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.