Practicing for spring....

John David's first visit to Dublin Park! This weather has been awesome so we wanted to take advantage of it while it lasted!

All the other moms had the same idea too...the park was full of laughter and fun...we laughed saying all the moms had come out from hibernating!



Isn't this a cool park?!

Okay- so this picture looks like he can't kick a soccer ball...but really...he's quite impressive:-)
Lovin' the fun!
He looks like he's a bit unsure of this picture....
A little model!! :-) ha!
Peek-a-boo! Our little buddy Jordan!

I tried and tried to get a cool picture of us going down the slide...it just never happened! He hasn't gotten the whole posing for pictures thing yet! :-)

Foodless picnic with mom!

Don't you see that children are God's best gift? Ps. 127:3 The Message

Just havin' a little backyard fun!
Toboggans and flip-flops!

What a handsome little profile!

Here he has it...
There it goes...
There he goes...
and there he goes some more...
And there he goes even some more....

not sure why he went further than the ball-maybe he got a little sidetracked with the one little patch of green grass:-)

Daddy, popcorn and...what's wrong with him?!

Lights off for JDP means party for dad and his popcorn!

Occassionally on Friday nights, David and I will have movie night after we put John David down for the night....this Friday night was a bit odd!

Our Hearts Leap with Joy!

I was doing some reading and writing today and I really wanted to share this with you guys...I know it's probably more for me than for you...but once again, He doesn't say if you go through waters or if you go through fire. Instead he says, when ...so maybe when one of those times comes for you this will be something you will have stored in your heart. For those of you who know us well- we have used the phrase "Our hearts leap for Joy" many times. We've used this phrase on our wedding day, for our marriage, for the birth of John David, for all kinds of great joyous gifts with which the Lord has blessed us. We even use it at the top our blog page. You may have noticed I recently used it in my blog entry about the loss of our little one. As I was writing today, I used that phrase again. It had been a while since I had read that verse in its context in Psalm 28. So I begin to read. This whole chapter- it's not about times of great accomplishments or grand "success"...a typical joyous occasion. Psalm 28 is all about the waters and the fire, the “when”…it’s about trials, hard times, crying out to the Lord for help and mercy! As I continued to read all I could think about was the Lord's greatness! You'll have to read the whole chapter...for my hands might fall off if I do that much more typing today...but I would like to type the preceding phrases. "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." I have this underlined in my Bible and notes out by the side that I had written probably several years ago when I first came across this verse. This is a bit confusing to type...I hope I can make it come across the right way: We were able to face this trial and time of loss with His grace because we had accepted His grace on a daily basis to help us get through the little things. We knew He wouldn't let us down. We knew He DID hear our cries and prayers for our little one- just as he had heard our hearts on the behalf of other things. Just because He didn't answer in the way we "wanted" He still answered and He still was faithful with the pouring out of His love and grace. Another way of putting it...a bit more of a Max Lucado way: I didn't feel short-pedaled in this time of loss because the Lord had hand delivered a bouquet of flowers to my door daily in the days, weeks, and months before. When He knocks at our door with those bouquets of the most beautiful of flowers...flowers never seen on this earth...flowers from Heaven...we must not tell Him we don't need them today or that we're too busy to put them in our vase today. Instead we must, I must, open the door and allow him to plant them in my life....Let's just take the bouquets and let Him love on us...let Him do the planting and the work. All we have to do is open the door and say "Thank you, Father! The flowers are beautiful! I love you." I'm sure that would get us on our feet! It may even empower us to show up at our neighbors' door with our own bouquet to give. Yes, an earthly bouquet...but, hey, there are some beautiful flowers out there ready to be picked! Our God is an all knowing and all powerful, perfect lover of His children!

My prayer is that David and I would take that bouquet daily, for I know there are more waters and fires in our future! But, I thank God that we already know the outcome! He's already won the battle.
I don't say any of this to belittle the hurt that this world causes to us. I know there are many who have gone through much more severe waters and fire than what I have gone through this week. I say all this as a testimony to what the Lord is teaching me!

Thanks for letting me spill out to you guys! I just couldn't keep it in much longer:-) Maybe a couple of you will read it and get some encouragement!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement on our behalf! David and I have such amazing friends and family! Thanks for delivering your bouquets to our door during this time! We love each of you.

Showin' the love!!

john david's eyes got so big when he saw this contraption...

he loved his valentine pup!
this was daddy's idea!:-)

you can imagine the mess mommy had to clean up! :-) it was worth it!


just one of the places i found him the other day!

When you pass through the waters...

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2

This afternoon I found so much truth in this verse. I had a couple of verses I had written on a little notecard that I was memorizing and meditating on. I pray these verses would bring encouragement to you guys. Isaiah 43:2 doesn't say if you go through waters or if you go through fire, but when you go through fire...and then, wow, that promise! That awesome promise of a faithful Savior. Today, Tuesday February 13th 2007 God showed Himself faithful to David and I. We went through some waters today. And God was with us. The waters didn't overflow us and we weren't burned or scorched. Our God is an awesome God. We know that He is fully able and all powerful. He is just as much a God of miracles today as He was yesterday. But, today, He decided to show his power in another way. He decided to usher our second child into His Kingdom. Our hearts are sad that we won't get to snuggle close with our little baby or hear his/her laughter here on this earth...but the peace of knowing our little one is in the presence of our Lord brings us great joy. David, John David, and I along with the rest of our future family will have a big surprise waiting on us in Heaven. Maybe one of his/her great grandmas or great grandpa is rocking our little one right now. Or maybe my grandpa is telling him of all the stories of Daniel, David, Abraham, Moses....all the while introducing him to the very people. Whatever our little one is doing at this very moment we know it's beyond even our imaginations. When we found out we were pregnant, I was about 2 months, and we were filled with joy. The Lord created a life. I pray that we would release every child we ever have into the Lord's hand. That may mean something different with each child. With this child it was literal- in the Lord's hands! Wow! What an amazing place to be. We cherish each prayer on our behalf. Our hearts are sad for our loss, but our hearts once again leap for joy at the arrival of our little one in the presence of a Mighty God. Our God. In His will is the most amazing place to be- no matter where that takes you. I wonder if Jesus will hold my little one close tonight. I know Jesus will be holding me close tonight.

He who dwells in the secret of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." Psalm 91:1-2

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge...I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing"....I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me...I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken...you will fill me with JOY in your presence... Psalm 16

First visit to the Library!

John David had loads of fun at his very first visit to the Library! He got to meet some new friends, he played on a little reading "boat", and he even checked out two books for us to enjoy at home!! I think he's hooked:-) ha!

Notice this book is about having a baby sister...I didn't have a choice, there was no books on baby brothers!

Surprise!!!

On Tuesday, February 6, John David and I snuck out of the house...

We went to the Huntsville lab to run a blood test on mommy....
Snickers...just incase...I didn't want to faint:-)

Wednesday around lunch time the Dr. called with the results....
I surprised David with an early Valentine's Date....and a photo album card...
The card told "Our story"
It told the story of meeting at Liberty in 2003. Then our dating....and marriage in 2005. Then John David in 2006....then it said...

"Now as we look into our future....
God that knows us better than we know ourselves....
has blessed us with our second child."


The Lord is so awesome!! His goodness and grace is beyond comprehension!!
"Our hearts leap with Joy!"