Blessings

I am so blessed. Today marks the 8th year I've been married to the most amazing man. Happy Anniversary, Mike! I love you! Although our annual trip together will have to be postponed, I had so much fun on our date last night. Eight years and many more to come...

******************
Our church recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary.... Three years as an "official" church. Three years filled with a lot of heart, sweat, and prayer poured into a body of people 'without a building'. God's presence and blessings abound and I just love my church family so much! It is so wonderful to celebrate together what God has done through The Bridge, and what He's gonna do in the many years to come!

*******************

On top of that, some of the amazing women from The Bridge threw me a baby shower this past weekend. I am so very touched by their generosity and desire to bless my family. I don't think I can express enough how grateful we are for their love and support - financially, spiritually, and in the amazing friendships. The shower was so nice. We were definitely showered in PINK. :) Baby Hannah will certainly be more stylin' than her mommy! Several went in and totally surprised us with a new fancy-smancy stroller that we really needed. We feel so blessed!

tick tock...

Time seems to crawl for me when I'm pregnant, even amidst a busy schedule of activities. I have a little over 5 weeks until the due date. That means I have officially crossed into the not-so-pleasant phase of pregnancy. I'm a Pepcid-poppin', out of breath, can't get comfortable, back rub requesting, crazy lady. The plus side is that according to my hubby I haven't "swollen up" yet. With my son I had significant swelling in my ankles/arms/face. Oh, but there is still time...

I've told several new moms before - I think that the last month and a half of pregnancy is far worse than labor itself. Labor with my son was definitely tolerable. I had back labor exclusively, which was not so fun. But, Mike was fabulous with giving me counter pressure with every contraction until I got the blessed epidural. And, I didn't get the epidural until I was already 7cm [note: being in labor on a major holiday (ie Christmas) means the anesthesiologist MIGHT just take his precious time coming to your aid]

I'm not so worried about the labor/delivery part. I know I can handle it. I'm more concerned with the timing and making sure my son has someone to take care of him.

My son and I took my preregistration paperwork to the hospital the other day. I explained to him a little about how mommy will have to come there when Hannah comes. He has told me several times that he's "sorry it will hurt when she comes out of your belly button". I have no idea where he got that idea, but I've just rolled with it.

Going by the hospital ushered in a new wave of To Do lists, packing lists, and the like. Am I crazy to want my bags packed, her room set, and the car seat in the car already???

bucking tradition

Growing up, I had so many Easter traditions... a new dress each year - many handmade by my grandmother who was an incredible seamstress. Easter baskets filled with GIANT chocolate bunnies that took us weeks to eat. Hiding eggs with my brother for weeks before and after Easter. Church with my family. Huge dinners with my extended family after church. Pictures taken by the garden.

Jackson has been hiding and finding eggs ALL WEEK like crazy. We've dyed eggs, done a few Easter crafts, read the Resurrection story from the Bible every night, opened and explained the "Resurrection Eggs", and various other fun things this week leading up to Easter. [I am amazed at how much he gets it... the REAL story of Christ's Resurrection. And how when I teach it to him and my class at church, Christ's sacrifice touches my heart in new ways.]

But Easter day is a different story...

With both my hubby and I working for the church, Easter mornings are a bit CRAZY for us - there's so much to do to get ready for church. Weeks of preparation beforehand. Mike wakes up super early and is gone long before I wake up. Jackson and I leave early to get everything set up and ready to go for all the Bridgekidz classes, and with much help (thank you guys!), we hide hundreds and hundreds of eggs. The service was a wonderful time to celebrate Christ's Resurrection with our church family. The BridgeKidz classes went great. We leave church exhausted!

We opted for the oh-so-nontraditional Easter lunch at Salsa Fresh and McDonald's for Jackson. Ha! It was delicious! I debated all week about doing an Easter meal with all traditional yummy food. In the end, it was just too much for me to do with the busyness of church and this ever-growing belly of mine. Trust me - I was praising God with every bite of my yummy chimichanga-style Chicken Beuno Burrito! During lunch Jack spilled chocolate milk all down his clothes... that's when I realized we weren't getting a family picture for that day.

Once we finally made it home, Jackson got to pick a few pieces of candy and then it was off to his room for quiet time. Mike and I engaged in our regular Sunday afternoon tradition -- he naps for hours and I read the paper and watch cheesy 80's movies on TV.

Our laziness was interrupted by a call from the Wells wanting to play outside in the beautiful weather. We met them at our neighborhood ponds for some fishing. It was Madeline and Ryan's first time (and Lauren too!) so Mike brought rods for everyone and gave them some lessons. In no time, Ryan caught 3 fish and Madeline caught one! Jackson preoccupied himself with throwing sticks in the water for their dog Bobo. After the fishing success, we played on the playground. We had so much fun!

Returning home for dinner, Jackson had the traditional Easter peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Mike had leftovers, and I was still full from lunch so just munched on a little popcorn. We watched a new movie Jackson got from Aunt Kaye and then went to bed.

Probably not your traditional Easter in many ways... yet the day seemed perfect to me.

Sweet Homecoming

The Walters are home! I was able to go to the airport and be one of the many family and friends to greet them and meet Ben and Paige. I dare say there was not a dry eye. Ben and Paige were wide-eyed and content being passed from one person to the other. They are SO precious! I am beyond thrilled for these dear friends!!

Thank you, again, for your prayers!

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted, But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our inequities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely the arm of the Lord is not to short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear....He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. - Isaiah 59: 1-2, 16

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that , having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3:4-7

Wishing you each sacred time of reflection this weekend on the greatest act of love ever given. May you personally feel that love beyond measure from the God who chose the nails so that you may have a relationship with him.

Walters will be home Saturday!

We skyped with Tim, Anna, Ben and Paige this morning! It was so adorable to see the kids on the screen - and watch them stare at the computer in amazement. They were able to get the kids yesterday at 5:30. And, it was so evident that Ben and Paige were at ease with their new parents already. Tim says the transition has been amazingly smooth so far, even with an overnight train ride. They are in Moscow finishing the last bit of travel documents today and then they get on a plane Saturday to come HOME.

Many of you that read this blog have asked for updates and have been praying for them - and many of you don't even know the Walters personally. Thank you for your prayers and keep 'em coming! Pray for the last bit of paperwork today, for the LONG flight, and please pray for all the new transitions that will take place when they get home and reunite with Ty.

A cute side note: Jackson has been praying..."Dear God, please be wiff Mr. Tim and Anna on the airplane with Ty's new brother and sister"... same prayer everyday - he has it in his head that Tim and Anna have been in a airplane EVERY day since they have been gone.

Rah Rah Carolina-lina!

So happy for my boys in blue!!!!!

Bloggy links you'll love

I get asked from time to time how I know some of the peeps on my "Spare Time Reads" list. Most are people I do know from church, college, and camp. There are others that I do not know personally, but something about their blog inspires me. When time allows me, I love to read their tidbits on life and faith. I figure you might enjoy these as well...

Rocks In My Dryer - a Christian mom of 4 with well-written insights for making it through the day to day.

BooMama - the blog that makes me smile the most. An unapologetically very Southern mom with the most hilarious outlook on life and faith.

The Nesting Place - adorable home decorating ideas on a low budget

Simple Mom - A recent find that I LOVE. Practical tips for household management, parenting, cooking, you name it.

The Flowering Dogwood - great recipe site.

The LPM blog - Beth Moore's blog. 'Nuf said.

Bring The Rain - One of the most real and inspiring stories I have ever heard. This blog has challenged me in so many ways. She blogs about dealing with her faith and life in general while getting a hard diagnosis and losing a child. To read her blog, you MUST go to the tab on the left panel to read from the beginning. Have Kleenex and Bible in hand.


What blogs are your 'spare time reads'? Which ones inspire you the most?

Check it Out!

The Bridge has a newly redone website - check it out here. There are still a few pages we are working on, but I think it really turned out fantastic and much more user friendly than before.

Special thanks to Cary for all his hard work!