Gift Well Guide

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Noonday goodies for a Gift Well Guide! Each of these items are handmade and help to provide jobs, education, clothing, and shelter for women and children around the world. In addition to giving your mother something beautiful or picking out something beautiful for yourself, you're joining a movement that is creating opportunities for people around the world! 

I really love "all the pretty things" at Noonday, but I love the mission even more! And it's been super fun to see my family, friends, and neighbors catch the vision as well!

This first necklace is the Pambil and is probably my all-time favorite (right now at least!). It's handmade with love in Equador by an artisan group that is working to provide job opportunities for women escaping the sex-trafficking industry. The beads on this necklace are very soft and have a variety of texture and color. It can be layered with other necklaces, worn long, or doubled. 

This is the Minted Necklace- handmade with love in Uganda. It's a gorgeous mint color, super lightweight and can be worn as a long single layer necklace or doubled. Love, love this one! Plus, it's only $28- how can you beat that?!

This is the Bethe Rope Necklace, handmade with love in Ethiopia from upcycled artillery. This is another major favorite and a total best seller every season. It can be worn approximately 100 ways (?!)- seriously though, it can be doubled, tripled, knotted, wrapped as a bracelet, or used as an extender for another necklace. 

Favorite earrings right now are the Cow Horn Hoops (top) and Taj Earrings (bottom- get them before they are gone!). They go with everything and are super pretty. Cow Horn Hoops are made in Uganda and the Taj Earrings are handmade with love in India. 

Pictured here is one of my favorite bracelet combos: the Underground Cuff and the Metric Cuff. Both handmade with love in India. Somehow this combo goes with everything! And if you order any bracelets between April 6-12, you'll get 20% off! That's a great deal. Plus, the Metric is only $20 and the Underground $28. 

This is another nice combo: Metric Cuff paired with the Meera Bracelet. The Meera is great for spring/summer and has really pretty fuchsia and mint beads mixed in with gold.

This is the Tangled Beads bracelet, handmade with love in Ethiopia. It is made from up cycled artillery and has two gold strands and two silver strands. Looks great with everything and can totally be dressed up or down. 

Hands-down, all time favorite bracelet is the Very Versatile, also made in Ethiopia. It's a show stopper and goes with everything. This one is more pricey, but is sure to be a favorite for many years. 

Love this Pacifica Scarf! It's super soft and a perfect texture for spring and summer, but I can see myself wearing this into the fall for sure! It's handmade with love in Guatemala and is a nice chambray blue with a blush color stripe pattern. 

This is the Astrida Beach Bag, handmade with love in Rwanda. This comes in three different patterns. It's bold, lightweight, and holds a ton of stuff. I'm planning to use this as a beach bag and also as a library bag since we get to the library more often than the beach. It's $28 and is a great deal for a quality, handmade bag.  

To shop any of these goodies or to read more about Noonday, visit:

www.sarajones.noondaycollection.com 

And if you have any questions, send me an email!

Giving Freely

Have loved this book, Fit To Burst, by Rachel Jankovic for awhile now and probably read through it 2-3 times in the first week I got it. For some reason, I picked it up again this past week and was challenged by the idea of giving more freely... imitating Christ and expecting nothing in return. Free forgiveness, free meal-making and house-cleaning, and a million other ways that a woman can bless her husband and children. Here is an excerpt, with a link at the bottom to read the entire article. 

In Christian circles there is constant talk about free salvation. It is free, thank God. But it is only free to us. God paid a great price for it. Jesus paid with His blood. It is free to us because someone else paid a great deal. And this is why we do not work out our salvation by never doing anything that might be hard or difficult to us. We imitate Christ, and we make sacrifices for others. We do things that are hard, that cost us much, because we want our gifts to be free to others. 

It is so easy for us as mothers to look at the work we do on behalf of our families and resent that it is free to them. Look at those kids, thinking that the clean clothes just appear magically. Look at these people, not valuing the cost of my work. Look at this ungrateful family who just takes the food and eats it. Like it was free! But it is very important that we see the damage that this kind of thinking brings with it. 

When we want the cost to be shared by all, we are not imitating Christ. When we imitate Christ, we want to give what costs us much, and we want to give it freely. Of course we have short-term vision, and often we feel like when we freely give, we need to see right away that it is being used responsibly. We worry that our free sacrifice will make our children greedy takers. 

We want to know, within the next fifteen minutes, that everyone saw what we sacrificed, acknowledged it gratefully, thanked us profusely, reflected on it quietly, and came up with a way to repay us. But God thinks in much, much bigger story lines. 

So imitate Christ in your giving. Do it daily, do it in as many little ways as you possibly can. Find a way to imitate Him in the folding of the laundry, in the stocking of the fridge, in the picking up of other people’s socks. And then decide consciously that you are giving this meal, this clean room, this cheerful Christmas — that you are giving it all freely. And much later, maybe thirty years later, you would like to see your children turn a profit on it. You would like to see your kids taking what they were freely given and turning it into still more free giving. This is because God’s story is never little. He works in generations, in lifetimes, and He wants us to do the same.

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-unbaked-biscuit 

A Big Picture Update

A random collection of some of my favorite pictures over the last several months. I love these boys. They are a gift. 

Sweet Boys

Sometimes I just want to freeze them... I want to capture their little snuggles and little voices and remember this stage forever. 

Like the fact that they often sing, "And Can It Be" while we're shopping in any given store. We were at the grocery store the other day and I was checking out and Don was heading out to the car with them and I could hear them singing while they walked out the door. And then last night at Target, they found a reflection of themselves and began swaying back and forth watching themselves as they sang "And Can It Be" for all to hear. 

Or that when they go to Sunday school and the teachers ask what they'd like to sing, they opt for "Tis So Sweet" instead of the traditional "Jesus Loves Me" that most 3 year olds are requesting. 

Or that they can use their cars to explain what substitutionary atonement is... "What if this car is Jesus and this car is Jacob and God takes Jacob's sins and puts them on Jesus- that's called 'substitutionary'"- the way they pronounce this is adorable. 

Or that they often say things like, "What if God and Jesus picked up that big tree" or "that big house"- or anything they perceive as impossible. 

Or the other day when we were praying for Don at lunch because he had a big meeting and Jacob asked if I could also pray for Spiderman to be able to swing on his rope better (Jacob was in his spiderman costume, of course). Then Josiah, dressed as Wolverine, asked if I could also pray for Wolverine's claws to get "very much longer".

Or a few days ago, when I told Josiah that I love it when he wears his football shirt, and he responded so sincerely, "And I love when you wear your jammies."

There's so much more that I just want to bottle up and save forever. Thankfully, Josiah reminds me almost daily that even when he gets to be a man, he'll still be my baby (I've trained him well!).

And Luke... he's just our little doll baby. He's scooting all over the place, but unfortunately he's going backwards and often gets himself in the most precarious situations. 

And in case you're wondering, we're still anxiously waiting on baby girl from Ethiopia. Can''t wait to see her sweet face and add her to our family! 

 

A New Adventure

Hi Friends!

As of this week, I've started working with Noonday Collection- I'm so excited!

I had heard of Noonday and had seen some of the jewelry on various blogs, but it wasn't until I went to my first trunk show (which was also a fundraiser for our next adoption- thanks, Monica!) that I really got hooked! I fell in love with the company and their mission to create economic opportunity for the vulnerable. When Noonday partners with artisans, it empowers them to grow sustainable businesses. Noonday creates a marketplace for their goods, and in return, artisans are able to have dignified jobs at living wages. 

I love this... since 2011, Noonday has grown and now works with 28 artisan groups, directly impacting 2,000 artisans in over 10 countries, with an impact reaching 8,800 family members. Isn't that amazing! I could go on and on... seriously. And if you want to read for yourself, check out the website, see the pictures of the artisans and read their stories- it's incredible. 

To be completely honest, I never thought I'd get into direct sales- in fact that term kind of gives me shivers. And I have 3 little boys with a 4th on the way- I'm not bored or looking for something to fill my time, that's for sure! But after hearing the stories of the artisans and seeing the impact that Noonday is having (not to mention the beautiful jewelry), I just couldn't imagine buying jewelry anywhere else. I was talking and thinking about it all the time and after much prayer, I decided to join. 

I see my role with Noonday as being someone who is trying to help get the word out- I want my friends and family to buy Noonday because as Noonday grows more people are given an opportunity to get out of poverty, live in homes, send their children to school, and buy needed medication. We take these things for granted here in the states. 

Do you want to help? If so, you can shop my site or email me to book a trunk show, and don't worry, I'd never pressure anyone to buy something they didn't want. Noonday sells itself. Once you hear the stories and see the beautiful jewelry, I'm sure you'll fall in love, too! 

www.sarajones.noondaycollection.com
jones.noonday@gmail.com

And as an added bonus, if you comment on this post telling me your favorite thing about spring or your favorite accessory, I'll enter your name to win a $25 voucher good towards purchasing something beautiful from Noonday. (And please be patient with me; I'm new to Noonday and to blog giveaways so I'm still learning the ropes!). Since this blog has basically been dead since we brought our twins home, I'm giving the giveaway a little time... the contest will end Wednesday, January 28 at noon (12pm CST).

Playing With Your Kids

Two good articles on the importance of playing with our kids. As I've been increasingly distracted with things going on around me, this was a good reminder. 

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2015/01/20/dad-look-when-your-kids-invite-you-into-their-world/ 

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2012/12/19/5-ways-to-play-with-your-kids-this-christmas/ 

So the last couple of days, I've taken more time to fly planes around the house, fight fires, engage in car races, put bad guys (read: stuffed monkeys) in jail (read: closet), and build "houses" for all manner of toys out of duplos. And you know what? It's been fun! 

Growing Up

Parenting little ones is such a strange mix of letting go and hanging on... on the one hand, I can't wait for the boys to get a little bigger, for Luke to start sleeping through the night, to be done nursing, for the twins to start being a little more independent, etc. etc. and yet with that comes losing the baby stages and little years that are both hard and wonderful at the same time. 

Here is Luke wearing one of Josiah's jammies. I bought only one 12 month sleeper for the twins since they were already one when they came home. Josiah wore this for a short time, but he wore this- it blows my mind. Where did the time go? 

Dusting off the Blog

Where do you even begin when you wait almost six months between posts?

Luke is just over 7 months and is still just the sweetest thing. He has a very happy, easy going temperament, so if he's fussy, there's usually a good reason! He's rolling like a champ and now sleeps on his belly. He's trying desperately to crawl, and often finds himself in a plank position or scooting backwards. Sometimes I feel bad that he gets set down so often, put in the chair, exersaucer, or on the floor. I really wish I could hold him and play with him more, but having two other little ones makes it nearly impossible.

The strange (or maybe not strange) thing is that I feel like I don't have enough time with the twins either. And I guess that's just what happens when you add more kids to your family. It's amazing how your perspective changes. When I just have Luke, he seems so easy. And when I just have the twins, they seem so easy. It's the combination that makes for chaos. Just last week I took the twins to the grocery store while Don stayed home with Luke. I used to dread taking the two of them to the grocery store, packing up the cart or supervising while they drove little carts, strapping into car seats, unloading groceries... you get it. I couldn't believe how easy it now seemed! Not that two is easy or even one for that matter, but you get the point. 

The twins are growing and changing like crazy. Their vocabulary has skyrocketed and they say the funniest things that sound so grown up! I wish I could think of a few good examples, but of course now that I'm taking the time to blog, my mind is blank. Some of their favorite things include: playing with cars and planes (the ABSOLUTE favorite!), building with trains and blocks, reading books and playing games with Don and I (we just started Hi-Ho Cherry-O and Hungry Hippos). Their favorite book right now is the Big Picture Story Bible. It shocks me how well they know the stories! When they're looking at it on their own, they can almost tell the stories back verbatim. Like today when I was feeding Luke, I overheard Jacob "reading" it to Josiah. 

Here's what I heard: (pointing to the picture) "And this is Pilate. And you know what he said? He said to Jesus, 'Are you a King?' And Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world.' And Jesus is a king." They both really know the stories well and I'm thankful for this resource that helps them see that the Bible isn't just stories, but is about a God who always keeps his promises. I love how the book always highlights that the people in the stories believed God and God kept his promise. 

More on the twins... they are super big brothers. They are careful and loving towards Luke and still have never displayed signs of jealousy. Jacob especially is very caring towards Luke and will often ask, "Where's the little guy?" if Luke is still sleeping in the morning after the twins get up, or he'll say to Don when he gets home or when he's about to leave, "You need to see that little guy." Or "You need to give Lukey a kiss." He loves when Luke tries to touch him or smiles at him- he seriously just beams! 

In terms of our adoption, we're still waiting. We re-entered our adoption program in October after updating all of our paperwork. We're officially back on the list, so our call could come any day. There were many referrals the past couple of months, but none within our range. As crazy and chaotic as life often feels, we're still very excited about our next adoption. We can't wait to add a little girl to our family and we're both very excited about going back to Ethiopia, though this time is sure to be harder as we'll be leaving the three boys behind. 

We spent lots of time outside and at the park this fall, we enjoyed our family and friends over the holidays, and now we're hunkered down for another cold winter. We haven't left the house all week and most days have been filled with fort making, painting, reading, watching Go Diego, and a good amount of time pushing cars on the wood floor. 

Here are some pics from the past *several* months. 

Luke Matthias

Baby boy decided to surprise us all and come 4 weeks early! Here are the details...

I had gone in for my first internal exam on Friday, May 23rd. I was having contractions at the appointment but all other signs indicated that labor was still a ways off. I wasn't dialated at all and there was no reason to believe that I'd go into labor THAT NIGHT. 

We weren't ready at all. The nursery hadn't been set up, the baby clothes hadn't been washed, and all of my little nesting projects were still waiting to be checked off the list. We had arranged for a babysitter for the twins for the following day (Saturday) so that we could finish my list and finally take time to get ready for the baby. I remember looking at the dirty dishes in my kitchen sink on Friday night and thinking, "I'll have plenty of time to clean up the house tomorrow since the boys will be gone all morning."

Of course, that night around 1:30 I woke up and my water had broken. I didn't really believe that it could have happened, but pretty soon it became obvious that labor had started. I called my doctor who advised that we go in and get checked out. We got to the hospital around 2:30 and they confirmed that my water had broken and that I was having contractions about 3-5 minutes apart. It took awhile to get over the fact that my house was messy, the nursery wasn't ready, baby clothes weren't washed, etc. but I had to let it go, and thankfully my in-laws and my mom came in and saved the day and took care of everything!

Some of the details are already gone from my memory, but the main thing I remember is that it was VERY SLOW going and hard. I was in labor for 21 hours before baby boy came and even though I had an epidural, which greatly reduced the pain, it was still an arduous process! One of the hardest parts for me was the emotional toll of being in labor for so long with little progress. Every time I was checked, it was as if my body was just inching along even though several hours had passed. I was tired, both physically and emotionally, and hungry and just overall weary by the time the doctor told me I could start pushing. I remember praying and asking God that the pushing would go fast because I felt like I couldn't go on much longer. Thankfully, that part was only about 30 minutes, and at 9:30 Saturday night Luke Matthias was born. 

We hadn't decided on a name (we thought we had more time!), so for the first night we went back and forth a little before making the final decision Sunday morning. 

There are so many more details I could share about the time in the hospital and the first hard weeks with nursing and being up all hours of the night (Luke had his days/nights totally switched for the the first 5.5 weeks- he's just now starting to distinguish day and night a little better), but the main things I'll remember are the answered prayers:

* We're thanking God for a healthy delivery for me and for Luke. 

* We're thanking God for a healthy baby. 

* We're thanking God for a BABY (when we thought we'd never have one biologically). 

* We're thanking God for a smooth transition for the twins, who are doing great and really love Luke. 

* We're thanking God for huge improvements in nursing and in sleep for us all. 

Here are some pictures of our little man...

(He looks horribly squashed and uncomfortable, but he wasn't- I checked him before snapping the picture!)

Life with Twins

Sometime back in the fall, they realized they could climb out of their cribs. We experienced one casualty, for which the boys requested ice. 

I thought maybe our lives were over and we were going to have to make the transition to big boy beds, but it seems the combination of the fall and our telling them that they weren't allowed to climb out served to keep them in a little longer. For the most part, they really stayed in their cribs for the next couple of months, but starting in January they began to climb out regularly (and have gotten quite skilled at it). Then after naps or in the morning, we would regularly find them in one crib together. It's funny to me that they didn't try to come out of their room, they would climb out and then climb back into one crib together and play in the crib (though they could have been playing in their room or venturing into the rest of the house). 

This is how I found them one afternoon and how we started to find them most mornings, though usually they were both standing and bouncing around. And this (below) is how Don found them one night when he went to check on them. Sweet boys. 

So now they're in big boy beds and can get out whenever they want... we have had a few middle of the night visitors but mostly they go right to sleep without doing too much playing or bouncing. One time after reading to the boys about Jonah, Josiah woke up sometime in the middle of the night and told us, "I not want there to be sharks in my bed." I'm not sure if it was the result of Jonah or just a random bad dream, but now we're more careful with bedtime stories! Just last night, Jacob woke up and when Don went to put him back in bed, he informed him that a ladybug had stung him. Hmmm... 

In other news, they are potty-trained! I never thought we'd survive, but we did and they're doing great. We started between Thanksgiving and Christmas but because of the holidays we didn't get really serious about it until January. We certainly had our share of accidents (times two) and I felt like I was constantly doing laundry. Not to mention, the ridiculous battles over who got to sit on the big potty (or the little potty depending on the day). We'd have the occasional thief who would sneak in and flush his brother's pee, thus robbing him of the most exciting part of the whole deal. Tears would ensue and I'd have to promise future opportunities to flush and to watch the pee go down. Training twins is no joke and the three of us spent more time huddled in the 2x3 corner of our bathroom than I care to remember. You see with twins, when one has to go, the other does too (whether they have to or not). Just madness, I tell you. But they're trained and I'm thankful!

I generally don't like potty humor (blame it on my mother who wouldn't even let us use the F word, and by that I mean FART- I feel guilty and a little dirty even typing it), but here are some of my favorite lines from our bathroom escapades. 

-  At the beginning, they wanted to point out what each thing in the toilet was, including toots. On a couple of occasions, they 'd point to an empty toilet and announce, "Hey, my toot is in there"

- When one goes "poo" he usually calls his brother in (if he's not in there already) and says "Look!" and the other one usually says "Cool!" 

- Since they used to crowd each other (and me!) all the time, I started saying, "Give him a little space." and now they'll say, "Mommy, you give me a little space." which is fine by me since I've already clocked lots of hours sitting on the tub "watching" them go.

- One time I asked Don if he could get one of the boys started after he had announced he had to use the bathroom and now they'll ask each other to help get them started. Josiah will say, "Jacob, you get me started." which really means he wants Jacob to come and sit on the tub and wait for him. 

The whole potty training experience was exhausting and exasperating and also quite hilarious. 

Most recently, they've learned to ride bikes. At 2 years, 9 months. Two wheels, no training wheels. They've had their balance bikes for about a year and were doing really good on them, so we thought we'd try them on bikes. We picked one up on craigslist and borrowed a neighbor's and after two days of teaching them how to pedal, they had it down. 

They really are the best of friends and (sometimes) the worst of enemies. And they'd be lost without each other. In fact, one night when we were staying at my mom's house, Jacob woke up early in the morning and couldn't find Josiah and ran up the stairs crying and calling for him. He wasn't calling for Mommy or Daddy, he was yelling, "Siah, where's Siah??" through tears.  

We love our little twins- they always keep life interesting and fun!