2011 in Review

Phillip Yancey said "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what only makes sense in reverse." And I think that his quote is a great one to sum up our year as a family.

At the end of 2010 when we realized that David had lost his job, I think we naively thought that it would only be a few months until we would be serving at another church. We quickly got our house ready, packed up stuff that we didn't think we would need for a while, and put a for sale sign on our house. At the time I was so sad to leave our church and the people that had grown to be my family. As a girl that lives states away from her own home, I had grown to depend on the people in our church and was comfortable there, and I honestly wasn't ready to leave our church or the friends I had made there. I was worried about David being home all the time...I figured all that togetherness would end up driving us all crazy after a while :) I was worried about the girls and ruining this perfect little world that they lived in and loved. This was the only church that they had ever known and had so many people and friends that they loved. And honestly as strong as I thought my faith in God was paled in comparison to how much he has taught me about faith this year about His provision and love for all of His children!

And the months ticked by....and God taught us so much!

This year has been full of change and so many blessings for our family. It was a huge change to have David home all the time, and we also went from being a family of four to a family of five when Micah was born. The girls have each grown up so much in the past year and God has shown us over and over His complete grace, love, and provision for us and our family.

I guess we didn't really realize how LONG it takes for some churches to choose a pastor or how much time goes into that process. David sent out dozens upon dozens of resumes and preached at several churches and still a year later we are waiting, but as much as I want us to have a church and be settled, I wouldn't change a thing about the last year. It turns out that having David at home has been the biggest blessing, far more than I ever realized. That much togetherness did not drive us all crazy as I feared, and I will always look back on this year with such thankfulness of the time that we all got to spend together as a family. And for all the months our house sat on the market, we didn't show it to one person. Looking back I can see how God knew that we would need to be here longer than we imagined, and I know that when the time is right and our house goes back up for sale He will provide a buyer when we need one. The girls have done better than I imagined at each of the churches that we have visited or David has preached at, and God has shown us that He will give them comfort and friends no matter where He sends us. In 2011, I have seen over and over the provision of God in our family's life. There have been so many people that have blessed us financially and I have seen His hand in tangible ways like when Micah was born, I didn't have to buy one single thing. He has whispered over and over to us that He sees our family and has a plan. And over a year later I am still sad that I will have to eventually leave people that I love and have considered family, but I know that God will give us new friends and that we will always be able to keep in touch with the people here that we love. All those months of waiting have grown our faith and made us that much more ready and passionate to minister at another church. I cannot wait to see where God leads us and plants our life in ministry. So with all of that I can truly see how "faith is trusting in advance what only makes sense in reverse".

Micah David Rathbun

Well I figured now that Micah is almost a month old I would get around to writing his birth story and all about how his sisters adore him. Micah's due date was August 29th. Actually all of my children have been due on the 29th....Addison's was April 29th and Kendall's was March 29th. Both of the girls were early, I went into labor with Addison on the 17th, and I was induced with Kendall on the 20th. So I guess I figured Micah would be the same and once I hit 38 weeks I was more than ready to see his sweet face. I was not sleeping well at all, spending most of my nights up until 2 or 3 a.m., and so I did all the walking I could during the daytime to try to get him moving. (which I have to say was pretty miserable in the August heat :) I had an appointment on Aug. 10th and was not dialated at all. On the 17th when I went in I had jumped to 2 1/2 to 3 cm dialated, and I rejoiced thinking that all my walking must really be paying off. I started to think he would be there any day, and every night in my discomfort I secretly wished that I was one of the 15 percent of women who have their water spontaneously break. My doctor, whom I loved, told me she was on call the weekend of the 26th and if he had not arrived before then she would be willing to induce me, but she thought that I would have him before that. I was nervous because out of the 4 doctors that deliver in the practice that I go to, I only like 2 of them, so I was very much hoping that Micah would decide to come on a night that one of them was on call.

The night of the 22nd the girls and I went with David to his softball game and we joked with the other men at church that I would be willing to base run for anyone that wanted a break :) We had a good night as a family and the girls and David went to bed like usual, much earlier than me. I took a warm bath and tried to go to sleep at 1 a.m. on the couch. (my new bedtime location) At 3 a.m. I woke up with a terrible back ache. I tossed and turned until 6 a.m. and then moved to the bed. I tossed some more until 8:30 and was scared that I was having back labor and just didn't know what it felt like, so I called the doctor's office and they told me to go to the hospital to get checked out since I was past 39 weeks. Well, after getting some stuff together, I left by myself fully expecting to be sent back home. I arrived at the hospital at 10 a.m. and they checked me for contractions. I was now almost 4 cm dialated but did not have regular contractions at all. The doctor on call was one of the doctors that I liked and he said that he would break my water if I wanted to have Micah that day. After nine months of waiting, he didn't even have to ask, I was more than ready to meet our little boy.

I called David and he left the girls at his parents house and came to the hospital. I spent most of my labor on an epidural and asleep. Hours went by and at 6 pm I was only 6 c.m. and I started to get nervous that the girls were going to be asleep by the time that Micah came. Addison remembered when Kendall came and how she watched them bathe her and check her heart in the nursery, and they wanted to watch that with Micah. At 8:00 David's mom called and said that they were going to get ready for bed. At 8:30, the nurse came in and checked me and said that I was ready to push, so we quickly called David's parents and told them to bring the girls over to the hospital. The doctor came in, got everything ready, and three pushes and 5 minutes later Micah David was here. He was the smallest of our three babies, weighing 6 lb. 13 oz. (The girls were both just over 7 lbs.) and was 20 1/2 in. long. We immediately loved him so much and were so thrilled that he was part of our family! The girls were sort of shy around him at the hospital and I think a little nervous to see me in the hospital bed, but they have completely adjusted since then and adore their baby brother. They are such great big sisters and we have loved becoming a family of five. Micah is a good baby and loves to be held and cuddled. Addison loves to help me pick out his clothes and take care of him and Kendall loves to hold him and calls him "Buddy". We are just so thankful to God for another sweet blessing to love. Here are a few pictures from Micah David's first days.....

Only Kids Once

About a week ago the girls asked to play outside after dinner and so we got some play clothes on (which for Kendall included a tutu) and headed outdoors. About 3 minutes later it started to rain. For those that do not know my oldest daughter Addison very well...she is a worrier about anything that is out of her thoughts of normal (and staying outside while it is raining is not usually normal). This sudden rain freaked Addison out because she is usually terrified she will get struck by lightning if one drop of rain falls from the sky :) But fortunately there was no lightning in sight and so I thought to myself "why not let them stay outside and play in the rain". I knew it might get a little messy and mean a load of grassy laundry, but how often do you get to run around and play in the rain in your life! I figured I have never seen adults just running around in the rain in their yard screaming and laughing, and I am pretty sure that I never will....although I do think it would be hilarious. As I watched the girls have so much fun getting wet and playing I thought....you are only kids once, so you might as well enjoy it! Here are some pictures that I snapped from that night....

Worth Waiting For

Over the past few weeks, God has been reminding me that the best things in life and the things that you cherish the most are worth waiting for....which has made me think about one of my favorite verses in times of waiting, Habakkuk 2:3 "For the vision is for the appointed time, it hastens toward the goal, though it tarries wait for it, it will certainly come, it will not delay."

When I finished college I left having already been a bridesmaid in three weddings and had most of my friends in serious relationships or already engaged. I remember many a night thinking to myself that somehow I had missed "the one" or just feeling like it was unfair that God was asking me to wait while so many of my other friends had already found who they wanted to marry. One year later I walked onto Belmont campus in Nashville to work MFuge for the summer, not realizing that David would be there or that we would fall in love. And suddenly all the heartbreaks of past relationships and all the waiting didn't seem so long after all.

David and I spent the next year driving back and forth from Georgia to Mississippi to see each other...a long seven hour drive. I remember thinking it will be forever until we are in the same state and don't have to do this every other weekend traveling just to spend time together! Ironic how quickly I forgot that waiting is part of the process and in the midst of it God teaches me so much. Instead I just thought it was unfair that other couples got to see each other whenever they felt like it instead of being states away. But again on June 17th, 2006, we got married and I moved to Georgia and suddenly we were together, and I realized that all the waiting was worth it.

Fast forward just two months from our wedding and we find out that we are pregnant with Addison. And as many pregnant women will testify the waiting seems endless. I have realized that I grow especially impatient the last 2 months when it is hard to move around and sleep. I remember being 3 weeks away from my due date and walking up hills everyday of my spring break from teaching just hoping that she would decide to come a little early. But as any parent will tell you, holding your baby for the first time makes the waiting all worth it, and she was.

Fast forward two years and apparently I forgot how long nine months really feels, because there I was pushing Addison in a stroller up hills to try to get Kendall to come early too. None of my own efforts worked, but as I watched Addison become a big sister and realized we were now a family of four, the waiting didn't seem so long and was definitely worth it.

And now there is Micah, and once again I am impatient for him to get here, impatient to see who he will look like and what his personality will be like. I am impatient to see Kendall become a big sister with Addison, and honestly I am a little impatient to be able to get off the couch without David's assistance! But this time around I am reminded that God has all of his days ordained and numbered (Psalm 139:16). So I am trying to be content and know that in the end when I see his face I will know that every day of this pregnancy that I spent sick or uncomfortable is all worth it.

And the past few months have been a huge reminder to me of Habakkuk 2:3. As David searches for a job and as we wait for God to bring us to the right church it has been hard not to grow impatient again. But God has been so sweet to remind us of this verse time and time again during this process..."the vision is for the appointed time"not my time, but His. And just with everything else in mylife I realize that "though it tarries wait for it, it will certainly come, it will not delay". There have been so manythings in life that I wanted to rush or to come on my ownterms in my own time, and I am learning that God's time and way is always the best!
But as I have learned, best doesn't always mean it is easy. There have been many days that it has been hard to wait about this. There are days where I am sure that David is realizing that he would not want to be a stay at home dad forever :) And there are days where we are just anxiousto know what God's plan is. But today I am reminded that itis always worth the wait. Just like it was worth the wait for David and all of my children I am trusting that this will be the same. And so that is what we are doing, waiting on God to lead us to the church He has for us next and trusting that His vision for us will certainly come and will not delay! Thankyou for all of our friends and family that keeps us intheir prayers and we are excited to see what God has planned forour family over the next months.

No Time for Flashcards

I don't know about any of you, but there is a part of me that loves summer and a part of me that dreads it! I love all the stuff that comes with summer...swimming, ice cream cones, Fourth of July, grilling out, and the list could go on and on. But I absolutely dread the long days of being stuck inside with the girls because it is unbearably HOT! For those that have not experienced summer in the south, it is pretty much miserable to be outside from the hours of 10 until 7 every day. So it can be pretty easy to get stir crazy with two little girls that are always very active and looking for stuff to do. And if I don't find some stuff for them to do, I can be certain that Kendall will find some messy mischief for herself! You would think with all their toys they would be occupied but often they are not, and I don't like to just have them spend their summers in front of the T.V.

So here is where I have turned to one of my favorite sites of all time.... www.notimeforflashcards.com. It is amazing! It has ideas for outside activities and inside activities, messy and non messy. I can always find an activity that I have all the materials for because there are so many to choose from. I have used many of the letter activities to teach Addison her letters. Here is one example of an activity that we have done....

I hope that this post will help some poor mother out there that is stir crazy and doesn't want to go outside in the 100 degree heat :)

No Longer Babies

As summer is starting, I have realized that neither of my girls are babies anymore. I sort of missed posting on their birthdays, so I decided to post a few pics for each of them.

Addison Jane- Over four years ago on April 17th, I went into the hospital around 10 p.m. that night and the next day, the 18th, at 12:49 p.m., Addison was born weighing 7 lb. 4 oz. I will never forget that day as long as I live because it was the first day David and I became parents. We were so happy that she was here, and even though we didn't always know what we were doing, we were so thankful that God had trusted us with this baby girl. Addison had a rough start with colic and was not a very good sleeper, but by the time she was 3 months old she was a sweet and happy baby.

And over the last four years we have watched her grow into this sweet natured, compassionate little girl. Addison has always been a little more shy and very tenderhearted towards everyone that she meets. She loves for things to be in a certain order and has many first child characteristics. One of the things I enjoyed watching the most was seeing her become a big sister two years ago and witnessing how sweet and loving she is to Kendall and how much she cares for others. I love seeing her grow and learn new things about life and God, and she has taught me so much about myself as I have learned to be a mother through her. I am forever grateful that God entrusted us with such a sweet little girl to raise.

Kendall Anne- Over two years ago on March 20th I checked into the hospital at 6 a.m. and at 8:39 p.m. Kendall made her entrance into the world. She weighed 7 lb. 3 oz. and had more hair than any of the babies in the nursery! And from day one she was the best baby...slept well, ate well, and was always so happy and friendly to everyone.

And over the past two years we have watched her grow into an independent and loving little girl that always has a way of making us all laugh. She has grown into quite the comedian and is always wanting to do what her big sister does. It has been a blessing to watch her personality grow and develop and see her care and love for others. One of her favorite phrases is "I do it myself" right now and everytime I hear it I think "she is not a baby anymore, she really is a big girl". In some ways it makes me sad, but I love seeing how thrilled she gets when she really can do something herself and learns something new. We are so thankful for our two year old bundle of energy and that God has blessed us with another sweet girl to care for and love!

Addison and Kendall we love you both and can't wait to see how you continue to grow and change. We pray that God continues to draw your hearts towards Himself and are thankful for the blessings you are in our lives!

Soon we will have another baby, one that will be totally dependent on us for everything. And just like it was with Addison when Kendall was born, I know that when Micah is born both of the girls will just seem so much older to me. And that may be the reason that I am looking at my girls and realizing that they are no longer babies, they are big girls now. I am also learning that is part of being a parent, it is both hard and exciting to watch your children grow up. For now I am just praying that I take the time to rock them while they still want to be rocked, kiss all their boo boos, and cuddle with them as long as I can.

God's Provision

This morning I was just reflecting on the past couple of weeks and how God is taking care of our family during this time when David is out of work. As many of you know having a new baby takes a lot of money. This is especially true when you go from having two little girls with all of their pink and purple, flowers and butterflies, and then go to having a little boy with blues and green, trucks and frogs. We still have the majority of our baby equipment and the most of it will work for baby Micah, but there was still the issue of bedding and clothes. I didn't think that Micah would appreciate looking back on pictures of him coming home from the hospital in a pink outfit that said "Princess". But I have been blown away at how God has totally provided for all the things that we need right now. I have several friends that have given us hand me downs from their boys, many with tags still on them. Another friend has offered her double stroller, and our sweet extended family has totally blessed us beyond measure financially for the other things that we still needed. It has all just been a constant reminder to me that no matter how long it takes for David to be called to just the right church, God sees our family, loves us, and is always going to provide just what we need. So thankful to Him this morning for His continued faithfulness to us!

Matthew 6:8b "for your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask of Him."

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows."

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is Faithful!"

Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor My covenant of peace be removed,' say the Lord who has compassion on you.

It's a....

We are happy to announce that...

Micah David will be joining our family in late August and we are all very excited.

Addison has been saying since the beginning that she wanted a brother. Yesterday I told her that this baby might be a girl and we would be thankful to God either way, boy or girl. About 15 minutes later she came out of the bathroom and told me that God had told her that this baby was a boy and that our next baby could be a girl. She said "I know you didn't hear Him talking to me, and I know that you won't believe me, but it is the truth!" I love the innocent faith of children and the way that they see God. Thanks for all the prayers for us today!

Boy or Girl?

In just 34 hours we will find out the gender of our baby, which I plan to announce on our blog sometime Wednesday. This is always the appointment that I get really excited about...the ultrasound where your baby actually looks like a baby and not just a spot on the screen. I love seeing their little feet and hands and that sweet moment when they tell you "it is a boy" or "it is a girl".

This pregnancy people have been so funny about the gender. I guess because we already have two little girls, people assume that we really want a boy and would be disappointed if it was another girl. I don't know if it is just ingrained in our brains that a family needs a boy to carry on the family name or what, but the reality is that we will honestly be just as thrilled either way. Part of it is that I would still love to have more children and possibly adopt one day, so I feel like this baby will not be our last if God chooses to bless us with more.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a little boy one day, and to experience all that makes up "boys". I love having a nephew and seeing just how different he is and how his world is trucks, pirates, and trains while I live in a world of princesses and tea parties. On the flip side I would love another girl. I adore my daughters and we would all be so excited to add another girl to our family. I love to watch them dress up together and play house and princesses.

So whether the ultrasound tech says "it is a girl" or "it is a boy" we won't at all be disappointed, we will be excited to meet them and welcome them into our family. I know that boy or girl, God has a very special plan for this baby, and it is my prayer that his or her life will bring glory to Him.

The House that became our Home

Yesterday David and I took a short walk together to our front yard and stuck a "For Sale by Owner" sign in the ground, and even now it kind of makes me want to cry. It made me think of the first time that I saw this house and how different it is now....

David's parents have spent many years of their life owning and managing rental houses. His dad bought a pair of houses at one point in Griffin thinking that maybe one day one of his children would use them. Five years ago, David and I were engaged and his parents so graciously offered to sell us the yellow rental house for a very good deal and help us fix it up. Living over 6 hours away I discussed all of our plans over phone calls and it all sounded great and so exciting. All I could think of was living in a cute little house with my new husband, and in my mind it was very cute.

I will never forget the first time David took me to see the place! It was this yellow and white house that was sort of run down. The floors were a mess and everything was stained and sort of outdated. There was wood rotting on the front porch and even a piece or two hanging off the roof. The best part was when David and I started looking in the kitchen and found an old pizza still in the oven weeks after it had been vacated! I am sure as a newly engaged girl with the boy that I love that I put on a sweet smile and said things like "it looks great!", but all the while I was thinking "I am going to live here! This is not the cute house I imagined!"

I am a very blessed girl though because for months David and his dad worked for hours every night after David got off of work redoing cabinets, tiling bathrooms, painting, buying all new appliances, etc. One weekend I even helped put hardwood floors down, and I must say that I got pretty good with a nail gun! David and his parents worked so hard to get the inside of the house livable and attractive before we got married. Every time I would visit and see it it got better and better. In June David and I were married and I was excited but also nervous to move to a new state. I didn't know anyone here but David and his family, and I will be forever grateful for David and his parents working so hard for all those months to give me a cute first home.

This is the house that we became parents in and the only home that our girls have ever known. I will forever remember the way that Addison's room looked when we decorated her nursery or how we turned the office into another nursery when we had Kendall. I loved how our front porch looked after our family would decorate it the day we brought each of the girls home from the hospital. We have spent hours walking these floors with crying babies (mostly Addison :) and rocking them to sleep in the glider in our living room. Images of my girls sleeping sweetly in their beds, playing in the backyard, and dancing in our kitchen will be forever etched in my mind, and I will forever love this house, our girl's first home.

And now five years later all the remodeling is complete inside and out and we are ready to sell. When we found out about David's job, we decided that it was time to sell and be close to whatever church he is called to whether it is in Georgia or in another state. And so we walked together and put a sign up, which was bittersweet for me. I am so excited to see where God leads us as a family and for this next stage in our life. And although I know that I will love the next house we live in, I tend to think that there will always be an extra special place in my heart for this first house... the house that I originally could not imagine having to live in, the house that I became a wife and a mother in, and the house that became a home I will remember forever.

A Day in the Life...

I honestly thought when I started this blog that I would be able to keep up with it on a more regular basis...little did I know how sick I would be with baby #3. Thankfully I am starting to see the light at the end of the morning sickness tunnel (which as any pregnant woman will tell you seems ENDLESS at the time). I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was praying for me during the last two months.

Over the course of that last two months God reminded me over and over how He truly does care about every aspect of our lives. Starting Jan. 1st David no longer worked at Flat Creek. Due to budget issues, they eliminated his position and he is currently applying to several churches for a lead pastor position. Because of this, David was home for every single day of my morning sickness and was able to take care of the girls when I was really too sick or tired to care for them. It just reminded me that what the world looks at as a bad situation was really something that God showed me He was using for my good and the good of our family during this time. It was just a sweet blessing to have David home, and he did the best job of taking care of me and the girls.

Speaking of the girls, they are keeping us busy these days and have loved the warmer weather and playing outside. Addison is almost 4 and is busy planning her birthday in two months...she has lots of ideas of what she wants and it changes every day. She is also still very much in love with the movie Annie and if you are around her long enough you will hear her bust out in "Tomorrow" or "Your Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile". Much to my delight we now own the soundtrack and listen to it almost daily in the car which has really helped Kendall also develop a deep love for the music! So I am fearful that this obsession will be around for a while :) Kendall will be two in just a month from tomorrow and she is a cuddly handful. She is friendly to all she meets and full of mischief. (In fact just last night we found her painting with David's toothpaste all over his bathroom walls!) I love this stage of toddler life where their personalities really start to come out and they start talking more and more each day. I am so thankful for both my sweet girls!

And for baby #3 we have decided on names already. Usually we wait until we find out the gender, but I always love picking names as soon as we can because it makes it all feel more real to me. With all of our children's names we choose a first name that we love and then their middle name is after someone in our family. I also love to choose at least one part of their name that has a good meaning. Addison Jane- the Jane is my middle name, my mother's middle name, and my grandmother's middle name and means "believer in a gracious God". Kendall Anne- The Anne is after David's mother's middle name and means "Grace, gift of God's favor". If this baby is another sweet girl her name will be Sydney Jean- Jean is the middle name of my sister and my sweet grandmother that passed away two years ago. Jean means "God is gracious". We love that all of their names, and I pray their lives, speak of God's unending grace to us! If we have a sweet baby boy his name will be Micah David. Micah means "Who is like God?" - and our prayer is that his life would speak to the truth that there is nothing and no one that can even compare to our loving and gracious God. I just happened to marry a boy who had the same name as both my father and my brother, so David was an obvious choice as a middle name, as it represents three men that I love dearly. David means "beloved"- and if we have a son he will be loved so dearly by so many.

Just an update also for those that are keeping up with us as far as David's job search...He has sent his resume to several churches in several different states, but as of now we have heard nothing. We know without a doubt that God does have a plan for our family and in His perfect timing He will show us the church that He has for us to serve. We know that this process can take a while and we are waiting on God's church for us not just the first offer that comes along. Please pray that our hearts will be discerning and God's voice will be clear as we wait on Him. Thank you and hopefully I will be able to keep up with the blog on a more consistent basis now that I am feeling better.

Pajama Party

This past week we took the girls to one of their favorite events of the year...the preschool pajama party! They get to dress in their pajamas, eat pancakes, and do lots of fun activities with their friends. Just thought I would share a few of

my favorite pictures....

The girls playing in the "Snow" room. We don't get much in Georgia so sometimes we have to pretend. Kendall LOVED those fancy high heels they had lights and played a song the entire time she wore them, which was all night. Needless to say I am thrilled that they belong to the church :)

Addison admiring herself in the mirror in the "First thing in the morning" room. She loved having her hair rolled! It brought back lots of memories for me of the night before picture day and getting my own hair rolled as a child...thanks mom! :) Kendall also loved getting her hair fixed and makeup done.

Right before we left the house...both girls had to have a tutu to complete their outfit. I might need this picture in about ten years when they are fighting over something to remind them of how much they love each other :)

They are such sweet girls and we are truly blessed to have them in our lives!

A Working Heart

Today marks the anniversary of Rowe vs. Wade.

To date over 50 million babies have lost their life to

abortion.

Okay so I have to admit that I thought that I would be posting more on this blog, but honestly I have been feeling pretty sick this week. Thankfully I have not been as sick as I was with Kendall but more sick than with Addison. I initially thought I was having a boy, but now I am not so sure...David might be largely outnumbered. I think I will still predict a boy because that has been my prediction with the last two pregnancies and I am thinking that if I stick with that answer one of these pregnancies I might be right. We will of course be thrilled with whatever gender the Lord blesses us with, and although I am sick everyday from about noon until bedtime, I am thankful that so far everything is on track and we have a healthy 9 week old baby.

Last Wednesday we had our first ultrasound and I am always amazed that the tiny little spot that they show you on the screen is actually going to grow into a newborn baby. Right now our baby is a mere half inch but by the end of it all he/she will be about 20 inches long. I always look at that little blip on the screen and think...this doesn't really look like a baby, but I can see an actual heart beating and working. Even at just 9 weeks our baby has arms and legs and an actual 4 chamber heart, which is amazing and completely a miracle. Our God is the ultimate Creator to take some cells and create a baby for us to love. It is so hard for me to understand how anyone can see that and think that those are not living babies full of potential and life. I am rejoicing in the life of our new baby and praying that even now this baby will live a life that has a purpose and brings glory to God. We are blessed beyond measure already for this little but very real life! And tonight my heart is with the many women that are struggling with the decision to end or give life to their own unborn babies, and my prayer is that they will see their baby as one full of potential and life as well.

A Lamp Under a Jar

As I start this blog for our family, I was reminded of my quiet time passage yesterday in Luke chaper 8. Jesus is talking to the disciples and discusses how silly it would be to have a light and then put it under a jar. "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts in under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light." It made me hope and pray that this blog will somehow be a light to others from our family. I pray that others that read this will see our love for Jesus and His love for them.

Many of my friends have started blogs about their families in the past year, and honestly I never really thought about starting one until this past week or so. I am very computer challenged (David could tell everyone how often I had to get him to help to even create this page :). But as our family is entering this new stage in our life with David looking for a new church to minister, and as we spend the next several months preparing to welcome baby #3; it just seemed like a great time to let our friends and family in on our lives on a more personal level. I look forward to blogging about our lives, our girls, and our relationship with Jesus over the weeks and months....may our light be visible for all to see!