2 Things...

My usual posts are, and will continue to be, mostly fun stories and pictures about our girls and life as a family. There are a couple of things, though, that I really wanted to put out there that don't fall into that category. So, here you go...

#1--As most of you already know, I'm heading back to teaching this year. I have tons of mixed emotions about it. One day I'm super excited about it. One day I'm nervous and stressed. One day I'm wondering how in the world I'm going to leave my girls everyday. Writing about how I feel about going back to work is not the purpose of this post though. We've told lots of people over and over about me going to work and Paul staying home with the girls and then going to school at night. We've had many very supportive friends and family lend us encouragement and prayer, but there have been some "interesting" reactions too. By interesting I mean questioning or apprehensive. My natural reaction to this is to be defensive. Here's my explanation...

Paul worked HARD for months (after being laid off) to find a job that would support our family. He never had a pity party, he never put blame on anyone, and he never dwindled in his faith. He was given lots of interviews for jobs that he fit the description for perfectly and the doors to those jobs were closed. Most of them, the job requisition was closed because the company was responding to the economy. God just seemed to continue to say, "No." To make a long story short (and if you read this blog, you really already know this story) we felt like we needed to look into doing something different. We never planned for me to go back to work until all of our girls were in school. Duh...we are not God and God had other plans for us. His plan: I work and Paul stays with the girls and goes to grad school (which will lead him to a very lucrative career, I might add.) Why doesn't Paul continue looking for a job, you ask? I realize that so many people need to have two incomes to make it. So, I don't say this to down any one's choices...it's just the choice that we've made for our family. We (especially me) do not want our girls to be in the care of anyone but us. So, I made Paul promise that if I was to get a job, he had to stay home with the girls. It's as simple as that. We had a deal that whoever got a job first would take it. You know who won that deal! Paul has taken over the most important job. He's getting to be a stay-at-home Daddy to our precious girls. They will be able to look back on this time with him and have memories that not many kids can say they have. You may wonder, "Is he just being lazy? Isn't HE suppose to be the provider?" Let me answer that first one for you...NO! Girls, you would be so envious if you only knew what has been happening in our house. Let me just make a little list for you...playing with the girls, laundry, playing with the girls, vacuuming, playing with the girls, fab lunches, playing with the girls, fab dinners, playing with the girls, grocery shopping, playing with the girls, taking the girls to the doctor, playing with the girls...you get the picture. No laziness here! As for being the provider...he has that innate desire to provide financially for our family, as I'm sure most men do. But, he is providing so much more to us during this time. If you've already forgotten, please refer to the list above. In addition to that he has continued to provide our family with such strong spiritual leadership. He has remained steadfast that God is in control and all of this is going to fit together somehow to show us His big picture. He is providing our girls with the perfect example of what they should hope and pray for in a husband someday. When the time comes (thank goodness it's YEARS away) when they desire to become a wife and pray for God to provide them with a husband, they will FOR SURE know what that looks like. Paul is the BEST husband to me and the BEST Daddy to our girls. So, for those of you wondering, he is STILL providing for our family. As I get ready to step down off of my soapbox, let me just say how proud I am to call Paul mine. He puts up with LOTS from me and I know there is not ONE other man out there that would do the same for me. He was made ONLY for me and I love him more everyday.

#2--Some of you know that Paul has been doing triathlons for a while now. Do I do them with him? HAHAHA...no. However, I am so proud of how hard he works preparing for them. Right now he is training for a half-ironman in October. He is partnering with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to help raise funds for cancer research. I am SUPER proud of how he has chosen to help raise awareness. For a more thorough explanation and to read some amazing stories about people who have fought cancer, go check out his new blog: www.paulaslin.blogspot.com. You won't be sorry!