Celebrating Cade Elias

Yesterday was so much FUN and filled with abundant joy. My sweet sis-in-law, Laura, along with a few other ladies hosted a baby shower where friends and family celebrated the life of sweet Cade with us. Not only were we materially blessed with things for our little one, but the words of affirmation and God's will spoken and written over his life were such a treasure to behold.

Cade, I pray you realize, both present and future, how much you are loved! We can't wait for you to join our family!

Sweet decorations (mantle with all my preggo pics, washcloth lollipops, hanging pom-poms, balloons, candles. . . it was all so cute!)

DELICIOUS brunch and cake made by my aunt

Hostesses

My grandmother, Mom G, and I

My mom and I

Michael's mom, Phyllis, and I

Cole opening a few 'Big Brother' gifts :)

I had all the guests sign a framed matte instead of signing a guest book - wish I would've done this with Cole!

Abundantly blessed!

A HUGE thank you to all that celebrated with us. . . we treasure your thoughtfulness towards our family and covet your prayers as we transition from three to four in just a few short weeks!

Anticipation

excitement, fear, nervousness, joy, anxiety. . . the list could go on and on of the emotions I feel each day as Cade's arrival draws near. On one hand, I CAN'T WAIT to meet this precious gift, hold him in my arms, and shower him with love, hugs, and kisses. On the other hand, I'm scared silly at what life with two little ones will be like. Questions of "Will I manage my time well (will I actually have time to manage??), "Will Cole feel loved enough?", "Am I really ready?" seem to plague my thoughts and try to creep their way into my heart (not to mention anxiety of the delivery itself. . . oh dear. . .).

Through prayer, God's Word, and the encouragement of AMAZING friends, I'm learning daily to cast these thoughts and Satan's attacks of my spirit at the feet of Jesus and realize that I can't do this alone. I know I'm going to lean more than ever on the grace and strength of an Almighty God and that He alone is faithful to provide all that I need. So thankful that I can approach the throne of peace and find comfort, joy and rest. What a beautiful Savior we serve!

St. Patty's Day Fun

To keep with our tradition of all things green on this Irish holiday (click here to see fun from last year), Cole and I enjoyed a morning/afternoon filled with crafts, games, and sweet treats.

Breakfast was Lucky Charms and cinnamon rolls with green icing.

Our craft for the day was a painted rainbow mobile with glitter shamrock - which we took outside because the weather was BEAUTIFUL. Once again we talked about these special symbols and what they mean for Christians worldwide. The rainbow reminds us of God's promises and faithfulness, the shamrock reminds us of the Trinity and God's unwavering love (three heart shaped petals joining in the center to form one) and the pot of gold which reminds us of our sin and how God makes us pure as gold through Jesus Christ.

We then went on a shamrock hunt, ate a picnic lunch, enjoyed lime sherbet floats, and more outdoor play.

While Cole napped, I assembled the clues for his 'golden' scavenger hunt. He awoke to a leprechaun message on his bedroom door from Patrick (LOVE reusing my classroom materials!) stating the hunt directions and the first clue. Cole had a BLAST following the shamrock clues around the house which ended with a pot of gold (Hershey's Almond kisses in gold wrappers) and bubble prize for him to enjoy outside.

We definitely enjoyed our St. Patty's Day and hope you did as well!

Gorgeous Day!

Or should I say gorgeous week!? What beautiful weather the Lord has blessed us with over the past few days! Spring is definitely on the way!

Whether at the park or home, we've spent most waking moments outdoors enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze.

Wednesday, Cole and I headed to the park for a picnic lunch and playtime. He really enjoyed climbing ALL through the bridges and tunnels by himself (which was a first - Mommy usually has to be right by his side) and even tackled the tire ramp. My cautious boy is beginning to try new things and becoming more independent right before my eyes. . .

New favorite hobby - collecting rocks and sticks :)

I LOVE this little man and am treasuring these final moments of just he and I before our new blessing makes his debut.

Cole, you emulate every day the very essence of your first name, Nathanael. You will always be our perfect 'Gift of God'!

Calendar Time

Now that Cole is older, it's so much fun to dig in the attic and pull out resources from my teaching days to use in our daily routine. With my first graders, the first 15-20 minutes of our morning were spent doing 'calendar time'. We would all gather on the ABC carpet and go over the day, week, month, holidays, season, weather, math problem of the day, etc. This was also a chance for our Star of the Week to share and go over the schedule for the day.

For about a year, Cole has had his own small, tabletop, wooden calendar in his room where he could change the day of the week and date. Wanting to use my larger calendar from my classroom, we took down his Sight Word Wall from the back of his bedroom door (since he's reading fluently and doesn't need it anymore) and used that for our new calendar space.

We both LOVE it!

Girly Group Getaway

Last weekend, I had the joy of spending three days and two nights with sweet girlfriends (both old and new) from our Long Hollow Small Group (aka S. S. class). The men had enjoyed a retreat in January and now it was time for the women to slip away. Parents of one of the ladies in our class own a cabin on Barren River in KY and graciously let us use it for a weekend getaway filled with relaxation, fellowship, and time together studying God's Word. It was heavenly!

The cabin (more like a three-story Pottery Barn lake house) was gorgeous! The views and decor. were stunning. . .

Room that Laura and I shared - with a lovely private balcony

(8 bedrooms total - needless to say, we all slept comfortably!)

The living area where we spent the majority of our time

LOVE this laundry room!

The lower level balcony/deck area. Could've easily been my favorite space!

Kudos to Jennifer Smith for coordinating the weekend. All ladies were split into meal groups and boy did we eat good! Italian, Mexican, pastas, salads, desserts, gourmet breakfasts. . . it was fabulous! We also feasted heavily on the Word as we worshipped in song led by Nancy Haney and as Regina Gibson led us in a two day study of Esther with the topics Fear vs. Faith and Trials vs. Triumph. Moving testimonies of God's love and faithfulness and the vulnerability of women as they shared was such a blessing. . . my heart was full!

Saturday afternoon was full of free time which was used for games, chatting, walks, NAPS, and simply enjoying our time away from schedules and wifely/motherly demands. Very refreshing. . .

I'm so thankful that I was able to take part in this quick vacation from the ordinary routine before Cade makes his arrival. It was truly a time of reflection, rest, and strengthening relationships with beautiful, godly women.

Regina and I - LOVE our sweet bellies! Due just four days apart :)

Cade Elias - April 20

Hayley Beth - April 24