3.7 miles today

Yep, that's what we walked @ Riverside park. What an accomplishment, and boy, did we feel good afterwards. Well, not TOO good b/c we made some fudge a few nights ago. rats. To our credit, we shared with our pastor and his wife. phew.

Thank you, Christy, for putting a new pic of me and baby girl up!! Pretty soon, we'll need a new one. As hot as it was today, that snow is sure to melt:-) I do wish I had some sort of computer skills. I can type a mean letter on MWord, but that's about it.

I had horrible time today making fish. I bought some cod and thought I could accomplish great things by baking it. Not so. Let's just say that we ended up having cereal for lunch, and we were very happy to do so. Jody hugged me and said I was a good cook, etc. So, that made me feel lots better.

I got an invite tonight. Hooray. I'm not quite sure yet what all it will entail, but with CC and my parents and Mikayla, it's bound to be a blast. I'll have to give an update after then fun ends. I know everyone's itching to know more.

I'm off to get some housework, reading, and resting done. Probably in that order.

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."
-Proverbs 8:17

ps. Misty, if you're reading this, please tell Mike it's time for a new memory verse

Almost 7 years!

On Monday, Jody and I will have been married for 7 years. What a complete privilege to have such a wonderful man to be my husband. I thank the Lord a million times over for the honor to be his wife!! We celebrated today by enjoying an outing to Abilene, where we had a yummy Mexican meal, went to Target, and the mall. It was an extremely enjoyable time. My sweet mommy and dad watched our Mikayla. sigh. They took such good care of her:)

And while celebrating our marriage, we also celebrate the birth of our nephew Ian Gregory Ledbetter. What a boy he is!! He'll be 5! on Monday, and he'll be starting school this year. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! It doesn't seem too long ago that I saw him enter this world. He's SUCH a joy. I always tell him that he's my favorite Ian Gregory Ledbetter EVER. I think he likes that. His mommy sometimes tells him that he's special, and he says, I know, Aunt Sarah always tells me that. Yay:)

THANK YOU, sweet sweet ladies for your kindness, prayers, and all you've done for us. We got a very pretty plant from the florist today with NO SIGNATURE, which reads:

As you mourn and rejoice over
Jada's brief life, we pray
that God's peace will rule in
your hearts.
We love you

That was so beautifully put. It definitely made me cry for happiness- that somebody would think of us so lovingly. I'd better hurry and post this before it kicks me offline. We've had a most blessed day and we thank the Lord for that!

ps. We ordered a mother's ring today- should be coming in the mail in 2-3 weeks. It means so much to me that Jody would want to do that for me.

Jada Dodson

That's the name we've given to our baby. I love it. In Hebrew it means "He knows." No middle name, just Jada. Somehow naming our baby was bittersweet (mosty just sweet). My mom gave us the suggestion and we both loved it. It can be a boy or girl name, which is really neat, we thought.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. Today went better than I could've imagined. I got to the hospital @ 6:15 and left around 10:45. The nurses were great, actuall pretty comical at times, and Dr. Neel was fantastic. I remember NOTHING, praise the LORD! I don't say that lightly. I'm extremely grateful for that. Other than a few mild cramps, I feel really good.

It's been a good day of closure; a day to be thankful for the opportunity to be blessed with a second pregnancy. Our hearts have already begun healing. The Lord is good to us. Another blessing is that the Lord's blessed me with very good sleep. How could I ask for more? And my husband has taken the whole week off:)

It was pretty sad this morning. I told Grace that I needed her here to fix my hair the same way she fixed it when I had Mikayla. but Jody did it for me (pigtails). (Grace and family might be coming this weekend for a short visit- yay!) And Jody wore the same outfit he wore when our first was born. Also bittersweet.

The Lord HAS given peace and great comfort. Before we left the hospital one of the nurses asked if we needed a grievance counselor. I politely declined, but I should've told her that I've already been helped( and will continue to be helped) by The Couselor- my precious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hope you are all doing well. Much Love.

Psalm 57:1

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:
for my soul trusteth in thee:
yea, in the shadow of thy wings I will make my refuge,
until these calamities be overpast.

This is a verse that Mikayla's Aunt Laura shared with me and Joseph today, and I thought I'd share it as well. What an appropriate and wonderful verse it is. Of course it's not a "new" verse, but it's interesting the verses you can tend to overlook, and then when the time is right, it becomes precious to you. Thank you, Laura D!

I think you all know by now that I've officially had a miscarriage. In the morning I have a D&C scheduled @ Brownwood hospital at 6:15am. I'm SO thankful to be getting this done in such a timely manner. That is indeed an answer to prayer! Thank you all for your prayers and for the love shown to me (and my family) at this time. It's unreal to be shown kindness in so many ways. I'm in awe of how the Lord's been using others to help and encourage.

We're doing pretty good. Like my sweet mommy told me today, our babies are in God's hands. And Lord willing, someday we'll meet the ones we never got to meet on earth. The Lord does ALL things well and whatever He chooses is perfect. It's such a wondrous thing to be able to rest in that.

Hope you are all doing well. I appreciate so much the comments left on my previous post. Good night, dear ladies.

No heartbeat seen

I had mentioned in my previous post that I was hoping to see a heartbeat today at my first appt. Well, I didn't. I'm estimated to be 10 weeks along, but the baby measured 6 weeks, 5 days. With no heartbeat. That means one of two things. I'm either not near as far along as I'd thought OR we've lost our little baby. It saddens my heart to type that, but that's the reality of it. It's been a hard day, but a good day. Every day the Lord gives is good.

My dearest friend Christy SO kindly watched our Mikayla today while we were gone over 3 hours. While it's been a hard day, I've experienced several acts of love and kindess. It's wonderful. And I've fallen in love all over again with the beautiful daughter the Lord's so graciously blessed us with. To see my husband in pain is not an easy thing.

"The Lord will give strength unto his people;
the Lord will bless his people with peace."
(not sure where it's found)

That's the verse the Lord has brought to my heart during this time. After my appt, they sent me to the hospital to give blood so they can measure the "pregnancy hormone", I guess is what it's called. I'll go back on Monday morning and they'll take blood again and compare. If the number has stayed the same or decreased, it's a pretty sure thing we've lost the baby. So, we'll see . I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I'm not too hopeful, and maybe I need to be. Just looking at that sonogram screen and seeing no movement spoke volumes to me.

The thing that gives me a little hope is that I've not had pains/cramping/bleeding or the likes. The Lord knows and He does all things well. I prayed this morning before the appt that if it wasn't the Lord's will for this baby to l ive, that He'd show me and help me. He's been good to me today. I thank Him for the great grace He gives in comforting my hurting heart. I just want to rest in his will quietly. I don't want to ask "why?". I don't think that's for us to know.

When I know the results on Monday or Tuesday, I'll give an update. Either way I want to be thankful and fall more in love with my Lord and my family. Thank you for your love and prayers.

My heart is sad

I just read a blog this evening that made me cry. A woman who struggles/struggled with infertility (sorry I'm not good at links) lost her little baby. I feel for her so much. She had a sonogram yesterday and saw no heartbeat. That is incredibly sad to me!

My first appt is Friday and I'm hoping to see a heartbeat. It seems strange to be pregnant and read of others who no longer are. I feel so sad for them and for others of you who read this who have experienced the same thing. I don't know that kind of pain. But I know it would truly HURT to go through that. She has a wonderful testimony of clinging to Christ in her pain. How I admire that.

I had intended to post something totally different, but after reading her post, it seems quite petty/insignificant. I AM thankful that I can pray for this dear, hurting lady, who I don't even know. That's the awesome thing about it.

A Vera Wang mattress

What is that all about?? A new Serta Vera Wang mattress. Hmmm.. I'm sure it's well worth the added cost, just to have her name on it.

AND what's with Cinderella 3? Just when you think the story is over, they add an extra "element." I don't get it. I'm glad they've not done that with Beauty and the Beast (or have they?)- the very best Disney movie. I mean, what more can be said?!

Enough of that. I had a special day with my sweet family. We even got out (yes, outside!) and took a family walk. Mikayla is hilarious when we take walks with her. She's SO sober looking and then we'll get in front of her and say HI! and smile and she'll give a huge smile. Then it's back to the walk and the sober look. It's great. Makes me smile just thinking about it. :)

And I got to watch my friend Reva play in a basketball game. I think it was her last game of the season; I'm so proud of my friend:) And she SCORED. More than once! Gooo.... Reva!

Then my parents had me over for a yummy dinner of pork chops, mashed taters and corn. And delicious hot chocolate with a little ice cream in it. Very good! It might not seem like it goes together, but believe me (and my mom and dad!) it's good.And it cools it off quite nicely. Especially when it's boiling. THANKS, MA!

And tell me this one thing. Why is it easier to blog than clean our bathroom?? Unreal. Well, it's almost time for my lovebug to come home. Now THAT'S when the fun starts. :) I guess when we go to bed, we'll have to settle for our back beauty mattress, which works out perfectly well for us!

The heaven and heaven of heavens

I love it. I'm reading through the Bible in 90 days, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. When Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord, he says:

"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

Such good stuff! What an awesome/huge/wonderful God we serve. And to think- he loves ME?? Yes! Totally humbling thought...

I'm enjoying this pregnancy and am really feeling it right now. The mere thought of food makes me feel quite ill. For some reason, the evenings are worse. Will have my first appt on Friday- definitely looking forward to that! :)

I loved reading your comments, ladies, about the kind of police you are. What a hoot! I can definitley relate to some of those. :) Thanks for sharing.

I hope you all have a good week. Tomorrow morning, I'm off to the dentist. It won't hurt my feelings for THAT appt to be over with. ha! Good night.

ps. I just HAD to have a new post; my previous one was starting to grow mold, seriously! Ok, not really:)

What kind of police are you?

First of all, ladies, I want to say THANK YOU for the kind comments you left for me regarding my pregnancy. Y'all are great- and I'm thankful:) I cannot BELIEVE Laura D recommended the name Beth- we love it and had been talking about it. We'll see though...

Ok, back to the subject. What kind of police are you? You know, what do you notice about others doing/saying that you just can't help but point out? I'll give you a few examples of some that I know:)

My sister Grace is the "you-must-have-your-nails-trimmed" police.

My mom is the "you've-got-something-on-your-face" police. (at times I'm very grateful for this trait she has!)

My granny(bear) is the "mija-you-must-put-a-hat-on-that-girl" police. (before I had Mikayla, I was "that girl")

Christy is the candle police- it's hilarious. She'll come to your house and BLOW OUT YOUR CANDLES if she feels like they've bee burning long enough. very. funny.

I'm the speed police- wait, don't we already have somebody who has that official job?? I know, I can't help it.

So, I want to hear what you are. Oh yeah, another sweet friend has been called the diaper police. I think I used to be more that way until I had a baby...

I welcome your comments!
Good night:)

Showers of blessings

It is with delight and thankfulness that I share with you that we are expecting another baby! Yay times a lot. (hope that made sense:)

We found out this past week after experiencing (only me, of course- not Jody) nausea and heartburn and a soft belly (but that's from not working out regualarly for the past 2 weeks or so). Oh, we are thrilled as thrilled can be.

Now that my inlaws know, it's finally time to share with my bloggy friends. Mikayla is excited, too, but of course, she's pretty clueless about the whole matter. I think she's just a happy girl.

Today we were trying to think of baby names, going through the alphabet together. I realize it's a a bit early, but we had fun nonetheless. If it's a boy, we have that name. but, we can't agree on a girl's name. Any suggestions out there??

Hope you all have a wonderful week! We're sure planning on doing the same:)

Some pics relating to previous post

Hi, friends. Hope you enjoy the descriptive pics!

Grrr and Brrrr

I just had an almost finished post typed out and I accidentally kicked myself offline. For those of you who have had dsl forever, I realize you might not be familiar with the term "kicked offline." Anyway, rats. So, I'll try to recap, but I'm sure it won't be with as much gusto.

We woke up this morning to the ground so beautifully coverd with SNOW. Wheee! It was gorgeous. And it wasn't the normal TX snow where 1/3 is snow and the other 2/3 dead grass. So, that was a treat. Jody made snow "angels" (sorry Grace), and on his way to work, (after scraping ice and snow from the car), he threw snowballs at me and Mikayla. We WERE inside behind a glass door, but still quite unlike my dear husband. But we (I) loved it. Mikayla gave a little cry b/c she was a bit startled.

The other evening when my friend Christy was here, she distracted me while I was making bread and I forgot to add the FLOUR. I don't know how I did it, but I did. So, I had to rescue the dough from baking, empty the dough into the mixing bowl, add flour, wash pans and regrease and resugar them, THEN put them back into the oven. That was a wild time, to be sure. Come to think of it, neither she OR my mom helped me that night with the bread. They just sat back and smiled (laughed at me). I'm really glad to have such great friends:)

I was struck by this verse while reading in Exodous when the children of Israel were complaining to Moses and Aaron, and Moses answers..."for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord." Wow, some serious food for thought there. When we murmur/complain/gripe, etc. it's against the Lord!

I'm going to try to thoroughly enjoy my snowed-in day at home. I'd wanted to get glasses- I lost mine. I like to wear contacts during the day, but it's nice to be able to put glasses on after a long day and let my eyes rest. Anyway, it's been almost a year since I've had glasses. Hopefully, Jody and Mikayla will be able to take me tomorrow. Any good recommendations of where to get a good pair of glasses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bye for now.

Happy Monday!

I love Mondays. A fresh start to a week. I'm very thankful my dear hubby made it to work safely this morning. It was SOOO icy that we couldn't even get the car doors open. Well, eventually Jody did...

Here's a pic that Jody took of his girls yesterday:


Quite a bit blown-out, but the overall message rings loud and true. We love each other!

We had a lovely Sunday at home. We sang 4 songs that I can "play" on the piano. It was funny b/c when I'd mess up, Jody and I would just quit singing. Good thing I don't play for our church!- the song service would take forever! :) And Jody shared some good thoughts on the verse, Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Good stuff.

Ok, it's time to feed my baby girl, who I love sooo much. I hope the ice melts sometime soon. I'm kinda getting cabin fever- boy, I'm pretty spoiled! Hope everyone has a fantastic and delightful day:)

No church tomorrow

We're sad; our dear pastor called this evening and told us that they called off our meetings tomorrow due to the icy conditions that are present AND expected. We'll have a nice day at home together. I said, shotgun, piano player. And Jody said shotgun preacher:) and Mikayla's taking the offering- ha!

We had a MOST enjoyable time with Grandpa and Emmie this evening. Grace and family were expected to be there, but due to the weather, they cancelled:( So, we figured- the fun must go on! (as I'm typing, Jody and I are watching Mikayla's birth video. sigh. WHAT GOOD MEMORIES! My dear husband is SOOO gentle with her and loving. It thrills my heart to see/hear him in action. As time goes on, he's all the more kind and good to our Mikayla and ME!)Anyway, my dad made some tasty beans, my mom made some yummy rice, and I contributed the guacamole. Delicious meal. And for dessert my dad made some sticky buns and we watched Moby Dick (family tradition). AND enjoyed a lovely and warm fireplace:) Wish those Ledbetters could've been there, but I'm glad they stayed safely at home.

Has anybody ever noticed that when you run out of bottled water, suddenly you feel so parched?? Our tap water is really not horrible at all, but we're so used to the other. And you almost feel like a hero when you actually turn the faucet on and fill your cup up. it's kinda funny to me.

Good night, ladies!

It's OVER, officially

How does that saying go.. "quit while you're ahead?" Well, that's what I'm doing. I quit. I don't like having this competition with my dear sister Grace. What exactly did I prove, you know? That I (ONCE) could get more comments? Ok... We all know who's more popular and rightly so. :) Love you, Grace face.

Ever get in the mood for the munchies and have NOTHING in your house to help the ol' craving?? I did- tonight. And, I'll just say tomorrow's payday. So I chomped on some raisins. Didn't quite do it. We do have some triscuits. I've been wanting to post about the new triscuits. Am I the only one who's a huge fan? You know, the kind with Rachel Ray on the front. I like the cracked pepper and olive oil. They are delicious! I had them first @ my in-laws house and fell in like. Another plus is that they're quite fibrous. That makes points in our house, for sure! We're definitely fiber fans.

Tomorrow I have to take our car in to get the wheel cylinder/s (sp?) replaced. Jody talked to the guy who runs TTTire, and he said if I didn't have a ride home, he'd take me home b/c he didn't want me to be waiting there all day with a baby. Wow, isn't that going above and beyond the call of duty?? I thought so. And the other day we needed to get our emergency break fixed (before we could pass inspection) and he offered for us to drop off the vehicle, then they fix it AND get it inspected for us, and afterwards we could pick it up. I'm seroius; those guys are GREAT.

I'm stoked about seeing my dear friend Christy tomorrow. She's so fun. She really brings back memories of my salad days. Aww, such a friendship is priceless.

Does anybody know whatever happened to PrimeTime Thursday?? I used to look forward to it, simply b/c there are not many decent shows out there. Now, I think they replaced it with Earl. Gak. They obviously didn't get MY vote on the matter...

I hope everyone has a good evening/day/whatever.

Please help me deflate an ego!

Ok, my sister Grace
(needless to say) gets WAY more comments than I ever do. And, yes, she brags about it constantly and rubs it in my face, etc. We know the same amount of people (maybe I know even more) and yet, she racks up the comments like there's not tomorrow. And there might not be, I realize. So, in an effort to deflate (just a little) sweet Grace's ego, I'm imploring you to help me get at least ONE more comment than her. JUST THIS ONCE. And hey, if it doesn't work, everyone will at least know that I feel a tad slighted about the whole thing. She needs to be put in her place. I decided that this is going to work even if I have to leave ALL the comments. whoo hoo!

On a more serious note: My mom and I are participating in a challenge to read through the Bible in 90 days. Today was our second day of reading, and it's been a tremendous blessing - how could it not be?? Since the Lord saved me in '96, I've read through the Bible once. I'm looking forward to learning more of my Great God!

So, if you have a favorite verse, quote, color of nail polish, time of day, person, pair of shoes, chore, collection, book, movie, country, drink @ Starbucks, perfume -
ANYTHING!
please comment and share, ok? Off to the real world where laundry and dishes await me.
ps. I forgot to mention that there remains no bitterness in my heart toward my sissy. in fact, she's a great writer and a really fun person indeed.

A day at Emmie's house

What would a week be without a trip to Emmie's house? Right? Oh, it's so much fun over here:) My mom so kindly cooked me some fish sticks, Annie's mac 'n' cheese, and prepared for me a lovely salad. And before our walk, Emmie took this pic of Mikayla with her lambchop (acc. to Mikayla, the very best stuffed animal a little girl could have) from her Aunt Laura. Note the very soiled ear on the little lamb, and Mikayla's teeth- two new ones coming in on the top!

And, here's a "new" verse I came across and LOVED:

O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee;
and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
~Psalm 36:10

Home sweet home

Isn't it good to be home? We always enjoy visiting friends/family, but the best part is coming home. Everything seems fresh and new. sigh.

Our Mikayla is still not feeling well. My heart hurts for her. We bought her a new thermometer today; it's called a temporal scan thermometer. A bit pricey, but get this: you simply run it across her forehead and into her hairline. SO cool. But Mikayla's not. She had a temp of 102.6 today:( I checked online and they said for her age, (and she's now 9 months old!) if it reaches 103 to take her in. So, we're keeping our eye on that. I'm not sure if we'll be bringing her to church tomorrow or not. Maybe I'll stay home with her. The neat thing about her is she doesn't act sick. Oh, I love that girl!

Christy coming over tomorrow evening (or that's the plan) for some New Year's festivities. Woo hoo! We got some yummy things to eat @ Wal-Mart. Yes, we took Mikayla out in the cold. But, we bundled her up very well in the blanket her Aunt Laura made her. A lady @ Wal-Mart said that you can tell Mikayla's loved by her smile. hmmm... how cute. Turns out she's right!

Our cat is still alive. Yay! My parents are due back on Monday evening. another yay! boy, life is good:)

What a wonderful year it's been!!! Full of so many new things. Being a mother is extremely fulfilling for me:) and I love the daddy Jody is to our Mikayla. Truly the Lord is good to His own.
"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
~Psalm 34:8

My very own Beethoven

Another good day here @ the LA Dodsons. So tonight we go over to the church for a hymn sing, which I suggested because I thought it'd be an enjoyable time. Well, it was. I had NO idea my mom-in-law played the piano, but she sat right down and beautifully played while we belted out some old hymns. I didn't think much of it except for the fact that Jean did quite well, and I was enjoying myself. So, Jody, yes Jody, goes up to the piano for his turn. I'm thinking ha ha ha ha, that boy can't play. And he sits down and tells me he's going to play Farther Along (which is not my favorite song; sorry, but to me it sounds kinda whiny). I chuckle to myself and he starts playing and Jean comes to sit by me and starts singing along.

I WAS IN SHOCK. seriously.

I'm just sitting on the pew, holding Mikayla and in awe of what my husband's doing. My mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts. The main one being, I've got to see this up close and personal. So, I numbly walked up to the piano, only to find out that Jody is playing on an electric piano with music that the pianist recorded so the church can have music the times she can't be there. The mystery was solved. And, of course, there was lots of laughter. They sure pulled a funny one on me, eh? :) I'll probably laugh about that for many years to come!

In other news. My Mikayla is still not feeling so well. Poor baby. I'd sure take her pain for her if I could. I remember sometimes (I think it was during my pregnancy)I'd be hurting and Grace would say, I wish I could take half of the pain for you. Now isn't that the sweetest!? How reasonable.

Other fun things I did today:

$- played many rounds of boggle (with Jean)
$- played a Scrabble game
$- sang
$- kissed Jody
$- ate some delicious food prepared with love by sweet Jean
$- played dominoes (and WON, but I really didn't want to put that)
$- had a nice visit with Renee and her sister 'Tina
$- got some phone calls from friends (Grace and Christy- the friend who went to my house, played with our cat, cleaned out his litter, and loved on him. AWWW!) Can't beat that in a friendship, am I right? I might thank her with some lemon grass rice noodles. that'll be sure to make her feel appreciated.

Do I have MONEY on the mind? Nope. Just couldn't find a bullet button. hee hee

Feels like a bath night. Get some rest, ladies. CC, enjoy your new Eeyore! Good night; sleep well.

Good times in LA

We arrived in Louisiana safely, thank the Lord, on Saturday afternoon. And, as usual, we brought the rain with us. It ALWAYS (well, as much as I can remember anyways) rains when we come. They like that about us:)

For the first time we're staying in the Dodson's new home built mostly by my father-in-law. It's BEAUTIFUL and big and so much fun to be in. Mikayla has her own room (the southwestern theme room) and we have our own down the hall from her. We're staying in the pink room. It's pink, but not so pink that Jody feels like his manhood is being compromised. (was that a weird sentence or what!??)

They have lots of treats here. I told Jerry that, and he said, yeah, but they produce too many leaves. ha ha ha! I'm still laughing about that one. :)

My mom rescued my amish friendship bread mix. She said if any more time passed, it would've exploded. Thanks, ma! And she's even going to feed it and bake it for me. Man, what a special mommy I have.

I've only eaten between 10 and 15 tootsie (MINI) rolls today. I don't know what the effects of that will be...

Ok, what a (semi) blah post. Sorry, guys. More later, maybe. Good night, ladies:)