So it has been a while since Bringing Up Benjamin closed to the public. I have tried to blog over here, but it just didn't feel right, if you know what I mean. So I'm going to reopen Bringing Up Benjamin and we're going to start fresh... well, I guess more pick up where we left off. I have missed blogging over there.

Anyway, to my new followers over here: If you're not down with Bringing Up Benjamin yet, you ought to! I would love for you to continue following over yonder.

And now ... let us all direct our attention back to Bringing Up Benjamin, and hopefully soon you'll get some posts out of me with renewed inspiration.

God is worthy of our praise, in every circumstance of our life! - My God is the God of the living! How excellent is His name!

     - My Facebook status exactly 1 year ago.

 

This morning my husband preached a sermon about God as the Prodigal’s Father. He spoke about circumstances in our life where we might be tempted to think, “Where were You when this happened?” or “If only You were with me, this wouldn’t have happened.” He talked about how God has always been where He has always been and in situations like that, instead of asking “Where were You?” we should be asking, “Where am I?”

It was kind of ironic, but only to me and to him, that he should preach on this subject on today of all days… Only because today is the One-Year Anniversary of when he was fired from our old preaching job in Georgia. Technically it happened on the 21st of August, but really it was a Saturday so I guess it was yesterday? Anyway, it’s so strange to think about being there one year ago, and now being here in Alabama today.

And it’s also strange (I guess in a good way) to see that particular status update for today last year. I remember that people were telling me that they were impressed at my attitude about it all, but what they didn’t know is that I was so bitter on the inside and I just didn’t want that to show. At the time of it all, I was so mad. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that now my family and I had to pack up our stuff and throw it all in storage for who knew how long and then drive up to live with my parents – again. To have to search for a job before we ran out of money (which wouldn’t take long at all).

God always knows what’s best for us. We went through a lot of changes while we lived with my parents. We made a lot of decisions (those who followed my old blog might remember the few blog posts I made about us not preaching anymore and then coming back to the decision to do so). We got burnt and we took it personally. I couldn’t understand why we should be the ones to be thrown out on the curb, but eventually I understood that I didn’t have to understand. God knew and always knows what we need and when we need it. He knew we didn’t need to be in Iowa. He knew we didn’t need to give up. He knew we needed this place here.

Aren’t we blessed to have a God who knows and cares? Even when I was bitter about having to leave… even when I did not understand, He taught me a lesson – that I needed to learn how to trust Him. Sometimes it takes us learning the “hard” way. My favorite verse became Matthew 6:33. Lesson learned, Lord. Thank You.

I feel like I’ve come a long way. I know that I still have an even longer way to go. I am ever a work in progress. Aren’t we all?

 

Something that I had started on Bringing Up Benjamin that everyone has expressed that they miss, Morning Glories has come to live incandescently. I’m going to repost the posts I had on BUB and then add new ones. I’m going to try to do this as often as I can! Bear with me as I get back into the swing of things!

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” Jeremiah 17:7

I always enjoy the passages that open up with “Blessed is the man…” because it always brings a smile to my face. I know that whatever is going to follow that phrase is going to be something good. I love that the word “blessed” is literally translated as “oh how happy!”. “Oh how happy is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” How can you read that passage and others like it and not feel happy?

Trusting in God is something that I have had to learn to do ‘the hard way’. I never really knew what it meant to trust in God until I had no other option than to do just that. But as soon as I did, things just … fell into place and I did become happy because I knew that God was taking care of me – I did have hope!

Our God is an awesome God! He cares for me, and He cares for YOU! I pray that today whatever might be weighing our minds down, we might give it up to God and let Him take the burden off of us. Trust in God! Find your hope in Him and let yourself be blessed!

I hope you all have a beautiful day! Don’t forget to pray!

A lovely friend had on her facebook that a book she is studying encourages the student each night three things that they are thankful for, and I thought that would be a nice way to end the day on a thankful note. So. I’m going to start doing so!

Three things I am thankful for tonight…

1. Being able to worship God freely with my family and to hear my husband up in the pulpit. It’s a blessing that I hope I will never take for granted.

2. A much-needed nap on a Sunday afternoon, which was helped along by some allergy/sinus medication… not so thankful for the allergy fit I’m going through but I am thankful for the beautiful earth that has caused it (ha!) and the medications out there to help alleviate some of it.

3. Being able to hug and hold the hand of a man whose wife is nearing Abraham’s bosom very soon now. What a special family his family is, and I have learned so much about the importance of family in just these last few days as I watch them all gather around their wife/mother/daughter/daughter-in-law/mother-in-law/friend/grandmother to surround her with love during these last precious moments. Life is short, make it sweet, make it pleasing to God, make your impression on those around you and make sure it’s a good one.

 

If I could add a 4th, I’d say I’m thankful for the pillow that’s about to receive my head!

There are some things that happen in your life that you would have never guessed, years ago, would have happened to you. There are things in your life that you never would have thought you would end up doing or being. I was reflecting on this yesterday. There are just so many things in my life that have taken me by surprise.

I never thought that when I was eighteen years old I would be getting engaged, and then graduating, and then a couple months later getting married. I had always said I wouldn’t even think of marriage until I was in my twenties, but things happened. I am so glad that my life turned out this way, though. There were a lot of people when we decided we would get married that told us (or told other people, and we overheard) that we were too young for marriage. There were those who said they wished we’d wait. Some told me I looked like I was still a baby and shouldn’t be getting married. But, we have been married for nearly four years (next month!) and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. Yeah, marriage can sometimes be difficult. But it’s a beautiful thing to spend the rest of your life with the person you love.

I never thought that when I was nineteen I would be announcing that I was expecting our first child. If there was ever a time I got the “you’re too young” look or speech, it was then. Babies shouldn’t be having babies, that sort of thing. It was frustrating. I never wanted to have kids this early, really, but it happened and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I never thought that when I was twenty I would give birth to my firstborn. I never thought that I would have the responsibility of another human being’s soul so early in my own life. I never thought I would be spending sleepless nights and not because of concerts or lockins or going out with my husband. I never thought I’d be waking up two or three times every night for almost a year to take care of my child. Never though we’d be so soon recognized and remembered at a pediatrician’s office or that our repertoire of shows would include the Wiggles or Blues Clues so very soon in life.

I never thought I’d ever enjoy staying home all day and keeping my own house, but I do, believe it or not.

There are more important things in life to me than spending time doing things you think you should be doing as opposed to things you want to do when it comes to the direction your life is going. I never wanted to go to college, because everything I wanted to be – a wife, a mother, a preacher’s wife – couldn’t be taught to me through professors at a college. Everything I wanted to be could be found in God’s word. There are some days when I feel less than adequate because I never went to further my education like most of the people I know. I was told by someone recently that people who do go get a degree earn like a million more dollars in their lifetime than those who don’t, but that doesn’t really matter to me. So what? Unlike so many people in this world believe, money is not everything. Education is not everything.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

Of course, I don’t want anyone to think that going to college is pointless and shouldn’t be pursued. But if you’re like me and you didn’t go, don’t feel bad about it. It’s not the most important thing you can do in your life.

A lot of things have happened in my life that I never expected… but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. I am content where I am in life.

Basically this blog has been for me, but I appreciate as usual your comments and anyone who reads.

I know this is late in coming, but we got a little busy just recently and I am currently taking a break from packing for a week away at the MSOP Lectureship. So I figured I may as well do the post I had promised about the different types of diapers, and I am sorry it has taken me so long to do it. If you’re just now finding out that we cloth diaper, here’s a post I did recently on how it’s going for us 23 months after we started.

Anyway, a while back I took some photos of nearly all of our cloth diapers, so I’ll include those in this post as I talk about the different types we use and what we like about them or what we don’t like about them. There are certainly pros and cons to each diaper and not every diaper works as well for every child. It’s been a sort of trial and error for us but we have really enjoyed this cloth diapering journey.

The Stash.

This is nearly all of our diapers, and as you can see, we have tried out a few different types of diapers. We have tried hybrids {gDiapers}, pockets {bumGenius and Happy Heinys}, and prefolds + wraps {Thirsties}.

gDiapers.

We’ll start out with the one we use least often. It’s a hybrid diaper because you have the option of using a flushable insert {which is, if I am correct, biodegradable}, or using cloth inserts, which we opt for. You stick a little insert into the bottom of the diaper, the little plastic… hammock or whatever you want to call it, and close it up. As you can see, the little hammock has snaps so you can actually pull that out and replace it and continue using the same shell. That’s pretty nifty. Also one thing I like about this diaper is the fact that it velcros around the back instead of the front so it’s harder for Mr. Benjamin to pull off when he is “napping”. It’s a really trim diaper, so it doesn’t make Benjamin look like he inherited my backside. HA! I don’t really know why we don’t use this one much, but it’s probably because the other diapers are usually already stuffed and we just go for that.

Pros: Trim fit, velcro around back, removable hammock thinger, option of using flushable inserts if desired.
Cons: The wetness just sits on the little bottom as the insert is just right there, it’s in the back of the drawer and who wants to dig that far?, not one-size

The bumGenius.

We frequently use bumGenius during the day. It’s a one-size diaper, which means you can snap it down or unsnap it depending on how big your baby is. We actually used bumGenius first before anything else because we found two diapers on clearance at Target and on a whim decided to buy them. This yellow one is the first one Benjamin ever wore:

As you can see, the diaper was snapped all the way down for his age at 3 months. He wears the same diaper these days unsnapped all the way.

Anyway, bumGenius has been great for us. Most of our bumGenius diapers were hand-me-downs and thus not in the best condition, as most of the leg gussets had been let out {I still need to go through and sew new elastic into them… sigh…}, and so in the early days it would be easier for mess to come out of the sides… however, I will say that we had a lot less blowouts using cloth than we did using disposable. The bumGenius diapers seem to leak more easily than the others, however, but it’s still a good diaper if you’re looking for a pocket diaper. The only thing about pocket diapers is that you can’t re-use the shell. When you change the diaper, you have to change the whole thing, which makes this a more expensive option. Basically you stick an insert down in the pocket and then when you change it, you pull the insert out and wash them both together.

Pros: Grows with baby, trim-ish fit, durable, comes in an array of colors.
Cons: Not a reusable shell, leaks easier if on a heavy wetter, you gotta pull a yucky insert out {which you get used to} before washing.

The Thirsties Duo Wrap.

Thirsties Duo Wraps are Hubby’s diaper of choice. Most of the time when he changes Benjamin, he will end up choosing the thirsties. It’s a good diaper! I usually tell people that this is the most economical choice out there because you can get by with a handful of wraps and like 16 prefolds and be set! Seriously! A lot of people are intimidated by prefolds because they think you need to use pins or something of the sort with them, but you don’t, really! Here’s a little tutorial for you on how we use prefolds and wraps:

Totally easy! This diaper has the advantage of being a shell, which means as we have said before, you can use the same shell over and over and just change out the prefold. We do this unless it gets real messy, you know what I mean. This is also, as you can see, a one-size diaper, and you can also see that the leg gussets are doubly enforced and I love this. We hardly ever have leaks with these diapers.

Pros: one-size, economical, hardly any leaks, reusable shell, bright colors.
Cons: makes the kiddo’s badonkadonk HUGE!!

The Happy Heinys.

We got this diaper for Benjamin’s 6 month birthday. He loves his cow diaper. Basically it is the same as the bumGenius diapers as it is also a pocket diaper, but the opening for the insert is wider so it’s easier to pull it out.

Pros: one-size, cute prints, great velcro, wide opening, trim fit
Cons: leaks some if he’s really wetting heavy.

So anyway.

Those are our diapers and my reviews of them. If you have any more questions, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them! If you have any recommendations for us, let me know too! Hopefully we won’t be in diapers for much longer but I do want to cloth diaper any other children the Lord may bless us with!

It has been a while since I have felt comfortable with our surroundings, happy about where we are. We have been here in Alabama for six months now and I cannot say just how much of a difference it has made in my life. I love it. I feel so content and happy in every which way. We are surrounded by people whom we love and who love us. We are growing spiritually and B is learning so much... I don't have any complaints!

It is so new... to actually not have worries about whether or not this will be our home at the end of the year. To actually feel secure for once, even when we always know that anything can happen at any time. It feels good to feel so secure. It feels nice to feel happy with where we are. To be able to relax, to enjoy life, to enjoy friendship.

I am so thankful to God for the opportunity to be here... for being able to grow here. There have been so many changes in my life since we moved here. I know there are those who knew that in Georgia, C was the one who did the cooking pretty much every night. Now, it's the other way around. I'm finally in the kitchen, finally broadening my horizons, finally enjoying it all. I finally enjoy cleaning a house that I love, that we are so blessed to have.

God has been so good to us. I'm feeling so very blessed.