“Rattled” Episode 8 Recap

In this episode, it was an episode that basically showed us being home with the girls and the struggles that come from not only having 2 newborns and the exhaustion, but also the stress it can put on our family.

We were very hesitant to show this side of our story. Because we feel so grateful to even have “problems”, Josh and I didn’t want to show many of them on camera, because to us they are so minimal in the scheme of things. One of the producers kept telling us that the viewers would appreciate seeing our worries and concerns, even with everyday stuff, but that even was hard for us to do, because we just don’t worry about things like we used to.

We are healthy. Our kids our healthy. We have Jesus. Everything else just isn’t that big of a deal.

Nonetheless, there are other concerns, and TLC hi lighted those.

I will answer some questions about this episode below:

How was the first night with the girls being home?

It was okay. It was exhausting, but it went well. I had Vera that first night and Josh had Lydia. We woke up so so tired, but feeling so blessed to be at home in OUR house with our 3 miracle girls. But overall, it was a good first night. Lydia did not have any more spitting up or reflux, so that made us sleep just a little bit, but we were still on high alert. Lydia has always been the best little sleeper!

In the scene where it was just Josh with the girls, where was Aly?

Well, the producers wanted a scene with me and the girls and a scene with Josh and the girls. The scene they filmed with me was quiet and sweet and no tears, funny enough! When I went in the other room to give Josh time with the girls by himself and heard all the crying, it took all I had to not run in there and help! But, here’s the thing about Josh, even when it’s chaotic, he doesn’t freak out. He takes it in stride and figures it out. We may have different methods of calming the girls, but he is one amazing dad- the absolute best. To watch the scene back of Josh with the girls was so funny and sweet. That is exactly what he would have done if he had them with no cameras- run to the one crying the hardest and try to soothe the others as best he could. You just don’t have enough arms when you are by yourself. I am so thankful for his help!

Was that Josh filming you guys before he went for a job interview?

That is right! When we got back home from Kentucky, Josh started looking for a new job. He helped me for a couple weeks when we got home, but then it became time where our savings were quickly diminishing, and we had to get back to work. I continued working for Liberty from home as well as conducting homestudies, but Josh had several meetings and bids put out on construction projects, as he had received his contractor’s license. So, what you saw of him telling us goodbye and us telling him good luck was to one of those interviews. Josh excels at whatever he does. He has never had a lack of opportunity- thank God. It has always just been us needing wisdom in knowing what route to take, so yes, that was him leaving for a job interview!

During the scene where you guys were talking bills, were you really stressed about finances? 

Yes and no. Like I said earlier, Josh and I definitely have money concerns like normal people, but if there is one thing to not be worried about in life, it’s money. Worry does nothing. We always take action…but we are done worrying about it…(atleast that’s our goal..NOT quite there!) We want to make sure we are concerned about what really matters, but yes! With him looking for a new job, and now having 3 little ones to care for. And the diapers–oh my- the diapers! At that point, we were averaging about 30 a day. Now, we are closer to the 15 diapers a day which is much more manageable. But, yes we were worried about finances, but God has always provided, and we were trusting him to do it again, as long as we put forth full effort to work willingly with whatever we did!

Was that real when Josh came home and told you that he got the church remodel job?

The job was real, but I did previously know that he got that remodel job. The way it works when the production team comes in to film is that if anything significant has happened during the time they left and came back, they want to capture it. So, since Josh had since gotten work, we did re-create that scene. That was one of the few things that was re-created and not in “real time”. Nothing is scripted–it’s all real- it just may not have happened in the time you were seeing it. We were so thankful for that remodel job. As Josh was looking for something more permanent, it was the perfect thing to keep us afloat financially while he found something long-term. Josh used to worry and think about finances so much, but if you read his book, you will see how his perspective on money has changed. We do have to make money to pay bills, but we want to make money to take care of our family and then give to others–not for status or to have lots of money. Our hope is to be able to bless people like crazy if we ever had lots of money, but currently, it is just making enough to pay for diapers and food! Oh my word—the food these girls eat and the rate we go through it! But like I said, so thankful for these “problems”.

Thanks again for watching an episode of our family’s journey!

Love you guys,

Aly