Making His Blog Debut...Baby Elias!

Introducing:

ELIAS MATTHEW ROACH

Born: July 12, 2009 @ 7:22am

8lbs/1.8oz

21 inches long

Loved By:

His Daddy, Mommy and Big Brother Eian

Elias' Birth Story

Oh God has blessed me! Not only did He bless me with this handsome little boy but He also blessed me with a rather quick and complication free delivery.

I had false labor just three days before I actually delivered Elias. So it made it difficult for me to really determine if I was actually in labor. My true labor started around 1:00 am Sunday (the 12th). I noticed menstrual like cramps when I got up to use the restroom but they felt just like the false labor did a few nights before. I had vowed I would not be fooled again!!! So I tried to ignore them and get some sleep. They were mildly uncomfortable but allowed me to drift in and out sleep. I finally had to get up and move around simply because I had that "burst" of energy you hear about. So I tidied up the kitchen to keep my mind off what I hoped was happening and timing them about 5 minutes apart. This lasted through the early am until around 5:30 staying consistent at the 5 minute mark.

David woke up and asked me my status. I STILL was unsure if I was in true labor or not because they were not becoming more painful like I was told they would. At this point they were very manageable. However, right about that time I felt a strange vibration "down there" almost like a swift kick from the baby. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom checking to see if my water broke, but nothing.

David and I decided to go ahead and go in just to be safe. So I changed clothes, put on socks and tennis shoes and low and behold... a big gush went down my leg all the way to my shoes! I was forewarned from my doctor that I would most likely deliver quickly once my water broke because my older son was that way. So the race was on to get to the hospital before we had to resort to my husband scrubbing up!

We got to the hospital shortly after 6:00. We don't live far from and in fact my husband timed himself as getting us there in 7 minutes! In those 7 minutes I had three very strong contractions and so the nurses wasted no time getting me to the delivery room. I was 95% effaced and dilated to 4cm at around 6:20. It seemed like an eternity but in less than an hour and only 3 pushes later our little guy made his entrance into the world!

It was a wonderful bonding experience with my husband as I had to lean on him for comfort from the pain. I hoped to go without the use of pain meds but I went so quick I would not have been able to get them even if I had wanted to. David was great though. he was constantly running to get me ice chips or wet my wash cloth and encouraged me the whole way. I would not change a thing about Elias delivery if I had to do it all over again. Elias is such a wonderful addition to our family. It' hard to imagine our family without him!

Our New Family of Four Pics

Okay so I probably teased some of you making you think I've had the baby! Nope, 10 more days or so, although there are several; "bets" at work that I won't make it through this weekend! Wait and see is all we can do.

I wanted to share some great pics that my modest friend Margaret took. She loves photography but I think feels more comfortable with non-human objects so I'm so grateful she was willing to come out of her comfort zone for me. I had always wished I had more pregnancy photos taken when I was pregnant with Eian and with this child I am even more in awe of God's miracle that I wanted it captured!

I think Margaret did a great job don't you? She picked a great setting too and one I wouldn't have thought of on my own. It's actually our Historical Museum which is really and old home of one of the town's founder's. It's closed for remodeling so it was very quiet and peaceful. You would never know from the pictures that we're pretty much right in the middle of town would you?

My plan is to get some of these in black and white and sepia and get a large one to go in the living room. Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged last. My brain and body just doesn't function like it used to therefore making it harder for me to multi-task which in turn leaves less time for extra little things I enjoy like my blog. Anyway, I'm glad I made the time to share these with all of you. Hopefully the next photos I post will be of the baby himself!

God's gift to parents

So David, Eian and I we were driving to church today. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the morning. David had the Sunday morning radio program on we usually listen to and I, as always, was running behind and so therefore putting my makeup on in the van. Don't worry, David was driving!

Halfway through our route I heard a faint murmur coming from the backseat. I turned around to see my son with his Bible open, his hands folded and laying in the Bible, his head was bowed, and I could see his little lips moving. I gently nudged David for him to peak in the rear view mirror. It was the sweetest sight that my eyes instantly welled up with tears of joy. Neither David or I made a big fuss or drilled him about what he was praying for.

It wasn't until this evening when Eian and I were alone that he told me what he prayed for. He admitted that he had been questioning his salvation for awhile and wondered if he really knew what he was praying for back when he was four and claimed to have been saved. The intent and sincere look on his face told me this was a big deal to him, which just touched my heart even more. So he was asking the Lord for forgiveness again and re-committing himself to live for the Lord, just in case he didn't really mean it when he was four. Too sweet!

It provided a wonderful opportunity for to discuss ways in which we can demonstrate our love and devotion to Christ in gratitude for dieing on the cross. We both shared practical ways in which we can live for the Lord every day. It was one of the most precious conversations I believe I've ever had with my son. God's so smart too because while I'm training my child in the way he should go (Eph 6:4) the Lord's teaching me as well!

Prego Pic... Finally

I had my 34 week check up yesterday and everything is normal as can be according to the doctor. My weight gain is normal, my blood pressure is where it should be, and my belly is measuring right on target.

Speaking of belly.... many of you have been asking for me to post a prego pic. One of the girls at work likes to take belly shots of all the pregos in the office. She takes them once a month in the beginning, then twice a week, and she'll then take one every week during the last month. She only sent me this current week's though (week 34). So here it is!

I'm starting to think maybe I should have bought more maternity clothes. The shirt in this photo is just a loose fitting shirt that I was hoping to be still to wear after the baby's born. I don't how long it will be covering the tummy though!

The girls at work had a baby shower for me this past weekend and I will post some photos later this week. They went all out, especially with food! It was super thoughtful.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Stef

I'm Still Here!

Okay so I know all of you thought I fell off the face of the Earth, but I promise you that I am still very much alive! My life became busier than usual shortly after my last post. The Lord's been helping me focus on my main priorities and my blog once again had to take a backseat. A ton has happened since February so I don't even know where to begin but I'll just highlight the big stuff.

I'm sure you all are curious about the little bambino I'm caring and he's doing great. Yes, I said HE! I think most couples hope to have both a boy and a girl but we are just pleased as punch that he's healthy and another little boy is what God's planned for us so we are super excited! Eian was with us at the ultrasound and literally jumped out of his seat and clapped yelling, "Yes, yes. I just knew I'd get a brother!"

He's been the sweetest kid about this whole baby deal. He comes by at random kissing or talking to my belly, especially since I told him the baby can hear sounds from outside the womb now. I just had a check up last week and all is right on target for July 13 but as all of mom's know the due date doesn't always mean much!

For an update, my niece is still with us but things are going great with her dad. I'm not to discuss details but what I can tell you is that the Lord is totally in control and my brother submitted his life to Christ almost two months ago! Funny how his tremendous improvement started taking place right around the time he got saved, huh? Praise God!

My husband is once again out of work but we are hopeful that something will come through. In the meantime, the Lord has used David's time at home to open our eyes to focus more on our marriage, parenting, and most importantly our spiritual growth. My husband and I have had some of the best conversations and have grown closer than we have ever been. I would not trade these past few months of financial hardship for anything! Like I mentioned at the beginning of my post, God has been working on helping me prioritize. Marriage is something you consistently work at but He now has David and I focusing on being better parents.

Neither my husband and I grew up in Christian homes, let alone know the Biblical principles to marriage, parenting, money management, etc. So the Lord has been working on us like you would not believe and it's for this reason I have not been more faithful in my posting. I do hope to get my testimony posted soon though. I celebrated my third year of being a follower of Christ this past February and I know some of you have wondered about my testimony.

I can say that I have nothing to hide, especially after bearing my soul in front of 100 women at the women's retreat a few weeks ago! I DO NOT like speaking in front of large groups, yuck!! God asked me to do it, I obeyed (reluctantly at times), and He got me through it! So I'll get that posted soon I hope. The retreat went so good by the way. Thank you to all of you who prayed over the planning. I have a few pics that I'll share soon as well.

Well I can say with confidence that I do not lack for anything to post on but just the time to do it! Please continue to be patient with me. I have missed all of my blog buddies though and hope that now the retreat planning is done I can keep up with everyone more.

Until next time....

Stef

Hockey Game

I wanted to post these sooner but just haven't gotten around to it. I have pictures from a hockey game we went to this past Saturday night. Eian was really looking forward to it since it was just the three of us. We all love having my niece live with us but have come to value one another more. Our time seems a little more limited to spend with just Eian since a busy toddler has come into our lives!
I wasn't sure how I would like hockey but I have to say it was quite entertaining. I was very thankful for the seats we had. We had a perfect view... not too far away BUT not too close to the action and have little ears hear colorful language! There were a few heated confrontations to say the least. It was funny when Eian asked where they were making the two guys who just fought go. David explained it was a penalty box. That was my opportunity to say, " See bud, even grown men have time outs!" My son then preceded to say, "Mooom, they're not full grown. They're probably only like 16 so it's okay for them to have time outs. They're technically still kids." Little does Eian know that in just a few (too short) years he will claim and protest that he IS fully grown at 16! Oh, David and I laughed our head's off later on that one!
We had a great time and are so grateful for the free tickets our friend gave us. Thanks Aaron!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Menu Plan Monday again already. I have to say that so far (it's only week 2 though) I look forward to Monday's because it's when I get to share my meal plan with all of you! It was time consuming to go grocery shopping Saturday (6 stores in 4 hours, but NO kids!) because I had specific things I needed and they were on sale at certain locations. The good news though is all the stores I went to are only 2-3 miles from one another so it's not like I was wasting money on gas or it would not have been worth it! I think I did pretty good. I spent $132.00 for two weeks worth of groceries!

I went ahead and made a menu plan for two weeks instead of just one for the simple fact of saving time and less trips to the store means less cash coming out of my pocket! It felt good and a weight was lifted. I guess just knowing what you're eating for two weeks and knowing that you're saving money by going to the store with a plan makes a huge difference!

So here is what our dinners look like for the next two weeks:

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches with Curly Fries

Chili and salad

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Chicken Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Tater Tot Casserole & Salad

Chicken Pot Pie

Stir Fry

Sloppy Joe's with fries and veggies

Herb baked chicken thighs w/ garlic,parsley & butter noodles with broccoli

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Pizza

Hamburger Helper (what can I say, I need an easy one at least one night of the week!)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

As you can see I haven't added which days we're eating what, like I did last week. I kind of just pick what will work for us on which nights. For example, I don't pick something like Chicken Pot Pie that takes 45 minutes to bake, when I know we have church, play dates, appointments, etc.

So there you have it! I hope to link to my recipes once I get some added.

Baby Update

I have to say, I love my blog, especially now after my preggo checkups. Friends and family are always anxious to hear how it went and I would love to call each and every one of them. Working full time and two kids doesn't allow much time to call 10 people though! So I'm going to start posting updates, starting with this one.

We went today for my 16 week checkup. My once tilted uterus is normal for now and allowed us to pick up the baby's heartbeat right away through the regular hand held thingy. It was a healthy 140 beats per minute! The doctor said all my labs came back normal, she says I seem to be in great health and everything seems to be progressing normally.

Our next checkup is the BIG ULTRASOUND where we can find out the sex of the baby. We have decided to find out, we're impatient people what can I say! No really, we had thought about not knowing but it would be nice to know if we can use Eian's old baby clothes or do we need a new wardrobe?

The doctor did briefly talk with us about labor and delivery. I went so quick after my water broke with Eian (dilated from 3 cm to 10 cm in 2 hours!) that she said we may want to schedule it just to be safe but it was our decision. Apparently your labors tend to go quicker with each additonal child. I don't know, I don't like "making" things happen unless absolutely necessary. I want it to be the Lord's time not mine or David's just because it's what's convenient for us. It would be different, and would pose a health risk, if we lived an hour from the hospital but we only live about 15 minutes away.

I did tell her that my goal is to go all natural with childbirth, no drugs. This may be the last chance God gives us for a baby and not going naturally with Eian was something I kind of regretted. Hubby and I definitely need to hone in on our pain management system though(breathing, massage, etc.). Do any of you have stories (good and bad) of going naturally? What kind of pain mngt method did you use and did it work? Please share!!

Word Filled Wednesday- Trusting the Lord

Yay, it's WFW's again! I haven't participated in awhile just simply because of a crazy schedule but I'm so glad I'm doing it again today. Sometimes I can get carried away with the blogging thing (addicted at times you may say) and WFW's gives me a way to honor and glorify God through blogging. How cool is that? If you would like to join just visit 100AcreWoods.

So my verse this weeks is Proverbs 3:5-6. This is one that the girls in my accountability small group suggested for me. I have been trying to memorize it by carrying it on a note card in my pocket with me all day. I pull it out and read it at times I feel myself getting stressed, angry, worried or pretty much any emotion that's conveying that I'm not completely trusting Him.


This verse is such a great reminder to me that God loves me so much and wants to bless me if only I would trust in Him and follow His lead. He will guide my path and set me on solid ground but I have to be willing to follow Him instead of making my own trail. I find it tempting to just forge ahead through life without really stopping to reflect on God's word or pray before a decision is made. I have learned many lessons that are a result of doing the OPPOSITE of this verse. So I can tell you going your own way and trusting in yourself to do things does not work! Thank you Lord for being my great Counselor!

Menus Plan Monday

It's my first week back to meal planning and I'm kinda excited. I guess it makes me feel like I have a little control in my crazy life!! No really I'm mainly anxious to get back into it because I won't have to stress about forgetting to leave something out for dinner and wondering what I'm going to make and the added bonus is saving some green! I used to be a meal planner and a weekend cooker which meant on I would make enough meals for the week and freeze some and leave the rest for leftovers through the week. I got away from cooking all day because it was a lot of work! I think though if I plan out simple, low cook time recipes that will take a lot of pressure off. Do you know how stressful it is to come home with two starving kids (and I mean ravenous and I give them snacks to eat on the way home!) and I can never seem to pull in the driveway before 6pm?

So my stressful days are over thanks to the encouragement of the ladies who are involved in Meal Plan Mondays!

So enough talk, here's my menu:

Monday: Pot Roast in crock

Tuesday: Ham, Cheese, Potato, and Broccoli bake

Wednesday: "Crazy Dinner" It's my son's way of saying we're having breakfast for dinner. He loves it!

Thursday: Herb Roasted Chicken thighs, butter & parsley egg noodles, and veggies

Friday: I don't have anything here yet because I have to go to the store really bad! We'll probably have pizza!

I'll try to post pics and recipes after I make them. Have a great start to your week ladies!

Getting Organized: I'm on a role!

Like many of you, I too have been bit by the organization bug! My girl Bethany has been going crazy getting her house organized and she's asking her readers to share. I had planned on posting my before and after photos anyway and now this just gives me another excuse to give her a plug!

It seems I can't turn a corner without seeing a pile of useless things we don't need taking over our home! I wish I could just lock myself in my house for a week and have at it but I just make do with a few hours here and there.

I have several hot spots in my house. You know, the places that seem to be overflowing with junk that you look at everyday but it's too overwhelming to actually do anything about it! I'm only going to share two of them with you tonight and hopefully I'll continue to stay motivated and post more.

Hot Spot #1- My Jewelry

AFTER

It may not look that bad from where you're sitting but trust me, it is NO fun hunting through a jumbled pile of earrings when you're running late to work! The pic to the left is showing my necklaces taking over a picture in my bathroom. I have to be careful when I pull one off that I don't pull them all down, which I've done. So awhile back I purchased a door hanger style jewelry organizer from Avon and finally decided to put it to use. I love this thing. It even has an empty pouch at the bottom for me add more jewelry (hint, hint to my hubby!).

Hot Spot #2: My niece's toy corner

It may also not look bad from where you're sitting. If you look close though, there's a lot of empty and unused space on the shelves which means she has toys strewn over the house! Plus you might see a white basket with a pink liner. That's a basket I let her put toys in until I could get the shelf organized but I really want to use the basket in another part of the house.

BEFORE

AFTER

Just those two little things make a big difference.

Blog Makeover Giveaway

Do you get tired having to pick from blog layouts that don't necessarily reflect the REAL you? Plus, isn't it disappointing when you spend an hour searching layouts and backgrounds, find one you like, and then a few days later see that someone else has it?

Well Alicia over at More Than Words is celebrating her 250th post by hosting a giveaway for a custom blog design. How cool is that? Hurry, it ends midnight tonight (West Coast time). Go check it out and good luck!

Finding Strength in the Lord

Have you ever had an old hymn or Christian song that speaks to you so loudly that you can't get out of your head? Well I just added "Everytime" by Jeremy Camp because I figured I might as well not be the only who can't stop replaying it in my head, over and over.

I hadn't listened to this cd for forever but happened to pop it in today and I just lost it when I heard this song again. It reminded me of the verse Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

I have been having a lot of trouble resting in the Lord and I guess you could say trust is really the bigger issue. I don't know why either because I have trusted him so much with even very recent trials so why now all of a sudden am I trying to rely on my own strength?

The best conclusion I can come up with is each trial is different, some bigger than others, but the Lord uses each one to address a different area of my heart that may have been hidden. I believe He's showing me to stop always trying to DO everything on my own and start resting in Him more. So I listened to this song on my way to work, bawled like a baby, repented of my stubbornness, and then guess what happened? I have been trying to remember Matthew 11:28-30 for almost two weeks. I even carry a note card with it on it in my pocket EVERYDAY and pull it out when I'm not resting in Him! I tried to recite it for my women's accountability small group last week and couldn't remember it. Well I got it, finally shortly after I prayed and repented this morning. Okay so here goes, and I promise I'm not cheating!

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and burden is light.

Well how'd I do?

Favorite & Least Favorite Chores

One of my blog buddies, MomstheWord is asking us to share our favorite and least favorite chores.  She's is asking we share three things...

What's your favorite household chore?

I don't know that I have ONE particular chore I'm just dying to do, but if I had to pick I would say laundry and cleaning the bathroom.  I know, I'm sick right?  Nothing makes me nauseous like a stale urine stench oozing from the potty room.  I painted a real pleasant picture didn't I?  You're going to go clean your bathrooms RIGHT now aren't you?

I love walking into a clean bathroom with the fresh clean smell of bleach!  Really I do.  If they would come out with a bleach candle I'd buy one!

What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes for sure!  I don't know why because I love a clean and empty sink but I procrastinate when the dishwasher's needing unloaded and dirty ones put in.  I sound so lazy don't I?  I also loathe sorting, organizing and filing paperwork and bills!  Uuuggghhh!  I actually will post on that later as I am being asked my wonderfully patient husband to hunker down and get it down before tax season.  You'll hear me whine about it on my blog all weekend I'm sure!

How do you motivate yourself to do your least favorite chore?

I think I just said it... my husband begging me!  Seriously, I've been putting it off since spring!

So that's it.  Now let's hear yours and make sure you visit Momstheword.

Make sure to share it with us both!

Something you don't see everday!

So I had to share the strange and mysterious thing that happened at our house the other day. It was completely unexpected and shook me to the core. Eian wasn't playing computer games, he wasn't watching tv, and he wasn't playing his Nintendo DS. He was... oh are you ready? Brace yourself. He was , was READING THE ENCYCLOPEDIA!!!

He has a smile on his face because he thought it was silly I was taking a picture of him. I guess he didn't see his actions as being as picture worthy as I did. It was sweet though. He was asking David how to pronounce some of the words and how they're used exactly. It was neat to see his little mind working.

Looking Forward to 2009

Since I did a post on Looking Back to 2008 I thought it was appropriate to include a post of what my goals are for the new year. I've never been great at making or keeping resolutions but I do think it's important to evaluate where you've been the previous year and see what you might like to improve for the next year, especially spiritually.

So my "resolutions" (I prefer to call them goals) this year are focused on prioritizing my life the way God designed it and resting in Him to help me be the woman He's designed me to be.

1.) He first and foremost designed me to walk with Him in a close personal relationship. He is always there ready to forgive and ready to speak to me through His Word. I however, am not always so attentive. Sometimes my actions, or lack there of, don't necessarily say "I love you Lord". So I have a few things I've been convicted of that I can do to bring me closer to my Lord and Savior.

I, like many of us who strive to walk closely with Him, neglect & forget the opportunities God has given us to speak with Him because of the death of His son.. I need to work on my prayer life and plan to to read a book soon making my prayers more powerful and heart felt instead of going through the motions. I'm up for suggestions if anyone knows of a good Biblically sound one. The next is finally reading through the Bible. I have maybe 10 books to go and then I'd like to start reading the Bible chronologically. The third thing I'd like to do to improve my relationship with Him is keep a prayer and blessings journal. I think being able to see where God has answered my prayers will also help me pray more boldly.

2.) My second most important relationship is my husband. David and I have been through a lot this past year and it's been a blessing in disguise. We realized our strengths and weaknesses in our marriage. We also have come to really appreciate one another more. So one of the things I'm doing to be a better wife to Him is to finish the book , The Love Dare. We're also starting to read The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace in my women's accountability group. I've learned from The Love Dare, The Bible, and Christian friends that I can't expect my husband to change if I'm not first willing to change. I also shouldn't expect my husband to change just because I am. I should focus on the knowledge that I'm changing and growing to be a better wife is not for my husband but for the Lord. This has made a huge difference in our marriage this past year. The timing couldn't have been any better either. I mean what man would be encouraged after he loses his job by a wife who's nagging at him and just waiting for failure? That was the old me but slowly she is dissolving, thanks to God!

The other thing I plan to do to strengthen my marriage is to make sure we have a date night at least once a month. With two kids, working opposite shifts, and dealing with a tired pregnant body there isn't much "Us" time. Therefore some issues that may seem small at the time turn into mountains once time goes by and then when you are together you don't want to spoil the mood by bringing up old stuff and the cycle just goes on and on. I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with David. If anyone has cheap date night ideas I would love to hear them. That's the biggest hurdle... What do you do on a low budget?

3.) My third relationship I will work on nurturing this year is with my handsome boy.

I've been really feeling convicted of not making more of point to help bring my son closer to the Lord. I feel like I have my relationship with the Lord and he has his but it's normally not something we share together. Keep in my mind I'm still a "baby" Christian in a way. I think God has been working on me these three years pruning me and making me ready to where I can now pass what I've learned to Eian. So I have been getting him up early and we spend time reading a few verses that Eian usually picks out and then discuss their significance and what he thinks God wants us to learn from the verses. You can see he really looks forward to it when he jumps out of bed when I mention devotions. It just fills my heart to see his enthusiasm!

I also want to spend more time being a teacher to him. I would love more than anything to home school but God just has not made a way for my husband to solely provide for us at this time. So I have resolved to making the most of the time God has given me with Eian now. Eian and I plan to pick one country a month to study, study their culture, language, geography, and food. We'll then pick a weekend to cook something from that country. He's really looking forward to that and so am I.

Well I know I have my work cut out for me but I am keeping my focus on the Lord and He will be my helper. I can't wait to get to started!

Looking Back at 2008

Awww.... it's good to be back in blogworld. I missed you all! I've actually had some time recently to visit a few of my favorite blogs. My girl Alexis over at Tales From the Back Acher inspired me by listing the happenings of their family for each month last year.

I however can barely remember what I had for breakfast! I thought it would be nice though to review at least the highlights (some good, some bad) from last year and be able to look back and see how the Lord's been working in our lives. So here goes....

January- The company I work for got a fresh start in a new building. We moved in Christmas Eve and spent most of January getting settled in.

February- My Avon business continued to take off and I won a $$$ prize for being a top recruiter. (please don't think I'm bragging because I get humbled by the Lord, see the review in May!)

March- We had a wonderful low cost swimming party for Eian's birthday with a Pokemon Pikachu cake and all for under $40! Woo Hoo!










April- I start to feel convicted of making Avon way too much of a priority and neglecting my family while still working my full time job.

My van poops out on me after being so faithful after 4 years, 250,000 miles and only $1800! My hubby's the master at good car deals.

My big Sis and her best friend from Florida come for a visit to go mushroom hunting, yeah it had NOTHING to do with me! I know, I know my family's twisted to drive 4 states to go mushroom hunting!

May- I feel a mild depression coming on from continued stress, pressure, and hopes of having more hours in the day!

A good friend of mine invites me to my first women's retreat. I go, reluctantly because off all my piling obligations. I went, was convicted that my walk with the Lord wasn't what He wanted it to be, repented and let go of so many things, and felt completely renewed and confident of what God wanted me to do. The bottom line... I wasn't trusting God to make a way for me to be a stay at home mom. Instead, I was trying to do it on my own and hurting myself and my family in the process. So the next day I called my Avon boss and quit the leadership program! I have never looked back and my family is so much better for it, thank you God!

June- We attended our annual company outing to the Indianapolis Indians baseball game.
My husband loses his job =0(

My husband's car ALSO poops out. Ironic timing huh?

I feel like the Lord asked me to mention to our church in having our own retreat. Little did I know that the one who mentions an idea at church is the one who heads it up! he, he A lesson learned!

July- I am really trying to remember something from July but I am totally drawing a blank!

Oh, I do know that my husband was still job searching! It was slim pickens job wise around here though and still is.

August- My little man enters the second grade!



Month three of no employment for my husband but he keeps his spirits up and finds a little work here and there.

We continue to trust God with finances and try to re-pay Him by seeking to be better stewards with the money He does give us. So we enroll in a free biblically based money management class at a local church.

September- Hooray, David finds a job! Praise the Lord!

We were given emergency custody of our little niece temporarily.

David decides to take a semester off from school to focus on helping me with the new changes in our world. Plus, I think he needed a break!

October- It was a busy month of trying to adjust to having another little person in our house. Everyone's getting along great though but are struggling with my niece's separation anxiety.

On Halloween our niece was removed from our home temporarily. It was a very scary, confusing, infuriating, but humbling time for all of us. My trust level in the Lord went sky high after this ordeal. Once again, praise God... even for the trials!

November- We're pregnant and thrilled!

We have a scare with my brother as he allows himself to get entrapped by his old ways. We continue to care for his daughter as he is placed in a treatment facility.

Myself and a friend at church begin the retreat sign up.

December- Busy, Busy, Busy but full of blessings! We took part in our churches Living Nativity again, Christmas for Everyone, took cookies to the women's shelter, attended both kids' Christmas programs, and my sister's family came in from Florida!

My brother seems to be thriving with his new program.

God provides for us for Christmas! We continue to struggle to get caught up financially from the job changes earlier in the year. My son got just enough goodies though but we only spent $50 on him! Our wonderful deacon gave us much needed but not asked for and completely unexpected help! We also had a friend of ours who cleaned out her son's room who just so happened to have unopened games and toys buried in his closet in which she gave to us. Well atleast that was her story. Thanks Andrea and Aaron!

Well there you have it. I'm sure I'll think of more highlights after I post this but I think I did pretty good for my memory! What I think is so awesome as I look back at our year is God's awesome faithfulness ( I plan to do a future post dedicated to this attribute of His). I honestly do not think I could have gotten through all of the trials and changes that happened without the Lord. Did anyone notice that all of the trials (except for the van pooping out in April) happened after I re-committed myself in May at the retreat? God is amazing! He is now blessing me and my family in so many ways with the baby, assiting my brother with his daughter and getting to witness to him, the joy of being involved with our own churches' retreat, and learning the lesson of trusting God is also trusting my husband to be the leader in our home and be a better helper to him. Thank you Lord!

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2009!

Off to Ohio We Go!

Happy New Year everyone! I wish I could say I made it until midnight to give my hubby that New Year's kiss, but I think I was lucky to see 10! This baby's making me TIRED! I just wanted to wish you all blessings for the New Year.

We're off to Ohio today, actually hubby is packing up the car I type, and I may not get to post until after the weekend. We're having Christmas at my in-laws this weekend and will post pics soon.