a little bit of this. a little bit of that.

Micah is now the proud owner of 4 teeth. 

 That's right. FOUR. 

She's only 16 months old after all.

And, there are more coming.  She's got swollen, red gums.  We're excited.

*****

I felt the very first legitimate kicks from baby #2 on Saturday night as I was going to sleep.  Best feeling ever.  I had been feeling little "flutters" for a couple of weeks, but there's nothing better than those "hey, I'm in here" movements!  I cannot wait for Chris to feel them.  I don't think it will be long.

*****

Speaking of my fabulous husband, he has been in Ghana since Thursday of last week.  Somehow, he still manages to arrange for me to receive flowers every time he is gone.

I love him.  He takes such good care of me.  And, thanks to his brother, Cameron, for always delivering them!

To top all of that off, he wasn't supposed to be home until Friday, but guess who came walking in the door just before naptime today?  From the kitchen, I heard the front door open, and before Chris could say anything, Micah started saying "dada" over and over.  Pure sweetness.  That girl loves her daddy.  So do I.  How could we not?  Especially when he comes home TWO days early!

*****

Finally, we found out that we will be having another nephew come early September!!!  Chris's sister and her husband found out that they are expecting another little boy, and we couldn't be more thrilled.  Love baby Jaxon already!

What a great week, and it's only Wednesday!

week 13 of praying God's word

I fell back into my old ways and didn't post about praying God's word for last week.

Oops.

But, I just continued with Isaiah 58.  It was too rich to only spend one week on it, so I spent two.

God really spoke to me as I was reading through this book the past two weeks.  I feel like I am much better at the serving aspect than I am at the inward holiness aspect of being a Jesus follower {that is not to say that I am GOOD at the serving thing, just better.}. 

However, as I have entered into the season of Lent, I was struck at how God makes it clear that He has no interest in days spent with our "knees on the floor" if it doesn't result in a change in the way we handle those around us.

It seems so simple that surely if we are working on ourselves inwardly that outward results would also be seen, but it doesn't always happen that way.

As Chris and I were discussing this one evening, we decided that in the future for Lent that we want to continue to give things up to the Lord for a season, but we also want our family to engage in some kind of daily/weekly service together.  I can't wait already!

This week, I will be spending time on this verse.

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  Zephaniah 3:17

If you haven't joined in with us yet but would like to, it's not too late!  Just choose a verse to pray and meditate on for the week or use the one I post here. 

 Blessings, friends.

lovin this weather

We have been having some seriously amazing Spring weather around here lately, and for my little munchkin who adores being outside, it is perfect! 

 She loves to let the dogs outside and run all over the backyard while they enjoy a little freedom too.

We've also been able to enjoy a few trips to the park.  She loves it!

Her favorite things to do are swing...

...while watching the big kids on the "big" swings next to her. 

She loves watching other kids at the park and gets the biggest kick out of their silliness.

And, she LOVES to play in the gravel.

I really think that is her favorite thing about going to the park.

{Pardon her extremely serious expression.  The sun was in her eyes.}

We sure are loving these lovely Spring days.  I know they will pass too quickly, and it will be hot, hot, HOT soon!  So, the little miss and I will keep enjoying our days at the park together.

{Maybe I'll even get some color on my white skin.  You know it's bad when your baby's skin is darker than yours.  Sheesh.}

fun

The best word to describe the stage that Micah is at is fun.  She is constantly learning new things, and we really just have so much fun.  She keeps me on my toes and keeps us laughing.  We definitely have our moments as she also discovers that crying, and sometimes screaming, is one way to get her point across.  But, we are working on that.

And, she's still super cute!

Chris got Micah this precious chair as a surprise gift.  He did good.  

She loves it and goes to sit in it a lot randomly throughout the day as we are playing.

The way she gets in it is pretty hilarious.  She climbs in and then turns around.  I'm sure some day she'll master the art of sitting in a chair the "right" way, but for now, I sure like the way she does it.

We have spent a lot of time outside lately because we've had some beautiful weather!  Micah loves being outside and would probably stay out there all day if I let her, just running around and playing in the dirt.

She did not get the love of dirt from her momma!!!

Eating is definitely still one of her favorite things, and as soon as we say something about breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner, she races to her highchair and holds her hands up.

This girl loves her food.  Here is her classic shoving-a-bite-into-my-mouth-as-fast-as-I-can look.

And, the double fister...

She did some damage on the spaghetti one night at dinner.

I love this picture of her cutting her eyes while sucking on the asparagus and covered in spaghetti.  

LOVE it!

Of course, we just play and play the days away too.

 I sure am grateful to spend my days with this sweetheart.  She is just too much fun!

week 11 of praying God's word

Week 10's verse- Proverbs 3:5

The Lord really challenged me this week as I prayed this verse.  There wasn't some massive circumstance that tested my trust in the Lord, but it was the reminder of the everyday things and how much I truly just depend on my understanding of things.  I feel like I am pretty good at trusting the Lord when "big" things come up, but with the everyday stuff, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on it.  But, the Lord desires for me to completely and totally trust Him in ALL things, not just the big stuff but in the mundane routines of life as well.  I want to keep learning how to relinquish my need for control and to truly trust the Lord.  This is hard for me, people, really hard.  It's a lot easier to depend on my understanding of things--because I understand it.  I get it.  However, God never said that I needed to "get" everything.  Only that I needed to trust Him to handle it.  He is much bigger than I am, after all.

Now, for week 11... This past week, I have been really focused on the idea of fasting as we have entered into the season of Lent.  I posted about this last year, but I will just quickly say that I love this season.  I love the way it forces me to be intentional about laying something down before the Lord in an effort to spend more time in His presence.  So, last night as I was reading my Bible, I was drawn to Isaiah 58.  Wow.  It is amazingly powerful.  I am going to read the whole chapter each day this week.  It is so rich.  I won't post the whole thing on here, but I plan to post the verses that most impacted me next Monday. 

If you haven't read it before, go now and read it.  You will be blessed.

If  you have read it, go read it again.

It really is that good.



baby love

It's been a while since I've dedicated an update to our little bitty love, and even though I want to document this pregnancy on here like I did Micah's for my personal memories, it is a little bit overwhelming right now to think about doing weekly updates.  So, instead, I will try to update once a month.  I am taking {mostly} weekly pictures of the baby bump, so I will post those as well.

This pregnancy has really been smooth.  My pregnancy with Micah was so easy, and I honestly had no idea what to expect with this one.  I prayed that it would be similar in regards to both my and baby's health, and so far, it's been just the same.  I am definitely blessed.  Since entering the second trimester, I have been feeling great for the most part.  I had a couple more days where I experienced some nausea, but that seems to have gone away now.  I have regained my energy, and the truth is I sometimes forget I am even pregnant!  It's crazy to think that because with Micah my entire world was wrapped up in being pregnant with her, but I guess that is just one of the changes that come with already being responsible for a sweet little one.

My belly seems to have grown a bit quicker with this baby as well.  I was already "showing" a little bit at 13 weeks!  Holy cow!!!  I love it though.  I love when people ask me if I'm expecting, and I feel blessed to be able to say yes for the second time.  Here are the recent bump pictures {week 14 is missing because that was the crazy week, and I totally forgot to take a picture...oops!}

We have had two doctor's appointments so far.  We went to the second one when I was about 13 1/2 weeks, and we had a slight moment of fear.  Dr. S was trying to hear baby love's heartbeat with the doppler, but he couldn't find it.  He tried for what felt like forever.  I was honestly very calm throughout the whole ordeal, but Chris was pretty nervous.  If you know us, you know that the roles were completely reversed in this situation.  Chris is usually the calm one, and I am the nervous wreck!  So, Dr. S brought in the sonogram machine to make sure he could find the heartbeat that way.  We got to see our sweet baby again, and he immediately found its heart just beating away, perfectly healthy.  It was definitely a relief and a little treat to see our baby again.  Our next appointment is next Thursday, and I already cannot wait to hear that little heartbeat again.  I feel like I am more emotional about it this time, but I think it's just because of how much I love Micah.  And, I know that I will love this baby just as much.  It's totally amazing!

Other than that, there is not much to report.  Things are going just as they should as far as we can tell.  I am not having too many cravings, but one thing I cannot handle is a lot of spicy, fried foods.  So, my beloved wings are a no go right now.  This baby just doesn't agree with them.  That is a small sacrifice.  We are just so thankful for the chance to be parents to two children.  What a blessing it is to bring a child into the world and to experience the richness of loving them.

praying God's word...week 10

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done--on earth as it is in Heaven."  Matthew 6:10

Praying that verse this past week helped me to put things into perspective a lot more.  With Chris being gone, it was a good and constant reminder that what we are trying to do with Mercy Project is to bring the kingdom of God on this earth, and when I started to get discouraged or tired while being alone with Micah this week, this served as a gentle nudge that God has us exactly where He wants us.  I am thankful that His kingdom is so much bigger and more inclusive than mine.  My view is so small and so selfish, and I am thankful to serve a mighty God.

This week's verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Do not depend on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5

This verse is simple and one that I've heard a thousand times.  But as I thought about what verse to pray this week, this one kept coming to my mind over and over.  I am certain that the Lord will use it to bless, encourage, and challenge me this week.

fifteen months

{I decided to write letters to Micah every 3 months until she turns 2.  So, here is the first one of her second year of life!}

Sweet girl,

You are 15 months old and bring so much joy to our lives!  Seriously, I don't know how you could get much more fun than you are right now.  Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time at specific moments so that I won't ever forget just how much fun we have right now.  But, somehow as you grow, that just becomes more and more true!

You are doing so many things these days and learning more and more every single day.  I am constantly amazed by the things that you can do and understand.  You are definitely a little sponge, so momma has to be much more intentional about our time together.  You are hardly ever still these days and are walking and running every where!  You love to walk outside, but you are very skeptical of changes in terrain.  You want to be picked up when the sidewalk ends and grass begins.  You don't quite understand how to just step right off the sidewalk into the grass...it scares you.  You also sometimes to refuse to walk over cracks in the sidewalk.  It cracks me up!  You are adventurous and busy sometimes, but you are also a very cautious little girl at other times.

You are really into putting things in and taking things out of containers of all kinds.  We have added plastic cups, bowls, a metal lunchbox, and even an empty kleenex box to your toy collection because you love it so much.  You also have started to enjoy playing with your puzzles too.  I am thinking we need to do a little bit of upgrading with your toys because you are beginning to outgrow some of your "baby" toys.  You still love your babies the most which makes me so excited to see you as a big sister.

You love music and to dance.  You have a new dance move that is so cute...you almost just run in place.  I love to watch you!  You are also loving Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It's the only show you will actually watch for any period of time.  That is fine with me because I don't want you to love television.  You love the hot dog song at the end and always get a huge smile on your face when it comes on!  You love the song "If you're happy and you know it" and will clap your hands and point to your sweet little face to "show us" you are happy.  So precious!

You are talking a whole lot more these days and attempting many more words.  Your favorites are still "mama" and "dada" which we love, and you like to experiment with different voice inflections when saying them.  You also have said: nana {banana}, bu bu {bye bye}, ba {ball}, ish {ice}, outside, eye, night night, and Ghana.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some, and I definitely need to be better about writing those down because I have a feeling your vocabulary is about to explode with all the talking you are doing these days!

You have finally decided to give up your morning nap.  It's sort of sad for me, but I know that it's the right thing for you.  Your afternoon nap is much better this way, so if you are happy, we are happy!  You had your second Valentine's day in the past 3 months, and we celebrated with a dinner date at Fish Daddy's.  We had fun as a family of three and always love taking you with us and watching you wave at everyone around us.  You are definitely a little social girl!  Everywhere we go, you are always talking to people around us and waving and smiling.  You are in your element when we are around people--you are definitely your daddy's little girl in that way!  We also went to Denver, and you did great, even with the adjustments we had to make to your sleeping schedule.  You were a trooper but were exhausted by the time we got home.  You had quite an eventful fourteenth month, but you are feeling much better.  Your finger is almost all healed, and pretty soon you won't be able to get sympathy from everyone that you show that little finger to!  You love to show it to family and friends with a sad face so they will kiss it for you.  Drama, mama :)

I am forgetting so many things, but basically, little love bug, we love you so much!  You make our world so much brighter, and we absolutely love your precious personality.  You are such a sweetheart but so full of passion and intensity.  You love to have people around you, but you can also be quite independent.  You are very strong willed but share toys like a champ.  You love to cuddle up with your momma and daddy in the mornings and evenings while you have your milk.  Those are some of our favorite times of the day.  We love reading a Bible story to you every night, singing with you, and praying over you.  I hope we will do that for  many more years with you, sweet girl.  We are so thankful for the blessing of you.  God created something amazingly special in you, and we love being your parents!  Happy 15 months, Micah!

I love you, to the moon and back!

Your Momma

praying God's word...

I believe this is supposed to be week 9.  I have not been doing a great job of keeping up with this on my blog like I had wanted.  I am going to attempt to recommit to posting about it by Monday night at the latest.  I hope I can stick with it!

So, last week I didn't post a new verse.  Honestly, it wasn't because I was praying the verse from the week before again but because I just got distracted from this priority.  I really slacked off last week from praying God's word, and I truly felt it in the stress and general lack of peace that overwhelmed me.  Our week was crazy, I will admit that, but I needed that quiet time with the Lord throughout my days.  Last week was a reminder to me of how easily I put my time with the Lord on the back burner and hardly give it a thought.  I hate that because spending time in the Lord and praying refreshes me, fills me up, and centers me on the things that matter most.  So, here's to starting a new week {2 days ago}!

My verse for the week before last {week 7 if you are keeping up} was:

"Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it." 1 Peter 4:8-9 {The Message}

*The Lord revealed to me that I totally don't get this verse.  I don't know what it means to love people that deeply.  Sure I love my family and close friends deeply, but I don't know what it means to sincerely extend that love to everyone I encounter.  But, I am working on it.  I'm thankful that the Lord is prodding my heart in that way.  Our world is in desparate need of sincere, pure Jesus kind of love.

*I want to be more generous.  My husband is a pro at this, so I get a front row seat at witnessing sweet generosity in action.  But, I want to do better at thinking of it on my own and not just chiming in with, "that's a great idea, honey."  I want to be generous with my time, money, and gifts.  I know God will give me plenty of opportunities to test myself in that!

Now, for week 9's verse:

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done--on earth as it is in heaven."

Matthew 6:10

I love the Lord's prayer.  I sing a song version of it over Micah everytime I lay her down for a nap.  It is so rich, so powerful.  As I contemplated what verse I felt I needed to pray for this week, the Lord's prayer kept popping into my head.  Then, on Sunday at church, we said the prayer together as a community and then sang a song with the words in it.  I knew it was what my heart needed this week.  And, I was right.  Chris is back in Ghana and will be there until next Wednesday.  After our crazy month, it was hard to say goodbye on Monday, but as I've prayed this verse this week, God has gently reminded me that His kingdom is coming--both here and in Ghana.  I am excited to see how else He stirs my spirit this week.