Friday, May 25, 2012

Around the Dinner Table..

  Dinner time.. I don't know about you but for our family dinner time is a big deal in our house. Not only is everyone starving by that time, but everybody knows that is the time everyone gets to be heard..

Hi's and Lows and How you served the Lord that day?
That is the question and topic at dinner that everyone is so excited to hear about and share. All the kids think  about it and Lola says the same thing every night. Her Hi is spending the day with Mommy her low is taking a nap and how she served the Lord that day, She didn't say "Poopo, pee pee, or ca ca" But boy does she love to say it at dinner..lol She Say's that because sometimes she gets carried away with yucky talk and I tell her that Jesus doesn't like her to talk like that so there you go. It is the best way to hear about every one's day and to hold them accountable on how they can serve the Lord that day.
Well last night was different it was Ty's idea to go around the table to say Word's of encouragement about everyone. So everyone had to say something they liked about that person. It was the greatest thing ever to watch as a Mommy to hear what your little ones think about each other. Things were said like, your kind to me, "I like when you play with me", the way you get my stuff for me". Then a little boy in the sweetest voice who had the hardest time with this not because he didn't have nice things to share but probably has never done anything like this. He looked me in the eye and said "You are the nicest mommy in the whole world" I lost it. I sat there and thought everything he has gone through all he knows right now at this moment is the consistency of Love shown to him.He knows how it truly should be with how people are to there kids and how a family acts to one another.
So after dinner I truly reflected on our dinner time and how truly precious it is and how much eating together as a family means to our kids. Sit together as a family at dinner and hold hands and pray because in that moment you see how truly blessed you are. Kids thrive off consistency.






This last supper table I call it was the best purchase we ever made seats 13 and the more the merrier.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Time Out's for Mommies

 As I am finally sitting down during the day and using my new little notebook laptop my husband got for me for my birthday. I take in a deep breath of I needed to stop and sit down. Doing what is a a normal every day thing of getting snacks, changing diapers, feeding babies, taking dropping off to school, folding laundry.. I loathe laundry if you wanted to to really know!! Getting things out for dinner that day, putting dishes away in the dishwasher from starting it the night before because that is an everyday thing. These are just the things of everyday that goes on, and I'm sure for a lot of Moms. I am drowned out of the words Mommy this Mommy that? A baby that is crying in the background and I am truly surprised that I am not in a stray jacket. I am kind of at peace with it all. Crazy I know but I know it is all God and he prepares me through it all. I find that me taking time for my self if that means 20 minutes whatever I am doing and give my self a time out, it let's me truly reflect what is going on around me. My kids know when I need that time I tell them that when I am done they can ask me for whatever it is they wanted at that time. I think it also helps them with knowing they aren't the center of the universe and that is good for kids to know. Kids grow up these day to entitlement because that is what they are used to. No Mom should feel guilty for taking time for herself it helps her in the end she is better for it. I can't say I do this everyday but should, it is just a good reminder to let know to take care of my self.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

30 and Blessed

 Well I will tell you I can't believe I am 30 it doesn't feel real. I still feel like I am 21 and I wish...lol But with age comes so much growing. Growing in my walk of life and truly realizing the type of woman I am. A blessed woman that is a fact even  during the hardest times in my life I didn't think they were blessings. I am married to my best friend who I am so grateful to be in love with who is on this crazy journey of life with me. My kids are growing up to be such children of God and for that make me so proud because that's letting me know I am doing something right. I know I can't predict there future and how they will turn out I just pray that I make wise choices in parenting them, and for God to lead the way. I have truly been blessed with some of the most amazing friendships a girl could ask for. God has put so many people in my life that truly bless me. I have always struggled with trying to find close friends and as I have gotten older I have formed some of the strongest friendships. People who are a part of our lives that are very dear to me. Starting on April 15th a friend of mine who I love dearly started this thing called Michelle's count down to 30 so for 30 days I have been blessed by a friend each day via text, or dropped by with lunch, a gift telling me what I mean to them or childhood friend driving a couple of hours just to drop by and spend time with me surprising me. My dear friend who started this I won't say who because that's just the type of person she is she wouldn't want me to make a big deal about her. She did the most amazing thing for me at the time I surely could of used it most... In this journey we can get lost and feel like no one is watching when in fact they have been there the whole time it is just that you get too side track to notice. You know someone said once "When God knows you have a need there is someway or someone he is going to use to meet it.  I am truly grateful for everyone God has placed in my life who is coming and going and who I haven't even met yet. So yes at 30 I can say I am a Woman of God, Wife, Mother of 5...sheesh never thought I would say that..lol sister , daughter, and friend. To everyone who is apart of our lives I am so thankful to God for you::)

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Love requires sacrafice!!

  Well I didn't think I would be here writing this post. A shock value yesterday was the definition of Tyler's and my day. A simple email I received which two words stuck out to me
( Conditionally Approved) which means someone might be cleared to have the boys... "NO way this isn't the way it should be going they are perfectly fine here". Tyler and I are Daddy and Mommy and these are our boys..I had to sit and truly think what is happening? It was the longest drive home from Bakersfield after getting the email. I cried while trying to make sense of it all. While in my crying I hear "Be Still and Know that I am God" 
"Well God I don't want to be still!!! I wrestled thinking and saying out loud I want to be angry. Why do we have to be this family? We just did this I mean wasn't loosing Elijah hard enough? Why can't we have a smooth sailing adoption? This is all the things that were going through my head. Later that day after trying to make sense of it all and truly finding out what Conditionally Approved meant.  We found out that it means that they are still waiting on a couple of things so until that comes through which will determine  the full approval. So it could be granted or denied. If it is granted we have a meeting a meeting that will be the hardest thing I will ever have to do. A meeting trying to convince people why its the best choice for the boys to be with us. We are so grateful we have 100% backup from our social workers and that they will fight with us. But we all know ,Tyler and I better than anyone our court systems can really get ugly. So after finding all this out and praying yesterday God showed me that he is in control and whatever happens he is still God that loves us and doesn't want the bad for us but does want us to grow in him. Loving these boys comes with no guarantee but it does come with sacrifice. Sacrificing our wants!!!!! Yes there is nothing we would want more than to be able to adopt our 2 little boys but we can't be angry at God if that isn't able to happen. We need to relish in the fact that we were chosen to take care of them that God placed them with our Family for a reason. Our girls know it isn't a guarantee either but they love there brothers unconditionally.  I say brothers because that's what they are to them not friends, neighbors, random boys that came to live with us, Brothers that God picked for them to be sisters too. We are a family that is filled with God's love because its only through him we love like this.

Matthew 22:37 
 You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,all your soul and all your mind.'

This is true and speaks of how we are dealing with our situation. We can't just Love God with half of our heart because we want to keep the other part safe. We have to love him with everything we have and by doing that we are trusting him with our lives. Good or Bad at that time. Now I am not saying that It will be easy I am just relying on God to get us through. So everyday will be treated no different and we will still be that Crazy Circus family and be thankful that we get to be until God says otherwise.
So I ask that you would just pray over our Family and if we have to have the meeting for the boys that we will have peace going into it.

Much Love Michelle and The Napier Crew :)
GOD is Good!!