insta-update

How did the weekend come so fast? This summer is just flying by. We are gearing up for a 4th of July party this week, I'm working on a fun baby shower, we get to pick Joel's brother up from the airport tomorrow (he's coming home from China!), my two sweet boys are forcing me to clean my house more than ever (little boys are messy!) I'm plugging away at my thirty day challenge and excited about what God is teaching me, there are some changes to the blog coming soon (I hope...if I can ever finish!), and our hearts are breaking as we have watched several friends go through some really hard things this week. Life can be so full of joy and so full of heartache all at the same time. A constant reminder to cling to God, my Rock. He promises that we will never be apart from His sustaining, loving presence. I am so thankful for the HOPE that we have in Him no matter what our days look like.

So...I don't really have anything to post today. How about a little update on what has been going on around here the past few weeks via instagram. Here is a little insta-update:

 Just like a baby bird.  /  First french fry devoured. This boy loves his food.

 Good morning sunshine.  /  I love mornings at home with my boys.

 Two little monkeys. All the time.  /  Getting into things. All the time.

 It is HOT. Levi has spent lots of timing filling up the pool.  /  The boys love the water.

 He loves to be outside.  /  And he really loves the water. A lot.

 I got to spend an evening with the craft weekend girls. So fun.  /  Meeting new friends is the best.

 Stuck.  /  He is going to be stuck if he gets much bigger. I love my big babies.

 Spending the day with my sis (and mom) is my fave. /  I can't wait to be an auntie again!

He sure loves his daddy.  /  Daddy's hat.

 Learning about corn tasseling. He calls it "wrestling".  /  Gardening with mama.

More "coffee" please mom.  /  Happy little brother.

And one of my most favorite instagram pics. I sure love those two sweet boys.

I am @jessmcclenahan on instagram if you want to follow.

Hope you have a good weekend!

roll your way to the Lord

Thank you for all the encouragement last week. I had so much fun reading through all the comments. I told Joel that this is one of the first times in my life that I have actually felt "funny". I'm a pretty serious person. He usually is the one that is making everyone laugh. So thank you for the boost in my self-esteem. :) And sorry for the misleading post title. There are no babies to announce around here. I think I will enjoy my sleep just a little bit longer...I have nine months to catch up on! :) But all joking aside I really do consider it a privilege to hold my babies...even in the middle of the night.

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My boys are starting to play together more and it is so fun to watch them. 

Levi is all boy and not very gentle when he plays so I have been trying to teach him how he can sit and roll the ball to Griffin. You know, instead of throwing it right in his face. It usually works for a few glorious minutes and then he is back to saying "Catch this, Griffers!". Oh my.

Anyway, as I have watched that ball roll out of my boys' hands I have been reminded of a verse that was shared at a woman's retreat I attended a few months ago.

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight and understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

The speaker said that the word commit (in the original translation) means "roll". She said in essence we are rolling our way to the Lord. We have to first do everything in our power and then we have to let go and trust Him. Just like you would do as you let go of a ball to roll it. I liked that analogy.

I don't like the "rolling" part. It is hard to let go. I like to feel like I am in control. And I don't like when I can't see the big picture and it doesn't make sense with my understanding or what I had planned. But as we roll our way to the Lord, may we know, recognize, and acknowledge Him. He promises to direct and make straight and plain our paths. What an awesome promise.

How do we learn of God's sufficiency in our lives? We trust in the Lord's ways.

What are you holding on to today?

Will you roll your way to the Lord?

Trust Him.

Notes from Mel Tunney's Life and Breath Conference.

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We are on Day 23 of the 30 Day Challenge. I struggled a little bit to find that quiet time over the weekend as we were out of town for a wedding...but I am pressing on. My time with the Lord has been a huge blessing as I make Him the priority of my days. How are you doing?

he's got something to say...

garage sale finds

Let me start by saying I am not a garage saler (is that a word?). I wish I was. I have been to a few garage sales but have never had much luck. And the few times I have planned on going to city wide garage sales, the next morning roles around and the thought of waking my kids up early and dragging them in and out of the car is enough to keep me home. It just doesn't seem worth it.

Last week my sister asked me if I would help her with her baby registry. It just so happened that the day we were going there was also a city wide garage sale going on. So, she took off work and my sweet mother-in-law watched my kids for the day and we even left early to hit the garage sales. I didn't have very high hopes. I was mostly just looking forward to spending the day with my sister. Little did I know it would be the best day of garage sale-ing ever.

We scored.

I was mostly looking for clothes for Levi and some furniture. I really didn't find much on my list...but I came home with lots of fun treasures instead. And the best part was that everything was cheap!

 Cake stand (it even turns!).......$2

Colorful books.........$3.50

Chalkboard.......$2

File cabinet.......$20

I actually bought the file cabinet the day before at our local antique store. It wasn't as cheap as the rest of my garage sale finds, but I loved it and it was in really good condition. I think it will be perfect for the boys to keep their legos in someday.

 Awesome red toolbox.......$3

This was my favorite find for sure. I love it. My sister loved it too. I was even feeling guilty like I should give it to her. But then I remembered how much I loved the red tool box and it came home with me. Selfish, I know. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes missing one day after she visits! Or maybe we should share the toolbox and it can just travel back and forth between our houses.

 Chair.......$3

Glass bottle.......10 cents

And this doesn't include my sister's finds. She bought a gorgeous Jenny Lind crib for $15 and three huge vintage frames for $2. She also found a vintage pyrex and some cool mason jars. And I did find a few clothes for Levi too.

I'm sure every garage sale-ing adventure won't be this successful but I am definitely game for going again sometime. You never know what you will find, right?

 I told the boys all about my finds as they watched me unload them from the van the next day. Levi shared in my excitement. He really liked the toolbox and he kept running over to the file cabinet and saying, "This is for my legos. Thanks, mom!" The funny thing is he doesn't really have any legos yet! :)

I think Griffin felt about the same as my husband does when I bring a new vintage/antique find home. They just don't understand. :)