But God had other plans.

When we felt led to move to Charleston, SC in 2019, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful life and set out on a journey to forge our own path into an unknown place. We had to find a house that could be a home for our children. We needed a vision as to what we felt we needed for our family's well-being, to be able to raise our children in the way they should go and a home that would meet our needs. Finding shelter is an essential need for souls. Thankfully God had a plan.

Our house had SIX skylight when we purchased it. We loved the natural light in our home and it's airy design. The natural wood banisters and features made it feel more homey and down to earth. We love that our upstairs overlooks our kitchen! It makes you feel like you're outside. The cabinets don't hold as much space as our home in Oklahoma, but we have found creative ways to make it work.

We love entertaining in our new home and it was our heart's desire to find a home where we could invite our community into to share life with. We have already had countless couples and families over for dinner from our neighborhood and church- not to mention hosting family and friends from out of state! Estas en su casa <3

Staying Organized.

Having three children so close together, running a business, working in ministry and establishing our family rhythms requires structure and organization. One of my goals for the year (including moving in and unpacking) was to establish our family life. This meant a schedule, meal plans, goals, budgeting, creating and following a grocery list, and anything else that could make our days more efficient, consistent, and peaceful. When you don't have these structures in place, your home can become a place of unhealthy chaos that can trigger more tantrums from momma and babies!

A Space to Disciple Our Children.

Raising children to know the heart of God and become disciples doesn't happen the two hours a week you go to church.

It also doesn't happen in the 30 minutes we spend with our children before bed.

Ultimate Christian discipleship happens in our homes and in the interactions we have with our children daily.

Discipleship happens around the dinner table or as they watch how we respond to someone on the phone who is rude to us or the look on our face when they spill their water on the ground for the eighth time that day.

Every piece of their personhood is individually built by the interactions they experience in their childhood. If we don't have an intentional plan for developing them, someone else does. If you don't raise them, someone else will.

Raising our children to know Christ requires us to invite our children into our every day lives as we ourselves, as adults, follow Christ. Kids watch everything we do. We, along with partnership of Holy Spirit) build every single piece of who they are while they are at home with us.

We are building a training ground, a place of safety, of peace- a place of heaven's culture so that we can raise them to bring the culture of the Kingdom of God to the rest of this world and to our family's future generations.

Our Morning Huddle

Every morning (most of the time), during breakfast we have a "morning huddle" at the dining room table. Since I have full attention of my children during breakfast at the dining room table, I am able to give them an interactive routine that not only teaches them academics, but also is an opportunity to pray and read the word with them. This gives us a chance to also discuss our plans for the day so they know what to expect. The kids love to do it and they learn too!

We also try to take this time to learn a bible verse, pray, and read a bible story. Even at their young ages, they understand who Jesus is, that he loves them, and is with them every day.

We do our best to stick to our schedule but we are not afraid to change it up. Though structure is good, it is important for resilience to make sure the children are not dependent on the routine to maintain peace and discipline. More than anything, the daily schedule and the activity lists give me ideas of what to do when I want to pull my hair out because the kids feel stir crazy or is having a rough day.

I also use the dining room table when working as the CEO of my home. Any to do lists, admin work, paying bills ect. I try to do at the kitchen table (not during meal times so the family can have my full attention) so I can seem like I am still part of my children's world while working. Working at the kitchen table also allows me to keep an eye on them while they are in the living room and our playroom.

Eat & Play Together.

A very special area for our home is the playroom! We are fortunate to have an add-on bonus room off of our living room on the first level of our home. When we bought our home, the bonus room was poorly built. It had water damage from a leak in a skylight, single glass windows, no ventilation and no A/C (which in Charleston summers, you absolutely need!). With much perseverance, we remodeled it and turned it into a playroom!

Using my history in child-development, I did my best to create centers for the kids that they might find in a pre-school setting such as a role-play dress up area, a kitchen, baby care area, and an area where they can build and play pretend through toy animals, people, cars trains, blocks etc.

The kids love to play in their playroom and it's nice to have a designated place to put their toys so they don't take over the living area (can I get an Amen! from all the parents? Haha). I'm thankful to have this area so my children can make memories with each other and their friends.