we lost 2 babies and I was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism this year.  Some people say you get what you ask for.  I say you trust God and get what you get ;-)  God knew what our year would look like long before all of that went down.  As a result of the hardships, we found out more about my health and how to deal with it and how to approach future pregnancies.  I know we also learned a lot about our wonderfully FAITHful God!

In 2014, we hemmed back and forth and settled on CONTENTMENT for the year.  I do not think we were quite 100% at this point.  We were looking at where we had come from and knew we still had to wait for a clearance on my lungs and what that might mean for my health and our family down the road.  We were talking more about normal, everyday things and not just trying to survive.  We did not want to get complacent but we did not want to take anything for granted either. God had brought us through some truly hard, life-altering circumstances and we certainly could not and would not try to erase them.  I will admit this one has been quite the struggle in comparison.  Go figure, right?!  It seems when life circumstances are not so drastic, we often try to take things into our own hands more than we should.  God and I did a lot of talking this year about frustrations and my own struggles to trust Him and be content where He had us.  And frankly,  I do not know if I came out a better person for all of the arguing I actually did.  Yep, arguing.  As I said, this one was quite the struggle for me in the later months of the year...

This brings me to our word of 2015 which I think fits perfectly for where we are and where we WANT to be!  We are Striving.  We are Moving Forward.  We want to Succeed and see things Change for the Better...  We.. Want... To...

For us this means NO MORE Complaining about not being able to do things, about David's bosses not letting him off work to be with us, about not making enough money, or "feeling" happy enough.  It is not dependent on our neighbors to change their ways (whether we agree with them or not, which we most certainly do not).  It is not dependent on whether we make others happy all the time.  It is not our job to make everyone else in our lives happy all of the time either!  It is however about taking responsibility and seizing each opportunity that comes our way!  We have chances to change and be better for it and make a better life for our children.  And I pray we truly seek God in it all and choose to make those decisions that will help us LIVE!!!

So join with us and think about what it is that would make 201?5 the BEST YEAR no matter what is thrown your way.  What will YOU DO?  I have some ideas for you popping up on my Facebook page over the next week or two so stay tuned...

As always,

Melis

Merry Christmas Eve!

I am sitting here with a cute little girl in my belly and an almost 3 year old boy calmly playing near me.  My big girl is at church with her Nana, Poppy, aunt, 2 uncles and Great Grandma.  I sit here nursing my sore lower back just thankful to be near family.  David is still working but we'll see him tonight or tomorrow and this little girl of ours kicks enough to remind us of God's miracles in our lives, events we often overlook, because they don't seem so big to us.

Last year, I was feeling completely crummy, followed by a trip to the ER on Christmas Day and a very short yet exhausting trip to see family.  I just wasn't in the right place.  The year before, we had either just lost our first baby or were about to and were completely unaware to this fact.  Those Christmas experiences are not lost on me.  I am fortunate to be able to drive my children to see family, even if I am fatigued and sore.  I am blessed to not hit any traffic along the way and to have family who adores them as I do and give me some much needed relief.

Last night was my Joy Joy's 2nd of 2 dance performances.  Her studio performed "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" & she was able to have some family in attendance last night, even Daddy and Micah!  She was beautiful and excited and has shown so much growth this year.  On our way out, one of her friends handed her a pink rose!  Boy, was she touched!  And again, I sit back amazed at God's goodness in our lives...

Just a week or so ago, we were blessed with some extra food and gift cards.  The kiddos and I found our way into Walmart and out without falling apart and came away with some much needed new shoes, school pants, diapers, a few Christmas supplies, as well as a few food items.  It wasn't expected and it definitely brought me to a place of humbling myself some but I realized God had brought these people and gifts into our lives for a reason and that getting angry, confused and frustrated would not get me anywhere.  For the people involved, they were showing God's love to us at a time when we really needed some things.

In 43 days, my little guy, my Micah Boo turns 3.  I cannot believe it some days.  We welcome his new sister around 2 months afterwards.  Joy turns 7 yet another month or so later and we have half a dozen weddings, graduations and family events spread throughout our spring and summer on the calendar... so far!  I am truly very excited to be able to share with you all our 2015 adventures just around the corner...

However, for now I just want to wish you all a wonderfully Merry Christmas!  There will be a blog series or so to follow in the "12 Days After Christmas" which will also be posted to my Facebook page.  I will be documenting adventures, goals & blessings all around as we head into our New Year, including our "Word of the Year" we have already chosen!  I am so excited to transition into a new chapter in our lives with adventures and blessings I am sure we have not yet discovered!  So come along with me and tell your friends too!  I am here and on Facebook and would love to chat with you as I share about family, health, fitness and adventure!  Maybe you can share with me too?

God Bless You All!
As always,
Melis

Don't Lose Hope!

I am 23 weeks pregnant today!  Another week down, another reminder of God's goodness on our lives!  Still plenty of things are not quite the way I would like but today is a testament to His goodness and His power and the reasons I have not given up on all of humanity yet...

A day that started with me telling Joy we were going to have to leave her dance class after Christmas and me contemplating how to deal with that...

It went down quite differently than that actually.  After her mature response, I found myself almost in tears, feeling guilty and frustrated that I could not change things to be better for her.  She is 6.5 and she handled the announcement with grace.  And I could not get it out of my mind.  Fast forward a few hours, several episodes of Chuggington with Micah later, and I was touched...

All I can say is things were taken care of.  At least the big one was and we could deal with the rest of them as we went.  Micah and I headed off to see David on his lunch break at work, where Micah made "dirt angels" on the floor.  (It isn't as bad as it sounds, I promise!)  We visited with David and then headed into Livermore a little early to grab a surprise for Joy and then walk with a new friend and her kiddos.  I was surprised to have a kind stranger return my cart for me at Target where I started to realize how blessed we truly were .  The walk with our new friends was far too short but definitely fun.  We then walked over to pick up Joy from school and dashed off (safely) back to Tracy for dance class.  On the way over, Joy discovered a surprise new dance outfit which she told Micah and I both boldly how much she loved.  Spilled coffee and yet a still pleasant Joy later, we arrived a few minutes late for Jazz but Joy was happy.  And Micah was content.  And I was sitting, reveling in the moments that God created, in the day He planned long before I arrived there.

A few errands and a long wait later, we finished up dinner at Red Robin on the end of my Christmas money.  It just made sense.  So, today I am 23 weeks pregnant and Baby Girl has been kicking up a storm and dancing all over my bladder... repeatedly... but I am genuinely and truly amazed.  So DO NOT lose hope.  God's got ya!

That's all for now...

Melis <3

In the last 36 hours...

...Was encouraged by 2 Michelles

...Visited with my close friend who is hosting my baby shower

..."Outsmarted" Micah when it came to errands today

...Got a little grocery shopping in

...Heard encouraging news about a pregnant friend

...Chatted with one of my best friends in Santa Cruz

...Fell asleep quickly
...I figured out easy, happy dinners for 2 days in a row

...Was given a few pieces of school clothing for my Joy Joy

...Found out my phone survived its latest catastrophe

What are YOU Thankful for???

As always,

Melis