Today's Top 5

So, it's been brought to ran amy attention that I am being too hard on my self- focusing on the the negative too much and not working on the positive. So my friend challenged me (thanks Amy!) to write down 5 positive things about my self each day. It's not hard to think of 5 things, but it might be hard to think of 5 new things each day- just where I have been emotionally- so I am going to work on it and pray over my mind frame and then share my thoughts on here.

Today's top 5:

1- I ran my first half mile after walking about 3 miles yesterday. :)
2- I am stil losing weight.
3- I played with my kids yesterday instead of being selfsih with my time
4- I am making strides with getting my house organized- almost finished my office
5- I loved on my husband and kids and built them up yesterday rather than being critical. :)

Okay, so it's a start. I have to use 5 more things tomorrow. I think this could be really healthy for me. :) So anyway, I am going to push my self a little harder today to try to run 3/4 mile and then over the next few days, I hope to report having run a full mile without stopping. I can walk forever it seems, so now the challenge comes in the running. Pray I don't get chin plints (OUCH!!!), Pray my feet would carry me through. Pray for endurance and strength to push my self. Pray I would not get discouraged if that mile doesn't come as quickly as I would like it to. Pray my diet would provide me with enough nutrients to stay healthy while I work out. Thanks so much! I will check back in tomorrow! :)

Eyes on the Prize

So I have been thinking- I have close to 120 pounds to lose. That's a really sick thought. I can not fathom losing that much weight. That's what most of my friends weigh (or close to it). That is seriously like a whole person. Wow. How disgusting it feels to know there is that much extra body fat just sitting on me. I am working on it so I am encouraged. I just can not believe I ever let my self get this way. I know it happens when you have kids, etc. So I am not going to dwell on it- it's just an insane thought really, to think about the long term. I can and will actually be healthy and oh the things I will be able to do when all of this weight is off! I can't even wrap my mind around that. I will be able to run faster, further. I will be able to wear a swimsuit and not be ashamed. I will be able to play with my kids rather than just watching from the sidelines. I will be able to go buy a pair of pants in the "normal" sizes and not hate every minute of it because "nothing fits". I will be able to sleep normally, to not have joint pain, shin splints, foot pain, back pain. I will be able to set a good example for my children physically. I will be able to glorify my creator with His creation. I will be able to testify to God's ability to cure this woman of obesity and a complete lack of self control. I will be able to sit in a room with friends and not feel like the white elephant that is in the room... (I so just laughed at my self- how nerdy am I?) :P

And one thing I look the most forward to is being able to be in public with my attractive husband and feel like I deserve to be with him. I look forward to feeling worthy of his presence physically. He has told me when I say negative things about my self it's terribly unattractive. I want to be attractive to him. I want to be proud of the way I look and of the work I will have done to get there. I look forward to being his trophy wife. I look forward to being that woman, physically, that he can't wait to come home to- I know this all involves emotional changes. I have prayed and will continue praying over this area in my life until God brings me to the point where I can see my self through His eyes. I just can't wait! I get so excited when I think about the end results (whenever that may be). I have given my self until my 30th birthday (which is August of 2009) to accomplish this goal. I think it's a great, safe amount of time. I am training to run the Houston half marathon right now so it's going to be coming off faster and faster as I get more active.

How wonderful it will be to walk up the stairs an not get winded. How awesome to be able to jog down the street and not feel like I am going to pass out. What an incredible feeling it will be to cross that finish line in January 13.1 miles later and know that it was God who brought me there!!! I can't wait!!!! :)

Cleaning House...

I have so many millions of thoughts in my head right now that I want to blog about. I will start with a diet update. So far I am down about 9 pounds- but then again, I haven't checked since last week so it could be lower than I thought... wouldn't that be nice? So keep praying for endurance and a right mind about this all. It's kind of weird. I suddenly seem to have so many priorities that keep me from being able to work out as much as I would like to and need to be. So when you pray for me, please pray that I would prioritize to make time for the most important things and learn to let the little things go more often. Thanks.

So on to the blogging- wow. What a week last week was! It was a whirlwind and before i knew it we were back to Monday- how did that happen? Where did the time go? I am sitting in my office which is currently undergoing "organizing". You have to understand what that means when I do it. It means I literally go through every single thing I own and throw out about 1/4 to 1/2 of it all and I completely revamp the way things were before. Since we just moved it's worse because nothing actually had a place. Most of this junk was just sitting in boxes. I was half tempted to throw out the boxes but I found some funny memories amongst the junk so I am glad I decided to sort it rather than toss it all. I am proud that I have not maintained the pack rat personality that I used to have. It was awful. I would keep the most odd things thinking that "someday" I might use them. Now I know if it's not seasonal and I wont be using it in the next 6 months it's out. *ahhhhhhhhhh* Feels good to purge every once in a while.

I was actually thinking about that just a moment ago as I came across an old journal of mine. I had written several prayers in there and had forgotten about them until just now. I was a passionate young thing once upon a time. The passion is still here, it's just been suffocated by the things of life so much that it's hardly recognizable any more. One of my prayers revealed my heart's truest deep desire to get rid of all of the lies Satan had put in to my mind and to fill that space with truth and with the goodness of God. I still feel that way. When I watch TV I don't think about the impact it has long term but I realize in just the month since we have had cable in our home how desensitized I have become to certain words, certain actions, certain lifestyles. It's all just "entertainment" for me, but really- is that what God wants me to be filling my head with? Not exactly.Read Philippians 4:8 (NIV) "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

So when i was thinking about purging, I was thinking about this verse. I want to fill my head with righteous thoughts, with things that are good, and right, pure, lovely, etc. I want every sing part of me to bring God honor and glory and that includes my mind- especially my mind. I have been working so hard to cleanse my body and to make it a righteous sacrifice to bring Him glory but I realized it's not just this body I need to be working on- it's everything. So I guess I'll be doing a little "organizing" of my own self. Time to purge the old and make room for the new. It may not be easy but the end result is far more rewarding than letting it all go, so I will endure and do the work it takes to get there. I so desire to be a vessel God uses- from the inside out.

Nothing new or profound today. I started really focusing on what I am putting in to my mouth today. I am not counting calories, just realy being cautious not to overdo it either way. SO far, so good. The first day is always easy. It will be in the next few days when I will start to get tempted and I will see how strong my faith is. I need to remind my self of my goals and I need to pray- I need to remain in an attitude of prayer and surrender and God will bring me through this. In January I will be sufficiently lighter and much much healthier and will be carrying my self across the finish line of the Houston half marathon. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!! This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I don't know exactly who all will be joining me in my quest to cross the finish line, but at this point I am just excited to be training at all. What a huge blessing!!! What an exciting journey! I will keep posting updates as I have them- from weight loss to new milestones physically- I will let you know the first time I am able to run a complete mile without stopping... So keep praying. Keep encouraging me, and let's do this thing!!! :)

Marathon

So I have decided to run a marathon. I know you're thinking- you? Well yes. Before children I was a runner (not a very good one, but I did it and I loved it to the tune of 4-5 miles a day) I have decided this next January will be my marathon debut. :) I have never actually run a marathon before and so this will probably be a half marathon for me. My good friend Liz challenged me to run with her and I would like to pass along the challenge. My main focus right now will be getting the weight off and building endurance so I have begun regular work outs and changed my eating habits. In July, several training groups in the area will begin to vigorously train for the marathon. I don't know details, but I do know training with a group of people who have been there, done that is the best way to go.

So why am I sharing this with you? I think you could do this too. I think if we attempted this as a group, the results could be amazing! Talk about accountability. Not only would this be a good way for us to be in shape, but also to set an example- for our children, for our church, for our community. Pray about it. I would encourge you that even if you can not run, you can probably walk at least half. If not, then you can be apart of this by praying for the group of people who are willing to commit. Even if you have never run you can do this! I would encourage you to pray about it and then let's begin holding each other accountable. I think the more people who get involved, the more likely we all are to be successful. More bodies= more accountability. :)

I know you think I am crazy, and with 3 kids full time, I probably am a little bit, but this is something I feel passionatley about and wanted to share with you. I really believe we could do this as a group and the end result will be awesome! Start today if you want. Let's keep in touch. Feel free to e-mail me and share your thoughts. See you at the finish line... or at least half way there! :P

A Sick Baby

So my baby has his first real cold. His cough is trememndous and seems like it hurts a ton but there is nothing they can do. Thank goodness there is no fever at this point- just congestion and a deep hacking cough. Please join with me in praying for his cough. Pray for complete healing without having to go to the doctors. Something about doctors... I just want to be wise. If we need to take him in, we will but I hate to take him and have them say there is nothing they can do. It seems like a waste of time and money. So just pray for him please. He is not eating nearly what he is used to eating but seems to be sleeping better today than the past few days- which is a blessing for all of us. Thank you for your prayers. I don't want to worry about him because I know God is ultimately in control... it's just difficult not to worry when I hear that cough. Perhaps I will let this be a reminder to pray for him every time I hear his cough. Praise God for that baby. Praise God for being the ultimate healer.

Romance

So I was talking to my husband last night- actually, the conversation started while I was out with my girlfriends having coffee. We started discussing our parents, etc. Then a friend mentioned she wanted so badly while she was growing up to have her father in her life. She didn't just need him, she NEEDED him to be there, to want to spend time with her, to love on her, to play with her, to call her, to make an effort, to really just love on her. So I started thinking about my own two little girls. One of them does not live with us and has made it abundantly clear how much she needs her daddy- just by reaching out to older boys and men for attention. Right now she is six so this is still innocent, but Kyle and I discussed what happens when she gets older and still does not have that in her life. It could ruin her forever.

Do not misunderstand me- my husband is an AMAZING father. Unfortunately he has never dealt with girls and does not understand our deep seeded need for romance. His dad wasn't the greatest at showing affection so he struggles with knowing exactly what our girls need. Even at the tender age of five and six, we need romance. It's beautiful when we get older and we can turn to God for that, but while we are still little, our daddies are supposed to be that for us- they are supposed to be a human example of God's love for us. So Kyle and I were talking after I got home and we recognized how much our daughters need him to romance them. He decided he would start sending them both (even Trinity, who lives with us) cards in the mail and stickers and flowers on occasion. He will call them both and date them both. What a blessing he can be to our little angels!!! I love that he was so completely open to the ideas I had. I love that he is so eager to start learning how to speak their love language. I love that he is a strong example of the Father's love for us. I can not wait to see the affect his actions have on our girls long term. :)

SO join with me in praying for this new phase of parenting. Pray that we would not become discouraged or forget our goal. Pray that Kyle would truly start to see these precious angels as God sees them so he would continue to want to romance their little hearts. Pray that we would have new ideas constantly and our love for all of our children would grow exponentially trough this process. We already love them so much, but how much we love them is nothing compared to the love God has for them, for us, for you. I pray we would tap in to the love of God and that it would pour out onto all of our babies. What a precious gift our children are! What an awesome thing the love of Christ is. :)

Jacob at Two Months

He is two months old now- I can not believe it. I am dumbfounded actually. I don't remember where the time went. I am, however, excited to share these pictures of my little angel. He has started smiling and cooing. He is playful and precious! I love this stage- still so innocent and so perfect! He sleeps an average of 8 hours a night- Praise God! My little Jacob Tyler... what an angel.

Bad Wife

So, last night I was a bad wife. I went to look at a friend's brand new house and when I got home, I had unrealistc expectations of what should have been done by my husband. Since it wasn't completely finished, I decided I would do it. I had good motives when I started, but during the course of my cleaning, I got angry. I allowed Satan to get to me and I was overcome with anger. During this time my husband was watching television in the other room. I didn't even take in to account that he had worked hard all day long and was only just then getting his first break- whereas I had been relaxed most of the day. I got angry because I was doing all of the work by my self and I failed confilct resolution 101. Rather than praying about my heart and being selfless, I was feeling tired and allowed my anger to overcome my love for my husband. I lectured him- speaking to him like his mother, rather than his wife.

I soooooooooooo know better than this. Normally I would not even go there because I know that is not how to get him to respond and I also know that is completely disrespectful to him and disobedient to God. Men need to feel respected to feel loved so when I chose to lecture him and talk down to him, all he heard was that at that moment I did not love him. Even though my heart was screaming "I love you, I just need your help so we can spend time together tonight!" What he heard was "you lazy no good bum." NO those are not the words I used, but that's what he probably heard.

So while I was in the shower, I prayed over my heart and my attitude. I surrendered the evening to God and prayed that he would give me the words to say to apologize to my husband for my selfish behavior. When I got out of the shower Kyle was asleep but I couldn't hold it in. I woke him up and poured out my heart in apologies and love for him. Before I even got the first sentence out he apologized and we were able to recognize and acknowledge what had happened. We know because God wants to use both of us right now, we are likely to come under attack from the enemy. The enemy likes to sneak in to our minds and let the little things get to us. So even housework could have blown up in to a huge issue and have separated us for the evening. Instead, God took what might have been a terrible evening and turned it in to a night of blessing. All that was required of me was to realize I had been a "bad wife". I had to humble my self and surrender it to God. Onc that happened my attitude was completely humble and my feelings for my husband had become much more sympathetic and loving. All I wanted then was for him to feel loved and rested.

How cool it is when we live in His strength- how scary it is when we don't.

"All to Jesus, I surrender.... in His presence daily live."

Day 3...

So perhaps diet is not the best word for what I decided to do because if I was dieting then I would have cheated but since it is a lifestyle change I guess you can't really say i cheated. I made a commitment to eat better but snuck a few M&Ms for sanity sake. :) I think if you deprive your self completely of the things you desire then you will eventually go on a binge and just eat everything in sight. I am trying to make my body healthy from the inside out so I figure a few M&Ms didn't hurt that process at all- besides, they were dark chocolate... ha! Just kidding- I know by now you have learned to love that wonderful sense of humor. :P

Anyway, everything else seems to be going wonderfully. I must admit it is difficult to stay on the path of self control. I know I have it because God gives it to me. It's just a matter of choosing to let the Holy Spirit live through me instead of me living selfishly. What I am referring to at the moment is parenting. I love my kiddos but I struggle with the issue of self control when it comes to my temper. I would never hurt them but I sometimes find my self yelling or getting angry and that's not the kind of mom I want to be. I want to model self control for my kiddos so they, in turn, can model self control. So if I were to ask for prayer for one thing right now that would have to be it- my ability to surrender control of my self to Christ so He can live through me and make me the parent and wife God wants me to be.

That's all for today. More tomorrow. Keep the prayers coming! Thanks so much!

A New Beginning

If you read the previous post, you know that I talked about wanting a fresh start. I always like to start things at the beginning of a new week because it feels like a clean slate. So with this new week, my husband and I have started working out and eating right. I want to dedicate my body (and all it entails) to God and that means I need to start taking care of it. I gained more than my fair share of weight during my pregnancy and now it's time to get rid of it. I want to be healthy for my husband, for my children and for my self. Because I have a tendency to be a yo-yo dieter I have a new philosophy. Everything I do I will do in Christ's strength, not my own. So when I woke up this morning, I dedicated my day to Him- everything that today held, from being a mom and a wife to being a child of God. I wanted everything I did today to be in His strength.

How did the day go? Well, during the course of the day I lost my temper several times with my oldest son, but aside from that it was okay. I forget, sometimes that to live in Christ's strength, I truly have to surrender my independence. And I may have to do this several times a day until surrendering my self is second nature. In the mean time, I may struggle here and there, but I praise God for those times because they humble me and remind me I can not do it on my own. I read this quote one time- Anything that brings me to the foot of Christ I count as a blessing. So all of the times when I lose my temper with my three year old or when I feel like I want to eat everything in my house or be lazy rather than work out- all of those times, I will choose to come to the foot of Christ and lay it down so He can work and live through me. :) It's so much easier when He does all of the work- so why do I keep trying to do it on my own? Perhaps I will never know. I am just glad He is the one in control and not me. I am off to get ready for tomorrow- Day 2 of my new life.

Happy... Easter?

I was just thinking... this morning I woke up and got ready for church. I was in the same rush that I always find my self in. I hurried to get my shower, get my hair done, and get the baby ready so we could get out the door and to church in time for rehersal. I arrived at church and THEN it hit me- today is Easter. Not that I didn't recognize the day previously, but I had been so busy with getting ready and getting things done that I had not even acknowledged the significance of what today meant or who it was about. Until I arrived at church, the day had been all about me... once there, my focus completely changed. I realized why I was at church and to whom I was singing; my focused changed from me, me, me to Him in a matter of moments.

The theme at our church today was being made alive in Christ. I was thinking- when it's all about me, I am not truly ALIVE in Him. We have been given so much and He has done so much to show us His love and yet still we find ourselves asleep in Him. I want to be alive. I want to be outwardly focused, rather than inwardly focused- living a life that brings Him honor and praise. I want to become this woman, this loving, selfless, Christ centered, amazing wife and mother!!! I want to stay on the path that points me in the direction of true maturity in Christ, rather than just venturing off and on again as I please. I want this life I live to count for THE Kingdom. I want to live a life that exemplifies Galations 2:20-21 where it says "FOR I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED IN CHRIST AND I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. THE LIFE I LIVE IN THE BODY I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVES ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME."

So my prayer is that rather than waking up and rushing to get ready, I would wake up and before I even get out of bed I would make the conscious choice to praise Him with my actions and with my words... to praise Him with my life!

God's provision

So I was thinking about answered prayer and everything we have seen God do. Then I thought- I should write it all down- everything that God has given to us and done for us. I have already written about the house and the donations involved with that. Now I'd like to share about some of the other things. When Jacob was born, we had not had a baby shower, no did we have anything we needed for a baby. We prayed and by this time, had learned to trust God as our provider. He knew we didn't have the money to buy all things baby and so trusting Him at this point, was our only option. The results of our prayers? Keep reading:

Before Jacob was born, we were blessed when a friend gave us back most of Timothy's old baby clothes, but they were out of season for Jacob as Timothy was born in June. So we just trusted God would provide, and He did. The first day in the hospital, friend after frind after friend came to visit, all bearing gifts. Each gift was something we needed, and by the time we left the hospital we had almost everything we needed for Jacob. At homegroup the following week, they had a diaper shower for us, bringing over a thousand diapers and several packs of wipes for my lil man. There were giftcards to purchase the little things and friends who lent or gave us the big things. To date, every single need we had has been met. Praise God!!! I want to shout it from the mountain tops! :) Hopefully this blog is loud enough. :P

God is our provider. God is my healer. He has met us where we are and has given above and beyond everything we needed. Even with this house- there are some little things I secretly wanted when we found a house but knew I would be okay if we did not get them. What did God do? He chose to lavish on us- I wanted 4 bedrooms, a garden tub, a backyard for my kids, a split, but open floor plan, an island in the kitchen, a big driveway for my kids, and plenty of room to entertain. We got all of that and more!!!! I am not saying God gave us these things because we wanted them, but I think (and this is just my opinion) that He loves to lavish on His children. I think He has tons of things He wants to give to us if we will just ask. I love to watch Him work, because we don't always feel like we deserve His gifts- that's when it's the sweetest. That's when it could only happen through Him. What an awesome God we serve! What an amazing, loving, generous, precious, amazing God we serve!!!

Ah the power of prayer

So I was thinking about everything that has happened to us over the past few months and I have to say this: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! amen." Honestly- I can not think of enough words to say thank you to God for all He has done for us. Our lives have been changed as we have been blessed by His love.

Now to tell the story: Last May we found out we were expecting our son Jacob. We had only major medical (which does not at all help to cover prenatal care or childbirth). I quickly dove deep in to depression. I was concerned about how things would work out, both financially and physically. I had just lost close to 40 pounds and was feeling great and looking good for the first time since before my daughter was born. I, selfishly, did not want to let go of that or of the stability we seemed to have finally found financially. So many nights I could be found crying my self to sleep. I had so many different ideas of where we would be and what we would be doing,and none of those ideas included have yet another child. Was I ready for this??? I didn't think so, but God had another plan. In the mean time, I stayed in the pit of self pity. I began to ignore my kids and my husband and focused on being insanely uncomfortable with morning sickness. I could not see how this would work out. Right around 16-20 weeks of pregnancy, I realized what a strong grip God had on my life. I had been so sick for 4, almost 5 months, and God gave me a peace. He answered the prayers of my little girl and brought me rest when I needed it most. It was after seeing Him work through her prayers that I started to trust Him- to really want to trust him for the first time in my life.

I began to challenge friends to join me in praying for everything- big and small. I knew God wanted to work through us and He wanted to bless us by answering our prayers. So then came the challenges. In November, things got a little shaky financially for us. My husband's job is 100% commission so we never know from one week to another how much he will make and if we will even have money to pay the bills and eat. It can be scary, but God showed us He's bigger than our finances. He showed up in amazing ways, starting with a few gift cards we received anonymously in the mail. They were always just enough to help out when we needed it most. What a blessing!

Then came the big day in January when my little Jacob was to be born. If you remember from previous posts, I was overcome with an almost paralyzing fear. I had allowed Satan to have control of one area of my mind and I could not shake the fear that death was coming- either to my self or to my Jacob while on the operating table. I would wake up in cold sweat night after night feeling sick to my stomach from the nightmare. No matter what I did, I could not shake the fear and was certain something terrible was happening. I remember 2-3 days before he was born, I had an emotional breakdown. I could not live with the fear that something was going to happen. I cried for hours, eventually crying my self to sleep. Then I shared my fears with a friend who prayed for me. Immediately I was granted peace. Not just a peaceful feeling, but true peace. I had been released from the fears that so entangled me and covered with the peace of God. What a blessing! So while I was on the operating table, it happened- my heart rate started to drop and I just "knew" I was about to die. This is not me being a hypochondriac- this is me having felt certain that it was my time to go. I cried out to God to save Jacob and to help me. Immediately after I prayed that, the doctors pulled out my perfectly healthy ten pound, 2 ounce baby boy and my heart rate regulated! I was completely healthy and so was Jacob- PRAISE GOD!!!!

He hears our prayers and He answers them. Of this, I am confident! :) I know this has been a long post but, well, it's my blog. So... I HAVE share this one last thing. We were in an apartment and when Jacob came, we knew we would be out of room. So we started praying that God would provide us with a house. I had some specifics in mind that I secretly prayed for, but didn't necessarily have to have. I just wanted a bigger place for our family and mostly so my son Timothy would have much needed room to roam. We looked for a couple of months and either the houses were much too small for us or they were too expensive. I had a peace, though, that God was in control and He had a plan for us. When our lease was coming to an end, I started to get nervous that we might not find a place or that we couldn't afford it. The week before we moved, I went to the prayer service at our church. One of the prayer volunteers prayed for a miracle to happen. So the following week, we found a house that we wanted, we were approved, but we did not have the money for the down payment. Where did I turn? I turned to the only place I knew I would find an answer- I turned to God. He was the only one who could make this happen- and He did. He laid it on the hearts of two friends from church to take up a collection for us- sort of a "love offering". I don't know all of the details, but I do know they asked people to pray about their involvement in this and what was collected was the exact amount needed for the down payment for our home. All of that and we moved in the same week. What a blessing! God has totally blessed us. He heared our cries and even when we tried to do things on our own, as soon as we gave control back to Him, He worked perfectly.

I can not say that He always answers prayer the exact way we want Him to, but He does always answer them. I had no idea what a blessing this baby would be, but let me just tell you- we would not have moved out and we would not have learned to trust God without Him. Jacob is the prefect baby and we are finally in the perfect home. I am so Glad God is in control because His ways are perfect. In Matthew 7:7-11, His word says "Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 9 "If your children ask for bread, which of you would give them a stone? 10 Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake? 11 Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!"

So my response? Ask! HE wants to bless you! He wants to answer your prayers- most of all, He just wants you, all of you, to trust Him, to love Him, and to ask Him. He will be our provider, He is the Lord!

So it's been 2 months!

I can not believe Mr Jacob is 2 months old now! And even worse- I can not believe I have not posted a blog in 2 months- crazy! I might say it probably has something to do with that fact that I have a newborn. Or- probably even more likely- right after he was born, we spent that entire month packing and getting ready to move... that makes much more sense. :)

Anyhow, I have a two month old precious baby. Little Jacob Tyler is already sleeping through the night (9 hours last night!) What a blessing he is- truly! The entire experience has been amazing. I was so concerned during the birth process and God delivered me from that fear. He took care of Jacob and of mommy and gave us a perfectly healthy, perfectly wonderful angelic little baby. He cries only when he's hungry or poopy- it's awesome! Well, not true- lately he's started this cute thing. If you are playing with him and you walk away or lose eye contact, he lets out a gentle scream to remind you that he's there and wants your attention... so precious!

And now with Timothy- this week, we have been potty training. So far, so good. I don't know how long it will take, but I am anxious to be done with buying him diapers. I am anxious to not have to change any more poopy diapers and to not have to worry about whether or not his diaper leaked on the way home from school. All the way around, this will be a good thing. So we give him one M&M every time he goes 'pee pee' in the potty and a tootsie pop when he goes poo poo. I figured we had to 'up the anty' for the big stuff. We'll see how well it works. He hasn't pooped yet. I suspect his first time will be in his underwear, but maybe not. He's a smart lil guy. We just need to be consistent with him and he will conquer this.

Trinity is doing well- we are currently painting her room. We bought this gorgeous green and pink quilt for her bed and we decided to paint to match. So currently he room is this beautiful sage green with 2 pink polka dots. The idea is much easier than the execution so it may be an ongoing process. :) I had originally envisioned a green wall with different sizees of pink polka dots (2 different shades of pink). I will post a picture if/when we finish the room. Who knows? Perhaps tonight I will become inspired and just polka dot away!

Oh ya! did I mention we moved??? We are no longer in an apartment- God totally blessed us with a house right down the road from the apartment so we are still close to my husband's work. The house has four bedrooms and is very open. It's not huge as far as homes go, but it does have so much more room than our apartment had. I can honestly say it's perfect for us! We love it! When I walkd in on moving day I cried because it was so much better than I had remembered it being when I veiwed it. I felt like God had really blessed us with this and so now I feel like we should use it to bless others any way that we can.

It's been really neat to watch God's hand in all of this. A year ago I never would have imagined we would be where we are now, but lo and behold, God had a compleetly different plan for us than I did and of course, His plan was much better than ours. I am loving this. every day I wake up and feel so unworthy of the gifts we have been given, and yet so loved at the same time. It's surreal. What an amazing God we serve! What a blessing that He is in control and we are not!!! Oh praise Him!!!