Monday, August 2, 2010

God sent me an Angel

So hubby's in Albany, GA on a middle school's mission trip with church. He's organized a lot of it and I'm thrilled for him. My mom is in town helping me get the kids off to school and me to work every day.

Yesterday was a frustrating day. Nothing in particular at all, just a lot of frustration. I've been trying really hard to not lose my temper and get angry with the kids (yelling, etc) so as I was keeping myself in check, I sent hubby a text and said "Please pray for me." He called me right back and I was frustrated that he wanted to pray for me on the phone (see? I told you I was frustrated...) I said, "I'm trying to get Lil Brother to sleep. Don't pray with me. Pray FOR me. I gotta go." I lay down with Lil Brother and started to breathe and nurse him to sleep. All of a sudden I hear these footsteps across the tile and see this little head bob up to me on the bed.

Doodle: "Mommy? I uh... uh... I uh..."
(Now keep in mind, her staying in her room has been a big battle and she's been doing great with it lately.)
Me: *sternly* "What?"
Doodle: "I um...um..."
Me: *more sternly* "WHAT?"
Doodle: "I wanna teach you something."
Me: "Ok"
Doodle: She starts singing... "Arise and shine and give God the glory, glory. Arise and shine and give God the glory glory, Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory, Children, of the Lord."

I burst into tears. I grabbed her and told her that she was my GIFT from God and that she had made mommy's night so special.

Then I told her to get her booty in bed. :)

I texted hubby and said, "whatever you prayed, thanks... God sent me an Angel."

He called me back and said, "WHAT HAPPENED?!" I told him and he started tearing up. He said he felt the Holy Spirit leave his shoulder and rest on mine."

Thanks God for the reminder... :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Journal 6/7 - Tired

When I'm tired, I show some very ugly colors.  The venom that spews from my mouth and the attitude I have just plain sucks and it hurts the very ones that I love the most.

I got 2 hours of sleep last night.  Robbie was tossing and turning all night and just miserable.  You could tell that he just wasn't comfortable.  It's either the diaper rash he's got going on or the fluid in his ears... or both.

I lost my temper with Robbie and with Rob this morning.  Rob heard me say something and call him a name and I don't remember that coming out of my mouth.  It wouldn't be the first time though that I said something in anger and then can't remember what it was.  It's like I have no memory of it... like blacking out after an alcohol binge.

I also have a tendancy to critizse things he does "incorrectly" however if anyone dares say anything to me, I am so quick to shoot it down or have something negative to say.

I've been told that anger is a secondary emotion.  It usually is a response emotion due to other circumstances.  

If I'm honest with myself, I can tell you exactly what those circumstances are....
  • I am stressed out about this week at work.
  • I got no sleep last night.
  • I'm worried about Robbie.
  • I'm worried about the financial ruin we're in.
  • I'm scared to trust Rob and believe he's putting his family above all else.
  • I'm worn down, tired and I feel beaten.
So Rob's idea about this journal is that I'll document what happens in the day and the look up a theme on BibleGateway and find a verse that discusses what I'm dealing with.

I found this one:

Isaiah 30: 20-21
20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

I am so tired of feeling sad and hurt.  I am so tired of feeling angry because of those emotions.  I really wish that I could feel some more of God's love today.  I really do.  Right now I feel so far away....

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Journal 06/05

I should start off this post by stating how negative I was last night.  I had already made up my mind to NOT go to the beach with Rob and the girls because I had concocted up all these "possible events" of what might or might not happen.  Because of this negativity, I affected those around me.  I went to sleep with the negative in the back of my head and woke up with it too.  I could not WAIT for them to get out of the house so I could have a little peace and quiet.  Sure, I still had Robbie, but I had in my mind a few things I HAD to get done and couldn't do them sufficiently (in my negative head) with them around.

I was already frustrated with Rob from the night before because he was up until 2am on the computer.  Granted, harmless, but I know how he gets when he's tired.  (GRUMPY!)  The girls woke us up this morning and Robbie was still sleeping soundly next to me.  I was so frustrated that I was being woken up when in my head I had this grand idea I'd get to "sleep in."  Granted, I did get to and of course it didn't occur to me that Rob had already gotten up, got the girls ready for the beach, fed them breakfast, packed the car... etc.  I got up, put the girls' hair up in ponytails and helped put sunscreen on.  My mood was OK at that point but not great - not where I should be.  They left and I was FREE to do what I wanted to do.

I folded socks.

Yes.

I folded socks.  That's what I wanted to do.  So instead of having a beach day with my kids, I folded socks.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't regret not going.  I was tired, Robbie was tired, it was good to be near a bed where I could just nurse him to sleep and I could read my book with no interruptions.

I got some laundry done, I picked up the girls' rooms, I DID get things done and I felt great after I did get those things done.

So then the kids get home with Rob and they've had a great time.  Chaos ensues just like it always does and my negativity comes back.  I make lunch for all of us (easy Pizza!) and Rob is in a foul mood.  You can tell he was trying not to be but he lost his nice flip flops on the beach and he was just mad at himself.  What I wanted to say was "Who cares about the dang flip flops!"  I feed off his moods like there's no tomorrow.  I shouldn't do that and I need to figure out a way around that.  Then he dropped his pizza all over the floor and stormed out.  Poor guy.  I then felt bad about the flip flops... and the pizza.

We said a few short things to one another that were not said with understanding, patience and kindness. Every single time I open my mouth and venom comes out, I regret it.

James 3:3 
Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 
Jesus Christ's love needs to be my bit.

So anyway, the afternoon continues and it's mostly OK.  I still don't feel very good inside but I try to let things go.  I did yell a few times today at the kids (although justified that I got on to them for x,y,z, I didn't need to yell to accomplish it.

James 3:6-7 
And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our [bodies]; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. For every creature—animal or bird, reptile or fish—is tamed and has been tamed by man.

We went to a family baby shower this evening and were surrounded by warm & friendly people.  We got home at bedtime and the kids are peacefully sleeping now.  I am tired.  My body is tired and my mind is tired.  It is time for me to rest.  The night has ended well.

2 Corinthians 6
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindnessin the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

'Till tomorrow...

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Simplify - Step 1

Maybe one day I'll go into the details.  Maybe I won't.

However, we've made the first step in simplifying our very material world.

We have gotten rid of the DVR ($8), the Digital HD Cable Package ($72) and went down to basic cable, 14 channels.  We will have internet but we just reduced our cable bill by half.

Step 1 - complete.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

It's been a while

Wow, it's been a while hasn't it?  It feels like I have a lot to say but I'm not quite sure where to start.

Life has taken some turns.  None bad, but not easy either.  I've been angry, sad, happy, elated, scared - gosh it seems I'm all of those things all the time.  I've had some time to really sink down deep into my heart and see some ugly things about me that I know need to change.  I've also seen glimmers of home deep inside me that I cling to knowing that I'm going to make the right choices.

Rob's doing a student ministry internship right now.  It's unpaid but he's learning the ins and outs of student ministry and that's where he needs to be.  We are painfully broke.  Today was a turning point where we both realized it's time to focus on humility and with that I think we're going to make some big changes in our lives.  It's time to simplify.  I don't think we can truly grasp what God's trying to do with our lives if we continue to live the lifestyle we currently are living.

Work is going very well for me.  I really do enjoy what I do and I'm growing each day.

The kids are amazing.  Lil Brother is 7 months old, has four teeth and quite a funny personality.  He's a cuddly little guy and smiles ALL THE TIME.  Bug is 20 months old now and has blossomed.  She is such a trip.  She's starting to talk more and more and communicate well with us which causes less and less tantrums.  Doodle is 4 and boy is she a pistol.  She keeps us on our toes and keeps us humble for sure.

My relationship with my husband is amazing.  We have grown more this year than we ever have and I am so thankful to have a man like him in my life.

Dear Heavenly Father,  please guide me each day as I try to be more and more like Jesus.  I know that it's with Your forgiveness and grace that each day I fail, I seek You and there You are for me.  Every day I stumble.  Every day I need You.  Every day I need to feel Your love.  I am nothing without You.  I cannot be a good wife, a good mother or a good friend without You.  Help me remember to recognize that.  Help me control my tongue and my temper.  Help me love my husband, my children and friends the way Your Son loves us.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Baptism

We have had all three of our children baptized and I wanted to share pictures of that. (Maybe later I'll explain our beliefs regarding baptism of children.)

We had Hannah baptized in St. George Island, FL on the beach. 



This place has such significance to me.  Maybe I'll post about SGI soon.  

 We also had Robbie and Lily baptized at our local church where we are members.



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

My sweet Doodle turned 4!

My sweet and spirited Doodledunk is four.  She turned four yesterday and we celebrated over the weekend with my parents that came into town.  We also celebrated at her school yesterday with blueberry muffins we made the night before.  We luckily were able to piggyback on the Easter party they had a school and didn't need to go overboard.  My husband made a good call too.  We had bought $70+ dollars worth of trinkets, etc to go in homemade goody bags for her (31!!!) classmates but then rethought that decision that it just wasn't necessary and we're going to return the items.  I've never understood why other children get gifts on other kids' birthdays.  

We had been working Doodle up for her birthday for a few weeks now.  We would ask her over and over what she wanted for her birthday and she replied, Speed toys (Lightning McQueen, Cars toys), Dora and Boots, light-up shoes, a pink cake, pink icing and a four candle.  Oh, and an American flag (???).  

It was also our 6th anniversary this weekend so my parents came into town to watch the kids while hubby and I went out.  They got to enjoy the festivities for Doodle's birthday. My mom made a pink cake, pink icing and we had a "four candle". 

 

 
The only thing she didn't get was the American flag.  We're working on that...She also got the cutest phone.  It's a real phone, just a mini version and we hooked it up in the office. It's her grandparent hotline and she loves it.


A coworker let us have her bunk beds and an unused mattress for FREE!  (Thank you GC!)  We took her to Kohl's to pick out a new bedding set and she just thought she was hot stuff.  We ended up going with this set.  She was thrilled to have a big bed with big pillows and a big comforter.


After celebrating at school yesterday, hubby and I left the kids there to run home and do a few things that we usually do during the evenings.  I kind of felt guilty leaving them, but we knew we'd be tired after the evening's activities so I'm so thankful we decided to do that.  After 45 minutes at home, we turned around and picked them up, drove to Monkey Jungle and met my two friends from high school that are here visiting.  It had been since 2001 since I've seen them.  It was so great.  I just wanted to hug them and never let go.  They brought two of their three children and the kids had a blast playing around the place.



We left around 8pm (our kids' usual bedtime) and it was meltdown city.  As we were leaving, the employee gave Doodle a lollipop and we told her she could have it tomorrow.  She promptly took off the wrapper and licked it and daddy threw it away (for not obeying).  The entire way home she cried.  She informed us she wanted to be SIX, skip FIVE and be a grown up so she could drive.  Lil' Brother cried most of the way (he was overtired) and Bug fell asleep.  The only thing we could do was laugh.  Sometimes that's all you can do!

I think she had a fantastic birthday although I think the only thing she remembers is that daddy threw away her lollipop.  *smiles*

Friday, March 19, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Marriage

I know I've been MIA for a while.  I was traveling for work the first of the month and now with the time change things are just all outta whack... but I'll get back into the swing of things again soon I pray!

I wanted to share two posts from two different blogs regarding marriage that I really found insightful and nice to read.

A blog called Friends Family and Laughter  - for Better... but What about when it's Worse
An entry from from MckMama - Love and War and lastly, another series of postings called He Said/She Said that focus on forgiveness and how lust can kill, yet with God's help and forgiveness, heal a marriage.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Breathing down my neck...

Weird coincidence?  I think not.

My blog website is doodledunk.blogspot.com.  The title of my blog is plusonemore.

Rob wanted to read my blog and couldn't remember the link address but he did remember what the title was.

So he typed in plusonemore.blogspot.com.

Go ahead, click it here

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Hey God... I'm finally listening

I don't know where to begin.  I have SO much to say.  I have SO much in my jumbled head.  It's good though... it's intimidating, but good.

To anyone that has faced a spiritual battle, any pieces of advice would be great.

Rob has been "called" and I have been called to stand beside Rob and trust God.

I'm not sure what that means but we're trying to listen.  However, I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life.

I am watching Satan try to interfere.  We're muting him, we're beating him and we will be fighting our entire life.
Living a life as a Christ follower is now, all or nothing.  There is no in-between.

I didn't understand it before.  I knew what I needed to do.  I knew what I felt, I just wasn't open.

I had fear.  I had anger.  I had no idea what love really was.  

I no longer have fear.  I no longer have anger.  I know what love is and to think I thought I had a clue.... ha!

God is doing AMAZING things with us right now.  Satan is trying every.single.trick.in.the.book.

Reverence.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

God's Love.

"Give it to God"


All those things that people had said/preached before were words.  They were words I never truly understood.  Secretly I was jealous that I didn't understand.  I found myself saying, "Is this IT?  All these promises of a life for God and this is IT?"  Well, little did I know that this was exactly what I needed to do to open my heart to Him.

I want to make sure I write down what has happened and how it's made me feel.

I need to put it down because I know the Evil One isn't going to stop trying to destroy us.  We cannot give him a foothold right now.  He has nothing to stand on.

Now is not a time for me to get cocky.  Now is not a time for me to say, "Oh yeah?!  God's using us!  We're good..."

Wrong... the Evil One strikes harder when there's more to lose.

Currently, Rob's reading: When the Enemy Strikes and I'm ordering Armed and Dangerous.

Here's a perfect link to describe what we're going through right now.

The past two days have been mentally exhausting so that our physical body is giving out.

I know now what it means to Trust in God.  And I know now how much I want everyone to feel this way too.  The overwhelming JOY is nothing I've ever felt before, however, I feel the breath of Satan himself breathing down my neck.  I should be scared, but I have God.  truly do.  

You don't have to agree with me.  You don't have to agree with anything I say.  Honestly, I'm not doing this for you.  It's now for Him. This is my journey and it's incredibly personal.  I'd love for you to share it with me.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Little Girl calls 911 - every daddy's hero!

Below is a link from the Bonnie Hunt show.  Watch it... watch the whole thing!  What a brave little girl!

This link will connect you to the YouTube video

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Sickies in the house!

Rob is home sick with what they're calling the beginning of a "Bronchial Viral Infection" - oh doesn't that sound awful?!

As I pulled into work this morning, daycare called and said Bug had thrown up three times.  She was fine this morning!  So since Rob's home, he went to pick her up and be home with her. 

I cannot take off work because my would be fill-in is on vacation and my boss is coming next week.  It is not a good time for me to get sick or my kids right now... not that it's ever a good time to get sick...

Hear that world... ?

Now, that I've told the world what she can't do, I'll chat with God.

"Dear God... our house needs to be healthy.  Please bless us with your presence and rid our house of these awful germs!  Amen!"

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The new addition to our family...

I would like to welcome a new member to our family!




This is Velina Kyakimwa! She is 5.5 years old and her birthday is August 24th. She is our sponsor child through Compassion International.

Here's what we know about where she lives...

Your sponsored child lives in the hillside community of Kabatunda, home to approximately 83,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls and thatch roofs. The primary ethnic group is Bakonzo and the most commonly spoken language is Lhukonzo. The regional diet consists of beans, bananas and cassava. Common health problems in this area include cholera, malaria and diarrhea. Most adults in Kabatunda are unemployed but some work as farmers and earn the equivalent of $3 per month. This community needs employment opportunities and affordable education. Your sponsorship allows the staff of Kabatunda Child Development Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, medical care, health and hygiene campaigns, recreational activities, nutritious food, social events, opportunities for community service, cultural programs, counseling, skills training, tuition, educational classes and domestic supplies. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Time is going so fast...

As I sat on the couch last night holding Little Brother in my arms and flying him up in the air while his drool dripped down on my shirt, watching him smile and coo at me... I realized, "He is four months old!"

I then looked at Bug who sat happily playing with her Little People airplane and realized, "She is sixteen months old!"

I then looked over at Doodle who was doing a silly dance to "Move it, Move it" that she is almost FOUR years old.

Then I looked at my husband and realized we have only been married five and a half years and where on earth has the time gone?

This time is so precious.

I only pray that I have the wisdom to realize this when they want one more song, one more book, one more nursing at the breast, one more tuck into bed, one more diaper change, and one peanut butter and jelly swammich.

I love you my Doodle.
I love you my Bug.
and I love you little brother.
... and I love you my husband.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Pearls

I've always loved Sade.  Her music is beautiful and her voice is haunting.  I turned on my Pandora station this morning as I started working and this song was the first to come on.  I hear a few key parts that made me want to look up the lyrics.  After reading the lyrics, it made me ache for the people of Haiti.

God be with them.

There is a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Keeps her will alive
That's how she's dying
She's dying to survive
Don't know what she's made of
I would like to be that brave
She cries to the heaven above
There is a stone in my heart
She lives a life she didn't choose
And it hurts like brand-new shoes

Hurts like brand-new shoes

There is a woman in Somalia
The sun gives her no mercy
The same sky we lay under
Burns her to the bone
Long as afternoon shadows
It's gonna take her to get home
Each grain carefully wrapped up
Pearls for her little girl

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

She cries to the heaven above
There is a stone in my heart
She lives a life she didn't choose
And it hurts like brand-new shoes

Monday, January 18, 2010

Milk Banks donating to Haiti

The Human Milk Bank Assoc. of North America has confirmed that mothers can donate their milk to the Human Milk Bank Association of North America to send to Haiti. You can call 1-866-998-4550 or visit http://www.hmbana.org/

This fills my heart with joy!!! 


I've already called and left a message.

My Birthday Surprise!

My 30th birthday came and went last weekend.


This weekend was promising to be busy.  My mother in law and father in law came into town Friday and my parents came into town Saturday to be at Bug and Little Brother's baptism (more on that later).  So we had lots of grandparent love and help which was awesome.

Our plan was to do a belated birthday dinner on Saturday night since we'd have automatic babysitters!  We talked about going to a movie or to a bar to listen to live music.  We got home from church, got dressed and went to TacoLu's for dinner.  It's kind-of a bistro Mexican restaurant.  I mean, you don't go there for chicken fajitas.  You go there for seared tuna tacos or avocado tacos.  It was good!

Rob was a weird nervous wreck all day.  He was super hyper and just very anxious (in a good way) all day.  He was driving me up the wall.  Usually I'm the one that's super anxious but for some reason, I was the calm one and he was the stress-case.  We left for dinner and his phone was blowing up.  He mentioned something about going back home to check on the kids and tuck them in and then us going back out to finish the night.  That was all fine and dandy.  I was just goin' with the flow.  We pulled in the neighbor's driveway to get the information to feed their dog (ha!) and I walked in a dark house to all my neighbors and a few friends yelling "Surprise! Happy Birthday!"  I was blown away.... seriously?  Then I looked around and saw my parents and his parents and said, "Um... who has my children?"  They all started laughing and I heard a few "I told you she'd say that!" comments.  Turns out, we had two babysitters at our house next door that I knew (and trusted) and everyone was here to celebrate my birthday.


The night was great.  Lots of friends and lots of small chit chat between groups of people.  It was simple and wonderful.


Thank you honey... the surprise was wonderful and you're an even more wonderful husband.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Padded Crib Sheets

So when Doodle moved from the infant room to the toddler room, I didn't like the thought of her napping on an uncomfy cot vs. a crib.  Her great aunt C came up with a great idea for a padded crib sheet.  I gave her a sheet and she took it home and quilted it for us.  She also embroidered her name on it so it wouldn't get misplaced.  We've used this sheet for years now and although I wouldn't recommend using it in the crib, it makes a great must have item for our little ones when they're napping on cots at daycare!

I contacted her today and asked her if she'd be willing to sell these to people and customize them for each child.  To my delight (and hopefully yours!), she said yes!  She's going to do a sheet for Little Brother and going to figure out how much it costs.  Until then, I wanted to see if anyone is interested in buying them from her.

You can mail her the sheet of your choice and she will quilt it for you and embroider their name.  She has other embroidery options but I will let her decide to share that herself when you contact her!

So please, if you're interested in getting a padded sheet for your little darling, respond to me or e-mail me directly at issakeeper at yahoo dot com and I'll pass on her information.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Last Ten Years

I've seen a few blogs and posts with people reviewing the past decade. 
Let's see what I've done and what I can remember!

2000Twenty.
I was dating a country boy and we'd been together for a while. 
I still lived with my parents & worked for a non profit.

2001: Twenty-one.
I moved out on my own with a fun roomie and started working for Budweiser.
I worked directly for the daughter of the Busch family. 
That was an experience!


I broke up with the boy and started on a trend of not making good decisions
I joined a site called facethejury.com (good decision, stupid site)



I met a lot of people online and started some friendships with folks I still am friends with today.

2002: Twenty-two.
Still on the "bad" trend, still frequenting the online forums of FTJ and still meeting people online.  Someone put something in my drink in a bar and avoided being who knows what by a group of guys because a random cop decided to walk me to my car. 
I decided to make some changes personally and decided to stop my behavior and put my trust in God
I stopped looking for that someone. I encountered a man by the name of Rob in a forum I visited daily.



He lived in CT and we started talking in the fall. 
I took out some money and bought a plane ticket to NY where he picked me up and we had a whirlwind weekend of fun and love. 
We fell in love immediately and knew we had to be together for life. 
We knew this was IT and we knew that God had a bigger plan for us.
Broke the news to my parents that I was in love with someone I met online (*gasp!*) ...



Flew to Dallas, TX for a meet-up with a group of close friends from FTJ.
(This was one of the most fun weekends in my life!)



One of my best friend from high school, Holly, died in a car accident on her way home for Christmas.

2003: Twenty-three.
Moved to Connecticut with Rob and his dog Noodles. 



Got to go to the New York Athletic Club and experience downtown NY in a neat way...
...and also got to attend my first Yankees game!


I worked for a local pharmacy as a Pharmacy Technician.
I got to go to the Adirondack Mountains and try to snowboard.



Rob asked me if I wanted to go "home" and we packed our stuff and moved to Florida.
We moved into an apartment and got Cassie to give Noodles a buddy.



2004: Twenty-four.
Rob and I got married on the beach in March. 
This is the smile, that I've never shown before....



Bought our first house and broke our backs renovating it.



Experienced a pregnancy loss & realized we wanted to start trying to have a child.

2005: Twenty-five.
Experienced another pregnancy loss.
Conceived our first child due in March 2006!
Sold and bought another home literally two houses down and across the street.
(Picture is from previous owners)



2006: Twenty six.
Doodle dunk was born March, 2006!



2007: Twenty seven.
We moved into a bigger home and rented our old home.
October, we lost Noodles to cancer.



Suffered another pregnancy loss.
Immediatly concieved again, due August 2008.
Welcomed Marlie into our home.



2008: Twenty eight.
We found out we were expecting another girl!  "Bug" was born late August.  Gosh, if I hadn't been the one pregnant with her, I wouldn't have even known she was mine :) This little munchkin looks just like her daddy.



2009: Twenty nine.
Much to our surprise, we found out we were expecting again when "Bug" was only 4.5 months old. 
Baby boy due September 2009! 
Spent the entire year reciving wonderful donor milk for Bug (milk dried up with the pregnancy.) 
Rob's sister got married to the best Bro-in-law ever. 
We welcomed "Little Brother" born late September 2009.



Whew... life has been quick, fast and furious. 
We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams.
We end the decade as a family of five completely content and learning how to put God first in our lives.






Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Your potential

There is no limit to your potential. For there is no limit to what you can imagine, and whatever you can imagine, you can bring into your life.

Yes, there are very real hurdles to whatever you attempt. And in some way or another, you can get yourself over every one of them.
 
When you imagine limitations, they become real. Instead, focus your imagination on the positive possibilities, and focus your efforts on making them real.

Think of all the things, once considered to be impossible, that are now commonplace. Always remember that when there is a good enough reason, there is a way.

In every moment, you are making progress in one direction or another. Choose to use those moments, as they come, and focus your efforts to fulfill the great potential that is yours.

Feel the unique potential that is your life. Give your own special beauty to the world.
-- Ralph Marston