Lately

I've recently started watching my friend's little boy named Cooper.  He is 15 months and so cute.  Nathaniel just loves him and is constantly petting him and kissing his head and trying to play with him.  It has been really good for Nathaniel to have a little friend to play with.  He is such a social boy and he needs that company!  Here are some blurry pics of them playing, taken with my phone because I have put my camera in a nice camera bag and can't get to it fast enough! Ha! 



Two and a Half!

Nathaniel is two and a half years old today!  Wow these last 6 months have gone by so quickly!!  Nathaniel makes me laugh so much and brings so much joy to our lives.  Nathaniel has crossed some big bridges these last 6 months like putting more words together when he talks and gaining independence in being able to do a lot more things on his own, as he says, "I do it, I do it!" 

Another great leap has been accomplished- potty training!!  I was pretty amaized at how quickly he caught on! I had heard of nightmares and hearing that boys took much longer. My great friend Wendy decided to potty train her son Zach and I was inspired to try with Nathaniel.  I did the 3 day bare bottom approach with him and he did great!  I still put a diaper on him at nap and bedtime, but during the day he goes on his own and we have an accident on rare occassion and it'susually my fault for not making him go when he is distracted and having too much fun.  So all in all he is pretty much potty trained!  Hooray!

At two and a half I've learned what Nathaniel's love language is- pyhsical touch.  Which is sweet because he loves to hug his friends, but he hasn't quite learned to be gentle and not come off so aggresively, because not all people like physical touch! Ha!  So we are working on his being more gentle with his loving ways so his sweet little friends won't think he's being mean.

Getting in the car is getting much easier since Nathaniel can now climb in and get in his seat very easily which helps out this momma's back issues! He can snap his top buckle on his own and I only have to snap in the bottom buckle for him and adjust the straps.  It's so great!  This will come in handy when baby #2 arrives in January!  I haven't even made a post about that yet!  That's coming next week!

The child is obsessed with trains and cars-hot wheels or and cars that look like hot wheels.  He carries them wherever we go and always in the car.  Its a great distraction for him when we are out in about.  He loves to make car noises and making them crash!  I recently bought him Cars pancake molds and he loved that!

Here are a few pics of Nathaniel as of late! Oh and these are all taken with my cell phone, so they may be a bit blurry!

Some Fun

Some fun is what has been needed in my life as of late.  It's been a rough month, but thanks to some great friends, have gotten me out of my house to watch our littles play.  My great friend Wendy invited me to go to Noah's Ark pool.  I had never been and Nathaniel had the best of times.  It brought so much joy to my heart.  Thank you to my sweet friends who have been intentional on encouraging me and praying for me and for holding my hand through this time.  I love you all so very much!

Lord, the One You Love is Sick

God showed me something yesterday in my time with Him that brought encouragement to my heart as well as many tears.  In John 11 we read the story of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  Its a story of 3 siblings that Jesus loved dearly.  Lazarus became very ill and Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus for him to come urgently.  Then it says that when Jesus heard he decided to stay in that town another 2 days. 

I was a little confused by this because it said that he loved Lazarus.  But then I kept reading.  When Jesus finally arrived to see Mary and Martha, Lazarus had already been dead for 4 days.  Also in John it says that many people had come because Lazarus had died.  So then Jesus does an amazing miracle and raises Lazarus back from the dead! John 11:45 says, ⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 

Then it just hit me.  Lazarus had to die so that the people would come and that they would see Jesus' miracle and believe in Him.

My daddy was really sick and it all just happened so quickly, and we prayed for healing.  But it did not come.  My daddy died.  We had a celebration of life service for him that was a celebration of Jesus.  So many people came!  Most of the men my daddy worked with came as well as his bosses.  I know many of them did not know Jesus.  Many of my brother's former friends- friends he had when he wasn't a Christian and who he lived in the world with came as well.  So many came who did not know Jesus, they came because my daddy died.  It was standing room only in the sanctuary and they all heard JESUS!!!!!! 

Praise you God with all my heart, tears streaming down my face, that many, Lord heard about you and your truth and victory.  If even one person chose to believe in you Lord it was absolutely worth his life Lord.

Jesus gave his life for the whole world. He came so that we would have abundant life.  A life filled with purpose and Glory for His kingdom.

Lord, the one you love is with you now.

When We All Get to Heaven

The month of June was a blur to me.  My daddy went to be with Jesus on Father's Day, June 19th, 2011.  We celebrated his life on his birthday June 21st.  It was all so fast it still feels like a bad dream sometimes.  I was daddy's little girl and my daddy loved me so much and I always knew he did.  He was an amazing daddy.  I have so many great memories from when I was a little girl and memories from adulthood. 

When we lived in Chicago my dad would take me to the local park and we would cut a small branch from a bush or tree and we would use it to catch butterflies.  There always seemed to be an abundance of butterflies just flying everywhere.  It must have been all the flowers in the park that attracted them.  We would pick one that was pretty and catch it.  We would then take it home an press it into one of my Disney books.  I still have those books and every once in a while I find one and think back to the fun times in the park. 

Another thing I loved about my dad is he always encouraged me to thank God for everything.  Every time I would tell him thank you, he said, "Thanks God mi hija!"  He showed me what true forgiveness and grace was when I strayed from the Lord when I was 19.  I came home to confess my wayward ways and he never condemned me or yelled.  Instead he praised God, hugged me and told me, "Once you were lost, but now you are found and you are home.  Thanks God!"  He showed me who Jesus was and I'm eternally grateful!

As an adult he always told me he was proud of me.  On my wedding day right before he walked me down the isle he gave me a letter.  It was his blessing on my life.  I will treasure that letter for the rest of my life.  I would go to my parents house and I would sit at the dining room table where he would always be reading- the paper, his Bible, a book, and we could talk for hours about life, God, our family.  I will miss those times at the dining table with him.  The table is worn where he sat.  The last 2 weeks since he has been gone every time I go home I sit where he sat and rest my arms in the same place he did.

Today we scattered his ashes.  My dad was a naturalist.  He heard from God and spoke to him while he was outside tending his garden and yard.  The neighbors knew him as the man always outside watering his yard.  He planted trees from seedlings and now they are the biggest trees on the street.  He told my mom, brother and I that when he died he wanted to be food for his trees.  So we dug holes around all his trees in the front and back yard and spread his ashes to be fertilizer to his trees.  It was what he wanted and so we fulfilled his desire.  I saved some ashes for the tree he gave me for my home when we moved in and we are saving some to take to a park.  He loved being outside, it was where he felt closest to the Lord. 

It has been a roller coaster emotionally and I know it will continue for awhile.  Lord, I miss my daddy, but Lord I'm so thankful he is with you rejoicing and shouting the victory!! This hymn was one of my daddy's favorites.  He couldn't wait to be with his savior and he was not afraid of dying because he knew where he was going.  Praise God!  I will see him again one day.  Thank you Lord.

                                                                                                         

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,

Sing His mercy and His grace.

In the mansions bright and blessed

He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus

We'll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,

Clouds will overspread the sky;

But when traveling days are over,

Not a shadow, not a sigh.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Let us then be true and faithful,

Trusting, serving every day;

Just one glimpse of Him in glory

Will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Onward to the prize before us!

Soon His beauty we’ll behold;

Soon the pearly gates will open;

We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Ottoman Mania

I am sooooo very excited to share with you all Lesh's latest project and how I have benefited from Lesh's latest Hobby- carpentry.  I have been wanting an upholstered ottoman for our living room for a very long time and hadn't failed to mention it quite often to him as well. Ha! But what he realized is that he could also benefit by buying new tools.  What man doesn't love buying new tools right?

I love fabric!  I wish I knew how to sew and in fact, if I am pregnant with a girl I am going out to buy me a sewing machine!  I got to go to interior fabrics to pick out the fabric for the ottoman, pillows and drapes.  It was way fun.  I was looking for fabric that matched this new rug I got.  It's actually Flor tiles and I love them!  It's great if you have kids because if they mess one up you just pull it up and clean it, then put it right back! Enough about that.

Lesh made a plan and a design and then built it! He worked on it for several weekends and yesterday and today we finished it!  What's even greater is that is also has storage! Yippee!  Here are the pictures of the project as we went along.

The bottom storage part

The lid

Four layers of batting

One of the sides with fabric

Bottom half done!

Top with foam and batting

Bottom fabric and feet-still need to stain them

Completely covered without tufting

Side view with tufting

Storage!

All done!

Buttons!

I'm too scared to put my feet on it!

I love my husband's talent! He is such a handy guy and I appreciate that so much!  Thank you Lesh!  Next on the list is Nathaniel's toddler bunk bed!  I'll be sure to post about that too.

Surprise!