AWESOME

I have been worrying. I hate to say that, but I have had feelings of anxiety for a couple of days. This is hard for me to admit because as a believer in Christ, I have His Word hidden in my heart to help me through times like these. Scriptures about trusting in God and giving Him all my burdens come to mind, but I just couldn't seem to lay it all down at His feet, and the feeling of peace as promised in Philippians 4:7 was not there in my heart and mind.

So, very late last night, Isaac and I prayed together about what is going on in our life, seeking the Lord's wisdom for our life. I felt the Spirit bring to mind the parable Jesus says in the gospel of Luke, when He says "Consider the lilies of the field..." the parable that reminds us that if God clothes the flowers with such beauty and splendor, how much more will he take care of His children? I also felt a strong urge to go to church in the morning, sensing that God had something planned for me there. And He did.

The worship was sweet, bringing tears to my eyes. I just love singing praises to my Creator. And instead of a sermon, we watched something called "Indescribable", which was so neat. We got to see several pictures from outer space of things like galaxies, stars, etc. It helped me realize how small I am. Just one small person in a huge world, on one small planet in a HUGE universe. There is more out there than just our nine planets and billions os stars. Our telescopes cannot even extend far enough into space to get a picture of what is really out there. Wow...and to think that as small as I am, God loves me. God loves ME! The last image we saw in the video was of Jesus on the cross. Wow, what a moment of silence. Jesus, the Creator of this universe, so vast and powerful, came to this little speck of a planet because HE LOVES US. Death on a cross, so that we could live with Him forever, so that we could have a personal and intimate relationship with our God.

So I realized that the worries of my life are nothing compared to the awesomeness of God. If my Creator could create the universe, so big that astronomers haven't even begun to touch the surface of it, then surely He will take care of me. God looks through the galaxies and vastness of the universe, and sees right into my heart. He knows the name of every star, sees every leaf that falls, and knows every thought in the mind of every person who has ever lived. The same God that created planet earth also created the baby inside of me. Try to wrap your mind around that...I sure can't! He has got it under control! And life is about so much more than me, anyway. Thanks for the powerful reminder, God! And now I have peace.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

Birthdays

Phoenix celebrated his 2nd birthday on August 24th. We had a small celebration, since we aren't near family or friends right now, so it was just me, Isaac, Phoenix. He was more excited about the candles on his cake than actually eating it. In fact, after the candles were all blown out, he asked us to light them again. And a few minutes later, he proceeded to put a candle in his mouth, eat the wax, and spit out the wick. Yucky. He did all this while I was cutting the cake, so praise God he didn't choke on it or something. I guess he thought the candles were edible...after all, they were covered in yummy tasting frosting.

Isaac turned 25 a couple weeks later, on September 4. He had to work on his birthday, but that night we had a little barbecue complete with confetti cupcakes, one of his favorites. He bought some new undershirts for work as his present. Holidays can be a little lonely out here in California, but at the same time they are wonderful because we are starting traditions that include just our small family of three (soon to be four).

Our anniversary was on September 8th. Four years of wedded bliss! We celebrated a week early by spending the night in Las Vegas at our favorite hotel, the Red Rock. Phoenix spent some time with Gamma and Papa, and stayed the night with his cousins, Weston, Andrew, and Madison. It was so nice to enjoy some time with my husband without Phoenix screaming or running around the restaurant. What a nice surprise and blessing that trip was!

I am 35 weeks along, so there is only about a month left until this little baby is born. I feel great and have been blessed tremendously with a healthy pregnancy. This summer has been such a learning experience. We have learned many lessons, mainly to trust in the Lord even more than we have in the past. In a world of suffering, economic uncertainty, and just the trials of day to day life, the Lord is our Rock and He will never change. Praise Him for His faithfulness! No matter what happens here on earth, if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we are given an eternal inheritance to look forward to. This life is just a mist, a vapor. But life for believers in Jesus will go on forever.

"Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20

Timing and Trains

Timing…the time has come for us to move again, and this time I think it’s for sure. This weekend we’ll be moving to Corona, CA. This will be our final move of the summer, where we will stay until the baby is born in October. After that we plan to pass through Mesquite, load a U-Haul with the few things we have in storage, and then head to Texas to start another adventure.

Time is interesting to me. For example, the timing of this pregnancy couldn’t have been better. Isaac and I got pregnant with Phoenix the same month we started trying, but with this baby, it took four months. Each month I kept wondering why I wasn’t pregnant yet, since it happened instantly with Phoenix. Actually, four months is not very long at all to wait to get pregnant, but now I see why the Lord gave us this pregnancy just when He did, and not a month sooner or later. For one thing, I was extremely sick with this pregnancy from week 7-week 20. It just happens to be that during my sickest weeks, Isaac worked a job that allowed him to be at home most of the day, every day, so he was able to take care of Phoenix for me and help me through the all-day sickness (it was definitely not “morning sickness”…it seemed to get worse as the day went on. Ugh!). Then, during my 2nd trimester, we moved out here to California for Isaac’s job and our apartment lease with the company will be up November 1st. This is great for us because the baby is due at the end of October, just in time for us to deliver him or her. If this pregnancy had happened any sooner or later, then I would not have had Isaac’s full-time help with my sickness, or we would have had to leave California when I was close to delivering and scramble to find a doctor in Texas at the last minute. It turns out that God’s timing is exquisite, the best timing of all.

Phoenix absolutely LOVES to play with the train table at Barnes and Noble. We go there every week so he can play with the “choo choos.” Last weekend Isaac found a little train set for $19 at a kid’s second-hand store, so we bought it as Phoenix’s early birthday gift. I brought it home and tried for 20 minutes to put it together. I just couldn’t seem to get it to make a full circle, so Phoenix would have to move the train back to the beginning every time it got to the end of the track. I was disappointed that it wasn’t a complete train track. Then Isaac got home from work that night, took a quick look at the train, made a few adjustments, and just like that…the train tracks made a complete circle. What? How did I miss that? We both laughed at how differently God has made men and women. I spent all afternoon pondering how to get the train tracks to come together right, and it only took Isaac 10 seconds to figure it out. I revel in the differences between men and women. Together, we make such a great team. I only wish society would accept that God made us different, instead of trying to make us more like each other.

Just Kidding...

We are not moving yet! I don't know why I post these things, because when your husband is an alarm salesman, nothing is ever for sure! We will probably be moving within a month or so, but who knows? I don't get anxiety anymore about our gypsy lifestyle. It has driven home the point for us that this world is not our home, and it keeps us looking up to where our home truly is.

Last weekend I decided to be brave and take Phoenix to the beach alone, without Isaac, since he works Saturdays. I was prepared for lots of screaming and frustrating moments with Phoenix (he really is a wild child), but it turned out to be a very relaxing and fun afternoon, much to my surprise and delight! We spent most of our time just sitting in the sand, while Phoenix played with his new beach toys that I managed to hunt down at Target (the absolute last set of beach toys left anywhere in Southern California, I swear!), and I sat and soaked in some sun. I just love it when Phoenix surprises me with great behavior. Don't get me wrong, he is an awesome kid, but sometimes he can be more than a little feisty and independent. Definitely gets that from his Daddy. :) Also, we saw a dolphin out in the ocean! It was so awesome. I have never seen a dolphin out in the water unless it was at Sea World, so that was exciting. Dolphins are my favorite animals ever.

We went to a great church on Sunday, Calvary Chapel El Cajon. Phoenix had a lot of fun in his class, and we learned from the book of Revelation. Exciting things! Isaac is still working as hard as ever, and my belly is still getting as big as ever, and the weather here is just as wonderful as ever. I am going into my 30th week (the Big 3-0!), which means this pregnancy is winding down to a close. I can't wait to hold my little newborn in my arms, and also I can't wait to sleep on my tummy or back again, I'll take either one. If I get any sleep at all. Who needs sleep when you've got a wonderful husband, a wacky toddler, and a little newborn baby to share your life with? :)

Bye Bye San Diego

We have lived in San Diego for about 4 weeks, and we are moving again! We'll be staying in California and moving further north. We leave on Sunday, so I'm trying to really enjoy our last few days here. This place is awesome! What I have loved the most is the weather. In Lompoc it was chilly and very windy everyday, but here it is absolutely gorgeous- warm, usually in the 70's, and no harsh winds. We have spent many nights at the beach, just walking along the coast and watching Phoenix try to ride his skateboard or scooter. We have also done Sea World a few times.

Isaac gave me an early Birthday present (very early- I turn 24 in October).He let me decorate our porch here, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I didn't spend much money, just kept it simple and inexpensive. It is bright and colorful and inviting, and I sit out there a lot just thinking or praying or reading. There is a big tree right in front of our porch, and last weekend we noticed these very exotic looking birds flying around and eating the tree's berries. These birds are so unusual looking, we took a bunch of pictures of them, and when we looked them up, we discovered they are called the Red Crowned Parrot and are endangered! They are very rare and only exist here in California. Wow! We felt so blessed to be able to watch them fly around us. They are a beautiful bright green with red near the eyes and a bright yellow beak. I am amazed at how much variety God created, what an awesome God He is.

Pregnancy update: I am going into my 29th week, almost 7 months pregnant. I feel great, the baby is moving around a ton, and I am grateful to have a healthy pregnancy. I still can't believe there is a living person inside of me, with a heart and a spirit and everything! What a miracle it is.

Phoenix is learning a lot and growing up real fast! He now sleeps in a "big boy bed", which is a mattress on the floor next to his Pac and Play. He was climbing out of his little crib and flopping onto the mattress, but now we just lay him right on the mattress and he loves it. No more baby bed!

A few days ago when Isaac and I were praying, I got a little emotional and thanked God for all that He has blessed us with. We do not deserve His abundant provision- we are sinful people, redeemed by our Savior, and there is nothing good in us except the good that God has put there. I prayed, My Lord! I have everything I need. :)

"He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20