I Press On

Ok, time for a confession. So I bought this BEAUTIFUL picture for our home of some horses racing forward, and on the picture Phillipians 3:14 is written.

"I press on toward the goal, to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ"

So the real confession is that this verse honestly has never really insipred me for some reason, VERY sad, I know!!!! I guess maybe I didn't get it. I bought the picture for the horses and thought it was s nice touch that it had a bible verse on it, I actually forgot until this morning, what verse WAS on it!

Well, this morning, during my God time, God told me to turn to Phillipians 3:14 (I had even forgotten what the verse said). As I turned there I was a little disappointed, because I just don't get this verse completely. So I asked God... what IS the goal?? Heaven??? I already HAVE that through my salvation, why do I need to "press on TOWARDS it". Ok.... I'm letting you all see the stupid side of me.... but it's good to be humble right?

So God tells me this.... "When you come to heaven I will want to see how you've invested what I've given you. Have you taken my talents and invested and multiplied them, or have you merely burried your faith and salvation in a jar, hoping to turn it in to Me in heaven some day like a ticket to enter. If you've invested wisely, and brought me a harvest, I will say, well done good and faithful servant, and there is no better prize than that!"

Matthew 25: 14-30

Amen... once again... I'm humbled and I ask God to give me the wisdom to invest wisely in people around me, pour what God has given me into them.

Now I get it. I will press on.

Signs of "Fall"

Oh how I love Michigan... yes it might be AUGUST... but you know fall is coming when the steam starts to roll off your pond in the morning! I've been excited to see this the last few mornings... you know what it means... the water is warmer than the air! It got down into the 40's last night!! And that is a joyous thing to me! I love fall... if we could have 10 months of fall and 2 of winter... or maybe 6 of each... I would be a VERY happy person. I may have been created to live in Alaska!

However... this wasn't the only type of "Fall" I saw signs of this morning!

After feeding my horse I went out to sit on the swing by the pond to pray and to watch the steam come off the pond. And God lovingly said to me that our prayers are like that steam. You see in the water cycle... that steam cannot turn into liquid again until it hits the heavens... then it FALLS down as rain and stays for a while, gathered in the pond. Our prayers cannot turn into blessing until we literally lift them up to heaven either. We can wish things... but until we lift them up to God, we will never get blessings FALLING on us, and answers rained back down upon us... they need to reach the heavens first. And isn't great when those blessings do FALL and pool up, staying with us a while, like a baby or an adopted child coming home! So we all need to keep the cycle of prayer going!! And I am praying for all of you!

Feeling Better AND FINALLY......

Thanks for your prayers I think I'm over the worst of things. I feel fine... I just still can't hear well since my ears are still plugged. I guess some women are prone to "stuffy ears" in there fourth and fifth months, and mine just happened to be kicked off by an allergy attack. I guess here in Michigan a lot of people with mild allergies are getting hit hard this summer and I'm one of them! =) Yippeeee!

NOW.... da da dada.... for the real big news.........

I have officially felt the baby move!!!!!!!!! OH MY WORD PEOPLE!! How amazing!!

It's very subtle and gentle... no big jabs yet. But I can feel the baby "roll". At first I didn't know what I was feeling. Now it's all making sense. I told my mom... "It feels like every time I stand up everything in my stomach rolls downward, but now it's happening a lot... like even when I'm walking or laying in bed!!!" My mom said "Honey that's not everything in your stomach... that's SOMEONE!" Makes sense... you can tell I'm a first timer... duh. Now that I know what I'm feeling.. I can totally tell it's the baby. I can feel my belly get hard... then soft... then hard again... at night, and I can tell it's probably a little butt or back.

WOOO HOOO another sign of life!!! I love pregnancy!!! I hope I'm pregnant again this time NEXT year!!!! Well...... maybe... =)

Love to all of you! Thanks for praying!!!!!

sick

So I have been sick for over a week now. I hate being a whiner... but to be honest... I am being one. I am generally a healthy person!!! If I get sick I'm better in a day or two!! I have not gone to the doctors yet... because every day I feel a little bit better... and being pregnant, I doubt there is much to do but wait it out anyway. Prayers would be appreciated. Basically both ears are plugged and I can hardly hear a thing. Last night we watched a movie and Rob had tell me everything they were saying... finally... I kid you not... we turned the TV up as loud as it could go. Poor Rob. =)

Secondly. I have really really been missing and thinking about David and Guillanda a lot lately. It just still crosses my mind why the situation seemed totally of God and now we are going the opposite direction. Recently a horse trainer told me an analogy that helped me quite a bit. She said when she trains a horse for a show she never trains them on the exact course they actually will go through during the competition because she doesn't want the horse to be stuck to a routine or a comfort zone. She trains them to do the things needed for the show but in a different order, so they want to follow her direction... not what they think they can already expect. The horses have to rely on her... not what they think they already know. Then she said, she sometimes even will lead a horse all the way up to an obstacle in the course and command it to move away from the obstacle at the very last minute instead of jumping over it. Her reason for doing this is basically the same. She wants to know the horse is willing to follow her... not just do what it thinks it "should", not just jump over the next thing coming. A horse should always be in tune to what it's master wants... and so should we when it comes to our God. That helped... but I still catch myself wandering back to the barrel and really wanting to jump it! I guess like the simple mind of a horse... my mind does the same thing... "it's there... it just doesn't make sense to put it there if you don't want me to jump it!" But, I would rather listen to my trainer... I would benefit better in the long run.

The Beat Goes On at 14 weeks!!!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated!

Yesterday we had our second Doctor's appointment. We heard the baby's heart beat again! How exciting! The baby's heart rate was 160. (The doc said that doesn't mean it's a boy... that's a myth) We could also hear the baby jumping around a lot... and I mean A LOT... very busy baby. I haven't been able to feel the baby move yet though. I can't wait for that!!!!!!!!

I am feeling a lot better... starting to be hungry... and sometimes VERY VERY hungry! Once in a while smells still bother me, but not nearly as much as they were. I am also starting to actually have a little energy but even the slightest heat REALLY bothers me. I feel like such a wimp... but I CAN'T WAIT for fall!!!

We will be getting an ultrasound in September. I was hoping it would be sooner, but that's ok. We will be trying to find out the baby's gender. Can't wait!!

Right now I have a cold... and that stinks since I just have to wait it out! But... this too will pass!
That's all for now! Thanks for celebrating with us and praying for us.