Fill Your Cup

I’ve always heard people talking about ‘Filling Your Cup,’ but I’ve never known EXACTLY what that felt like until yesterday.

Last week I had emailed a lady back in our church saying I would love to do Tot Time with Isla during education hour, but right now, in this chapter of life, 2-1/2 hours at church seemed like a lot. (She understood exactly what I was talking about, because she talked about being in the same boat herself, just a few years ago.) Usually we go to church during education hour. The boys go to Sunday School, Isla the nursery, and the hubs and I to church. It’s what has worked for us because of nap time for Isla, hunger for the kids, and actually being able to listen in church for us. But then I read the attachment of all that is offered starting this past Sunday…during education hour. ‘Parenting: The Early Years.’ I know that I’m already 4 in deep, but y’all. I do not have all the answers. Shocking!

Poor child #1. He’s what we call our ‘Trial and Error’ child. The problem is…#1 has been our easiest. However, he’s still our trial and error child because he’s been the first for everything. The first one we ever flew on a plane with, first one we sent off to school, first one we realized that we do in fact need to check his backpack daily because there just might be important announcements in there, even if it only is ‘preschool.’ You get the idea. I still feel like when we sign him up for a new activity, we have ‘Rookie Parents’ written all over our faces.

#2 came and he was much harder. He projectile vomited. A lot. He had an incomplete cleft and nursing was painful. PAIN-FUL. He had reconstructive surgery and that experience was most definitely a first. He didn’t breathe when he cried. (Year 6 and I think he’s completely gown out of it) I’m talking purple lips, eyes rolling to the back of his head, falling down, whole body shaking on the floor, not breathing. I asked our pediatrician if it’ll affect his brain development. He was a much busier baby/toddler. Things were just a bit more challenging.

Then #3 came. HOLY MOLY, what even just happened!?! Our whole parenting style had to be readjusted. And we’re still learning how to readjust.

And now #4…she hasn’t been any more difficult than the other 3. But she’s still different. We had to learn how to stop saying “buddy.” Haha!

So I decided to put our excuses aside of thinking that 2-1/2 hours at church is just ‘too hard’ right now. Or ‘one more year and it’ll just be easier.’ And I decided to be intentional. Intentional about learning. Intentional about meeting other parents just like us. Intentional about stepping outside of my comfort zone. Intentional about worshiping as a family. Intentional about enjoying the longer morning at church. And it Filled My Cup. I can’t find the bulletin that I wrote some notes on of things I wanted to include in my blog, along with Isla deciding to eat and slobber all over said bulletin. But I know that it filled my cup. It set the tone for my whole week.

Living with Intention. It’s showing up everywhere I turn. My sister gave me this hanging for my birthday a couple years back, and I have it sitting on my desk to remind me daily. Life does NOT have to be perfect, to be wonderful.