Exciting Days

I am listening to the most glorious sound right now - RAIN! We have needed it so desperately, and I'm so thankful the Lord decided today was the day.

Today was also the 5th and final day of our church's 2011 Vacation Bible School. For my 2nd year in a row, I taught the missions rotation for the week. The difference this year...I had a helper! And what a great helper she was! We had a lot of fun (and many laughs) teaching the kindergarten through 5th graders, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved it was over. :) I am completely exhausted! Every day Riley and I came home and just crashed. He had a great week at 'Bible Cool' (he has some trouble getting the 'S' out), too! He was able to spend a lot of time with his daddy and he also had fun playing and learning in the nursery. Although, last night (Wednesday) about an hour before church was to start, I said, "Riley, do you want to go see Ms. Bobbie [nursery worker] tonight or stay home?" Without even taking a breath, he said, "Stay home!" Ha! So me and my boy enjoyed a quiet evening in our own home with his own toys...and what a happy boy he was! :)

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day! Daniel, Riley and I will go at 11:00 am for the ultrasound where they will check the baby's development and hopefully be able to tell us if it's a boy or girl! We are so excited! My main prayer is that the baby is healthy and developing just as he/she should. Finding out the sex is a bonus, but I won't be at ease until I see both arms and legs, a healthy heart, a good-sized head, etc. One thing is for sure, this baby is active! I felt him/her for the first time a week and a half ago when Daniel was preaching about Jesus being the Bread of Life (pretty appropriate, if you ask me!), and since then I've felt him/her off and on. Yesterday, though, there was a period of time where he/she was doing sommersaults in my belly! You can ask anyone who knows me well...I'm not a huge fan of being pregnant (ok, really I don't like it at all), BUT I absolutely love being able to feel the little life inside of me. That is priceless!

And in case you're wondering, we really don't have a preference as to whether it's a boy or girl. I will say that I've had two dreams so far where the baby was a boy, and in the past I've been known for having dreams come true. So, we'll see! No worries...I'll post tomorrow afternoon to update you all on what we found out. :)

For now, though, I think I'm going to curl up on the couch with a good book and continue enjoying the sounds of this amazing thunderstorm!

17 weeks

Daniel was feeling a little left out, so here he is at 17 weeks...

So thankful for my goofy husband! :)

Summertime!

I remember when I heard we were moving to Northeast Texas, I foolishly got excited because we were moving "north" and summers wouldn't be so hot. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, I obviously wasn't! :) Welcome to Northeast Texas where the thermometer hangs out around 100 degrees every day! This type of weather, being pregnant, and attempting to entertain a 23-month-old (can you believe he's going to be 2 in less than a month??) on a daily basis are a difficult combination! So, we've been spending a lot of time in the water. Thankfully, there are several church members who have graciously offered their pools, and we've taken them up on those offers!

Showing off his new shirt and trunks, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa!

His new thing is to intentionally look away from the camera when he knows I'm trying to take a picture...oh the joys of a little one discovering independence. :)

Having fun with the sprinkler in the backyard

He sat in this position for at least 15 minutes - it made my knees hurt so badly!

He loved riding in the 'boat'! And, it gave mama's arms a rest!

I got this floaty at our local grocery store. It works better than just arm floaties, but still requires lots of attention from mama. He is learning to kick, though, and to him that is 'swimming.' :)

Fun with friends

At another friend's house this past week. The big kids wanted Riley to get in the big pool, but he was content in his personal-sized one. :)

Love this boy! He makes my heart smile every day.

Here's to staying cool!

16 weeks

Well, the baby bump has arrived, and I am currently in that awkward stage where most of my regular clothes no longer fit and the maternity clothes are still a little too big. Fun times! :) I definitely think my belly popped out a little quicker with this one, which I've heard is common. I remember one night after Riley had gone to bed, Daniel and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie and I said, "I'm pretty sure my belly just popped out." He, being the very honest husband that he is, said, "I thought you looked bigger." Just what you always wanted to hear! He wasn't rude about it...just honest. :)

So how am I feeling? It's funny because a lot of people at church ask if I'm feeling "good," and I always say that "good" is a relative term. I mean, it could be A LOT worse, and I have some friends who are pregnant right now who are experiencing A LOT worse! But, I'm still battling with major heartburn and feeling nauseous. I would love to know who came up with the term "morning sickness" because for both of my pregnancies it has been throughout the day, and for this one, I actually feel worse at night. But, I am holding out hope that this baby will be similar to Riley in that at 18 weeks I felt much better. If that holds true, I just have 2 more weeks and then happy times will begin. :)

My mother-in-law asked me the other day if it's really sunk in that I'm pregnant. Honestly, I don't think it has, and sometimes that scares me. I start to really think about what it's going to mean to add another member to this household, and I get a bit overwhelmed. Especially when I think about Riley and how he may/may not respond. Lots of prayers are being sent up on the little man's behalf! I want him to love this child so much that he doesn't even think about being jealous or sad that he's no longer the 'lone ranger.' I also wonder what it's going to be like to divide my time and attention between the two. I know every family who has gone from one child to two has experienced this and it's not rocket science, but these are just some things going through my mind pretty much on a daily basis. So, if you think about it, we'd love your prayers as we continue approaching this transition! I'm excited to see how God is going to use our family of 4 to continue bringing glory to His Name! Thank you for being a part of this journey!

Jesus Loves Me - Riley style

The video below displays one of those moments when I was so thankful we had a camera to capture what our little man was doing. This proves that children, no matter the age, are listening to us and internalizing what we're telling them (or singing to them). I can't help but imagine Jesus smiling as He heard this!

R.I.L.E.Y!

A couple of weeks ago I began working with Riley on how to spell his name...mostly for fun and to help him learn letters. I certainly didn't think that at less than 2 years he'd be able to spell it on his own, but in the past few days he has proven me wrong several times. I was finally able to catch it on video today!



My prayer for this child (and all of the others who enter our family after him) is that he will use his brain and intelligence for God's glory! There's no doubt in my mind that God has big plans for Riley, and I pray that Riley will yield to His Sovereignty and control from a very early age. I am so thankful the Lord has allowed Daniel and I to be the ones walking beside Riley as he grows each day. What a privilege AND great responsibility!

"I Clap!"

Riley LOVES being outside with his daddy! Daniel's been working on a lot of projects in the backyard (or "backard" as Riley says) lately, and Riley's loved every minute of "helping" him. The other night they were outside after dinner, and I was in the kitchen cleaning up when Daniel brought Riley to the window to show me something. He had found one of Daniel's pairs of gloves and put them on by himself. He was so proud! After finishing cleaning up the kitchen, I joined them outside and the fun with the gloves continued. You'll see what I mean...