Fried Potatuh's on Saturday

We haven't been anywhere today.  Just enjoying our Saturday at the house.  Cleaning, cooking, laying around.

Some of us like to wander in our under-roo's...

our new Yo Gabba Gabba underoo's

Or maybe only one of us...

I decided to whip up some fried potatuh's...that's southern for "potatoes"

Took a couple potatuh's

Sliced them real thin

Put them in a pan with hot oil...olive oil, vege oil, canola oil...whatever tickles your fancy

Sprinkle some salt and pepper

and a little sprinkle of Tony's for good measure

Then I went and peeped in on the little guy, just to make sure he wasn't putting a hole in anything

Nope, he was just eating a "dog dog" and watching some toons.

Then I came back to check on the tater's

 Stirred them until they were nice and brown and then put them on a plate

With lots of ketchup

Then I ate them...oh yes, and they were delish...d-e-lish

My picky little man decided to stick to eating his dog dog and shredded cheese

On another note, my skin has been terrible throughout this entire pregnancy.  On a whim, I decided to up my water intake. 

 Literally, within a week, my skin has cleared tremendously! 

 I went from drinking about 6-8 8 ounce glasses a day to drinking around 12 or more 8 ounce glasses every day.  

I've even noticed that little man has been wanting to drink more water because he sees me drinking it.

Although he enjoys playing in his more than I do

And then, daddy picked him up because it was the dreaded "nap time"

We live for the weekends...they. are. awesome.

Richard

Acts 20:35

"...You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Proverbs 22:9

"Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor."

I first heard about Compassion International right after Caleb was born.  

Ever since then, sponsoring a child has been on my heart...I guess I am a little stubborn sometimes.  

Yesterday evening, my heartstrings were tugged yet again.

Seth was sitting on the sofa with the computer, so I sat down beside him and showed him the website.

He was immediately interested in sponsoring a child.

Seth is the giving one in our relationship. It just comes naturally to him. Especially when it comes to those in need and this time was no exception.

He spent a month in India on a missions trip when he was in college.  That, paired with his year in Iraq has really given him a realistic view of the poverty there is in other countries.

He tells the story of his favorite memory while being deployed.

I will try to give it justice.

While Seth was in Iraq, he and his soldiers were constantly on missions...pretty much the majority of what they did.  One town they frequented was a town that made bricks.  All the families worked in this brick factory, leaving the children to fend for themselves during the day.

The work was hard and the pay was essentially nothing.

Their homes were huts and the children ran around with no shoes on.

Seth always loved when his missions brought him through this town though because he and his soldiers were able to pass candy out to the kids...and of course the kids loved when the soldiers came.

Right before Seth was scheduled to finish his deployment, his troop received a truck load of shoes from the U.S. to pass out to the people in this village.

Seth was really excited to go hand these shoes out but when they got there and started unloading the shoes, his excitement turned to disappointment when he realized the shoes that American's had donated were very used and some in bad condition.  He said they looked like shoes that we would use to do yard work in.

However, to these kids who had no shoes at all, much to Seth's surprise, were ecstatic about our used, American shoes.

There was one little girl Seth remembered vividly.  She was his favorite.  He saw her every time he was in the village.  He though she looked about 2 years old.  

While they were unpacking the shoes, Seth came upon a pair of pink, sparkly tennis shoes.  He immediately snatched them up, thinking of his favorite little girl and praying that they were the right size for her. 

 He was able to find the girl and helped her put her new shoes on.  He said she was grinning from ear to ear, so happy for the pink shoes that fit her perfectly, not even thinking once about the fact that they once belonged to someone else.

Seth is a tough guy but every time he tells this story, he can't fight the tears.

Yesterday as I browsed the Compassion website, I looked at face after face of children who were and are in need of help.  We narrowed our search down to a male and decided to opt for one who had been on the waiting list the longest.  

Two pages of children popped up.

We waited until Caleb woke up from his nap and let him come in to pick our new child.

He looked at the rows of faces and ran his finger across the computer screen, stopping on one little boy.

He picked Richard.  

Cute little Richard.

Richard melted our hearts immediately.

We think Caleb and Richard would be best buds..Caleb even asked to go to Richard's house later that night ;-)

We sat there with Caleb and told him that Richard needed help.  We explained to him that Richard didn't get presents for Christmas like he did and that Richard needed money for food and clothes.

Before we could even finish talking about Richard, Caleb had jumped off the couch and was running for his room.

He came back with two big handfuls of change from his piggy bank, saying,

 "I help friend Richard get toys".

We really wanted Caleb to feel like he was giving his money to Richard, so we grabbed an envelope and let Caleb put his money in there.  Then we took it to the mailbox and let Caleb put it in and close it up.

Later, we snuck the coin filled envelope out of the mail box, but Caleb will never know that. 

 In his heart, he went through every motion to help his friend and that's the way we want to keep it.

The cost for us is $38 per month.

Richard's family makes $150 a month on average.  

$38 for us isn't a huge deal.  It may mean cutting out a cup of coffee and a dinner out, but sending Richard that money is huge.

That is roughly a 1/4 of what they make in an entire month's time.

I started thinking about how blessed we are and how much we have.

Richard is 10 months older than Caleb and I can only imagine how different his life is.

I'm not writing all of this to toot my own horn.

I will be the first to admit that giving isn't my forte, especially giving above and beyond.  

I am selfish when it comes to money...after all, it's mine!

But really, it isn't mine.  God gave it to me so how can I look at a child like Richard and not give to him?

We are very excited to begin this journey of sponsoring Richard. 

 Our wish is to allow each of our children the opportunity to help others, starting by teaching them about the needs of others around them and I can't think of a better way to start.

I myself am learning the lesson of giving.  Giving up my Starbucks and a dinner out on the town for a 3 year old without food...wow, I am so ashamed to even write that.

So long latte, hello Richard!

This year, my resolution is to be more aware of others need's around me and to spend more time thinking, praying and doing for others.  That might mean sponsoring Richard in Africa or that might mean taking 5 minutes to write someone a "just because" note and sticking it in the mail.

My goal is to start each day asking God to show me where and how I can help someone else.

I feel like I'm about to be taught a lot of huge lessons...starting with Richard, our new little friend.

God, help me this year to see others through your eyes.  Help me to look beyond my wants and see other's needs.  I pray that you would help me be more aware of how I spend my money.  Keep Richard and his family in my constant thoughts as a reminder of how blessed I am and how much you have given to me, so that in return I can give to others.  Thank you for opening my eyes, even if just a little.  Open my eyes even more so that I can turn my selfishness into selflessness and forgive me for how caught up I can become in the things of this world.  Thank you for Richard and for the lessons he has already taught me and my family.  I pray that you would continue to use him in our lives!

*If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please visit compassion.com
**I have not been compensated in any way to write this about Compassion.

twenty. five.

I am 3/4 of the way through week 25...WEEK 25!!! I can NOT believe how fast this pregnancy is going.  So much faster than my pregnancy with Caleb.  I always heard people say that once you have another little one to chase around, 40 weeks flies by and boy were they right!

Here are a few pictures my mama took from this past weekend.
 My family came to visit and we went to the beach for the day...a great surprise for the month of December.  

The joys of living in the south!

I had a dream last night that the ultrasound tech at the hospital accidentally told me I was having a boy.  I was SOOO upset!  The worst part is that I was in labor when she told me.  If that happens, I will probably have to hurt someone. 

 HA!

Baby Shop Re-Opening

Hey there friends!

Just wanted to drop in and say I have re-opened my baby shop after many, many months of it being closed.

I only have a few items in there right now, but I will be adding more every day.

Feels good to sit at the sewing machine again.

Hopefully this energy lasts for a while longer.

I start my 3rd trimester in NINE days!!!

I can NOT believe how fast this pregnancy is going.

Excited to meet our new little one in a few months.

Will we have a girl or boy???

It's a good thing I don't know because I would be sewing all kinds of new things, especially if it's a girl!

We kept everything from when Caleb was itty bitty, so I am well stocked in the boy department.

I'll guess I'll just stick to sewing for the shop right now ;-)

A Real Happy New Year

This Christmas has been so crazy. 

 It's been fun and excitement filled and tiring and draining and all well worth it.  

We have spent tons of time with both sides of our families and Caleb has been able to finally meet all of his cousins.

Then the new year rolled around.  My family came in town to see us and we had a second Christmas.  They all left this morning though, leaving a two year old with big crocodile tears in his eyes.  

Seth and I were also sad to see all our family leave, leaving us with an empty house, in a town with no family. 

 Our choice of course when we decided to join the Army, but every time we have to say goodbye to our families, our hearts wish that we could live closer than 10 and 14 hours away. 

 I think being pregnant makes me even more homesick than I usually am.  

Our hearts just want to be closer to family.

I was also thinking back on this past year. 

 I saw so many tweets and Facebook posts about how excited people were about the new year and how horrible 2011 had been for some. 

 It really made me stop and think about what the year 2011 was like for us.

January we found out that we were expecting, due September 11.  

The end of January, we found out that we lost our little baby.

February, our little Caleb turned 2 and we had a great birthday for him at the aquarium and then a birthday brunch with special friends.  My parents even surprised him and drove down for his big day!

March, we found out again that we were expecting and then a few days later, yet again went through the sadness of realizing we had lost that little baby too.

April we found out we were moving.  I had mixed feelings.  I had spent a year and a half making new friends, most of that time while Seth was deployed.  These friends had helped me through a difficult time.  They had kept me busy and watched out for me.  We had found a great church and we had a nice home.  But even with all the great things Fort Benning had to offer us, there's always a sense of excitement when you find out you are moving somewhere.  My heart was still fragile from the loss of two babies and recent news of two of my closest friends becoming pregnant made my heart ache worse.  I was happy for them, I truly was, but every time I met them for lunch or spent time with them, I couldn't help but long to be pregnant too, I should have been experiencing pregnancy with them.  It seemed to make sense that it would make my move easier, just to have a fresh start and not be constantly reminded of my miscarriages.  Such a selfish train of thought as I would later learn.

May we had a great time just spending time with friends and each other.  That, and I almost ended up with a pixie style haircut when I tried to highlight my hair myself.  I jumped up and down in the shower, begging Jesus to not let all my hair fall out...I can SO laugh at that now, but at the time it was not funny.  I still have my hair...but will not be trying the home highlighting kit ever again!

June was my birthday month!  Caleb and I drove to Virginia to spend time with my family and Seth surprised me by meeting us up there and taking me for a weekend to Williamsburg...this was our very first trip together without Caleb and we had a great great time.

July was moving month.  It was hot.  It was a long couple of weeks but we managed to get our entire house unpacked in 4 days.  Did I mention it was hot??? 

August we found out were expecting!  We found out super early...I thought I was further along than I was, only to have my first ultrasound to find out I was 2 1/2 weeks behind what I thought. But baby had a strong heartbeat! We also spent the month getting to know our new town and meeting new friends.

September was a blur.  I know Caleb started school and I know I at least showered and got dressed (most days), but I was sick...so so so so sick with little baby in my belly and the whole month seems hazy.

October was partially blurry.  I started feeling better about halfway through the month.  October was a rough month.  We lost a good friend of ours back home and made the trip to Virginia for the funeral.  It feels like just yesterday that we found out he had been killed.  Now, nearly 3 months later, we still think about him and talk about him all the time.

We came back from Virginia and a few days later we did Halloween with our little Halloween chicken.  He was such a cutie.  Best Halloween so far.

November was fun.  We spent Thanksgiving with my family and took Caleb to a beautiful orchard in Virginia.  We were all able to get a good taste of fall, falling leaves and bright, gorgeous mountains, covered in yellows, reds and golds...something that is foreign here in south Alabama.

December was also fun.  We decorated for Christmas and spent 11 days in Texas for Seth's sister's wedding and Christmas with the Wade side of the family.  We had a fun, family filled time catching up with everyone!

Our year has been filled with ups and downs. 

 I look back at each trial we faced, the loss of two babies and a childhood friend and other trials that weren't blogged about. 

 Were they fun? Of course not.  But through each and every trial I have faced this year, I can see where God used every part of it to grow me. 

 I was able to work through my jealousy of my expecting friends and find true joy in my hearts for them and find contentment in where I was, just in time to find out I was expecting again.

God's timing is no coincidence. 

I've been able to appreciate my life in a new way because of the death of others.

I've seen grown men and ladies act like my two year old because they have allowed their own self pity to eat away at them and I watched as they hurt so many people around them.

 I knew in those instances that God had better plans for me than for me to spend even another minute feeling sorry for myself.

I have faith that in every trial I will face, God has a plan for me...perhaps a lesson I need to learn or something someone else needs to learn from me.  We have the choice to take our trials and wallow in our own self pity, blaming others for our poor choices and living our lives as the victim, or we can put our grown up pants on and thank God for our trials, knowing that He will bring us through to the other side, stronger and better.

I know I have hurt people along the way this past year.  I have pushed people away out of my own selfishness and I have made my fair share of mistakes. I pouted and wallowed at times and my self pity was overwhelming some days. 

This year wasn't perfect and I was and am far from perfect, but God sure did take care of me in spite of my mistakes.

If I choose to highlight the low parts of my year and dwell on them, I could say this year really stunk...but that wouldn't be the honest answer.  

My blessings far outweigh my hurts.  I'm in a warm house today with a healthy husband and 2 year old and a healthy little one kicking from in my belly.  I am not hungry and I have clothes on my back.  My bills will be paid this month, my husband has a job.  I have friends and family who love me.  I have Christmas gifts that I haven't even been able to use yet.  My list could go on forever and ever.  

This year has been a great year.  God has provided for me in so many ways and I know that whatever I may face in 2012, it will all be okay because I have God on my side. 

 It might not be easy, it may not always be fun but I know I can lay my head down each night and know that God is there with me.

This year, I will find my contentment through Christ, knowing that nothing on this earth can ever fulfill me like He does.  

I will thank Him for each day and place each day in His hands.

I will ask Him to help me with my struggles and flaws so that perhaps next year, they will be a thing He has allowed me to conquer.

I don't know about you but I am sure glad I have God on my side to start this new year off.

Without HIM, my life isn't worth living.

Is He number one on your list this year?

Here is a devotion I read today.  I felt like it described me perfectly.  What a great devotion to start the new year off!

Love to you all...I pray the year 2012 is full of blessings for you and your family!!!

__________________________________________________________________________________

The Most Searched for Answer

Lysa TerKeurst

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Growing up I had a plan for how I could make my life good.

Get a good education. A good job. A good husband. A few good kids. A good house. A good flowerbed out front. And a good mini-van parked in the driveway.

Then life would be… good.

Eventually, I had all that good stuff. I was thankful for it all. I loved my family to pieces. The mini-van wasn’t all I thought it would be, but I felt like an official mom driving it. So even that wound up being good.

But something inside me still felt hollow. A little off. A little lacking.

So, I reasoned I needed something else to do. Something where I could use my gifts and talents. And while these things were fun and satisfying on one level, they too fell short when it came to that deep place ringing with the echoes of empty.

Empty is a heavy load to bear. The mystery of wanting to be filled but not knowing how or what could fill the deep soul is a gnawing ache. A search that can seem both futile and shattering at times.

When you try and try, always feeling like the answer is just around the corner, and then it isn’t, it can split your heart wide open and leak dry all your reserves.

It can make you feel unsatisfied and frustrated with everything. Even those you love. Maybe especially those you love.

So you fake a smile and keep putting one foot in front of the other. But eventually you stop peeking around the next corner hoping the answer is there. History tells you it isn’t. And wrapped in that perception is the noose that strangles out all hope.

Sadly, this is where many women live.

I know this place because I lived there. I struggled there.

And I guess I’m just wondering if you or someone you love might be there as we begin another year. A New Year. It’s tough when everything around you screams “Happy New Year!” and you feel anything but.

It quite honestly stinks.

So, I’m not going to pretend you’ll suddenly feel super happy after reading this.

But what I can promise is a string of words that explains a lot. An answer that is sure and solid and true and full of the breathless wonder of a hope rediscovered.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:13).

Salvation can’t be found in a person.

Even a good husband — good children — a good friend makes a very poor God.

Salvation can’t be found in anyone or anything else.

No education or job or house can save you.

There is no other.

Only Jesus.

And I’m not just talking about saying we’re a Christian. Just following the rules and really following Jesus are two totally different things.

Going through the motions of religion won’t ever satisfy. It’s only when we bend down low, open our heart in complete surrender, and say, “Jesus, it’s You. Only You. There is no other. There is no other possession or person or position that can ever fill the deep soul place shaped only for You.”

This is my New Year’s prayer this year. Though I’ve been saved for a long time, I want to recapture the essence of this “no other” reality.

And really live like this is true.

Because it is. True.

Dear Lord, forgive me for trying to fill the empty places of my soul with people, possessions and positions. I want to know what it means to have You, Lord, as the satisfier of the deep places meant only for You. Show me. Teach me. Lead me. And I will follow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.