Sorry, honey

Yesterday was Stephen's birthday. I realized last night as we were going to sleep that I hadn't told him "Happy Birthday" all day. We talked about his birthday and the kids told him, but I didn't. I guess I just let the day get away from me, not to mention we weren't together most of the day. Anyway, Honey, I love you and I hope you did have a happy birthday.

I have about a million things on my mind right now, none of which I can share. Well, none of which would make sense to anyone outside my mind. So, this will be a short post.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day.

I am sooo hungry!

I have been trying since about 10:00 this morning to only eat healthy stuff. I know, I know. 6 hours, woe is me, blah blah blah. I decided that I needed to be eating healthier for this baby. I don't eat a lot of junk, but lately I have been eating more than I should. Anyway, I have eaten carrot sticks, celery sticks, I just made a salad, and I am starving! The healthy stuff doesn't last as long. That is probably a good thing. The reason the other stuff lasts longer is because your body has no idea what all the artificial stuff is and doesn't know how to digest it. But still, if I keep eating like this, I will be eating 24/7! Anyway, just venting.

Happy Monday!

Well, I must say, I had quite the pity party for myself since my last post. But thanks to my wonderful husband who gave the most effective guilt trip lecture, I got over it. I realized that my problems were rediculous compared to the world around me.

For example, I complain that our house is too crowded with stuff. First of all, I have a house, and to have too much stuff-to say it out loud now seems CRAZY! Then I started talking about how hard having a fourth child was going to be. Yes, it will be different and might bring a little chaos for a couple of weeks, but there are people who can't have kids and I am having my fourth. We have some very close friends who have had so much trouble in this area, and when I thought about them and the way I was acting, I wanted to call them and apologize for my attitude. So, you know who you are, I'm sorry. Not that I did anything to you, but I felt like I owed you that.

I really can't remember what else I was complaining about, but I can assure you that all of the things were stupid. I am one of the most blessed women on the planet. I get to live out one of my few dreams in life, being a stay-at-home mom to my three amazing children. Thanks to my husband, I don't have to worry about taking them to day-care everyday. I get to be the one to take them to school, pick them up, make their meals, read to them, love them. It is the most amazing job EVER. I have a wonderful family, no matter how crazy they are : ). I have amazing friends that I couldn't live without. I am just overwhelmed when I look back over the life I have lived and see that God has chosen to bless me so abundantly, in spite of myself and the choices I have made.

So, the next time I get so "woe is me", I will have this post to look back on and remind me that I actually have no real woes in my life. I love my life and honestly wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I love you all and hope you have a blessed day.

IT'S A ...

BABY! Well, we did it. We made it through the ultrasound without finding out the sex of the baby. I was actually surprised, eventhough I thought I was strong enough. I must say that I am kind of sad about it. I know it will be fun on the baby's birthday to not know if it is a Will or a Campbell, but right now, I just feel kind of down. Silly considering the baby looked perfect. We don't have a scanner, so I can't post pictures just yet. But we saw feet, hands, legs, arms, it was really fun.

Anyway, just wanted to give you the update. Have a great day.

Big day!

I am getting ready to leave for my ultrasound. We still are not finding out what we are having, but it should still be fun. If we have a girl, her name will be Campbell Anne. If it is a boy, his name will be William Taylor. I will have an update when I return.

Good news!

My dad went to the doctor yesterday for the follow-up on his cancer surgery. The blood work looked great! There is no more cancer. He goes back in two months. I am relieved, so I can't imagine how relieved he must feel! Thanks to all of you for the prayers.

Everything else is going pretty good. I go for my ultrasound tomorrow, so that should be exciting. We have narrowed down the girls name to either Campbell Anne or Meredith Anne. The boy's name we haven't narrowed down so much, but we will get there eventually. I really feel like I am having a girl, so I haven't wanted to talk about boys' names so much. That probably means I am having a boy! Ha. Anyway. I am feeling really good, so I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Ugh!

Okay, I am about to lose my mind over naming this baby. I feel so stupid. First of all, I am totally taking the fun out of being surprised over the baby's sex. So, I am mad at myself about that. And I can't imagine not having a name already picked out before the baby is born. The baby will come out and what will we say? "Hi, sorry we didn't name you, but all the good names were taken!" or "Hey, Daddy and I couldn't agree on a name, so you shall remain nameless for the rest of your life!" It is really driving me crazy! Can you tell? Is it obvious? I would post the list of names we like, "like" being the operative word, but I know you all are sick of hearing me talk about it. I am just losing my mind and needed to vent a little.

Wow!

Yesterday was one of those days where I had several things happen to me that confirmed I am doing some things right. I can't really even remember every one of them, but I can remember several times throughout the day thinking, "God, thank you for that. Thank you for hearing my prayer. You are so faithful!" It was like every question I had for him the day before was not necessarily answered, but he was saying, "I know you have questions. But won't you trust me to answer them in my timing? Here are a couple of treasures to get you through for today." It was awesome. For all four of you out there praying for me, thank you. I can feel it. If you think anything in this blog could bless someone else, please share it with them. I don't think I have all of the answers by any stretch of the imagination, but I want to share what is going on with me because at one time someone shared with me what was going on with them and it really helped me. (Wow, that was a long sentence!) I believe that God has me doing this so that I can help someone else with my experiences. I think that is one of the things we as believers are supposed to do.

Anyway, have a great day and look for God. You WILL find Him!

A whole new world...

Well, today starts a new journey for me. I have come to realize that for the last almost 30 years, I haven't really known what it means to have a relationship with God. I feel like I have done pretty good at being a Christian. I go to church every time the doors are open, I am in a Bible study, I have led Bible studies, I am a class leader, blah blah blah. I am not saying those things are bad, but as Beth Moore says, I am in captivity to activity. I have been so busy serving God that I have missed Him!

So, my new quest is, "God, I want to fall in love with you! I want to learn what it means to be in relationship with you. I know that once I learn what it truly means to love you, the obedience will come naturally and it won't feel like something I have to do because I am a Christian, but it will be something I want to do because I love you so much that I can't help but obey!"

I actually can't believe I am posting all of this on my blog, but, well, I am. I have a prayer journal, but that stuff is between God and me. I really want to be able to keep track of this journey so that I can remember what I feel right now and not forget what it felt like to really fall in love with God for the first time. Please pray for me as I begin this journey. Have a truly blessed, Spirit-filled day!

I love cookie dough!

Claire, Jordan and I just got finished making chocolate chip cookies. Well, they were from a mix, but still. That is one thing that I keep forgetting to get my mom's recipe for. I don't know what it is about her cookies, but they are the best. I guess Betty Crocker will have to do for today.

We are thinking about Meredith Anne for a girl's name. Still have no idea for a boy. Just thought I would throw that out there. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Back to normal...

Well, the kids went back to school today. The house is so nice and quiet. I haven't had to settle any arguments today! It has been pretty nice. They were ready to go back. Especially Jordan. He was about to explode by the time we got to school. Claire was okay. She said she had too much fun at home, although you wouldn't know that while she is here. Anyway, I am glad they like school. I can't imagine having to make them go everyday to somewhere they didn't like.

We are all pretty much over our colds. Although mine is hanging on a little longer, but that is due to the pregnancy. I am also having this really bad back pain, but I guess this comes with the territory. Other than that, I really can't complain. I am on track with weight gain, the baby's heartbeat is good and strong, I am not sick at all anymore. Everything is going really well. As for the name update, we have decided to not officially decide on a name until the baby is born. Since we aren't finding out the sex beforehand, it is really hard to pick a name and stick to it. So, we are waiting. We will go to the hospital with some ideas, but nothing will be set in stone until the baby is here. It is getting really crazy and exciting around here!

Well, that is about all that is going on here. I am just waiting for the washer repair man to get here. Other than that, it is a pretty quiet day. Luke is about to eat lunch and take a nap; I will get to view my Bible study video while he is asleep. Then we will go get Jordan and Claire from school. Gotta love life!