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!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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!
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
Saturday, May 9, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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!
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!
Monday, February 2, 2009
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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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!!
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!
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