Papa John and Amma's Visit

Tuesday, my parents arrived around lunch time. Karis was so excited that she made a bee line for Papa John to give him a BIG hug and tell him that she loves him. It was so cute to see her be so excited to see them. I was so thrilled to see them both, and I know that they were glad to finally be here and not in the car. I know that God has truly blessed me with parents who love me, or they wouldn't drive so far to see me. After they arrived, we ate lunch and rested a bit. We went out to eat at Texas Steakhouse for my mom's and my birthday that night.

Me, Karis, Papa John, and Amma before going to eat.

Karis, Justin, and I (see Laura I am pregnant, I do have a pouch!)

On Wednesday, we just hung out at home and let Karis play with her grandparents. She wouldn't let Papa John out of her sight! Thursday, we took Karis to Chunk (Chuck) E. Cheese for the first time. She didn't want anything to do with the mechanical mouse, but she did have fun playing games. Justin and I had a lot of fun playing games too!!

Karis is getting ready to throw the ping pong balls in the buckets.

Ready, aim, fire! She loved playing this game because it was right on her level.

I am helping Karis beat Daddy at a game that sprays water.

Karis is driving a car with Papa John.

We had a great time and are still having a great visit with my parents. They will be here until Monday. What a joy it has been!

Fun with Hannah Part II

Yesterday Hannah came over to play for awhile so Lori could get some painting done at the new house. We had a fun day of going to the park, playing hide and seek (Karis and Hannah played by themselves, it was a sight because they both hid in the same place every time.), playing doctor, and most of all, playing dress up. I was never very much of a girlie girl, but I did like dressing up in my mom's old dresses and shoes. Karis very much likes to wear her dress up dress while she just plays in her room. I was thankful that I had two outfits, Hannah of course picked the "cinderbella" one and Karis the pink one.

When Justin took this picture, he told them to put their arms around each other and this is what they did.

Posing for a pretty picture!

I love to see Hannah and Karis hug. It is so sweet.

Having Fun with Hannah Part I

Last Friday, Hannah got to come over and play with Karis while Jonathan and Lori went to Raleigh to sign papers to buy their house. We had a fun day at the park, so much fun, that we had to take a bath when we got home because Karis decided to throw sand on Hannah! Right now, Karis and Hannah are playing together again, this time they have been playing dress up and doctor. I will post about that later. Here are some pictures from the park.

Karis and Hannah sliding down the baby slide together.

Karis and Hannah swinging, well, I'm pushing them. They both kept saying, "higher please."

It started getting hot, as you can see the sweat on them, so they decided to pick up pine cones. It was really funny watching them try to beat each other to a certain one.

Right before we left, they decided that holding hands and picking up pine cones was more fun.

I am so glad that Karis has a friend to play with. They have such different personalities, but for two almost three year olds, they do play pretty well together, only a few minor bruises! I am so thankful that God has brought the Brooks here. Karis said today that "Mommy and Hannah are my best friends." What a joy that I too get to be her best friend.

Baby Update: 26 weeks

I got the pleasure of doing the glucose test this morning at my doctors appointment. It actually wasn't as bad as I remember with Karis. They had a drink that tasted like sprite, just very carbonated. Last time, I had to drink an orange drink, and I don't really even like orange anything. I will know the results of my test soon. Everything else was good.

Weight gain: 4 pounds, total 14 pounds

Blood Pressure: 106/60

Baby heart beat: 142

I scheduled my c-section for Monday, December 10. It is a exciting to know that unless our little boy decides to come soon, that I don't have to wait another whole week to have him.

Sweet Fellowship

Tuesday night, I was honored to lead a Bible study about prayer at our monthly Grace Group Meeting. Our Grace Groups are groups of women who meet monthly to learn more about God and His Word together. I have been privileged to lead this group for a few months now. On the drive home, Lori and I talked about how unique and special this time is for us. We are both so blessed just by the comments of the women in our group. Every woman has a love for Christ and His Word, and all the comments are so helpful.
The Lord has truly blessed Christ Baptist Church with woman who love Him, love their husbands, and strive to teach their children of Him daily.
Thank you for this, Lord. I am so blessed to have woman who desire what God has ordained for them with joy and anticipation for the future! I pray that God will only continue to knit us all together as His beloved children.

Mom and Dad to the Rescue!

Yesterday morning I heard the familiar ring of my cell phone. It was my mom! I talk to her at least once a day, so even Karis will tell me that "Amma" is calling. My dad asks me if I would like for them to come visit on the 18th and stay until the next Monday. My heart jumped for joy. I never thought about asking them to come since they will be coming in December when the baby is born. My wonderful dad said, "You know I would do anything for my girl." Thank you Mom and Dad! Thank you for your constant love and support. I love you both very much and can't wait to see you in a few weeks.

Missing Mom!

Yesterday was a hard day for me. It is getting close to my birthday and my mom's birthday, and I am again realizing that I will not be with my mom yet again this year for our birthdays, hers is the day after mine. God has been so gracious to me to give me a mom that is my best friend, someone I love and admire, someone I have fun just spending time with, and most of all, someone who desires to know Him more. In the last year, I have seen my mom grow in her spiritual walk, and I want so much to be there with her. God has been doing a lot in her life, and I am so thankful for that.
I got a crazy idea in my head to fly home this weekend so I could see my mom and dad. Dad, I do miss you too! I had already looked up plane tickets and tried to figure out who I could ask to keep Karis one day, since Justin is off on Saturday is not preaching on Sunday and Monday is a holiday. I was only going to need someone to watch Karis on Tuesday during the day. I had worked it all out in my head and asked the Lord to please let this happen, but when I called my husband to run it by him, the answer was a regretful no. It was no because of many things, but mostly because I am 25 weeks pregnant (I know that it is still safe to fly when you are pregnant), and He doesn't want me flying alone. I never thought about the fact that I was putting a lot of pressure on him to watch Karis for three days by himself. I know he would do it, but I was only thinking about myself and not about my family. Karis would have a really hard time if I was gone for that long.
Wow, it is an amazing thing to have a husband who is so loving and cares for me even when my mind is going another direction. Justin was right as my mom and dad both said. God is continues to show me the gift that I have in my godly, discerning husband. I am so blessed and thankful for rational thought in my life right now when maybe I am just being hormonal!

Rising Early

All this week, I have set my alarm to go off at 6:30. My goal was to get up, have a true QUIET time with the Lord, and make my husband breakfast on three of the mornings. I did good on Monday, of course, it was the first day! Tuesday I got up right when the alarm went off and had an amazing time with the Lord. Wednesday, I got up a little later. Thursday, I got up even later, because my alarm never went off. I realized that I had turned it off in the middle of the night. Last night I did the same thing, I turned off my alarm. I remember doing it last night because I was having trouble sleeping. I don't think that I got more than three hours of sleep. This morning I did get to have a nice quiet time with the Lord because I let Karis sleep longer than usual.
It is hard for me to make "rising early" a set thing right now, but I will press on and know that I cannot do it myself. I prayed today and all this week for the Lord to give me His strength. I find that my days seems sweeter and more successful when Christ is first and when my time with Him is uninterrupted and quiet. I would challenge anyone who can to rise early and spend quality time with our Savior before the cares of the world come crashing in.
I know that at different seasons in my life, a new baby coming, this will be harder and look very different, but I know that if I am already in the habit before he comes, then it will easier to get back into rising early after a few weeks or months.

The Tombrellas Stop By

Last Tuesday night, our very dear friends, the Rob and Michelle Tombrella, stopped by our house to spend the night on their way to Maryland. They are moving to Maryland for Rob to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors College for the next 10 months. We had a very short but sweet visit. Karis got to play with Samuel and Joel, their two boys that are only 8 months apart. The kids had a blast playing in Karis' room, and the adults enjoyed some great conversation once the kids were asleep. Rob and Michelle also enjoyed not having to drive another 12 hours on Wednesday. Driving from Texas is a long, tiring process, especially when you have two toddlers and no one to switch driving with.

Karis and Samuel are having a tea party. Karis forgot that she wasn't supposed to really eat the food! (She loves to eat her fake peas, but she won't touch the real ones.)

Joel smiling at the camera while Karis looks on with delight. She is getting much better at sharing her toys, and she really enjoys playing with other kids.

We were so blessed to have our dear friends here. We are praying that God will do great things in their lives in Maryland, and we are very excited to be able to see more of them than usual. Thank you Tombrellas for coming to visit us, we love you very much!

Book Review: Shopping for Time

I finished reading Shopping for Time: How to Do it all an NOT be overwhelmed, by The Mahaney girls. This is a short book with a lot of punch. It only took me a few hours to read the book, but I have been pondering over and using it to plan out my schedule and days. This book is so practical and easy to implement in your everyday life. As women, we love to find the best deals for groceries, clothes, and anything else we purchase. This book uses the shopping metaphor to help us see the "best deal" for using our time and energy.
Because this book has helped me so much already, I wanted to highlight a few thing about each chapter (there are only six).
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the five tips of a highly effective shopper:
1. Rise early
2. Be still
3. Sit and Plan
4. Consider People
5. Plan to Depend
Chapter 2: Rise Early
We need to have a set time that we wake up every morning. This time needs to give us plenty of time to spend with Jesus before we do anything else, feed our husband and children, our children wake up, etc. I am still praying over what time that is for me. I know that I cannot expect to be able to go through my day depending on Jesus if I haven't first spent a significant amount of time with Him with no interruptions.
Chapter 3: Be still
This chapter deals with sitting with Jesus. It describes what a quiet with Jesus looks like and gives ideas for those who are just starting or have been doing for a long time.
Chapter 4: Sit and Plan
This chapter really hit home to me. It talks about how we need to have a time each year where we can sit and evaluate every aspect of our life. Carolyn Mahaney has her own sit-and-plan strategy which I think is really good. She lists seven priorities and how to evaluate each one.
1. Grow in godliness
2. Love my family
3. Serve in the church
4. Fellowship with Christians
5. Evangelize non-Christians
6. Attend to my work
7. Care for my physical health
She says that we should take a personal retreat away from all distractions so that we can pray and ponder these areas of our life and see ask God what area we need to change. Then, we should make an action plan on how to change that priority.
Chapter 5:Consider People
This chapter just asks some questions on how to better our relationships with others. It has a lot of good practical advice in this area.
Chapter 6: Plan to Depend
This chapter points back to our need of dependence on our Savior for every minute of everyday. It reminds us that even best intentions on a schedule of plans can go wrong, but to remember that God is in control and is sovereign over all our interruptions. We should look at each opportunity as a chance to experience His grace even more.

I would greatly recommend this book to every woman. I am praying that the Lord will continue to grow me into the person He desires me to be.

Beach Fun!

About two weeks ago, Justin, Karis, and I headed down to the beach. We have a wonderful place to stay, and we were looking forward to having a mini-family vacation. We left on Sunday after church and came home late Monday night. When we arrived at Emerald Isle, we got dressed and headed to the beach. We played for about two hours and then came home to get dressed to go to dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and then just hung out laying on a hammock and riding the golf cart.
On Monday, we got up, ate breakfast and headed back to the beach. Here are some pictures from that day!

On the way, we stopped and feed the ducks. Karis thought this was so fun!

Karis throwing the bread to the ducks.

Our little one is not at all afraid of the water, so we had to put a life jacket on her. She was very compliant with it on and had a blast playing in the water.

Karis is helping me build a BIG sandcastle. We are patting the sand so that it stays better.

Of course, after we are finished, Karis has to destroy the sandcastle!

This is one of my favorite pictures. Justin thought it would be fun to sit down by the edge of the water and let the waves come up on us. We didn't think about the fact that Karis is much smaller than us, and the "small waves" just about knocked her over. The water never fazed her, she was loving it.

After being knocked over a few times, Karis kept wanting to "sit down in the water, Mommy."

We had a wonderful time. It is always great to get away if even for only a day or so. We are so thankful for our friends who let us use their home. Being at the beach, I am always amazed at God's massive and beautiful creation. We asked Karis, "Why did God make the waves?" She replied, "For His own glory!"

Baby Update: 22 weeks

I got to go to the doctor by myself today, what a treat! I was glad that Karis wasn't there since I had to wait for over an hour to see the doctor. Everything looks really good:

my blood pressure:110/60

baby's heart rate: 153, I think?

weight gain: 9 lbs

I go back in four weeks and get the pleasure of taking the glucose test! I really feel for my friend, Laura, who had to do it three times with her last pregnancy.

I pray everyone is doing well, Little John (since we haven't come up with a first name yet) seems to be doing very well and I am feeling great!

Just Hanging Out!

Karis and I have not been doing anything too exciting these past two weeks. We have just been hanging out together, doing our everyday routine. We spend our mornings playing in her room, going to the YMCA about three times a week, and then just doing some chores. Usually I am the one doing the chores, and Karis is playing in her room. She has been enjoying playing by herself in her room lately, as long as she has her "God we trust" cd in. It is a Sovereign Grace cd that she has named after one of the songs.
Being a mom is so wonderful. God continues to show me His love as I love Karis more everyday. Some days are harder than others because of discipline issues, but Karis is a very compliant and easy going girl usually.
Justin and I are in the process of buying Karis furniture for her room and a computer armoire to put in our living room. We have a lot of things to move around and get ready for the baby. We still have plenty of time, I am only 21 weeks right now. I hope everyone is doing well.

Parenting in the Pew

I just finished reading this book last night that I graciously receieved from Justin's pastor friend in Texas. Parenting in the Pew is written by Robbie Castleman. She is a mother of two sons and a pastor's wife. I enjoyed reading this book. It is a very easy and practical read. Castleman gives examples from her own experiences with her boys in worship, and she continually offers suggestions on how to train your children to understand the importance of worship from an early age. She makes a very good point when she says that as parents we are to teach our children why we come to worship and not just teach them to be quiet. We are to model for them how important worship is to us so that they too will realize their need to exalt our Savior.

This book is a very good read if you are planning to start training your child in worship no matter what age. I do not agree with all of Castleman's ideas about training your child to really listen to the sermon. I think that allowing a young child paper and a pen, pencil, or crayons gives them the opportunity to draw and eventually write down what the sermon is about. I do understand that Castleman wants to keep distractions away from the child, but even as an adult, taking notes helps me remember and later ponder what the sermon was about.

I also have to remember that Castleman's ideas are for use in a traditonal church setting, which is not what we have right now at Christ Baptist.

I am thankful for this book to give me yet another resource to help aide me in my training of Karis in worship. I would recommend this book.

Summer Texas Trip Part II

I will let these great pictures tell about our time in Orange and Beaumont. Thank you Aunt Courtney for the pictures!


We went to Courtney's house in Beaumont first. Karis and Lucy had fun playing while Justin toured Courtney's house. We visited there for awhile and then headed to Orange. We went by Justin's grandparents house first.

Karis really enjoys playing with her Papou. She played ball with him and told him all about her day.

Mamou adores Karis and it is fun to watch her interact with her. Karis was very sweet to both of them, showering them with hugs and kisses. It was much better this time than when we went in April, Karis wasn't afraid of anyone. It didn't take her long to warm up to everyone.

We went to PopPop and Grammie's after we left Justin's grandparents. We enjoyed a good dinner, and Karis spent a lot of time outside swinging with her PopPop.

Grammie and I also got the pleasure of swinging with Karis and watching her play with rocks. We also just had a nice peaceful visit!

On Saturday, we took Karis to another water park with Justin's family. It was almost exactly like the other one we had taken her to earlier in the week with my parents. She had a blast, as you can tell. This park had water that shot up out of the group. Karis really enjoyed it.

It was very fun to splash everyone with the water. It was also fun to go down the lazy river and slide down the slide. After we left the water park, we ate some very good Mexican food.

We all went home to rest, thus Karis being tuckered out. She slept for almost three hours after we got back to PopPop and Grammie's house. We got dressed later that day and headed over to Mamou and Papou's to eat dinner with them and Justin's Aunt Canda and Uncle Mike.

Karis liked her ice cream bar much better than her dinner, imagine that!

Karis sported her new "I'm the BIG sister" shirt that her Aunt Courtney made her. She also got a matching pink camo skirt. It was really cute. Thanks Aunt Courtney!

When we finished eating dinner, Karis and Justin went into the den to watch TV. He said that Karis kept looking around. She finally went back into the dining room and asked Papou to come watch the animals with her (they had been watching the animal planet before we ate dinner). She then climbed up into his lap and stayed there until we left. Karis is very much like her mommy, she likes to sit in her daddy's, PopPop's, Papa John's, or Papou's lap.

We went to church on Sunday in Orange. I got to go to Beaumont on Sunday afternoon and visit my friends Laura and Ashley. It is great getting to see them if only for a little while. Laura is 36 weeks pregnant with her third child, a little boy. I can't wait to see Samuel!!

On Monday, we got up and packed all our stuff and headed back to Beaumont to meet Courtney for lunch at Olive Garden. Courtney made Karis her new bedspread for her twin size bed that she will be getting shortly. She was also making these aprons for a charity event at the hospital where she works. Karis got to model one for us.

We drove back to Magnolia and spent the night with my parents. They took us to the airport the next morning. It was a tearful goodbye since I know that I will not see them again until December. I am so thankful that God allows us the means to be able to see our families. We love you all very much and are blessed to be apart of the Childers' and Adams' families.

Summer Texas Trip Part I

Tuesday, July 17, Justin, Karis, and I flew to Texas. It was an uneventful plane ride. My parents met us at the airport, and it was a joyous reunion. I sometimes forget how much I miss seeing my parents, since I talk to them both on the phone almost daily. Big hugs are so much better than talking on the phone. Karis was very excited to see PaPa John and 'Amma. She went right to PaPa John and talked our ears off as we drove back to my parents house. Of course, we had to get some real Mexican food for dinner. It was very good!!!
On Wednesday, we took Karis to a water park. It was very neat and she really enjoyed herself, especially having Daddy there to swim and play with her. After dinner that night, we went to visit my brother and his family. Thursday, my mom and I went to the mall, and Justin and my dad played with Karis. I again got to eat some more Mexican food for lunch!! That night, my brother and his family came over for dinner. Here are a few pictures of Karis and her cousins.

Karis and Brooklynn hugging. They were so cute together this time, they actually played like old friends. Brooklynn is my niece that had cancer. She looks so good now.

Karis and Madison just messing around. Madi is so good with Karis and her sister. She keeps them very entertained.

On Friday, one of my best friends from high school, Mandy, brought her son Henry over. We visited and let the kids play together. It was really good to see her. Our kids are only about three months apart.

Henry, Mandy, Me, and Karis. It was like pulling teeth to get both of them to sit still long enough to take the picture.

We left for Orange to visit Justin's family after lunch. More on that part of our visit later.

Off to Texas

I just wanted to let everyone know that we will be in Texas until next Tuesday. We are making our last trip there this year, since we won't be going at Christmas time. Our little boy will be born right before Christmas. Hope everyone has a wonderful week. I will post pictures of our trip home. I can't wait to see our families, eat some real Mexican food, and eat some Blue Bell!!

Ultrasound Pictures

Justin put the first mug shots of our little boy on his blog, so I am just going to put a link to it for you. Hope you all enjoy seeing him. I know that my dad will, he is very excited about having a grandson!! (he already has three granddaughters). Here the link to Justin's blog.

Like Mommy Does

Lately, Karis has been very interested in helping me cook. I don't usually allow her to help when, but I have started to get brave. It is always messy when we are finished, but she has so much fun. One night after dinner, Karis and I made brownies. She loves to pour the ingredients into the bowl and stir.

As you can see, Karis is concentrating very hard as she stirs. She didn't realize that it was kind of hard to stir brownie mix at first.

As she continues to stir, she asks me if she can lick the "spa-tula."

I told her we could after we finished pouring the batter into the bowl. She is definitely my daughter, licking the spoon is one of my favorite reasons for making any kind of dessert.

And of course, the finished product. Her face has most of the batter on it!

It's a BOY!!

We found out today that we are having a boy. The ultrasound went great, and Baby boy is very healthy. He had the hiccups most of the time so he was very squirmy. He has a very cute little face, and he gave us a thumbs up. Karis said "look at that frog mommy." She was talking about her little brother's heart. She was very good and is very excited about having a brother.
I am very healthy. My blood pressure is great, and somehow, even though my belly is starting to pouch, I haven't gained any weight yet. I think the scales might be wrong!
Any suggestions on names? We know one of his names will be John, after my dad, but we aren't sure about the other name. I pray everyone is having a wonderful day. Thanks for sharing in our joy!

Big Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for my 17 week check up, and we will have our sonogram to find out what we are having. I am very excited that Justin and Karis will both be going with me. I can't wait to see how Karis reacts to the sonogram. We all really hope it is a boy, but in the end, it really doesn't matter. God determines what we have! Hope everyone is having a great Monday!
Here's a verse for today:
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17

Karis' Favorite Toy!

Karis has always enjoyed jumping. In our extra bedroom, which will soon become the nursery, we have a daybed with a trundle underneath. Karis has enjoyed jumping on the trundle bed for a few months now. One Sunday afternoon we had lunch with a family that was visiting our church. They have three children and in there living room was a small exercise trampoline. Karis was so drawn to it that she didn't even want to eat lunch. If you know my child, you know that she doesn't like to miss any meals! We watched her jump on and jump. Justin and I talked about getting her one. A few days later at Wal-Mart I bought one and brought it home. She was so excited. She must have jumped for 30 minutes straight.

Ready, Set.....

Jump!

"This is so fun, Mommy."

She still jumps on it everyday. It was a good investment. I find myself jumping on it some too, just to get some more exercise. Karis is going to have some big calves if she keeps jumping so much, my little athlete!!

Family Trip to the Zoo!!

Monday morning, Justin and I got up very early to get ready for our trip to the zoo. We left our house about 7:30am to head to Ashboro, NC. Karis was very excited when she woke up because we had been telling her all last week that on Monday we would take her to the zoo. This was her first time to go. When I woke her up, she said, "Zoo today, Monday." We arrived at the zoo a little before 10:00am. We saw the giraffes, ostriches, and zebras first. Karis was very excited! I will let the pictures tell the rest of the trip.

After seeing the lions sleeping, the gorillas "tee-teeing," and the elephants playing, we came to the monkeys. This is a picture of a baboon. They were very fascinating, watching them play and interact with each other. Karis thought they were funny.

This is just a picture of Justin and Karis after we had lunch. After we looked at all the Africa side of the park, we went to eat our picnic lunch before we headed to the N. American side of the park. While we ate our lunch, we were surrounded by about 50 ducks. Karis gave them most of her sandwich.

Karis is looking for the black bear here, but it must have been hiding. She really enjoyed pointing out all the water, "look mommy, water!"

In the middle of the park, they have a carousel. I bought Karis a ticket because she said that she wanted to ride the polar bear. By the time we got on the ride, all the polar bears were taken so Karis changed her mind and didn't ride. We took her to see the polar bear next. It was sleeping, like many of the other animals we saw, but she thought it was really BIG and white.

They had a kiddie section at the zoo called Kid Zone. Justin and Karis are coming out of the maze. It was funny to watch their feet be almost out and then turn around and head the other direction.

We had a wonderful day talking to Karis about all the beautiful creatures God made. We asked her why God made these animals and she said, "for His own glory." She also asked me many times, "hear that mommy?"

"Hear what Karis?"

"The birds are chirping, they are praising the Lord."

I have only told her that a few times when we go for walks. It is amazing how perceptive our children are even at such young ages. Justin and I really enjoyed our day at the zoo with Karis and just being able to spend time as a family.