Diary of a Stay At Home Mom: My Morning Thought...

I just put Maggie down for her morning nap.  And as I held her for just a minute before sitting in her bed, I was praying for her future and for her salvation.  Suddenly it occurred to me that I sort of presume on the Lord's grace.  I think that many times when I pray for her salvation, when I pray that she will hate her sin, see her need for the Savior, submit to the Lord, love His church, and live her life as a worshipper of Christ...I just assume that that will definitely happen.  On one hand, I feel like that is due to great faith and confidence in the Lord's kindness, compassion, and love!  On the other hand I feel like it's because I have become complacent at the thought of the greatness of salvation.  Yet again I feel so humbled by the blessed life of mommying!

What do you think?  Do you ever feel like that?  Praise the Lord that He is sovereign and that the gracious Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf.  Salvation truly is a miraculous and amazing gift!  God is so gracious to save sinners, like me.  And I trust and pray for the future salvation of my baby Maggie.

Hope you have a great day!  God is so good!

Kauai 2012 (part 1)

We had such a GREAT vacation!  Family, beach, zip-line, pool, sun, and lots of food - sounds amazing, right!  I'm so thankful to my grandparents for taking us and my whole family on this trip.  It was such a blessing from the Lord and such a special time!  So instead of a long narrative about all of the details about our vacation, here are a bunch of pictures.  Enjoy!

First day at the beach!

Maggie's fun new pool float!

She's too sweet!

My grandparents = awesome!  They started it all :)

My family minus my dad (who was taking the pic).

All of us!  The Bowens, Morales', Smiths, Watsons, and Wauhops!

Anniversary Date Night!!  Seriously some of the best food I've ever eaten, and I SO loved being alone with my man for 24 whole hours!!

A gorgeous hike on the coast in Poipu!

Crazy fun zip-line tour with Kauai Backcountry Adventures! (video to come!!)

I realized this was getting a little long...so, Kauai 2012 part 2 coming up.  Stay tuned!

the sweetest little laugh

Maggie LOVES her daddy.  I'm rather fond of him, myself ;)  I love watching the two of them together; they are my two most favorite people - ever, and they make quite the duo.  Robert gets the biggest kick out of making her laugh, and this was a sweet moment they had the other night after bathtime... So precious.  Hope you enjoy it.

DATE DAY!!!

It's been a while since I've posted...my computer is old, and sometimes it won't let me use the "Blogger" website (or Fossil or look at Facebook pics, etc? Random!)  Anyway, without further ado - DATE DAY!

Robert and I have had a few dates since Maggie has been born, Sem Banquet and another dinner.  But, for his graduation gift I wanted to plan a super fun DAY for just the two of us.  So, the wonderful Amanda Taylor (and Emily for a little, too!) watched our sweet little one while the two of us celebrated together.  We seriously had the best time!!

Up first - MB2 Raceway!  MB2 is legit go-kart racing - so much fun and pretty intense.  You have to sign a waiver that basically says I won't sue if I die; but, on the up-side, you get to pick cool racer names.  Robert was Bobcat and I was Bobcat's Wife, haha.  I was pretty scared before we raced, and for good reason.  Basically, I almost killed someone, haha.  Two guys wrecked in front of me and I didn't have time to put my brakes on and I literally ramped up on top of this guy and his car!  It was terrifying!  The rest of the race I drove at a crawling pace, letting everyone lap me...it was a 14 lap race, and I completed 8 laps!  Robert came in 2nd place, though!  A highlight for sure, though, was that we saw Steve Carrel with his wife and family there, having a family birthday party! So, racing was a blast!

Next - We headed to the Americana in Glendale!  We walked around a little and then had an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!  YUM!! We had a gift-card, but decided to "share:" fried macaroni (appetizer), Miso salmon with mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas, and Adam's Peanut-butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake - um YES!  It was AMAZING.  I'm hungry now...I need a snack.

Then - I got Robert a gift-card for The Art of Shaving , so we stopped in there.  He got some gear? is that a proper term?  He got some stuff for shaving - very legit, gentlemanly, "luxurious" shaving, haha.  He was pretty excited; it was cute!  And, bonus, his face smells amazing these days :)

Last - We had some movie tickets from Costco and we went to go see Avengers in 3D!  It was our first time with 3D and it was pretty cool.  I probably prefer regular viewing, but it was definitely a fun one to see in 3D - tons of action!

We came home to our beautiful baby sleeping soundly!

Thank you, Lord, for an amazing husband to share this grace of life called marriage!  It truly is a gift from the Father, and I am so grateful for every second of it!  Next week we head to Kauai!!  We will celebrate our third anniversary and see all of my family - we are really looking forward to spending a lot more time together!!

Congratulations, Husband!!

Last Sunday, May 13, my amazing husband, Robert Wauhop, graduated from the Master's Seminary with his MDiv (Masters of Divinity)!  This was a day that we had been excitedly anticipating since, well, since we've been married... maybe even before that!  That's when our seminary journey started - less than a month after our wedding we headed out in the good old Lexus, made the drive across the country, and arrived here, at the Master's Seminary!  Three years later I hear these glorious words: "Robert Wauhop, Summa Cum Laude!"  That's right, Summa Cum Laude - "with highest honor!" That title is rewarded to those with a GPA of 3.9-4.0...basically he's a genius graduating with a 3.96 (while doing ministry, hanging out with his wife and daughter, and working)!  I can't tell you how excited I was to hear Dr. Mayhue call his name and to see him walk across that stage - and when it happened I was NOT disappointed!  It was such a proud moment and I am so filled with gratitude.

The Lord has provided for Robert and I so faithfully, perfectly, and abundantly throughout our three years in seminary!  We've lived in three totally different, fun places: Castaic, North Hollywood, and now Montrose!  We've been so blessed to serve on the Grace Community Church high school staff for most of our time here, and we LOVE it - our kids and the staff, who are our best friends!  And the best most significant "accomplishment" during our time here is the blessing of our beautiful baby girl!  We're parents!  I still can't believe it sometimes.  Maggie is an amazing addition to our family; we are so crazy about her beautiful face and super fun little personality!  I am extremely thankful and blessed beyond measure!  Above and beyond what we have asked and far far more than we deserve, thank You, Lord!

So, what's next for the Wauhops?  It is official - we are staying here in California while Robert gets his ThM.  And honestly, I'm excited about that!  And honestly, again, I was not so much at first...but it has become really obvious that this is what the Lord has for us.  And bonus, we have a wonderful church, great friends and neighbors - and each other, which is all I need to be happy!  So basically, the ThM is a Masters in theology, which will enable him to teach at a collegiate level and maybe even in a seminary.  He should be done with this degree by January.  After that, we will go to a church...somewhere...hopefully...!  We had some other plans that didn't end up working out, and that is ok, because the Lord is in control.  He didn't call us to this task of seminary and sacrifice to leave us stranded.  So, we are super excited about our future, and fully enjoying each day along the way!  

I am so thankful for you, Robert; for the countless hours of hard work, for the thousands of pages written, the scores of thousands, maybe even millions, of pages read, the late nights, the prayer, the dedication, the sacrifice, the leadership...well done, good and faithful husband!  Enjoy the fruit of your labor.  I love you!!

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." 2 Tim. 4:1-2 

 

Faith & Hope

(I think that is the name of an old TV show with Kelly Ripa...but that is not the topic at hand today.)

This is actually something I've been thinking about lately as I've been studying 1 Peter and I wanted to share...(from the MacArthur commentary on 1 Peter).

"Faith and hope are the two-fold blessings of redemption in God.  Faith enables believers to trust God for necessary grace in the midst of life's present circumstances, struggles, and anxieties (5:7, Ps. 5:11, 31:1, 37:5, 56:11, Prov. 29:25, Isa 26:3, Nah. 1:7, Phil. 4:6), and hope enables belief in future grace to be revealed for them in heavenly glory (Ps. 146:5, Acts 23:6, 24:15, Rom. 5:2, 8:18-25, Gal. 5:5, Titus 2:13, Heb. 6:11, 15)."


So maybe you could think about that today, and praise the Lord!

5) The Honor of Working at Home

Titus 2:4-5 is very clear, "...so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Yet, this seems to be interpreted so many different ways by so many believers, truly trying to please the Lord with the way they live their lives.  Being a homemaker is offensive to some, outdated to others, and to others still it is the greatest joy!  There is only one correct interpretation of this verse, and I do believe that to be that a woman's place is in the home...even a working woman with no husband or children should cultivate a love for the home.  In the short amount of time I've been a full-time stay at home wife and mom I've had many people say, "It's so nice that you can do that..."  Implying that it is a nice option I've been afforded.  Praise the Lord, He has provided for me to stay at home without greatly altering our style of living.  But my "choice" to stay home with Maggie is something that I am actually called to - not just as a seminary wife, or a future pastor's wife, but as a believer!  When family or friends see homemaking as a burden, an unnecessary sacrifice, or even to the other extreme as a luxury, it becomes all too easy to "succumb to worldly thinking rather than viewing my profession as the Bible portrays it - a high calling from God."

 

In this chapter Carolyn Mahaney writes, "What we need is a biblical perspective.  For in God's economy, homemaking is a high and noble calling...By 'working at home' we can present the gospel as attractive to unbelievers.  Our homes can actually be a showcase for the gospel!"  How awesome and daunting is that!  It is my ultimate goal, as a homemaker to create an environment for all who enter to think of Jesus Christ, to be refreshed, encouraged, and happy.  Playdates, Bible studies, recipe parties, new neighbors, friends, family, you name it - there are countless opportunities to share the gospel and encourage one another in love and good deeds in the home!  And as a wife, that's my job!  

Think back to the beginning...why was Eve created in the first place?  She was created to be Adam's helper!  "We are to be our husband's helper (Gen 1:26-31, 2:7-25; 1 Cor 11:8-9)...She is called to the work of ministering to him.  He is oriented to the task, and she is oriented to him."  God ordained it to be so in the garden!  A huge part of my glorifying God on this earth is to serve my husband, family, and home.  Careers, trends, traveling, "me time," etc. are not a part of the plan.  Nothing is wrong with many of those things, but the calling is the same for all women.  Especially as wives and mothers, our lives should be centered around our husband's and children's needs - everything else can fall into place after that. 

Some think that as a stay at home I don't get to exercise my skills or interests.  First, I'd say that I actually don't have that many marketable skills :)  And secondly, it is a true joy and "skill" to love the home and manage it excellently.  I cannot wait for the day, Lord willing, when I am that super organized, cool wife/mom who has the menu ready, the cleaning all scheduled, and the calendar worked out, helpful projects lined up, and her hair done!  Maybe I'll never get there, but that is certainly a goal to which I attain.  Since staying at home, I've found a new love of cooking (and I am going to post 3 new recipe blogs asap!  The Wauhop's have been feasting on some delicious new dishes these past few weeks!).  I get so excited each week to plan out my menu and try something new.  Ask Robert, I'm always so excited for him to get home and try whatever I've been working on that day.

Honestly, I think that I have got the BEST JOB in the whole wide world!  I mean seriously, my child is gorgeous and sweet and so much fun!  My husband is the greatest man ever and my very best friend.  My house/apartment...well, I'm on my third one in three years and although it's nothing too special, but it's our home and I'm so thankful for it!  So much joy can be found in working at home.  Working at home is hard and dirty at times, it's tiring, especially when new babies come onto the scene, but I find it to be super rewarding and fulfilling - and even fun!  Either way, though, it is what God has called me to do.  And in His will there is great joy!  So, that's what you'll find in the Wauhop household - great joy!  The saying goes, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" and I really think that is pretty true.  As the mom, I set the tone for the home.  If I begrudgingly do my chores, make the meals, attend to Maggie's schedule, etc - well, home isn't Robert's or anyone's favorite place to be.  So, if you struggle with this area, when I struggle in these areas: PRAY, BE THANKFUL, and be in the Word!  The Lord is kind to provide the grace to obey and to be delighted to do so!

Ps. 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  

P.S. - If you still aren't convinced...listen to this sermon from Johnny Mac!

My Girl Maggie - 5 months!

One more month and my Maggie Grace will be half a year!  Half a year!  I cannot believe that she is growing up so quickly.  This past has month has been so much fun!  Life with a baby gets better and better; each month she is learning so much and it is awesome to be able to be there for ALL of it!  It is such a blessing to be a stay at home mom and hang out with my baby girl all day, every day!  We have a blast together, reading stories, going on walks, playing with toys, spitting, making silly noises, having little photo shoots, singing songs - you name it, we love it!  *Don't get me wrong, we (I) have our moments when things get frustrating...but God is SO GOOD!  And it is awesome to be being sanctified as a mommy!  What a blessing 

Maggie is to me!

So...On to the interesting things:

Maggie is talking!  She babbles and coos and gaga-goos all the time!  It is pretty much the cutest thing you've ever heard!  I am convinced she will have a scruffy, raspy little voice.  She's going to be this beautiful, little, petite, feminine thing with the voice of a smoker.  It's going to be pretty cute,  I'm sure :)

We started doing solids every day, morning and night!  Mostly just oatmeal cereal...we tried avocados and sweet potatoes (not together) once, but she didn't love them.  I think it was a little too chunky.  I mixed it by hand; I think we need to get a blender of sorts to assist in my baby food making efforts.

She is sitting up for around a minute at a time all on her own!!  So fun and scary!  I know crawling is right around the corner.  I've caught her caterpillar crawling a few times, just inching around!  Baby-proofing is coming, I guess.  I actually think my biggest need in that area will be to vacuum the insane amount of hair I lose daily (which is apparently normal) off of our floors so she doesn't eat it - GROSS! 

She was sleeping about 11 hours a night (AMAZING, thank You, Jesus!) - until the day she turned 5 months, actually, when we entered into the fun world of teething!  (I think/I hope this isn't just a new phase she's in).  Mom's any sure fire teething tricks you'd like to send my way are greatly appreciated!  I will be sad to see her priceless little toothless grin go, but a little tooth will look pretty adorable in her precious mouth!

We also started a 4 hour feeding schedule - which has been the bomb (again until the teething started, but hopefully it's just a hiccup... :) !!

Maggie had her first Easter!  She is so beautiful!  I cannot get enough of this sweet girl!!  I could just kiss her little face all day -  so I do!

22 BIG weeks!!

The happy happy Wauhop family!  We love our little Maggie!!  Thank you, Lord!

2) The Blessing of Loving My Children

To me, one of the weirdest things in the world is that I'm a mom. CRAZY! I have been a mom for almost 5 months - i guess for much longer if I count my pregnancy! This has definitely been the most difficult and amazingly awesome and very sanctifying time of my life! I'm tired and busy and ridiculously happy; I'm in love with my little family - big time! Robert and I are always saying to each other, "Can you believe we're parents? We have a baby!"

This was a great chapter! So again, looking to God's Word and Titus 2, women are instructed to love their children. Just like with our husbands, this is phileo: it is not just my job as a mother to fulfill my responsibilities, but to take great pleasure in my children. I so want to be one of those super fun moms, not who talk incessantly about their kids as if the earth was lucky to have them, but who thoroughly LOVES mommyhood and little laughs and crafts and carpools and game night and forts and feels the immense blessing of children every day! Thankfully, that is all part of my role as a godly mom, and I am excited to try and fulfill it with God's help and to His glory.

There is nothing in my life that has required greater sacrifice than being Maggie's mom. I say that with the utmost humility and the great realization that I fail so often. And she is just a baby; I just have one baby! I hear the actual hard stuff is yet to come, plus adding future kids into the mix (exciting and terrifying!). Carolyn Mahaney writes, "Because mothering requires constant sacrifice, the temptations to resentment, complaining, and self-pity are always close at hand. But such selfishness will quickly sap the strength of our love for our children." I've seen this be true in my life multiple times throughout these last few months. When Maggie doesn't nap all day and I have no idea what I'm doing; is she eating enough, did I do the right thing by going in to her or letting her cry it out, and I haven't slept...and it gets really easy to fall into sin. These are the times that I need to remember that fighting my own sin is the key to loving my children and serving my family! Remember, "Our speech and actions are shaped by our thoughts." On hard days, the motivation behind loving Maggie needs to be the promotion of the gospel. Which is why it is so awesome that "we can draw from God's grace and receive His help to cheerfully lay down our lives for our children," because I am definitely inept on my own.

As I read this chapter I was overwhelmed and convicted. I suddenly knew Maggie was going to grow up - soon - before I was ready for her to... and the next few nights of waking up to feed her in the wee morning hours were a joy. Then I got over it and fell back into my sin. No, I'm just kidding, but seriously - sin, selfishness, self-pity, these things will be a constant temptation that I must be fleeing and actively fighting against as a mommy/as a human being. My life is Christ's, and He has called me to be a wife and a mother - so now, more than ever, my body is not my own, my time, my talents, my everything is about serving this amazing family with which the Lord has blessed me. And I'm so excited to do so!

Knowing that Maggie's exposure to the gospel and most everything else in life starts with me, during the in and outs of daily life is a huge responsibility! I am grateful and humbled by this, God's calling for my life. J.C. Ryle urges mothers to ask this question before everything they do, "How will this affect their souls?" No one will have a greater influence in Maggie's life, most likely. Carolyn Mahaney shares some thoughts from another mother:

"I seldom feel like much of an adventurere - standing in this kitchen, pouring cereal into bowls, refilling them, handing out paper towels when the inevitable cry comes: 'Uh oh, I spilled.' But sometimes at night the thought will strike me: There are three small people here, breathing sweetly in their beds, whose lives are for the moment in our hands. I might as well be at the controls of a moon shot, the mission is so grave and vast." (emphasis mine)

So, as I get a little emotional and close out this rather lengthy post...Carolyn Mahaney writes, "What greater privilege could we possibly have in all the world than to lead our children to the Lord? ... Though the mission is grave and vast, God's grace is greater (2 Cor 12:9)." Can I get an Amen?! I love you, Maggie Grace, and cannot wait to love you for the rest of your precious life!

My Girl Maggie - 4 months!

I can't believe my SWEET baby is now a whole 4 months old!  Wow!  Yikes!

Her stats, unfortunately, are unknown.  Her 4 month appointment isn't until the end of the month, but I'd guess she is about 13lbs and 25.5in.  But, we shall see on the 29th!  

Maggie's Favorites:

 BATH TIME! 
Singing songs! 
Rainforest Jumperoo
Mrs. Giraffe

Her Playmat   

Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, The Grouchy Lady Bug, 

Moo, Baa, La La La, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar 

A little article we read on babycenter.com confirmed what we already knew...that Maggie has "Advanced Skills" for her age!  She can roll over, both way! (Back to belly was quite the accomplishment!)  She is getting closer to sitting up, but I think that will take a few more weeks.  She started rice cereal (last week, though, so technically that was past her 4 month mark).  She can't get enough of her hands in her mouth and she drools like it's her job...I hope she's not teething : /

Nicknames:

Mags (or Baby Mags)

Mags-a-million

The Magster

Maggie G

I think the most fitting word for my Maggie, is SWEET!  She just has the sweetest smile, 

and the brightest eyes...  Her daddy said beautiful; she loves her daddy!  And she will share a smile with almost anyone.  I LOVE this little girl!  I'm so excited to get to know her more and 

more as she grows up, but I at the same time I so hope it doesn't come too quickly.  I 

know it will, though.  But, she is such a blessing and I am forever thankful to the Lord 

for this gift of stewardship!