Life As Colby's Wife

Out With the Old, In With the New

2009-10-18T15:37:00.001-07:00

I have created a new blog. I have switched to Wordpress (another blog website). I am still trying to figure everything out as I know nothing about "html code" and how to post videos, etc. I tried designing it myself, but that is clearly not my gifting. I will no longer be posting on this blog. Please check out the new blog:

http://thetaylorfam.wordpress.com/

Thanks friends! Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Loving Reminder

2009-09-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day. Why? Because it is the 22nd.

And currently, the time is 5:22.

And when I was at bible study today, I conveniently turned to the 222nd hymnal while we were singing.

And when I ordered my food at the fast food restaurant my order number was 222.

And when I filled up my gas tank, it stopped at $22.00.

When I checked my e-mails I had 22 e-mails.

I returned my library books and had a fine because of late fees. The fee was of course, $2.20

Why is it that everywhere I look it is 22? I know why. Because I am forgetful. And God wants to lovingly remind me of who He is. God is provider.

(Genesis 22:14).

Half a Year Already

2009-09-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

I feel like every mom starts off saying, "I can not believe she is ___ already." But it is so true! Time is flying by, and I honestly can not believe I have a 6 month old daughter already! I have had the best 6 months ever with her in my life. What a blessing she is!

Our day started off at the pediatrician's office where she had her well-check and received her 6 month old shots. She weighs 15.10, she is 25.5 inches long, and her head circumference is 16.75. She got her Hepatitis B shot, DTap, Hib, IPV, Pneum, Rotatea and her first flu shot. After shots, we had to celebrate her being 6 months old, so we went to Eileens Colossal Cookies! I LOVE their cookies! Yes, I was that mom, that called this morning and asked if they could put a #6 on one of the cookies for us! ha! Here is sweet Addie with her cookie! I loved celebrating with her and being the one that gets to eat the cookie! :)
Later on in the afternoon, we drove to Hafer Park where I took some pictures of her! She is such a doll! I feel like every day she is doing something new. She is still smiling all the time and has been laughing more lately than in the past. Hearing her laugh is one of the sweetest noises I have ever heard! She is getting a lot better at sitting up all by herself. There are definitely times when she still faceplants, but that is expected, right? She has been getting up on all fours for a while, and just recently began the rocking motion. I think crawling is coming up soon! She spends a lot of time in her exersaucer and on the floor with her toys. She sleeps in her crib in her room every night and sleeps from 10:00pm-7:00am. She takes a long afternoon nap with a couple smaller naps in the morning and evening. She is a great traveler in the car and has a very flexible schedule. She is always tagging along with Colby and I for different Young Life events, games, bible studies, etc.
She still nurses 6 times a day as well as eats rice cereal 2 times a day. In the past couple of weeks, I have introduced her to sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and apples. None of those experiences were totally great. She was not sure of the taste/texture of them. She had some hilarious facial expressions. I am going to try to be consistent so she can get used to this new food in her life!
Some of my sweetest moments with her is when she falls asleep on me and we just cuddle together. Another sweet moment is when I open the back door to our SUV and she sees me, she just smiles from ear to ear! It melts my heart! I love going to pick her up from a nap or from sleeping and she is just smiling when she sees me. I love seeing Colby with her and how she reacts around him. It is so precious! Can we say "daddy's girl?"
I love seeing her new facial expressions. When I gave her sweet potatoes for the first time, her response was as if she hated it and began coughing it out so she would not have to swallow it. Well, that led her to realize that she can make this new noise with her mouth (a coughing, choking, gagging noise) and she does it all of the time. It is actually hilarious, need to get it on video some time. We have also introduced the sippy cup to her. It is definitely in "introduction stage" as she has not really figured out how to pick it up, hold it, and tilt it so water comes out. But she does love sucking on it and biting the lid.

She is close to moving up from size 2 to size 3 diapers. She mostly wears size 3-6 month clothes but is definitely close to 6-12 months. I don't think she has worn shoes once since she was born. Or socks for that matter. I might put them on for a quick pic or something, but it is never part of her daily wear.

I can't say enough how special she is to us. We love her, adore her, value her, cherish her, etc. We have good days, bad days, hard days, easy days, but it is all worth it!

Adelyn, we love you and love being your mommy and daddy! Happy 6 months!

You Know You are a Blogger When...

2009-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

...when something happens in your routine, mundane life and you immediately have a Title ready.

...when you see someone at a coffee shop whom you have never met and want to talk to her, because you know all about her, until you realize you only know her because you read her blog.

...when you are writing in your journal, but feel like you are writing for your blog. Or think about how you would re-word it for your blog. (what Becca does :))

...when your have this conversation with your husband:
him: "babe, what are you doing on the computer?"
her: "oh, just reading about my friend, Kelly."
him: "which friend Kelly? I didn't know you had a friend name Kelly?"
her: "well, technically, we have never met. And she lives in Arkansas...."
him: "blogs are weird. And so are girls that read them. She is not your friend if you
have never met her." :)

Can anyone relate to any of these things? Or just me? Ha! What else would you add to this list?

It's Not About Circumstances

2009-09-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

If I have learned one thing during this season of life, I have learned this:

"True joy and lasting contentment does not come from my circumstances, it comes from the only true source, God."

I have learned this by dwelling and clinging to an awesome verse in Habakkuk:

" ¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior."

I love what I learned from a commentary:

Even in the midst of absolute ruin and abject famine, the prophet was prepared to trust God. He realized that inner peace did not depend on outward prosperity. Habakkuk did not state that he would merely endure in the hour of distress. He said he would rejoice in the Lord and be joyful. God is the inexhaustible source and infinite supply of joy.

Far too many people keep trying to find joy, but happiness is not found in circumstances. Joy is available to everyone, even to those stripped of every material possession, for joy is to be found in a Person.

We were pretty close to being stripped of every material possession. Our house got broken into and they took our t.v., laptop, camera, ipod, etc. Then Colby got in a wreck and his car was totalled, and we lost that. We have been praying about putting our house on the market, so that might be gone soon. I have to realize that my happiness is NOT in these things. They are NOTHING. Take it all away. Will I wake up and be content in a different house, and without some of the items everyone else has? Yes. Why? Because my contentment lies in the Lord. Period. Nothing else.

I am choosing today (and trying to choose every day) to be joyful no matter what. He is my true source of joy, my lasting joy, and my permanent contentment.

She Has Stolen My Heart

2009-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

A very un-edited compilation of some very short clips I have taken of Addie through the past 5 months:

I sure do love this girl!

Re-Learning

2009-08-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Does anyone love Beth Moore as much as I do? I sure would love to meet her one day. Maybe in December when she comes to Oklahoma. Maybe I can invite her over for dinner. Okay, that was totally stretching it! ha!

Well, I have done a lot of her bible studies and have read a lot of her books. Which isn't saying much since I have a hard time living out everything I am learning. Why is that? Why do I complete these bible studies that "change my life" and then I live in unbelief or doubt? I really need a transformation in this area.

Today I have decided to go back over some of the bible studies that I have completed and "re-learn" what I learned in years past. I really pray I can let these words sink deep and live in such a way that I truly believe what the Word says. I need a community of people that want to join together and truly believe and live like Christ would. There are too many mediocre Christians wondering around (including myself at times). Things must change!

In 2007 I completed her bible study, Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith.

She focuses on a 5 Statement Pledge of Faith:

1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's Word is alive and active in me.

God is who He says He is. Who is God? God is our provider, father, creator, life-changer, healer, etc.

God can do what He says He can do. God says in Genesis 22:14 that He will provide. God says that He will never leave us or forsake us. God says He can move the mountains. God says he will carry our burdens and make our heavy load, lighter.

I am who God says I am. Take all the insecurity away because God has created us in his image. We are valued, loved, treasured, beautiful. He is enthralled with our beauty.

I can do all things through Christ. I can serve my husband when I am tired. I can take care of my daughter when I would rather be with a friend. I can serve people at work even when I don't like my job. He gives us the strength to do things we can not do by ourselves.

God's word is alive and active in me. His word changes us. And it changes others. I need to spend more time memorizing His life changing words.

May we be changed by this life-changing truth!

Not Me Monday

2009-08-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read this blog? If not, then check it out! -It definitely was not me who forgot to restock the diaper bag full of diapers. Then Addie had a blow-out in a public place and I could not change her.

-Then it was not me who stuffed paper towels into her diaper so the blow-out would not run out all over her clothes and car seat.

-Who forgets her daughter's diaper bag when you go to church? Not me.

-It most certainly was not me who begged my husband to watch Adelyn for an hour simply so I could "get a break" and go journal, read, get away. I am too good of a mom to do that. ;)

Wow, I am so thankful I would never do things like that! ;)

5 Months Old!

2009-08-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Addie turned 5 months old!

A lot has changed from month 4 to month 5:

-She started rolling over! She first started rolling over from her back to her tummy. As of two days ago, she just started rolling from her tummy to her back.

-She started rice cereal. I gave her one bottle of rice cereal first that was super thin so she could still drink it out of the bottle. A week later, I mixed it into a thicker consistency and fed it to her with a spoon.

-She sleeps from 10-7 still with a usual, short 4:00AM wake-up time. She wakes up, either wants her paci or to eat, and then she goes right back to sleep. I am hoping this stops soon! I am not functioning that great at 4:00AM.

-She likes to play in her exersaucer, and sometimes watch Baby Einstein while she is in it.

-She likes to be on the floor with her toys (rattle, books, etc) and then just roll all over the floor.

-She is not a big fan of her swing that she used to love.

-We removed the bassinet from the pack-n-play and now she just sleeps in the bed part. She will be moving to her crib soon. I will miss her laying right next to us! ha!

-She does not sit up yet, maybe by month 6?

-No teeth as of now. We thought she might be teething due to excessive drooling and middle of the night wake-ups, but we have not seen any teeth, so just waiting!

-Her nap time has been totally random. She was on a perfect 2-4 nap and now she hates that time for napping. She barely naps 30 minutes in that time frame. But she has been taking a 2 hour nap from around 11-1. I would like to get on a set nap schedule, but as of now, we are trying to figure that out!

-She wears 3-6 month clothes. Sometimes I put her in her 0-3 month clothes and some of it fits. I think I am in denial that she is getting bigger and 0-3 month clothes do not fit her anymore.

-She wears size 2 diapers. And boy do we go through diapers. It is insane how many cases of diapers you will go through. Has anyone calculated how many cases in a baby's life? I am curious. Maybe I should try cloth? ha! We'll see!

-She loves, loves, loves her daddy. She is definitely a daddy's girl. Colby is super sweet with her and helps out SO MUCH so I can work from home and plan weddings.

-She is more talkative and grunts a lot. She makes a lot of noises.

-She reaches for anything that is placed in front of her.

-She loves her Aunt Becca that just got home from Mexico, but only for 2 weeks! :(

-She likes sitting in her bumbo chair, and bouncy seat.

-My favorite thing in the world with her is when she falls asleep on me and lays on my stomach and rests her head on my shoulder. Oh.My.Word. I am in love.

She is getting more interested in the things around her, is more alert, and learning so much so fast. I am enjoying her being a little more active and involved with things. I feel so blessed to be her mommy. Can't praise God enough!

No Title

2009-08-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

I want to blog and have nothing to blog about........

Cool post, huh?

Any ideas, suggestions??

Hey Moms!

2009-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

I need some feedback from YOU! I have a couple of questions I would LOVE to hear from you to see what your thoughts are:

1. Do you have any books that you recommend for raising a baby. It can be on ANYTHING. (baby food, developmental milestones, advice, etc)

2. What advice would you give to learn how to balance being a wife, mom, friend, worker, etc?

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!
Oh, and so would Addie!

Daily

2009-08-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

This one word has not left my mind for quite some time.

Daily.

Am I the only one that struggles with consistency? It really doesn't matter the area, it is hard for be to be consistent. Going to the gym. Eating healthy. Being a 'good' mom. Blogging. Spending time with God. Living on a budget. Etc.

It always starts out the same. I start out SO STRONG and ready to change the world! I have so much motivation and nothing can stop me from achieving this new goal of mine.

Then something gets in my path. It is usually a distraction, selfishness, circumstance, etc. And down I go. I slowly lose focus on what my goal was. And before I know it, my goal is no where to be seen. What I was striving to be consistent with, I am no longer doing anything with.

One area that is really on my heart is my relationship with the Lord. Why is it that I can have such a powerful quiet time in the morning, and forget about it the next day? Why is it that the Lord teaches me in an area and I feel so refreshed and changed, and then something happens, and I do not remember it at all? Why is it that I memorize a scripture that is exactly what I needed at that time and I can sense the reality of the Lord, and the next day my actions are proving the opposite? Why can I not be consistent in my walk with the Lord?

I think it is because I feel that I can read the bible once a week and that scripture will carry me through everything that happens for that week. I think I can go to church and I am good for the week. What I am learning is that my time with God has to be DAILY. Even better than daily is consistently. 24/7. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day. One of the very best books that I have read is The Practice of the Presence of God. In this book, he talks about depending on God at all times. Every moment you are in conversation with God. In the mundane. In the routine. In the rut. In everything, you are experiencing the presence of God. At work. At home. With your husband. In everything.

I am currently striving to learn what it looks like to live consistently with God. Daily. Every moment. Continually.

4 Months Old!

2009-08-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

At her 4 month check-up appointment she weighed 12 pounds and was 24 inches long. She has started using her voice a lot more. She has found her feet and just started realizing that they reach her mouth and she likes to pretend that her big toe is the equivalent to her paci. She loves sucking on her toes. She has not rolled over yet but is very close. She is getting more fun each and every day! She has been sleeping through the night continually from 10-7, but since we went on vacation she has been a little thrown off. She will sometimes wake up once or twice in the middle of the night, but just want her paci back in, and fall right back asleep.

Everyone in Colby's family in Kansas thinks she looks exactly like me. The majority of people in Oklahoma say she looks just like Colby. People comment on her eyelashes and her tan complexion a lot. You can thank her daddy for that one.

I love being her mom. I love everything about it. It is definitely hard, but there is just something so sweet about being a mom. I am so thankful!

Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast

2009-08-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Is it seriously already August? Man, summer flew by. How has your summer been?

My summer was good! It consisted of the following:
-Being a mommy. Swimming with Adelyn and spending time with her.

-Being a wifey. Love my husband. Tried to be as supportive as I could as he traveled and was in Jamaica and Colorado for youth trips.

-Being a co-Bible Study leader with the hubs. We lead a college group all summer at our house. We provided dinner and dessert and a study on Galatians. We absolutely love the college students we know!

-A lot of weddings. June and July are crazy months for weddings and I have been extremely busy with those.

-Working on my new wedding business, Embellished Weddings.

-Trying really hard to balance everything on my plate and not get overwhelmed.

-We celebrated our 3 year anniversary in July. I love that man!

-Got a 2nd vehicle.

-We went on family vacation with Colby's family.

I am ready to get back into routine and start this next new season!

I do not have a lot of pictures to show from summer. But here are a few of my favorite of sweet Adelyn.
Tell me about your summer!!!

Before and After

2009-08-02T15:30:00.001-07:00

Who grabs their camera at such a time as this? Oh, don't worry, I do. I have a very healthy daughter, which I am very appreciative of. We have approximately 3-5 "blow-outs" a week. And, no, I do not grab my camera for all of them.
All clean! And happy!

Coming Soon...

2009-08-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

...More consistent blog posts.

For whatever reason, I have taken a small break from a lot of "technology": blogging, twittering, facebook updates, etc. Does it get overwhelming to anyone else besides me?

I just took a week vacation and I am home and refreshed and ready to try to be more consistent with blogging (and a lot more important things).

Check back often as I will try to post more often. Oh, and maybe leave some comments to encourage me! This is great accountability! Ha!

That is all for today. Tomorrow will be a new day. And perhaps even a new blog post!

This Day....Last Year

2009-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

It was on this exact day last year that begin a HUGE change in my life.

It was on this exact day last year that I saw this for the very first time in my life:

Yup, on July 12th, 2008 I found out that I was pregnant.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Colby was out of town. I had a huge wedding that day. That whole week I had been feeling really tired and not myself. And I was 'late' which never happens, so that really triggered my desire to take a test. (Oh, and we were trying).

During the entire wedding, all I could think about was taking a pregnancy test. I just had to know.

I left after the wedding and all of my responsibilities were over. It was 12:30AM.

I drove the neighborhood Wal-Mart by my house to buy one thing. Now let me just tell you...this was a little awkward for me. First of all it is 12:30 in the morning. Second of all, I look like I am 16. Third of all, I am buying a pregnancy test. I want you to know that I purchased this pregnancy test with my left hand, visibly showing my wedding ring to the cashier clerk. ha!

I got home, went to the bathroom and did my thing. I was too nervous to look at it, so I just put it on the floor and walked out. I waited and just paced my floors in my house going over how I would react if it was positive or negative. I was really hoping it was positive, so I had to make sure I would be okay if it was negative.

I opened the door to find a positive test. I started FREAKING OUT! AND COLBY WAS OUT OF TOWN! ahhh!! I just found out that I was pregnant and I could not even tell my husband. I could not tell anyone, because I wanted Colby to know first, and I would rather tell him in person then through a text message or phone call.

He was at Young Life Camp and was coming home the next day. Thankfully I only had to wait one day! But that was the hardest day of my life because of pure excitement! I wanted to tell someone!!

Fast forward in time, we are now spending each day with our beautiful daughter Adelyn Ryan who is almost 4 months old. It all began on July 12 when I found out that I was pregnant. What a blessing all of this has been.

(To read more on the pregnancy and answers to questions people asked me all of the time, you can click here.)

Happy Graduation Girls!

2009-06-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment and brag on two incredible high school girls....well, now they have graduated. I met Amanda and Bethany when they were in middle school and we have stayed in touch through all these years. They are two phenomenal girls. They love the Lord and have been intentional about knowing Him better and serving Him in their daily life. They come from incredible families that have been there for them and helped them throughout their lives. They have a great group of friends that challenge them and encourage them and hold them accountable. I simply want them to know, today, how proud I am of them!

Amanda, you are a beautiful woman that has such a passion for the Lord and His ways. It is obvious that you want to follow him wherever he leads you. I know you do, because you are doing it right now. How many conversations did we have at Panera and Starbucks and in my living room talking about Mexico, praying over this decision, and trusting the Lord to work out all of the details. And now you are there, serving as an intern. What a sweet testimony of the Lord. And then you are going to start college in the fall. How is possible that my little 6th grade girl is going to college? Man I am old! ha! I want you to know how proud I am of you and will always be here for you!

Bethany, there is something about you that just glows. You are such a beautiful woman and have a genuine love for God and for your family and for others. I love hearing you talk about your family and what you have been through and how the Lord has used it in your life for something so sweet and so beautiful. I love hearing you talk about your the kids you nanny and your neice and nephews--you are going to make such an incredible mom (years down the road!!). I love coming alongside of you and watching how the Lord worked out everything for YWAM. The fall is going to bring such an incredible time in your life. It will be a new transition, and probably a hard one too, but I see the Lord all over it. You are going to grow so much. What a sweet time. I want you to know that I am so proud of you! I am always here through each new season in your life!

Happy 3 Months Addie!!

2009-06-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today, Adelyn is 3 months old! We went to Cuppies & Joe to celebrate! Actually, I went there with a friend and bought a cupcake for Adelyn, and then I ate it. It worked out pretty good!

Not a whole lot is new from 2 months. Some might be a repeat, but here is what is going on at 3 months:

-She likes to play "kick-the-blanket." We will put a blanket over her legs and she kicks it off and smiles. Then we put it back on her and she kicks it off. She does this over and over and just smiles the whole time.

-She recently does this new thing with her bottom lip. It is hard to explain, but she tries to make a noise by moving her bottom lip in this really cute way.

-She drools a lot. And puts her fists in her mouth a lot. We have to constantly clean her neck rolls because it gets nasty under there. ha!

-She smiles a lot. She has not laughed yet, though. Maybe at 4 months.

-She sleeps through the night. I feed her at 10:00pm and then lay her in bed. She sleeps until 7:00am and I feed her.

-She moved up from newborn to 3 month old clothes.

-Still wears size 1 diapers.

-She has recently just started staring at her feet. She has not touched them yet, but I think she is realizing that she has feet.

-Some events that have taken place: Young Life Work Week in Colorado, House-sit for some friends, lots and lots of weddings that I have been working, saying good-bye to my best friend, Sara, as she is serving the Lord in Slovenia until December, started a summer bible study at our house for all college students, hanging out with friends, celebrating my dad's and Colby's mom's birthday on the same day, Daddy being in Jamaica for 10 days for a mission trip, etc...

Adelyn, I feel like I say this a lot, but you have no idea how much I love you. My favorite thing with you at 3 months old is snuggling with you! You lay on my stomach and just curl up to me and rest your head on my shoulder and I am in heaven. It is the sweetest thing. I want to focus on you before other things! I love you so much sweet girl!

Young Life Camp--- Work Week 2009

2009-05-28T12:35:00.001-07:00

What an unexpected surprise! Very last minute, Adelyn and I were approved to accompany my husband and several college students to go to Colorado to Young Life Work Week. I don't think wives and babies are "normally" approved to go, but they had some work I could do with a baby and a place for Colby and I to stay and not bother everyone with a baby, so it worked out!
The purpose of Young Life Work Week is to help prepare the camp for more than 4,000 kids to have "the best week of their lives" and meet with Christ. Some of the jobs consist of cleaning windows, deep cleaning cabins and offices, restaining the wood on the cabins, cleaning underneath rocks, painting, making beds, etc. There are hundreds of college students that go from OU, OSU, Kansas, A&M, Baylor, etc. It is a lot of hard work but it is so fun! Good bonding times with some great girls!

I was slightly nervous about a 11 hour car ride with a 2 month old, but Adelyn did great! She had to eat every 3 hours and change diapers, but we got it all under control! She slept great in the cabin and did great during the day while me and Mandy deep cleaned all the offices. There were quite a few Young Life staff members that didn't mind holding her either while I helped clean. I had so much fun and was so thankful to get to be able to go!
Now I am back home and getting back into some kind of routine. Like has been rather insanse lately and I am ready for it to be back to "normal." Whatever that looks like!

One Amazing Woman...

2009-05-26T20:50:00.001-07:00

I remember it oh so very well. It was August of 2004. I was a sophomore in college. I was chosen that year to be a RA (Resident Advisor) of the freshman girls dorm. I was in charge of 24 lovely ladies. I was reviewing all the names of the girls that were just minutes away from entering the 2nd floor and moving all their stuff into their dorm. I came to Sara's name...and her "interesting" last name: Schakelaar. I just stared at her name wondering how in the world do you pronounce this name: shake-eee-laire or shock-eee-lar or what? Who is this girl? Where is she from? What is she going to be like?

Little did I know that she would become one of my VERY VERY VERY best friends!

We have been through so much together. She was threre for me when I was gone for a semester to study abroad in Costa Rica. We have been through family situations together, boy situations together, college together, life together.

Some things that stand out to me about my relationship with Sara:

1. The first time we went running I basically had to beg her and pull her to come with me. She screamed the entire 0.5 of a mile that we ran and hated it. Months later we were training for a full marathon together. We ran so much together. She ran the entire way around Lake Hefner (10 miles) by herself. On one torturous run, she cried and I scratched her back for a mile.

2. We have had the DEEPEST talks about life and God around Lake Hefner. We learned the powerful truth that God is faithful even when we are not. Lake Hefner is a powerful place for Sara and I.

3. We had a horrible philosophy on college tests. We would never want to study so we came up with this: "okay, when we are like 80 years old, are people really going to ask us, "hey Sara, hey Amanda, how did you do on that Earth and Sky test?" ----"No, no one is going to ask us that." So, we would not study. On one occasion, we got our tests back (that we did not study for AT ALL) and we got a 78. We could not believe we passed and did that good on a test that we did not even look at the notes for. The professor proceeded to tell us that the number on the front is NOT our score. It IS the number of questions we got WRONG. haha! We made a 22 on the test. Awesome!

4. I somehow talked Sara into taking a masters level bible class with me that was towards my major and had nothing to do with hers. She hated it. I loved it. One student that sat behind us had terrible gas. Sara and I had to leave this masters level class due us laughing uncontrollably like we were in elementary school. Oh man, I am laughing just thinking of it.

5. We have great memories with our sweet friend Meredith concerning birds and midgets.

6. She is the best back scratcher and would love playing with my hair. Okay maybe she didn't love it, but I sure did!

7. Sara was a bridesmaid in my wedding and a bridesmaid in every one elses wedding too! She has a movie that was made because of her: 27 Dresses. That is because she is the best friend to everyone!

8. Sara lived with Colby and I last summer so she could work and save money and not have to pay rent. She lived with me when I found out I was pregnant for the first time. We had a lot of good talks in her room.

I literally could go on and on and on and on about this incredible woman and all of our memories together. She is unreal. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet.

Why am I blogging about her you ask? Because today, my sweet, dear, beautiful, incredible friend had left for Slovenia until DECEMBER!!!! ahhh... I mean, really people....can you not serve the Lord in Oklahoma? Becca? Sara? Do you have to go to Mexico? Do you have to go to Slovenia?

Sara is going to Slovenia to serve the Lord through a ministry called Josiah Venture. You should check out their website and Sara's blog for updates. She will be blogging for the next 6 months about all she is doing and learning. I can not wait to read it!

Sara, I can not tell you enough how much you mean to me. You have enriched my life in such a beautiful way. I have told you over and over again how much I look up to you and you are younger than me. You are going to be so blessed because of your obedience and your willingness to openly follow the Lord, even if it is hard and uncomfortable. Yes, you are leaving and giving up a lot in Oklahoma and Colorado, but oh Sara, you are gaining so much more. You are gaining a journey to know the Lord in such a deeper way and to be challenged and stretched. You are going to be missed by so many people, but you are also covered in prayer by so many people. You are loved. You are valued. You are going to be thought about often. I love you!!!!

Happy 2 Months Adelyn!

2009-05-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Another month has come and gone. Will it ever slow down? Today, Adelyn is 2 months old. Things are getting a little more exciting every day. Not a lot has changed from 1 month to 2 months. She had her 2 month check up this week and she got her first round of vaccines.

Her stats:
Weight: 10.1 pounds
Height: 21 inches
Vaccines: Hepatitis B, DTaP, Hib, IPV/OPV, Pneumococcal, Rot.

Here are some things I have noticed that are new:

*Her precious smile (which of course I could not get any pictures of today). She smiles a lot. She smiles the most in the morning when she wakes up and me or Colby go and get her. She also smiles a lot on her changing pad when she is getting her diaper changed.

*Now, more than ever I feel like, she fights sleep. We have learned her "signs" of being tired and usually she will cry until she goes to sleep. She just wants to stay awake and look around, but she is too tired and it bothers her so she cries.

*She has strong legs and a strong neck. She is constantly turning her head in all directions and lifting her head up and down.

*There is no consistent pattern of sleep in the night. Some nights she will sleep 8. Some nights 6. Other nights only 4. We are learning what helps or hinders her long amount of sleep. Probably drinking caffeine before bed doesn't help when you are nursing.

*The majority of nights she sleeps in her bassinet next to us.

*I started wedding season full on and have a wedding every weekend. Addie stays at home with daddy while I work the wedding. This has worked out great! I was so nervous about the transition of going back to work weddings, but it has been beyond perfect. So thankful for Colby being able to help me and not having to worry about a babysitter every weekend. The freezer is fully stocked with milk and he will just defrost a bag for her. He takes care of the house and her and I am so thankful!

* My friends and I ran in the Marathon as we were Team Addie. That was an incredible experience.

*Adelyn went to her first wedding: Jeremiah and Whitney Shaw on May 1st.

*Adelyn went swimming for the first time at Lauren's graduation party on May 8. She loves water. Oh, and she loves her bikini. Here are her ruffles on her bikini bottoms. And she is wearing a bathing suit cover up. :) All courtesy of Old Navy for $5.00. (And thanks Elizabeth the picture!)

*I celebrated my first mothers day on May 10. It was so sweet and special! Adelyn made me breakfast! :) And she wrote me a card and had my favorite candy with it. I think her dad might have helped her with a few things! :)

*Daddy got in a wreck and scared mommy on May 11. I know there are more important things than losing a car but it was kind of sentimental. Thinking of all that car has been through. Colby proposed with that car. We brought home our first child in that car. So many trips in that car. His "ministry" car full of high school boys. We will miss it. Here is the last picture as we were cleaning it out at the wrecker place:

*We took a day trip to Kansas to see Colby's grandpa in the hospital on May 14. It was very precious to have him hold Adelyn the entire time we were there.

The past couple of months of have been incredible. I would be lying if I told you they have been easy months. Hands down, we are living in one of the hardest seasons. We have been faced with many challenges and circumstances that are just hard. However, it has been the best season.

We made a commitment that we did not want to look back on this time and see doubt, and fear, and two people struggling to make it. We made a commitment to let God teach us during this time so that we might look back and be so thankful for all we learned and how we grew.

One day there will be a blog about this season. Not today, as I am living through it and learning each day. All I can say is that we want to have faith and believe that God is doing something beyond what we can see. His ways are not our ways. His ways are higher and better. Even if it means living during a very challenging season. We will be better because of this hard time.

Happy 2 months!!!!!!!!

It's True: Adelyn Wants to be Like Her Aunt Becca

2009-05-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

This one's for you my dear friend Becca. I hope I don't embarrass you when I tell people about your sleeping habits! :)

Allow me to let you in on a little secret about my incredible best friend Becca. You know Becca is about to fall asleep when her arm goes up and covers her eyes. I have had one too many sleepovers with this girl to know it is true. We still laugh about it to this day. We will be laying in bed watching a movie (pre-marriage to Colby) and all of a sudden I see her lift up her arm and I know I lost her. She is about to be out cold. I know she still does it in Mexico because I found this picture of her on facebook: (the other girl in the picture is making fun of her because who sleeps like that?)
Well, the other day my daughter fell asleep like this:
See? I told you. It is true. Adelyn wants to be like her Aunt Becca. I am so proud!!

What I Never Want to Forget About Today

2009-05-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today has been a rather eventful day if I must say so myself. It all started off with the following picture:Yes, you are seeing this correctly. My sweet daughter pooped all the way through her diaper and all over her back. I have never seen so much poop in my life. Good Morning Amanda. I started my day with a bath for her and running our sheets through the washing machine and dryer. Colby was not home as he left at 5:30AM for the Young Life Golf Tournament all day.

The majority of my day was spent at home hanging out with sweet Addie. I watched her do this a lot during the day. Oh she has a way of melting my heart. She is so sweet and fun to be around. I love getting to stay at home with her!

Then the scary part of my day happened. I talked to Colby at 3:00 and he said he was coming home soon and had to get some things ready for his last Young Life club tonight. At 5:00, Colby was still not home. That's when I thought I should call him to make sure everything is okay. I called him minutes after he was in a wreck. He sounded okay but couldn't talk much because the police were trying to ask him a lot of questions. He had to get off the phone and I hurried and put Addie in her carseat and got to the scene as fast as I could. I didn't know anything except for the location. I didn't know who was involved. How it happened. If it was bad? I just drove up to see police and ambulance and tons of flashing lights and knew Colby was involved. It was a very scary scene:

Honestly, it looked a lot worse then it really was. When I arrived, I could not see Colby anywhere. That is because they already loaded him up in the ambulance. That was so scary to me. I didn't know why he was in the ambulance. Was he way okay? Thankfully, Rodney was there (Colby's Young Life boss) and said everything was fine, but Colby was bleeding a lot from his knee and got light headed so they wanted him to lay down on the stretcher. They took him to the hospital and then Rodney and I drove there to meet up with him.
It took a while before we could see Colby. They put an injecion and some staples in his knee and wrapped it all up. He has a small wound on his head and they took care of that and then gave him a cat scan to make sure everything was okay. Once they finished the cat scan we could go in and see him. He was great, and if anyone knows Colby, knows that he has the best attitude and outlook. He was so positive and was asking all the nurses how they are doing and where they are from and what their story is. LOL. He is so caring!

Once Colby's lightheadedness went away, he got his shoes on and we walked to a different room where the man was that was also involved in the accident. He is 80 years old and was in pretty good condition. We did hear that there are a few concerns the doctors are dealing with and we are praying that he is fully healed and recovered. Colby was amazing at putting this man above himself and caring for him and his wife.

There are some things that stand out to me from today that I NEVER want to forget:

1. I hope and pray that Colby and I grow up to be like Rodney and Kristen. First of all, Rodney has been celebrating a big birthday in his life. Second of all, he had graduation parties to attend for his high school students. And third of all, he had his last Young Life Club for the semester. He did not do any of those things so he could help us, support us and be there for us in the hospital. His wife immediately arrived to help me take care of Adelyn so I could take care of Colby. They are two of the most incredible people you will ever meet. They did our pre-marital counseling while we were enagaged and have been there for us ever since. Kristen is always amazing and caring and asking how I am doing and being there for me. Today, I learned what being a servant is like, and I want to be like that. Thank you Rodney and Kristen for all you do for us. You make such a huge difference.

2. I do not think I will ever forget the 80 year old mans face and his sweet wife when we went to their room. I have no idea how long they have been married, but looking at his sweet wife's face, I would say a good 50 years or more. She just sat there with tears in her eyes caring so deeply for her husband. Oh man, I was about to bawl. That man was the sweetest thing, and he was in pain because of this wreck. He does not deserve to be in pain. He had the bluest eyes I have ever seen and just looked up from his hospital bed, wondering how long he would be there. I experienced a moment in that room that made me want to live differently. Made me want to care more about others. Made me want to focus on what matters. You never know what might happen.

3. I do not want to foget the mixed feelings I had when I heard Colby's car was totalled. Some of you may know that for the past month Colby has been starting his car with this:

Yes, You are right. It is a screwdriver. He starts his car with a screwdriver because his key broke off in his ignition and could not come out. Because we have spent thousands of dollars on his car in one month, we could not afford to get the key out, so Colby "rigged" it to start with a screwdriver.

The above picture is the inside of his "rigged" car. While we were driving to the hospital, Rodney told me something that made me laugh pretty hard. The policeman asked Rodney who's car the Pathfinder was. Rodney told him it was Colby's, the man that was driving it. The policeman said, "Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn't a stolen car? It appears it is a stolen car since he has to have a screwdriver to start it." LOL. Nope, not a stolen car. Just a couple that can not afford to fix it. LOL.
Our usual morning routine before today consisted of the following conversation."
Colby: "Babe...I need your help."
Amanda: "Colby, I am in bed. What do you need?"
Colby: "My car won't start. Will you help me."
Amanda: "Let me get out of my pajamas. Hold on, I'll be there."
Colby: (as he hands me the screwdriver...AKA- "the key"- "Okay, you start the car with the screwdriver while I use a hammer to hit all the parts under the hood of the car. When it starts, we are good to go."
Amanda: "Colby, this is SO ridiculous..." (then sparks start to fly from the car) "This is not safe Colby. I hate this car. It is not reliable. It is not safe."
Colby: "Amanda, this car is perfect. It's my baby. It is my everything. It has treated me sooo good for all these years (which is true...but the years were quickly fading).
Amanda: "Remember when the car broke out in flames at Pep Boys. You are not safe to drive this car. Can we please trade it in for something cheap?"
Colby: "No, this is perfect. It is going to last me a few more solid years... Then we'll see."

Well, this might just be a blessing in disguise. No more marital fights for Colby and I. We don't have the car to fight over anymore. LOL. I feel sad and happy at the same time.

It was very scary to drive up to the scene and to see the ambulance drive away with my husband in it. However, it really was not as bad as it looked. Thank you to everyone that prayed. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being there for us. We are blown away by people's support. We can only pray we are there for others like they have been there for us.

Thank you Lord for today. Thank you for allowing us to be home now with just a few minor injuries. Please Lord heal that 80 year old man. May he go home fully recovered. Work out the insurance details. Work out the financial details. We trust you this day that you are good and you are faithful and you do provide.

Two Things I am Reading Right Now

2009-04-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

I am currently finishing up reading this book. I have heard so many different viewpoints and stances regarding vaccines. I have friends with children that have never given one vaccine. I have friends with children that have given every single one. There is definitely controversy over many issues and of course, everyone has an opinion. I simply wanted to do the research so I know what the vaccine is, why Adelyn is getting the shot, and all the information for it. I feel much more confident in my decision because of this book. I recommend it to any mom unsure of vaccines.

I am also reading this book. And I am loving every single page of it. Once we finished studying Beth Moore's Esther, we decided to start this book and discuss it every week. It is an incredible book. It is challenging and focuses on us putting our priorities back where they should be: on God.

Here is a part of the book that I read recently:

"But it's easy to think about today as just another day. An average day where you go about life concerned with your to-do list, preoccupied by appointments, focused on family, thinking about your desires and needs.

On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don't consider God very much...."

This is a little convicting to me (okay, a lot convicting)... I am all about my to-do lists. Making a huge list. Crossing things off. Oh the joy of crossing things off. It feels so good. But honestly, in the midst of my to-do list, I am so focused on getting things done (which isn't necessarily bad), but I am not focusing on God.

Let us not live so caught up in ourselves. Amanda, do not live so caught up in yourself. Focus on God. Focus on others. Focus on what really matters.

Thank you Lord for continually teaching me and changing me and disciplining me for good. I am changed because of it.

There is Something About Crossing the Finish Line

2009-04-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

And no, it was not me that crossed the finish line. Hello people? I just had a baby 6 weeks ago. What do you expect from me? I can not run 26.2 miles in this season of my life. However, me and 4 of my friends did run the RELAY in the OKC Memorial Marathon today and I will post some pics at the bottom! But this blog post is focused on what I felt as I was there standing at the finish line waiting for Elizabeth to finish the last leg of our relay......

I do not know if it was because in 2007 I did run the full 26.2 miles in the OKC Memorial Marathon and I know how the people felt today as they crossed the finish line...

Or I do not know if it is because I just had a baby a few weeks ago and am highly hormonal that made me so emotional....

But there was something today that made me just want to sob.....

Was it the woman with one leg that ran the full marathon as she pushed a handicap girl (her daughter?) in a wheelchair?

Was it the man with down syndrome that crossed the finish line with the biggest smile I have EVER seen?

Was it the dad that carried his daughter that last mile and crossed the finish line with her?

Was it the man that held up his hands in the air and loudly thanked God for helping him finish all 26.2 miles and cross that finish line?

Was it the men that wheeled themselves in their wheelchair 26.2 miles? (I can not even imagine how their arms must have felt).

Was it the relay team of girls that were running to fight leukemia and they all 5 held hands as they crossed the finish line?

Was it the people that were running in memory or honor of someone? a family member? a friend? a neighbor? a co-worker?

I do not know what it was, but there was something I saw as they all crossed the finish line:
A huge accomplishment. A mindset that was not giving up. A goal that was reached.

Their faces said it all. It was HIGHLY EMOTIONAL (hormonal or not, okay?) I am so proud of everyone that ran in it. If you ran the full marathon, the half marathon, the relay, the walk, etc, CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a HUGE DEAL!

People ask me how did I run 26.2 miles? How long did I train for it? What made me do it? etc.... It is a rather long story but I will try to sum it up in a relative short way.... (however I am known for making a short story longer by adding details.... I will try to be brief).

I did it for one reason.
For the symbolism.

I ran 26.2 miles so I could learn more about what it means to be a Christian.

For instance, being a Christian is not easy. You do not just "commit your life to Christ" and everything is "hunky-dory" (is that even a word)? It takes work. You have got to "train," if you will, to be Christian. What does training consist of? Getting to know the Lord more. Reading His word. Praying. Talking to Him. Studying. Talking about Him to others, etc.

Same thing with a marathon. You do not just show up on race day, never running a mile in your life, and run 26.2 miles. You have to train. Start off slow. Run only 1 mile. Run only 1 miles a few times in a row. Slowly move it up. Eat right. Drink right. Wear the right clothes (for instance, I can NOT run in t-shirts to save my life... I HAVE to wear a tank top if I want to have a successful run. I know, it's weird. Don't judge). It takes months of training.

You CAN NOT GIVE UP. Do you know how hard it was for me to train for the marathon? You have NO IDEA (unless you have done it before, then you probably can relate). It was the hardest freakin' thing I have ever done. So is being Christian.

You can NOT GIVE UP being a Christian.

Will you have bad days? Yes.
Will you struggle? Yes.
Will you do things that do not make sense to other people and perhaps be judged for it by them or "persecuted" for your decisions? Yes.
Will you give up? No.

You have got to persevere when it gets hard. Period. You have got to trust the Lord that leads you. Period. (I say "you" but please know I am preaching to myself here, amen?) You have got to know that His ways are higher than our ways. Period. You have got to know that there is a purpose for what you are going through. Period.

I ran that day for the Lord.
I ran that day to be changed.
I ran that day as a symbol as my walk with the Lord.

I will train. I will not give up. I will persevere when it gets hard.

You want to get to know God better? Train for a marathon. I promise you, you will be changed. And it will be the most rewarding experience of your entire life. And it will be one of the biggest accomplishments you will ever have.

It will be hard.

But, oh, it will be so worth it!

(These are tiny pictures, but these are from 2007 when I ran the full marathon).

Crossing the finish line.... Can not even describe that feeling!!!!

Below, are the pictures from this morning at the OKC Memorial Marathon 2009.

TEAM ADDIE
Sara- ran 7.6 miles
Amanda- ran 3.1 miles
Tyler- ran 3.1 miles
Elizabeth- ran 6.2 miles
Deborah (missing)- ran 6.2 miles
TOTAL=26.2 miles
WAY TO GO TEAM ADDIE!!!The Finish Line....
19,000 people ran in the Marathon. Thousands of others were volunteers! It was all amazing!

Running for my sweet princess: Addie

Happy 1 Month Adelyn!

2009-04-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

My daughter seriously is already a month old! ahh! Time is flying by. Here is a little about Adelyn at one month old:

-She is on a pretty good routine. She still eats every 3 hours (unless she is going through a growth spurt). During the night she goes longer between feedings.

-She is much more aware of things and we find her constantly staring at things.

-She LOVES her swing.

-She is a cuddler and loves to be held and always be next to someone.

-She does not like to sleep anywhere but with us. We love this because it is cute and we love being close to her and cuddling with her, but we don't love it because we don't want her to get used to it and never go to her crib.

-She is great at riding in the car. I sometimes forget shes with me because she is so quiet. Sometimes she gets fussy if we stop at stop signs or red lights, but once we go, she's good.

-She loves bath time.

-We give her a baby massage every night with the sleepytime lotion and it works wonders. The other night I put her to bed at 10:00 and she slept until 4:00am (6 hours of uninterrupted sleep! woo-hoo!)

-Colby does one middle of the night feeding every night with a bottle. I am SO THANKFUL for this. I do not function well with only 2 hours of sleep. I have offered to do all of the feedings but he wants to. It is a special bonding time between him and Addie.

-I read one book to her every day. She usually is looking at the wall or not paying attention at all (ha! what do you expect out of a 4 week old). But it is so fun and I always want to do that when she is older so why not start now. It is never to early huh?

-Her eye color changes and looks different every day. Most days they are brown. Some days they are blue. Some days they are brown with a blue rim around it. Who knows what color they will eventually become.

-I fall more in love with her every single day. I kiss her a lot. I talk to her a lot. I stare at her a lot. And I take pictures of her a lot (but only with my i-phone because I lost the battery charger to my camera---or someone hid it from me because of how many pictures I took those first couple of weeks). Just sayin'.

Okay, enough information and lets see some cute pics!!

How can you not love that sweet little face? Actually it is not little, it is rather chunky. Adelyn, I can not believe you are one month old! I hope you always know how much your mommy and daddy love you and cherish you.

Easter in Kansas

2009-04-16T08:51:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Easter in Kansas with Colby's family! It was a very great time and we enjoyed getting away. Adelyn has incredible grandparents and great-grandparents. I feel so blessed. Here are just a few pictures:Her "1st Easter Bib"

Her bunny slippers!Celebrating Easter with her two other cousins

(Colby's sister and sister-in-law's babys)
Adelyn, Logan, and Blake

Colby is 29!!

2009-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband is officially 29 years old! We had a combined birthday party with our dear friend (and roommate) Brett who turned 28! Brett is a good friend of Colby's from college and moved from Kansas to Oklahoma and has been living with us since January. We like to call him "Dupree." We have enjoyed opening up our home to home and Adelyn has loved having him as her nanny! ha!

Happy Birthday Boys!Colby and Brett with their birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Husband! I hope you had a great birthday! Your first birthday as a daddy! Love you!

Week 3 (a couple days late)

2009-04-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

On Monday sweet Adelyn turned 3 weeks. I feel like I was in the hospital delivering her years ago. And she looks so different to me from when we were in the hospital. I hate how fast time is going by. I really am trying to enjoy every second of her when she is this little, but I feel like every time I pick her up from a nap she is bigger. I hate that. Stay little Addie, stay little!

Adelyn at 3 weeks:
-her eyes are open a lot more.
-she is always looking up towards the ceiling. Not sure what she sees there but that is where her eyes are focused the majority of the time.
-she's been on a little growth spurt eating a lot more frequently (especially during the middle of the night).
-she has more facial expressions than I can count. I think she is going to be Miss Personality when she gets older.
-she smiles a lot in her sleep. Do babies dream at this age or what? I am not sure what causes her to smile, but it's way cute!
-if anyone is wondering why my blog kind of stopped or why you have not seen a facebook album of my daughter, it is because someone hid my battery charger to my camera.... I am not going to point fingers, but one day Colby told me to stop posting pictures because I was a crazy mom, and then the next day my battery charger is gone... pretty convenient huh? He said he did nothing with it, but it's kind of suspicious.

Here are a few taken with my i-phone....

3's About Me:

2009-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

THREE NAMES I GO BY

* Mommy
* Amanda
* M.O.F.T.M

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE

* Nanny
* To-Go Waitress at Outback Steakhouse
* Wedding Planner

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED

* Plano, TX (birth-age 15)
* Edmond, OK (15-current)
* Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico (study abroad in college)

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH

* The Bachelor
* The Office
* Jon & Kate plus 8

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN

* Florida
* New York
* Kansas

PEOPLE THAT E-MAIL ME REGULARLY

* Brides
* Colby's mom
* Electronic bills

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS

* Louies chips and queso and fries
* waffles
* cupcakes from Cuppies&Joe or cookies from Eileens

THREE FRIENDS I THINK WILL RESPOND

* Amy Woolsey
* Becca Gantz
* Janae DeWeese

THREE THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
* Booking my 2010 calendar with Embellished brides
* Dreaming huge things for Embellished and seeing things happen!!
*Adelyn growing up and having siblings!!

I want to know your 3 things! Copy and paste this into your blog and erase my answers and add yours! Let me know you do it so I can read it!!!

He loves you, can you see it?

2009-04-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

I had the sweetest moment (or maybe the saddest moment) last night with my sweet daughter, Adelyn Ryan and want to share it with you.

She is 2 1/2 weeks old. She loves snuggling with mommy and daddy. We will place her in her swing, or bouncy seat (which she loves all her stuff), but she gets bored or is not getting any interaction or someone scratching her back or playing with her hair so she cries, and then one of us go and pick her up. Then we go snuggle with her and she is happy as can be and doesn't make a peep.

So, last night we are snuggling in bed. At 2 1/2 weeks old, their eyesight is not fully there and they can not see all the things we see at the distance we see them at. I have no idea what she can see or what it looks like when she sees it, but I know she has a hard time seeing me.

I am always calling her name, talking to her, trying to get her attention when she is wide awake and she is staring at the opposite direction. She does not even move her head in the slightest direction of where I am.

I am just staring at her and talking to her last night, and the love that I have for her just hits me....hard. And I about start crying. And I just look at her and tell her I love her. And I can not stop telling her. And I want her to know. So, I start saying her name. Trying to get her to look at me. She is not looking anywhere in my direction. All I want is for her to know how much I love her, and to see me tell her, and she can't.

It reminds me of our relationship with God. How many times is he calling our name and wanting to talk to us and we are not even listening. We do not even move our heads into His direction. He loves us and tells us ALL the time, but we just do not hear it. He wants us to look in His direction (maybe even for the first time). He wants us to hear how much He loves us. He wants us to look at Him at all times.

Thank you Adelyn for drawing me closer to the Lord and being the sweetest daughter! I love you!

2 Weeks!

2009-04-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on Monday when Adelyn was two weeks old, I am just 2 days late in posting it.

Not much has changed form week 1 to week 2.

A little look into our schedule at two weeks:

7:00am- wake-up, eat, change diaper, a little bit of wake-time (watch Baby Einstein, swing, bouncy seat, playmat, etc)

8:00-10:00am- sleep, have visitors that hold her, errands, etc.

10:00am- wake-up, eat, change diaper, a little bit of wake-time (watch Baby Einstein, swing, bouncy seat, playmat, etc)

11:00-1:00- sleep, have visitors that hold her, errands, etc.

1:00pm- wake-up, eat, change diaper, a little bit of wake-time (watch Baby Einstein, swing, bouncy seat, playmat, etc)

2:00-4:00-sleep, have visitors that hold her, errands, etc.

4:00- wake-up, eat, change diaper, a little bit of wake-time (watch Baby Einstein, swing, bouncy seat, playmat, etc)

5:00-7:00- sleep, have visitors that hold her, errands, etc.

7:00- wake-up, eat, change diaper, a little bit of wake-time (watch Baby Einstein, swing, bouncy seat, playmat, etc)

8:00-10:00pm- sleep, have visitors that hold her, errands, etc.

10:00-- This is my last feeding that I do for the day. Sometime in the day I pump a bottle and Colby does the 1:00AM feeding. So, once I am done feeding her at 10:15 or so, I go to bed and then she does not wake up until around 7:00 after Daddy feeds her. So I am sleeping from
10:30pm-7:00am since we brought her home from the hospital. Now you know why I always have so much energy with a newborn!

Happy 2 Weeks Adelyn Ryan! You are still a perfect, healthy, super easy child. You have set some really high standards for our future children because of how easy you are. We love you so much!!!

2 of my Favorite Blogs

2009-03-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

And I have never met either of them. You will be blessed by their blogs:

Kelly's Korner

and

Bring The Rain.

Head on over and check them both out...Especially today because I LOVED both of their posts from today!!!

Oh great... One More Thing I am Saving For...

2009-03-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

OMG-Look how cute these are!!!! Ahhhhh.... HAVE TO HAVE THESE A.S.A.P!!!!!!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things.....Part 3 of 4

2009-03-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more items that we have received as gifts that I am just loving:

1. Angel Care Monitor: I know that my mom and my grandma and generations before me survived perfectly without this luxury item, but I am very thankful that we have this item:This was a very special gift from a very special friend. She has an amazing story as does her sister. Bethany walked in on her nephew during his nap last December and found him not breathing. To make a long story short, he ended up passing away as a baby in July. You can read an amazing testimony on Lydia's blog.

Because of her story, she is passionate about this baby item. It detects movement and sound. It can detect if the baby stops breathing and then a little alarm goes off. We have already used it and absolutely love it and it gives us such a peace at night. I have not worried for one second since we have brought her home. That is highly because of the Lord and some baby items that help give me a peace.

2. Video Monitor: We actually registered for a cheaper, simple video monitor, and we received it as a gift, but it did not work in our house. Adelyn's room is too far away from our room so it did not pick up the signal. So, I had to go back to Babies-R-Us and exchange it for one with a greater distance so it would work. We got this one:

and I am in love with it. It has PERFECT quality and is a color screen which is not a big deal, it is just crazy how clear everything is. This just helps us in knowing we can look at her at any time and know she is safe!

3. Medela Breast Pump: Once again, I am sure I am repeating myself, but two things: #1. There are a ton of amazing breast pumps. There is not a right one and a wrong one. When I was reading that girl's blog about what to register for, I saw the word "Medela" a million times. So, I registered for it and several families at our church went in on it together and purchased it for us. I can not compare it with another breastpump as this is the only one I have ever used, but I am IN LOVE with it. It is the EASIEST thing ever. It does not hurt. It is SOOOO FAST! Also #2, I would rather purchase one incredible breastpump and use it for every single child that I have because the quality is amazing and it is a great item, then buy a cheap product and have to replace it at each child's birth. I hope I am not trying to justify it when I say that I think it is cheaper in the long run to just buy one great item instead of having to purchase several cheap items because it keeps on breaking. Anyone with me on this?

4. Lamaze toys: I had NEVER heard about these toys, but my friend was telling me about them and they are incredible for helping your child developmentally. These toys have an entire philosophy as to why their toys are the way they are. You can read about it here. These are really for Adelyn when she gets older, but we have some now so when we have play date at our house the other babies can play with them! How fun!
5. Bumbo: I forgot to register for one of these, but someone gave one to us as a gift, so it worked out perfectly. Adelyn is too tiny to use it now, but all my neices used it a million times. Almost every parent I have talked to LOVES these things.

Okay, there are my 5 items for today! I will be wrapping it up tomorrow. I really hope this helps anyone pregnant or thinking about it!!

So I have a hilarious story...

2009-03-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

I promise not every post will be about babies but for right now it is... I will write more on lots of other things!!!

But I have a funny story I have to share with you. It might be one of those "you-had-to-be-there" moments, but I will try to make it funny in writing:

We had some professional pictures taken and the photographer asked Colby was his daughter's name was he said, "Adelyn" and the photographer said "okay Madeline, look up here, look at the camera..."

I was like "uhh sir, her name is not Madeline, it's Adelyn."

And Colby said "it's okay, Madeline will work."

WHAT???????

Madeline will work??? Umm, NO, Madeline will NOT work. Her name is NOT Madeline. It is Adelyn.

Is that not hilarious... He just didn't want to make the man feel bad about calling her the wrong name. Oh, Colby, please call her Adelyn.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things.....Part 2 of 4

2009-03-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are 5 more items I have found highly valuable and I think are great to register for!!!

6. Chicco Travel System.... This sweet thing came from parents!!! It came with the car seat and stroller and is AMAZING!! There are so many different brands that are incredible. I just heard amazing things about Chicco and volunteer in the church nursery and constantly saw Chicco and talked to moms about it. It is worth every penny.

Here is my theory: we are "planning" on having a large family so I just want to buy a really amazing item ONE time and use it for ALL our kids. I tried to get more neutral colored items so it can be used for a boy or a girl. I got the green color so for Adelyn it can be pink and green and then if we have a boy it can be green and brown or whatever other boy color. 7. Chicco High-Chair- Uncle Brett bought sweet Adelyn this high chair! What a HUGE blessing. Adelyn can not use it yet but Troy and Lex have found some great use for it! Once again, we decided to register for a neutral color so we can use it for years and years and years with boys or girls... You might see us on TLC in a few years because of how many kids we will have!! haha I am kind of kidding, kind of not!
8. Boppy- This is amazing for several different reasons:

1. Baby can sleep in it or hang out in it.

2. Amazing for nursing. I wrap it around my stomach (it makes me feel like I am going swimming and wearing a floatie/floaty). And it helps hold her and makes it easy for me.

3. I have a ton of kids and neices/nephew that come over and it helps the children get to hold the baby and be safe!
9. Bouncy Seat---Adelyn loves this. It vibrates and plays music and has little toys that hang on it. This is awesome because it is small and very easily portable. I move this all over the house wherever I am at. I put it in the bathroom and take a shower and get ready. I put it in the kitchen while I am making lunch/dinner. I put it in another room where I am working. It will be great for vacations!!
10. Nursing Tank Top: I did not register for this, but I bought it. Colby's cousin, Lizzie, is the one that told me about it. It is amazing (As is everything I am blogging about). It has little clips at the very top of the tank that simply detach and you fold down to nurse. It covers your whole stomach and your other boob (can you write boob on a blog? don't be offended, please). It is SO modest and amazing. And it has a built in bra, so you don't really have to wear one. It is sooo comfy and sooo cheap. I wear mine ALL THE TIME!

Okay, that is all for today! I hope you are enjoying what I LOVE and find very valuable... I am sure other people have great advice and will tell you other stuff, so just listen to everyone and do what is the best FOR YOU!!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things.....Part 1 of 4

2009-03-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been asked frequently, "how did you know what to register for?" And the truth is, I did not have a clue. If you have ever walked into Babies-R-Us, it can be quite overwhelming. You want to register for a bottle and there are like 15 different brands. Seriously? Why? How do you choose?

Well, I was reading one girls blog that I have no idea who she is and she really helped me. She posted a blog saying she did not want to read books or search the internet for what to register for. She wanted to hear from "real-life moms" to tell her what is the most important thing to have and invest your money in, and what is the biggest waste of money. There were over 300 comments. So one day (don't judge me for doing this), I printed off all 300 comments and read through all of them. I then proceeded to make an excel spreadsheet with 3 different columns: 1. Items I have to register for. 2. Items that are a big waste of money. 3. Items I need to do research on and evaluate and see if I want to register for them.

This helped me in a huge way. For instance, I would say 75% of the comments mentioned Dr. Browns bottles (not that they are the very best and you have to have them and if you don't you are a bad mom...but they just mentioned them a lot). Also, when it came to pacifiers, I saw the word NUK a lot...so I wrote that down....

Now, I would like to share all that I learned and pass it along to my pregnant friends so that this might help you when it comes to registering.....These are simply suggestions and items that have already proved valuable. Other moms, please comment and put your input and must-haves and waste of money items. This will help my pregnant friends!!

I will post items for a couple of days so I don't have one GINORMOUS post.... Is that even how you spell ginormous!?! who knows... Okay on to baby items:

1. Pack-n-Play with Bassinet and changing table.... Wow, this makes sleeping rather enjoyable. We have this right next to our bed in our room. She sleeps in the bassinet at night and the changing pad is right there. So I am laying in bed, pick her up in the middle of the night to eat, change her diaper and put her back to sleep all within inches of me... It is GLORIOUS!! They have different brands and styles. Find what matches your decor or style and budget and register for one! And keep in mind you will have it through a lot of different ages.....Oh yeah, the bassinet has a light on it, music, and it vibrates... Adelyn LOVES going to sleep in here!2. A Swing. Swings have come a long way in the past couple of years. We actually registered for a cheaper, different swing and one of my sweet friend's mom surprised me one day and took me to Babies-R-Us and said she wanted to buy our swing. I showed her the one I registered, but as a well-advanced mommy, she said I had to have this one! lol. It is unreal!! It can swing from left to right or from back to front. There are different sounds or music to choose from. There is a rotating thing above her with toys on it. Adelyn LOVES being in her swing! Thank you Shelby and Michelle!

3. A Sling. I actually had no desire to get a sling, until I went to my friends house. She asked if I had a sling and I said no and she thought that was weird. She loved hers and showed it to me and showed me how it works and then I fell in love. I had a coupon and gift card to Babies-R-Us and went and bought it that next day! Adelyn LOVES this. And I love it. I actually miss being pregnant, so it kind of reminds me of that. lol. And she curls up in it just like she was in the womb. And I can clean the whole house and do things with my hands because I am not holding her.
4. Two Different Burts Bees Products: Mama Bee Belly Butter and Therapeutic Bath Crystals.
OH MY WORD!!! Ladies----PAMPER YOURSELF!!! I got these two items as a gift and I think it is the BEST gift and the WORST gift. IT is the best because I am obsessed with it. It is the WORST because now I have to stay stocked up and buy it continually because I am in love with it so much.

I put on the Belly Butter at least once a day. It is smooth, and not sticky and smells good. I would say the majority of those "anti-stretch mark creams" are disgusting. I think they smell nasty, feel nasty on your body etc..... This lotion is AMAZING!! I did not get any stretch marks and I am sure its not only because of the lotion (eating patterns, work-out regimens, genetics, metabolism all play a part), but I think this lotion definitely helped in not getting any.

The Therapeutic Bath Crystals are INCREDIBLE!! You put 1 tablespoon in your bath with you and it makes it SMELL AMAZING and you come out feeling like silk. It soothes and refreshes your tired, achy body. Oh my goodness I want to go take a bath right now just thinking about it!
5. A Nursing Cover: I got this from a sweet friend, Whitney. It has already proven much needed, unless you're okay with letting it all hang out. We have had a ton of visitors...When boys are over I am always in my room with the door shut. If it is just girls, I feel comfortable just sitting on the couch watching a movie or talking and just use it for modesty purposes. (I tend to fall asleep while I am nursing, so sorry I am sleeping in the pic, lol). It comes in handy if you happen to be out and about and have to take care of business. I think it is safe to say that while you are the mall, no one wants to see it, so keep it hidden!
Okay, there are my first 5 items for the day. I will do 5 more tomorrow and each day until I am done talking about some INCREDIBLE items that I recommend registering for! Hope this helps you a little bit. Please know, that you do not HAVE to have these items to be a better parent....They just help make things easier! Other mommys, please tell me some of your favorite must haves!!!

3 Things I Am Saving For...

2009-03-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a few things that I have found that I LOVE and must have!!!! I have started a secret "Cash Stash" envelope where I will be saving until I reach the amount it costs. Please check out these amazing things:
The above picture is called Beaba Baby Cook from Williams-Sonoma. It is a must have!!! I plan on making all of Adelyn's baby food homemade. I have read about it and heard some amazing stories. And in the long run, you save SOOOOO much money!!!! The baby cook is a compact countertop appliance and multitasks as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby. It starts by steam cooking vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in less than 15 minutes, preserving their vitamins and flavors, then purees or blends them to your desired consistency. Is that not AMAZING!! Oh I can not wait to have this in my kitchen!!

Next is this:

I was at No Regrets in Casady Square today and saw this and HAD to have it! (I really don't need it until Adelyn is in pre-k.....but you can never purchase something too early, right? It is called "Introducing School Years" by momAgenda. My sister-in-law has their planner and LOVES it. I would love their planner too, but its kind of expensive. I am a huge "journaler" and "scrapbooker" so this is precious to me. And my mom had something very similar for me when I was a little girl, so that is special too! Can not wait to have this!

Okay, this might be lame, but let's get honest. I need some fresh lo-lights/hi-lights/something. It has been WAY TOO long since I have put any color in my hair. There is something about fresh color that makes a girl feel good. amen? I go to Salan Envy (Shout out to Sarah Thompson, best hair stylist in the world). And I am going to save up then make an appointment. Can not wait!!
What is one thing you are saving for?? Can't wait to hear from you!

I Don't Have It All Together

2009-03-26T05:31:00.001-07:00

Let's get honest about one thing: I do NOT have it all together. I am FAR (VERY FAR) from it. However, in these last 9 days I have been asked one question over and over and over again, "How are you doing it?"

These past 9 days have been the best days of my entire life. And honestly, they have been EXTREMELY easy, but I don't think it has anything to do with me and what I am doing. Some babies are just easy. I was talking to my sister-in-law and she said her first was real easy but #2 was a nightmare (sorry Gracie :)) I keep on saying that Adelyn has set some really high standards for my future babies because of how easy she is.

I mean really, it is not possible for a 24 year old to know what she's doing as a first time mom. All you "older" ladies reading my blog can testify to that I am sure. How much more do you know now then when you had your first baby? I have SO much to learn. I will look back and think "what was I thinking?" However, there are a few things I want to share that I think have helped me in this process and I recommend doing. It is not "the answer" to have a great baby and pregnancy and labor and delivery, but I think it has definitely helped.

In no specific order, here are some random thoughts I have had regarding mommyhood.:

1. I listened. I LOVE hearing from other other moms. I love hearing their stories. What their pregnancy was like. What their L&D was like. What their baby was like. I have heard great stories. I have heard not so great stories. I have heard stories that scared my butt off I did not ever want to have a baby. I heard them all. And there is not a "right" story or a "wrong" story, it is just "our" story. They are all different and that's the beauty of it. It just kind of helped me prepare.

2. I read. Oh girl, did I read. My friends make fun of me because I love reading blogs. And usually they are not my friends blogs. They are girls in other states that I have no idea who they are or how I found them, but I love them. And I love the Library. I know, I'm crazy. I can't tell you how many times I went to the library and checked out pregnancy books, labor and delivery books, etc. I just wanted to read anything and everything and different view points and different articles etc.

3. I thought realisticly and journaled about things. For instance, one day while I was still pregnant, I sat at my kitchen table with God and my journal and got real. I journaled my thoughts, worries, concerns, etc. I journaled about getting real about my post-baby body. I knew I would not have my pre-baby body back, and that's okay. I knew I was going to look pregnant for a few weeks or months, and thats okay. I knew I would have to wait to get back to the gym and take it easy. I knew it was going to be hard work, but so worth.

I journaled about nursing. I have never nursed in my life, like I have a clue what I am doing. This is one area where I heard the most horror stories. I journaled about how it was going to be hard. I might crack, bleed, etc, and that is normal and fine. I heard about being engorged and being in pain. I journaled about persevering and not giving up when it was really hard. The very first time I nursed was when she was like 30 minutes old and she did not want anything to do with it. She did not latch on at all. I tried like 4 times and she did not want to do it. My nurse recommended a nipple shield and I had heard about it and had no problem trying it. I used it and she immediately latched on and everything went perfect. I loved the nipple shield and planned on using it forever because it worked so good. Well, one day I was out running errands and we stopped by a friends house and I needed to nurse but I forget my nipple shield at home. I started freaking out. I was like "oh my gosh she is not going to be able to nurse and I have to feed her right now, ahh what do I do." Well I just put her up on it and she immediately latched on and I have never used the nipple shield once since then. Nursing has actually been a breeze.

As far as soreness and crackedness goes, I have never had an issue (yet) and I might give credit to one thing. I got the Lansinoh Lanolin as a shower present while I was pregnant and I started putting it on while I was pregnant. I put it on the morning and the evening every day until I had her and now I use it every time I am done nursing. I don't know if that's a reason, but it's worth trying.

4. I stayed physically active. I think this is a HUGE thing and a reason I am the way that I am. I worked out consistently the entire 40 weeks I was pregnant. I was at the gym running on the treadmill the week I had Adelyn. My speed and distance definitely decreased in a huge way, but I was staying active. I went swimming like 2 times a week (and I floated in the water because my belly was so big--another story for another time). I would life weights. I would walk around my neighborhood.

People looked at me like I was a crazy person when they saw my belly running. Don't worry, I had a million conversations with my doctor about this. She said, "Amanda, your body will tell you what you can do. If you can't run, your body will tell you. Listen to your body."

As far as post-partum healing and recovery, I am pretty much fully healed. I don't need to wear pads anymore (sorry if there are men reading this, just being honest). I have been running 2 times already (with doctors approval). I have more energy that I have ever had in my life. I am happier than ever. My body is smaller then before I got pregnant (thanks to nursing--I am sure it will be coming back, no worries). If you are pregnant or thinking about being pregnant, by biggest advice is to stay active. There were days Colby had to drag me to the gym, I did not want to be there, but oh it felt so good to leave. I mean really, have you ever left the gym thinking "ugh, why did I just do that?" No. It is so hard to get there, but feels so good when you leave.

5. I prayed. a lot. And so did a lot of family and friends. If you read Becca's blog, you saw how she commited the entire month of March to pray for me. Huge blessing. I can not do this without relying on God. I have to trust Him and give my worries and concerns to Him. He has given me a peace about all things. I have placed Adelyn in His hands and trusting what He is going to do with her life.

Oh girls, every day is a new learning experience. If you are a mom, will you please leave a comment with mommy advice. I love learning new things! I need all the help I can get!

Introducing my new obsession...(and it's not my daughter)

2009-03-25T15:16:00.001-07:00

My daughter is definitely my first obsession, but I have a new one.

It is an incredible woman that is a new christian artist. You have got to check her out. I have not stopped listening to her new album. It is on my i-tunes at ALL times. I can not listen to her songs without raising my hands in the air and worshiping God. She is unbelievable. I kind of want to be friends with her. If anyone knows her could you introduce me? Thanks.

Her name is Kari Jobe. You have got to watch this. You will fall in love. promise.

(here is the link in case it does not work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaK7MfqIWCE)

Adelyn's First Pediatrician Appointment

2009-03-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today (Tuesday) was Adelyn's first pediatrician appointment. My amazing sister-in-law referred me to the BEST pediatrician in town: Dr. Simmons at Mercy Santa Fe. Turns out, he was Aunt Becca's pediatrician when she was a baby. Crazy, huh? I was kind of nervous about finding a pediatrician that I liked and that would be great for Adelyn. Well, no need for me to worry any longer. We are in great hands!

Her stats today at 8 days old were:
weight: 7 lbs (20%)
height: 20 inches (54%)
head circumference: 14 (55%)

Arriving the pediatricians office:

Adelyn with Dr. Simmons. She did so great the entire appointment.

1 Week Old Today!

2009-03-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Adelyn is one week old today. Our sweet friends Amy and Aaron came over and brought us the best homemade meal with homemade apple pie for dessert (the best apple pie ever by the way).

We celebrated Addie's birthday with Birthday Pie! She was real happy!

As you can tell from how many posts I have posted, we have had the BEST WEEK EVER! It has been the best week of my life. Being a mommy is everything to me. I love everything! I am so blessed and excited for each new season. I have not stopped smiling since she was born.

Never let it end, God. Never let it end.

Adelyn's First Play Date

2009-03-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

What a fun day today! Me and a group of girls met and had all our babies play together. It was SO much fun. It was great to just talk to other moms about everything that comes with being a mommy. Sure does help me feel "normal."

Here is Adelyn with her friends: Blakely, Tristan, Canon, and FinleyAll the mommies with their babies!!! Sweet, sweet baby!

Adelyn's First Day at Church

2009-03-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Adelyn's first day at church and she was AMAZING.

From 9:30-10:30, I normally teach a Sunday School class for JR and SR girls called "College Bound on Solid Ground." I still taught it today, we just passed little Adelyn around. Don't worry, I brought plenty of hand sanitizer. :) She was so great! I fed her in the middle of the group and had a friend take over while I was gone.

Then from 10:45-11:45, we went to the actual service of church. Since she was well fed she was content and quiet the whole time....with 2 exceptions: she tooted SO LOUD two times. And one of the toots was in the middle of the prayer when it was silent. Colby and I did laugh a little bit. I think God was smiling!

All the songs we sang were all about the faithfulness of God and how perfect and incredible He is. I could not help but cry out of pure thankfulness. Then I got mad that I was crying because I thought everyone was thinking I was having a hard time with postpartum stuff. But really I was just praising the perfect God that created Adelyn and brought her to this world. He made every detail on her body. He created and formed her. He is so perfect and worthy to be praised.

Here is our group:Adelyn with her first bible. It is pink and green paisley that matches her room! :)

I LOVE this picture. Adelyn is laying on my friends lap and just put her arms in the air. I think she was totally worshiping God right with mommy and daddy. It was so precious! I had to sneak out my phone and take a picture!

"You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
-Psalm 139

God's Plan. My Story.

2009-03-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Today, Saturday March 21st, was my "official" due date. My sweet little angel came 5 days early on Monday March 16th. I was definitely not expecting her to come early, but think the timing could not have been in any better. Since I have been home and having visitors, I have had a lot of questions. I thought, today seems like a great day to recap everything that happened on that wonderful, long Monday. I will do it FAQ style and even incorporate some pictures (in no particular order)!

(disclaimer: I will not be graphic, but I will be open about my story and all that comes with labor and delivery. This might be a long post.)

This was God's plan. It is now my story:

1. How did you know it was time to go to the hospital?
I have a story that goes along with this question. All day on Sunday, Colby kept on telling me that he didn't think that he was going to be able to sleep because he is nervous about my water breaking in the middle of the night and not feeling like he was awake and ready and alert to take care of everything.

I went to bed around 10:00ish on Sunday night. Colby stayed awake taking care of things around the house, reading, playing video games etc. At 1:00AM I rolled over and saw that Colby had still not come to bed. I had no idea what he was doing or why he was still awake. Literally, within seconds, our bedroom door opens and it's Colby. At the exact same time as the door opens, my water breaks. It was obvious and there was no way to mistake it for anything else.

I tell Colby my water breaks, and in his mind he thinks once your water breaks, you have 15 minutes until the baby comes out. (ha! I wish!) So he starts running around the house, no, more like sprinting around the house putting everything in the car and finalizing things. While he is sprinting around the house, I am in the bathroom washing my face, putting on mascara, etc. This is how our conversation went:

Colby: "are you seriously putting on make-up when your water just broke? Don't we need to run to the hospital and have this baby?"

Amanda: "Do you know how many pictures will be taken during this time? And we have a good 15 hours or so until we have this baby."

Needless to say, I was in no hurry and Colby was sweet as can be packing everything in the car. At about 1:20AM we get in the car and head over to the hospital.

Here I am as I just entered the hospital. (yes I am kind of disappointed that I went to bed with wet hair and didn't fix it. LOL. just sayin')2. Did you get an epidural?
Look at this picture and you answer that question:

What woman smiles the entire labor and delivery without an epidural? Amen? Yes, I did get an epidural. This was a huge concern for me. I was scared, nervous, not wanting to look at the size of the needle many moms told me all about. I think it was the first time during labor and delivery that I shed a fear tears simply out of fear of getting it. Colby came and prayed over me before I got it and it was NOT A BIG DEAL. I am pretty sure the IV of fluid may have hurt more. not kidding. The epidural was nothing. It was the BEST thing that was ever invented. I will have it at all of my kids.

I was admitted to my hospital room at 1:30AM. I got the epidural at 10:00AM. (8.5 hours without an epidural). Honestly, my contractions were not that bad for those 8.5 hours without an epidural. They started me on pitocin around 7:00AM. There were a few contractions that took my breath away, but nothing that brought me to tears.

3. Were you seriously updating your facebook while you were in labor?
haha, YES! I was feeling GREAT! I was just on my i-phone, which was so handy and so easy. I was in the hospital for 18 hours and pretty bored, so updating facebook gave me something to do. Plus, it was so much easier than trying to answer a million text messages and phone calls. One status change and everyone knows. Technology is amazing!

This picture shows me just taking care of business. And yes, I am sucking on a lolipop. It was hard not being able to eat for 18 hours. Do you know who I am? I eat a lot on a very consistent basis (every hour or so, lol). So, I had ice chips and lolipops the whole 18 hours. It was GREAT!
4. What is her birth story? How long were you pushing, what happened, how did it feel, etc?
All morning and afternoon on Monday, I kept on hearing the word "c-section." My doctor was saying it. My nurse was saying it. I had visitors comment about it, etc.

Basically, there were 2 things: #1. My doctor did not think my body was big enough to deliver what they were estimating a 6.5 lb baby. #2. They did not think my body could go into active labor, according to the clock and how long I was dilated to a 1 and not progressing.

The plan from the beginning was to get an epidural and have a vaginal birth. No c-section. I had no desire to have a c-section. Hearing those words all day scared me.

I handed this worry and concern to the Lord and He took care of everything. I started to dilate faster, getting to a 6 pretty quick. An hour later I was at an 8. An hour after that I was at a 10.

I could not believe I got to a 10. It took FOREVER, but it was a huge concern that they thought wouldn't happen.

Once I was at a 10, they started prepping the room and getting things ready.....It was time to push!

Okay, so in 2007 I ran the OKC Memorial Marathon. 26.2 miles. It was intense. It was extremely hard. I thought "hey, I ran a marathon, I can deliver this baby."

Whoa dang, I think I was mislead.

HARDEST THING EVER!.....OF MY LIFE.....

I started pushing around 6:15PM or so and delivered her at 7:24PM. About an hour of intense pushing that felt like years.

There were a couple of scary parts while I was pushing:
#1. There was one moment when I saw the doctor look at the baby's heart rate monitor with a concern face and then ask the nurse, "where's baby, what happened to baby?" and I heard no heart beat that I had heard all day. I think I started freaking out. They put an oxygen mask on me and then we could hear her loud and clear. It was a brief second that I was so scared.

#2. There came a point in my pushing that my doctor knew that I could not get her out alone (Which she pretty much knew all along as she kept on saying she didn't think my body could deliver this child.)

She told me the next three things they were going to do: they were going to use a vaccuum and try to suction her out. If that doesn't work, they are going to use forceps. And if that doesn't work I needed to be prepared to be rolled out fast for an emergency c-section.

This is when I started crying.

And because I was crying, it was really hard to push. I kept on trying to pull myself together, but I knew I had a limited amount of time. I started praying and quoting scripture. The scripture that I kept on quoting over and over was "the joy of the Lord is my strength." The Lord was giving me such joy just knowing I was getting ready to hold my first child, my sweet daughter. Because of this joy, I also knew He could and would give me the strength to push harder and do this thing.

Attempt #1. Vaccuum- failed. I was pushing as hard as I could, but it just didn't work. Now, it was time to push and try with the forceps. I knew that if they did not get her out with forceps, then I was being rolled out.

This was my last chance. Good pushes, Amanda, good pushes. You can do it.

Within minutes, I heard my sweet little daughter crying and the doctors all rushing around taking care of everything. My immediate reaction was to throw my hands up in the air and PRAISE GOD! I left them up in the air for a while. May He be so hugely glorified in all of this. I think I said "THANK YOU" about one trillion times. I could not have been more thankful!!!!!!!!!!!

Delivering a child: BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So hard. So so so hard. But oh, so worth it!

Here is a picture of my sweet neice, Ebbie, waiting to see if she could hear her cousin, Adelyn. Little did I know that all my friends and family were right outside my door and the majority of them told me that had there ear up to the door the whole time listening..... Uhhhh, do you know the noises you make when you are pushing.... Awkward. I am sure I was grunting and screaming and crying. Oh well, it all comes with it!

5. How much did she weigh? How long was she? What color hair, eyes?
Adelyn Ryan Taylor weighed exactly 7.0 lbs even and was 20 inches long. She was born with a full head of brown hair and her eyes are kind of brown but might be changing.... The other day they looked blue to me. I think they wil be brown or blue!

6. Were you able to communicate with Becca during this time?
Becca Gantz is my absolute very best friend in the entire world. She was a maid of honor in my wedding. She is everything to me. We have been there for each other for EVERYTHING. She is a missionary in Mexico and booked her flight for my due date, knowing she might come early.

I sent her a facebook message telling her I was the hospital. She called me and we talked. One of the other missionaries gave her her phone all day and Becca gave me the number. We were able to communicate frequently. My friend Sara took over once I started pushing and delivered her and everything. Becca wrote a sweet, sweet blog about baby Adelyn and what her expierence was like being in Mexico. Read it here.

Here I am on the phone talking to Becca. Praise the Lord once again for technology. Even being countries a part, I feel as though Becca was a part of her birth as if she was in the room with me.

7. When did you get to come home:
Colby and I got to leave the hospital at 12:30 on Wednesday March 18. We have loved being home and I am sure will have lots more to blog about all that is going on at our house. Colby is the BEST DAD EVER!

us arriving home:

8. Who does everyone think Adelyn looks like? Colby or you?
Well, when Colby held her right after she was born, he kept on saying "she is all Wolz (my maiden name). Adelyn is all Wolz. There is not a hint of Taylor in her. Is she even my child?" lol.

He also said she looked Asian which I am not sure how two caucasian people make an Asian child, but Colby apparently thought it was possible. (She had a pretty rough welcome to this world and her eyes were REALLY squinty. She was kind of blue too, which I guess is normal, but it seemed like something was wrong. But she was healthy as can be.)

At midnight, the nurse went and gave Adelyn a bath and when she brought her back she already looked so much different to me.

I could not really tell who she looked like or what features she had from us....UNTIL I saw this picture:

My sweet daughter is my sweet husband with bows on. NOT KIDDING. Colby's baby picture is on the left. My baby picture is in the middle. She looks identical to the picture, which is fine by me, because I thought Colby was a really cute baby!

Okay, I am pretty sure if you just read this, it took you like 5 hours. Sorry for taking up your morning. LOL. Please comment if you read this! I would LOVE to hear from you! And so would Adelyn! :) Also, if there are any other questions you have, please ask. I would love to do a follow-up post with more questions and answers.

That is our story. We believe it was God's perfect plan. We are so thankful to be a part of what God is doing. We are so thankful He entrusted us to be Adelyn's parents. This is a huge role to live and we have SOOOO MUCH to learn, but how awesome we get to do it together.

Thank you God. That is all I can say. Thank you.

God's Perfect Timing

2009-03-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

I am just in awe that I am sitting at home with my new daughter who is now 4 days old. I can NOT stop thinking of just how much God was involved in this whole pregnancy and labor and delivery and everything. I want to journal all of this to remember God's goodness and simply praise Him for working out EVERY SINGLE DETAIL. God, may you be glorified continuously!

My due date is actually tomorrow, March 21. These past few weeks there were definitely a lot of moments when I just sat wondering and thinking when she was going to come. My doctor said she did not want me to go over my due date because she did not think my body would be able to deliver her if she got any bigger. We talked about maybe being induced, but we were just waiting.

I also had a few "final to-do lists" of things that had to get done before she came, such as: call her pediatrician to finalize things, install the car seat, pack bags, organize final things, etc. I finished everything on the list on Friday of last week. Then I was officially "ready" (as if you can ever be
fully ready to have a baby).

Bags packed and ready to go:

Then on Saturday, Colby and I had our "last date-night" just in case she was planning on coming soon. We went to Red Rock and got a perfect table on the patio overlooking the lake. We had such an enjoyable dinner just the two of us. This is the last picture of us by ourselves with no daughter. I am 39 weeks pregnant.
Then we came home and played one of our favorite games: Scrabble. Colby usually beats me. This game was a close one the entire way through. Then I spelled Queen (Q on a triple letter, and E on a double word got me 56 points. I am not bragging or anything. Ha!). Needless to say, I won this game. Colby was kind of mad at it. We had a lot of fun!

Then, Sunday came. The day before I had her (which I had no idea she was coming so soon). I wanted her to come. We went to church that morning. Everyone was asking me when I was going to have her, since I have a lot of control over that, ha! I really, really wanted to have her soon but I was just trusting the Lord and his timing over this. We came home frmo church and Colby and I took the longest Sunday afternoon naps ever!!! This is rare. God was definitely preparing us because he knew we were not sleeping that same night.

We woke up and some friends asked us to go to Lake Hefner and play frisbee, play catch, eat at Louie's etc. It was gorgeous on Sunday afternoon. We went and had so much fun. I did not just play catch, I ran around catching the ball, interspersing jumping jacks and squats and being crazy. I was mostly joking about how I wanted to go into labor and maybe if I am active it would help. I have no idea if that is something that helped, or it just happened, but it's part of the memories.

Then we went to Louie's to eat and I got tortilla soup which was kind of spicy. Word on the street says that if you eat something spicy, it helps you go into labor. There are like a million things people told me to help "start labor" , but I think God had it all in control whether I did jumping jacks or ate spicy food or what.

During dinner I spilled my entire water cup all over my lap. Conveniently, I joked and said "my water just broke," as it clearly look like I had. (that was an ironic statement, because hours later, that is what happened).

After dinner we just came home and I watched a movie in bed with my feet up and fell asleep at around 9:30pm.

The rest is to be continued.... It is all a part of God's story and His perfect plan. Glad I got to be a part of it!

Happily Announcing the Birth of our Daughter:

2009-03-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Westminster/ Young Life Shower

2009-03-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday March 10, 2009
Once again, Colby and I are blown away by the generosity, hospitality, and thoughtfulness of our church family and friends with Young Life. 3 amazing women and their families helped host a perfect shower that blessed us beyond what we could have ever imagined. Let's just say it was completely humbling. I think Colby and I can say in agreement that we totally do not deserve anything of this. And we also will both say in agreement that we hope we can continually give to others the way we have been given to. Thank you to everyone who came and made this day so special for us.

Colby and I with the hostesses:

Of course I had to take a picture of the food. The cookies were so cute and so yummy!!

Some of the guests. THANK YOU!

Me with the cute Huffty girls. Love these girls!

Colby usually has Young Life Club on Tuesday nights. They decided to just incorporate both: a baby shower with Young Life Club complete with a skit, games, and a talk. Here is a picture of the game where the "mommies had to feed the babies." Colby and I did participate in the game as well, but we lost. The entire night was so much fun!

I can not say sa

Surprises and Blessings

2009-03-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today, I was totally blown away by three extremely sweet surprises and huge blessings (and they just happen to be the cutest things you've ever seen). I am SO THANKFUL!!!My friend Amy from BSF surprised me with the cutest blanket I think I have ever seen. It is brown on one side and pink on the other side with a satin pink and brown polka-dot ribbon. She has Adelyn's name embroidered on it! It is beyond perfect! And it is the softest thing I have ever felt. I am sure it will be favorite in the Taylor house.

When I got home from bible study I checked the mail and had this little package in there. My sweet friend Kelly sent two embroidered burb cloths that say "Lil Miss March" and "Future Beauty Queen." SO CUTE! Kelly, that was so thoughtful and so sweet! Totally did not have to do that! I can't wait to use them!

I also got to enjoy some much needed girl time with my friend Taylor this afternoon and we went to a cute little baby boutique and she bought little Adelyn a very thoughtful gift! Little Trumpette baby ballerina socks and cute little clips. I can not wait for her to wear them! My little stylin' daughter! Thanks friend!

I am just living in a season of thankfulness. Colby and I have talked about how we do not deserve any of this, and are blown away by our family, friends and church family. Everyone know how thankful we are for you in our lives!

Esther Bible Study

2009-03-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

What a joy the past 9 weeks have been. In January, I opened up my home to join some incredible women to participate in Beth Moore's newest bible study: Esther. To say it has been powerful would be an understatement. I can not even begin to write all that God did in all of our lives individually.

It is incredible to see prayer requests turn to praises.
It is incredible to see broken lives made whole.
It is incredible to see doubt turned to belief.
It is incredible to see lives turned around, which happens to be one of the main themes in the book of Esther.

To every girl that joined me in this study,

Thank you for being authentic. Thank you for opening up. Thank you for listening to me, flaws and all. Thank you for consistently showing Christ's unconditional love to every sister in the room. Thank you for not judging. Thank you for not gossiping. Thank you for praying over each weeks prayer requests. Thank you for joining us in praising God for answering those prayer requests. Thank you for being vulnerable even when it was hard and you were scared. Thank you for coming each week. Thank you for each being in charge of snacks for a week (Adelyn thanks you too, they were great- my pregnancy weight gain proves it :) ) Thank you for being open for God to teach you, change you, mold you into looking more like Him.

I do not have adequate words to tell you all how much you have blessed me. Tears come to my eyes thinking of this group and how we have all been there for each other. I can not believe the 9 weeks is already over. Guess it's time to start thinking about the next study, with a new member: Adelyn. :)

Love you girls! Here are our crazy pictures:

Trying to be crazy....maybe just awkward...

Thank you Lord for what you did through this study and for what you did in each of our lives.

Sweet Baby Shower For Adelyn

2009-03-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday March 1, 2009

I have some incredible friends! I was totally blessed by all they did to throw the MOST PERFECT shower for baby Adelyn. It could not have been any better! It was beyond perfect! From the invitations, to the cake and food, the game, the hostess gift, etc.....PERFECT! Girls, you know I can not thank you enough! I can't wait for Adelyn to meet all of her "aunts"! ha! She will have a lot!

Here are just a few pictures:

My sweet husband and I.
(Can I take a moment and brag on my husband? I could go on and on and I will try to make it brief. I can not tell you how much he has done for me to absolutely bless me and make me feel well taken care of. He is so consistent in providing perfect warm bubble baths. He puts my towels in the dryer and tells me to tell him when I am ready to get out so I will have warm towels. That is my husband, just going the extra mile! He is always quick to offer back rubs, foot rubs, etc. He will most likely make me delete this if he knows I wrote it.....but he deserves a little braggin' on! Colby, I am beyond thankful for you!!)Me with all the hostesses:
Jessica, Lauren, Me, Sara, Elizabeth, Erin

All the guests enjoying themselves!

Cutest Embroidered Onesie!

The cake...

I have organized all of her stuff. I still need to wash the majority of her outfits. They still have tags on them. Just a few last minute things to do and get and we will be ready. Oh wait, can you ever be officially ready to have a newborn? Not sure.... We will try to be ready! We are getting excited!!

Pregnancy Thoughts...

2009-03-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy has absolutely flown by for me. I can not believe that I have 3 weeks or less left. I want to take just a few moments and journal some thoughts I have about this pregnancy. I am sure this will all be totally random and whatever comes to mind:

-It still has not hit me that I will be having a baby in 3 weeks. Other moms reading this, is this normal?? I mean, hello? I am 37 weeks pregnant, have this obvious baby belly, feel her move ALL the time, am having consistent braxton hicks contractions, and still just can't believe I am about to have a baby. It is very surreal.

-I wish someone told me to eat/drink a lot of fiber. No need to go into details here.

-I have been blown away by the generosity of friends and family members by blessing us with much needed baby supplies. There is no way we could through this time without everyone supporting us. It is humbling and I am very thankful!

-I am nervous about nursing. I think it is all the stories I have heard. This is something that I am consistently praying over right now. I am committing to it and persevering through it even when it is very hard. Hopefully this blog will hold me accountable! ha!

-Today, I was reminded that there are going to be so many exciting "firsts" coming in the next few weeks, months, years, etc. As I was thinking about that, I was reminded of all the "lasts" that Colby and I are both experiencing individually and as a couple. This is not a bad thing. It is just change. It hit me while we were having breakfast at Mimi's. Breakfast at Mimi's has been a regular date for us in our marriage. Just the two of us. Next time...it will be 3 of us. We are planning on still committing to our once-a-week date night after the baby comes.

In 2008, we experienced a lot of our last holidays just the two of us. We are experiencing our last nights of 8 hours of continuous sleep. We have already experienced that last time our house was a "newlywed" house not filled with baby toys, swings, strollers, boppy's, diapers, wipes, etc.

-I have loved journaling and scrapbooking throughout this process. I have read over so many sweet memories. I hope I can keep this up post-baby.

-It is has been bittersweet not having one of my very best friends, Becca, be a part of this 40 weeks journey called pregnancy. She serves as a missionary in Mexico and I could not be any more happy for her! It is just weird not having her here! She has already booked her plane ticket for March 21st, so we will see when Adelyn comes!

-I kind of wish I drank less caffeine throughout this pregnancy (told you this was going to be random). I actually rarely drank caffeine before I got pregnant. And then when I got pregnant I craved Sonic Vanilla Dr. Peppers. And I was hooked. This is bad. Hopefully I can lower this intake after baby comes.

-I wonder what Adelyn is going to look like. As a baby, I had no hair. Maybe a tiny little bit of blonde fuzz, but not much. Colby had extremely thick dark, dark hair. I had brown eyes. Colby had blue eyes. I can not wait to see her! I think I am hoping for her to look more like Colby because he was a cute, cute baby!! So excited to meet her!

-Pregnancy has really taught me to trust God and that He is in control! I can not form little Adelyn in my belly. God has completely molded her, formed her every little detail, organ, feauture, etc. He has everything under control.

-Lately, I have gotten the infamous question, "Are you excited? Are you nervous?" Honestly, I have this huge peace completely covering me that I am not really that worried. The only thing I am thinking about is just the unknown. Some questions I have been thinking about:

When will it be?
Will my water break?
Will I be induced?
Etc...

I am so excited for all of these unknown things.... What is awesome is that God knows! I do not have to worry because He's got it all under control.

22

2009-03-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have been debating whether or not to post this or not. Part of me says no for a number of reasons. And part of me says yes for a number of reasons. May it be a testimony of God's providence...

February was the world's worst month. Seriously could not have gotten worse. I sadly kept on thinking of the quote: "when it rains, it pours." Thankfully, when that quote came to mind, I tried to refresh it with scripture and trusting God. Sometimes I succeeded. Sometimes I failed.

How could so much bad happen in one month? How does one person handle it? How does one 9-month pregnant girl handle it? Can't this send me into labor? Oh, Lord, please intervene.

I will not go into details. A lot of it did have to do with finances. My job ended in December and we have been living off of one youth minister income. At this same time: both cars broke. Pregnancy bills due. Taxes due. All of those numbers were way too high to even look at.

HOWEVER.....

God has been faithful.

Colby has been a strong leader and provider in the midst of this stress and has taught me a lot.

Let me tell you a story about how God provides....

It started in December, when I was getting stressed just thinking about not having a job. We were driving home from Kansas. We passed an exit sign: Exit #222. This HUGE peace came over me. Why? It was just an exit sign? No scripture? No revelation. Just an exit sign. Weird...

Then comes January. I went to a new cupcake place in town with some friends. We were just sitting there enjoying our coffee and cupcakes when our waitress came and took our dirty dishes away. As she picked up our plates, I notice on her hand that she wrote: "Geneses 22:14, the Lord will provide." Okay, coincidence? nope. Ironic? nope. God speaking? yes. I needed to know that God was going to provide for me. I needed to believe it.

Then comes February. One of the hardest months I have lived through. I really tried to focus on God and trusting and believing that He was going to work everything out. Once again, I had good days, and I had bad days. One day in particular, I was becoming weak. I was going through all of our expenses and income and it was not looking good. How can one number be so high and the other number be so low? It did not match up.

In the midst of not even having enough to pay bills, I have this husband next to me that is telling me all the people he wants to give to. He told me the amount we are giving to our church. He told me the amount we are giving to friends that are getting ready to serve as missionaries. I could not believe it? How is this going to work? He said, "We are not called to give when we have adequate money. We are called to give period. It is God's to begin with. Not ours." Thank you for the conviction, husband. I want to be just like you.

That same day, as I am looking at the numbers not adding up and listening to my husband tell me he wants to give it all away, I have what I would most likely call a mental breakdown. This is so sad, and so human. Why was I not trusting God. He already gave me a peace in December that He was going to provide. He already reminded me in January that He is the God who provides. Why was I not believing this on this day?!?!

I go and throw myself a little pity party and seriously am just weeping in bed. I am stressed, scared, oh, not to mention 9 months pregnant. Can we say hormones? (okay, I probably should not use the pregnancy card, but it works?!?)

As I am laying there being completely ridiculous, I have to sit up and get myself together. What are you doing Amanda? Why are you not trusting God? As I look over at the clock, it is conveniently 2:22 (have you noticed the 22 theme??----Exit sign 222. Scripture: Genesis 22. Time: 2:22). Once again, this huge peace comes over me and I felt the Lord saying what Genesis 22 says "I am the Lord who provides for you."

So..... I get up and decide to go on a walk and try to pull myself together and have a moment with the Lord. As I am on my way out, I stop by the mailbox to check the mail for day. There was an envelope that just had our name on it. When I opened it, it was full of cash. No name. No note. No nothing.

Seriously? And I doubted God? Why? Why am I so human? When will I really get it?

I am still learning. One of the very best things I am learning is to continue to give no matter what. My humanness wants to pay all of our bills and see what we have left and then maybe give. However, in this season of our life, we would never give. There just isn't enough. This is human speaking.

God speaking. It is His.
God speaking. It is not ours.
God speaking. We will give and trust.

Things are still rather difficult. However, there are certain choices I must choose to make each day. One of those choices is to choose to trust God in the midst of my circumstances. Whether they are good or bad. Whether it makes sense to me or not.

"The Lord will provide." -Genesis 22:14

Work Baby Shower

2009-02-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Some co-workers of mine got together and hosted an incredible Baby Shower for Colby and I (and Adelyn too!). It was such a blessing and it was so much fun! We are so thankful and appreciative of everyone who came and for all of the thoughtful gifts! THANK YOU!

The amazing looking and tasting block cakes...One of the incredible hostesses and amazing friend: Molly

Opening up presents...

Praise Him....even when it's hard.

2009-02-02T19:48:00.001-08:00

Is anyone going through a hard time besides me? I need to know that I am not alone. It is a really tough season to be living through right now. I will not go into details, but it is just tough. There are personal things going on. There are hard things going on in the lives of some of our closest friends and family. And just when I think I can not handle it anymore, something else happens. And another thing happens. And we receive news. And it never ends. I guess it's true, "when it rains, it pours."

But somehow, in the midst of it all, all I can do is cling to God. I have had to learn how to live scriptures that I have had "memorized" for years. For instance, "We live by faith, not by sight." -2 Corinthians 5:7. According to a current situation I was in, sight did not look good. Sight was not promising. Sight showed me that I was not going to be able to make it through the situation. Faith showed me something totally different. Faith showed me the God that takes care of all things. Faith showed me the God who does provide for His children. Faith showed me that He is bigger and is sovereign over my circumstances.

I am not blogging because things are better. I am not praising God because things are better. Things are still hard. And God is still faithful. I am choosing to praise Him even when it doesn't make sense. I am choosing to praise Him even when it's hard. Why? Because He has proven Himself SO faithful to me. He deserves my praise.

Bethany Dillon sings an incredible song called, "Hallelujah" and one of the lyrics that I am loving right now is: "Whatever's in front me, I'll choose to sing, Halleljuah." We are not called to only praise Him when things are easy, comfortable, and incredible. We need to praise Him even when it's hard.

Mother/Daughter Day

2009-01-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

What a fun day! I surprised my mom with a Mother/Daughter Tea at A Spot For Tea. It was amazing! It was so relaxing for both of us. We both left feeling calm, de-stressed, and refreshed. A Spot For Tea provides you with different hats and other items to "dress-up" as you enjoy your afternoon tea. My mom and I both got incredible flavored teas and enjoyed their perfect, delicious lunch menu.

We made such an incredible memory today. We have never done anything like this. It was really good to hang out just me and her. And it was really good to do so before baby Adelyn comes.

My mom is an incredible woman and we have grown so much closer over the past few years! I am so blessed to have her as my mom and to have her as Adelyn's "granna." She inspires me, encourages me, supports me, unconditionally loves me, pours into me, etc. I am so thankful for her!

Here are just a few pictures from our really fun day!

Best Birthday Ever!

2009-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

My birthday was two days after Christmas and I was so blessed by extreme thoughtfulness of some incredible friends!

My neice, Ebbie, and I at our combined birthday party!

Dinner at Louie's with some incredible friends celebrating Jenny and I's birthday!

A little background first. Becca Gantz (best friend) is serving as missionary in Mexico for a year. You have GOT to check out her blog about all she is doing there and how God is using her. All of this is to say, she got a very limited amount of time here in Oklahoma with her family and friends. And she told me that for my birthday she wanted to get some girls together and all help paint the nursery for Adelyn. WHAT?? Are you kidding me? It was beyond the sweetest thing ever! Lauren, Jordan and Whitney, I am SOOOO thankful for your help and hard work with the nursery. It was so humbling. And they did an incredible job and it looks amazing!

4 Christmases....Or more...

2009-01-18T10:03:00.001-08:00

There was definitely one week in December when Colby and/or I had a Christmas party/event every single night. It was a lot of fun to celebrate this season with some incredible friends and co-workers. We had two different Young Life parties, my work party, friends party, bible study party, his family Christmas, my family Christmas, etc.

Here are a few pictures from our fun holiday season.

Party #1: Secret Santa with Sweet Friends:

(showing off our new presents.

Thanks Jordan for mine. And for the cute socks that I can use as gloves! ha!)

Party #2: BSF- ornament exchange @ abuelos

(love these girls. And I love my ornaments! Thanks Bibi!)

Party #3- The Wedge and Sara Sara's Cupcakes with AMAZING friends!!

Picking up our incredible best friend at the airport. We love you Becca!!!!!!!

My Family Christmas:

Me with my AMAZING mom and dad!!

Soon-to-be Granna and Poppy to little Adelyn!

My brother and sister-in-law and family!

The boys:

Hubs, Dad, Nephew, Brother, Brother

The Girls:

I sadly do not have any pictures from our work Christmas parties or Colby's family. Sad day.

It was such an incredible season of celebrating the birth of Jesus with so many special people. I think the best part of Christmas for me was the gifts Colby and I exchanged with each other. We decided that this year (and hopefully years to come) we are giving our "Christmas budget" to other people that really need it. Colby bought me a goat from World Vision that provides a family with nourishment and extra income in Haiti and Kenya and other places. We sponsor sweet, little Jennrry from Honduras and love the purpose of World Vision and was excited to do this! Colby's budget went towards a good friend.

Thank you Jesus for what you mean to us in our life. May we live glimpses of you.

Better late than never, right?

2009-01-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

It is normal to take two months to post your next blog right? I guess I can throw the pregnancy card and say I was tired, or I forgot, or something along those lines. Ha! Well, regardless of the reason for my non-existence in the blog-world, I am back and ready to commit to consistency. We will just call it my 2009 New Year's Resolution.

I guess I have one valid reason for not blogging. Let me show you with a picture:

Yes, what you are seeing is correct. Our house got broken into on Christmas. It was a sad and sickening feeling. Colby and I were in Kansas celebrating Christmas and my birthday with his family. We arrived home on the 26th around 10:30pm to our front door wide open and busted in. We walked in to our living room to our t.v stolen:

Then we walked to the office and found no laptop:

And even more delightful was how they opened our remaining presents underneath the tree. Don't worry, they didn't take them. I guess they didn't want my scrapbookin' gift for my friend. LOL. They could have scrapbooked everything they stole for memories. Good idea. not...

Needless to say, it is hard to blog when you don't have a laptop. We still have not replaced anything as we have been dealing with insurance stuff, but we do have a good friend living with us for a while and he graciously lets me borrow his computer! Thanks, Brett!

I have a few words of advice from what I learned from this.

#1. I learned from a friend's blog post, that "a lot of builders are using inadequate materials for the safety of your home, specifically, inadequate screws for the deadbolt plate." Click here to see pictures of what builders are using versus what should be in place.

#2. LoJack. Why didn't anyone tell me about LoJack before? LoJack is a software based computer theft recovery service that tracks and recovers lost or stolen computers. So, if your computer is stolen, they can track it. I SO wish I had that. It's not the computer I am sad about. It's the pictures, the music, the documents, the life that was on that computer. Sad day.

#3. Back it up. I did not back up anything so that is partially my fault. I hope I will do this, as monotonous as it seems. It is worth it.

#4. God is better and bigger than any material item. I do not want to get all "theological" as to why my house was broken into. I am not going to say it was "God-ordained" or anything along the lines. HOWEVER, to be real honest, I spend a lot of time with my laptop (working on business, facebook, blogs, etc) and my husband spends a lot of time with the tv (shows, video games, movies, etc). It was good for us to have a little "reality check" about what is truly important.

And conveniently the next day in my Chronological Bible Reading was about Job and how he had everything and lost everything and his first response was to worship (Job 1:5). I am going to be real honest, when I walked into my house broken into I did not fall on my knees and worship. But when I read this scripture, I had a different perspective: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." - Job 1:20

I am so blessed.

Random Thoughts

2008-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

I really only have random thoughts for today. These thoughts come from my bible study that I have been doing over the life of Moses.

-God is continually working in the midst of daily activity.
-Faith is believing God and acting on it.
-Where do I need to let go and trust God?
-God is good when news is good. God is good when news is bad. His goodness never changes.
-We need to trust God in all circumstances, not just pleasant ones.
-The greatest reward in this life is to be used by God for His glory.
-God's work must be done in God's way, God's timing and through his power alone.
-Be dependent upon Him.
-God prepares us for what He is going to do in our lives.
-God is in charge.
-He is sovereign. He knows what is best for us.
-Sometimes obeying God makes life harder.
-It is always easier to see God's plan in hindsight than in the midst of the storm.
-Disappointments, failures, and trials are opportunities to get to know God more deeply.
-Impossible situations are opportunities to trust God's promises and mightily glorify Him.

I am enjoying learning more about the Lord and applying things to my life. May I do the challenging thing--may I live out what I am learning. That is always a little difficult for me.

God's Plan

2008-10-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

I love my Tuesdays. Why? Because of how I have devoted time set apart to study the Word of God and grow in my walk with the Lord. Every Tuesday morning I take part in an incredible bible study that is through Bible Study Fellowship. We are studying the life of Moses and I am loving every second of it. I am challenged and am learning new things every time. One of my biggest struggles is learning it, but not always applying it. I am challenged in this season, more than ever, to live what I am learning.

Then, on Tuesday night, I meet with some incredible girls for an "accountability" time. This is such a refreshing time for me to just sit and talk about our lives and be there for each other. It is so important to have a community of people around you that is there for you. There have been times in my life when I did not have this, and I struggled with certain things. Sometimes we have International Bible Study where we include our dear, dear friend Becca who is in Mexico.

The Lord has been teaching me so many things lately, and I want to use this blog to share just a few of those things. May those that read this be blessed and challenged to change what the Lord lays on their heart. May I live what I write.

Something that I have learned through the life of Moses and all God did throughout His time:

God's plan always happens.

Is anyone else a control freak or is it just me? I try to tame it down by saying, "I am just really organized" or "I just like to have a plan." But the reality is, I want something to happen and I think I have the power to get it to go this way or that way. The reality is, I AM NOT IN CHARGE. God does not need my help in controlling things. He has things under control.

I do not know what is going on in your life, but please know that God's plan always happens. It always happens in His timing. He is sovereign. He is in control of everything.

An important question we need to ask is, "What am I trying to control that God is controlling?" Is it in a relationship? Is it in a certain situation? I have definitely had to give God something I was trying to control. It is hard to trust in the unknown, but it is so humbling to look back and completely see the hand of God over every detail.

When I was in college, I was in one of my classes listening as my professor lectured over the course material. In the midst of her lecture, she said the MOST PROFOUND thing that has stuck with me forever:

Life is lived forward, but understood backward.

God sees this bigger picture that at times, we do not comprehend. We can not see it all. We are just living life and asking the hard questions and struggling to find answers. Sometimes we "feel" God and other times we think He has left us. The truth is, He has NEVER and will NEVER leave us. He is there leading us through situations. We have got to trust Him. There will come a time when you look back and say, "wow, that was totally God."

Whatever you are facing today, may you sense the presence of the living God that is leading you whether you feel it or not. May you have the faith to trust in the midst of unknown circumstances. May we acknowledge that God's plan always happens. Period.

We are having a GIRL!!

2008-10-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today we had our Complete Ultrasound at 18 weeks. Colby and I were SO excited to find out what we were having. The baby was on her tummy the entire time and it was almost impossible to tell. Finally she rolled over on her back, but she was a modest little baby- her legs were totally together and she was not moving them apart- once again, making it almost impossible to tell. Finally the woman had me roll over on my side causing the baby to move her legs so we could tell if it was a boy or a girl. And we got this picture: It has been a great day! I have Bible Study every Tuesday morning, so I went to that after the doctors appointment. Then I ran a few errands and had coffee with some great girls.

Every Tuesday night I meet with three of my greatest friends. We have a little "Accountability group" and just talk about life. When I showed up at dinner, there was a cute little gift bag from Baby Gap. I could not believe it! It was the SWEETEST thing EVER! They got me the cutest newborn onesie and the cutest newborn socks! They also got me an "It's a Girl" ribbon for my scrapbook! I have been scrapbooking this journey so far! It will be perfect in there! Thank you SO much girls for being SO thoughtful! I appreciate the sweet gift! Adelyn will LOVE it!

Wedding Weekend

2008-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was ah-mazing! I say that because I got to attend a wedding and not coordinate it. Life is good.

Colby's cousin, Andy, got married on Saturday. We left town on Friday and drove to Kansas so we could make it to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was great to take off work a couple of days and enjoy a weekend away.

The wedding was perfect! Yes, there were times it was hard to not get up and start coordinate things, but everything went so well. The wedding and reception was outside on the bride's family's ranch. It was beautiful! The reception was in a tent and looked gorgeous all lit up with the white lights!

Here are a few pictures from the wedding:

Colby's family (totally candid shot by the way) Me with Colby's sister and sister-in-law

Colby was an usher in the wedding. Here he is ushering his grandma.

Here we are in the tent at the reception.

Colby and I with the sweet couple, Emily and Andy (She was SUCH a gorgeous bride!!)

It was such a great time. The whole weekend was great with his family. It was great sleeping in and not doing anything. Now, it is hard to get back in the swing of things. I've got laundry to do, grocery shopping to accomplish, etc. And I have a baby doctor's appointment tomorrow! Can't wait!

Hope your weekend went well!

Frequently Asked Questions about my Pregnancy

2008-10-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

1. How did you find out? What made you took a test, etc?
Well, first off, Colby and I were trying. I remember the day I took the test like it was yesterday. It was Saturday July 12. I had a wedding that day that did not get over until midnight. By Saturday, I was 4 days late. (you know what I'm talking about). This is weird for me. Colby was out of town. To give me peace of mind, I decided to take a test to confirm thoughts I was having. At 12:30 in the morning, after my wedding got over, I went to Wal-Mart neighborhood market. I go in for one thing: a pregnancy test. Talk about a little awkward checking out at 12:30am with one thing in hand. It doesn't help that I look like I am in high school. I made sure to show the check-out lady my wedding band. haha!

I drove home, nervous. Why do I get nervous to take a test? I don't know. I take the test, lay it flat (like the instructions say to), and then I shut the door. I waited. And waited. And waited. I was too nervous too look. I think, in my head, I knew it was going to say no and that made me sad, since we were trying. Finally, I decide to open the door and look at it: two lines!! WHAT??? Okay, now I am freaking out in a really good- kind- of- happy way. The worst part is: I CAN NOT TELL ANYONE. Colby is out of town and I am not telling someone before my husband. And I am NOT telling my husband over the phone. This kind of thing has to happen in person. Ahhhh......

The answer:

2. How did you tell Colby?
Colby was in Colorado at Young Life Camp whenever I found out. He was scheduled to arrive home the next day, PRAISE THE LORD!! Usually when he goes out of town, I like to get him a little "Welcome Home" gift. Usually it is a video game, or a movie or something small. So I put together a little "Welcome Home" gift for him when he got home! Little did he know what was in it! haha!

He opened the card first. On the front of the card it said "I missed you so much Colby. I am so glad you are home. Also, I wanted to tell you that...."----And then he opened up the card and it said that "YOU ARE A DAD-TO-BE." (I found this ribbon thing that said Dad-to-be on it. And I taped two positive pregnancy tests to it... HAHA I needed some proof, ya know?)

Then he opened up the gift and I had two items in there for him:

He could not believe it! It was definitely not what he was expecting to open up in the bag! To make a long story short, it was hard for us to really believe we were pregnant. I even went and took a blood test that said positive! It still does not seem real and I am almost 4 months pregnant. I am not showing at all as of today. I am still running and working out like usual. Not much had changed. I am feeling fine! We are so excited!
3. How did you tell other people?
We kept a secret for 5 weeks. We decided to NOT tell anyone until we went to the doctor at our 8 week appointment. We just wanted to make sure everything was good and healthy, etc. However, we did tell Colby's ENTIRE family when we were all together at the lake on family vacation.

We told everyone around August 15th. There are SOO many stories I would love to share, but I am sure no one else cares about how I told people! haha. So many sweet memories!

My parents anniversary was right around the time we started telling people. So I told them I had an anniversary present for them! I got my mom and dad two onesies: one that said "I love grandma" and the other that said "I love grandpa." They loved it!
To tell my brother and sister-in-law, I had my three neices over that day and I sent them home in t-shirts I made for them that said " I "heart" My Cousin." I told them they were going to have a new baby cousin soon! Now, every time they see me they put their head on my belly and say "Hi baby cousin!"
My best friend Becca!!! This deserves a post all by itself. I will try to be short even though we had such a fun time together after I told her!

First, I had planned this super cute, creative way to tell her, but to make a long story short, we were just talking on the couch and I JUST HAD TO TELL HER! I could not wait any longer. When I told her she did NOT believe me. I am pretty sure I had to show her proof that I really was. haha. After about 30 minutes of denial and unbelief, she got really excited, and was ready to celebrate!! She said, "what is a fun way to celebrate that someone is pregnant? Let's eat!" haha! She asked if I had any cravings, which I didn't at that time. So we just had a day of eating. You think I am kidding? I will show you pictures:

First, we went to Tims to get a Dr. Pepper. Can I get an amen? I have no idea what makes their Dr. Pepper so much better, but it is the bomb!

Then we went to Taco Bell and got a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. yumm... This was our "appetizer" I guess you could say.

Then we went to Taco Bueno and got mexi-dips-n-chips. For the record, I can eat mexi-dips-n-chips any day of the week and be perfectly content with it!

Then we went to Losta Noodles to get Pesto Pasta which is so delicious. By this time, I am feeling pretty full. But, oh the memories!

After Lotsa-Noodles, we went to Barnes and Noble and checked out books in this section: Had to check the baby names books!

Then we did something we have NEVER done before as best friends. We went shopping at a maternity store!! haha, how things are changing!! I tried on a few things just for kicks. And I tried on the "belly" that is in the dressing room. Here is a preview of what I might look like in a few months...

4. Have you been sick? Any cravings?
I have not really been sick at all. There were a few times I felt nauseaus, but nothing horrible at all. Sometimes, there would be certain smells that would make me sick. As far as cravings go, it depends on the day. There was a week I was craving Egg McMuffin Sandwiches. There was another week I was craving fried rice. Pretty weird.

5. Do you want a boy or a girl?
The obvious answer is, "I just want a healthy baby." Which is totally, 100% true. If you asked me a few weeks ago, I was pretty dead set on a girl. I wanted a girl more than anything. Now, however, I am really wanting a boy. haha. As for Colby, he wants a boy! I think it is going to be a win-win.

6. Do you have any names picked out?
We did have names picked out, but recently they have been changing. I think we are set on the girls name. But the boys name is in the air.
Girl: Adelyn Faith (middle name might change) (Sounds like Madeline without the "M")
Boy: Braylon Maverick (Colby IS OBSESSED with Maverick. There is a good chance this could be his first name, however, we are always talking about different names).

7. When are you due?
We are having a Spring Break baby! March 19 is the current due date!

8. When do you find out if it is a boy or girl?
We find out on Tuesday October 21st! CAN NOT WAIT!

9. Have you started decorating a nursery, buying things, etc?
Nope. We are waiting to find out what we are having before we do anything. We have bought ONE onesie and that is it. We just bought it this week actually. And it looks unisex so it would work either way! I can't wait to start filling up his/her closet with cute clothes and diapers and baby stuff!!

Thank you for all of those that are on this journey with us! It is so exciting and we feel so blessed to have you guys around us, supporting us, and being there for us!

Recently....

2008-09-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

First Comes Love...

...Then Comes Marriage...

...Then Comes The Baby In the Baby Carriage...

Yup, we are having a baby!!! We could not be any more excited! The baby is due March 19. We will be finding out if it is a boy or a girl on November 1st! We are so happy! Just wanted to share the exciting news!!

My Brother's 20th Birthday!

2008-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have three wonderful brothers! We celebrated one of my brother's birthday a few weeks ago at my house with homemade enchiladas!

Andy is my only younger brother. He is starting OSU this fall! Happy Birthday Andy!

Birthday Boy:

Gorgeous Gracie, my neice! All grown up with her new hair cut!

Precious Ebbie! With brownies all over her face!

Lucy is not exactly sure how to smile pretty just yet. She always closes her eyes!

My husband with my older brother, Jim!!

Family Vacation

2008-08-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Every year Colby's entire family gets together for vacation at a lake in Arkansas. This has been taking place for a number of years. Each year there seem to be new people added through marriage or more babies. It is always so fun and relaxing to get away and enjoy sweet fellowship with his family. I truly married into a great family!

Here are just some of the cousins hanging out!

Colby's cousin, Andy, proposed while we were there!!!!! We LOVE his fiance! Welcome to the family!

Sweet husband with his neice, Savannah. She is Colby's brother's daughter.

We LOVE baby Harper!!! This precious baby is Colby's cousin's new baby! She is PERFECT!

We've been Married 2 years!!

2008-08-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Colby and I enjoyed a WONDERFUL day as we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We got married on July 22, 2006. This year we both surprised each other with something. I surprised him with a couples massage at Cottonwood Salon and Spa in Edmond. That was the best thing EVER. We were in the same room with 2 different massage therapists. We had an hour massage together! We really enjoyed it!

After our massages, Colby surprised me as we went to check into a bed and breakfast for the evening. Our room was unbelievable. It was so relaxing. We felt like we traveled to another state, even though we just drove a few miles to get there.

Here is a picture of part of our room:Me and my sweet husband!

Hot husband! :) aka: model

Colby is an incredible leader and provider. I really have never worried since we have been married about things. He takes care of everything and makes me feel secure. He is a godly man that people admire and look up to. He leads me spiritually and challenges me to go deeper. I can not wait for more years of marriage with him!

Home & Husband

2008-07-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband is finally home! He has been in Colorado at Young Life camp. I absolutely hate being a "single-wife" and staying all alone while he is gone. However, I am so proud of him and what he is doing. I so wish I could have gone, but with this being the busiest time of the year for weddings, that was just not possible.

Got to brag on my husband a bit....
He is a phenomenal and gifted speaker and relates to youth of all ages. I got to go and watch him speak to some high school students at church, and could not stop smiling. He has a gift. He has a passion. And he is totally using it for the glory of God.

Colby, I love you so much and am so proud of you. I respect you and want to honor you as your wife. You constantly make me smile. You go out of your way to be thoughtful towards me. You are the most selfless man I know. You have your eyes on Jesus and people can tell there is something different about you. You challenge me, encourage me and lead me. I love you with all of my heart!

A little thing called JOY....

2008-07-10T14:14:00.001-07:00

First....I am a horrible "blogger." Probably the worst. My consistency is not there. My grammar is definitely lacking. In the midst of this "online journal" I hope those that come to read it can sense someone just being real, living life and journaling some random things. May these "random things" be used by God of something you needed to hear on that day....

With all that being said...I have been dwelling on one verse lately.

"The JOY of the Lord is your strength."

-Nehemiah 8:10

For some of us, this may be a verse we have heard hundreds of times before. We may have it memorized. We know songs that have it included in the lyrics. But has it hit the core of your being?

I am writing to those who are burnt out, hurt, lonely, tired, weary, ready to give up, longing for more, confused, etc. I am writing to myself.

To be rejuvenated, to be refreshed and revived, we need JOY. True joy. Lasting joy. Real joy.

Joy that comes only from the Lord.

Joy that comes from being obedient.

Joy that comes from doing what you know you are supposed to be doing.

Joy that comes from being real and disposing of the masks.

Joy that comes from doing what you absolutely love to do.

Joy that comes from resting in the Lord and taking time off.

Joy that comes from caring more for others than yourself.

Joy is something that I believe you have to choose to have. I want to be joyful no matter what. I do not want how I am feeling sway if I have joy or not.

Let's choose this day to have joy!

Just a little update...

2008-06-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have had nothing very specific to blog about. So today, I am just going to start typing and see where things lead.

Well, today Colby left for Jamiaca for 9 days! Ahhh... I hate being a single wife. He is going with the church where he is a youth pastor at. They are taking a group of high school students to Jamaica for a mission trip. This is his first time out of the country and his first time to go on a mission trip! I can not wait to hear about his experience!

Thankfully, me sweet, wonderful incredible friend Sara lives with us and so I am not totally alone. We have opened up one of our guest rooms for her for the summer. We have loved having her with us. She is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet! Here is Sara:

Today has been such a wonderful day off. Sara and I went to Lake Hefner and ran 3 miles and walked 1.5 miles. It was so beautiful outside! We had dinner together, took our two dogs on a walk around the neighborhood and now we are watching Father of the Bride and painting our nails a beautiful pink color! I love having girls night!

We need to go to bed soon, because we have to be up at 5:30am. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we do Boot Camp at our gym. It is a hard-core work-out regimen. It is so fun! It does require some early mornings, but it is totally worth it.

Moving right along, let's talk about the Lord. This particular verse has been staying with me constantly:

"Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you at the proper time."
-1 Peter 5:6

There are several parts of this verse that I think about constantly.
"Humble yourselves." This means, "life is not about me." I need to do what John talks about "He must increase, and I must decrease (John 3:30). Every day, I must decrease. Die to self. Focus on the Lord. Look at His face in my life. Look at Him throughout my entire day and how He is working. Know that He is in control and not me. Know that life is about glorifying His name and not my own name. One of my greatest faults is how it is so easy to be prideful. I am constantly having to break down that stronghold and acknowledge the True One.
"The mighty hand of God." Do I really believe that the hand of God is mighty? Even when things get hard? This verse reminds me that God can do anything. ANYTHING. He is the mighty, holy sovereign one. He is the one that created the universe. He is the one that causes certain things to happen on his timing. He has the hand that can move mountains. I must have the faith to truly believe that He has the mighty hand. My hands can do nothing unless God puts His in mine.
I am constantly praying a phrase that Moses said in Exodus, "Show me your glory!" God, show up in my life. Show me your realness and show me your glory. May I acknowledge you at all times. May I be aware of Your presence around me. May I decrease. May You Increase. Amen.

This will change your life...

2008-05-18T17:41:00.001-07:00

Louie Giglio - Laminin

Seniors...Soon to be Freshman

2008-05-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

This past year, I have been a part of leading a group of high school girls. Some are freshman. Some are sophomores. Some are juniors. And some are seniors. We have girls in public schools, private schools, and home-schooled. My incredible, best friend Becca helps me lead this group. We absolutely CHERISH these girls!! They mean the world to us. We have had the most incredible time getting to know them, opening up, sharing struggles and experiencing God's faithfulness.

Three of our beautiful girls are seniors and they are all graduating within days. We are so proud of them and excited for their future. We planned a "Celebration Night" last night and I took them to get great pizza and delicious dessert. We went to The Wedge (incredible pizza place on Western) and then we went to Coco Flow for dessert (right down the street). We were so sad that Becca could not be there, she was out of town. (We missed you Becca!)

Here are a few pictures from the night:

The three senior girls at The Wedge: Jill, Bethany and Megan! They are GORGEOUS!

Me with The Girls at Coco Flow. Why is it that I am 5-6 years older than them and they look WAY older than me! When will I look my age?? Just a side note...

I absolutely love giving gifts. I receive joy in making things and giving things. I got all the girls embroidered towels with their names on them. I also made a frame for them to hang all of their earrings on. They received a cute little basket full of goodies like colorful pens, cute stationary, cool designed post-its, etc. Here are two of the girls with their new towels!

To Jill and Megan,
I am so proud of you. I can not tell you enough I excited I am for you for all that is in your future. Summer break. Rushing for your sorority. Registering for classes. Starting Freshman year. Bethany, you have so much to look forward to with Courts Mountain and the wonderful "unknown." I love you girls! I am here for you all while you are in college! CONGRATULATIONS!

New Hair

2008-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Do you color your hair? Do you color hair according to the season? You know, you go lighter in the summer and darker in the winter. I have always done that. Around March I usually put some highlights in my hair and around October I usually put some low-lights in my hair. Well, this year was completely the opposite. In the winter I put a lot of blonde in my hair for who knows what reason. Then when March/April came around, I was ready for a change. So....I went darker...

I have always had extremely dark eye brows and really light blonde hair. It makes no sense to me. I decided to try a color that comes close to my eye brows (which is totally not natural). Oh well. What do you think? Go back blonde? Or leave it dark?

Before

After

Birthdays, High School Girls and Sprinklers

2008-04-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very busy day! We had so much fun through it all though! Colby and I woke up and went to church. I volunteer in the babies every third Sunday, which happened to be yesterday. After holding babies all morning, I finalized some last minute details as I was planning a surprise for my sweet hubby!! His parents, grandparents and one of his sisters drove down from Kansas to celebrate his birthday that was on the 11th. We spent the afternoon with them! They are so sweet and we were so thankful for them to make that drive and see us! We wish we could of had more time with them! It flew by!

Colby, his mom, grandma and grandpa all sitting and talking

Me with Colby's gorgeous sister, Kelsey!

Little Lucy....My brother, sister-in-law and all their kids stopped by to say hi to his family.

His family sadly had to leave and get back to Kansas, and I had my weekly high school girl's group! Can I please say: I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!! I look forward to my time with them every week. They are so sweet, encouraging and thoughtful. Here is a picture of some of us...there were a few missing...

After the group ended, my brother and sister-in-law dropped off all four of their kids and we had them sleepover at our house! We love our neices and nephew! We were all playing outside and I went inside for one second when sweet uncle Colby thought it would be fun to run through the sprinklers....with their clothes on. He had to run inside and grab the camera since they were having a blast! After a couple of rounds through the sprinklers, they took of their shirts and ran through in just their pants. It was bath time after that for sure! They were so wet and dirty! But really cute too!!

That is all for our Sunday! Hope your Sunday was fun and relaxing!

30 Day Fitness Goal

2008-04-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well....That time is coming. The wonderful season called summer. After too many days missing out on the gym and being inspired by watching the Biggest Loser, I am committing 30 days to getting fit.

I love working out. I love going to the gym. I love running. It is such a stress reliever for me. I have to work out in the morning. I can not do evening work-outs. If I do not make it in the morning to the gym, there is a 99% chance that I will not go. I hate that its like that, but it is. There used to not be a problem with me waking up at 6:00am and going to the gym. However, with the time change and long days at work, it has become much more difficult for me.

I got the book called "Making the Cut" by Jillian Michaels. She is the team trainer from the Biggest Loser. It is "the 30-day diet and fitness plan..."

(cover of her book)

Making the Cut empowers you to:
-Identify your unique body typea nd metabolic makeup and customize a diet plan that is perfect for you
-Acquire the mental techniques that will greatly enhance your self-confidence and sharpen your focus on success
-Develop your strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.
-Reach levels of fitness you never before thought possible.

So, with all this being said.... I am writing this blog because it is much more easier to work out and stay consistent if you have accountability! SO, anyone want to join me? 30 days. Every day. Workout. Eat Right. We can encourage together and meet up for work-outs or whatever.

Leave me a comment if you are interested! I will contact everyone and we can make a little "workout group" out of it.

CAN'T WAIT TO GET FIT!

Fiesta for Becca

2008-04-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was awesome! Becca and I have been planning for Thursday for a long time. There was much thought, planning, praying and more devoted to this one night.

We devoted two hours on Thursday night to help raise money for Becca Gantz for her One Year Mission in Monterrey, Mexico. She will be leaving August 2008 to August 2009. If anyone knows the relationship that Becca and I have, they will always ask "How are you going to do it?" That is the question that I can not even answer. Only God will be able to give me the strength for it.

I want to post a few pictures from Thursday night. We had over 20 baskets that were part of the silent auction, and don't worry, none of us got any pictures of it. That stinks. Here are some...

Sweet, sweet girls: From left to right: myself, Becca, Lauren, Whitney, Elizabeth, and Kenzi.
THANK YOU SO MUCH GIRLS FOR HELPING!!! We could not have done it without you!

Helping serve drinks...

All in Black...Becca, Amanda, Courtny, and Kenzi.
Thanks for coming and supporting Becca!

I want to take a moment and thank God and praise Him for the mighty work He did on Thursday night. As Becca got up and shared a piece of her heart, you could not help but notice God in her life. She has to raise $18,500 before she leaves. Just in those two hours on Thursday night, she raised $6,220!!!!!! Praise the LORD!!! He is so faithful in providing!

I am sure that there will be a post in the future about Becca and her leaving for Mexico. I am waiting as long as possible, just incase she wants to stay. :) I wish...

A Lot's Been Going On....

2008-03-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Wow....These past few weeks have been crazy! Just a lot going on in a short amount of time.

First, Easter. I have to post some cute pics of my neices and nephew:

Gracie and Ebbie

All 4: Left to Right: Lucy, Gracie, Austin, Ebbie

Then, Gracie turned 5!!!!! Her birthday was on March 25. I took her shopping for a princess tiara, any balloon she wanted, and of course, make-up! Here are a few pictures:

Super Cute!

Gracie and Aunt Amanda

Last but not least...THE GARAGE SALE! Becca is moving to Mexico (this topic will be devoted to its own blog story) and she has to raise $18,500. This past weekend, we had a garage sale completely for HER! All money went to her "Mexico Fund". I had to work all weekend with weddings so I was not even able to make it! We did have it at my house and I tried to help as much as I could! HUGE THANK YOU TO Christi Donaldson, Kenzi Couch, Lauren Schwartz, Sara Schakelaar, Wendy Jordan, and many others! We could not have done it without you! A few pictures:

We had SOOOOO much to sell...ALL FOR BECCA!

We caught Sara working really hard...