Ten Smile Tuesday

I haven't done a ten smile in a while, so I wanted to jump on it while I had the chance. Things are going really well here. We are enjoying being a family of four. Hitting some bumps along the way trying to find the right balance, but overall, it has gone suprisingly well and has been a lot smoother of a transistion than I would have anticipated. So, here are some smiles that go along with that transistion:

1. Last night Anna slept through the whole night! Up until now she has been waking at 4 for some refreshments :), but last night was until nearly 7, when Michael moved her and it woke her up. Holy cow, I won't hold my breath but I hope it continues!!
2. Bath time. Three years later, Lilla is still a water bug. As a matter of fact, she's in my shower right now, just playing away. The child loves the water and it is good times for her!3. Saturday night. We rarely have people come over but Saturday night friends/family just kept calling to say they were coming over unexpectedly. So much fun and we loved having our house full of people we love!

4. Lilla's friend, Jenna, was one of the friends over and they had such fun being chased around by Michael and sliding down his leg, it was adorable to see all the giggles and screams of these two precious girls with my husband.5. Jenna has a brother that is 7 weeks older than Anna so we had to get this shot of the future Mr. and Mrs.!
6. Bowling. Some friends invited us to go bowling with their kids on Saturday and since Lilla had never been, of course we had to go. Oh, what fun we had! Definitely there will be a repeat performance very soon!7. Cookies. Yesterday Lilla and I decided to make some nut cookies that I would say, were probably the best cookies I've ever made. So buttery and yummy...mmm, mmm!
8. My friend, Angela, who I've not seen in over a year stopped by to bring us a meal and say hi the other day and we had such a nice time! Ours daughters are the same age and played so well together, and, enjoyed these yummo cupcakes she brought too!9. Storytime. Lilla has been loving to read more and more lately. The other day when Daddy was home it was so sweet to see them curled up on the couch reading together. Ah, the simple joys of childhood!
10. This dress. I had drolled over it at Cracker Barrel for so long, so when it finally went on clearance I was so glad I was there and snapped it right up. Too cute!
What are you smiling about today?

Such sweetness

I know so many of my posts lately have been things Lilla says, but darned if they aren't just adorable! It's like she is suddenly thinking and processing in such a big girl way and my mind is just enamored by it all. So, on that note, I have another fun recent quote from her.

About a week ago, Michael dropped our griddle and the leg broke off it. He was feeling pretty bad and apologizing profusely. As I was a bit irritated I just didn't say anything.

Lilla looks at him with these big comforting eyes and says, "It's ok Daddy, you didn't mean to do it. We go to the store and buy new one."

Spoken like a true girl!

That about says it all...

Lilla with her very serious face telling the business!

So Lilla and I are sitting on my bed watching the snow fall and I'm explaining to her about seasons. I'm telling her in the winter it's very cold and snowy so we don't really go outside a lot. (Particularly in a year with a new baby!) Then I'm telling her about spring and how the grass turns green, the snow melts and flowers bloom. I go on to tell her about the joys of summer and how we swim and the fall with it's pumpkins and apples as well.

Suddenly she looks out the window, starts pointing at the snow and sternly says, "You need to stop snowing now snow. We need springtime. We go outside. You need to melt so our grass is green!"

Too true, too true! I could not have said it any better myself Lilla!

Thank you!

My sweet friend, Elizabeth, over at Full of Grace and Blessings in Abundance, was so sweet to send Anna a lovely little spring outfit. That was so kind! And then, blessed Lilla with a sweet gift of play-doh for fun! Well, Elizabeth, this is for you...



Oh, and in other news...

Happy One Month Birthday my smiling baby girl...where did the time go?

Out of the mouths...

So the other day Lilla is sitting in the bathtub pondering something deep. I let her keep thinking when suddenly she looks up and says, "Babies cry a lot."

Yup, Lilla, they sure do!

10 Smile Tuesday

Gosh, I can't believe how long it's been since I posted a 10 Smile Tuesday. I'm such a slacker lately. OK, I guess I do have a tiny 8 pound excuse! :)

So we have seriously had a whole lot of smiles lately. It's amazing what adding a child can add to one's life. It's a bit difficult as I am seriously tired, but it's also wonderful as I look on in enjoyment of my two delicious little girls, and thank God for His blessings.

Here are some smiles for you:

1. Meals. So many people have been so kind to bring us meal after meal, it has been so wonderful and amazing. We are really grateful for such good friends who want to love on us and show us that they care, it has been a super big blessing!

2. New Years. This year one of my friends, Shelly, had a bit of a get together and it was just fun to hang out and ring in the New Year with my girls. :)
3. Roll over... Anna rolled over for the first time yesterday...not even 3 weeks old! That is crazy fast! I'm glad I got to see it!
4. This picture. I used it for her announcements, I just love how beautiful she looks in it.

5. First bath. Last week we gave her her first bath. What a special time for us to get to spend with her. Lilla wanted to do all the work, so we had to have a bit of a talk. She seriously thinks this child is her own!
6. Bathtime with Lilla. Every time Michael gives Lilla a bath she comes running out laughing and giggling, jumps in the chair with me and declares, "I naked!" I mean seriously, that is just cute!
7. Slippers. What would childhood be like without a fun pair of slippers? Lilla will never know because she got these hand me down poodles that she is crazy about!
8. Make shift toys. You know, because we have nothing in this house to play with!
9. Once a night. For the past several days Anna has only been waking once during the night for feedings. That is so crazy as Lilla was up every 3 hours for 3 hours. I have to say it's nice, but I won't get to used to it just in case. Oh, but it is nice!

10. Breastfeeding. What a blessing it has been! With Lilla it took 10 days for my milk to come in and I was so frustrated. My milk has come in so great this time and Anna is a big old eater. I don't need to force her at all. I love doing it too, what a special thing for me to be able to do for her! It's a pretty cool feeling to know I can give her that. I am very thankful to God for this blessing!
Lilla actually took this picture of me breastfeeding Anna. Yes, I said my 2 year old Lilla. And with my very heavy camera. The girl is a minature photographer I tell you! I know you can't see Anna, but I think the expression on my face just says it all. It's just peace.

What are you smiling about today?

Freedom

Today we went to "the other" church I had mentioned in my last post. I had known for awhile that they were about to start a financial peace program but hadn't put too much thought into it. Apparently the program starts tonight though so that is what the sermon was about. They really want everyone in their church to have financial freedom so they would like everyone to join.

Although we have not completely decided to attend this church or not, we would so love to have financial freedom. I mean really, is there anything that feels so binding as money being "tight". The pastor said that on average for every dollar the average American makes, they spend $1.22. That is crazy! Debt is such bondage, and it is horrible to have any kind of bondage really.


So, we decided to drop what we are doing for the next 13 weeks and give this program, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, a real go. Now there is no way we could pay off said bills in 13 weeks, but it sure would be nice to start working towards that so we can have that all important peace!

Here's to a fresh start!

Onward, Upward

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps."

Do you ever find it hard to make a big decision? I do. I want to make sure that in the big, and small decisions, in life, I have chosen what God wants me to do. I don't want to choose out of selfishness or ease, but really what God would have for my life. You see, I know He has a greater plan for me that I could not possibly know, because I, am not sovereign, as He is.

Now, the reason for this preface? My husband and I are having a bit of a struggle on a large decision. Some may not think it that large, but to us, it is. We really want to be in the will of God where we go and what we do, and it can be difficult as there are usually not flashing lights to show the way. However, God does lead us and guide us, I believe, by using things big and small to get our attention.

So, on to the decision. We are seriously considering going to a different church than we have been at for the past four years. We have really grown to care about the people there and we know they care about us. The preaching is very good at our church, which is actually the main reason we stay. My husband runs the sound booth and works with the kids ministry as well.

So, why would we leave? We've just never felt a true connection with the other members. Yes, after church we chat with people, it is a small church so we pretty much know everybody, but we've just never developed those really important friendships that we are looking for. On the flipside, I have attended a different church for my MOPS group for the past year and a half. Our church is small so we don't have one, so I started at another church. This church has been amazing for us, even though we don't attend there they have absolutely embraced us as their own. My best friends attend there, when Anna was in the hospital they were calling, emailing and visiting us. (This includes the pastors!) And they were the ones who brought us meals when we returned home and came over that night. They had us on their prayer board. We spent New year's eve with a bunch of them. My husband attends their men's meetings once a week. The church is very into outreach, whereas our church is more of a teaching church. Outreach is very important to me, as many of you know, because of my love for missions.

The downside? The preaching. It is just not what we are used to as it is seeker friendly. What we have talked about is that we could easily download podcasts and listen to them for teaching every week from all the amazing speakers out there. We also feel an obligation to our current church with involvement in ministries and because we really do love our pastor and his family. But we don't want to stay out of guilt.

Anyway, that is what we are facing in 2009...it's difficult. I'm trying to remember that we are all part of one body, it is just finding God's will for our lives. So, we are going to keep praying and ask God to put on our hearts what He would have us do.

Happy New Year!

Our family wishes yours the happiest of New Years in 2009!!

Baby Love

"...My cup overflows..." Psalm 23:5

Seasons Change and Baby Steps

So I am not quite sure how this happened, but I think I blinked and 10 days of baby love have already gone by! It seems like we were just walking into the maternity ward, and now I am here with my munchkin sleeping sweetly on my chest, not a care in the world besides the warmth of mommy. It's just lovely.

And, as if that wasn't enough, the Christmas season is officially over too. This year was a bit different, as I basically did no shopping since I was so tired and pregnant this last month, so it was maybe a bit more impersonal. And then, the NICU stay happened, which was so unplanned, of course. So, our family members (excluding the girls) got gift cards I thought they would like. And, my grandmother who lives in Florida, my brother's new wife and our new baby girl all added to our usually small family gathering. For the last four years it's actually grown, since my sister or I have had a baby for each of the last four years.

I also wanted to share with you a bit about the NICU stay and how God really used it as a faith builder for us. It was a very traumatic time for me, I think because it was so unexpected. The first couple of days I was just devestated and crying all the time, but as the days wore on, I was able to get myself back together and started to be a little less emotional and much more rational. So, I developed friendships with all of Anna's caretakers, and found they were pretty much all believers. It was amazing to have them there and be so supportive, and talk to them about God as well. Really, it seems small, but what a blessing!

On Friday I started praying that I would be able to hold Anna on Saturday. She had been being fed through a tube and they did not want to overstimulate her, so I couldn't hold her or breastfeed her. My only contact with her was changing her diapers, which meant everything to me because I just wanted some bit of normalcy with my new baby. So, most of the day on Saturday went well, but by the end of the day I was in tears so the nurse asked me why. I told her I just wanted to hold my baby and she agreed to it and then talked to the nurse practioner who said they wanted to increase her fluids so they were taking out the IV so I could try and breastfeed. I had been pumping with great success, which was a blessing in itself since it took 10 days for my milk to come in with Lilla. My milk came in in abundance this time and as soon as I put Anna on the breast she latched on and hasn't let up since!

On Saturday I started praying that on Sunday she would be weaned off the air they were giving her through her nose. It did not contain O2, it was room air, but they were using it to expand her lungs to try to get the fluid out. Don't you know, when I came back after getting a shower on Sunday, there was no tube in her nose. It was fabulous to see her face! Her bilirubin count, she's a bit jaundiced, had gone down dramatically too! And then, they started talking about us going home in the next few days.

So, on Sunday, I started praying we would go home on Monday. When the doctor told Michael, that was the plan, I could have cried! So when Monday came around I didn't let myself believe it as the nurses were cautious to not give us hope until the doctor had for sure cleared Anna. Then the nurse suddenly came in and said, "You're going home today!" and that was the best blessing of all!

Oh, this post has gotten out of hand long...and the munchkin is stirring so I will just say I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year is filled with extra special blessings too!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Just wanted to say...

WE ARE HOME!!

They let us go a little after noon today and not a moment too soon. We are so thankful for all the prayers from family, friends, strangers, churches and bloggers that we know surely touched the heart of God for our daughter this last week. Talk about a faith builder! I want to send each of you that prayed for us a sincere thank you, you will never know what it meant to us to be so bathed in prayer in such a hard time.

I'll write more tomorrow but am going to try to get a little shut eye before my little eater wakes again!

Saturday Photo Hunt - WIDE

Theme: WIDE

This was me one week ago today, about as wide as I've ever been! I am considerably smaller now, and unfortunately, watching my 5 day old baby in the NICU as I write, but she is getting a little stronger every day! And hopefully the next wide thing I'll be posting is my smile when I take her home!

To see more photos with a wide theme or to participate too, go to www.tnchick.com

I'm hurting

So the last few days have been very painful for me. On Tuesday Anna was born and everything seemed perfectly normal, I got to spend all day with her, she was doing great breastfeeding, everyone visited and it was just great.

Wednesday afternoon came and they were talking about releasing us the next day as everything was so great. Suddenly I noticed she was breathing very heavily so I called the nurse and she took her to check her out. Before I knew what was happening they took her down to the NICU and hooked her up to everything. They thought she may have some fluid on her lungs or pneumonia or an infection so they ran all kinds of tests and put her on antibiotics "just in case". They were convinced she would be better by Friday. Well, guess what, Friday is here and there is no change. She is still breathing very heavily, her oxygen level keeps going up and down and she is just not well.

They think she probably has pneumonia, but aren't sure and will be doing another x-ray at 11. They have no idea when she can go home, probably not for at least another week, and she is hooked up to every tube and machine you can think of, besides a ventilator. That may be coming if she keeps breathing like this. She is just wearing her little body out.

I am so scared and troubled by all of this, my heart is breaking and I can't stop crying. They say it's not fatal and she is not terribly off, but they can't give me anything conclusive of what it could be or when she might get better. It's very frustrating and troubling all at the same time.

Please be in prayer for our family, that we will have peace in this situation, that God will work in mighty ways to protect and heal our little Anna and that God would ultimately be glorified in all we do and say here.

Thank you friends,
Amy

The very best Christmas present!

Just a few pics because I can't download anymore since I'm hooked up to machines and can't reach the camera or thingy that downloads...tomorrow I'll post more!

Oh, and her stats...

Name: Anna Noelle
Size: 19 inches
Weight: 7lbs, 12 oz
Time: 9:34am
Hair: Little bitty very blonde curls!
Eyes: Dark right now, I have a good feeling they will be blue though!
Long fingers and toes, a good eater (breastfeeding) once she starts and sweet little baby cries!
The c-section went wonderfully, they said that's the best it gets, so smooth! Now I'm just in a bit of pain in my back and my stomach, so they are just trying to get it under control. Very normal stuff though so I'm not too worried about it. So...here are the pics...

That's the book for me!

A little song to make you smile from the peanut!

That belly shot

I just took this picture on Auto and the camera was a bit low so it's not the best, not to mention my hair is wet from the shower, but I wanted to get in one more belly shot before Anna comes on Tuesday. So here I am in all my big belly glory...

Good Theology

The peanut and I have been talking a lot about the nativity lately. I tell her about Jesus, his birth and his family. As we get closer to Christmas I hope she will have a better understanding of the real celebration, rather than the man made one.

Anyway, I was quizzing her the other day on what she has learned and here's how the conversation went...

Me: Who is Jesus' mom?

Peanut: Mary

Me: Who is Jesus' dad?

Peanut: God

I was looking for Joseph, but I must say, that is pretty good theology for a 2 1/2 year old!! :)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Great Places to Donate Money This Holiday Season!

This time of year seems to bring a lot of generosity for some people, and some are often looking for good organizations to donate to. Here is a list of some of our favorites!

1. Your local church. I don't know about you but we go to a very small country church that could always use donations. I've never heard of a church that didn't though!

2. The Salvation Army. So conveniently located in every Wal-Mart and other fine store. Just listen for the sound of bells!

3. Goodwill. They help people with developmental disabilities find jobs. Even your old stuff can help make this organization run!

4. Helping Hands. Our organization or choice this year, that provides chickens, goats and wells to impoverished nations.

5. Word of Life. A Christian youth organization that has summer youth camps around the world, providing low or no cost camps for kids! (Our fave is the one in Hungary!)

6. Mental Health America. This is an organization that promotes knowledge of Mental Health issues and helps those with MI's to better their lives with education, employment and housing. (This was where I worked in my pre-momma days!)

7. Make a Wish. Does this organization need an explanation? Pretty much everyone is familiar with it and it just keeps getting better with how it helps kids in not so good situations!

8. Habitat for Humanity. Seriously, can you go wrong with helping people have homes?

9. Your local foodbank. They could always use more food and monetary donations!

10. Your local homeless shelter. You can give monetary donations or the gift of time this Christmas!

11. Your local humane society. Gifts of dog/cat food donations or monetary donations are always appreciated. They can usually use volunteers to help with the animals or clean up as well!

12. Your favorite missionary. Most missionaries are seriously just barely making it as they are paid next to nothing. Why not give them an extra Christmas present this year?

13. FAME. FAME is an organization that provides medications around the world to people who otherwise would not have had it, while spreading the love of Christ.


I hope I have been able to give you some good ideas for donations this Christmas season. What are some of your favorite places to donate?

10 Smile Tuesday

I'm going to try to get this one in just under the gun today. It's already 11 pm and I have an early doctor's appt. so I'll make it quick with no pictures. Maybe I'll post some tomorrow...

Anyway, a quick 10 smiles for you...

1. One week. Just one week. One week from today I will be holding sweet Anna in my arms. Yeah, that smile can't really be beat!

2. Bolt. We went and saw this with some friends today and it was really cute. The peanut just loved going to the movies and seeing something on the big screen. She's fascinated!

3. Playdate. This morning a couple of my friends came over and the girl's got to play for several hours while we chatted. Since I've been so tired lately due to the end being so near we haven't gotten out much, so it was fun to have friends over for me and for the peanut!

4. Friday. Last Friday night I went to a friend's house for pizza and fellowship with her and another girl. It was crazy with 9 little girls in the house, but oh, they had fun and we did too!

5. Superbaby. When the peanut goes to this particular friends house (who has kids ages 4, 8 and 11) she loves to have this particular baby blanket tied around her neck and she runs around the house with the girls in pursuit yelling, "Superbaby!!" It's seriously funny!!

6. Sugar cookies. My husband always makes sugar cookies for his employees this time of year, and this time I was of little help as my ankles are huge at this point! So, all day Sunday I got to lay in bed while I brought me the broken ones...mmm, they were good!!

7. Sweet gifts. Having a 2nd baby is so different from the first. No showers or any poo poohing like the first time. So, I was so sweetly surprised when my friend brought over these adorable little Christmas outfits today as gift to Anna. So sweet! And, a beautiful white blanket too!

8. MOPS. (Mothers of Preschoolers) Our last MOPS of the year was this last Friday and we had such a nice time learning to decorate cheap chick. Who doesn't love cheap decorating ideas? Good stuff!

9. MOPS Dinner. Saturday night we had our annual MOPS dinner for our MOPS moms and significant others. Good food, good fellowship and a great speaker! You gotta love this program!

10. Lights. The peanut has been getting so excited over the Christmas lights that she sees as we are out and about. She says, "I don't have any on my house..." in a very sad tone. I totally wanted to do it just for her, but this year, due to the baby we are pretty low key. Oh, but she loves it so much...ah, to see Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old. It's just the best!

What are you smiling about today?

All I Want For Christmas

Every year at Christmas my parents really prefer us to donate money rather than getting them anther useless gadget, shirt or toy. I try to change the organization every year just for that element of surprise, but I think I found one this year I want to stick with. The organization is called Hands of Hope. You may have heard of it before. Donations can go to buying chickens, goats or wells for needy people in impoverished nations. I had actually heard of this before, I had just not done any research on it until now. I am so impressed that so little money is able to help so many people, it just makes me happy to take part in it!! I think this will be my parent's favorite donation yet!

Ten Smile Tuesday...ah, a little late

So, this is a bit late, but better late than never right? I must be in nesting mode right now because I've had very few minutes to just sit down and spend time to write such a long post it seems. I am absolutely huge right now too, which is funny that I'm waddling around cleaning and shopping and calling...just busyness when I've got one heavy belly right now! Sorry no pictures of it. I keep meaning to take pics, but it's just one of those things I keep saying I'll do and never get around to. Which, for posterity, is too bad. I really want a picture of the peanut kissing my belly too...ah, I need to do that today!!

So anyway...on the smiles...

1. Teeny weeny clothes. So I finally got the baby clothes back from my sister last week, and I can hardly believe how small they are! I got the clothes up to about 9 months and whew, I've spent some time doing laundry this week. Folding all these little clothes just makes me think...wow, she is close! Only 13 more days and I'll be the parent to 2 little girls...wow, life is about to change forever!

2. Cuddle time. Lilla has been particularly cuddly lately. I'm not sure if she's trying to soak up the last moments of being an only or what, but she has just wanted to love and kiss and cuddle under the blankets a whole lot more than usual...and this mommy loves every minute of it!

3. Craft time. The peanut has been loving doing crafts lately. She totally takes after me with that. Just about every day you can hear her saying, "I do craft, craft, craft!!" So I've been thinking of little things to do here and there. She has so much fun creating, it's awesome!

3. Speaking of crafts, my sister-in-law, Amy, always likes to have a craft for the kids to do at family events and this was the one for Thanksgiving. An ornament that they got to choose what rub ons to put on it.


4. Interesting. At Thanksgiving dinner at Michael's parents, everyone drinks out of wine glasses, which Lilla found so fascinating. She just kept picking it up and looking at the blue stem through the glass, so wonderful to watch her make new discoveries and just to learn!
5. Little painted toes. So I was painting my toes the other day and the peanut was so fascinated by it that I just had to do her too. Oh, my gosh, have I enjoyed looking at those little red toes ever since!

6. Snow. Although we've only had a dusting of it, the peanut is so fascinated by it, I just love seeing it! She woke up yesterday morning and all I could hear upstairs was her calling down to me, "Snow, snow, snow!!" Oh, she is so excited to get to make snow angels. We've not had nearly enough snow for that, but oh, how excited she will be when we do!

7. A visit to the man in red. We were at the mall the other day and saw the big guy, but do you know how much it was to get a picture? $16!! That is crazy, and they strictly enforce not taking your own pictures. What a racket! So, we were at Wal-Mart a little later and they he was again! So she hopped up on his lap and told him her Christmas wish...her very own camera! (She is her mother's daughter!)
8. These tights...are they not adorable? Seriously, I can't get enough of them! She's worn them twice in the last week because I am such a sucker for girlyness...love it!

9. This picture...because,well, does it really need an explanantion?
10. Deals and steals. So every Black Friday we have to do at least a bit of shopping. This year we didn't see any fantastic deals, but did score a few items and got pretty much all of our shopping done in one day. I actually only went to one store, Kohl's, to get one item. I picked it up and starting walking towards the front when I realized there were a lot of people just standing toward the back of the store...holy cow, it was the line!! So, I put down the item and walked out. 45 minutes was just way too long for this big prego to stand for a bit of a discount! We did score the aforementioned Little Tikes camera for $20 and a GPS for $96 though, which are usually significantly higher so...plus a bunch of other items, so we were still satisfied. How did you all do?

11. Oh, and a bonus. Last week we went over to my friend Shelly's where we baked lots of cookies, laughed hysterically and watched the Charlie Brown specials all cuddled up in the living room with each other. It was just one of those sweet times that you always want to remember.

12. And one more...as I mentioned in the last post, I won a gift certificate for $50 for a new ring sling. I so wanted one but didn't want to pay that much for it...oh, what a blessing!!

So those are just some of the smiles from the past week...what are you smiling about?

You could be a winner...

I think I told you all before that one of my preparations for the new baby was buying a sling. Well, I did find someone at a craft show who made them for super cheap...it was like $20. And it's really cute too! Chocolate and pink, love it! But, she only makes pouch slings and I really wanted a ring sling too, but this time of year money is tight and I was finding it so super hard to spend that much on myself. Well...now I don't have to! I just won a $50 gift card from a local store here in Indy...Beanababy. They make slings and wraps and tutus and t-shirts...all kinds of great stuff for your little ones.

And, they are holding a Christmas giveaway for all the days leading up to Christmas with all kinds of prizes. Go there and check them out, and sign up for their drawing. You could be a winner too!!
http://www.beanababy.com/blog/

Oh sweet justice

On Saturday morning we were up and getting ready to go and do some errands including a little Christmas shopping. I had just gone through all of the baby clothes my sister had returned to me (this is now going on a 4th child for many of them) and realized how not good they looked. The fronts were all yellow and stained and they just looked ratty. As I am a little anal on having a new baby in perfectly clean clothes, I knew I wouldn't be able to put these particular clothes on Anna. So, I spoke to my husband and said, "We need to go buy Anna some new things...where is that Children's Place coupon I just got in the mail? It was 20% off the entire purchase."

My sweet and loving husband then guilty replied, "You mean the one on the stairs? Um, I accidently tore that up with the rest of the mail."

Clearly I reacted as any respectable wife would, "Are you insane? Why would you do that? It's like throwing away free money..." Oh yes, it didn't end there. I really let my poor hubby know how incredibly irritated I was and disappointed in the whole situation.

He then brought the ripped up coupons downstairs and said, "It's ok, we'll just tape them back together." Now mind you, they were not ripped on the bar codes, but I was just convinced that they would never take them looking like that. So, as my pitiful husband tried to appease me, I continued the squawking rampage.

We then travelled to the mall, taped up coupons in hand and started to head to our destination. Along the way Michael saw Build a Bear and just knew the girl's really needed the matching mooses so he handed me the coupons, told me to go have fun, and took Lilla in for some fun of her own. I headed to the store and began my shopping excursion. I was there for about 1/2 hour picking out some darling newborn things that I just knew Anna would look gorgeous in, and also a Christmas present for my niece.

I'm then headed to the register when I realize...the coupon is gone. I start searching my purse, the clothes, under the racks... All I can think is, "God sure has a sense of humor here and I think I know who he's out to humble today." So, I call my husband tell him what happened and he says they are nearly done and will start heading that way. He comes in the store and, the very embaressed and humbled me has no way to react besides a big old apology. He laughingly replies, "Well, I just wish God could teach us lessons and give us the coupon too." He's funny.

And then, he prays that God will show him where it's at. And don't you know...there it was, among the stretch pants and tunics, right where I would have put it down. And, as we walked out the door after making our grand purchase that included the 20% off coupon, I think we saw my pride laying on the floor...

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I sure hope it is a delightful one for each of you and that you get a chance to reflect on all the things you are thankful for today. I know many have had difficult years, finances are unsure and things don't usually go as planned, but I hope today will be a day to celebrate the big and small joys you've experienced, to laugh with your loved ones and see how God is using you in His greater plan.

Every Thanksgiving I write down 365 things that I am thankful for. I'm going to spare you an entire list, but instead write down 50 things off the top of my head. There is never really an order, rhyme or reason, but just things I want to thank God for. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

1. Jesus, because without Him, I wouldn't know how to give real praise
2. Michael, my husband
3. Lilla, my daughter
4. Anna, my soon to be born 2nd daughter
5. There are only 19 days left before Anna is born...yahoo!
6. My home
7. A bed to sleep in every night
8. Food in my cabinets
9. A decent paying job for my husband
10. My husband being good with money so all the bills do get paid
11. Carrie, my very good friend
12. Shelly, my very good friend
13. MOPS
14. My home church
15. My pastor, who honestly loves the Lord with all His heart and does everything trying to serve Him
16. My small group who teach me a lot
17. My Bible
18. The freedom to own and read a Bible
19. The ability to read
20. The book, Sheperding a Child's Heart, which is teaching me so much
21. My mom, who is trying to serve God wholeheartedly
22. My stepdad, for loving my mom these last 20 years
23. My sister, Erika
24. Her husband, Russ, who really does love her
25. All my nieces and nephews (seriously, it would be a long list!)
26. All my brother and sister in laws (there are MANY!!)
27. My in-laws, they are very kind to me in so many, many ways. I am very fortunate to have them and not that quintessential mother-in-law you always hear about.
28. My sister-in-law, Stephanie, who sat with me in the hospital for hours and hours the other day, so I wouldn't be alone
29. My brother, David and new sister-in-law, Jody, for being happy together
30. Worship music, there's nothing like it!
31. My bloggity friends, I've met so many wonderful ones!
32. Water, clean fresh water...I'm seriously thankful for it. Particularly since I drink so much of it these days!
33. Ice cubes, because I like my drinks almost to the point of freezing.
34. My dog, Ellie. She's just so sweet and loving with these big brown eyes. That makes me happy!
35. My dog, Buddy, who really is a lover too. He's a puppy so he's wild, but he's a lover anyway.
36. Having my own car to be able to go places in. (At this time last year my hubby's car died and I had to go a month without one!)
37. Storytime at the library, such an enjoyable time for Lilla and I!
38. My friend, Shelly's kids, who seriously love the peanut. It's so fun to see them play together, even though they are older, they just adore her. She loves it!
39. The ability to have gone to Florida this past June just days before my grandmother passed away. I'm thankful to have been able to say my last good-byes in person.
40. The summer bible study we did. I learned a lot and got closer to some new women I might not of otherwise got to know so well.
41. Antibiotics, because they seriously healed me pretty fast last week.
42. Ultrasounds, because it is so lovely to spend time with my little girl!
43. The election process. Even though it may not have turned out as I had hoped, I am still thankful to live in a country where we have the freedom to elect instead of a dictatorship or a monarchy.
44. Laughter, I've had a lot of it this last year and it sure has made my days brighter!
45. Tears. There's an old quote that says, "Tears are the soap of the soul", and I really believe that is true. There is nothing like a good cry!
46. Facebook. Silly, I know, but it has put me in touch with many very old friends, that I thought I'd never hear from again!
47. Photography. Due to photography I am able to capture so many wonderful moments of my daughter's life that otherwise would be gone.
48. My daughter's innocence. It is lovely to see her still not jaded by the world.
49. The military, including my little brother, Chris. They really have so much courage and it is amazing to me what they do every day. Hoo-rah!
50. And finally, for faith, hope and love. Where would I be without any one of them?

I hope all your Thanksgiving days are full of joy today! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

She's coming, she's really coming...

So yesterday I went to a total of 6, count them, 6, stores searching for the right car seat at the right price. Because my stroller is a Graco, I need a Graco car seat so it's kind of one of those annoying little things, you gotta do! In our little town we have a Wal-Mart, and that's about it, so I went there first. The only one they had was Winnie the Pooh. Now, I enjoy Pooh bear as much as the next guy, but do I want to see images of Pooh gobbling up honey for the next 12 months every time I put my child in the seat? Um, not so much. So that was a definite no.

In fact, I am not a person who likes character anything very much. Clothes, diaper bags, bedding...you name it, I'm just not that into it. So, after driving another 40 minutes to visit Target and Meijer, had much of the same reaction. My husband then insisted that we go to another Wal-Mart, just in case. Same situation as the first, I just couldn't do it.

So, off to Babies R' Us we went. Now, I don't often shop there as I think they are rip off artists. It's just unbelievable to pay 3 times what you would normally pay for a bottle of Johnson and Johnson baby oil, because it is from a store clearly marketed toward first time moms still in the, "Oh, the baby really does need the potty chair with the fake toilet paper roll that plays music." stage. Of course they had like 15 different types of seats, but I was totally disturbed at the price tags. I mean, come on! You really want $30 more of the exact same car seat? Get real I say!

So, at this point I figure I am doomed to the next 12 months of characters, when a light goes off in my head. BABY DEPOT at Burlington Coat Factory, he shouts at me! I have no idea why this popped into my head, thank you Lord, because it's not a place I ever shop. Since it was right down the street from the evil empire that is Babies R' Us though, we are off and guess what? I found one!!

It's pink and chocolate, and not that obnoxious pink that burns your eyes. A muted pink with chocolate brown flowers and designs. Just the mellow one I was looking for. I also got a pink and brown diaper bag to match my pink and brown just purchased sling. OK, so I'm a dork, but apparently this is the in girl color this year, which is fine with me, since I like those colors together.

So now, all I need is the baby. Oh, and diapers...I better go buy some diapers...

Just because...

I just wanted to write this down for posterity.

Today I was talking to Lilla about gratefulness and what I am grateful for. I then asked her what she was thankful for, her response? "Mommy and Daddy."

Does life get any sweeter?

26 Days!

I was just thinking...I have 26 days until I see my baby!! Until all my curiousity is finally met with answers. Until I hold my sweet little girl in my arms. Until my family is complete...for now...

Ten Smile Tuesday

I've been pretty neglectful of pictures lately as I've taken so few due to just being tired. Even having to get up to get the camera is a feat these days! I just feel like an out of breath weeble!

So, I thought I would just do my 10 recent favorite snapshots. They aren't in the last week as I haven't even taken any since last Tuesday, which is HIGHLY unusual for me, but they are in the last few weeks. The peanut and I have spent a lot of time laying in bed watching Disney movies while I wait out the next 4 weeks, so not too much to capture photography wise in those moments, as you can imagine. Just us in our PJ's, passing some time with Pinnochio!

Without further ado now, here are my recent faves:

This is my new favorite picture. I took it very randomly in my backyard a couple of weeks ago and am just in love with it! Who could resist that smile?

My little monkey! Oh, she was cute for Halloween!

We couldn't let fall go by without at least one romp in the leaves!

Last week when I was in the hospital Michael brought the peanut to me. She was so excited, she just jumped in the hospital bed yelling, "Mommy!!" So sweet!

Just a random pic of all of us!

We'd been in the car for a long trip and I thought the peanut needed a break. We found this hill and showed her how to roll down it. She enjoyed even more rolling daddy down!

Secrets only daddy and the peanut are in on!

A walk across our bridge had to be captured!

That laugh is contagious!

At my brother's wedding rehearsal she jumped up on stage and started singing/dancing. What an entertainer she is!

What is making you smile today?

Please Pray

I have a very special prayer request for you my blogging buddies. I have a very dear friend who had a baby 2 weeks ago and her husband left her this weekend...she needs so many prayers right now. She just feels crushed, as anyone could understand, and she has a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn she has to take care of. She was very blindsided by the whole thing and is just struggling to breathe right now.

Please be in prayer for my friend and for God to give her the strength to go on, to have faith that God really does love her and to keep on praying. Also, be praying for her husband's salvation and a softening of his heart.

Thank you friends.

Still Smiling

So the last week has been hard. I'm actually in the hospital for the second overnight stay in the last few days right now. I should be able to leave this morning though. I've had an accelerated heart rate, low oxygen and pain in my chest that has definitely caused the doctors to worry. If I were not pregnant I probably wouldn't be staying here so much but of course everyone, including me, is worried about little Anna so here is where I've been. She seems to be fine through everything though so I'm now off the monitors and IV and really believe I'll be moving on in the next few hours.

I've had about every test in the book ran on me and tons of blood taken, and they had the darndest time coming up with what was wrong. The doctor on call this weekend was convinced it was psychological, even asking me, "Well, can you just start thinking positively? Maybe then the problems will go away." Ummm...ok then, that's really working for me. Ugh! He even went so far as to put me on an anti-anxiety/anti-depression drug. Fortunately the doctor yesterday believed me more and had an internist come and examine me. He's pretty convinced I have the starting stages of pneumonia and a kidney infection...which hurts like none other I tell you! Ahhhhhh!!! So, I'm all drugged up and hopefully will be better soon.

In the midst of it all though, I still do have some random smiles to share...

1. I got to spend a good 1/2 hour looking at Anna on Saturday night due to the ultrasound. She is beautiful let me tell you! And, she is a mover and a shaker! She just goes and goes and goes. She was pulling on her umbilical cord at one point, oh my gosh, was that cute! That was definitely a smile in the midst of the pains.

2. Visitors. Saturday night was my brother's wedding...I missed the whole thing as I had to spend the night in the hospital. Being that Michael was the groomsman and Lilla was the flower girl, I insisted that they go. Michael was highly resistant, but once his family stepped in he felt better about it. My sister-in-law, Stephanie, was so gracious as to sit with me for like 6 or 7 hours watching Hannah Montana reruns while they ran all the tests and such. Then my other sister-in-law, Terri, came for a visit. As did Michael's parents. My other sister-in-law, Tammy, came and spent time with me then on Sunday. As my family was tied up with the wedding stuff, I really appreciated the company and compassion of my husband's family to me!

3. Days off. Our MOPS group was doing a clothing drive this week so Michael took Thursday and Friday off to help out. Unfortunately, due to my health issues, we only helped Thursday, but it was nice for Michael to have time to spend with us on those days.

4. The park. On Wednesday, the weather was in the 70's, so we got to take Lilla to the park to enjoy the fall colors and play on the big kid equipment with dad. Oh, and she got to feed the ducks, which they tell you specifically not to do, but daddy had some crackers...and, well, he's a rebel that way. LOL

5. Help. Since I've been so sick people have really been very kind to me about helping out with the peanut. She has spent 3 of the last four nights at my mother's house or Michael's parents and I really appreciate it since I've just been out of comission. I think she's ready to go home though, she said to my mother-in-law, "I need to go to sleep at my house now." Awww....

6. Family. On Friday night, although I had not been feeling good all day, I decided to go to the rehearsal and dinner and it was really nice to see some family that I had not for awhile. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend the time I wanted to, but it was still nice to see them for even a short bit.

7. 35 days. I am now scheduled to have a c-section on Dec. 16th. 12 days before my due date as that just works out for some things for the doctor, and in all honesty, it can't come soon enough. I am really starting to get ready! So, five weeks from today I will be the mother of two little girls, crazy times!!

8. Clothing and Coats. We had many, many donations for the clothing drive and we wound up helping over 500 people! Crazy! I wish I could have been there for the drive, I guess they helped over 240 people within the first 45 minutes!! So amazing!

9. My husband. He really has been concerned and caring through this whole ordeal. Last night he brought me my favorite Thai pasta from the Cheesecake Factory with pumpkin cheesecake for dessert...can we say yum? Oh, and the nice people at the Cheesecake Factory threw in an extra piece of cheesecake that said, "Get Well Soon." on it after he told them I was in the hospital...how sweet...literally!! :)

10. Amazing grace. I was listening to this song by Chris Thomlin today on youtube and I just couldn't help but think of how truely grateful I am for God's amazing grace. It's beautiful.

What are you smiling about today?