01/29/12: Blessings

First off: Happy Birthday, Kansas! We love you a lot and do miss your rolling prairies and amazing spring thunderstorms. And, of course, we miss the people there as well! :)

Some of these blessings may sound like a stretch, but if "every good and perfect thing comes from above" (James 1:17), then maybe they aren't stretches, just not as obvious? :) Colton and I have had the sickies for a little over a week now, so we have been confined to our house for the most part, and haven't done too much. But here we go:

-I have a little boy who is 100% not into anything snuggley: no cuddles, no long hugs, no leaning against me and reading a book or watching a cartoon, nada. BUT when I have a sick little boy, the usual 5 minute time span of wanting to read with me, will turn into a 30 minute time span. I always love to read with him, so every day I attempt reading at least 5 or 6 times (Okay.. some days its actually more like 12), but 5 minutes is about all I can get out of him. I cherish those 5 minute time spans, and hope that one day he will enjoy it more consistently. This week, has been SUCH a blessing. I have not gotten to hold him like that, for that amount of time, in many, many months. And I ate. it. up. We got through several "peter rabbit" books, the whole "old testament Bible stories" book he was given for his birthday, and the pop-up farm board book that is his favorite. It almost makes all the coughing and sniffling worth it. Almost. :)

-Even with two sickies in the house, breathing and coughing everywhere, Brad has not gotten sick! I know his immune system has got to be better than a pregnant woman and a one year old, but it astonishes me that he hasn't caught this. I am so thankful! He gets up so early every day, around 4:45 or 5:00am, to get to PT, that any time he has a cold he gets run down so fast. I prayed and prayed that he wouldn't catch this, and so far the Lord has answered that prayer and granted Brad health! Thank you, Jesus!

-On Monday, we had our 2-week ear infection check-up to see if it is all gone, and it's not. Colton has been put on a stronger antibiotic and hopefully that one will work better than the amoxicillin did. I have no way of telling, since it has not really seemed to bother him at all. During that appointment, the Doctor suggested quitting the paci because it has already started to have an affect on his teeth. (EEEK!) She showed me how it is affecting him, and although I had not noticed his top teeth forming around the nipple of the paci, I can definitely see it now! It isn't too bad yet, but it can get a lot worse if we don't quit soon. I know that braces are painful, not from personal experience, and am very thankful that we caught this in time to have the conviction to really stick to quitting the paci before it gets any worse. When I asked the doctor if this is at the point where theres a guarantee he will need braces, she said not yet. Phew!

-We were (once again) home Sunday morning with a boy who is too sick to be in the nursery at church, but not really all that sick. His nose still has some colored snot running out of it, and he is still coughing up phlegm. A pretty picture, right? We thought the other parents would probably not appreciate the possibility of passing this on to their kiddos. I am praying that he will be better by Tuesday so I can attend PWOC this week. I really did miss it last week! Since we have been home all day, we decided to go on a family bike ride. Nothing too long - just about 30-40 minutes, and at an easy pace, but it was really fun! We haven't gone on a family bike ride since the summer probably, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. We bundled Colton all up, (the wind here can be brutal!) but it wasn't very cold and he seemed to enjoy the scenery. I am getting to the point in my pregnancy where my belly is big enough that when I lean forward on my bike, my legs hit my belly. It is quite annoying after 5 or so minutes. I don't know how many more times we will be able to go on a family bike ride while I am pregnant, and it will be awhile after baby girl is born before she is able to sit in the bike trailer with Colton, so we will definitely be attempting a few more rides together before then. I know I said it before, but I am very thankful for this January weather! :)

-Speaking of baby girl... I am 28 weeks pregnant right now! And yes, I did just have to go to thebump.com to remember. I really thought I was 26 or maybe 27. I have one pair of jeans that are non-maternity that still fit. There may be a few more, but the maternity ones are so comfortable I don't even try with the others. I do try to wear this pair frequently, because I love boots with skinny jeans, but I am refusing to purchase maternity skinny jeans. I will just quit wearing boots when these stop fitting. This may seem silly... but I feel blessed that these still fit (with a hair tie around the button, I'll admit) really well while I am 28 weeks!

-ONLY 12 OR SO MORE WEEKS TO GO!! yay! :)

This probably about sums up what has been going on this week, and how the Lord has blessed me. I will admit that at times my attitude this week has been rather poor. I would LOVE to blame it on sleep deprivation - I have been getting up 5 or 6 times a night to either pee/drink milk to curb my heart burn/blow my nose/etc. But these negativities do not compare to the love the Lord has for me. And I feel remorseful that I let a few little things get in the way of me seeing "the big picture" - So thank you, Jesus, for second chances. For a new week, a new day, a new hour, a new minute, in which to change my attitude and be more representative of the Your love, and the sacrifice You have made in order that I might have eternal life for you.

There's a song on KLOVE right now that has really been speaking to me. It's Where I Belong by Building 429, and the chorus goes like this:

All I know is I'm not home yet 

This is not where I belong 

Take this world and give me Jesus 

This is not where I belong

So when the walls come falling down on me 

And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea 

I have this blessed assurance holding me.

 And this song echoes in my soul every time I hear it. What a wonderful reminder that this life is not all there is. I am blessed, not just because of the many things the Lord has given me, or prayers He has answered, but because of His love for me. Love that sent His only son to the cross so that I can be able to spend eternity with Him. I can have assurance that this life is not all there is. I can have peace when the sea is raging around me. I can have hope if I have a Job week. Or month. Or year. (Which I am not right now.)

Lord, prepare me please. I know that this life WILL have turmoil, and that the only way to thrive is by being held in Your hand. Help me to draw near to you during the highs of life as well as the lows.

Dear friends, I do hope your week has been blessed. :)
Jessica

Colton's favorite things

Colton's favorite things...

Being on the couch/wrestling with Daddy..

Hanging upside down

Being silly with Mommy

Hugging my kitty, Lola

And playing outside, with a stick of course!!

Blessings

I think I may attempt a weekly post (Oh. My. I have never been diligent enough in blogging to do a WEEKLY post.)

But this post will be a blessings post - and I think it will be good for my soul. Every weekend, or.. ya know.. whenever I get to... I would like to do a short list of ways the Lord has blessed me this week. Either through answered prayers, things taken care of for me, reminders of His love/justice/mercy, etc. In my hope, this will be a way to keep me focused on the BIG picture, instead of stuck in the little things, the muck, the mundane, the daily.

I won't bore you by relisting the constant blessings weekly. Of COURSE my husband, my son, my growing baby in my belly, etc. are daily blessings. So count those as permanents, mmkay? :) Unless the Lord re-reminds me in some specific way of those blessings, they will be assumed.

No better way to jump in to this weekly post, then to dive. So here we go.
(PS. feel free to join me on this weekly refocusing journey. I could probably use this daily, but I know for sure that won't happen. So weekly it is! Just let me know you're joining me, so I can comment!)

--We sold our washer and dryer on Craigslist. When we moved here to Texas, our rental home already had a washer and dryer. Since we have a 2 year lease, we thought... why store ours, we will just sell it and whenever we need to, we will buy another one! I listed them on CL a couple weeks ago, got lots of responses, but I am a bit picky about who I respond to. (Please. no creepos coming to my house. If your grammar is awful, or your typing has more mistakes than a 1st graders, I probably won't respond. But if you sound like I would when emailing someone from CL, then I will respond.) So I responded to someone, and they came and bought it. Thank you, Jesus, for providing this. Did we NEED the money we sold it for? No. Will it be useful? Yes. It is going towards baby girl things. :)

--The girl who bought the w/d was super nice, so we went to lunch this week. And we have the same degree, from different universities. And she loves the Lord. Seriously Jesus, how do you orchestrate EVERYTHING?

--I joined a Bible study at PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel, a Bible study on post), and picked Beth Moore's Daniel study. I have been LOVING it so far. Who doesn't love a little Beth Moore insight though, right?! :) I can tell it will be challenging for me -but in a way that I need. Somehow she (or the Lord, perhaps?) is focusing completely on things I have been dealing with. Of course. So I am excited to see how this semester plays out, and what the Lord has in store during this study.

--I won a drawing on facebook for a $50 gift card! And to a baby store, nonetheless! Because of that gift card, we were able to purchase a great lightweight umbrella-ish stroller that our car seat will snap onto, for those times we don't need a double. (Like PWOC!) We picked the Bumbleride Flite, and got a phenomenal deal. We price matched Amazon, so they dropped $80 for that, and then used our gift card for 50, and got it 130 off! Score! :)  PS.. still looking for the perfect double. Preferably on Craigslist, of course!

--Brad gets early release days every Thursday. Apparently this is standard for everyone on Fort Hood, according to the post commander. It is such a blessing to have one day a week he comes home around 3. I love Thursdays!

--The weather here has been 100% amazing. Colton and I have spent countless hours this week playing in the playset out back, swinging, climbing up the slide, tossing a football around, exploring the many different sticks in the backyard, and splashing in the water table. It really has been a wonderful time. He would spend all day outside if we could, and some days we come close to it! All afternoon, at least, plus a long walk around the neighborhood! It is such a joy to play with him, see him learning new things all the time, teach him things, see the excitement on his face as we put his shoes on, etc. I am really trying to soak up these last couple months of just Colton and mommy all day time. I know it will be a lot different with a brand-new baby, and as much as I am looking forward to it, I know I will miss these hours and hours of playing with Colton. So I will soak it all up now, enjoy it, and try to overlook the many, many kicks, steps, sitting on, etc. to my growing belly. I know he just wants to be close to me, and using me as a jungle gym is a fun way to do that. As uncomfortable as it makes me. :)

Well dear friends, sorry I am slightly MIA. Hopefully this weekly blessings post sticks, and I can quit being so sporadic with my posts. Please let me know if you are joining me in this venture so I can be thinking and praying for the Lord to reveal His blessings in your life, as well!

--Jessica

Bugaboo Donkey

When searching for a double stroller (I know. My obsession again.) There is one specific stroller that always gets my heart a-racing. But that specific stroller can cost around $1500. EEEEK! The Bugaboo Donkey is amazing, though! But right now BabyGizmo is doing a giveaway of one. Could I be that one? I don't know! But it's worth a shot, that stroller is amazing and everything a girl could ask for!

What is wrong with this stroller obsession of mine?! My husband does not support it at all. Not in the least bit. Which is why I am scouring craigslist looking for my dream stroller. (I have no disillusions that the less than one year old donkey will be on CL right now. But I do know that several others I have my eye on are there - and at prices my husband will approve of, ish!)

If YOU want to enter to win the donkey, just check out the baby gizmo company on facebook. It will give you all the instructions there!

PS. If you HAVE a donkey.. and you want to give it to me/sell it to me for an amazingly low price.. I would be glad to take it off your hands! :)