My my my, how I have neglected our blog! Between having a new baby and the two big girls, starting homeschool, finding a homeschool group for fun fieldtrips, therapies, braces, and just life in general life has been busy. Good busy though. The big girls celebrated their 3rd and 5th birthday at the end of May with us, my mom and dad (Opa and Gran Jan), my brother, sister in law and their daughter all came to spend time with us and celebrate. It was such a wonderful time and we were so hoping baby Ravenna would make her debut while everyone was here, but as you already know from our previous blog Frazier Frontier Grows she waited until her scheduled c-section day. The girls had a wonderful celebration of birthday pancakes, cake, shirley temples, cheeseburgers, and a trip to the zoo! We were so blessed to have family here to celebrate with us!

Ravenna is now 5.5 months old! It is hard to believe that she is already nearly sitting up by herself, rolling across the living room, giggling at her big sisters silliness, and beginning to show a lot of interest in and trying her first solids! She is such a happy go lucky gal, sleeps better than the big girls, and nurses lots, but also self soothes with her thumb sucking! She has certainly been a wonderful addition to our family with her smiley laughing personality.

Recently I was listening to music with the girls as we often do, along with some epic dance parties. One of my favorite artists came on Jamie Grace, it was a song called, “Every Bit of Lovely”. As I sang the lyrics I’ve sung many times to the girls, the words began to resonate with me.

“Don’t you know that you’re God’s original work of art, yes you are
So don’t ever let them tell you that you’re less than wonderful
Cause you’re a one and only
You’re every little bit, every little bit of lovely”

I sing the words to the girls and truly mean them with every word that I sing… that day the words rested on me and something inside of me said, “you know Micah, you’re just as lovely and you are also God’s creation. You are no less than wonderful and look at all your amazing body has done, look at these three girls, you carried them, your body strained, but you birthed them, healthy and every little bit of lovely. You use the same body to provide nourishment to help your babies thrive. You have breastfed your girls a total of 4.5 years. You have been pregnant or nursing children nonstop for 6 years. You might not be the same size or weight or body style you were 6 years ago, but your heart, schedule, love for others wasn’t what it was either. It has changed just as your body. But you wouldn’t take back any of it for an easier day, or less work. So quit being so hard on yourself.” I know it had to be the holy spirit speaking into me, I would not have come to all of this on my own.

Even when we feel less than beautiful, God has ways of gently reminding us that he created every bit of lovely that we are. We are his unique creation and a work of art. No one else is like us, and he wouldn’t change us. This isn’t to say that I have to stay at the weight I am or that I can’t tone myself. It just means that I am going to do better at not being so down and negative on where I am right now, and celebrate myself as I am until I am where I want to be.

We are raising 3 beautiful little girls, and it isn’t necessarily society that will teach them that they are less than perfect, they will watch me, and learn from me. If I am always criticizing who I am, who God created in his image, now in front of them then will they not also begin to question the beauty that God gave them?

They are girls, will they at some point question and wonder? Sure, they are human, but my prayer is that they can see me love God’s beautiful work of art in myself, stretch marks, a little fluffier body, as a beautiful gift from him. So that when they one day are struggling with their own self image that they can see how their momma overcame and loved herself in her skin, whether it is fluffy, skinny, stretched, etc. God created me, my body has done amazing things and should be celebrated, not shamed!

Thanks for listening! You too are beautiful just the way God made you!! 🥰