Growing pains

Reed is growing so fast he gets cramps in his feet and legs at night. I do whatever I can to ease his pain.....rub his feet and legs, put him in a warm bath, give him some advil and reassure him that he will feel better soon. In 9 months he has grown 2 1/4".

Last night I was up till after 2 am. Just one of those nights that I couldn't clear my mind long enough to fall asleep. I was thinking about how life has growing pains. Things that can cause pain or scars but the important thing is that we grow from them. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, we will always have certain feelings throughout our life because we are human. As we mature they may be less frequent..... but we will always have human feelings. Our reaction to those feelings will determine our healing time and help us to grow through life's pains.

Rain

Hard rain, wind and so much water on the road that I can't see the lines......so, I sit on the side of the road in my dark car (blogging on my iphone) while I wait for the storm to pass.
Wow, this makes me think about the storms of life and how sometimes they are so strong that we can't seem to find our way. Instead of struggling through the storm, fighting the darkness, wind and rain; what if we give God total control of the situation and trust that the storm will come to an end. How much sooner would the storm pass?

So tonight I pray that I can give Him all my anxiety and concerns that I have for Reed's next surgery. I pray we make the right decision about which surgeon and facility to use, and which procedure to go with. *Sigh* It's not easy but I have to stop the needless worry.

"It's arrogant to worry when God knows what He's doing. He has a plan for you"
from A Time To Love by Barbara Cameron

Do It Yourself-ers

After hibernating all winter we're usually ready for a new project around the house. This is still a work in progress, but here's what we have done so far.....

Before:

After:


We still have alot to do; paint, backsplash and replace the sink and faucet but I'm pleased with the way the cabints turned out! If you're feeling up to the task we used Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations in Expresso :)

If not us

This mom's cry for help leaves me heartbroken. What a heavy burden to know this is our world and it is up to us to do something. As adults, we have a responsibility to the children in this world. It does not matter what country we call home or what skin tone we were born with, children of the WORLD are ALL God's children. Each and every one is just as deserving of love, compassion, nurturing, understanding, support, encouragement and teaching. Deserving of hope and a chance for a better life. Maybe you don't feel the call to adopt or have the means to sponsor or donate, but can you at least PRAY for the precious children......God's children that need us NOW. (click here) If not us, then who??

I want what I want

Have you ever thought you wanted something and that was all you could think about? As a kid, was there ever that one big item you wanted for Christmas that just never came? Maybe your parents didn't have the money, maybe it was a hot item and the stores completely sold out, or maybe it was something your parents knew wasn't good for you.

I think our Father God works in this way. As our Father, He is not always going to give us everything we want or ask for. He knows what is best for us, and he desires for us to trust Him and to grow in our walk and increase our faith each day.

Last year I was struggling with wanting different things out of life and I found that it is true where you place your thoughts, your heart will be. If you're spending too much time thinking about something you really want, you tend to forget about all the wonderful and amazing things God has placed in your life.

It's almost kinda funny how He can carefully place events in our path that help move our feet when we're stuck. Does it make it any easier to let go? No, but we can find so much peace knowing He loves us, He understands our pain, and He is looking out for our best interest at all times.

If you are struggling with something and it's just not happening or your prayers have not been answered, don't give up. God hears your cries and He has a great plan for you. His plans are not always revealed when we are in the middle of the struggle because there's no doubt we would try to change our path if we could see every speed bump and pot hole up ahead.
When we reel it in and put our focus on the blessings in our life today and not what we hope for someday, He can reveal things in a new light.

Keep trusting, keep praying and keep the faith!

Fun day!

We had such a fun day just hanging out together, we even got a little crafty and made Valentine bugs :)

Daddy with a "D"

Reed has been trying so hard to pay attention to his speech and pronounce his words better. He does get frustrated when I correct him too much but I'm thanking Jesus that one day he will be speaking with ease and clarity!

Today I called to check on him after his speech session and he said "mama, guess what I can say.....Da-dee!!!" For three years it has been "aah-eee" He completely drops the first letter of any word that begins with D, T, Th, G, J, Q. We still have a long way to go, but progress IS being made. Each time he says daddy we will have to stop and concentrate on the letters, but he CAN do it!!!

Slamming on the brakes

Ok, so this year I'm one of those who has made a resolution to get in shape. We joined the local Y and so far I'm sticking to a regular routine. I'm up at 5:30 and rushing out to door to workout from 6 to 7. The hardest part is getting everything together so I can shower and leave for work from the gym. I've lost my lock one morning and forgot a bath towel another (good thing my sweet hubby brought me one on his way to work).

So one day last week I hurried out the door like I normally do. Gym bag stuffed full of towel, clothes, hair dryer, deo, shampoo, socks, shoes......you get the picture. I drove maybe 1/2 a mile down the highway and 3 deer darted out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and came to a complete stop. Everything in the front seat of my car landed in the floor upside down. "Ugh", I thought to myself...."I don't have time for this!" So I pulled off the road and started picking up the contents of my gym bag that had turned over. After I picked up everything I realized I was missing my blouse for work. I couldn't help but laugh and thank the Lord for making me put on the brakes that morning. I would have looked REAL silly going into work with black slacks and a Dale Earnhardt Jr t-shirt!!

Sometimes we are trucking along going about our day to day when all of a sudden God puts something in our path to get our attention and make us "put on the brakes". If we keep the right attitude and keep trusting and relying on Him no matter how big the obstacle that is laid in our path, we will receive our blessing. What a blessing it was that day to NOT show up at work in my gym clothes!

~Blessed

Under the covers

Reed does not like to sleep under the covers. No matter how many times I get up in the middle of the night to check on him and softly pull the blanket over him, he always squirms his way out. I often wonder if it's because blankets were not available or used in the orphanage where he slept as an infant. Possibly it's just because he does not like the feeling of something surrounding and covering him.

This morning around 2 am, as I quietly walked into Reed's room and pulled the cover over him, I was reminded of how sometimes we don't feel like we need God's cover in the middle of our darkness. No matter how many times He tries to shield us and protect us we often "kick out from under the cover" and try to handle things instead of resting and trusting in Him. Look beyond your circumstances today and let Him protect you and cover you with His love.

Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler

Fav pics

Good Saturday morning! Last night heavy storms rumbled the sky and it sounded like the wind was peeling the shingles off the roof. This morning the sky is beautiful and blue. So true to storms of life......we should always remember after a storm the sun always shines. Thank you Jesus for the storms of life and the sunshine after the rain.

Here are some of my fav pictures from a photo shoot we had back in October with a very talented local photographer, Jessica Rumble.