Christmas then Mickey

Happy New Year! It's 2011...the birth year of our second child! Crazy! Before moving on though, I'd like to share a few snapshots of our Christmas in California. Despite the fact that I was miserably ill, we had a great time as a family of three. Katin is still young enough that she had no idea what was going on...which means mommy and daddy didn't really have to buy her anything and Santa didn't have to come....which means grandma and grandpa did....which means she has new toys! And although it was far from a white Christmas, we still sipped hot chocolate but also walked down to the beach :)

year number two for the giant stocking...we'll see how many years we can put her in it!

ooohhh...what's in there?! a talking pony that I can ride anytime I want?!?! COOL!

her very own pink chair...that daddy has used more for a pillow :)

A couple days after Christmas, Thomas, Katin and I went to Disneyland with our free passes. It was the busiest day I've ever seen, but we weren't there running around for fast passes on this trip. On the top of the list was Dumbo and meeting Mickey mouse. Both were accomplished and both were LOVED by Katin. She'll never remember going, but that's why we have cameras people!

DUMBO! First ride of the day and she loved it! She even made it go up and down all by herself!

hold on!

the first thing she did was grab his (although I think it's a girl in there) nose and shake it...so funny!

yeah for Disneyland!

how could we pass up an official "kodak picture spot"?!

Happy New Year! Enjoy God's many blessings in 2011!

Kassie and Mason Visit

We had a great time while Kassie and Mason were here visiting. We were so glad that they made the trek out here to see us and spend time with us. What a blessing it is to have a friend like Kassie and I'm sure if Katin could talk, she'd say the same about Mason. A few highlights from their trip:

Huntington Beach Boat Parade. We got to watch decorated boats go by while shouting "Merry Christmas" to the boat riders. The kids loved all the lights!

My Gym class where Mason and Katin got to play in the ball pit, climb up ladders, slide down slides, crawl in tunnels, swing on swings, and dance to songs. Let's just say they were tuckered out afterwards!

One of my favorite pictures of all time! I think it will be featured at their wedding...hahaha. We had a great time dipping our toes in the sand and cold ocean water.

Kassie, my mom and I went on a nice walk along Three Arch Bay beach- no sea glass or shells to be found, but good conversation, beautiful scenery and a few good pics of us friends!

Thanks so much for visiting! We can't wait to see you again soon and create more fun memories with your family. Miss you already!!!!!

Giving Thanks to the Lord

"In that day, you will say; give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known among the nations what he has done and proclaim that his name is exalted." Isaiah 12:4

My friend Juliet and I are memorizing Isaiah chapter 12. You may think, wow, that's pretty awesome, but let me be the first to tell you that it's a whopping six verses. We will be done next week where we will recite the entire six verse chapter to each other at BSF. It's been a good thing for me. If she hadn't agreed to memorize it with me, I'll be honest, each verse would be on a note card, but the note cards would just sit next to my bed. So thanks, Juliet!

Verse four came at a wonderful moment in my life. A moment that will be marked forever with God's goodness and faithfulness. A moment that I will remember as my Isaiah 12:4 moment.

So little surprise baby number two is on the way....due in April. She's a she! Katin's going to have a little sister! Sidenote- I grew up (and am still growing up) with a little sister that I love dearly, which is another blog post all in itself. We're thrilled. Beyond thrilled!

After my 20 week ultrasound, the doctor couldn't find a stomach bubble that they always seem to look for. She said the heart was on the same side as the stomach and that there was a possible hernia in the diaphragm causing this jumble of intestines to be in the chest cavity. She didn't want to say that it was a 100% correct diagnosis, but by the sounds of it, I was catching her drift that it was pretty likely. She sent me to the high risk ultrasound doctor (I'm sure she has a better name than that, but you get the point). She sent me to her FIVE DAYS after sher talked with me. So for five whole days we waited.

And waited.

And prayed.

And ate a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes.

A lot of people waited and prayed (and ate a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes). So thanks! Thanks to all who prayed because God is good and hears our prayers! We prayed that this little baby would be healed and knit together a little better. We prayed God would heal her and get all the glory he so rightly deserves. We prayed that this little being would be a testament to God and his goodness and that we would ultimately be closer to Christ through this trial.

It worked.

Although those five days lingered...... and.... lingered..... and.....

Baby number two looked perfectly normal on Tuesday. Her heart was in the right place, the stomach bubble was in clear view and the diaphragm was perfectly knit together. Praise God!

So...may it be known among the nations (right now it's the blogging nation) what God has done and can I joyfully proclaim that his name must be exalted?!?!?! Today and everyday I will give thanks to the Lord for this miracle and many others, and I'll call on his name to continually humble me with his grace.

I'll leave you with a picture of our little girl. Who would like it very much to continue to be prayed over.