Giving Thanks, In Everything...

It's been a little while since my last life update. Things get busy and health struggles are hard and I honestly just don't always have the words to share what it's been like over the past couple years. Something that stays on my mind so often though is this verse in 1 Thessalonians, "In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

In EVERY thing give thanks? That's something I admittedly struggle with not just doing but at times even wrapping my mind around. When I'm only responding with my flesh and focusing on my circumstances anyway. But when I take a step back and look at it from a spiritual perspective and ask God to really help me see how blessed we are regardless of what we are going through, oh how things change. Or my attitude towards thing changes at least and that makes all the difference.

The past couple weeks have been rough(er). Moving again, health issues flared up severely, trying to find a new church, being consistent with schooling, financial struggles, and just every day life stuff. Let's just say that remembering to still give thanks in the middle of it all has been a challenge. One that some days seemed more of a duty than truly heart felt. And I fall into the attitude of thinking that of course it's not wrong to feel discontent with how things are! Who could be thankful for all this? And my focus is completely on the bad with no thought for any blessings, which obviously is not a good place to be.

Then at the same time we are seeking God's will for our lives and sometimes doubting and questioning if we know what that looks like or if we are truly "getting it right". But then I read an article like this and it convicts me and reminds me of that verse all over again. And I go back to read it one more time. Only to find that not only do I have so much I should be giving thanks to the Lord for, but that is exactly how I can be in His will right now!

I'm not belittling what us and many other families are going through, some with way worse trials than ours(like the article above). I truly believe it's okay to be real about struggles because that's needed too so that we don't all feel alone in hard times. But at the same time I don't want to get hung up there and completely neglect to still give thanks.
Because the truth is, God is good. And every day that we are alive is due to His mercy and grace. If He never gave another gift or blessing to me besides just the fact that He gave His own Son to die for my sins and saved me from hell, that's enough to give thanks for. In spite of the hardships in life.

And just like the woman in the Bible, who begged Jesus to help her daughter even though she was just a Gentile "dog", He gives way, way more to us than just the crumbs off the table. He never leaves us, never forsakes us, and always provides exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or even think. It doesn't mean there aren't trials, but only that He is with us through them. And that He's leaving handfuls of blessings on purpose if we take time to get close enough and look for them. And He wants us to take time to thank and praise Him for that!

I'm going to wrap this post up with those thoughts, but next time I plan to be more specific on things I've found to give thanks for during these hard times. I hope this was an encouragement to someone and that you'll join me....


                                             Tyra

Our Plexus Beginning!

If y'all know me or have read about our family's health struggles and challenges over the past few years then you probably know that I'm super cautious about the types of treatments and supplements we try. I also tend to do lots of research before making a decision on if something seems like it will be good for us and help with our issues rather than making them worse or just not benefiting us at all. That being said I've been hearing about a company called Plexus for several months now but honestly at first just passed it off as another product line that claimed miracles but with a closer look wasn't as healthy as it said. Add to that the fact we were in the middle of new treatments for Daxton, a move to FL, and a dozen other crazy changes and I pretty much just wasn't interested in looking into anything else right then. But fast forward to a few weeks ago and I kept seeing stories about how much the Plexus products had helped people with so many things (and some of them specifically very similar to issues I knew we had) and I decided I couldn't ignore digging a little deeper any longer! After much reading and discussion plus prayer we ended up taking the plunge to try the basic set-up called the Triplex. 

Something that greatly impressed me when researching these products was the emphasis on gut health and the need to heal that in order to help so many other issues. We've faced many challenges in our own health journey due to problems with our gut so I know that it is the basis for a huge variety of both ailments if it's out of balance and achieving optimal health when it isn't. Add to that some of the other great results you can see from just drinking the pink drink alone and I was very encouraged that these products could help us in our ever changing journey to helping our bodies be the best they can be. I also love that it is plant based, has no artificial colors, and is sweetened only with stevia. There's so much more I found out but for sake of time here's another graphic to help explain the process of taking these three products together:

We've only been doing the protocol for a couple of weeks now so can't testify to any amazingly different results yet (other than noticing better energy levels for me which is definitely a plus!) but I am looking forward to what is in store for us in the coming weeks as we keep on taking it. I will be sure to report back as we notice more changes!

 

Last but not least, I wanted to share that if you're interested in trying these products for yourself Plexus is offering a one time 15% off code for all purchases made by April 15th. You can go to my website here to browse and order with the code THANKS or comment or email me with any questions you have. There are 3 different ways to order that can save you money depending on the level of use you intend to have with the products so please let me know if I can help explain things in more detail. I would love to have you join us on this new health challenge and am excited at the benefits we can all see in the future!

 

Blessings,

Tyra

 

Changes

Looking back over the past year and more of our lives the main word that comes to mind is changes. We've moved 4 times in various ways and distances since last March. Lived in a camper for 6 of those months in 2 different places, with me taking care of the kids during the week and Blake only able to come where we were on weekends. Then a more major move to the ocean in hopes of helping with health issues, especially Daxton's skin. Our rental only lasted thru the winter months so we just made another move down the road and are finally getting settled in again. (although if you're wondering about visiting we do have a serious lack of furniture at the moment!:) Mixed in with all those moves were trying all kinds of treatments and doctors, dealing with the overwhelming issues that go along with us detoxing and just feeling rotten a lot of the time, job interviews, visiting churches, making and saying goodbye to new and old friends, struggling with financial worries, and just trying to adjust to all the craziness that had become our "normal". Needless to say, our emotions were forever changing as much as the things in our every day lives.
But thankfully in the middle of it all is a God who never changes. He has shown us time and again that His promise to never leave us or forsake us is true, even when in our storms we may not always feel like He's there. Yes, some lots of days are still hard and to be honest we are all tired and would like more stability in many areas. But He's teaching me to trust Him in spite of it all and also showing us that His ways are not our ways and that just maybe there is a bigger picture and plan for all this that we can't see yet. Do we always have unshakeable faith that it's all going to be ok? No, not really. Not every day. But one of my prayers the past couple months has been Lord, I believe but help my unbelief! I truly want to learn to look for the good that He is working for us in all of this rather than questioning or being bitter over how bad it has been and still is. And He never fails to send us a little something here and there to encourage me when I'm at my lowest! (like someone secretly buying our meal at a restaurant, a friend who reaches out with scripture or a song, an unexpected love offering, family that prays and helps out, and even showing us a house to rent just a few days before we had to move)
So even though this past year+ has definitely brought about many changes with all their highs and lows, one thing I still am sure of.... God is faithful. No matter what.  And that really is enough.


                                               Tyra

A New Look, New Year, New Start?

I can't believe it's been an entire year since I posted here! So many things have happened over the last twelve months that I doubt I can ever completely share it all. Hopefully I will get around to some of it in the coming days. For now though I just wanted to share the new simple look of the header and also the fact that this beautiful picture is where we've called home for the past 5 months. We sadly are moving again this weekend (prayers for that please) but plan on staying close by so I will still be seeing these gorgeous sunsets in the future. I'll be sure to share more pictures of that too. :-)
This past year has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs that has challenged our faith and exhausted us physically and emotionally in many ways but I'm thankful to look back and see God's grace through it all. I look forward to getting back in the groove of blogging about our craziness and hope to "see" some of you coming back around to catch up with us! Until later....

                                       Tyra 

Months of Craziness all Summed Up in One Post (kind of)

So obviously it's been a while since I've blogged, y'all. And the main reason is that we really have been exactly what the name of this blog says.....but without the play on words. I thought it was about time to share a little of what that has looked like though, so hopefully I can get the general idea across in this post. If not, I may or may not do another later. No promises there since we will probably be dealing with the whole "at our wits' end" thing still. Anyhow, here goes....

As mentioned in my last post here we have figured out that this area is a huge source of environmental issues for us and our health. Not going to try and go into a lot more detail as to the "whys" at the moment other than just to say that chemical toxins, mold allergies, and even geographical layouts (we found out we live on top of a water table) can and do affect your quality of life greatly. Add all that to some already pre-determined genetic problems which make us more sensitive to some things and you've got some pretty major health stuff going on. Now you may be asking what that looks like on a day to day basis or even what we are doing about it and that's what I'm planning to write about tonight.

First of all, for our youngest (who has been hit the hardest obviously because of his age/size) it still means chronic, daily pain and itching all over his body, very restless and often interrupted sleep for several hours at night, welps, sores, eczema, swelling, stomach issues, and well the list could go on and on. Needless to say, for a 2 year old going through all of that and more, it. is. bad.

For the rest of us, we tend to have various reactions and/or health problems related to the things we're exposed to here but of course they aren't quite as severe or hard to deal with as his. But to be honest, my own have gotten a good bit worse in the past couple months and when you consider being the mom who is trying to handle everyone else's issues plus her own, not to mention the every day stuff around the house then it can be pretty rough sometimes. Between myself and the older 3 kids we've had migraines, stomach issues, skin problems(rashes, eczema, etc), chronic pain, extreme fatigue, dizziness, itching, swelling/breathing issues, insomnia, and random other things that seem to be related. Once again, not an exhaustive list but that is the general things that crop up on a daily/weekly basis for some or all of us.(Blake's issues are less often or sometimes obvious but still there as well) Suffice it to say, it's exhausting both physically and emotionally. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we just found out the chemicals can work as hormone disruptors as well. That explained a lot of things but wasn't exactly good news. Fun times.

Now on to the what we are doing about it part. Well, the things is....there isn't a medicine out there to actually treat you for exposure to environmental toxins. In fact, since a lot of it is chemical based or due to mold, fungus, etc then most western medicine only makes it worse. At the very least, it would be a poor attempt at covering up the symptoms rather than getting to the root of the problem and at worst it will greatly exacerbate the symptoms. (care to guess which category we fall in??) We've searched long and hard for doctors and practitioners to help us figure out what's wrong and are still trying new treatments and supplements to help our bodies heal and get strong again (especially Daxton), but the main conclusion we've come to is that moving is obviously the only real answer at this point. I don't really have time to go into all about what trying to get a house up for sale, pack, find a new job (since this ENTIRE area has crop farming), and everything else a total move and life change is like when you're health and that of your kids is in total shambles. Let's just say it stinks and is pretty much impossible to do and leave it at that. Yeah.

But wait, I can't really leave it there because that sounds completely hopeless and while some days I have to admit do feel that way I know deep down that it's not. Has it been a rough past few months? Yes. Are things looking better and we know exactly how they will work out in the next few weeks? No. (side note, I don't think I mentioned that we need to be moved asap since they are starting up the crop farming again. In February. Which means more poisonous chemicals in our already sick bodies. Lovely.) BUT, God has proven faithful in our lives time and again and I know that this time won't be any different. We are praying hard for direction, wisdom, and open doors and are slowly but surely seeing change happen, even though it doesn't look exactly like we would like. I don't know what the immediate future holds and sometimes my fears and worries over our chronic issues and how bad they are and how much longer they could last overwhelm me, but I'm choosing to trust tonight that it's gonna be okay. (You may have to remind me of that tomorrow when I have a baby boy with sores and welps and skin irritations who is scratching uncontrollably and screaming my name for help at the top of his lungs, in spite of all I'm doing to try and make it better. My mama heart is made of flesh after all and that's a little more than anyone can stand for days on end. Just sayin'.) But in the end, that's all any of us can really do, right? Try our best to make good decisions for our lives, within God's will according to the Bible, and then leave the rest up to Him. I have to admit though that living by faith is sometimes a much easier song to sing than it is to actually put into practice. Only through His grace. Always.

Since this has already turned out to be a pretty long post, I'll end with that and also asking you all to pray for our family as we travel this road of sickness and hopefully big changes over the next few weeks or months. Obviously we aren't the only ones faces problems or hard times but they are still there and still real for us and we can use all the prayers for strength we can get! I'm not sure how long it will be until the next update but I'm determined for it to be a good report whenever it comes. Until then, we'll still be hanging out here at our "Whits" end. :-) Thanks so much for stopping by and reading. We would love to hear from you in the comments!


                                             Tyra

A Long/Short Summer!

Since I've been missing in action around here for the past few months, I figured it was time for a little update on what's been going on. The hard part is in knowing where to start exactly in all the craziness?!

In case you don't already know, we have a lot of health issues including allergies and especially chemical sensitivities. Unfortunately, we also live in an area where the farms are large and have gradually become more and more dependent on pesticides and other sprays that are toxic. (ever hear of Monsanto? they pretty much own this area I think. ugh) Anyway, this year we noticed an even bigger change in our reactions as they started spraying the crops in the spring and by the end of May and first of June we were hardly able to go outside without side effects since the chemicals are just so strong in the air.

Although all of us suffer from various reactions at times, the worst part by far though has been Daxton's skin issues, with him eventually having something that looks like a cross between burns and severe eczema all over his body. I'm not even exaggerating either, but I wish I was. I could go on and on trying to explain how horrible it has been but let's just say that nightmarish pretty accurately describes it best. He has been in almost constant pain in some way or another for the whole summer and is still not over it. Putting him in footie pajamas to keep scratching at a minimum, rubbing him down with oils or creams multiple times a day, giving him meds, staying up half the night, and just working to do anything to keep him calmed down has been the norm for us these past few months.

And of course with all that we've been limited on taking him out very much so it's been challenging to do things (especially all together) and the summer has felt like it has just passed us by while at the same time dragging on forever. Sounds crazy I guess but it's true! All that being said though, I have had moments of extreme thankfulness even in the midst of all the pain and frustration of dealing with this. Thankful for answered prayers and moments of relief when we were literally at the end of our strength. Thankful for grace and the help of a wonderful husband. Thankful for time with the kids where we had fun in spite of feeling yucky and more thankful than I can say that I get to stay home with them and their health issues aren't any worse. Thankful for grandparents who love to help out in so many ways. Thankful that even though I can't see a purpose in what we've gone through this summer, I can trust that God still has one and just keep coming back to Him when I question and doubt.

So yes it's been a long summer as far as going through hard times and short in that it seemed like we weren't able to enjoy it, but we've almost made it past it now and are looking forward to changes ahead! I had planned on sharing more about those tonight as well as some photos but it's late and I need to try and rest while Daxton is sleeping (since we never know how long that will last!) so I will be back soon...


                                              ~Tyra~

Motherhood in 4-D

Although being a mom is obviously something I think about a lot since it's basically a huge part of who I am right now, celebrating mother's day over the weekend caused me to reflect on some specific things motherhood means for me.  Here are just a few of them I wanted to share....

~ It's probably one of the best feelings in the world! From the moment you first see those pink lines on a test, feel the first tiny movements inside your womb, to the day you actually meet that little baby in person for the first time. It's just indescribably special to know you've become a momma.

~ It's completely exhausting some days. And nights. Both emotionally, physically, and mentally! In other words, being a mom is hard.

~ It's also one of the most rewarding jobs ever. All those long days and nights are forgotten in an instant when you feel little arms around your neck and hear a little voice saying, "I love you, momma!".

~ I didn't know half as much about being a mom before having kids as I thought I did!

~ It's all about grace. God's, yours, and theirs. Where in the world would we all be without it?!

~ Every child is totally unique and has to be dealt with in completely different ways sometimes. What works for one doesn't automatically work for another. And that's for lots of different areas of life so it can take lots of effort to figure it all out! 

~ It's the most challenging thing I've ever done and never ceases to cause me to realize how much I need to change and grow while I'm training them to do the same. I often think that God gives us children just to help us see all the areas we need to allow Him to work on in ourselves!

~ It's completely convinced me that the verse in the Bible, "pray without ceasing", was written just for mothers. :-)

~ It's crazy, fun, scary, beautiful, frustrating, amazing, and wonderfully sweet....all at the same time! I'm not really sure there are enough words to accurately describe this mom journey. But I'm so thankful to be on it!

Some days I feel like a complete failure. Some days I don't know if I'll make it until bedtime. (without going crazy anyway;) And there are even some days I just don't want to get out of bed at all! But every day I am blessed to have the gifts of these children in my life. And there are always, always more good days than bad because of the love we share, no matter what. I'm slowly learning that even when I'm not a perfect momma (although I think we should definitely try to be the best we can!) I have a perfect God who can take care of it all. Big things or little things, I can seek Him with it and trust He has it under control. It's good to know that I don't have to do this motherhood thing alone. Cause life in 4-D can get a little messy sometimes and I definitely need some help to do this momma thing right! The days when I really let Him lead me are the ones that by far the best.

So to sum it all up my thoughts after mother's day this year are mostly of being grateful. For the privilege of being a mom, for the special kiddos that call me that, and for a Saviour who loves us all and is ever faithful on this journey to give us just what we need. Glad that He saw fit to let me live life in 4-D! :-) 

 

(ps. if you're new to the blog or don't know our family personally, all of our kiddos have names beginning with "D" so the whole life in 4-D saying is just for fun because of that!)

 

Linked up to the Modest Mom blog here so be sure to check out the other posts!

Winter Time Fun!

Hello, everyone! Just checking in to share some of what we've been up to the past couple months. It's been a cold winter here in the south so far but we are hanging in there! :-)

Between Christmas, New Year's, unexpected snow, Valentine's Day, and all the other life happenings since December it's been a busy, crazy time.....but definitely filled with lots of good times as well! Instead of trying to go back and write all about the things we've been up to I thought I would share a few pictures for you to enjoy. They always say a picture is worth a thousand words anyway, right?!
                                                                   Merry Christmas!

                                                            
                                                              Celebrating the New Year!

                                                   

                                                       Our first dusting of snow in January!

                                                           Happy Birthday to Me!

                                                          Our BIG February snow!! :-)

                                                     Happy Valentine's Day!! <3

 

The End!! :-)

A Day of Thanks

The kids and I have been studying various things about Thanksgiving the past couple of days and today we read the first proclamation given by George Washington after the House of Representatives requested that he declare a public day of thanksgiving and prayer. Here was his response a few days later in October of 1789. 

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
 And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

What a blessing to read about what a strong foundation this country was established on! But at the same time saddening to think how far we've come. We also read that the Pilgrims dug seven times more graves than they built huts......but still chose to set aside a day to be grateful and praise God. How discontent and ungrateful I so often am in comparison! While going over some of these things the verses in Colossians came to mind that say...."all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." What a reminder of why we should be thankful to Him, not just tomorrow but every day....because without Him we have nothing and are nothing anyway! Just the thought of Him loving us enough to give us Jesus should cause us to praise Him. And I know most of us have WAY more to blessings in our lives than that! I'll leave you with just one more verse of scripture that's been on my heart a lot recently that sums up how I want to feel tomorrow perfectly: Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. I looked it up and one of the meanings of selah can be to pause for praise or worship. That's what I want most for our family on Thanksgiving, is to take time to stop and acknowledge everything God has done for us! I hope you and your family will be doing that as well.

                                                   Blessings,
                                 Tyra

How Can It Be....She's 3?!

Am I the only one who feels like time has flown by recently? It seems like only a few weeks since this was happening instead of 3 years! But even though it's went by crazily fast, those 3 years since our baby girl was born have been challenging, joyful, and everything else in between. We celebrated Darcey's birthday last week both at home and with family. And although we were all a little under the weather with a cold (hence the pajama type clothing in the pics) it was still a fun time seeing her so excited to be 'growing bigger". :-) Here's a little peak into our celebrating....

 

We are so thankful for the blessing of having this little girl in our lives! She never fails to make us laugh with her silliness and melt our hearts with her sweetness. Not to mention amaze us with some of her words! :-) I can't wait to see what God has in store for her as she grows up.

Happy Birthday to Our Little Men!

It's been a week of birthday celebrations around here for our 2 boys! So crazy that we now have a 10 year old and 1 year old in the house. Where does the time go?!

 

First off was Dathan turning 10 last week and we took a fun trip to the Smokey Mtns to celebrate his special milestone. He had a blast picking some places to visit and eat while we were there. It's unreal how quickly he is growing up into a young man! Love his tender heart and funny, artistic personality. He is definitely one of a kind and I wouldn't have it any other way! And just look how handsome he is too. :)

 

 

 

 

Next up when we got back home was Daxton turning one so we had another special milestone to celebrate! I'm still in disbelief that it's been a whole year since he was born but we are loving this fun age that he is now. Taking a few steps here and there but no full fledged walking yet, which has not slowed him down in the least. Jabbering in his own language, laughing with his mouth opened wide, and overall bringing lots of joy to our lives. So thankful for this sweet, baby boy!  He had a blast eating his first cupcake (made from black beans. true story.) or mostly smashing it on his face. And look what a cutie he is too. :)

 

So there's a little post about our boys! Grateful to have them both in our family. Such a blessing to raise them and watch them grow! More pictures to come later of all the fun we've been having the past week......


                                      Tyra

  

Summertime Randomness {a what we've been up to post}

Is it just me or has summer literally flown by?! Seems like only yesterday we were finishing up our school year in May and now it's already the middle of August! Anyway, I haven't written much about things we are doing these days so thought I would share some of the fun and crazy moments of our lives the past couple months. Here are the 4-D details, in no certain order.....

~ Daxton is taking a couple steps here and there but hasn't totally started cruising yet. It definitely doesn't stop him from getting around though! He also seems to love climbing so we have to keep a close eye out for that.

~ Delancey has discovered sign language in the past couple months and is loving it! It's so fun seeing her so excited about learning something new. Can't wait to see how she progresses in the future.

~ Dathan is still loving making his own movies. He writes scripts, takes pictures, records, and then puts it all together on the computer. I really think he may go somewhere with this when he's older!

~ Darcey has grown up so much in the past few months! I have to sometimes remind myself she's still only 2. She loves learning new things, writing, drawing, reading, and watching her favorite shows. Her vocabulary never ceases to amaze us.

~ The kids have all loved swimming at my parents, of course. The liner had to be replaced on the pool this year so they didn't get as early a start as usual. And now it's already seeming cooler than normal so the water is getting chilly. I'm sure they will try to get in as much of it as possible before they start freezing!

~ We've done some school days here in there finishing up various subjects and grasping a few concepts a little better after having a lighter load with the new baby last year. The kids weren't totally crazy about it but it's been good for them I think.

~ A missionary friend of ours is home from Brazil and has made a couple of trips down to see us this summer. He is a great man of God and the kids absolutely love spending time with him! So glad that they can have real heroes to look up to in their lives instead of what the world would have them admire.

~ Got to attend a campmeeting in TN back in July for a few days. It was such a blessing to fellowship with other believers and hear some great singing and preaching. The kids had fun making new friends and Delancey got a new penpal as well.

~ Allergies and other health issues have abounded this year. Some days, well, weeks really have been rough as we struggle with reactions to the chemicals they put on the crops nearby. It can be challenging to try and do just normal life stuff when the way you feel isn't normal. Not to mention, how it effects our sleep habits. Chronic tiredness is the worst. thing. ever. ((yawn))

~ We've enjoyed doing some Bible/Character studies in the past couple months. I think I've learned as much and been convicted over certain behaviours more than the kids! It's amazing what the Lord can show you when you're truly desiring to learn. Another neat thing was that several times what we had been studying about during the week was the same or similar to the devotions Blake would share with us as well! No coincidence there I'm sure.

That's about all I'm thinking about at the moment! It's definitely been a summer full of good and not so good times but looking back I'm thankful for every single one I got to spend with my kiddos. We are getting back into the swing of schooling more full time again. But first we have a couple of birthdays to celebrate in the next week! Can't wait to share the details of all the fun with Dathan turning 10 and Daxton turning 1. Until then.....

                                   Tyra 

9 Month Cutie!

This little munchkin is growing like a weed these days! Going from sitting up to scooting around on his tummy to crawling and trying to pull up.....he is definitely on the go! Jabbering in sweet baby talk and learning to say his first words (mama, daddy, and hi are the main ones we've heard so far) is the cutest thing ever. He loves to smile and laugh at everyone and never fails to melt our hearts with his sweetness.

He's finally able to tolerate a few solids, although our attempts to change from the special formula haven't gone very well yet. We are thankful for every bit of nutritional stuff we can give him though! Two teeth have broken through after months of teething symptoms. An amber necklace and Hyland's teething tablets are favs around here. He sleeps better than our other babes at this age but still wakes up about every 4-5 hours to eat. With his allergies and stomach issues that is great to us! (even though yes we are tired sometimes....just keepin' it real;)

So thankful for this baby boy that God has blessed us with. He is such a joy and we are loving watching him turn into his own little personality every day. Although it's a little sad to see him becoming less and less of a baby, it's also exciting to look forward too all the fun in the future!  

30 Day Health Challenge

Due to our multiple allergies we already have a pretty strict diet, but I've been looking at different ways lately to change it up even more in hopes of healing some of our issues and possibly toning down some of the sensitivities we have. I found something called the Whole30 which eliminates pretty much anything that can cause inflammation or sensitivities for most people. There are a couple things I don't agree with about it, one because it's based on the Paleo diet whose beliefs come from an evolutionist viewpoint that I think is totally wrong and two because I don't honestly think everything that they've chosen to eliminate is really bad for you and some of the things they recommend we are allergic to. So of course as with anything else we have to take that into consideration and make the diet into something that works for us. The idea for us is to just try to calm down our reactions as much as possible and hopefully heal our gut/digestion issues enough that when we add back other foods they will be easier digested and not cause sensitivities. It's something that seems doable for the 30 days but not something we think is necessary all the time. Anyway, that's a little background of the what/why of the idea so now here's the basics of how we're doing it.

Starting this past Monday we eliminated all grains, dairy, legumes, soy, processed foods, additives, sugars (even natural ones), and basically anything else unhealthy you can imagine outside of those things. Some of it we already didn't eat anyway and some of it is new, but needless to say it. is. hard. Basically we are eating meats, eggs, most vegetables, fruits, nuts, and good fats (like coconut and olive oil). Yep, that's it. Sounds fun, huh? :-) If you're wondering what that looks like in an actual day of meals then here's a few things we've tried so far: eggs, breakfast meat, and fruit, turkey breast and veggies, natural beef hot dogs and sauerkraut, hamburger steak with green beans, chicken wings and steamed broccoli, fried plantain and eggs with fruit, etc. We've also done some freshly made juices and smoothies as well as some "jello" made out of juice and gelatin (which is really good for you!). It's day 3 and we are hanging in there so far but I'm starting to see some detox and withdrawals in all of us I think so who knows how the rest of it will go!

In addition to eating changes we are also trying to focus on doing some exercising each day and working on spiritual/character issues as a family. As much as we want to be healthy physically, we want our hearts to be in good shape even more so! Spending time together playing and talking has happened a lot this week and not doing much media throughout the day. All these things are a work in progress and require not only diligence to keep at it but also patience while adjusting to something new. Let's just say that we are far from perfect around here! We are hanging in there though and hoping for some good results/rewards at the end!

I will say that the past couple weeks have been rough for all of us physically and our family isn't getting good sleep most nights. That in itself is super challenging and can become overwhelming after a while since exhaustion makes everything else so much harder. Our outdoor allergies are at the all time worst right now so it feels like we are just being hit with a lot at the moment. Prayers for strength and grace are so appreciated as we try to have wisdom in deciding what's best for everyone on this health journey. Thanks for reading and I will hopefully be able to give some updates as the month progresses!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Here's a new dish we have recently discovered and are loving! Not only is it delish but also helps with us trying to be more grain free around here. Definitely a win-win in my book! I had seen spaghetti squash around blogland and pinterest a couple of times with different ways to cook it but hadn't found one in the stores to try. We finally lucked up last week at Earth Fare and after searching out some recipes I kind of combined them and what I sounded good myself to create this yumminess:

 

 

 

I just cut off one end and then sliced it in half, rubbed with olive oil and sea salt, then placed it cut side down onto a cookie sheet. Baked it at 400 for about 20-25 minutes while I browned some ground beef in a skillet. Added in spaghetti sauce and garlic powder to the meat and spooned that mixture onto the squash. (after flipping over, of course!) Cooked it like that for about 5 more minutes and it was done. You need to test for softness with a fork or spoon to make sure the squash has cooked thoroughly since times will probably vary with different ovens. We also topped with parmesan cheese the first time but didn't have any on hand tonight so did without. It was still great though so whatever toppings you like should work great! We had extra sauce mixture as well that we used for anyone that wanted extra.  

 

So there's our new favorite meal around here! Hope you try it and enjoy as much as we have! Oh, and I forgot to add that Daxton was able to eat it plain and loved it too so it worked as a meal for the whole family. Being that finding foods his stomach can handle is challenging that was awesome! :-) 

Springtime Fun

 

Here's a little peek at some of what we've been up to since the weather's been pretty. Love these crazy kiddos! :-)

 

 

 Flying her kite all by herself. She did such a great job!

 First time in the baby swing. He LOVED it!!

 My sweet girl on Easter after playing outside.

 Trying to pull the sword out of the stone.

 Getting ready to slide.

 One of the "little pigs" houses. :-)

 Watching the lady churn butter. (don't you just love the pigtails?!)

 So much fun on the playgrounds!

 Baby boy taking it easy at the park.

Climbing the ropes. (this is right before his foot got stuck! haha)

It's so nice being able to get out and enjoy the sunshine together! Can't wait to have more fun this spring and summer. As long as we can keep our crazy allergies in check it should be a blast! :-)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made ~words for my babies~

Having children is one of the most wonderful things imaginable. I'm so grateful for the 4 little blessings God has given us in our lives. This is just a little something I wrote after being pregnant with our first. Such an awesome experience and really one that is difficult to explain! Hope you enjoy.......

"I'd always known that God could do amazing things;He had shown me in so many different ways.But then He created you inside of me; and now I know I'll never ceased to be amazed!

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Oh, His thoughts are very precious unto me.
Marvelous are all His works, He should be praised.
And He gave me you so I could always see.

I remember the first time I felt you move; how all at
once it became real that you were there.
I stood in awe of how He'd blessed me with this gift.
I'm so honored He'd entrust you to my care!

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Oh, His thoughts are very precious unto me.
Marvelous are all His works, He should be praised.
And He gave me you so I could always see.

Marvelous are all His works and I'm amazed;
for you are fearfully and wonderfully made!"

(based on Psalm 139:14: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.)