16 Days and counting...

Well, we're down to 16 days to go till my due date. I have to be quite honest here and say, I've been feeling anxious. Last night during our family devotional time (Side note...if you're looking for a good book to use for this, "Parenting With Scripture" by Kara Durbin @ Moody Press is excellent!) I was reminded of some wonderful verses I can camp on. The word for the day was "Confidence".

Proverbs 3:25, "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared."

Jeremiah 17:7, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him."

Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 10:35-36, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

Hebrews 13;6, "So we say with confidence, "The LORD is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

So, as you think about these verses today, my prayer is that you will be reminded of God's hand in all you do and in all that comes your way. Let His confidence flood your mind and heart and give you His peace. That's what we want anyway, isn't it?!

Let me brag for a minute...

Our oldest daughter, Demi, participated in her first triathlon this past Saturday. We were so excited for her. She trained w/out complaint and pushed herself farther than any 12 year old girl I've ever known. She's truly an amazing young woman. Well...I'm so proud to say she finished the race w/ grace...AND she came in 3rd in her age group. She had been placed in the 13-15 year olds because she will be 13 before the year is out. Here are some pix of the event!

Swimming 200 meters
(8 laps in the pool)

Biking 5 Miles

Running 1.2 Miles

Receiving the Prize!

Friends & Baby Showers

I have some of the most amazing friends on the planet. Really! Last Saturday they gave us a huge baby shower for "Baby Guy". It was wonderful and I felt so special. I have to admit, however, it was all a bit weird to me. I mean, this IS my 4th child and I AM in my 40's. I know we had nothing for a baby, so we really needed a lot of stuff, but it felt like I should have been one of the hostesses for one of the younger ladies at our church. God is good! ;-) I loved visiting w/ all the ladies and playing the games and just seeing them all. My mouth hurt from smiling at the end of the day. Here are some pix of the "event".

Yummy Cake!

A very cool Car Seat/Stroller Combo

My mom and sister-in-law, Norma


Great Friends

My beautiful helpers!

Lyric, Hannah & Demi ~ great friends!

Precious Rhonda!

Live Chickens and fun at the Beach...

We went to the coast (Gulf of Mexico) last week with some of our dearest friends. What an amazing time of hanging out, eating good food, getting sun-tanned and laughing until we couldn't breathe. The baby was particularly active one evening and I was quite uncomfortable. The husbands were teasing that they knew just how I felt. One of them (not sure which one) made the comment, "Yeah, we should swallow a ball to know what it feels like." I said, "If you really want to know what it feels like then try swallowing a live chicken". 8-} Anyway, we all had a great laugh at that one and today, again, I DO feel like I have swallowed a live chicken. I'm sure I'll have the bruises to verify it, too.

Here are some pix from our trip. Hope you enjoy them!

Lyric rode the waves like a pro!

Demi found a live sand-dollar - way cool!

Barry found a LIVE Starfish ~ Way, Way Cool!

Hannah built an awesome sand castle!


Bram & Cade dug a tunnel.

Counting Down...SIX weeks to go!

I can hardly believe we only have six weeks until our baby arrives. It seems so unreal to me. I'm alternately thrilled and excited to be done with this phase of the process AND half terrified at the next step. Having baby in the house is going to be a huge adjustment for me. I've grown used to my kids being so independent, able to take care of themselves (for the most part). Perhaps I've become lazy. ;-) I like that they can do things without me having to get up off my comfy couch.

It's going to be a huge adjustment for the rest of the family, too. New sounds to get used to, new routines to get into, and new smells to figure out. Some better than others... Yes, we are all excited about a new little one in our home.

I wonder, though, am I ready for how this is going to change me? My heart has already expanded to include three other "mini-me" personalities. Is there really room for another? Let's face it, we're all selfish in some areas of our lives, many of those areas I've had to clean out over the years and re-clean out as children came along and as they grew to challenge the status quo of "ME". What area will be next? What selfish part of me will I have to lay on the altar before God and let Him burn it up with His fire of change? Who will this baby help me to become? Again, I'm alternately thrilled and terrified at the unknown. Of one thing I am completely sure..."He that began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it until Christ comes back." (Phil. 1:6)

The things we think are cool...

It really hadn't occurred to me that I've become uncool. That is until my husband pointed it out to me last night. I was telling him about a recent trip to Wal-Mart and how I'd seen a really cool diaper bag I'd like to get for the new baby. He stared at me and then laughed out loud. I was confused. "What's so funny?", I asked. "You...", he replies. "Why?", I ask again (even more confused). "A cool diaper bag?", he replies. Now, I ask you...is this not a cool diaper bag? It's got all kinds of pockets for everything you could need. It's got a changing pad to lay the baby on AND...it's got an extra little bag for MY stuff. Plus, I think, the brown and blue dots and circles ARE cool. What does he know about cool anyway? ;-)

Schools OUT!!!

When school was out on Wednesday...we rejoiced! ;-) On Thursday, we left for the coast for a long weekend of playing on the beach, in the surf and getting sunburned. Here are some pix from our weekend.