Happy Father's Day

"It is a good father who wants to make his son like himself.
It is an great father who wants to make his son like Jesus."

Happy Fathers Day Mark!
I can't wait to be a part of the journey of parenthood with you.
I'm so excited to watch you become Finley's hero!
You are going to be the best Dad ever!
I love you!

I can't wait....

I know this is very premature, but I can't help myself. I am so excited to have a homeschool/preschool/playroom for Finn. Here are some awesome ones that found:

Trip Time

Well, we leave in 7 more sleeps! I'm so excited! Its going to be a great time with family & friends!

I hope to get in a little shopping at

to pick up some clothing for the whole family


to find a car seat


to pick up some funky baby items

and if I'm really lucky, we might stop in here....

Random Update :)

Hi everyone! This will probably be a boring update...so I apologize in advance.

Upcoming craft /art projects:
-putting up polka dot decals I got for Finn's room
-putting up wall quote (see further down post)
-painting a canvas trio & trying a new medium (glass bead gel) which I'm so excited for...I will post pics when I complete it. :)
-getting some prints done for a family tree collage (well, its technically only pictures of Mark & I as babies, then when Finn is born, we will put pics of him in the middle...hard to explain...but i will post those pics as well)

This is what I've been reading (The Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers)


This is what I'm reading next:


This is the hair color I'm getting after Finn arrives:


We are awaiting the arrival of this wall decal for Finn's room:


I got some pretty cool stuff when we went to PG for a couple days. This is one of my favorite things:



I'm in the midst of making a birth plan & booklet for my birth team (Mark, Mom, Leah) :) which is super exciting!
There is so much information out there, and I really want my "team" to be excited, ready and educated too! I will post my plan later (but on the baby blog) :)

So in Love...

Somethings changed. I can't say when or how. But it has. I'm in love...all over again!
Maybe it was the moment I found out I was pregnant, maybe it was slow and gradual.
But, I really have fallen in love with Mark all over again...as a Father. Thinking about him as a Daddy makes my heart melt! I get teary when I think about him holding our son in his arms, telling him about heroes & redemption stories. Its as if my heart has been captivated all over again and it feels like I could burst. I really never imagined I could love someone like I love Mark. He is more than I ever expected to have in a husband and he is going to be one incredible father!

picture:
http://www.mariannetaylorphotography.co.uk/

Its hard to think of things to say when there is so much you want to say but can't. I'm doing great. Baby is great. Mark is great.

And then there are the other things. Please pray for us. Pray that we will glorify the Father in the midst of trial. We want Him to be lifted up. Not our ideas, opinions, feelings or fears of man. He deserves the honor & praise. In times like this, fear would like to grip us and make us silent. But we want to stand like Daniel. We don't want to compromise.

This is where character & strength is revealed.
In fire.

I just realized....

that I haven't linked this blog to our pregnancy blog....

http://expectingmiracle.blogspot.com/

Running....

Lately, I've been thinking about running. I don't know why. But every commercial I watch seems to be something to do with running. My friends are posting on facebook about going for runs. And it goes on and on. So naturally, its on my mind. I then began to think about going through trials and brokenness.
You know that statement 'There are two kinds of people in the world'?
I really think thats true.
There are people who run to God and there are those that run from Him. When facing hurt, brokenness, trials or hardship, some press into God, run to Him for comfort, guidance, healing & restoration. Others blame Him, get angry with Him, make assumptions about Him and run away.
I want to be the first of those. I want to grab a hold of Him when I don't understand. I want to kneel at His feet when I am discouraged, hurting & broken and find wholeness in His presence. I want to run hard into His arms, knowing that He is the safest, most trustworthy place on earth that I can be.

You are tagged...

What I'm up to...

What I'm Reading (other than baby books & bible):


Around the house:

Decluttering & downsizing our house. Getting rid of books, dvd's, music, clothes, and STUFF!!


Planning Baby Room


Planning our May trip to the Island (which I'm 'slightly' excited about!)

Unredeemed

One of the best songs I have EVER heard....EVER! Wow!

'Unredeemed' (click on Title)

The cruelest world
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

For every choice that led to shame
And all the love that never came
For every vow that someone broke
And every lie that gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Hey everyone! Well, if you somehow haven't heard (this I will find shocking, because my mother tells perfect strangers on the street)....you might not have heard the craziest and most incredible news of our year....

WE ARE

PREGNANT!!!!!

We are so full of joy and amazement! This is an answer to many years of prayer from many people who have heard our story and committed to praying for a miracle!
It is such a celebration for everyone who hears, partly because we have been pretty open about our infertility, so most people know that this is no ordinary thing!
One thing that Mark said after we found out was 'Not one prayer was unanswered. God heard every single one, and was storing them up for his perfect time!'
God is so amazing!

I haven't been updating much because we started a pregnancy blog for our friends and family to follow.
You can find us here!

We want to thank everyone who has thought, prayed for, encouraged & hugged us over our 8 year wait. We are so grateful for you! And we can't wait to share our blessing when it comes!

you know when you have those moments, those life-changing moments? those moments that radically shift your thinking and set you down a different path. one of those moments happened today.

i just finished my biggest loser bootcamp workout, and was just checking my facebook before i hopped in the shower. michelle aguilar (winner of biggest loser season 6) had updated. a while back, she had filmed a clip for the website 'i am second'. i watched the video again, and something broke in me. she said in the video that God began to strip her of her armor, which was her smile, and really make her face her battles. she said at the end, "when i came to the finale, i wasn't the same person who had started this journey. the scale would not define me, my weight would not define me, but all along, God was defining me!" something turned on in me.
and now that i can finally see through the tears, i am here to say.....

the scale will not define me
my weight will not define me
my insecurities will not define me
what i can do or not do will not define me
what i look like will not define me
impressing everyone will not define me

i will be defined by Jesus Christ. i will be defined in Him alone, because its in Him, that i have been made whole! i am a conqueror, because thats who He is in me!

Portion Guide

Vegetables from all colors of the rainbow are an important part of a healthy diet. A serving of cooked veggies is half a cup, or about the size of a baseball.


A one-cup serving of pasta or rice should be about the size of a tennis ball. You'll fill up faster on a serving of grains if you choose healthy whole grains whenever possible.

It takes about 850 peanuts to produce an 18-once jar of peanut butter, so a little of the stuff packs a powerful protein punch. Two tablespoons, about the size of a ping pong ball, is an appropriate serving size.

Don't go for a cartoon-sized stack of flapjacks – one compact disc-sized pancake is the recommended serving size.

One serving of meat is about three ounces, roughly the size of a deck of cards.


Dried fruit keeps longer than fresh fruit, but it also has 4 to 5 times the calories by weight. One serving of dried fruit is about 1/4 cup, or about the size of a large egg or golf ball.


A few cheese cubes and some fruit is the perfect mini-meal between lunch and dinner. To make sure you're noshing on the right amount, roll some dice. A serving of cheese is one ounce, or the size of six dice.


When not covered in cheese and sour cream, potatoes aren't hard on the waistline and are high in potassium and vitamins C and B6. A perfectly portioned baked potato should be about the size of a computer mouse.


Taken from The Food Network

A Coincidence....I think NOT!

There are two themes in this blog entry. Thyroid & Glyciemic Index. I hope this isn't a long post, but please stick with me, cause its pretty incredible.
When I was 18, I went with my friend to the naturopath. He told me that I had a thyroid problem, whether it was under or over functioning, I can't really remember. I almost promptly disregarded that information, and continued on with life. A few years later, during my first year of marriage, a lady told me that she was pretty sure I had a thyroid problem (she could tell by my eyes) and that i should start taking Kelp, because my body was lacking iodine. So, I bought a bottle of Kelp supplements and took them till the bottle was half gone and then almost as promptly disregarded it. Fast forward a couple years to the time Mark and I are doing my fertility treatments with the specialist. The Doctor tells me that the best way for me to lose weight and increase the chances of conceiving is to go on something called the G.I. Diet (Glyciemic Index Diet). I nodded and agreed and like everything else, almost promptly disregarded. Moving on to the present, yesterday I had an doctors appointment and the doctor told me that...amazingly enough...my thyroid was over producing a hormone that was causing another more serious condition. Well, that was shock enough. But then, today I went for coffee with a friend, who on Sunday told me that she had something she felt to share with me.
So, today, she shares that she has battled some illnesses and treated them with natural supplements and by...wait for it....the G.I. Diet. Now, some may say that this is all a incredible coincidence. But I see more. This year, I prayed that God would show me all the things in my health that I needed to get in check so that I could lose weight, get healthy and live the life that I was meant to live! So, patient as He is, reminded me, once again of the things that he has been trying to tell me for a decade! He is so faithful! This has made me so excited for what this year holds. Pray for me this year. Pray that I don't almost promptly disregard the things that I need to do. That I have the determination and tenacity to follow through, press forward and have real success. I don't want food, weight, sickness, deficiencies or allergies to rule my life. I want to have these things under control, so that I can be free!

So its going to be....

...a little of everything! I've figured that you've all stuck with me this long, and you've been an incredible encouragement to me. This year is going to be full of adventures, challenges & changes. And I think I will just tell you about them as they come. Whatever I'm feeling at that time, I will let you know. A few things that I'm really excited about is teaching myself to cook more, learning to crochet, knit & sew and planting a small veggie & herb garden! These things I will definitely be posting about. So, thats that. Let it begin!!!!:)

What will the New Year Bring

I want this year to be better than previous years in blogland, so will you help me?
I want to know if I should change things up a bit...pick 12 themes, make each month focused on something in particular, or do certain days of the week be designated for something (example: June is Food Month or Wednesdays is Weird Fact Day etc....) or something like that.
I'm open for any suggestions!
Let me know what you think?? :)