Happy Birthday Finnie!!

At this time last year - 4:06 am - my water had broken and we were at the birth center getting my first dose of anti-biotic. I knew that a baby would change all our lives - but I HAD NO IDEA just how that would happen...

I haven't slept much tonight. My mind is re-living and re-playing every event from the past year in slow motion. My heart is full of gratitude and love. All of the tears, prayers and heartache were worth it and I would not change a second of it - even if the outcome had been different and Finnley would have left for heaven soon after her arrival. Our lives and our hearts are better for knowing and loving her. Why God chose us to have this incredible experience - I hope to one day know. But I thank Him for it and feel blessed that He loved me enough to give it to me.

All of our trials and heartaches are blessings. I have learned that you gain much more from the experience of pain when you take a positive approach and face it head on. (Not that I ALWAYS take this approach at first, I find myself complaining at times too) But once you get down on your knees and pour your heart out for help and understanding - it comes. The Lord is always there and for that I am forever grateful. How do people make it through life without the understanding that the Lord is our rock and our salvation?

On Sunday, we attended a meeting called Stake Conference. It's a multi- congregational meeting that is held twice a year in my church. I am a Latter-Day Saint for those of you who don't know. (Mormon is our more common name) It was an amazing meeting that I cried through. My mind reflected on the year as I held Finnie in my arms with Angie playing with her little fingers and making faces at her. We sang "How Firm a Foundation," and the words burned into my heart. I think it's my new favorite hymn. One of the Lord's apostles, M. Russell Ballard was at this meeting and I was renewed in my faith that the Lord has restored His church on the earth. He is the Head of it and has given us a prophet and apostles to guide us through these uncertain times we live in. We have a choice to be on the Lord's side or to not - but only one side will win and I choose to be on that side. Brother Ballard and his wife walked past us as he was leaving the building and shook our hands and touched our little Finnie. He was so sweet and the spirit of the Lord was so strong with him. What a blessing to have the comfort of the Lord in our lives - I hope we all cherish it.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake. - - Rev. John Rip­pon, text 1787

It's almost been a YEAR!!

Wow.. SO much has happened since I last wrote in the blog. I can finally access our pictures from the evil computer - so I have updated the "One Month at a Time" slide show for your viewing pleasure. I cry every time I edit it so I don't even preview my additions anymore. (Please let me know if I have spelling errors in it etc.)

The Lord has truly blessed us throughout the year but especially within the last two months. Paul is still without work and jobs are even more than scarce right now. We have decided it is who you know and a good dose of perfect timing in order to get a job. So we wait, but we have hope. The Lord doesn't let us down - He just times it in His time.

We have moved! Not to that 52 freeway overpass that we were considering but to a wonderful home about three blocks from my sister. Another one of the Lord's angels working His errand - a most wonderful and generous sister in our church, rented us her mother's old house. It saves us about $650.00 a month which allowed us to stay in town and keep Angie in school and Finn with her same doctors. It is the warmest, most cozy house we have ever lived in and less rent than some of our smallest apartments! A true blessing. It has a wonderful yard and a fireplace with a great mantle for my photos. Angie's room has a dutch door and she is thrilled with it! Finnie LOVES to watch and listen to the fire and we are so happy here. Our wonderful friends not only moved us in - BUT unpacked it all and put it away! My gratitude was immeasurable!

Now to add to that blessing - a few days before the move - a friend's husband offered me a part-time job. Stressed me out at first because I couldn't imagine leaving Finnley at home so I said, "no, but thank you." Tom asked me to pray about it. So I prayed that I would take the job if it was the right thing for my family and I felt very peaceful about it. I did that three times with the same result. I then figured I was praying wrong because God wouldn't want me to leave this yummy baby at home right? So I changed my prayer - this time I prayed that I would refuse the job and stay home. THEN I got a sick feeling inside and I knew it wasn't the right decision to not take the job. (But just in case, I prayed the original prayer to double check - peaceful feeling came over me again) (So I'm OCD, you all knew that!!) Paul may be out of work for awhile, who knows? God puts blessing in front of us that may not be what we are expecting but HE knows what we need - I am grateful for the opportunity to help provide for my family. We're a team after all, right?



Finn and Paul are doing great together - although the first day, Finnie looked horrible when I came home from work! This picture just doesn't do justice to what I found!! Her hair was hanging in her face and was just big hair, she had sleepy in her eyes because Paul forgot to wash her face in the bath and she was wearing a plain white onesie and plain brown pants. Are you kidding me? That kid has the CUTEST clothes ever and you dressed her in that? (In his defense - he said brown and white match) Yeah - but Finn's not going to look like a latch key kid just because her dad is in charge. I now try to bathe, dress and clip her hair up before I leave in the morning!! (Just for peace of mind) The job is very flexible and will allow me to go to any of Angie or Finn's appointments. It's about 5 minutes from our house and I love the people I am working with. The job is fun - a lot of busy work and detail stuff that I thrive on. My title is "Accounting Clerk" but I do pretty much whatever they need. A true blessing as we can now eat and pay the electric bill!!

We are getting ready for the "Great Cupcake Party" on the 28th. If you haven't gotten an invite - let me know and I will send one out. They turned out super cute and everyone is invited!! Eat as many cupcakes as you like - it's our way of saying thank you for all of your prayers, help and good thoughts for Finnie and our family over this past year. We truly could not have done it without you! We see you as angels in our lives and hope we can be that for you as well!! THANK YOU!!

One Month at a Time . . .

Make a Smilebox slideshow