Baby Z's dedication

Good evening!

I wanted to share a few pictures from Z's dedication this past Sunday, April 21. Z had a great day and I was reminded during worship just how faithful God is in answering prayer. A year ago the hubs and I were on our way to Vegas with no idea how our life would change over the next year. Here is our miracle blessing on his dedication yesterday:

Psalm 127:3 "Children are a heritage from the Lord"

 

 

 

We received the book "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson from our church, which I started reading when E was little, so I'm glad I have my own copy to read anytime I need to now!

 

It is going to be a busy week this week with sports for E and the end of year graduation for Christ's Place Leadership College (CPLC) which I work with! As well as a visit from Auntie Kayla on Friday! Probably won't get a chance to post until next week!

Psalm 23

OK so I'm doing a bible reading plan on YouVersion. I have read lots of the bible, but I've never actually read through the whole thing. So this year I decided to try it. I didn't get started until late February, but at least I got started! I like the plan I'm doing as I read 2 or 3 old testament chapters, psalms or proverbs and a new testament chapter. I'm reading it via an app on my phone which is different, but I like that it checkmarks it off each day! Makes me feel accomplished.

 

So yesterdays reading was Psalm 23 which I memorized as a kid in Sunday School. But I'm reading everything out of the NLT (New Living Translation) and I just loved the final verse 6 of Psalm 23:

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love

will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever."

I love that word PURSUE. I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was a young girl. What that means is that I prayed and asked Jesus to come into my life, forgive my sins and help me live for Him each day.

When I was far from God back in my college years, I always felt a tug on my heart that I was made for something more. I felt this longing of something or someone that I was missing.

I'm so thankful for the day that Jesus woke me up, redeemed my life and forgave me of my sins. Jesus took the broken person that I was and made me new. I didn't have to come to him all perfect and cleaned up...I came to him broken, hurting and in a pile of snot and tears. I'm thankful for my praying parents who prayed for me unceasingly and challenged me when I made bad choices. I'm thankful for the opportunities I had during my year in YWAM (Youth with a Mission) where God radically transformed my view of Him and allowed me to get my hands dirty and serve in a way I never thought I could. I'm thankful that I have learned that God loves me regardless of my past and that He can still use me in spite of myself. I'm thankful for Jesus who has continually PURSUED me in His great goodness and unfailing love so that I can live with Him forever.

Do you know that Jesus is PURSUING you too? If you have any questions I would love to share how much He loves you and wants you to know Him.

Praying for you my readers tonight :)

our newest little addition

Our family has been on quite the journey the past 4 years! For those of you just starting to read my blog you will notice that I posted a lot about Ezekiel when he was a baby through age 3ish and then I found it much harder to blog. I don't really consider myself a writer, I'm more of a talker. But I guess writing in this blog is just talking in print so...here we go!

We have a new little addition to our family who joined us in January. I will call him baby Z on this blog for now. He is the sweetest, chubbiest little love of my life! After 3 and a half years of trying to have another baby and then God answering the cry of my heart, I am savoring every moment with this little man...

He is already 3 months old! Wow...I know people say that having a baby is hard and it is, but I found it much harder the first time through. This time around, I haven't figured out if he is just a super easy baby or if i'm so incredibly thankful that I just can't complain about anything! I have friends and family that have struggled with infertility and secondary infertility and I just never want to take a day for granted. I'm loving every minute with him...

These pics were taken when Z was around 6 weeks old. My wonderful friend Ciana came and took them. One of the best things about having Z almost 7 years apart from big brother E is how much he enjoys him too! He is such a great brother and so very sweet with him as well. I get to enjoy having a wonderful helper with me too! Look how proud he is...

I would like to share throughout this blog my story of this long awaited gift from God and how I navigated it (not so gracefully at times!) and learned that "God is with me and for me even if His face and favor seem hidden" (Beth Moore, study on the Psalms of Ascent)

Much love to you all, Goodnight!

we are back!

After two years of no blogging, I would like to return to the blogging world again! A lot has happened in these past 2 years, starting with the extra pair of feet you see in the picture! I will share more about what has been going on as well as what our life looks like now!

I started this blog back in 2006 to share pictures with my Canadian family and stories about our life. That is what I would like to continue doing as well as sharing the journey of secondary infertility that my husband and I were on for 3 1/2 years.

The title of my blog is Today I Choose Joy...I got this from a Max Lucado book and will leave you with why I love this title:

i choose joy...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for the moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new challenges, I will face them with joy and courage. I will invite God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live. Today I will love God and what God loves... i choose joy

still here...

Hello All! Not sure if anyone still reads my blog anymore since i don't write very often! Well i'm up tonight as the pain in my neck is not allowing me to sleep comfortably. Ezekiel and i were in a car accident Friday morning. We were hit by a 20 year old running a red light. It has been a rough week-end and i'm off work this week to try and recover and get some dr appts and physical therapy appt's in as well. Not sure what to do since this is my first time in a car accident, so i'm just praying that God guides us as we navigate this! Well, to those who still read this...how are things on your end?

what God has been speaking to me...

I had an interesting few days last week-end. There are several things I have been having a difficult time with lately..mainly due to my desire to see several people in my life healed. It is a journey that i didn't realize i was on until it was smack dab in my face. I know that God is good and that He is kind and compassionate, but sometimes i get very angry at Him when i don't understand His timing or His ways. I feel that i forget so easily all God has done for me...

On Saturday night, Pastor Rick preached on "Daring to Believe". I literally cried through his whole sermon as i know God was speaking to me. Rick shared about "daring to believe that God is compassionate and has compassion over me and my situation. He said "faith is daring to believe in the goodness of God's character". He gave a great visual of us only being able to see a small part of God's plan, but God doesn't see the partial, He is the producer and sees the whole big picture.

I was challenged by the song "Healer" that we sang that night...

I believe that your my Healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe You're my portion

I believe You are more than enough for me

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

Do i believe that God is "more than enough for me" I would like to say YES, but i'm not sure right now. I know that God is working on my heart and that i just need to continue to walk in obedience to Him. The enemy would like to come and steal, kill and destroy all my hope, but my HOPE is built on my Solid Rock Jesus Christ...

I continue with HOPE on this journey, knowing that nothing is impossible for God and that even if He chooses not to heal me...he is still my patient, loving heavenly Father who knows what is best for his children..

Thank You LORD for redeeming my life...my HOPE is in You alone.

good friday

Happy Easter to all our Friends & Family! Shiloh, Zeke & I went to Omaha for the day on Good Friday. It was nice to have a family day together and then attend our good friday service tonight at church. So thankful for Jesus' sacrifice so i can live forever with Him! I'm thankful that He loves me so much!

Here is Zekey with the Easter bunny at the mall we were at...

Zekey & Mommy sitting outside enjoying the beautiful sun and warm day...

Riding the ferris wheel inside the Scheels in Omaha, such a big store...we loved it!

Zekey enjoying his apple on the ride home (and being silly!)

THis morning, we colored our traditional Easter eggs. Zekey did so great this year, you can see from the video at the end that he is putting the eggs in all by himself

He loved doing these and ate 2 eggs after coloring them!

Here is Zeke in egg coloring action!!

And eating the eggs afterwards!!

We hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating our risen Saviour Jesus!!