someone is praying for what you have.

k, i know it's been a long time since my last post! things have been crazy...

we finally moved into our new house and i couldn't be happier to finally just be IN. almost all of the rooms have been painted and lots of little projects have been checked off the list. joe has sanded his life away (cabinets, paneling, etc.) for the last 3 weeks and finally has one coat of paint on all the cabinet doors! 1-2 more coats to go, then he'll have to install the new hidden hinges, hang the cabinets, and put on the new hardware. that sounds like a lot, but honestly i think the worst is over at this point. i haven't taken many "after" pictures... things are just still such a mess in much of the house. things are getting there slowly but surely, and i promise to post more before and after pictures soon!

new couch and pillows

new chairs

dining room

new light over the stairway

on top of the house stuff, bennett has [intermittently] been really crabby still. we finished his amoxicillan for his ear infection so i'm fairly confident that's all cleared up. but he's cutting his top two front teeth (one's through, the other is close) so i'm sure that's the culprit. it's been really challenging to feel like there's nothing i can do for him. plus, listening to lots of crying for days on end really wares on you (well, me at least). i'm trying to use those moments of frustration to pray for patience for me and relief for him. also, i recently heard something on KTIS (a local christian radio station) that has helped me in these tough moments...

"while you're busy complaining about what you have, someone is praying for what you have."

how true is that? as frustrating and exhausting as dealing with a crying baby (or tedious house projects, for that matter) can be, there are plenty of people who would do just about anything to have a crying baby (or a house) of their own. i think it's such a great reminder to just be grateful for the things i have instead of complaining about the things that are challenging. not to say that it's not OK to be stressed, frustrated, etc., but rather that i shouldn't just dwell on it.

deep thinking for a monday morning, huh?

last night, joe was golfing so ben and i went and grabbed dinner and went to a park with meghan and landon. bennett got sooo excited when he saw landon, smiling, clapping and giggling. and then he was in a great mood all evening. apparently hanging out with a buddy (and chewing on sidewalk chalk) is the best medicine.