Friday, November 30, 2007

Please Pray

Our dear friends from church, Allen and Gillian, just found out on Wednesday that their 3 1/2 year old son, Joseph, has a large mass in the back of his brain. He is having surgery this morning to have it removed. You can read more about what is happening and how to pray for them here. They also have a younger daughter named Holly. Please be praying for this family.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Why Oh Why?

I've been thinking about something a lot lately that I think has to do largely with living with a toddler, but also just deals with life in general. I've been wondering why my child always has a poopie diaper just after I've gotten him completely dressed and we're about to leave the house? Why is it that the shirt I pull out to wear for the day has a grease stain on it right in the front? Why is it that today, for instance, on my way to bible study at church, does Everett's sippy cup of milk decide to explode and leak through the cooler, through the diaper bag, and create a puddle on the front seat of the car?

Why is it that on days where where I have a ton to get done at home does Everett decide to take the shortest nap ever, but on days where I want him to just sleep for a short time he decides to hibernate for the afternoon? It seems like these thoughts can just go on and on. I know that these are all petty things but they seem to all collect and grate on me. It's amazing how these little things greatly effect my attitudes and emotions.

I was telling a dear friend about this today and she said that when things like this happen to her, she thinks, "Either God hates me or Satan is trying to attack me." She said she knows God doesn't hate her so it has to be the latter. In my bible study we're doing on Thursday mornings, there is a quote in the book we're reading that goes as follows:

"The truth is that we can trust a wise, loving, sovereign God to control every circumstance of our lives. Joy, peace, and stability come from believing that every circumstance that touches our lives has first been filtered through His fingers of love and is part of a great, eternal plan that He is working out in this world and in our lives."

I will say that my faith is really growing in this area right now. I'm being stretched to believe that God is just as much in the small things of every day life as he is in the big things. And that is encouraging to me.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Fall Happenings

Everett has begun to make the silliest faces lately. I don't know how he learned this one...but it was hilarious when I caught him doing it.

We are looking forward to having my sister and her family come to stay with us next week. We'll all be together with my mom and my brother and his family for Thanksgiving. It will be great to spend some time with them. I'm looking forward to the holidays and Allen having some time off.

We found some bunk beds for Everett's new room on Craig's List and we (mostly Allen) have been working on stripping off the paint (they were white) and sanding them down and we're now in the process of painting them navy blue. We're hoping to have them put together and in the room by the time my sister and her family comes. We'll probably move Everett into his new room after Thanksgiving. Hopefully he'll enjoy the new space! It's going to have all navy blue furniture and be filled with cars, trucks, & planes. We're going to keep his old room ready for baby #2.

So far my pregnancy is going well and I'm really starting to show. Luckily I'm through with feeling nauseous, for the most part, and I've had a lot more energy. I've actually been cleaning the house again! Allen is happy about that. We'll be able to find out if we're having a boy or girl on December 4. Allen kind of wants it to be a surprise, but I really want to find out...so we'll see what happens.

Halloween 2007

For Halloween this year, Everett was a fireman. We had a great day. First, a party with our playgroup in the morning and then a neighborhood party in the afternoon and then trick-or-treating! We also had fun the night before Halloween making spiders and a spider web and also carving our pumpkins. Everett sort of helped us. :) There are a ton more photos on our flickr site.

Playgroup Kids:

Our Pumpkins: