Chirps from the Tree ~ April

Outside the Nest...

It is sunny & HOT, hitting the 90’s this week in the Sunshine State. Just taking it all in knowing that we are about to be in the “rebuilding a nest” mode in less than a week! I’m excited but I know that summers can be stinkin’ hot in North Texas! We are making sure our blow up pools will be in a bin for Grammy & Papa’s house.

I am thankful for...

God’s perfect provision in the following: securing a renter paying what we asked for our Florida home, a Labor & Delivery job for me, parents to help in this wild transition & precious friends in Orlando that are making our last weeks special.

I am thinking about...

Packing & moving, saying farewell to friends here, being welcomed back into life in Big D, settling into a new routine, a new job & finding a place to live once we are there. Wow, I think my brain is going a hundred miles a minute yet I am feeling really peaceful about all the moving parts of life right now.

In the schoolroom...

Hahahaha, what school room? I packed it! On the flipside, I am excited to set one up once we are in our new house.  I am also looking forward to making my final decision on some reading/phonics &  math curriculum for next year.

From the kitchen...

We have loved Big Bob’s cooking since they moved in on Resurrection Sunday. Well, I enjoyed it for a couple days before heading to Dallas & I’m pretty sure Rob loved it while I was away. I think in our last few days of our time in Orlando we will be enjoying the kitchens’ of other since ours will be packed!  Let us know if you want to host a family of six plus Gaga ; )

Mommy by day, nurse by night...

I finished up my last shift at work this past week.  I walked into a patient who had lost a baby. The person in charge apologized not realizing it was my last night but with my experience of knowing my assignments frequently feel like I am in the right place at the right time, I kept her, delivered her, helped the family through the process of saying goodbye to a precious baby & left sad & thankful to have walked a painful road with a patient for the hours I was able to attend to her. We had some difficult conversations, shed tears (me included) & I was reminded of the brokenness we live in due to a fallen world.  What good news though to be reminded only days before on Resurrection Sunday that Jesus has conquered death & though we are sad & suffer, we have hope in Christ. When I feel that deep sadness with my patients & often don’t even know where to start in a conversation, I ask if I can pray for them. In nearly nine years, I have never had someone refuse. In a loss of that gratitude, I have little to offer in healing other than to encourage them to turn to the God who can reconcile the brokenness. That is why I love to pray for them & with them, it is sometimes easier to talk to God than talk directly to someone & I feel like in many cases it introduces a person to the truth of who God is through the words I pray.  If you find yourself in a situation where you know someone needs Jesus, just offer to pray! Bereavement care has been a soft spot for me all these years even though I have never lost a baby. I’m not sure why God has led me in that direction but I truly enjoy interacting with these families. At Parkland where I worked in Dallas right out of school, I had the opportunity to teach new nurses about the patient care process of this population, plan a yearly memorial service for the families that had experienced loss & care for countless patients.  In Orlando, I have been pregnant or on maternity leave most of my nursing career in the past 5 years (chuckle) & have not had the opportunity to care for many of these families since we usually avoid placing pregnant nurses with these patients.  I have missed it. This week, while in Dallas, I interviewed for a Labor & Delivery night shift position at a hospital I was very interested in. It seemed like a perfect fit & I was offered a position that should begin in mid May.  The managers I visited with were phenomenal women & made me excited to jump into a new place, make new friends & continue on caring for patients.  They were glad to see the “bereavement” portion of my resume & are hopeful I can join in on equipping the staff to provide exceptional care for these families.

I am creating...

Packing plans….just kidding. There is not much creating going on right now : )

I am working on...

Packing. Ha! Seriously, what else is a girl to do when moving day is a week away!

Clicking around...

I’m hooked on looking at things to prepare for Kindergarten with Classical Conversations curriculum plus finding just the right Math & Reading curriculum to supplement with. 

I am reading...

Growing Grateful Kids- I have had this one for a long time, skimmed it on occasion but am about halfway through & really enjoying it.  As I have two little girls that chit chat with me all day every day & are beginning to notice more about the world around them, I am constantly faced with opportunities to help shape their view of God, others & their response to both. So far this book is providing some practical application to help develop a spirit of thankfulness, humbleness & not giving into worry but trusting God instead for myself & my children.

Amelia Bedelia to Charlotte which is hilarious because she kinda doesn’t get why taking things literally makes for a funny storyline. The one we have read most often is about baseball which is something Charlotte previously knew nothing about so, it really makes no sense as to why mommy giggles after each silly thing Amelia Bedelia does such as “stealing” the bases & running “home.”

I am praying for...

A new found friend I met on my flight to Dallas on Wednesday. I was planning to spend 3.5 hours in silence but was blessed to visit with this lovely woman instead. She is struggling through some difficult life circumstances & wanting to trust God more fully. It was really enjoyable for me to get to have a 3.5 hour long adult conversation without any interruptions….can’t really remember the last time that happened ; ) Next flight to Dallas with be me & my mom + the Fab Four….pretty sure there will be little conversation with others!

Steve & Jenny who have been officially appointed to go as full time missionaries to Poland. They are now in the process of completing required training. Support raising will be the next big thing underway. We are excited for them & praying that God will prepare their hearts to leave the states, engage in another culture & share the Gospel as they are feeling led to do.

I am hearing...

A new favorite CD called Rain for Roots:The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like This. We have had the original CD called Rain for Roots: Big Stories for Little Ones & know every word to every song so it was so fun to add some new tunes to our day, especially ones that point our hearts & minds to Jesus.

Something that has made me laugh...

·     A few weeks ago we came in from getting really dirty playing outside. I asked the girls to wash their hands before coming to the kitchen for lunch.  Charlotte did what I asked & she was quickly at my side getting cups out of the cabinet. I could hear running water coming from the kids bathroom & gave Eloise another minute before I hollered to her saying “Come on Eloise! It’s time for lunch!” to which she replied “I doin’ my best!” She says this anytime you ask her to do anything & she is doing it wrong or slowly or if she is outright disobedient  she almost growls & says “I DOIN’ MY BEST!” It’s hard not to laugh. Anyway, back to the running water & unsupervised two year old. I decided to make my way over to the bathroom & when I peeked in there was a naked little girlie pie sitting on the counter with her feet in the sink. She was proud to tell me that she washed her entire body with hand soap. Oh Eloise, whatever will we do with you spunky little thing?!

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Around the house...

We’ve got two busy boys that pull up on everything & are now capable of climbing onto the craft table without assistance….lovely. We have boxes being packed which apparently look like mountains that should be scaled by a certain almost three year old. Thankfully Rob is in the habit of packing a box then immediately moving it to the garage for safe keeping.  The house (and the kiddos) have been kept up by Robby, Bob & Jeannine while I have been in Dallas. It feels wonderful to not have any concern that children & home will be in great shape upon my return : )

One of my favorite things...

Being with the six of us, nothing extraordinary, just daily life.  I could hardly wait to go on my three day trip to Dallas for my interview. It would have been shorter had cheaper flights been available but it turned into three FULL days away.  I did absolutely love caring for only myself on the plane, catching up with a few friends, drinking my cup of coffee in bed while reading in the morning until I felt like getting up &  hopping in & out of the car without buckling/unbuckling four car seats BUT I miss my family! I am actually surprised at how homesick I feel.  I was really excited to sleep alone but in all honesty, I would trade my nights away for being stormed in the middle of the night by two sweet girls that say they like my bed because it’s “cozy” as they snuggle up & fall back to sleep. Talk about spooning….we are like a whole drawerful of spoons every night. Sidenote- we are planning to institute some new night time sleep rules once we get to Dallas : ) For now we will keep right on spooning.  I saw the Fab Four on Skype this morning & hated it haha! I just want to kiss those chubby cheeks & hug Charlotte as she told me the longest story possible. I have missed my husband as I have gone about the day without seeing him. After all, I am used to eating every meal with him plus chatting during the quick breaks when he needs to escape his office. Robby & I have SUCH a great time together tag teaming the kids & delight in our collapsed on the couch phase every evening.  All that to say, it has been a nice visit but I am ready to be home. I am typing this in mid flight back to Orlando….almost there!

Plans for the rest of the week...

Saying goodbye to all of the people who have made life in Florida delightful, packing up those final boxes & heading to the Lone Star State.

Life via Instagram...