Simply Sara

I just quit Weight Watchers as of 10 minutes ago. Actually I got off the phone with the nice lady at corporate who made the cancellation official. I know what you're thinking, "Sara, you're so close to your goal! (only 5 pounds away!) Why quit now? You're a quitter!" Well, that's what I was thinking a couple weeks ago as I was praying about whether or not to continue being a member. But when it comes down to what is best for me and my family, I decided it is time to stop. I'm still going to follow the eating plan, but I am no longer going to weigh in weekly and skip out on the meetings. That's right. I haven't attended a meeting in over a month. I thought they were lame so I stopped going. And I can't keep paying $39.95 a month to not even attend. So from now on, every Monday, I am going to weigh-in at home and tell you about my progress. A little online accountability, if there is such a thing. I am also going to share with you my fitness/food...

A really beautiful post about the Character of God. Check it out . A message of His faithfulness. You don't have to look far to see our Lord working in the lives of His children. A daddy loving his newborn son. A wife, mom, and survivor savoring those holy moments with her precious ones. We are so incredibly and indescribably loved by a perfect God. We see that and experience His gracious love in those special moments He grants us in our daily lives. Watching, hearing, feeling Ava express her joy when she sees her Daddy walk into a room. Listening as Lucas role plays, pirates versus the bad guys, with his Grandma - my precious Momma. Enjoying a day of rest after a fun, overwhelming, joyful night celebrating our Son with so many who love him. We are so blessed. And we are so undeserving.

We have entered into the phase of sibling rivalry. I'm afraid our lives are never going to be the same. Here's a picture of my sweet children fighting over a water toy. This started not 3 minutes after I told Lucas to stop pouring large amounts of water over Ava's head as her cry's for help were being ignored. So what do you do when you have a little sister who tries her best to keep up with her big brother and a big brother who gets frustrated (very easily) when little sis gets in the way or takes his toys? At Ava's one year check up, our pediatrician told me to let them work out their squabbles and tiffs without getting involved. As a control freak by nature, this is very hard for me. We are trying to establish that we don't tolerate tattling or bullying, but the rest is up to them to work out. That's the beauty of having more then one child; they learn to share, stand up for themselves and go with the flow because that's just the way it is. Thankfully...

Tonight Matt and I got the chance to make a quick run to Toy-R-Us without Lucas. We were there to buy his birthday presents, so naturally we couldn't bring the birthday boy. Can you believe our boy is about to be 4? As we were were pursing the "big boy" aisles, I found myself marveling that we are no longer shopping for L in the baby/preschool section. Whatever happened to Elmo and Handy Manny? Toys that only come in primary colors and sing songs at every touch or shake? It's a whole new world. Now it's all about monster trucks, laser guns, and race cars. And of course, airplanes, dinosaurs, snakes, and spiders. I am quite happy to say that I have made the transition from squeamish, girly Mommy, to tough Mommy who can growl, wrestle and not scream every time I see a spider. Of course, it helps that I've trained Lucas to remove any creepy crawlers we find in the house! I've learned to be a circus performer, acrobat, storyteller and adventurer. I'm so ...

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure . The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance ." Psalm 16, 5-6 "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too be patient and stand firm , because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! " "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered . You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:7-9, 11

It's been busy and not so busy around here. Lucas is working on his second week at his new school. He loves it and I love the curriculum. He brought home a book of numbers (1-10) today that he had learned to write! Matt has been working on a work project, and I have been working around the house. Ava is working on her inner diva. Yesterday was a great day at Newspring Church . Perry totally busted a myth that so many Christians believe and even define their life by. Check it out when it is posted online tomorrow! I've been making progress around our house, slowly by surely. Lately I've been fixated on organizing the small spaces that tend to turn into junkie spaces super fast. I cleaned out the fridge last night, and I'm still a little ashamed of the enormous amount of leftovers that had been forgotten and morphed into strange, furry blobs. Then I turned my obsession to the snack pantry. Today my attention has been in the bathroom closet; more specifically the baskets ...

This morning, I casually flipped open my Bible, paying more attention to the smoothie in my hands than the pages I was turning. But my eyes landed on a chapter in Psalms that led me to some great verses in James. It was actually the commentary at the bottom of the page that led me to James, and funny enough, I just realized I was looking at the wrong commentary for the verses I was reading. I guess the Lord has something to tell me despite my half-hearted attention. The verses in Psalms 15 (the ones I didn't actually read) are about the power of our words. This sentence is what caught my attention "Perhaps nothing so identifies Christians as their ability to control their speech - speaking the truth, refusing to slander, and keeping promises." Totally fits in with the message of Holiness that the Lord has been pressing on me. This challenging sentence led me back to verses I read yesterday in James 3 regarding the tongue. Here's what caught my eye, "Consider what...

As you can see, I'm trying to change the look of the blog. This may take a while as I feel like I'm walking around in the dark. This should be fun!

I'm not going to lie to you. Today was a bad day. It didn't start off that way. In fact, it started off kind of good. And the middle of it was fun; we went to the water park. I figured we should go a few more times before it closes for the season. It was after the water park when things went down hill. As the whining (Ava) and disobedience (Lucas) increased, my mood totally went down hill. (And it is still hovering in the dark abyss.) Some days I feel like supermom. Other days, like today, I just feel like quitting. I think it's the isolation that can come from the routine of life as a SAHM that bogs me down. Whether it's due to schedules, tempers, or whatever, sometimes we don't get out of the house, and the only "adult" conversation I have is when Matt gets home from work. Tonight he got home at 8:30. I consoled myself with some Blue Bell chocolate ice cream. (Sorry Kat, I think I went over my points today - and I'm not even a fan of ice cream! yikes...

(In random order because I somehow messed up uploading the images!) Ava fed herself grits this morning! Miss Independent got fussy while I was feeding her, so I gave her a dipping spoon and she gobbled it up! Thanks to Kathryn , I made, for the first time ever, homemade cinnamon rolls! She taught me how to make the dough and roll them up back in the fall when she came to visit. We hadn't seen each other in well over a year (this girl is a world-traveler), so we got caught up in the kitchen over lots of butter, flour and sugar. Truly, the kitchen is the best place for great conversations. Here's our big boy on his first day back to preschool! I got a little choked up as I prayed for him in the car! But it was a great experience for him! I loved the low-key approach from his teacher and Lucas stood nervously at the door during drop-off. One conversation about fishing and Lucas felt comfortable to say goodbye to me. When I picked Lucas up from school, his hair was wet from sweat ...

My baby starts back to school tomorrow after a summer filled with hot, lazy days, joy-filled play at the waterpark, and several trips to Grandma's house. It has been a great summer, and I am not ready to see it end. After lots of prayer, searching and phone calls, we have pulled Lucas out of the preschool he attended last year, and found a place for him at another school. It's not like we had a major issue with the school he was at, but with Lucas's late summer birthday, we really believe that Lucas needs to be around kids his age or even a bit older. I know all the pluses to being the oldest male in the class - in leadership and athletics, but at the age of 3 almost 4, Lucas is very immature emotionally. And for that reason, we are thrilled at him being in a classroom of older 3's, young 4's. Now, I'm not going to lie to you. I am slightly uncomfortable with our son going to an "uppity" preschool with a mile-long waiting list. We only got in because s...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!!!! Today my amazing, gorgeous hubby is celebrating 34 years of life! I am so thankful that the Lord brought Matt into my life 9 years ago! I love watching him grow as a man of God, husband and daddy. He's my best friend and I am honored to be his wife! We celebrated Matt last night with a yummy dinner with delightful friends! Hooray for Salmon and Fried Cheesecake! (not at the same time, of course!)

While I was gone this weekend, Lucas apparently watched a show about underwater creatures. And we've been talking about it ever since. The spider-crab has especially caught his attention, so tonight he and Matt looked up photos of crabs online. They also had a very funny discussion about alligators that went like this: "Daddy, what do alligators eat?" "Well Lucas, they eat fish, small animals and sometimes deer." "What! They don't eat deer!" "Yes, they do. When the deer come to drink water from the lake." "But Daddy, deer are a part of Christmas. Alligators can't eat them. Jesus loves the deer" Yes, it appears that Lucas had gotten a few details switched around that we will need to clarify this coming holiday season.

Wow. So this is what it feels like to have no set schedule or anyone asking me what we're going to do today. Amazing. I'm in Goose Creek, sitting on Kathryn's couch and marveling at how I can miss my kids and not miss them all at the same time. So far today, I slept late (8:00), took a three mile walk along a gorgeous neighborhood path, and ate a fruit smoothie with homemade granola. I'm getting spoiled here. I can't help but be thankful for a generous husband who is so willing to bless me with this weekend away from responsibility. Kathryn and I have been reminiscing this morning about our college days and the bad habits we acquired there. Like eating cereal after we finished dinner, then ordering Wedgy's breadsticks a couple hours later. Oh the unhealthy habits of college students. Some of my favorate memories come from our late night trips to Denny's after Newspring biblestudy or BCM. Most college students get in trouble at parties, but we got in trouble...

I'm sitting in my new home office right now, enjoying the sound of Hillsong playing on my Ipod, and the not too distant bark of Zac, our neighbor's (ugly) dog. And wait, I think I hear some work being done on the house behind me, a car zipping by, and a pesky bee that won't leave me alone. Yes, I am sitting in our courtyard. I have reclaimed it as my sanctuary, my haven, my place to be alone with my thoughts, a cup of coffe, and Jesus. Speaking of our Saviour and Best Friend, here's what He's teaching me this morning. James 3:13-18 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice. B...

Because I love you so much, I am staying up late to post a few photos from Ava's party. I just put 115 photos on Facebook. So tonight just 4 for the blog. Tomorrow I will add some more! One more thing - our girl is so beautiful!

For some reason, our son has a fascination with pulling all of his socks, underwears, and pjs out of his dresser and throwing them around his room. Or under his bed. Or tucked in his covers. Regardless of the consequences he has already faced, Lucas has pulled this stunt again today during nap time. Sometimes I wish I could get into the mind of my silly, tender, irrational, bug-loving, little boy and figure out what's going on in that head of his. But then again, what I would find would probably scare me.

I feel like I've been running for the past week and there is no end in sight! The week leading up to the family reunion and Ava's birthday was crazy, and now I'm trying to get things organized so I can go away this weekend for my first weekend without the kids !!! Woohoo! I'm headed to Charleston to spend some time with my dear friend Kathryn ! In the meantime, as I plan meals, catch up on laundry and keep the kids busy, I hope to convince that Yes he can watch both kids without me for 3 days! I took Miss A to her well-check this morning and here are her stats: Weight - 20 pounds 13 ounces (50%) Height - 29 3/4 inches (75%) Head - 18 1/2 inches (94%) I can't help but snicker as I type her head measurements. Both of our kids have rather large heads. We like to say that it's due to their amazing brains, but the truth is we all know it's an Alexander trait. :) Pictures will be posted tonight of our birthday shin-dig!

It is the eve of our precious daughter's first birthday, and I have spent it reminiscing over the joyful and stressful days leading up to her birth. I have been a total sap this week, crying at the drop of a hat, as I celebrate and mourn the fact that our baby girl is now one year old. Tonight I cried with a broom and mop in hand. After being out of town for the weekend, Matt and I are cleaning the house in preparation for Ava's party tomorrow! There isn't any time for me to sit around and be weepy when dust bunnies are waiting to be conquered. We even moved our couches to clean behind them for the first time in forever and were horrified at the pile of dust, dog hair and random toys I found back there! The ironic thing is that the party is going to be held outside in our courtyard. Our guests may never set foot in our house tomorrow night, let alone look behind my couch. But than again, the local news is forecasting the chance for afternoon showers, so the kitchen floor ...