New Car...

We have been talking about making a car change before the baby is born.. for a few different reasons. The main one being that my car would sell better with less miles on it, as it is a rather special car (2003 Mercury Marauder.. they didn't make very many!). It was coming up on 45K and so we thought we would slowly start the process last month. We weren't sure how long it would take to sell it, especially in this economy. Doug started putting feelers out to people who had expressed interest in the car (quite a few people have said to him/us, "Let me know if you ever sell it...."). We figured we'd start there before spending money on advertising right away. Doug started talking about it at work and a co-worker of his says "I'm really interested". What a blessing to have interest SO quickly.. we have so much to do to get ready for the baby.. adding a long "sell the car/but a new car" process was anticipated but certainly not hoped for!!

Of course, since the car had been the "family car", it needed some extra detailing/clean up before it was "shown". That meant that Evelyn's car seat had to come out of it. Which in turn meant that the truck got to be my "driver" for a while (there is already a car seat installed in it which is nice). Well, let's just say I'm really not cut out to be a truck drivin' momma!! Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for the truck and don't dislike driving it.. I just can't see myself driving it on a daily basis.. it just is too big! Anyway... we sold the car that week!! Such a huge answer to prayer! We hope and pray that the new owner enjoy the car as much as we did!!

Then we kinda of went in to "find a car" overdrive mode. We knew what we wanted (we had been looking and test driving for a while), it was just a matter of finding the best deal and staying within the budget we had set for this purchase. We found it.. in Sacramento, Ca! After many phone calls, faxes, and emails, Doug flew down (with frequent flyer miles... yeah!!) to pick up our new wheels and drive the long drive home. It was a long day for him, waking at 5am for the flight and arriving home with the car after midnight. Yet one more reason to love him!!

So what is it you ask? Its a 2008 Ford Taurus X (one of their crossover vehicles). It has 3 rows of seats (both back rows fold down for lots of cargo space), plenty of leg room, and drives awesome. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Evelyn does, too. At least once a day she gets in the car and says, "I love the new car, mommy" or "I love the pretty (leather) seats, mommy!" Even better was that we got such an amazing deal on it! So excited to be driving this car.. hopefully for a very long time!!

Here it is.. not the best pic but you get the idea!

Uncle Scott

Uncle Scott (in blue shirt) giving a blessing last June at Hayley's graduation party

Many of you know that my dear Uncle Scott had a massive heart attack on July 11th while visiting here from the Seattle area. Thank you to those who have been praying. Scott is now up in a special hospital up in Seattle, and still is in a coma-like state. We are praying for a miracle.. and know God is able to heal him. But there are also realities that are having to be faced that are painful beyond words. He is only 53. He is a man that puts faith family and friends first... I would call him the "glue" that keeps the family together. We love him so much.. for so many reasons! My aunt and cousins (ages 16 and 19) are doing as well as can be expected.. but need prayer just as much as Scott does! It has certainly been a long and trying 6 weeks.. but as we told the doctors.. we are a family of faith and remain on our knees and hopeful. Scott would want nothing less!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day, Doug!!!

Evelyn and I are SO very thankful for you! I couldn't have asked for a better person to be on this parenting journey with.. I love appreciate you more than words can say!

There is no greater joy than seeing Evelyn jump up and down SO excited for you to be home from work. Or when she wants to call you as SOON as she wakes up from her nap to see how your day is going. Or when you two are sitting in the grass outside "talking". Or when you are teaching her things about cars and playing with her in the shop. Or when she talks about times with "just me and daddy". Or... or.. or. I could go on forever. She loves you.. and she knows your love for her is rock solid!

Know this day is a day to celebrate you... one who sacrifices so much to give even more back to his little sugar plum (and her mommy, too!)

We love you, daddy... :)

Legacy

As many of you know, a friend of ours was killed in a tragic airplane accident last Saturday. Scott leaves behind his beautiful wife Holly and their four amazing kids (all under the age of 12). We have known Scott and Holly for many years. Holly was actually one of the first people Doug met when he started attending our church years ago. He was one of the "sound guy" at Scott and Holly's wedding and has sang with Holly off and on over the years. While we aren't in their "close" circle of friends, we still are so saddened by this unfathomable loss of such a wonderful man, husband, father, and God warrior.

Please join me in praying for the Resnick family and their close friends who are hurting so much right now.

To hear the collective gasps at church last Sunday when the news was shared was heart-wrenching. To have a pastor change the Sunday sermon last minute in order to address this loss is huge. To see our church family and others rally around Holly and the kids has been so refreshing and amazing and good. It is so obvious Scott left his mark in this world. Not in his death, but how he lived his life. He left a legacy of faith and love.. one that has and will continue to impact the lives of many.

Scott's death has made take inventory of my life. Do I live a life of purpose? Do I actively live out my faith and share it with others? Do I consider each new day another chance to love my God, my family and my friends with all my heart?

Only God knows the number of our days. What will people say if you were to die today? That question has been on my mind and heart alot.

One of my favorite songs is "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman. I have been pondering/listening/singing it this week. Here is the chorus:

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Scott left "that kind of legacy". It is my prayer that God will use both his life and his death to encourage others to do the same.

Until we meet again, Scott.... rest in peace.

So THIS is why I've been feeling so yucky....

Its amazing how something so small can make you feel so sick!

Many of you know our struggles with getting pregnant, both with Evelyn and this time around... we are SO excited to announce that we are finally expecting again in December. We are SO thankful for this precious gift!

What's funny about this is that we got pregnant the month we were "taking off" from trying... because we really didn't want another December baby. Apparently we didn't do that well at all.. and we are just fine with another Christmas baby! We also found out we were pregnant less than a week after my appointment with the infertility people, who basically told me I was getting old and if I wanted to get pregnant I didn't have much time left. Apparently I'm not that old.. yet! :)

I wish I could say I am feeling super and enjoying every moment with this one... but I can't. I have been SO nauseous and SO tired.. it has been and is pretty brutal. I am praying that it subsides soon. My goal is to have a spirit of thankfulness despite how I feel... because I really am so so thankful!

At this point Evelyn has no clue as to what is going on.. which is fine. We're not hiding it from her, but she IS only 2 and doesn't understand. (Then again... she probably understands more than we give her credit for....) We will probably start slowly introducing the idea as my belly gets bigger.. or something. We've never done this before with her, so we'll just go with the flow!

So... the adventure begins! WoooHoooo!

Today

April 14th. The day my dad died. 7 years ago. I relive that day often.. not because I want to, just because it is so vivid in my mind. As I look back, tho.. I am SO grateful for many GOOD things that happened that day and the days following... things I know could only be God's doing. My dad was always on optimist, always trying to be positive. So, for you, Dad.. I want to share those good things from that fateful time... cuz you wouldn't want me to focus on the bad stuff!

• It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny Sunday morning in April. A rarity here as you know. Sunshine can make the worst day better, even if just a bit!
  

• I was supposed to work, but got canceled. (Hospital staffing is done by cencus.. if there are not enough patients.. they cancel workers). This turned out to be probably the BIGGEST blessing for me that day.

• Dad was stable when he left the house in the ambulance. My mom decided to just follow in the car. I think both God and my dad knew that she shouldn't be in the ambulance with him. He went into cardiac arrest in route to the hospital.

• I was the first to arrive at the hospital. If anyone had to hear the news first, I am glad it was me. I completely went into "nurse mode" and got back to his room fast. I don't think they would have let me back if I wasn't a nurse.
  

• It was me, not a stranger, who told my mom and family the situation when they arrived. Not that I wanted to, but I hoped it was more comforting hearing it from me.

• We got a hold of my sister in Idaho. Cell phones weren't nearly as common back then... and she has a busy family. But thankfully she answered the phone when I called. I know it was the worst phone call she has ever received, but I am SO glad we got her on the phone and in the end, she got to speak words into dad's ears over the phone before he died. Precious.
  

• After Dad died, someone (Doug maybe) got mom and my other sister home. I had to wait to do some paperwork. I just sat with dad and chatted with him. It was nice to just have some alone time with him. I'll always cherish that.
  

• During that quiet time with him, the main doctor who was caring for him came in. It was comforting to talk with him, in medical terms, about the events of the day. He said that had dad survived, he would have had neurological damage from the extended length time without good oxygen. Somehow that was comforting at the time.. and I am grateful for the time that doctor spent with me.

• My amazing husband and brother-in-law's. Enough can't be said about how they just stepped up and got things done.. all while grieving themselves. SO many people had to be called, SO much to be done.. and me, my mom and sisters were certainly not in the right state of mind at the time. An example: they remembered that April 15th, tax day, was the following day. My parents ALWAYS filed on the 15th. They found the tax forms and got them finished and ready to go out. NOT an easy task! Phew!
  

• The love, support, and grace shown to us. From cards, to flowers, to SO SO much good food (dad would have been jealous he didn't get to enjoy it! LOL).. we were showered with care by so many people, some we didn't even know.

• Over 300 people came to his funeral.. maybe even over 350. Now, I know how awesome my dad was.. but to hear stories about him and see how he touched the lives of so many was so special and so sweet. He impacted many with his life. I am so proud to be his daughter!

"God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble." Psalm 46.1

April 14th, 2002. It was a day that changed my life, that brought me to the end of myself. But it also was a time where God did some amazing things for me and my family. It brought me into a better understanding of how deep the love of God is. He truly is my refuge, my strength. He is the reason I can make it thru hard days like today. He is the reason I can grieve my dad with hope.. hope of seeing him perfect and whole again someday. The other day Evelyn asked what street her "Grandpa in Heaven" lived on (lately she has been big into what streets people live on). I am happy to tell her he lives on streets of gold in heaven. How awesome!

What an honor and blessing to have loved, and to have been loved by my amazing and awesome dad.

Catch up...

I really haven't had time(or more honestly haven't made the time) to blog lately. So.. once again I'm gonna just do a picture catch up post (I know.. BOOORRRIINNNGG!) I promise to get better at blogging more frequently!

Evelyn is such an outdoor kid. Even when it has been raining lately, I have made it a point to watch for a break in the showers so we can go for a walk... even if its just around the block. She LOVES it! She really wanted to go play outside in the rain one afternoon last week. I figured what the heck.. let's do it! We got her all bundled and went out.... this is what happened soon after:

BIG tears... all because she didn't want her hood up!

Once it was off she was fine! Of course, she really didn't like her hair getting wet either, so we went in shortly after this was taken!

Then Saturday the sun started to show itself again.. YAY!! We have had SO much fun playing at the park, at the school playground, and in the backyard.

Yes, she is up in the apple tree. Yes, Doug is holding on to her, but got out of the shot so it would look like she was all by herself! She LOVES this picture and has asked to look at it over and over again!

Supervising Daddy!

Her favorite.. the curly slide. She could spend hours on it!

Our on way home today from the park. We were out ALL afternoon and had so much fun!

She then proceeded to play with daddy outside after dinner until bedtime. Needless to say she went to bed without issue tonight!

That's all I've got. The fresh air has made me tired as well. Enjoy the weather while it lasts! :)