Ordinary

If you had asked me in high school what I wanted to be when I got older, I probably would have said, "I don't know, I want to work in orphan care in some way." I didn't know exactly what it would look like, but I had big dreams. I wanted to live in a foreign country (a huge country in east Asia to be exact) and rescue all the babies I could possibly manage. I was sure God was going to use me as a mouthpiece to break chains of injustice and persuade people to adopt or care for these little ones in other ways. I was convinced that I would never live an ordinary life. Because why else would God have placed these big dreams in my heart and given me this deep burden? Surely He was going to use me for something big.

Everyone who knows me knows that I've always longed to be a mom. It seems like its just part of my DNA and I really believe God made me to mother. But in my dreams as a teenager, my 15 passenger van was always filled with a colorful array of children from many different countries and backgrounds. After all, it just seemed more Godly that way.

So here I am, ten years later and following God's leading is looking very different. I don't live in an exotic foreign country. I'm not a famous missionary. And I happen to be the mother of two very white, very American, and very biological little boys. What happened to my dreams?

During the 2.5 years that Michael and I have been married, God has taken (and is still taking) us on a journey of learning to live by faith. Learning to surrender our "dreams" to Him...even dreams that seem so Godly and so right.  Learning to be content in our circumstances and be faithful followers of Christ wherever He has us. Learning that God's perspective of what is Godly and "Christian" is so different than the pride-filled, flesh-stained lens by which I see the world. Oh, He has so much work to do on my ever wandering heart.

So, today I'm doing the ordinary tasks of folding laundry, changing diapers, and singing silly songs. My husband is a school teacher. And we live a very ordinary day-to-day life. And we are learning that its the condition of our hearts that is truly pleasing to our Lord. Do we really trust Him? Will we allow Him to control our jobs, living arrangements, and family planning even if it looks different than the big, extraordinary things I had planned in my youth? Will we be content with serving Him each day even when the tasks seem so mundane and so normal?  I never thought I'd be able to whole-heartedly answer yes to those questions. But day by day, prayer by prayer, reminder by reminder, He is teaching me.

I think it is Andy Stanley who said, "Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise." Wow. What insight. What a refreshing reminder to a Mama's heart. God's idea of greatness is so much greater than ours. I am reminded of David and his burning desire to build God's temple. And yet, God used someone else to do the job. Someone that David spent his life raising, discipling and pouring into...His son, Solomon. Our big things and God's big things are sometimes very different.

Do we still want to adopt? Oh, we would love to bring another child into our family in that way! I often ask Michael."Do you think God will allow us to adopt one day?" And he says, "I hope so, Ab. I hope so."  Would we like to live overseas? We would be so grateful for that opportunity. But for today, today He has asked us to love each other and our babies and to faithfully follow Him. He has called us to recognize the daily opportunities He places before us to be light in a dark, dark world. He has asked us to walk by faith and be radical in our giving, our loving, and our praying. And He has asked us to be content with whatever lot He chooses to entrust us with.  Even if that looks really ordinary.

May it be so, Lord Jesus, may it be so.

What Our Biggest Little Boy is Up To

Our sweet John Hudson is 22 months old.  Two months away from the big 2 years! Time is flying by and I want to take a moment to document all of his cuteness.

 Boy, does John Hudson keep us busy! He's talking a lot. But we can't actually understand most of what he says. Words we can understand include: Mama, Daddy (Da-da), Daniel (also Da-da, but said while pointing at his stomach), Blankie (Da-Da) Oma, Opa, Lana, Banana, Apple, Cheese, Choo Choo, Grammie (Wa-Wa), Dado (Da-Da), Riley (Wa-Wa), Milk, Water (Wa-Wa), Coffee (Ca-Ca), Moon, All Done, More, Thank you, I love you,

Haha, as you can see, many of his words sound exactly the same! Its only by context that we can actually decipher his meaning. He's trying hard though and it seems like he's learning new words every day. Speaking of talking, one of John Hudson's favorite things to do is talk on his pretend phone. He paces around the house talking loudly to the mysterious person on the other end. He laughs and points and uses hand motions. He tells the person about the choo choo, about the banana he had for breakfast, and about how his baby brother is rocking in his swing. Its hilarious and so fun to watch.

Taking an important business call during breakfast

Many people have asked if John Hudson has experienced any jealousy since Daniel has been born. At first, I would have said no! But when Daniel was around two months old, it hit. John Hudson began screaming any time I would nurse Daniel, He wanted me to hold him all the time. He started waking up during the night crying and wanting to be rocked. He began throwing angry temper tantrums about the most trivial things. Of course, this is all a mixture of realizing that baby brother is here to stay forever and simply being a almost-two-year-old. Life is so hard. But thankfully, after much prayer and patient correction (sometimes not so patient correction), JH seems to have adjusted and is doing much better. The temper tantrums do rear their angry heads from time to time, but it doesn't seem to be linked to jealousy anymore.

John Hudson is a wonderful big brother. He kisses Daniel every opportunity he gets. Sometimes I have to ration the kisses, actually. He asks to hold Daniel daily, which can only be done under close supervision because as soon as he's finished, he yells "All done!" and shoves Daniel away. Sometimes I will hear Daniel laughing in the other room while he's in his swing and I look in to find John Hudson leaning over him talking and kissing. Daniel loves his big brother. John Hudson is aware of Daniel's whereabouts at all time and makes sure I know when Daniel is crying. John can even put Daniel's pacy back when he's upset! It might be upside down, but its in his mouth nonetheless. When I get JH out of his bed in the morning, the first thing he wants to know is "Da-Da?" meaning, "Where is Daniel?" Same when I pick him up from the nursery at church. Sweet boy is already looking out for his little brother. I am encouraged and excited to see their relationship grow.

Kissing outside on a cold day

JH entertaining Daniel during a meal

Kissing in their new hats 

Kissing at church

Morning kisses

John Hudson is still loving his hats. He received a lot of new hats for Christmas and is enjoying choosing a new one to wear daily. For some reason, his favorite is still a grimy, avacado-stained cap from his Uncle Bradley.

John also received a new play kitchen for Christmas. He is enjoying serving coffee all day long. When he finishes breakfast each morning, he says, "Mama, ca-ca?" meaning, "Mama, would you like some coffee?" And when he hands me the little mug he always cautions, "Hot!" He's also enjoying making sandwiches with his pretend food. He stacks two pieces of bread, a slice of cheese, a slice of salami and a chocolate chip cookie on top. This sandwich has sadly been the cause of many meltdowns, though, because it always tips onto the floor as he tries to walk across the room. So very frustrating for our little guy! He's never even eaten a sandwich before, but he sure knows how to build one! 

Speaking of food, boy, does this little guy eat a lot! John Hudson has always been a great eater and nothing has changed. Food is the first thing on his mind in the morning and we usually begin our day with a banana, an egg and sometimes some whole milk yogurt. He basically eats the same things we do now, which is much more convenient than the first year. As a family, we try not to eat processed foods or gluten and as many organic choices as possible (as we can afford, actually). JH LOVES his raw milk and actually refuses to drink any other type of milk. I think his favorite food right now is tacos, like his Daddy! 

But sometimes he's just too tired to eat.

Special treat! Banana and Almond Flour cookie for a quick and clean breakfast on the go!

One of our favorite things to do together is sing and dance. John Hudson is obsessed with a DVD called Wee Sing in Sillyville, which is so fun because it was my favorite show as a child. We only watch the DVD about every other week, but he asks to sing the songs every.single.day. We're also really enjoying listening to CDs that teach Scripture in the songs (two of our favorites are Seeds Family Worship and Sing the Word A to Z). JH has a CD player in his room and we ususally have it playing quietly (or loudly) in the background as we play. I pray these seeds Truth and Light will sink into his little heart and bear fruit. He also loves to sing "I've got the Joy, Joy, Joy" and "Jesus loves me".

John Hudson, we love you Buddy. We pray that God will continue to give us wisdom as we raise, discipline, and disciple you. We pray that God's Word will dwell in your richly and that you will love Jesus more than anything else. You are a joy!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Beloved Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas from the Schulte party of four! We hope and pray that you are filled with joy this holiday season as we reflect on the beauty and wonder of the incarnation. God became flesh and dwelt among us. Wonder of all wonders. He is worthy to be praised.

This year has brought many changes to our little family-- including a job change, a move, and most exciting of all, a new precious baby. We have found ourselves  stretched by many minor trials (think 27 sixth graders, momentary homelessness, car problems, and a screaming newborn) but we are grateful to look back and see how the Lord has sustained us and strengthened us for every task.

In August, Michael began his new job as a sixth grade teacher at Atlanta Classical Academy. Teaching has been a desire of Michael's heart for a few years now, so this job is really an answered prayer. He has the opportunity to teach many subjects including math, grammar, literature, history, and science. Please pray for Michael as you think of him. As many of you know, the first year teaching is very difficult. The Lord has been ever faithful to sustain him through early mornings, late nights, and loads of papers that need to be graded.  Michael is doing a wonderful job and I'm proud of him every day!

Along with a new job, we also moved to a new house! We had our plans all worked out to move into an apartment complex in Clarkston, GA, where we thought we would be spending our days building relationships with the many refugee families who live in that community. But the Lord had different plans. Four hours before we were supposed to sign the lease, the apartment fell through entirely. We had to be out of our current apartment in eight days and had nowhere to go. Our gracious Lord parted the Red Sea and provided the perfect little home to rent. Along with the house, we also got a sweet little yard, garden boxes, a swing set, and a nearby road leading directly into the nearby park. It's more than we  could have asked for or imagined. We pray to be faithful stewards of this great gift.

On September 22, we welcomed our precious Daniel Thomas into our arms. Two weeks past his due date, to say we were eagerly awaiting his arrival is an understatement. Daniel has been an agent of great sanctification for us all, as he screamed a lot during the first six weeks of his life. But after cutting dairy from my diet, he is thankfully feeling much better and is a happy little fellow. He's full of squishy rolls and we are just smitten with him. We praise our Father for entrusting us with this great treasure.

John Hudson is as busy as ever! He loves being a big brother and showers Daniel with profuse kisses daily. He is slightly obsessed with hats and can be found most days wearing one, two, or three hats! He also enjoys working with his toolset, watching the choo choo go by, and riding his four wheeler from room to room. John Hudson is a sweet boy and a joy to be around.

As for me, I spend my days wiping noses, chasing little people, folding clothes, and spending lots of time in the rocking chair. Oh, and the weekly trip to the grocery store! This is my dream come true. I pray to glorify the Lord and keep an eternal focus even amidst these seemingly mundane days. It is a true gift to stay at home with our boys and we are grateful that God has provided this opportunity.

May the Lord bless and keep each of you as we enter into a new year. You are all very dear to us! Please come see us if you ever make a trip to Georgia!

.

Longing for His return,

Michael, Abby, John Hudson, and Daniel

Daniel is Three Months Old!

Well, it's been six months since I've posted a blog. A lot has happened, obviously and I'm really sad that I haven't been more faithful to document all those happenings. But, life gets in the way of our good intentions sometimes and frankly, blogging has not been a top priority :)  My prayer is that the Lord will sketch certain memories into my heart and one day, when I have plenty of time and energy, I'll write them all down!

For now, I want to write about our Daniel boy's third month.  Yes, I know I haven't even written about his birth, or the fact that we didn't move to Clarkston after all, or the fact that I'm in the third month of having two children under two and I'm actually surviving.  Those things can come. But for now, little Daniel boy is on my mind.

Daniel is a joy. He is an answer to our prayers and Michael and I often look at each other and say, "We are so thankful for Daniel".  He is a light in our household, truly.

The first few weeks (maybe 6 or so) of Daniel's life were very hard. He cried constantly and couldn't be comforted by much at all.  I spent a lot of time bouncing and swaying. It was very sad and very hard. I couldn't believe the roller coaster of emotions I could go through.  Once second, feeling so compassionate and sad that Daniels was clearly in pain.  The very next moment feeling so frustrated and angry that he would.not.stop.crying. I remember one night in particular coming to the absolute end of my rope and just curling into a ball on the floor and weeping. Those were some hard weeks.

But praise the Lord! He led me to eliminate gluten and dairy from my diet to see if those things were upsetting Daniel's immature digestive system. Bingo! After a good two weeks of eliminating those two things (dairy first, then I discovered gluten was also a culprit), we had a happy baby boy. Oh, I do not take these smiles and coos for granted!

So, now we're at three months.  What is Daniel doing? Smiling a lot. Cooing and talking like a big kid. Sitting in his bumbo seat for short periods. Sucking his pacy constantly and loving to nurse! He's also beginning to respond to toys and will reach for them. Sometimes I can hear the boys in the other room and Daniel will be just cackling at John Hudson. It is so very sweet to see them interacting. I know that will only become more fun as they both grow. Oh, and Daniel absolutely loves taking a bath. He kicks and splashes to his little heart's content. I feel like its cruel not to give him a bath every night! (Before he started loving baths so much, twice a week was his bath schedule!)

As for sleep, we're doing okay.  Between 1 and 2.5 months, He would give me a 6 hour stretch at night, but that was short-lived.  Now he usually goes about 3 hours between nursing (2 hours during the day). Lately, our schedule has been: Nurse and bed around 10-10:30; Nurse around 1-1:30 in the rocking chair; nurse around 4-4:30 in bed and then sleep with Mommy the rest of the night because Daddy gets up around 4:30 am (which is another blog post altogether). Daniels mini crib is right next to my bed, and I occasionally have to reach in and put his pacy in between feedings. During the day, he naps off and on all day, but is starting to stay awake for 1.5-2 hour stretches.

Daniel weights 14 lbs and is full of squishy rolls, which I LOVE! I don't remember John Hudson having this many leg rolls. Its just so sweet. We are in size 2 disposable diapers and we try to use cloth diapers when we're at home (which he wets through very easily!). We just moved into 6 month clothes. Growing like a weed, that Daniel boy!

Having two precious boys is a joy. My days are full of kisses, squeezes and tickles. I don't always appreciate these precious and fleeting moments enough and I pray that the Lord will increase my awareness of His blessings on me. In God's economy, my job is very important. Even if my sinful heart doesn't always see that.

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