.......about my husband.
Recently, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We had someone watch Miss E and we went out for dinner, by ourselves! That was a first! I thought it would be strange not to have her with us, but honestly, it didn't feel that different. I will admit that after dinner, I wanted to text her caregiver and ask how things were going, but I refrained. Thankfully, within about two minutes after I thought about texting, the person sent us a picture of her and she was fine and having fun. It was nice to have that reassurance, although I knew she was in very capable hands.
Anyway, back to the title of my post. Significant days, like anniversaries, make me think about what makes that day special. I personally, loved my wedding day. It was the perfect day for a wedding and it went just the way I (we) wanted it to. What made the day the most special was that I got to marry Mr. E. He is so perfect for me and here are some things that make him so great!
*He is an incredible Godly man. He reads the Scripture to us and his prayer life is amazing. I cannot recall a time that he has not prayed before we make a decision and we sit down to discuss plans for our lives. He prays for all of us every night before going to bed, every time we leave the house and every morning before he leaves, he prays that Miss E and I have a good day. Amazing!
*He is always thinking, pushing himself (and me) to be all
that God wants us to be. He isn't content to just meander through life, he wants to make a difference in people's lives.
*He is a wonderful provider. He provides for our family in numerous ways, not just financially, but also in ways like hunting and gardening. Ever since I have know him, there has always been a freezer full of meat and since we have been married, he has planted a garden that produces lots of veggies.
*He is a great dad. Just this morning, I was running late for my workout class and he got Miss E changed and ready to go for me. I know I've posted this before, but I love how he interacts with her. I can sing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song to her and she may grin, but if he sings it (he has his own rendition), she smiles every time.
*He is a wise and caring husband. Whether or not I am having a good or bad day, he wants to know, he listens to my problems, concerns and everyday ramblings. He helps me through situations that I may not know how to handle and gives me Godly advice. He is a fabulous head of our household!
*He can make a friend with anyone in two seconds. That amazes me, I cannot do that. Having conversations with strangers comes so easily to him. He is so likeable and easy to talk with that people feel comfortable with him.
*He makes me laugh and now that we have been married for a while, he tends to tease me more. Most of the time when he does tease me, it is when I least expect it. He keeps me from taking my life too seriously.
Those are just a few things that I love about Mr. E. I am looking forward to the future that God has for us and I know that because I am married to Mr. E, our lives will continue to be a great adventure!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Yesterday and other topics
I had one of those emotional moments yesterday....I haven't had one in quite a while, at least not related to the following subject. :) Mr. E was working in his home office yesterday morning and I had to run to the store for a couple of items. Miss E was sleeping, so for the first time in months, I went to the store by myself. It was a strange feeling, leaving the house with just me and my purse. It was even stranger getting to drive my truck. This is the truck that I inherited after Jared passed away, it is a single cab, standard 5-speed. I haven't been able to drive it in a while, because Miss E can't ride in the front seat with me. Driving down the road, I got to thinking about the memories of driving in this vehicle. Then it hit me, yesterday, March 11th would have been Jared's 32nd birthday. I thought it ironic that the first time I've driven this truck in a while, happens to be a significant day. I must say I got a little teary-eyed thinking about it. Thankfully, I recovered quickly and enjoyed the rest of the drive. Jared loved this truck and so do I, it is with mixed feelings that this truck is going to go to a new home soon, but I know that that person will enjoy the truck as much as I have.
I have discovered crock pot cooking. It is amazing. Since Miss E has arrived, dinner times have been sporadic, depending on when she sleeps/plays long enough for me to cook. My menus were also limited because of the time crunch. Monday, I threw a roast in the crock pot at lunch and by the time Mr. E got home there was a nice meal waiting for him. I'm now on the third day of crock pot cooking. I am able to get dinner going while Miss E takes a nap in the morning and then clean the kitchen too. I don't have to think about it the rest of the day, it's great!
Well, I was going to post more, but the little stinker is waking up. Enjoy your week!
I have discovered crock pot cooking. It is amazing. Since Miss E has arrived, dinner times have been sporadic, depending on when she sleeps/plays long enough for me to cook. My menus were also limited because of the time crunch. Monday, I threw a roast in the crock pot at lunch and by the time Mr. E got home there was a nice meal waiting for him. I'm now on the third day of crock pot cooking. I am able to get dinner going while Miss E takes a nap in the morning and then clean the kitchen too. I don't have to think about it the rest of the day, it's great!
Well, I was going to post more, but the little stinker is waking up. Enjoy your week!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Faith
I've been remiss in blogging. To be honest, it has been a rough couple of weeks. I sometimes feel like I'm barely staying afloat. This past week, both Mr. E and I had food poisoning. Thankfully, we had it four days apart so we weren't both down at that same time and someone could watch Miss E. Speaking of Miss E, she is doing well. Growing way too fast! She likes to be busy, constantly. She seems to get bored quickly with things, so you have to move her from her different "play areas" to keep her interest. Sleeping has been an issue. For the past couple of weeks, she has slept for no more than three hours at a time during the night. It has usually been about two to two and a half hours. The last couple of days have been a bit better, waking up every two and a half to four hours. I hope this is a new trend and she will continue to improve.
Now that we're caught up on the little stuff, we can now get to real subject of this post. I've had this post in my brain for about a month.
Late last year, Mr. E was approached with a new opportunity. When we initially heard the details of this opportunity, we weren't really impressed. We prayed about it (I will admit, not fervently), but in the end, decided it wasn't something that we wanted to get involved in. We still continued to pray about it over the weekend and we felt right about declining. Monday came and Mr. E was going to tell the people our decision. Through a couple of things that happened that morning before he had a chance to make the call, we thought God was telling us to wait and perhaps we should reconsider. Over the course of a couple of weeks, different things opening up, we felt like God wanted us to change our minds. He seemed to be opening doors that we didn't expect and that was what we were praying for Him to do. We finally got to the point that we were in, we were going to go for it and we informed the people that we were willing to take this new opportunity, there were just a few things to tie up. We waited a day or two for them to finish the details and then Mr. E called to check the status. We didn't get the answer we were expecting, in those couple of days, the opportunity vanished. I was shocked, didn't see it coming. God slammed the door after we thought He was giving us a clear path. I will also admit I got really irritated about it and somewhat frustrated with God. I just didn't understand why He would have us go through all of this and then pull the rug out from under us. I think it was the next Sunday that one of our pastors had a sermon on faith. It was hard to sit through because it was so convicting to me. He talked about the two different types of faith from Matthew 8......"centurion" faith and "boat" faith. The centurion had faith that God could heal his servant without Jesus even coming to his house. The disciples' faith was non-existent during a storm while Jesus was sleeping on the boat with them. It reminded me how often I look at circumstances around me instead of looking to God for help and guidance. In this situation that we were going through, I thought I knew what was best for us. My faith was small, not understanding that God had a better plan. I think we can catch a glimpse now as to why the opportunity fell apart, but at the time, I questioned God. It isn't always easy for me to trust, but God isn't letting me forget this sermon, so I know that He's working on that in me!
Now that we're caught up on the little stuff, we can now get to real subject of this post. I've had this post in my brain for about a month.
Late last year, Mr. E was approached with a new opportunity. When we initially heard the details of this opportunity, we weren't really impressed. We prayed about it (I will admit, not fervently), but in the end, decided it wasn't something that we wanted to get involved in. We still continued to pray about it over the weekend and we felt right about declining. Monday came and Mr. E was going to tell the people our decision. Through a couple of things that happened that morning before he had a chance to make the call, we thought God was telling us to wait and perhaps we should reconsider. Over the course of a couple of weeks, different things opening up, we felt like God wanted us to change our minds. He seemed to be opening doors that we didn't expect and that was what we were praying for Him to do. We finally got to the point that we were in, we were going to go for it and we informed the people that we were willing to take this new opportunity, there were just a few things to tie up. We waited a day or two for them to finish the details and then Mr. E called to check the status. We didn't get the answer we were expecting, in those couple of days, the opportunity vanished. I was shocked, didn't see it coming. God slammed the door after we thought He was giving us a clear path. I will also admit I got really irritated about it and somewhat frustrated with God. I just didn't understand why He would have us go through all of this and then pull the rug out from under us. I think it was the next Sunday that one of our pastors had a sermon on faith. It was hard to sit through because it was so convicting to me. He talked about the two different types of faith from Matthew 8......"centurion" faith and "boat" faith. The centurion had faith that God could heal his servant without Jesus even coming to his house. The disciples' faith was non-existent during a storm while Jesus was sleeping on the boat with them. It reminded me how often I look at circumstances around me instead of looking to God for help and guidance. In this situation that we were going through, I thought I knew what was best for us. My faith was small, not understanding that God had a better plan. I think we can catch a glimpse now as to why the opportunity fell apart, but at the time, I questioned God. It isn't always easy for me to trust, but God isn't letting me forget this sermon, so I know that He's working on that in me!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Flipside
I meant to post about 3 weeks ago about the flipside of motherhood, but life got in the way........again.
Here are some of the things that I enjoy about being a mom:
Getting to watch Mr. E with Miss E. He is a great dad and helps so much. I love how he prays for "his girls" before he goes to work everyday. He's got a bunch of ways to get her to smile, it is so cute to watch.
Watching and listening to Miss E sleep. She squeaks and grunts so much while she sleeps. She moves around continually and is constantly changing facial expressions, it can be very humorous. She wakes up very slowly, but is happy when she does.
Knowing that no matter if she is happy or screaming, changing her diaper will almost always make her smile. This girl doesn't like "mud on her butt" (quoting Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty).
Seeing the determination on her face when she "stands up" while we hold her up. She puts her whole soul into it.
Observing how her personality is developing. I think she's got a lot of mine......bummer.
Enjoying how she is starting to get excited when I go to pick her up. I think she is finally recognizing me!
Waiting for her to wake up from a nap. Although I love the time to get things done and the "downtime", I do miss her when she is sleeping.
God has given us a great blessing and it is hard to imagine our lives without her.
Here are some of the things that I enjoy about being a mom:
Getting to watch Mr. E with Miss E. He is a great dad and helps so much. I love how he prays for "his girls" before he goes to work everyday. He's got a bunch of ways to get her to smile, it is so cute to watch.
Watching and listening to Miss E sleep. She squeaks and grunts so much while she sleeps. She moves around continually and is constantly changing facial expressions, it can be very humorous. She wakes up very slowly, but is happy when she does.
Knowing that no matter if she is happy or screaming, changing her diaper will almost always make her smile. This girl doesn't like "mud on her butt" (quoting Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty).
Seeing the determination on her face when she "stands up" while we hold her up. She puts her whole soul into it.
Observing how her personality is developing. I think she's got a lot of mine......bummer.
Enjoying how she is starting to get excited when I go to pick her up. I think she is finally recognizing me!
Waiting for her to wake up from a nap. Although I love the time to get things done and the "downtime", I do miss her when she is sleeping.
God has given us a great blessing and it is hard to imagine our lives without her.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
The Things I'm Learning
I know, I'm not keeping up on blogging. When I sit down now, I usually only have one arm and that makes typing quite difficult. Most of the other "downtime" is spent running around like a crazy woman trying to get caught up on the housekeeping duties!
Before reading the following, remember this disclaimer and please don't misconstrue what I'm saying! **I love my daughter immensely, I am so thankful that God gave her to us and I wouldn't change my life now for anything!
Being parent is not easy. I'm hearing the "duhs" loudly. Someone asked me this question a few weeks ago, "Don't you just love being a mom?" It took me off guard and to be honest, I couldn't say yes. (Disclaimer) In the earlier weeks after she was born, I really struggled. Most of it came down to pure selfishness. I had spent the last 15ish years of my life doing what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. Not anymore. As much as I'm trying not to let her completely take over our lives, it still has happened. Miss E's needs takes precedence over getting my teeth brushed, dinner cooked and most important, sleep! Mr. E and I have pretty much done everything together since we got married. Even if it was going ten minutes down the road to fill up a gas can for the lawn mower. There is no jumping in the truck and doing that anymore. Mind you, we still do it, but it is more of a production to get out of the house. I'm learning to get over my selfishness, but it still creeps up!
Adding to the everyday physical struggles of being a parent, I struggle(d) with the emotional and spiritual weight. I am now responsible for someone else. Yeah, I help my husband, but he could still take care of himself if he needed to.....she can't. I question myself a lot about "am I good mom?"
"am I doing things right?", etc. Then the spiritual side, raising her up to love the Lord and teaching her about His Word. It is all just a heavy responsibility when I think about it.
So to answer the question, Yes, I love being a mom, but sometimes the struggles seem overwhelming and tend to steal the joy of having her. I guess the lesson here is to not focus on the hard parts and trust that God gives me the wisdom I need to be a mom. I'm going to have to do lots of praying! Maybe that is the reason why I get up at least three times a night. :)
We are doing well, finally into a better routine. It took a while for Miss E to realize that there was nothing going on at night to stay up for. Now if only she would learn to sleep more during the day.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!
Before reading the following, remember this disclaimer and please don't misconstrue what I'm saying! **I love my daughter immensely, I am so thankful that God gave her to us and I wouldn't change my life now for anything!
Being parent is not easy. I'm hearing the "duhs" loudly. Someone asked me this question a few weeks ago, "Don't you just love being a mom?" It took me off guard and to be honest, I couldn't say yes. (Disclaimer) In the earlier weeks after she was born, I really struggled. Most of it came down to pure selfishness. I had spent the last 15ish years of my life doing what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. Not anymore. As much as I'm trying not to let her completely take over our lives, it still has happened. Miss E's needs takes precedence over getting my teeth brushed, dinner cooked and most important, sleep! Mr. E and I have pretty much done everything together since we got married. Even if it was going ten minutes down the road to fill up a gas can for the lawn mower. There is no jumping in the truck and doing that anymore. Mind you, we still do it, but it is more of a production to get out of the house. I'm learning to get over my selfishness, but it still creeps up!
Adding to the everyday physical struggles of being a parent, I struggle(d) with the emotional and spiritual weight. I am now responsible for someone else. Yeah, I help my husband, but he could still take care of himself if he needed to.....she can't. I question myself a lot about "am I good mom?"
"am I doing things right?", etc. Then the spiritual side, raising her up to love the Lord and teaching her about His Word. It is all just a heavy responsibility when I think about it.
So to answer the question, Yes, I love being a mom, but sometimes the struggles seem overwhelming and tend to steal the joy of having her. I guess the lesson here is to not focus on the hard parts and trust that God gives me the wisdom I need to be a mom. I'm going to have to do lots of praying! Maybe that is the reason why I get up at least three times a night. :)
We are doing well, finally into a better routine. It took a while for Miss E to realize that there was nothing going on at night to stay up for. Now if only she would learn to sleep more during the day.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Our gift
God has given Mr. E and me an amazing gift. Our daughter, Joanna Aaron was born on Friday, October 4th at 2:30 am. She weighed 5 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19" long.
When Mr. E and I talked about what to name our baby, we wanted his or her name to have a good meaning or to use a name of someone who has been instrumental in our lives. Miss E has both.
Mr. E picked out Joanna when he was reading the Biblical account of the resurrection in Luke 24. Joanna was one of the women who was at Jesus' tomb and then told the disciples that Jesus had risen. Joanna means "God is gracious" or "gift from God", a perfect meaning.
You may think that Aaron is a strange name for a girl, as this spelling is used predominately for boys. It is actually my mom's middle name, so it met our criteria of someone who is instrumental in our lives. The name also has a good meaning, "exalted" or "mountain of strength". I thought "mountain of strength" summed up my mom pretty well and she is a great example for Joanna to look up to.
Here are some pictures of our little one:
We are enjoying her very much and we are extremely blessed!
When Mr. E and I talked about what to name our baby, we wanted his or her name to have a good meaning or to use a name of someone who has been instrumental in our lives. Miss E has both.
Mr. E picked out Joanna when he was reading the Biblical account of the resurrection in Luke 24. Joanna was one of the women who was at Jesus' tomb and then told the disciples that Jesus had risen. Joanna means "God is gracious" or "gift from God", a perfect meaning.
You may think that Aaron is a strange name for a girl, as this spelling is used predominately for boys. It is actually my mom's middle name, so it met our criteria of someone who is instrumental in our lives. The name also has a good meaning, "exalted" or "mountain of strength". I thought "mountain of strength" summed up my mom pretty well and she is a great example for Joanna to look up to.
Here are some pictures of our little one:
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| Meeting Dad |
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| A couple days old |
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| 9 days old |
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| 11 days old, Granny E's lap was comfy! |
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| One of my favs, she was quite alert while dad read the Bible to us. |
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