Last week the Lord really opened up my schedule and gave me the grace to start training Ellie to use the toilet.  

(Background info= I HATE the word potty, it's like my least favorite word. And I vowed I would never use it! If you're like me and prefer not to talk about bodily functions.. skip this post! It's still not my favorite topic, but blog-worthy today :) 

Well, at this point last week I was EXHAUSTED. We were 2 days in to the training experience, and I didn't realize how draining it would be. I was almost ready to give up and just wait until after our move.  I didn't think she was understanding it. We were spending most of our time in the bathroom, and she was crying when I told her it was time to use the toilet again.  Well....Tuesday night before bed we were praying with Ellie. Noah prayed that Jesus would help Ellie learn to use the toilet. She opened her eyes and said "Purple candle?!"

And in that moment it was like WOAH, SHE GETS IT!! We had been talking for 2 days that when she put her pee in the toilet she would get to blow out her purple candle.  And in that moment, it became clear that despite how hard the last 2 days had been- she understood, and she wanted that reward!

Well, here we are a week later, Ellie hasn't had an accident in 3 or 4 days and she doesn't even care about blowing out the purple candle anymore.  She sits on the toilet like a pro and seems SO MUCH MORE GROWN UP in just a week's time!

I didn't grasp how much getting rid of diapers would change our life (takes a lot longer to go places stopping in the toilet, she wakes up earlier from naps & bedtime as she wants to use the toilet rather than go in her diaper, and we spend a LOT more time in the bathroom!) But overall, we're grateful Jesus answered our prayers and Ellie has gotten to blow out her purple candle :)

Thank you Jesus and GO ELLIE!

So, Ellie turns 2 tomorrow. I can't even begin to write about how wild that is and how much I love this little girl.  This blog would be forever long!

I can say, that like almost every mom I know, I want so badly to help her know how LOVED she is! As a huge holiday (specifically birthday) person, I have to be careful to reign it in as I could easily go over the top.

So this year, I decided I'd keep it simple and just go with all things PURPLE (Or purkle as she calls it). So we have purple plates, napkins, streamers, and balloons. (We're potty training right now too- and she even has purple soap in the bathroom and a purple candle she gets to blow out after her successes). Anyway, I saw a purple cake awhile back, and I wanted to copy it. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I showed Ellie her cake tonight

And she called it PINK!

(I know my cake isn't near as pretty as my inspiration.. but c'mon, PINK??)

I told my friends tonight, this is a good reminder to give up trying to be "perfect" as a parent... even my 2 year old is proving that's impossible.

A few years back Noah and I were discussing if we ought to go out to eat or not on a specific night.  I remember telling him, "believe it or not, we have the money for it" - to which he responded, I'm not concerned about the price, more about the principle (we had gone out to eat for a number of meetings and such in the days leading up to this night). 

This comment has stuck with me for years! 

As support-raising missionaries, we are very aware of our need to trust God for our financial needs.  We take great joy in budgeting, using the envelope system, and doing our best to live within our means.  So the fact that we had money to go out to eat meant that I was ready to go. Why not? 

When Noah brought up the idea of the principle vs. price, I was very taken aback. I didn't realize how much I base my decisions off of the price (as opposed to the principle).   I'm realizing that BOTH are important considerations.

We live in a world where we can find great deals on great things- from consignment stores, to hand me downs, to clearance, to great online bargains, it would be very easy for me to pile up a ton of things for my girls that they would really use and love and not spend very much money at all.


But just because I can, does that mean I should? It's always puzzling to try to determine how much is too much? It's tempting to compare to those who have far more than us (and fail to think about those who have far less than us.) It's easy for me to say if it's free or really cheap, then why not? Just like that night I wanted to go out to dinner- we have the money to do it, so why not? 

But I'm finding that oftentimes the principle is far more important than the price.  It's not easy to determine how this plays out in daily life when it comes to making decisions on what to buy and what to forego, but I'm doing my best to seek the Lord and think about both the price AND the principle. 

Especially when it comes to my little girl's second birthday this week! This time around we decided to not worry about the cost. We decided to (1) get something she will really LOVE, so we picked out the exact tricycle we wanted and bought it full price at the store (a very rare occasion for us!) and (2) to do something special with Ellie. We're taking her to Sesame Street Live tonight (coming to Assembly Hall in Champaign!!!) The only tv/movies she watches is Elmo's World and we can NOT wait to surprise her with this special outing!!! We have a babysitter for Josie and are looking forward to this SO much!!

So her gifts were a little more expensive this time around, but we're hoping that we made the right choice in thinking through the principle as well :)

Happy Birthday Week Ellie Bean!!!!!

"This is the behind the scenes look at being Navs Staff"


This is what I told Nick last night when he and our two co-workers Ben and Norm came over at 11:30 pm to help me clean the water out of our basement that I had just disovered.  (It wasn't awful, just a thin layer of water covering most of our basement).


Noah has been in Colorado Springs this week at a Trainers Summit at Nav headquarters.  As we prepare to train our first staff-person, Noah is receiving some excellent training and advice on what that should look like. 


Funny that while Noah is out preparing to train Nick, Nick is at our house helping me clean up since Noah isn't here. HA!


We are so, so grateful for (1) The training we receive with The Navigators, they are really equipping us to do our job well. (2) The excellent co-workers we have here. Ben & Norm are like family to us, and we are so very sad to move away from them. (3) Nick- we can't wait to have him join us in Whitewater this fall!


You can be praying for us as we start a new experience with the Navs- training staff! Please also be praying for Nick as he graduates in a few weeks, heads out to his training in Colorado, raises support this summer, and moves to Whitewater :)

This fall, a student that I love dearly and have invested in for years went through an incredibly challenging time.  She and I had been meeting for almost 4 years, and I wasn't sure if she really grasped the gospel.  We had read through the book of John and she continued to see Jesus as a great example and a good teacher, but I wasn't confident that she understand Jesus as her Savior and Lord. 

<Insert significant trial this fall>

In the midst of her trial she asked if I could come over to pray with her.  We had never prayed together like this before, but I was grateful for the opportunity and eager to do so. In hearing all that she was going through I was incredibly burdened by the thought, "This just isn't fair God! Why are you allowing this to happen?"

After we prayed, I remember telling her that night "this is so hard, you will NOT be able to do it on your own strength.  The only hope you have is Jesus.  To trust in His strength through you one day at a time.

Her trial didn't go away, but neither did God. She continued to find comfort in the truth of Scripture and strength from Jesus through some really difficult days.

<Fast forward 4 1/2 months>

Last week I met with this student and heard her testimony.  She was aware that God had been working in her life in recent months, and had finally taken time to write it all out. 

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that just when I was telling God "This isn't fair"  He was working salvation in her heart.  Through her greatest trial, the door was opened for her to put her trust in Christ. I'd say that is way better than fair.

Praise the Lord!

Thank you for praying for God's work to be done here on campus.  We continue to be amazed at the way He is working in the hearts and lives of the students we know and love.

There's a student who applied for our region's Summer Training Program.  Getting the money to go was a bit of a challenge for her.

Can you believe that in a few minutes- she collected all the money she needed from a few peers in her Bible Study on campus?

We continue to be amazed at the way God works in and through our students.  Praise Him!

I remember someone telling me shortly after Ellie was born that a key to success in parenting (especially for stay at homes moms) is creativity.  While parenting a newborn, it didn't exactly make sense to me, but recently I find myself quoting this to myself all the time, "Okay Katie- get creative!!" 

What does that look like for me? Here are two examples :)

1) Creativity with scheduling. As much as I like routine, I really don't like to feel stuck, or like we just do the same thing everyday. We have a very abnormal work schedule to begin with, as campus ministry is NOT 9-5, but we've had to be even more creative now as we balance Noah and my involvements on campus with caring for 2 little girls! ---   Noah and I have figured out a way for me to get some good 1:1 time with one student each week. He goes to campus really early on Wednesdays (6:45) and so he comes home earlier than normal (4 pm).  We've worked it out so that he takes Ellie for an hour from 4-5 pm so I can meet with a student and not get interrupted in our conversation:)
I've also found that if I have a student for lunch- it can work out well as we can "catch up" while Ellie and Josie are around, and then really talk after lunch when the girls go down for naps. Creativity with scheduling also explains why I'm up and out the door on Tuesday mornings before Ellie or Josie are even awake-- it's worked out to be the best time for me to co-lead a Bible Study on campus.  It takes lots of planning, juggling things around, and CREATIVITY! But I feel we're finding a way for us both to be invested on campus as much as possible :)

2) Creativity with activities.  Just like people rotate their toys, I've fell in love with a special stash of "tubs" that I rotate. This has especially been a lifesaver since Josie's arrival.
  I have filled tubs with all sorts of different things 
(a noodle tub- with dried pasta, measuring cups, bowls, etc.   
a duplo tub- with a set of duplo blocks, 
a "beads" tub with wood beads and string to lace them on, 
a magnet tub with a set of ABC fridge magnets
a playdough tub
and many more...)
I keep all of these out of sight, and save them for those times of the day where Ellie just wants a little more attention or help finding a new activity.  It's always far more fun when she's forgotten about the tub and then I pull it out again- it's new and fun!
Some of her favorites right now are the poof balls- sorting them by color in the muffin tin and scooping them with a measuring spoon and the beads/pipe cleaners.  She's getting pretty good at getting the beads on the pipe cleaners all by herself!
I highly recommend "hiding" some toys/activities in tubs and putting them away.  It's been really fun to get creative with different materials around the home that Ellie can play with!



3) productiveparenting.com   I don't remember how I came across this site- but I signed up to receive emails M-F for both Ellie & Josie. Each day that I receive an email it has an age-appropriate activity for your child (using mostly household objects).  I really enjoy the prompt to "do something productive" with Ellie and have really enjoyed the simple ideas.  They're not fancy or intricate, but something you may not think of on your own.


Get creative, you'll be impressed how much your child enjoys it! And how much they're able to learn/figure out with simple objects.  
Who knew that Ellie could play with chicken bouillon cubes for 45 minutes while I'm cooking supper? :) 

-Katie

I'll warn you, this is not-your-typical-Friday-update. We sent out a prayer update email today, and that will be more informative than this blog today.  If you didn't receive the email, please post a comment with your email and we'll be happy to send it your way!

---- Now for Katie's random Friday Update

"When I joined Navs staff, I didn't know I was signing up for_____"

When we went on staff with The Navigators, I feel like there were a lot of things we didn't know we were signing up for. I realize this is probably the case with every job, as you never know entirely what you are getting yourself into. But, I continue to be amazed at the things that "come with the territory" and so I've decided to start a list. I hope this is a humorous and possibly insightful look at our life with The Navs behind the scene

"When I joined Navs staff, I didn't know I was signing up for_____"

-Taking a student to the doctor and/or hospital (Whether it be to the ER during a conference out of state at 4 am, a freshman who is really sick and away from home for the first time, a student who is visiting an ill relative, or like we're experiencing today, a sports-related injury) 

-"Hosting strangers" in your home. We recently "hosted" students from a Navs ministry across the country. They called, needed a place to stay in Champaign, and our house was available.  Kind of unique to say you've hosted people you've never even met.

- Counseling a student on whether or not they should go home this weekend as their pet is likely to die soon.  (This is what you call whole-life discipleship :) ha!)

- Loaning out things- from cookie cutters, to board games, your firepit in the backyard, rakes, sleeping bags, tent, you name it...

Even when we're doing things we never expected to be doing, let me use this as an excuse to say, WE LOVE OUR JOB! 


What random tasks surprised you as a part of your job? 

When I arrived home from the hospital with Josie, I was overwhelmed to say the least.  It was me (recovering from an unexpected c-section 2 days prior), a new-on-her feet 1 year old and a newborn. I remember my mom telling me,  "You'll be fine as long as you focus on taking care of the girls and don't try to get anything else done." 

That's harder to do than I thought.
That means not unloading the dishwasher or throwing in one quick load of laundry.
That means not keeping up on emails or making that one "important phone call"
That means not planning play dates or inviting students over to meet.
That means not trying to make cookies quick or update my blog (both things I love :))
All of those things fall in the "anything other than taking care of the girls" category.

And so, I did my best to focus on taking care of the girls, and nothing else.

As time passed, I've had to learn how to re-add in my normal life activities and figure out what to let go of. (Did you know that the bathroom is still usable, even if it hasn't been cleaned for a month? Did you know you can still sleep in your bed even if it hasn't been made from the night before?) :)

Here we are four months later, and I find that my best days are the days that I don't expect to get much else done other than caring for the girls.  As soon as I get high hopes and expect to use nap time to make supper, I guarantee their naps won't overlap.  As soon as I get excited to take a long shower, I promise Ellie will wake an hour earlier than normal.  

It's better for me to just expect to change diapers, clean up spit up, change diapers, change Josie's clothes, discipline Ellie, change diapers, get a snack for Ellie, change my clothes, change diapers, etc.  

Then I'm really grateful when I get a few minutes to call a friend.  I'm excited when I get time to actually wash all of the laundry that's accumulating. I'm thankful when Ellie and I get to do something special like make brownies or do a craft.  I find myself blessed to hold Josie as she watches Ellie play and I'm not (as) whiny if the house stays dirty and I don't get a nap.

This isn't to say I don't get time to accomplish things.  In fact, I really value getting to meet with students, attend our Small Group, catch up on emails, etc.  I've learned how to maximize my energy and eliminate things that zap my time, but I have to live -eyes fixed on Jesus, holding my desires with an open hand.

It's not easy to live day by day, moment by moment.  But I find when I seek The Lord and ask Him for grace.  He gives it, over and over again.  Am I exhausted? Of course! Am I overwhelmed? Oftentimes I am.  But am I grateful and very blessed? YES and YES!