Week 26

Posting from the white sands of Destin, FL! The hubs and I took a much needed weekend getaway to our favorite beach. It has been oh so relaxing! The weather is perfect and Mr. Levi Fisher is just kickin away not letting us forget he is with us.
For a while now, I have been needing to get away to devote some major quiet time to God. And while this weekend is a celebration of 5 wonderful years with the hubs and our last vacay before baby.. being on the beach surrounded by His vast oceans has been devoted to Him. The hubs and I are both on the verge of big things and so we needed to stop and thank God for all that He has given us and ask for guidance for whatever is coming next. We have been so overwhelmingly blessed the past six months- kind of like how overwhelming the ocean is. We know that our next steps will be like a baby's first steps- we'll probably fall down a couple of times and then there will be nothing stopping us. Please be praying for us!
So I have been anxiously awaiting that moment when a stranger asks me when I'm due- so far not a soul has asked without already knowing that I am preggers. And what do ya know- they didn't ask when I am due or what I am having. She asked if I am having twins.... It's okay I laughed. And replied with no I wish! Finally, the bump has become a basketball. I know some people hate when people comment on their pregnant belly- and maybe it will bother me eventually. But I've kind of been begging for it! I was on the beach in my tankini which covered the bump (most of the time) and yes I rubbed my belly 90% of the time! Only because Levi Fisher kicked and punched and rolled around 90% percent of the time. It was quite entertaining. Also entertaining, me getting up out of the sand to visit the restroom every hour. Somehow I still got sunburnt. Mainly my feet are fried which made for some uncomfortable walking which lead to some premature waddling- yep I was that girl. If the bump wasn't enough, my swagger was the pregnant clincher. I can't get offended by comments on the ole bump cause we've still got 3 months to go and nowhere to go but OUT! This chick was not blessed with height so I will most likely look like I am carrying triplets by August. Oh and did you catch that... THREE MONTHS TO GO!! We have officially entered the third trimester!!!!!!!! SUPER SURREAL! So thankful to have made it this far and praying that we are granted three more months of healthy growing.
I'm going to get back to this babymoon! Hope you take the time to remember who this three day weekend is for. Praying for all the men and women who sacrifice their lives for our freedom. Praying for families that they have peace as they remember their loved ones.

Week 25

*Listening to Kari Jobe's "You Are Good"*
This week was so super busy. B and I were blessed with some big opportunities. He and his catering partner had their first wedding- and oh my goodness they did amazing. I mean, yes I am biased, but they were bragged on- not only on their cooking skills but their professionalism. Super thankful that God is developing their dreams into reality. My first Mary Kay party is under the belt. There are definitely some areas I need to work on- BUT I L-O-V-E-D every minute of it. God has blessed me tremendously with this ministry and I am just tickled pink ;-) with this opportunity to serve Him.
God is good y'all.
He is so good, but what happens if we don't accept His goodness? What happens if we don't nurture what He gives us? When Levi Fisher gets here and we don't take him home- what's the point? If we take him home and we don't feed him and don't teach him how things work... what purpose does that life serve? God has given you and me talents and gifts. They're not suppose to be one of those wedding gifts that sit in some cupboard and never get used. This is a gift from your Maker. He has entrusted YOU with responsibility to bless others with that gift. Get excited yall! The Lord felt you are worthy to share talents with people! If you are not sure what those gifts are- PRAY!!! He will reveal it to you in a big way. The devil is going to try to tell you that you can't do that and you aren't worthy- but where in the Bible does it say that you are inadequate of doing big things.. NOWHERE! Over and over we are promised that God put us here to do great and mighty things. In fact, in John 14 Jesus is speaking to His disciples about believing in Him. He says,
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do EVEN GREATER things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12
Kind of a big deal. This man has healed the sick, fed the five thousand, oh and after being killed on a cross- three days later is raised from the dead and lives today. So He intends us to do GREATER things than that? Are we really living to the full? Is God really living in us so that we can do GREAT things for His kingdom? For me- that's going to take me saying no to some things and letting Him have more of me. I'm confident the return on that will be far greater than anything Facebook, TV, or Pinterest can offer me.

So I think I lost about ten pounds in water weight last night because I was up every hour last night. And Mr. Levi Fisher's kicks are harder than ever. My mom was sitting across the room from me and could see him kicking. My little brother felt him kick for the first time- he was impressed at his soon-to-be nephew's strength. He is so funny. He turns 13 this week (O.O) and he is so concerned with my well-being. I love that little boy. And this weekend was wonderful because I got to see my older, younger brother and his wifey too. I love when we all get to be together. And after this crazy week it was just perfect to spend some down time with them.

Now that I'm making myself eat more, my energy level has gone up like a whole bunch. Feeling really really good. We passed the glucose test this week- which by the way is disgusting. I am so not good with bad tasting things. She said, you have 5 minutes to finish this drink. PSH! You take one sip of that nasty syrup and its down in 5 seconds without hitting a taste bud. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. Mr. Levi Fisher is measuring right on target. And between his kicks, heard his heartbeat again. Which is the BEST sound ever. Me and TUMS are like bff now. Holy heartburn. Thankfully relief comes quickly from the chalky tablet.

So grateful for God's presence this week. Praying that we continue to open our lives to obey His plan. Fill your life with great purpose yall!!!

Week 24

Happy Mother's Day! Today was a true delight- especially getting about 20 texts with happy wishes. So thankful for all of those. And to be able to celebrate with my mom and B's mom. It was a blessed day. It was a good week actually. Finished off 24 at the doctor's office due to dizziness- but I'm fine, apparently not eating enough. Then celebrated the big 2-5. WHOA. :) So excited for this year- but very thankful the past year. It was definitely my favorite because I learned a little more about God's love and felt it in a big way. I think this year will be a lot of changes not just with Levi... I can just feel it. God has me praying about it. And with so many things up in the air, MOST of the time I am overwhelmed with peace. I know someone is praying big prayers for me out there because my first reaction to "waiting" is not patience. But God is good and I know His angels are fighting for me.
Mr. Levi is just getting more and more active. I felt him move for the first time standing up.. normally it's only when I'm sitting down or laying down (right before going to bed). I think I'm getting overly attached to his little kicks and jabs. They're so sweet and perfect. I know in a few months I will want him out of me and in my arms but right now I am so content with having him with me all day.
Yesterday we took on the great adventure of registering. It was quite overwhelming. B stayed pretty quiet through the whole store UNTIL we reached the strollers. His eyes lit up at all the wheels. He suddenly became a motor mouth and wanted to test drive them all. :-) I took one for a stroll and it hit me.... oh my goodness-we are having a baby. This is happening. It was so weird. And so wonderful. And as we talked to other couples at the store getting their opinions on things I just needed to sit down and digest that we are parents. We are going to have an opinion on diapers and strollers and monitors. When did this happen? Yep- had a meltdown. Thankfully we were at the end of shooting barcodes so I let it all wash over me in the car. It was a blessed feeling just kind of surreal. okay totally surreal.
We are getting nursery ready, slowly. Hubs moved out the bed that was in there and painted Levi's armoire. Still trying to find bedding- but trying to find a rug first. Which is a lot harder than it sounds. If anyone has suggestions I am open!
"I in them and you in me- so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:23
I saw this on a church billboard and looked it up out of curiosity. And I love it. I'm sure I've heard it before but I am thankful to have read it this week. It is Jesus praying to God. I don't even have words to explain what is going through my head everytime I read it. I just keep reading it over and over.

Week 23

Oh my goodness- you know those wonderful weeks when you're not really sure if you're listening better or if God is just talking louder. Praise God! It was one of those amazing weeks! It was seriously the most encouraging consecutive days. God is teaching me so much right now- I just hope it all sinks in and I don't sit in the classroom and take notes- I want to take action! I've been reminded over and over to not waste time.. LIVE TODAY!
God has presented me with this golden opportunity to sell Mary Kay. I am not Ms. Sales-lady-of-the-year. I have never done anything like this before. I am not business minded. I am a show up- do a great job 9-5, go home, go to bed, wake up and do it again. And so far it has served me well. I have met amazing people and God has taught me something at each job. But lately I have been praying for more. More opportunities to share His love. I have never felt this overwhelming urge to go out of the country to do missions, but I think I would love it. I think my heart would never be the same- but I have come up with excuses and I think God wants all of us to experience that out-of-your-comfort zone ministry. But I think God presents us with opportunities that we are called to seize.
Mary Kay will be my stepping stone and in its own way will be my mission field. I love sharing my story with people. And this company is all about your story and sharing it. What better way to minister to other women! I remember when I was in the 7th grade (I'll never forget it) I KNEW I wanted to be a youth director at a church. Over the years that dream has morphed and now I have this amazing new ministry to be a part of! I hope I can share His love to the ends of the earth through this platform!!
And what better motivation than this beautiful new life growing inside of me. And MAN he is coming to life!!! Those kicks and punches are more frequent and alot stronger! I LOVE it. I love having him with me all day. I even love when he wakes me up at 2:30 am to let me know he's still in there. It kind of makes me think about how God probably feels about us. He is our Father and I'm sure He loves when we just let Him know- Hey Dad! :)

I love getting to know this new kind of love.
What's New?
Besides the more frequent kicking/punching-- not much! We had a very busy weekend celebrating my brother's graduation (War Eagle!) and starting my birthday celebrating today. Yep I'm one of those people that commands birthday attention! I mean come on.. It's the day you're mom spent x hours pushing shoving to get you here! It deserves a little celebrating! 24 was such a great year filled with heart breaks, loss, and this overwhelming joy. It is the year that I am most thankful for... so far. I think 25 is going to be awesome and I can't wait to see what God does.
Good Lord willin and the creek don't rise..
Mary Kay is going to be a prayerful journey. My mind is fighting off so many attacks of the devil. It has kept me in prayer more and forced me to allow Him to carry me. We define our comfort zone not God. He is limitless. His love, His patience, His help... He's got this. We're going to do this together and I can't wait to look at this post in the future and praise Him for giving me bigger opportunities to share His love.
Praying for His love to overtake any doubt or fear you have. Surrender your biggest fear. And as I was encouraged tonight in a Mary Kay conference call.. "Declare war on your stinkin thinkin!" Think big. Think great. God is good!!!

Week 22

Yay for another week chalked up for the bump! This week was MUCH better than last week. The sinus plague has hung around and worn out its welcome BUT it is very slowly getting better. I could do a big ridiculous happy dance for not getting sick (sick) this week! Thank you Jesus! (and Levi) for allowing me to hold it together this week. This morning I knew exactly what I wanted to blog about and then as I headed to my parents house in this dreadful rain my world got a little shook up. I hydroplaned and ran off the road into some bushels/tree branches. Other than my side mirror getting knocked forward the car is fine. I am fine.. now. It was scary. I have never hydroplaned like that before. Normally I can gain control of the car and stay on the road no big deal.. Everyone has experienced that... THIS felt like somebody had my steering wheel and would not let me have control................ *BIG OLE SIGH*
Like I said I am fine.. Levi has been punching and kicking all day.
But as I sit here and force myself to write this out, I am dreaming of laying in my bed and crying myself into sleep. Tears of fear and thankfulness for our gracious God to not let me hit another car. I don't want to over dramatize my incident today because I am perfectly fine.. but it did scare me and of course it went along with our message at church today. Our days are numbered.
We live this life of "eventuallys" and "one days" without our next breath not being promised to us. Hopefully you have a bigger life to look forward to- I know it is easy for me to get a little caught up in my day to day without making each day count. Like if I were to die tomorrow.. did anything happen today that mattered. Did I make a difference in anybody's life? Did I influence someone's decision towards giving their life to Christ?
I was going to blog about all these dreams I am having about my life. I was not one of those people that knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.. I still don't. I know that I want to live for Him and I pray that He provides opportunities for ministry in daily living. I want to be passionate about whatever I do and God is developing that in my heart right now. He is showing me that ministry isn't always working for a church, or going on mission trips.. Ministry is where God has you right now. What are you doing with it? I don't want to be one of those people at my ten year reunion bragging on all my degrees and accomplishments. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and MAN I am so excited for so many of my graduating classmates and what they are doing with their lives. They are living big and most of them are living big for God. That's what I want. I want to live big for God. I am tired of feeling small and incapable of being great. That is a lie from that sick enemy. My God made me to be great. I am not a mistake and He has a plan for me- a great big plan. I want to open my life to Him- that I would no longer feel inadequate. I pretend it's humility but it's not. Because the feelings I have are that "I can't accomplish that" or "I'm not good enough"... THAT IS NOT HUMILITY! It is pride. I can't accomplish anything and I am not good enough BUT there is this amazing Savior that has given me new life. He makes me holy. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of me. It's time to let His love spill over. It's past time that I start giving God a little more credit and start realizing that He can do anything if I allow Him to take place in my life.
So on to baby stuff :-)
The hubs FINALLY felt Levi kicking around. I think Monday was the first day Levi kicked in the morning... 5 am I might add. AND he was kicking B in the butt! :-) I told B, Levi was claiming his territory. It was hilarious. Levi doesn't kick all day- he is definitely on a schedule... but if I want him to kick... cheese dip works everytime. Cheese is the one thing I can count on to get him moving. OR if I have my laptop on my belly. Don't worry there's a pillow in between laptop and belly.
So the fabulous hubs started working on a DIY lamp I envisioned. I still have to paint it again so when the nursery is done I'll put a full picture up.. but!

Basically I wanted a lamp made from a fishing pole. I knew I wanted it to be all white (so another coat of paint is needed). BUT the technical (electrical) part is done! It is already super cute, just doesn't have that finished look quite yet. Major props to hubs :-)

AND YES Mr. Levi Fisher is growing! I attribute this weeks growth to no sickness (woop woop).

I want to leave this week with an encouragement. If you are not sure what God is doing in your life- or where He wants you. Be still. Be quiet. And be prepared.

Praying for revelations and dreams to develop.

Me and the bump are hittin the hay. It has been a day.

 





 

Week 21

Goodness.. This week was a rollercoaster! I think we all were ready to see the week end with all the tragedies around us. I just hope everyone's focus is on the Lord. We personally had a bit of bumpy week. First of all I was hit with the sinus plague and it got worse as the week went on. NO FUN. We went to the doctor Wednesday to do the anatomy scan (which is just a more detailed ultrasound to make sure everything is growing properly). Levi is looking good! Such a relief. My mom went with me to my appointment so B can save up on vacation days. It was so funny seeing him be more active. We could see his little mouth sucking on his thumb- which was hilarious. Funny how they learn to do that so soon. Levi already looks so cute (if I do say so myself).

He gave us a wave! :) I think I'm going to be one of "those moms". I wish I would've felt better at my appointment because I was out of it. I had not felt that bad my whole pregnancy. I got sick at the doctors office several times and decided that I shouldn't go to work at all. Luckily my doctor put me on some antibiotics and recommended some safe sinus meds. Feeling a little better every day.

 

Thursday came and we got hit with some not so good news. Hubby's sweet dad heard that terrible word cancer. Luckily they caught it very early. He will have surgery in a few months. No one likes to hear that word- it doesn't matter what "stage" that it's in. It just knocks the breath out of you. We're praying confidently that our gracious Lord will heal him completely so Levi can have his Poppy for many many years.

With all that is happening around us, I was reminded multiple times today that we need to keep Jesus at the center. Everything we have comes God. We are just the recipients of all His giving. We have to remember that without Him we have nothing. So that house that you "own"- belongs to the Lord- He is letting you live there because He trusts you with that home and wants you to have a place here. That promotion you just got- straight from God- how are you going to return the blessing? I am so guilty of forgetting that I am a mere tool in a toolbelt. I have a purpose- but best used by my Carpenter. So thankful for His giving spirit and entrusting me with not only spiritual gifts but blessings all around.

That's a baby bump :)



Thankful for..

Despite all the sickness this week-- somehow Levi grew. I've only gained 2 pounds the whole pregnancy, but my weight has definitely shifted cause this kid is starting to make himself known. He is so active now- I can feel definite kicks which I just love. If I'm really still I can see my belly move. B still hasn't felt him yet (mainly because of his impatience). Maybe this week Levi will kick him.

Praying for..

Our country. Our focus. While there is a lot of hateful things going on- there are His beautiful ways to rescue our thoughts. For every tragedy that happens, there is a group of people gathering to pray, lifting up, encouraging, and serving those who hurt. While our enemy would love for us to focus on all the awful things that fill this world- there is this mighty big God who brings light to the darkness. The devil makes a good case for us to be sucked into- BUT Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and He is GOOD. Please join me in shifting focus to our great merciful God, and pray for the sweet families who laid loved ones to rest. Pray for a comfort that can only come from God. Please pray for my sweet father in law and B's mom and B- as we face treatment options and asking God to give us the courage to see His greatness.

praying that God allows us another week to see His goodness. Jesus be the center of it all!

Week 20

Can we do a victory lap!!?? We're halfway there!!! So incredily surreal! God is good! It hit me today over and over how good He is. Our church service brought me back to last August- today we sang "It is Well with my soul" and "Ten Thousand Reasons".. Both songs address worshipping God when it's the last thing you want to do. I don't want to keep harping on our miscarriage but honestly the Lord is mending my heart through this still and I'm hoping it gives someone encouragement. When you face a loss, it is really hard to see any sort of light. This is why you ask people to pray for you. I don't mean to pray for your well-being. I mean asking them to step into your shoes, take on your burden, and pray for you. Because it is hard to pray when you're mourning. In fact the only thing I could pray at those moments was that someone was praying for me. Someone to say the words that I couldn't. And some one was or ten people. I was blessed with worship music that filled my thoughts. It wasn't something I wanted to do or felt that it was time to do- all I know is.. that is what I did. I layed on the couch in our living room and listened to worship music. Someone was commanding my soul to worship the Lord when I simply couldn't do it. These songs are both about this- what are you going to worship when its hard?. Like I said I couldn't do this on my own nor do I take credit for those moments of worship- honestly I felt like I needed to cry and mope and I felt like I deserved to. It was very confusing- because my heart was in a true battle of worship. I didn't really comprehend it until today when our pastor brought it to life. I don't think God intends for us to go through hard things and put on a happy face and go on with life. He expects us to grieve, to be mad, to hurt- otherwise it wouldn't be hard. But that's also when He makes us strong. It's when the devil is defeated. It's about a choice that even when your hurting- we hold on to a hope, we see a light, and we choose to make that priority over it all.
Today was just a great day of worship.
It was also a great day of rest! :) We hosted a lingerie shower at our house yesterday for my sweet cousin and went out for bachelorette festivities last night. The whole week my mind was racing of the things I needed to do before Saturday. And let me tell you... Friday I realized I needed to make a list of all the last minute things that needed to be done. LISTS ARE IMPORTANT! If it doesn't get written down- it doesn't get done. It's both hilarious and frustrating- I just hope the people around me are forgiving because my brain is like a pin ball bouncing around. We had so much fun celebrating and I'm so thankful for all the help I had from my mom and sweet cousin. Which brings me to my day of rest. I woke up (after 12 hours of wonderful sleep) and felt like I had run a marathon. My legs were killing me- my head was throbbing- I felt like an old lady. So my butt layed on the couch.. all day and listened to the sweet rain. It was exactly what I needed. And it was a perfect (lame-o) celebration for WEEK 20!!!
At some point in the laziness I looked at Brad and said oh my goodness we only have 4 months left. We shared an excited/scared grin. And I think mr.levi fisher is pretty darn excited too. He has been getting a little bit stronger and I have felt him moving from the outside several times. So we took a celebratory midpoint bump pic tonight...

I feel like my bump is growing more up and down than out-- but I'm sure that's coming! I'm just glad I'm showing. Maybe next week's picture will be a little more exciting-- like I said day of rest.

Changes?

Belly is growing..Due to appetite returning!!! WOOP WOOP! My doc told me I needed to gain 5 lbs by next visit (which is Wednesday) so I don't know if I have or not- I'm just glad I'm eating. I don't weigh myself except for mandatory doc office because if I did I would obsess over that number. Something I'm not interested in obsessing over right now. I'm listening to my body and eating when I'm hungry. I love that his movements are getting stronger, it's so sweet feeling him move around.

(the pitiful sounding) How are you feeling?

:) I feel great peeps. I'm tired some days and others I could lead a kickboxing class. I've had a migraine today- accompanied by sickness- BUT it's nothing I haven't faced before. Just doing it without medicine and treating with rest. Other than that, cue the "I feel good da-nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh". The last thing I want to do is complain about any symptoms! The great days outweigh the bleh days 6-1. I'll take it and be grateful for it.

Prayers?

We go for our anatomy scan Wednesday which is a more detailed ultrasound of little Levi. Praying that he cooperates and shows everything they need to see. Also praying that the Lord directs and guides mine and Brad's dreams. Our hearts want to stay aligned with where He would have us and we're praying for His clarity and guidance.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."- Colossians 3:23

Just a needed reminder of who our Provider is.