Undeniable Grace

My most thoughtful time of the day is when I'm rocking Lilly to sleep. Her room is dark and cozy. As I sit in our self-assembled Ikea rocking chair I take in the lullaby playing, the comfortable temperature, the sweet baby smells, the sound of Lilly breathing in my arms, and just the overall peace of the room. I think and think and think.  Many times I just pray. As I try to patiently wait for her to be in a deep enough sleep so that I can put her in her crib I pray for numerous people. This actually helps me stay patient because it gives me something to do. :) I have found in the past few months that I am more prayerful than I have ever been in my life. Not only do I thank God for the many blessings around me but I pray for things I need or for what I think/know others need. The other day I found myself wondering if I ask too much of God. Night after night I sit in that chair and I think and I pray. I pray for people who have asked me to pray. I pray for people who I know are in n...

Rodney and I dread the topic when it comes up but it's something that we must figure out, and soon! Lilly's sleep habits. She started out creating her own schedule when she was one to two months old. Once I went back to work (she was six weeks), her routine really developed as my mom and mother-in-law watched her each day. She never really slept a ton, as her parents are both very social, and she was just always wanting to know what was next! Around two months, I was so exhausted from getting up with her at night and being back to work, I decided to just have her sleep with us. We read up on it and everyone ended up getting more sleep.  Once we started looking at houses in Tennessee and traveling back and forth she was about four months old. We stayed in hotels where Lilly slept in the bed with us and it seemed like she was doing well with sleep. The car ride was an issue because she had become a tummy sleeper (butt up in the air actually) and so the sleep problems began. She n...

It still hasn't really hit me that she is one. I was taping pictures to a poster board that I had taken of her each  month and it was weird to think that I wouldn't be doing that anymore. I felt like a piece of my life and my time had come to an end. No more counting down. No more baby, just big girl from here on out! As I looked around the noisy room taking it all in, I felt the love that surrounded us. Although not everyone was able to come to Lilly's party, I knew that they were thinking of her and cared about her special day. To see the smiling faces, hear laughter, and see Lilly crawl all over that room with such joy on her face, couldn't have made me happier. To see the joy of your child is like breathing in the fresh air of the first days of spring. There's a peace; a happiness; a fulfillment; a relief. The more I reflected on the special people who surrounded us I was reminded of how we were made in His image. The love, care, concern, friendship, relationshi...

So I was at Target the other day and as usual observing my surroundings. I walked in about the same time as another momma who had a stroller with twins. They were all zipped up in their carseat covers fast asleep. I watched as she pushed the stroller AND grabbed a cart. I was so amazed that I actually looked at her and said, "I admire you."  She was super sweet and responsive (you know how you try to smile or say hi to someone you don't know and it's just not their day or whatever...). I told her that it's enough for me to get out to the store with just one (and of course sweet little Lilly was just grinning away at her)! This nice lady commented that those two kiddos were FIVE and SIX for her so she pretty much had it down. Yes, you read that right; four kiddos and then twins. Amazing! Super mom!  So I went on about my Targeting and ran into another mom in the aisles. This mom had about a four or five month old who was slouched in the cart because it appeared she...

So when Rodney and I met we became super fast friends. We had a ton in common and could talk for hours. One thing we made clear to each other was that we didn't want to date a "bible thumper." During this conversation we also established that we wanted to spend our life with someone who was a Christ follower but someone who......didn't overdo it. Someone who believed in God but also knew how to have fun. Basically, a good person who loved God but would have a drink every now and then, ya know?  I look back on this conversation and laugh. What in the world were we talking about? Having gotten back onto the path that God intended for me, I have come to several conclusions. Some of which, I knew all along but either didn't believe or didn't want to face. 1. God really will forgive my sins.  2. God's plan truly is the best for me. 3. God's timing is the best timing.  4. Knowing God and having a personal relationship with Christ is the most precious and won...