Growing pains aren’t enjoyable, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel that they will go away and something great will come from them. We’ve been going through some growing pains as we adjust to the reality of life returning to normal. With that brings on some anxiety for me which I am not a fan of. I hate the internal struggle/thoughts in my head.
I recently started reading Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday: Say goodbye to stressed, tired, and anxious and say hello to renewed joy in motherhood by Valerie Woerner. I’ve been focusing on one chapter a day. Each chapter ends with 3 actions steps, a key verse and a prayer, and it’s been good for me to savor what the author is sharing. I’ve been transparent in recent blogs about the challenges that come along with boundary setting while living and working in full time ministry along with raising a family. The struggle is real. We are together as a family at home and at work. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the flexibility we have during this season, but it doesn’t mean that our days are filled with rainbows and sunshine. I’m learning to not set my own expectations for my day, and I am intentionally approaching each situation as a divine appointment from God. I am also attempting to be less attached to my phone in order to be more present in my conversations with those around me.
We enjoyed a relaxing vacation up on the north coast with Tyler the week before Easter. The weather was beautiful and the guys even saw a sea turtle while they were snorkeling. Thankfully we made it before the big rush of people that arrived the day after us for the holiday weekend.
Braegan started soccer this past month. She has practice on Monday and Wednesday evenings. There are games on Saturday mornings when we are in San Juan. She is enjoying the energy release and meeting new friends. Brantley enjoys running around the stadium as well. We officially finished our 3rd grade year of homeschool! I did some research in January and February and was able to piece together our curriculum for 4th grade and we have it all together and planned out. We are slowly easing into 4th grade. I liked being able to take long breaks whenever we travelled, so I figure if we get a head start we will have flexibility throughout the next year.
Brantley is starting to become more interested in potty training; however, he is pretty stubborn. He said he’s not ready to be a big kid yet. Last month his class learned about plants and how they grow. He brought home 2 bean sprouts, and they are continuing to grow in Jeff’s garden box. He loves being read to. Right now his favorite story and movie is Ferdinand. Brantley’s Spanish vocabulary is increasing which is exciting. He is very social just like Braegan was at his age!
Jeff is eager to start playing pickle ball again. He’s looking forward to more weekends in the capital to get some court time in.
Praises and Prayers
-We received exciting news this past week that our appointment to finalize our permanent residency has been set for Wednesday, May 11. We have been looking forward to this day for many years, as it means we will not have to renew as frequently! Please be in prayer for our family as we approach this day-for travels to and from Santo Domingo and patience.
-Upcoming busy summer of teams. We have not hosted Vacation Bible School since the summer of 2019. As of right now we have 6 VBS teams scheduled in June and July. Pray for our team’s endurance through the summer.