our "new" normal

For the Konietzki's it was always a weird day if we just stayed home all day or didn't have friends over and that had been our routine...but, since the kids have been basically stuck here with me for the last month we've developed a new kind of routine! In fact, it's one that I have really grown to love and am gonna kind of miss when life gets crazier and more hectic after the girls come! I know this table doesn't look like much...and there are the leftovers from breakfast on it, but it has been one of my favorite parts of our new routine! Usually Jackson either goes down for a nap (like the last few days) or he gets down from the breakfast table and plays with books or toys on the floor or in his bedroom, while Hailey and I sit at the table and write in our "journals" together.

there's a country song that Korey loves and the chorus says, "she thinks we're just fishing" and it's about a father and his daughter just sitting by the shore, her talking and him listening and to her they're just fishing, but to him it's so much more- it's about creating memories that will last him forever, it's about spending time with his favorite girl. And, that really sums up how I feel about sharing my special "quiet time" with my firstborn each morning. (forgive me if I sound a little sappy with this...it must be the hormomes talking, 'cause I was actually in tears this morning thinking about how this sweet, special time is going to end soon) I know that to her, she's just coloring and putting stickers into her kitty journal for a 1/2 hour while mommy writes in her journal, reads her Bible, and talks to God, but to me it's so much more! I hope that I'm teaching her that taking the time out of your day to sit and talk to God and listen and learn what God is saying to you is of the utmost importance; I hope that I'm helping her learn- earlier in life than me- that being too busy for a little bit of quiet and rest each morning is wrong; I hope that I'm showing her that no matter what is going on around me, no matter how chaotic life may seem- when I open my Bible it's just me and God- nothing else matters at that moment; I hope, above all else, I'm teaching her that no matter what else I screw up in my life and how horrible of a mother I may be at times that I can always go to the Word of God and get some refreshment and some encouragement and start my day off on the right foot!

There have definitely been a lot of changes in our life in the past month- actually, now that I think about it, it has been over a month since I've been put on "house arrest" and as my time grows to a close (Friday is the last day) I'm finding that I feel a little bit of nostalgia towards this time of rest and peace in our house. It hasn't been the easiest of times, but it has definitely been one of those great growing experiences and, for sure, a time that God has used to show me what is important and what isn't. (and much to my surprise- a spotlessly clean house was so far down on the list that it's not even visible to the naked eye...weird, huh? ;)) I remember once a friend told me that she only planned to go "out" and do stuff 2 days a week, because she liked to be able to be home with her children and that she found that the more she stayed home with them the better she liked them and I always thought that that was just a personality difference of ours, but now that I've actually been forced to stay home and "enjoy" my kids at home, I've found that I, too, seem to enjoy my kids more when we're at home and when our routine is more relaxed and less planned out! I guess that's a good thing to learn before the twins come, because I think we're going to be doing a lot of staying home and I'm glad that it's not something that I'm going to hate- but, something that I actually find myself looking forward to! :)