Last Week In Review

Places we went: Target, a good friend's house for dinner, church, Publix, a Cuban restaurant, a church yard sale, the aquarium, and a park for a dinner and evening of fellowship with our Life Group.

Highlights from the week: We really enjoyed our dinner at my good friend Kristina's house.  We have become very close over the past year, and now my husband and her husband are becoming good friends too.  T and her children are very close as well!  I also enjoyed spending time with my family at the aquarium and having a lovely fellowship dinner with our Life Group.  However, the absolute best moment of this week was finding out that I am pregnant again!!  I had an 11th week miscarriage back in February and was devastated by it.  Only recently did I feel the Lord's prompting to try again.  On September 2, my prayer journal entry was very specific: that I would get pregnant THIS MONTH (with a few other specifics jotted down).  I am so amazed at how God answers prayers.  AND he gave me a word this month that I would indeed be pregnant.  I took two early tests which (to my surprise) were both negative, but waited a few days and took two more tests, which were both positive.  God is SO good!

I am reading: Bringing Up Boys

I am praising God for: The new life He has created in me!!!

A Goal this week: Start scrapbooking again

I am looking forward to: Tonight our local Chick-Fil-A is hosting "Super Hero" night, which will be attended by Spiderman (and his parents)!

I am praying for: A healthy baby that I am able to carry to term.  Also, that I would take every thought captive and that I would not allow the enemy to steal my joy through fear, anxiety, and doubts.

Week in Review

Places we went: the park for a Bible study, Publix, church, Busch Gardens, Olive Garden, the library, and a Chinese restaurant for lunch.

Highlights: T had a great time with his friends at Busch Gardens.  They rode tons of rides, played in the water area, and climbed in the tree house all day.  I met a friend there and we got to catch up and chat.  Lather in the week I also enjoyed spending some time with my sister-in-law and attending an informative workshop on Human Trafficking.

Funny Moment:  At Publix, I was talking with a nice old lady who we see every week.  During a short pause in our conversation T felt the need to inform this former school teacher that "boys have penises".

I am reading: Heaven is For Real.  This book describes the journey of a four year old boy who claims to have  been to Heaven.  I was a bit skeptical of the book at first, but after reading it, I definitely believe that he did indeed have a supernatural experience.

I am looking forward to: Our church is starting a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group and I am looking forward to attending the first meeting this Saturday.

A Goal: This week I am working on creating a ministry application for our pro-life group.

I am praising God for: My husband's job

I am praying for: My aunt and uncle, whose beloved doggie passed away this week.

Week in Review~sorry, no pics this week:)

Places we went: A big local church for a meeting, Chuck E Cheese, the park with friends, Five Guys (hamburger restaurant), Petco, Movie Stop, church, and Panera Bread.

Highlight of the week: One of my favorite things last week was attending a FREE shopping spree hosted by our home church.  This was the first time I have ever gone to this event, and T and my mother-in-law joined me.  We all gathered in our church's old auditorium for praise and worship, and then a wonderful speaker (Debbie) shared a message and gave us pointers on how to read the Bible relationally.  When Debbie was almost finished she described how to know Jesus as Lord and Savior (this event was open to all local ladies).  After she prayed, Debbie asked if anyone had just received Christ for the first time, and about 30 ladies raised their hands.   It was amazing!!  Afterward, we all were invited to shop in the different "boutiques" set up in the various classrooms.  One room would be filled with household and decorative items, other rooms had children's toys, books, and so on.  One whole hallway was filled with women's clothing.  And we truly were able to "shop" and select items that we wanted completely free of charge (minus the $2.00 admission fee to the entire event).  I walked away with some really great stuff including a beautiful blue sweater, an Adidas sweatshirt, some cute wedge shoes, candles, a new bottle of probiotics (worth $25.00), and several books and magazines.  Even more importantly, I walked away with a new sense of awe for our Lord, who blessed me with a special gift at this event, which I will share in a future post.

We watched: Children of 9/11 and 102 Minutes That Changed America.  Our church also hosted a viewing of a Worldwide Simulcast called something like "God's Wake-Up Call" and we really enjoyed watching it with other Christians.

I am reading: an AMAZING book called Choosing to SEE: The Journey of Struggle and Hope (Written by Mary Beth Chapman~wife of Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman).  In 2008, the Chapman's 4 year old daughter~adopted from China~was tragically killed.  She ran out in front of her older brother's car as he was pulling into the driveway and because she was so little he never saw her.  Mary Beth pours her heart and soul out in this book, describing her courtship and marriage to Steven, her longtime struggle with depression, their three adoption experiences, and she shares firsthand about the loss of her precious little girl and how God is carrying them all along one day at a time.  I cannot put this book down!!!

I am praising God for:  Our church.  We love our church.  The pastors, elders, and active members truly have a heart for sharing Christ and reaching out to help those who are hurting in our community and beyond.  There are tons of ministries to be involved in, and there is never a shortage of educational classes or fellowship activities.  They have stood behind me in my ministry 100 percent and I am eternally grateful!

I am looking forward to: an upcoming Human Trafficking class being hosted by our church

A Goal this week: Create a logo for our pro-life ministry

I am praying for: All of the family members and friends who lost loved ones on 9/11.

Last Week in Review

Places we went: Pet motel to pick up Maggie, Publix, Michael's, Target, Family Christian, church, Panera Bread, the park, Mamaw's house, Chick Fil A, Sea World, and several friends' homes.  Also, my husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniverary and he took me to a Vietnamese place to eat.

We watched: Mama Heidi, a documentary about an amazing missionary who is the founder and director of an orphanage in Mozambique.  She and her team have taken in hundreds of homeless, orphaned children.  She shares the Gospel with each and every child and many have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through her important ministry.

Highlights of the week:  Lots of great moments this week~ I really enjoyed getting all of our fall decor out, setting it up, and purchasing a few new decorative items to add to our collection.  I bought the Pumpkin Cream Pie Yankee Candle and it smells wonderful!  We had a blast again at Sea World and my favorite moment of the day was feeding and petting the dolphins.  Earlier in the week, we had an excellent pro-life meeting~our turnout was impressive and our guest speaker was amazing! 

Low moments of the week: Having to hold T down while he physically shook and screamed in terror during his haircut.  I also had a bit of a tough time on Thursday, my due date.

I am praising God for: Keeping us safe during our travels on Sunday.  Our tire exploded while driving down the interstate, which could have been disastrous.  I am so thankful that the Lord kept my husband safe as he changed the front left tire.  Cars were flying by at 80 miles an hour, and I was relieved when he got the tire on and we were able to go!

A Goal this week: Set up an appt to get family photos taken

I am looking forward to: An important planning meeting for an upcoming, local pro-life conference

I am praying for: My husband's friends, who are going through a very rough patch in their marriage and are likely going to divorce.

Up close and personal with a dolphin

Poor T did not want to leave at the end of the day!

Our Disney Vacation!!

Last weekend we enjoyed a two night stay in Orlando.  We arrived on Friday evening and were very excited to see our hotel room..it was so big!  We stayed in a huge 2 bathroom suite and loved having all of that space, even though it's just the three of us.  We were all famished and soon after unloading the car we went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse.  Even though we got back to our room pretty late (10:30),  T really wanted to go swimming in the pool, so we did a little night swimming and spent some time relaxing in the hot tub.

The next morning, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom.  We have taken T there several times but love it so much that we decided to go back.  After watching a show, we headed over to Fantasyland and enjoyed the rides.  T's favorites were It's a Small World, The TeaCups, Dumbo, the Carousel, and the racecars.  He was terrified of Snow White's Scary Adventures and Peter Pan.  After several hours of riding rides and meeting characters it started storming.  While the storm itself lasted only about half an hour, after it passed all of the rides remained closed for a long time.  They even cancelled the afternoon parade of characters, which was a bit disappointing.  We walked around a little more but decided to call it a day once more storm clouds started rolling in.

After relaxing in our room for a few hours we headed out to Dave and Buster's to meet Daddy's friend who was celebrating a birthday.  T had a blast playing all sorts of arcade games and collecting prize tickets.

The next morning we drove over to Sea World.  T had not been there yet, and my husband and I had not been there since we ourselves were kids (I had only been to the one in Ohio).  As soon as we arrived, T enjoyed meeting several characters and having his picture taken with them.  Next we went over to Shamu's Happy Harbor to ride a few quick rides before heading over to the Shamu show, "One Ocean".  We really enjoyed the performance and were amazed at the tricks the killer whales can do and how they were all perfectly in sync.  After the show, we headed back to kiddie land and rode rides, played in the sprinklers, climbed around in the nets, and watched an awesome performance by 5 men on stilts.  Next we went to a cafe and had lunch.  Afterward, we watched the Sea Lion/Walrus show, which was really funny.  After the show, we traveled back over to Shamu's Happy Harbor so T could ride a few more rides which included the Flyin Fiddler, the Carousel, Jazzie Jellies, Ocean Commotion, Swishy Fishies, and the Shamu Express Roller Coaster.  His two favorites were the Flyin Fiddler and Ocean Commotion....his least favorite was the Roller Coaster, which did go very fast!

For dinner, we visited the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament..  We got there early and were happy to have some time to walk around because there is much to see!  The castle features an eight-cottage medieval village, with one big section designated as the "torture chamber".  This area was home to many authentic and horrible devices that had been used to extract confessions of prisoners.  The torture chamber was captivating and terrifying, and we were quite glad to get out of there and wait for the show to begin!  Once we were seated, we had a few minutes to get settled in, then the lights dimmed and the show started.  "Our" knight was clothed in black and white, and we were thrilled because both he and his horse sported a huge red cross on their chest.  Dinner was delicious and we were treated to a four course meal of tomato bisque soup, garlic bread, chicken, spare rib, baked potato, and an apple turnover.  The food was great, but the entertainment was amazing and we had fun cheering on our knight as he competed in the jousting tournament and later went into battle.

We had a wonderful weekend together and I am so thankful for the memories we made.  We are looking forward to returning to Orlando real soon!!

Last Week in Review

Places we went: Dollar Store, Michael's, Publix, playground/spray park, church, bounce house, and Disney World! (Separate Disney post to follow).

Highlights from the week: Watching my baby experience tons of fun during our Disney weekend!

New Recipe I cooked: Layered Fiesta Casserole~very yummy and gave us two nights of leftovers!

Funny moment: Let me preface this by saying T doesn't watch very much tv and only recently started watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  While he obviously knows who Mickey Mouse is, he isn't quite sure of the names of the other characters....as evidenced this weekend when he spotted Goofy and shouted "Look, there's Dooky."

I am praising God for: My family

I am reading: A Pro-Life Curriculum/Teacher's Manual called Generations For Life

I am looking forward to: My pro-life meeting tomorrow and breaking out all of our fall decor on Thursday!

A Goal this week: Get haircuts for T and I

I am praying for: Peace and comfort as I approach my due date without my baby.  September 1 was my due date for the baby we lost in February.  During the last month, I have experienced intense grief and anxiety knowing this day was fast approaching, so I am praying that the Lord will continue to comfort and sustain me in the days ahead.

T amd Mommy on Dumbo

Teacups!!

The Flyin Fiddler~Check out that big smile!!

Week in Review

Places we went: The pool for swimming lessons, a friend's house for a playdate, the beach, Target, church, and Chili's.  We also went to Chick-Fil-A for a meeting with the Director of our developing teen pro-life ministry~we both have small children and try to meet here every other Saturday so the kids can play while we work!

We watched: the 700 Club.  We love this Christian news program and try to catch it whenever we can.  Last week, one of the segments focused on a woman (Kathy) who was raised by parents that worshipped Satan.  As a little girl, Kathy was exposed to all sorts of unimaginable horrors.  A wise and loving neighbor lady shared Jesus Christ with Kathy, and she became a Christian at a very young age.  As a teen, Kathy found herself pregnant.  When the baby was born, her father, now a Satanic High Priest, sacrificed his newborn grandbaby to the Devil.  Many years later, as her father lay dying, Kathy went to visit him and tell him that she had forgiven him.  She shared Christ with her dad, and he said the sinners prayer and received Jesus as his Lord and Savior right then and there. He died one minute later.  WOW!!

Highlights of the week: Watching T become more and more brave at every single swimming lesson.  At first, he was too scared to even get in the water with his teacher.  By the last day, he was jumping off the side to his teacher and letting her help him do all sorts of things.  I have also enjoyed spending lots of time with a sweet new friend.  Finally, we had a very productive meeting on Saturday and are getting very excited about the official launch of our teen group in just six short weeks.

Tough moment of the week: Breaking my six day juice fast.  I felt amazing during the last 3 days of the fast..I don't think my stomach has felt that good ever!  I really didn't want to break the fast but knew I had to.

I am praising God for: my husband.  He works so hard to provide for us and is such a terrific dad.  He is kind, funny, generous, and he truly loves the Lord.  He is the man I always dreamed about marrying! 

A goal this week: Do preschool with T Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  We will try to stick with this schedule throughout the school year, which officially begins tomorrow.

I am looking forward to: an upcoming overnight trip to Disney!

I am praying for: a precious local toddler named Isabella. "Izzy" is not even two years old yet and was diagnosed last weekend with Leukemia.  She is currently at Children's Hospital undergoing chemo.  Her mom is closely involved with the Pregnancy Center and is an active Walk For Life volunteer.  Her mom has asked that people pray for~Izzy to beat this, for there to be no lasting effects, and for the cancer to have spread no further (it has already spread to her kidneys).  I got a report an hour ago that Izzy has been moved to the ICU.  Please join me in lifting this little sweetheart and her family up to our Lord, the Master Physician.

Taking a field trip to the big pool.  T is always the caboose on the kiddie train!!