God's Timing

Sometimes I don't understand Him and sometimes I question Him, but above all, I know I just need to trust Him. Jason and I decided to put a "For Sale" sign in front of our house about a month and a half ago. We never got any serious offers but we also never put it in the paper or anything either. We were going to take the sign down this past Sunday but then something amazing happened. We were all ready to stay here but then on Thursday night I received a phone call from a lady who wanted to see our house. I was not able to talk to her until Friday. She came over and looked at the house and loved it. She then had her husband come over and look at it and they both loved it. I was crushed! We had started doing some painting and had just resigned ourself to the fact that we were staying here. We were just waiting to see if Jason got a raise on Sunday night. I didn't know why all of this was happening right before the vote. Well, we prayed about it, sought wise counsel, and decided that we would go until God told us no. We are currently under contract on the house. The really cool thing is that there is a couple in our church who have a rent house that came open two weeks ago. God's timing is perfect. If, for whatever reason, this does not work out, I still know that God is in control.

Amanda tagged me so I have to tell five random facts about myself.

My five random facts (I spent alot of time thinking about these):

1. I do not like either bread or water (I do eat and drink them occasionally). I would never survive prison.

2. My favorite holiday (at least decoration wise) is Independence Day.

3. My favorite movie is "The Sound of Music."

4. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

5. I am half-Italian. My mom is full-blooded Italian.

I now tag Sheree, Jason, and Stephanie.

Ice Storm 2007

Alright, I don't know who all reads this but for those of you who are wondering, we are good. I know that Oklahoma has been all over the news recently because of the ice storm. We never lost power and we don't have any more ice here in Purcell. However, just 15 minutes up the road is Norman, which was very hard hit. There are still alot of people in the Oklahoma City area and the Tulsa area who do not have power. Please pray for them because we have snow coming this weekend. Emily noticed today that we didn't have leaves on our tree and I told her it was because it was fall. That reminded me that it is not even winter yet and we are dealing with this cold weather! I was not made for this. Being from Louisiana, I do not care for cold weather. I told Jason that I think God is calling us to live somewhere below I-10. He said that reduces our choices down to Florida. My response? That sounds good to me!

Getting Ready for Baby

Well, Emily is officially growing up. She has moved into her new room and into her new bed. It is a toddler bed and is so cute. She loves it! She "sleeps" in it all day long. Her thing right now is spending the whole day in her night-night clothes so that she can rest whenever she wants. Jason got her toys and books moved in today so her room is starting to come together. We are also getting ready to go through all of Emily's old stuff and pick out things for the baby. Emily is so excited!

I do have to tell one cute story. On Sunday she learned about Mary and the angel telling her that she had good news, that Mary was going to have a baby and his name would be Jesus. We have a stuffed nativity set that Emily plays with and so after telling me about what she learned in Bible school, she acted it out. She had Mary and the Angel and then she had the Angel tell Mary, "I have good news. You will have baby Jesus." She then put baby Jesus underneath Mary's shirt so that she was pregnant with him. This was one time I wish I had the video camera right there.

It is amazing how much they pick up on and understand at such a young age. I think with my belly being as big as it is, she is able to comprehend that Jesus was born to Mary and that He was special. I pray that we never forget that.

Oh, the Irony!

Okay, it has been a while since I posted anything, but I decided I couldn't pass on this one. As most people know now, LSU has made it into the National Championship game. (If you didn't know or don't care, I will pray for you.) So, anyway, I was REALLY excited about this. However, last time we went to the doctor, we scheduled to have the baby induced. The funny thing is, the baby will be induced on January 7th. Unless she comes before then on her own, that will be her birthday. What makes this really funny is that LSU will play for the national title on, you guessed it, January 7th. I think God does things sometimes to remind us of what truly matters in life and so if I don't see it, I guess I will just have to settle for the highlights.

My trivial woes

Okay, it is time for me to address something I can no longer ignore. My LSU Tigers. Everything was moving right along, we were doing really good, until this weekend. I shouldn't be so sad about it, after all, we are number 4 in the BCS standings. I was so sad Saturday after we lost, but then on Sunday, the Saints won! Yeah!!!!! Our first win of the year. Hope it is one of many. I know it is just a game and Jason and I keep that in perspective pretty well, but, we use it as kind of our relaxing time. We don't get much of that these days.

Change of subject. I have really been hit lately with the amount of people who turn their lives over to Christ and continually live the same life they were living before. We all do it to some extent and so, therefore, none of us can set ourselves as better then anyone else in this regard. However, I have been thinking alot about everything Christ gave up in coming down here to earth and everything He endured while He was here. I am convinced that if we had a total grasp on both of these, then we would be compelled to turn from our ways and strive to live better Christ-like lives. I catch myself doing things such as saying unkind things or losing patience or watching something I shouldn't and remind myself of what He went through. We all fall, but I think we need to consider how we pick ourselves back up.

Best Friends

Last night I finally had a good nights sleep. My little girl slept through the night (something she hasn't done in a while) and so did I. I have been waiting for Emily to have an imaginary friend but so far it hasn't happened. But, today, I think I have figured out why. We have two cats, Chip and Cookie. Emily informed me today that Chip is her best friend. I thought that was really sweet and really sad at the same time. I guess it was sad because I always thought I would be her first best friend. Oh well, guess I'll have to get over that.

Trying times

Well, today so far has been pretty good. Lately though, Emily seems to be getting more testy. I don't know if it is due to my expanding tummy or her being two. It is probably a combination of both. We (as in she) has decided not to use the potty anymore. She has also decided the best time to play is the middle of the night. She does not take naps but she does have a rest time. Some may wonder why she doesn't take naps but rest-assured, she gets enough sleep. I try really hard to give her a nap and end up regretting it at about 10:00 at night when she is out of her bed for the two-hundredth time. She is very cute though. Lately, her thing has been that she wants her own of everything. She has told me about ten times today that when it turns colder, she is going to ask Santa for her own oven and knife (she wants to cut things). She has also impressed the ladies at the library. We try to go every week and so she gets new books every week. There is a beanbag that she loves to sit on and "read" her books. More often than not, she doesn't want me to read them to her until we get home. She does this at the library for about 20-30 minutes. The ladies will just keep peeking over at her and think it is the cutest thing. I read my Bible in front of her and as I am reading, she will inform me that she needs to get her Bible. Then, she sits next to me and "reads" her Bible. To me, this is one of the most precious moments I have with her. She is so smart. She must take after me!

College Memories

This morning I found myself thinking about the days I was in college. Ahhhh, these are fond memories. The years I spent in college were some of the best because they were pretty carefree. College is where I made some of my truest friends. As I was lying in my bed thinking, I recalled so many silly things. If you were there with me, then you know these references: Reba (she is still #1 in my book), Amanda's pig collection (do you still collect?), Vony and Vonda (they both have a special place in my memory), wanting a second place finish in order to get the Popeye's fried chicken (but winning first), Sheree falling down in the construction site (I did not witness this but she told us), our snow report (funniest thing ever), the BSU (now called the BCM), our late night devotionals, Katie, holding me hostage, and so many other great memories. Isn't it amazing how our lives have changed so drastically. We are moms, wives, grown-ups. It is an amazing thing. I remember us sitting around talking about what we wanted our husbands to be like and what we were going to name our children and what we wanted to do. I don't know about any of you, but all of my dreams have come true.

My Grandma

This post is really a prayer request. My grandmother has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. This is a disease that itself is not fatal but the symptoms can be. If you know me pretty well, you know that my grandma and my aunt are the two people in my life whom I look up to more than anyone else. My grandma has always been there for me. Some of my best and favorite memories have to do with my grandma. We would go to the beach with her every summer growing up and just had the best time. My brother and I spent a lot of time at her house because my dad was a single dad and needed the extra help. I have picked up so many sticks in her back yard it is not even funny. One of my favorite memories was at the beach. My grandma told my brother and I that the tide was supposed to be high that day. We went out to the gulf (of Mexico) and would not get in because we didn't know how high the water was. I remember looking up and see my grandma walking down to the beach in her black bathing suit. She just walked right into the water like it was no big deal and so my brother and I followed her. We were on both sides of her and started splashing each other. She told us to stop splashing her or she would go back to the house. Needless to say, we stopped. My grandmother was my biggest supporter growing up. There are a lot of different paths my life could have taken because of circumstances beyond my control, however, she always encouraged me to live a life that I would be proud of. I will not get to see my grandma this Thanksgiving because I will be too far along in my pregnancy to travel that far. However, I am hoping to get to Baton Rouge after the baby is born. My aunt says that my grandma is going downhill pretty fast. Please be in prayer that I will get to see her soon.

Spending time with God

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to us about things that maybe we don't think are a big deal. The last few days, my quiet times have been about having more of a commitment to Christ. I have always struggled with having a quiet time. I know how important having a quiet time is and so I have always tried to do better and have always vowed to do better. However, the other day I was reading the verse that says, "He who seeks to follow Me must take up his cross daily." I have read this verse many times but it has stuck with me for the last few days. I have always looked at this verse in such a way to speak of the struggles of being in a Christian in this world and the persecution we must endure. But after the other day, I look at it in a whole different light. We are to daily spend time with Christ; this is our cross. It is not a burdensome thing. It is simply putting ourselves and our desires aside in order to fulfill the calling of our Heavenly Father. Our quiet times that we spend with Him each day are not necessarily something earth shattering, but by making them a priority, we have chosen to take the focus off of ourselves and put on Him, where it belongs. This is my desire in life and this is one of the simplest things I can do to show what priority He has in my life. If you are not spending your time with God each day, I urge you to do so. Let Him know how valuable He is.

Emily being Emily

Okay, if you get tired of hearing about Emily, I am very sorry. But, seeing as how I am a stay-at-home mom, that is probably what I will talk the most about. She is so funny. She is really into her car right now. We only have one vehicle and Jason takes it to work everyday. At lunch time, when he leaves to go back to work, she will start crying because he took her car. In the afternoons, we he returns home, she gets so excited because her car is back. I just really think that is funny because it is such a big deal to her to have her car at home. I have also included a picture of her "helping" paint by putting tape on the wall. It is such a funny picture. The second one is of her sliding down her "waterfall." She thought of this all by herself. I think it is amazing how they just need the simplest things to entertain them, blue painters tape and a blue blanket and she was good to go. I will leave you with one profound thought and then I am fresh out; do you think God laughs when we try to maintain control of a house with a two year old in it?

Defining Patience

I have come to learn that patience is not a word in a two year olds vocabulary. If I ever have to tell Emily to wait, I know a tantrum will follow. I don't know when she will finally understand what this word means, but it can't come too early. The truth is that we are the same way with God. If God tells us to wait, we sometimes throw a tantrum and tell him we don't want to. The funny thing about a two year old is that if you just focus their attention on something else, they will forget about whatever it is they wanted (at least for a couple of minutes.) Maybe we need to do the same.

Oh, by the way. Yes, the Saints lost and I was very disappointed. However, we were playing the defending World Champs, Payton Manning, and on their home turf. I am okay with that and I think that we will do really well the rest of the season.

Go Saints!

If you know me at all, this post should come as no surprise to you. Tonight, the New Orleans Saints take the field against the Indianapolis Colts. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that football season has begun. I really want the Saints to win but if they don't, I wouldn't be that sad because the Colts are my second favorite team. Jason and I really like Payton Manning and usually root for them. However, they are playing my team, so GO SAINTS!

I know to some of you this is not a big deal. It is such a big deal that my daughter says "Go Saints, Go Colts, or Go Cowboys (Jason's team)" every time we watch a football game (even college). So tonight she should be a little confused. I really don't have words of wisdom to share this time, I just thought everyone needed to be rooting for the Saints tonight.

Naked Child

Well, this is officially my first blog. I know what I am going to talk about because it made my whole day. Emily, my two year old daughter, has recently been working on potty training. Since we are having our second child in January, we are really letting her do this at her own pace and not push her. A few months ago, she decided that she did not need naps anymore, (actually I decided this because she would be cranky the rest of the night and not get to sleep until really late.) Anyway, you may wonder what these two things have to do with each other until today happened. My daughter does go in her room for an hour of "rest" time. She usually plays in her bed with her babies or looks at her books. This morning, she told me that she was not wearing pull-ups anymore but she was going to wear big-girl panties. I tried to get the pull-up on her, but she really did not want it on. Since we are at home all day, I decided not to fight this battle and just let her wear her big-girl panties. She did pretty good and went to the potty most of the day. Then, "rest" time came. I told her that she needed to wear a pull-up and after "rest" time, she could wear big-girl panties again. She was okay with this arrangement. However, after her hour was up, I went in to get her and she was naked. She had taken her pull-up off and was playing with nothing on. I asked her if she went potty somewhere and she told me in her pull-up. I checked but her pull-up was dry. She did not go potty anywhere else either, so I put her big-girl panties back on and decided not to make a big deal about it. I thought this was so funny because I thought she understood the situation perfectly, but obviously she was not happy about the option. She teaches me all the time that just when I think I have control over a situation, I lose it. I guess that is a life lesson we all need to be reminded of.