Life in our home...

Hello! I know it has been a while and the last entry was very brief with mostly facts about Elijah's growth. We have been pretty busy around our house, so I haven't had much time to update!

We had a great "family weekend" - spending lots of good, quality time together as the 3 of us! It has been pretty busy for Steve recently, so it was great to have a full free weekend together! Friday we took turns going to the gym, hung out at home during the day and got some cleaning done, played with Elijah making him laugh lots, and we went to dinner and walked around outside. Saturday we ran errands together and then stayed in for the night - making dinner together and watching my mom "preach" online. ;) Sunday, Steve got me flowers and a present for Mother's Day. He had Elijah hold my present and he carried him to me - it was so cute and sweet - thanks, guys! We went to church and my mom did an amazing job at giving the message this weekend. I'll give more details on that later. Sunday afternoon Steve finished cleaning the house for me! :) And then we had dinner with his family and they came over to our house for dessert and Survivor finale. So, we had a wonderful time - It was a weekend full of smiles, laughs and good talks!

I have been thinking lots lately about life and my purpose. After reading Mandi's blog, I was reminded of what I have been thinking about lots lately - finding my true identity in Christ. I know that many times we get caught up in our roles (wife, mother, friend), but while all those things are good and very important, there is more to life than those roles. After Elijah was born - things started changing and happening so fast! I was quickly back to working full-time (with Elijah by my side), trying to be a good mom, wife, employee & friend, keep a clean home, going to church/activities, etc. and when life happens fast - you don't have the time (or should I say, you don't take the time!) to evaluate and see where you are, where you should be and how to get there! So, with life changing so quickly, I just kept going, going, going with whatever happened. I began to realize that I wasn't putting enough time into developing myself (spiritually, etc) like I should. Recently, I have been evaluating everything (and myself!) and have been trying to prioritize better. I know that I need more time alone with the Lord - even if that means the house stays messy for longer! Some things you just have to let go to allow room for the more important things in life. Another example - Steve and I were talking about how we could use some of the time we spend watching tv or on the computer to have quality time with each other. It reminds me of the message my mom gave as she spoke over the Mother's Day weekend at church - friends (or anything else!) should never take the place of Jesus in your life. We can fill, fill, fill our lives with stuff, activities and people, but if we don't have the Lord in the center we are going to fall! Cause we just can't do it all in our own strength! I try sometimes to do it all in my strength and that is what happens - I fall! But, I don't want to live like that - I want to live a fulfilled life! I truly believe that the more we put Jesus in the center, the better wife, mother, friend, employee, etc that we are!

So, some of my goals include: spending more personal time with the Lord both in study and worship, making the most of the time with Steve and Elijah (making an effort to have quality time with them), picking up around the house little by little so that it doesn't become overwhelming, cooking simple/quick meals, taking each day one at a time and not allowing myself to get stressed or burdened by the load & to continue to prioritize things in my life (I have started using a planner and this helps a lot!).

Here is some music that I have been listening to lots lately - it is a great worship cd. Listen to the song "Here in Your Presence" -