Father's Day 2009 + photos!!

Happy Father's Day Da Da!

--------------------------------------wrestling with papa is fun

Daddy got a StarWars kite from ME!

Happy Father's Day Papa

wrestling with daddy...--....Father's Day morning!

--------------------------Playing in Gran Gran's pool is fun

Happy Father's Day Gran Gran

--------------HAPPY FATHER's DAY 2009---------------

Saturday

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”- Psalm 91:1

Happy 22 Months

Happy 22 Month Birthday
Big Bear... you are almost two!

Highlights from Month 21 :
- totally in a "Finding NEMO" phase (watching the movie, quoting the movie, and pretending to be a shark with Daddy)
- saying, "it's all gone" "I'm running" "I'm dancing" "Hi, Mommy" "what you doing?" "Hi, Daddy" "just a bite"
- reading letters on everything and doing so well
- getting to wear your new 2T bathing suit (late May) to play in the big water bucket at home and then getting to SWIM at Kiki & Gran Gran's house!!
- May 27 Tonsillitis, Coughing, Running Nose, & low grade fever = trip to the Doc & 4 stickers & 2 cookies from the Nurse & a DumDum sucker for the soar throat
- Mama's golden birthday, May 28
- can verbally decline food if he's full or all done or request food he does like (i.e. Do you want a piece of cheese? "no" Do you want some chicken? "No, cow!")
- can say, "i running" "cup all gone, more water"
- sung by a scorpion -- early June 2009
- loves loves loves to wrestle with Daddy
- says "Ok" as a regular reply now and it's TOO cute
- learned how to swim (w/ his life vest on)
- MARCHING! A new game that we play often. We march and chant, "March 2,3,4" like the elephants on the Jungle Book movie (he calls them "E's") and they say Company Halt (he says, STOP) we all pause and then begin again.

- Loves loves Loves the FINDING NEMO MOVIE (seriously, we watch it everyday!)

- SHARKS!! He even asks to look at sharks on the computer

- such a good eater, likes: chicken, roast beef, veggies, fruit, cottage cheese/string cheese, yogurt, veggie straw chips, and chewy fruit snacks

- Becoming a fish and learning to swim so well

(we do use a life vest with a head flap)

- Growing so fast! He wears a size 8 shoe! Tall Boy!

17 Weeks -- Pregnancy Update

We are 17 WEEKS already... making our way to that 1/2 way point. In a lot of ways it seems to be going by faster this time around and I find myself wanting it to slow down some and just wanting to take it all in. I love feeling him move. Especially when he hears his Daddy speaking to him! So cool.

I read that the baby now weighs as much as a bar of soap, at 17 weeks. I thought that was a funny thing to compare to, but I guess everyone knows how much a bar of soap weighs. The baby can grasp and play with the umbilical cord, suck his thumb, and KICK! Sounds like fun in there!!!

We love you sweet baby. We pray for you all of the time and we are just so excited about you coming into our family. We look fwd to meeting you! You are already a BLESSING!!

Cravings: Sweets with Cinnamon
Cinnamon Toast, Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon ceral, Etc...

Toddler True Story

So...... usually when we get out of the bath we get right into a diaper.

The other day, I was not as fast to get him in a diaper. Yea... you guessed it already.

He had been sitting so sweetly on the step of the bath just brushing his teeth and all cute-as-a-button wrapped up in his towel. Next thing I know, he ran out into my room and there was pee pee right in front of my closet door. I went to get something to clean it up. Took care of it and then went back into the bathroom for a sec.

He came to get me and was pulling me into the bed room and toward the closet... talking up a storm all the way to the site of... THE POOP in my closet!!!

Stung by a Scorpion

Over the weekend, my son was stung by a Scorpion!

THE STORY:

We brought him down out of his room and into our living room because there was a bad storm going on. He was laying on a blanket in our living room floor and watching a movie to go to sleep. All of the sudden, in this very dark room, he started screaming and reaching for his neck or back. I yelled out, "He 's been stung or bitten or something... turn on the light!" I pulled his shirt of immediately. What was going on? Very soon the wound was visible and I went for a wet paper towel to help him feel better. My sister and my husband were looking around on the blanket, on his shirt, and around the floor where he had been... then I heard my sister say, "There 's a SCORPION!!" In our house!? My husband got it and kept it in a container. He told me to get vinegar, but there was not any in the kitchen. He said, "Get salt and hold that on the wound". Huh? Sounds painful... but we did it. My sister called 911 and her boyfriend called poison control. My husband was holding the salted-wet-paper towel on the site of the wound. Then my husband sucked out the poison (twice) and spit into the sink. I don't know that you NEED to do this, but you Bear Grylls fans know that sometimes you just do what you have to do. Plus, it was his child and in that moment, he did not want the poison to continue to make his little boy hurt and cry. I held the screaming-in-pain-baby and tried to calm him down in any way that I could. I was praying out loud, singing songs he likes, talking to him and just holding him and trying to think about WHAT TO DO for a SCORPION STING???!!!

-

A FEW TIPS on Scorpion Stings:

- No one has died, on this side of the Mississippi river, of a scorpion sting (from the poison control folks)

- Treat it like a wasp sting

- Use salt or meat tenderizer on a wet paper towel /wash cloth

- My husband says you can also use vinegar

- If the person is allergic, you will know within 30 mins

- Allergic Reactions can include: fever, trouble breathing, a rash, swelling, redness around the site, and other noticeable reactions

- If you think the person might be allergic, do not give them anything this eat or drink & get them to the hospital or call EMS/911 for help

-

THE OUTCOME:

The EMS / 911 team arrived and checked him out. He was so good. We showed them the culprit (the still living scorpion, in a food storage container) and they wrote down a description. All in all, we agreed that my son was ALREADY DOING BETTER. Seriously, God is so good and so faithful. The swelling had already gone down. We decided we did not need to go on to the hospital and that we would just watch him. He continued to get better and we were just thanking God. He does NOT appear to be allergic. The scorpion got flushed!

The next day, it looked SO MUCH BETTER!

________________Praise God, He's is OK!

Worship

The More I Seek You
an amazing worship song




No Sweeter Name
Than the Name of Jesus
(this video is longer, but what a powerful song)

More on FREEDOM

Early on in our pregnancy, the LORD gave us the word FREEDOM for and over this child. It's a powerful word. And it's already ministered to us. Even the freedom I have physically felt thru this pregnancy has been a living testimony of of this word. I've been looking at scriptures that teach and talk of freedom. Here are a few more:

Romans 8:20-21 (New International Version)

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious FREEDOM of the children of God.

1 Corinthians 8:9
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

1 Corinthians 10:23
[ The Believer's Freedom ] "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.

Galatians 5:13-14 (New International Version)

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature^[a]; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."^[b]

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (New International Version)

¹⁶But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect^[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:10-12 (New International Version)

¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

James 1:25
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

1 Peter 2:16
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

One of our prayers for the baby, has been that he would understand and walk in God's freedom. Finding liberty in Christ is actually in submission to His law. That did not make since to me for years. How can you be free if you are choosing to surrender and yield? And yet it's true. God's law brings freedom. God's law also brings protection, truth, and guidance in our lives. He give us the choice. I pray that my son will know and choose God's truth freedom and not the freedom of this world. Will you join me in this prayer! Thank You All!

It still fits (kinda)

His little TUX still fits (the sleeves are little short)

Sweet Love

Playing in the floor with Mama & Daddy

We tried it on with our onesie (we'll need to get a 2T white shirt so we can wear the bow tie too) because we hope to use this toddler Tux as a costume in a couple of weeks! He's a stud!
-------------------------------------------------
FLASH BACK to July 2008 (he was about 10 months old)

Wearing this tux for our Aunt and Uncle's wedding:

Last Summer in our Wedding Tux

It's hard to believe the changes in ONE year!

Some words on Freedom

Isaiah 61:1-3 (New International Version)

Isaiah 61

The Year of the LORD's Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, ^[a]

² to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Also quoted in Luke 4

Jeremiah 34:8-9 (New International Version)

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage.

Psalm 119:44-46 (New International Version)
44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Pregnancy Update

16 weeks along

This pregnancy has been great. Both of us are healthy and happy! I have not been sick and I have keep up my energy.... God is so good. It is His grace that I am able to continue to be a good mom for my almost two year old and that I 'm not sick in the bathroom. Yay! Thank you Lord! I had an OB-GYN apt today, but it was just for blood work. I had to take my little guy with me today and he was NOT thrilled to see the nurse "doing something" to his Mama! My weight is good and the blood work will check for a few issues (but it is not an invasive test on the baby) with the baby and genetic probability.
We continue to pray for our new little boy, that God is forming him perfectly and wonderfully everyday. We pray for health and life and joy and freedom over him regularly. Our next apt will be the longer 20 week sonogram. I love that. I love to see him and get some pictures & video of him. I can't wait to see what he looks like! I think about him at night a lot and I think about what he might look like... or wonder about his little personality... and I think about names... I am filled with joy and freedom because of this child. He is already ministering to his Mama!!!
That's my update for now... BLESSINGS!

Park Pictures and Ducks

We enjoyed going to the park this morning. At first we were not sure that the ducks were "nice" but then we found out just how much fun it was to feed them some left over bread. We enjoyed our friends birthday party & some yummy cake! He even went on the BIG TALL SLIDE all by himself today and he was so proud. We had a bad fall today but thankfully, he's A-Okay. God is so good to protect my sweet love like he did. But in the process of Mama diving for him, my camera broke. Sad times! He took a great nap (after we check him out very well & checked his eyes & knew that it was Ok for him to sleep) and we enjoyed a great family night of going out to dinner and going by the mall. I found a cute new maternity outfit (I'm 16 wks now) which I bought with my birthday money! Here are some of the shots I captured BEFORE the incident. ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND FRIENDS!!



Every time he threw the bread, he said, "catch duck"

The very TALL slide

___________ was a lot of fun!! He's such a big boy now!

Took a week off...

I did not plan to take a week off (from blogging) but it just happen that way. My little Bear and I were not feeling great for a few days. But thanks for all of your prayers... we are just fine now. Then we were just busy bees.
It's been a good few days though. We started our Summer Small Group and we are going to be learning more about healing. We are listening to sermons on CD from Bill Johnson. If you have not heard of him, I highly recommend his book: "When Heaven Invades Earth"
I felt the BABY MOVE for the first time on Tuesday night!!!! I LOVE THAT!
We had our first full day of swimming this week and my little man did GREAT! He loved the water and got used to the life-jacket pretty fast. I think he'll be a pro in no time! Daddy met us at the pool that day, after he got of work, and we all enjoyed playing together in the pool!!
My little Bear slept in his room ALL NIGHT last night and did NOT wake up until this morning!! This is a HUGE step for us. We ended up doing the co-sleeping thing because we were nursing and it became super easy to put him in bed with us. He has not been nursing for a couple of months so we are slowly making our way into HIS ROOM and into his "big boy bed". (His crib converted.) He's doing so well.
We enjoyed going to our friends baby shower today and had a great time playing and eating.
Tonight we are having a family night and planning to go to one of those "screen on the green" movies. It should be fun!!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:11