Faitful Perseverance

a faithful women once told me her story...

She got married at 16 and all she wanted next was to have babies. They tried and tried and then about 10 years later they adopted a son. This women constantly talked to God and knew in her heart that He would bless her with pregnancy and children of her own. After waiting 14 years and all those days talking to God and trusting in His promises this women became pregnant with a child of her own. She thanked God and continued to pray and believe in Him.
During the pregnancy, this women became really sick and the doctors became very concerned. Their advice was to abort the pregnancy and care for the woman's health. The faithful women would hear nothing of it! She had asked God for a child and was not going to say no thank you after receiving the the blessing of pregnancy. The doctors continued to warn her of the effects on her health and the consequences that could occur during labor and on the child after birth. this women knew God would bless her and her children; she hushed the doctor's and continued with the promise God extended to her.

After 9 months of pregnancy, my mother in law gave birth to the most healthy baby boy. And today I will help my husband celebrate his 32nd birthday! God is so good and very faithful!

my hubby is the best!!!

well, we went to the doctor today and had a sonogram:) the technician was really great; she explained everything that she was looking at and said that everything looked good! The heart rate was 158bpm. and the baby is about 8 ounces.
okay, so then we get to the good part, and for some reason this child is bit stubborn... the technician said that it was a guess. My doctor said that the techs are really good and will never say that they are 100% but are generally correct.

the guess was a girl!!!

ok, so mike didn't get the news he was hoping for but was such a good sport about it. We went to Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory, to look at bedding. I had seen some REALLY cute girl bedding. Mike doesn't like pink and would prefer to not have a room full of it but said that it is about the baby and not about him! He is so great!! I think that must have been the moment that he became okay with being a daddy to a girl:) We looked at the clothes and "daddy" picked out the most adorable PINK outfit!!! he's the best daddy ever!!!

exceptional news AND a great reminder of how blessed i am!

not quite a flutter...

Okay, i'm pretty sure i felt the baby move this weekend. But it didn't feel like what everyone described it as or like the books say... yesterday i felt this little tug, like a pulling muscle below my belly butt'n. and i felt it again this morning right where i thought i could feel the baby was...in the shower i turned the water to the massage setting and let it hit that spot on my belly and then i really felt that little tug!!! i THINK it was my baby, but either way, it made me smile!!!

...AND...
in less than 15 hours we get to see what flavor it is:)

here's to you, chickie

I LOVE, i mean LOVE l-o-v-e LOVE Jackie Hutton!!!!!
We didn't get off the the best start all those years ago, but God had something so amazing planned for me. So He used her as a way to work on my heart. And boy have I been blessed through that work. She is one of my best friends, I look up to her in so many ways and draw strength from her so often.
And, Jackie I miss you so much! She's only been gone a little while but my heart is sad to know that I won't be able to see her face, hug her neck or hear her voice tomorrow morning. I know she is with her babies, but she is sorely missed!

No big stories to tell about her or our relationship; just that I LOVE HER so dearly and thank God for blessing me with her!

around the kitchen sink

Some of my favorite memories of growing up have taken place in the kitchen. Specifically, my Granny's kitchen and usually during holidays. Still to this day the best times with my family, or the women in my family have been shared in the kitchen. It doesn't matter whose house we are at or what's going on. Either preparing a meal or cleaning up after a meal, there has been and is still a group of us in there. We are visiting, sharing in our days and important details of our lives or just silly things that have happened recently all while we are helping one another and taking part in the collaborative task at hand. There is not one moment i can remember or one picture i have seen that is of 1 person in the kitchen alone!
When we bought this house, my biggest concern was that the kitchen is not very big and a bit closed off from the rest of that part of the house. I want and need a kitchen that can carry lots of hands, lots of laughter and lots of hugs...
Tonight before, but especially after Bible study I realized how i love a crowded kitchen and how my family has grown. These women that shared their lives and love and load tonight are wonderful and I can't imagine a time when they were not a part of my family. A time before we knew each other and before we talked to each other, before we had anything in common and before they meant so much to me does not even exist in my heart! A woman who is usually a follower, lead us in to do the dinner dishes together. A new woman to the group jumped into the room and conversation like she has always been with us. A previously awkward and immature woman offered very knowledgeable input to the conversation. And a generally independent woman who would rather do it herself than think about putting someone else out not only let us help clean her kitchen but began to ask for our help.
We may not solve the world's problems in that kitchen BUT we did clear the sink and we did form accountability toward each other and for others in our family. And the prayers that go up in that room...WOW!!! God is amazing and works is great ways, even in the place originally held for servants...and that in itself is lesson!

a "jump" to something different

ok, i was so totally planning to write about the first day back at school but as i was waiting for the page to load, the trampoline event came on...BOUNCE...

WOW!!! ok, i haven't seen this event before and was disgusted when i first heard about it. I mean oh my word, why is jumping and flipping an Olympic event, GIVE ME A BREAK!

statement retracted, words eaten!!!! this is amazing!!!! these girls get so high and the acrobatic elements come so quickly one right after another.

...and the girl from Russia, WOW!!! she was so right in the middle until the very end...i can't wait to watch the others compete!!!

getting ready...i think

ook, so just a one more day and the weekend and its back to work!!! i THINK i'm ready. i went to the office for a little while to check email. and i spoke to the counselor at one of my schools and she was so cheerful, it made me feel ready to get going!!! my district assignments are the same as last year, Poteet and Jourdanton but all ages at both schools.

So this afternoon JT and Coop are hanging out with me and then a get together this evening with the folks at work.
Tomorrow we leave for Teague!!! my brother is getting married on Saturday and we are going to celebrate them and... their celebration. AND we get to visit with friends and family. I have a new friend in Teague, Stephanie (janina's new sister in law) and hopefully we get to spend some time together:) We will head back sometime Sunday afternoon and then it's BACK TO WORK!!

oh oh, today i went to a few daycare centers to check out their infant rooms...it made me sad:( i have a few more to visit tomorrow.

ok, i know, that was random...AND i have a new hair cut...its short!!! Sorry:)

very random

...
Jamie, dude, i miss reading your thoughts!!!
Jackie, you have been in my heart and on my mind all day... I SO missed you guys VERY badly tonight!
Jaci, i agree with you about the gymnastic scoring and the craziness in allowing judges to review the events in slow motion...and the girls made me sad tonight:(

oh yeah, we re-arranged the living room tonight before Bible Study, it's not really that big of a difference, but...I SO TOTALLY LOVE IT!!! and it worked so well for communication AND for watching our new BIG t.v. (thanks my dear friends) without having to move things around a lot!and it does a nice job separating the living and dining areas:) NOW i think i'm ready to put pictures on the wall, i just need current photos printed out:P

Ok, that is all!

feeling better

okay so sorry for the graphic details about the house of yuck! we are both feeling better today!!!! I went to the office for a little while this afternoon, i needed to get 1 thing done and visit with Jo, but mostly I had to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! i just am tired of being in bed or sitting in the chair or laying on the couch. i hope we have seen the end of this cruddy stuff because i don't think we can just lie around and feel bad anymore. if only we could "will" our way better! sorry to be so whiny! was trying to be positive, i just really want to be better!!!! ok, going to spray Lysol around the house now:)

YUCK!!!

Warning, we are SICK...

so this Friday I took a short nap at my mom's house and woke up around 4pm with really hard cramps in my lower back and low abdomon... OUCH and uh-oh, what's this mean?!? I talked to mom on the phone about an hour later and she wasn't really worried, we went to the beach the day before (FUN FUN FUN) and maybe i was sore from the waves and the stairs. a little after that i picked Mike up from work, he had had a tummy ache since about 4:( went home for a second and then had to throw-up we were both in the rest room, for different reasons ;p well it only got worse for me... about 8 i had a stressed muscle (it was from moving something---i know, i shouldn't have done that--- then i got chills. Continued with a stomache virus and flu stuff all night, not fun, mike took good care of me when he was available:) end 1 BAD night, begin 1 BAD day. On Saturday, i had less cramps and more flu. called the doctor, he agreed with the flue diagnosis and told me what to do, not too concerned. Mike was gone most of the afternoon but felt the same as Friday:( I had chills REAL BAD that night then felt better around 7, no more vomit, no more chills. a better night! a better morning! until middle of worship, lunch i ate a little, Mike was able to eat. We got home and gpt worse:( No go to services. talk to doctor again, this time my dr was on call :) :) :) i now also have direah... he told me what i could take and so the 2 sickies headed to the store...fun trip!!! now just waiting to get over it.

you know I love doing things with my husband just as well as the next gal, but this is ridiculous!!! hope your weekend was full of joy and health! Happy Monday!!!

random stuff and some TOTALLY GOOD NEWS

We got a kitty a couple of weeks ago! she came up to the house one afternoon and bonded with us and then didn't leave! She's a very pretty calico, her name is Machiato which means spotted in Italian.

JT and Cooper are here for a few weeks! they've been with Mike and I since Mom and I picked them up on Thursday night:) Friday evening we went to a missions game with folks from church, had a good time. Saturday we went to Schlitterbaun with the boys and friends of ours visiting from Houston! Sunday they spent the afternoon with mom and then came home with us after supper! Today we kept Gabby, my cousins 5 month old. We went to Caleb's shop and then to the park, that was a fun time! We're still enjoying Gabby being here and just hanging at the house!!!

I called Janina (my step-mom) this afternoon to tell her about last night, she and dad were having a bad day. They have been keeping Kevin (almost 3 years old) since he was 10 weeks old; and he has been their child... His mother comes to get him a few days a week but mostly he stays with Janina and dad. well his mom has been working on getting custody of an older son and things are looking good for her, she thinks she ready to take care of Kevin full time now. Which means Janina and dad no longer need to. This is so sad for them, and it breaks my heart. please keep them in your prayers.

Last night Mike and I went forward after services to officially place membership as a family, announce the pregnancy and all that good stuff. Well, Mike told Robert that he wanted to be baptized:) I knew that Mike was thinking about it and I have been praying about it. He was baptized as a child but couldn't remember the reason he did it, he wanted to be sure it was for the right reason and that he was ok. So he did!!!! I'm so thrilled at that decision, it was really cool to have such a part in a decision so big!!!

So far, it's a great week, and it's only Monday!!!