The Mom Life

The title of this post sums up life for us pretty well these days.  After we sold our house at the end of September, we moved into a two bedroom apartment in Oak Grove, very close to town, but also feels like we're in the country.  Perfect for us coming from Purvis.  I never imagined what putting the 5 of us in a two bedroom would be like, but its actually working out fine.  I think the kids are working together better, now that they share a room.  Most mornings when I come out of our bedroom and check on them, they are up, beds made, room clean, and dressed (not always matching , but dressed.)  We have less stuff here, so it is easier to keep it clean.  I do miss yard work sometimes though, and often miss my dog, Bama. Homeschooling is going well too. Cruz is usually done by 2, working on and off throughout the day and the girls get time with me in the afternoon doing the letter of the week and learning to read. Carmen is starting to show some real initiative in wanting to lea

You might have noticed my recent interest in minimalism.  I thought if I become more like a minimalist, this approaching move would be easier.  Just to give you an idea of what my version of minimalism looks like, my kids' bedrooms (when clean, ha!) have a bed and a small dresser with a lamp and very little of anything else.  Whatever else they have (toys/dress up clothes) is in their closet with their pretty basic wardrobe. My living room has one couch, a chest that holds our small tv/dvd player and wii. We also have a quilt rack in here.  Besides a few things on the walls, that was all we had in our living room. I won't tell you about every room in our house, but you get the idea.  We only have what we need and like.  Anything else gets thrown away, sold, or given away. This is a far cry from our newlywed selves!  The more stuff the better, we though!  Not so these days.  Craigslist and I are very familiar with each other :-) So although we don't have a ton of "stu

We have been saying for a while now that we're moving to Bolivia, but we're still here in hot and humid south Mississippi.  Why, you ask?  Let me tell ya' :-) A lot of people don't realize that most missionaries have to raise all their own funds. And although I have commented on how inexpensive life in Bolivia is, missionaries still have many of expenses American's have in the states...education costs, health insurance, retirement savings (if a career missionary), internet (can be pricey in poorer countries), housing/rent, etc.  Then there's saving for visas, furlough, airfare, etc.  It adds up in a hurry, friends! We didn't start making our plans to move to Bolivia really public until about March/April of this year...trying to wait towards the end of the school year so it wasn't interfering with our teaching jobs.  We needed to raise $15,000 for moving expenses (airfare, visas, housing set-up, etc.) and $4969.00 a month in pledge support.  That soun

The title of this blog pretty much sums up the past 6-9 months of my life.  I have given up doing the "logical things" and am now stepping out in faith and trusting the Lord in so many more areas of my life.  Giving up the control to Him is freeing now, but the process was difficult with many sleepless nights. To begin, I resigned from my job in the spring so that I will not be returning this school year, but homeschooling.  That's a big leap in itself, but Seth did the same thing in hopes that we will have our support raised prior to the end of the 2013-2014 school year.  He began working at a Mexican restaurant over the summer and will be substitute teaching in the fall full time.  (I will also be keeping a friends' girls during the day to bring in a little more income as well.)  Those are HUGE changes for our family, but the Lord has given us the grace and the peace needed in this season.  I started homeschooling 3 weeks ago to get our kids into a semi-routine be

This morning I woke very early with a headache.  Seth is out of town and Cruz wanted to sleep in the bed with me last night, so when I woke at 5:30 to a strange sound, we both woke up.  I never fell back asleep, but fortunately he did.  As I lay there I thought, "I'll take the kids down to the playground this morning.  I can sit and relax while they play."  That's not exactly at all how it ended up.  I locked every door and grabbed my set of keys and was the last one out the door when it suddenly hit me.  My house key is NOT on this set of keys!  So, while the kids rode bikes and eventually played in the rain, I was trying to figure out how in the world we were gonna get in there (without spending a fortune on a locksmith).  I called my sweet mother-in-law and she tried to encourage me and tell me what to do since she didn't have a key.  I then called Seth and shared my sob story with him. I happened to text a neighbor before we left to tell her we'd be at t

My favorite movie is Hook.  First, I like Hook because it has real live humans.  The father who turns into Peter Pan is my favorite character.  Another thing that I like is when Peter Pan leaves the house in a blanket and goes to Never Land.  Then, Peter Pan and Captain Hook fight because Hook took Peter Pan's kids.  Lastly, Peter Pan, Rufio, and those other kids (lost boys) together won the battle.  This is the best movie I ever saw!     *I asked Cruz to think of a blog subject and use several spelling words to complete the blog.  Since we started so close to bedtime, I (Ashley) did the typing, but next time he will do all the work :-) 

We decided to sign Cruz up for Upwards soccer this spring.  He loves to run more than anyone I know, so we thought soccer might be a good fit.  (Not to mention a good sport for a kid with a future in South America.) He has a great coach teaching him the skills he needs, but I love, love, love that she also teaches them about Christ-likeness. They pray at the end of every practice and game. Today was the first game.  Check out these cuties after we arrived!    All 5 of us went to his game and I immediately wished we'd invested in some foldable chairs.  Carmen's pink blanket had to suffice for the four of us.   Yes, we all four squeezed on that little blanket :-)  So, the game began and they quickly started learning things they didn't know before...stay within the white lines, stand behind it to throw the ball in, etc. It took Cruz a little while to get in the groove of things, but he got better and better!   He actually scored a goal after kicking

We are excited to be preparing to move to Bolivia as missionaries.  There are still some major hoops to jump through to get there, but God has graciously given us everything we need for life and godliness.  He is putting the right people in our path to encourage us and direct us to the next step of the journey and we have His wonderful promises of provision and wisdom to accomplish the tasks at hand.  There are moments where I think, "What are we doing?" and all I have to do is think about whose I am and His peace that surpasses all understanding is present. Seth asked me to write my testimony. Writing in the format of my blog seemed less intimidating than within a "missions committee packet" to send to potential church supporters.  So, here goes! I grew up as a quiet, sometimes mischevious middle child. My parents were good people who made church a priority.  But the Lord set two people in my life that stand out as godly examples that were used to draw me to th