The Big Picture

Sometimes life gives us lemons. We can let them rot or make lemonade. The choice is mine to make. The choice is yours to make. Either way we all have a choice. So just last week I had to make a choice. I had to choose whether or not to stay upset about several different circumstances; one of those circumstances having to do with my job. As many of you know I teach 3^rd grade and have always loved it. It’s never been easy leaving my own kids each day, but having a job I enjoy makes it more manageable. So imagine how I felt when I heard I was being moved from 3^rd grade to 2^nd grade. First I was definitely caught off guard, but willingly agreed to the move. My dad always taught me that the boss has a difficult job to uphold. The boss sees the whole picture while we sometimes only see the part that affects us personally. My immediate thoughts of being moved to another grade was something like this, “ I already have all my stuff ready for next year! I’m going to be working some this summer rather than getting a break. I bought so much for next school year. Can I return those things or what? Did I do something wrong? I will really miss 3^rd grade. I was living my dream of being a 3^rd grade teacher so why does it have to change?” Notice anything there? Well I notice the word ‘I’ an awful lot. So while I was concerned about how this change affected me, my principal was looking at how this change would potentially affect the whole school. (There were many of us switched to a different grade). I started thinking about that and God gave me a visual which helped me choose to make some lemonade.  I see my life, my family, my home, my town, my job, my future. God looks down and sees His creation, the Earth, and all the people here. He knows each one of His children by name.  His view is far greater than mine. As my principal made some changes for the good of our school, God makes or allows changes for the good of His creation. Sometimes I don’t understand why things happen but in my heart I know that God is sovereign, just, and holy. I will seek to know the good that God is trying to teach me through the hard and testing times that I go through in my life’s journey. Now I have a more positive outlook on changing grade levels. All year long I’ve been struggling with the feeling that God was leading me elsewhere but I didn’t understand those feelings… until now. I know He has a plan and I trust Him. After all, God truly does have the whole world in His hands.

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He's got you and he's got me in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody there in His hands,
He's got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

God Bless,

Shawna

Letters From Mommy: To Makayla & Jackson

To My Sweet Girl Makayla Grace,

Oh my you are getting so big. You are not my little baby anymore but you are growing into a beautiful little girl….my sweet little girl. You are so beautiful, smart, and kind-hearted. Just the other day our cat Lexi got a little sick. You walked up to her, bent down to pet her and said, “Are you okay?” Later that night you went back to check on her saying the same, “Are you okay?” I wish I could have recorded the concern in your voice; I could tell that you were really concerned and wanted Lexi to feel better. You are also such a big helper for mommy now. You even help pick up your toys before bedtime. You kneel down and say your prayers at night and snuggle up with your purple puppy Violet. You really like to sing and use your toy bat as a microphone. We need to get you a real microphone….you would love that! Nana and Grandad say that you remind them of me when I was a little girl. That makes me smile. You are a little girl full of energy and sugar…not real sugar, but the sweet sugar that comes from your heart. I love you Makayla Grace.

Love,

Mommy

~~~~~~~~~

To My Precious Baby Boy Jackson,

 

You are mommy’s favorite little guy. Your smile is completely contagious. Some days at work can be a little draining but as soon as I see you I feel lively and ready to take on the world again. I feel a sense of excitement each day when I’m driving to pick you and sissy up from Nana’s house. I love watching you grow and seeing all the new things you can do! You can talk already…it’s ‘baby talk’, but mommy knows what you’re saying. I love our late night snuggles and early morning cuddles when it seems like the entire world is fast asleep. I can look into your eyes and see…yes see…a miracle. You are my precious gift from our Lord Jesus and I will be forever and ever thankful that he chose me to be your Mommy. You are getting really strong now too. You like to stand up while I’m holding onto your little fingers. You always want to see what’s going on around you. You are such a curious little one. Now I keep hearing that you are a momma’s boy…well baby boy that is perfectly okay with me! J Some people have said you always look ‘so serious’ but you totally have them fooled because when you’re at home with me, daddy, and sissy you are so giggly and smiley. You smile all the time and your smile melts my heart.  I love you Jackson Ryan.

Hugs & Kisses,

Mommy

Jackson’s Dedication at Church

Baby Jackson at 4 months old! :-)

Baby Jackson is coming up on his four month birthday already. These days are flying by and while I absolutely adore watching him grow into an infant, I do miss him being a little newborn. I was reminded just how big he is today when Pastor Sam commented on him “being a good eater”. It was funny because Jackson is a big boy, but you know that just means he’s being fed well. Jackson has yet to have one bottle of formula since he’s been born. My goal was to begin supplementing around 6 months whether that be with formula or just supplementing with baby food. It has been a lot of work and taken some dedication but I have to say I did it for him…I love my little guy so much!

Jackson’s dedication was beautiful! It meant so much for Pastor Sam to lay his hand on Jackson and pray for him. Like many moms, I often pray for my children’s future. That both Jackson and Makayla will accept Christ at a young age and follow the Lord’s teaching. Tim and I will do our best to raise them up in the Lord. Yes we will make some mistakes along the way but through it all God will be right beside us. 

Aunt Summer made a sweet cake!

His 1st Bible

already reading ;-)

Mother’s Day 2011

Will someone please tell me how we can get ready and leave on time to church?! Seriously, it seems like Sunday mornings can be so hectic. So this morning I woke up at 6:30 thinking that would give me plenty of time to get everything done that needed to be done. Hey I even wrote a workout into my schedule. But you know what? Ten minutes into my workout Jackson and MG woke up and new duties became priority. Haha! Yes it can get stressful when we have to be somewhere at a certain time, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if I would’ve woken up at 5 o’clock we would’ve still managed to be in a rush. Fast Forward…………We got to church on time, but where in the world were my parents, Tim’s parents, my sisters?? “Hello we have a baby dedication today and I want you all to sit up front. We have a right to run late we have 2 little ones, but everyone else should be on time.” Are you hearing my sarcasm. Unfortunately that was my attitude. Jackson’s dedication was beautiful though. You can read about that in my other blog entry. The only negative there was that my camera battery was exhausted. Now seriously when does a battery have the right to be exhausted? All it does is sit around. HAHA! Fast Forward…we went to Aubrey’s for lunch. We had reservations so we should’ve got seated right away. Yeah right! We waited 30 minutes before having to be seated in separate booths. That was a huge bummer. Then our waiter was…how should I say this…she wasn’t a good waiter. It took another 30 minutes after being seated before  she took our order. Needless to say we were there for 2 hours and had horrible service, we were half-way outside and the air was off…we were sweaty and hungry and 2 huge flies kept buzzing around us. So that kinda put me and Tim in a bad mood. Guess I need to get honest and say we didn’t do things how we should have. I got a little grumpy. Fast Forward…at the parents house to celebrate Mother’s Day and Jackson’s baby dedication. Summer made a beautiful cake. Thanks sis! We made pictures, hung out outside, and acted silly with my mom and my sisters. Well, overall it was a great day. My gift today…my 2 kids! I mean seriously MG and Jackson are the best gifts ever! I have a great family!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there reading this! Especially to my mom who I know is reading this. Mom, you are a shining example of a mom. You know all these little things that I’m just learning: how to cook a delicious dinner, how to get stains out of clothes, how to take care of little ones AND keep the house clean. It might have taken being a mom myself to realize what a hard job it was raising us kids, but you and dad did a great job. I love you always Mama! :-)

Conversations with God

I saw this old piano and hymn book and thought of my Great Sustainer.

ME: When will this man ask me to marry him?

GOD: You both are sheep but are longing to find your way home. I am your Shephard…come back to me and make this covenant as three.

ME: God, please save our baby….don’t let me miscarry.

GOD: My child, let the little one come to me, for such belongs the kingdom of God. Your baby is safe in my arms. You will see him again one day.

ME: God, please give us means to be missionaries in Brazil. We know the harvest is great and the workers are few.

GOD: My child, look right outside your front door. There is a field waiting to be sown. Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. People from everywhere, including your neighbors, need to meet me.

ME: God, let me be a stay at home mom. I want to be with my children.

GOD: Child, students may not be your children, but they are My children. I’ve placed you there for reasons that are important. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

ME: God, please help my husband get a raise at work. He is such a hard worker and we really need the money.

GOD: Child, have faith that I will provide for you and your family. Seek first My kingdom and My righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

ME: God, please help me feel renewed; my spirit feels anxious with these everyday life worries.

GOD: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Come find your rest in me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

ME: God, I love you.

GOD: Shawna, I love you.

Yes, God knows me by name.

Many times in life I do not understand why things happen or why they don’t; not only in my personal life, but in the circumstances of other peoples’ lives as well. Sometimes even in the lives of people I’ve never met. Many times I ask God why certain things happen or wonder what He is up to in a particular situation. Sometimes I get an answer that meets my heart’s desire, while other times I don’t like the answer at all. But all in all I know that every moment in time was laid out before a single day had passed. His ways are not always our ways, but His ways are right and just.

In His Name & All His Glory,

Shawna

Little Jack

Little Jack, at least that's the nickname Jackson has gotten from his Daddy and Grandad. Jackson's Grandad, my dad, has always been called Big Jack. Sometimes we call him LJ but I still usually call him Jackson. So now we have MG and LJ...that is too funny.

Happy 3 month old birthday to my baby boy! The last three months have been a whirlwind of excitement. Jackson has grown so much since his 1 month checkup. He doesn't go back to the doctor until 4 months so I will update more stats then, but I do know that he already weighs 15 pounds! Not bad, not bad at all. :-)  Jackson is getting so strong these days, he can stand up for a good 5 minutes now. He coos a lot, especially in the evening times, and he is a big smiler. We had his reflux prescription increased a little over a month ago and instantly saw an improvement in his mood. He is such a happy baby and sleeps through the night. He has his last feeding around 10:30 pm and usually wakes up for his next feeding around 5:30 am. Our family has already settled into a routine, but are always prepared to roll with the punches or whatever the day may bring.

Here are some stats on Jackson...
Weight: 15 pounds
Clothes: 3-6 months, and occasionally 6-9 months depending on the designer
Words (haha): a lot of cooing, sounds like oonga, mama, and un. So now I'm thinking & hoping 'Momma' will be his first word!
Favorite toy: toy octopus & possibly my hair which he grabs a hold of quite frequently
Favorite Food: Milk of course...We will be trying rice cereal when Jackson is 4 or 5 months old. That is always a fun time. 

Also, just in case you haven't figured this out, we are completely spoiling our baby boy! We are spoiling him with lots of love, hugs, kisses, and snuggles! Big sister Makayla is doing such a wonderful job helping out. Even at such a young age she is very motherly towards Jackson. It's wonderful seeing that bond develop. I will leave you with some more super cute pics of baby Jackson.

Jackson & MG

Never enough snuggles...I could snuggle with LJ every hour!

Seriously I think he is already teething.

Just cuddling on the couch with my sweet boy

My Cup Overflows

a letter to my heavenly Father….

Dear Father,

I do not deserve this mercy, but my Lord you decided so. Jesus, you have made a place for me. My cup overflows. You seek me today and tomorrow. Your love never fails. You have never forsaken me. I’ve felt your healing power. You chose me. You rescued me. Now let me lift my hands in prayer and thanksgiving. Let me bow my head for your mercy and grace have fallen upon me and I am in complete awe of You. Thank you, Jesus, for walking with me everyday.

Your Child,

Shawna

Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord
Were you there when they crucified my Lord
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord

And were you there when they laid Him in the tomb
Were you there when they laid His precious body in the tomb
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, I cry and I tremble
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb

Were you there when He rose from the grave
Were you there when my Jesus rose from the grave
Sometimes it makes me want to shout
And I cry and I begin to tremble, I tremble
Were you there when He rose from the grave

For This Child I Prayed

Through all the late night feedings, sleepless nights, temper-tantrums, crying, whining, jealousy, sicknesses, middle of the night trips to the emergency room, poopy diapers, and days without showering because I haven’t had the time or energy…there are…late night snuggles, comforting during a bad dream, hugs, kisses, smiles, giggles, handprints, heartprints, bonding, gazing in each others eyes, sharing, reading books, dancing, laughing, many “firsts”, shopping together, singing, and making a million other wonderful memories that will last a life time. I am truly blessed and so happy to be a mom.

For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.
~ 1 Samuel 1:27 from NKJV

Shawna

I'm still "Mrs. Finstad"

I had not heard “Mrs. Finstad” in several weeks so I was a little nervous about going back to work. It’s so funny how the moment I stepped back into my classroom it seemed like I never left. My students welcomed me back with smiles, hugs, and many hand-made cards. Kids are absolutely precious! I know there must be a greater reason I am a teacher…maybe, just maybe it’s to touch the life of at least one child. And if I mean something to just that one child that needs me in their life at the given moment, and that’s where God has kept me, then it’s worth it.

Here is one of the notes from a child...very sweet.

God Bless,

Shawna