God has been so good these last two weeks! I knew starting school would be very hard and it was. I stressed about it like I always do into the first week, but it has come and gone. L took nearly two months last year before she adjusted to daycare...I took much longer. This year by the second week she was jumping into the arms of her favorite ladies. I even got a wave, "bye-bye", and a smile as I dropped her off this past Friday. That made it so much easier to leave her knowing that she was happy. Even though I am not thrilled with the idea of daycare by any means somehow it has been a blessing to our family. The girls that teach her truely seem to love her (God has weeded out a few bad ones) and God's love is taught in the daycare. I can feel it and see it when I walk in every time. It has given our family some consistency that we honestly needed too. We can depend on them to be there for us every day we need them. Don't get me wrong though. Nothing can replace the love and care they recieved from our sweet friends who watched her and D before! In addition L has grown socially. Before the end of the school year she was moved up to the 3 year old class because they said she related better to the older kids! I feel that along with the tubes we had put in her ears in April this has dramatically effected her speech as well. I can understand my daughter much better now more than ever. Nothing like hearing your little girl say "leave me alone" clearly (I think : ).
D on the other hand made his adjustments as cool and calm as he always does, although this year he did ask me to walk him in the first couple of days (leaving more scars on my heart). He loves his teacher this year almost as much as I think I do. Beforehand I was praying about who his teacher would be this year. I knew very few of the Kindergarten teachers and leaving my children in other's hands has never been an easy thing for me no matter how old my babies are. Mrs. Cox though has been an incredible blessing. I believe God set up our first meeting perfectly. We were at a workshop together in the same room and so after I found out she was his teacher I decided to introduce myself. She caught me first though and while we were supposed to be taking a 15 minute break it turned into a longer one for us. We have so much in common. She is an adoptive parent of three boys and recently had a biological child of her own as well. Ironically a little girl. Sound familiar yet? I believe she is a christian as well. She was incredibly easy to talk too and within that small about of time we had to talk I knew D was going to have a wonderful year! He has even made comments about how nice he thinks she is :)
So while I worried about how this school year was going to begin God took care of everything. I'm so thankful He knows my heart and has my children in His hands. I'd like to think that leaving them to Him will get easier, but I know my babies will only grow into big kids, and those big kids will grow into teenagers, and those teenagers into adults. They will have all the experiences Josh and I had as kids and probably even face newer and scarier ones. So I will take each day at a time, enjoy the time I'm given with them, and pray everyday for God's care over them. Who better to leave them with?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
My Strength Comes from Him
So there is so much going on in our lives right now. It's quite overwhelming. First of all we are remodeling our kitchen. A few weeks ago I was saying how happy I was that it wasn't stressing me out but I feel it coming with school about to start on Monday. There are no cabinet doors on my cabinets. Everything is bare...my kitchen is naked! Not to mention half of it has been sanded and the other half is still waiting for me to get to it.
Then there's the fact that everything at school is new. I mean NEW! I will be in a new building, with a new principal, going through a new phonics program as well as starting Great Expectations. I'm excited about all of it and I know change is sometimes good so I'm trying to look at this from an optimistic perspective. I keep thinking maybe all of this wouldn't seem so hard though if it didn't mean sending my own two children off to school. D will be starting Kindergarten this year. I believe this is going to be as hard as sending him to Pre-K for the first time. When did my baby boy grow up so quickly? The blessing in this however is that he has a wonderful teacher this year. I worked with her in one of our workshops this week and must say I immediately felt a peace come over me when she introduced herself to me and we got to talk.
L will begin her second year of daycare. No, I am still not thrilled with this situation and if I could change it I would, but I am thankful for it regardless. They do take good care of her and she is getting a lot of interaction with other children that she wouldn't have otherwise.
Have I mentioned how overwhelmed I am? I feel as if I am on a rollercoaster. One minute I am very excited about all of it. The next I am freaking out...How am I going to accomplish all I need to and still be a good mom/teacher?!
Thankfully the Bible has answers for this question:
I do this way too often. I let my fears and anxieties take over even when I know this is not the solution. These verses remind me however that I don't have to do it all on my own. God is more than strong enough and sufficient enough to help me take all of it on!!! So I will go from here with a different outlook. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust." (Psalm 18:2)
Then there's the fact that everything at school is new. I mean NEW! I will be in a new building, with a new principal, going through a new phonics program as well as starting Great Expectations. I'm excited about all of it and I know change is sometimes good so I'm trying to look at this from an optimistic perspective. I keep thinking maybe all of this wouldn't seem so hard though if it didn't mean sending my own two children off to school. D will be starting Kindergarten this year. I believe this is going to be as hard as sending him to Pre-K for the first time. When did my baby boy grow up so quickly? The blessing in this however is that he has a wonderful teacher this year. I worked with her in one of our workshops this week and must say I immediately felt a peace come over me when she introduced herself to me and we got to talk.
L will begin her second year of daycare. No, I am still not thrilled with this situation and if I could change it I would, but I am thankful for it regardless. They do take good care of her and she is getting a lot of interaction with other children that she wouldn't have otherwise.
Have I mentioned how overwhelmed I am? I feel as if I am on a rollercoaster. One minute I am very excited about all of it. The next I am freaking out...How am I going to accomplish all I need to and still be a good mom/teacher?!
Thankfully the Bible has answers for this question:
- I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Phillipians 4:13)
- I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4)
- Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10b)
- When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17)
- My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)
- Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26: 3-4)
- O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress. (Jeremiah 16:19)
- If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)
- My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
I do this way too often. I let my fears and anxieties take over even when I know this is not the solution. These verses remind me however that I don't have to do it all on my own. God is more than strong enough and sufficient enough to help me take all of it on!!! So I will go from here with a different outlook. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust." (Psalm 18:2)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Firsts
So I was thinking the other day about this summer. It's gone by so quickly (that's the worst part about summer), but I've accomplished a lot and had a lot of "firsts". By this I mean things that I've done or tried for the first time ever. Here are just a few...
1. a vegetable garden
2. made a dress for L, almost w/o mom's help
3. trip to San Antonio/Sea World
4. kitchen remodel
5. hostessing a ladies Bible study in my home, which throughly blessed me!
Well, as I was thinking I began to think beyond this summer about the firsts I've had in my life and how much joy I've received from experiencing them. Following are some of my favorites:
1. My first love. Okay not to get all mushy, but Josh was honestly my first REAL boyfriend. I had had "puppylove" boyfriends and dated a few guys (none that were really husband material mind you) but never had a serious boyfriend until I met Josh. Most relationships previous to him lasted about 2 weeks...if that! He treated me different. Special. And he still does!
2. The first time Josh and I walked into the nursery and met D! This is one of my all time favorites forever burned upon my heart. It was the perfect setting. Josh and I had prayed for months (what felt like years) for this moment and there he was as we walked in the room. Lying all by himself in a nursery bed in an empty room. No other babies or nurses...just him. I have always felt that as I walked in that room it was God's way of saying we both needed each other. I'll never forget it.
3. My first physical pregnancy. I say physical because we were pregnant with D in a different way. We experienced EVERYTHING a couple does during pregnancy with him minus the physical part of it. Anyway, being pregnant with L was a totally awesome experience. Those of you who know me will agree it wasn't all a party for me but it was wonderful. I loved being able to feel her move around inside me. That was AMAZING!
4. Our first purchase together...a $200 television set. We bought the tv a couple of months before we got married. It was a great learning experience about ourselves as a couple. It taught us about working together and how to communicate our wants and needs. It also taught me that although it takes my husband forever to make a decision that the time spent educating himself about a large purchase is usually well spent in the end. Btw the tv was still working when we replaced it this past year!
5. My first swim meet. I'll never forget how nervous I was or how much I thought I'd fail and embarass myself. The first time I got up on the block I was the last person in a 400 relay. Now if you know anything about swimming a relay such as this you know that each person does a 100 before the next one in line goes. Well...let's just say we hadn't trained that way in practice so when it was my turn I jumped in after the person in front of me's first 50. I had no idea what I'd done until I was returning from my first 50 and the girls were slapping the water yelling at me to stop! Yes, I was totally embarassed, but I discovered something about myself...I LOVED swimming! Hated the 5am practices but loved swimming competetively itself.
The following are without explanation as this could get REALLY long if I did that...
6. Our first house. Lots and lots of memories!!!
7. Selling our first house :(
8. Our first dog, Harley.
9. My first REAL teaching job and the wonderful ladies I still work with.
10. My first car, a gold 1987 Honda Accord.
11. My first college class. Yes, I am a bigole (as D would say) nerd! I loved school. I love learning and I love reading!!!
12. Meeting my inlaws for the first time. I am incredibly blessed with two wonderful set of family!!!
13. Our first church home as a couple, Trinity.
I could go on and on but his whole talk of first brings the verse Mattew 6:33 to mind: "But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." The is to be the most important FIRST thing in our lives EVERYDAY! I believe my family is blessed only because we have made God the first priority in our lives. Where is He on your list of priorities?
1. a vegetable garden
2. made a dress for L, almost w/o mom's help
3. trip to San Antonio/Sea World
4. kitchen remodel
5. hostessing a ladies Bible study in my home, which throughly blessed me!
Well, as I was thinking I began to think beyond this summer about the firsts I've had in my life and how much joy I've received from experiencing them. Following are some of my favorites:
1. My first love. Okay not to get all mushy, but Josh was honestly my first REAL boyfriend. I had had "puppylove" boyfriends and dated a few guys (none that were really husband material mind you) but never had a serious boyfriend until I met Josh. Most relationships previous to him lasted about 2 weeks...if that! He treated me different. Special. And he still does!
2. The first time Josh and I walked into the nursery and met D! This is one of my all time favorites forever burned upon my heart. It was the perfect setting. Josh and I had prayed for months (what felt like years) for this moment and there he was as we walked in the room. Lying all by himself in a nursery bed in an empty room. No other babies or nurses...just him. I have always felt that as I walked in that room it was God's way of saying we both needed each other. I'll never forget it.
3. My first physical pregnancy. I say physical because we were pregnant with D in a different way. We experienced EVERYTHING a couple does during pregnancy with him minus the physical part of it. Anyway, being pregnant with L was a totally awesome experience. Those of you who know me will agree it wasn't all a party for me but it was wonderful. I loved being able to feel her move around inside me. That was AMAZING!
4. Our first purchase together...a $200 television set. We bought the tv a couple of months before we got married. It was a great learning experience about ourselves as a couple. It taught us about working together and how to communicate our wants and needs. It also taught me that although it takes my husband forever to make a decision that the time spent educating himself about a large purchase is usually well spent in the end. Btw the tv was still working when we replaced it this past year!
5. My first swim meet. I'll never forget how nervous I was or how much I thought I'd fail and embarass myself. The first time I got up on the block I was the last person in a 400 relay. Now if you know anything about swimming a relay such as this you know that each person does a 100 before the next one in line goes. Well...let's just say we hadn't trained that way in practice so when it was my turn I jumped in after the person in front of me's first 50. I had no idea what I'd done until I was returning from my first 50 and the girls were slapping the water yelling at me to stop! Yes, I was totally embarassed, but I discovered something about myself...I LOVED swimming! Hated the 5am practices but loved swimming competetively itself.
The following are without explanation as this could get REALLY long if I did that...
6. Our first house. Lots and lots of memories!!!
7. Selling our first house :(
8. Our first dog, Harley.
9. My first REAL teaching job and the wonderful ladies I still work with.
10. My first car, a gold 1987 Honda Accord.
11. My first college class. Yes, I am a bigole (as D would say) nerd! I loved school. I love learning and I love reading!!!
12. Meeting my inlaws for the first time. I am incredibly blessed with two wonderful set of family!!!
13. Our first church home as a couple, Trinity.
I could go on and on but his whole talk of first brings the verse Mattew 6:33 to mind: "But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." The is to be the most important FIRST thing in our lives EVERYDAY! I believe my family is blessed only because we have made God the first priority in our lives. Where is He on your list of priorities?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Momma's Girl
So you've heard how wonderful my husband is and how amazing my D is. Let me tell you about my L. If you look up the definition of momma's girl you will see a picture of my dear L. She puts a smile on my face even now as I think about her. As she is napping at this moment I am basking in the peace and quiet this house is experiencing because when she gets up it won't be this quiet again until about after both kids are in bed. I love L for so many reasons...even the ones that make me want to scream, because I know that even these moments are blessings.
L is our second child. Our pregancy with her was a much unexpected surprise. Nearly a year to the day she was born I began praying for another child. I know this is true because I can look back in my prayer journal and see it. Josh and I were sure God had adoption in mind for us again. We'd been on infertility drugs for almost a year before D was born without any thing happening so we didn't even begin to consider using them again until we experienced 5 failed adoptions within 2 months. Yes, I said 5!!! We even got to meet a birthmom (I'll tell you about that experience some other time). So anyway we went to meet with the doctor. I say we because I made Josh go with me this time. He'd gotten out of it before and if I was going to use those drugs again he would get to meet with the doctor too! So after our first time being on them a second time we got pregnant. We found out March 13th, a week before my birthday. SURPRISE!!! When I took the pregnancy test(s) I was in complete denial. I thought it was a fluke. Josh said I needed to make sure with a blood test but I told him I didn't want to because I was "afraid it would go away". But I had one done anyway late that evening. My BFF, Amanda, met Josh and I at the clinic and I had the results two hours later thanks to the very sweet lady who took my blood and was nice enough to break the rules and not make me wait for the doctor's nurse to call the next morning. The first person we told was D. We told him there was a baby in mommy's tummy and he smiled :)
Our excitement and joy became fear a few days later however when I began spotting. Thanks to the wise advice of a friend I quickly went back to the clinic and had my hormone levels checked. Sure enough my levels were LOW so the doctor prescribed progesterone pills and bedrest for my birthday and springbreak (my favorite thing about March). I was bummed but more than that I was scared to death I was going to lose our baby. So I did exactly what the doctor told me to. Thankfully I have a wonderful family who was completely supportive. Josh's parents were going to KC that week (a trip I had been expecting to take as well) so they took D along with them while I was cooped up in bed. From that time on I did whatever the doctor told me too. No matter what I was determined to have our baby.
I'm convinced to this day that God intervened but I am also convinced that L would have been born regardless of whether I had followed doctor's orders or not. She is a fighter! Strong-willed and independent. She will have her way or everybody suffers (so she thinks!).
She is a happy little girl though too. She loves to dance and sing. She has a little princess nightgown that she likes to wear to bed. Whenever she puts it on I swear I think that she literally turns into a princess. She will spin and spin around the room while singing at the top of her lungs.
She is a tomboy too. She loves to wrestle and drive her brother crazy. More often than not I am pulling her off D instead of the other way around. She loves to play in dirt (something which drives her mother crazy)and I am constantly trying to get stains out of her clothes.
She is curious. She gets into and wants to know what everything is. I hear a lot of "What's that?".
She has her daddy's sense of humor! Just the other day I was changing her diaper and I said "Stinky diaper". She quickly retorted, "Stinky Mommy" with an enormous grin and gleam in her eye.
She is creative. She has had an ability to do things with her hands since she was little that I could never get D to do. Sometimes I think she is an artist in the making. She loves to draw, color, paint and play with playdough.
She does things her own way and refuses to stick to anyone's idea of how a toddler normally progresses. There is a storybook called "Ruby in Her Own Time". It's about a Mother Duck and Father Duck who are worried about their duckling, Ruby. As the littlest duckling of the family, she learns to eat and swim long after her four sisters and brothers. Father Duck frets that Ruby will never catch up, but Mother Duck calmly reassures him that Ruby will flourish — "in her own time." I keep telling myself I'm going to buy this book and mark out the name Ruby throughout the book and replace it with L's name!!!
This is my girl. I am tightly wrapped around her finger. I love her with all of my heart. She is a gift from God, and in a way I think God's way of humbling me :) I pray one day that she will grow up to be a woman after God's own heart who lives to serve and glorify our wonderful Father who gave her life.
L is our second child. Our pregancy with her was a much unexpected surprise. Nearly a year to the day she was born I began praying for another child. I know this is true because I can look back in my prayer journal and see it. Josh and I were sure God had adoption in mind for us again. We'd been on infertility drugs for almost a year before D was born without any thing happening so we didn't even begin to consider using them again until we experienced 5 failed adoptions within 2 months. Yes, I said 5!!! We even got to meet a birthmom (I'll tell you about that experience some other time). So anyway we went to meet with the doctor. I say we because I made Josh go with me this time. He'd gotten out of it before and if I was going to use those drugs again he would get to meet with the doctor too! So after our first time being on them a second time we got pregnant. We found out March 13th, a week before my birthday. SURPRISE!!! When I took the pregnancy test(s) I was in complete denial. I thought it was a fluke. Josh said I needed to make sure with a blood test but I told him I didn't want to because I was "afraid it would go away". But I had one done anyway late that evening. My BFF, Amanda, met Josh and I at the clinic and I had the results two hours later thanks to the very sweet lady who took my blood and was nice enough to break the rules and not make me wait for the doctor's nurse to call the next morning. The first person we told was D. We told him there was a baby in mommy's tummy and he smiled :)
Our excitement and joy became fear a few days later however when I began spotting. Thanks to the wise advice of a friend I quickly went back to the clinic and had my hormone levels checked. Sure enough my levels were LOW so the doctor prescribed progesterone pills and bedrest for my birthday and springbreak (my favorite thing about March). I was bummed but more than that I was scared to death I was going to lose our baby. So I did exactly what the doctor told me to. Thankfully I have a wonderful family who was completely supportive. Josh's parents were going to KC that week (a trip I had been expecting to take as well) so they took D along with them while I was cooped up in bed. From that time on I did whatever the doctor told me too. No matter what I was determined to have our baby.
I'm convinced to this day that God intervened but I am also convinced that L would have been born regardless of whether I had followed doctor's orders or not. She is a fighter! Strong-willed and independent. She will have her way or everybody suffers (so she thinks!).
She is a happy little girl though too. She loves to dance and sing. She has a little princess nightgown that she likes to wear to bed. Whenever she puts it on I swear I think that she literally turns into a princess. She will spin and spin around the room while singing at the top of her lungs.
She is a tomboy too. She loves to wrestle and drive her brother crazy. More often than not I am pulling her off D instead of the other way around. She loves to play in dirt (something which drives her mother crazy)and I am constantly trying to get stains out of her clothes.
She is curious. She gets into and wants to know what everything is. I hear a lot of "What's that?".
She has her daddy's sense of humor! Just the other day I was changing her diaper and I said "Stinky diaper". She quickly retorted, "Stinky Mommy" with an enormous grin and gleam in her eye.
She is creative. She has had an ability to do things with her hands since she was little that I could never get D to do. Sometimes I think she is an artist in the making. She loves to draw, color, paint and play with playdough.
She does things her own way and refuses to stick to anyone's idea of how a toddler normally progresses. There is a storybook called "Ruby in Her Own Time". It's about a Mother Duck and Father Duck who are worried about their duckling, Ruby. As the littlest duckling of the family, she learns to eat and swim long after her four sisters and brothers. Father Duck frets that Ruby will never catch up, but Mother Duck calmly reassures him that Ruby will flourish — "in her own time." I keep telling myself I'm going to buy this book and mark out the name Ruby throughout the book and replace it with L's name!!!
This is my girl. I am tightly wrapped around her finger. I love her with all of my heart. She is a gift from God, and in a way I think God's way of humbling me :) I pray one day that she will grow up to be a woman after God's own heart who lives to serve and glorify our wonderful Father who gave her life.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
One Sweet Blessing
So I've posted our adoption story but I'd like to tell you more about this one sweet blessing.
D is an AMAZING little boy...and I don't just say that because I'm biased (okay, maybe a little). Honestly Josh and I thought we were really good parents because as an infant he slept through the night from the day we brought him home, he was an incredible eater, never got sick, and made transitions from one thing to another with ease. He never fussed either. I say all this because in a future post I intend to tell you about his sister! But more about her later.
He is a BOY!!! He will tell you pink is NOT FOR BOYS and neither is nailpolish. One time he saw another boy wearing nailpolish and he stated, "That is so GROSS!". He loves to climb and wrestle, especially with Josh. He loves cars and trucks and is all about digging in the dirt!
One of his favorite things for a long time has been Thomas the Train, however much to my breaking heart he is slowly growing out of it. Disney/Pixar Cars are still big thing for him though. He knows all of their names and can tell you exactly where they are in the movie. We can't wait for Cars 2 btw!
He has an extremely kind heart and he is very thoughtful.
He loves his sister and will defend her. We ran into a little girl once in a store who observed that L and him did not look alike and overheard him say something refering to "my sister". She looked at him and said "That's not your sister!". It obviously irritated him and he looked back at her and replied, "Yes, she is!" and walked away.
He is extremely smart. At the very young age of two he could quote up to 6 bible verses, recognize all the letters of the alphabet, count to 10, and identify shapes and colors. He had a huge vocabulary as well. Last year he was in pre-k and recieved a + on every objective on his report card except for "put aways toys and helps clean up after playtime". Yeah, guess that's something we still need to work on. In a few weeks he will begin Kindergarten (my eyes are already welling up with tears) and he is ready! He is already sounding out words and reading, adding two digits, and counting to 100 just to name a few things. Although I am a teacher, I can't take complete credit. Josh works with him alot and he had an awesome teacher last year. Not to mention he has an amazing memory and picks up on everything.
He has a beautiful smile whether he is being ornery, silly, laughing, or just cheesing it for the camera. It always causes me to smile back. I just can't help it.
He is a wonderful help. He likes to help cook, he likes to help do yardwork, and he likes to help me remember things (I need alot of help with that!). Sometimes I wonder how I ever got by without him :)
He also has a heart for the Lord. Although he is not yet a christian he is asking many questions. I pray everyday that he will respond appropriately when he hears God's call and seek to serve Him with all his heart.
He is my son. I prayed for this child and God BLESSED me with him! I am so thankful everyday for him and can't wait to see what kind of man he will grow into.
D is an AMAZING little boy...and I don't just say that because I'm biased (okay, maybe a little). Honestly Josh and I thought we were really good parents because as an infant he slept through the night from the day we brought him home, he was an incredible eater, never got sick, and made transitions from one thing to another with ease. He never fussed either. I say all this because in a future post I intend to tell you about his sister! But more about her later.
He is a BOY!!! He will tell you pink is NOT FOR BOYS and neither is nailpolish. One time he saw another boy wearing nailpolish and he stated, "That is so GROSS!". He loves to climb and wrestle, especially with Josh. He loves cars and trucks and is all about digging in the dirt!
One of his favorite things for a long time has been Thomas the Train, however much to my breaking heart he is slowly growing out of it. Disney/Pixar Cars are still big thing for him though. He knows all of their names and can tell you exactly where they are in the movie. We can't wait for Cars 2 btw!
He has an extremely kind heart and he is very thoughtful.
He loves his sister and will defend her. We ran into a little girl once in a store who observed that L and him did not look alike and overheard him say something refering to "my sister". She looked at him and said "That's not your sister!". It obviously irritated him and he looked back at her and replied, "Yes, she is!" and walked away.
He is extremely smart. At the very young age of two he could quote up to 6 bible verses, recognize all the letters of the alphabet, count to 10, and identify shapes and colors. He had a huge vocabulary as well. Last year he was in pre-k and recieved a + on every objective on his report card except for "put aways toys and helps clean up after playtime". Yeah, guess that's something we still need to work on. In a few weeks he will begin Kindergarten (my eyes are already welling up with tears) and he is ready! He is already sounding out words and reading, adding two digits, and counting to 100 just to name a few things. Although I am a teacher, I can't take complete credit. Josh works with him alot and he had an awesome teacher last year. Not to mention he has an amazing memory and picks up on everything.
He has a beautiful smile whether he is being ornery, silly, laughing, or just cheesing it for the camera. It always causes me to smile back. I just can't help it.
He is a wonderful help. He likes to help cook, he likes to help do yardwork, and he likes to help me remember things (I need alot of help with that!). Sometimes I wonder how I ever got by without him :)
He also has a heart for the Lord. Although he is not yet a christian he is asking many questions. I pray everyday that he will respond appropriately when he hears God's call and seek to serve Him with all his heart.
He is my son. I prayed for this child and God BLESSED me with him! I am so thankful everyday for him and can't wait to see what kind of man he will grow into.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
My Amazing Husband
Here's what I admire about my husband:
1. He is a wise and intelligent man. Whenever I need advice I always go straight to him first. I've also been known to ask him for advice for my friends.
2. He is a great source of strength for me. We have survived a lot together in our 10 (almost 11 years) of marriage and with him we have faced challenging situations and burdens with ease.
3. He is so funny! He has always had an amazing ability to make me laugh no matter what.
4. He is an awesome dad. He plays with the kids and makes them laugh histarically. I actually have to ask him to stop being so goofy sometimes because he and the kids will get so out of control!!!
5. He is a wonderful listener and so easy to have a conversation with. I remember one time we were in a restaurant talking while we were waiting for our food and the owner came up to us and said he knew we were in love because Josh never took his eyes off me while we were talking. He could tell that he was interested in what I had to say.
6. He is a man of his word, trustworthy, dependable and reliable.
7. He is an awesome leader and provider for our family.
8. Although he presents himself as strong he truely has a soft spot in his heart for me and the kids. He would do anything in the world for us. His favorite thing to do with the kids is wrestle and play.
9. He loves the Lord. He serves Him wholeheartedly and prays daily for our family.
10. He is a very generous man with his time and money. It is hard for him to tell anyone in need of help "no".
11. He encourages me to stand strong for what I believe in. He advises me on issues and keeps me focused.
God created Josh perfectly for me. I tend to be strong willed and determined and it takes a strong willed and determined man to lead me. I am so thankful I married him. I fall in love with him all over again everyday. We are so blessed and I know many of those blessings come from his willingness to be open, taught and changed by God's word. He stands strong in his commitments to God and me and the security I have in this is priceless!!!
1. He is a wise and intelligent man. Whenever I need advice I always go straight to him first. I've also been known to ask him for advice for my friends.
2. He is a great source of strength for me. We have survived a lot together in our 10 (almost 11 years) of marriage and with him we have faced challenging situations and burdens with ease.
3. He is so funny! He has always had an amazing ability to make me laugh no matter what.
4. He is an awesome dad. He plays with the kids and makes them laugh histarically. I actually have to ask him to stop being so goofy sometimes because he and the kids will get so out of control!!!
5. He is a wonderful listener and so easy to have a conversation with. I remember one time we were in a restaurant talking while we were waiting for our food and the owner came up to us and said he knew we were in love because Josh never took his eyes off me while we were talking. He could tell that he was interested in what I had to say.
6. He is a man of his word, trustworthy, dependable and reliable.
7. He is an awesome leader and provider for our family.
8. Although he presents himself as strong he truely has a soft spot in his heart for me and the kids. He would do anything in the world for us. His favorite thing to do with the kids is wrestle and play.
9. He loves the Lord. He serves Him wholeheartedly and prays daily for our family.
10. He is a very generous man with his time and money. It is hard for him to tell anyone in need of help "no".
11. He encourages me to stand strong for what I believe in. He advises me on issues and keeps me focused.
God created Josh perfectly for me. I tend to be strong willed and determined and it takes a strong willed and determined man to lead me. I am so thankful I married him. I fall in love with him all over again everyday. We are so blessed and I know many of those blessings come from his willingness to be open, taught and changed by God's word. He stands strong in his commitments to God and me and the security I have in this is priceless!!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A Dress and A Garden
I have been inspired over the past year by some wonderful ladies. A friend of mine who kept the kids last year reminded me of just how much I like to sew. Mom taught me when I was younger how to use the sewing machine. Then I got my own sewing machine the Christmas before D was born. He made me what I thought was busy, but then as we all know Lilly came along! LOL! Anyway I wanted to share my very first creation with you, the little blue and brown polka-dot sundress. Check out the pics. It's was alot of fun and I can't wait to make something else!!!
I also have been inspired to do a garden. A few of my friends and my MIL do one every year. Mom also had one when we were kids. I remember doing tomatoes and carrots specifically. When we were looking at the house before we bought it I began toying around with the idea of having a garden this year. If you know me at all though I have the brownest thumb ever. I can not get ANYTHING to grow. Everything that comes into my house dies unless it is the ivy living in the jar of water on my fireplace mantle. However, there is an area fenced off from the front and backyard that gave me the idea. The dogs can't get to it and it gets plenty of sunshine. So I did it...with caution. I talked to my friends and MIL and asked questions. What's the easiest to grow? and specifically how can I be successful with tomatoes (they're my favorite!!!)? Following their advice and with help from our friend Ryan who tilled the yard (after cutting and fixing our cable line all in the same trip...much thanks to him btw) my garden is growing. I've also posted pics of it. I'm pretty happy with it so far. I'll be even more happy though and proud when I actually get some food out of it. Hopefully I can post those pics for you too!
I also have been inspired to do a garden. A few of my friends and my MIL do one every year. Mom also had one when we were kids. I remember doing tomatoes and carrots specifically. When we were looking at the house before we bought it I began toying around with the idea of having a garden this year. If you know me at all though I have the brownest thumb ever. I can not get ANYTHING to grow. Everything that comes into my house dies unless it is the ivy living in the jar of water on my fireplace mantle. However, there is an area fenced off from the front and backyard that gave me the idea. The dogs can't get to it and it gets plenty of sunshine. So I did it...with caution. I talked to my friends and MIL and asked questions. What's the easiest to grow? and specifically how can I be successful with tomatoes (they're my favorite!!!)? Following their advice and with help from our friend Ryan who tilled the yard (after cutting and fixing our cable line all in the same trip...much thanks to him btw) my garden is growing. I've also posted pics of it. I'm pretty happy with it so far. I'll be even more happy though and proud when I actually get some food out of it. Hopefully I can post those pics for you too!
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