Today was the day...

Today was the day I was going to announce our 3rd pregnancy to the world.  However, God had other plans for our precious Baby #3.

Jon and I had decided to leave more children completely up to God.  We'd prayed that if it be His will, to please bless us with another baby.  Our prayer was quickly answered as I conceived very shortly after weaning Annabel.  At our six week appointment we saw a very healthy little baby with a heart just beating away at a perfect pace.  We were so excited.  He/she was going to arrive in July.  Yay, a summer baby!

I went in for an ultrasound at 10 weeks and found that our sweet baby's heart was no longer beating.  It appeared that he/she stopped developing around 7 weeks gestation.  What a horrible, sickening, panicky feeling that was as the ultrasound tech tried every angle and every device just to be sure what we were seeing was really happening.

Then I felt a peace come over me.  A peace that only God can give.  This was not a part of my plans.  I had already started decorating a nursery in my head.  We had already discussed names.  We'd already told all our family.  We had already planned to hold a sweet new baby in our arms in July 2013.  God had something else in mind.  God's plans are better than mine.  God sees things we cannot see.  God loves us.  God is doing what's best for everybody.  That gave me peace.  That's the only thing that could have given me peace.

We are doing okay.   We are going to be okay.  We are going to have a child we've never met before when we get to Heaven.  I know that.  But my heart still hurts when I see people announcing their pregnancies that would have coincided with mine.  Not because I'm not happy for them.  I am.  I just think about all the fun things they're about to experience, and I'm sad I'm missing out on that.  Every time I think about July, my heart hurts.  I won't be holding a sweet new baby in my arms like I'd imagined.

But I praise God.  I praise God for my two beautiful little girls.  I praise God for my wonderful husband.  I praise God for my health.  I praise God for my family.  And I even praise God for His supremely perfect plan that I can't see yet.  We are blessed.  We are happy.  We are okay.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  

Psalms 139: 13-16

White Christmas

We've had five Christmas celebrations in the past two days.  Be prepared for lots of pictures...

Christmas number one started when Amber, Jason, and Lyla came over to play and exchange gifts.

Christmas Eve night we went to my grandma & grandpa's as usual.  I have three younger boy cousins there.  They were all cleaning their concealed handguns.  Epitome of a Texas get-together.  Made me want a gun.

I'm so glad we don't have stairs in our house.  I'd be a nervous wreck.  I could not keep Annabel off these.

Adeline is going through a phase where it's almost impossible to get her to pose for pictures.  Keep that in mind as you look through the rest of these.

This wagon my grandma got them is humongous.  They love it.

Last night my uncle texted and told us to go look at the moon.  It had a giant ring around it.  I'd never seen anything like it.  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  My uncle said the ring meant bad weather was coming.

Yesterday we made a homemade buttermilk Happy Birthday, Jesus cake.  Adeline helped us ice it last night.

This morning we opened gifts at my parents' house.

Then we went to my other grandmother's for lunch and more gift-opening.

Then we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and told the story of the cake.

I love these big, blue eyes.

The black layer is for our sin, the red is for Jesus' blood, the green is for our new life in him.  The white icing is for our sins being covered, and the candle is the light of the world.

Then we went over to Big T & Tiny's.  The weather progressively turned from pouring down rain, to heavy snow.

We opened gifts as soon as Shane, Juliet, and Murry got there.

And it's a good thing, because shortly after, the power went out....

We waited around for a while and ate dinner by candlelight, but then we packed all back up and came back to my parents where, as of now, power is still on.  Let's pray it stays that way!  What a beautiful white Christmas it ended up being.  Now I want it all to melt so we can make it safely home tomorrow. Please pray for that, too!

Happy Christmas Adam!

My favorite family that's not my own made up their own Christmas holiday many years ago.  Since I like to consider myself their 6th sibling, I claim the holiday as my own.  It's Christmas Adam, y'all!  (The day before Christmas Eve.)  

We got into Texas Friday evening.  Saturday, Jon and I got up early and headed to Texarkana for a day date.  We did some last minute shopping, ate lunch, and watched The Hobbit.  It was such a nice day.  The girls split up.  Adeline went to Happy & Nana's and Annabel stayed with Big T & Tiny.  

Adeline loves to ride around in the pasture in my dad's Bronco calling up coyotes with the coyote call.

Annabel delivered goodies to all the neighbors in her wagon at Big T's.

Our hometown has a big Christmas tree and blow-up decoration display downtown.  My parents said Adeline liked this blow-up nativity best.  I've never seen one of these before.

Last night we ate dinner with both our parents, then went over to my grandmother's to listen to the Christmas carolers.  Our hometown church's youth choir goes around town singing Christmas carols every year.  We loved it.

This morning we went to church.  The girls played in the nursery for a while, then Adeline went with us to big church because Big T was singing a duet.  I sure hope my girls inherit some of the Richey musical talent.

This afternoon we went to a local walking trail and threw rocks into a lake.  That was the girls' favorite part.

Then we went to the park to play.  Jon and I were cheesing it up a little.

We had a very merry Christmas Adam.  Did you?

Our Family Christmas

We are headed to Texas this afternoon to celebrate Christmas with all the grands, great-grands, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  So, we had our family Christmas here this morning.  Santa came to visit and everything!

Last night we read the story of Christmas with a little advent thing I found called "What God Wants for Christmas."  It's made to do over a 7 day period, or all at once, which is how we chose to do it.  With each little chapter of the book you open another box that contains a character of the Christmas story.  The book talks about what God wants for Christmas and the last box you open is a mirror and it tells of how God sent Jesus to earth because He wants our hearts.  They're still young, but I think this will be a great tradition over the years.

Then this morning we woke up to see what surprises we had.  Santa brought them a new kitchen and filled their stockings with lots of fun things.

Then they opened their gifts from Daddy & Mommy.  We try not to go overboard because we know they'll get tons of stuff in Texas and because we don't want them to lose sight of what Christmas is really all about.

They each had three gifts to open.

Annabel got a coloring book, some toy cars, and a new sippy cup & plate.

Adeline got a fur real cat she'd been asking for, a personalized princess plate, and a crown.

They also got a Christmas DVD to share.

Then Jon and I made a big, yummy breakfast.  I think these little family Christmases are just going to keep getting more and more fun.  Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings!