hey mom, what's your story?

i can't even begin to let you all know how excited i am about MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) this year! with one year under our belt, we are feeling like things are all flowing in the right direction! our leadership team is amazing and unique, comprised of so many incredible woman with unique opinions but a couple things in common: 1. we all love jesus 2. we are all moms and have a passion to encourage, support, and live life with others, not going through motherhood alone!

so, here's my shameless plug, because it's what keeps me up and night and excited in my "spare time" that doesn't really exist.

each year MOPS international comes up with a theme. this year it's "A Beautiful Mess . . . Embrace your Story." Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Everyone has a story right? You probably know a little of mine if you follow my blog, and if  you join MOPS this year, you'll learn more than you ever really cared to know. Regardless, I want to know your story and there are several other moms waiting at your table to hear your's as well! 

our meetings are fun, refreshing, time to fill your bellies with an uninterrupted brunch, talk with other moms, and most importantly some time for yourself (which we know doesn't really happen anymore). we cover various topics from parenting, marriage, health, decor, etc and always leave time to create deeper relationships with those in the room.

check out our invite card

you can read more about the details and dates by clicking on the image or visiting our registration page, click here!

i could go on-and-on, but i'll spare you some curiosity. if you have any questions or want to get connected, comment here or email me at laine.alves@capitalonline.cc.

the first monday is coming up fast! save the date for september 9. i promise you won't leave the same way you came and you'll have lifetime friendships that will help you get through these early stages of parenting.

thanks for reading a little of my everyday life.

you can catch a previous post from last year with some photos of a MOPS meeting here.

Rare and Beautiful Treasures

Do you freak out when things don't go as planned? How do you respond to the unknown?

I don't always understand why life happens the way it does, but I'm super grateful for my supportive family and a God who has it all figured out and cares about our unique situations.

I can distinctly remember two incidents in my married life when it seemed like we lost everything. The first occurred right before I had Judah and the second right before Ireland. I think God liked messing with my already hormonal self during both pregnancies.

Joe was blessed with the ability to purchase his first home before we got married. It was (what we thought at the time) our dream home. We had all the upgrades, space and luxury that we wanted. There was so much room we couldn't even fill the house with the stuff we had. We were doing our best to budget our money wisely, tithe, and save for furniture items to complete our lavish home. That's when the economy decided to take a turn and the job that was providing for us became a little dry.

My mom had given me a cd on continuing to put your trust in God with your money and there was a verse that stuck out to me that I decided to cling to. Proverbs 24:4 "through wisdom and knowledge a home is filled with rare and beautiful treasures" (I paraphrased)...but decided to make it a prayer of mine through the hard times. It was our first year of marriage, and what we thought would be an easy street turned out to be financially difficult. We were warned in premarital counseling that finances can be tricky in a marriage but neither of us had any issues prior to being married. The story is long and I could go into more detail, but we ended up losing our home and moving into a townhouse 2 weeks before I had Judah. I was super pregnant and hauling items up and down stairs (I thought for sure it was going to induce me- but I ended up being late and getting induced in the hospital- it was a great experience and a whole other blog)...all of this to say- I ended up rocking Judah in the middle of the night in our new townhouse when I heard God say (not audibly but in my head)- "Laine- I have filled your home with a rare and beautiful treasure- I've been listening- your prayer is answered"...Yep, I cried as I sat there with my little man in my arms thinking how amazing God was and how his answers were far better than mine.

Now, fast forward 2 years, I was 9 months pregnant with Ireland when I got a phone call from Joe that he was let go from what we thought again was a dream job. It was a whirlwind of emotions. We had just switched all of our health insurance over to Joe's job, our gas was covered and we had a steady income. We luckily had been meeting with a financial planner a few months prior to this experience and had a emergency fund together- and for some strange reason- I just had a complete peace during the whole situation. Here we were about to welcome our second child into our family not quite sure how all of our financial needs would be met. We both clung to the fact that God was in control and must have better plans.

We are so blessed by Joe's job offer a month later - and I'm so grateful that God always provides at the right time. He literally allowed Joe to be home with me during the last month of being extremely prego with a wild, active 2 year old. Joe was able to say home with me for two weeks after Ireland was born and started his new job on October 10. It's just crazy how when I don't stress out and just cling to what God says in his Word- everything works out for the better!

Fast forward again to Thanksgiving 2011 when I'm up in the middle of the night feeding Ireland on Thursday, November 24 when I scroll threw Proverbs on my phone and read "with wisdom and knowledge a home is filled with rare and beautiful treasures." I couldn't help but wipe the tears from my eyes at 3am just sitting in God's presence thinking- "Wow, God you really have it all under control- I don't have to worry about tomorrow- your ways are far greater than mine and you continue to make me smile as I cling to your truth in times when I could really get bummed out..."

All of this to say (and sorry I'm long winded and on a spiritual talk today), run to God when it doesn't make sense. Run to Him and read TRUTH in His word. He will never leave you or forsake you. His plans are far greater than yours.

My rare and beautiful treasures:

Hope this read encourages you today wherever you are at on your journey! Thanks for reading!