Tulip Girl

Here is a picture of my family. Sorry its small and hard to see, but you can at least now see that I have a wonderfully big family. My dad's three kids and their family's are not in the picture. I'm stealing the gratitudes idea from my sister's blog, Candy and Ladybugs. I've actually stolen a lot from her over the years. I after all do have a ladybug nursery and she loves ladybugs. I don't think she minds. :) Here they are in no particular order 1. I am absolutely grateful that I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Not only am I absolutely sure of my salvation, that I will spend eternity in Heaven because He died for me, but I know that my eternity started the moment I accepted Him into my heart. He has become my best and constant friend. 2. OK there is a little bit of an order because next is my awesome husband, Dan. I am just crazy about him. I know we were made for each other. Lately he wakes me every week day morning with lots of kisses all ov...

How bittersweet it is to come home after vacation. Its nice to be home but I sure do miss my family. I had so much fun with my nieces and nephew. They are all so precious. I am so thankful for each of them. Now Dan and I are on a role getting the house ready for Sarah. I've started sorting baby clothes and organizing them in her dresser. We still need to get her closet set up. Dan is putting tile down in the bathrooms then we will get the carpets and the air vents cleaned. Unrelated to all this, we have to flush the water heater and get a new disposal. So the house has it's own needs as well. As soon as January hits we will start getting the rest of the stuff we need. We can finally buy the baby bedding. I also need to find a crib net so we can be sure Leo won't be causing problems. I am just so excited about all of this. My belly is growing so fast. I have another appointment today and can't wait to hear Sarah's heart again. She is just so precious. I...

My nieces, J and F were so excited yesterday for Christmas that they wanted to go to bed early just to get it here faster. Their laughter fills the air here constantly. They giggle all day long. Earlier in the week their cousin, A was here. Christmas is made complete when there are laughing children barely able to contain themselves for this one morning that comes this one time a year. My mom said she would absolutely love to have that same child like anticipation back. As I think about it, we are blessed as adults with a different kind of anticipation and that is of the morning that will start eternity wholly in God's presence. This life is our preperation for that time when with Angels singing a welcome home hymn we will see Jesus face, feel His arms embracing us and hear the deep resonation of His almighty voice say, "Welcome home good and faithful servant." I want that to be the anticipation that grows in my heart as the moment comes ever nearer just as a chil...

Dan did not make it in last night. He was kicked back to today. So instead of last night at llpm I will go get him, hopefully, at 6:30pm today. His layover in Newark is what did it in. Now he will go by way of Atlanta which makes more sense to me anyway. I forgot to mention it earlier but my sister, Michelle made cupcakes with little iceing booties on them. When my niece, Faith, asked her what she was doing and she said baby booties, her response was "Eeeewwww". I corrected her that they are baby slippers, no baby bums. We got a kick out of that. I will have pictures eventually. For a better version of this story plus a picture of the cupcakes, go to Candy and Ladybugs blog in the right column. Gosh, I haven't even put up pictures from our Baby Shower with Dan's family. I'm so behind. Dan's cousins, Jordan & Dustin and Alicia & Rodney really hooked us up. Jordan handed over three garbage bags full of baby clothes and Alicia gave me her Pack and Play wh...

I am so thankful to be with my family for Christmas. I have been able to hang ou with all my siblings so far but one. My sisters, Michelle, Julie, and Laura (my other sis, M, was not feeling well) as well as my mom threw me a super fun Baby Shower yesterday. It was so awesome to have those I care about with me. I'm not sure why God chose to bless me as He has but He did, so I won't question it and just be thankful. My sister, Michelle's husband, Joe came in from Holland for Christmas. She and her girls, Jamie and Faith are very very excited. Dan comes today and that will be just awesome for me. On the agenda so far is to go to Zoo Lights, Sadona, see some friends and of course Christmas! We will go to the Chrstmas Eve service with my parents and sister.

Over the last few months I have attended a prayer group at my church. While being able to pray for so many people, God has been opening my eyes to some new truths. Well, for one, I believe taking on the knowledge and praying for others is one way to seriously lose self focus. I find I am much less apt to walk through the halls at church and wonder what others think of me and instead am concerned with the "goings on" of my fellow church goers. There is so many cancer prayer requests, financial prayer requests, lost jobs, people getting surgeries, several deaths recently. So many if not just, well, flat out everybody, has some very serious issue in their own life. I am thankful though to bare this burden in the only way I can, through praying them through it. As an update, I made it safely to Arizona to be with my family. Dan will be along in a few days. I am so hungry for time with my siblings and their families. I go to a church where there are so many families so it makes m...

I believe God has done a pretty good work over the years to prove that His approval of me, His acceptance and love as well as His will alone is what I must seek. Beth Moore said it well when she answered a fellow sis-in-Christ when asked how she can be so confident in God. Her answer was that if every person knew everything about her, all her choices, opinions, her history, her secret thoughts, no one would accept her therefore she is free to not seek or dwell, or live under others judgment. I thought that made sense. I have figured that out seeking after certain people's approval is like chasing the wind. I also look at it in a different perspective. "Behold, the Lord God helps me; who is he who condemns me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them." Isaiah 50:9 I know that God always accepts me, always loves me, always looks out for me. In my darkest times, He was with me. In my times of celebration, He laughed for joy with me. He ...

I am excited today was a warm day though it did not look as warm as it felt. Having to run errands today, it was nice to be comfortable doing so. Well, comfortable as far as tempeture anyway. At 29 weeks of pregnancy comfort is having to be redefined. Another Greek word I have studied is pisteuo. pisteuo (Greek) - believe; to be firmly persuaded as to something, to believe... with the idea of hope and certain expectation, from the Greek word, pistis translated to the English word faith used throughout the New Testament This word, pisteuo is perfect for this time of year as we set our minds and hearts on remembering our Savior exiting Heaven, leaving His Father and becoming a humble baby in a manger. Hope to many is without certainty but for us how great that we can look to Jesus with hope, and certain expectation knowing He is real and know through faith without doubt is our freedom. Hallelujah and amen. :)

My sister-in-law and friend, Laura (Rottilover in my blog) has written what is in her heart in her blog. My heart is sad that she has miscarried. Of all those around me, I think her response to me was one of the most precious to me. She has since sent me Mother's Day cards. She didn't forget and she didn't ignore. Now her and my brother, Scott, have lost their precious one and I find myself even now wondering why though I still trust God He has an answer to that question. He just doesn't see fit to share it with me. That is okay. For now I just grieve my little niece or nephew and imagine him or her playing with Adam and Charis, as well as so many others, Eli, Timothy, Angel, Hope to name a few. And someday we Mommys will sit on some park bench in Heaven overlooking this playground and we will look on and we will share stories and they will be stories of thankfulness for our little ones that we had them when we did because life no matter how long is precious wh...

Sarah woke me up this morning with her first hiccups. It was just to cute so I just got up. I have been waiting to get up since 4am anyway. Gone are the restful nights sleep I guess. It is all so worth it. I had a very good weekend with Dan. We did talk about our budget so now I know what we have for the month which usually I forget. I'm getting better at writing stuff down. I have a little blue journal I write everything in and a file for notes on my lap top so I know if I need anything it will be in one of those two spots. Also I got stuff organized last week as far as getting the ottoman ready for toys, they side table now has my stuff; Bible study things and writing stuff in it as well as all the addresses and phone numbers. I'm excited about this because rarely am I every this organized. I also put all my craft stuff; paints, scrap booking, card making etc. next to the dinner table. I am so excited about going home for Christmas. I am hoping to see the zoo light...

As happens to most couples around this time of year, Dan and I have had several "discussions" about money; some were fruitful some a little less productive. Need I say more? ;) I'm no financial genius by a long shot. I'm not a major spender but I'm not a count every penny spender either. I am responsible for doing most of the spending (groceries, errands, returns etc.) and Dan is the balance the check book pay the bills guy. Dan tends towards worrying about every dollar spent and I don't think about it past putting the receipt in my purse. So when there are legitimate circumstances equating a justifiable result of more thought time aimed at money, well you know what kind of soup these ingredients make. Tonight we will have another discussion about finances after the not so productive one last night. The difference will be while we went at the one last night right at bedtime, tired and cranky, tonight we will be prepared both prayerfully and rested. Alre...