Thankful Thursday

As I sit in my warm home, with my husband napping on the couch next to me, my daughter sleeping in her bed, and my baby kicking in my very full belly, I cannot even begin to list all of the things in my life that I'm thankful for.  This month alone has brought so many blessings:  My new nephew joining the family. Birthdays of my mom, sister-in-law, two of David's aunts, his sweet cousin, and a dear friend.  A trip to Savannah to see family.  A healthy 24 week OB check-up.  A canceled business trip to Singapore.  Two date nights and an evening with old friends.  Play dates.  Being a part of two small groups that love us...and grow us.  Productivity and accomplishment.  Obedience and submission to the Lord.  Two working vehicles.  A wonderful Thanksgiving celebration today with my in-laws, who love and accept me like their own daughter.  And those are just a few things of the past three weeks.  


We have a lot going on these days, no doubt.  I have so much to catch you up about and I know the coming weeks and months (and years?!) are going to get even busier.  That's the good news, though, isn't it?!  That my life is so wonderfully occupied, I run out of time to write about it.  As I recently read, "My plate is full, but my cup runneth over."  Hopefully I'll spill some more words in your laps soon enough.


Until then, Happy Thanksgiving.  


"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always...Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."  1 Chronicles 16:8-11; 34

Trip to Savannah

Last weekend, David, Audrey, and I headed down to Savannah to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and niece.  Between the traffic and the lengthy lunch stop, it took us 5 1/2 hours to get there, so we were more than ready to get out of the van and see them!  Audrey and Annelise started playing together right away.  Audrey was in heaven having her cousin, all of her cousin's fun toys, and two cats to entertain her!  We unloaded the van and set up, then played for a couple of hours before heading to the fair.  We ate questionable food (a must at the fair) and walked around and saw all the sights and sounds before choosing just the right fishing game to spend the girls' college education money on (also a must).  They each won a prize - a stuffed animal - and then we watched the pig races before I walked them around the petting zoo.  We saw a turkey, a camel, sheep, and goats, and a tiger and monkeys behind cages.  They loved it!  We all shared a funnel cake before driving home to throw them in the bath together.  It was as cute as I imagined it would be, though I'll respect their privacy and not post pictures of it. :)  


After a good night's rest for all of us, we got up on Saturday and ate a delicious blueberry pancake and bacon breakfast my sister-in-law made us.  We got ready and went over to a local animal conservation center.  The weather was cool, which this pregnant momma much appreciated.  We walked through the beautiful paths in the woods and saw cougars, a fox, owls, bald eagles, and pretty marshland.  We stopped by the little barnyard area they have on the way out and saw chickens, a cow, rabbits, sheep, a pig, and a donkey.  It's hard to say what the girls enjoyed the most, but I personally thought the bald eagles were pretty cool.  While David and Brian went to get the van, the girls did some races and dancing together.  We went to a great mexican restaurant for lunch and stuffed ourselves before going back to the house and all crashing for naps.  When the girls woke up, we played outside and then went out for seafood at a tasty local spot.  We stopped by the grocery store on the way home and they got to ride in the cool car cart and each have a sugar cookie loaded with sprinkles.  We told Audrey that only grocery stores in Savannah offer those treats.  So far, she's bought it.  :)  After putting them to bed, we stayed up and watched a movie together like real adults who can keep their eyes open past 10pm.  I think it was the first movie I'd seen since July?!


On Sunday morning, we ate a yummy breakfast of biscuits, eggs, and bacon that my brother made (and realized we have got to do more breakfast cooking around our house!) and went to their church.  The girls went to Annelise's Sunday School class together and we got to hear a great message about idolatry. Or, as great of a message as it can be when you're getting convicted of all the idols in your life.  Guess that's one sign of a good message is that it opens your eyes or makes you think about something in a different light. 


After church, we went back to their house.  We took a few pictures of the girls in their beautiful dresses, ate a quick lunch, and loaded up the van.  We left around 1pm and it only took 4 1/2 hours to get home...a much faster, and therefore better, ride back!  (I won't point out that I didn't drive at all on the way down, but drove half way on the way back!  Truthfully, I think it was the lack of traffic and the shorter stop, but still...)


A week later, Audrey is still talking about the trip multiple times a day.  She misses her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin so much!  The girls really were adorable together and got along so well.  They are both extremely verbal that I think it was really fun for them to have someone else their size who talked their ear off.  It sure was precious to listen to!  Annelise's little phrases and sayings crack me up as much as Audrey's.  I loved watching them hold hands and pull each other around.  I'm not sure who wins the prize for being the bossiest, but they are both definitely exhibiting "emerging leadership skills" as I like to call it.  Annelise puts her hand on her hip a lot and I can't even tell you how cute it looks!


We had a wonderful time and so enjoyed our visit.  I do wish we lived closer, but I have a feeling those two are going to start chatting it up on the phone before too long.  Thanks to our sweet hosts, especially the littlest one, for having us and we can't wait to see y'all again!


Be sure to check out the Picasa gallery for photos from our trip if you haven't already done so!

Our New Nephew, James

This Thankful Thursday post is incredibly easy to write:  Our nephew James Monroe McGraw was born yesterday, 11-9-11 at 9:29pm weighing 8lb 3oz and 19 inches long.  David, Audrey, and I got to go meet him at the hospital today and he's adorable.  It's a good thing we're having one or I would've had to sneak out with him.  He and his momma are doing great.  His big brother Carson hasn't met him yet, but will soon.  He'll be a great help, no doubt, just as soon as he realizes James is there to stay.

Pics are in the gallery.  I should've taken more, but didn't want to put him down long enough to pick up the camera.  Poor kid already has "second child syndrome" with less pictures of him! :)  Hopefully we'll get to see him again next week and I'll add more then.

We love you, Kevin, Jenny, Carson, and James!  We are praying for you as you get adjusted to your new family of four and are asking God to continue to bless you with health and happiness (and some sleep)!

Halloween 2011

Well, I thought I'd go ahead and post about Halloween before Thanksgiving got here.  Plus, it's 4:37am and I have nothing better to do.  Ah, pregnancy.  (And if any of you comments "Well, it's good practice for when the baby comes!" I'm going to block you from this blog.  That's one of the dumbest things I've ever been told while pregnant.  WHO needs practice not sleeping?  I'll gladly take the rest now, thank you!)


So anyway, back to Halloween.  On Saturday night, we went up to a fall festival at a nearby church.  I wasn't expecting much, but thought I'd seize another opportunity for AJ to wear her costume.  Plus, it gave us something free and fun to do.  There were a few games she could actually play, but it was a bit overwhelming between the crowds and the sweet older people making such a fuss and hugging all over her.  She thew some bean bags, did some leaf rubbing, and got a heart drawn on her hand.  We went outside to the parking lot where they had several inflatables set up, but she had no interest in them.  We all enjoyed a quick hay ride around the campus before climbing in our cars to thaw out and go home for dinner.


On Sunday night, I drew a little jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin we'd picked out at the patch.  Audrey helped David clean it out and carve it.  She was way more into it this year than last.  She dove right in, pulling out the stringy goop and seeds, loving that part as much as I used to (still do, but I let her have it.  One more of the 18 million things you give up for your kids that no one tells you about.)


On Halloween morning, we went over to a friend's house for a little pumpkin painting, "spider" snack eating, and playing.  After we ate lunch with them, we came home for Audrey's nap.  I had been reminding her all day that when Daddy got home, we'd get to go trick-or-treating.  She'd been hearing us mention it here and there for weeks and was excited.  When she woke up, she asked if it was time.  I explained we had to wait a little longer and we busied ourselves with snack, dinner prep, and playing until it was finally time to get ready.  She put on her pink crayon costume and we went outside to take some pictures and wait for David.  As soon as she saw him coming, she waved and yelled, "Hey Daddy!  HEY!"  Before he could get out of the car, she ran to him and said, "It's time to go trick-or-treating!"  After they indulged me with a few (or 10) pictures, we set out our candy bowl and started up the huge hill outside of our cul-de-sac.


She began walking boldly up to the first house with their lights on and then slowed down as she got closer to the door.  We assured her, she found her courage for the sake of candy, and rang the doorbell.  When the lady answered, AJ whispered, "trick-or-treat" like a pro, chose one of the full size candy bars (though Hershey's over Kit-Kat...we gotta work on that) and even remembered to say thank you as we'd been coaching her to do.


After that first house, she was game.  We hit about five or six others as we made our way back down the hill towards home.  It was still light out, but we decided to go eat dinner and let her be on the giving end of handing out candy.  She chose a Tootsie Roll Pop (again, gotta work on the kid) for her treat and set it by her dinner plate, lest she lose sight of it while eating.  She kept rearranging it and sticking it in her mouth with the wrapper on.  Yes, it was cruel to make her wait, but hilarious and worth it.  We considered it character building.  The second she finished her last bite, she tore into it.  She worked on that thing forever before finally calling it quits prior to reaching the center.  Still, I think she got her money's worth out of it.


The rest of the evening was spent racing to and from the front door, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters who came by.  She loved seeing all the costumes and saying hello to everyone.  We turned out our light around 8:15 so we could start settling her down for bed.  Even after she was in bed, she still took a little longer than usual to fall asleep for all the excitement.


It was a great Halloween and, as is so often the case these days, we loved seeing and experiencing it through her eyes.  I've decided that's the consolation prize for having to watch your children grow up so fast - at least the older they get, the more they get into things and the more you enjoy sharing those new experiences with them and creating memories and traditions.  That probably works up until the bratty teenager years and then it's no fun for anyone.  But, until then, we'll savor these sweet times!


Hope you and your family had as much fun as we did!  Check out our pictures in the Picasa gallery.  Since the blog is now private, I've put the link back on the side bar under "Links" so you can access it directly from here.

Thankful Thursday

1.  A healthy 20 week check-up!  Baby boy is doing great and it was so good to see him via ultrasound.  It was the last one we'll have, so the next time we see him will be in person!


2.  Corny family fun.  Last Saturday, David and I took Audrey up to Jaemor Farms north of Gainesville.  They had a pumpkin patch, a hayride, rubber duck races, an apple gun, and a corn maze.  We had a blast and loved every minute!  It was one of those cheesy family days I've dreamed of my whole life.  


3.  Cooking again.  Okay, truthfully I don't care for it much.  The planning, the shopping, the prep, the clean-up...it's a whole lotta work.  BUT, after first trimester nausea and then all of David's travels, it does feel good to finally be back in the habit of doing that main part of my "job description."  I know it's a lot healthier for us and our budget.


4.  Pumpkins, candy, and adorable toddlers in costumes.  I'm not a Halloween fanatic and definitely do not care for the scary stuff, but I am excited about carving a pumpkin and taking AJ out on Monday night.  She's been practicing her "Trick-or-Treat!" line for weeks now!


5.  This week's song is "All Your Life" by The Band Perry.  Great talent and if you haven't heard their hit "If I Die Young", check it out too.  It's haunting, but has depth lyrically and musically that many artists today lack.  

CIA/Thankful Thursday

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to serve with a project as part of a day that my church calls CIA (Compassion in Action).  2,200 volunteers met at the central campus and then, after an amazing time of worship and "pumping up", we were sent out to serve in one of 90 different projects in our community.  As I waited in line to pull out of the parking lot, I looked around at the hundreds of cars surrounding me.  It felt like the troops were being deployed.  It was the troops being deployed.  I got goosebumps thinking about the lives that would be affected that day and, hopefully, the message of Christ that would get out.

As I mentioned in last week's TT post, my ladies' bible study small group was helping a local ministry put on a fall festival and clothing giveaway for families in transitional housing.  "Transitional housing" in this case means a step away from homelessness.  There are no homeless shelters in our county, so it's actually an extended-stay hotel where families at financial rock bottom pay day-to-day, week-to-week, or month-to-month to live in a tiny hotel room.  The conditions are dismal at best.  

We met up with a few other volunteers off-sight and prayed over our day before driving to our location.  When we arrived, we set up the games, clothing tables, bouncy house, and food tables in an open field on the property.  As we made trips to and from our cars to unload, I kept seeing curtains move as residents peeked out to see what was going on.  The ministry we were working with has been serving there for almost a year and hosts weekly dinners and Bible studies, so they had put the word out about the festival.  Still, I imagine many people were skeptical about what we were up to.

Around 11am, people slowly started coming out.  Between the smell of the grill and the sight of the giant colorful bouncy house, we were drawing them in.  Most started out at the clothing tables, where "personal shoppers" helped them dig through mounds of clothes to find things that fit.  The kids that came jumped right into the games, running from the face painting table to the lollipop tree to pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin.  We also had a little photo backdrop set up with bales of hay, a scarecrow, pumpkins, and mums for a family picture.  There was a photo printer set-up so they got to have their picture to take with them.  Lunch was waiting when they wanted it, along with colorful homemade cupcakes for dessert.  We spent nearly three hours hanging out, talking with, and loving on the residents that showed up before it was time to pack it in.  I was exhausted, but I walked away feeling incredibly full, blessed, and grateful.  Grateful not only for the opportunity to get outside of myself and be the hands and feet of Christ for a day, but also for the home and material things my family and I own that I constantly take for granted. 

Instead of a typical TT post, I wanted to share five moments from that day that will stay with me:

1.  Helping a young mom rifle through infant clothes to find winter things that would fit her 9 month old baby boy.  My mind flashed to the closet in our baby boy's nursery that already has outfits on hangers inside.

2.  As we were packing up, my friend that had been taking the pictures was asking me what we needed to do with the crumbling bales of hay.  A sweet woman who lived there overheard us and asked, "If y'all are going to throw the mums away, may I have one?"  I told her I would love for her to have one of the flowers.  She argued and I insisted.  As she gratefully accepted the flower, she said something so simple in passing:  "I love...well, when I had my home I loved...putting out mums in the fall."  It struck a chord with me big time.

3.  There was a little five year old girl that patiently waited for her family to take a group shot together.  She kept telling a nearby volunteer that she was going to keep waiting until they came over because she'd never had a family picture taken.  

4.  Getting to serve alongside the ladies in my group.  It bonds you in a way nothing else can.  I was so proud as I watched them dive in, work hard, and show the love of Christ to strangers.

5.  Surprising the leader of the ministry with boxes and boxes of food for her food pantry before we left.  Her team assembles "weekend bags" of food for children in a local elementary school who have been deemed to be in the worst case latch-key situations.  Most get a hot meal for lunch five days a week but are on their own, often unsupervised, during the weekends and need easy-to-open/easy prep foods.  Knowing our touch was going to extend beyond that day and that particular crowd was awesome.

Please join me in praying for these families, especially the children.  Please also pray that David and I make time to get involved like this more often, be it there or elsewhere.  It's easy to give one day here and there, but to make service a regular part of your schedule takes intentional planning and commitment.  Despite the effort, it's the only consistent antidote I've found to selfish-centeredness and greed and is certainly a calling of Christ that we need to heed.  As I quoted last week, "Sometimes the only way people know they matter to God is if they matter to you."  I know I personally need to work on making people feel mattered around this county.  Meeting their physical needs is a doorway to meeting their spiritual ones for sure and of course that's the real reason we should be doing it.

Thankful Thursday

I woke up in a panic remembering that I hadn't written a TT post, so here I am.  Okay, that's not exactly true.  I woke up to go to the bathroom (as I have every night since I was pregnant with Audrey) and then decided I was hungry (as I am about once a week in the middle of the night) and then couldn't get back to sleep after eating my cereal (as is often a pregnancy hazard.)  SO, I decided I'd bless you with a TT post since I'm up anyway.

1.  A good night's sleep.  Not tonight's, obviously, but Sunday's.  It seems like the past three weeks have been rough in this department between having a cold, anxiety/excitement, lingering coughs from one of us, and David's traveling.  But Sunday night I got eight hours straight (minus that middle of the night pitstop) with no tossing and turning and woke up without an alarm.  It was the first good stretch I can remember in forever and it was so lovely.  Consequently, I was a very patient and productive Mommy on Monday.  Unfortunately things aren't looking good for later today.

2.  Being a part of a God-size project.  Our church, 12Stone, is having CIA (Compassion in Action) this Saturday.  There will be 2,400 volunteers working on 90 different projects ranging from prison ministry to sewing blankets for shelters to construction/painting in single moms' homes.  My women's small group is doing a fall festival and clothing giveaway for families in transitional housing that I'm really excited about.  Hopefully I'll have the time to post more about it later, but please pray for the people we're serving.  Also, please pray that volunteers (myself included) are moved to continue their service beyond just tomorrow.  "Sometimes the only way people know they matter to God is if they matter to you."  - Pastor Kevin Myers

3.  My father-in-law, Ed, whose birthday was yesterday.  He's one of the nicest, hardest-working, and smartest men I know and I'm very grateful to be a part of his family.  One of the coolest things has been for David and I to see him shine in a grandfather role.  He's so wrapped, it's pathetic. ;)  Can't wait to see how he handles two.  We love you, Ed!

4.  Rainy days.  I'm sure I've mentioned this several times before, but I love rainy days.  I would prefer it rain at least 40% - 50% of the time.  Maybe slightly less now that I have a toddler who needs to get out and let some energy loose, but I do love them.  We have had our fair share this week and boy have we needed it!  Cozy, cozy, cozy.

5.  I was browsing through my iTunes trying to find a song to post for this week and was noticing the "number of plays" column.  One line stood out to me because it had 17.  Then I realized it was "Red Means Stop", which is one of Audrey's favorite songs that we like to turn on and dance to.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with you:



Going to try to head back to bed and catch a few more z's before the next 48 hours of busy craziness begin.  Have a great Friday and weekend, everyone!