What I learned it August

Sometimes when I write this post, I’m all “I baked this and we learned how to do that and in the garden we did this.” Today, I’m feeling a bit more reflective. It’s because summer is winding down and I can’t help but consider things a little at the end of each of the year’s seasons.

“We struggle with grace because we always want to reciprocate.”

I usually try to hear about one thing per week at church. Between the baby and the toddler (literally, I keep my physical body between the two to separate them) I am very busy during the church service. I snagged this line from the sermon and I’m trying to ruminate on it this week. My word of the year for 2016 is grace. When it comes to Christ, we can’t reciprocate or “earn our way”. Grace is a gift and it cannot be earned. Therefore, the only posture left is humility and not pride. We cannot take credit; we can only give thanks.

It’s getting easier.

April-May-June was a post-partum blur of breastfeeding and keeping Joslyn entertained while breastfeeding. July was a bit of a time to catch my breath, but then I went back to work two days a week and we were learning new skills all over again – like getting out the door on time, pumping at work, and managing those last few hours of the day after work. I’m getting more sleep now. Joslyn has learned to be gentle with JD. All is downhill from here, yippppeeeeee!

I’m still me.

Going to the grocery store is Everest. Until JD can sit up on his own in a cart, it will be for a while longer. I’m still the same person that I used to be, but I’m caring for two small people who need about 175% of me at the same time occasionally. Thankfully, we’re down to that being about 1 or 2 times of the day and not the majority of the day. For now, grocery store = grandma helping with the kids at the drug store while I run over solo and power shop for 20 minutes. It’s also my sister kindly grabbing the TP and our weekly 3-gallons of milk on her way to our house. That’s amazing. It’s working great. I am grateful for the help and humbled to have to ask.

“Life is not an emergency”

My favorite writer of 2016 says this in her book 1,000 gifts that I reviewed earlier this year on this blog. Just repeat that to yourself right now. Slowwwwwwwww downnnnn. Feel better already, right?

A Call from Dad

My Dad called this week to ask me something about the rumen of a grazing feeder calf adjusting from forage to silage rations and running out of his corn ration and microbes. I said, “I have no idea, you’ll have to ask John or Savannah, I did not take animal nutrition classes.” He continued running his theory by me, but in another angle. Again, I responded, “I have no idea.” In his typical, good-natured humor he changed his tune. “I am talking to the wrong person, aren’t I?” We laughed and then he said, “How many diapers per day does a 4 month old boy use?” We laughed and I said, “THAT I can answer!”

Re-reading this post, I’ve concluded that I didn’t actually learn much, but I pondered on these things. I’m still holding on by my teeth after 5 PM most days and these thoughts are calming as I try desperately to keep everyone together until bedtime.