Where He leads...

I've been reading the John Piper book, Dont Waste Your Life. Last night I was reading about how God was leading and guiding him by narrowing down the path for his life. When he was in college, he came down with Mono. Shane and I both can relate to this because we have also had mono in the past (no...not at the same time)! It is hard to paraphrase what the book said so I will just quote it.

Noel (his wife) came to visit, and I said, "What would you think if I didnt pursue a medical career but instead went to seminary?" As with every other time I've asked that kind of question through the years, the answer was, "If that's where God leads you, thats where I'll go." From that moment on I have never doubted that my calling in life is to be a minister of the Word of God.

This is a huge time of searching for Shane and I. It is a confusing time as well. I cant even begin to describe all that we have been through in the last few years. Many of you...actually...not one of you would ever really understand or know all that we have experienced. I have really started to pray that God would make me the wife and mother that He would want me to be. That He will help me to not be fearful of the future and that I will trust in Him to lead and guide us where He would have us go. I really just ask for God to make me let go of all the things that I am holding tight to that are not from Him and that I would just keep my eyes on Him. All the silly "stuff" in this world wont last and it isnt what is really important. I pray that I can know this in my heart and not just my head. Only what we do for the Kingdom is what really matters. I want to be a wife that is supportive and willing to go wherever or do whatever He leads. I pray for strength and that I wont be fearful of what is ahead of us whatever that may be.

My KYB

Every Monday, I attend a young mum's KYB (Know Your Bible) Study. It is really great teaching, and it gives me a way to connect with other mothers. Noah also has a chance to go and play because we have some older ladies from the church look after our kids during the study. It is a nice break. I keep Dave with me because he is too young, and I am still feeding him as well. This week we had a special guest...Melanie Downes came and spoke to our group. Her and her husband, Tim, are special to us because we first met them on our deputation (support raising) in Cairns. They became faithful supporters of ours. Now, it is their turn to go. They are going to Malawi with Global Interaction (formerly known as the Australian Baptist Mission Society). It was really great to have her share with our group about how God is and has led them thus far. They have 2 boys ages 2 and 4. They will be working with the Yao people. These are people living in typical two-thirds-world conditions, with one person in three being HIV positive, poverty rife, corruption from the ground up, and a traditional Muslim belief that has been inherited rather than understood and actively practiced. Please be in prayer for this awesome family. To learn more about them email me or check out Global Interaction.

Dave's Rattle

Last Monday, Dave held a rattle for the first time. He's a real cutie, and we love him heaps. I started putting a rattle in his hand because he is trying to suck his thumb, and I'm really really trying to get him NOT to suck his thumb. The rattle works a bit, and he seems to like it. I'm going to put some mittens on his hands to try and stop the thumb sucking and to keep his hands warm at night (thanks Carla!). He will suck his dummy/pacifier, but still would prefer the thumb. It's a battle thats for sure!!!! For now, he just has some socks on his hand and that is working ok too!

Correction....

Shane wants me to clarify the soccer goal comment that I made in an earlier post. It was not his first soccer goal EVER. It was his first soccer goal THIS YEAR!! :)

Bargin Books

My friend, Cheryl, and I spent Saturday morning Op shopping. The purpose was for me to find some "in-between" clothes at a cheap price that I can wear until I get back to my normal pre-baby figure. I am really holding out hope that with eating right and exercising...this is possible. With Noah, I was back into my clothes when he was around 4 or 5 months old. I dont know if this will be the case after having Dave. Somehow, it seems different with a second baby!

Well, I didnt find any clothes, but we did stumble onto a huge book sale at Lifeline (a thrift store here). I got a big box of books. I got some cookbooks, children's books, and some great classics such as Oliver Twist, Pilgrims Progress, Great Expectations, ect. for only $13.70. Then once we got home, Shane was so excited about the books that he went back out and bought a box of books for only $9!!!!

Oh yeah....Shane scored his first soccer goal last night!!! Way to go Shane!!

Bargins

We have had some pretty cool things happen the past few days while we have been shopping! First of all, money is pretty tight this month because we are trying to get ahead....mostly because we have cut up our credit cards (thanks to Dave Ramsey). He is a Christian-Finance guy. We listen to his podcasts all the time and he has many books that are great. We just felt the need to have control over our money instead of it controling us. We have always been able to pay off our credit cards...and we still can this month...but we just felt like it was all getting out of hand and we were never able to get ahead. Well...God has really blessed us in this decision. I want to encourage you too with your giving. I've havent always been very keen to give the Lord his share of our earnings, but Shane has always been strict on that issue. We have really been blessed by that as well....and I am learning the value and importance of it. The Lord's part comes out first...because really...it is all His isnt it?

Anyways...we got some great deals this weekend! And I'm so proud of it!!!!

The kids needed some flannel sheets for the winter. This week we happen to see them on sale at Target. We got Noah some cool car sheets for 50% off. I sent Shane out after his soccer practice to get them, and he called me unsure of what was on sale and what wasnt (typical..ha)! So, Shane was scanning all the sheets to make sure they were the ones that were on sale. He picked up some sheets for Dave, scanned them, and they came back for only $3!!!!! He went and checked with someone who worked there. They scanned another set, and it was $3 too, but then another set of sheets scanned in at $11. Shane told the man he should put them back because they were marked improperly, but the man told Shane that he can buy them at that price because that was what they were marked!!! So Shane got Dave 2 sets of flannel sheets, one with animals and one with cars, for only $3 each!!

Sleep Part 2

Ok...Ok...Well, I just knew if I bragged on the boy's sleep...that we would have a bad night and at least someone would be up. We didnt have a bad night really, but Dave did wake up at 3:30. The cool thing is that we just patted his back, and he went back to sleep till 6 like normal.

Our philosophy is that once our kids prove that they can sleep through...I mean really prove it (not just sleeping through the night once or twice), then we do not feed them during the night even if they wake up unless they just wont settle. Dave has been sleeping through the night all week so we are pretty certain that he can make it easily through the night from now on.

Noah started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old when we arrived in the States. Then, when Shane went to Colorado for training with his work, Noah started waking up at 4 and then 3. I didnt know what was wrong, but I just kept feeding him whenever he woke up and cried. After Shane came back to my parents house, he wouldnt let me feed him. Instead, we just went in his room and gave him a pat on the back, and he went back to sleep.

The same thing happened last night. Dave woke up at 3:30. I wanted to feed him, but instead, Shane went in and gave him a pat, and he went right back to sleep! Actually, it was pretty cool last night, and his hands were like ice this morning so I would imagine that he was cold. Poor thing! It is good to remember that everytime a baby cries...it doesnt mean that they need to be fed.

My friend, Nicole, always told me that if I dont want my baby to wake up then just dont feed it. She always told me to remember that we are the parents....and we are the ones in control. Thanks Nic...that has always stuck with me!

Well...I'm off Op shopping this morning. Looking for some good deals!