Terrible twos?

Cohen is definitely two! And he is settling into the driving independence and selfishness that comes with this age. Therefore, I'm finding myself faced with a decision: do I drudge through our days succumbing to the view of this being the "terrible twos" or do I seek the adventure, challenge and teaching opportunities before me as my little guy grows in curiosity, independence, and comprehension? To be honest, it's a struggle and a daily choice. I find myself frustrated with his fits, disobedience and whining and then realize I missed an opportunity to practice patience and love in that moment. The truth is, he needs me to help him learn how to control his emotions, and if I can't control my own I'm doing him NO good. I see myself in him so much and long for him to learn early how to handle frustration and failure. I must cling to God's word, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3). He has equipped me with everything necessary to be the best mom for Cohen.

I must be honest in saying it is sometimes tough being a stay-at-home mom. Days run together and sometimes seem mundane, especially when Hector is away. These are the days that I grow weary, frustrated and honestly selfish. In light of this I have to recognize my own weakness and remain in the Lord and His strength. I also have to plan our days to include new experiences and adventures for Cohen and allow time away for my own refreshment and renewal. Whether it's working out, lunch with a friend, grocery shopping alone, or even a nap...I need time to regroup, refocus and refuel. My biggest enemy of this time is my own guilt. I feel guilty for leaving Cohen with anyone other than Hector (and even sometimes Hector). I'm Cohen's mom and I'm supposed to be his mom all day every day...right? God has shown me that although I'm convicted that my "job" right now is to raise Cohen, it's still o.k. and even important for me to take time for myself. He is gently showing me this even more in the midst of this new and trying age. In order for me to show Cohen patient and gentle love, even in discipline, I need to be rested and refreshed for each day. With this conviction I have also started giving the Lord the first 15 minutes of my day. My quiet times have gradually moved later in the day to coincide with Cohen's naps...the only true quiet during the day. :) I am NOT a morning person and waking at 7:30 is rough, so adding in time before Cohen wakes up for my quiet time has not happened. However, I have been convicted lately that the first half of my day would be much more glorifying to the Lord and Cohen would have a much more pleasant Mom if I would commit to giving Him my "first fruits," (ie: the beginning of our morning). So, I am now spending about 15 minutes in prayer for Cohen and our day before I get him up and then doing my Bible Study during his naptime. I have already noticed a difference in my attitude and outlook! The Lord is so faithful to redeem the time we give to Him! (I mention this maybe to challenge you but mainly for my own accountability.)

I am so grateful for this time to be home with Cohen and watch him grow and learn! He is putting together 3 and 4 word sentences and it blows me away. I'm so grateful to be sometimes the first to witness something new. I love watching his mind work. Yes, it is tiring and hard to remain consistent in every area I need to, but the rewards far out weigh the loneliness or frustration!

Update on Christy's eye

I will try to keep this short, but for those who have been praying for me I wanted to update you on my eye condition. I have been off oral steroids for almost a month...praise the Lord!!! I feel much more like myself and so thankful to be off them. However, as I was decreasing on the eye drops I had a flare up. It was quickly maintained once I increased the drops, but this does mean I have to continue using the drops for a much longer period (a couple months). I'm only using them 2 times a day so this does allow me to start wearing my contacts for at least a few hours during the day. That is nice. Another thing I have noticed is that my vision is more blurry on the drops and therefore I was anxious to be off them as well.

As for my vision, it seems to be having some long term effects from the inflammation also. The doctor describes it as the gel-like area in the back of the eye (the vitreous humor) is trying to pull away but is partially stuck. This happens often with age but has most likely been a result of the inflammation. Now for the prayer request...We are praying the vitreous humor pulls away on its own. Otherwise I will have to have surgery to remove it. Not sure what all that will entail, but no eye surgery is ideal! So, as weary as you may be of praying for this journey, we would covet your prayers for the Lord to continue healing my eye and restoring full vision without the need of surgery. Thank you SO much for joining with us! We truly thank the Lord for our friends and family who have supported and prayed for us over the last 9 months. We are still very grateful for the healing thus far!

Turning Two

Cohen is two!! How quickly these last two years have gone by. I have learned so much about myself, the Lord and my little man. Just two short years ago, the biggest blessing and challenge came into our lives. Parenting is full of incredible joys as well as overwhelming challenges. God is constantly drilling into me that He is in control...not me! He has recently shown me that I can't control my life ...or Cohen's. My plans often fail and when they do God is helping me see His plan is best. Lately, these lessons have not been gentle but trying and sometimes painful. I feel the Lord holding tightly to My Will and tugging on it until I am able to completely surrender it to Him. He has also shown me that it is a DAILY sacrifice not something I'm going to learn and never struggle with again. Whew...it's tough! I'm thankful for His patience with me!

We celebrated his birthday a couple days after so family could make it. I think Cohen has lots of fun! I enjoyed planning for it for about a month! Silly, I know...but I was pleased with the day! Hector was a huge help in making decorations and food come together. We were blessed with wonderful Spring weather and took advantage of it while the kids played outside. Here are a few pictures of his party.



I will post more pictures on Facebook soon. Also, go to our friend Paula's Blog for more cute pictures!!

Prayer Requests Update

I have updated our Prayer Request page. (Click on "prayer requests" at top of page) We covet your prayers! I promise to post soon on Cohen's birthday!