Learning by Living

Many months ago, before I took a huge break from blogging, I changed the title of my blog to “Learning by Living.”  At that time, I was mostly  referring to the fact that I believe that children are natural learners—that they learn from their everyday world.  I know that this is true for Ella, as it seems each day she does or says something new (without a  whole lot of effort on my part).  However, life is changing all the time—even for me!  And there are things that I am still learning. 

Wes and I are the proud parents of two beautiful girls now.  They keep us busy and laughing, and I wouldn’t change anything about them.  Lucy Hope was born on January 2, 2011.  She was a VBAC baby (yay!) and her birth was scary, intense, painful, and so completely satisfying.  She is healthy and perfect, and I want to hold on to every moment right now.  I know how quickly time passes when babies are growing, and since she is likely our last child, I’m trying to savor every tiny thing about her. 

Although she has been a huge blessing to our family, a not-so-great change has happened for us as well:  Wes was laid off from his job.  We had to make some instant changes to our spending habits, especially when it comes to food.  We eat every meal and snack at home now (except for the times our wonderful families take us out!), and it’s definitely been a learning experience for me!  Not that we ate out a LOT before—but we did eat out at least 2 times a week, sometimes more.  I’m learning how to say “no” to foods that I love or depend on, finding less expensive alternatives, and am finding new recipes to try.  I hate to use the word “fun” to describe this, but it has been.  It’s fun to find ways to spend less, eat more REAL food, and I am proud of cooking for my family as much as I have been lately. 

It’s been very different, having Wes home most of the time.  It’s been great!  I know it won’t last forever, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts!  We’re using this time to appreciate each other, and the wonderful family that we’ve created.  We’re using this time to put our full trust and faith in God.  We both believe that God will provide for us, and that He has a plan for each of us.  That in itself is a lesson that is often hard to learn except through experience. 

So in all things, our whole family really is learning by living.