:: i stand in Him complete ::

This is ministering to me...

2010-11-06T18:54:00.001-05:00

If you are a mom than this will encourage you... scroll down to where the page is blue and read from there...

Wesley Haddon VanRyckeghem

2010-10-22T13:28:00.005-05:00

Oh my! I can still hardly believe my little babe is here with us! It seems like they live in the womb for so long that it becomes their little home! But on Saturday (Oct. 16th), the exact due date, my little man decided he had had enough, and came out to meet us. Or maybe it was finally me who decided it was time...whatever the case. So Saturday I woke up feeling fine but READY. So I headed to the YMCA and did the stair-stepper for 20 min. I then googled 'natural ways to induce labor', and this very helpful blog came up. So after weighing my options I took two tablespoons of castor oil with orange juice and then drank several cups of hot raspberry leaf tea. Clay was at work so Nelly and I took the girls shopping. Half way through we stopped back at home because my tummy was going crazy...um, the RUNS! After our shopping I started dinner and at about 4:30 I felt a few contractions. Nothing that hurt but enough to remind me to cover my car seat with a trash bag and beach towel! During dinner I had several more and by about 6:30 I told Clay we should be safe and pack a few things just in case. On our way to my sister's harvest party my water broke in the van. Then the 'real' contractions started. We dropped Giselle off with my parents and headed to the hospital. I called my midwife and told her my water had broke and we were on the way (25 minute drive) and she said she should be there in 45 minutes. On the drive to the hospital I told Clay I was really nervous and needed him to pray for me. He prayed and I felt the Lord very near to me. Because my midwife was not there when we arrived I was submitted to a regular delivery room to wait. There the nurse made me stay on the bed and monitor the baby. My nurse kept calling the baby 'she' so Clay & I assumed we were having another girl! My midwife got there about 20 minutes after us and measured me at only 5cm. With my back killing me and thinking I had hours left of labor I calmly turned to Clay & said, 'If I ask for an epidural you need to listen to me'- in which he replied simply, 'no'. I looked to the nurse for support and she said once I was were I wanted to be, the hot-tub, I could make that decision then. I got in a wheel chair and went down two halls to the midwifery center and had two contractions along the way. By the time I climbed into the tub I felt like I could push. I asked my midwife if that was ok since I was only at 5cm and she said my body was progressing fast and i could do whatever felt best. At this point things got crazy as I seriously felt like I pushed him out within 3 contractions. I was in total shock at how fast he came, along with finding out we had a son! He peed on me first thing and I held him close for the longest time. What a miracle new life is. The Lord was so gracious to me as well. From when we arrived at the hospital to his birth it was less than 30 minutes! Our dear family rushed to greet Wesley and shower us with love. After everyone left Clay & I both felt overwhelmed by how blessed we are, especially by all the family we have who love us.

I had to add this picture of the kitchen we bought Giselle- Brookie and her are starting to play together-

Only days now

2010-10-11T19:13:00.005-05:00

This has been the fastest 9 months of my life! It feels like a few weeks ago that I woke up Sunday morning (Feb. 14th) and took that pregnancy test. It has only been since this past Sunday that I have felt 'peace' and genuine excitement about delivering another baby. I've been thrilled from the very first moment of finding out we were expecting to have another child but the whole 'delivery' and hard first few weeks has been a looming cloud of anxiety for me. The past week I have been in the process of changing Giselle's nap schedule from two a day to one. It is slowly starting to stick but at first she hardly slept during the day and would throw terrible tantrums at night. We are still praying for wisdom in addressing her bed time tantrums. So anyway, after church I really felt like a different person. Not fearful, that is. I can't wait to see this little one and be cozy at the Midwifery for two days with my Clay! HA! I told Clay I'm looking forward to the time there...change of pace I guess. I also am looking forward to seeing how God will provide grace for this new challenge of having basically two babies. I know that during the hardest times with Giselle as a baby the Lord drew my heart so close to Himself, that all the fatigue and tears were worth it.

Giselle sporting the reversible apron I made her Brookie-Lynn looking extra cute in the outfit from Aunt Joan

playing together at the park

mama and baby (for a little longer) resting together

my scrappy little gal. she loves shoes

God is Faithful

2010-09-29T20:41:00.003-05:00

Today while holding my extra emotional little lady I was reminded to give thanks for God's faithfulness. Fear and worry have never been my 'top' struggles but it's the little worries (will i get to nap today? will i have energy for the day? will i serve my husband or snap at him this evening? when am i gonna get to grocery shopping? should i be thinking about Christmas shopping? bla bla bla) that I get hung up on. But as I was saying, as Giselle clung to me I just started thanking the Lord for that moment. Not feeling 100% (being prego), not feeling totally cheerful with the rain outside, I still felt so blessed by God's promises to sustain me and never leave. So, friends, no matter your feelings today/tonight, know that as a child of God you are loved by a Faithful, Unchanging, Heavenly Father. (here's a picture of the darling stroller we bought from craigslist)

happy birthday darling

2010-09-28T07:35:00.003-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday beautiful girl. I love you so much, I'm a very blessed little girl to have you as my cousin. Thank you for always greeting me with joy and a big kiss. I can't wait to play with you next. Love Giselle

3 wks to go

2010-09-25T13:36:00.005-05:00

Once I hit 30wks in my pregnancy I start to count down the weeks...it's way more exciting that way! All along I've been nervous of going super early (who knows why, I was only 9 days early with Giselle) but I would 'risk-out' of the midwifery center if I'm any earlier than 38wks along. Today I started thinking maybe I won't be early after all, because I'm still not 'ready'. Mentally, that is. Remembering the pain from 19months ago still is vivid. But thankfully I realize the reward of laboring since I already have my sweet Giselle. Of course, that's another subject...Giselle! She loves attention (who doesn't?) so praying through how to transition with another baby is something on my mind. So far I have been too anxious. We will 'unveil' her new play kitchen the same day I 'unveil' the new baby to her! I am very blessed to have Nelly close by and of course my parents and Jap. It's such a blessing not to worry about Giselle while I'm in the hospital. Another blessing is the fact that Giselle loves baby dolls- maybe this will translate to baby brother or sister? If anyone has any creative ideas on introducing baby #2 to her or on functioning smoothly with two- please comment!

more everyday life

2010-08-31T10:44:00.003-05:00

I have had a wonderful summer thus far. This pregnancy is flying by and been really enjoyable. My little gal is growing up fast and becoming more fun to be with daily... I feel so blessed. I also struggle with accepting and understanding the sufferings (financial, physical, spiritual, marital ect.) of those around me. And yes, there seems to be too many to count. The other night as I lay in bed I found myself thinking of how 'sad' it is to be bringing a baby into this fallen, broken, painful world! I actually had those thoughts- sorry LORD! But the very next morning (at church) the Lord brought a friend through the doors of our church and Jesus gave me a whole new perspective through this friend. He helped me see HIS GLORY! Although this world is so badly fallen and broken and sick... God has overcome it and given to His children VICTORY in the midst of everyday sorrows. Such that we can say..."Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Our worst fears and pains have been overcome and our tender Savior will not lead us down any path He already hasn't walked down Himself or that we can not handle. The line from a song that has been going through my head daily this week is, 'HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE!'. I can't wait to hold this little one in my arms (in less than 7 wks) and say, 'Oh, how Jesus LOVES you. I can't wait for you to learn more about HIS LOVE and POWER to save and comfort.' We serve a MIGHTY GOD.

what am i looking at today?

2010-08-03T09:41:00.002-05:00

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face- And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace!

God All-Sufficient

2010-07-27T09:07:00.003-05:00

O Lord of Grace, The world is before me this day, and I am weak and fearful, but I look to thee for strength; If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall, but on the beloved's arms I am firm as the eternal hills; If left to the treachery of my heart I shall shame thy name, but if enlightened, guided, upheld by thy Spirit, I shall bring thee glory. Be thou my arm to support, my strength to stand, my light to see, my feet to run, my shield to protect, my sword to repel, my sun to warm.

Valley of Vision pg. 157

Michigan Trip over the 4th of July

2010-07-17T19:18:00.006-05:00

Billie Jeanne & Sara

Jack- falling asleep at the lake

Sara, Connie, Mom, Billie & Clay

Giselle playing with Gramma

Mea helping me out with baby girl

COUSINS!

Gaylord, MI

Papa Bill giving Giselle a wagon ride

Giselle smoking in the car :)

Wow, what a trip! We were very blessed to be able to rent a mini van for the trip and have Katie & Wes ride with us. Giselle did great driving there, I was probably the most annoying passenger as I had to pee every hour! When we got to Gaylord we enjoyed spending time with both Clay's parents. Some highlights of the trip included going to the lake with the whole family, spending time with some of Clay's friends, a family reunion which really glorified the Lord, roasting marshmallows at Clay's dad's house, & eating ice cream at Moony's. Having a kid did make things a bit more challenging but in the end we were both able to see how God gave us extra grace and patients in situations where we felt frustrated. Driving home was not easy- well, for the first 17 hrs it was fine but once we hit traffic in DC I almost lost it. Giselle broke down for about 30minutes which made me break into a sweat! Even at the 19hr mark of being in the van, I was able to see God's faithfulness to help me not go crazy! Katie & Wes were great friends to ride with, they never got annoyed at Giselle for fussing! The story behind the last picture is kinda funny. It was the first morning after getting back and I thought if I let Giselle try to feed herself it would give me a good 20 minutes to start the huge process of unpacking, laundry ect. She gave me about 15 minutes and I got a lot done- but in the end, cleaning her and the floor probably took longer. Oh well, she had a blast! Miss all our extended family already!

not many of you...

2010-07-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

AHHH! I wish I had hours to write a ton about what the Lord is speaking to me about lately. Both through the sermons at church and just reading the Bible and talking with others. I think Eric gave one of the BEST sermons I've ever heard last Sunday. If you have time, I highly recommend listening to it. But it sums up a lot of what the Lord is teaching me about humility, grace, not judging others and being amazed by HIM! LISTEN HERE 1 Corinithians 1:26-31 'For consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise...' 'God chooses the nobodies' -D.A. Carson THAT'S ME!!!!

Baby Brooklynn

2010-06-08T14:59:00.003-05:00

I can't get enough of this happy, bright-eyed dolly...Brooklynn. Nelly brought her over the other evening and I had to take a few pictures. What a bathing-beauty!

On a different note; it's been a while since I've really cried out to the Lord in desperate need of Him softening my heart. Although I should pray for a soft heart everyday, today I REALLY needed it! After my sis prayed for me and I talked with my humble & caring husband the Lord totally helped me desire to please the Spirit rather than my sinful flesh. Yippy!

^{Psalm 25:15-18}My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

promises to moms

2010-05-24T14:07:00.006-05:00

Isn't it so true that everything that seems good and right to us naturally can often be not so good or the right thing at the right time when we are walking by the Spirit of God? I love being active, healthy, productive, etc. But lately (more often than not these past months), I am seeing with new eyes how God uses my sickness, weakness and sometimes loneliness to bring Him glory and stir my heart to worship. The Lord surely has a special place in His heart for mothers of young ones. He knows our weaknesses and struggles and has many amazing promises in His Word for us. Today the Lord reminded me of many powerful words He has spoken over us as moms.

Isaiah 40:29 "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

To me, this encourages me when Giselle wakes up from her nap early (thus my nap is cut way too short!) and I feel like I don't have strength to get her, hold her, feed her, entertain her... yet, He really is there, giving me that power.

Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."

To me, this means that when I do not come daily before the Lord in prayer and reading of His precious word, He still is near to me and will be faithful to me. He delights in me whether I'm delighting in Him or not. I need not feel condemned when I sin, but rather rejoice at His willing forgiveness!

Psalm 16:11 "You make known to me the paths of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

To me, this says, 'kate, don't look for joy in what you have, how you feel, how you look or how you would like to spend your time...rather, look for joy in Me, and you WILL find FULLNESS of JOY!' I guess what I'm learning is that God uses all our circumstances to draw us closer to Himself and for our good. I would rather have more physical strength, feel healthy, get tons done during the day and sleep well every night, but God is so near to me and showing me such beauty in Himself that I'll take this time of weakness and be THANKFUL! He is my perfect Physician and faithful Heavenly Daddy.

God's perfect plan

2010-05-12T15:44:00.004-05:00

~Brooklynn & Giselle on a wagon ride at Mimi & Pop's~

~Clay & I on his birthday~

This past month (April) was full of little challenges as I've mentioned before but is has been good to see the Lord meeting me in my need. We had our condo for sale for over a month and had several people show interest in it. Keeping it clean and having the thoughts of moving in the back of my head for weeks had me kinda stressing. Once a guy who had seen it three times made us an offer twenty-thousand short of what we were asking, Clay wisely decided to take it off the market and stay put for a while. When he called to tell me this I felt a wave of peace rush over me. I am excited to continue to be a light in this neighborhood, be next door to my sister, be right by my YMCA and I'm up for the challenge of keeping my life and home simple as we will have four people living in a 1000 sq. ft. home. I also have been consistently feeling better throughout the day and evening. It's crazy how much I missed being creative in cooking. When I was sick all I could manage to think about was swallowing anything down to feel better. I made up a chicken enchilada recipe for dinner tonight... before I post it I better try it and get Clay's opinion.

1st pool-day

2010-04-29T13:46:00.002-05:00

I love laying out on our back patio in the sun and Giselle is learning to like it as well. I emptied out a bin from under my bed and let her play in it. Her favorite part was getting in and out... which made me nervous of course!

Here's my first pregnancy shot of baby #2. I'm 4 months along and feeling a little better as the days go by. I've had the flu twice and just felt yuck every night for a while now but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I went Monday for a doc. visit and everything looks good, my next appointment (end of May) we could find out the sex, but alas, we want to be surprised again! The Lord has been so good to me and helped me through dumb frustrations with everyday life. Not sleeping well, Giselle not eating well (that means not healthfully- is that a word?), trying to keep the house clean for showings, making food when nothing sounds good etc. It's like right when I'm about to loose it and just want to complain the Lord taps my shoulder and says, "It's ok, I've overcome this and you don't need to fight anymore... do not let this little issue steal the victory and joy that I have bought for you'. Ahh, thank you Lord! I also have been so blessed by so many willing, helpful hands around me. J'Nelle is my right-hand (wo)man. She's always doing my dishes, playing with Giselle and offering to make meals. So sweet.

Monday already

2010-04-12T09:32:00.004-05:00

My blog post titles are so random. Yesterday after church, I headed over to my parents while Clay met some folks interested in buying our condo. Yes, we have it 'for sale by owner' and the first week the sign went up we have 3 couples wanting to buy it. At first I was sad, because I love my house and the location, but now I'm excited to see how and where the Lord leads us. We want to stay in the same area but buy a 3 bdrm house with a yard. So anyway, when I got to my parents, my dad was mowing the lawn but took time in the middle of his work to create a fun memory for Giselle- her first wagon ride! We played endlessly with this wooden wagon growing up. One of our best memories was playing 'little house on the prairie' and placing two wooden chairs on top of the wagon like a covered wagon. Yes, people fell off and got hurt but it was worth the adventure! Giselle loved being pulled around the house and later pushing it with my dad's help. Isn't her dress darling?! It is her sweet cousin Mea's old dress. If we sell our house and don't have a place to live right away we are going to stay at my parent's. I'm SO excited- hope that happens!

All that was missing on her wagon ride was her little cousin Brooklynn.

happy birthday sis

2010-04-09T07:06:00.003-05:00

Today is my dearest older sister's birthday! I love you tons Liz, you were always such a kind, nurturing older sister. Thank you for your continued kindness and thoughtfulness to your friends and family. Hope your special day is a blessing! LOVEYOU!

dinner ideas

2010-04-05T09:08:00.002-05:00

I'm still in the stages of pregnancy where nothing sounds good to eat but I NEED to eat good meals. Any quick, semi-healthy dinner ideas girls? PS Our trip to the mall Saturday was a huge success for me. Found darling shorts at H&M (19.95) and a few nice shirts that can stretch once the baby starts to show.

5 yrs already

2010-04-03T10:55:00.004-05:00

Last Monday night, Clay and I woke up at the same time sick with the flu! We were up all night, and before he got too sick I asked him to run to Harris Teeter for ginger ale... at 2am! Giselle slept all night which was a huge blessing. My dear mama rushed over at 7am to pick her up and had her all day, over night and all day for the next two days. Yesterday I started to feel better, but alas, today I'm still feeling a little yucky. I'm sure it's a mixture of pregnancy tummy ache- but nothing sounds good to eat so force feeding myself at this time. Clay has been my true hero though it all. Even though he was as sick as I was, he served me hand and foot. Today is our 5 yr. anniversary. What a week leading up to this! I told him this was the roughest week (physically) of our married life. His response was so tender, he said he was grateful for this week because in all 5 yrs. I've never needed him to serve me like I did this week. Today we had big plans but due to me getting easily car-sick, we've decided to chill at home and read on our patio in the sun then shop a little this afternoon. God is such a loving Savior! As I was resting in bed this morning I just was struck with a new amazement for Him sending His one and only Son to die for us, for me- His enemy. Now that I have my own child I can hardly think about that situation without becoming completely overcome by emotion! I would do ANYTHING not to have Giselle to suffer. Yet, God- because of His great LOVE for us, gave up His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. I can't wait to celebrate Jesus' victory over death and sin this Sunday morning! HE IS RISEN!!!! Giselle in the raincoat from Aunt Amanda

Aunt Amanda (ya! just became the world's best LPN!)

Evangeline and Giselle at church (they pay each other no attention- it's terrible!)

adding to my 'wish-list'

2010-03-23T13:45:00.003-05:00

...is this great baby-food making machine. My sister in law has it and loves it...she has 4 kids but I think she finally got it after having her 4th. So, hopefully I'll be able to buy it before baby #2 comes in Oct. Check it out {here}

in like a lion out like a lamb?

2010-03-12T19:16:00.004-05:00

Valentine's day we found out that I'm pregnant- yippy! Our second baby is due Oct. 16th. For the first several weeks I was feeling great but at about 7wks. I started to go down-hill, there's nothing like being sick physically to remind me of my weakness and dependence on God. Every morning there are now mercies but about 2pm I feel temped to be discouraged and grumpy as I feel terrible. I count down the hours (sometimes minutes) 'til Clay gets home but even in those trying moments God is faithful and I survive. Enough about my complaining...seriously, I am amazed at the daily amount of grace God gives me. When I think it's too much either a friend, sister or my husband will call and clean my kitchen, make dinner, watch Giselle or encourage me. Giselle's birthday was fun, we just had a family party as I didn't think many people would want to be at a one yr. old's party. Plus our family hasn't had a get-together in a while. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful. This year with Giselle was a huge joy and learning experience. Ever new season of life brings new challenges, but I am still learning to be a mom and wife. clay has been such a great dad. He is so understanding when I'm sick and takes over with Giselle all the time. I am a blessed girl...::March 2, 2009 the day my girly was born::

eating brownies at my parents

I've been putting Giselle to bed at about 6:45 lately so after dinner at my parents when the party was supposed to begin she was falling asleep.

Giselle and Brookie have been noticing each other more lately and Giselle is actually being semi gentle with her

::Wake up picture the morning of her birthday::

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T09:53:00.003-05:00

.....hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day <3>

little girl isn't so little

2010-02-03T09:05:00.002-05:00

she was singing before I brought out the camera- of course as soon as it came out she's quiet...still cute though!

from our local CPC

2010-01-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

CPC urgently needs your prayers!

Please read this email in its entirety and

forward to as many prayer partners as you can. Dear Friends, I received some alarming news late last week. A group called NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia (NARAL), which is part of the national group NARAL Pro Choice America, has launched a very strategic attack against pregnancy centers all across Virginia. During most of 2009, NARAL sent people into pregnancy centers throughout Virginia pretending to be women in need of our services. This week they published a report making fallacious claims and accusations based on the experiences of these pretend clients. On the very same day that they made this report available, NARAL held a news conference. They announced harmful legislation being considered in the Virginia General Assembly to regulate pregnancy centers in Virginia. If the House Bill 452 and Senate Bill 188 are passed, the mission and ministries of pregnancy centers all across Virginia will be impacted. Part of this new regulation stipulates the following:

A copy of all materials distributed by the centers must be submitted to the state.

Any employee or volunteer of the pregnancy centers found to have violated any of the policies of this new regulation are subject to fines up to $500 per violation.

A sign prominently placed in our centers with letters almost an inch in size stating things such as we are "not an abortion clinic" and that we are "not required to maintain medical confidentiality or medical records in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)"

Although we are not required to do so, we voluntarily

uphold HIPAA standards. Confidentiality is a sacred trust

with the women we serve. We go above and beyond

to ensure that their information is protected. This

type of signage is unnecessary and would cause our clients

to distrust us.

It's hard to believe that legislation like this would ever be introduced based on a report from an obviously biased group like NARAL. However, it is a reality and I will be in hearings this week as a voice for Virginia's pregnancy centers because these bills are likely to be voted on NEXT WEEK. This is a very well orchestrated effort leaving us with almost no time to defend ourselves. Would you activate your prayer teams and pray for us? May we glorify God and honor Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions as we speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Please would you pass this on to others and call your state Senators and Delegates on our behalf? As you know, CPC is not a political organization. We have been passionately serving women and their preborn children for over 25 years. Being thrust into the legislative process at the State Capital is a bit overwhelming... all the more reason why we cherish your prayers. For Life,

continue to pray

2010-01-25T11:40:00.005-05:00

(go ahead and click on the video to watch a better picture)

Eph. 3:14-21 "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Watching Mommy get ready

2010-01-23T10:13:00.003-05:00

Here is where my dolly sits while I put on my make-up and blow-dry my hair.... so interesting to watch mommy 'work':::

cooking is therapy

2010-01-22T20:56:00.003-05:00

If my kitchen were a hair bigger I could definitely be in there all day! I seriously love to cook and eat! Lately I've enjoyed making baby food for Giselle. Today I made 'chicken-veggie noddle soup'... or something like that. Here's what I did-

Cooked one large organic chicken breast (bone & skin still there) in my crock-pot all day with chopped celery, carrots, zucchini, onion, water & salt & pepper. Then I hydrated some dried split peas and cooked some brown rice noodles. Once the chicken was cooked I pulled the meat from the bone and chopped it. After draining some of the liquid from the chicken/veggie mix I pureed everything in my sister's Magic Bullet.

Giselle doesn't care for many store bought baby foods but one that I keep on hand that she actually like is- uh hem..prunes.

So I save the little plastic containers and freeze my chicken stuff in it. I think it made about eight meals.

a promise believer not a law keeper

2010-01-09T11:07:00.005-05:00

Recently our dear pastor Eric has been preaching through Galatians. This book of the Bible has been a little hard for me to understand in the past. I get confused sometimes when the New Testament books bring up commands and events from the Old Testament. Understanding the Old Testament law and the fulfillment of it through Jesus Christ has also been a challenge. The messages on Galatians are so helpful. It is also helpful in my understanding of sanctification (overcoming sin and living for God). How is it we are to not work for or earn God's favor in anyway yet we are to strive for living a holy life? What do I need to do to be a Christian? How am I to dress, talk, spend my money, be a friend, spend my free time, work, relax, be a wife; what am I to teach my child, watch on TV, listen to on the radio, drink or not to drink, what am I to believe? Does God talk to his children about this practical kind of stuff? Thankfully He does. Yet, it is no longer a set of rules He commands us to keep. That is the point of the Old Testament law... for us to be able to see that we need more than precise rules to live a righteous life. Galatians 3:21 says, "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God (the promise that being right with God & having the hope of heaven when we die is by faith in Jesus- not by keeping the law)? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so the the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who.................." what? To those who read the Bible everyday? To those who try to live a moral life? To those who try to be kind and generous? To those who work hard and live an honest life? To those who dress a certain way, listen to a certain preacher, etc.? NO! "......the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Just believe? This has caused me to read the Bible more diligently to find out what I am to believe. What are these promises I am to remember and delight in? Promises like, "whoever would save his life (live for himself) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself (it still does not satisfy)?" Luke 9. Or in Isaiah 55 God promises, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Ephesians 1:8 " For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this faith is not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Reading these promises and believing God's word is helping me with the practical things in life...

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-07T11:42:00.004-05:00

Thank you Stewarts and Andersons for your hospitality! We love you guys so much and are missing you already...

Seeing the cousins was a highlight for Giselle. I think she learned to talk a little louder after being around them!

Clay was watching Giselle one afternoon and when I came home I found her sitting on the lawn watching her daddy and uncle Aaron through the football- so cute.

::WE LOVE YOU NATE-EE-BOY::

Aunt Cath and Rachel are the servants of all -really!

::Jack-jack and Giselle- the babies::

Having Clay's dad and step-mom there was extra special. We played charades one night and I had to act out... 'a horse with it's tail cut off'; thanks Papa Bill.

Before the trip Giselle could care less about stuffed-animals but once we got to GA she became a stuff-animal fanatic! Aunt Sara sent her home with her two favorite snowmen and a muli-colored fish that she loves.

When we got home Giselle went absolutely CRAZY upon seeing my mom. She also wanted to give Brooklynn many kisses. We miss everyone in GA & MI but there's no place like home...

Cousin Time

2009-12-22T22:30:00.004-05:00

We are having a wonderful time with family here in GA. Miss everyone back home. I'm trying to upload a movie but it does not want to work- ahh, oh well. I'll post pictures when I get home.

growing up too fast

2009-12-02T13:26:00.004-05:00

I've been wanting to get her ears pierced for a while but hadn't been brave enough til today. She did great and the lady did a good job. ::our little dolly turned 9 months today:: I have been having to watch her more lately as she's becoming more mobile and adventuresome- she rushes to the stairs every chance she gets. Don't worry Mom Jane, I have a top and bottom gate for the stairs. She can't wait to see her family on the VanRyckeghem side over the holidays!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T14:42:00.003-05:00

Last year at this time we were with Clay's sisters and Aunt & Uncle in GA. I was happy to eat as much as I possibly could and not worry about looking 6 months pregnant- because I was :). This year I'm glad to have my baby girl eating mashed potatoes with us!

fruit & veggie wash

2009-11-18T22:42:00.002-05:00

I recently was skimming over a nutritional book and came across the Dr. Parcells' Food bath theory for cleaning fruits, veggies and even meats and eggs. It's basically a water/Clorox mixture which you soak your food in. The formula is 1 teaspoon of Clorox to 1 gallon of purified, ozonated water. The Clorox soak time is different for different foods (leafy veggies for 15min, poultry, fish, meat & eggs for 20min). After that you soak it in clear water for ten minutes then rinse and dry before storage. This totally weirded me out when I first read it but it supposedly removes pesticides, parasites, bacteria and other contaminants. I'm not sold out on the idea yet and was wondering if anyone else has used this method to clean their food??? You can read a little about it here.

good morning world

2009-11-05T10:05:00.001-05:00

Vote 2day!

2009-11-03T12:10:00.001-05:00

Sarasota

2009-11-02T19:39:00.007-05:00

Clay won a trip to Sarasota through his work, so last week we spent a whole week by the pool! I was a little nervous flying with Giselle, but she did great; mainly slept on each plane. Wes & Katie Dipzinski came with us- I was glad Clay had somebody to 'play' with. Usually on vacations he gets bored just sitting by the pool because that's all I like to do (reading). Wes and Clay had one competition after the other (lizard catching, football throwing, swimming etc.) Kate and I loved it!

::The sunsets were beautiful::

...Clay showing off his guns- nice baby!

Giselle and her daddy got to spend lots of time together, as different as it was having a baby along with us for the first time on vaca- Clay said it was better.

Vacations for us often contain at least one or two days of 'fighting'. It typically looks like me being super selfish and thinking Clay is not 'serving' me enough. I assume he can read my mind when I'm angry but because he can't and doesn't change right away I get even more mad. So after a little while (or sometimes a long while) I blow-up and act like a complete brat and a fight is born. So this year with adding our little gal into the mix I kinda was thinking there would be even more of theses blow-ups. But, by God's grace we really only had one small fight which was resolved quickly and I was reminded of how wonderful it is to know God and be forgiven by Him. Clay did an excellent job serving our family on the trip. Wes & Katie did also- they were always holding Giselle when I couldn't.

Clay being silly... this is tame compared to his silliness on the plane; widdle-widdle wizzard.

The boys throwing the football- Giselle watching them (see below)

me & kit (forever::friends)

more daddy time!

We were addicted to playing the game 'pass word' girls usually won, but the boys caught up in the airport.

Mimi & Pops greeting us at the airport. Giselle was genuinely happy to see them- so were we!

kitty cat girl

2009-11-02T09:03:00.002-05:00

we were flying back from Florida on Saturday and Giselle rode around in her stroller looking extra sweet...

looking to borrow...

2009-10-23T13:33:00.001-05:00

Hey local friends- does anyone have a car-seat cover I could borrow? I would need it for a week starting, hehe- tomorrow. Thanks!

::to discipline or not to discipline::

2009-10-21T11:56:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was on a trip with a friend and we started talking about disciplining your children. The focus for both of us was primarily on disciplining 'babies' (like when your baby is squirming off the changing table or throwing food on the ground or biting while nursing- they don't do it out of anger or spite, they're just curious or... just being a little baby!). So there seems to be more books on disciplining and training a toddler or young child but for those littler ones I'm wondering about when to start letting them know there are things that are not right for them to do. And how do you let them know in a loving & authoritative way? This is something Clay & I will be talking & praying about more as Giselle grows. I did hear an interesting radio program today addressing this very issue and the more I listened the more excited I got about the biblical truths the program was teaching. It's from the program 'FamilyLife Today' with Bob Lepine and Dennis Rainey. The series is entitled 'Discipline from Zero to Two Years'. The advice they give is given in such a gracious way as to let the listener know that it is not the only way and every parent needs to seek the Lord for specific wisdom for their child. I subscribed to their podcast.

welcoming fall

2009-10-13T09:06:00.003-05:00

::these are the memories i treasure::

learning to eat 'real' food

2009-10-12T07:18:00.002-05:00

random picture

2009-10-05T07:43:00.001-05:00

Came across this picture of Billie & Brian with Aaron and Clay fake-fighting in the background. We had a fun trip with those guys. Miss you all!

more brooklynn...oh so cute

2009-10-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

::september is such a good month to be born::

sleepless in chesapeake

2009-10-01T09:40:00.005-05:00

Hello fellow moms. I have a situation were I need advice & suggestions. Giselle has been regularly waking up at night 2-3 times and at least one of those times she is WIDE awake and doesn't go back to sleep easily. If she was just waking up every 3-4hrs to nurse then going back to sleep I think I could handle that but she acts like it's 8am at usually 2am. Last night was a perfect example: Bed time at 8pm., wakes up crying at 11pm at which point I nurse her & she's goes easily back down. Wakes up again crying at 2:45am: I first try to just give her a passy and comfort her but that does nothing then I nurse her and after that she's very awake. I rock her for a moment and she's just looking all around; that's when I realize rocking her is not helping so I just lay her down with her passy and shut her door. She's quite a few minutes then she's talking & that soon turns into fussing. Although she's crying, it's not an urgent, 'I'm in pain cry', so I let her fuss a while. After about ten minutes I comfort her and rub her back- not helping. The problem is we are in condos and Clay is worried about our neighbors being kept up by her. So at 3:45am I go in there and rock her (still acting awake) then end up bringing her into bed with us. She squirms a minute then falls asleep. I'm a little unsure about having her sleep with us (it's only happened a handful of times) and I don't really want to make it a habbit. I don't sleep well with her in there anyway. At 4:15am I turn off my alarm clock which was set to remind me to go to the gym in the morning. The Lord has been giving me so much grace during this time but I admit my patients is really being tested and I'm open to advice. Here are a few factors that may help:

>She's 7mo. and weighs about 15lbs. I just started feeding her a tiny bit of mashed food but it's so new that she's not really eating much. She nurses every 2.5-3 hrs each day and I give her two good feedings before bed (usually at 8pm)

>She takes two 1.5-2 hr. naps every day.

>I eat everything except broccoli, garlic and any other really gassy foods. I drink two cups of reg. coffee in the morning and sometimes a half cup in the evening. I've gone without the evening cup and it doesn't make a difference with Giselle getting up at night.

>Ask me any other questions you need to before giving advice- thanks friends!

baby dedication

2009-09-29T20:16:00.003-05:00

Dedicated unto the LORD on Sept. 27th, 2009 at Sovereign Grace Church, Chesapeake VA

daddy showing off baby

2009-09-29T08:43:00.005-05:00

Look at that hair!

::Can't get enough of her::

Clay put this 'belly mold' under his shirt (it's tradition!)

It was so sweet last night when Jordan showed off his little lady to Clay (Clay & Jord are cousins although they act like brothers). The night she was born Jord sent me a picture text of her and I woke Clay up to show him and he said, "Oh my she's so cute! She looks like Giselle." (She looks nothing like Giselle but he must equate 'cuteness' with her). So here are a few pics of Clay holding her for the first time and Jord showing off her long toes.

Giselle was born here and they put every baby's feet on the wall- so fun!

Welcome Baby!

2009-09-28T13:19:00.007-05:00

In the wee hours of the morning today my little sissy J'Nelle gave birth to her first baby- an oh-so-sweet baby girl named Brooklynn Jeanne. She had a fast natural birth (you go mama!) and her little lady came into the world weighing a whopp'n 6lbs 4oz. God is so kind to us new moms. J'Nelle told me a few days before how she wanted a certain midwife to deliver her babe (there are three in the practice) and sure enough she got the one she wanted. I would LOVE to share her birth story, by it is her story to share, so maybe in a few days she'll post it on her blog. Congratulations Jord and Nell, you are two of the kindest and most tender people I know and you are the world's best mommy & daddy for little Brookie!~Story behind the pink rose~ Last night after hanging out with Nell & Jord all evening we walked by my rose bush and I told Nell that when a certain bud was in bloom I would bring it to the hospital as a little gift for her baby. There it is, a few days before we expected her to come! ::Giselle loves her cousin like a sister already!::

bye bye blonde

2009-09-27T18:09:00.000-05:00

book 4

2009-09-25T14:11:00.002-05:00

Well, I have a teething baby whining at my feet so I don't have time to go into great detail about this book, but it's worth buying. It is called Living Sacrifice by Dr. Helen Roseveare. I borrowed this from a friend as well but it's on my list of books I need to buy! She was a medical missionary to Africa. This book is full of her adventures, trials and victories that all go with the cost of being a missionary in a foreign country (I think she's British). Her way of studying certain aspects of the Christian life is very insightful. I have learned a lot about living my life here on earth for a different place.

book 3

2009-09-24T07:47:00.008-05:00

Now this one may surprise many of my blog readers (because I think people view this as a children's book) but just ask Clay & he will remember my 'crying' book as he called it. Almost every time I picked up Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, I became so engrossed in this story of a selfless slave and the noble way he led his captive life. There are actually several stories evolving in the book and at the end you see how they are related. After reading this book my heart was stirred to trust God no matter how bleak your circumstances become. Also, that in obeying his commands and turning from evil (no matter how noble it may seem at the time) will reap lasting rewards & bring honor to God. Here is a little excerpt from the book:

The February morning looked gray and drizzling through the window of Uncle Tom's cabin. It looked on downcast faces, the images of mournful hearts. The little table stood out before the fire, covered with an ironing-cloth; a coarse but clean shirt or two, fresh from the iron, hung on the back of a chair by the fire, and Aunt Chloe had another spread out before her on the table. Carefully she rubbed and ironed every fold and every hem, with the most scrupulous exactness, every now and then raising her hand to her face to wipe off the tears that were coursing down her cheeks.

Tom sat by, with his Testament open on his knee, and his head leaning upon his hand; — but neither spoke. It was yet early, and the children lay all asleep together in their little rude trundle-bed.

Tom, who had, to the full, the gentle, domestic heart, which woe for them! has been a peculiar characteristic of his unhappy race, got up and walked silently to look at his children.

"It's the last time," he said.

Aunt Chloe did not answer, only rubbed away over and over on the coarse shirt, already as smooth as hands could make it; and finally setting her iron suddenly down with a despairing plunge, she sat down to the table, and "lifted up her voice and wept."

"S'pose we must be resigned; but oh Lord! how ken I? If I know'd anything whar you 's goin', or how they'd sarve you! Missis says she'll try and 'deem ye, in a year or two; but Lor! nobody never comes up that goes down thar! They kills 'em! I've hearn 'em tell how dey works 'em up on dem ar plantations.

"There'll be the same God there, Chloe, that there is here."

"Well," said Aunt Chloe, "s'pose dere will; but de Lord lets drefful things happen, sometimes. I don't seem to get no comfort dat way."

"I'm in the Lord's hands," said Tom; "nothin' can go no furder than he lets it; — and thar's one thing I can thank him for. It's me that's sold and going down, and not you nur the chil'en. Here you're safe; — what comes will come only on me; and the Lord, he'll help me, — I know he will."

Ah, brave, manly heart, — smothering thine own sorrow, to comfort thy beloved ones! Tom spoke with a thick utterance, and with a bitter choking in his throat, — but he spoke brave and strong.

"Let's think on our marcies!" he added, tremulously, as if he was quite sure he needed to think on them very hard indeed.

There'll be the same God there, Chloe, that there is here.

book 2

2009-09-22T16:09:00.009-05:00

I'm fascinated with biographies, particularly autobiographies of saints who have gone before me and have left an amazing legacy. This saint, Brother Yun is still living which in itself is a miracle. Speaking of miracles, Brother Yun's book, 'The Heavenly Man', is full of jaw-dropping accounts of God's power, faithfulness and his kindness to lead this persecuted Chinese Christian man & his family as they spread the gospel throughout China and beyond. Not only did 'The Heavenly Man' help open my eyes to what believers are going through in countries where Christianity is not accepted, it also has strengthened my faith. This book is also extra exciting because Brother Yun is still living today (I think he's in his 5o's), so all this crazy stuff that's happened to him has mostly happened during my life-time. Not only does he have a huge heart for the local church at home (in China) and abroad but he also has a deep understanding of sin and God's mercy & grace. At one point he was criticized by fellow leaders for making his wife and children a higher priority than his ministry. Many counseled him against that but in his heart he felt like they should be cared for before any other people in his life. He also never glorifies the many miracles he's witnessed & experienced- he only glories in the One who has the power to perform them- God. His ministry is still strong today, you can read a little about it here. I'm going to share just a little story from this book- WARNING: it is kind of graphic and sad for my young friends out there. (background- Yun led this young prisoner named Huang, to the Lord and he is going to be killed for his past crimes before becoming a Christian) pg. 151 (I paraphrase a little) 'On the last day of Huang's life the atmosphere in the prison was very tense. A double guard was placed on duty. We all knew this only occurred when a prisoner was to be executed the next day. On the evening of August 17, the Lord led me to wash Huang's feet, in accordance with Jesus' command. Huangs was very calm and smiled to the other prisoners. He told them, "We shall all meet again in the kingdom of heaven." The next morning the guards came in with a list of names, "Yun, Huang, Hong, come out!" Unexpectedly, Brother Huang and I were being sent to our own public trial that very same morning! The guards bound us tightly from head to foot. Before they took Huang to the execution yard, he threw himself into my arms. He cried out, "I'll see you in heaven!" In the yard a guard kicked Huang's legs out from under him so that he was kneeling on the ground. He released the leg chains and handcuffs. They placed a hat on his head that said, 'Condemned Criminal'. That was the last I saw of dear, precious Brother Huang in this life. They took him to a place where they shot him in the back of the head. I heard the shot that sent Huang into the arms of Jesus. I was both sad & full of joy at the same time. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15. Nine prisoners from the men's & women's prison in Nanyang were to face public humiliation & trial that day. I was one of them. We were driven around the town, while our crimes were read out on a loudspeaker. I was so full of joy at the chance of being paraded in front of people for the sake of Jesus Christ! My heart was bursting with gladness. On the way to the trial I couldn't contain myself. I'd just seen Brother Huang promoted to glory and eternity was so real to me. I sang out to God in a loud voice. The captain threatened me with his electric baton. "Shut up Yun! How dare you sing! If you continue to sing I'll skin you alive!" All nine prisoners were chained together like animals & bundled into the back of an open truck. As the truck circled the streets a heavy rain shower suddenly came & drenched us to the bone. It was like refreshment from heaven to me. I cried aloud, "Lord, I thirst after your rains of grace! Abundantly pour out your showers of grace upon your servant!" I kept on singing loudly. Many people huddled under umbrellas, stared at us in total amazement. Because we were all locals, many of the prisoners bowed their heads in shame, not wanting to be recognized by their friends & relatives. There was one young women, aged about 20, in the back of the truck with me. Her name was Xiaowei and her crime was for tearing her neighbor's clothes during a fight. The neighbors knew a government official, so she was imprisoned. She was a Christian, but her walk with God had not been strong. Xiaowei was weeping as I sang & she asked me, "Why are you so joyful during such a time as this?" I told her, "How can I not be happy? This day I've been counted worthy of suffering for the name of Jesus!" Her face turned red & I continued to sing aloud, 'Though the whole world hates me, & friends forsake me Though my fleshly temple be destroyed by slander, persecution, & beatings I will give my life & spill my blood to please my Heavenly Father That wearing the crown of life I will enter the Kingdom of God.' Xiaowei couldn't contain her tears & I told her, "Xiaowei, the Holy Spirit is grieved for you. The prodigal's return is more precious than gold. Return, your Heavenly Father is waiting for you!" With many tears she repented & cried out, "O Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! Please forgive my sins." I prayed for her & thanked God for his mercy. She received peace & joy into her heart. Xiaowei then stood on tiptoe & wiped the tears from my eyes with her handkerchief. The truck continued on in the direction of my home village. She turned to me and said, "I heard there is a bold servant of God named Yun who lived in that village. Do you know what happened to him?" I chuckled & asked. "Would you like to meet that man?" She replied, "I heard his testimony from others in my church. How could I meet him?" I said, "Yun is the man talking with you now." Xiaowei again broke in tears & thanked God we'd been given a chance to meet. . .'

favorite book week

2009-09-22T09:17:00.005-05:00

I appreciate when friends share their favorite reads with me so I'm taking a break from posting pictures of my little lady & going to recommend a few books. These are not in any particular order. I had thought of starting this 'series' off with a different book, but after talking to a dear friend yesterday about her marriage (you know who you are), I want to share some amazing encouragement from the book . . . HELPER BY DESIGN (God's Perfect Plan for Women in Marriage) by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Ahh, this book came into my life a the perfect time! After 3 yrs of marriage, having my first baby and staring to wonder and question my role as a woman, mom, friend & particularly a WIFE. Elyse is so good about flooding her book with scripture so that her opinions and wisdom is based on Truth. Here are a few passages that have stuck with me and help me when I'm tempted to believe the lies my culture and selfish nature tell me concerning my role as a daughter of God & wife... Ch. 8 "How often do you contemplate God's love for you? I don't mean His love for His chosen ones in general- I mean His love for you personally, a woman made (and being remade) in His image. Do you remember that He chose you out before the foundation of the world. Do you see that your name is eternally inscribed upon the palms of His hands? Do you revel in the compelling love that provided what you needed before you were even aware of your needs? "God showed how much He loved us by sending his only Son into this wicked world to bring us eternal life through his death. In this act we see what real love is: it is not our love for God but his love for us when he sent his Son to satisfy God's anger against our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us as much as that, we surely ought to love each other too" (1 Jn 4:9 TLB) Dear sisters, since God loves us so much, surely we ought to love our husbands, John writes to us. I think that it's easy to fulfill the common wifely duties: to keep a house & make dinner, for instance. Even maids & cooks can complete their jobs without ever engaging their hearts. But we're called to something higher, more rewarding, but immensely more difficult. We're called to love, and that means more than making a bed or completing a grocery list. It means laying down our lives (John 15:13) and dying to ourselves. Ch. 11 . . .God calls us to fulfill our calling in the very circumstances that we're in. The only opportunity you have to fulfill your calling & obey the Lord in in the now. You can't fulfill God's call in the past or in the future- you've only got today, this minute- to choose to follow Him or to turn aside. One of the ways that my sinful heart frequently deceives me is by tricking me into thinking that, of only my circumstances were different, if it were just yesterday or tomorrow, I would be obedient. If only I had a different husband, child, vocation, church, or home, I would perfectly fulfill God's call. I persistently think, If Phil (her husband) were just. . . and my kids were just. . . and my church was just . . . then I would be truly holy! The truth that the Holy Spirit speaks into this deception is that God has called us to obey Him with the husband we now have; so in one sense, it doesn't really matter what he's like. I don't mean to sound hard-nosed and say, "Tough luck; just obey." The truth is, though, that the only hope there is (aside from being transported to an alternate reality) is to learn to see God approaching you in love & for your good in the difficulty you're presently facing. When I start the 'If Phil were' process, I think the enemy of my soul has been identified and is sleeping by my side. No, this enemy is closer than that: this enemy resides in my heart. As I grouse about my circumstances and how, if they were just changed, I would be able to obey the Lord, I'm deceived and I'm forgetting the precious promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Let me remind you again that- no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. God's word is clear: He has promised to be with us in every temptation & to guard us from any situation wherein obedience would be impossible; we are to rule over our sin in every circumstance. Do you believe that obedience is always possible, even in the circumstances you face? Here are a few chapter titles- In His Image; His Companion, His Helper; A Covenant of Companionship; "Here, Dear, Have a Bite"; What God Has Joined Together; The Two Shall Become One; Called for His Purpose; Because He First Loved Us... I came away from this book mainly aware of God's immense, personal, particular love for me. I'm more encouraged by His calling upon my life and confident that He who began this work in me will sustain me and keep me to the end. I delight in God more passionately in the place of life I'm in because I am in his will and as I'm in his will he who brought me here is faithful. I also see how faithful obedience to God and trusting in him reaps peace and good rewards (maybe not rewards until Heaven though- giving into serving myself often has quick rewards, but nothing lasting or truly satisfying). If you've been married for at least a year, I highly recommend this book.

matching with me

2009-09-15T08:02:00.003-05:00

Thanks Reaghen for the sweet onesie

ymca pool

2009-09-04T15:41:00.002-05:00

.oOo. somebody had a blast in the water today .oOo.

these summer days

2009-08-23T18:40:00.009-05:00

I have some time on my hands tonight due to a very tired baby (who went to bed at 7:20pm) and a dear husband who is currently fishing down the street. So, having my kitchen cleaned up and the house at least looking decent (on the surface), I feel relaxed enough to sit and be on the computer for a while! This August is rushing by but there have been many wonderful memories made already and the Lord has been speaking to me faithfully. As usual, I'll start off with an update on Giselle. She's 5 1/2 months and is as cute as ever. She's stopped growling and started just making several baby noises. She loves being outside (when it's not too hot) and being held. She isn't sitting up yet as shown by the picture below :). Some of my favorite things about this age include her recognizing people & places and being in a good routine. She's very predictable with naps and feeding times. She loves being rocked to sleep & that's a tender time for me. I hold her and pray or softly hum.::Here are my two dearest friends::

Last Friday night Nelly & I (along with Chels, Rach & Mel) planned a surprise birthday party for my 21yr old baby sis. Her birthday is not til the 31st but we really wanted to surprise her so we held the party early. So many dear friends showed up. We played games and roasted marshmallows and just hung out at my parents (thanks mom & dad for hosting-so kind!). I didn't have time to take many pics that night as I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to organize games, nurse my babe and catch up with friends!

'bub' & me (remember when we always called you that!?)

'uncle' josh (one of Giselle's FAVORITE people in the world) joey & sean

Sunday morning Giselle woke up early and after I nursed her, Clay took her on a walk so I could sleep longer (thank you babe!). When he came back he suggested we take a 'family vacation' to the beach. I've been very hesitant to take her to the beach this year because of the heat but this morning was beautiful. So after I got over worrying about what people would say when they heard we skipped church for the beach (only a few seconds!), we packed a snack & water and drove to Croatan Beach. It was a very special time, we had good fellowship and were able to read the Word and pray as we watched amazing surfers enjoy huge waves. Baby girl slept the whole time. I read these encouraging words out by the ocean today... "The gospel also reminds me that my righteous standing with God always holds firm regardless of my performance, because my standing is based solely on the work of Jesus and not mine. On my worst days of sin and failure, the gospel encourages me with God's unrelenting grace toward me. On my best days of victory and usefulness, the gospel keeps me relating to God solely on the basis of Jesus' righteousness and not mine." A Gospel Primer pg. 20

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD; 'O LORD, save me!' The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full on compassion. The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you."

Psalm 116:1-7

::rain rain::

2009-08-14T14:49:00.003-05:00

.rain.rain.go.away.

2009-08-12T17:27:00.003-05:00

Clay always jokes me about acting like a bird; I love to eat nuts and dried fruit (could also be bear-like), I pick at foods (especially sweets because I say I don't eat sweets but really I nibble) and I love being outside. If I were a bird I would most definitely live in a blueberry patch! So last Friday while I was picking berries, I found my friends tidy home and loved taking pictures of it.

The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. "Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, my arm will bring justice to the nations." Isaiah 51:3&4

new trick

2009-08-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

I read somewhere that by about age 4 months your baby could be spitting or 'blowing raspberries'. So I've been trying to get Giselle to mimic me. She growls a ton but couldn't quite get her tongue to make my 'raspberry' noises. Last Sunday she watched her little friend Anneliese (same age) spit and after church she was trying to do it! By tonight she really was doing well!

movie time

2009-08-09T07:35:00.006-05:00

Although Giselle talks all the time, she's pretty slap-happy at night and really is loud. She also growls big time when she's happy. Here's for Liz, Gramma Frannie, Aunt Billie & Sara. Love you all too much all the time! Last week was an intense 'teething' week here at the Van's and I almost went crazy trying to keep little stuff happy. I love holding her but sometimes I have to use both hands to get stuff done so after much frustration I marched to Babies R Us with a 10% off coupon in hand for a walker. I have a movie of the first time she rode in her new walker but am having trouble uploading it :(

I'll try it at a later time- because it's super cute.

another prayer

2009-08-06T13:14:00.002-05:00

what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake i have lost all things. i consider them rubbish, that i may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. i want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead. philippians 3:8-11

hi aunt Ell and uncle Luke

2009-08-04T13:46:00.003-05:00

these pics are especially for you, aunt Ell . . .

::because i miss you::

Learning to Share

2009-07-31T16:01:00.004-05:00

Giselle's favorite friend, Marie, came over yesterday to play. They interacted really well- gentle and sharing. Marie was trying to tell Giselle that her hair bow was missing . . .

::HappyTogether::

blueberries 2009

2009-07-21T18:57:00.005-05:00

This year I got to take Savanna and Cecelia to Pungo blueberry farm. Although it is a little early in the season, there were plenty of ripe ones. On the drive there I gave my 'blueberry picking talk'. I'm the berry nazi, you only pick the biggest bluest ones. I also warned them about bugs. No just the flying ones- mainly spiders. Both girls proudly said they were not afraid of bugs, which made me thankful, but there were these huge spiders that honestly they should have been afraid of! I lost me cell phone at one point and prayed that we would find it and I had a guy call it and immediately found it!Savanna in the bushes (that's where they are thickest)

FUN+MEMORIES

Here's the spider, after seeing this and noticing the way the girls just jumped into a bush to pick; I decided to show them the spider to reinforce my warning to look before you leap. Savanna told be after wards that I shouldn't have shown it to her!

..::They were fabulous berry pickers!::..

The girls just had sandals so my mom gave me two pairs of long socks to put over they're cute little sandals (I didn't want them to get stained). It made them walk kinda funny- I was trying not to laugh because I didn't want them to get embarrassed, but I couldn't hold it back especially because of the way Cece walked! They didn't care at all though!

dear aunt charity

2009-07-21T18:53:00.003-05:00

dear aunt charity, i never did properly say 'thank you' for babysitting me a while back. watching that whole disney movie was a blast. i love having you hug me- you are a fun aunt & i love you!

First Beach Day

2009-07-07T19:32:00.008-05:00

:=:=: Giselle's first beach experience was on the 4th of July :=:=:

lion noices

2009-07-01T08:55:00.002-05:00

these noices were popular last week- so much so that I stopped trying to get her to do it because she woke up with a scratchy voice the next morning

2009-06-30T10:37:00.003-05:00

:: just relaxing in her little 'chair'::

butterfly mobile

2009-06-26T09:06:00.003-05:00

Last month we saw Coldplay at an outdoor concert and during one of their songs these huge fans blew out tons of tissue paper, multi-colored butterflies! I collected several of them and made them into a mobile for Giselle's crib. When the fan blows on it they flutter, and she loves it (for about 10min.!) I think Nelly & I are going to made a bird mobile for her little lady.

encouragement this morning

2009-06-16T06:45:00.002-05:00

'The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.' ~who or what are your enemies today? David may have been talking about a literal war enemy but Paul reminds us in the book of Ephesians that 'we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places'. Be reminded again that if you are in Christ He will and already has saved you from that enemy.~

'He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. He brought me out into a spacious place, he rescued me because he delighted in me.' ~God delights in his children not because they behave well but because they are seen as righteous through the death and life of His son, Jesus. We cannot live a holy life to please God, but Jesus did in our place! But God also loved us before we were his children, 'God so loved the world that he gave his only son'. It is not the 'healthy' who need a doctor, but the 'sick'. Jesus took hold of me and drew me out of deep waters that were too strong for me.~ 'You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.' ~If you are weary today or in need of salvation, humble yourself and call out to Jesus. The promise that he saves the humble is true (because I read it straight from the Bible!). And once you are adopted into His family He will never leave you or forsake you, no matter how many times you fall! He keeps my lamp burning!!!~ Psalm 18

bright eyes

2009-06-15T19:56:00.002-05:00

::i love these eyes looking up at me::

Mr. & Mrs. Grant

2009-06-14T19:07:00.006-05:00

Here's our 'Estee Lauder' Beautiful bride . . . Lisette!

. . . goin' to the chapel . . .

::seesters::

pretty mama (i love you)

biz, shar, christen and allyson

my sweet babe . . . SMOOOOCH! . . .

first dance

my really cool cousin Natalie & her sweet fiance, Brian

clay & jord went fishing at 4 something in the morning and I caught them BOTH shnoozing at the wedding---BUSTED!!!!

the sweetest great aunt you'll ever meet- (my nan korday's sister, she reminds me a lot of my grandma)

Giselle was mainly doing this the whole wedding (i wasn't complaining!)

saying 'good bye' to the lovely Mr. & Mrs. Luke Grant

HE IS FAITHFUL

2009-06-12T07:52:00.002-05:00

It has been the desire of Lizzy's heart for a long time to be married. But even over serving and loving a husband, her desire has been to serve and love God and trust His will for her. His good and perfect will. I am so overwhelmed by God's kindness to bring Luke into her life. Tomorrow will be one of the happiest days in my life. I love you sis!!!!! Thank you dearest Heavenly Father, you always give good gifts to your children.

good times with friends

2009-06-08T07:19:00.002-05:00

More on the best friend saga of Giselle and Marie: Instead of just holding hands nicely, Marie wanted to suck on Giselle's arm and Giselle was being a stinker about sitting next to Marie in the stroller- so much drama!

big 3mo. old

2009-06-04T06:49:00.003-05:00

this was on June 2nd- her three month birthday!

first fireworks

2009-05-30T21:24:00.002-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me when I talk with someone who can remember lots of things from their childhood. My Aunt is like that- she remembers stuff from when she was a baby! I, on the other hand, can hardly distinguish one year of high school from the next! I do however remember the first time I saw firework and I was a young kid. I remember them because it was the scariest thing I had ever experienced! We were at Lake Erie on the 4th of July and my Aunt took me back into our car and I closes my eyes and plugged my ears. I remember telling her they made me think of war. Giselle actually like watching her first fireworks show a few weeks ago.

baby talk

2009-05-08T17:00:00.003-05:00

Somebody misses Nana! (p.s. Aaron, after i turned off the camera she actually said 'hi')

1st beach day this year

2009-05-07T08:55:00.002-05:00

After expressing to Clay my desire to go for a bike ride some morning together, he planned last week a bike ride near the beach. I dropped Giselle off at my parents and came home to get ready. Once I thought about having a few free hours, I decided I'd rather go to the beach. So Nel & Jord packed up their stuff and the four of us headed to 1st Street.Gotta love the matching suites! Thanks baby for planning this and making my Saturday so memorable!

love

2009-05-05T08:44:00.003-05:00

***The Lord is teaching me new things about simple old truths- mainly relating to love. After struggling a week ago towards loving Clay and being thankful for him I felt the Lord speaking to me about love. At one point last week I really didn't have any charity in my heart towards my dear husband! I prayed that the Lord would change my selfish heart and help me to walk in obedience and love. My Savior lead me to John 13:34&35 'A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' I knew this didn't mean I should try to stifle my unlovely feelings for Clay. So from there I looked at 1 Cor. 13 to remind myself how I can obey this 'new commandment' and love my husband. I thought to myself, 'Love is patient- yeah I'm pretty patient with him and on the outside I try to act kind . . . um love does not envy. Envy. Gosh, I can't even remember the last time I thought of envying someone!' But this third description of love stuck out to me. Saturday morning Clay's up before the sun, out the door to go fishing with friends, back home for breakfast and to hang out and in the afternoon heads off to the beach with out of town company. He can sit though the whole sermon Sunday, go to lunch without worrying about feeding a baby etc. I envied his FREEDOM! I simply wanted to run to Walmart without planning it 3 hours in advance, I wanted to jump up and go for a run, or spend the day at the beach. So, this is what the Lord was after- not to envy. Ps. 16 'The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; (he) holds my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. . .' - I needed to speak this truth to myself. I also needed to 'be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power' (Eph. 6:10-18) putting on the full armor of God. I'm glad the Lord is helping me meditate on His truth and see my boundary lines as pleasant. Poor Clay could just as easily be envious of me being able to spend all day with dear Giselle not having to go to work! God is so faithful to satisfy the desires of His children's hearts. I find I have to remind myself to pray on all occasions that the Lord would open my eyes to His mercies and blessings.***

i did it too . . .

2009-05-04T14:50:00.002-05:00

i put her cousin Cecelia's hat on backwards by mistake for most of the day Sunday- what can I say- i thought the tag went in the back!? The funny part (besides how it looks- Clay said she looked like a Japanese Bomber) is that i remember Billie telling me she had it backwards on Cece for her baby dedication!

Andersons's Visit

2009-05-04T14:29:00.002-05:00

Giselle sure loved her Aunt & Uncle and cousins visiting!

clay daddy

2009-04-21T05:02:00.005-05:00

it's funny for me to see the difference in the way dad's do things . . .

Sometimes when clay's got her she looks awkward to me but she never seems to mind! I found her sitting almost upright watching dad on the computer She loves her dad!

BFFs

2009-04-19T21:06:00.004-05:00

giselle and marie are best friends forever . . .the most interaction they have is making each other cry!

a little more relaxed!

all smiles in the morning

2009-04-13T16:14:00.003-05:00

giselle always wakes up so happy- like her dad!

HE HAS RISEN

2009-04-13T16:03:00.002-05:00

'What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- MORE THAN THAT, WHO WAS RAISED- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceeding for us.'

Romans 8

My Merciful Savior

2009-04-10T13:45:00.005-05:00

~ personalized this passage ~

Then the I (governor's soldiers) took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. I stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. I put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" I said. I spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After I had mocked him, I took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then I led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:27-31

Happy Birthday Sis!

2009-04-09T07:23:00.003-05:00

Hey Liz! Happy birthday to the best older sis in the world! I've been one lucky gal to grow up with you as one of my very best friends. Although you bugged me (not as much as I bugged you!) with the 'Ireen camera game' or wanted to beat me in kicking-wars you still always played the dad during our dress up times and made things so special for us younger ones growing up. Your lunches were amazing! You also were so kind & patient when helping us with school. I love you tons and can't tell you how much I respect you. The Lord has been so faithful to you and you have glorified Him in every season of your life thus far. I'll miss you way too much when you move- but let's not think about that!! You were the first person to get Giselle to smile for longer than a second! Love you!

my morning

2009-04-06T10:23:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd share my exciting Monday morning with everyone! Just kidding- it's not really exciting but there where a few 'land mark' events that took place. First off, I went to the gym for the first time in 5 wks. Since I went about 5 days a week before she was born- going 5 weeks without even a brisk walk felt like a long time. I pridefully thought I would jump back into exercising 3 or so weeks after she was born; but physically, emotionally and realistically I was not ready (and shouldn't have). I worked out early this morning and came home to a happy baby (despite having dried spit-up all over her head!) & husband- but things got crazy after that. She wouldn't go back to sleep (while Clay was now at the gym) and when he got home he held her while I tried to make him pancakes. As I burned his bacon, he discovered she had leaked her diaper in front & back! This is not the first time her diaper's leaked (the first time I was so shocked that I threw away the cute onesie she had on!). After giving her a bath she pooped in the water- ok, new water & more bath- after drying her off she peed in the towel on my lap- more bath! Now she's napping and I'm doing laundry. Just thought I'd share my mommy Monday morning with everyone.

papa bill

2009-03-31T11:48:00.003-05:00

Clay's dad drove all the way from snowy Michigan on Thursday to spend the weekend with us. Clay & Bill had a wonderful time playing 'Call of Duty', putting a shelf up in Giselle's room, watching basketball with extended family and just hanging out. We felt very honored to have him & Giselle was glad to meet her papa Bill!

4 weeks old today!

2009-03-30T14:18:00.002-05:00

baby whisper billie

2009-03-25T10:15:00.003-05:00

Ok, although Billie is only a few years older than me- she qualifies as an 'older woman' according to Titus 2 because she's full of good & godly advice. Getting my little gal to take a nap has been a bit of a challenge but Billie's trick of tummy laying with the passie propted and looking at something interesting (thanks Bek- she loves it!) has worked! (Haha- right after I posted this she woke up & will not be consoled- off to the swing!)

2009-03-21T16:26:00.001-05:00

The top effect makes everything look better :)

cleaning tips

2009-03-21T10:21:00.004-05:00

One area the Lord is teaching me to trust Him in is the area of organization & cleaning.

Having my house clean & organized can easily become an obsession (idol) for me. When things get messy I feel discontent and not in control- yes, I am learning the beautiful meaning of trusting God and finding contentment in Him alone. Ps. 16 say- 'apart from you (God) I have no good thing'.This is the longest my bathrooms have gone without a top-to-bottom cleaning, but I have been able to 'maintain' a little and my favorite tip comes from a friend I used to clean for. She had a great cleaning system down and I have pretty much copied everything she did in my own home! Her favorite supply was microfiber towels (instead of sponges, wipes or paper towels). Yes, these towels work well on any surface (dry dusting, wood floors, counters & tile). Her main cleaner was Murphy Oil Soap! This works surprisingly well on tile! Of course it's great on wood also. I keep a microfiber towel & a little squirt bottle of diluted Murphy soap in my shower and after I shower I often spray my tile walls and wipe them down with the clothe. They literally sparkle afterwards. To clean the grout I use a bleach pen (maybe once a month). So, that's my cleaning tip :)

thanks aunt sara

2009-03-19T19:45:00.002-05:00

::sooo cozy::

2009-03-19T19:14:00.003-05:00

My mom has been a life-saver these past weeks! She's helped so much around my house, shopping for me and watching Giselle. She gave Giselle her first bath . . . she loved it!

for gramma jane

2009-03-10T11:27:00.001-05:00

:: i miss you ::

2009-03-10T10:59:00.004-05:00

babies are such a nice way to start people. {DON HEROLD}

Giselle's beginnings Part. 1

2009-03-07T16:25:00.007-05:00

'Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.' Ps. 128:1

I am understanding a tiny bit more each day what it means to be blessed by the Lord. Holding this little person in my arms has opened a new world to Clay & I. We both have been randomly thanking Jesus aloud for the overwhelming love and good gifts He lavishes on us. I don't know where to even begin in recounting Giselle's birth story. The Lord's compassion is what stands out to me in thinking back. I am so grateful for all the amazing wisdom & practical advice I received ahead of time (from birth classes & dear friends) because I'm sure it all played a great part in how smooth everything went. Last Sunday, at church I told Amanda D. that it it was the first day I felt terribly prego- like I weighed 1000 lbs! I also was really tired. By evening things were fine, we had community group and Clay & I stayed up to watch part of Celebrity Apprentice. By about 11pm, when I tried falling asleep I started having very mild contractions. I thought they were 'fake' so I just did things to help them possibly stop (eat, drink water, change positions). After several hours I began to get suspicious. I made sandwiches and started to pack a little. At 3 am I woke Clay up and told him I had been have contractions all night. He jumped out of bed packed his bag, got his shoes & a hat on and looked at me like- 'ok, I'm ready'. Well, I wasn't about to run to the hospital and labor there, so we stuck around for several more hours. During this time I tried timing the contractions but they seemed so sporadic and some where way worse than others. They really weren't that hard (I could talk through them) so it still didn't seem real (wow- I'm like going into lots of detail- skip down if this is boring you!). I felt like showering would be good so I headed to the bathroom- as soon as I got in there my water broke! Yeah! this is the real deal! My first contraction post water breakage was BAD. I squirmed and told Clay to load the car. By that was it was 6am and snowing outside and my hospital is 35min away- in good weather. Clay- bless his heart- drove like a granny to get us there safely- I had to keep my eyes closed because it made me nervous how slow we were going. He was so cute in the car; I think he started saying two comforting phrases over and over again. At first they were encouraging then it was really annoying- I said, 'thanks but don't say that anymore.' When I finally made it to the Midwifery Center they were filling up the jacuzzi. The first time they checked me I was at 8cm! Praise the Lord was all I thought- and ouch of course! Once I got in the tub the Lord gave me many moments of sweet encouragement. Several things ran through my head- the first being, 'next time- no one can convince me to do this again natural', 'this will be over soon', 'relax, so that your baby can come out' etc. I also remembered the verse that says (Hebrews 13:5)

'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' While I was pushing I remember the nurse going to the door and saying, 'your families here,' and I could barly say, 'tell them to go away.'! Clay was such a support- never making me feel nervous. Twice I kinda started to panic and he calmed me right down and told me it was almost over (how he knew that, I'm not sure but it was true). I didn't make much noise during the labor but when I pushed her head out I think I even scared the midwife with a bloody-murder scream! We got to the hospital at about 7am and Giselle came smoothly into this world at 9:13am. It was amazing holding her tiny naked body and knowing that this little person belonged to me (and Clay of course)! She was so alert and happy right from the beginning. She nurses like its going out of style and loves to sleep- during the day that is! No, she's been sleeping fine at night also; if I feed every two hours or so. We had the BEST experience in the Midwifery Center at DePaul in Norf. Thank you to all our dear friends who came to visit! Giselle is loved by MANY! 'It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into.' {Terri Guillemets}

First Days

2009-03-04T20:14:00.003-05:00

::loves to sleep like daddy::

::mommy can't stop looking at you::

Giselle Korday VanRyckeghem

2009-03-03T13:15:00.004-05:00

babybook shower

2009-02-26T12:30:00.002-05:00

Thanks sissies for the babybook shower! Clay & I loved it and I know our little one will be thankful! Thanks to our dear friends as well- just look at a handful of some of the books we got!