Randomness! :)

This is a bit of a random post and I am going to start backwards, from today...bare with me! :)

Tristan and I have had a busy but fun week. It was our last "carefree" week before he starts preschool and I start my new job! I decided we better do some back to school shopping today so off we went to Southlake (my favorite place to shop). Tristan did great, I am glad he loves his stroller!

I love this little boy. I really can't believe he is almost three! I found a fabulous school in Keller for him to attend and I can't wait for him to start. Last year he went to the Children's Courtyard and I loved it. However, the new place is not a daycare, they do not take babies, it is "real" school. All of the teachers have a bachelors degree and they got a grant that will allow them to use Keller ISD (one of the top districts in Texas and the one Tristan will eventually feed into) curriculum to teach from. I know Tristan will enjoy being challenged and soak up everything being taught!

He is such a mess! Here is his "head roll".

I found tons of cute clothes for little man. All he needs is his hair trimmed and he is ready for his first day! :)

Here is Tristan outside of Nordstrom's, a worker was sweet enough to go to the back and blow up a balloon for him! The smile on his face was priceless. Notice the outfit change? That would be because of a spilled Sonic drink...I'll take that over a bathroom accident. :) Potty training is going great. I think we are in the clear (knock on wood)!!

Perhaps the BIGGEST thing happening is that we are moving!! I have talked about one of my best friends, Trish on here a ton. She is a single mom friend of mine who has 3 sweet children. We have been looking for a place to live the past month or so. The kids have been such good sports going with us. Yesterday we snapped a few pics of 2 of our favorite homes.

We are super excited to find a home, move in, and start this next chapter in our lives. God just keeps opening doors and we are so thankful. Tristan is thrilled because he LOVES his friends! We grabbed some food before hitting up the rest of the houses last night because we knew the kids would be starving. I turned around to look in the back seat and this is what I found...

1 sleeping child...which by the way, how uncomfortable does this look?!

another sleeping child...

and ANOTHER sleeping child...

Can't forget one adorable sleeping baby...!

They all woke up when we got to the house and toured the backyard with us. Of course they found a lizard and chased the poor thing around. Ha!

We have spent many days/nights hunting and the boys have been great so one night after dinner we got them ice cream. They were in heaven!

Lastly and perhaps the most random is this...

Tristan found these play dentures and put them in. I think the drool is the cherry on top!

Well tonight we are staying at Jill's house because Joey is out of town, Tristan is asleep and we are about to bake cookies, eat ice cream and have lots of girl talk!!

Being a single parent

Being a single parent is not always an easy task. Some days it can be overwhelming, lonely, and push you emotionally, physically and spiritually to your limits. I became a single mom during my third month of my pregnancy. From the very beginning I’ve taken on the role of mother and father, and up until recently did not know anything different.

One of the biggest challenges I have had during the past few weeks is re-adjusting to single parenthood. It was nice to have someone to share the responsibilities of bath time, naps, meal time and other day to day activities with. Even though it was only 4 months of having a parenting partner, it felt like a life time in some ways. So, I’ve had to reemerge myself in this plight of my life and not begrudgingly so, rather with a joyful heart…sometimes that is easier said than done.

I attend Gateway Church located in Southlake, Texas. I have always been heavily involved in my church but the past 6 weeks I have found myself there just about any time the doors are open. I am so hungry for the Lord right now, and I want to feed that desire within me. It’s unfortunate that heartbreak and sorrows are what often times lead us to the feet of the Lord, sobbing, asking “why me” or pushing us to get closer to Him. I wish I could say that I am as eager to run to Him in the good times, but it just isn’t true. Well, it use to not be. I am making it a daily effort on my part to start my days off with God and stop to rejoice in the blessings he showers upon me every day. Sometimes it’s something as simple as the sun shining, other days it’s something as big as a job interview. Regardless of what it is, He deserves the glory and I have to remember that I have SO much to be grateful for.

Gateway has been an avenue that has led me to a deeper relationship with the Lord, a better understanding of why things are the way they are in my life, and what I have to be thankful for and look forward to. One of the major ministries my church has is the Single Family Ministry. Every Monday night single moms, dads, and their children go to church for a delicious (free) dinner. After dinner the kids go to class and the adults go to worship and then split off into their own classes. Each class differs from anything dealing with divorce, to being a teenage single mom. I love that each person is embraced and met exactly where they are at in life because that’s what we all need. I don’t need to be judged, and neither do you. God will bring righteous conviction to each of His children as He sees fit but other than that we need to meet one another with love and compassion.

I have been so ministered to by the Monday night meetings, and I know Tristan has too. As a mother my deepest desire is for my children to be spared some of the heartache and disappointments that I have faced in my life, I want better for them. I started a video diary for Tristan this week. I am recording messages for him to watch when he gets older. Some tapings are me just telling him I love him, others giving advice or praying for him. I want him to be able to watch them one day and know how much I love him, and how much more his Heavenly Father loves him.

I know I am not alone in this. I know there are other single parents who wake up each day and wonder “when will it be my turn to get married?” or “am I failing my kids?” Well, I may not be able to give you the answers to those questions, but I can encourage you to do what I have found to bring me peace. Press into the Lord, in every aspect of your life, surrender to Him. Read the Bible, cling to those words and trust that they are true. Pray for your children. Don’t confess anything over them but the best. Refuse to allow them to become a statistic, teach them what you did not know, and love them with everything in you. But most of all, acknowledge that you do not have it all together, none of us do. Lay your burdens at the cross of Jesus Christ and allow Him to take them on. He is strong enough to, you and I will never be. We cannot do it alone.

One of the most valuable things I learned at Gateway is that ONE parent and their children plus God, equals a WHOLE family. Tristan and I are a family. We are not broken, tattered, or anything less than a family with a mother and a father. We have a Father, and a husband, and he is the best one around. His name is Jesus. Isaiah 54:5 says “For your maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is His name.” I cannot tell you how much peace and comfort that verse has brought me. I don’t just say it, I believe it and I know that is why I am okay…more than okay. Do I still have rough days? Absolutely. Do I still want to get married? Most definitely. Do I want more children? Of course. But until God appoints that time in my life I am carried by the promise that I am not alone and neither is my precious son.

I claim that promise. I rejoice in that promise. I believe that promise.

I can say with a conscious mind and heart that I am the happiest I have ever been. My happiness is not contingent on circumstances or people like it was in the past. It is because I have the joy of the Lord. I am blessed with my amazing son, family, friends, and most importantly Savior. I will never lie and say that everything is perfect, because it is not. But, because my failures are made perfect in Christ, I have the strength, determination, desire and will to move forward in life and know that the best is yet to come.

Whether you are single, married, widowed, or divorced, my prayer is that you know Jesus. That you understand that no matter if you are in the best season of your life, or the worst, you need Him. You were created to worship and have relationship with Him. Pursue Him with your whole heart and He will always be there to meet you. He loves you, He knows you, and He wants you. Sometimes life takes us places we never thought we would be. I never thought I would be 23, a single mom and living at home with my parents. That's okay because none of this has taken God by surprise. He has numbered my days, He knows everything that will happen in my life. He knows what I'll eat for dinner tomorrow, who I'll marry one day, what I'll name my future children...and so much more.

 Our circumstances do not define us. It’s what we do in the midst of them that determines our destiny and where we will end up in life or who we will become. The choice is ours, we can either rise up and overcome, or sulk and surrender. I urge you to stand up straight, seek the will of God for your life and rejoice in the fact that you have a purpose and reason in this life.

It is my heart's deepest desire to "Learn to do good; seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of  the fatherlesss; plead the case of  the widow." Isaiah 1:17 

A weekend FULL of dates!

Friday night I asked Tristan if he wanted to go on a date with me. It was so sweet, he asked me "mommy, what's a date?" I told him that it is when you spend time with someone who you love. I told him we were going to go on a pizza date at church and he replied "Yes, I want to go...and I want you to dance with me!" Okay, you have to know that almost made me cry!! He is TOO sweet. So, off we went...on our date.

 

 I think this picture says it all. Tristan looks up to me and loves me so much, I love him too!

I think I've said it a billion times, but I'll say it again. I go to the most amazing church, ever. Gateway has such a heart to help so many different people in so many different walks of life. Friday they had a single parent Hawaiian themed party at the church. They ordered pizzas, had games and all sorts of fun stuff planned for the evening. There were mostly single moms there with their kids but there were also single dads. It was a fun time for all the kids and parents. Tristan and I enjoyed one-on-one time eating pizza, and he definitely got his request of dancing with me fulfilled!

They cleared out the sanctuary so there were no chairs or anything in it. There were beach balls blown up and Hawaiian themed music was playing. Tristan had the best time throwing and kicking the ball with me. He also loved doing the cupid shuffle (his favorite dance!!). I love that Gateway is not afraid to do unconventional things to reach out to people.

I have met SO many amazing single moms through this ministry. I just can't express how big of a blessing it has been to me in this season of life. After pizza, games, and dancing we went back to another part of the church were there were tables set up with colors, stickers and crafting supplies. Each family got a banner and was asked to create a family motto and decorate a banner with the motto on it. Mine and Tristan's was

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Tristan decorating our banner!

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed out to part 2 of our date. We went with Gateway single parents to Hawaiian Falls in Roanoke for the day. It was so much fun!! Here we are ready to go enjoy the water on another HOT Texas day!

We went with 2 of my single mommy friends, Senia and her 2 kids, Camille and Kathan, as well as Lesley and 2 of her kids, Faith and Colby. It was such a fun water park. Thankfully they had a shuttle to pick up their guests from the parking lot so we didn't have to haul all the kids plus our cooler across the lots in the heat. The kids loved the ride!

Tristan is very reserved and unsure of all the water. He did a lot of watching! :)

He was so happy that Faith was there too!

Camille and Tristan...I'm not sure what my son is doing here but he clearly isn't shy with the ladies. Ha!

We came home around 3:30pm, I laid down for 30 minutes and then got ready to go on my last "date" of the weekend. Tristan snoozed while I got ready. By the time I was showered and ready to go he woke up so we took a picture together before I left. Another one of my amazing single mommy friends, Traci got tickets to see the Christian bands Sanctus real and Newsboys who were performing at Six flags. I knew it was going to be hot so I left my hair wet and curly and went on my way!

Traci and I waiting for it to start!

I cannot even express what an awesome time we had. It was so much fun (despite the heat). Sanctus real sings the song "Lead me" and it is one of my favorites!! They performed it and several others. The lead singer's testimony was so inspiring. His 10 month old son was born with half a heart and he told how God has carried him and his wife through the journey of almost losing their son, and his 2 open heart surgeries.

Newsboys was the next act and all I can say is WOW!! We were so blessed by their songs and again amazing testimonies. It is so encouraging to hear people be open and vulnerable with their life stories. It is so easy to think that some people have it all together but the truth is that NO one does. Thankfully, when you pair your broken self with perfect Jesus Christ, you are made whole. It was an experience I'll never forget. Worshipping with hands held high with complete strangers at Six Flags with the praises and the name of Jesus being echoed for the whole park to hear.

I came home and crashed last night!! We got up this morning, went to church then to lunch and then came home and I rocked my "baby" to sleep. I love that even though he is almost 3 years old, his favorite place to be is in my arms. :)

I will be doing a very important post, so near and dear to my heart this week. I've been praying about it and thinking about what exactly I want to say in it. It is dealing with where I am in my life right now, how life has changed for Tristan and I and how God has done HUGE things during this time for and through us. I will specifically be speaking to single parents so if you're one of them, stay tuned. I pray that each of you will get a word from God through it. I want to be transparent in this journey, the good and the bad times because in the end I know it is all going to be used to bring glory to God. Tristan and I are doing fabulous and I sincerely thank each of you who have prayed for us and spoken sweet words of encouragement into our lives! The URL of my blog has changed if you haven't noticed. Since I was unable to set it to private and have everyone access it, I changed the URL. If you have a blog or my blog under your favorites on your computer and it is not showing up, that is why. :)



I love this boy...

Our church offered summer childcare on select Thursdays for Gateway Groups to get together and have kid free time the month of June and July. I packed Tristan a lunch and took him to church Thursday then headed off to the coffee bar to meet with a lady from group and then to lunch with another amazing woman who works in the single parent family ministry. I had a great time and I know Tristan did too!

We were on our way to the car and I realized Tristan and I matched so I knocked on the door and made my mom come out and take our picture...I know, I know, I'm ridiculous. Ha! You can see by T's facial expressions how "excited" he was to partake in our photo session. :)

This seems to be Tristan's new "cheese face". It is over the top but hilarious. He is definitely a little boy now, there are very few signs of a baby left in that boy. It makes me sad! He talks in complete sentences, goes potty, says things like "Mommy, are you mad at me or happy?"

He picked this book out to read before bedtime one night last week and its the book one of my bff, Allie got him for his 2nd birthday so we took this picture on my phone and sent it to her. She was very happy! After we read we said prayers and then Tristan told me "I want to thank Jesus for Allie, Jill, and Ashley." Those are 3 of my very best friends, I have no idea where it came from but it made me smile. Love that boy!!

Water Babies

I think we had our 50th swim playdate of the summer on Wednesday. When you live in Texas, it's 100 or more degrees and there is a pool around, you capitalize on that!!

The love birds enjoying a popsicle together. :)

By 11am it was scorching...oh Texas

 

Buzz all dried off and ready to go in for lunch!

I love the carefree days of summer but I am more than ready to welcome in the fall weather!!

The BEST aunt ever!

I know Tristan's aunt Ashley does not want any recognition for this but I have to share what she did in honor of Tristan's birthday. I received an email stating this...

       

Tristan Kye,

You have received a gift in your honor! Aunt Ashey just made a generous donation in your name to Stop South Sudanese Moms from Dying in Childbirth, a project on GlobalGiving.org.

Aunt Ashey asked us to pass on a personal message as well:

Happy (Early) Birthday to precious Tristan Kye! I am so thankful you were given to our family, and this gift is in your honor to help other babies too!