New Challenges

Ben has always wanted to get the kids involved in martial arts, unfortunately we have never found a program near our home. Last week Ben found just what he was looking for five miles away. We signed Ben and the boys up for aikijujitsu and I signed up for kickboxing, Anna thought maybe she wanted to be signed up for gymnastics somewhere. After the first class, and a little (or a lot) of prompting from daddy, Anna signed up for martial arts too. Anna was rewarded, her first two classes involved hand stands, cartwheels and frog rolls (somersaults). They are all really enjoying the new challenge. Ben was unfortunately out of town all week so we are all a little bit ahead of him in number of trips to the dojo. I have been to kickboxing five times and every muscle has let me know, but I love it. I am fortunate enough that they allow me to bring Owen with me and he is allowed to run around while we work out. He hasn't figured it all out yet and still cries for a portion of it, but he's getting used to watching me workout while he plays with trucks or balls. Sometimes he'll kick the bag or try to imitate what we are doing but mostly he just rounds around entertaining us when we get to stop to catch our breath. I can't wait to see where this challenge takes us. I think the kids are going to learn so much and I know I am getting in better shape and I feel so much better about myself.

Luke doing a handstand.

Beau doing a handstand.

Anna's handstand.

Anna giving it her all to hold herself up a little longer.

Anna checking to make sure I'm paying attention.

Beau checking to make sure I'm paying attention.

Luke waiting in line, if Luke could catch my eye he would wave at me like crazy,
so I tried to not look at him directly.

I forgot to put in the pictures of Owen.
He loves to yell through the glass, and fall on the floor like they do.
This is an outfit Auntie Christine made for him for his first birthday.
He is learning his colors from it.

One more new challenge I have taken on is that I have become a Thirty-One independent consultant. I hadn't really planned on going into another venture like this but the start up cost was very low and after much prayer and thought I felt like it was the right thing and the right time. Every time we move I get everyone else settled, they make friends go to school or work and I take care of setting up the house. I start to feel lost, I have no friends and few outlets, thankfully here there was family, but I still needed to create my place. Thirty-One is named after Proverbs 31 in the Bible and after I signed up to be a consultant I felt like I really need to read and meditate on that chapter. Upon reading it multiple times Proverbs 31:16 kept jumping out at me "She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard." I feel like I need to make connections I need to own my place in life. This is my beginning to doing just that. Once I committed to Thirty-One and held my first party where only three lovely family members attended I was motivated, life became all about positive energy. I ran 6 miles in one weekend, I cleaned the house, I was happier in my daily tasks. Now I've signed up for kickboxing and I keep moving forward. I plant seeds of Thirty-One here and there and I believe in my heart it will grow slowly but steadily, it will allow for me to be me. It will also allow for Ben to have the kids and spend time with them without me. He's a fantastic dad but I've always done the day to day stuff because he was gone so much and although he has stepped up and does a lot it is great for all of us for times when he has to do it all because I'm not here. The kids learn to rely on him more and know he can do it just as well as mom even though he does it differently.
New challenges in life are wonderful, they keep us moving forward and finding something to motivate us. I'm thankful for everything we have planted in our life here in Georgia.