Gracie's First Week

Our Girl

Grace Ruth Ann Sloan

April 18, 2012 at 5:46am 

7 lbs. 3 oz, 19 inches long

Our plate is full but so are our hearts. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

A Little PINK Me Up

The bags are packed and the piggies are polished in a very tongue-in-cheek shade of hopeful. Come on baby!

Easter and 37 Weeks

For Mom...

Thirty four weeks and five days. 

 Not like I'm counting or anything.

Nineteen and a Half Weeks

This week snow has fallen. And fallen. And fallen. In fact, we had a huge snowstorm this weekend that started Friday and didn't let up until Tuesday morning. Overall, I think we got about 2 feet, with about 18 inches of it coming Monday after Jer left for the airport, of course!! While it was absolutely beautiful, I jumped ship to my in-laws Monday afternoon once they opened the highway up in fear of being snowed in for the next two days with the 3 kids, 3 and under, and 19 1/2 weeks pregnant. Let's just say that the elements inside where scarier than the elements outside.

Speaking of 19 1/2 weeks, here's the state of my rounding belly, as of this morning. It's in the bathroom but that's the only place in the whole house where a mirror is hung on the wall. Am I only one with commitment issues when it comes deciding where to hang things up in a new place? It drives Jeremy crazy but I just don't have a clue where to begin. Anyway, it's nice to finally be past the frumpy stage and into the rounding out stage.

Last, I just wanted to share this cute little baby hat that I crocheted. As I've recently taught myself how to crochet, close to my heart are quick to finish projects like this, mostly because I like the satisfaction of a completed product, but also because they're not usually very complicated. Of the few things I have done, this by far has been my favorite. Completed with much hope, I might add...

But 3 doses of common sense tell me that I better not make the flower permanent :) 

Once Again...

Once again, life for us has been moving at warp speed. This last week found us with our daddy home for a week's vacation {!!}, finally finishing the unpacking {Glory! Hallelujah!}, three sick boys and one on antibiotics, a check up for Baby #4,  killing our first mouse, and our long anticipated surprise 30th anniversary party for my in-laws coming to fruition. And while my camera never made it off the shelf, what I do have is a couple of Abe's hilarious one liners that he's been firing off as off late.

Last night, with the noise level rising to just beyond pleasant, Abe proclaims: "It smells like chaos in here!" 

This was right after he fed us some story about a song he learned at church. When Jer asked him who taught it to him, he said rather matter of factly, "No one at church. It was my son, when he was a little boy."

He's our own little live-in comedian and doesn't even know it :)

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In other news, we close on our new house this afternoon. For those of you unaware of our situation, I'll give you the quick rundown-we moved out of our house {which we hadn't sold at the time} into a house that we hadn't bought {and still haven't!}. 

Here's why-as a result of the foreclosure on our new home, the law requires that the house remain unoccupied for 30 days after a contract is written for it's sale. Well the bank neglected to communicate this to us until just a few short days before we were set to close on our old house, thereby leaving us "homeless" for a month.  Considering the circumstance, the bank had total mercy on us and decided to let us occupy the new house anyway until the closing. FOR FREE. {How's that for customer service?!} So we have essentially been living rent free for a few weeks  but yet praying the deal still goes through because , well, we LIVE here. Thankfully, today is the day and everyone involved can relax as of three o'clock this afternoon! 

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Last but not least, I will leave you with a quick belly shot, as it is developing quite nicely these days Here it is in all it's 17 week glory...

Lots-O-Change

Meet #4, due to arrive somewhere in the neighborhood of April 29th. 

He or she looks great, has a strong little heartbeat, and is letting up a bit on the making me sick thing.

And provided the Lord wills, this little one might even have a nursery instead of a Master closet to sleep in :) Our house went on the market yesterday! 

AND...we made an offer.

On a sweet little spot in the mountains that we hope we'll soon call home!

And Just Like That

And just like that, as quickly as the two lines turned blue, the Lord is changing me. Encouraging me, once again, to lay down my fears, to lay down my anxieties, to lay down my selfishness, to lay down the idolization of order and control and a sparkling clean house. 

To rest. 

In Him. 

The tears come, and my husband smiles, and then, in a bathroom that needs washing as much as the people standing in it, the Lord speaks to my heart those words that soothe like balm, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Am I, myself, ready? Absolutely not. Am I on my own, able? In no way. But one thing is sure. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He is ready. He is able. And He is sufficient. 

Lord, help me to rest in You. 

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Should our Father will, we are anticipating welcoming baby #4 come late Spring. We hope you'll join us in giving thanks to the One who gives, as well as, the One who strengthens us for all that He wills. 

"...Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21