Snow Days

It snowed on Sunday. That's also the day Joel woke up not feeling well (which we later found out is a kidney stone). The kids and I got ready and went to church then ate a quick lunch so we could give Daddy time to rest. As we drove home, the snow was falling steadily.
The kids came home and waited patiently. There wasn't much snow on the ground to play in so they had to wait for it to accumulate.
It never really did.
We finally let them go out.
I'm not a huge fan of the cold. I prefer to stay inside. Especially when I'm just weeks away from having a baby! So, I took pictures.

Joel was feeling well enough to bundle up, go outside, and pelt the kids with a few snowballs.
Our neighbors joined in the frolicking. Actually, they had already come over twice to see if the kids could come out to play.
Jenna threw a fit over her gloves getting wet and ended up inside for a bit. She finally decided she could change her attitude and she rejoined the fun.
It was my favorite kind of snow...came fast and left just as quickly!

Never a Dull Moment

Joel woke up Sunday not feeling well. By mid-afternoon he was good enough to go outside with the kids and play in the snow we had. (pictures coming soon)

Monday he woke up feeling awful again. After describing his pain, I suspected it was his kidneys. I did some reading online and then called his doctor. After several tests and then finally a CT scan yesterday afternoon, they confirmed he had one 4mm kidney stone.

He was feeling well enough to return to work today and stayed all day. We think he might have even passed it already. But, we would appreciate your prayers that he gets well soon.

I really don't want to go into labor with my hubby not well. We have 19 days or less!

Challenges of All Sorts

Another challenge I constantly face is parenting. I think all parents (of all ages with all ages of kids) would agree: parenting is tough stuff!

Parenting shows you your weaknesses like nothing else! You begin to realize how inadequate you are for the job, even after the first day. (at least, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!)

My deep desire to honor the Lord in my parenting and my passion to see my kids know and love God lead me to continually fall on my face before the Lord confessing these inadequacies and begging for wisdom and guidance. He is faithful. I am counting on it!

As the new year has caused blogs to be filled with goals, resolutions, and problem-solving posts, I have found a few that have encouraged me in some areas of parenting where I struggle.

My friend, Beth, wrote about quality time with her kids. I needed the reminder. Then, a blog I've just started following had this great article today on discipline and the struggles we face as we attempt to do a good job and honor the Lord in it.

Maybe they will encourage you too!