Friday, November 06, 2009

Thankfulness ... Day 6

You know what I have realized from this short little week of gratitude? That when you start to dwell on the things that you are thankful for, the list seems to grow by leaps and bounds!

I find myself trying to decide which things to post about, which that in itself is such an overwhelming reason to be thankful!

I am thankful today that Chris has registered for Together for the Gospel! What a privilege for him to sit under the teaching of such an awesome group of pastors who love the gospel! This conference is not until next year, but registration has already begun and the plans are underway for a group of men from our church to head to Kentucky together and share in the wealth of teaching that will take place there.

I also know a couple of these guys and I suspect there will be a good portion of tomfoolery and shenanigans going on too ...

Neil
(I stole one of these from you Jamie!)


And I'm grateful for that too ;)


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Thursday, November 05, 2009

Thankfulness ... Day 5

I am thankful that Hannah has the H1N1 flu ... right now.

Thankful because it is this week and not two weeks ago! Although she is a very sick girl and has spent the last five days in her room in almost complete isolation, it appears that she has turned the corner.

In a moment of concern and/or panic, I sent Chris to Patient First last night with Hannah at about 9:45 PM. Her chest felt tight and she complained that she was short of breath. Thankfully her X-ray came back clear as well as a swab for Strep. The swab for H1N1 came back positive which came as no surprise to us.

Looking back it appears to have started with a sore throat at the end of last week but we assumed it was allergies because the fever did not show up until later on Saturday. Hannah is almost never sick so this has really gotten her down emotionally as well as physically. The worst part is the loneliness that has come from keeping her quarantined and it has brought each of us to tears more than once. Seeing Benjamin stand at the bottom of the stairs and yell up for his "Nanna" is just about more than I can stand :(

Still, I am so very grateful! God is gracious and His timing is perfect. Had she picked up this nasty bug just two weeks ago, she would have not been present for the arrival of sweet Clara and I would not have been able to care for her. In addition, His perfect provision allowed for me to have the opportunity to be immunized while I was in the hospital (which I almost did not do) but since I did, I have been able to care for her better without the fear of getting sick myself.

Our house smells like hand sanitizer and Lysol and my poor big girl is in desperate need of social interaction! She has watched about 10 movies on her laptop and lives for the interaction through her cell phone ... but these sort of days are not commonplace for us and I am grateful to be rounding the bend.

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Thankfulness ... Day 4

Two weeks today! Sweet Clara Hope is two weeks old already!

There are so many things that fill my heart with gratitude when I look at this sweet baby. Each time I am blessed with a child there is such a rush of emotions and I am reminded that the God of the universe has made a unique selection in choosing me as their mother.

And I am such an unworthy choice ... yet He still makes this provision and declares His sufficiency through my weakness.

I am grateful that in the midst of my insecurities and failures, His grace is enough.

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Thankfulness ... Day 3

I am thankful today for my friends. What a vain attempt it would be to try and list how my friends have impacted my life. Even more difficult would be to name those people who have marked my life and shaped who I am as a wife and mother.

In spite of my upbringing and lack of motherly or sisterly advice, the Lord has placed the most loving, honest, wise and wonderful women in my life to fill that void.

If I limit myself with both time and words I can say this about the God-ordained relationships I have been blessed with ...

They point me to Jesus.

Man, am I ever thankful for that. Ya'll know who you are ...



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Monday, November 02, 2009

Thankfulness ... Day 1 & Day 2

Leslie and Lisa have both linked to Rebecca at Rebecca Writes as they embark on a month of Thanksgiving. I love this! While I have so much to be grateful for, I am not always best at having a grateful heart and purposing my life to share that thanksgiving.

Here are three ways that Rebecca has listed for you to join her in this Month of Thanksgiving:
  • Mention something you’re thankful for in the comments here and I’ll included it in one of my thanksgiving posts, or
  • Email me to tell me what you’re thankful for and I’ll include it in a post, or
  • Post your thankful thought(s) on your own blog, send me the link(s), and I’ll link to your post(s). If you plan to make your thanksgiving posts daily during the month, let me know that and you won’t need to send me daily links.
Although I am already a day behind (another reason to be grateful for grace) I am hoping to post daily with a thankful heart.

For Day 1 & 2 combined, I am grateful with an overflowing heart for the last two weeks. Bringing home sweet Clara to such a loving family and then having such precious time to spend together has been such a rich blessing. Having a husband who has relished this time as much as I do AND never batted an eye when HGTV comes on in our bedroom at 2:23 in the morning (to keep me awake during a feeding) has made this time even sweeter.

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting;
Fill me with Thy grace.


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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Clara Hope - 7 lbs & 8 oz - October 21, 2009

How about a little update?





We are all doing wonderfully ... more to come later!

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Our Trip to Pittsburg ... Part 3 (Pictures)


Pregame festivities ... (before the drama)


Benjamin did awesome!


Samuel had a great time ... minus the part where he
was whipped in the eye with the terrible towel.

Folks under the influence have a real lack
in judgment regarding personal space.


The long walk back ...


View from our hotel room

Little Ben is sacked out ;)
Pittsburgh is a beautiful city!


Sweet Memories

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