Blessings

I got a new CD for my birthday, and it is now my favorite CD to listen to!  It's called Blessings by Laura Story.  The title song is what caught my attention at first.  If you haven't heard it, I encourage you to listen to it.  It's like she knows exactly what I've dealt with the past 18 months. 

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

This song really has changed my perspective on what I went through with being sick, losing that initial bonding time with my newborn, losing Garrett at 16 weeks, anxiety and depression, uncertainty with job situations, and my grandmother's deteriorating health.  As angry as I've been about having to deal with all of those things, especially in such a short amount of time, God brought me through each trial.  He proved his faithfulness and goodness over and over even though I wished that situations would have turned out differently.  My faith and my dependence on God are stronger than they have ever been before. 

Peter usually likes to listen to VeggieTales in the car, but we've been compromising lately as I like to listen to other things as well.  I've played my new CD a couple of times in the car, and I always tell him which song is my favorite song.  He's probably heard it a maximum of 3 times. 

The radio was on in the house yesterday, and Blessings came on.  Before the 2nd line of lyrics had been sung, Peter was telling Andrew how that is Mommy's favorite song and how much I like to listen to it.  Wow - his memory is amazing!! 

I hope this song speaks to someone in a new way like it has spoken to me.  What if some of our greatest trials are really just God's blessings in disguise? 

Fish!!

I took the kids to HEB this morning to get groceries.  Peter loves to look at the lobsters, so we went there right after picking out some limes, corn, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and cucumbers.  The fish counter is right by the lobster tank.  We never buy fish because I have never been brave enough to cook it, but it caught Peter's eye today.  We spent some time looking at all of the fish, and we finally decided on tilapia.  Peter watched the guy wrap it up and insisted on carrying it throughout the rest of the trip through the aisles. 

Once we were home, he wanted to eat it right away.  I convinced him that 10am wasn't the best time for fish and offered a carrot instead.  He was ok with that once I also told him that I would cook it for dinner. 

I started getting dinner ready around 5pm.  Peter pulled a stool up to the counter to help shuck the corn.  He put all of his effort into getting every little string off.  Then it was time to season the fish.  He put seasoning on both sides of the fish to make it taste good (that's what he told me).  While the fish was cooking, he set the table. 

Once dinner was finally ready, he was one excited boy!  He couldn't wait to eat the fish.  He kept saying how he had never tasted fish before (um, and I don't think he actually has) and how yummy it was going to be.  Once it was cool enough to eat, he dug in.  He was thrilled that he was able to cut it himself with his fork, and he LOVED it!  He ate 3 helpings along with his corn and some rice.  He even asked Andrew several times if he thought it tasted good.  He was so proud of himself!!

Lost

I lost my memory card that I use in my good camera.  I think I have also lost my memory.  I took the memory card out of my camera so I download all of the fun pictures I took in Houston last week.  I shot most of them in RAW, so I knew they would be huge files to download.  I also knew that my laptop is going soooooo sllloooowww because of all of the pictures I have on it.  So I had the brilliant idea to move most of my picture files to an external hard drive.  I plugged the laptop into the hard drive and began moving files.  When I went to grab the memory card so I could download the new pictures to my computer, I couldn't find it.  I have looked all over the living room, and I cannot find it.  Hoping I find it soon!!

On the bright side, I am now downloading a month's worth of pictures from the memory card in my other camera.  I guess it's time to get some of them posted. :)

Sick Baby Girl

This is what a sick little girl looks like.  Danielle started acting sick Saturday morning.  She had a runny nose, lots of drainage, and a cough.  She threw up in her bed Saturday during her nap.  After a nasty diaper Sunday morning, I thought it was a stomach virus.  She was pretty irritable Sunday evening, but she slept all night Sunday night.  She seemed ok on Monday morning, so off to the sitter she went.  When I picked her up Monday afternoon, she was playing in the backyard.  While in the car on the way home, she had a terrible coughing fit that caused her to throw up.  Looking back, I don't think it was a stomach virus - I think that she has a horrible gag reflex (like her Mommy - it's even documented in the paperwork from the Scott & White ER when they were testing for all sorts of things that could have been causing me to be so sick) that causes her to throw up when she coughs too much or too hard.  It's been an interesting few days with a little girl who just wants to be held, doesn't want to eat, and is just pretty miserable.  Thank goodness she has so many clothes because she's had at least 6 baths in the past 3 days.

I'm thankful that this is the first time Danielle has been sick with something that has lasted over 24 hours.  Peter was sick all the time when he was a baby, so Danielle being so healthy has been such a blessing.  In fact, Peter was sick at the exact same age as Danielle is now - I guess Hazen babies don't do well at 16 months!!

Thankfully she is sleeping in her bed even though she doesn't feel well.  She wakes herself up coughing, but she is awesome at putting herself back to sleep.  I even gave her a pillow in her crib to keep her head elevated.  She loves having a soft pillow like a big girl!! 

Feel better soon sweet girl!!

Because He Lives!!

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal, and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

 

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because

He lives!

Girl Time

It's often difficult to get one-on-one time with each of the kids, but Danielle and I managed a little "girl time" recently on a trip to Target.  I needed more cardstock for the labels I was printing for a consignment sale.  Peter was still napping, so Danielle and I headed out by ourselves. One of the nice things about Andrew being out of work is that I can leave one kid at home while running errands with the other.  Danielle was totally content to just sit in the cart as we walked around.  I found the paper I needed, and then I was actually able to leisurely look at various things in the store as we made our way to pay for it.  Before leaving, we stopped by the snack area for a popcorn treat.  Danielle was so excited to sit on the bench like a "big girl" and enjoy her snack without having to worry about her brother getting involved. 

  

Peter Said...

Peter was talking to Homer (our dog) as they both went outside to play this evening . . .

Peter:  Homer - Watch out for the sew fish.  Don't get too close to it or it will sew you.

Mommy:  Peter, where did you learn about that?

Peter:  I didn't.  I just made it up.  If you have a rip in something, you need a sew fish.  I don't want Homer to step on it because he will get sewed. 

Mommy:  Ok, I'll remember that.  Thanks.

Love his imagination!!!