Steady Love

Happy Anniversary, my sweet prince. For twenty four years, my Scott has been my husband, and I, his bride❣️ I love this picture for so many reasons, because it represents what he has always been to me.



Steady love. 💗

He loves me from a completely true and loyal heart. ❤️ He has always believed in ME and my strengths, without reminding me of my weaknesses.
He thinks I'm smart and beautiful, and tells me so. Which is so sweet, when I can't see it.
His soul is filled with goodness, and faith. He prays and reads the Bible every morning. 💗

He believes in the magic of love, imagination, Christmas, and children, and all the joy in the world. 🌎

He is a loving father and his daddy loyalty is unwavering. He fights for his daughters and never gives up on them. He has been to more doctor appointments, counsel appointments, school meetings more than anyone should have to.
He is kind and genuine. His needs are simple, and his family is everything to him. Steady love. 💗

His work ethic at home and at his school is immeasurable. He is inspiring to teachers in his school and respected in the town.
Our dream home is 19 years of his hard work, every weekend- painting, putting in floors, planting trees, tiling bathrooms. All him.
My dream of staying home for 13 years he made happen - He budgeted and re budgeted and made it work. And then he was the one that encouraged me to bring my light and love for children back to the classroom. Without him I would have been too terrified. He is the first to jump over to my school and my classroom to hang something, move furniture - he'll do anything when I have an idea in my head. All for me and the love of education, the children. 💗

And when I'm anxious, he is there. Always. To comfort. To aid. To love. 💞

He does all this behind the scenes. Which is exactly what this picture reflects. No matter what the world is outside. Every night, I get to come home to this.
My own St. Joseph. My protector. My handsome man that loves me. That knows me. That believes in my silly ideas.
I absolutely would not be who I am today, without his steady love. Yes, steady love. ❤️
And as unsteady as the world is, marriage can be, health can be. The most important blessing that God can give us is unconditional love, like His.
If you have that love, like I do. Be grateful. If you don't, then don't settle.
Everyone deserves to be loved. Perfectly. For all that you are, with a wonderful steady love. Always and forever. ❤️ Thanks be to God, for letting me see this lovely boy in our high school cafeteria line way back in 1989.

Soulful Weekending

But really I could call it "not enough pictures" weekending because all of the good stuff I don't have one picture of.

It all took place at church and well, when I'm really there, getting filled up, I totally forget that my phone has a camera and that I could take it out and press the button. But I didn't.

So why am I writing? Well, because Friday, Saturday, and Sunday happened and I don't want to forget. I want to have gratitude for all of it.

I did take a few pictures on Friday.

Here's goes Souful Weekending

Friday French Toast while finishing a book "shhh mommy, I'm on the last page, could you not walk so loud?"



Friday night bubbles "It's really okay to USE the 'soap on a rope' that Santa gave you... come on Abigail soon the Easter bunny will be here"



Friday sunshine in my dining room and looking over my planner



Friday late afternoon big clean and feeling blessed to have this place I call home.  Yes, blessings for sure are in this home.



And then Saturday came.


Scott and I got up extra early and left the house to head to church. We are part of a Marriage Preparation Team. And from 8:30-6:30 we were there. It's really a day that we pour into the engaged couples, each team couple taking turns on specific topics throughout the day. Scott and I spoke at 11:00 and it turned out wonderful. I feel so close to Scott and so grateful for the sacrament of Marriage during our talk.

And the rest of that long day? Well, we continue to teach and hopfully inspire those young couples but really (you know what's coming) they inspire me. We pour into them but we are blessed so much more that we could ever give.

Maybe it's because we spend a day (outside of our 'life') reflecting on the gift of marriage.

Maybe it's the whole day that Scott and I get to be together.

Maybe it's seeing their young love and feeling grateful for the journey that brought us twenty years down that same path they are just starting on.

Maybe it's all of it.

And where are the girls? They are at my parents. Eating "the best soup in the world" "way better than your chicken noodle soup" and making pitzelle cookies in her kitchen.

Then my Mom brings them to Mass at 4:00 and it's lovely to be with them again.

Our program lasts until 6:30 and the girls played quietly while it ended.

Things I want to remember:

standing on the alter facing each other with our hands over each others hearts, speaking in a whisper about the gifts in each other, hearing the talks from other married couples on the team, father tom and his blessing and perspective... all of it so so good.

Sunday we had to be back at church bright and early for the Family Program (it's one of the options/choices for Religious Ed at our parish) and it was all focused on Lent.

I spent the rest of Sunday feeling really really tired but oh so filled up.

Ready for a new week with new blessings...

Happy Monday everyone!

(more pictures on the next post, promise!)

Weekend

Music (which also happens to be a powerful video)

One of my favorite things is to turn off the seasonal kitchen tree lights, lock the door and walk up the stairs to our bed.   The counters are all wiped down and the kitchen is closed for the night.  The last of the piles of 'stuff' is picked up and put back (or almost back) to where it belongs.  I look forward to talking with Scott and feeling deep peace.  There is contentment in the tiredness of the day.  The feeling that above all I served God in my little 'assignment' He has me in.  Raising these girls of ours, loving Scott, learning and growing in my own faith, that is where He has me.  (and teaching reading to sweet little ones in the school I'm in)

My assignment.  It sounds like a powerful word.  But it's simple, really. I pray, He answers, and I do what He asks.

Sometimes I want for something different.  Like a baby on my hip again.  Sometimes I try to convince God that I could do it again.  Sometimes I ask the way Abigail wines and asks for a new toy or more playtime at the end of the night.  Sometimes I think if I ask enough He'll move and we'll be on our way back to China. But more than 'getting my way' I want what He wants for my life.  I want that deeply.  And I have that.

There's comfort, really, in knowing my assignment for today.  Just for today.  It feels good to know that being their mother and his wife is wooooonderful.  I want for nothing and I can't wait to start each day a new doing what God has for me to do.

So this weekend, thank you for your prayers.  It was beautiful. And next time in the spring I'll take pictures.  This time you'll just have to believe me.  Although it was an engaged/ marriage prep day it was wonderfully a marriage retreat day for Scott and I.  We sat though and often times I was on the edge of my chair during the talks on communication, spirituality, intimacy, faith, finances.

One of my favorite parts was when we were in the church.  Fr. Tom asked us all to come up to the alter. Stand facing our spouse, hold hands, and whisper the answers of his questions to each other.  It was sacred standing up on that altar.

From 9 am to 4 pm we had the retreat, then all of the couples and the team attended the afternoon Mass.  Back in the Urban center after Mass there was a reception.  Anna and Abigail met us at the Mass and were there in the Urban center after.  Anna snapped this of the candle lit closing prayer of the day.



And this is what my happy girls were doing all day with Grandma and Grandpa.  Yes, the perfect day.





On Sunday we attended/participated in the Family Program at our Parish. It was three hours of wonderfulness. And our presenter asked for everyone to take a selfie and send it to her so that she could get to know everyone. So here we are...





It was an inspirational weekend for sure. I am grateful to God for sure.

Coming Up

This weekend I could really use your prayers.  For the first time Scott and I are part of the Marriage Prep Team at our church.  It's all day Saturday, starting at 9am.  After many sessions, talks, teachings (and lunch) we attend the 4:00 Mass together and then back to the Franciscan Center for wine and cheese. 

I'm excited about spending the day with Scott, especially since our 'theme for the day' is marriage.  I know that its to prepare engaged couples but we could really use a refresher in so many of the talk topics ourselves! 

Guess what though?  We're not at all ready.  Our talk, "blending two families" has only been touched on while drying dished, putting girls to sleep, and making lunches for the next day.  This week Scott had "events" at his school every. single. night.  And Friday night he has Physical Therapy for his back.  Sooooo we'll have to pretend we're back in college and 'pull an all nighter' on Friday night to prepare.  See?  I need prayer! 

Here's what is done... our bio for the program.  It's only done because it was due last week.  It was weird and kinda funny to fit the past almost twenty years of marriage into a few paragraphs. 

I'd rather have just given them a link to this blog but thought that might have been too long!  :)

Scott and Tara Baker

Thebakerfamily4@sbcglobal.net

Scott and Tara met and began getting to know each other in high school.  They dated in college and both became teachers.  They were married in 1996 by their beloved college priest and started their journey of life together nearly twenty years ago.  In 2002 God began to open their hearts toward the miracle of adoption and in 2004 they traveled to Chongqing, China to meet their baby girl.  Three years later they welcomed a second daughter into their family, this time through the miracle of birth.  They feel so blessed to have been given the gift and the joy of knowing both adoption and birth.  Tara left teaching ten years ago to stay home raising their girls and Scott became an elementary school principal.  During this time their youngest daughter was diagnosed with a digestive disease; a chronic disease that brings many hospital visits and special care at home to avoid the pain associated with it.  They have learned and grown in more ways through this and other challenges in being parents.  Now that their children are no longer so little, Tara has returned to part time teaching.  Their daily lives are full of the fun and adventure that a busy family brings.   And although their family journey was not what they would have guessed standing at the altar nearly twenty years ago they can only look back with complete gratitude knowing God’s hand was guiding their steps and directing their paths.