Celebrating God's Goodness, Part 1

By now, many of you have heard that we were accepted as tenants finally! What a HUGE answer to prayer! Thank you to so many people who have prayed with us. The hand of God was so evident in this!

This landlord had turned us down because Andrew does not yet have a job (very understandable!). But as of friday when he told us they would like us to be their tenants he said, "My wife & I welcome you with open arms. We don't know why, but we have such a good feeling about you." How God has worked! We pray that we can fulfill their every expectation! And since they live right in back of us, they'll be able to keep a close eye on us :-o !!

We don't have a ton of pics of it from when Andrew had gone up there to check out houses, but here are a few. (I haven't even seen it in person yet!)

We just love the fact that it is a stand-alone house. Almost everything else we looked at was either a townhome, duplex, or apartment. So we are very excited that we don't have to share walls with anyone!

our home sweet simple home
I have to laugh because recently a lot of friends have been posting pics of their new homes and they are really beautiful. As you look at these pics, you might think, hmmm...I'm not sure why they are so excited. :) But we are as thrilled about this home as we would be a brand-new gorgeous home. And I just say - that's a testament to the grace of God!

But there is no doubt that I have some decorating challenges ahead!

Challenge #1 - the place is covered in BLUE carpet.

Now the one thing I don't own anything in is BLUE.

Everything we have is browns, greens, & orange.

For now, I will probably just pretend it's not blue and hope that everyone who comes over is colorblind. :)

our dark green couches will be an interesting blend...

Challenge #2 - pink bathroom. yep, don't own any pink either.

This one I think I will try to minimize by using brown towels & shower curtain.

That shouldn't be too bad.

here's the kitchen.

not quite sure what that border is and I'm a little scared to find out!

(especially since we're renting and I can only change so much :)

definitely put up some bright curtains because this space needs some COLOR!!

here is the basement.

maybe we can throw up a flatscreen & make a cool man-cave.

ok, the flatscreen is not happening.

but maybe this spot has some potential!

Now Andrew - please get a job quick so we can fix all our " design challenges"!!
The run-down of the house is that it is 3-stories & a basement (yeah for good storage space!!) -

hmmm, thankful (??) I still have 2 flights of stairs to constantly run up & down!!

There are 2 bedrooms on the 2nd floor and the 3rd floor is a fully finished attic. This is one thing we are extremely excited about, because though it is one big open space right now, we'll be able to semi-divide it and have plenty of space for Andrew's office & a guest room. So it's almost like a 4-br house!! Such a blessing - we certainly didn't expect that much space.

So we expect lots of friends & family to come visit!! (not so subtle hint...)

Another thing that we LOVE is location, location, location. This street is less than 2 blocks from us, and as you can tell, it is definitely all-urban! We love it. Everything we need is right here on this street - grocer, deli, drug-store, starbucks, restaurants... We are also within walking distance of the rest of our friends who are already living there.

We see spending a lot of evenings just walking & hanging out!

Now this move does not come without taking a huge leap of faith. Yes, Andrew is quitting his job and we are moving unemployed. We believe that this is how God is directing us and because we have seen SO many answers to prayer in this process, we fully believe that God is going to continue to provide and pave the way. We are not going empty-handed completely. We have our savings, but we pray that God will provide before we have to use that all up! And He may choose not to. He may choose for us to go through all that and be literally praying for Him to put bread on our table each day. And if he chooses to do so, it will be good too. We are excited to see how He is going to continue to work.

But please continue to pray with us for Andrew to find a job as soon as possible.We look forward to sharing when that prayer has been answered!
oh yes, almost forgot...We will be loading our truck July 6th (calling all our wonderful, loving, sweet friends :) and heading up to Pitt Tuesday morning, July 7th!! 3 weeks away...and the packing has begun in earnest!

cloth diapers

So I have to admit...my husband who likes to save every nickel possible (and I love him for it!!)... finally convinced me to switch to cloth diapers when Graham was about 2 months old. I wasn't excited...I could only see TONS of laundry & high water bills in my future... :) Now that I've been doing it for about 2 months or so, I have to admit...I kind of like it!! I really haven't noticed a huge difference in inconvenience and doing a load of diapers every 3-4 days really hasn't been that big of a deal. I've really started to love the fact that every time I change a diaper I'm not really putting money in the diaper pail & it's kind to our environment as well. (but for those who only use disposable, I'm not on any type of soapbox and don't care what anyone else chooses to do :) We just use the plain white pre-folded diapers and I use the Thirsties covers which have been great - haven't had any problems. The one thing that I don't like, is that they make his bum much more bulky and so some of his clothes won't fit over them. But I still usually use disposable whenever we're out and about, so I make sure he wears those clothes then!

So I know a lot of my friends are now also using cloth diapers...I recently ordered from this store and found out they have a diaper GIVE-A-WAY every friday!

I increase my chances of winning if I make a post about as well...so you may see this post again. :)

So check out this post and see if you can be a winner! of course I'll be mad if you win and I don't. no, not really. ok, yes I will.

haha - j/k :-)

in the kitchen...

Last night Andrew walked into the kitchen and said "it smells like fall in here"! why? because I (HEART) Pumpkin and decided to whip up some tasty pumpkin treats in...gasp...June!

So here's the yummy pancakes we enjoyed for dinner...
Pumpkin Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

if that looks good...check out the recipe here

**note** - I double this recipe and put LOTS of pancakes in the freezer. So for the next month or so, whenever we want a hot breakfast, I pull a couple of the freezer, pop in the microwave, and there it is! (when I double I use 2 c. white flour and 2 c. whole-wheat flour for a little added nutrition)

If you buy the BIG can of pumpkin (29 oz), you'll have just enough pumpkin leftover to make these other tasty treats!
Pumpkin Wheat Honey Muffins
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

and the complete recipe is here

**note** I skipped the raisins & nuts and used cinnamon, all-spice, & cloves instead of the pumpkin pie spice.
I also used a full cup of pumpkin instead of 3/4. Also note, these aren't going to taste like cupcakes as we sometimes expect our muffins to be, but they are a good hearty breakfast!

I like these recipes because they take some yummy foods and put a few little nutritional tweaks on them - such as whole wheat flour, honey instead of white sugar, and of course the pumpkin! but still delicious, in my humble opinion! So if you dare to open the pumpkin this summer...happy cooking (&eating).

what could be next? fudge in July...?? :-)

trust or worry?

I must confess that I have worried more in the last 4 months than ever in my life! Something about having a child, I suddenly have this overwhelming protective instinct that has kicked in. My biggest fear has become that something will happen to Graham. I know that this is in God's hands, so why do I worry? I especially worry of him dying of SIDS in his crib. For some reason, I constantly worry that he is breathing and now that he is moving around more, I fear him pulling a blanket over his face and suffocating. I KNOW that it doesn't do any good to worry...but somehow it makes me feel better to worry. I feel that if something did happen, that somehow I would have prepared myself slightly for this possibility. crazy, I know!
I just started reading A Call to Spiritual Reformation by d.a.carson. If you want a huge reality check on your prayer life and the sovereignty of God, than I highly recommend it. WARNING: beware of great conviction!

On one of the most convicting pages to me, he talks about the sovereignty of God vs. worry. I CANNOT say that I trust in the sovereignty of God AND worry at the same time. I am either trusting or I am worrying. Those are my only 2 options. So, by God's grace, I am working at the former and not the latter. (you can ask me how I'm doing too!)

Another reason this has been so helpful is because we're waiting to find a job for Andrew and housing in Pittsburgh. We REALLY want to be there by July 1st, but have had several closed doors. So, we wait. we trust. or is it worry? we have a golden opportunity to trust God here. We know that God has the plan laid out for us. In His timing, not ours, the doors will open. trust.

Some convicting quotes from the book so far...

If we seek God to answer our prayers without passionately desiring a deeper knowledge of God, we are selfishly running after God's blessings without running after Him.

We have forgotten how to pray.

Where is our delight in praying?

The reason we pray so little is because we do not plan to pray.

Our prayers reflect our priorities.

4 months already

brand new - he was "little" once! 10 lbs / 21 inches
it's so hard to believe our little guy is 4 months! this has been the longest 4 months I've ever experienced - and I don't mean that in a bad way!! how life has changed. I must say that each month gets more & more fun as he learns new things.
This month he is starting to have some coordination with his hands and is starting to love playing with toys. I am so glad he finally can occupy himself! He has also started putting everything that he touches in his mouth! (I just shudder at the germs, but I guess all kids survive this :)
1 month old

2 months - 16.9 lbs / 24 1 /2 inches

100th percentile for weight!

92nd for height

3 months - 18 lbs / 26 inches

4 months old

18 1/2 lbs / 26 1/2 inches

94th percentile for height

95th for weight

looks like he's finally slowed down growing a little - whew!

he is on his 4th new wardrobe - currently in 6-9 month clothes! my biggest challenge with him has been in the sleep department. From all I heard about babies wanting to sleep, sleep, sleep, he was not a sleeper! It has been a fight to get him to take more than hour and a half naps from the beginning. I stopped stressing about it a while ago, though continued to try to push him a little longer. For night, he finally was going about 10-5, however he would wake up at 1 or 2 every night. He didn't want to eat and many times he didn't even cry, but it was enough to wake me up which wasn't fun. So this last week, something FINALLY clicked and he is now sleeping 8 pm - 5:30 am - no wake-ups. He eats and then goes back to sleep until 8 or 9. He also started taking two 3 hour naps!!! I am loving this and just hoping it continues. When he gets this much sleep he is the happiest baby in the world! It is SO true that Healthy Sleep Habits make Happy Babies!!!

We love making him smile and he's starting to laugh which is the best! We love our little man so much!! (and are just enjoying the days before we have to do any "real" parenting!) or maybe he'll stay an angel forever...ha!

airport drama.

wow. it's good to be home. I HOPE that I don't have to fly with an infant by myself again! but for all the craziness, Graham did WONDERFUL!
here's the rundown....
through fedex we have the option of flying stand-by on Southwest ($90) or Airtran ($150). Airtran flys out an hour away from us, Southwest - 30 minutes. So when my grandpa passed away and I was trying to get home for the funeral, obviously I wanted to go with Southwest. However, airtran had 4 flights going to Mpls. that day, Southwest had one possibility! So we decided to go with Airtran to make sure I got there. This was an important flight because if I didn't get there on friday, I would miss the funeral. However, when we went to get a ticket, Airtran had changed their procedure and it would take 3-4 days to get a ticket. So we ended up (very nervously!) going with SW. prayer #1 answered - my ticket came the next day!
So with many prayers, I woke Graham up at 5 am on friday and we headed to the airport.
These tickets are SUCH a blessing, especially in how high airfare can run, but it is STRESSFUL never knowing whether you'll get on your flight or spend the day in the airport. 2 factors - missing the funeral and doing it with an infant were giving me nightmares about what the day could bring!
Since we're #4 on the stand-by priority list, we have to wait until the last minute (if it's a full flight) to know if we can get on.
Finally...graham & I were allowed to board, bound for Chicago!! prayer #2 - answered!!! Since it was full, he had to sit on my lap for the 2 hour flight which wasn't the most comfortable for either of us, but at least we were on!!
Flight #2 - Chicago to Mpls. plenty of seats, we got right on and Graham even got his own seat where he sat in his carseat - and slept the whole flight!! prayer #3 - answered!!!
So we arrived...so thankful we were able to be there for the weekend's events and graham was able to meet his MANY relatives!!

Let me stop for a minute and SING, SING, SING, Southwest's praises!! every employee was so kind, so helpful, SO great. I am a loyal customer for life and highly recommend them. AND there are still no baggage fees AND they still give you snacks on the flights! :) more on some star employees later...

So coming back became a little more interesting. Flight #1 was a little tight, but I still ended up getting on with graham getting his own seat as well. prayer #4 - answered! We were supposed to stop in Chicago, but not get off the flight. So everyone that wasn't going on, got off. After a few minutes they told us that the flight was going to be delayed and we were going to have to get off after all. BUT they said we could leave carry-on stuff on the seats and come back. So as we exited, most of the employees were already gone, except for a flight attendant and pilot. I asked about the possibility of getting my stroller that was stowed. Anyone that has held Graham, knows that carrying him around for an hour would just about kill me. :) STAR EMPLOYEE #1 - the pilot himself said he could go look for it - and he did and found it. I'm sure that's not in his job description! thank you so much Mr. Pilot. (this turned into an even more important event after the next 30 minutes!)
So we're walking around, killing time, and a guy comes up to me that is taking the same flights as me. He said there is another Baltimore flight leaving right now and if you don't get on it, you will miss your Norfolk connection. great. So I scramble to the counter - 2 problems - since I am stand-by I technically don't have a ticket to change flights, and my car seat and bag are sitting on the other airplane. The counter lady told me, the flight is leaving right now and I need about 15 minutes to get you on that plane. So I kind of thought it was over, and then she said, you go get on that plane, I'll go get your stuff off the other airplane. really??!! STAR EMPLOYEE #2!! prayer #5 - answered! She did, and I got my stuff and somehow she made the ticket thing work!! So now you see how much worse it would have been if my stroller had stayed stowed on that plane! I knew my luggage that was stowed on the plane was not going with us, but at that point I didn't care. The stroller would have been a bigger issue though!
So, we get to Baltimore, there are storms there and everything is delayed both coming and going. Our flight ended up being delayed about 45 minutes - 2 blessings here - #1 G-man had a blow-out diaper. if that would have happened on the flight, it would have been BAD! airplane bathrooms aren't exactly condusive to changing diapers. #2 I also hadn't eaten in 8 hours, so it gave me a chance to grab a quick bite. SO, we finally got on our plane and landed about 10:30 pm. home sweet, sweet home. prayer #6 - answered! Did I mention Graham should have been in bed 3 hours before this, and he was a trooper!! no screaming or meltdowns. He even had some smiles for daddy when we finally saw him!
So at Norfolk I was at the baggage office trying to determine where my bag might possibly be or end up. I got all those details taken care off and then as we were leaving the airport, there was a bag on the terminal that looked familiar...sure enough it was my bag!! I don't even know how that ended up coming with us, but wow. prayer #7 - answered!!! God answered more prayers on this trip that I could have ever imagined. It was a long day, but there are so many things that could have made the day so much worse!!
So, thank you, awesome Southwest - you're the best airline!
thank you, Graham, for being such a good traveler, despite the craziness.
(I'm so bummed I didn't get a pic of his first plane ride! too much stress swirling around!)
thank you, God, for allowing us to make all of our flights, for grace through the day, and for caring about even the small details!

miss you, grandpa.

I have been blessed to have several sets of grandparents and even great-grandparents as a big part of my life. I realize how lucky I am because Andrew does not have any living grandparents. Up to this point, Graham has had 5 living great-grandparents! How thankful I am for each one of them in being a part of my life.

My grandpa Kenny has been battling cancer for several years now, and today that battle ended. We are very sad and will miss him very much!

these pics were taken a year and a half ago when his cancer was in remission and they were able to come visit us at the beach!

my grandma has tirelessly cared for my grandpa through this entire period.

grandma - I love you very much. You are a rock for so many people.

We trust God's sovereignty.

How deep is Your love,

how high and how wide is Your mercy.

how deep is Your grace,

my heart overflows with praise to You. (SG)