The Lord has blessed my family leaps and bounds over the last 2 and a half years and those blessing have only multiplied with our prayers and our trust that God knows the desire of my heart and he will not fail us. Two and a half years ago our daughter was born in January. I went back to work after spring break that year and then only had two months until summer vacation when I could be home with her again. The next school year I moved from teaching kindergarten to teach second grade in hopes of having a little bit of an easier schedule. I did. Madison was in daycare full time. I have a wonderful group of kiddos and parents and I felt like I was a successful teacher and a successful mom at the same time. It was hard no doubt, but it worked. We were down to only one income by January that year and I had no choice but to work. It was fine. I still had a tugging on my heart that I wanted to be home more, that I wanted to do more as a mom, but this was how it needed to be for now. I finished that school year with ease and went home for another summer with Madison when she was a year and a half old. That August, I ached when it was time to go back to school. My priorities had shifted, I loved being home as a mom, and when it was time for Madison to go back to daycare I cried - I do mean cried! That August I started a new school year and every day prayed over my classroom, my kiddos, my family, and prayed that we would know what the right decision would be for raising our family. We found out that we were pregnant with baby #2 in September, right after school started. That school year was my ninth year of teaching and by far my most difficult one. I knew in October that there was no way that I could raise two kids the way that I wanted to if work everyday was this hard. It was more emotionally and physically exhausting than anything I had every experienced. I cried a lot. I was angry a lot and I felt that Madison in no way got the best of me and that was not fair to her. We just started praying that if were meant to be that God would show us where to go and how to make the desire to be a mom first work.
In May of 2013 I resigned. We totally went out on Faith knowing that this was our best decision and that God would provide our every need. Our finances did not work on paper, but we knew that God was telling us that is was okay and to trust him, so we did.
Two weeks after Samuel was born, I interviewed for a job at a church pre-school with my friend Cheryl. I got the job. She and I will be co-teaching the pre-k class on T/Th together. Both of our children will go with me. This extra money will help with groceries. What a blessing. Now we feel like we will squeak by and be okay. Then, of course, God had even bigger plans for us and about a month ago my husband got a small promotion with the month end bonuses promised to surpass what he has been making. Don't you love that? We stepped out on faith trusting God that he will meet our needs and in 2 short months, he has done just that and answered our prayers.
I just absolutely love that God answers even the smallest of prayers. Nothing is too big or too small for Him.
So, today is August 2nd. I am not at school. Both of my children are napping. I am blogging and having an afternoon cup of coffee. What an amazing feeling of joy and happiness that fills my heart. I sometimes have to stop and say, oh my goodness I am really doing this! This is who I get to spend my days with now...
