Some randoms about yours truly.

I was by Spoons of grace  for the Liebster award. Woohoo! Thanks girl.

1. Why did you decide to start a blog?

My whole life I've always communicated better in writing. I often feel like writing is my only communication at times. I started this blog because I have such a passion to encourage women. To lift them up when the world is trying to take them down. I thought starting a blog for the moment would be the best way to do that for this season because I often feel like I write so much better than I speak and I'm able to express my heart and thoughts so much more. 

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Where do I begin with this? Most definitely the community. I started this blog to encourage women and they have not only encouraged me but blessed me with a sisterhood  friendship. I've never thought I could have so many personal, amazing relationships with women from meeting them on media..

3. What is your biggest challenge in blogging?

All honestly here. My biggest challenge in blogging is constantly doing a heart check. The media is a wonderful place and I truly believe that it can be used for God's glory. That's why I want to be apart of it. Yet it's so easy to get off the computer soaking in self pity or worth because of comparison. Looking into their lives from the outside seems so perfect at times when in reality they could be looking into yours thinking the same thing. Comparison is a thief of joy and it's honestly something I've recently tried to be more aware of. :)

4. What is your favorite thing to cook? I've recently made this amazing Baked potato soup that wasn't only simple but totally restaurant worthy! Everyone in my house loved it! Including my husband which is amazing considering he's not a soup person. I'll be posting it on here soon.

5. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? 

All of Europe. That's one of my many dreams.

6. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grow up?

As I child I had a new dream about every month week. But the one that was my biggest dream was a stay at home wife and mama.. Dreams really do come true.

7. What would be your dream job now?

It's still a wife and stay at home mama. It can be crazy at times but I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything!

8. What is your favorite meal to order at a restaurant?

Depends on my mood but you can bet it would either be a Cheeseburger, Pizza or anything with Caesar dressing. ;)

9. What is your favorite dessert?

Chocolate pudding pie... and cookies.

10. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas. I feel like every year it gets better especially since I have my own family.

11. What would your dream date night include?

LOL At the moment two kiddo's. I'm not at all ready yet to let Liya out of my sight considering she's only a month and has refused the bottle.

Tips on keeping a daily schedule when you're a mom.

I love living in routine. I love having my week, meals and plans all written out before the new week begins. I love being organized in that way because if I don't I'm usually all over the place and knowing I have things to do but not sure wear to start. I feel like I really need routine as a Mama. Not just for my sake but for my kids too! My sweet Evie bear has a independent spirit. She loves having an idea of what's going to happen next and if  we're out of routine gets really cranky and bored because she doesn't know what to expect. I've also noticed her mood is so much happier when we're on a schedule because mama knows what's she's doing too!

However, Since becoming a Mom, planning my days and sticking to them can be quite difficult some days. Not just because my  little ones are unpredictable but somedays I just don't feel like doing laundry today or mopping the floors. I'd rather sit, eat cookies and watch "Moms night out". Have you seen it?! She reminds me so much of myself. HEHE!

Anyways, here is a list of ways I help myself keep to a schedule during the week with babies.

1. Get up earlier and spend time with The Lord//
If you can of course! Before I was pregnant with Liya bear I used to get up at 4:00am every morning and spend time with my Main Man. I would get up, put some make up on and get dressed while having my worship session. I already felt awake and empowered before leaving my room with a good  mindset.
Afterwards I would make a healthy breakfast, with a nice cup of coffee and read the word and pray in the quiet. By the time Evelynne woke up I was ready for her to be awake and I was ready to start the day.

Now due to the fact I have a newborn who is still waking up at night I don't always wake up at 4. Right now my goal wake up time is 5-5:30Am to spend time with Jesus and I'm slowly working my way back to 4 because 5-5:30 really isn't enough time for me because Evelynne is an early bird so some days I'll wake up and she'll start calling for me the second I'm dressed.

2.Speak life over your day//
Have you heard the verse "Life & death is in the power of the tongue?" It's truth Mama. I've found that when I wake up declaring that "today" is going to be a great and productive day that it really becomes so.  But when I think to myself that I'm way too tired to face the day and I'll just stay in jammies and wait for tomorrow then that's exactly the day I get. A wasted day.

3. They're more like guidelines anyways//
As captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean would say. :) 
I was talking to Leon one day about my scheduling and he mentioned to me "What happens if your day doesn't go as planned?" I  responded "Well, as Captain Barbossa would say "They're more like guidelines."
Previously my daily planning and following those plans in order was a must! If I didn't follow through to every duty on that list I failed. My day was ruined. I know now that wasn't the greatest mindset of a scheduler because really, it doesn't all go as planned. Especially when you're a mom.  Some days you can help it. some days you can't. Just like kids, even days can be unpredictable. 
So, my daily schedule & food menu that I have hanging on my fridge are more like my guidelines. They're more like ideas of what I want my days this week to look like and if I want to be flexible and change my mind about doing laundry today and do it tomorrow knowing I will do it and I'll have enough time why not? Just make sure you do it!  

4. Be realistic// It's great to set big goals but don't get carried away in doing so in one day. Make sure you know you can get everything you have written done and that you have enough time in the day to do them. That was a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

5. Grace days// 
Be okay with Grace days! Meaning if something like this happens:
 

And your toddler breaks all the eggs and quickly starts to break out since she has a reaction to plain eggs... yea.. It was a grace day. What was supposed to be my cleaning day turned out to be a cuddle with your toddler on the couch and eat much chocolate day. You just gotta.

Those are some things that I personally find helpful when it comes to keeping your days as routine as possible with little ones. I hope it helps you! 

 In what ways do you keep a daily schedule possible with little people? 

 Now if you excuse me I'm gonna go get a cookie. =D

Liya's One Month.

 
I can't believe I'm writing this all ready! Is my baby really one month so soon? Mamas did say it goes by way faster with the second one. I just didn't realize how fast until today. I feel like it was only about a week ago when they placed her on my chest and I was an awe once again and reminded of just how loved I am by my Father & King. *Swoon. 

Liya turned a One Month on the 20th. So this post is a wee bit late. However, It won't be next time.. I hope. =D

Liya Evangeline's Month update.

Dearest Liya, 

You've made us a family of four and I must say that now we can't even picture life without you. You are such the perfect addition to the our family. You are perfect in every way. I just love watching you and kissing you. I love looking at you and thanking God that you are beautifully and wonderfully made. 

I look forward to watching you grow as you start to figure things out and become fascinated by the world around you. I look forward to watching you get lost in the beauty of what so many see every day and it becomes so ordinary for them. I look forward to seeing them in your beautiful eyes and be captivated by the beauty once again. I can't even tell you how incredibly blessed and humbled I feel to be your Mama. I pray every day that not one day will be taken for granted. You're too precious.

Liya's One Month update:

Nicknames: Liya Bear & Liyla (given to her by Evelynne haha.) Also,  Sweetpea #2 given to her by Gandma and Pumpkin from her Auntie Ash.

Liya Loves:

 -The great outdoors. We don't go out there too often because we're in cold January but every once in a while we're in 40-50 and my Evelynne needs to get outside because she gets cabin fever. Liya loves it and sleeps for hours after we come back in. That good old fresh air!

-Being held and rocked along with changing positions here and there. She doesn't like to sit still for too often and she loves to see everything.

                        

                         

Liya doesn't like:

 Being changed.

 Waiting to eat.

Getting dressed.

Clothing size:

She was only in NB for a short time and grew so speedily and now she's in 0-3 and 3 Months! I may have teared a bit while putting away her NB.

Diaper size:

She's in size 1

 

 New things you experienced this month:

With this Liya's first month she has experienced all of her "firsts". First time looking at her Mama and Daddy, first kiss, first hug, first time meeting Big sister, first feeding, first Bath. Such a special and exciting month that I will treasure always.

Mommy Moments

Welcome to Mommy Moments! We hope you all a week filled with wonderful memories! Let's keep it up by sharing and promoting Mommy Moments and the wonderful community we have here! I have enjoyed getting to know all the new mamas linking up and sharing their lives with us! I can't wait to hear more from you all again this week!

Motherhood has its seriousness and frustration as well as its laughs. That's why we are here. Life is much easier when traveled with companions! So mamas, let's join together in the spirit of motherhood and share our moments together. We want to hear the happy, sad, tough, terrible, hilarious moments that make being a mother the best job in the world!

The top viewed link once again this week belongs to Saved by Grace and her post Eden's Triplets of Mercy. Laurie shares in this post how God expresses his triune nature frequently throughout the Bible including our story of Sin, Judgement and Redemption. Thanks for sharing with us Laurie!

The Life Of Faith

 The Not Quite Military Wife

Our Family Grace

A  Beautiful Ministry

Whimsical September

Now, link up your post!

Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

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Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up

Her Name.

Liya Evangeline.. A name Leon nor I thought about, knew about, or even considered until one night when he got home from work.

Ever since the beginning we always knew we wanted kids. It was a desire of our hearts. It was also a desire for The Lord to give us the names for our children. It just made  sense that He name them considering He knew them already. It was the same for Evelynne. He actually gave us her name before she was even conceived.

Considering Leon and I knew that Evelynne was a girl and her name would be Evelynne from the very beginning. This time around it was a bit rough. We didn't have Liya's name until I hit 30 weeks. I was certainly getting ready to take matters into my own hands because I wanted a name for our sweet girl. It's so much easier to connect with her if I had a name to call her instead of  baby.

We were almost set on the name Madison.. It was the only name Leon and I could agree on. Otherwise He liked "Ivory" and I liked Jubilee. (I still want to name a daughter that!) But we didn't agree so Madison it almost was.

Leon came home one night at three in the morning and woke me up asking me  what I thought about the name Liya (Lie-yah) and at first I really wasn't sure. I've never heard of the name and it was a bit weird. But before I put it out of my mind Leon suggested that we looked up the meaning before we close the door.
  
Liya \li-ya\ as a girl's name is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Liya is "I am the Lord's".

Instantly I felt a peace about the name. I went from not liking it that much to absolutely loving it in about five seconds. 

When I asked Leon where he had heard it He said it just popped into his head while he was driving home. The Lord seems to give Leon all of our kids names while he's driving. 

While we were sitting there I said "What do you think of Evangeline for the middle name? It flows so perfectly". He agreed so we looked up the meaning to that one too!

 Evangeline \e-vangeli-ne, ev(a)-nge-line\ as a girl's name is pronounced ee-van-ja-LEEN. It is of Latin and Greek origin, and the meaning of Evangeline is "good news".

We were blown by how those names not only fit perfectly together but the meanings went together too! There was no way we believed it was coincidence. It couldn't have been. It was such a blessing from God.
It was then when we finally had a beautiful name for our girl and I'm so glad we didn't settle or take matters in our own hands. I couldn't even see my girl as a Madison. She is certainly a Liya who loves Jesus already!

A few days after we had officially decided I took Evelynne on a walk while I was praying and asking God why He chose the name Liya for our sweet daughter. He then told me that it would be Liya who will be carrying on the evangelical anointing her father (Leon) carries. Have you heard my man preach? You need too! And her and Evelynne will flow together into ministry in both worship and evangelism and so many will be saved for His glory. I was seriously overjoyed and I still get all excited when I think about the future and calling God has on their lives. We have some excited, Holy Spirit filled days ahead of us.

An update on my big two year old.

Did I just say two??? It's still so hard to believe my sweet Evelynne is two! I do feel like she went from this:

 

 To this:

 

rather quickly. to quickly if you ask me. However, I'm reminded that them growing is a good thing because it makes us mamas treasure these moments even more and cherish them. Knowing that it will be over oh so quickly.

I think I'm done doing monthly updates for this sweet girl! However, I'm still doing updates for her here and there. Because there's still and will be so many things I want to remember about this sweet girl. The silly & beautiful things she does and continues to do. 

We had our first snow last week of the season. It was so wonderful this year because as I had hoped she loved it!! We weren't out for too long because it was so cold and we didn't have all the snow gear we needed but for the ten minutes we were out there it was a blast! And we afterwards enjoyed some hot chocolate of course! I think just like the holidays, snow days are so much more fun when you're a mama.

Evelynne is loving her role as a big sister! Every morning she asks where "baby" is. I feel like Liya will be called "baby" by her loving sister for the rest of her life. She is the best big sister ever and Liya has no flaws in Evelynne's eyes. She just gets mad at me if I can't play or hold her whenever she wants however, I'd much rather her be mad at me then Liya.

Whenever Liya cries she runs to me saying "Mama! Uh Oh!! And runs back to Liya immediately trying to give her the Binky.

The other day Leon even caught her trying to read her a story. It was the cutest!

E

Evelynne's update at 2 years.

Evelynne Loves: Minni Mouse, Baby dolls, Being a big sister, spending time with Daddy and wrestling with him, being around other kids, going outside, hot chocolate, Mama's tea, reading, dancing, church, doing anything artsy, and watching tv.

Favorite foods: Yogurt, gummies, cookies, oranges, apples, frozen blueberries, Oatmeal, applesauce, smoothies, cheese, pizza, pasta and green goodness Bolthouse drinks.

Foods she doesn't fancy: 

Pretty much anything that doesn't satisfy her sweet tooth :( Which is why I make her lots of smoothies and I tell  her  often that she has to eat her veggies before she gets desert. She's been quite picky lately.

Evelynne doesn't like: 

 She still doesn't like being told "No" However, she's taking it so much better!

Potty Training: 

We may be starting that process sooner then we thought! As of a few weeks ago our little Evelynne has been taking off her diaper! Which I hear is a pretty big sign she's ready. Mamas Advice, please!??

Big girl Bed: 

 She still loves it and is sleeping so much better and without a fight.. I honestly think she hated the crib because she felt boxed in.

 

What's new this month:

Her communication is improving day by day! The only thing she signs now is "Eat" but other then that she's communicating and talking.

She's letting herself out of her room now so I always have to make sure I'm up before her.

Potty training is coming up on us shortly.

Dearest Evelynne.

You're seriously the coolest kid I know.. & I'm not just saying that because you're my kiddo. I love you oh so much and life would just be so boring without you. From the toddler tantrums and being just fun and loving. My life is never boring.

I love who you are and the girl you're growing into. You're such a sweetheart and you're full of compassion and love for others. You also love making friends young or old. You're my social butterfly.

I'm so excited to watch you grow and living the  life God has for you. I'm so glad you love Him with all of your heart already. And I'm so blessed to know that your Little sister Liya has an amazing and adventurous big sister to look up to and follow.

You're such a strong spirited little girl! And you're gonna go far! I'm excited to see the difference you're gonna make in this world!