God speaks...

Let me start by saying that this is probably going to be a long post. I feel as though I would like to give a little back ground info about me before I share the story about Water is Life. So here goes, I hope you are able to stick with me:

I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died for us and three days after his death was raised from the dead!

I grew up going to church. In fact my dad was a preacher. Yep, I was a preachers kid (PK)! I was always told that I had become a believer at about age 7, but never really remembered any of it happening. I remember seeing pictures of me getting baptized, but again never remembered the actual event.

When my family moved to Oklahoma I realized that I never felt guilty about anything I did wrong. I know that may sound weird but it is what brought me to the Lord. I am not saying this is a sure sign for everyone to know they weren't a believer, but for me this is what God used. So I was about 14 when I gave my life over to Christ.

This is when my journey began! There have been some real great days and some real not so great days. I can probably count on one hand the times I have clearly heard God speaking to me. I would now like to tell you about two of those times!

You may remember me talking about getting sick a few weeks ago (actually at this point it is probably about 7 weeks ago). I ended up going to the hospital so they could hook me up to an IV so I wouldn't get dehydrated. The only thing I could keep down was water, and even that was hard to do.

When I got home I was so thankful for water. I realized what a huge blessing it was to have water to sip on when you are sick or just thirsty in general. I prayed and thanked God for the clean drinkable water and asked if there was a way I could help those who didn't have it to show me.

I kid you not, two days later my husband and I were watching our local news and they did a story about a charity called Water is Life! They provide filtered straws to places that don't have drinkable water! Talk about God clearly speaking!!! I was so thrilled, I told Justin about how I had prayed and how I would like to look up more info on this charity and possibly give money or some how help them out. He thought it was a great idea. It turns out the guy who started it used to (or possibly still does) go to our church! I really felt good about it then.

I should have got my money out at that very moment. However, I being human, put it off. I kept thinking that I would do it and just kept not doing it.

This brings me to God speaking to me again! We had a guest speaker at church this last Sunday and one of the things they said at the end was what is your mission? (could be botching the exact wording they used, but you will get the idea) They encouraged us to find ways that we could be missionary's with out leaving the country. At that moment God laid it on my heart to use my time on Friday's looking at garage sales as a mission field. I mean you come into contact with so many people. I was pretty excited about this but wasn't sure how I was going to go about doing it.

Enter my friend Misti. She and I go to garage sales every Friday morning. We load up the kids in the van grab a bite to eat (although that might need to change because the money we spend adds up) and then head out to find some good deals. This morning was no different than any other, except that it was poring down rain. We decided to go ahead and get out and see if there were any brave garage sale hosts out there.

As we pulled up to the first one of the day Misti and I both started to share about how God told us to use this as our mission field. It was so awesome! Misti came up with the idea to ask those holding the garage sale if there was anything we could pray for them about. There it was...that is how we can make a difference! Here I wasn't sure how to do this as a mission but God new that Misti would have a great idea.

Now garage sales have become more about finding good deals, but about helping others. It is amazing how God will talk to us and how God will use others. I told Misti the Water is Life story and I was then encourage to obey God and give to them. So this afternoon after garage sales I finally gave to them. I may not be able to go to another country to hand out straws but I can give money to help others do this.

Ok, I told you this was a long post and I hope you made it through to the end. Do you have any stories of when God spoke to you? Do you have a place that you consider your mission field? I would really love to hear about it if you do.

God is so Good!

WFMW - Taking a vacation day

As a stay at home mom I am on duty (at work) pretty much 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I was reminded by my husband that he too has a full time job and then has his evening and weekend duty of being dad and husband. (I would like to mention that he too is on call 24/7 and does a great job when I need him).

So the other day I had a thought...I need to take a vacation day! After all when I worked I took vacation days. I think it is VERY important for people to take vacation days, whether they work outside the home or at home. We need our sanity people!

My husband and mother understood that I needed this day off. So this past Monday I was able to go to the mall and get a manicure and pedicure. I had thought about getting a massage, but I am glad I didn't because during my mani/pedi I sat in a massaging chair! It was so nice and relaxing. (stay tuned for more info on where I went, I want to make sure they get the props they deserve because they did a great job and I was very pleased)

I felt very refreshed after this. I was then able to come home and have lunch with my husband before he went to work (my mom had picked up Ian and taken him to her house by this point). After he left for work I laid down and took a nap...a 2 hour 45 minute nap! It was so nice to wake up when I was ready rather than when Ian was ready!

What works for you? To see more WFMW go to We Are THAT Family! And while you at it schedule a vacation day!

Please ignore my ugly feet, but focus on the cute flower on my big toes! Also, I am pretty proud of my manicure too! (I won't mention that I ruined my thumb nail right after I had it done all because preggo here couldn't wait to go to the bathroom, so shh, I didn't say a word about that)

Must he grow up?

I had all intentions to tell you all about my vacation day. However, something else has come up.

Yep, my Ian is growing up! This is too soon. Must he be such a big boy so soon?

He spent the afternoon at my mom's house so I could have the day off (Justin took off and stayed with him in the morning). He didn't take a nap so needless to say he was TIRED when we started home after a quick dinner.

He fell asleep in the car and when we saw this Justin and I decided that we would go get ice cream so he would stay asleep for a little bit longer in the car.

When we got home he was still very tired and just laid on Justin's lap for a minute or so before we got his night time diaper on. I went to his bedroom to throw away his diaper and he followed me. So I picked him up and just thought "hey why not see if he will lay down in his new toddler bed?" Well he was SO tired that he did, no problem at all!

As soon as Justin and I finished tucking him in and left his room I realized I was not ready for him to be in the big boy bed! I was nervous the whole night. I went in to check on him once before we went to bed and then when we opened his door up I ended up re-adjusting him so he wasn't hanging off the bed.



I continued to worry the whole night through! I think the main reason was because his bed is just sitting in the middle of his current room. So I just didn't know what he would end up doing if he fell off. Would he cry, start playing with his toys?

Thankfully he slept till 5:30 this morning! He got up and stood at the gate in front of his door way and cried. I got up faster than I ever have and picked him up. Not thinking I took him straight to the bedroom with Justin and I. Well he didn't fall asleep until Justin got up and went to the couch. I was able to move Ian over to his side of the bed and lay him on his tummy, so he slept for about 30 minutes or so.

I should also mention that I tried to put him back in his crib but he held on to me with all he had. He seemed really scared so I didn't even bother trying to lay him down. That is when I was able to lay him on Justin's side of the bed and he slept for a bit.

Justin woke up and started getting ready for bed and that seemed to wake Ian up as well. So we ended up getting up a little before 7 and started our day. I decided as soon as he woke up that early that we would be getting in a morning nap even if it meant no afternoon nap (still not sure if we will nap this afternoon, but hoping we will).

So there you go! My little guy is growing up and I am SO not ready for it. But I imagine each stage of growing up will be like this for me. Hoping it gets a little easier though. Does it? Does it get easier as they get older?

On a different note, one of my nieces had a birthday yesterday! She turned 9! Yeah, I am pretty sure I am going to put an age cap on those kids and say they can't get older than 11. Do you think this will work? That means my oldest niece will get one more birthday then she has to stop getting older.

I can't believe it...

I had a perfect doctor's appointment today! Woo Hoo! It was so nice to hear her say "blood pressure good, no protein in your urine, good and baby's heart beat good!"

Today I am 26 weeks pregnant! My friend Erin pointed out that I have less than 100 days! That is double digits baby! Woo Hoo! This is exciting and scary all at the same time. It is exciting because I can't wait to meet our little Owen. It is scary because first of all we don't have Ian in his new room and because...HOLY COW we will have two kids! Am I really ready for that?

grilled cheese in a waffle iron...

Yesterday I needed to make dinner for Justin and Ian before I left for a night out. I decided to do sandwiches. For Ian I was going to do a pre-made peanut butter and jelly from Smucker's. And for Justin I decided to do a grilled cheese. Then I decided I didn't want to get out a pan to cook it in. I realized I still had the waffle iron out from the night before and decided I would just try to cook it in the waffle iron. It worked great and looked fun!

And this is What Works For Me! To see more WFMW go to We Are THAT Family.

19 months!

I never thought I would be a mom that taught her kids things. I know that sounds weird, but I just have always been the one who likes to play and do fun stuff (like with my nieces and nephew), but as a mom I am totally different! And I am glad, because if I were playing all the time I wouldn't have so many cute stories to share. Here are a few things Ian is learning...

1. To shake hands. He loves to shake hands, sometimes he gets shy though and won't do it, we are working on that.

2. To be a gentlemen. When I say to him "can you be a gentleman?" He will kiss my hand! So far he has done this to Nana too (and also Daddy, but I am trying to tell him he doesn't have to do this with boys).

3. He says "cheese" whenever we get the camera out. Of course he also says it when we don't have out the camera, but he will smile real big when he says it, so he knows it is a way to smile. If that makes sense at all.

4. To make animal noises. He can say what a dog says, a lion and sometimes a cow. We are working on ducks and cats too right now, but he hasn't seemed to catch on to those yet.

5. To do sign language. He can do the signs for more, milk, water, food, and thank you! He also will cross his arms when I ask if he can say I love you. Because I will do that when I am saying I love you (you know where you point to yourself (I) then cross your arms over your chest (love) and then point to the other person (you).) I don't know that that is really sign language but it is cute!

And these are just a few of the things that Ian has learned in his 19 months of living! The crazy thing is sometimes I don't know where he gets the things he does. I love that boy so much! I can't imagine what my life would be like if he weren't in it. Happy 19 months my sweet Ian.

(it is getting harder and harder to get a good picture of him by the Curious George doll)

(To see Ian's one month picture click here)

Garage sale...**Updated pictures**

I went to a few garage sales today with our friends Misti and Calvin. It was a lot of fun! I will say that we got up earlier than normal. I have been making Ian stay in bed till 8 but since he was making noise I decided to go ahead and get up and call Misti to tell her we are game for an early day.

We started out going to McDonald's for some breakfast. At first we couldn't find any garage sales. Then we started to find some good ones. The boys really enjoyed the ride around town. They were laughing at each other for a lot of the ride! It was so cute and a little distracting to be honest. I think I had a few people pass me because I was going slow.

I got Ian a desk for $2 and an OSU backpack for $3! I was so thrilled. Ian really likes the desk. Here is a picture of it.

I guess he has a headache...

Yesterday, as I mentioned, I pulled weeds in my flower garden. Today I have paid the price, big time! My lower back has been hurting since late last night.

This morning I laid on the heating pad and then switched to an ice pack.

While using the ice pack I got a bit of a headache, so I moved the ice pack to my head. Ian saw me doing this and wanted to hold the ice pack. Once it lost it's coldness I let him go ahead and hold it. I guess he he must have had a headache because he put it on his head too! I tell you what that boy cracks me up sometimes! I love it!

I feel like a real mom Gepetto!

Today was the first time in a long time that I have felt like a real mom. In the morning I took Ian outside and had him sit in the wagon while I pulled weeds! Then we took naps (well Ian took a nap, I got to shower and then lay down for a short period of time before he woke up).

At lunch my friend Misti called and asked if we wanted her to bring us lunch and let our boys play. I of course said yes! So we got to have lunch with our friends and since it was so nice outside still I asked if she would want to take the boys outside to play. She said yes.

We brought the side walk chalk outside for the boys to play with, although I think Misti might have had more fun with that, as you will be able to see in one of the pictures a nice drawing of a flower. Then we got bubbles going and "paint". We filled a plastic container with water and let the boys "paint" the garage with it. It was really interesting to see the different ways the boys played. Calvin was really into "painting" the garage and Ian was more into playing with the water in the container. Over all they had a great time! And so did I.

I felt really happy today. Not that I have been sad lately or anything but I just felt a sense of joy today. Being able to watch my boy play and enjoy the company of friends was just a great way to spend my day. I am so grateful for all of my friends.

Today I ponder...

What would life be like if we didn't have chocolate?

We would have less smiles that is for sure!

I feel like I've done good...

Today I actually made mine and Ian's lunch! And by make I mean threw in the microwave. But let me tell you that is way more than I have done in days, er, weeks really. Mine was a Stouffers meal (Monterey Chicken) and Ian's was a cheap $1 meal that was popcorn chicken and potato smiley faces! He ate the chicken right up and munched on the potatoes for a while. I was able to save some of them and he can have them for dinner tonight!

To top this off I actually got dressed this morning...wait for it...even though I had no where to go! This is huge considering I am usually still in my pajamas when Justin get home.

Now Ian is asleep. I tried to sleep too and I did for about 10 or 15 minutes. Then the phone rang. I have pretty much decided that I won't get a comfy sleep in until Owen is born anyways, so I got up, ate a caramel cadbury egg (yummy) and decided to blog about my super duper accomplishments!

Next thing you know I will be unloading the dishwasher...oh wait, I did that too! While our lunches were cooking I just decided at first I would take the plates out, then moved on to the bowls, cups, silver ware and so on. It was done before my dinner was! Man I am on a role today. Perhaps I will now take the time to fold the towels that are in the clothes basket. I don't want to over do it, I still want to have this energy going when Justin gets home. It is pizza night, so I need to have it in me to put it in the oven. ;)

My wonderful husband...

So last night I finally decided that instead of waiting for Justin to ask in I needed help I would just ask him to help me. I was pretty worn out from our trip to Wal-Mart, but our dishes were in desperate need of being washed.

So like any good wife :) I asked my husband if he could help me out! I think I gave him the option of unloading or loading. I was hoping he would chose to unload as it takes less moving around the kitchen to load the dishwasher.

Again being the good wife that I am ;) sat on the couch with Ian while he did his half. I wasn't listening too much to what Justin was doing because Ian and I were watching videos of, well Ian. He loves watching videos of himself!

Ok, more about my vain child later, this post is about my wonderful husband!

Before I knew it Justin was coming over and said are you ready to do your part? I was more than happy to get up off the couch and let him sit with Ian while I loaded the dishwasher. Only when I got to the kitchen to my surprise Justin had already loaded most of the dishes! I usually can fit the last few in so I did some rearranging and got the last few in and put the final non refrigerated groceries up.

I love my husband so much! To top off this great story he also helped by putting the clothes in the dryer for me! I am not sure what I did to deserve this wonderful man as my life long partner, but I thank God for it daily!

I love you sweet man of mine!

I'm starting a fund...

Yep, I want to start a fund called the "send Jessica to the spa fund". What do you think? I mean I am sure we could get it to where people could write it off for tax purposes. ;)

Seriously though, I need a day off. I realized this morning that I work 7 days a week plus evenings. Yes the evenings and weekends are part time seeing how I have Justin there to help, but still I feel bad having him do to much because he does go to an actual job and doesn't get to take naps during the day.

So what do you think, will you give to my fund? :)

Pictures...

Justin's parents are currently here visiting with us. Ian is having a great time! I know we are going to have some recovery days once they leave.

Here are a few pictures of the past few days.

Ian getting his Easter basket. He was so excited!

Ian got to eat a piece of the candy that came in his basket. He enjoyed that too ;)

I love this picture!

Kaitlynn (niece), Ian and Kylie (niece) at church on Saturday night. I love this picture too!

Walking around at the zoo with Grandpa and Grandma.

Taking a short break (mainly for my sake).

Ok, so this picture is just funny. I bought that toy at a garage sale and he doesn't really know how to pay with it. So he rides it like a horse. What I didn't realize is that on the t.v. was an Old Spice commercial. So don't worry we are not letting Ian watch bad movies ;) As a joke I wanted to put Justin's head on the body, but since I am not that good at the computer I didn't. Plus the actor is African American, which actually would have made it even more funny!

Not for those who like Barbra Streisand