Non-Traditional....I'll take it!

I'm sure I'm not the only "work from home" mom that has questioned herself and her abilities...am I? I look around and see all these other moms with full-time careers that juggle kids, extracurricular activities, husbands, families, friends, etc and I wonder, "how do they do it?" I have no clue and the more I try to add to my plate, to be one of "those" moms, I realize instantly that it's not the life I want to live. I can't do it and the older I get, I'm embracing the peaceful life I get to have.  Brenton and I worked hard to get to this point!  Yes, there used to be a time where we were working to afford a life that we disliked, but something happened 5 years ago that helped us to see all the things we were missing. The goal I had for our life was to SIMPLIFY! A word that became our motto when we put our house on the market, bought another in Gnaden, and began the journey to the way we wanted our lives to go from that moment on!  A life we had to learn to embrace, because we were finding that when we simplified things we quickly became aware that our kids were not sports enthusiast!  So, that really simplified things for us!  Not running all over, WHAT?  How do we do this?  Now, imagine a father with a love for football that has 2 boys and neither play...WHAT? LOL!!  Truly, that took some time to figure out.  We've ran the gamut on sports!  We've introduced everything football, baseball, wrestling, tae-kwon-do, basketball but for our Ethan, non of those seemed to excite him.  However, one that has stood out to him is the game of golf!  His daddy introduced him to golf about 3 years ago and they even "work" together out at the CC during the golf season and Ethan is in heaven. This boy is going to do great things!  Ethan, is our kind-hearted boy.  He loves to help people and has recently found that working in a soup kitchen was what he was needing to feel fulfilled.  Serving others is something he's been asking us for since the 3rd grade and we finally found the perfect fit! Colin, is our energetic, free-spirted boy.  Colin has found a love for soccer, thanks to his teacher and her son.  We know nothing about that sport, but watching this boy grow and learn has truly been a blessing.  Colin, has been the one that truly I can thank for opening our eyes to another way of life.  He's shown us how to "step out of the box" and embrace being different.  Thanks to him, our family of 4, has become a tight knit clan and we don't like to do many things without one another.  We are homebodies, but I'm probably the worst with that.  I love being home!  I'd much rather be home in my sweatpants than being out and about.  Thank goodness my husband totally gets me, because his personality is actually being a social butterfly.  However, the two of us, make it work and learning to embrace each others need has been quite fun.  Our life is all about "Family First" and that will forever be. We have learned that 1 or 2 times a month is perfect for us to get out with friends.  It's great to be married to my best friend, because I never long for nights with girlfriends or such.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being with friends and every so often enjoy a night with them, but if I'm planning a night out it's never without my #1....ever! When we moved here, life changed for the better! The rat race stopped and living began!  Our time is valuable and yesterday when I was doing my bible study in Proverbs, it was even there in black and white, stating the importance of family time!  I chuckled and looked over at Brenton to reread the scripture, it stood out to me that much! It was so rewarding to know that even though our chosen life, that is non-traditional these days, is not filled w/ non stop running, sports, friends, etc and probably looks really odd to most, but is filled with our little family of 4 and is exactly the way God intended it to be.  Now, THAT, really has given me a new perspective and one that I will never take for granted.  The one thing I've come to realize is that my "career" was never intended to be about a big paycheck, but rather about being a wife and mother! I love that! I was meant to be a wife and mother! The value of a simplified life has sure paid off in dividends and maybe not with lots of cash in the bank, but rather with endless hugs from boys anxiously getting home from school, to their tired mother with no makeup on and in the same sweatpants she had on when they left earlier that morning.  Yeah, it's true.....I'm no longer that girl that is worried about being a size 8, having awesome clothes, a huge career, or being in the know AND I'm so thankful for it.  I love this life I've been blessed to live and I thank God everyday for opening my eyes to show me what truly matters most!

Soup kitchen busboy

Our Soccer Star

ready to go

A Sabbatical!

So, I have been doing ALOT of thinking and when my brain gets going....watch out! LOL! I overthink way too much, but eventually work myself back around and it's all good. LOL!  I don't know, but people are bugging me and situations around me are bugging me that I have chosen to truly go off the grid for a bit.  I have found that being home w/ my guys and Katee, is truly where I want to be. I guess, in the sense, I'm hiding in the comfort of my own home and using this time to take a step back.  I have a love/hate relationship with social media!  I've been off of Facebook for 5 years now and have NOT missed that since. However, in that time, I found Instagram and I love it....BUT have found that I have spent way too much time on this platform, too.  It was to the point that my phone was constantly in my hand and taking pictures to share, but truly missing the moment I was in just to capture it, so I could share instantly on IG. I love sharing my life, my boys, our adventures, and our boring life pictures, but I found I was sharing too much.  I literally, one Sunday morning, scrolled through my history and realized it! That very day, I said a prayer and now on a sabbatical! LOL!!  I took it off my phone and haven't been on since.  How long?  I'm not sure?  All I know, I'm feeling pretty good right now taking a break! 

Anyway, last week was Valentine's day and the boys had their class parties on Thursday.  Ethan, made us aware that he is in 5th grade now and "it's just different this year" so he didn't want a big, elaborate box or cards.  Can I tell you how sad I instantly became, lol!  I never showed the emotion, but it hit me that it's happening....he's growing up!  Colin, we did a soccer box for him and the whole nine yards.  It was fun to make and we enjoyed getting him ready.  However, it hit me after I sent my handsome boys off to school all dressed up in red, carrying their boxes, and ready to party that I NEVER took pictures of them that morning.  Are you kidding me!  I never not take pictures!!  I panicked for a minute, but then I knew I could get after school. (thanks to Colin's sweet teacher, she took one for me during the day). You know though, I thought about it all day and I realized, we had so much fun that morning...no rushing around! We talked, prayed, ate breakfast and I never even thought about a picture.This is what has happened since my sabbatical....I'm living the moment and boy does that feel good!  I'll be back Instagram, don't worry for it's not you, it's me!! LOL! I'm hoping to get back into this blog, too! I absolutely love this means of keeping memories for my boys, so check back! ❤

Here's a few pics from our life recently:

5th grade Valentine box ☺

2nd grade Valentine party, here he comes

birthday party w/ friends

had to get outside, it was so nice to breath fresh air