4.28.2010

upcoming posts:

1.Western Graduation Weekend

2.Awesome Reminder from God that He is taking care of us!

4.19.2010

Baby Shower and Life

Ok, so as a rule of thumb, you should always charge your camera batteries BEFORE big events that you want to remember :) That way you can actually get lots of pictures of the gorgeous party and special people who are celebrating your unborn child...note to self.
Brandon was actually able to snap a few pictures before the camera died, but I'm kinda sad we didn't get any of us together or of me with the awesome gals who organized the party. Oh well, that's just how life goes sometimes. Here are a few pics of the super cute party to celebrate lil Miss Clara.

this kind of shows an overview of people enjoying themselves at the party :) Jessica did a great job of setting everything up!

ok, not the most flattering pic of me, but I wanted to note that I DID wear a dress and my belly is GROWING!!! :) in this pic I'm talking to my boss and Ella the little girl I nanny for

aw, isn't this cake super cute?! Jessica did a spring/bird theme for the shower. I loved the little nest on the cake. very feminine and cute!

Thank you Jessica for all the hard work you put into the shower! It was beautiful!
We were just sooooo blessed by all the people that came to say hi and bring gifts for Clara. We got to see a bunch of people from all different parts of our life here in Oregon--from families that I have nannied for, to Brandon's cooperating teacher, church friends from 2 different life groups, and school friends. It was awesome. I just felt super loved and cared for. It was great to talk and catch up. People kept asking me how much longer I had. I would say 6 weeks...and the more I said that, the closer it sounded :) It still blows my mind to think that we could be looking at our baby girl in less than two months. Wow. I can't wait. I can't even put into words how excited we are, even if that feeling is mixed in with a tiny bit of nervousness :)

I also made a big change this last week in my prenatal care. I switched from seeing a midwife in the hospital to deciding that I wanted to give birth in a birthing center with a different team of midwives. It was a big decision and I couldn't be more excited about it! I won't bore y'all with all the details, but I'll just say that I feel such a peace about this decision to give birth naturally and can't wait to start my prenatal appointments with my new midwife!

Oh, and I only have 4 more days of work left! Holy Cow! That is also something I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around--going from working 50 hours to working 0 hours will be a crazy change, but it will be good. It will be good to rest, get my house under control, feel organized, and enjoy waiting for Clara.

AND probably the biggest news around here this week is BRANDON IS GRADUATING FROM WESTERN SEMINARY on Saturday!!!!!! I am seriously in awe of my husband. He is a rock star and has worked so hard to finish his first grad degree. I can't wait for his parents to get here on Thursday and to celebrate him this weekend. He deserves every bit of it. I love you, honey!
(I'll make sure the camera is charged so we'll have LOTS of pictures of the graduation weekend :))

4.08.2010

Oh How He Loves Us!

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I have had this song stuck in my head for about a month now. It has spoken to my heart on countless occasions during this month. It has been so good to just dwell on the simple but incredible truth of how deeply God loves me and to try and grasp that reality. Daily He shows up, in both little and small ways, declaring His love.

One HUGE example of this happened on Monday. I had a conversation with my boss about my ending date for work. Now, I have been very ready to be done working. Not that work has been horrible in any way or form, but I could just sense that it was time. natural transition as I prepare to start my own family. SO, we have this conversation where she lets me know that the new nanny taking over my position needs to start a little earlier so instead of me having 6 weeks left of work, I now have 3 ( one of which will be spent training the new gal). I was just shocked and a little overwhelemed. Questions started running through my mind such as: what will we do with 3 weeks less pay? what will I do with all my time waiting? etc. But I assure her that we will be fine (they offered to pay me through the end of April) and that that should work out fine. Evidently I didn't hide the shock on my face very well, because she called later in the day to let me know she wanted to talk about it that evening. I thought this would be a good chance for me to tell her that I wasn't upset or mad just a little surprised about the change in events.
To make a long story very very short, we talked and I am still leaving work the 3rd week of April but they are paying me through the middle of May! I was in complete shock. I felt/feel so loved and blessed by both my employers and by God. God knew our financial needs and provided in the most unexpected (and quick)way. He knew my physical/emotional needs and has provided above and beyond what I expected. He could have chosen another way to provide for us but for some reason decided to do it this way. Even if we had to go without the pay, He would have sustained us. It wouldn't mean that He loves us any less. His love is perfect and unchanging.
I am so grateful for how He loves me. I am not an eloquent writer by any stretch of the imagination so thank you for bearing with me, but I just felt compelled to write this. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing today that you will know and feel the intense love of God today.
If His grace is an ocean, we are all sinking.

4.02.2010

cute tiny diapers :)


just got these in the mail and had to post a pic :) aren't they so tiny and adorable?! ok, maybe that's just the hormones talking...