Chompin' on Rolaids

That's what I'm doing tonight. And you? It was quite comical. The other night Grace called with news that she had some bad heartburn, and she sounded exactly like me! I loved it! I guess you had to have been there. sorry.

Well, Christy treated me to Chili's today; isn't that so sweet? I do like that girl. And we discussed the fact that although our love for Mikayla is growing, her good behaviour is NOT. Isn't it kinda hard to know what to do when you're in the middle of Wal-Mart shopping and your child is acting less than ideal?? Thankfully my mom has offered to watch my dear daughter tomorrow while I get some groceries purchased. I know, I just have one, but still it's nice.

About 5 weeks left until my due date. sigh. I think I'm going to try some Proactiv for this red/dry/patchy skin of mine. Hopefully I can get that ordered tomorrow. For some reason after I had my D&C in Feb, my skin has suffered tremendously. I guess it's a hormonal thing, but if I can get rid of it, I'd LOVE to.

I have just finished the book of Genesis (what a wonderful book!) and am now in Exodous. It's been such a blessing just reading it and learning more spiritual truths! The Lord is so faithful!

Good night, sweet friends. Hope you have a blessed one!

Beef jerky??

On our way home from church this evening, Jody said to me, "you know what I'd like to get for Mikayla someday, not right now of course, but when she gets older?"

What, Honey?

"Beef jerky."

I told him I didn't think anyone had EVER said that before. He said it's because she likes meat so much.

:)

Less than 6 weeks 'til my due date.
Whoo hoo!! :)
The baby's about 5 pounds by now.
Jody's off the next 2 days. yay!
Hope you all have a great week.
Good night!

What's YOUR current favorite treat?

You know how some cravings for treats come and go? Sometimes it's popcorn with pepsi, sometimes frapucchinos, sometimes chocolate(!), etc. Well, my current favorite is.... orange juice! the pulpy kind. It's soo good. I look forward to having a glass (or two) a day.

Yesterday I was feeling less than ideal and my daily ORANGE JUICE didn't even sound good. Can you imagine?! Thankfully today I'm feeling MUCH better. I don't know if I had a tiny bug (why do we call it that?) or if the new Nexium pill did the trick to me. Either way I was miserable. Mikayla cooperated quite nicely for me, which was a blessing, especially considering the energy in that girl!

So, please share. What's the treat you look forward to having? I'm curious. I know for Grace it's her dee-lish lemonade;) Any others?

Potty training postponed

I'd planned on trying to start potty training our Mikayla today, but alas, it didn't quite work out. Last night as we were driving home from church, our ASB light came on. And looking at our vehicle's manual, we realized we had a problem. So, this morning we spend some hours @ Trans TX Tire getting our brakes worked on- not very ideal for the first day of training. That's ok though. When we DO start, we're prepared. Size FOUR diapers, pull-ups, panties! (Mikayla LOVES them!), and a little potty. I'm going to need LOTS of patience!!

33 weeks and counting. Whoo hoo! Less than 50 days 'til my due date. I had an appt today and told my dr that I was desperate for some relief from this heartburn. So, he prescribed me some (hopefully!) good stuff. I do want it to work.

Happy Birthday to my father-in-law today! What a neat guy he is. I'm very thankful to have him in our lives. He's a terrific grandpa to Mikayla:)

I guess we're all updated now. I'm off to read some blogs I've missed out on these past few days. Not the most exciting post, but I guess it's better than nothing, eh? :) Good night, sweet ladies!

A cRazY dream and some strange conversation

Let's begin with my dream. I hardly ever remember any of my dreams, but this one was so crazy that I had to:

My parents: We're going to have to spank you
me: You can't spank me; I won't let you
My parents: we have to
me: I'm 28 years old; I have a husband, a daughter, I'm pregnant and have had a miscarriage. I don't get spankings anymore
My mom then lunges for me with a whisk and a spoon in her hand. I dodge her and she falls and gets stuck in the corner
My parents: well, we can still spank Grace
me: yeah, that's okay

Is that not funny??? I thought so! :)

Conversation with a lady who works where my Granny is living

lady: Is she (referring to Mikayla) your only one?
me: yes, and I have one on the way
lady: but then that's it, right?
me: well, we're going to have as many as we have (duh) (trying to smile)
lady: OH GIRL!
me: (still striving to smile)
lady: well, I had one boy and one girl and that was enough for me
me: okay
lady: but you don't do anything, right?
me: right, I get to stay home with her, which is really nice
lady: yeah, that makes it easier
me: yeah

Ok, is that just weird to anyone but me?? I have ONE child who I can actually see and she feels like I'm WAY overdoing it and going overboard having another on the way, and (gasp!) maybe having ANOTHER?? The nerve of me!

Then this guy @ Kroger asked me if she was my only one; I said yes and again said that I have one on the way. Then he said that he found out after 8 times why babies are born. Some people and their humor. They have 8 children and 27 grandchildren. He then told me that he and his wife bought a one bedroom/one bathroom house so everyone wouldn't come live with them. I found that pretty funny:)

Anyway, that's been my crazy day. How was yours?

32 weeks!

Less than 2 months before my due date!! I'm so excited:) I wouldn't say that time has gone by quickly, but I AM glad it's going by at all. I'm getting very big and still have several more weeks of growth. Phew!

I've decided not to get tickets for Casting Crowns. :( I prayed specifically about it, and I just don't feel a peace about ordering them. Who knows. Maybe on the 1st of February (if I'm feeling good), I'll call and see if they have any tickets still. If so, I might snatch em up and go with my lovebug. We'll see what the Lord has in store for us!

My parents have travelled up north for about 2 weeks. We (Mikayla and I) already miss them. We're used to seeing them on a regular basis, so this has been quite different, but good, actually. I'm getting things done! It's amazing what you can get accomplished when you actually DO stay home.

I've been trying to walk more regularly, and it's going quite well. I feel SOOO much better when I'm moving my feet.

ANY tips, suggestions for potty training a little girl?? That's what I'm hoping to start very soon with Mikayla. I need to do some reading up on the subject, that's for sure. I'd rather have one in diapers at a time. And like Christy said, AFTER the baby comes it will NOT be more convenient. true that. It worked for us, eh? :)

Life can be sad

It's so easy to follow links from blogs asking people to pray for others who are going through very hard times- illness, death, etc. It can be so sad. Sometimes it feels like I'm praying for so many people I don't even know. And this can be overwhelming, in a way. And once I start following a story, I feel like I have to keep visiting and keep being updated. Does ANYone else go through this?? Then I try to post something on my blog and no matter what, it seems insignificant, ESPECIALLY in light of the pain/s others are experiencing.

I read this part of a verse in Job over the Thanksgiving holiday that was so touching and beautiful. "He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee." Knowing this is a most wonderful thing. He who is in total control over every single aspect and second of my life- is perfect in knowledge AND is with me. I can't think of anything better, actually. oh yeah. AND, He LOVES me. Wow. And my sins are forgiven. Unbelievable, but true!

I've not known much pain in my life, but I do know some. Being pregnant and not seeing a heartbeat on an ultrasound was painful for me. I remember sitting with my dear husband in the waiting room @ the hospital (waiting to get blood drawn so they could check levels and compare a few days later), and the immense pain of knowing (almost certainly) that our tiny baby died inside of me. I sobbed and sobbed, not caring one bit of who saw me or what they thought. The Lord indeed gave great grace to us at that time in our lives. The Lord was truly perfect in knowledge and was indeed with me (us). My heart hurts for others who hurt and who have been hurt. The Lord has us go through different things at different times in our lives. And it's not always easy. We were never promised that life would be easy. But, Christians ARE promised that He'll never leave us or forsake us. And for that I'm thankful. Very thankful. I truly cannot imagine ONE day without my Lord.

It's already December!

Happy December, everyone. Can you believe it's the last month of the year already?? Tomorrow I'll be exactly 2 months from my due date. :) Today I'm 31 weeks along, and the baby is weighing approx. 3.5 pounds.

If you want to read something incredibly sad, yet precious, go here.

Today was a day of freebies for us!

~free admission to the HPU game
~free HPU mini basketball
~free popcorn @ the game
~free dinner at my parents' house

Isn't that great?! We DID pay for the movie we rented (Amazing Grace), which we'll be watching tonight since we finished the Anne of Green Gables series last night. I'm trying to get over a cold that I've officially shared with my daughter:( It's so sad to hear her coughing from her little bed. sigh.

Good night, dear family and friends. You are LOVED. :)

Guess who's coming to town?

No, it's not "Santa" I'm speaking of (although my mom DID inform me that he's coming this Saturday to Brownwood Wal-Mart by helicopter- hooray). I learned that Casting Crowns- my current favorite Christian band- will be in Abilene on February 1st @ 7pm. Whoo hooo! AND the tickets are very reasonably priced. Anyone want to go with me??

I mentioned this wonderful bit of news to my precious husband, and he seems to think (probably practically) it's not such a good idea to go one day before our son is due. RATS. What do you think?? Hey, I'll be up for it, I'm quite sure. I can't think of a better way to spend a day, actually. So, I "made" Jody say maybe. And he did.

I mean, they sing the song I want played at my funeral (And now my lifesong sings). It's beautiful! I told Jody that if I died giving birth, they could sing it LIVE at my funeral since they'd be in town. He didn't seem to think that was as cool as I thought it'd be;) Oh well.

Am I being unreasonable?? Please say no! :)

Oh, it's good to be home

How was YOUR Thanksgiving vacation/time?? Ours was a most enjoyable time, to be sure! SOO much to be thankful for. While in Louisiana the 10 week countdown officially began. So, now we're at less than 10 weeks before my due date. WOW. I. am. stoked. And I'm having the heartburn to prove it! (as if that really "proves" anything)

Being with the Dodson side of the family this year was a big change. I think it's the first Thanksgiving that I didn't spend with my parents. I was happy it worked out for all the families to (eventually- sorry, Laura!) show up. The Lord was merciful in granting us a safe trip. I ate lots of good food and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and watching Mikayla's cousins keep her entertained. PRECIOUS. They were all so kind and patient with her. :)

I'm off to catch up on blogs that I haven't gotten to read in about a week. Now that's a LOT of catching up to do! how fun. Good night, dear friends.

Everyone together now

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're in Denham Springs, La, and we're haing a superb time together. This is a pic of all the cousins on this side of the family. We had a fun photo shoot with good attitudes from EVRYONE! Whee! :) More pictures soon!

Maternity Fair

Yep, tomorrow is the big day. My life is loaded with activity, doesn't it seem?? :) Tomorrow evening from 6-9pm, my dear husband and I will be attending a maternity fair @ the hospital. My willing mother will be watching our ball of fire. Oh, I'm so excited. I guess the best news is that I don't have to cook; they'll provide supper for us. YES! Not that I don't enjoy cooking, (I DO!) but it is nice to get a break from it sometimes. AND, I don't have to do dishes (something else I enjoy doing- seriously- I think it's b /c I don't have a dishwasher). Did ANY of that make sense?? Sorry, ladies.

Today Mikayla and I had a nice time @ the park. We walked around a bit, (which she did not especially enjoy b/c she was in her stroller) then she played while I took pictures with my mom's 10 mega pixel camera! I thoroughly enjoyed that, and I almost lost sight of Mikayla while trying to get a good shot of a squirrel. Actually, I did lose sight, but only for a few seconds b/c she ran off. I could still hear that sweet voice though.

I'm nearing my 29 week mark!! It's hard to believe. Sometimes it seems to go by s l o w l y, but other times it seems quite reasonable. I told Jody this evening that I'm concerned that my tummy's not growing. He looked at me and kinda smirked. Hmmm... I wonder what he was thinking;)

Grace is coming soon!!!!!! I know I've said that before, but it bears/bares (???) repeating. I'm glad you want to walk with me, Grace!! :) I'm (almost)always up for it.

Take care, sweet ladies. Thanks for your comments. I do like reading them!

Swollen fingers

Today was the first time in this pregnancy that my fingers swelled. We were taking a leisurely family walk this evening (doesn't it get dark EARLY??!) when I looked down due to a tingly feeling in my hands and noticed that my fingers were larger. I guess it's all part of the fun of it all:) Baby Joseph moves a BUNCH, which I obviously love. In fact, he's moving now. ahh.

Is woot a word? Seriously, if you have any insight on this, let me know. I'm seeing it around a lot. (example: I passed my glucose test! Woot Woot!) I don't get it. Can you help me?

I see I'm not the only fan of Anne of Green Gables, and rightly so! It's good watching, and very CLEAN. I'd highly recommend it for anyone.

Mikayla is doing SO MUCH BETTER at her bedtimes. She used to cry (A LOT!) whenever we'd put her down. I feel like she's kinda maturing, and it's so nice! For both her nap and this evening's bedtime, she didn't cry. :) I used to think that was the only way she'd go down. This new way is so much nicer. There IS an end in sight!

I'm reading in the book of Job right now. I get a little nervous when I do read it. Is that CRAZY or what?? After Job lost his possessions and his children, he said he wanted one thing. And that was for the Lord to destroy him, b/c then he could have comfort. WOW. I can't imagine 1/100 of what he went through. There were lots of good lessons for Job in it all, as there are many good ones for us. More on this later. I hope you all have had a blessed day. God is good. He is.

ps. my mommy made broccoli salad today. YUM ME!

Anne of Green Gables

My Joseph and I (and Mikayla, kinda) are watching the series of Anne. It brings back such memories. I think the first time I watched them, I was was about 7 (?). I LOVED them back then and still really like them. It's funny that we get so caught up in the romance (or lack of) of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley. Fun times!

My brother Mike and family are in South Dakota, and I believe today they moved into their new home. I do feel for my sweet sister-in-law Misty leaving her family and friends and moving to a totally new (lots colder!) place. I wish so badly that I could visit them. sigh. My parents are planning a trip there the beginning of December. I'm slightly jealous:( Jody is saving his vacation for when the baby comes.

I got an invite for lunch tomorrow at my parents' house. And I've accepted. :) Should be a fun day.

On the menu for tomorrow evening?
Jerry's Burgers (special on Tuesdays 1.99)
Baked Steak fries
Whoo hoo!

Off to read Grace's new post??? I'll believe it when I see it!

over 70 percent there!

I'm so excited. I'm now 28/40 weeks along in this pregnancy. What a delightful one it's been! HEARTBURN is a huge thing now. I used to only get it at night, but now it can hit at any time- no matter what I eat. Thankfully, popping a few rolaids temporarily brings much relief. :) Also I'm trying to do better about exercising. I'm having to walk much slower (due to pain in my tummy if I go too fast). But I know that some walking, even if slow, is definitely better than none. It just makes sense to me.

How was your weekend? Ours was quite nice. Mikayla and I LOVE having Daddy here on Saturday mornings when we awaken. There's nothing quite like it. Although she does get VERY distracted and instead of drinking her milk in a few minutes, it takes a LONG time and she usually doesn't finish when Daddy's around.

I must go shopping tomorrow! We need milk, not to mention TP! Two very essential items for a household, esp. ours.

Grace is coming to see us this weekend!!!!!! Oh, we love that girl!! and her family, too, of course. :) She's truly a delight to be around. AND, she's coming on my dear mommy's birthday. I think we'll find something fun to do...

More later! Good night!

And then it happened

What? you ask. That I have to stand sideways now to do dishes b/c my tummy is so big. HA! I chuckled to myself:) I just wonder when my feet will do that swelling thing.... I remember that most vividly with Mikayla- doing dishes standing sideways and having my feet tingle from the swelling. Fun stuff here!

We attended the petting zoo today. I was not extremely impressed. Thankfully the admission was free (and rightly so). The highlights?

~Christy came with us
~the weather was gorgeous
~Mikayla liked the tiger
~the camel didn't spit on us

That about sums it up. Then we came home and had some banana bread together with chocolate milk. and talked.

I took my glucose test today. And I was mistaken about something. The drink was NOT orange, it was red. Go figure. The lady poured it into a cup and told me to drink it as fast as I could. I got a little nervous and then gulped it down. Then I waited for an hour. And read most of the book of Esther. Oh, it's so good! The power of fasting. Read it sometime. :) Then the lady after some needle maneuvering (sp??!) finally got the blood going. Phew! All in all, a good experience. It's interesting the conversations you hear from people about to get stuck:) (I have GOOD veins, my veins roll, etc.)

Good night, my faithful friends.

The sweetest thing

Tonight I felt very privileged to witness what I did. My dear husband almost always gets Mikayla ready for bed (teeth brushed, diaper changed, pajams on, etc.) I've asked him before if I can just be in the room when he puts her down and he has told me no b/c (something like) it's their special time. So, I decided to give it another try, and tonight he said YES! Oh, it was precious!! They prayed together and he sang her a song and then hummed a lullaby. I think my heart may have melted tonight. sigh. I LOVE MY HUSBAND. Pure and simple. :) He's exactly the daddy my children (!) need.

Almost 28 weeks. Unreal. Tomorrow morning I'll go do my glucose test. My dear mommy is watching my girl while I drink some orange soda and give out some blood. I get an hour of quiet. Imagine that! Then I'll pick up Grannybear and we'll head back to my mom's and sometime after that we'll all have lunch together. Sounds like a plan!

I'm off to get some breakfast/lunch ready for my husband so I don't have to wake up at 4.

ps. I'm getting HUGE. Serioulsy. I spotted the transition today. phew.

You do the math

So I was in the mood for some Italian food today and thought maybe Mikayla and I could share a small cheese pizza from Prima Pasta (one of the BEST restaurants EVER) and go eat it at a park or something. I called and they informed me it'd be $8.65. WHAT??! I thought that was a bit overpriced, so I opted to go inside with my daughter, and enjoy a meal together. We shared some delicious HOT bread with butter, a salad with house dressing, and a super yummy pasta sampler for $5.49 (+ tax/tip). What a deal, eh? We both were quite satisfied and I got to just enjoy a quiet lunch with my girl, while someone waited on us and cleaned up after us. Think I made the right decision? I sure do! We even shared a green mint afterwards just IN CASE we happened to have garlic breath.... which I'm pretty sure we didn't :)

And I discovered that my tastes have changed. I think I'm growing up a bit. I no longer like ... sixlets! Can you believe it?? I kinda can't. Then Grace told me it's b/c it has wax in it. Makes good sense to me to put wax in cheap chocolate. right? wrong. It did take eating about 14 of the little guys to realize what exactly took place with my taste buds. NOT good anymore. I actually threw the rest of them in the trash. (I used to LOVE those things! and Wendy's, too, but that's another story).

Later gaters. or is it gators? I have no idea.

I've entered the 3rd trimester!

Is this exciting or what??! 27 weeks out of 40. Wheeee! I had my appt today, and all looks good:) A good heartbeat, and I guess I'm measuring right on schedule (he never does tell me, but that's ok). I did gain 5 (gasp!) pounds. It must've been those pancakes from last night at church. Ugh, they gave me the pancake blues. The ladies who made them poured VEGETABLE OIL on the skillet EVERY time they put more batter on. NOT my kind of cooking. But, all in all, a good time was had:)

I was talking to Grace about this tonight. Don't know why I chose to spill it all out on her (sorry, Grace). The words we say, the holidays we celebrate, what we watch, etc! have MEANINGS. ("Keep thy heart with all dilligence, for out of it are the issues of life") They have origins and mean something. I'm seeing the attitude that if we don't mean it bad, it's not. Hmmm. I think it's good to know what we're saying/supporting/watching or whatever. If you're not sure about something, do a wee bit of research, and I think it will help you make a good decision. A bit scattered, but just thought I'd throw that in. I'm sure I'm not going to scare away my readers with this rant. (Grace, Mom?)

We had an EXcellent dinner with my parents and Kevin tonight. Homemade egg rolls and rice. Yummy. yes, they were fried, BUT somehow it seems different than those pancakes. THANKS, MA!

Good night. Should be getting a cold front tomorrow. :))))))))))

3 months away

Lord willing, I'll be meeting our son in 3 months (or so). Is this exciting or what??! Well, for me it is;) I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing Mikayla interact with and love on the new baby. As much as she likes our silly cat, I think she'll do quite well with little Joseph Daniel. I can just see her kissing on him! Sweet times ahead, I think!

We had a pretty yummy supper this evening, if I do say so myself.

~Baked Bacon wrapped chicken breasts
~Baked seasoned potatoes
~Corn
~Grape salad (wish you could've been here to share it with us, CC!)

And I know, I shoudn't have capitalized the "b" in Bacon, but I think it deserves it:)

My brother Mike and family are heading to South Dakota in the morning. I had a nice, LONG (always long with him) talk with him this evening. What an encouragement he is to me!!! How I love that brother of mine.

I know it's not the most exciting post, but I don't like having the same old one every time you check;), so this is what I came up with.

Happy payday tomorrow!

Sweet dreams!

I feel so much better!

This has been a wonderful day for the following reasons:

~My considerate/caring/talented/sympathetic/hard-working mother come over today and helped me with my "hot spots" or whatever you want to call them. What a JOY she is in my life. sigh. Thank, ma!

~My husband wrote me the sweetest email reminding me of his love for me!

~When I tell my daughter that I love her, she says, Thank you:)

~A dear couple from our church is moving VERY close to us this week. Even if for a short period of time, I want to make the best of it. They've even discussed possibly having a Bible study. yay!! :)

~My Lord loves me! and I'm one day closer to heaven

~My 2 pounder moves like CRAZY, and I love it! So thankful all's going well with this pregnancy, as far as we know!

~My house smells good; we turned our air machine thingy on again. LOVE that smell.

WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE??

night!

Quite a pleasant day

Mikayla and I were so kindly invited to a ladies' luncheon hosted by our pastor's wife. Well, today was the day, and if you have had any dealings with our daughter, you probably know that I was a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. While Mikayla is lots of fun, she's also quite energetic, lively, curious, at times rebellious, and a bit stubborn. So, what did I do?? I prayed. Prayed that Mikayla would have a good day and that I, as her mother, would be wise and loving in mothering her.

The Lord so kindly answered my prayer, and we had a delightful couple of hours together with several other women:))) I was so thrilled, as you can imagine. It took us almost an hour to get to this place. First we took a tour. It was GORGEOUS. So extravagantly decorated. Breathtaking. Then we ate a scrumptious lunch. Spanish rice with a veggie soup and (really good!) tortillas- with tea and a lime to boot. Mikayla really liked the meal along with me, and then we shared some YUMMY carrot cake. :)!

After a few moments to let food settle and relax outside (enjoying the beautiful view!), we went indoors for a most excellent Bible study given by our pastor's daughter. Mikayla actually quietly sat beside me (most of the time) with her notebook and colored pencils and was a sweetheart! Oh, this day was such a blessing for me!! To know that my God cares even to answer small prayers in my life is just so humbling. I was encouraged in the Word. ps. You know, the most attractive woman is a godly woman. There's NO doubt about it.

Coming home, I looked at Mikayla and told her that I was so proud of her and that she was SUCH A GOOD GIRL TODAY. She looked at me seriously, then just beamed. I LOVED IT. And I love her. So much.

I hope you, too, had a good day. Mine was unique and special, to be sure!

Guess who's having a birthday!

Yep, it's my dearest friend Christy- you know, Mikayla's best bud. She's finally catching up with me. So, if you know how old I am, you also know her age:) I'm sure she'll appreciate me saying that. Happy Birthday, CC!!!! LOVE YOU!

We had a sleepover with her this past Friday night while the guys went camping. I decided to let Mikayla stay up late since it was a special occasion, and I (we) regretted that. She was full force at almost midnight and when it was FINALLY bedtime, she didn't do so well. Let's just say she used to getting around 12 hours of sleep a night and she got about 4 or 5. NOT FUN. But, we did take a really good, long nap the next day. :) My mom drew some cute things on this balloon and it popped while Mikayla held it. She was SO CONFUSED. And I think b/c it was so late we thought it was hilarious. We had an enjoyable weekend, to be sure!

25 weeks today. I just read online that if the baby were to be born right now (nooooo!) that he'd have a pretty good chance of survival. Isn't that awesome??!! I think that's so neato. He's weighing in at around 1.5 pounds.

Is this weird or what? I'm the ONLY ONE in our church who can still be/get pregnant. Wild??? I think so. Granted we DO have a small chruch, but it still seems strange to me. I feel like everyone is calling it quits. and I'm NOT putting anyone down, I promise. just an interesting fact I was pondering today... I can hear it now... GUESS WHO'S pregnant! duh. And why is it that every time somebody speaks on the tongue that it's so convicting to me?? Hmmm... this morning's SSchool was such a blessing to me. Lord willing, I have/will learn from it. sigh.

I'd better be done for the night. Good night, my friends out there. It's supposed to get COLD tomorrow. I. am. excited. for. sure.

Love this verse

Right now my daily reading takes place in 1 Kings. What a book it is! This is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, and I'm just gonna share it with you before I get my hubby's lunch ready for tomorrow and do some more reading (The Parting):

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee;
how much less this house that I have builded?"
~1 Kings 8:27

Isn't it so good?? I just smile when I think on it. Solomon truly was a wise man!

Good night, sleepy girls.

It's almost payday- wheeee!!!!

a fraction and dreams

3/5. That's not too far away from 5/5, right? That's how far along I am in this pregnancy. I'm terribly thankful for the Lord's mercies. Not every baby lives this long, as we know, and we don't want to take a day of life for granted. I LOVE feeling this baby move. sigh. And I washed some baby clothes today and will be putting them in a bin tomorrow for our Joseph:)

Do you like dreams? All in all, I'd be much more pleased to NOT have them. I think I like about 1 out of every 10, if that. And I dream in color- you do? It's crazy to go on adventures almost every night.

Are you getting a flu shot? Not me!

I'm getting some pregnancy clothes tomorrow!!! Now if you've never been pregnant, the previous sentence will leave you wondering why I'd be so excited. I'm SO thankful! And the girl loaning them to me dresses so cute. Wheee! :)

Wow, what a random post.

I think my husband's going to finally go camping soon:) I'm so happy for him. I'm planning on making him some homemade granola for breakfast for when he wakes up in the rugged outdoors. Hope he likes it!

Anyone tried a java chiller? YUMMY.

good night.

Mikayla's first haircut(e)

It's about time, right?? Tina (or Teeny, as Mikayla calls her and rightly so) so kindly gave our Miggy her first haircut. Tina did a terrific job and was extremely patient and good with her. AND, she wouldn't let me pay her! She said it was a privilege. :) Too sweet, eh?

Oh, the weather outside is nicer

Isn't the cooler weather just wonderful?? And it's only getting cooler. Awwww. I LOVE IT! Fall is my favorite time of the year. How about you? (just thought I would make this at least semi-interactive:)

We got a bid today on our home (to convert our garage to a bedroom/bathroom) and we're quite pleased. So, I think we're going to GO FOR IT. Thanks to Jody's brother who is very knowledgable about contract stuff, we got some good advice. Wouldn't it be nice to have another bathroom?? We sure think so. I'm confused though. While working on the house, are they going to be using our restroom??? Hope not, but how mean is THAT?!

Today Grannybear cooked a deliciou meal for us. She's sure not lost her touch!;)

Tomorrow I plan (maybe) to go to Kid(s?) Duds in Comanche and get some clothes for Mikayla and maybe some maternity clothes for me. AND they buy clothes. So, I've rounded up some of Mikayla's last year's winter clothes to sell. Hopefully I'll get a pretty good deal.

Enough already. Time to snuggle with lovebug (who is now emailing me from work!!!)

Good night!

Mikayla and her best buddy

Well, here you have it. Although Mikayla REALLY likes Mingus (our cat), I'd say that Christy is surely her best buddy:) And it's more of a 2-way street with her and Christy. Mingus is not especially interested in her for some reason... Anyway, here they are. This was taken on the night that CC so lovingly watched her for us so we could have date night!! (I knew you'd appreciate that, Grace)

Dodson family photo shoot

What a fun day. My mom got her new camera (finally!) and decided to break it in on us. 23 weeks pregnant today!!! :) Our little Joseph has hit his one pound mark!! Here are a few pics of our outing:

Daniel in the den

That's what my brother Dan called our little Joseph Daniel when he called last night to wish me a happy birthday. How sweet, eh? :) I loved it. In fact, get this. Boomama (yeah, I know I should link it, but I don't want to- boomama.net) and I have the same birthday!! I almost feel like I share my bday with a celebrity. I got about 4 or 5 comments while she got over 160. So, she's a little more popular than me, but 10 years OLDER. Ha! Gotcha, Boo! :)

Thank you all for your (my) happy birthday wishes. Y'all are GREAT!

Hopefully we'll be getting a bid tomorrow on getting our garage converted to a bedroom/bathroom. It would be SO nice to get that done, but the Lord knows. AND, we got a bid yesterday on getting a new AC/heating unit. Whoo hooo!

I can't believe Reva doesn't like cheesecake. Take her temp! Reva, thanks for the clothes!!! They are so cute! :)

Rats. Tonight's retainer night. I guess it's better than having to get braces again. I DON'T want that.

More later; I have a lot on my mind...

NIGHT!

Cheesecake for breakfast, anyone?

There's nothing wrong with having cheesecake for breakfast, right? Especially when it's your BIRTHDAY, and especially when you're 28!!!!!!! Whoo hoo! What better time to put an end to the silence on my blog than my bday! :) Don't you agree??

Last night was quite enjoyable for me. We had supper out with my parents and Christy. Very nice and yummy. I've gotten cards and gifts- it's been so nice.

Exactly 4 months from yesterday, our baby's due! So, today would make it less than 4 months? How fun is that?? What a great pregnancy it's been. I'm terribly grateful for how well it's gone so far. sigh.

Two weeks ago my mom and I entered some photos in a contest @ Pow-wow days in Comanche, Tx. Well, it turns out that one of mine got a blue ribbon and when I went to pick it up, there was a CASH PRIZE to be had also. WOW!! 75 buckaroos. Crazy. It was a pic if Mikayla that I wasn't going to turn in, but Jody insisted that I do. I guess he's got an eye for those things;) So, that was fun. It was my first cash prize EVER. :)

Well, I'm off to enjoy my morning with my mom and Mikayla and eventually Grannybear. I'm picking up a pizza for lunch and I asked Grannybear what she wanted for a topping and she said capers. Gak. I think.

Ok, I feel a little more mature today. Well, not really. But, it IS cool to grow older, eh? I praise the Lord for 28 years of (wonderful) life!

"swimming on you"

Have I EVER heard those words before?? Referring to clothing? NO. Until today!

Jody, Mikayla and I (and little Joseph, of course) went to pick out our son's coming home outfit, which he will, Lord willing, be wearing in about 19 weeks. :) So, we finally decided on one (SO CUTE!) and then went to the men's section to pick out a red shirt for Jody. (We're planning on having a family pic done soon and we want to all be wearing red shirts and jeans.)

After we found Jody's shirt, we headed to the catalog section to order my red shirt to match. The sales lady tried to help us find the red color red for the particular shirt I wanted. I then said that I wasn't sure whether or not to get a large or xlarge. She then looked at me, said I was "small boned" (WHAT???) like her daughter and the xlarge would be "swimming" on me. NEVER have I heard those words. It was a hoot. Especially being 21 weeks pregnant and feeling (and looking) quite mooshy (is that a word?). Crazy stuff tonight in JCPenney, I tell you. ;)

As you can see, I didn't stay home all day. I did wait to leave the house 'til Jody got home. I had a wonderfully relaxing day at home with my girl. And just to throw this in, I did NOT get the MAYBEs done that I'd listed in my previous post. oh well. good night!

Tomorrow's plans

Get ready, friends, for an exciting post.

Tomorrow I plan to:

~sleep in
~exercise
~read
~eat
~put laundry away
~read some more
~MAYBE vacuum
~MAYBE dust
~read
~take a nap
~not go anywhere (at least not until hubby gets home)

Now doesn't that sound NICE?? To me it sure does. But, you know how plans can soemtimes go. I'll probably be gone all morning and get back home just in time to greet my lovebug. (Noooooo!)

Pregnancy continues to go well. My growing belly is definitely making its entry. Wow.

I had a nice morning walk with my dear mommy today and my dad so kindly watched and fed Mikayla for me. Isn't that GREAT?? We're going to try to walk together twice a week. Any more than that and I'm afraid of what would happen. Just joking, of course.

Grace is Mrs. Running Queen lately. Grrrr. She's just trying to make me jealous. She'll be competing in a 5k in OCT- my BIRTH month. :) Yikes, I'm going to be 28. Good job, Grace, by the way.

Off to read up on some of my favorite blogs.

11 years ago today...

The Lord so mercifully saved me. I'd wanted to write a long, well thought out post, but alas, I'm here in McKinney and am quite "busy" watching two small girls:) (while Grace and Ma go to pick up Ian from SCHOOL!). I'm so very blessed by my God's goodness to me, his faithfulness and his great grace. Such an unworthy person, and yet the Lord chose to bestow his love upon ME! Such knowledge is too wonderful for me! (isn't that verse?)

My dear brother-in-law Dean so kindly changed my pic on my blog. See it? He's great. and he told me that he even took away the blemishes. gulp. :) Thanks, Dean!

I miss my hubby. Lord willing, I'll be seeing him tomorrow.

ps. I'm 20+ weeks along!!! And am feeling terrific! :) a little heartburn, but nothing that isn't very easily remedied.

Especial

Definition of especial: special; exceptional; outstanding

Yes, after some consideration, I find that word quite accurately describes my mommy. The other day I was in desperate need of help. My poor refrigerator had definitely plummeted to the very bottom of my priority list and was a disaster! She so generously gave of her time and energies and got it back into tip top shape. And I'm SO proud of it. I dare any of you to find one bad crumb in the whole thing! Just kidding:) kinda.

Just thought I'd share that.

ps. she's...............GREAT!

My dear Joseph

We are expecting a BOY! And will be naming him Joseph Daniel (after his daddy and my brother Dan). We are thrilled. It was wonderful seeing the little guy moving around. My parents, Mikayla, and Christy all came towatch- it was sure a treat to have them there! We are thankful , we are happy, we are surprised!

While my appt was going on, a dear Christian girl (Amy Wilhoite) who had quite a struggle with cancer, went home to be with her Lord. I'm so happy for her. The timing of it is just so interesting to me. What a testimony she left!

I'm off to make some chicken salad for my lovebug so he has something to eat @ work tomorrow:)

Ps 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Guesses are free and welcomed:)

Okay, so less than 24 hours from now, we hopefully will be finding out the gender of our baby! Whoo hoo! A few more days and I will be halfway through this pregnancy. Can you believe it?? So, any guesses out there?? Jody and I are both thinking girl (I guess b/c we already have one). BUT, it makes me wonder b/c we are so set on a boy's name and kinda juggling around a girl's name. Not that that means anything, but it's interesting:)

Good night!

What might've been

Well, today marks the "due date" of our second baby we lost. We never did get a due date from the dr b/c no heartbeat was ever found. But, according to my calculations, today would have been the due date.

A girl I was reading about (on a website I frequent) had 9 miscarriages and was on her 10th pregnancy. She found out about a week ago that she miscarried again at about 17 weeks:( She said she has given up. Another woman tried to encourage her by telling her she knew of a woman who had 27 miscarriages before giving birth to healthy twins (at almost 50 years old). WOW! I canNOT fathom that. Sometimes it's easy to miss people's hurts by focusing on your own. I don't want to do that.

Thankfully, the Lord has been so kind to us in giving us another baby to look forward to! He has indeed given strength to us and blessed us with peace! We praise Him for that:) I am growing like crazy and Lovin' it! I officially got back into exercising again. Phew! It's about time. I'm getting a bit soft. ha!

Mikayla had her first dentist appt yesterday. It was pretty funny, actually. The dentist held her, she screamed, and he then declared that she had no cavities (or sugar bugs, as Grace calls them). Yay! Then she got a toy. And he told me to get her off the bottle. It's NOT going well. ANY tips??

Almost 19 weeks along! WHEEE!! I must get housework done at some point today:) Toodles!

Last words

I've been reading (off/on) a book called All the Last Words of Saints and Sinners by Lockyer. It's SUCH a good book and as you can imagine- very sobering. I would highly recommend it to anybody. ( I believe it's my mom's book) I want to share an excerpt that I liked.

Constantina Bellone was a martyr of Roman Catholicism. Because she refused to go to mass, a priest ordered slices of flesh to be cut from various parts of her body. Finally the priest ordered a company of musketeers to fire upon her, and as they raised their muskets, the brave Protestant said:

"I was brought up in a religion by which I was taught to renounce the devil, but should I comply with your desire and go to mass, I should be sure to meet him there in a variety of shapes. What horrid and lasting torments will you suffer in hell for the trifling and temporary pains which I now endure."

WOW. What boldness. what faith. There are MANY more that really touched me. I'll problably share a few more in the near future.

17 weeks pregnant!! Priase the Lord all is going so well. I'm looking forward feeling the baby move. Maybe tonight! :)

Oh yeah. It's Luke EArnest Risse. In my previous post, I left out the a. oops.

Mister Luke Ernest Risse

Yes, my nephew was born today to Michael and Misty Risse, weighing in at 6 lb. 13 oz. and is 20 inches long. Whoo hoo!! I'm SO thankful to the Lord for a good delivery that (I hear from Mike) went very well. I know Misty is happy and relieved and is probably flooded with so many emotions right now.

The Lord is so good!

Just had to share!

Happy Birthday, Gracie Girl!

Yeppers, it's my dear sissy's birthday today!! She (finally) turned 25. Wow, is she ever OLD! She's certainly a huge joy in my life; I thank the Lord that I have her as a sister- I couldn't ask for a better:)

Well, our family fun weekend was SO great and here are some of the highlights:

• a clean, (a DEFINITE requirement) very comfy hotel room
• my absolute favorite meal @ Abuelos (shrimp with jalapenos and cheese wrapped with bacon and grilled- YUM- with cheese sauce, steamed broccoli and rice). My PRECIOUS husband insisted on it for me :) (yes, CC, this time Mikayla got her own side of fries with her own dipping container and LOVED IT!)
• We got to see Dan Edwards!! (anyone know who that is??) and didn't talk to him- rats! we had so much to say...
• we didn't get TOO much rain, but we did go through some very deep water while driving around and going to the mall
• I GOT SOME NEW MATERNITY CLOTHES! and my Joseph was extremely patient and kind as I tried on clothes and then tried on more clothes
• we saw a good air show and it was LOUD; we had to cover Mikayla's ears- it really scared her:( but they had yummy cheeseburgers, so that made up for it (kinda)

Ok, enough on that. It's good to be home. We had a terrific Lord's day, for which I'm so grateful for. The men decided next Sunday after morning services that they'll be cooking for us women!!! Grilled steaks, baked potatoes, beans, salad and bread. Who knows if they'll remember drinks or dessert or anything like that, but who cares, right? :) How fun.

16 weeks now!! 3 more weeks till we (hope to) find out the gender of baby D #3. PLEASE pray for Misty! If she doesn't go into labor on her own by Friday, they'll induce. WHEEE!

Goin' shoppin'

Tomorrow evening we're planning on staying the night in Abilene where we want to:

• Relax and have fun
• Shop for MATERNITY clothes- yay!
• Eat @ Abuelos (our favorite restaurant)
• go to the zoo
• watch the air show on Saturday

Now doesn't that sound nice?? I sure think so. I know it's close to home, but it will still be nice to get a night away with my little family :)

On September 10 @ 4pm, we're hoping to find out if I'm carrying a boy or girl!!! I'm so excited. Less than 4 weeks away! And we've invited my dear mommy and sweet CC to be there. :)

AND, my in-laws are coming for a visit this coming up week. Does it get any better than that?? Maybe Jean will (once again) try to teach me to crochet. I really want to make a blanket for this precious life inside of me. I've never made more than a row:(

So, it's off to Wal-Mart today for a few things we're needing. milk. chocolate. You know, the norm.

Thank you, ladies, for your sweet comments. It sure helps to make my day extra special reading them:)

Be still and know that I am God. ~Psalm 46:10 (love this verse)

A truly beautiful sound

I had my 2nd appt today and heard a heartbeat!! I love it, and we're so thankful for a good report from the dr. The scale was off, so they thought I lost 7 pounds. I told them no. I'd gained 3. Then the nurse said she'd put a ? by the weight. How funny. Then the dr said he wasn't concerned about the weight loss. Ok. Makes me laugh just thinking about it. :)

Christy watched Mikayla for us- great girl she is! We're pretty fond of her. And very thankful for her help and sweet attitude.

All in all, a terrific day. Praise the Lord!

night.

15/40 weeks

We had such an enjoyable evening with my dear brother/sister-in-law and our niece and nephew. We got to SWIM, which is very unusual for our family. It was really nice. I asked Jamie if I was the first one to ever wear capri pants in their pool :) Kinda funny. (Grace would appreciate that!) They cooked yummy hamburgers for us with corn on the cob, potato salad, and chips and dips. In other words, they spoiled us;-)





I'm hoping this link I'm going to try will work. I want to show ALL of you how the baby looks right now @ 15 weeks. It's truly AWESOME! Just click here. (???)

So soon? Yeah, I had to

So, we had a nice Friday evening with Christy and my dear parents coming over for fajitas. Although it was HOT, everyone was very gracious concerning the temp in the house and the lack of ice for tea. NOT a good combination. Lord willing, we'll be getting a new air/heat unit soon. That will be so nice. What we have right now certainly meets our needs, but it would be great to have central h/ac. We'll see how the Lord leads and provides.

The good news is that Christy got a great pic of Mikayla with bloomers on her head. (I love it!)

My girl

Thanks to Christy for taking this photo, I have a current pic of my girl. I love her like crazy!!!! She's a HUGE blessing in my life. I love being a mommy and the fun times we have together. I love kisses on her nose (I think she does, too!), I love holding her hand a walking together, I love her toes that are webbed together, I love her chubby, sweaty hands and feet. I love waking her up in the mornings and having her milk ready for her:))) I love to watch her play quietly, pull Tiger's tail and think that he enjoys it (??). I love that it's hard for me to type this post right now b/c she'd rather sit in my lap than play with her toys. She's great. I thank the Lord for the blessing of my precious daughter, a true answer to prayer.

ps. Almost 15 weeks. No more nausea. Feeling terrific and GROWING. Maternity clothes, here I come!

Peach and PEACHES

It's peach season! At 13 weeks along in this wonderful pregnancy, the baby is the size of a peach. sigh. AND, we've got several visuals of our baby. A sweet lady at church gave us many pounds of peaches. A Wal-Mart sack full of them. yummmmy! I'm wanting to make some cobbler and smoothies and I'm trying to decide what else. I'll probably end up freezing lots of them b/c there are so many. After she gave them to me, I (nervously jokingly, kinda) laughed and said that maybe I ought to share the peaches with others in the church. She reassuringly told me that there were more. Phew. :) (and my mom thinks I'm not a humorous, witty writer- ha!)

TWO nights ago, I started showing. Unbelievable! I looked down and there it was. Yay! It did come at me fast, though, taking me by surprise. The lady at the bank told me I was looking small (NOT my body, my belly) and that very night, it made its appearance. On a serious note, I'm very thankful for how well this pregnancy has gone. The Lord is good.

And then I got a hankerin' (is that a word??) for Twizzlers. They sure hit a spot. I NEED TO START EXERCISING AGAIN. Mom? CC? Anybody want to walk with me??

Well, wait. How was YOUR weekend?? Let me know, if you'd like. :) Night!

Ledbetter photo session

The Ledbetter family- dressed in white. All in all, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I've yet to get a positive response from Grace (she's too hard on herself!) - oh well. Here goes:

Coming soon to a computer near you...

A new post from Sarah!!

but, not tonight. Hopefully tomorrow.

Quick highlights-

~Abby turned 1!
~Dear Jamie loaned me a book which came in the mail today!
~12 weeks pregnant!
~No more nausea!
~Jody and I made an apple/blueberry curmb pie tonight- yummy!
~It's slumber party time!
~Since I'm feeling so much better, it's time to start walking again...

Night!

One sweet Saturday

Awww, what a nice, restful, relaxing day it's been. I love the weekends where we can spend lots of time with Daddy and get good rest. We enjoyed a (fly-filled) picnic @ Coggin Park, and then Mikayla got to run around, swing, and slide a bit. Oh, we love that girl!

11 weeks along today, priase the Lord! Finally the size of a large lime. How fun. My mom and I spent some time together last night. At Bahama Bucks, I spotted a basket thingy with limes and lemons and smiled :o)

What do sour patch kids and skittles have in common? You can only eat so many without absolutely needing to stop AND needing a drink of water. I bought some spk last night - sour then sweet (then cavity, then trip to dentist).

For supper tonight? Marie Callender's chicken pot pies. I know, I know, I took the easy way out, but Jody and I are actually looking forward to it. Mmm good.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

The racing girls!

I know, I know; this picture is a little outdated, but I'm finally showing it. We had such a fun "race" day. Thanks, Erin, for joining us! (this was taken AFTER the race, as you can tell:)

Terrific quote

"All self esteem and self preservation comes at a very high cost.

It cuts us off from others. It turns us into self-centered, self-pitying introverts.

It makes us hard, haughty, callous, quick to find fault,

yet so very sensitive to our own hurts."

~F.B. Meyer

It is of the Lord's mercies...

We were able to see our baby's heartbeat today, and we praise the Lord for it!!! What a complete joy it was to see our baby dancing around as if he/she knew we were watching. :) My due date is Groundhog Day!! And for those of you who are NOT familiar with the holiday, it's February 2nd.

Dear Christy so kindly watched Mikayla at our home while Jody and I went to the appt. She even cleaned up for me. AND, she and Mikayla met us outside when we drove up. It's been a VERY special day and a very emotionally exhausting one. The Lord has truly shown great kindness to us. Good night!!

CHERRIES

Have I ever mentioned that I love cherries?? I do! My sweet mommy just delivered some to my house this evening. We had a bbq to celebrate the 4th. Jody did a great job cooking out. The menu included chicken, poppers, cornbread salad, beans, and squash with onions. For dessert we had apple pie. (No, not homemade. I have lots of trouble making apple pie. It always turns out runny and it frustrates me. So, I buy the frozen kind and it always turns out yummy. Yummy, not runny- perfect. :) We had my parents over and Mikayla's favorite Aunt Christy. A very enjoyable evening for me, although Christy seems to think I'm a bit crazy/sensitive in this pregnancy. Who knows. Maybe I am.

My first appt is MONDAY!! I'm excited for the day to come. I do know that whatever happens and whatever we see that God will give us great grace. In that I am confident. I saw this verse the other day and it was special to me:

"The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve..."
~Psalm 29:9a

Isn't that great?? It doesn't just "happen." The Lord is in control of it all. I love it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, dear ladies for your encouraging comments on my previous post. We've decided to rock her/love her to sleep until she gets older. It's going quite smoothly (of course).

How about that hot dog eating contest?? CRAZY x a million. 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Unreal. Talk about indigestion. At least they're Nathan's (the best hot dog you can find).

Happy 4th!

ME time- ha!

Well, did I ever have plans for tonight! I was going to take a bath, shave, pluck, polish, eat, blog, sweep and mop. Those WERE my plans. It was going to be all about, who else?- me! Yeah right.

Right now, my daughter's door is open and she's talking to me. yes, it's after 10, and her bedtime is 8. "mamadaddy" and the likes is what I'm hearing. And the chirping of birds (her noise machine). I NEED HELP. Our daughter HATES bedtime. and I do mean HATES. It's about to drive us crazy. Discipline during the day is very beneficial and rewarding. However, night time is different. It (discipline)means NOTHING to her. I told Jody that she'd rather have negative attention from us than be by herself. She screams as if there is somebody in bed with her pulling off each toe of hers. We are extremely frustrated.

and I'm hungry b/c dinner tonight was taquitos, rice, beans, and guacamole, and I did NOT feel in the mood for it. So, I've been waiting to eat a bowl of cereal (which sounds SO much better), but I'm stuck here in this chair giving reassuring waves and smiles to my daughter while she is wide awake in her crib.

If I had not had a child like this, I'd think the mom (me) was crazy or lazy or not a disciplinarian, or something of the sort. But, I do have a daughter like this. And having watched other babies (ABBY!), I know this is not a normal thing.

So, does anyone have some encouraging advice?? I hope I'm not opening myself up to get hammered. I pray for wisdom DAILY in this matter. I so need it. I feel like we've tried it all, but I'd welcome suggestions.

Ok, that's it for now. Oh yeah. 9 week along tomorrow. Baby's about an inch long. Wheee!!! Hope to see the heartbeat soon. Good night.

Good reminder

As I was reading this morning, I came across this wonderful verse that is a good reminder (subject!) for us (me):



"For who maketh thee to differ from another?

and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?

now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory,

as if thou hadst not received it?"

~1 Corinthians 4:7



It's so esasy for our nature to be prideful, and God hates pride. Sometimes I wish I were a writer. I feel like I've got so much to say, but I can never get the point across on "paper." I am no better than ANYbody!! But, do I live my life accordingly? All that I have really has been GIVEN to me. No race is better or worse than mine. I thank the Lord that he has made me who I am. I want to live my life without pride, prejudices and the likes. For His honor and glory.



Almost 8 weeks pregnant. YAY. I praise the Lord for the time he's given me with this tiny one. A few more days, and we'll have a little pinto bean. :) NAUSEA is hitting me pretty hard this time around. Wow. I did get some crackers and they seem to help. Just thinking of that sweet syrupy stuff that's supposed to help with nausea makes me sick. gak.



Our Mikayla is doing quite well. I'm just in awe of motherhood. I LOVE WHEN MIKAYLA GIVES ME HUGS. Did I get my point across? :) She never had been too affectionate, but now she is starting to be more so. WHEE!! ( I think it just might to have to do with that fact that she knows I like it so much and will give her almost anything afterwards:) But, hey, I'll take it!



I'm thinking about getting some white shelves from IKEA to go in Mikayla's and the new baby's room. Yes, we have a two bedroom house, so they'll be (LORD WILLING) sharing a room. I think it will save a lot of space and we wouldn't have to add another dresser. Our plan is to take the big bed, the book shelves and computer out, and put in a twin size bed. And the shelves, but I haven't asked Jody about that yet. I'm sure he'll like the idea. And since we have a certain family member I love so much who lives so close to IKEA, I'm sure it'll work out.

I'm off to have lunch with my parents. Chinese food. I'm not sure if that sounds good nor not, but we'll see:)

SA is simply a stronger team, right?

Poor Cleveland. Not that I care a bit about basketball, but everytime they get ahead, they get behind again. How sad. I'm proud of the Spurs, though. How does that work anyway? Do you just root for the team who lives the closest to you? Who knows.

I'm tired (not in a bad way, mom) of waiting my sweet mommy to send me pictures of our big RACE. Those will come soon. But, I figure that I don't have to have pics in order to post. It just seems like it. I had the privilege of doing the race with my dad, Grace, and Erin (what a NEAT gal!!). Grace and my dad took off and left me and Erin in the dust b/c they had a competition going. So, we enjoyed talking and getting to know each other. I VERY much enjoyed it. We mostly walked, but we did have a few jogging moments. And in the end (actually it was the begining) we got a t-shirt, dr pepper jelly beans, pencils, pens, Jones soda stickers/magnet, a TX flag, dr pepper chapstick, and much more. Good stuff.

7 weeks pregnant, and feeling it!! I'm terribly grateful. Thinking back to pregnancy #2, I did not feel this way. It's interesting that I didn't even know to be alarmed or think something was wrong. (Yay for the Spurs!- See, dad, it's NOT rigged) The baby is about the size of a bb (did I spell that right?). That's pretty tiny, isn't it? If he/she keeps growing, in about a week baby will be the size of a pea. Now THAT will be growth. hee hee!

I had more to write, but I'm gonna call it quits. TIME FOR BED! More to share later. night!

It's from Elmo

I'm glad Jamie likes the new word "yahooey" or however you spell it. A friend of ours gave Mikayla an Elmo on a surf board and he says, "Elmo loves to surf (took us forever to figure out that word) with YOU! Yahooey! This is fun!" So, that's where we picked it up. And we like it:)

Oh, ladies, you are all so sweet with your comments. Thank you for your encouragement, love, friendship, and prayers. I'm humbled. I (we) would LOVE to be able to meet this little one. And, Lord willing, we will. It's lots of fun to be pregnant. It changes a lot of things in life, somehow. It's such a JOY.

This pizza place on Nightline is accepting pesos for payment. It has everyone up in arms. Interesting figure of speech, eh? Any thoughts?

Tomorrow I'm going to a cattle auction- WHEEE! Christy, Mikayla and I are going for a walk beforehand (yay!). I'm thinking about bidding on a cow. Just kidding, of course.

Off to bed SOON. I must get my rest!

My last week of running

Hi, Ladies! I'm back:) It's about time, right?? We had a wonderful vacation to Louisiana to see Jody's parents. Most of you know that my poor dad got sick a few days before we planned to leave for MN, and since we had the car all packed up, we decided to go to Louisiana instead. Wonderful/relaxing trip!! On the way home, we visited Grace and family for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. ps. my dad's feeling better, thank the Lord!



So, I've decided this is my last week of running because.... I'm pregnant! Yahooey! :) Jody and I (and Mikayla, of course) are thrilled. I'm not even sure if I want to run anymore at all (during this pregnancy) because I get SO exhausted when I'm running, and I'm not sure if that will put baby Dodson #3 in distress or not. :) I want to be careful, as you can imagine. I've got a race planned for this Saturday (a 2.5 mile run) in Dublin, TX. We'll see; maybe I'll just slow jog/walk it. I know "they" say if you're already running when you get pregnant that it's ok to continue. I've been running for about 2 months now, but I'm still not in good running condition, so after this week, it's walking for me.

Well, here's the running schedule anyway:

Week 9 and 10: Working It Out

You've finished two months of training and you are really closing in on your goal. These two weeks will be about speed and effort: You've got the distance down, so now you can work on covering that distance faster and more easily.

Week 9

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 1.5 mi a little faster than your normal speed
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 3 mi
Friday: rest
Weekend: one day rest; one day 1.5 mi a little faster than your normal speed

(I'll leave the link to where I'm getting the schedule soon since I'm getting out of running for the time being.)

According to the computer calculation, my due date is around February 1st. yay! I don't want to be scared/anxious/nervous or anything like that. I (we) just want to enjoy every single day the Lord gives us with this new baby growing inside of me. I pray for His will in the life of this baby. My precious nephew talked to me on the phone today and said "congratulations." Then he asked me, "is this baby gonna die, too?" I told him maybe. By then I couldn't get many words out and really teared up. He's such a sweet boy. He was looking forward to meeting our last baby and he never got to. Lord willing, we'll get to meet this one!

Please be in prayer for Rebekah. Her precious newborn son is having a heart procedure done on Wednesday. I do hope and pray all goes well with Brandon. I can't imagine what a parent's heart feels like to go through that. I pray the Lord would give healing and great strength and recovery to little Brandon.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield:

the LORD will give grace and glory:

no good thing will he withhold

from them that walk uprightly.

~Psalm 84:11

The Lord is so good to us!!

Good night!

Week #8 (a bit early)

Well, in just a few more hours, we'll be heading to MN!! So, I've decided to post the 8th week schedule since I won't be posting for another week. I've got plenty to do, so I'll make this speedy.

Week 8

Monday- 2.5 miles
Tuesday- rest
Wednesday- 2 miles
Thursday- rest
Friday- 3 miles
REST THE WEEKEND:)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!
ps. I'm sure liking running. seriously. :)

Week #8 (a bit early)

YAY for GRACE!

Well, Grace (without stopping) ran her 2.5. I guess all that slacking really paid off. Maybe I'll try that sometime. If I did that, I'd end up in a .25 mile run with extreme exhaustion. That girl. And the scale.... that's a whole other story. I AM proud of her though:)

Our Mikayla's not feeling too well:( I think she has (yet another) ear ache. (Don't you love how Blogger now automatically saves your drafts??) I called the dr this morning and we're due to be there @ 11am. So, I'd better go get ready for that. I'm thankful that she'll be able to be seen today.

Ps. Thanks, Laura, for my hubby's birthday wishes!
pps. Lord willing, we'll head out Friday afternoon (after my dad and hubby get off work)
pps. Thank, Jamie!

Sonic ice is so nice

Well, isn't it? The other night I had quite a yummy treat- tons of Sonic ice with lots of orange juice. So good. It's soft ice (if there could be such a thing). You oughtta try it sometime. It really works well for me b/c I use just use one ice tray that produces ice about the size of a brick. NOT fun to chew on...

In other news, my goal today was to run 2.5 miles. Phew. I (almost) made it.

Lap 1: walk
Laps 2-9: run
Lap 10: walk/run
Lap 11: run
Lap 12: walk

I'm sure that made NO SENSE AT ALL, but to me it does. :) And maybe to Grace or Jamie. The verdict is still out on whether or not Grace will be running tonight. Goo... GRACE! You can do it!

Tomorrow my lovebug's going to be 34!! Yep, it'll be his birthday. I'm totally in love with him. sigh. He's ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. I praise the Lord for allowing me to be his wife. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else on earth than right here being a homemaker and a mommy. I don't feel like I'm "wasting" any "skill" (ha!) or not fulfilling my potential. Jody says he loves coming home to me and Mikayla. Totally priceless.

And, Reva, I can't run with you on Tuesday, sorry, we're going (Lord willing, of course) to Minnesota!! Yay! I'm looking forward to spending some time with my grandparents, and I'm thrilled that they get to meet a great -grandchild. And, we'll be staying @ Barney's on the Bowstring (?) (a cabin on a lake). So, we've got lots going on very soon in our lives. What fun though:) Reva, when we get back, we'll race! Ok? :)

'til next time!

"Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

~Proverbs 22:6

Week 7

Well, Jamie (and grace) are you ready??? This seems quite scary, but I think we can do it, right?? Here's the ever so helpful quote:

Your body has had some rest now and should be ready to move on. This week we are stepping up the training a bit. Don't be suprised if you find yourself struggling; it is meant to be tough, but you can do it!

Week 7

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 2.5 mi
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 2.5 mi
Friday: rest
Weekend: one day rest; one day 3 mi

No excuses here, but I pulled (slightly) something in my calf muscle while playing tennis with my dad, my husband and my parents' new pastor last night. I ran my 1.5 this morning and REALLY noticed it. So, hopefully, the rest of today and resting tomorrow and most of Tuesday will put me back in "running" order. I really am enjoying running. It's great alone time, and it's so fulfilling (in a physical way).

AND, my mom bought me a running magazine!! That was fun to read. It had an article about the Comrade Marathon in Africa. 55 miles! It's a mega-marathon. and the time limit is 12 hours. Can you imagine that?? Running for 12 hours?? Right now I'm good for about 20-25 minutes of jogging. ANYway, THANKS, mom!! What a sweetie she is.

Did I mention that I love my family?? I do! Thanks for your music comments. Good night!

M(ore) O(n) M(usic)

How's THAT for a subject?

I think there are 2 things to ask ourselves when listening to music (right now I'm talking about "Christian" music:

1) Does it glorify God?
2) Does it grieve God?

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth." ~John 4:24

If the song doesn't reflect truth, then how can we worship God through it? To find out if a song is truthful, compare it to the Word of God. If it goes against that, it can't bring glory to God. Right? I do try to be very careful of the music I allow myself to listen to.

As far as secular music, I also think we need to be very careful. I like plenty of songs that aren't "Christian." I make it a point, though, to listen carefully to the lyrics, and if it's offensive (vulgarity/blasphemous/etc.) I turn it off. Just like objectional movies, it's simply not worth it to have my spirit grieved and to know that I've grieved my Lord.

Anyway, any thoughts on these things? I want to hear.

I've been thinking about what Laura asked in a comment earlier -

"Is there any thing that is morally neutral? Or is everything we do categorized into the sin-section or the non-sin section?"

I'm not sure. I guess I DO think there are things that are "neutral." Let's look at the definition of sin. In 1 John 3:4, it tells us that "sin is the transgression of the law." Aren't there so many things we do that do not fall into that category? Boy, what a topic. Sure gets you thinking.

In other news, Jamie posted about prioritizing (sp??). It was so good that I VACUUMED my house (something I've been putting off for several uhmm... weeks? now). It looks much better, I must say. Thanks, Jamie!

One last thing. What would YOU do without your makeup bag?? Well,, Grace and family came and stayed for a night and for some reason, they took my makeup bag with them. With my face lotion, pluckers!, contacts, not to mention the makeup I wear sometimes. I'm not a big makeup fan, but I certainly do miss the option:( I've been having to put regular lotion on my face- yuck!- it's so greasy and feels like I'm putting sunscreen on. I'm hoping to get it back very soon.

That's all for now. I think my dad's coming over for lunch. yay! :)

A VERY selfish post

I DID IT! I RAN TWO MILES TODAY. WITHOUT STOPPING. YAY!! I just HAD to share that. Sorry for all that yelling... It'd been about 8 years or so since I'd run 2 miles. Phew. My dad encouraged me to just take it slow and to breathe using my stomach. I guess I was doing it wrong all along. So, that really helped, I think.

I had a LOVELY day with Ali and family and even got to see Mary! What a treat indeed. My mom and I took some pictures and ate a lot of Ali's food. :) Very yummy. we had avocado egg rolls. How could you go wrong with that?? Very delicious. Oh yeah, I got to meet quite a delightful PRECIOUS new baby. sigh. I think my heart melted. (Ok, Grace, not literally (she's VERY picky about people using the word "literally" b/c it's often used incorrectly)). (I'm pretty sure I didn't do all those parentheses right, but that's ok, I'm sure)

So, thanks for the encouragement Reva, Jamie and Grace. Y'all are great. Yeah, you, too, Christy:)

Music and Running (schedule)

What's the criteria for music you listen to- to be "appropriate" or "acceptable?" My Joseph and I were discussing this today, and to me, it's an interesting topic. Any thoughts? Opinions? Convictions? Please share.

Oh, I can't believe it's Week 6 already. Grace and Jamie, are you ready??
Here it is.....

Week 6

Monday- 2 miles (uh-oh)
Tuesday- rest
Wednesday- 1.5 miles
Thursday- rest
Friday- 1 mile
Saturday/Sunday- rest one day/ 1.5 miles the other

I hope that I can make the two miles tomorrow without stopping. Last time I couldn't do it- only lasted about 1.5 miles. So, we'll see. I'm a wee bit nervous, but I know I shouldn't be. and the other day I asked myself, why didn't I start this running BEFORE I had my Mikayla; it's not like I didn't have the time:) Oh well, here I am.

I have the privilege of taking some photos of a newborn tomorrow!! How fun:) Maybe I can post a picture or two of the outcome. I'm excited!

I hope to have a week that brings honor and glory to my great God! Good night.

Way overdue

Hello, people out there. What's everyone been up to?? It's definitely time for a new post, eh? It's almost Mother's Day. I like this holiday. We don't "do" many holidays, but we do like this one:) yay.

Tomorrow morning is the Birdwell's family photo session. I just get a tiny bit nervous- ha!- about the whole thing. We were going to shoot some photos @ a little gazebo in town, but I went there this morning and we would've had to swim to get there. Not worth it, so I moved to plan B. We're starting out at the park, then going downtown to to an old building. We decided this morning on black and white film. Yes, I still have a film (anyone remember those?) camera where you have to decide BEFOREhand what kind fo film to use. There are definite perks to having a digital camera, but I'm very thankful for my camera, and I mean to use it until they quit making film (which seems like it'll be in the next few months or so). SO, hopefully the whole shoot will go well and we'll get some good shots. WONDERFUL family:)

Running is going well for me. Yesterday my dad and I went together to the track and jogged around; afterwards we went to play tennis for a while. It was really a nice time and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. Hopefully my Joseph will want to play some tennis with me sometime. I'm pretty bad at it, but I do have fun.

AND, Grace is helping me with the photos this time. Usually it's my sweet mommy (and hubby) helping me, but my mom has to work the election (some excuse that is!). So, while I'll miss my sweet mommy, I'll enjoy Grace's assistance, while my hubby gets to sleep in.

Ok, I'm off to hard boil some eggs for tomorrow. Grace told me that once they start boiling it's 8 minutes. Does that sound right? Hope so!

It's week 5!

Ok, Jamie and Grace, here we go:

Week 5 and 6: Recovery

Your body is probably pretty tired from the last month of running. These next two weeks are about allowing your body to recover, so that it can continue to build. In our house analogy, I suppose we are letting the cement dry. These two weeks should be about staying hydrated (lots of water), trying to eat the right foods and letting your achy muscles have some rest (but not too much). You may also want to take some time to read more about running.

Monday- rest
Tuesday- 1 mile
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- 1.5 miles
Friday- rest
Satruday/Sunday- rest one day/1 mile the next

Sounds very doable, eh?

Jamie, I really enjoyed reading your running story about your "cheerleaders." How cute! Hope you all have a great week!

Psalm 130

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

Lord, here my voice: let thine ear be attentive

to the voice of my supplications.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities,

O Lord, who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee,

that thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait,

and in his word do I hope.

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that

watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch

for the morning.

Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD

there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Ps. Grannybear's birthday is tomorrow! :)

Psalm 93:4

While I had my Bible opened, I looked down and saw this verse and it just seemed to jump out of the page.

"The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."

It's been a good day, but an exhausting one. Heather, thank the Lord!, came out of her surgery not too long ago. She has function in her arms and legs, but they are unsure if her speech will be affected from the surgery. I've spent lots of good time in prayer today. What a truly mighty and merciful God we serve.

We had my parents over for dinner which included: chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and steamed broccoli. I also had a bit of Emily's bread before we ate- very yummy:) (Thank, Emily!)

Off to bed "early" tonight. I praise the Lord for his goodness and his steadfastness. For his Word, for keeping his promises, and for giving strength. I love my Savior!

Good night!

ps. I was watching Jeremy Camp's dvd and found out that he was married before. I had no idea. He said he and his wife had been married about 4 months, and the Lord took her home; she had cancer. He was angry and asked the Lord "why?"; he said the Lord showed him that if her knew, then it wouldn't be walking by faith. Interesting. Any other JC fans?? I like most of his music.

My 100th post- dedicated to....Heather

I was contemplating who I'd "dedicate" my 100th post to, and I was having a rough time deciding. Until I thought of Heather @ http://especiallyheather.com. Grrr... I wish I could do a decent link, but I won't dwell on that.

Although I don't personally know Heather, I love this girl. I love her in Christ. And I'm praying for her. Her story is so loaded with sadness, heartache ,pain and shock. But, most of all, it's filled with a precious attitude of trusting in her great God, it's filled with encouragement, selflessness, and hope. I just stand in awe of the grace of God in her life.

Tomorrow morning she's going to have brain surgery. Wow. I pray the Lord will so richly bless this dear girl. She's a daughter, a mother, a wife and so much more. And my heart aches for her like crazy. Heather has helped me so much with perspective. She's a jewel; I'll leave you with a quote from one of her writings:

"Anger, bitterness, and hatred are Satan’s tools. They steal the hope that has been given to us at such a huge price. There are people that I haven’t been able to pray for in years, yet I find myself praying for them now- even in the midst of this, Christ alone gives me that strength. He reminds me that His love is not just for those I deem worthy, because I am so unworthy myself. His love is far reaching, it is all compassing, and in all honesty it is completely undeserved by any of us. "

It's week 4!!

Just posting the new running schedule I know you are all waiting to see. First read this:
(I should've posted this last week b/c it refers to weeks 3 and 4. sorry)

"Our bodies have started to understand what we expect of them now. Over the next two weeks, we will start to build the base of distance so that eventually we will be able to speed up. Remember, distance first, then speed. Right now you shouldn't think about how long it takes you to do your run. You should concentrate on breathing slowly, steadily, and deeply. You should think about running lightly; try not to make noise when your feet hit the ground. Pretend you are sneaking up on other runners or walkers. Don't get discouraged about being passed by runners and walkers. You will get faster, but first you have to let your body get comfortable. Build your base. You have to build the foundation of a house before you can live in it. "

That's not MY quote (obviously!!)

Ok, ladies, here it is:

Monday- 1.5 miles (what??!)
Tuesday- rest (ok, that's better)
Wednesday- 1 mile
Thursday- rest
Friday- TWO MILES (where did that come from?!)
Saturday/Sunday- rest one day, 1 mile the other

WHOA!, eh? I feel myself getting stronger. How exciting. I ran my mile today and didn't feel like death was as near as last time.

ps. Tomorrow's my daddy's birthday!!! and my friend Rebekah is being induced and will, Lord willing, have her baby tomorrow. Both need lots of prayer! :)


GOOoooooooo...........Ladies!

A very special gift

Here's what came in the mail today

from Mikayla's Aunt Laura. I cannot

imagine making something so cute!

THANK YOU, Laura; we love it! :)

My strawberry girl

This is Mikayla on the way home from McKinney looking

VERY content with that thing she has in her hand:)

THANK YOU, Jamie, for your encouragement today to run my

first mile. I did it!! I actually thought I might die, but I didn't. It's fun to

see/feel my body getting stronger.

It's sure stormy today, isn't it?

I guess it all depends on where you live. duh.

Hope you all have a great day. Yes, even you, Grace Leddy.

New, fun purchases

• Haircut! ( I was in desperate need)
• Jogging pants (nice fit, but it's a must that I wear a LONGer shirt with them. ahem.
• Ink cartridge ( you just feel kinda lost when you're out of ink, right??) (now we're just out of money)
• Photo album that holds 500 photos- it's time to get organized; I have photos EVERYwhere, and I just keep finding more.

Ps. Tomorrow's the big mile. gulp.

Pps. CC stopped by for a fun visit; we picnicked, watched Mikayla fall, and shooed cats away;

does it get any better than that??

Week 3

Ladies, this week marks the time when we start jogging a whole mile. gasp. Grace (cheated) went ahead and jogged her 1 mile already. Hey, no problem, Grace; nothing like a little togetherness. You always were "ahead of the bunch." :)

This week's schedule is as follows:

Monday- rest. awww..
Tuesday- run 1 mile (I'm still going to walk a little afterwards- do what you want)
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- run 1 mile
Friday- rest
Saturday/Sunday- rest one day/run 1 mile the next

Sounds like a pretty simple week, eh? All except for the running part. ha!

For those of you who want to be in an actual race, here are some details for the one Grace and I are running in:

Dublin Dr. Pepper 116th Bday celebration
10-2-4k
(free Dr. Pepper all day long- what a selling point, eh?:)
Saturday, June 9, 2007

ps. for some reason unknown to me they didn't say a time;
in the past the races have started @ 8am

Are you ready??

pps. No, Laura, we're not making jam:( We froze lots of strawberries to make smoothies later, and we've eaten LOTS of fresh ones:)

My favorite of the bunch

I HAD to share this picture b/c it's my absolute favorite of the bluebonnet pictures; last one, I promise:) What a face she's making. Love it!

We've had a nice weekend together. Jody and Mikayla came with me to the track to give me lots of support while I jogged and walked; it seems like I barely made it. phew. Next week we're running a MILE. WOW, it's been a LONG time since I've run that much. Hopefully, I can do it. (you, too- Grace, Laura, Jamie!)

We went to the strawberry picking place this afternoon and picked 12 pounds of strawberries. Mikayla even picked a few non-ripe ones, which I threw in the basket anyway. Even those tastse better than the "ripe" ones we get anywhere around here. It was fun watching her have a good time with the strawberries. We took turn watching her.

Then we had a wonderful visit @ Emmie's house where she fed us chocolate cupcakes and jambalaya with salad. Yes, in that order. (Thanks, Ma!)

Hope you all have a great Lord's day! :)

Bluebonnet girl

Here's one of many pics I took of my 1 year old.

She's getting so big! I know you can't see her face, but

it's one of my favorites anyway. The dress

was a birthday gift from a extra special friend.

We had a superb visit to McKinney-

it's so good to be home!!

This evening we got Chicken Express to go,

had a nice picnic in the park,

then walked 3 miles together.

Fun times!

More later :)

It's week 2, ladies!

I almost forgot to post our new running regimen- oops! I know you are all just waiting to see what workouts this week holds for us. Ok, without further ado, here goes:

Week 2

Monday- .75 mile run, 1 mile walk
Tuesday- REST
Wednesday- .5 mile run, 1 mile walk
Thursday- REST
Friday- .75 mile run, 1 mile walk
Saturday/Sunday- REST one day, .75 mile run, 1 mile walk

The good news is 2 of the 4 workouts will be done with my sweet sissy Grace! We're off to McKinney in the morning, Lord willing. yay!! :) So much to do before then, so I'd really better get offline. Somehow I get more done when I'm not on this computer. Good night!