A Letter to My Daughters- Love Each Other

To My Two Beautiful Girls.

I want you to know that your Mommy and Daddy will always love you.  No matter what choices you make, what paths you decide to follow, we will be there rooting you on.  Life can be tough and unfair, but know that we always have your back no matter what happens.  

I pray that you two will also always be there for each other.  Right now, you tell me how you are each other's best friend.  How much you love each other.  Don't let that change.  Confide in each other and grow in your relationship as sisters.  I love seeing how even with the differences in personalities between you two, you guys still make each other laugh.  Don't lose that.  Peyton, you have such a caring attitude for your sister and always try to make sure she is okay and if she isn't you are the first to give her a big bear hug.  Be there for Ashlynn on those days when life just gets tough and she just needs a big bear hug to get her through.  Ashlynn, you daily remind Peyton that you love her (or "I OF YOU").  Don't let others get in the way of reminding her that on the days she needs that reminder.  

I'm sure there will be days when you want to scream at the other person, and sibling battles will become a real thing.  Please let that only be temporary.  You guys have to have each other's back in the real world.  

We love you both and continually pray for you, 

Mommy and Daddy

Life Happens

I'm baaaaack

Yet again.  You know life... It just seems to happen.  I used to love writing updates on our little family, but our life has become so hectic.  

Lately I've been focusing on really trying to simplify our lives, whether it be decluttering our house (I didn't even know it was possible to have so much stuff we don't use taking up spaces in our lives), or getting more firm with our finances (budgeting... who knew how helpful it actually is), and one of the hardest ones for me is freeing up my time and becoming more intentional with the time I have and how I use it.

Ecclesiates 4:6 

"Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind."

Our lives are busy.  Looking back at any point in my life, I have always had a busy life.  I enjoy getting out of the house.  But busy isn't always better, and this past year I have truly come to see that.  I have had to back out of some commitments that I made in order to find that peace of just having that time with family.  I have had to learn how to say "No" (if you are like me, this is no easy task).  And little by little I am reaping the rewards as I have more time with my family and more time to care for the house (though we still have a long way to go in that respect as well).  

Wes and I both work fulltime hours (if not more...), but I am coming to realize we are working hard for money to buy... well... stuff.  Stuff that won't follow us when God decides to call us home.  In the last two weeks, we have gotten rid of a truckload of stuff we were holding onto just to the dump alone, along with bags full of stuff we are ready to donate to a family that will actually use the stuff.  And it's been nice.  Cleaning hasn't been so hard (which for me is a huge plus), We have made a little extra money which has been able to put towards debt which is a wonderful feeling.  We still have a long way to go through.  

Friends, if I can ask you to please pray for us as we continue to declutter the unnecessary things in our lives to make room for the more meaningful things.