Give Thanks

Today is the last day of November.
I can't believe this month has come and gone so quickly.
We had the best Thanksgiving this year and I really enjoyed seeing all my family in one day!
All month on Facebook I've been reading what people are Thankful for on each day of the month.
I loved reading everyone's updates.
I would have joined in, but I have so much to be thankful for that I don't think it could be summarized in daily posts for one month, or even one blog.

But I want to share on this last day of November what I am thankful for.

I am first and foremost thankful that God allowed his son to die on the cross for me so that I might have a hope of living with him in Heaven one day.

I am thankful for my wonderful Husband. He is my better half. I still don't know how the Lord saw fit for him to be in my life and for him to be the father of my children, but for that I am/will be forever grateful.

I am thankful for my children, all of them. The sweet wonderful boy God gave me that I get to see grow more and more everyday has blessed my life more than I ever thought possible. I am thankful for him, for the joy he has brought to my life, and for the lessons he is teaching me about life. I'm thankful for the babies I've had but never got to hold, and I'm thankful for the one that is growing now. I thank God everyday for all my children.

I am thankful for my family. For all of my family.
I'm thankful that I have Godly Christian parents that raised me. I'm thankful that my parents are now two of my best friends. I'm so happy that I have them both to call on whenever I need ANYTHING. I am thankful they did everything they could to raise me the way God would have even when it wasn't popular. I have been blessed with my parents beyond measure!

I am thankful for my brother and for the friendship we share. He's really the greatest sibling that I could have ever been blessed with, and I don't tell him enough how much I love him! He's one of the greatest and sweetest people I know!!

I am thankful for grandparents, the Godly example they are and for what they have taught me and continue to teach me about how to live my life. I am thankful I can still call on them anytime and be encouraged!

I am thankful for my mother and father in-law. I'm thankful that they saw fit to have children and to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Without them, I would have never been given the greatest gift on this earth of my sweet husband. I know for sure my mother in-law would do anything in the world for me that she could, and she's taken care of me numerous times when I needed her. I know both of my parents in-law would drop whatever it is they are doing to help me if I need it. I will always be grateful for this. I am thankful for my sister-in-law and for what she is teaching me about life.

I am thankful for all my Aunts and Uncles. They have taught me so much and have loved me unconditionally. I'm also thankful they decided to have children and give me my cousins.

I will always be grateful for my cousins, especially the ones who are like my sisters and brothers! I was blessed with some of the greatest cousins and I'm so glad to have grown up side-by-side with them. I'm thankful that I still go to church with many of my cousins now and they are my best friends!

I am thankful for my Church Family. I am thankful that I have brothers and sisters across the world and that I can be a part of God's family. I am especially thankful for my church family at Villa Rica. They are the greatest people you will ever meet and have helped me grow so much!

I'm thankful for my husbands job, for our house, for the fact that we have running vehicles.
I am very very much thankful for my job and that God has allowed me stay at home and care for my family. I know that this is a blessing that many don't get to enjoy, and I thank God everyday for it.

I am thankful for all the memories I have. I'm thankful for everything that's happened in my life, the good and the bad. I am thankful for every person in my life, no matter how often I see or don't see them.

God has given me more than I will ever be able to name. He has most certainly given me more than I will ever deserve. I thank him everyday in prayer, and will continue to do so.

Let's all take time daily to remember not only what we are to be thankful for, but let's remember WHO has given us all those blessings.

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

Stay at Home Wife/Mother

Today I am going to STAY at HOME.
I feel as if I am the only SAHM that never has one full day at home.
If it's not one place I have to go, it's another.
The last few weeks I have had one doctor's appointment after the other.
For instance, yesterday I had back-2-back appointments.
I left the house at 7, and didn't get home until 3.
This is a normal occurrence for me.
I feel like I never have time to be at home and do my "keeper of the home" duties.
If it's not doctor's appointments, it's something else.....

I'm actually looking forward to having another baby, so I have an excuse not to get out all the time!

Speaking of new Baby....
I am asking for some special prayers in the next few days.
I had an appointment at the specialist yesterday to have an ultrasound and check on baby.
It was so wonderful to see the baby waving an kicking on the monitor!
Such an amazing sight!
After our ultrasound we always have a meeting with the specialist doctor.
He told us that everything looked good on the ultrasound.
He also informed us that my blood work came back and said I had toxoplasmosis.
If you don't know what this is, check it out here.
For those of you who do know what it is, it is very very dangerous for Baby.

The doctor did inform us that my reading was low, so there is a possibility that it could be a false positive.
I am asking for everyone's prayers that this is the case.
We hope that this infection (if I do have it) does not spread to the baby.
Will you please help us pray?
I know we've asked for many prayers for the health of this baby, and I know that God has answered
them this far!

I hope to keep everyone updated as of the results as soon as I know!
Thank you again! God is good!

Prayers!

"In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God"
-Philippians 4:6

So today we had our first ultrasound.
Our prayers, and all the prayers from our family and friends, have been answered so far.

We got to see a healthy baby today.
We got to see (not quite hear yet) the heartbeat.

I know this would not have been possible without the prayers of all our loved ones.
We will be forever indebted to you all for all the prayers that have gone up on our behalf.

We have a long road ahead of us.
We will be continuing to pray for a healthy baby and for a healthy pregnancy.

I was sick to my stomach this morning with worry before we had our ultrasound.
I'm feeling a little better, but I'm afraid I might have a touch of a stomach virus. Boo!

We truly appreciate everyone that has prayed for us and with us.
You all mean the world to us.

Thanks for everything.

For now I'll leave you with a picture of a tiny baby we got to see today!
Due May 29th, 2013

"For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him"
-1 Samuel 1:27

10-11-12

Tomorrow is the big day.

We have our first ultrasound at the doctor's office.
I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life.

I told myself that hopefully the date means that it will be good luck.
It's on 10-11-12 at 11:00.

If it doesn't mean good luck, then it will be a date I will never forget.
Having been through ultrasounds 2 times already to find out something is wrong, I think I can hopefully handle this one better.

Although, if I were to be honest with myself, I've allowed myself to get more excited about this baby than I probably should right now.

So we've been praying hard.
And we REALLY appreciate all the prayers coming our way.

We know that if it doesn't turn out as we have hoped, it is still in God's hands.
He knows a whole lot more than we ever will.

I've been thinking recently about what it's been like to lose a child/children.
I've been reminded of the painful memories of how it feels to make it half way through a pregnancy and never get a chance to hold your precious baby in your arms.
I remember the jealousy at those mothers with healthy babies.
I remember the anger when they would complain about how long their baby didn't sleep.
I remember thinking life just wasn't fair.
But I know...
Every day is a gift.
Every day as a mother is a blessing from God that so many don't get the chance to enjoy.
I want to always cherish every single day with my child.
I love all my children God has given me, even if they aren't here today.
I want to remember to be respectful and encourage those who haven't been able to hold their children, or to have children.

Words are very powerful.
I want to remember to choose my words wisely.
Especially to those that I can't relate to how they feel.

On a brighter note, Robert has literally been walking EVERYWHERE.
I'm pretty sure he's finally figured out now that it's easier to get around walking than it is crawling.

He's so cute I can't stand it.
He's finally figured out how to get what he wants.
He points at everything he wants till you give it to him.

He's also figured out how to open all the drawers in our house and pull everything out.
Now I've just got to teach him to put it all back! :)

Well, I wanted to write down my thoughts for today (since typing is faster than writing for me).
I hope everyone who reads will have a blessed day!
We're still going to be praying hard for tomorrow and hope that you will too.

I'm off to go play with my sweet boy!

Prayers, babies, and lots of LOVE

So my baby is officially one year old.
He's always going to be my baby.
He's so stinking sweet that I could really just eat him up!
We had so much fun at his birthday party and enjoyed celebrating his first year!

He's taught us so much in his first year.
He's taught us that a clean house doesn't make a happy home.
The family that loves one another in your home makes it a happy home.
He's taught us that patience is a learned virtue.
I now know that sleep deprivation is totally worth it when it comes to a newborn baby needing to be nursed :)
Oh, how I miss those days when he was so tiny.
He's learning more and more every single day.
It's amazing to watch him grow and learn!

He's also taught us that we want a large family.
With lots of kids.
We knew this already, before we married, but he makes it more obvious to us now.
He's so easy to love.

This gets me to the real point of this blog.
As many of you know, we were expecting a baby in Feb 2013.
We unfortunately lost that baby.
We are looking forward with hope to meeting that sweet baby one day in Heaven.

We also are looking for prayers right now.
We found out last week that we are expecting again.
This time to be due in late May.
Needless to say with this miscarriage having happened so recently, I am extremely nervous.
I have been more nervous since I found out then I have been in my life.
I have been sick, and extremely ILL.
My hormones have been insane for the past 2 1/2 weeks... (That's the first sign I had I might be pregnant)

My hormones haven't actually leveled out and I haven't been myself really since before, when I was pregnant in June.
I went to the doctor yesterday for them to check my hormone levels.
I'm anxious to hear back the results.

We are asking for prayers.
For this baby, and for us.
We have been on edge with worry hoping that everything with this pregnancy will work out.
Sadly, my hopes have not been too high.

We initially said we weren't going to tell anyone that we were expecting until we had a good result from an ultrasound.
My husband and I both felt that if something were to not end well, we would want the love and support from our family and friends.
We can't get that if you don't know what's going on with us.

We are asking for your prayers that the Lord's will be done in this pregnancy.
And that whatever his will is, we will have the strength to accept it.
We are thankful for every child God has/will give us.
Even if we never get the chance to hold them in our arms.
They will always be in our hearts.

** UPDATE**
We got the results back from the first blood work, and they said everything looks good on that!
We have an ultrasound set up for October 11th.
10/11/12 at 11:00 :) Hopefully that is good luck,
Because this Mama needs some good news! :)

Confessions

I have a confession to make.

I used to cringe when I would walk into someone's house and see toys scattered all around the floor.
I used to think to myself "Does that this mother/father ever pick up after their children? I mean seriously?"

My confession:

I am now one of those parents.

My floor is ALWAYS scattered with toys.
Jordan or I will pick them up every night after we put him in the bed....
But as soon as he is up, he goes straight to the basket of toys and pulls every single one out of the basket.
I guess there have been a lot of changes over the past year.
There are A LOT of things that change when you have children.
Your house.
Your car.
Your schedule.
Your method of raising children.
and most importantly YOURSELF.

This past year have been very eye opening and exciting for me.
It's hard for me to believe that it has been a year since R was born. (Or will be Friday)
Today marks the one year anniversary of the day they induced me in the hospital.
I remember that day and the days to follow so very well.
They will be the days I will always remember and cherish.

My advice to mothers expecting for the first time:
You never know how labor and delivery will go, but once you hold that sweet, healthy baby in your arms- NOTHING else matters.

I remember well the days of cuddling all day with Robert.
I would hold him ALL THE TIME.
I remember thinking to myself that "I need to put him down so he will gain some independence. "
(By the time he was about 5-6 months old I went through a 2 month long battle of putting him down and him screaming because he wanted to be held)
I still wouldn't change one single second of those days when I would hold him all day long.
I will always cherish those moments.
I miss them even now.

R is always on the go.
He's been trying to grow up too fast since the day he was born.
He's now walking and crawling so well.
He's more independent now than I was ever prepared for.
He is so wonderful and I thank God every single day for allowing me to be his mother.

I also pray for help being his mother.
This past year has really been an eye opener for me personally.
I have evaluated myself in a way I guess I've never really taken the time to do.
It's been a terrifying responsibility to know that I/we are responsible for raising this child "in the way he should go".
I have evaluated the way I need to go so that I can show R by example the way he needs to go.

This past year has made me more aware of the language I use in everyday.
I've never been one to use what the world would call "foul" language.
But, I realize there are some awful words that can come out of a child's mouth that their own Christian parents say every day without realizing it.
I cringe when someone says anything on this list of words that are off limits.
I've even had to ask many people not to say them in front of my child. Too often, I have kept silent on the matter... but I will no longer.

I have also become more aware of the content of what I am saying in front of, or around my child.
My mouth seems to always be getting me in trouble, and it's something I will continually be working on.
I still to this day speak before I think far too often.
I regret this more than anyone can really know.
It's something I pray about daily and something I know I must work on for R.
I want him to hear me encouraging and praising those around me daily.

I have a hard time giving/receiving compliments.
I still have not figured out why.
There are so many things I think that would compliment someone,but I keep to myself.
This is going to have to change.
I want to compliment and tell those around me what they mean to me.
I have been so encouraged by MANY sweet brothers and sisters in Christ at Villa Rica.
They are always encouraging me with their sweet words, when I am so unworthy.
I want my child to encourage and edify with his words, and he must learn from example!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

There are so many things about myself that I will continually be working on to become/be the Christian mother that I need to be.
I need the prayers of those around me that I can stay focused and to do what the Lord would have me to do.

I have so many wonderful examples to look up to at the Church at Villa Rica.
I have many wonderful examples in my own family that I will always be grateful for.
My parents are truly the greatest parents there have ever been. Hands down.
I thank God every day for the WONDERFUL Christian father, and for the sweet Christian mother I have been blessed with.
They help me every single day.
I can't think of one single time I have been around my father and he hasn't said something encouraging to me. Something as simple as "I'm proud of you" or "I love you."
I don't know if he will ever understand the impact those words have on me. But I thank God everyday for his sweet kind words. I thank God for the friendship I have with my Daddy. I am able to talk to him openly and tell him anything and I know he will give me advice that is Biblically sound. He encourages me and helps me in my Christian walk daily. I love him so much.
I will never be half the parent my parents are to me.
I am so blessed to have Godly parents to aspire to be like.

There are so many more people I could tell you that have encouraged me and made me want to be a better person. I can't name them all because I don't have the time to type it, and you don't have the time/want to read it.
But I do thank God for their encouragement every single day.

I look forward to this weekend and to R's first birthday.
If you've made it reading this blog this far, then keep a look out for pictures after this weekend :)
I hope everyone has a blessed day and thanks for reading all these random ramblings.

^"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.^"  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." -1 Peter 5:5-11

all in a day's work

Robert is walking.
I can't believe it.
It was his first two steps not even a week ago...
And now he's getting more confident and walking A LOT more.
He will be a year old next week.
It hurts my heart to say it.
Not in a bad way of course, I want him to grow up.
Just not quite so quickly.

I am so very very blessed to be able to stay home with him every day.
I know I say that all the time.
But I do thank God every single day for every moment he gives me with my sweet son.
Especially for the ability to not have to leave the house for a job, but to be able to do the job of "keeper of the home."

"That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:4-5  Speaking of staying at home, Robert and I were eating leftover spaghetti yesterday for lunch and he was so cute, I just had to share! His feet were cracking me up!  He had to get a bath shortly after this lunch experience. This child not only eats like his mother, but he loves spaghetti like her too :) This morning I finished my fall/thanksgiving wreath! I am very happy with how it turned out! I'm not sure if I want to leave the "S" on there. What do you think??? I shared a previous post about homemade bread and wanted to share my first loaf that was absolutely yummy last week! My Mama found this bread machine at a thrift store for me for $10. It works like a charm! :)  This loaf of bread was my first encounter with it, and then I made pizza dough. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the dough before I made it into a pizza. But it was delicious with the buffalo chicken toppings!!

I am very much looking forward to making lots of yummy bread in the future! :)