Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:4-7

Retreat

This week we spent several days on a prayer retreat with a great group of friends from seminary.  We all started seminary together in 2007 and lived in the same apartment complex.  The men started meeting for prayer weekly, and soon the women followed suit.  Many changes have occurred since we first started, kids, moves, new jobs etc, but we've committed to continue to support each other through prayer and accountability in the years to come.  I sincerely hope we have pictures like this 20 years down the road to compare to these!

Good-Bye Old House

Many of you out in Internet-land know that we have to move.  We've lived in a house owned by an elderly woman who needs to sell it, so off on the apartment search we go!  In some ways, this is somewhat frustrating because there is the potential we will have to move again within a year.  Russ finishes seminary in December, and after that, who knows where we will be!  This fall we'll start the big job search, but we could very realistically be here until next spring.  With economy the way it is, a lot of churches are cutting back on new hires etc.

Anyway, I've been pretty good a checking craigslist regularly for new posting, attempting to weed through scams.  Lessons learned: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!  We even got an email from someone claiming to be in Nigeria, having left the country quickly, who wanted us to send money so she could send us the keys to go view the house.  Sigh.  It takes so much time to try and find good deals.  We are actually going to view some apartments today and I'm praying they are just what we want!!

So, if you are in the St. Louis area and hear of a place to live that's cheap or free, large, allows dogs, has a washer and dryer please let us know! :)

Oh, and I almost forgot.  Accountability.  Here's what I've done recently to help the move process: sorted through my clothes and gave away a bunch to a friend!  I've been holding onto pre-Tori clothes for 3 years that I honestly don't think I'll ever fit into again.  They fit my friend, so she now has a new wardrobe!  It feels so good to get rid of some stuff and help a friend at the same time!! :)  Next up, go through Russ' clothes...

Home!

This is kind of cheating, since I already posted this video on facebook, but I just can't get this song out of my head!  Especially since today it's 80 degrees outside, which makes me want to go frolic in a field somewhere in the middle of nowhere! :)  Let your inner hippie out!

Right on Schedule

I've rigged up my old desktop in our bedroom, so here I sit on the bed with the computer monitor on the dresser, all so I can follow through and write my update on the 15th, just like I wanted to!!  Granted, the post probably won't be too long because of the awkward angle at which I'm sitting in order to have something to lean against and to see the monitor.  Oh well, what matters is that I'm actually doing what I said I would!

Tori...

• ...is talking a mile a minute and starting to have some really funny conversations with us.  Her imagination is coming to life, and sometimes she'll initiate a pretend scenario on her own!  Like, the other day, she called from the very back seat, where she insists on sitting, "Mommy, look at that big fruck (truck)!  There's a sinosaur (dinosaur) in the back!  Go fast!"  Even since she said that, she's learned to correctly say dinosaur, and it honestly makes me a little sad. 
• ...is very concerned about animals.  She's always carrying around a stuffed animal, usually a puppy, and one of her favorite books is a large board book that's mostly pictures of animals.  She LOVED the zoo when we went a few weeks ago, and still prays for the animals she saw there.  And prays that we can go see them soon. 
• ...now climbs out of bed and comes to see us first thing in the morning, usually.  She always has a cheery, "Good morning, mommy!" and then immediately asks for a "nack" (snack).
• ...counted correctly for the first time recently.  Usually she just lists off some numbers, but she's started saying stuff like, "I have one, two, three..." and she's been right!
• ...pronounces her full name "Bictori Hepper Tamm."

Sophie...

• ...is a spitfire.  She's pretty feisty and isn't afraid to fend for herself.  She actually stood up against an older little girl who tried to take a toy from her.  The other girl walked away with a scratched face.  We're working on that.
• ...is saying new words almost daily.  "No" is still one of her favorites, but she also says, "Help me," "hunry" (hungry), "Nilk" (milk), "Hi, daddy" (when saying hi to anyone), "Mooie" (movie), "Momo" (Cosmo), "puppy," and much more.  She has a deep husky little voice that is too cute. I'll try to post a video soon
• ...likes to sing.  She often will sing to herself while playing, and especially loves circle time at the log cabin.  She sits down and does all the motions to the songs right along with the older kids.
• ...is a climber.  On tables, chairs, stools, wherever she can get up.  Russ once caught her running on the dining room table recently.  She gives me a heart attack whenever we go to the park because she just climbs right up, but isn't great at coming back down!
• ...is a snuggle bug.  Nothing melts my heart more to have her want to sit and cuddle.  Tori's not as likely to sit and snuggle for very long, it's nice to have one who wants to sit and be near you.

We love both our girls to pieces, and are so blessed by them!  Can't wait to share what's new next month!  I'll post new pictures sometime soon...

Do Not Fear

But now, this is what the LORD says—

he who created you, Jacob,

he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior..."

Isaiah 43:1-3

Back to Life

As you've probably noticed, I've had a hard time keeping up with this blog. It's not for lack of desire, I actually think of things to write about on a regular basis, it's more about lack of energy.  Things have been busy around the Tamm household.  Granted, I know all people are busy in this day and age, but lately I seem to feel it more.  Maybe it's the fact that we have two toddlers.  Maybe it's because we are juggling three job schedules and a full time school schedule.  I think it's all of the above. 

I know I have no legitimate reason to feel guilty about not updating this blog, but I do!  Mostly, because I know when I'm stressed and busy, I tend to cut myself off from the outside world and dive into bags of potato chips, tubs of ice cream and hulu.  I like to shut down and relax and not worry about things.  This is okay to a degree, but horrible when taken too far, as I often seem to do.  So, in an effort find some downtime, but also work at keeping better connected with the outside world, I'm going to try and write and post some regular items, including, but not limited to the following:

Song of the Week: I'll choose one song, probably in video form, each week that speaks to my state of mind. 

Picture of the week: This could be of the girls, the pug, a beautiful landscape, whatever floats my boat.  Maybe this will motivate me to be more on top of keeping pictures uploaded! 

Biggest Loser: A once a week update of my efforts to lose weight!  This is more for accountability to actually work at this, rather than me thinking you might be interested in reading about this! :)

Moving On: A weekly update about our plans to move.  We have to move out of our house by mid-May, so up until that time, I want to document my efforts to get organized beforehand.  Again, another effort to force myself into some accountability in a problem area.  I really want to get rid of a bunch of stuff, organize and pack well.  Moving is hard, and I tend to put things off until the last minute because I don't want to deal with things!

Words of Encouragement: I want to share a passage of Scripture weekly.  Ideally, I would memorize the verse, but I don't know if that's a realistic idea.  So, at the very least, I would write it down and post it in prominent places (above the kitchen sink, on the computer monitor etc) so I can think on it and dwell on it daily.

Monthly Update:  On, or around the 15th of each month, I want to write an update of how our girls are growing and how our little family is coping with the realities of life!

Book of the Month:  Instead of watching TV and movies, I want to get back into reading!!  My goal is to read one book a month, and post comments about it at the end of the month!

As usual, I tend to aim high, so we'll see if I can actually do this, but if I just focus on doing something on here daily, I might actually keep up with it, and this blog may help me become more disciplined in my everyday life!  I certainly hope so! :)