Turning 30!

Goodbye 20's!  As of yesterday, I joined the 30 Club!  I have had some friends who were really sad about turning 30, and I am not sure how I really feel about it.  I am not really sad, but I guess I am not jumping up and down for joy either.  I think I just kind of feel like, "Well, another day older!"  In a way, I am just thankful.  I am thankful as I think back over the past 10 years and all that has happened.  And, I am also thankful as I think forward over the next 10 years as I know God has great and awesome plans in store!

Looking Back....

The 20's were really quite good to me!  They started out at UGA with my bestest friends in the whole world.  I was just a college student, dating a wonderful guy, wondering what my life would be like in 10 years.  They ended in Savannah, with a husband (that same wonderful guy) and two precious boys, with many dear friends, and looking back thinking, "God has surely blessed me over these past 10 years."

Some highlights from my 20's-

-Graduated from UGA
-Worked in full time ministry for a year at PABC with the college ministry
-Married my best friend and love of my life
-Traveled to Colorado, New York, Honduras, Barbados, Washington DC, the Bahamas, Boston, Maine (and some other more local trips)
-Worked as a college intern in full time ministry at PABC in Athens (probably my dream job)
-Got my first job as a 4th grade teacher at Blandford Elementary
-Got my Master's Degree from Nova Southeastern University in Brain Based Learning
-Moved 3 times and bought 3 houses (with my husband, of course).  This 3rd house, which we just moved into it, is hopefully where we will live for a very long time.  I hope there is no more moving in this next decade!)
-Got pregnant twice and had two, beautiful, baby boys
-Became a stay at home mom
-Became an aunt to my precious niece, Jaymie

I have so many things to be thankful for!  It is hard to believe that 10 years have come and gone since I turned 20.  In so many ways, it feels like such a short time ago, but then again, so much has happened!  Of course, there have been down times too...times where loved ones have passed, times of fear of the future, times of family members being sick, times where things weren't going the way I had hoped.  But, I praise God for His faithfulness to me and to my family!  I praise God for His many blessings that are far more than anything I deserve.  Yesterday, our family was visiting a local church in Savannah, and we sang a song called "Always."  Every time we sang the chorus, I had to stop singing because I kept tearing up.  After just coming through a trying season of clinging hard to God's promises, these words mean so much to me.  These were the words to the chorus:

"Oh, my God. He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always."

So, in reflecting on my 20's, I praise God that He is constant.  In this crazy life full of ups and downs, trying times and good times, fearful times and thankful times, He remains the same.  His timing is perfect, and He will not delay.  He is ALWAYS true to His promises, and MY God will come through ALWAYS, ALWAYS!

Hello, 30's!  Bring it on!

16 Months

On the 11th, sweet Brooks turned 16 months!  This little guy is on the go these days!  He is a professional walker now, and he just wants to be down and exploring all of the time.  He has become very opinionated lately, and believe me, he makes his opinions known!  He is a loud little thing.  Brooks is also a dare devil, and is not afraid to dive into new things and literally, climb to new heights.  This is much different from his more cautious big brother, Reives.  This month, Brooks has grown alot of blonde curls all over his head, picked up speed and is walking everywhere, and has probably at least doubled his vocabulary.  He is really beginning to communicate to us with his words.  For instance, when he wants milk instead of water he will say, "nilk."  He is also beginning to say "please" sometimes when he wants something, and just yesterday he started saying "thank you" when you hand him something.  He also loves to wave and say "bye bye" alot these days.  He is still a pretty laid back little guy, but he has had some rough days lately as his eye teeth are coming in.  They still have not broken through his gums, but they are coming any day now.  Brooks has become a better eater this month, but he is still pretty picky at times.  He loves the pool, playground, and we also discovered that he loves cats (thanks to living with Grammie and Grandaddy for 6 weeks.)  He is a bit scared of dogs these days, but he will chase after a cat in a heartbeat.  Brooks and Reives area really starting to play and laugh together lately.  They have been doing this for a while but you can tell that Brooks is interacting with him more and more.  I love listening to them laugh and play, until is turns into pushing and crying and squealing (which is usually the case.)  Brooks is still obsessed with cars, trucks, and tractors!  He pushes them EVERYWHERE!!

Other things about Brooks:

-loves cookies and crackers (definitely his favorite foods)
-has made the transition to 1 nap a day
-LOVES cold milk from his sippy cup and it pretty much acts as his coffee in the morning (bad mood until he gets it)
-saying alot of words and even some phrases.  This morning he said "rain coming down" as clear as day when we were talking about the rain
-starting to try and sing some songs like "Old McDonald."  He loves making animal sounds
-loves to climb on anything and everything
-would probably jump into the deep end of a pool if he could
-loves going on slides
-does not like sprinklers or showers
-his feet have had a huge growth spurt lately and he is outgrowing his summer shoes
-just as sweet and cute as ever!
-has become a bit rude to people lately.  He will turn his head, squeal, and hold his hand out when people try to talk to him sometimes (embarrassing!)

 Our fearless little baby!

 Brooks, the climber

 Love his blonde curls!

 Visiting with great grandparents!

Me and my handsome snuggle bug on my 30th birthday!

2.9

Back on June 11, Reives turned 2 and 3/4 (2.9) years!  I am shocked when I realize that I almost have a 3 year old.  My mind immediately jumps to in 3 more years, he will be 6, and then in 3 more, he will be 9, etc., etc.  This is all going by way too, too fast!  I am trying to hard to cherish each and everyday with these two, little guys!  I just LOVE being their Mama, and I LOVE being able to stay home with them.  I wouldn't trade the diapers, meltdowns, tantrums, picky eating, and stressful moments for anything in the world!

My spunky Reives is turning into such a big boy!  It seems almost everyday I ask him, "Reives, can't you just stay little forever?"  I always get chuckled at his answers.  Sometimes I get a "Yes, I can."  Sometimes, it's, "No, I not."  Sometimes, it's "Don't say that." or "Don't ask me that."  Clearly, his answer depends on his mood, and I must say that I have a pretty moody little guy on my hands these days.  (Not that our whole family has been in the middle of a major move/transition period or anything!)    Reives definitely has a mind of his own, and I would consider him pretty strong willed.  He is definitely one to push the limits, and he isn't going to give in without a fight!  But, Reives also has such a tender, little heart, and can be just the sweetest little guy in the world.  He is generally very sweet to his little brother.  For example, if Brooks cries, he usually says, "Don't cry, Brooks.  It's OK."  Of course, there are many moments of him aggravating his brother, but he really does enjoy playing with Brooks, and he tries to include him in most things and wants him around.  He also really likes when he and Brooks get to sleep in the same room when we are traveling.  It is cute to hear them laughing and talking before they fall asleep.

Reives is definitely a little sponge.  He seems to catch onto things very easily.  He knows all of his letters and most of his numbers (he has a harder time with those.)  I notice now that when we go places, he will count things (1-10) and point out the different letters that he sees around.  It is really cute, and I am glad that he seems to like learning new things.  He has always loved music, and he still LOVES to listen to songs and sing.  He usually sings on pitch, so I think he must have some musical talent!  He likes to play outside alot, and he is really into riding his tricycle.  He also loves the beach, pool, and pushing trucks around.  He isn't too into playing ball yet.  He will hit golf balls or kick the soccer ball for a little bit, but then he is off to something else.

Other things about Reives at this age:

-still naps most days, but he has started not napping some days (I leave him in his crib anyways)
-still sleeps in his crib and uses his pacis for sleep
-is one of the best eaters I know...he will try anything and eat anything.  he usually clears his plate
-will drink some milk at breakfast in the mornings but not much
-favorite cartoons are "Super Why" and "Dora"
-is very into tractors and trucks right now
-is also into animals and seems very curious about them
-has mastered riding his tricycle very well
-swims around in the pool by himself with his swimmies on
-still has a bit of a cautious/fearful side when it comes to loud noises
-super friendly and loves to wave at people and tell them "hey"
-knows his birthday (September 11)  and that he will turn 3
-loves books

Pictures of our little guy at this age:

Just love him so so much!

Looking Back...

Back in March, we had pictures done for Brooks's one year birthday!  We just love these pictures so much!  The boys did fabulous at the photo shoot.  I am going to have a hard time deciding which ones to frame and hang up once we move.  Here are some of my favorites...

15 Months

Well, little "Brooksy" hit the 15 month mark on Tuesday!  He has really "grown up" in the last month.  He is wanting to become more and more independent, and he is definitely wanting to make his requests known to everyone.  He is also making it known when he doesn't get his requests!  He is such a funny, little guy.  He still loves to play with his toys, mainly cars, trucks, and tractors.  He would rather play than eat snacks, which is quite the opposite of his big brother!  He still prefers his Mama (no complaints there), and he is definitely a bit cautious around strangers.  As of yesterday, Brooks is walking....alot!  It is so crazy how he just decided he could do it and has taken off.  On Tuesday, he would only take 3 steps here or there.  Then, the very next day, he was taking 20 and 25 steps.  Brooks has also said goodbye to his bottles over the past week.  He easily transitioned to his sippy cup, and he even drinks his milk cold now!  (Hallelujah!...no more milk warming!)  I miss feeding him his bottles, but he will still snuggle with me and drink his milk sometimes.  He expects his cup of milk as soon as he gets up in the mornings.  Brooks's vocabulary continues to increase, and he has picked up some new words over the past month.  He can say "sheshie" (horsie), "cas" (crash), and "rock" (rock).  He has all four of his one year molars now, and he is working on his eye teeth.  Brooks had his one year doctor's appointment today, and his ears looked perfect.  Thankfully, he has not had an ear infection in over three months!  He was 48% for his weight (24 lbs 5 oz) and he was 81% for his height (32.3 inches).  The doctor said everything looked perfect!  Brooks went to the beach and the pool for the first time this summer recently.  He liked the pool better than the beach.  I think he was scared of the waves, but he did eventually warm up and play in the sand some.  He stayed very close to Mama, though :)

Some other things about Brooks:

-very picky eater
-rode the carousal for the first time and LOVED it
-takes 2 some days and 1 nap some days
-still loves his paci and lovey (my cut up T-shirt)
-still looks like his Grandaddy (my dad)
-does not have to wear his orthopedic shoes anymore
-is into everything!!!!
-gets mad when Reives gets to do something that he doesn't
-loves to ride around in this little red push car that I bought for $1 when Reives was a baby
-is a huge climber and tries to climb on anything and everything!
-takes a little while to "wake up" in the mornings


Some pics of Brooks at 15 months:

Stop growing so fast!!!

WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!

As of 9 days ago, we have a contract on a house!  Details to come....

Weary???

During the 3 summers I was in college, I worked at a summer camp called Epworth by the Sea.  It is a Christian camp run by the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.  It was an amazing experience, and I loved every second I was there.  Recently, someone asked all of the former staff members to write a short devotion for a devotion book they were compiling for this year's camp staff.  I finally wrote one yesterday (at the very last minute of course!)

As I have said before, we have just sold our house.  We moved last weekend, and the house closed on Tuesday.  We are now living with my parents.  In the past week (during the move), they boys and I made two day trips (each about 2.5 hours away) to visit with my college roomates who happened to be in Georgia that week.  This was a definite priority (even amidst the craziness) since the live in California, Idaho, and Louisiana.  Meanwhile, we are still looking at houses several times a week.  Yes, this is craziness.  Yes, this is exhausting.  Yes, this is wearisome.  And yet I know we are right where God wants us.  I hope hoping He will reveal His perfect plan very soon, but I also trust that His timing is perfect.

So, when I sat down yesterday to write the devotion, I had the camp staffers in mind.  I was trying to think of something I learned while working at camp that would encourage them.  Funny how God works.  What I wrote about was exactly something that I needed to hear God speak to me and remind me of during this time.  I need to know these things and be reminded of them day after day, especially during this crazy, exhausting season of our lives.  So, I just thought I would share:

Weary???

I look back over my three summers as part of the Epworth Leadership Team as some of the best summers of my life.  There is something wonderful about being in full time ministry all summer with a group of incredible people who become like family.  There is something just plain fun about goofing off, planning skits, and playing with kids all summer.  There is something amazing about watching God take a group of ordinary college students and using them to be a part of His work as He changes lives.  There is something special about spending the summer at beautiful Epworth and being in awe of God’s handiwork.  And, there is also something mind boggling about watching God work in your own life as He shapes, molds, and changes you as you minister to others.  I would go back in a heartbeat!

During my second summer at Epworth, one of my head counselors, Jeremy Gray, gave a devotion that had a huge impact on my life as a counselor and on my life as a Christian.  It was in the middle of the summer.  I was tired, weary, sleep-deprived.  Don’t get me wrong, I was having a blast and loving every minute, but I was just plain tired.  This particular morning, Jeremy shared a Scripture from Isaiah.  I was already familiar with these verses, but God, as He loves to do, blew me away with something new:

”Do you not know? Have you not heard!  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”                      (Isaish 40:28-29)

As Jeremy shared his thoughts on these verses, it dawned on me that God had called me to Epworth.  He had called me to pour into and to serve others.  And here, He was giving me His truth that even though I was tired and weary, HE was not.  Even though I was sleep deprived, He was not.  He never tires or grows weary, and since I have His power and His life at work in and through me, I can claim His energy and His strength as I continue to fulfill His calling to minister.  Also, it does not say that He strengthens the strong or the powerful.  It says that He strengthens the weary and the weak.

So, today, embrace that you are tired and weary.  Trust that He will give you strength and increase your power.  Know that His strength and energy never end.  Claim that His life is at work in and through you as you serve.  Pour, pour, pour and be filled by the God whose cup never runs dry.

Enjoy this time, LT 2013….there is no other time like this one!!

By:  Christina Cleveland Glendye (LT 2002, 2003, and 2004-HC)