Merry Christmas

Unfortunately Hopson and I didn't send out Christmas cards this year. We have had a pretty busy December, and that wasn't a top priority.

So here is our Christmas card to you :) 

Merry Christmas! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas day! I'll be back in a few days!

What about Santa?

Hopson and I grew up pretty differently when it came to Santa. I grew up leaving cookies and milk out, going to bed early, and running downstairs Christmas morning to see what I got and if Santa ate his cookies. Hopson grew up not believing in Santa. He knew that he wasn't real from the start.

Guess what? Neither of us were traumatized for the way we were raised about Santa

So two people with opposite views get married and have kids...what do we do now? We had many conversations about Santa. It started with us both wanting to convince the other to join our point of view. That has changed in the last few years. We can talk about Santa without having a huge debate, and believe it or not, we are both happy with the decision we came to.

Last Christmas we decided that we were going to treat Santa like you would treat Mickey Mouse. He is fun to look at and go see, but he is not real.

 As you can see Jonah pretty much is terrified of Santa right now anyways!

He finally calmed down enough to take a family pic!

This Christmas we have talked even more about Santa, and we have come to the conclusion that we can teach Jonah that Santa is fun and not real and still totally miss the true meaning of Christmas. So we adjusted our view of Santa. We don't want Santa to be the main point of Christmas; we want Christ to be the main point. We want to teach Jonah that Christmas is all about a baby being born to one day die for our sins. That may seem like a horrible thing to teach children about...a baby being born for the purpose of dying, but what an amazing truth for him to understand and hopefully one day believe with all of his heart! Hopson and I pray every night that our children will understand and believe Christ. If we pray this, how could we NOT share with Jonah (and our future kids) about the amazing miracle that we celebrate every December. 

I know many people who are hardcore about Santa and many people who are completely against celebrating Santa. Santa is not a big enough deal to fight over. I can be friends and enjoy people on both sides. I am not trying to get people to "hold my view," I just wanted to put it out there for others :)

11 weeks left...

My little Zoe girl will be here in 11 weeks (hopefully less)

This was at 27 weeks

Hard to believe that it is going by so fast. She is a strong kicker and moves all around! We are teaching Jonah to say "Sissy" and how to be gentle. He is pretty good at the Sissy part, but not so good at the being gentle part. Can't wait for her to get here. Can't believe I am almost a mom of two!

Hopson in Connecticut

Please pray for Hopson today as he officiates his first funeral. He is in Connecticut where his extended family lives. I know he will be nervous. Jonah and I are excited to see him again tomorrow. Pray that he arrives home safe and sound!
Thank you!

Never did $2.36 mean so much!

So this week has been a more stressful week for my little family. Hopson has his GRE today and is preaching a funeral for his aunt on Monday. He has been stressing out about taking his GRE because if he fails, he doesn't get into the PhD program.

So Thursday night we went to  Chick-fil-a to get dinner and to unwind a little bit. We had some free chicken sandwich coupons thanks to an awesome brother-in-law and rounded up some change for fries. After that we went to Big Lots to walk around. We weren't planning on getting anything, but we hadn't been in Big Lots since we moved. Jonah was doing great looking at all the toys and pushing this little stroller around, but after a little while he had a meltdown. 

As we were walking towards the exit, an older woman stopped us and began talking to Jonah. She asked him what was wrong and told him not to cry anymore. He quit crying and looked at her. He wasn't sure about this lady at first. She then showed him some cars and asked him if he wanted one, which of course he did!

Hopson and I were standing there smiling and not really saying much, but we were both thinking that we had $4 and some change in our checking account and we weren't going to spend it on these little cars right now. We were content to take Jonah home and put him to bed! This lady continues talking with Jonah and he is listening to her and pointing at these two cars and hands them to her. She asks him which one he wants and he wants both of them.

She walks to the cashier with Jonah following her and proceeds to buy these two little cars for my son. Jonah will never remember this act of kindness, but it meant the world to Hopson and I.

After such a hard week, God used this lady to remind us of His love. He hasn't forgotten about us, and He even cares for my little boy's wants. Never before did $2.36 mean so much to us!

Prayers please!

My in-laws have been under a lot of stress this year. They have been trying to sell their house for 6 months, my father-in-law found out he needs a kidney transplant, and yesterday his sister committed suicide. They all could really use your prayers right now. I know that the comfort and strength they need can only come from Christ, so please pray for them! My prayer for them is Psalm 40:11 "As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!" Pray that during this time they will feel God's faithfulness and love. Pray that others will walk through this with them and show them God's faithfulness and love.

Thank you for your prayers!

Judge Not :)

Parenting is really hard! I was one of those people who would judge everyone else's parenting skills. I would say things like, "my kids will never do that," or "I won't ever let my kids do that."

Then I had Jonah. Jonah is the kid screaming as we walk out of chickfila because he wanted to play more, and then as soon as we are out of the restaurant he is all smiles and is done screaming. Jonah is the kid who laughs every time we say no. He thinks we are just joking around about not putting food in his hair and running in the parking lot. Jonah is the kid who just refuses to walk when he doesn't want us to hold his hand. He is the kid who has a meltdown when we walk in our front door because he wanted to stay outside. Now don't get me wrong, I know most of this is normal behavior for a one year old, but I always said that it wouldn't be my kid. What I didn't take into account is the fact that I can't control Jonah's reaction to anything. I can be the authority and tell him what to do. I can even discipline him when he is disobeying or throwing a fit, but I can't control him.

Another thing I didn't realize is how much I would change once I had a child. I didn't realize how much more compassion and love I would have for my own children. I didn't realize how much more grace I would have towards other parents. And I didn't realize just how incredibly hard it would be to raise a child.

Now I am less than three months from having a baby girl. I am so excited, but also scared! I can hardly keep my one year old in line let alone two kids! Thankfully I have a wonderful husband to walk with on this journey of parenting and a gracious, forgiving God who is always ready to give me strength and wisdom daily.

So please don't judge my parenting...and I won't judge yours :)

Reading as a couple

Hopson and I have been reading books together throughout our history as a couple. We went to college at Bob Jones University, and you can't do much else there besides read or play board games...and you can only play Guess Who so many times, so we started reading.

The book that helped us the most in our dating relationship was probably The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It opened our eyes to the fact that we both receive and show love in different ways. You can't speak your spouse's primary "language" until you know what it is.

When we got engaged, and then married, we continued reading books together. The book that has had the greatest impact on our marriage has been What did you Expect by Paul David Tripp. This book can benefit any relationship, not just a marriage. The book points out that the main problem with your marriage/relationship is you, not the other person (this sounds harsh, but it is very true).

Two years ago, our reading interests expanded, when we found out we were having a baby. We have read several books about parenting. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel are very practical and in-depth books for new or experienced parents. I am thankful we read these books while our son is still so little, they have helped us tremendously to parent him biblically. 


Tonight, we received a book that we have been excited about--Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. Hopson and I both have been excited about this book, because we enjoy Mark Driscoll's preaching. He is very passionate and real with his audience. We are doing an advance read on this book for a review that I will be putting on this blog.


The book that has definitely helped us the most is the Bible, and the reason these other books have benefited us, is because they are based on Scripture. I encourage all of you to read books together with your spouse, but start with God's Word.


Hopson and I are always looking for good books, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

The results are in...

NO GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!! YAY!

Heeeelllllooooo Third Trimester

Today is the start of my third trimester. I don't know where the time has gone. 

Yesterday I had my test for gestational diabetes. I am kind of expecting to have it again this pregnancy. I have been trying to eat better and exercise more, but I know the risk for subsequent pregnancies is higher. It would be great if I didn't have the diabetes though!

I also found out today that I am having another ultrasound in 6 weeks. I am really hopeful that the doctor will push my due date forward. My original due date was February 18, but after my first ultrasound they moved it to March 6. My husband thinks I am crazy to be so optimistic about this, but I don't care :) If it ends up being March that will give me a few more weeks to teach Jonah how to be nice and gentle. He really is a bully. Oh well...better the bully than the one being bullied (Hopson hates it when I say that)

Potty training

We are in the process of potty training our 16 month old son. He will let us know when he goes poo poo and pee pee.

We bought him his own little potty seat and we make him sit on it for a few minutes. He hasn't gone in the potty yet, but he just told me he had to go poo poo. So as I type this on my phone he is sitting on the potty! I will let you know what happens :)

15 more weeks!

So it has been about 2 weeks since I have posted on my blog! The time goes by so quickly!

I have 15 more weeks before baby Z makes her appearance. I am kind of hoping that it is sooner, but since I have one outfit, a tutu, a hat, and booties for her I am thinking she needs to take her time. Hopson is hoping for a February 29 baby...we'll see. This second pregnancy is FLYING by! I can't believe that I am almost in my third trimester! I remember waiting and waiting for Jonah to arrive. Once I hit 36 weeks I was ready for him to come whenever! This time I look at my What to Expect app and I am blown away by how fast it is going!

Jonah and I have been to New York and back for my grandmother's 80th birthday. The day we got back from New York I got a wonderful little thing called the stomach bug! So it took about 2 days to get over that. Feeling much better now! And thankfully Jonah never got sick!

While we were gone Hopson finished up his paper for his first doctoral seminar! YAY! I have one more class tonight and then we are both finished with our first semester of classes.

That is a very brief summary of the past two week! See you again...hopefully SOON!

Sick little boy

So for the past week Jonah has been sick. I am not sure if it is allergies, a cold, or teething. When he is sick, he gets into everything and is really whiny. He wants to try everything out even if he is not supposed to. When I tell him no he gives me a look and a whine like I should be allowing him to do whatever he wants! As I type this right now he is mad because he can't get the one specific toy that he wants.

Needless to say, it is tough on a mom when your kiddos are sick. I feel bad for my son, but I also get way more frustrated with him. God has been really teaching me to let the frustration go. I have been praying so much more this week for grace. I have been praying for a stronger love to be compassionate to Jonah. I have failed several times, but God is answering my prayers as well. Jonah wants me to comfort him and take care of him when he feels bad and I want to do those things. I am so thankful to be able to stay home with him and be with him. I am thankful that I am the one that gets to wipe his snotty nose and deal with his temper tantrums. It's not easy but there is no other place I would rather be!

I also want to say that I have a great husband who is soo helpful! He comes home from work and plays with our son so that I can cook or clean or do whatever needs to be done. Hopson hasn't complained about the house being messier, but has helped clean it up and put it back in order. God has blessed me so much in my family and today I choose to be thankful!

Its just different...

So I am 22 weeks pregnant with my second child, a little girl. We are so excited to be having another child, but this pregnancy is so different.

For my first pregnancy, we had tried 2 and a half years to have a baby. We went to Ohio to visit friends and on the way home Hopson and I prayed for a baby, but told the Lord that He was enough. Even if He didn't allow us to have a child. Little did we know that I was already pregnant. I went to the doctor for a blood test and when the doctor called me with the results, I couldn't even answer the phone. My husband called the doctor back and told me that I was pregnant. I had horrible panic attacks and anxiety with my first pregnancy. I also had gestational diabetes. My skin cleared up a ton and my hair grew really long and fast and thick. My nails were also great!

This time it is so different. I have had no anxiety or panic attacks, which has been great. I also haven't had a great complexion, hair, or nails. I am not sure if it is because I am having a girl this time or not, but that's ok!

Those aren't the only differences. This pregnancy is going by SO fast! I am already past the halfway point! And my excitement is completely different. I am so thankful we are having a girl, but it has hit me that I will be teaching her everything. How to be a wife, a mother, a woman. I will be teaching her how to do her makeup and hair. How to cook and clean. It all seems overwhelming!

I also am concerned about taking away from my son. I spend so much time with him and I don't want him to feel unloved or left out. I know that before I had him there was no way I could comprehend the love that I would have for him, so I am hoping it is the same way with my baby girl.

I know that when the time comes for her to be here, God will give me the strength to love both of my children and to parent both of them, but this waiting period certainly is different!! Anybody else ever have feelings like this?

Date Night!

So my hubby and I got to go for a date night on Saturday night. It was great. I have struggled with date nights ever since having a baby. I hate leaving Jonah. Well I have been learning the importance of putting my marriage before my child, and it has been great!

So Saturday night Hopson and I went out and had a "us" time! We went to the mall, walked around, ate and hung out. I love going to the mall and window shopping. We split Chinese food and talked and had a great time.

I am so thankful to share my dreams with Hopson. He is a great husband and I love him so much! Our date nights are always filled with great conversations and laughter and sometimes tears. God has worked so much in our marriage. I am so thankful to see how much He has grown us and where He is going to take us. I hope that our kids will see the importance we place on our marriage and desire the same for themselves!

St. Louis

So a lot has happened since I have last posted.

My parents came for a weekend to spend some time with us. They watched Jonah so Hopson and I could attend a marriage conference called, A Weekend to Remember. It was wonderful! We were able to spend a bunch of time together while learning how to improve our marriage. Hopson and I want our marriage to reflect the image of God. That is who God created us to be and that is what He wants a marriage to be. We were able to learn practical ways to do this.

Jonah had a great time with my parents. When we came home, he was sitting on my mom's lap while she read to him. He cried when they left. We will see them again around Christmas time. So I hope he remembers them!

Four days after they left we went on our vacation to St. Louis. We had a great time. Hopson and I try to go on vacation every year. We have made some wonderful memories and explored some really cool cities. This was our first vacation with Jonah. We have taken some weekend trips with him, but not a family vacation.

The first day we went to the Museum of Transportation. Jonah LOVES trains. We had a blast!

 The second day we went to Grant's Farm. 

 Jonah loved the goats!! He would feed them and hug them.

My wonderful family. (Jonah hardly ever cooperates in a family picture)

 On Sunday we went to St. Charles and walked around.

 Having fun running around the park!

 Up in the arch!

 We spent a long time at the St. Louis Zoo.

Jonah wanted to carry the camera bag...It was so funny watching him try to walk.

 Our last day in St. Louis.

On the way home

We were in St. Louis while the World Series was going. I am glad that they were playing in Texas while we were there, but the city as a whole was very excited about their team. St. Louis was a great city to take a toddler to. There were many free things to do and Jonah had a blast. It is amazing as parents how much joy you receive when your child is having fun and enjoying himself. It helps me to understand God's love for me. As the perfect parent, He takes pleasure in giving us gifts. I am so thankful that He is my Father.

These pictures only give small glimpses of our vacation, but we had a wonderful time. It was so great to spend so much time together as a family. It was very relaxing and refreshing for all of us. 

Quick Catch-up

So this past week has been busy. On Monday I had doctor's appointments for both of my kids! We found out that our baby is a little girl. Her name is Zoe Elizabeth. Zoe means "life" and Elizabeth means "consecrated to God."

Jonah also had a doctor's appointment on Monday. He is in the 50th percentile for weight, 80th percentile for height, and off the charts for his head measurement. Hopefully this means he is really smart!

I also have started my second term of classes in the Seminary Wives Institute. The first term I took Discipleship 1 and Biblical Parenting. This term I am taking Discipleship 2 and Old and New Testament Survey. I have enjoyed taking these classes and learning alongside my husband. When Hopson was at Mid America I often felt as if he was learning so much and I wasn't learning much. Now I am so thankful to be learning about the Bible and how to be a pastor's wife.

My parents came to visit us this week. It is always a joy to see Jonah interact with family. I love watching them play together and Jonah talk to them. My prayer is that one day God will allow us to move closer to family and be a bigger part of each other's lives. It is a much bigger hope now that my in-laws are moving close to my parents.

More to come later...just a quick catch up.

Taco Bell, A Fever, and the Emergency Room

It all started at Community Group on Sunday. Hopson was in a group with 3 other guys, and he invited them and their wives to dinner on Thursday night. We are really working at being more hospitable. We also want to have true community and fellowship with our group, so I didn't mind at all.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Hopson had to work a late night, so he didn't get home until around 7. We went to Taco Bell for dinner. As we were leaving Taco Bell, I started to get really cold. It was like 80 degrees out and I was shivering. I thought I had a fever, but Hopson didn't think I felt that warm. So we went to the grocery store to get the food for our dinner on Thursday. As we were walking down the refrigerated sections, I was shivering...I knew I had a fever, but didn't think it was a big deal. We came home and I sat on the couch covered with a blanket and tried to get warm. I went to bed thinking that my fever would break in the night and I would be fine in the morning.

Well, I was wrong. I woke up Thursday morning, with no symptoms but still had a fever. I talked to Hopson about whether or not we should cancel dinner for that evening, and he wasn't sure. I didn't know if I was contagious or not, and I didn't want anyone else to get sick. So since I am pregnant and had a fever, Hopson told me to call my ob/gyn. I left a message, and about 20 minutes later they called me telling me to go to the emergency room. I hadn't showered or gotten Jonah ready or anything, so I kind of panicked. I was really scared that there was something wrong with the baby. (I mean they don't tell you to go to the emergency room for just anything...right?) Hopson left work and came right home. He knew I would be worried.

So we go to the emergency room. We wait for a few minutes before going back into a room.

 Jonah didn't last too long in his stroller. There were too many things to explore and play with.

No make-up and beautiful hospital gown

After asking a bunch of questions, they want to do a flu test, strep test, and urine test. I have never had a flu or strep test before. Having a huge q-tip shoved up your nose, and then another one shoved down your throat wasn't exactly what I would call a pleasant experience, but I made it through!

 

So now we are just waiting for the results...

As we are waiting for the results, the nurse comes in to check the baby's heartbeat. I was hoping they would do an ultrasound so we could find out the sex of the baby, but they didn't. (I FIND OUT MONDAY!!) It takes the nurse about 10 minutes to find the heartbeat. She is moving the wand all around, and she finds my heartbeat over and over but not the baby's. I look up at Hopson and can tell that he is really worried. He has this look on his face and I know that he thinks there is something wrong with the baby. I could feel the baby move, so I knew that everything was ok. I don't know why I didn't tell him that, but I didn't. Finally she found the heartbeat and Hopson was so relieved. 148 precious little beats per minute. The nurse thinks it's a boy. Did I mention that I find out MONDAY?!?! It did touch my heart how much Hopson already loves this little baby. He can't feel the baby move, he doesn't know what it looks like, it hasn't done ANYTHING to "earn" or "deserve" his love, yet Hopson still loves this little one. Isn't it great that we serve a God that we don't have to earn His love? We don't have to do anything to deserve His love? It is all grace and a gift. (I could go on and on, so we will save it for another post, another day) 

 

Jonah actually did really good (he wasn't perfect by any means)

So about 45 minutes later we get the results from the tests...a UTI. I was kind of shocked that the ob/gyn would have me go to the emergency room for that. Now don't get me wrong, I am sooo thankful that I didn't have anything seriously wrong with me or the baby, but I was a little surprised. So it is Friday afternoon. My fever broke last night, I am drinking lots of water, and getting ready for my date with my husband. :) I am so thankful that God does hear our prayers, that the baby is doing great, and that I am doing great!

Oh and we did end up canceling dinner last night.

Parenting

So it is amazing to me how much I have forgotten when I was pregnant with Jonah. I feel sooo tired this time and so out of sorts. I am constantly asking Hopson if I felt like this when I was pregnant with Jonah. He always tells me yes. I thought once I hit my second trimester I would have some energy. Sadly this is not the case. I am still sleeping in with Jonah EVERY morning and taking a nap at least once a day...sometimes more than that. Thankfully I have a wonderful toddler who will nap with me and who loves to keep himself occupied with legos or books.

I also have a wonderful husband that allows me to stay home with Jonah and this new baby. I know "allow" may sound weird or controlling, but he is willing to work so hard to provide for us so I can stay home. He believes in Titus 2:4 that my role is to be "working at home," and I love being a wife and a mommy.

God has been teaching me so much about what it means to be a homemaker. It is so much more than cooking and cleaning. This semester I took a Biblical Parenting class and my teacher said that being a stay at home mom was tending to souls. I am tending to Jonah's soul. WOW! What an amazing and huge task. I feel so unworthy to accomplish this task, but my God has told me that HIS strength is made perfect in my weakness. I am so thankful to have a heavenly Father who gives me guidance and direction on this whole parenting thing. I am thankful for other parents who I can look up to. The ones who have done things wrong and will give guidance through their mistakes. I am thankful for the ones who have done things right and share the way with us.

So I have to ask myself the question...Did I prayerfully tend to Jonah's soul today? Did I discipline him consistently? Did I spend time with him? Am I being joyful in my tasks as a mom and homemaker? Am I being a woman that models the type of woman I want Jonah to marry someday. Thankfully I have a God who forgives and gives so many chances. He gives me a new day to work on this mom thing!

Family Weekend

We love to spend our weekends doing family activities. In Louisville, there are tons of festivals and events to go to.

Our weekend started earlier than normal. Hopson got off work around 1:30 on Friday afternoon. He came home with our weekend all planned out. Friday afternoon we went to the St. James Art Fair. The weather was beautiful and we were able to look at tons of different art from all over the country. I am amazed at what some people think art is and how much they charge for it! I love going to get good ideas of things I can make.

Friday night we went walking along Frankfort Avenue. One Friday a month, they keep all their stores open late and have lots of music and fun things to do.

Jonah loves dogs (from far away at least)

Jonah is helping me make French Toast to start our Saturday off!

As soon as he saw the bread he grabbed a piece and started eating.

 Saturday morning we went to the Harvest Homecoming Parade,

 Jonah didn't care too much for the parade. He wanted to explore.

He wouldn't even take a good picture with Daddy.

Saturday afternoon we went to Huber's Farm. Jonah LOVED the goats. 

 Family picture in the pumpkin patch...too bad the stroller is in the picture too!

 Almost 18 weeks pregnant!

 We found the best pumpkin!

 Jonah was more interested in eating than pumpkin picking.

 Another family picture, minus the stroller

 Me and my number one love!

 Jonah is finally happy after his bottle and snack!

We had a great weekend together! We spent lots of quality time together in the great outdoors! We spent Sunday worshiping Christ and in community with other believers. Every Sunday night we get pizza, and watch a movie or spend time together talking. Jonah gets in bed a little later than normal, but it is a great end to a wonderful weekend. I hope your weekend was as blessed as ours.

Hats, Hats, Hats

I enjoy crocheting and knitting. I am not very good, but it is something I enjoy, mostly for myself. Last year my mother-in-law taught me how to crochet hats. I really loved learning how to do that. They are usually a pretty quick project.

One of my friends knows that I enjoy making these hats, so she asked me to make some for her baby girl who will be here in a few weeks. She sent me some ideas and this is what I came up with...

 This first one was so cute and fun to make. It will be super cute in a newborn photo shoot!

 This one is great for adding bows or flowers. She can make it match any outfit for the baby.

 This one is just an adorable little hat with pom poms on top.

 This little bear hat was pretty difficult to make because of the yarn, but I think it turned out cute! Don't you?

And here they are all together :)

I think the hats turned out super cute. This is definitely not something I would want to continue doing though. I love making things, but not as much when I have a deadline to make and people to please...I am too much of a perfectionist! My mother-in-law can make any of these hats and many more. If you would like to see her ideas and prices you can visit Head Candy.

One day at a time...

Last night Hopson and I were watching Click. In this movie Adam Sandler's character plays a husband who is given the rare opportunity to have a universal remote control that runs his life. He fast forwards through sickness, family time, promotions, even through getting ready in the morning. At the end of the movie he realizes what a waste his time has been. He spent his life for himself and work and not his family. As a follower of Christ I have a much higher calling of who to spend my life for. As I was turning the tv off I was just reminded how much we can waste our time here chasing after things that don't matter.

I am reminded about how easy it is to complain about the little things in life. As a stay at home mom, there are tons of little things that I do every day that go unnoticed and unappreciated, especially by my 14 month old son. It is easy to complain about these things or just become lazy and not do them, but God has given me the blessing of staying home. If I am not doing my responsibilities to His glory and for His honor, then I am wasting my time at home. I cannot be a picture of the gospel if I am complaining. I want to embrace the responsibilities and blessings the Lord has given me and enjoy the mundane tasks. I want to enjoy serving my family this week. I am the only one that can serve MY family in such a unique way. God has given me the task of serving and managing my home. I pray this week can be a time of encouragement and peace in my home.

My encouragement to you is to give those mundane tasks to the Lord. What is it that you are just tired of doing? Whatever it may be for you, God's grace is sufficient. He will give you the strength to do in you what he has called you to do. He has called me to be a stay at home mom and a wife. He will give me the grace and strength to get through and to do it with JOY as unto the Lord. I am taking it one day at a time...

Getting Started

Welcome to my blog! I have been contemplating blogging for awhile, but just haven't had the motivation until now. Since we live so far from family and friends, I wanted to have a easy way to keep you updated on our lives. I want this blog to be a place where you can read about all we are learning on the journey of life as a family of three...soon to be four! My plan is to update this blog a few times a week with little tidbits of information! Please be patient with me as I start this new process...hopefully it will all make sense in a few weeks!! Have a great Saturday night! More to come soon...