More Fun with Daddy

Last Saturday Dan took the girls with him to Fort Worth. He needed to get his books for his Seminary class and I needed some rest! So they packed up and took off early Saturday morning and visited some of our old haunts. The girls were pretty excited to visit the Fort Worth Museum of Science AND their all time favorite....The Cowgirl Museum! They had a blast!!

Just the Six of us.....Now WHAT!?!?

I was quite a bit more emotional about waking up without Mimi here than I thought I would be. The task before me seemed quite large. The emotional breakdown probably had something to do with the kind of night I had with Judson. Not the greatest but we are still learning right?

We have made it slowly but surely through the biggest part of the day. Tonight is church and Dan is going to take the girls to church with him. That way I can get a little rest.

I was a little more overwhelmed than I bargained for with the needs of the big girls. They wanted to be with me all day and unfortunately I haven't the energy to entertain. But tonight is another night to try again with Judson and tomorrow is another day to try again with the girls. At least I don't have to make dinner for a while! God Bless those church members who are bringing meals for the next 10 nights!! Praise the Lord!!

Thanks Mimi, for making it even easier than I realized while you were here. We have been praying for your trip home! I bet Pop Pop will sure be glad to have you back! We sure do miss you though!

Settling In

We are starting to get settled in. Thanks to Diana, Mimi, we are plugging away. She has been a lifesaver! She has kept life moving right along as normal as possible for the big girls. I dare say they have been having quite a bit more fun than will be possible in the coming weeks. She is the resident hero around here!
Tomorrow Dan starts back to work and it's Mimi's last day. . . I find myself wishing I had slept more while I could.

Last night, or should I say this morning,the exhaustion set in at about 4:30 when I was feeding Judson. Dan had to get him for me and just lay him bed with us. But life with four is going to be so sweet and such an adventure!

The girls are so sweet and very much in love with their baby brother. Elise asks everytime she sees Judson if she can hold him for me. She has such a caring heart! She got Olivia's first smile and laugh and she is well on her way to winning Judson's heart too.

Olivia keeps wanting to "tiss, tiss" (kiss) the baby everytime she sees him which is usually when I am feeding him.

We are having so much fun with a little boy. I am not sure why it is so different but it is SOOO VERY DIFFERENT! And this little Momma LOVES it! He is my little man and it is so sweet!











MORE TO COME.........

Here's our little Man!

Judson Elliott

August 5, 2007

3:56 pm

7lbs. 4 oz.

19 3/4 in.

These are a little out of order but this is our man on his way home from the hospital. Then some relaxing at home. The other pictures are pretty self explanitory. My parents drove in and kept the girls right after church as Dan and I dashed off to the hospital. Then when Dan's mom got here around 12:30 am my parents made the 3 hour drive back home. I got some pictures of them holding Judson because they forgot their camera in the rush to get here to help. When I get a little time to think about it a little more I will write out the whole birth story for those of you who like that sort of thing, but first things first, right? We need to see some pictures of this little guy!

He got a great bill of health from the doctor. The sonogram on his kidneys came back 100% normal. They aren't the slightest bit enlarged. Praise the Lord! He is eating like a champ and sleeping really well too. But that's no surprise most newborns sleep well.

We came home Tuesday night from the hospital. I was feeling so well and ready to get home that the doctor let me go. I will give all the details later but God was so gracious to us through this whole process. I can't wait to tell of all of the ways that God blessed us through this time! It was such a great experience. Thank you all for your prayers!

Prayer Request

It looks like I will be making a trip to the hopital this morning as soon as Dan gets home from church. He was preaching this morning.

I am having similar pain to when Olivia was born. No definite contractions but enough pain to keep me up all night and achy all over. The pain is concentrated in my belly. The fear is that my uterin wall is getting too thin to support baby any more. That's my fear anyway. So I will soon be making a trip to the hospital to see what the Dr. thinks. It has been about a day and half that I have had pretty intense pain. It isn't getting better so we are going in.

I got to hear Dan in the early service this morning. I was awake, I might as well go and sit there. He did a great job by the way.

We'll keep you posted!

Worry Wart

Sometimes I have these bouts of worry. They usually descend on me in times of transition. I have one coming up...a new baby. The thing is. . . . all these things I worry about, well, for the most part they are out of my control. Most of them come from irrational fear. Like......what if one of the children becomes severely ill. GOOD GRIEF WOMAN!! Don't you remember the verse about borrowing trouble from tomorrow?

Even now as I am confessing this weakness to you it seems so much smaller, yet moments ago, my heart was pounding and I was overcome with all of the what ifs that were floating around in my head.

Back in Fort Worth I realized that I needed to learn to live in contentment. The very definition of contentment goes against my current state of mind. Contentment: a feeling of calm satisfaction.

As I struggled this morning with my fear and worry I also was crying out to God for peace. You see I don't have to live like this! I can choose contentment. I CAN be satisfied with the life and lot that God given me. Usually my discontent comes when I focus on the things I do not have. How can I be satisfied if I am only thinking of what I do not have! I assure you my list of blessings FAR outweighs the list of not haves. In my journey to peace and contentment I realized that I need to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7 (emphasis mine)

SO if I am making my requests known to GOd with thanksgiving, then that means that I am thanking him for His part in providing for me. I pray BELIEVING that my God will provide for my needs. That's where the peace that passes all understanding comes from!

I sometimes have to make lists. If I can see my thoughts written down then very often they are not quite as intimidating and I can put them in their proper place. So, practically, I need to sit down with my fears and worries and write them down. In an attitude of prayer I can seperate my fears into things I can help change and things I have no control over. Then with thanksgiving I can give this list over to God and let Him develop a plan of action or simply provide His all surpassing peace. It sure beats laying in bed thinking of all the bad things that could happen. Sheesh! This morning I felt paralyzed by these fears that were constantly rolling around in my head. I couldn't escape the should of's, what if's and Heaven Forbid scenarios that I had created.

This morning I realized that contentment is a discipline we must learn to practice. Contentment isn't some desired state that we arrive at. There will always be something more we could have or something we wish we had done differently. Contentment is satisfaction. Satisfaction is fleeting. I am going to strive to pursue and practice contentment. TRUE CONTENTMENT that is only available through my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Through an attitude of gratitude I am determined to set aside those things that hinder me from achieving the life of joy and reconciliation my Lord died to give me. and YOU!

The Official Countdown Has Begun!

7 Days and counting!

5 Days until Mimi Comes to HELP!!