As 2012 comes to an end and 2013 makes it's way here, I see more and more people posting their resolutions for the new year.
To be completely honest I am not sure what resolutions to make as so often God tends to change things in my life so quickly.
A year ago today, I was at a completely different place in my life.
2012 has definitely been a year of surprises and ups and downs.
Wes and I found out we were going to be parents in May.
I was finally able to get involved with the children's ministry at church and go back to helping at AWANA each week.
God showed his wonderful way of providing as we got blessed by friends and family in both big and small ways.
Wes started doing many side jobs as a bricklayer, with hopes that he will be able to start a business sometime in the future.
Though I was unable to attend Teacher's College as originally planned this year, I was accepted and able to defer it to next September.
This list goes on and on, yet coming back to the point where I ask myself what are my goals for the upcoming year I realize that my goals may not be the traditional type of resolutions, but they are what is important to me now.
I hope to be a mother that is loving, patient and able to provide fully for my daughter.
I want her to grow up in a home where she is able to be herself and see that the God of the universe loves her with all his heart.
I hope that Wes and I will be able to continue with this wonderful marriage we have shared thus far, and not get frustrated with each other when trials come our way.
I want to be a person that my friends can rely on and trust when they need somebody to talk to.
Obviously these things will not all come naturally and probably not all at the same time. But it's something to work towards.
God has really change my life plans this past year and I am very excited to see where this next year will bring me.
I am so blessed to have a wonderful group of girls behind me that have been like sisters for the past 10 years.
We have grown up together and are able to comfort each other in hard times, laugh with each other over the past and grow spiritually with each other.
As we get older however, it becomes harder and harder to find time for us all to get together.
We decided to do a annual Christmas get together so we have a time we are all able to catch up (and honestly, we have to start planning in Sept so we are able to find a date that works for all of us!)
This year is our 3rd annual gift swap/Secret Santa.
We decided to make it a bit more fun and tried doing only "As Seen on TV" gifts.
We ended up with:
2 Pairs of Forever Lazy Onesies (Basically a Snuggie made into a onesie)
A breathalizer for your Ipod
A Pair of Stompie Slippers
1 Direction Board Game
2 Shake Weights
Various other smaller gifts
It was honestly such a blast as we killed ourself laughing at the gifts that were opened.
Maternity clothes? Only able to wear the few maternity clothes I have... falling funny on my stomach still though
Exercising: What I can do yes. Walks and everything seem to be very small as I get sore very easily.
Stretch marks? Yes... I don't have the "cute baby belly" unfortunately but it will all be worth it in the end!
Sleep: Worse and Worse. This past week I have gotten the pregnancy induced carpal tunnel. So my hands and arms fall asleep and the muscles tighten all night. Very hard to sleep.
Best moment this week: I loved getting the maternity photos done and see them! It's beginning to get very real. We also got a wonderful stroller and car seat from my parents for Christmas. Only 3 more weeks until she is full term.
Oh and Baby Marshall now has another wonderful little boy waiting for her-- 2 down 1 to go . (Congrats Nate and Shauna!)
Have you told family and friends:Yep.
Miss Anything? My jogs... I used to jog 3/4 times a week for a few km at a time... now I can walk a block and I'm sore/tired....
Movement: Yep. Trying to get her to slow down during exams as it can be very hard to concentrate Only a week left until exams are done though!
Food cravings: nothing weird....
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sure if it's pregnancy sick or sick sick. Hopefully it stops soon.
Have you started to show yet: Yes. I like having a baby bump. But I don't like the comments you get from many people. She is growing though- can't wait till she joins us!
Gender prediction: No longer a prediction. It's a girl!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? in but I don't think for much longer
Wedding rings on or off? off (wearing them on my neck though)
Happy or Moody most of the time: ALL OVER. I am sorry guys!
Looking forward to: Seeing my ladies on Sunday and having a "As Seen on TV" Gift Exchange. So excited!
Everybody is cheerful, people are more giving and more accepting
and I just love the thought that we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our friends and family.
This Christmas is especially special for me.
This will be my last Christmas not being a Mom.
I have found myself thinking of things much differently in terms of things that Mary may have felt while she was expecting her baby boy.
Just think about it.
Here was a young girl, engaged but still with so much life in front of her.
And the God of Creation chose her to carry his one and only son.
Honestly, I feel blessed that God has chosen me to be a mother to a little girl very soon.
But how amazing knowing God chose you to be the mother to the King of Kings.
Unreal.
Maybe it is just me, but before this year I always just thought about Mary as this pregnant woman in a stable.
But she, just like anybody who has been pregnant before, had to wait 9 months while this baby formed in her body.
Can you imagine, having Jesus grow in you?
Knowing the first time he kicked you that the same human was going to save you?
With pregnancy, I'm finding there are also concerns and worries that sometimes arise.
The thoughts of whether or not you will be a good parent, whether or not you will raise your child in the way God intended and whether or not your child will see how much you love them are thoughts that always find a way to peak through.
What about Mary?
She knew that this was God's son she was having and he was the only sinless man to walk the earth.
Can you imagine how these thoughts would have been in her mind?
I'm so glad I will be able to celebrate Christmas with this little baby inside of me,
I'm so glad I can gain a different perspective on the Christmas Story.
Mary was new to the parenting thing, just as I will be.
This is a post I wrote about the mixed conceptions we have on love, and how perhaps the "fairy tale love" many little girls grew up to know isn't exactly what true love is like.
This was a post with some of the reasons Wes and I are happy we married young. This was actually written only a few days after finding out we were pregnant (and we had barely told anybody at this point- not even family)
A letter I wrote to the young women of God. As a camp councillor, I have seen many girls believe lies media and other people tell them. This is just something to encourage them.
This may be a cheat- I like the whole Our Story series, but I didn't want to take up 4 of the top 10 spots ;). This is the story from our dating years to our wedding day. Soon I will add a couple more posts to this series.
So there it is!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to read future posts:)
This past week has been very exciting as we are realizing how close we are to having our baby girl in our arms.
We had a baby shower this weekend, and it was so great to have friends and family join us in celebrating our baby girl.
We are so blessed to have such amazing support behind us.
Afterwards, we used some of the money we got to buy the bedding we had registered for (get this though- we found the same set on Kijiji for way less and for the entire set rather than just the bedding!)
We decided to go for a Jungle Animal theme, as we hope to have children in the future as well and we wanted a set that was gender neutral and we both love this set!
The picture of the Giraffe above is a lovely piece I won earlier in the summer before we knew if it was a girl or a boy, and Wes helped me pick it out so I am very excited we were able to place it in a spot that Baby Girl will see it.
Sometimes the holidays can be hard as many of us have friends and family who are no longer able to be with us for the holidays.
Here is a lovely poem by {Unknown Author}.
Please take the time to read it.
My First Christmas With Jesus
I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars, reflecting on the snow. The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year. I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear But the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir up here. I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring, For it is beyond description, to hear the angels sing. I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart. But I am not so far away, We really aren't apart. So be happy for me, dear ones, You know I hold you dear. And be glad I'm spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year. I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above. I sent you each a memory of my undying love. After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold. It was always most important in the stories Jesus told. Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do. For I can't count the blessing or love He has for each of you. So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear. Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
How far along? 32 weeks (plus a day... but who's counting?) !
Maternity clothes? I have my few that I am sticking with... looking for a jacket as mine is currently only able to cover my back... unfortunately I am too cheap to buy a maternity coat for $80+ seeing as I only have a bit of time left.....
Exercising: Started length swimming again this week. So strange as it's the first time I have swam since the baby has gotten noticeable larger. It's like swimming with a giant package hanging from your belly... had to keep switching between the strokes on your front vs. backstroke...
Stretch marks? Yes... I don't have the "cute baby belly" unfortunately but it will all be worth it in the end!
Sleep: fine when I get to sleep...2/3 hours after I go to bed... then again after I go the bathroom the 5 times at night...
Best moment this week: It was really nice going to my friend's wedding shower and seeing a few people I haven't seen in a while! That and the parenting Bible study we started this week- very excited for the rest of the study!
Have you told family and friends:Yep.
Miss Anything? My jogs... I used to jog 3/4 times a week for a few km at a time... now I can walk a block and I'm sore/tired....
Movement: All the time. (well there's a few times she takes breaks but not often). She's running out of room in there though as shes more just rolling now.
Food cravings: nothing
weird....
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not
anything in particular-- yet still getting sick (which is weird as I had no such problems in Trimester 1)
Have you started to show yet: Most
definitely-- strangers are starting to notice (except those on the bus... Note: if a pregnant girl has to stand on the bus for 1 hr straight -- please offer your seat-- or at least don't push her into the handle bars when you try to get past... just saying. )
Gender prediction: No longer a
prediction. It's a girl!!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? in but I don't think for much longer
Wedding rings on or off? off (wearing them on my neck
though)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Ask
Wes, I feel as though my judgement on this may be a bit
bias....
Looking forward to: The weekend! Classes are basically over, baby shower and just a weekend off before the hated exam time starts.
I want you to know that your Mom and Dad are very excited for you to come into this world. We talk about it all the time and try to guess what kind of personality God has given you. Please don't let anybody tell you that you are unloved. We both love you very much, you have wonderful grandparents, aunts and uncles who also are awaiting your birth with much anticipation. But most of all, God loves you. That is why he gave his only Son to die for you.
Please don't expect us to be perfect as we try this whole parenting thing. Just as you are new to this whole thing, we as well are new to this whole parenting thing. We will most definately mess up at times, but we are trying our best. We promise to do everything we can to raise you in a way that will glorify God and allow your gifts to shine through. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a perfect human- so we won't always get it right.
As you grow up, we pray that you will find friends that spur you on towards Christ,
but also be a light to those who do not know Christ.
Know that God has your future planned out for you. Do things you enjoy when you are deciding on a career. Find a husband (if marriage is in God's plan for you) that loves you and treats you properly, but most of all who strives to have a heart after God's own heart.
There are many things in this world that are done backwards. Beauty does not come from the outside. Don't let others make you feel unbeautiful. Be kind to others and let your beauty shine from the inside out.
Live life fully, you never know when God will decide to take you back home.
We cannot wait to start the time with you that we have been given.
I've been a bit lacking on this whole blogging thing lately-- but I believe that goes without saying that that will happen once Christmas time starts to roll around. Lots of things to get done, exams coming up and to top it all off baby time is getting closer and closer!
Here is a bit of our life lately:
We have been getting more and more into the Christmas mood.
We found this cute hat at the dollar store and couldn't stop laughing so we had to get it for Holmes.
Obviously he loves it.
A good friend of mine had her first wedding shower on the weekend!
I am so excited for her and her fiance and truly wish the best for them in the future!
It is so great to see how God is changing the lives of my friends and how his plan works out for each and every one of them.
Wes and I start our parenting Bible Study tonight.
I cannot wait to learn more about what the Bible has to say about parenting,
so that we are prepared to raise our child in the way God has intended for us to raise her.
Growing up in church, I have seen many people put on their "church masks" each week.
Including myself.
This is a song that was a part of the message today and I just thought it put words to feelings I have had so many times.
Why is it that we feel as Christians that we have to be perfect?
Nobody is perfect... why pretend we are?
I know through talking with friends who do not attend church regularly,
they feel that they are judged when they enter the church,
they feel that people from the church can gossip a lot,
or they feel that God would never accept them for who they are.
Here's the wonderful thing about God's message:
He loves us for who we are,
even with our downfalls,
and He is still waiting for us with arms wide open.
I know there are more than a few subjects that good Christians don't talk about:
Falling into temptations,
Having doubts about your beliefs,
and conflicts within your families.
According to recent studies, the following are the top 6 reasons why teens/young adults leave the church:
Isolationism. One-fourth of 18- to 29-year-olds say church demonizes everything outside church, including the music, movies, culture, and technology that define their generation.
Shallowness. One-third call church boring, about one-fourth say faith is irrelevant and Bible teaching is unclear. One-fifth say God is absent from their church experience.
Anti-science. Up to one-third say the church is out of step on scientific developments and debate.
Sex. The church is perceived as simplistic and judgmental. For a fifth or more, a "just say no" philosophy is insufficient in a techno-porno world. Young Christian singles are as sexually active as their non-churched friends, and many say they feel judged.
Exclusivity. Three in 10 young people feel the church is too exclusive in this pluralistic and multi-cultural age. And the same number feel forced to choose between their faith and their friends.
Doubters. The church is not a safe place to express doubts say over one-third of young people, and one-fourth have serious doubts they'd like to discuss.
