Happy Easter!

I love Easter.  Its finally warm outside, the flowers are full in bloom, church is always packed, and I seem to always be in anticipation for God to do something powerful…most years.  This year I have been SOUR, in fact I’ve felt a little bit like this…

Let me explain…

Brad had to have surgery on his shoulder last Wednesday.  We both thought it would be a minor surgery, and we would still be on our way to the beach for the first time as a family of three by Saturday, BUT…we were wrong, dead wrong.  This was not a “minor surgery”, in fact there was nothing minor about it.  Once they got into his shoulder, they discovered that his labrum was essentially severed.  Surgeons normally use one or two anchors to repair a labrum, and to repair Brad’s his doctor used SIX.  His doctor (the same doctor that has operated on Chad Pennington and Donovan McNabb, just to name a few) said it is literally one of the worst shoulders he has ever seen…SO that brings me to this: We did not, and are not going to the beach.  Which also means that I am spending my first holiday EVER away from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.

Has my attitude been bad? Yes.  Have I been a brat to Brad, and probably everyone I’ve come in contact with? Absolutely.  Is it his fault? Absolutely not!  Have I cared if it was his fault? Nope.

So, I have been bitter about missing out on the beach trip, but I was genuinely looking forward to Easter service at our church.  I woke up on Easter like I do every morning to spend some time in the Bible, I really just wanted to thank God for sending his son to die on a cross specifically for me, and to thank Jesus for loving ME enough to hang on that cross and bear my sins.  I was sure that this Easter I would have a better understanding of God sending his son, since I am now a mother, but this  morning I could NOT get myself and my feelings along with my nasty attitude out of my head…fast forward to church…

We had an unbelievable service this morning, and it ended with cardboard testimonies, and then lots of worship while people prayed for miracles.  During one of the songs, God gently reminded me “April, I love you, and I want you to be happy, but sweet girl Easter is NOT about you.  It’s not about spending time with family.  It’s not about vacation or the Easter Bunny or even Emery’s first Easter basket or Easter dress.  It’s not about your family looking nice and getting all dressed up.  Sweet child, it is about my son.  It is about him hanging on a cross specifically for YOU.  It’s about him shedding his blood to save your sins.  It’s about my loving you enough to send him.”  Now obviously, I didn’t audibly hear any of that, but let me tell you something sweet sisters…I felt it in my heart as clear as day!  Right then and there I had to ask for forgiveness from him, and once Brad is in the right frame of mind again I’ll need to ask him for forgiveness too.  The rest of the day has been great…We had a good time at Brad’s parents house eating and hunting Easter eggs outside and just spending time with family. 

How could I have ever turned something so delicate and so intimate into something about me?

“Oh the Blood” – Kari Jobe

O the blood
Crimson love
Price of life’s demand
Shameful sin
Placed on Him
The Hope of every man

O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

Savior Son
Holy One
Slain so I can live
See the Lamb
The great I Am
Who takes away my sin

O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb
What a sacrifice
That saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

O what love
No greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin
Yes, even then

Homeplace…strategic eating

On Sunday after church, we headed to the Homeplace to eat with our lifegroup.  When going to the homeplace it is absolutely necessary to have a strategic eating plan in place…for example I eat one piece of chicken, but load up on mashed potatoes, biscuits with apple butter and green beans.  And apparently Miss Emery is going through a growth spurt, or she just heard us talk about our strategic eating plan because girlfriend got her money’s worth of food…pretty sure she ate more than I did!!! 

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE our small group?? I don’t think I have but let me just tell you…I love it!!  We’re in a life group with a lot of other young couples, and most of them either have small children or are pregnant…I love every single girl in our group.  It’s so fun to just get to talk to women in the same season of life.  We are lucky to go to a church like Parkway and have a life group like we do…I LOVE it!!!  And I love these cute pics even more :)

Well hello Miss Maddie…cute cute cute!

Emery and Miss Layna :)

All the Kiddo’s…Please notice how Sam and Charley do not take their eyes off of Emery :)

 

9 months

You have now been on the outside longer than I was just you and me.  When I look at you now you don’t look like a little baby any more, which breaks my heart.  You are gaining so much independence, which I know is necessary, but it is really hard on this momma!!  You crawl everywhere, pull up on anyone or anything, and you are into absolutely EVERYTHING.  You are definitely still a momma’s girl, and I don’t mind it ONE BIT!!  You babble to us all the time.  You will sign “all done”, when you are done eating, and you will sign “no” back to me sometimes when I do it to you.   You nurse in the morning still, and you take a bottle before bed.  You are a big eater, but your stats definitely do not show it haha!  Here are your stats from your nine month appointment:

- Weight: 16 lbs. 12 oz. (10-25%)

-Height: 28 1/2 inches (75%)

We are so thankful for the joy that you bring us every single day.  I can’t believe in just three short months you will be one year old.  I can’t wait to be off with you, so I can treasure every single second!

Will this bed hold me?

Obviously we cannot get enough Emery time around here.  We have even stooped to laying with her. 

Growing up my dad was a golf pro at a lake course, so he got home pretty late every day.  I remember sometimes he would get home so late I would already be in bed, but I would NOT go to sleep without getting to kiss my dad good night.  I would force myself to stay awake until he would walk through the door, and then I would yell “Daddy…will you come lay with me?” Of course he always would.  He would always make up a story to tell me, and then we would play the alphabet game, and he would sing me a song that he would make up just for me.  I remember feeling like the most special little girl in the ENTIRE world.  I know that Brad will be able to make Emery feel the exact same way.  I honestly think he already does, and you can tell that Emery loves him already by the way that she looks at him.  He is such an amazing dad and husband! 

“It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.”  Lamentations 3:26-27

Sick Little Girl…

We have had one sick little girl on our hands the past week!  We took Emery to the doctor two Sundays ago for a bad cough, fever, and some wheezing.  Dr. Kunkle told us she had bronchiolitis, and sent us away with some medicine and specific instructions to come back if her breathing got worse.  Well…this over protective Mom kept thinking every day that her breathing was worse, so on Friday I called and made her another appointment for that afternoon.  Unfortunately I got hit hard with the stomach flu while at work Friday, so Brad had to play Mr. Mom and take her to the doctor Friday.  She was panting, and having a pretty hard time breathing, so they gave her a nebulizer, and we found out she had an ear infection to top it all off.  

I’m realizing how spoiled I am to have a happy baby most of the time.  I don’t know what to do with a fussy baby…she is absolutely pitiful!! 

The nebulizer is really helping though, and she is definitely on the mend!  She started off hating doing the treatments, but she has warmed up to it, and she will just sit on my lap and let me read to her…very sweet!!

Our Baby Girl is 8 Months Old!!

Sweet Emery you have changed SO MUCH this past month it is unbelievable.  It seems like you are such a big girl now.  Here are some things you are up to:

- You have two teeth.  You cut your bottom right tooth first, and then your bottom left the next day!  You have been a champ for the most part, except for just a couple sleepless nights, but you’ve never been fussy during the day.

- You get up on your knees and rock back and forth, and sometimes you will crawl one or two crawls. 

- You are so strong.  You will get up on your hands and feet with your butt up in the air.  It is so hilarious!

- Just tonight you started saying “ma ma” consistently,  you have been saying “da da” for awhile.  Even if people say you don’t know what you are saying I think sometimes you do :)

- You are still a great eater.  I have overcome my choking fear (sort of) and have started to give you some table food.  You love turkey, puffs, cheese and oranges.  And those are pretty much the only things we have tried.  You will still let me feed you baby food, but you would rather feed yourself…unless you are really hungry in which case you become VERY impatient and will grunt and squeal until I feed you.

- You pull up on lots of things.

- Everyone still tells us how pretty you are, and what a sweet baby you are.

- You talk with your hands just like your mama :)

- You like to show daddy what a great kick you have…all.the.time.  He is SO impressed :)

- You love anything and everything electronic.  You always try to sneak and get our remotes and cell phones.

- You wave to anyone and everyone, we will have to teach you about strangers when you get older because right now you’ve never met a stranger!

- You’re starting to be a little clingy to mommy, but its not too bad most of the time unless you’re really tired or your teeth are hurting.