Cows and Cake, Playdates and Potty's!!

We have been having so much fun in the sun! We celebrated Cow Appreciation Day by going to see my Grandmama, Sissy and cousins. I wish I had gotten more pictures but the LaGrange chicken house had a real. live. cow. Love it. We then rushed back for Jaxson Oakley's Birthday Party. It was so much fun and I love that Micah has a friend so close in age with such an awesome family. Then over the weekend Aunt April agreed to let me housesit so we could enjoy her amenities and let me tell you we loved it. It is great inviting friends to something that isn't yours:) We took the Hanes', the Keatons' and the Dobbs'. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures til our last hooray there, but Amy and I took the most kiddos in our trip (including the one in her belly). Thanks to the Richs' for being so generous!! Lastly I need to write a whole post on sweet SayJ but bless her second childness heart. She is loving the potty and is in no way being trained but she will go anytime and loves to spend time there. She refuses to sit on any kind of kiddie potty so she is spreading her self pretty thin. Haha. All in all with all the joblessness my children remind me how fun life is job or no job!

lessons in life.

Disclaimer: This is a free therapy session for myself. Feel free to skip and come back on another day with pictures:)

So I am learning more about myself than I'd care to know lately. I found out a bit ago that I am losing my job at the chicken house. I knew that it was a possibility with the economy and a couple of other factors but after working there so long I just never thought about what came next. But God (and my boss) had other plans. You see I've had my job since before I got pregnant with Micah. I worked at the chicken house full time until I gave birth and then cut back a little and then a little after each child til now I am working just enough to make ends meet. I have taken Micah and then SadieJane in a sling and stapled bulletin boards, delivered chicken, put flowers out and counted coupons all with my babies in tow. It has been the best job to have if you want to stay at home with your children but have to make money. Of course, it has had more than its share of stressors and trying to balance both lives has often gotten me down; you've all heard my pity party before on here. Nonetheless, I am so thankful for the time I got to spend both contributing to our income as well as getting to be with my babies. No matter what happens now, I was given such a gift in being able to do both and I don't want to lose sight of that in all the stress. I am now looking high and low for something to do that would afford me the same luxury(I'll use that term loosely here:)) of working without having to leave my babies somewhere. So far my options are very limited and with that I am learning...

When I found out I was getting canned I didn't cry or beg for my job like I thought that I would(looking back, maybe I should have:)). I was surprisingly calm and felt God's hand in it. I knew at that moment it would be a lesson in trusting God. One that I needed to learn. But not five minutes after I had that peace, satan popped in to remind me of all the ways I am failing and all of the ways this could be just plain BAD news. But I know that is not the case. God is FOR me. He loves me and promises to "give me a hope and future". He does not promise me everything I want in just the way I want it. Nor does He promise me that I am going to have to do the very thing I don't want to do. You see my crazy brain is like a playground for satan's icky thoughts and anxiety. But in all that I can see God refining what is important. Like my trips to target...notsomuch top priority. Then reading to my babies or playing little people or saying good night prayers...pretty earthshattering.

Shortly after finding out I was getting the boot, I hurt my achilles so I couldn't run off the stress that was starting to mount up. Mick's truck broke. I'm having some minor health issues. Micah needs glasses. You know, life just kept on happening even after some bad news hit. Praise the Lord it was minor things and don't I know it could be MUCH worse. God answered in all of those things too. My ankle healed in a weeks time, but long enough for God to keep me from "running" away from Him. We thought we were going to have to tow Mick's truck in, but Destiny's friend came over and magically found the problem and FIXED it.(unfortunately it broke again before I posted:(, but we know it'll be ok:)) I feel better and Micah is I am sure going to look too cute in his new glasses. (cute picture post coming soon:))So even in the details God is there...telling us, I got this, Stephanie. Stop it.

I know that losing my job is one of the only ways God could teach me the things that He wanted. I HAVE to rely on Him. There is just no way around it. I do not know how I will find another job that will work with our family and what we feel is right for us, but I know that God is in control of finding it. (Small disclaimer: I know what we feel is right for our family is not the same as everyone else, I am in no way knocking those who work outside the home, I know you do what is right for your family and I am just trying to do the same for mine) Not that I'm sitting back and doing nothing, in fact, just the contrary, I had been running around searching for any little position. But even in that God is reminding me to both look and search but to trust Him for the outcome and NOT try to do it myself.

Even in my personal time with the Lord He is so kind to speak directly to me. Here are some of the verses that I have been encouraged by...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

"With everlasting kindness, I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer." Isaiah 54:8

and of course...

"God works together for the good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Amen.

Baseball Birthday!

Hayden's 7th birthday was yesterday. As usual he spent the whole day with us and we did all the things he wanted to do. Chuck e Cheese. Pool. NO nap. Setting up for the party. Mick did another lawn ornamentation and I'll have to say it was pretty impressive. It looks like we've started a new tradition. It'll be hard to do My Little Pony, or Princesses though so he better keep practicing. We had a hitting contest, pitching contest, and a pie eating contest upon Haydee's request. It was a great day and he is growing up far too fast. He is with my parents now on his way to Orlando for some vacation. We will miss him alot. SadieJane woke up this morning asking for him! We had a lot of friends and family come out for the party but since I was overseeing the competitions I got very few pictures until everyone had already gone! Phooey! Nonetheless we are so thankful for those that came and made Hayden feel so special. Happy Day to my oldest nephew and almost baby!

Lit up like the 4th of July!

My kiddos literally loved everything about the fourth! The parade, the fireworks, the family, the good food and remembering to be patriotic. We are so blessed to live in America and thankful that we have the freedom to worship God. It is especially a sweet 4th knowing that one very important soldier(my cousin, Clinton) fighting for our freedom and one dear friend from college overseas as a physical therapist with the army are both on their way HOME very soon! So thankful that we can celebrate because of the sacrifice that those and so many others make. I pray my children learn more every year of how blessed they are to be Americans.

The Great Pie Race

On your mark, get set...

GO!

I couldn't get that stuff down so I tried to disperse and distract my opponents.

CharleeRay was not to be distracted.

But Micah was an easy smooch.

The winner came down to experience and perseverance...Bay!

somehow she ended up with the cleanest plate and the cleanest face!!

Charlee Ray still working...don't tell her it is over.

We had the Eidson's, Harper's and Rutland's over for a cookout on the 4th. We had so. much. fun. with our family? Crazy, I know. We waited and waited to try to shoot fireworks. And yes, my husband was the one that people were cursing on facebook. During our timewasting we watched Bay and Charlee Ray do a pie eating contest at their house on Wendy's phone. It just so happened that I had some cool whip I needed to get rid of:) So I coordinated one with the kiddos. It was too funny. Wendy did a great job capturing the fun!! Bay and Charlee Ray are so good with our kiddos and we are so thankful to have family so close so that they can be close with their cousins.

Backin' it up a bit.

Somehow I forgot to post these fun pictures from one of our trips to the zoo. Hayden stayed with us last weekend and we had a blast. I LOVE that kid. He makes my kiddos happier too. He loved the zoo and Micah and SadieJane were happy to show him around. It is so hot lately that we got there first thing and were home by lunchtime. We didn't break a sweat til we headed to the car. Ahh that dreaded hill. Hayden cracked me up with his gorilla impression and getting all three in a picture was near impossible. Just another fun summer day!

My fish and their friends

Lots going on at our homefront right now. Predominately of the character-building, lesson-learning, patience-giving, prayer-driving, a little bit on the challenging area of the Harper household. But God still is who He says He is...no matter our circumstance. While things here are kind of stinkin' it up I thought I'd post some of the pictures of brighter days...literally to help me feel better. We've been having a great summer and enjoying so much time at our pool, with either the kiddos and I, every now and then Mick or Hayden, sometimes Taron, Jaxson and Maxsim and even Bay and Charlee Ray stopped by for a dip! It is awesome to watch SayJ this summer. Literally every time we go to the pool (and this is alot) she gains a new tool and gets braver and braver. It is awesome and scary at the same time. Today since Mick and I went together at the end I took her swimmies off (which she wouldn't even wear the first day we hit the pool this summer, now she wears them and swims) and let her swim under water. It was so much fun. We couldn't do anything like that with Micah because he had tubes so SadieJane will hopefully get a jumpstart on the swimming. All in all the pool is a sanctuary in the summer for us. There is no tv, there is exercise involved and they get along relatively well when water is involved.
If you think about it send a prayer up for us as little thing after little thing is mounting up...like I am sure it is for some of you as well. I'll save the Debbie Downer post for a cloudier day!