I am from . . .

I am from white Keds tennis shoes, Velveeta Shells and Cheese, and Sonic ice.

I am from parachute pants, jelly shoes, and neon shirts. I am from Strawberry Shortcake, Sesame Street, Laffy Taffy, and IBC root beer. I am from "this is Big Bird, don't roll over and go back to sleep." I am from decorating Easter eggs, piano lessons, and reading books all night in the closet.

I am from the Old Rip Festival, Maverick stadium, the Majestic theater, the drag on a Saturday night, and fireworks popping at the lake on the fourth of July.

I am from the mesquite (both the tree and BBQ), the bluebonnets, and the name of every wildflower on the side of the road.

I am from puzzles with Mema and coffee in bed and a love of geneology, from Gayle and Julie, Loyd and Opal, and Mark and P.J.

I am from never saying no to someone that needs help and always making the cake the way the child wants it, not what their mother ordered. I am from peach cobbler that few can make, but many take credit for.

I am from better than snuff on a nanner and coffee will put hair on your chest and a bollix, whatever that is. I am from do you love me more than you loved me before you learned to love me like you love me now?

I am from Acteen Activators and mission trips. I am from the word of God and a love for Christ. I am from VBS. I am from my mother's faith.

I am from Texas, England, American Indian, Black Dutch, and Ireland, homemade chili and juliecake (now known as Nancake). I am from deer stands and venison, family vacations with flowers on the table, and riding bikes until dark. I am from Friday night football, band, kittens, and yellow roses.

I am from always giving a great story to answer the question, whether you really know the answer or not, the kittens that were really skunks on the wagon train trail, and the glasses being flushed down the toilet that she wanted to keep.

I am from the family Bible, the stories at Thanksgiving, and the laughter that rings through the house as the hot chocolate is poured on Christmas morning. I am from the mystery of Santa Claus, a bucket of oats on the den floor, and the truth of the Christmas play put on by two small children.

I am from a million blessings. And now where shall I go?

8 Weeks

Psalm 37:4-5

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.

Potty Training 101

My day began with an enthusiastic three year old, a patient Daddy, and a skeptical Mommy, embarking on this adventure called potty training. We've tried a lot of things in the past, but you know, Aiden has had a really rough couple of years. It is amazing to look back and see how resilient he has been. You see, the first time potty training came up, he brought it up. He was 2.5 years old. I was ecstatic, because I felt like he was ready. Two days later he broke his leg and was in a cast that went to his foot on one side and his knee on the other leg for 8 weeks. Following the cast came a leg brace for several weeks. Needless to say, potty training didn't happen. That began a long cycle of medical problems and tests, that finally lead us to his diagnosis of TRAPS and injections twice a week. Not to mention he grieved the loss of his brother, moved to a new town and church, added a precious sibling in there, we moved him out of his crib into a big boy bed, and he got glasses. Since then, we've tried every once in a while to encourage him with the potty, but nothing has really worked. Now, here's the honesty, part of that is because I was not consistent. Sometimes consistency is really hard. Especially when you are being consistent about your baby growing up and you're just not sure you want him to grow up quite so fast yet. So, back to this morning. I was skeptical, but we had a plan!

In two hours this morning we had four accidents. I was slowly seeing the plan unravel, as patient Daddy was at work, and I was experiencing raging morning sickness. Somehow, in all of that, my sweet red head thought it would be a good idea to stand on the train table and let it all hang out. I turned just in time to see him "watering" the painted on green scenery of the tabletop. Have you ever had to give yourself a "Mommy time out?" Yeah, um, I don't want to know if you haven't. The sweet three year old got time out for standing on the train table too. Something he has never done! I don't know what he was thinking! Following this incident I decided we needed to add to the plan. So, parents everywhere, I am coming to you with a proven potty training technique! Seriously, we went from several accidents today, to using the potty properly six times! I am SO proud of him!

So, what is the secret? Prayer. I got on the phone and called two of my prayer warriors. I called patient Daddy and told him to pray. But most importantly, I took Aiden, I placed him in my lap, we cuddled, we hugged, we loved one another, and I explained to him that we were going to talk to God. Then, we did just that. We prayed about Aiden learning how to use the potty. We prayed for Aiden to know what to do and when to do it. We prayed for Mommy to have patience and wisdom to help Aiden with this new adventure. Then, we continued to pray throughout the day. And we'll pray again tomorrow!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting to have a perfect day tomorrow and I'm sure we'll still have accidents. But if you had seen the change from the morning to night you would think you were watching a different child. It was an amazing transformation. The difference? One small prayer, on a cold tile bathroom floor, from a confused three year old and a weary Mommy. The patient Father was listening, just waiting for us to bring it to Him.

He calls to us:

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

And He promises us:

Luke 1:37

For nothing is impossible with God.

If you look up the word nothing in the original language, it translates into the "spoken word." In other words, you have to name what you need God to help you with. That word nothing, means nothing! So, what do you need to ask him to change for you today? He can change anything from your skepticism into your reality. Even potty training.

Dash had a Photo shoot!

Dash had a photo shoot today! I am going to refer to Dash as a he, for simplicity sake, until proven otherwise. So, he had a beautiful heartbeat. It was much stronger than last week! He had grown from .3 cm to 1.09 cm. Lots of growth in one week! Everything was fine and right on track! We have another appointment in two weeks! Thank you for your continued prayers for us and Dash!

Fear

I realized after posting our scripture for this week that it addresses fear. I am currently struggling with fear, but not in a normal way. I am having recurring nightmares of losing Dash. Then, I dwell on them throughout the day. So, brother and sisters in Christ, please join me in repelling Satan and his fear tactics. Please pray for "sweet" dreams and a peaceful heart. Thank you!

Tomorrow, we get to see Dash again. I can't wait!

Many of you have commented, offhandedly, on the gender of Dash. So, I think it's time for everyone to weigh in, do you think Dash is a boy or a girl??? Leave me a comment and let me know! Just for the record, my Mommy intuition says boy. The Daddy intuition says boy too. :) So what do you think?

Seven Weeks

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

A Little More Dash

Here is Dash's 6 week picture!

Belly Laughs

A friend of mine, who knows way too much about me, told me today that she has never seen me pregnant. I thought that was a travesty and promised to send her a picture of my belly. So, this is me at 37 weeks with Aiden.



And a few days later



"Look at that red hair!" I can't believe he was that small. Oh I can't wait for a newborn! There ya go Miss Lissa!

A racing heart

Today, I went to the bathroom and saw the one thing every pregnant woman dreads, blood. It wasn't a lot and it was old which is an excellent sign, but it was enough to make my heart race with fear. All of the fear of losing another child flooded my body. In my past, three times I have begged God for a little heartbeat that hasn't come. I was literally paralyzed for a few minutes. I called Patrick and he came home from work. As we waited for the call back from the doctor's office, Patrick took the scriptures we are studying and read them off to me one by one. My heart began to slow down a bit. Peace began to slowly reign again.

Within the hour we were in the doctor's office and he was performing an ultrasound. Within seconds I was crying, tears of joy, as I listened to a beautiful racing heart of our precious little Dash. Dash is okay and has a heartbeat. The chances of miscarriage decrease drastically once you have a heartbeat. Of course, anything can still happen and we still have a long road ahead of us, but once again God showed His power in this life today. Two racing hearts today. Please pray for our racing hearts.

Six Weeks

Psalm 91:10

Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

Small Disclaimer

No, the baby will not be named Dash. That is just the current nickname. :)

Scripture

Every time we are expecting a child, Patrick and I memorize scripture together related to the pregnancy and childbirth. A friend of mine suggested this when we were expecting Aiden. As we were in the delivery room, Patrick read the scriptures we had memorized to me and several of those scriptures helped carry me through a wonderful, natural labor. We believe in praying over our little one, from the minute they are conceived. We begin with a new Scripture every Sunday, because Sunday is the day that our little one becomes a "week" older. Last week (week four) we began with this scripture:

Psalm 112:7-8

He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

This week (five weeks) we are studying Exodus 23:25-26.

Worship the Lord your God and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

There is amazing power in the Word of God. It brings peace in troubled times. It is a balm to a hurting heart and a troubled soul. It is encouraging. It eases fear and worry. It amazes me how the same scripture can touch each of us so differently. Sometimes I think we, including myself, take the power of the Word of God and His promises way to lightly.

Newest Family Member

Patrick and I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. Everyone please say hello to Dash Bailey!