Changes for our Family

Our family has gone through some major changes recently! If you know me well, you've probably picked up on the fact that I do NOT like change. I don't do well with it at all! I hate feeling unsettled, I don't like being thrown off my routine, and I just do not thrive at all when things are up in the air and uncertain. So, these past several months have been a little challenging for me. The one major positive during this time is that with all of the changes, I have found myself needing God more and more, and being driven to my knees in prayer more than ever. I'm thankful that God is growing me and using these circumstances to draw me nearer to Him! After all, that's what life is all about.....becoming more like Christ and bringing glory to His name through all that we say and do.

The first major change (and the most obvious one!) is that our family went from three to four when we welcomed little Hailey last May. This change has been the easiest one for me to deal with. We found out we were pregnant August 30, 2012, so I had nine months to get used to the idea. :) Also, this was a very welcome change! We were so eager and excited to welcome a new baby into our family. Nonetheless, going from one child to two has had its share of challenges!! I've had to learn how to split my time and attention between both girls, and Savannah has had to learn how to share Mommy and Daddy. Getting a chance to sleep in a bit on a day when Matt is off is impossible now with two; both girls wake up at staggering times and there is so much noise in the house when only one parent is "on duty" that I have found it impossible to sleep on the few instances that I have tried! Another adjustment has been the fact that I am constantly changing our daytime and nighttime schedule and routines because Hailey's sleeping patterns have been constantly changing (although I think this will be settling down soon.) The biggest adjustment in having two kids is that Matt and I have ZERO time with one another when one of the kids is not around! I realized yesterday that it has been approximately 13 months since he and I were out of the house together for a few hours, just the two of us, no kids! Ahh! Hopefully that will change soon. All in all though, adding Hailey has been a wonderful, positive change, but it is still a change, nonetheless!

The second major change has been that we have been searching for a new church home for our family. After much prayer and discussion we felt that God was leading us to find a new church. I begged and pleaded with God to let us stay where we were (remember, I hate change!) but we came to the conclusion that we just did not feel comfortable staying and that God was calling us to leave. (I would rather not get into all of the details about that here.) We have been visiting a new church since Hailey was six weeks old and are feeling like this may be the right place for our family to worship. It has been an adjustment, for sure! I look forward to the time when we can "put down roots" and feel more settled.

The third and most recent change has been a change in employment for Matt. For five years now we have prayed that God would open the door for Matt to find a teaching position in a better school district. He has been on dozens of interviews over the last few years, and this summer he was gone several times each week, it seemed, interviewing for various positions. Well, at the end of the summer he was offered a position teaching fourth grade at a fantastic school district. We are so thankful to God for this new opportunity for him! Although this is a very good change, Matt's previous employer made resignation very, very difficult for him, and there was a point in time where we wondered if he would have to turn down the new position (his employer was trying to make it seem that Matt was stuck in his contract with no room to move of his own free will.) We had a very stressful week and many, many, many tears were shed, but God provided a way for Matt to resign from his current position and accept this new, better position. We are sorting through some of the fallout from his resignation, but at this point we are working on moving forward and forgetting what is behind us. Matt began work full-time this week with new teacher orientation, and so far he is really loving this new school district. We are so thankful for this opportunity for him to teach in such a great place and to be able to advance professionally.

This is definitely a new season for our growing little family! I'm excited to see exactly what God has in store for each of us and am trusting that He has put us on this path and that He will continue to do a good work in each of us and in our family as a unit!