1701. a long weekend away with Scott to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (a week early due to baseball games)
1702. beautiful weather all weekend long
1703. being treated like celebrities for three whole days
1704. eating like royalty
1705. not having to cook or do dishes for three straight days
1706. hiking 7 miles on Saturday morning to visit a paradise setting
1707. strong legs for biking 25+ miles in two days
1708. great quality time with the love of my life
1709. loving and fun grandparents who graciously keep the kiddos so Mama and Daddy can enjoy time away (Birdie with my mom and the boys with Scott's parents)
1710. being exhausted physically but rested mentally
1711. coming home to the sweet family Scott and I have made together
1712. thanking God for each other and many more years to come
Psalm 138:1, "I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises."
Monday, April 8, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Satisfying the Hunger
Last week I got up at 6:15 to start my day. I woke up with such hunger to read the Word, and I went straight to my reading spot and began studying the book of James. Peanut was sleeping in my bed (after yet another stomach bug hit), so I had to be very quiet. I was reading my Bible by flashlight, constantly juggling between reading and writing down notes in my journal. At first I thought, "This is a lot of trouble." But then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "You are blessed to be able to do this."
And just like that, I was brought to my knees. I was reminded that there are hundreds of thousands of people in China, India, Russia, all over the world who risk their lives just to read the Bible. People smuggle Bibles into underground meeting holes (literal holes dug into the ground) just to talk about Jesus, to read about Him, to worship Him.
My hunger was overwhelming on this particular morning, but I was reminded that my hunger should be insatiable every day. I live in a country with Freedom of Religion, yet I can go days without opening my Bible. I live with the knowledge that God loves me and calls me His child, yet I "forget" to spend time with Him on a daily basis.
I am ashamed because I know there are people who risk their very lives just to get a taste of Jesus; just to utter His name in secret among other fellow believers. And yet I take my own freedom for granted. I take for granted the freedom that I have to worship God and His son. I take for granted the freedom that I have found in Christ.
My heart is heavy for the moments that I have let slip away from me on days when I decided sleeping in was more needed than spending time in the Word. My heart is burdened for my brothers and sisters in Christ who put themselves in danger satisfying the hunger of their hearts to be close to our Heavenly Father. What if I lived every day truly believing that nothing else mattered other than drawing as close as possible to Christ? What if my hunger to know more about God and His love and His goodness was never satisfied? What if the only way to satisfy the hunger of my heart was to live like those who risk it all just to whisper His name...
Oh be still, my unfaithful heart. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and just allow Him to satisfy your hunger. Allow Him to be all you need. Oh, heart, you waiver daily on what is truly good; on what you truly need. But there is only One who can fill you up; only One who can satisfy you. Run after Him, my heart, as though your very life depends upon it. Because it does. Heart, you have safety in freedom to soak up His Word and His knowledge. Don't take that for granted! Be like those who risk it all simply to satisfy the hunger.
And just like that, I was brought to my knees. I was reminded that there are hundreds of thousands of people in China, India, Russia, all over the world who risk their lives just to read the Bible. People smuggle Bibles into underground meeting holes (literal holes dug into the ground) just to talk about Jesus, to read about Him, to worship Him.
My hunger was overwhelming on this particular morning, but I was reminded that my hunger should be insatiable every day. I live in a country with Freedom of Religion, yet I can go days without opening my Bible. I live with the knowledge that God loves me and calls me His child, yet I "forget" to spend time with Him on a daily basis.
I am ashamed because I know there are people who risk their very lives just to get a taste of Jesus; just to utter His name in secret among other fellow believers. And yet I take my own freedom for granted. I take for granted the freedom that I have to worship God and His son. I take for granted the freedom that I have found in Christ.
My heart is heavy for the moments that I have let slip away from me on days when I decided sleeping in was more needed than spending time in the Word. My heart is burdened for my brothers and sisters in Christ who put themselves in danger satisfying the hunger of their hearts to be close to our Heavenly Father. What if I lived every day truly believing that nothing else mattered other than drawing as close as possible to Christ? What if my hunger to know more about God and His love and His goodness was never satisfied? What if the only way to satisfy the hunger of my heart was to live like those who risk it all just to whisper His name...
Oh be still, my unfaithful heart. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and just allow Him to satisfy your hunger. Allow Him to be all you need. Oh, heart, you waiver daily on what is truly good; on what you truly need. But there is only One who can fill you up; only One who can satisfy you. Run after Him, my heart, as though your very life depends upon it. Because it does. Heart, you have safety in freedom to soak up His Word and His knowledge. Don't take that for granted! Be like those who risk it all simply to satisfy the hunger.
He is ONE!
That's not a cry or a scowl or a mad face. Nope, that's his funny face that he makes all of the time these days. :)
The Peanut turned ONE!! What a year it has been. We have seen God's faithfulness and goodness so many times throughout the last year, and because of this tiny Peanut our faith has grown exponentially.
There are days when my heart is still raw enough to feel the angst and pain of those 19 days in the NICU; days when certain songs take me back to sitting on the floor of Peanut's NICU room crying uncontrollably. Looking back at pictures from those long days and nights, I can recall specific days and moments that were particularly hard. Days when Peanut's reflux would flare and he would lose an ounce instead of gaining 2. Days when Peanut's pulse-ox would not regulate and I would worry with every beep from the monitors. Days when the older siblings would scream and cry that Mama had to leave home again to stay at the hospital with their baby brother whom they had yet to meet. And then when Peanut was three months old and I found him blue in the swing. Spending two days at Scottish Rite and coming home with a heart monitor that weighed 3 pounds more than he did. There were some really, really hard days.
But looking back through the last year, the good days definitely outnumbered the bad. Peanut is a happy boy! He's a tough little booger, and he definitely makes our family better. He's that missing piece we never knew was missing. While some of the dynamics of family life have definitely become more of a challenge, his place as the baby of the family fits perfectly. And he is so very loved.
At ONE Year:
Peanut weighs 15 pounds even and is 28 1/2 inches long. (Not on the preemie chart for weight, surprise surprise; 5% for height)
6 month onesies fit him perfectly, 6-9 month PJs fit well, and for everything else it's hit or miss 6 month or 6-9 month.
He started crawling on his birthday!! Such perfect timing for the tiny fella :)
He says "bite" all.of.the.time. You'd think he would weigh 20+ pounds with how much he eats, but he has his sister's metabolism and burns off just about everything he eats.
Peanut has 6 teeth - 4 on top and 2 on bottom. It is because of those 6 teeth that the Mama is no longer nursing. He has switched over to almond milk from a sippy cup. The transition was easy.
Every single time I pick him up he gives me a kiss. Apparently the Mama has trained him well :)
We don't know yet whether he is a lefty or a righty. Some days I'd swear he's going to be left-handed, but other days I'm not sure.
No one can make him laugh like Birdie. Sometimes she doesn't even have to do anything but look at him and he will laugh like he's in the middle of a tickle war. He has a cackle very much like his sister's, and the two of them together are a hoot!
Peanut watches everything Buddy-Ro does. It's as though he knows Buddy-Ro is a boy, and he's already trying to learn from him. Heaven help us!!
Peanut is just as messy an eater as his big brother...my house will never be clean again.
He is still a Mama's boy, and I couldn't be happier about it. He does go to Scott much more often than he used to, but he still prefers Mama over anyone else. My heart loves it. :)
Peanut still scrunches his nose. It is hilarious!! Many times he will now scrunch his nose when he should be smiling, and I know without a doubt it's because he has gotten such reactions from it. He knows he's doing something funny and cute, so he does it on purpose.
I love him so!!!!
Monday, April 1, 2013
1688. celebrating Easter and the fact that I serve a Risen Savior!
1689. lifting my hands in worship and singing praises to my Heavenly Father for all he has done for me, and for you
1690. egg hunts for the kiddos on pretty afternoons
1691. finding eggs and bubbles and chocolate and bath toys and play doh all over our yard on Easter morning
1692. almond milk for the baby boy who still can't handle cow's milk
1693. the Mama being able to eat on a non-restrictive diet for the first time in a Year!! (I'm trying not to rub it in in front of Peanut...who doesn't understand why he can't eat what the Mama's eating now)
1694. stealing 15 quiet minutes away with Scott as the kiddos play with cousins at Nana's house
1695. planning a long weekend away for our 10 year anniversary celebration
1696. free photo prints when I have 1700 Disney prints to order
1697. rocking Peanut to sleep now that he's not nursing any longer
1698. the warm spot that Peanut leaves on my chest after I lay him down in his crib
1699. going down to tell Birdie-girl and Buddy-Ro goodnight and tucking them in
1700. listening to my children say their prayers and thank God for their own blessings
Psalm 138:1, "I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises."
1689. lifting my hands in worship and singing praises to my Heavenly Father for all he has done for me, and for you
1690. egg hunts for the kiddos on pretty afternoons
1691. finding eggs and bubbles and chocolate and bath toys and play doh all over our yard on Easter morning
1692. almond milk for the baby boy who still can't handle cow's milk
1693. the Mama being able to eat on a non-restrictive diet for the first time in a Year!! (I'm trying not to rub it in in front of Peanut...who doesn't understand why he can't eat what the Mama's eating now)
1694. stealing 15 quiet minutes away with Scott as the kiddos play with cousins at Nana's house
1695. planning a long weekend away for our 10 year anniversary celebration
1696. free photo prints when I have 1700 Disney prints to order
1697. rocking Peanut to sleep now that he's not nursing any longer
1698. the warm spot that Peanut leaves on my chest after I lay him down in his crib
1699. going down to tell Birdie-girl and Buddy-Ro goodnight and tucking them in
1700. listening to my children say their prayers and thank God for their own blessings
Psalm 138:1, "I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises."
Friday, March 29, 2013
Brothers
Late March and the toboggans are still being used. Guess I should be thankful since I {finally} remembered to get a picture. :)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Our tiny Peanut is ONE!
To say that I was in denial about Peanut turning one would be accurate. To say that I am still in denial that he is actually one would also be accurate. :)
We had fun celebrating out tiniest love despite my denials with family and dear friends who were so faithful to pray for us and encourage us throughout my pregnancy and Peanut's eventful first year.
Though we celebrate big, it's simple - CFA nuggets, sides, a homemade smash cake and cupcakes, and of course - homemade ice cream!
That was yummy!!!
Our sweet cousin, B, likes to give his own personal gifts that meant a lot to him. This bear was a big hit!
He was excited to show Mama his new PJs!
Big Sister wrapped his present all by herself...and Peanut needed just a little help getting inside all of that purple duct tape. ;)
Yay!! I'm ONE!!!
We had fun celebrating out tiniest love despite my denials with family and dear friends who were so faithful to pray for us and encourage us throughout my pregnancy and Peanut's eventful first year.
Though we celebrate big, it's simple - CFA nuggets, sides, a homemade smash cake and cupcakes, and of course - homemade ice cream!
That was yummy!!!
Our sweet cousin, B, likes to give his own personal gifts that meant a lot to him. This bear was a big hit!
He was excited to show Mama his new PJs!
Big Sister wrapped his present all by herself...and Peanut needed just a little help getting inside all of that purple duct tape. ;)
Yay!! I'm ONE!!!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Multitudes on Monday
1674. Peanut is ONE!
1675. celebrating our littlest miracle in a big way
1676. Peanut digging into his birthday cake - first one of ours to do so!
1677. friends who came out, despite the cold and rainy weather, to celebrate Peanut's first birthday
1678. eating Chick-fil-A on Sunday
1679. fun toys for the baby boy
1680. cute PJs for Peanut to grow into
1681. Buddy-Ro taking a bath with Peanut and enjoying the new bath toys as much as his baby brother :)
1682. Birdie-girl's best friend, J, spending the night with us...the last time before J and her family move to Alaska
1683. flowers from my friend, Amber, that brighten up our kitchen table
1684. my Mama coming in town for the weekend and being a huge help with Peanut while I get everything ready for his party
1685. homemade ice cream...it's a staple at our birthday parties
1686. my mother-in-law bringing side dishes for the birthday party so I didn't have to do it all
1687. the way God has used Peanut's life to show us and others His faithfulness
Psalm 136:4, "Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever!"
1675. celebrating our littlest miracle in a big way
1676. Peanut digging into his birthday cake - first one of ours to do so!
1677. friends who came out, despite the cold and rainy weather, to celebrate Peanut's first birthday
1678. eating Chick-fil-A on Sunday
1679. fun toys for the baby boy
1680. cute PJs for Peanut to grow into
1681. Buddy-Ro taking a bath with Peanut and enjoying the new bath toys as much as his baby brother :)
1682. Birdie-girl's best friend, J, spending the night with us...the last time before J and her family move to Alaska
1683. flowers from my friend, Amber, that brighten up our kitchen table
1684. my Mama coming in town for the weekend and being a huge help with Peanut while I get everything ready for his party
1685. homemade ice cream...it's a staple at our birthday parties
1686. my mother-in-law bringing side dishes for the birthday party so I didn't have to do it all
1687. the way God has used Peanut's life to show us and others His faithfulness
Psalm 136:4, "Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever!"
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