Bought with a Price

A big FAT break

2011-07-15T08:59:00.003-05:00

Hello, friends- whoever you may be. I know it's been a LONG time since I've blogged. After my mom's death, I've just felt so unmotivated to blog much of anything. And right now for me it's falling under the category of "things I'm behind on or an area I'm failing in." SO, I will extend my blogging hiatus for longer. I've stopped blogging and my husband has started. Go figure.

The Lord has been good to our family and remains faithful. I'm almost at the 28 week mark of this pregnancy. It looks like we'll be having a little girl, who we are naming after our mommies. I thought about deleting the blog and just quitting for good. However, I know (pretty sure I know, anyway) that I'll get the blogging itch again in the near future :o) Have a blessed and godly day.

Rebekah's baby shower

2011-06-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we celebrated the soon upcoming arrival of Rebekah's baby. This will be their #4 baby boy :o) I love boys! We had a blessed time. Her mother shared an excellent Bible study, we talked and laughed a lot, and we even ate some delicious food ;o)

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3

Happy (almost) 38th bday, Lovebug!!

2011-05-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated my husband Joseph's 38th birthday. His favorite color is red, so we decided to give him a red party :o) On the menu was a sausage/veggie dish, broccoli cornbread, berry punch!, red hots, red velvet cake (Pioneer Woman style) and ice cream. Definitely a yummy and filling meal. The only bad news? He is sick. :( So, he tried a tiny bit of food and had the sweetest attitude. I LOVE MY HUSBAND!! And I praise the Lord for giving me such a precious gift!

Treasure hunt

2011-05-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my husband made up a treasure hunt for our children. They absolutely loved it and had a great time doing it. I love having a creative and fun husband.

A gorgeous day for fun at the park

2011-05-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Today I was feeling rather lonely and was going to post on Facebook, "does anybody want to do anything today?" Then I (and my sister Grace) figured it sounded a bit too desperate and there is no telling what kind of comments I would get from such a crazy entry (or none at all, which probably would've mad me sadder). ha!

So, I rounded up my babies and headed to the park. With my trusty camera. Since my mom died, I have lost a lot of the zeal I once had to take pictures. It's just not as important to me anymore. I've missed it in some ways. Photography is something we would do together, so that's probably a big reason.

But, I've been reading up more and more on photography and learning a few things. I'm once again inspired, I guess you could say :o) And that makes me happy. And so do these children the Lord has blessed my husband and me with. What JOY they bring to my life. Almost daily (it should be daily) I ask the Lord to help me be a patient and loving mother to my children. I need God's grace and help every day of my life and at all hours! I fail quite often, more often than I'd ever want to admit. Suffice it to say- I am BLESSED!

After the park we got Little Caesar's breadsticks for lunch. Buy one get one free. YUM! Hope you're also enjoying this beautiful weather that the Lord has given us! It's.....NAP TIME!! One of the most wonderful times of the day :o)

Good times in Tulsa :o))

2011-04-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

Jadon Michael- 16 months

2011-04-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

This boy warms my heart like craZy. He is so much fun! AND, he's super snuggly!

Grief

2011-04-20T20:55:00.002-05:00

Grief is a strange thing. It's as if it's a vague feeling/notion/experience that kinda floats around and hits you at times you expect and at times you least expect. There's really no nailing it down.

I thoroughly miss my mom. And I know pretty much everyone has somebody (or somebodies- word??) that they miss. I just plain old miss her presence. Her joy. Her life. Her visits. I miss knowing I could call her at almost any time and get instant fellowship, encouragement, counsel, love. I'm sure I've said it before but nobody but nobody loves like a mother loves. My mom cared for me in a way that no one ever will again on this earth. She cared for my soul, for my testimony, for my role as a mother and wife. And she absolutely showed me. ALL THE TIME.

So, of course I'm hurting. How could I not be?! Sometimes I (foolishly) wish our relationship would have been a 5. Not a 1 where I'd have horrible memories, and not a 10 (which it was) where I'd have TONS of memories that hurt so painfully. Just a 5. Not too bad, not too good. Yeah, that certainly was not the case. It was "too good," and I thank the LORD for the time I got to spend with that godly, selfless lady I was privileged to call my mom.

I was blessed today reading Spurgeon's morning devotion from "Morning and Evening." Here's a quote from it that I like: "The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems great; but it is not so. We are not far from home- a moment will bring us there."

How true it is! In the pain of not having my mom on this earth, I believe I've been extremely blessed with a gift. It's the gift that eternity is more real to me. Eternal life with Christ is much sweeter. It's in knowing all the more that:

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;

And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say 'twas worth it all”;
Only one life,' twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

C.T. Studd

Help me, precious Lord, to live my life for you. Please teach me, guide me, help me. Help me not to grieve in an ungodly way. Please continue to comfort my hurting heart or others who are hurting also. I pray you would open my eyes to others who are hurting around me. Show me ways to help and minister to them. I pray my life would be pleasing to you. I fail SO often. Help me not to stay there, but to know how sufficient your grace is every single day of my life. Thank you for loving and saving and keeping me. I look forward to spending eternity with the One who paid the awful price for my sins.

In Christ's name,

Amen.

Ten things I've learned in hotel living

2011-04-15T15:52:00.002-05:00

I'm sure most you know (through facebook) that while we were on vacation, we got a call from our neighbor telling us that water was coming out of our garage. Not the funnest news to receive when you're hundreds of miles from home. We've been living in a hotel since we got home and here are some things I've learned:

1) there's nothing quite like homemade food. Yes, it's very nice to be able to eat out whenever we wish to and have it paid for, but I miss cooking

2) It's hard and NOT FUN to keep kids quiet all the time. for everyone involved.

3) Housekeeping (or room service) is nice.

4) Housekeeping (or room service) is sometimes wasteful. We don't need fresh towels every single day. I promise!

5) no matter where our family is- that's home

6) Our oldest 2 are non-stop about CANDY! (which is readily available near the front desk) and the elevator buttons

7) not all hotels are created equal

8) having a non-smoking room doesn't necessarily mean that you won't smell smoke and lots of it

9) kids do eventually fall asleep at nap time and bed time :o))))

10. We.are.spoiled. like crazy.

What an adventure!

If I could write...

2011-03-03T22:36:00.003-06:00

a letter to my mom, here is what it'd say:

Dearest Mom,

Wow, do I ever miss you. You're in heaven now for all of eternity. What is that like?? Praise the Lord I will know someday and we will worship our Lord together. for ever. perfectly.

I know I cannot communicate with you and I don't wish to. It's just that when you're used to speaking to someone nearly every single day for your whole 31 years of life, it's extremely hard when that line of communication comes to such an abrupt stop. never to return again.

This earth is definitely more of a lonely place without you. As I'm writing you, my tears are just spilling out of my eyes. As I've thought about this letter, I've had thousands of thoughts running through my head. You made such an impression on my life and I've learned so much from you.

From what others tell me and from what I know first-hand, your life was surely not a waste. The day of your funeral was one of the happiest days of my life, I guess partly because I know it (the day of your death) was THE happiest day of yours. Your faith became sight. You found Him whom your soul loved and lived for- the One you strived to know.

There were many hard things after your death. One of them was calling to cancel your next heart appointment. Nope, you didn't need to be there for that one! Another one was clearing out all your belongings and finding new homes for everything. I had a lot of help with that, thankfully.

I am in the process of making a slideshow of some pictures I took of some of the last days of your life. Along with the pics, I bought a song from Itunes called I will rise to go along with it.By the way, I'm able to make slideshows now because I got a new computer and high speed internet :o)

My kiddos miss their Emmie. They still talk very endearingly about you. Lord willing, sometime in October, we will add another car seat to our minivan. If it's a girl? Emmie Jean- after my and Jody's beautiful mothers. The Lord has blessed us once again with conception. We are all so excited. I missed not being able to tell you. You were my biggest fan in that department!

One thing that has amazed me about your life is that you never really had anyone close to you die, other than your miscarriage. Wow. Your death has been my first major death to deal with. I've never experienced anything like it. not even close. I'm able to see your sweet mommy about every other day. It's so surreal knowing that she is my mom's mom. I think that is partly why I just love her so much. I see you in her. And I guess it makes me feel closer to you. She doesn't say much, but she does tell me she loves me. I sometimes talk about you to her. I'm not sure how much she understands, but I'm pretty confident she misses you. Some visits we have, she just breaks down and sobs. I sob right along. We both miss you.

I always thought that Dad would make it to heaven before you. Probably mainly because of his asthma and all the ER visits y'all had to make together. He said you beat him in (almost- not basketball or tennis) everything here on earth, so it's only fitting that you should beat us to heaven. I like that! Praise the Lord- Dad's health seems to be really good. I've seen the Lord work so evidently in his life. He has truly been a Comfort to Dad. What an awesome thing to see.

The other day I got a card from Misty in the mail saying that this pregnancy was "something to sing about." It reminded me of you and the cards you'd send me. I saw that yellow envelope and was flooded with emotions.

I'll close with a few thank you's :

Thank you for being committed to God while on this earth. Thank you for the testimony and the good name you left behind. You could have left millions of dollars and it would have never compared to what we were left with when you died. Thank you for your faithfulness to your church and to your dear husband. Thank you for birthing me and teaching me about God. Thank you for your countless prayers for me and others. I have your journals, which I cherish. Thank you for caring for my soul, for teaching me what matters in this fleeting life. Thank you for sending me and Jody to get brown sugar (when I'm sure there was lots in the cabinet). He continues to bless my life and is a godly, diligent, faithful man who loves me like crazy. I love watching him as a father.

Until we meet again,

sarah

ps. your favorite verse made it onto your headstone

pps. I could've written volumes more. I felt like I had to get some tears and emotions out. I know I can't write you a letter really, but I do SO terribly miss our times together. thank you for the life you lived by the grace of God!

My Granny and me

2011-03-01T21:49:00.001-06:00

I got a new computer!

I got high speed internet!

I'm just posting a pic now...

BECAUSE I CAN! :o)

and because I love my Granny!

Daniel- not just a child's story

2011-01-30T22:36:00.002-06:00

It has been a while since I've read the account of Daniel in the lion's den. I taught our Sunday school class the story this morning. What an amazing story!!! It's found in Daniel chapter 6 and is just 28 verses long. I highly enourage every one of you to read it- now or soon! Daniel was "faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him." And yet the presidents and princes wanted to find fault with him. Sounds familiar...

"So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God."

Love it!

As we have therefore opportunity...

2011-01-14T21:16:00.002-06:00

let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are
of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10

As most of you know, my mom's mom- my Granny- lives just a few miles from me, so I'm able to see her quite often. Spending time with her at the nursing home I feel like I'm in a totally different world. I see sad things, happy things, frustrating things, and on one day I saw something that was quite encouraging.

After the residents eat their meal, the ones who are able start their slow trek in their wheelchairs from the dining room back to their own rooms. Even though they are only moving a very short distance, it still takes most of them a LONG time. As I was sitting with my Granny, I noticed a resident was stuck and just couldn't keep moving by herself. She was quietly struggling to move, but was not having any success at all. The next thing I knew another lady came along (slowly, of course) in a wheelchair and gave this resident a little push. Then wheeled to catch up and pushed her again. This cycle continued. Push, catch up, push, catch up.

In this, the Lord taught me even if I'm hurting (in a wheelchair, so to speak), I can still help others. I don't know a single person who has not felt some kind of pain or who has not suffered loss of some sort. We all have hurts. We all need encouragement in this life.

It would have been much easier for me if I would have just gotten out of my chair and helped the resident who was struggling to move her wheelchair. Instead I was able to witness a beautiful scene of selflessness and thoughtfulness. What a lonely and sad life would be lived if we continually focus on self. Help us, Lord, to open our eyes and see those who could use encouragement and help.

As a side note: after my mom died (it still hurts to write that...) some of the most precious comfort came from those who suffered very great losses themselves. They opened their hearts and poured out their love. I will be forever grateful to these dear people.

broken

2010-11-06T22:26:00.003-05:00

That's how I feel. broken. And I'm sure many of you have felt/feel the same way for whatever reason. Mine today is simply missing my mom.

I was able to attend (by myself!!) a mini-conference at Coggin Ave. Baptist Church where the theme was "Our stories for His glory." I heard several women speak of hardships they have gone through and continue to go through and how the Lord has helped them and brought them to where they are now. It was SO good for me to sit there and listen. Thankfully my precious husband watched our babies for me, even bringing me our youngest to nurse at lunchtime :o).

At the beginning there was a time of singing where I saw a mom with her arm around her (older) daughter, just so sweetly giving her arm squeezes and rubbing her back. Boy, did my tears ever flow. I couldn't sing after seeing that. I can't say I was jealous, but I know I sat there and mourned that my mom would never do that for me again. I don't wish for my mom back here, not for a second, but I so loved her presence on this earth. What a gift it was for me. And the fact that I got to enjoy that dear lady for 30 years of my life. Incredible. How blessed I was and am!

There is definitely a process to grief and I don't think mine fits the "norm." I see myself (slowly) getting stronger and trusting in my great God who has never failed me. I found these beautiful verses just this evening:

Psalms 34:17-18

The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth,

and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;

and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

My dad asked me this evening if I was "making friends." Not really, although I do have some dear ones. Oh, there are Christian women I love so much and would cherish a closer friendship with. However, I think it's good for me now to be (mostly) alone with my thoughts and my little family. In time, I pray the Lord will send me a "kindred spirit" friend- one with whom I can pray, talk, laugh, share , encourage, cry, etc.! My mom was all that for me, and I thank God for our many years of friendship.

As I continue to grieve, I want to be so careful to not let it consume me. It does get easier, praise the Lord. I know a lot of my thoughts seem/are very selfish. I'm just sharing what's on my heart, if for no other reason that just getting it out. I love the fact that the Lord hears me when I cry. What a comfort, what a source of joy.

I know this post is so scattered and my thoughts are everywhere! I guess to sum it up- God is good and continues to give healing to the broken. Now go give your mom a hug, if you can :o)

my 530th post

2010-10-24T21:13:00.002-05:00

What is significant about that, you might ask. Well, nothing at all- I just needed a subject for this post. I've had SO much on my mind lately. I haven't blogged in a LONG time. Life has truly taken a new turn. Almost every situation has taken on a new meaning. Eternity, eternity, eternity. I go to different events and I look around almost in a daze- knowing that this life is so short and so fleeting. When I told my Granny that I could be the next to die, she said, "don't say that!" But it's TRUE!

How I long to live a life that is fruitful and pleasing to the Lord. I want to die to self every.single.day. What else truly matters anyway? I was listening to the radio the other day and heard a lady say that our main goal as parents should not be to raise godly children. At first I was kind of taken aback. Her explanation cleared it up. She said our main goal should be to be godly parents for our children. God is in control of salvation of our children. We cannot control whether or not they will be godly, but we are commanded to "train up a child in the way he should go." That really made sense to me and helped me.

I see people living just for today. taking no thought of eternity. fulfilling every physical desire they want. Oh, how it burdens me. I long to see an awakening, a sobering, a reviving of heart and soul. I want to be first in line. I want my desires to know God more to mulitiply times a million. I want to be a light for my great Saviour who purchased me with His blood. Me! The enormity of it amazes and humbles me. That's one thing I truly miss about my dear mom. She, without a doubt, lived for the Lord. He was her heart's desire. She strived to KNOW HIM. What a heritage to pass down. I'm so humbled that the Lord would grant me the privilege to be her daughter. I remember when she first called me from the hospital crying quietly and said, "Sarah, it's my heart." From then on, it was never the same. And it never will be.

I miss my mom. so much it makes my heart sting with pain. I think back to her funeral and wish I could feel every day like I felt that day. I felt SO CLOSE to heaven and God. I KNEW that my mom was rejoicing and praising and thanking her Lord. It was seriously one of the best days of my life. I know God so kindly did that for me. I watched as they lowered her casket into the freshly-digged earth. I miss her physical body.

I will never again be invited for dinner at her house or try to cook a nice meal for her and my dad. I will never again call her from my cell phone. I will never again ask her advice on parenting or marriage. I won't feel her hug me or have her sit by me and play Jeopardy. I won't ever again share the news of another pregnancy (should the Lord bless us with another child) or see her beaming face as she holds a brand new grandbaby with tears of thankfulness streaming down her cheeks. I won't laugh with her or cry on her shoulder. I will never again tuck her little wisps of hair behind her ears or see her winning smile. I will never show her another photograph or do another Bible challenge with her. I won't have the privilege of hearing her teach my children about God and what really matters in life. I could go on and on and on. She was my encourager and such a blessing in my life.

I guess I'll call it quits for now. I've been wanting to write so badly. My heart is just spilling out with thoughts and emotions. I hope to write more later.

So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Jadon, aka. JBird, aka. BIRD!, aka. Jadon Mikey

2010-09-28T00:18:00.000-05:00

I know, we've got some silly nicknames for our little guy. By the way, he's 9 1/2 months old and is now sporting TWO new teeth. He makes my heart soarrrrrrr!

I LOVE YOU, Jadon Michael!!!

This is now.

2010-09-28T00:12:00.000-05:00

The girls have grown up SO much. sigh. We had the privilege of keeping Abby for a few days and enjoyed her lots. She's definitely a fun girl to be around. and of course, I had to break out the camera. How could I not?! :o)

That was then...

2010-09-28T00:07:00.000-05:00

This is Mikayla and her cousin Abby when they were younger.

The Shaer Boys

2010-09-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

This family is absolutely precious! They were lots of fun and had they had tons of energy. Such handsome boys!!

2010-09-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

Our 3 kids

2010-08-27T22:40:00.000-05:00

I LOVE our children!! It's hard to get a pic of them all together and semi-happy. This will do for now ;o)

An insightful man once penned these words...

2010-08-24T22:33:00.001-05:00

o death! why dost thou touch the tree beneath whose spreading branches weariness hath rest? Why dost thou snatch away the excellent of the earth, in whom is all our delight? If thou must use thine axe, use it upon the trees which yield no fruit; thou mightest be thanked then. But why wilt thou fell the goodly cedars of Lebanon? O stay thine axe, and spare the righteous. But no, it must not be; death smites the goodliest of our friends; the most generous, the most prayerful, the most holy, the most devoted must die.

And why? It is through Jesus' prevailing prayer—"Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." It is that which bears them on eagle's wings to heaven. Every time a believer mounts from this earth to paradise, it is an answer to Christ's prayer.... Lord, Thou shalt have them. By faith we let them go."

-Spurgeon

2010-08-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

Meet the Hamiltons

2010-08-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

Ha ha, I'm sure you (most of you) already know them. They are some of the dearest people around! Love you guys :o)

more from the wedding

2010-08-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

The day of death

2010-08-10T13:24:00.003-05:00

A good name is better than precious ointment;
and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning,
than to go to the house of feasting:
for that is the end of all men;
and the living will lay it to his heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:1,2

Yesterday marked one month since my mom left this earth to be with her LORD. I see more and more how the above verses are true. Hard, but true. Death is real. Death has come and will continue to come. Only God knows who will make their death appointment next. It may be me. It may be you. Death makes a person think. And that's a good thing.

I think one thing I'm learning is that God never intended for my mom or our Jada (the baby I miscarried) to have ANY MORE TIME ON THIS EARTH than what He gave them. For my mom it was 54 years, almost 55 and for Jada it was just a few weeks. My mom was never intended to celebrate our Jadon turning 8 months old with us. She cared so much for her grandchildren, mainly for their souls. I truly believe she left them enough lessons/care/love/words/prayers/tears/kindnesses/gifts, etc. for a lifetime. She taught us all of God. What a heritage to leave. As Psalm 31:15 says, "my times are in thy hand." As humans we tend to think that they had so much earthly "potential." There is a far bigger and greater picture. God has total knowledge, total control of EVERYTHING. All that He does is good.

Death is so painful for those left on this earth. Since my mom died, several others have lost their lives as well. We are not isolated in our pain. SO many people are hurting and looking for comfort and wanting healing. Only God can truly give it. One reason death is good is that it sobers us. How easy it is to go through life hardly ever having to think of death. I know I had one of the most "cream puff" lives that I've ever seen. Our family had not had much experience at all with death. I even have both sets of grandparents still living, which is probably not extremely common.

Through my mom's death, I think more of eternity. More of God and his sovereignty and his goodness. What a HUGE blessing it was to have my mom for all the years that I did. Some people- LOTS of people- don't have that privilege. She was faithful. Not perfect, but faithful in the things that truly mattered. I can learn so much from her life.

I don't even remember the last time I talked to her. I know it was sometime that week before she died. We talked on the phone nearly every day. When she would call, my cell phone would show up "Mama Risse." Since my dad inherited her cell phone, I changed the name to "Papa Risse." The last time I saw my mom was on Monday, July 5th. We spent that day together shopping and just being together. She and my dad had spent Sunday night with us. Looking back, I'm grateful for the time we had together. I LOVED the time I got to spend with her. always!

I plan on eventually posting some entries on the different lessons my mom has taught me. I want to always honor my dear mother. I hope I honored her in life and I hope to honor her in death. One thing my mom wanted to see in her lifetime was revival. That was not in God's plan for her life. I'm sure what she's experiencing now is more than making up for it!!

I would say to those of you who have a mother living, "don't take her for granted!" But, I want to say: Enjoy your mom. Learn from her. Help her. See how you can be a blessing to her. Call her and talk with her. Send her a note. If she's lost, pray for her salvation. If she's saved, fellowship with her. Pray with her. In reality, we are always taking something/someone for granted. We are human! If we truly realized every single mercy/blessing that we receive, there's no way we could be as thankful as we would need to be. I wanted to take care of my mom when she got older. Boy, did we ever have it planned out. We wanted (want!) both sets of our parents to live with us or very near us when they got older and needed help. With my mom, that won't be necessary. She's getting the absolute BEST care possible. In fact, it's out of this world! :o)

Kevin and Rikki

2010-08-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

Beautiful wedding I was able to "shoot." Will post more later.

4th of July

2010-07-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

My mom and my son

2010-07-27T22:52:00.000-05:00

This is the last picture I took of my mom before she met her Saviour. It was in Comanche, TX on the 4th of July at their fireworks display. We had such a sweet time that night. My mom was halfway happy that Biggie (Joseph) was so scared because he held on to her so tightly. What a fitting goodbye picture. Thank you, Lord, for the 30+ years I had being unconditionally loved by such a beautiful, godly woman- my mama.

On the way home from Coleman today, Mikayla asked me if I wanted another mommy. No, I sure don't. I had the best.

Left behind

2010-07-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

2010-07-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

My favorite

2010-07-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite pic of all the ones taken the day of my mom's funeral. On the left are all my brothers, my brother-in-law and my husband. My mom's body and my dad are in the center. And my dear sister is on the right. sigh. I love my family. The Lord has blessed us tremendously with his great grace and comfort.

2010-07-19T19:57:00.000-05:00

My mom- my best friend

2010-07-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

She is now with her Lord. She entered eternity in the early morning of Friday, July 9th in her sleep. She had told me several weeks before that she didn't want to die alone and God so mercifully saw fit to call her HOME while she slept with her husband by her side. I'm so thankful for that!!! I hope to soon post some pics from her funeral and the family she left behind. I'm so happy for her. Praise the LORD for her life.

Does life get any better than this??

2010-07-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

Our Jadon Michael is almost SEVEN months old. wow! What a delightful little baby he is. He has just started crawling... today! And to think I didn't get to witness it, but my husband, mom and dad did while I was busy making some enchiladas (yum!). He made up for it after supper was over. :o))) I love you, my Jadon!! So thankful to have you for my son!

Happy Father's Day, Joseph!

2010-06-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

The man you see in this picture means so much to me. I'm terribly grateful for the Lord crossing our paths and eventually bringing us together as husband and wife. He excels as a husband and as a father. He truly is a faithful man, and I have found him!

Our children are growing up!

2010-06-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

I'm so in love

2010-06-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

more from the Ledbetter photo shoot

2010-06-19T23:03:00.000-05:00

These are my nieces and my nephew from our photo shoot so long ago; trying to get caught up on posting my pics. Love these kiddos!

The birthday t-shirts

2010-05-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I ordered 4 different colors of t-shirts with "let us run with patience the race that is set before us" Hebrews 12-1. Instead of putting a colon after the 12, they put a dash. oh well. We like them anyway :o)

We celebrated Jody's birthday by spending the morning/afternoon at Lake Brownwood State Park. We hiked a REALLY fun and challenging trail that took us about an hour to complete. My husband loves to be outdoors and we all enjoyed it tremendously. The weather was perfect- a little overcast and windy, which kept us cool. I needed it b/c I carried our 17.5 pound bundle of love the whole time. A great workout! After the hike, we picnicked by the water. Then we came home and napped. My parents brought supper and gave Jody some Nutella (the BEST!) and a red velvet cake for his birthday. So sweet!

All in all, a most pleasant day was had by all. Thank you, Lord, for my loving/godly/faithful/fun/hard-working husband. I would never be able to show my gratitude for the family you have given me. Thank you.

It's strawberry time!

2010-05-21T23:24:00.000-05:00

This is (most of) our group that went to pick strawberries a few days ago. My son Joseph decided he was not interested in being the pic, and by then, I really didn't care too much. We had a fantastic time picking strawberries and taking pics :o) My husband's birthday is not until Sunday, but we celebrated a little early today. I had some t-shirts (with the latter part of Hebrews 12:1 printed on them)made for him. He really liked them! After a trip to Wal-Mart, I made him a strawberry pie. It turned out SO liquidy, as you can tell from the picture. rats! It tasted pretty good anyway. I love love LOVE my husband, and I thank and praise the Lord for him!

Jadon joins us!

2010-05-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Our son Jadon is now 5 1/2 months old. He finally decided to join us at the table. It's always a fun and momentous time when that happens. Mikayla gave him his first few bites of cereal and, of course, loved it. What a PRECIOUS son Jadon is. The more kids I have, the more I fall in love with them. Being a mommy is wonderful :o)

totally in LOVE

2010-05-16T23:48:00.000-05:00

My sister and brother-in-law are loviest (??) couple EVER. I had a photo shoot this weekend with their family, and it was lots of fun! The kids might have a different take on it altogether. They didn't seem to enjoy it as much. ha!! I found a great, new location :o) I might post more pics from the shoot, but I had to make a collage of this dear-to-my-heart couple.

The Birdwells!

2010-04-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorite pics from the Birdwell family shoot. We really love this family- super special people they are!

My 500th post

2010-04-11T22:43:00.003-05:00

Our dear friend Hannah took our family pictures yesterday evening. We swapped photographing each other's families. A little chaotic, but lots of fun :o) Thank you, Hannah!

Gimme a break, gimme a break

2010-03-30T22:26:00.002-05:00

Well, friends, I'm going to take a short break from blogging. Right now it's something that's just one more thing I am behind on. So, I'm giving it up for a while. All's well in our household. Busy, busy, busy, but lots of fun. Lord willing, I'll be back at it in a few weeks. So long!

Party at the park- our girl is 4!

2010-03-29T12:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks, Mom, for the collage! My camera

is not in working order b/c my battery

recharger is broken. boo hoo!

(My mom is comingtomorrow

to watch kiddos while I get my

teeth worked on at the dentist- TRUE LOVE!)

We are spoiled!

2010-03-20T23:31:00.001-05:00

We had a most wonderful visit with this family!! How kind and hospitable they were. The guys drove to Arkansas and hiked and camped while we ladies (and Joseph and Jadon) stayed at the house and had the time of our lives. We talked, shopped, ate delicious food, talked some more, laughed, and even shared some bible studies with each other. SO MUCH FUN! A little bit of heaven on earth :o)

2010-03-20T23:24:00.001-05:00

We recently took a trip to Tulsa to see our dear friends. Driving there, I spotted this sight from our vehicle. I think the angle the trees form is pretty neat. And the sky was just beautiful!

Dodson photo shoot

2010-03-20T23:18:00.000-05:00

just a select few. Love this family!!

Our most recent Dodson family photo

2010-03-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

Here we all are!! What a great mini family reunion :o)

The Dodson SEVEN!

2010-03-20T23:07:00.000-05:00

I finally had the privilege of meeting my 3 newly-adopted nephews. They are just precious!! So much fun and such well-behaved boys. We had a little photo shoot and this one was my favorite, I think.

Weeds with meaning

2010-03-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

Our latest family pic

2010-03-04T14:14:00.002-06:00

Here we all are at church this past Sunday. It was not easy holding Jadon the way that I was and "little" Joseph was quite difficult. If you look closely you can see a pathetic tear in his eye. Poor boy. How I love my family!!!

Happy 12 weeks, Mr. Jadon Michael!

2010-03-02T13:48:00.002-06:00

For the first time in his short life, our Jadon is not feeling well. He's got a bit of a fever and is not his usual happy, contented self. He goes in for his 2 month check-up tomorrow. If he is still feverish he won't get his shots, which wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit!

We might go to the park today and let the kids run around and play. It looks so pretty outside!! I feel so sad for the kiddos when they can't just RUN. We need to take advantage of the weather while we can. I'm so happy that Spring is coming SOON- yay!!!

Tomorrow's Bible reading we will finish up the Psalms. Any suggestions where to go next?

A Bible study I'm working on

2010-02-26T13:50:00.002-06:00

focuses on this verse:

If anyone still checks this blog...

2010-02-25T20:21:00.003-06:00

We just celebrated our TENTH anniversary. We enjoyed time in Abilene while my parents watched our children- SO very kind of them! It was fun just to be able to talk and be together; we LOVED it! We got to go to Mardel, a Christian bookstore that is super cool, and found some neat things for our home.

Our family is doing great. Adjusting to 3 children has been just that. An adjustment. But a really neat one!! God has given much strength for each day. I'm starting to get more sleep. Jadon's going about 7-8 hours between feedings at night- lovely! He gets plenty of love from his brother and sister. He does NOT lack for attention! I love watching them gush over him :o)

Plenty of laundry to do tonight, so I'd better get busy...

What's going on?

2010-02-02T13:43:00.003-06:00

Today is a good day. Our Jadon is 8 weeks old. My mom came for a visit, and took Mikayla on a lunch date. Wish we could've switched places, but it's nice and quiet in the house with both boys sleeping.

The picture of the camera strap is one that my sweet friend Hannah made just for me!! Isn't it so pretty??! What a talented and lovely girl she is!

And the picture I used for the background of the collage is one that Joseph (2) took this afternoon. Very blurry, but I liked the colors :o)

Sounds like Mikayla and my mom are back. Yay! Better go see what they brought me ;o)

A day in the life of a one month old

2010-01-08T22:44:00.003-06:00

What a great day- our Jadon is officially one month old. For the first time, he got to meet Granny :o) We ended the day at Grandpa and Emmie's house eating some delicious Prima Pasta food and chocolate chip cookies and laughing and visiting with them. The kids even watched a bit of Lion King- fun, fun! We went to Coleman with Jadon's only 2 pacifiers and came home with none. craZy! (Did you find them, Mom?) I'm SO thankful to have such a precious, healthy boy. I LOVE being a mommy :o)-

Jadon's birth story

2010-01-07T21:15:00.004-06:00

Am I actually finally writing this?? I guess so! Tomorrow our son Jadon Michael Dodson will be one month old. What an absolute JOY he is to my life and to the rest of our family, too! Here's a bit of how he came into this world:

My due date was December 8th. We'd discussed to induce or not to induce. First we decided not to, then changed our minds and decided to be induced on the 8th. Jody didn't want to induce any earlier to ensure that his (we didn't know that we were having a boy at the time) lungs were fully developed, etc. I totally agreed!

Grace (my sweet sissy) came into town the day before and my in-laws did as well. They were AWESOME in that they watched Mikayla and Joseph for us while we were in the hospital- priceless! Early Tuesday morning (all our children were born on Tuesday- even my D&C was performed on a Tuesday- crazy) Jody, Grace, and I headed to the hospital. I had not gone into labor on my own, which kinda saddened me b/c that's what I'd hoped for. It was a quiet, dark ride to the hospital. kinda surreal. Just knowing that we were going to have a baby and to finally find out the gender.

We got to the hospital at 5:30am and I felt perfect. I got my gown on and started answering a bunch of questions. They asked me if I wanted an epidural and I definitely said yes! Anyway, a lady came in to take my blood and we talked about the Biggest Loser. She and her husband tried out for it, but they didn't make it b/c they weren't big enough. ha! Anyway, I got my iv and they started pitocin. Shortly thereafter, before feeling ANY pain whatsoever, I got my epidural. It felt very strange when the anesthesiologist arrived to give me pain medicine when I was in no pain. very very strange.

Since my epidural was my only pain (well, the iv was not pleasant either), and it wasn't even that bad, I'll speak on that for a moment ;o) Grace and Jody (who had gotten some delicious smelling breakfast burritos from Rosa's) exited while the anesthesiologist and the nurse worked together to get the epidural in. When they got it all done the first time, I was relieved to have that part done with. phew! Then there was an occlusion and it wasn't working. rats! I asked if he'd have to redo it. No, he said, the most they'd have to do is switch the tubing (or something like that). Yeah right. They had to do it again. On the second time, I started sweating like crazy got very red, and felt like I was going to pass out. Looking around the room, my vision was very unfocused. It scared me quite a bit. Thank the Lord, that all cleared up fairly quickly, and I started feeling numb. So, Grace and Jody got to come back in the room :o)

Soon after, my dr came to break my water. Didn't feel a thing. It was as if time was going by SO SLOWLY. It was hard to tell by looking at the monitor how the contractions were coming along- the silly thing kept getting moved around. and I couldn't feel a thing. Jody and Grace (and Jody says I) took a nap. Just laying in that bed watching them sleep was pretty funny to me. The whole "labor" was very uneventful. I guess we mainly told stories and laughed as time passed. Grace kept those who were curious up-to-date with texts on my progression.

At around 4:30pm, my nurse Megan (loved her!) came in for some reason or another. Grace asked her how often she checked to see how dilated I was. She decided to check then and I was a 10!! WOW! The whole dynamics of the room changed. Some excitement- yay!! So, my nurse called the dr and he headed over. I was feeling pretty giddy, nervous, excited, READY to meet our newest addition and still not sure if we'd made the right decision to induce. (Being so numbed, I didn't think I'd be able to push the baby out, which is what happened with Mikayla- they had to use a vacuum on her) And having heard that a large amount of inductions end up C-sections, I was a bit nervous. So the dr got there about 4:50pm and he got his gown on, etc.

At 5pm I started the whole pushing process. Not being able to feel contractions they had to rely on the monitor to tell me when to push. ??? Couldn't feel anything!! After my first set of 3 pushes my dr told me to not push in my face. He's always giving me good advice ;o) After 2 more sets of pushes, out came our baby!!! I was so very shocked that he came out so quickly. 10 minutes of pushing. Our baby was born at 5:10pm. I looked down and saw that it was a BOY!! Which was my guess... YAHOOOO!! I would've been just as happy to have a girl, I promise, but seeing that beautiful (actually kinda funny looking!) boy made my heart so happy! Our Jadon Michael had entered the world. He didn't start crying right away and I just lay there... waiting to hear that sound. Finally! after he was suctioned pretty good, he CRIED!

I was so thankful listening to him and hearing him cry, knowing that some mommies never do hear that first cry, but the Lord was gracious in allowing him to be a healthy baby boy. He did have quite a bit of fluid b/c he was born so quickly, and they told me that was normal. I was instantly in LOVE.

I have to say that I had some expert help there in that room. Grace and Jody fed me ice chips like no one ever has before! Really, they were wonderful.

All in all OF COURSE it was a good birthing experience. In a way, I feel like I "cheated." It just doesn't seem like birth should be that easy or pain-free. I thought of how the Lord was very merciful in giving me that birth, especially after Joseph's birth. I was quite traumatized after his. I so wanted to trust the Lord in this, and yet, I found myself fearful of the pain of labor. Should the Lord ever again bless us with another child, I don't think I'll be induced again. I like the whole going-into-labor thing better. One of the definitions of the name Jadon is "thankful." I think that perfectly describes my feelings with his birth. thankful. thankful that the Lord cares.
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." Psalm 103:13,14

And this verse was special to me as well. "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Psalm 111:4

Somehow Jadon's birth made me extra thankful that I CAN have children. So many people long to have children or even one child. People will pay thousands and thousands of dollars in hopes of conceiving a child. I am thankful. God is good and I love the precious children the Lord has entrusted to our care. How I long to be the godly mother for them that I need to be. I am humbled and truly "thankful."

Happy (almost) 1 month, big boy!! Your mommy and daddy and brother and sister are so in love with you. You are a huge blessing and I look forward to feeding you in a few minutes. Thank you for your patience with me as I typed this out :o)

The Dodson family of FIVE

2010-01-03T14:34:00.003-06:00

It's a new year- wow!! So, it's time for a new family picture. What an experience getting this photo done. The Lord is good and very gracious to us!

fun in the snow!

2009-12-24T21:17:00.002-06:00

Jadon's first church going

2009-12-20T19:59:00.002-06:00

and some good bonding times from this evening. I hardly have a free moment to be on the internet. Instead, I sleep. I'm enjoying my sweet family SO much. We have much to be thankful for!

Grandpa, it's your birthday!!

2009-12-17T18:38:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to one of the greatest grandpas on earth! Jerry, we love you and are so thankful for you. The party would have been MUCH more enjoyable with you here :o)

Jadon Michael- our 4 day old

2009-12-12T23:21:00.002-06:00

It's a boy, and I'm in love. birth story, hopefully, coming soon.

My Brother

2009-12-10T00:22:00.000-06:00

This is my brother, Mike, NCOIC of the Ellsworth AFB Honor Guard in Rapid City, SD.

Almost 40 weeks

2009-12-04T21:15:00.002-06:00

We are so ready to meet our new baby, which will be, Lord willing, very soon! If I've not gone into labor on my own, I'll be induced Tuesday at 5:30am. I'd really like to go on my own. I'm getting humungous, and rightly so. I AM pregnant ;o) I have gained much more weight (15 pounds more) with this one that my previous pregnancies, but that's okay, too. I'm just ready to see our baby and find out if we are adding to our family a boy or a girl!

My parents invited us over for dinner tonight and on the way, I got my picture made by the "free delivery" sign. We think it's hilarious and hope that our dr will honor what the sign says ;o) yeah right. Anyway, before dinner I was able to see my Granny (I miss her so much!), and then we had a super delicious meal at my parents' and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with them. HOW WE LOVE THEM! The next time I post, hopefully, you'll be seeing our newest baby- yay!

37.5 weeks pregnant!

2009-11-20T11:20:00.003-06:00

We're getting close to meeting our new baby!! I'm feeling quite large and getting very ready to not be pregnant anymore (for now). :o) Mikayla took most of these pics. I think she did a great job. So, this is what we all look like today:

My 470th post

2009-11-11T19:49:00.002-06:00

So much has happened in our lives since I started blogging. This evening I'm having a little bit of quiet time. I enjoyed a nice bath and got all lotioned up. I even did some breathing... with no children fighting/wanting my attention. It's been nice :o) I've been thinking about how different my pregnancies have been and what characterizes them:

1st pregnancy (Mikayla)- lots of SWELLING, esp. feet
2nd pregnancy (Jada)- miscarriage
3rd pregnancy (Joseph)- heartburn!
4th pregnancy (Kaitlyn or Jaden)- nausea further into the pregnancy and sciatic nerve pain

I can't believe I've been pregnant FOUR times. unreal. We sat down as a family tonight and made a list of the things we are thankful for. Boy, it sure filled up FAST! We are so very blessed.

To induce or not to induce; that is the ?. I'm pretty sure we've made a decision. At my 36 week appt.(this past Monday) my dr told us that I could be induced on the 1st of December (my due date is the 8th). That would put me at 39 weeks. Ever so tempting, but I do want to go into labor on my own, and I'm pretty sure that's what we've decided. If we DID go that route, we'd have a baby in less than THREE WEEKS. That is quite sobering. Mikayla was born 3 days after her due date and Joseph was born 4 days before his. SO, I'm thinking this one might be a bit early anyways... Only God knows, and I like it like that!

I feel like we are mostly ready. Jody got the tiny crib set up the other day. I look foward to it being filled with a real baby, not Mikayla's plastic one ;o) Last night we watched Mikayla's and Joseph's birth videos. Talk about sobering!! I need to make sure the batteries for the camcorder are all charged up and ready to go. I'm definitely getting excited and (believe it or not) less nervous about going into labor, the pain, if I make it to the hospital in time to get an epidural, etc. I'm sure it's the Lord working in my heart, and I'm so thankful for it!

Enough pregnancy talk for now. Maybe if I can get cold enough, I'll make myself some hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. Mmmm... I think I'll have to step outside for a while for that one. Hope you have a blessed day! I sure am.

Our church baby shower

2009-11-10T21:44:00.003-06:00

At both my showers, I was overwhelmed with the amount of love that was shown to us. To be honest I felt a little bit "guilty" because it WAS my third baby shower, and people have gotten us SO MUCH already. However, a sweet comment from a sweet friend really helped. She said, "every baby is to be celebrated." I really liked that; thanks, Jessica :o)

Coleman baby shower

2009-11-10T19:29:00.003-06:00

These ladies were so KIND to me!! (well, our family...)..

This morning before church...

2009-11-08T20:07:00.000-06:00

A picture from Emmie

2009-11-02T19:45:00.002-06:00

Wow, my babies are BIG. I look forward to watching them in the big brother/sister roles. :o)

34 weeks!!

2009-10-27T20:50:00.002-05:00

Hello, friends! Today marks a very special day for me. I'm 34 weeks pregnant- yahoo :o) The baby weighs approximately FIVE pounds now, and I've gained approximately a LOT more than that. Ahem. Like Grace and I were talking about, there's something about the third pregnancy...

If I go into labor now at any time, the dr will not try to stop it. Talk about sobering. I think the only thing we need to buy for the baby is a car seat. Other than that, we're pretty much set, except for small things. Oh, this is getting exciting!!!

Last night I slept SO WELL. Usually I have to get up about every hour to use the restroom. not fun. Thankfully though I usually am able to fall right back asleep. I'm experiencing plenty of hand/feet swelling. I've stopped wearing my wedding rings b/c of my swollen fingers. My mom so kindly found me a pair of brown shoes that are nice and BIG for my fat feet to be comfortable in. Go, Mom!! She even volunteered to watch our kiddos for an overnight so we can have an evening alone before the baby comes. Yippee! I think she loves us...

Next week we are planning on putting together about a week's worth of meals in the freezer. That way, there won't be so much to do when the baby does come.

Don't forget about the TIME CHANGE THIS SUNDAY! We gain an hour of sleep; who wouldn't be happy about that?! Don't be too early for church :o)

Enough from me. Good night, friends of mine. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying this cooler weather! Our new memory verse: Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26:4

Times like these...

2009-10-25T19:21:00.003-05:00

are grand. just grand.

Trust in him at all times

2009-10-23T13:57:00.002-05:00

Lord willing, in less than 7 weeks, we'll be able to meet the newest addition to our family. To be truthful I'm a bit scared. nervous. anxious. about the birth of this baby. When I think back to giving birth to Joseph (now 21 months old) it almost seems overwhelming to go through that again. In a span of about 5 hours, I experienced the most excruciating/deep pain and the most joyous/satisfying feeling in my whole life. The pain, obviously, being labor and delivering him(without the trusty epidural- I don't know how/why women do that ON PURPOSE) and the joy being after he "popped out." I really and truly wanted to die or for someone to just kill me and put me out of my misery. I thought I had a fair tolerance for pain, but I found I do not!

I don't want to be anxious. I want to trust in the Lord, really just cling to Him for strength. HOPEFULLY I'll make to the hospital in time to get an epidural. All this makes me consider being induced. I've heard lots of negative/positive things about it. With my daughter and son, I went into labor on my own, and I kinda like it that way. However, being induced would "promise" me an epidural. I've got so many thoughts running through my head right now. This I do know: My God does NOT want me to fret and be anxious.

Philippians 4:6 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Psalms 62:8 (KJV) Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Christy, it's your BIRTHDAY!!

2009-10-22T20:26:00.002-05:00

Gleee!

2009-10-19T08:10:00.001-05:00

2 months away!

2009-10-08T20:01:00.002-05:00

29 weeks pregnant- 29 years old
30 weeks pregnant- 30 years old
31 weeks pregnant- still 30 years old- phew!

I'm glad THAT trend didn't continue ;o) All's well here. The kiddos are growing and so is their mommy's tummy. wow. It's like a perfect basketball. Maybe I'll post some pics soon. GRACE and her children are coming for a few day- yayyyyyyy! I'm really looking forward to spending time with her. I miss seeing her :o(.

I felt kinda bad about something I did this evening. I gave up (children) bathing duties. Thankfully I have a very kind and understanding husband. It's not the easiest thing to lean over that tub and scrub my kiddos. Thanks, Jody!! Only a few more weeks, actually more than that, and I'll resume responsibility.

We're supposedly getting a COLD FRONT this evening. I'm so ready for it! I absolutely LOVE the cooler weather. Most of my pregnancy shirts are geared that way. Yay!

I'm due to have this little one 2 months from today. At my last appt. the dr. said if I were to go into labor at 34+ weeks, they wouldn't do anything to stop it. 34 weeks for me is less than 3 weeks away. yikes! The odds of that happening are highly unlikely, but still...

Yawn. Maybe my next post will be a bit more exciting. Like with pictures or something :o) Good night, dear friends!

Taking inventory

2009-10-04T20:10:00.002-05:00

Why is it important to take inventory? I guess in general it's to find out what you have, how much of it, what you have too much of, and what you don't have enough of. That could only be beneficial to a company, right? Or, as I was meditating on, to our own lives. There can be sins/actions/attitudes, etc. that we could tend to be blinded to if we don't continually "take inventory" of our lives.

Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

What powerful verses. As hard and as ugly as it can be, I want God to search me and know my heart and thoughts. And point out to me the wicked ways in me.

What do I have too much of? I believe first and foremost, it's selfishness. I HATE when I see it in my life. It saddens my heart when I see even a tiny glimpse of it. What an ugly trait to have. I suppose it's something I'll continually battle, but it's a battle I want to be victorious in.

What don't I have enough of (or what do I need to "order" more of)? Wow, could I ever come up with a list here! Patience! Kindness. Selflessness (there it is again). An understanding/hopeful/prayerful/non-condemning attitude toward others. And so much more.

Have you ever witnessed inventory being done? It's a LOT of work. It requires time, diligence, accuracy, and perseverance, to name a few. I want to be that fervent and diligent to be searched by the God who so graciously forgave me, loves me, and keeps me. I want to be "led in the way everlasting."

it finally happened

2009-09-30T21:40:00.002-05:00

Joseph (20 months) finally caught up to his sister Mikayla (3 1/2)in the weight department. They are officially tied. Is that CrAZy?? Today I put them both on the scale and they weighed in at a whopping 31.8 pounds. wow. I'm sure Joseph will pass her up in no time. He eats plenty more in a typical day than she does. I love my babies!!

Our new comforter set

2009-09-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my mom and dad, we have a new comforter set! After showing it to Jody this evening, he quickly went into our room and got to work putting it on our bed. We REALLY like it :o) !!!

Surprise!!

2009-09-29T19:54:00.000-05:00

My mom insisted that I go to Coleman today. Boy, am I ever glad I made it! A dear friend Mary planned/hosted a surprise birthday party for me!!! And I was super surprised :o) We had a lovely lunch together - chicken tortilla soup, spanish rice, and wraps. AND, banana split cake for dessert- SO GOOD!! To top it all off, I got GIFTS. unreal. Lots of things to help our home and me smell better- yay!

Thank you, dear ladies, for all you did to make it such a special time for me.

30's not looking so bad...

Tomorrow I will be...

2009-09-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

Isn't this exciting?? Well, it certainly is for me! I know the picture is kind of odd, but I thought it'd be a fun way to document how far along I am. :o) 30 weeks along. sigh. Only 10 more weeks (give or take), Lord willing, 'til we meet our newest addition. Yahoo!!

Folks, we have a prediction

2009-09-27T18:04:00.002-05:00

A dear lady at church today asked me what I thought I was having. I told her I thought a girl. She nodded and said she agreed because, " your bobo (sp??) is bigger." So, her guess is a girl. What can we learn?

A bigger "bobo" = a girl
A smaller "bobo" = a boy

There you have it ;o)

2nd best

2009-09-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

I'm 29 weeks pregnant today and just felt the baby move ;o) I had a 3-d ultrasound done yesterday, but alas, I have no pics to prove it. Something went amiss :o( But, as Misty requested I took a pic of my belly about an hour ago. So, that's almost as good, right? I know it's not. oh well. Thank the Lord, the baby seems to be growing and doing great! Of course that makes me happy.

Jody broke out his old GI Joes yesterday for Joseph. All we had were a bunch of girls and princesses. I guess the guys in this house had had enough of that!

What a storm last night. The sky was gorgeous!! But, the storm did some damage to our swing set and our fence.

Happy Fall!!! This weather makes me extraordinarily happy. :o)

around the house in 8 minutes

2009-09-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

So, here's the challenge for all you who like to take photos- who doesn't? Walk around the outside of your house with a camera and look for beauty in the small/everyday/normal things that you'd find outside. Make a collage or post a series of pictures, and leave me a comment telling me you did that very thing :o) I'd love to see what you come up with. You up for the challenge? Hope so!

If you know the Lord...

2009-09-18T09:07:00.002-05:00

"If you know the Lord, you know the greatest thing mortal man can know".

-Bro. Bill Dodd (my pastor)

How true it is!! Today it has been 13 years since the Lord Jesus Christ was merciful in saving my soul. How VERY grateful I am for that. Thirteen years later, I love my Lord and Saviour more and yearn to live a life pleasing to Him. I've seen how the things the world has to offer so pales in comparison to life in Christ. Truly it does!

Thank you, Lord, for my salvation. For reaching down and having compassion on my desperate, sinful life. For being faithful and continuing to provide for me in so many ways. For loving me and forgiving me when I fail so often. For being my rock and strong tower. For eternal life!

Blessed be the Lord,

who daily loadeth us with benefits,

even the God of our salvation. Selah

~Psalm 68:19

Happy Birthday, Jean!

2009-09-17T07:01:00.000-05:00

Today is my dear mother-in-law's birthday. She is a most beautiful, godly, kind woman. How I love her! She's so fun :o)

my walking buddies

2009-09-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

Camping out is so much fun!

2009-09-07T14:05:00.001-05:00

Even if it IS in your own backyard. Last night we attempted to camp with our kiddos. It was great to be so close to home- a few feet, actually. Although the night ended early, we made some good memories. As you can see from the pics, Mikayla was a big help to her daddy setting up the tent. Even Joseph got in on hauling around the sleeping bag. Fun times!

2009-09-03T19:32:00.001-05:00

Why I love staying home with my children

2009-09-03T18:43:00.002-05:00

10. I rarely have to say good-bye to my children
9. I have the privilege of cooking/baking for my (very appreciative) family
8. I can work/rest (mostly!) at my own pace
7. There is no specific time that we HAVE to wake up by
6. My husband LOVES it and totally supports it
5. I'm able to watch my children grow/mature/learn
4. I know I'll have no regrets (as far as missing anything in my children's lives)
3. I feel totally and 100% fulfilled.
2. I can teach our children the Word of God throughout the day. What an awesome privilege/responsibility!
1. I believe I'm right where God wants me to be

And although I don't receive an actual paycheck, I have every single need met and actually most of my wants. God has ALWAYS provided for us, and we trust that He always will. He is faithful! I'm so thankful to be able to be at home. I love my family!!

the ones that I love!

2009-08-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

2nd Tuesdays on hold

2009-08-31T20:07:00.002-05:00

How to begin... Greetings! Thanks for not giving up on me :o) Tomorrow I will be 26 weeks pregnant- wowzers! I'm so thankful that this pregnancy has gone so well. I'm just now starting to get heartburn, which is not the greatest feeling, but that's about the worst of it. Thankfully the weather is starting to get a bit cooler *yay*. I get SO HOT about 5pm-ish. And of course, that's about supper time for us. I'm glad to have a good air conditioner- phew!

It's SO nice having my parents live closer. I'll take Coleman over Winters any day! We were able to go there last night and have blueberry pancakes and bacon with them. Yum! I sure love my parents; they just celebrated their 34th anniversary. I'm so thankful to have parents who are still together and NEVER want to take that for granted!

2nd Tuesday are now on hold. The one little faithful "member" has started a Tuesday school, so we will, Lord willing, start up again sometime after the baby comes. I totally enjoyed the sessions we did get to have!

I finally got to start our study on Joseph in our Sunday school class this past Sunday. I absolutely LOVE the story of Joseph. and I love the name. In fact, all the guys in my house have the name ;o) We're getting to closer and closer to meeting our newest little baby. I'm getting kinda excited. I even found 2 blankets at IKEA that will work for a boy or girl. On the 21st of Sept we have a 3-D ultrasound scheduled. I'm stoked to see pics of our baby! You know how I love pics! :o)

Our vehicle is back with the mechanic. HOPEFULLY he can find the problem promptly. I always miss when I don't have a vehicle. Somehow, though, I tend to get more done around the house... go figure. I guess that's the latest around here. I LOVE my family. The Lord is SO GOOD to us!

2009-08-26T22:25:00.000-05:00

Between photos being taken of our family, I spotted this beautiful "weed." I never cease to be amazed at God's creations!

I'm in awe

2009-08-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

I'm in awe of the family the Lord has blessed me with. We had a fun photo shoot tonight. One of our dear friends had a wonderfully patient attitude and did some family photos for us. THANK YOU! This is a very special "batch" of pictures for me. I look forward to putting them into a neat collage frame that I got from a newly married young lady :o)

Ethan Henry- 3 months

2009-08-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

Christy and fam came to keep me company today. I've been a bit lonely having no vehicle and having to stay home b/c of the new roof being done. So, I definitely welcomed the visit. We decided to do a little photo shoot of the cutest baby in town. Well, at least that's MY opinion ;o)

rainy day pics

2009-08-17T15:58:00.000-05:00

I'm back to blogging! Wow, it's been a while, eh? I thought this collage would be a good way to get back into the swing of things. Isn't it funny how life gets in the way of me blogging about my life?? Unreal. I love my family!

21 weeks pregnant!

2009-07-28T20:03:00.002-05:00

Oh, I'm so excited. I'm over halfway finished with this pregnancy- what a great feeling. I LOVE feeling the baby moving around in my tummy. Yesterday I had an appt and got a sonogram done. We've decided to NOT find out the gender. Jody wants to, but I don't. Since I'm the one carrying this baby, I won :o). I'd say that's fair. right?

This past weekend we visited some dear family in Seguin. They were super sweet to us and very hospitable. Other than Joseph's continual whining when I got one foot out of his sight, a great time was had by all. We'd hoped to be able to see some of our best friends in San Antonio, but alas, it didn't work out :o( Sunday morning we attended church with them. I really enjoyed it! The SSchool teacher shared this verse and now it's our memory verse:

"Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever:
for they are the rejoicing of my heart."
-Psalm 119:111

I love that verse!! I think it's awesome that at different times in my life, God sends "new" verses to encourage me to memorize and hide in my heart. Thank you, Lord!!

My dearest mother-in-law sent us a package the other day. She picked out a really pretty maternity shirt for me. :o) She also sent the kids a green t-shirt each. How sweet, eh?? I love her!! "Poor" Jody felt left out. He was so funny. What a great actor he is! ;o) Thank you, Jean!!

My parents are moving CLOSER to me. I'm thrilled with this news!! And very soon. Yay! I'll get to visit them more often, and that can only be good...

Do you have a special memory verse you're working on right now that has significance in your life? If you'd like to share, I'd love to know! :o)