Around the House

The things I do all day:

Paint the house (with water).
Refill the water dish.

Keep Baby Brother happy and safe.


Give away my lunch. (Cam got to taste an apple for the first time!)

Hide & Seek/Peek-A-Boo




Attempt to capture every beautiful smile that comes my way!

Doula in Training?

Matt has lightheartedly joked that I should become a doula (labor coach) in the future and yesterday I got my first taste of what that might be like. It was fantastic! I mean I'm wiped out today but it was such an intense and wonderful experience to encourage and coach a mom through labor and then witness her birth that miracle. Here are a couple of pictures of mom and baby. Thanks Laura and Blaine for letting me be a part of this significant day. I will never forget it.

Play Time

Playing with Grandma Julie at a park in Lampasas.

Cameron is growing up so quickly! He is rolling with purpose, scooting and squirming to get to toys. He is grabbing at our food and drinks and doing all he can to show us he's ready to be a big boy. He is such a delight to us. His smile can make an entire room light up and he smiles frequently! We've hit a rough patch in the last few weeks as far as sleep is concerned. He was a fantastic sleeper until about 3 weeks ago but we seem to be on the mend in the last 2 days, fingers crossed! We started him on rice cereal this weekend, which he seems to detest. He makes a very sour face and then opens right up for the next bite. So silly! And his biggest announcement of all is that he has TWO TEETH broken through already! He is only 5 months old people! Connor was more like 10 months old before he got any teeth. This boy is a mover and a shaker I guess. He is so happy and so sweet that we didn't even notice him teething. I'm hoping that explains the poor sleep.

Accessories

Connor is very fascinated with shoes, jewelry and other accessories lately. I guess it's the result of being home with Mommy all day long. Anyway, in the above picture I chose the shorts and t-shirt. Connor added the shrunken sweatshirt, sock, my shoes and packing tape bracelet. Bryant Park, here we come!

Austin Botanical Gardens

We went to Austin to take pictures a few weeks ago with our friend Laura and here's what she caught:






Connor Thomas - 23 months old, 30.5 lbs.
Cameron James - 4 1/2 months old, 23.11 lbs.
Matt & Sarah - married 6 years! More in love now than when it all began!

Ultimate

As I've grown in my relationship with Christ, I have certainly come to realize that it's not about me. Life that is. God didn't design life to revolve around us. We're small, finite, selfish and so much more. Yes, we are His creations and because of that we are miraculous and wonderfully made, but not made to be ultimate.
As a mom, I am reminded of this fact all day. Take sleep for example. It is extremely unpredictable for me - when I'll get it, how long it will last, how frequently it will be interrupted, etc. is a huge clue to me that I am NOT the center of the universe. One of our favorite movies is About A Boy and at one point in the movie the main character, Will, (played by Hugh Grant) narrates that his life is "The Will Show," and that he is the main character. Other characters come and go but the show is about him, he goes on. He is the focus. I think our culture socializes us to buy into that wholeheartedly. We are supposed to do what feels right for us, what is best for us, what will bring us the most good.
The more I study scripture I am confronted with the fact that this is completely contrary to God's will for us. His "good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:2) The pitfall that I am so quickly drawn to after seeing myself as ultimate, is to make my children ultimate. They are from my flesh. They are pieces of my heart walking around outside my body. I love them with a love that only God can create. How can there be anything wrong with making them ultimate in my life? If my focus is not myself but others, then how could I go wrong? It all goes sour when I put anyone - even my baby blessings - as ultimate in my life over the Creator God.
I am designed to serve and worship Him alone. When I serve my children, husband, church, friends, fashion, bank account, (fill in your blank) over my God, I will fall. I will hurt and it will not be a test from Him but succumbing to a temptation. My DNA knows that I can only find the satisfaction I crave when I seek it from the Lord Most High.
When I place my children as ultimate I fail them because they are not seeing their mother lead them spiritually like they deserve. They are seeing me put pressure on them to satisfy my need for approval. When I crave their approval, I put pressure on them that they cannot withstand. They will fail me. They will disappoint. I will fail them! How can they give me approval when I make mistakes and don't even deserve it!? What's worse is when I strive to be the best mom, so that I will have the approval of others. I can be making all the "right" choices in parenting but one day I will stand before the Almighty and He will judge my heart behind why I made those decisions. He knows my heart. He knows when I am caught up in "The Sarah Show."
Oh Lord, cause my heart to desire your intimacy and approval more than any other. Cause me to delight in you more than even my blessed children. Make me the kind of mother they need and not the kind others want to see.


And you thought this would be about frisbee! Ha ha!