Living Water

 ^"Whoever believes in me...rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38

This is a really hard blog post to write.
1. It's making me incredibly vulnerable not just to the internet world but to those who are close to me and to whom I see on a consistent basis. 
2. I'm afraid of failure. Extremely afraid. 

BUT, I feel the Lord leading me here, and I feel that I need to share it. So here goes. 

I have a struggle with bad food and healthy eating. Like, a back and forth, roller coaster, up/down, love/hate relationship, however you want to describe it. 

I have lots of knowledge on how to eat healthy, I know why I need to do it, yet I just cannot get over the hump of getting all the crappy food out of my diet. 

I tell myself...

It's been a bad day, go ahead and swing through McDonalds and get that large Dr. Pepper and large french fry. 

The kids are finally in bed, you're completely exhausted, you deserve that ice cream. 

It's been a stirring in my heart, to say the least. But I think this post finally pushed me over the edge to sit down, journal out my thoughts, and pray about what steps to take next. 
Because clearly, this is a heart issue.

Like Jessi, I decided to write out my own lies/truths about this subject. I won't share them all, but here's my first one:

LIE: food and treats will refresh me.
TRUTH: JESUS is the only true living water and ultimate source of refreshment. 

So, what to make of all this? 

I'm going to drink only water for the next 30 days.

A goal towards healthier eating and a reminder of what is my true living water.

And yes, that means I'm not going to drink coffee. Do I think coffee is bad? Heck no. I think coffee is God's wonderful gift to mothers. :) But I also believe that good things can get in the way of what HE wants to be in our lives. 

So friends, this is going to be hard. I'm not going to be able to do it by myself. Which I think is also what the Lord is going to teach me. My weakness. His strength. My Living Water. 

Life Lately, as told through pictures

Brother/Sister Duo.

She is loving that he sleeps in her room now. 

I think he likes it too. :)

Ya know, bonding. 

Girlfriend loves her an ice cream cone. 

I feel like I'm getting a small glimpse of what Molly is going to look like as a teenager here. *hold me*

Swimming with Grama.

Trying out some food. He gets SO excited and flails his hands in the air. :) 

Rejoicing with friends that have welcomed their sweet baby boy into the world.

I cannot even handle the sweetness....

Experimenting with homemade almond milk. The french press method didn't quite work for me, but I'm hoping to keep trying and find the right way!

This morning I tried to explain to Molly the difference between a CD and a DVD. I told her she had a CD in her hand and that we hear the music with our ears...

Happy weekend, friends!

SIX months

Oh Coop. Where do I even begin your six month post? 

(Well, first, I read Molly's. Here. Wow, that seems like forever ago.)

You are a lot like me--you live in the extremes of life. When you're happy, you're really happy. But when you're mad, well, you're really mad. 

You have quite possibly the best smile I've ever seen. Your face can light up the entire room. And your laugh. Oh, your laugh. You  are super ticklish, and your sister can really make you giggle.

But--how do I say this?--you've been quite the challenge. I'm fairly certain I've changed more in the last six months than I have in my entire life. You've driven me to my knees in a way that nothing else has up to this point in my life.

You've taught me more about being a parent than I had learned with Molly. You've been quite the opposite of her, throwing me for a loop in that some of the things we'd done with her, well, they don't exactly "work" with you. (I imagine we'll be running into that a whole lot more!) :)

Ya know, it's hard to necessarily put the blame on one thing, because it's not just you. It's been tough with daddy in school, learning how to adjust to two kids, and your big sister Molly entering a new phase of toddler-dom. :) 

These last six months have stretched us, to say the least. But my love for you has grown more than I ever thought possible. You are SO special to me, Coop-scoop. I cannot imagine our family without you. 

love always, your mama.

************

....and of course, some more pictures. :)

for funnsies...both kids at 6 months: