Pictures taken by Meri

A friend from my playgroup, Meri Tackett, takes pictures, and she is soo very talented. Here are the ones we chose from her session with Caleb. Stunning, aren't they??

Thankfulness post

This Thanksgiving, here are the things I am thankful for:

-Christ's sacrifice on the cross for me (well, for everyone!) and His undeniable and unexplainable love and forgiveness. "He tore the veil, He made a way, when He said that "it is done"..."

-Bryan...can I say it enough? He is hands down the most loving, supportive, gracious, unselfish man I know, and just an absolutely amazing husband and daddy. I hit the jackpot when God brought him into my life...and since helping my friend through her divorce, I realize more and more how blessed I truly am. Thank goodness that, like Job, the 2nd part of my life has been immensely more blessed than the first. I am also very grateful that in this economy, and since I'm staying home (another huge blessing!), he has a good job.

-Caleb...my precious little boy...I can't get enough of his sloppy kisses and sweet hugs, "mama's", giggles, "dancing" in place, clapping anytime I finish a book, song, etc. (God has DEFINITELY made him an encourager), even in his disobedience I have to look away and smile because he's just so daggone cute and sweet. I love seeing his personality blossom every day!

-Friends and family that love us and that we have a blast hanging out with

-Our amazing church and a pastor who "gets it"..."Nothing else matters except faith expressing itself in love..." Galatians 5:6

-The fact that I live in the USA, which means I can have a good education, a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, medicine when I'm sick, and can freely worship and be a Christian without fear of imprisonment or death.

-Books...right now I just finished two amazing books..."God is Closer Than You Think" by John Ortberg and "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. "Crazy Love" is THE most challenging-to-my-faith book I may have ever read. Extremely convicting and I am praying that God works on my heart-then my actions-BIG TIME since finishing it. I didn't realize I was becoming a lukewarm Christian until I read it, and God clearly states that He will "spit (the lukewarm) out of His mouth..." I certainly don't want that! So...a lot on my mind when it comes to that!

-Chocolate-in all forms. Yum.

-Music

-Flowers

-Chick-fil-a :)

and so much more. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Gatlinburg 09

Here are some pics from our trip to Gatlinburg with friends this past weekend! We had a great time!

Mommy's Little Superhero, among other things

So, while out the other day, I found these super cute Superman jammies at a local consignment store, brand new, tags still on them, for $2.50!! How awesome is that?! They are 2T so the pants are too long, but it's still really cute, and he'll grow into the pants for sure. There is even a velcro cape that he promptly pulled off as soon as he figured out that he could. :) He was about to go to bed in these pics so he's a little grumpy, but still cute!!

In other news, we have officially given up the 'ba-ba' (bottle) this week. I thought it would be harder than it was, but it wasn't bad at all...for him. I, however, feel like my little baby is all grown up now. :( He's not a big drink-milk-from-a-sippy-cup fan, but I'm trying to be extra vigilant to make sure he drinks enough milk.

What else? He does the cutest thing these days. If you ask him, "Do you have happy feet?" he does a little dance--he looks like he's doing the riverdance...I just think it's so stinkin' adorable. He also is impressing me at storytime now...he can do all the motions to this one song we do now...he anticipates when the librarian is going to get out the balls and the shakers...he's sooo big! Also, the other day, he did the sweetest thing. He went and got a picture frame down that had Bryan and I in it. He pointed at the picture, said "mama" and proceeded to kiss it. HEART MELTING!!!! I was so glad I didn't race to grab the frame from him (first instinct, since he likes to throw things...especially things that break into a million pieces).

We're going on a road trip to Gatlinburg with friends this weekend...hopefully we'll have a great time and he'll sleep in his pack and play...I'm a little worried!!!

3 Funerals in One Month...

...is more than enough for me, that is for sure. But this month of funerals has definitely been God's way of getting my attention, and for different reasons.

The first 2 funerals I attended were for my step-grandmother and then my grandmother. Both women who had led long, good lives, leaving behind children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with wonderful memories of their time here on earth. My sadness with these funerals came in the realization that they won't see my children grow up like I would have liked for them to...nothing made me happier than sending my grandma pictures of Caleb and her seeing things in him that reminded her of my grandpa, or dad, or herself...and she was so proud of every little accomplishment, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. These funerals left me thinking about the kind of legacy I want to leave when I'm gone. Everyone had so many funny stories and good times spent with these women to share, and I hope that will be the case for me as well. My grandma was also someone I could look up to when it came to my Christian faith...and I hope I can be that to my children and grandchildren as well. And so, while of course it is sad to say good-bye, I walked away from those funerals knowing I will see them again, and knowing that they led long, wonderful lives...and death is a part of life...and not a shock when someone is in their 80s.

The third funeral I attended was altogether different. A girl that Bryan knew from youth group growing up and who also attended Southland with us passed away on Wednesday morning. Lauren was only 28 and had only been married 3 weeks. 3 weeks. She had a blood clot, and it happened almost instantaenously. Bryan had also been on staff with her husband, James, so he was shocked and saddened on many levels. And although I didn't know either of them personally, it was impossible to not let this touch me. The funeral was Saturday, and it was amazingly powerful. I am friends with both her sister and husband on Facebook, and I have been so inspired by their faith through this tragedy...they know that God is STILL GOOD, even in spite of this terrible thing of a young girl going Home entirely too early (in our view). As the song we sang at her funeral says, "You give and take away, but my heart will choose to say, Lord, Blessed be Your Name!" So many times, so many people let something like this push them AWAY from God, or make them think He isn't good, or doesn't exist at all. Yet this family has chosen to let it strengthen their faith more than ever before. Such a blessing to see such spiritual maturity in the midst of pain...and I hope that if that kind of tragedy ever befalls me, that I will greet it with an underlying sense that the God we praise in the good times is the same God who holds us close in the painful times. It was also a realization that life is soooo fragile...and as much as it pains me to accept, I have to accept that Caleb is NOT mine...He is God's, and on loan to us while here on Earth...if God ever needs him more than we do, we have to trust that God is good and his ways are higher than our own. I can't imagine the pain Lauren's parents (and sister and husband and friends) must be feeling, but I know that they know that Lauren is GOD'S...and is now with Him. Jon Weece gave the eulogy and he said something that was very powerful as well..."live your life (accepting Christ's sacrifice for you) so that one day when it is you the funeral is for, someone like me doesn't have to stand up here and pretend you're in heaven, when you're really not." Wow. So glad to know that Lauren loved God and knew Him, and He knew her.

So, I hope having to attend these 3 funerals isn't a sign of things in my own immediate future (!) but it has certainly given me pause. I am much more cognizant of life's fragility, and how I need to hold the ones I love so close to me, and most of all, how I need to live out my faith and grow in maturity each day. I want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, friend, sister, etc. than I have been...because life is short. Praise God for His goodness even in the midst of pain and hurt...that He is a God who cries with those who cry, and will strengthen us when we are at our weakest point. Keep the Davis, Carter, and Rutledge families in your prayers, I know they are grateful for the strength each prayer gives them.

Beauty from ashes

I have recently be reacquainted with one of my best friends from 6th grade through high school and beyond...we lost touch for a few years due to crazy life circumstances, but she recently contacted me due to an unfortunate incident going on in her life...she is in the middle of what looks like will be divorce. When I got her email and began talking with her on the phone about everything, my heart literally felt like it was breaking into pieces...the Bible clearly states that God HATES divorce, and talk to anyone going through it and you can see why...the heartache, the loneliness, the confusion, the loss of friendships you thought were solid, the monetary troubles, the loss of control, the loss of your identity as a wife, the fear of the future and all of its uncertainties...God does not want his children going through this kind of pain and agony! And because I have been through it myself, the thought of anyone I love and care for going through it is extremely hard to stomach.

Here's the thing though...I am so, so glad that I am on the other side of things now...my past is my past, and I have been of the belief that God RESCUED me from what surely would have ended horrifically if I had stayed in it. I believe that God had Bryan for me all along, and if I had just waited on HIS timing, I wouldn't have had to endure what I endured. God taught me so incredibly much through the process...I became closer to Him than ever before, relying on Him for my EVERYTHING...I truly fell in love with Jesus and He was ENOUGH. I learned to trust Him more deeply. I learned to cry to Him, wait on Him, sing to Him, just be with Him in silence and let Him speak. And did He ever...through prayer, through His Word, through songs and friends...I felt more alive than I knew possible. Did I make mistakes along the road? Yes...but God continued to lift me up, forgive me, and let me run to Him time and time again. I prayed so desperately for God to use my experience for good someday...to be able to encourage someone else walking down this dark, lonely path. To turn my ashes into beauty. And then I get this email...

I don't feel like I am doing much, to be quite honest. Just listening and offering advice when asked, and just grateful to have a friend who has known and loved me since we were 11 years old back in my life...but it has sparked something in me...a reminder of what it felt like to be 100 percent reliant on God to meet my needs...for a friend, a Husband, a Father. I have too easily let my life slip into a comfortable place where I am so very happy to have such a great husband as Bryan, ridiculously giddy to have such a fun, sweet little boy to call my son, a roof over my head, good friends, an amazing church, etc. etc. etc. I'm not DESPERATE for God like I was during that time of my life...and I miss that...not the desperation really, but the way it spurred me to action--to reading my Bible faithfully, for talking to God constantly...and then, to see Him work so amazingly... miracles, really, that I could write novels about!

So, will my experience help my dear friend? I hope so. But I am grateful for that email, not for what I hope to give her, but for what it has done for me...made me reevaluate my relationship with God and pray for forgiveness for my lukewarm-ness. I am so glad I serve a God who is in the business of redeeming, because I sure do need it. :)

OH how He loves us!

So, there is this song...by David Crowder Band...I cannot get enough of it. Here are the lyrics and the link.

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.


We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJyW55AXJAk

Halloween 2009

We had a pretty good Halloween this year, although it could have been better!! Caleb came down with a double ear infection, pinkeye, and an upper respiratory infection the day before, so we didn't end up getting to do half of what we were planning on doing. We were supposed to go to a playgroup Halloween party and trick-or-treat with some friends from playgroup, but that obviously couldn't happen. So we had a low-key Halloween at home, just going to a couple houses in the neighborhood. He was in a surprisingly good mood and let us keep the costume on him the whole time! Here are some pics of my sweet little dragon. :) Sorry they're out of order, I don't have the energy to fix them at the moment!