by Kimberly | May 5, 2013 | mothering, Uncategorized, Women
This is one section of Kristyn’s prayers as she journeyed in her role as a mother:
“In the spring of 2008 I first prayed for a baby, and in the spring of 2011 God answered
that prayer with the birth of our beautiful daughter. My joy was full but so were the fears
I wrestled. In some ways I felt like a baby Christian again, caught in a whirlwind of
emotions, learning and applying what I have known and trusted into a completely new
life – I know I’m definitely not the first to feel that!”
Many songs came along before I became a mother, but this Mother’s Day is different for me as I’ve had almost 8 months to hold my little boy in my arms and give him multiple kisses each day (as well as change multiple diapers, get spit up on, listening to him laugh and cry and scream). As I’ve listened to the song of prayer by Kristyn Getty on their new album, I’ve heard another Mum’s love for her little one.
The prayer life of a mother never ceases. Sometimes my prayers are: Lord, is he still breathing – when he has slept for 12 hours and isn’t awake and crying for food. It is sometimes, Lord, give me patience today with him to have him for 14 hours without his daddy (at work and after work long meetings).
Kristyn takes her prayers in this song a little more on the long-term route, but one prayer that is very near and dear to my heart: we both want to see our children follow Christ and live wholeheartedly for Him. Whether its Kristyn’s little jewel, or my squirmy little bright blue-eyed boy, or the little #2 that is growing in my belly – our prayers are the same. Lord, may they love and follow you.
Since the Getty’s song has recently come out – they are offering some more personal insights into the song and also freebies for you (and other mothers in your life) this Mother’s Day:
If you want to send your mother or another mother a Mom’s Day card – here you go for a special one you can send
by Kimberly | Jan 30, 2013 | life together, mothering, photo shoot
Sisters. Sisters. There were never such devoted sisters.
S and A and their mom Jennifer are such sweet dear people. Jennifer and I go way back (to her middle school days) and I love the fact that me and my son get to be a part of their lives. For this session we were in Palm Coast, FL at Princess Place Preserves – never been there, want to go back. It is such an old Florida place – trees, moss, water, not a bazillion tourists around! Then we trekked back to St. Augustine and had lunch at her parent’s place and played on the beach with the seagulls!
Such sweet time!
Such a lovely place for an outing – Princess Place Preserve in Palm Coast, FL
Love those lips and that pout!
She had fun doodling in the sand
sweet back seat hugs
I wanna go to the beach mommy!
Thoise eyes!
What is all this white stuff?
Love that belly laugh!
So sweet little girl!
This is the “Mommy it is bright, I don’t want to look” face!
Such sisterly love!
Reading already! She’s brilliant!
Chasing seagulls
by Kimberly | Jan 28, 2013 | mothering, parenting, Uncategorized
This past week I did a lot of driving as I was back and forth the length of I-4 in Florida. This provided me time to listen to Z88. I was listening to a Mark Schultz song and after sobbing, swo=iping tears, trying not to wreck due to my blurred vision through tears, I prayed aloud these three things for my son who was in the back seat.
1. I want him to know and love God.
As I read, pray through, and study Psalm 119 this year, I am seeing a lot of cohesiveness between knowing the truths of God and trusting them and being blessed by them. In John’s gospel, Jesus says that His sheep know His voice and elsewhere in Scripture God says that if we love God we will obey His commands (and we have to know them to obey them). I don’t really knnnowhich comes first: the knowing or the loving. Either way, we would not seek to know this love or know the Lover if the Lover had not first loved us. All of this life and a relationship with Him is because of grace. We know HIm because He has revealed Himself to us (Psalm 19, Gen 1, Rom 1, Rom 8). We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 1) We, as sinners, do not freely choose to love. But, I pray, that God in His foreknowledge, has predestined my Son to be His (Eph 1). Mister and I will raise our son (and any future children we might have if the Lord wills) in light of this (Prov 22.6, Deut 6). But, in the grand scheme of things, God has made the decision and knows if our son is one of His. We will see in time if Little Mister desires the things of God and runs hard after Jesus – knowing and loving Him.
2. I want him to love and be loved.
I want Little Buddy to know what it means to be loved and to love deeply. Is there pain in doing that? Yes! But you see and experience the world in a much brighter and better way when you know you are loved unconditionally and you are able to love to your fullest measure with one person. Do I know if it is in God’s plans for the LB to be married one day and have children of his own? No. But, again, we trust in God’s perfect plan and we will strive to raise him in such a manner that he will make a great husband and father one day. And if he is never married, then those traits will be good of a man of God!
3. I want him to see and change the world!
One of the bestEST aspects of my time being single (the other one is discipling many girls and living life with them) was the fact that I got to travel a TON! I was usually travling on my day off, weekends, or weeks or mission trips. I loved the freedom God allowed me so much time being single so I could see more of the world He created. That is one thing that the Mister and I love doing together – traveling. It started in our courtship and continued to our honeymoon (a two week, two country road trip) and continues now. I want LB to love to be in the car, plane, or train or boat or rikshaw or what have you! I want him to see God’s beauty in the Rockies or in Alaska or in Thailand or in Mexico or in NYC or in PEI or in China or in South America or in South Africa. I want him to know the beauty of sunsets and sunrices on every continent and in many different time zones. I want him to see the waves from every ocean that is on the face of the earth. I want him to go in search of wonder and explore all that God has created. I want him to go and learn to love cultures of every kind and see the beauty and diversity that God has filled this earth – and that seeing those sites would cause him to yearn for heaven. I want him to desire the nations for the glory of God.
What are your prayers for your children?
by Kimberly | Oct 30, 2012 | 31days, mothering, parenting
I think this whole sleep deprivation thing is setting in. To both of us!
Sweet Buddy has been kind enough and sacrificial enough to take the morning shift – that oh dark thirty hour before anyone really should be awake. He usually gets up with little buddy about 5 and lets me sleep until he goes to work. So Kind!
People tell you to take naps when the baby does – but I generally can’t do that. If I took naps everytime he did we wouldn’t: have dinner EVER unless it was take out, never have clean laundry or dishes or a bathroom, etc. I would never get any writing done (because I like calmness to write – not a screaming 6 week old). I wouldn’t have any time with my Buddy – and my relationship with him comes first. We stay up watching a show or reading Scripture or just talking about our days.
Marriage is more important than naps!
And I’ll catch up on sleep – maybe I can ask that for a birthday present.
And, btw, I love watching my little boy sleep!
by Kimberly | Oct 26, 2012 | 31days, mothering, parenting
My vocabulary has definitely changed since having a baby. I used to always talk about blogs, networking, theology, family ministry, curriculum, marriage, etc.
Now, these are my latest phrases:
“I’m giving you some Mommy slobber” – when I’m going to kiss little e
“He pooped 4 times today” – talking to E about our day
“Hey sweet boy” – when I pick him up out of the rocker sleeper
“It’s time to change you…again?”
“Sssshhhhhhhhh…” – all the time when I’m trying to get him to sleep. I’ve even done this to my husband in my sleep!
by Kimberly | Sep 22, 2012 | mothering, parenting, Uncategorized
I will write a post all about the birth of our firstborn son, Elijah Levring, and thoughts about his name and what he has meant to us so far, but that will come soon. Right now, I want to think through some early lessons I have learned in motherhood:
1. I am not in control. No matter what I tried to bring on contractions (and believe me, we tried almost everything), we delivered at 40.6 wks. That was really long. I think I had been done for at least 4 weeks. But, God knew when I was done and I kept telling myself that He would not give me anything which I could not handle with Him. Then I couldn’t control the tub I had. The nurse filled it so full that when I got in, we had about 4 inches on the bathroom floor. It was like a tidal wave of water. I can’t control the weight I lose (or don’t lose). Elijah was 9.06 lbs and I lost just that much and now have gained some back – maybe I should just stay off the scale. My husband would love that! I can’t control the lights on Duke Street. Since we are having to make trips to Duke UMC every day we travel Duke Street a lot – and we always hit the lights. I can’t control his platelet levels (which is why he is in ICN).
2. Prayer is my heart language at 2am. Who else is up with me? A friend gave me Psalm 121 and that is so true. I pray when I am holding him tight and he has all the cords hooked to him. I pray as I’m singing to him. I pray as I’m writing in his journal about what kind of man I want him to grow to be. E and I pray as we are going to bed, clearly exhausted, and just sometimes mumbling our prayers – thankful that our God hears even when we don’t make sense due to exhaustion and sleep-deprivation!
3. I need to extend myself grace. I started crying this morning when the only shirt that fit that would also be good for breastfeeding was a maternity shirt. I was upset at myself when I turned off the alarm at 2am which I had set so I could pump him some milk. i just rolled over and finally got up at 6am. I was frustrated this morning when Eli wouldn’t eat very well, but ate like a champ yesterday. I needed to extend myself grace when I finally gave in to stadol and an epidural 7 cm into delivery. I need to extend myself grace! My husband extends me much of it, but I need to as well.
Thankful for all these lessons I am learning.
This is one section of Kristyn’s prayers as she journeyed in her role as a mother:
