Reagan Leigh turns one!

Yesterday morning I found out I was expecting then evening came and I was holding a tiny little bundle of joy. Through the night we both learned to love and trust each other with everything we had and today she turned one. That's exactly how it feels. I can't remember where the time went. The sleepless nights are long but the days with my sweet angel are short short short. 

January 5th very conveniently landed on a Saturday this year:) And in spite of Reagan being slightly under the weather we rallied the family for cake and ice cream.

She was very lady like about eating the cake. She would look at the cake ( very close up at some points) and then squeal and look at me to serve her some. She's so polite

In the end though she finally caves and took a bite about of the cake mommy made her and the cupcake Mimi made her. 

 Lil bit was very unsure about the whole gift opening, party hat wearing, song singing, candle blowing, much to do about her making. 

The last year has been such a wild ride of experiences both good and bad. I love being a mom and understand why people say there is no higher calling. I don't know what in the world God saw in brad and I that he thought was worthy to raise one of his precious angels but I'm so glad he sent her to us. I'm finding more and more that without asking Him everyday to take the day as use me to protect, teach, and love Reagan it is a complete waste to even wake up. 

If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all...

October 23 was the last time I opened this blog and at that point the blog I started as an outlet for my thoughts I realized had become a chore. I felt the sense of obligation to the this blog that I was trying to escape from in my everyday life. And, worst of all, on the days I had something to say and no time to say it I added "my blog" to my list of life failures. I finally decided if I couldn't enjoy it, I didn't need it in my life. That should explain the silence on this end of the computer screen for the past almost four month. However, I have missed "unloading" at the end of the day so I am back to my blog.

Updates: Since last we spoke:)

-I am starting over with the 25 weeks of respect. I will NOT be giving a week to week check in on how each assignment goes but as one or two suggestions particularly touch my marriage I will be sure to share.
- I have lots of new recipes I am excited to share with you.
- My angel turned 1 year old and I will defiantly have some ( or a million) pictures on the subject.

Happy 2013! I hope y'all are as blessed as I am:)

Strong enough

The words in this song speak straight to my soul. I feel so overwelmed with what God has asked of me. Then I realize He is strong enough to do it for me. What a hopeful song.

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary!!

 Two years ago today I married my best friend and love of my life. Although it had been the two toughest years of my life I wouldn't take it back for the world. My husband gave me the sweetest angel ever January of this year. I love my little family and pray for many many more years!

Bath time is such fun!

Reagan loves her bath time. Today I put her in the big person bath tube with about an inch of water and she splashed and played for about an hour, way past the water turning cold. I look forward to Fridays all week long. They are the one day a week set aside to bond with my little angel. I spend everyday with her. But as all mothers know you can be WITH your child all day and not spend one minute of QUALITY time together. She looks like her daddy and that makes me smile. She is getting so much personality and spunk. I just love being around her. Almost 9 months old, I can hardly believe it. I can't believe sometimes that she is real and she is mine. I find myself thinking that any minute someone is going to wake  me up from this wonderful dream. God gives good gifts!

God's reoccurring marriage truths

My husband and I are fast approaching our 2 year anniversary.

 I wouldn't change it for anything in the world but can I get an amen for making it through the two toughest years of my life thus far?

  It blows my mind how much this "honeymoon stage" has resembled more of a battle field then anything else.

 My love for my husband hasn't wavered but I would be lying if I didn't say I had questioned both of our sanity in the decision we made October 9 2010.

 I look around and see happy couples who seem to "have it together" and I wonder what we're doing wrong?

 I guess the key word there would be "seem."

Over the past two years there are two reoccurring messages I feel like God has been trying to teach me. I say "reoccurring" because every time I think I've got it, he test me and I fail miserable (ever had one of those?). I am still working on these today and for all I know these may be the two truths God uses to sanctify me my whole life.

The first message I have heard in my heart loud and clear

 over and over and over is...

He doesn't compare his children and He doesn't want us to either

He doesn't want mine and my husbands marriage to look identical to my sister's and her husbands, or my parents, or my preacher's and his wife's. God created me uniquely for my husband and together our marriage doesn't fit into any other mold other then the one God made with just our two names on it.

 

The other lesson i continue to learn is..

He doesn't expect perfection, but for us

 to STRIVE toward it!

 

This is the most freeing truth of my whole married life to date. It's ok that we don't have everything figured out. I have never been married before. He has never been married before. Why would I hold us to any other standard then that of a new couple LEARNING how to be married?

First Chic-fil-a now Hobby Lobby!!!

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a privately held retail chain with more than 500 arts and crafts stores in 41 states, filed a lawsuit today against the Obama administration over its HHS mandate.

The company says it would face $1.3 million in fines on a daily basis starting in January if it fails to comply with the mandate,

which requires religious employers to pay for or refer women for abortion-cause drugs that violate their conscience or religious beliefs.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma and the business says it is opposing the Health and Human Services “preventive services” mandate, which it says 

FORCES the Christian-owned-and-operated business to provide, without co-pay, the “morning after pill” and “week after pill” in their health insurance plan, or face crippling fines up to 1.3 million dollars per day.

“By being required to make a choice between sacrificing our faith or paying millions of dollars in fines, we essentially must choose which poison pill to swallow,” said David Green, Hobby Lobby CEO and founder

. “We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.”

Hobby Lobby is the largest and only non-Catholic-owned business to file a lawsuit against the HHS mandate, focusing sharp criticism on the administration’s regulation that forces all companies, regardless of religious conviction, to cover abortion-inducing drugs.

“Washington politicians cannot force families to abandon their faith just to earn a living,”

 said Lori Windham, Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is handling the lawsuit for Hobby Lobby. “Every American, including family business owners like the Greens, should be free to live and do business according to their religious beliefs.”

Founded in an Oklahoma City garage in 1972, the Green family has grown Hobby Lobby from one 300-square-foot retail space into more than 500 stores in 41 states.

“It is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” said Green. “Therefore we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. The conflict for me is that our family is being forced to choose between following the laws of the country that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families.”

The business’s lawsuit acts to preserve its right to carry out its mission free from government coercion