The best is yet to come...

Well, Ryann has been here for a little over a week and I'm not going to lie, life has been hard.  Living far away from family has made this new baby experience different and a lot more challenging than the other two.  It's easy to take that extra help from family for granted!

Zoe and Noah getting sick, the sickest Zoe has ever been, on top of having a new baby and recovering from surgery, made last week the longest week I have ever experienced.  Nights seemed unending and our minds turned to mush.  Trying to keep Ryann from getting the plague from the other two meant Zach was on throw up detail, bless his heart.  He changed sheets, did laundry, wiped up messes, made trips to the pharmacy, and did Doctor duty.  Thank the Lord that he was able to be home all week!

However, despite the trials of this past week, we have so much to be thankful for!  So far Ryann has avoided getting sick, Praise the Lord.  We only had to stay in the hospital one day, which is unheard of for a c-section, Praise the Lord.  We have a baby who is easily content and so, so precious, Praise the Lord!

It's easy to get overwhelmed, and I admit to more than one occasion where I just had to put my self in time out and "cry it out."  The knowledge that there are people who love us, who have been praying for us, has been incredibly helpful.  It doesn't hurt that I can look down in to the sweetest face and relish in this little gift that we have been so blessed by. 

Ryann at one week.

 

We are still adjusting to this new addition to our family.  Some of us are adjusting better than others.  Noah was asked yesterday if he liked his new baby sister.  He simply said, "No."  Well, at least he's honest folks.  Before Zoe got sick she was always asking to hold Ryann.  She even mastered the jiggling maneuver to calm Ryann down if she started fussing.  She's a great big sister.

 

As for me, I feel like she's always been a part of us.  Our family is now complete...

Nightime Revelations

It's quiet in my house tonight.  Zach is out of town for a preaching engagement and the little ones are sleeping soundly.  Sleep for me, as with any pregnant woman in this stage of her pregnancy (3 1/2 weeks left, yay!) is not easy to obtain.  Even if I'm able to quiet my mind enough to fall asleep I'm awakened several times by leg cramps, night sweats, bathroom trips, and baby gymnastics.  The night sweats are a recent addition to my night time routine, but as I thought back to previous pregnancies in my "this pregnancy is soooo much worse than the others" mind set, I was reminded that I did have the same malady with Noah.  I was surprised that with this revelation came an almost overwhelming feeling of comfort.

That time of our lives, living in Plainview, working full time, not to mention only having one child, seems so far removed from our current day to day existence.  I rarely, if ever, think back to that time.  It wasn't an unhappy life we lived then, but neither was it as good as things are now.  When that very vivid memory of having night sweats while pregnant with Noah hit me, so many other memories hit me too.  It's as if I could feel our old house again, I saw our old bedroom, smelt the odors that made that home distinct.  It was a nice reminder to me of how far we have come in the past three years.

Memories are good for that reason.  I can look back, and even on nights when I'm doing the single parent thing once again, realize that I love where we are now.  Sure, I miss certain things about that time - family close by being the main one, but what we have now, with all it's trials, trumps all that. 

Life is good here in Las Cruces.  May I never forget how much we are blessed...

One of our favorite views from our new "home."

 

Lessons in Retreat

As a lot of people who work in ministry do, we live our lives in semesters.  In our house the Spring semester is our hardest time of the year.  Zach is insanely busy at work which means most days the only time he sees our kids is after they are already asleep.  Having lived this life for a while we realized that we need time, in the midst of the chaos, to retreat together as family.   It was a year ago that we booked our weekend away and I had been counting the days.

Last Thursday we loaded up the car, checked Zoe out of school and headed up to Sacramento, NM for a couple of days of fun with the family and (per doctor's orders) some rest and relaxation.  I can proudly say that our agenda was met, with a little help from our Father.  He sent some glorious rain on Friday which kept this accident prone pregnant lady indoors and out of harms way.

Enjoying the beautiful weather.

 

One thing we did do, before the rain began, was take the kids up on a little hike to a place called Serenity Peak.  We took our time heading up and once we got to the top, we just sat on the benches and chatted for a while.  It was so serene (see what I did there?), for a brief moment.

Serenity Peak with the family.

My darling daughter of five years was always such a sweet thing.  We never had to really deal with the terrible toddler years with her, just some stubbornness.  It seems she was storing up all of her past tantrums to unleash on us once she started school.  While she is close to perfection at school, when she comes home its battle royale time at Bechtold Manor.  She chose a moment, coming down from Serenity Peak, to express this, and boy, did she express.

It started with a stumble, which lead to her standing there screaming like she was seriously maimed and refusing to take one step further.  We calmly (at first) told her that she must calm down, her injury was not serious, and she could, in spite of her proclamation that she could never move again, make it down the mountain.  We would take a few steps, turn wait for her, and she would scream bloody murder and take one measly little step.  This continued for a while, even after her announcement that she had to potty "so bad" which, regardless of what a sane person might think, did not result in her choosing to suck it up and start walking.  Finally, when mommy and daddy were close to their breaking point, little brother stepped up to save the day.

Little sweet, almost three year old Noah, looked up the hill at his big sister, screaming like a banshee, and calmly proclaimed, "I'll go get her."  He trucked himself up there, gave his sister a comforting hug, took her by the hand and lead her down the hill to us.  It was the sweetest sight and it humbled me.

As parents Zach and I try to teach our children to have strength, to make wise choices, and to be good examples for others.  Sometimes, in the midst of these lessons we forget that we also need to teach them compassion for others, especially those who may not be receiving compassion from anyone else.

I've previously blogged about how I know I have a weakness when it comes to showing others compassion, as well as allowing myself to receive it from others.  My husband preached a sermon on Sunday, which I didn't get to hear much of (pesky kids :) ) but in which he spoke about how important it is that we always show love to others and allow them to show love to us in return.  It's about humbling ourselves.

Our time in the mountains was indeed refreshing, allowing us to connect again as a family and to rest our bodies, but, as usual, I came away from this time of no distractions, learning a lesson from my little ones.

May you also find time to refresh, rejoice, and perhaps, learn something...

I'm not as smart as my kids...

Things have been hectic here at Bechtold Manor.  Zach has kicked off his busiest time of year and I'm having to get used to many nights of putting the kids to bed by myself.  I'm okay with it though, at least I know he will be here in the morning. :)

Baby Girl Bechtold is baking well, practicing her kicks and punches on my internal organs like a boss.  I have found that with baby number 3 I'm not as impatient as I was with the other two.  I need the next few months to prepare us all for her arrival.  As I was folding laundry yesterday I was hit with the realization that I will soon be doing laundry for five people.  Yikes!

We told Zoe that if she didn't mind switching bedrooms to the guest room that we would redecorate with paint, new furniture, and new bedding.  We started with the painting last week and she loves it.  We still have a long way to go but we are getting there little by little.

I cant get over how much my kids have grown this past month or so, both physically and mentally.  I like to think God is helping them to prepare for the little one to come, for both of them to be older siblings again.  They make me so proud.

For Christmas Zach and I gave Zoe a new "big girl" Bible.  We chose to get one that she could grow with so we opted not to go with a child's Bible.  The one she got is one I would give my youth students at church.  We knew that it would be a while before she would grow to appreciate the gift but we still wanted to get it for her.  The other night I went to tuck her in to bed and saw the Bible laying beside her.  I picked it up and noticed the ribbon marker had moved.  She said, "That's where I am in reading it."  Now, Zoe is five years old.  She is a pretty good little reader, but, let's be honest, she's not that fluent, especially when it come to reading Leviticus.  However, I love that she spends some time every evening "reading" her new Bible.  What a great habit to get into.

Once again I feel shamed by my children.  Here's my sweet girl, faced with so many new changes, who is going, on her own accord, into the Word.  I know she's not getting much as far as reading goes, but I also know God has His hand on her.  With all the busyness and chaos that has consumed our world lately, and will continue to for the weeks and months to come, I have forgotten at times to go to Him who can deliver peace, understanding, and wisdom.  I go to bed each night and, instead of grabbing my Bible, I reach for another book, the remote control, or the laptop.  I need to be more like my kids.

Here's another little reminder, that no matter how grown up we may feel we are, there is always something we can learn from those around us.

May you see those who can teach you, no matter their age...

My sweet girl.

2013! Holla!

I have spent the first of 2013 in bed, watching Big Bang Theory, drinking coffee, and all-in-all enjoying some quiet time.  Zach is playing x-box and the kids are playing nicely together in Zoe's room.  Soon, I will get up and fix lunch, black-eyed peas and ham!

I've been reflecting, not so much on the past year, but instead on what this new year will hold.  Lots of changes are coming up for this Bechtold family.  May will bring the addition to our little family as well as the beginning of Zach's back-to-school endeavor.  In the coming months we will also see what changes come with Zach's path to becoming a local pastor.  Things will never be the same as it is now.  I love that!

As our lives continue to grow and evolve I'm able to see the great promise that comes with change.  I feel confident in God's plan for our family and that brings me comfort.  Times may become difficult this year, but I know we will get through it.  This is our path!

I pray that each of you will also see God's promise in change, for in it, we all will truly grow...

Taking Back Christmas

Last year I wrote a blog about how difficult it can be to actually enjoy the Christmas season (take a gander here if you want).  Life was so busy and hectic with all the commitments we had made for ourselves that joy was hard to find.  This year I made a vow to myself that this family would simplify things and give ourselves the gift of time.  Time to relax and enjoy one another as a family and time to appreciate the holiday.

Things became a little derailed when I became sick for three weeks but I am on the mend now and back on track.  I'm thankful now more than ever that we opted out of some activities we would normally of done.  I have found that by choosing only the most important activities to be a part of or to host, that those things we are doing have more meaning.  I appreciate the holiday parties we have chosen to do more than last year because it's not "just another thing on the list." 

This year we have already watched several Christmas movies as a family.  We are able to do our advent calendar everyday.  We have days that are free coming up to make Christmas cookies and ornaments as a family.  Those school Christmas programs are actually anticipated because they are not conflicting with other activities.  We find that even with all the things we have planned to do, we still have time for Zach to go play golf or for me to enjoy some quiet time.  By simplifying our Christmas we have freed up funds to give to those in need.  Yes people, we have found a way to take back Christmas!

Things aren't perfect.  We will always have our obligations around this time and I know that I have been judged by some by opting our family out of some activities, but, in the end what really matters is that we have had the opportunity to enjoy what we have without longing for what we don't.

What are you doing to take back Christmas this year? 

From our family to yours, have yourself a very merry Christmas.

Thankfulness

I haven't been blogging much lately.  I have no real reason for this other than I've been so sick and exhausted that my mind has pretty much turned to mush.  Most of the time I don't feel I could even tell you the day, let alone communicate something worthwhile. 

Thankfully I am beginning to have more times during the day where I feel almost human so I am hopeful that we are on a uphill side of things.  I have been humbled recently with the amount of inquiries about my health that I have received these past few weeks.  Humbled and thankful for the prayers.

Earlier today I was on Facebook and was astounded by all the negative comments and just plain displays of grouchiness on display from some of my facebook contacts.  As usual, this got me thinking...

As I did last year, I am doing the 30 days of Thankfulness, thinking of at least one thing each day that I am thankful for.  Some people may think doing this is "lame" or whatnot, but honestly, sometimes we need to be reminded to think of something each day that we are thankful for.  Otherwise we can easily be wrapped up in our own pity party and forget how blessed we are.  I love writing these each day and I love reading what others find to be thankful.

Reflecting on this thought, it hit me: I am happy.  I have a wonderful and blessed life.  Yes, lately things have been hard on me and my family because of my physical limitations, but that hasn't changed anything.  I have a wonderful family, wonderful friends, a lovely home, and food on the table.  What more could I possible want? 

It's easy to let our day to day burdens drag us down.  But just think how much happier we would be if forced ourselves to be thankful for our blessings each and every day.  Let's band together, stop the negativity, and be a beacon of light and goodness for the world to see.

Matthew 5

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.