The belly grows....

So much to catch up on. I'm nearing the end of my second trimester and have been feeling great! I started "nesting" early in anticipation of an uncomfortable last couple months and that has kept me away from blogging more than I anticipated. But more on that in a later post.

First things first. My sister Elizabeth did an amazing maternity shoot for me today and I couldn't wait to share. I'll be 7 months in just a couple of days. As you can see, the baby continues to grow nicely.

Next up ~ Madeline. She did get her cast off, after Easter. They could not determine if there was a fracture in the growth plate, and after 3 rounds of not-so-successful xrays, we decided to just take the splint off and see how she did. She's regained all motion, so we are hopeful that she is healed. We did get some cute Easter pictures, thanks again to Elizabeth, although she still wasn't too happy with her arm at that point.

Also, I am happy to announce we are now "pacifier-free!" I will admit, bedtime is not as self-motivated as before, but it is one more thing I can check off my list before the new baby arrives. Thanks to Super Nanny, we went with the reward system: mail all your pacifiers to the Paci Fairy so she can share them with other little babies, and the next morning a big girl present will arrive in its place. I was going to tell her this a few times in preparation, but the first night she started asking for an "enbelope" to mail her pacis. I scrambled to get a decent big girl present together by the next morning (some new bedtime water cups, a new bedtime blanket I sewed that night, and some dressup stuff) and that was that. She will tell anyone, she is a big girl now!

And last but not least, thank you for all your prayers for Crystal and her kids. They continue to struggle to find their new normal without a husband and daddy. From the outside, I can see that Crystal is doing a great job at continuing to keep things running, but understandably she feels overwhelmed at different times. We missed Mike's laughter at our Memorial Day swim and Bbq. We miss him during basketball playoffs. We miss him when we see his girls and all their energy. I can't imagine how many times a day she misses him.

God has been faithful during this time. We all feel His presence and see Him at work in their situation. It doesn't take away the seeming senselessness of it all, but it does bring real comfort. Specifically, please pray that we will continue to be sensitive to Crystal's needs and obedient to respond. And also, just practically, for her to be able to get some good sleep at night. Her kids have been waking her up 3 to 4 times a night, and as Moms we know it's hard enough to function normally, much less on very sporadic sleep.

I know this post has been all over the place, thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully, I'll be back sooner than later.

Sisters

It's that time again -- Thankful Thursday has rolled around. I've been waiting for today because I am passionate about my subject and only hope I can do her justice.

I am thankful for my sister and her family. They have not always lived nearby and I value this time we have together. I know it may not last forever, and I view it as a treasure.

I am grateful for our friendship. It runs deep and is true. We share a love of Jesus, family, God's Word, ministry, sewing, healthy living, and photography. When you have this much in common, it doesn't require much 'work' to be friends. Oh! I forgot to include phones. Our young families don't leave us much time to actually get together, and when we do there aren't many quiet moments to actually talk, so we communicate more hours on the phone than I care to admit. (Good thing we can both multi-task.)

This is my favorite recent picture of Elizabeth with baby Evan.

I am always amazed that whenever I am in crisis, she speaks to me through my self-appointed love language - food! She calls on her amazing chef to whip us up something fantasical and leaves it in our freezer.

I am indebted to her memories of childhood (as mine seem to be fading). She reminds me that a good mother knows how to give Eskimo kisses and sing This is a Story About Sammy.

This is us on a missions trip together in Russia (15 years ago!)

I am always impressed with what a great aunt she is. She really loves my kids like they are her own. My girls adore the boy cousins, and I love how often they get to be together.

I am thankful that she can put up with my different moods and often help me out of one. She doesn't hold grudges, or use petty things to stir up controversy. She listens to all I have to say and knows me better than almost anybody. She epitomizes Romans 12:15, "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep." When we miscarried our baby boy, she cried over the phone with me -- the best consolation she could have given me. As I said, she loves my kids as her own.

"After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself."
~ 1 Samuel 18:1-3

Today I am thankful for my little sister and tomorrow is her birthday - Happy Early Birthday, Elizabeth!

Love,

For more encouraging words of thanks, stop by and visit Iris at Sting My Heart.