My prayer for today.

I am overall a quiet person. My closest friends might not think so... but I am. I do not always voice my opinion or tell people what I am really thinking. I do not like arguing or debating. I like to think that I bring a sense of calm to people around me. My husband might not agree with the "I do not like arguing" statement, but I really don't. I do argue with those I am most comfortable with, and I know I need to work on that. I like to stay in the background when uncomfortable situations arise. And for the most part, I should stay quiet. But there are times that I do need to speak up... and this I need to learn.

I am overall a quiet person. I tend not to speak up when I have a great opportunity to witness to others around me because I fear I won't say the right thing, or I'll cause an argument. I need to work on that quietness. God has really been pressing on my heart to speak up and encourage those around me with God's word. I know, that by myself I am unable to do that. So this is my prayer today:

God - please give me the courage and the words to share your gospel and grace message to those around me. Allow YOU to shine through my actions and words. Be with my family members and friends who do not know you, Allow my actions to be a witness to Your testimony and love. And when a conversation arises that I can share you with them, help me to do dive in and share your Word. Amen.

my random thoughts

I always have a hard time knowing what to write about in my blog, and others have said they just sit down and type and see where their thought take them. Well, here are my thoughts.. we'll see where they go....

Days like these i sit back and take extra time to thank God for his beautiful creation. The warmth in the air is wonderful. As most people know, I like heat much better than cold. I am a summer girl. God knew what he was doing when I was born in August!

This will be the first summer since 2006 that I don't have classes or other commitments. I am looking forward to it. Here are some of my favorite things to do in summer:

tennis
bike ride
reading in my backyard
grillng out
camping
hiking
spending time with family and friends
eat ice cream!!
my birthday

This summer we have so much planned! We are going to be taking Jonathan on two camping trips! I'm a little nervous about it. Not sure how the nights will go. Worse case scenario.... take a drive! I am looking forward to spending time with family and friends. One of these trips includes a canoe trip. I am hopeing that my mom will watch Jonathan for a while so I can go out for an adventure!

Other fun things coming up include my brother's wedding May 29th! I am so happy and excited for him and Liz. She will be an awesome sister-in-law. I look forward to the friendship we will develope over the years. I also have Eric & Amies wedding in May and Chad and Erica's in June. It is a crazy wedding season for us. A friend of the family bought us a little tux for Jonathan. He'll be so cute. Can't wait to get my two men in their tuxes for pictures. I will post them later on.

This summer (June 25th) also marks Nathan and my 5 year anniversary. I look over the past 5 years and what God has done in our marriage. I went and completed nursing school, we've lived at 4 different places, bought a new car and a Harley, bought a new house, lost my father-in-law to cancer, my mom had a Pulmonary embolism, Kevin got engaged,we got 2 cats and gave them away when I got pregnant, and the latest thing: we had a son... the list goes on. And we still have 2 more months until our 5 year mark, we'll see what else will happen!

This past year and a half has been the most difficult and most rewarding year of our lives. The pain that we went though watching Robert suffer with lung cancer and passing away, to seeing the birth of our son. It has truly been an emotional roller coaster. Thank You GOD for your peace, loving kindness, and support in all that we have been though. we know that we would have fallen apart a long time ago without having Christ in our lives. He is our rock and salvation.

I leave you with my favorite verse:

For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future - Jer 29:11

Jonathan's play date

Today Jonathan had his 1st play date. We had Sonya (8 weeks) and Levi (7 weeks) over. It was so cute watching them all lie of a blanket together, staring and arms moving uncontrollably. Poor Sonya and Levi got bumped and punched by Jonathan, who didn't even really seem to know they were next to him. After the three of them finished "playing" we went for a walk and had lunch at Cousin's. It was great to spend time with other moms. I look forward to more times like these.

Thank You Jesus!!!

The past few days I have been thinking about the upcoming easter holiday. As we plan family get togethers and church services I must remember to really take a moment and reflect on the reason we celebrate. We celebrate the death and RESURECTION of our Lord Jesus Christ!!! How exciting is that!?!?!

bathtime

Jonathan's bath... he loves the warm water

I love the smell of new baby!!!

Night out and hockey

Yesterday I had my first outing without my baby! My parents watched him while Nathan and I went to watch his uncle play hockey. It was harder than I thought it would be to leave him. While away all I could do was wonder how he was doing... was he crying? taking his bottle okay? awake? asleep? But thanks to Nathan and a group of friends I was soon distracted and able to enjoy my time.

Hockey is one of my favorite sports to watch (along with baseball). The high pace game is always exciting and never boring. The teams tied 3-3, but it was exciting to watch Uncle Al score a goal. First time I've seen him score, but not his first time ever. He's been playing for years, and he is REALLY good. I hope he'll help Nathan teach Jonathan how to play. However, if Jonathan ever wants to play on a team, I'll have to say no... to expensive and dangerous..lol . He'll just have to pick another sport.

Last Sunday we took Jonathan with us to the hockey game. His first time ever. I fussed over him making sure he was warm. He slept through the whole game.

Things I have learned in these 2 weeks

Being a new mom for the past 2 weeks has given me a new outlook on life. The emotions that have run through me are amazing. Joy, peace, happiness, sadness, frustration, tiredness, etc. As I look over the past 2 weeks I have learned some important lessons.

1. Learn to nap. I am a BAD napper. I took 1- one hour nap the whole first two weeks. And with only 1 1/2 to 3 hour time stretches a night, I was exhausted. Despite all the advice that I got prior to Jonathan's arrival, I did not nap. I would try to keep my house clean and work on all the things that I felt needed done now. Bad mistake. the tiredness eventually catches up to you and crack.

2. Don't be afraid to call for help. day 17. Last nights sleep: 3 hours from 9-12 and then up every 1 1/2 hours after that. last 4 nights about the same. I was exhausted. Jonathan was tired, and whenever I put him down, started screaming. I was crying too. I finally couldn't handle it and called my mom. She was over within 2 hours and I napped for 3 hours while she took care of him for me. I really needed the sleep. I was able to function much better the next night when he did the same thing. Now, I know.... WHEN HE NAPS, I NAP!!!

3. Don't for to eat and drink. I have found that WHENEVER I am ready to eat, he wakes up and wants to eat first. I'm learning, that immediately after I put him down for a nap I need to run to the kitchen and get some food!!!! If I don't, I find myself going all day without eating. Also, use the bathroom or shower at this time too... or those things don't get done either.

4. Enjoy the time. I love sitting there and holding my precious little guy. I know that the time is going to go fast. Its amazing how much he is growing up already, and intend to enjoy every moment of it.

So, I know I have a lot to learn... and a lot of changes are ahead of me. But if I've learned anything these past weeks, this is what's standing out in my mind at this time. I know I've learned more, but these are the most important ones right now. I am going to enjoy my time with my family. I love Nathan and Jonathan so much. God has truly blessed me.