Blessed.

...is what we are. And thankful. I have the BEST friends. I am so grateful for the girls God has put in my life as we serve together, learn together and do life together. I GET to serve on our MOPS leadership team at Westside Family Church and I am privileged that God wanted me in this position. We are doing a study together titled, "Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free" by Nancy DeMoss. It is truly an amazing study. And I feel that every chapter was written for me because as a woman, mom and wife, I have bought into these lies and not realized my full potential in Christ. I love that I get to study these hard truths with the most honest and open women who desire to grow in their relationship with Christ. I am encouraged and challenged to the core.
These women are also wonderful cooks! Because I have been so terribly sick, they are bringing us meals every other day for over 3 weeks. I am so grateful for their willingness to serve our family because the last thing I can think about doing right now is cooking!! Because of them, my children don't have to eat macaroni and cheese and Ramen noodles every night. Thank you girls for loving us just as Christ loves! What a blessing you are to our family!!

Mom of the Year...

...is what I'm guaranteed to get nominated for after I post this wonderful story of our blissful life. To preface it, I will say that I am SO SICK with this pregnancy...the night before last I was up throughout the night (every 3 hours) vomiting. Even while taking Zofran around the clock...on schedule. My poor husband. He is doing SO great though, assuming the role of Mr. Mom quite well. He really does know how to do dishes, laundry, clean, etc. and he has done it quite well, never complaining. I am blessed. I have not even touched any housework for 3 weeks. I'm thankful he has been home for 3 weeks because of Christmas break and snow days! And I'm thankful for wonderful neighbors who had given us some relief by taking ALL 3 girls to Chuckie Cheese AND a movie for the day, done grocery shopping for me and I'm thankful for our baby-sitter who came over for 4 hours on Friday to help. I can't even read a book to the girls without getting exhausted and nauseous, so it is so nice to have some help!
Now on to my mom-of-the-year story...
Jared went to church this morning with Emma and Ellie and I stayed home with Edyn who conveniently came down with Rotavirus yesterday. Of course, she pooped 5 minutes after he left and although I was nauseous and needed to get something to eat, I had to change her quickly b/c it was running down her leg and she has a bad diaper rash. So...I laid her on a towel and began to change her and the smell is SO BAD (you know this if your child has had Rotavirus), I started vomiting and did so on the towel she was laying on. She started crying as I was trying to puke, wipe her, get diaper rash cream on and get a new diaper on. I then sprayed a lot of air freshener and I'm sure the "poop spray" mixture that it created might be worse. I went to lay down while i let the TV baby-sit her for awhile and then about 20-30 minutes later she fills her diaper again and comes into the bedroom with a towel in one hand and air freshener in the other saying, "Mommy sorry, poopy diaper"....
Bless her little heart. I changed her and managed to hold it together this time, then we cuddled and snuggled and I reassured her that it's ok if life gets poopy sometimes, God is still taking care of us. She responded, "Ok mommy" in her precious little 2 year old voice.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God”
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Celebrating the blessing of our miracles...

Miracle #1...
Emma June, so tender-hearted & sensitive, always giving hugs & making sure others are well-taken care of. She is a great big sister and loves to please people & make them feel at ease. She loves to be a little party host & thrives on helping me get ready for life-group & parties & she can spend hours getting her snack ready for school so it is "just right". She loves to write and play school and be in control...she is ALWAYS the teacher. I love her sweet spirit.

Miracle #2...
Ellisyn Grace, so spunky & fiery!! This girl keeps us on our toes. We never really know what is going to come out of her mouth...usually whatever is on her mind and she is a thinker....and very curious as well. At the same time, she is extremely loving & carefree. She loves being a "student" when Emma demands to play school and loves to learn. She is constantly asking us how to spell things and can write quite well for her age & she asks if she can do "homework"....I love her enthusiasm for learning.

Miracle #3...
Edyn Jo, we thought Ellie was spunky & fiery, this girl takes it to another level! Even at 2, she has got a lot of things in her little world figured out & under control! She has a VERY FULL vocabulary and is even spelling things....(that her sisters have taught her!) She is another student in Emma's school and has caught on to everything they teach her. She has an incredibly sweet side and randomly tells us "I love you so much daddy", and "I love you mommy"...it melts our hearts.

and we are excited to announce Miracle #4....
arriving on or around August 5th, 2010! God has incredibly blessed us with another child to love and we can't wait to welcome this little one into our family this summer! Please pray for this baby & pregnancy! We are so excited!
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." -James 1:17