God is doing a work

We just got back from youth camp on Friday and we had a really great time with the youth of Calvary Chapel....we had 11 from our church that went. I spent a lot of time in my room with Israel so I didn't get as much time as I would have liked with the kids but one night in particular stands out. I had put Israel down and went and sat outside my room to read....Jeremiah texted me to say there was a move of the Holy Spirit. There were over 200 youth from different area churches and the majority of them were crying, repenting, rededicating their lives, or accepting Jesus as their Savior for the first time. I wasn't in the church service but afterward we all met together just outside my room and Jeremiah encouraged them and a lot of them shared what was going on in their hearts. It was so evident to me that the Lord had touched their hearts as I listened to them say with repentant hearts that they realized their lives are not their own and that they had been living them as though they were. Young men and women crying tears of repentance over the realization that their lives have not been pleasing to the Lord. It was obvious that this was a work of the Lord b/c teenagers, let alone grown adults just don't talk that way unless they have been touched by the hand of God. The next morning as we walked to breakfast it was evident to me that not only was it our 11 that God had spoken to but also most of the kids at camp......their were groups of kids already up and about praising God with music and song.....something that wasn't happening the mornings prior. It was a beautiful sound!!

My prayer is that the Lord would continue to speak to the youth and change them more and more into His image....that these kids would go back to their homes and churches and revivals and awakenings would break out all over as a result of people seeing the love of Jesus pour out of their lives. It is so encouraging to see young people that love Jesus! I want to love Him more and live out my life as a bondservant of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is to be called a child of God.

busy June

We have had a lot going on and June has been and will continue to be crazy packed with things we are committed to. First off, we found out May 26 that we are expecting baby #2...I think everyone that reads this already knows but I'll write it anyway. I think I am around 9 weeks along that makes me due sometime around January 20. With the exception of a few queasy moments here and there and being more tired than usual I haven't really felt like I am pregnant. I guess I will count my blessings and hope it stays that way:) The morning I found out, Jeremiah had the day off work so when he was still in bed Israel and I made an early morning trip to the store and I also picked up a test. I took it when I got home and 2 lines appeared right away. I was so shocked...I don't know why but I was.....I went in to tell Jeremiah, he was still half asleep when I told him Israel was going to be a big brother......he didn't understand for awhile....later he said he was trying to figure out who was pregnant in order for Israel to be a brother....lol....he was definitely still asleep. We are both very excited!

Then we had Israel's dedication and a birthday party all on his birthday...June 6th. It was a great 1st birthday for a little guy. We had a cookout with our family and watched him open presents and dig into his very own basketball cake.

We just got back from a 3 night-4 day vacation at Brown Co State Park. It was a great time. We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps 8 and has a kitchen, bathroom, and AC. We went with Jeremiah's parents, his brother Caleb, sister Claudia, and a niece and a nephew. We went hiking, swimming, and shopping in Nashville. It was so beautiful there....and you don't really feel like you are in Indiana anymore! The cabin rates are really reasonable if you are splitting the price with other families...I would recommend it to anyone.

This Saturday and the next we have weddings to go to. And, next week we are going with our church youth group to youth camp at the Higher grounds conference center. I think this will be a memorable June but it sure does make me tired just looking at the calendar:)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

Emealz to the rescue

One of my least favorite things is meal planning. I have the hardest time planning good, healthy, and economical meals. I wish you rec'd a manual on this when you get married. A couple of years ago I found out about Emealz....it is a web-site where you pay $5 a month and they send you a weekly dinner meal plan with recipes and grocery list. It is customizable to the store you shop at and they use recipes for that week that go along with the stores discounts. I also chose a meal plan that serves 2-3 people so you save money by not having too many leftovers which is great b/c my husband is not big on leftovers. Thought some of you mommies out there might want to check this out ....i LOVE this and to me it is totally worth the $5 a month b/c of the money I save grocery shopping. We like almost all of the meals too AND there is variety....I find when I do my own meal planning that I tend to make the same things week to week and it just gets old! So, if you are interested, go to e-mealz.com and check it out!

delayed weaning

I have decided to delay the weaning process....Israel has not been feeling well the past couple of days and he has been teething...poor lil guy has been using his fists to soothe the teething pains. He has been nursing a lot better and it seems to comfort him so I don't want to add another thing to the mix of changes. Also, I have been a little sentimental about it....not like crying or anything but just not feeling ready for this to end quite yet. There is some pressure from some family members that feel he is too old to be nursing and aren't afraid to say so. Sometimes, I am tempted to lie when they ask, "Is he still nursing?".....but I know that wouldn't be right. So we will see, I will be praying about what I should do:)

11 months old

Israel is 11 months old today and it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside! Well this time last year I was anxiously awaiting his arrival and had no idea what a blessing he would be to our lives!

Some things Israel is doing now........

says in his own way.....bye bye, ball, mama, dada, dog, night night, and he tries to say book and bath but they sound a lot like how he says ball.

he likes to bark like a dog, to push chairs around so he can walk, to be outside, to look out windows and doors, to eat, to throw balls, to pick grass and flowers, to eat rocks (well, he tries to but I don't let him for obvious reasons), to cuddle his blankie and lamb, to drink from his sippy cup, to nap and sleep, to dump the nasty drooly dog water out of the dog bowl

he is very ticklish, he likes to have his space....not much of a cuddler unless it is the occasional random hug initiated by himself, he is very independent and knows what he wants and doesn't want :) he is trying to learn how to walk....just waiting until he takes those first couple of steps.

he has been a very easy baby.....slept through the night starting at 2 weeks old.....good napper.....good eater.....and just a happy baby.....hoping any future baby or babies will be as easy as him.

For the past couple of days I have been thinking about weaning him from the breast.....it makes me sad. On his end, I know he is not attached to it and I am pretty sure he will be easy to wean. He is to the point where he moves around so much that it gets a little frustrating to nurse him....I have been nursing him in the bed because anywhere else and he gets distracted by his toys. With him being so active I don't have to worry about him falling asleep while nursing.....instead he likes to do what I call "acrobatic nursing"....standing on his head and wiggling every which way.....it is driving me nuts so it is helping me be not so sentimental about weaning him but it is still hard. I haven't started yet but I think I will start in the next couple of weeks dropping one feeding per week.....His morning feeding will be the last to go because it is the one he enjoys the most and I may even keep it for awhile depending on how I feel. I have been giving him a sippy cup with water and he has gotten quite good at it....I have also already given him cow's milk and he loves that.....I will be replacing each feeding with a sippy cup of whole milk. We'll see how it goes.....my goal was to breastfeed until he was 12 months so time is almost up...who knows we may be done a little before his first birthday!

focusing and reading......

Israel likes to explore, probably the same with any child his age and trying to learn to walk.....but I want to teach him to be able to focus so I have him play in his playard around 30 minutes between each nap. He plays with his toys soooo much better in there...I set the timer and he knows that when it goes off it is time to get out. He is able to focus and not become distracted with the world around him:) He is able to learn better because he plays with an individual toy instead of going from one thing to the next.

Today I was thinking about when I read to him he will usually only sit on my lap and focus for one or two pages and then he wants to get down and explore or do the book himself, flipping through the pages. Soooo, I removed all the toys from his playard and got in the playard with him and we began to read....I read three whole books to him until he was ready to be done. He even pointed to a ball on the page and said "Bah" which is a first....YAY! I only brought in one book at a time because I knew he would want to play with the other books while I read instead of focusing.

I am happy with the results and plan to do this from now on....right now he just needs that option of exploration taken away until he learns to focus better:)

6 years ago......

6 years ago today the course of my life was drastically changed......6 years ago today I was heartbroken, horrified, terrified, shattered, scared, lost, at a loss for words......the words to describe the emotions go on and on. 6 years ago today I lost the man I was going to marry and spend my life with. He died suddenly with no real explanation approximately 6 weeks from the day we were to be married. We were going to open a joint checking account the next weekend and the following was my wedding shower, the wedding invitations were stamped and ready to be sent. The plans were in order and we were ready to start our lives together.......but God had a different plan.

God's plan was that Bryan's time on this earth was up....i guess we will never know the reason until we see Jesus in heaven. As hard as it was to accept, His plan was not for us to spend our lives together as husband and wife. I remember feeling so out of control, the shocking reality that at any moment the rug could be pulled out from under me and MY plans terrified me. Almost instantly, I knew I had to go to the One who knows all....the One who has created all....in order to find peace and rest. He is the One who holds this world in His hands and I knew He would hold me and He did and He still does! I find peace in knowing that even though I don't know what tomorrow holds.....God does.....and He will give me the strength to get through whatever crosses my path.

I also realized that the reason I am here on this earth is NOT to fulfill MY plans but to seek Jesus and to fulfill His plans for my life. He is the One who created me, He knows all and sees all so why would I look within myself to see what path to take. Since I was created and because I know nothing but what I can see in front of me, why then would I try to do things on my own? Shouldn't we be seeking Jesus, God, for guidance and for help?

He loves us so much and He wants a relationship with us. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with Him.....I remember talking with one of the ladies at Bryan's church after he passed away and telling her that I was trying to remember the scripture "all things work together for good".......and she said, yes but remember it says "And we know that all things work together for good to those WHO LOVE GOD, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) She emphasized that this scripture is directed only to those who love God....this really spoke to my heart. I think so many people quote this scripture but they don't ever see the power in it....they don't ever see it lived out in their lives because they aren't truly loving God.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that what happened was good or that Bryan's death was good but I am saying that I called out to the Lord, He carried me through the darkest hour of my life, I fell deeply in love with Him and His word......and He has brought good in my life......He has given me peace in trials, hope in heaven, forgiveness from my sins, joy in Him, and love unexplainable! And He is slowly changing me and molding me into His image although I have a long way to go. AND I believe Bryan is in heaven singing with the angels.....joy unspeakable......even though he is deeply missed by friends and family.....he would not want to leave the presence of our Father.....I find comfort in that!

I will end with Isaiah 61:1-3 one of my favorite scriptures "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has annointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." In my Bible commentary it says Jesus took these verses as His text when He preached in Nazareth (Luke 4:16) and announced that He was ushering in the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25). It is a time of releasing the slaves, canceling debts, and making a new beginning. Today, those who trust Christ begin to enjoy their Jubilee; those who reject Him face judgment.

When I read these verses I feel my heart leaping in my chest and I imagine myself pumping my fists saying YES YES YES.....like I was at a Colts superbowl game watching the running back run across the field and into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.....lol....you get the idea! There truly is hope in Christ!