Slacking!

Ok, I've totally been slacking lately in posting on my blog...sorry to those of you who check this at times. Anyway, I've been waiting and waiting to give my sister her birthday present that I made her so that I can post pictures of my creativity but she's been super duper busy so I haven't seen her in over a week! Oh well. It was her 21st birthday, one that she's been looking forward to for quite a while! Anyway, as soon as I see her to give her her gift I'll post pictures.

Not too much else going on...keeping busy with my little girl who climbs on, into and over everything these days. She'll be 8 months on Friday, hard to believe but yes it's true and she just gets cuter and cuter every day. I painted her toenails the other day too! Quite a feat I might add, I dare any of you to get your baby to hold still long enough to paint them and dry them before it smears everywhere. But, we managed and her little toes are soooooo stinkin' cute!

I'm also looking for some really good books to read. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe I'll start a "post-office library", if any of you have read a really good book and want to give me any recommendations that would be great! I like just about any genre.

Ok, well I gotta go, my little girlie is upset! I'll post again soon.

The rest of my life...!??!*$%&^!(#)^E#%!?= Confused and is not to be confused with a swear word

Wow, well I don't know what it is lately but I've been asked 'what I'm going to do with the rest of my life' almost as much as I was when I graduated from high school and college!!!! NOT that it's a bad question it's just so...loaded/heavy?!?...not really sure of the right word to use, only that it's a pretty big question for me right now. And I'm not sure what it is about me that people keep asking...is it the fact that I'll soon be divorced after a few short months of a really rocky marriage; is it that I'm a mommy; is it the season; is it just me...do I look lost/unsure/unstable?

Don't get me wrong I'm not at all offended by the question but I'm really just not sure why I'm getting asked. Not only that...I'd love to have an answer. See, there are a million things I would love to do but just don't know where to start and there's the simple fact that I have a wonderful, beautiful, very engaging 7.5 month old daughter to take care of and can't just run off to grad school or another country on a whim. Not to mention that if I did my mom, sister and dad would all want to kill me because they'd never see H...

So, I've already been wrestling with the question anyway...maybe it's written on my forehead...because I don't necessarily want to work in advertising all my life. I do know that, for now, this is where the Lord has placed me and I am most happy to be here and serve Him where I am. But there's a part of me that's longing to be something so much more than I am right now...does this make sense? I feel like there's so much more of me to give and that I'm a bit stifled by my surroundings. I also believe that there's a whole part of me that wants to fly but is just a little scared to run and step off the edge of the precipice to see if my wings really work. I'm also afraid of failure, what if I'm not good enough, what if ____ doesn't work out, what if someone else's ___ is/looks better than mine...so, there you go. This is part of the reason why I am standing at the end of who I am and the beginning of who I want to/can be.

That about sums it up for you...the rest of my life. Perhaps someday soon I'll just take that leap of faith and hopefully by then my wings will be ready for me to soar. So Lord, here I am again...please help me cuz I can't do it on my own. Maybe You can even push me but, if You do push me please help me to take care of H too. Thanks God. Amen.

Cuteness

Here are some cute pictures that I just got from Pammy!!
Smiles!!!

Grandma Honey and H

Playing instead of sleeping...

Pamelina and me

Good morning babies!

Baby Update

Please continue to lift up Ryan and Brianna during this very difficult time in their lives. This is an excerpt from WCCO's website on the Morrison sextuplets. For up to date information you can check out WCCO's website: http://wcco.com/morrisons

"Second Sextuplet Baby Dies
(WCCO) Another son of the Minnesota couple that became parents to sextuplets has died.

A statement from Children's Hospital in Minneapolis said Tryg Brenton, died Thursday night.

The four other newborns of Ryan and Brianna Morrison of St. Louis Park remain in critical condition in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's. The children were all born last Sunday.

As released Thursday by Children’s, Tryg’s brother Bennet died Wednesday.

The hospital said no further information is being released, as the parents both mourn their loss and continue to focus on their other children."

As a new-er parent I can't imagine the joy and pain they are feeling right now. My heart just aches for their loss but also rejoices in the gifts they've been given. I know that the Lord has a purpose and a plan for each of these little lives and I pray that His will would be accomplished and that He would be glorified in the Morrison family's lives. I can't think or even write about them without falling apart and am speechless at times not knowing what to pray but, God hears and understands those prayers that only seem like pain in our hearts.

Lord, I lift up Ryan, Brianna, Lucia Rae, Lincoln Sean, Sylas Christopher and Cadence Alana and pray that Your purpose and plan be accomplished in their lives. I pray that they would live and not die and declare the word of the Lord. I pray that their lives would be a testimony to Your goodness and grace and Your everlasting, all-consuming LOVE. Lord, I have never known suffering like this so I don't know exactly what to pray but, I do pray that Ryan and Brianna would grab on to You with everything in them because You are the only One who can get them through what seems to me the most difficult thing a person could ever be faced with. Lord, I pray for another miracle. Amen.

Bring your child to work day?

I'm playing "bring your baby to work day" today! And now that H is up and about and into EVERYTHING it's proving to be an interesting day....I'm hoping that my sitter will answer her phone soon! Good thing H likes paper and magazines and all cuz I didn't bring any toys with me either, knowing that there are plenty of toys at the sitter's house.

Anyway, we had an awesome time yesterday with my friend Barb and her two little boys. We went to the pool and splashed around and just had a good time together. Other than that, nothing new! I'll post pictures again soon.

Please Pray

This is an urgent call to prayer for some of my college-mates:



Dear Prayer Team, we have an emergency on our hands....

Brianna had her sextuplets last night. Please pray for the life of the
babies to be miraculously preserved and that the Lord would be sovereign,
guiding Ryan, Brianna, doctors, and nurses in every decision and action.
(The full email from Ryan's mom is below.)

Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Lord God, Creator, Sustainer - hold these precious lives in Your hands.
Protect them, preserve them, give us faith, and help our unbelief. Give the
Morrisons and the medical staff the wisdom. Unleash Your miraculous power
and faith even on and through each one who handles these babies. You are
the hands that carry us. Amen.

*********************

Hello Everyone:
Well, the big day for the babies has come at 22 weeks 6 days. Brianna's
circlauge (sp) slipped and she dialated to 7cm very quickly. The drs. said
the time has come, we have to take the babies. They had the whole team , 20
to be exact, of drs. at the hsopital within about an hour.
The prognosis was very alarming, the dr's. thought that 1 or maybe 2
babies would survive the birth due to the underdevelopment of these precious
little ones. He stated that in most cases with high order multiples that
mom is in ICU for at least 1 day, and in many cases 2. So we prayed and
turned all this over to the Lord. Ryan and Brianna were obviously
overwhelmed with all that was happening but they held on to their faith and
trust in the Lord.
We asked God to let the babies survive, to carry Brianna safely through
as the dr. had discussed the MANY complications that can happen to mom, and
that God would decide the outcome for these babies clearly so that Ryan and
Brianna would not have to make life and death choices regarding their little
ones as the dr. said they needed to decide if they wanted to revive the
babies if there were complications.
The frist baby was born at 11:23pm and the sixth was born at 11:25 pm.
Yes, all 6 were pulled with 2 minutes! God has miraclously intervened. All
six of the babies are alive. They weigh between 10 ounces to 1.2 pounds.
The dr. said that Cadance Alana, the 10 ounce baby girl was the smallest
baby he has delivered that has survived. They are very tiny, a little
bigger than an average adult hand, but seem to be fighters. Brianna did NOT
need to be placed in ICU and was able to be wheeled to Children's in order
to see the babies.
The babies are not out of the woods by any means but God has shown His
power and His presence. Everything we cried out to the Lord for was
answered. We continue to pray for the lives of these babies and Brianna's
recovery. The needs for prayer right now are:
1. Brianna to continue to recover quickly
2. Several of the babies fingers and toes are blue due to oxygen issues.
They may need to have them removed at some point.
3. There are SO MANY medical issues these babies are dealing with and it
will only be by miracle if they thrive and survive.
4. The dr. said there is an 80% chance for handicap with these babies.
Possibilities include: deafness, blindness, autism, along with many of
issues.
Please continue to lift them up. God has been so present through all the
pregnancy, and the birth last night. We NEED each one of you to pray and to
pass on this prayer request to others .
The babies names are:
baby girl- Lucia Rae (Rae after Brianna's mom's middle name) 11 ounces
baby boy- Bennet Ryan (after dad! Ryan)1.2 pound
baby boy- Tryg Brenton (Brenton after Brianna's dad's first name) 1.2 pound
baby boy- Lincoln Sean (Sean after Ryan's dad's first name) 1.2 pound
baby boy- Sylas Christopher (Christopher after Ryan's brother's first name)
1.2 pound
baby girl- Cadence Alana (Alana after Ryan's mom's middle name) 10 ounces
Thank you all for your love and prayers!

If you want to read more about the Morrisons and their journey please check out their website, there's a link under my friends column called Morrison6. If the Lord leads you, you can help them out in many different ways listed on their site.

Moose

I was so excited to see so much wildlife while in Homer. Pammy is always telling me about all the animals she's seen but I didn't realize that they're a pretty common sight in town. I saw 5 or 6 moose, 2 of which were babies. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of them ourselves because by the time one of us was outside with their camera they'd moved on. The closest I got was 10 feet away while driving on West Hill with Pamelina!

So, I brought back some moose-meat that is, from Alaska and Amelia and I had moose steak the other night and let me tell you...that's some GOOD MEAT! It was tender and juicy with little to no fat-I was surprised because I expected it to have a game-y taste. Anyway, if you ever get the chance you should try it!

Reading

So, I've been reading some books lately because well, they were recommended to me in Divorce Care class. The one I'm reading now is called Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: A Fresh Look at What Scripture Teaches by Jay E Adams

It's pretty good but makes me think a lot too. I just read about how God created marriage for companionship and that's what makes me sad...I don't have that intimate companionship and I'm a little afraid that I'll want to find it in H but I know that's not healthy. See, I didn't have it even when my 'wusband' was around, it turns out that his intentions in marrying me weren't for love and companionship but rather a visa and green card or something?!?! I want that sort of companionship but I also realize that that may not be what the Lord wants for me so...I have to give it up on a daily basis. So, if you think of me please pray for me in this area.

I'm also reading another book (With or Without You: A Spiritual Journey Through Love and Divorce by Cameron Conant) about someone else who went through a divorce recently, someone in my generation, and that's been really good for me too. In fact, it's a book that IF, and that's a big if, the Lord does bring someone into my life I would like him to read this too because I've experienced so many of the emotions and situations that this guy has written about that I think it would help whoever understand what I've gone through.

Anyway, that's where I'm at today. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Favorites

Ok, I'm going to post a few (ok, a lot) of my favorites!
Driving out on the Spit


One side of the boardwalk

Going across the bay for dinner

H and I on the Spit

H crawling!!!

H and Charlotte in the car on the way to Soldotna

Mocha and monkeys-you can't go wrong!

Pammy and H

My packing tape wrapped boarding pass to fly from Kenai to Anchorage!


So, there you go, those are just a few of the pics taken throughout the week. Once Jill and Pammy send me more I'll post those too.

xoxo

Home Sweet Home

So, as nice as it is to be home again it's bittersweet. I love being with my best friends, the ones you don't have to explain things to cuz they just understand. I once read/heard a quote that explains it all, I think it goes like this, "Home isn't a place it's a person [or persons in my case]". My heart is at home when I'm with my closest friends. Not that I don't have friends here in MN it's just...different. I've moved so much in my life that I've never "grown up" with my best friends from elementary or high school, it's so weird for me to hear people say that! But my best friends and I have history and even though we're thousands of miles apart it hasn't changed anything in our hearts.

Anyway, I'm back at work and back to normal life-whatever that means! :) Clothes are washed and we, H and I, are almost readjusted from the time difference! I'll be posting pictures in the next day or two so check back if you're interested.

Homer is so beautiful, it's the best of everything-ocean and mountains and lots of wildlife. I saw at least 5 moose that were within a couple yards of me and one that was maybe 10 feet away, they're so cute and awkward looking especially when they're babies! H and Charlotte got along really well, Charlotte had some lessons in sharing that were funny to watch...she's gonna be a big sister in a couple weeks! Charlotte likes to trade with you if you have something she wants and she loves to give kissies! I didn't get any the first two days I was there but after that I got lots of Charlotte's love and kissies!!! She's so much fun and stinkin' smart. AND H got her second tooth the day after we got there and on Sunday she just busted out crawling!!! One moment she was sitting nicely beside me, the next she's halfway across the room playing with magazines with Charlotte! Crazy cool!

K, love and kissies! lol :-D