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!

No day @ the park

How sad. We were fully expecting to enjoy a nice WARM day at the park (Coggin), and it was absolutely too cold. Oh well. We enjoyed our time indoors- just being together as family. We did, however, make it out to the track where I jogged my half mile in the very windy and cold weather. Even Jody and Mikayla (all bundled up) came out to support me. When they were watching me plod around the track, Jody told me Mikayla kept saying "mama." :) awww... I love being a mommy.

I wish I could link b/c I'd have one to my mom's new post. It's so funny. A very energetic puppy (maybe it has ADD) showed up at their place, and my parents want TO KEEP IT. Unreal. They even bathed "Boo" and baked him some homemeade dog treats. I'm just tickled about the whole ordeal:)

I hope everyone has a good Lord's day tomorrow. It will be nice to be in church again. We didn't have services last week, so it seems like it's been forever.

Lord willing, we'll be heading to McKinney Monday morning- mama, Mikayla and me! I'm looking forward to a very nice visit (it always is when my sissy is involved) and just getting to spend time there. I even get to workout at their cool gym.

Later!
ps. Jamie, glad you're in with the running gang! :)

Scratch and Sniff...Gotcha!

Odd subject, eh? Well, that's what was printed on one of the TWELVE packets of fire sauce I received today at Taco Bell to go on my ONE bean burrito (with sour cream, of course). It's crazy how that guy just grabbed a huge handful for my little burrito. I've got lots left over.

My dear mommy watched our Mikayla today while I got in the second workout to train for the 5k. I started to go to the track, but when I was pulling up, I saw lots of kids (who looked like ants) piling onto the track, so I turned around and headed to Coggin. There were also lots of "kids" there (they're sure looking young these days!) playing tennis. It didn't look like there was much competition AT ALL. I really shouldn't say anything; I'm sure they all could've easily beat me. Aww... memories of tennis in high school. I was horrible and it was HOT.

Mike said they're naming their SON Jody Gregory. How nice, huh? Isn't that neat??? They're expecting a BOY!!! They just found out today. I'm teasing about the name. I believe they're going for the name Luke, which is a lovely Bible name!! I'm thrilled for them. Misty and I were due about the same time with our babies. It makes me kinda sad to think that we could've found out (around this time) if the baby we lost was a boy or girl. God knows.

I guess that's all the exciting news for the day. Oh yeah. Grace and fam won several vacations; hey, no fair! When we "won" our "prize", it only cost us 10 bucks. It could've been a LOT worse.We got hosed. Oh well. Good night!

Mission accomplished

I'm so thankful that my 90 day reading-through-the-Bible challenge is over. sigh. It's been a tremendous blessing, and yet it's been very challenging and sometimes downright HARD. When you have company, you can't just disappear for 2 hours at at time; it just doesn't work that way. I read these precious verses this morning and HAD to share:

"And I saw no temple therein:
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are the temple of it.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the Lamb is the light thereof."

~Revelation 21:22, 23

GOOD STUFF HERE!

Jody started his new job today working 6-6. I guess all in all it was a good day for him, but it was quite long. We're not sure exactly what his hours will be, but we know he's working straight days. Yay! :)

Tomorrow's the first day of actual running. I'm so excited. What do I do if I can't make it around the track twice? HOPEfully I'll make it. For all of you in it with me, tomorrow we're going to:

1 warm up lap
Run 1/2 mile
1 mile walk
1 cool down lap
...which equals 2 miles. (Christy, I hope you got that)

Buenos/as(?) Noches.

ps. Laura, good job on the reading. God's Word is SO GOOD. Keep on truckin'. Hope you made it to the gym today:-)

What would thoughtful parents do?

My poor daughter's legs are BARE IN THE SNOW. We really don't have her in shorts; her pants just scooted up for the picture. It's crazy that it snowed a bunch here yesterday. The other picture of Mikayla was taken the day before the snow one. My lovely parents had us over last night for a wonderful dinner at their house- meatloaf, carrots, potatoes with mushrooms, and avocado slices. Yummy! Afterwards we trotted over to see if Christy's cats were still alive- they were. phew.

I'm stoked about all the ladies wanting to participate in the 4k (Vivi, Grace, Laura, CC, etc.). I do appreciate the good advice from Heather, although I can't see myself EVER running 12-14 miles. WOW! It's been a HUGE goal of mine to run in a race for a long time now. And this year seems like the perfect time to do it. Just to clear something up here: when I say "run", I mean a s- l- o -w jog. I didn't want to deceive anyone- ha! I won't purposefully go slow, but will "run" the best that I can:)

It's been a VERY lazy day. Our church services were cancelled this morning AND this evening. This morning b/c of weather and this evening b/c of people being out of town. SO, I think my dear Joseph is going stir-crazy. I might be joining him.

Ok, I'm off to look at a vest for my lovebug. No, CC, not a sweater vest like you're so fond of. Hope you all have a good evening.

ps. what are some of YOUR goals?

do share.

Lace 'em up, Ladies!

Who's with me? I'm planning on running a 4k (2.5 miles) within 2 months, and a 5k (3.1 miles) within 3 months. I found a neat program online (where else?) that I want to try. The 4k is in Dublin (Dr. Pepper) TX on June 9th. Anybody interested? Then we could all do the race together. Woudn't that be fun?? If so, we're starting on Monday with this workout:

Monday- rest (I knew you'd like it:)
Tuesday- .5 mile run + 1 mile walk
Wednesday- rest
Thursday- .5 mile run + 1 mile walk
Friday- rest
Saturday and Sunday- rest one day, .5 mile run + 1 mile walk

Sounds easy enough, right? :)

AND, for other news: Lord willing, I'll be finishing my 90 day Bible challenge on Monday!!! I was pretty far behind b/c we had so much LOVELY company (which I thoroughly enjoyed- don't get me wrong). I'm seeing the finish line...

Lastly, a few minutes ago, a spider floated down on me. shiver. Those things are so NOT appealing to me. I nearly dropped this laptop all for a tiny spider. I'm crazy.

Good night, my faithful readers.
Are you game?

Sweet reflections

One year ago today, I experienced one of the most phenomenal experiences that a human can know. I had the supreme privilege of going into labor. The contractions started, and so did my tears. Happy tears. Just thinking of that evening brings about tears. My God is such an indescribably kind God.

To have a baby is supremely wonderful. To know that the Lord gave her life, made her little body to grow, and allowed her to come into this world is amazing!! I never want to take that for granted, and I pray I never will . I think Jada's brief life will help me all the more to not take life for granted.

"Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise thee.

Thus will I bless thee while I live:
I will life up my hands in thy name."

~Psalm 63: 3, 4

I LOVE my (our!) precious baby girl. And tomorrow she'll be turning 1. Incredible. I've grown to love her more than my own life. Being a mother is just plain nice. There's nothing like it. The Lord has taught me much and I have no doubt will continue teaching me through Mikayla's life. Our prayer is that she'll come to know and love the One who is the giver of life!

Good night. I'm a happy mother indeed!!! and most blessed.

Popcorn and such

This evening my husband asked me to do something he's NEVER asked me to do before. He asked me to pop him some popcorn! Crazy indeed, especially if you know the guy. I was very happy to do so in my clean....

MICROWAVE!!! Yay! My poor microwave was in desperate need of a cleaning. Just ask my mom and CC. When they'd come over, I'd make sure they knew to NOT LOOK IN THE MICROWAVE. Phew, glad that's done. :) And it wasn't so bad. It was just something I put off doing for long enough. Just DO IT, you know? Maybe my Joseph finally felt like he could ask for popcorn, knowing it'd finally been cleaned. hmmmm.

And, I walked 3 miles today on the treadmill that my mom likes to call her own. It's actually my sister's, but I think my parents have conquered it b/c Grace belongs to the world's greatest gym ever and no longer has a need for it. Does anybody else wish what Early would get a gym? a good one? of course not. That was a silly question. We DID get a new hair salon, though. I might try it out; I could even walk to it, it's so close. But, I imagine the walk back home would do wonders for my new 'do.

We're off to visit Grannybear in the morning. Hopefully, we'll get in some good games of dominoes. That's always so much fun.

Grace has posted!!! Yes, I kid you not. And, it's a good one.

Hasn't the rain been WONDERFUL??! I love it. so much. and Jody, too. And Mikayla.

I think I've set a record for the most CAPS ever used in a post. What's the deal today? I don't know. I'm just rambling.

Good night, faithful friends. Let's chalk this up to yet another exciting post from the very happy mother of one! :)

I got it!

My apology for not having a new post in such a long time. I've been REALLY busy, mostly with trying to stay caught up with my Bible reading plan. So, in my free time, that's what I've been doing. It's a wonderful use of time (believe me), and I'll (we'll) be finished pretty soon. We're over 2/3 of the way through it.

Anyway, my mother's ring came in the mail. Yay! I really like it, and I'm so grateful to have it. It even has Mikayla's and Jada's name on it. Just wanted to share:-). Maybe I'll get a picture of it posted sometime.

Hope everyone's doing well. I sure am.

My Birthmonth Girl!

Mikayla got this ever-so-adorable birthday

banner from her Aunt Laura!

Just wanted to share that this lovely Monday.

ps. Laura, I'm so thankful you made it safely there!

We REALLY enjoyed your visit.

Hey, come again soon;)

A walk minus a sock

Mikayla and I had a fun walk today trotting around the neighborhood. Too bad we can't go to the park:( The whole time we were walking, I was concentrating on not losing my keys b/c Mikayla was playing with them. So, we had almost made it home when I realized she was no longer wearing socks. Oh well. They were getting too small anyway. She did have one tucked in beside her, to her credit.

Much to do today! We're expecting some lovely company soon. Today I get the privilege (SP?) of:

~catching up on laundry (I imagine if you read ANY woman's blog, the word laundry is sure to appear)
~cleaning house- PineSol, here we come
~taking care of my precious daugter (what a complete blessing!)
~SHOWERING

Yay! Fun day planned, as you can see. And Jody gets off @ 3. yippee!!
I'm off to have a bite (or 2) of lunch:)

One of the funniest things I've ever read

It's ok to quote from a blog you just read, right? Well, I came across this and it made me laugh out loud, literally! (yes, Grace, literally) Ok, here goes. Tell me what you think.

"My second daughter has taken to the habit of shouting out the words "ice" and "beans" quite frequently and for no apparent reason. I suppose she likes the sound of them. Anyway, the baby who is barely talking has begun copying his sister. He is often heard in his crib quietly cooing "ice, beans." -Kendra

Maybe it's b/c I have a daughter about the same age as the one who is doing the "quiet cooing," but this just struck something in me. Is it NOT FUNNY??

Happy Birthday, Aunt Laura!

A very happy birthday wish for my sister-in-law Laura! I hope you have a most wonderful, blessed day- being thankful for the years of life the Lord's given you:)

We got a new armoire (sp??). My dear husband put it together on Saturday. We got quite a deal on it, too. It went from 200, to 150, to 124. So, we snatched it up. We're hoping to sell our old entertainment center @ our yard sale on the 17th. HOPEFULLY we'll be able to get rid of lots of things. Slowly we're decluttering our cluttered home. And we're lovin' it.

My mom took a picture of it, so I'm waiting for her to send it to me. So, while I have a few moments, what's going on with YOU? Yes, you. I care and I'd like to know. Anyone?

Lord willing, my Joseph will be starting a straight day job (still @ 3M) very soon. After working shift work for over 7 years, this will be quite nice. He's eager to get into a set schedule. I'm encouraged for the strong possibility of it.

My dad came over for lunch. We had egg sandwiches and baked chips and water. When he left for Cisco, I snuck in a fiber bar. I know I talk about fiber too much (well, Grace thinks so anyway), but I'm a fiber fan. And a fruit fan. And walking fan. And a Mikayla fan. Ok, that's enough. Sorry.

Let's see if we can get that pic to show up...

Fruit kick

Am I the only one on a fruit kick? Isn't it so yummy?? My husband and I can't seem to get enough of it. Lately he's asked me to make him fruit salads, and in it I put- apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, pineapple, mango, strawberries, kiwi, and (thanks to my mommy), BLUEBERRIES. Makes for a pretty good little salad. And we've been making smoothies. Does anyone out there have a good recipe for a smoothie?? If so, please share. They can sure be pretty yummy.

We're having Mikayla's Aunt Laura and her 2 boys come, Lord willing, next weekend. Yay! (Laura, I'll email you a menu choice to see what you and your boys prefer to eat!:) We're really looking forward to seeing them and getting to spend time with them.

Today was a good day @ church. Since I've become a mommy I don't hear all the messages preached/taught like I used to. I've got a slight distraction. :) Hopefully, she'll start being able to sit in church without me having to take her out so often. What a girl. She's SO worth it!

I'd better jet. Grace and Mom (not to mention others), it's time for a new POST! Good night, sweet ladies. Y'all are the best! :)

Enough already

I'm all for respecting people, but haven't they gone a bit overboard on ANSmith's death/burial, etc.?? Seriously, I think she's getting more coverage than former presidents have gotten. "breaking news" grrr.

We had a wonderful visit with sweet Christy this evening. She kindly fed us and entertained us so effortlessly. It's easy to love somebody when they love your child so much. That would define Christy. :) I liked her before Miggy, of course, but there's an added element now to our friendship that I just love. We even watched the results of AI and part of "the #1 new tv show" Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Then my dad wanted my mom home with him. Figures, but who can blame him? :)

I like the competitive talk, Laura! Good for you exercising! I enjoy walking so much. If anyone needs a walking partner (CC), let me know. Jody, Mikayla and I have walked every morning this week. It's been SO much fun. (I just noticed that I use the word "so" a lot!)

Ok, off to bed. Not the most exciting post, but it's better than an old one, right? right.