Virginia Bound

Tomorrow we embark on a great adventure. To make a long story short, a few months ago we heard of a camp near Roanoke, Virginia in need of an associate director. Even though we are happy here Carey felt the need to respond. AND, here we are flying out for the final decision tomorrow. We truly never thought it would go this far. God has continued to open doors and we're excited for what He has planned for our future.
Please pray for us! We are torn both ways.....we LOVE our church here. Carey loves his job at Rockhurst. We love being close to my family. What are we thinking? Right? :) But we also want to serve the Lord in ministry and be open to what He wants for our future. Camp Eagle seems like such an exciting place (we can't wait to be there tomorrow!) as well as Shenandoah Baptist Church. We can definitely see how our gifts could be used in Virginia. We need much wisdom over the next week! Pray that God would make it very clear to both them and us. If the answer is "GO" we'll be thrilled. If the answer is "STAY" we'll be thrilled too. It's an exciting place to be and we are looking forward to what God has planned for our future! Stay tuned. :) 

I also wanted to share one of my favorite songs. It seems like I can't sing it without tears these days. So thankful for a God who gives joy and hope in every situation. 

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

2. Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

3. Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

5. Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

6. Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

© 2001 Bill Moore Music.

Pregnancy Update: Week 12

Almost to the end of the 1st trimester. Woo hoo! I am not sad to see it go. This baby has not been as kind to my body as Lucy was. I'm still very tired and a little nauseous--especially in the mornings. But I've been feeling well enough to go about my days and get good work outs in at the gym. Those things were not happening easily a few weeks ago. I am praying that as week 13 rolls around I'll be back to my normal self. :)

I still fit into all of my clothes (yay!) although my skinny jeans are starting to get a little snug. I officially found my all time favorite maternity clothing item though. These shorts. I LOVE them. I will be buying them in every color. Haha. Good thing there's only 1 other color. :) But seriously, most maternity clothes are huge on me. These shorts fit great and aren't too big at all! And the best part is that they are super, amazingly, wonderfully comfy. You might catch me wearing them next summer when I'm not even preggo.

12 weeks, 2 days today. Baby is the size of a plum or a medium shrimp. =) Not much more to report.  

Here's a 12 week picture comparison. Decided wearing the same outfit would make the comparison even better. :) 12 weeks with new baby on the TOP. 12 weeks with Lucy on the BOTTOM.

Uncle Timmy's Graduation

Last weekend we went on a road trip to see Uncle Timmy graduate from Northland. We had fun even though we had to spend a LOT of time in the car! Lucy had movies and colors and books and music to listen to. It was very cold up there in Wisconsin. Not sure how they make it! :) While I'm here enjoying my shorts and flip-flops and dreaming of the pool......they are still bundled up in jackets. Brr. Anyway, we had fun seeing Timmy. Lucy loves him and was sad to say goodbye. Here are some picture highlights of our trip. 

This is Becky. She rode with us in the car. She deserves mention since she listened to countless hours of Disney movies, Patch the Pirate and Kindermusik CD's. We like Becky.

Enjoying some ice cream at the hotel. Mmm.

Playing some arcade games in honor of Daddy who didn't get to come.

Snuggling with Uncle Timmy.

Road trips wear you out.

We're praying for Timmy over the next 5 weeks while he's in Turkey! Can't wait for him to come home and play (babysit?). Just kidding! Ha! =)

17 Months

As of May 7, Lucy is 17 months! 

Here's what she's up to.....

-Making messes. She is my little tornado. Constantly on the go and leaving a trail!

-Being silly. She loves to joke around and play tricks. She loves to crack herself up and lives to have fun!

-Talking, talking, talking my ear off. She is now putting together phrases all on her own. Some new ones this month were: "I'm fine!"--I was trying to protect her and she pushed me away while saying this. Ha! and "You scared me."--Hahaha! I laughed so hard when she told me this. Lucy can carry on a conversation with you answering questions or offering answers even if you didn't want any. Yesterday while I was gone teaching piano Carey said to Lucy, "Mommy should be home by now." Lucy answered, "She's bye-bye." =) 

-Kinda picky with eating. She has issues with textures and we're making a little progress. Most meals still consist of a combination of some of the following items: cheese, lunch meat, crackers, cereal, green beans, carrots, oranges, peaches, blackberries, applesauce and milk. She is finally eating broccoli now too. I am proud of her since the texture is weird.

-Showing interest in potty training. I think I'm going to wait another couple of months before I really try this though! 

-Singing and dancing. Lucy will sing along with anything and loves moving to music!

-Sleeping a little less. SAD DAY FOR MOMMY! =) Haha. She's still a good sleeper but I think we might be headed for only one nap every day. Some days she still wants 2 but others only 1. She goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 and has started waking up by 7 every morning. I guess 9am couldn't last forever! 

Lots more too....but those are the highlights. Here are some pictures from this month. Not the greatest since she won't stand still! But they will have to do. Love, love, love this girlie!!

Lucy roasted her first marshmallow this month! Yum!

Smelling the flowers.

Baby Update: Week 10

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I am so blessed to be a mommy! Even though Lucy wears me out and demolishes the house in seconds flat like a little tornado, I can't imagine life without my sweet baby! I am so thankful God has chosen to place precious babies into my care.

Yesterday also marked 10 weeks in my pregnancy. 1/4 of the way there! :) My baby is the size of a prune. (I love the fruit/veggie visuals.) I think the nausea is beginning to let up. It's worse in the mornings and levels off by afternoon. Hopefully it will soon be gone for good! I'm on track for only gaining 5 lbs. during the first trimester. Better hit the gym today though since I've been enjoying Starbucks 1/2 price frappuccino happy hour for the last 3 days. I can't help it if I need an energy boost around 3pm! Plus, you all know I'm a coffee lover and sadly can't stomach coffee these days. But don't worry, frappuccinos ALWAYS sound yummy. Especially around 3pm. Good thing this deal only lasts a week. :)

Here's a 10 week baby bump picture. My tummy is definitely starting to pop out now. Also adding a pic when I was pregnant with Lucy at 10 weeks. WARNING: I was about 10 lbs. heavier than I am now and it shows! Yikes. Something weird is going on with the lighting too with my eyes. But here it is anyway for comparison. Oh dear.

10 weeks yesterday and at 10 weeks with Lucy (on right). 

Oh, Baby!

Oh, Baby. I'm going to have my hands full! I've decided it's about time to announce that we're expecting a new little one! I've known for a month but was waiting until I saw my midwife and made sure everything was ok with the baby to announce the news. I went yesterday and everything looks great! We couldn't hear a heartbeat on the doppler--it's hard this early and baby wasn't cooperating. Bummer! But I had an ultrasound and there was my tiny little peanut with a tiny little heart beating strong! It's amazing how God forms these little ones! The baby already has tiny legs and arms and was jumping all around.

I'm  9 weeks, 4 days today. If all goes well our new little one should arrive around December 4th. Yep, 2 kiddos with b-days the same week! Lucy is Dec. 7th. Maybe it will be another girl and I won't have to buy any clothes!

How am I feeling?:
-Nauseous.
-Fatigued.
-Nauseous.
-Tired.
-Did I mention nauseous?
Haha! Maybe it's because I have an active toddler to chase, but I am feeling much more sick this time around. Last week (week 8) was the worst. The nausea never went away. Not fun. Thankfully, I am feeling a little better this week. I started feeling a lot better at week 10 with Lucy. So I'm praying that it's the same this time. I think I can make it a few more days! I think. :)

I'm doing things a little differently this time around:

-Seeing a midwife.
-Exercising 5 days a week (at least trying!). I never exercised with Lucy (horrible!). I'm determined to exercise regularly--mostly because I'm starting this pregnancy 11 lbs. less than my pregnancy with Lucy and I don't want to lose all of that hard work! I've been doing a great job so far and it's making a difference! I haven't gained much weight and still fit comfortably in all of my clothes. Yay! I consider this a great accomplishment. Ha! :)
-Eat Healthy. I did not make the best food choices when I was pregnant with Lucy. I think she was made of Taco Bell and Pizza.
-Not getting induced. I want to go into labor on my own this time.
-Can't promise no epidural but I'm willing to give it a try. I'm going to have to psych myself out over the next 7 months. We'll see.

So that's the scoop for all of you who wanted to know! I will try to post a weekly-ish update and pictures of my growing tummy. Thankfully there is not really a baby bump yet---so no picture. Maybe next week.
We are very excited and praise God for another child to love and raise to serve Him!

Easter

This was Lucy's 2nd Easter! 

I can't believe how much she's grown in just a year.

*Coloring Eggs*

Papa loves coloring eggs with Lucy.

Tasty!

Last year she was so little and chubby and squishy.

This year she was running around 

hunting for eggs all by herself!

*Hunting Eggs*

The hunt didn't start out so well....

I ran outside to take pictures and Lucy didn't want me to leave her!

But we recovered.....

Lucy took egg hunting very seriously.

No smiles, all business. 

Hahaha! She's so funny.

We tried to help her with her heavy basket 

when she was donebut she got so sad and said, 

"No. No, they're mine."

In other words, 

Mom, why would you take my eggs away 

after I worked so hard to collect them?

I'm sorry!

SO, we didn't get a picture of the 

3 of us together this year. 

This is the best I got!

Here we are last year. :)

Look at that cute chubby little baby.

 

 We had a wonderful day with family and friends.

Lucy entertained us as she hunted for eggs.

She also received new "colors" (crayons) 

in her Easter basket.

We have been coloring non-stop for 3 days.

I also have artwork on the wall.

Most of all, we enjoyed celebrating our risen Savior!

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
 

Catching Up! Lucy at 16 months...

Wow, I have a lot of catching up to do! I've not been in much of a blogging mood recently. Sorry! 

Spring has finally sprung here (although it's a little cold this week) and Lucy is loving it! We are so happy to get out and play at the park and visit the petting zoo. Can't wait to go to the POOL! Our pool is actually open....but you won't find me in it! Freezing. And I don't think Lucy will appreciate laying out in the sun as much as I do. So we're going to have to wait until it warms up. :) 

Anyway, here are some recent pics from the park, petting zoo, etc. 

Meeting new friends at the park is so much fun!

Climbing is hard work!

Lucy is 16 months old. Here's what she's up to now--

-She knows most words we use everyday and can say them.

-She can count to 3. 

-She has started saying "I Love You" all on her own.

-She is learning to converse. She has recently started saying "you're welcome" after we say "thank you." :)

Here's an example of a conversation we had a couple of weeks ago when my dad was out of town. 

Me: "Lucy, do you want to go to Momo's house and see her? And Uncle Ty? And TJ and Tinkerbell (the dogs)? 

Lucy: "Where's Papa?"

Me: "Papa's bye-bye."
Lucy: "No. No, Papa's sleeping. He's asleep. Papa's nigh-nigh."

Haha! This made me laugh! It's amazing what goes through their little heads. :)

-She loves to sing. She can sing portions of some of her favorite songs, "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It." She also sings many songs of her own. She enjoys singing to her stuffed animals.

-She LOVES to read! 

-Her favorite foods remain the same-- green beans, carrots, mandarin oranges, CHOCOLATE. Ha! She learned the sign for chocolate this month. :) We've added some new favorite foods to the list this month-- fruit snacks, peaches, and cinnamon toast. 

-She loves playing with other kids. The gym is one of her favorite places! She loves going to play while I work out. She recognizes the building when we pull in and yells, "Play. YES!" She also loves playing in the nursery at church. 

-She is very good and rarely needs to be disciplined. When she does disobey she learns quickly. She understands the word, "OBEY!" Thankful for her sweet spirit.

-She has no concept of danger. I have to keep a close eye on her! 

-She has a fun-loving, sweet, outgoing, silly, crazy personality that keeps me laughing and on my toes all day!

I am so thankful God has given us Lucy! I

pray every day that she grows up to love and serve God!

Kix

Uuugghh. Today I am feeling sick. The colds have just been making the rounds over the last month or so. Lucy gets one, then Carey, and then me. Then Lucy gets another cold and the whole vicious cycle starts again. Anyway, today it's on me.

We were munching on cereal this morning from the couch and I left the box sitting out. This is what happened appx. 6 seconds later.

Mmm-hmm. Of course Lucy was in heaven. So I let her sit there and eat Kix for a while. Because I was too tired to get up. Then we practiced "cleaning up" together. For the record, Lucy is not very good at cleaning up. Every time she put her hand in the box she decided to take it out and eat more Kix. I think she got her Daddy's cleaning skills. Ha!

This and That

Well, it's no secret. I LOVE The Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are out of this world, she's down to earth and funny, she is super chic--even living out in the middle of nowhere, etc., etc. 

Anyway, I ordered her cookbook from Amazon with some b-day $$. Woo-hoo! Let me tell ya, it all looks entirely too delicious. :) Carey was in heaven as he browsed through it. He expects way too much from me now. Haha! 

I also ordered her love story-- Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.   

 

I finished the book in 2 days. I was a fun easy read. It was clean, sweet, romantic, funny and sad. Even though our circumstances are obviously different, I think many women can relate to Ree Drummond in a lot of ways. She is definitely an inspiring woman.

In other news, it snowed AGAIN yesterday. I thought winter had it's last hoo-rah last week when it snowed....and the week before that when it snowed. It is officially spring now so snow should not be falling anymore. Me and Lucy are dying to get outside and play at the park and visit the petting zoo and take walks and go to the pool.

 

Look at those cute little chubby legs! I love babies in swim wear. :) I would totally put her in a little bikini if I didn't have double the skin to lather with sunscreen. 

Happy Monday.