Not much to say!

I don't feel like I have much to say today but we'll see where it goes.

We had a pretty nice weekend. Scott and I took Isabel to dinner on Friday night at Mellow Mushroom, yum, yum! They have the absolute best salads and we love the place! Afterwards we stopped by "Ance" and Toto's house to say hello. They were babysitting a puppy and we just had to stop in to see it . . . . . and their 200lb chocolate lab. Okay, maybe not 200lbs but he sure looks every bit of it. And, he is GREAT with Isabel. Sometimes he can be a little intimidating for her but she's really good about telling him, "NO NO". As well as playing with the pups we got to jump in on a fun game of Mexican Dominoes with them and some friends. If you've never tried the game, you should, its a ton of fun. On the way home it was pouring and lightening something awful but we made it home safe and sound and all was well.

Saturday we had a wedding and reception to attend and the weather cleared up just in time. It turned out to be a beautiful day and I'm sure the bride was happy! Afterwards we headed to our favorite Japanese restaurant with some friends for sushi and hibachi and the kids loved it! They were really entertained.

Isabel and I didn't get to attend church on Sunday because she woke up with a yucky cough. Although she had no fever and seemed okay otherwise, I was hesitant to leave her in the nursery with all of the other little babies . . . . . and I'm sure the other parents appreciated that too! We did make it Sunday night for the children's worship service (because I could keep Isabel with me and limit her contact with others) and it went great. The kids had a wonderful time!

Other than that, all is pretty much the same. Isabel still has a yucky cough and is congested but no fever. I'm unsure about whether to take her to the doctor. What to do? What to do?

On another note, my wonderful hubby has joined the "blog world" so head on over to his sight and check it out at http://www.thirstfortheword.blogspot.com/. His site is sure to be much for spiritually indepth than mine! ;0)

Have a great week!

Angela

An amazing God-filled weekend!

Wow! We had such an awesome weekend at church with the students. It was our annual "Elevate Weekend" ,aka "Disciple Now", and it was incredible. The speaker was Brad Fogarty, http://www.bradfogarty.com/, and the worship leaders were Beggartown, http://www.beggartown.org/. Both Brad and Beggartown are annointed men of God who are fulfilling their calls to go and spread the Word of Christ to a lost and dying world. We were challenged by Brad to evaluate where we are in our walk with Christ. Are we truly making disciples as we are biblically mandated to do? Do we really understand that we are covered by the blood of Christ and that we have been granted the blessings of Christ because of who we are as His called children?

The theme was "The Crossroads". Have we made the decision to turn right and follow Christ, leaving everything else behind or are we on the path to the left, living for the world? We have been called to be disciples and to make disciples but do we understand exactly what that means? When we think about the original 12 disciples, they left everything, including their families to walk with Christ, to learn His teachings and to imitate His every behavior. Yes, they were able to physically walk with Him and we aren't but we can still walk with Him as we study His Word. We so often try to make God fit our lifestyles rather than patterning our lifestyles around God. God is God! He is not who we decide to make Him. When will we ever come to understand that? Why are we so afraid to live for Him and to let His Light shine from us? Why are we afraid of offending those around us by living a life of obedience? Why is it so hard for us to believe that God will do for us what He says He will do? Why can't we accept the promises of God in His Word? These are all questions that I am pondering. How about you? Do you realize that "church" is not what saves and gives eternal life? Its a true intimacy with the Father and a life that imitates His Son!! I am excited to examine myself as I begin to "study" the Bible, rather than just "read" it. How about you?

I've attached some pics of Isabel from the weekend, she had a great time with everyone. Scott and I had the opportunity to pray over Isabel with Brad and his family and it was such a special time. No, Brad isn't God, but to have a man who walks so closely with the Father sit and pray over my child and the life that she has ahead of her in Christ was more than words can describe. Scott and I pray that Isabel is set apart and that she grows up to do MIGHTY things to change this world for Jesus!! I can't wait to see whats in store for her and to watch her grow and produce fruit!!

Oh, and the messy picture, well, I let Isabel feed herself some spaghetti . . . . . she loved it and had to be bathed twice to get it all off!

Have a great day!

Angela

PS - She's sitting in my brother's lap clapping to the music of Beggartown . . . she's such a little worshipper!

Wow, how time flies!!

I can't believe it is already Thursday, the 19th of March . . . . . wow! And my little girl is almost 16 months old. It seems like just yesterday we were anxiously waiting to get through our first trimester so that we could share the news with friends and family that we were expecting. As cliche as it may be, time really does fly. And what fun it has been!! Isabel is such a blessing to her daddy and I and the rest of our families . . . . . what did we ever do before her? Its hard to rememeber what our lives were like before she came.

I must admit that I daily struggle with trusting God to protect and bless Isabel. While I know it in my heart, I too often allow thoughts to get into my head that cause me to doubt. There are so many families out there that are struggling with sick and dying children and I am so afraid that we will be one of those families. I don't understand why we have been allowed to have a happy and healthy little girl. I pray daily that God will protect Isabel and that He would heal her and keep her strong and healthy because I really do feel that she will have a ministry one day, that she will have a desire in her heart to share the love of Christ will people around the world. It is my prayer that Isabel grows up to have a heart of compassion for the lost and conviction to go and share. While this is my prayer, I know that she must see and learn about the God that we serve, here in our own home. I am constantly aware that the example that I set for Isabel will mold and make her into the woman that she will be one day and that is a huge responsibilty, one that I can't handle on my own. It is only with God's strength that I can be the mommy that He desires for me to be. I pray that Scott and I are found faithful in the way the raise and teach Isabel!

On another note, I've attached some pictures of Isabel. We spent Saturday visting Nan (Scott's mom) in New Orleans. You'll notice the hat in one of the pics, Nan bought it for Isabel for Easter and its too cute!! The blue dress is one that Mimi (my mom) made for Isabel and Sunday was her first day to wear it. The artwork in the pic is Isabel's very first! She made it at church Wednesday night and we have proudly displayed it on our refrigerator . . . . how sweet.

My brother and his wife found out on Tuesday that they are expecting!! How exciting!! Isabel is going to have a baby cousin!! We are all very thrilled and we are praying that God allows this little one to grow and flourish in her mommy's belly and that he or she will arrive healthy and screaming. I guess we should start preparing Isabel, somehow, for the arrival of the new baby because I'm afraid she is going to be quite upset to see Mimi, Papa, "Ance" and "Toto" holding another little one . . . . . . we'll see!!

Also, please pray for Adrianna. She is a precious 2 year old who was diagnosed, last week, with Stage 4 neuroblastoma and has started chemo this week in hopes of shrinking the tumor to an operable size. We are praying for this little girl and her dear family! She is currently at Children's Hospital in New Orleans.

That's about it for now! Oh, besides Elevate Weekend that is happening at church this weekend for the students . . . . . it will be lots of fun. Brad Fogarty is the speaker and Beggartown will be leading in worship . . . . . I can't wait!!

Later,

Angela

Busy Times!

It was a busy weekend but very productive. I'm a list maker and I just LOVE marking things off of my list. It was a great weekend for marking off!!

We started the weekend on Friday by having dinner with some dear friends and their 3 year old daughter. She and Isabel are big pals and we had a great time eating some delicious Mexican food and watching the girls play.

Saturday started with a bridal shower at church that I helped host then it was on to "the list". I have been really wanting to plant some greenery on one side of our house, a side that is rarely seen by anyone and my husband loves to remind me of that. Well, we finally purchased and planted some great plants and they look very nice. That was after we pressure washed the house and mowed the yard. Actually, Scott did the mowing while I pulled weeds, weeds and more weeds!! And then we cleaned the deck. All of this took place during Isabel's 3 hour nap! Wow! And I was able to get the inside cleaned and the laundry caught up! I told you it was a productive weekend. We even found time to go to the park and have a McDonald's picnic and that was a special treat . . . . Isabel doesn't get fries very often.

Our church services were great on Sunday and we were able to rest and nap after lunch . . . how nice!

Monday was Isabel's 15 month check up and the dreaded shot. She did very well and the doctor is pleased with her progress. She now weighs 25 pounds and 8 ounces and is quite the little talker. She is going through a little phase right now of waking up around 5 am and "screaming" for mommy and daddy. And by screaming, I mean, SCREAMING, not the kind of crying that you can ignore thinking that she'll go back to sleep. She screams for us and so we get her up and put her in the bed with us. I know, I know, but hopefully its just a phase and not something that will become a habit. Although it is pretty nice to cuddle with her in the early morning hours. She'll wrap her little arms around my neck and say "mommy" until she falls asleep . . . . precious times!! So while I know it may become a problem in the future, I sure am loving the cuddle time with my little squirt.

Oh, I hear the little darling now, she's up from her nap and calling me!

Until next time,

Angela

Well, at last!!

Well, Isabel is finally better and acting like her old self again. Its been a long week! We took her to the doctor last Friday because she was still throwing up and had diarrhea and a fever. Turns out she had a nasty little bug that just had to run its course. She asked to "eat" this morning when I was fixing her breakfast yogurt so that was a good sign that she is feeling much better. You'll notice in the pic that she is eating her supper tonight and I am very pleased. All seems to be well but we'll continue to pray that God heals her little body.

Last night was our very first MOPS meeting at church and it turned out great. We had a good show of young mothers and I, myself, had a great time. If you aren't familiar with MOPS, check out their website. Its a great organization for women, particulary mothers of young children, who get together just for some fun fellowship. Its also a great opportunity to reach out to women and share the love of Christ. So often we mothers get caught up in the every day tasks of motherhood and "wifehood" that we don't take the time needed to care for ourselves. It was just so refreshing to sit and chat with other mothers about the joys and trials that come with the responsibility of being a mom as well as our need to daily find time to nurture our relationship with Christ. All in all, it was a great night and I'll try to get some pics next time.

Well, Isabel is almost finished with supper so I better run. If I don't, she'll start with the "apease, apease" with actually means, "please let me sit in your lap so that I can pull all of the keys off of the keyboard".

Good night to all and God bless!

Angela