praying God's word...

I have not been disciplined the past few weeks with this, but I am feeling the need for it. That's always how it works, isn't it? I neglect the Word for a while, and all of a sudden, I feela serious need and desire for it. I need it to quiet my soul and bring me peace. I need it to satiate my thirst and bring me refreshment that will last. I am thankful that the Spirit stirs these desires in my heart, little by little.

So, for this week, I am going to be keeping this verse on my mind and heart:
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for everything He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you love in Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:6-7

I have some things going on this week that are causing me some anxiety, and I truly want to release that and be filled with God's peace. So that is my prayer for the week.

nesting

It's official. I have become a little bit of a crazy lady. My nesting instincts are kicking in, and I feel an insatiable need to make sure EVERYTHING is in its proper place and organized and clean. I definitely don't think this is entirely a bad thing. The bad thing is that it makes me slightly obsessed and frustrated until it's done. Which takes a little longer with a toddler and a 27 week pregnant belly. We are pushing through.

One of the things I am feeling anxious about is baby boy's room. I think we were almost done with Micah's at this point, and the only thing we have for him is a crib in a box. Poor baby. But we have lots of ideas and plans, and his bedding should arrive today! Yay! His room should be precious if we can pull it all together. Can't believe we only have about 12 weeks left until we meet this sweet little man!!!

So, all this nesting stuff may mean a few more episodes of Elmo for Micah, but I know it will all get done. And I'm trying to be okay with it if it doesn't because spending time with my baby girl while she's still an only child is a pretty good reason not to get stuff done in my book!

here's to all the moms

This is super late, but here is my mother's day post.

We are blessed with some incredible examples of moms in our lives.  Our children will not be lacking in a good understanding of what a mother should be if they just watch their Mimi and Grandmommy.

These women are both amazing examples of Godly women who exemplify what it means to sacrifice, serve, and love their children without any boundaries.

Their selflessness and examples are what I continue to try to emulate in my journey of motherhood.

So, thanks to my mom and Chris's mom for being women who truly understand what it means to love and give sacrificially for their families!

This mother's day was a little different in the Fieldhouse because Chris was in Ghana.  But, don't feel sorry for me for a second because that sweet husband of mine outdid himself by giving me all {or what I thought were all} of my gifts before he even left.  He takes great care of me and always makes me feel special.  I am one lucky gal.  He even arranged to have his brother bring me flowers on mother's day and another friend bring my last gift to church.

I am seriously married to the greatest guy ever.

So, Micah and I spent mother's day celebrating my mom, her Mimi, with my dad and sister.

We enjoyed some good conversation and play time that morning, followed by a yummy lunch and dessert.  Micah made her Mimi and Grandmommy a special gift {that I don't have a picture of :(}, and we enjoyed getting to treat them.

Here are a few pictures of our day:

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the bittersweet day that mother's day can often be.

For those of you who have lost mothers, never had a mother that truly understood what that role meant, or those that long to be mothers, Jesus calls to you and begs you to "come, all who are weary, and I will give you rest."  I pray that even in the midst of pain and brokenness on mother's day, you were able to find rest and peace and delight in Jesus.

little girl

I feel like these days "little girl" is much more accurate at describing Micah than baby.

Sometimes, this makes me sad that she is growing up so fast, but then I remember that in just 3 months we will have another baby.

Micah's imagination is really beginning to develop, and it is seriously so much fun to watch!  I love seeing her play with her babies and other toys and start creating things in her little world.  It is just another reminder of how amazing God is that He would create Micah with an incredible imagination at just 17 months old.  I love being part of her discovery.

I am going to just post pictures because I have several that I want to get up here.  So, I will let them do the rest of the talking...or most of it at least :)

She loves her new kitchen.  Now we just need to stock it!

 We got our nephew's old carseat for when Micah outgrows hers someday, and she loves to play in it.  She always asks someone to come sit next to her, too!

 I just love this picture of her!

 Babies are still her favorite, and she loves to take her babies on a walk.

 Telling me "bye bye"

She has learned to knock on doors.

This is my view of the world many times these days, and I adore it...both of my babies!

 This girl LOVES being outside!  She would live out there.

I truly cherish my days with her, and there is no where else I would rather be.
I have been tutoring this semester at a local elementary school, 3 mornings a week for 4 hours each morning.  It's been a blessing for us, and I am thankful that I had the opportunity.
But, tomorrow is my last day, and I could not be more ready to have every single morning free to play with and enjoy my sweet girl!!!

hey, hey baby

I am about a week and a half late on an update on our sweet little man.

Poor baby is already getting less attention than his big sister did, but I guess that is to be expected.

This pregnancy has been so smooth.  I feel extremely blessed to have easy pregnancies, especially when so many of my friends and acquaintances are not so lucky.  Being pregnant is such a gift, and I am thankful that I get to truly enjoy it because I honestly feel great!  The second trimester plays a big role in this, but I have very few aches and pains to go along with it.

This has been a big 5 weeks for our little boy.  He has been to France, survived 2 of Daddy's trips to Ghana, made his gender known to us and the world, and gotten much stronger!  I am carrying this sweet boy a little lower than I carried Micah, and I can certainly tell when his little legs are kicking me!  

He is a mover, just like his big sister, and I LOVE it.  It's definitely my favorite part of being pregnant.  Chris felt him move for the first time in France, and that is always a highlight of the pregnancy for us.  I love being able to share just a little bit of what it's like with him.  He is most active when I sit or lay down.  He also doesn't like when something or someone {namely Micah} encroaches on his space :)

I am not really craving anything this time around.  I am just hungry often, and I feel like I can really put the food away!  With Micah, I didn't see much of a difference in my appetite, but not so with this sweet boy.  Maybe it's just a dose of what feeding him during his teenage years will be like!

I haven't started the swelling too much, but as it gets hotter, I am sure that will change.  I have had very little rib and back pain so far, but I figure that is partly due to his low position.  I am still sleeping fairly well.  I have nights where I sleep great, and then other nights that I feel like I toss and turn all night.  Truly, it's not so bad, and I have pretty good energy during the day when I need it!  The bump is definitely growing, although I surprisingly don't feel like I am quite as big as I was with Micah.  Crazy!  Here is the evidence.

 Chris and I feel so blessed to be preparing to be parents of TWO kids, and we are just begging the Lord for wisdom as we seek to raise them to be Spirit-filled Christ followers.  We pray for our sweet little man every night and look forward to meeting him in about 14 weeks!

so much

I have been a terrible blogger lately. Terrible. I could make excuses about all we've had going on or how I store all my pictures on Chris's computer that was with him in Africa for 10 days. But the truth is that I just haven't done it. I have wanted to, but when the time came to actually sit down and make something happen, I just found other things to do.

But, I want to document our lives here, and it serves as my scrapbook/journal. So, I am coming back. I am slightly overwhelmed by all the catching up I have to do. But, some things just may have to get left out. So, check back soon because there will be updates!!!

"The faithful love of the Lord lasts forever. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh every morning." Lamentations 3:22-23

big reveal

Baby #2 is a...

BOY!!!!!

We are so excited!  I know that having a little boy is going to just be so much fun, and I think Micah will be the perfect big sister to a little brother.  And, we love being able to call the baby "him" now. 

It makes me smile every time I refer to him.

Boys are something new for me and my family.  My dad has 3 sisters, my mom is an only child, and they had 2 daughters.  So, this whole boy thing is a really fun experience.  I know he will bring us so much joy and expand our hearts just like his big sister does.

We revealed the gender to our parents the day we found out.  We didn't do anything spectacular, but we just ran to Target and grabbed a couple little "boy" things--a couple of matchbox cars, some newborn baby boy shoes, and a lovey appropriate for a little boy.  We wrapped them in sacks, and each grandparent had a present to open.  It was a fun little way to tell them they are getting a{another} grandson!

Here is the setup before opening!

Mimi's and Pappy's reactions...I love it!  They can't wait for the first boy!

Grandmommy's and Pops' reactions!

Our excited family after we told everyone!

More than anything, we are so thankful that our little man is growing just perfectly.  All of his organs are functioning just like they are supposed to, and he was moving and grooving all over during the ultrasound.  We continue to pray for his development and growth over the next 3 1/2 months {are you kidding me?!?!}, and we are already anxious to meet this little guy.

Bring on the BLUE!!!