Rejection

It seems the larger my belly grows, the more Mali is pulling away from me, and to not put it so nicely (but honestly) rejecting me. Part of it is so good and appropriate. I'm thrilled that she is getting to do some fun things with her Daddy and spend more time with him. To be honest though, it has been really really sad. She makes ugly faces at me, sasses me, disobeys me, cuddles only with her daddy, showers with her daddy, only wants daddy to read to her and sing to her at bedtime...the list could go on. Some of it is nice and will be helpful as we make the transition to a baby that needs me to feed it, etc. but I guess I just didn't see it being done so hatefully! Needless to say, the last few weeks have been a little sad, and I've found myself crying more and just missing my baby girl! I'm sure the hormones play a part too, and once life settles down (does that happen?) we will re-establish a close, loving relationship. Change is always hard because it is new and different!

A little bit freaking out

I tried and tried to come up with a better title for this post, but it just didn't happen, and this title fits. The other day it hit me that next week I will be 6 months pregnant, which means 3 months to go, which really means about 17 weeks left until Eleri is born. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have been very content with this pregnancy and not felt the desire to rush it at all, so maybe that is why it has now snuck up on me. If it were up to me, I'd just hang out in the 2nd trimester for a little longer (it has been really great). I'm excited for her birth, don't get me wrong, but I'm feeling inadequate and unprepared. We haven't even come close to deciding on bedding thanks to my picky husband:) (just kidding honey, sort of). Her "room" is still be used as my office (no big deal really), we haven't figured out where to relocate all of the office items in our previously large house that has now shrunk with the addition coming, her "birth" hasn't been paid for yet, we have no crib,....anyway the list of my worries could go on and on. But on a much larger note, I'm wondering if I can do this...another baby, plus having Mali already. I'm scared of spending my moments with Mali yelling at her or frustrated with her not napping when I need a nap so bad or pulling a "I need water, I need...." at bedtime. I'm not sure I can do it. Actually, I know that in my own humanness I CAN NOT do it effectively and as wonderfully as I know it needs to be done. The encouragement though, is that we are studying the Life of Moses in BSF right now and God has reminded me that He needs my obedience and not my ability! Good thing, because I'm pretty sure I don't have the ability. Moses had a failure to start off his calling (I've had several "failures" in my calling as mother with Mali and I'm sure I'll add some to the list this next season.) Moses argued with God about his calling (I might be there right now, "God are you sure I can parent a girl well enough, are you sure I can parent two, no I can't do it God). Moses was scared that he didn't have the ability (I don't have the ability, even though God has brought me LEAPS and BOUNDS in the mothering department, I'm still not the perfect mother.) But, I know the end of Moses' story...that God used Moses despite all of this and that Moses is commended for his FAITH and not all of his FAILURES. I just sometimes wish I knew the end of my story...but then I'd miss all the amazing mothering moments I have before me! (Like Mali calling out last night "Good-night Baby Eleri.") We have sweet moments ahead, difficult moments ahead (as two moms in two days have decided they need to tell me all about how difficult having two is), and moments we can not even fathom. I pray that I'll make it, that I'll lean on God and rely on HIS abilities and focus on being obedient and selfless. Pray for us in the meantime, for my love and attitude towards Mali, that I treasure and am wise with all my moments with her, an easy transition (its worth praying for and hoping for), and that Mali loves and cherishes her baby sister and adapts well to the change in family. Pray for me and Eric too, that we will be a team as we head up our castle of princesses!:)
Well, I need to go wipe my hormonal eyes!

We love Fall!

One of the top perks of living in Amarillo is being so close to the cabin. It is only about 4.5 hours from Amarillo, compared to the 6.4 it was from Lubbock. So this past weekend we went up to the cabin for a family get away. It was so wonderful to see the beautiful leaves, relax in the hammock, do nothing but eat and breathe in the mountain air. It was great time for our family. We relaxed a lot and enjoyed each other. Mali played outside and collected gold leaves. We got to watch the deer eat grass in the yard and ride the four wheeler around to look at leaves. Mali and I also went on a little walk Saturday morning. These were my special moments with my dad and a great memory I have. When I would go to the cabin, we would always take a special morning walk together, just us two and enjoy the outdoors and sometimes talk. It was fun to pass this along to Mali. Sunday when we got ready to leave, we stopped at Bear and Blue Lake and had a picnic lunch by the stream and let Mali fish. Since we didn't have a permit, we let her use her fishing pole with her pretend fish. She had fun with it, but kept wanting to catch a real fish. Next time we are going to try and fish for real, but we aren't sure that she is quite ready for the patience it takes. Those fishing moments make me miss my Grandpa and wish that he could have passed on his passion for fly fishing to Mali, but there is a good chance it is in her blood anyway!:)

See the rest of our pictures at
www.flickr.com/briegomez

We are having a....

Just quickly wanted to share what we found out at our sonogram today. I will blog/post pictures later when I'm done seeing clients (I'm waiting on one now).


64% of you that voted were wrong....


ITS A GIRL!!!!



And yes, Eric is okay, he is getting over the shock but we are both happy for a healthy, very active, baby girl and trust that God knows the best fit for our family.

Movements

I knew I needed to blog about this, because one day I will want to remember, just like I recently flipped through Mali's baby book to read about her movements. This baby has been moving for a couple of weeks, but really little movements. It did start out like bubbles again, just like with Mali. Probably this last week (17 weeks), I've really noticed that it IS the baby. This baby does not seem to move as much as Mali, which could be really nice. However, I could also be too busy to really take time to notice it. Pretty much, if I'm still, I'm asleep! Also, the baby is really low and the movements, right now, are really low. Another thing I've noticed with this baby, is that (wait just felt a little movement, how funny!!!) is that if I try to sleep curled up, I feel it moving. So, my perception of this (that I shared with Eric) is that to me it seems that the baby is almost saying "give me some space mom, don't cramp me!" Which, would be a baby more like its momma that needs her space. Mali does not need her space and from the beginning in the womb, was constantly moving and touching me. She is the same way now. I love my cuddle bug in Mali, but I wonder if this baby will need its space a little more! The countdown is here for our next sonogram ( 8 days), and when we find out the gender of this baby. We are ready to know, or think we are ready to know!:)

August 20th

A year ago, today was a very hard day for me. I spent August 20th of last year in day surgery having a d&c. But I am thrilled that God in His personal, detailed love for me, chose to replace that bad day with a great day. I had my regular OB appointment this morning. Everything looked great! Mali and I heard the heart beat, which is always such a relief. The baby was really low so it took him a while to find its heartbeat, but it was good and strong and he said the baby's movements (picked up by the doppler) were good too. I'm measuring a little small, but probably from the weight that I've lost from being sick. The doctor was concerned that I'd lost even more weight, but the great thing is that I've haven't thrown up in about a week, which is a blessing and I'm so thankful for that. So he was okay with me not taking medication or anything else, just eating whatever I can and want, as much as I can or want!:) (With Mali, my OB "prescribed" Blizzards every night...hmmm.) We will have a sonogram on September 10th and find out for sure what we are having and see our baby, I can't wait! I will go back to the OB every month, and that is another cool God thing. The 20th of each month has also been the day I had to get my blood draws to make sure the molar tissue had not returned, now that day is replaced with exams that we get to hear our baby's heartbeat. God is really so personal and amazing to me and so gracious. I look back at this year, and still don't know why everything happened to me/us, but I do know that the joy and contentment that I feel now is not because we are finally having a baby, but because of how God shaped me, brought me through that time, and ministered to me in this past year. Having a baby, being pregnant, having money, having a nice house, etc. is not where my joy or contentment lies, it is ONLY through Him. Life has been difficult, but God is not difficult, and has been with me, teaching me, holding me and ministering to me this entire time. And HE has chosen this time to bless us with a new Life in our family. I read through my blog from last year at this time and can just see how God was caring for me and for us. Overall though, I am SOOO thankful to have the bad memory of last year's date replaced with such a beautiful memory of our new baby.

On a lighter note, after my appointment, Mali and I went on a 'date' to the mall to pick out new, good quality earrings for her as she starts preschool. This was my "mommy gift" to her for her special day. I, being as wise and money conscious as I am, decided James Avery would be a great place to buy high quality, cute, long lasting earrings. And, assumed I could sacrifice the $20 they would cost for my big girl. Well, we chose earrings, but they do not cost $20, EACH earring cost that much! Uuugh! But it was too late. Mali looks really cute in them and we have told her that she has to leave them in and can't change them out all the time (which was my intent in buying her nice earrings anyway).

Also, this baby will have a cousin its same age. Jordan and his wife Chrissy are pregnant and due May 4th. It will be interesting to have two babies in the family at the same time.

Here is the latest "belly" picture of me at 16 weeks (4 months), with Mali being a great big sister already!

I need a case of Reed's Ginger Beer

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward" Psalm 127:3
I read this verse while doing my bible study the other morning and God seemed to speak it over me and give me confidence in the reward that will come from the fruit of my womb. Little did I know that there was "fruit" growing in my womb. To cut to the chase, I'm pregnant. No, I was not cleared to get pregnant, and NO we were not attempting to get pregnant, but it has been 10 months since my d&C, 12 1/2 months since the miscarriage, and 14 months since I found out I was pregnant the last time. And, God in His faithfulness and blessing to our family has created a new, healthy little baby in HIS timing. Today I had a sonogram to make sure that I was pregnant and that it was healthy. Even though I am only at 6 weeks, there was a clear baby (well blob) with a rapidly moving heart beat (138 bpm). All moms and dads know how reassuring and wonderful it is to look at that screen and see the heart beating. We also got to hear the heart beat. The sonographer was the same one who did my molar pregnancy sonogram so she knew what to look for. We both are not naive in thinking that this means we are in the clear, but the first step is knowing that there is a healthy baby growing inside of me. So we feel okay sharing this with others, that I am pregnant, and that this is a baby. We trust completely in what God has in store for us and this baby. The tentative due date is February 9th, 2009, 13 months after my last due date. Praise God for this miracle, that Eric says is a boy. Mali is calling it a girl and wants to name it Abby Gray (Just like Zachy and Calyn's sister). Mali has been sweet about it today and just came in and "scratched" my belly saying she was tickling the baby. I'm surprised by her sweetness as well as Eric's loving care. He ran to the store to get me a six back of Reed's ginger beer (it is NOT alcoholic, just like ginger ale), but once again I'm having all day sickness and Reed's helps tremendously. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. I will keep updating our blog on our status, as I'm a little tired and sick and probably will not be good at checking my email. This certainly has been a journey and I'm amazed at where we stand today!
Brie, Eric, and Mali and baby

WHY???

Mali has officially entered the "why?" stage of development. It is pretty cute sometimes, but I often have to pray for patience and remind myself that this is her way of learning. Usually the frustrating part is when my answer to her why isn't good enough for her. The other night, we went through about 9 why's at bedtime. She had asked me to hang up a decoration on a nail up high on her wall, so I used her little girl chair and fell off of it. That was the start of the whys:
Mali: Why did you fall?
Me: Mommy made a bad choice by standing on that chair.
Mali: Why did you make a bad choice?
Me: Because you aren't supposed to stand on those chairs.
Mali: Why?
Me: Because you can fall.
Mali: Why?
Me: Because they aren't made for standing on, just for little girls to sit on.
Mali: Why are they made that way?
Me: (This is the answer that usually ends the whys, and I use it a lot, usually more thruthfully than this time) Because God made it that way.
Mali: Why?
Me: That is how he decided chairs should be made.
Mali: And God made animals, and Aspen and Asa, and Mali and Mommy and Daddy, and our house.
Me: He did.
Mali: Who made God?
Me: (I'm in shock as I wasn't expecting this at 3, maybe later, but not at 3.) God.
Mali: (this was said VERY skeptically) God made himself??
Me: Yep.
Mali: God made himself?
Me: He made himself.
Mali: Oh. Night night, I love you!

This whole time Eric was hiding behind the couch to scare me as I walked back to our room, and he was laughing so hard. I can only imagine how funny the whole ordeal sounded, especially when I fell off the chair.

Results from 05/20/08

ZERO!!! That is really all I can say. It has been 9 months since my levels first dropped. Only 3 more months of blood being drawn, thank goodness, because it is starting to get painful and I'm just really tired of it! Praise God again for healing my body! So many women who have this have not been blessed like I have been, and have had chemo and continued high levels or re-occuring levels.

Matthew 25

Today in bible study, we studied this passage and I had to post it on my blog. This is a parable of the 10 virgins. It made me evaluate my relationship with Jesus and if it is true and real. It also made me think of all the people that I love in my life who I don't want to be caught without their oil, even though they have been invited to the wedding. We are all invited!!!! The "lamps" are symbolic of Christian profession or some sort of church membership/involvement, knowledge of the bible, etc. Some people profess to know Jesus and be "Christians" but do not have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus and those are the 5 virgins who had everything but their oil (symbolic of the Holy Spirit). They were even excited about the bridegroom (Jesus) coming and called him Lord!! So I just wanted to share this scripture and let these God breathed words be powerful and speak for themselves to each of our hearts as we read them.

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 "But at midnight there was a shout, `Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "The foolish said to the prudent, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the prudent answered, `No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 "Later the other virgins also came, saying, `Lord, lord, open up for us.' 12 "But he answered, `Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Two thoughts to share

I am just so amazed at how God can infiltrate my life and mind and teach me in the most normal moments. I wanted to share two HUGE things God showed me yesterday, during my quiet time? NO! While I was sitting on the couch playing with Mali!

1. I've had some struggles with Mali throwing fits and clinging to me when I take her to ballet (this just started a few weeks ago and has gotten progressively worse). I've felt so many things, a lot of them guilt and thinking I'm a bad mom for some reason because, surely, I've caused this maladaptive behavior. I also get fed these ideas from other people too. So, God just spoke to me that I'm not being a bad mom because Mali acts this way, in fact I'm being a good mom by being there when she gets out and always picking her up. I'm teaching her about Jesus and how he has promised to return to us and one day will. Now, I do not compare my self to Jesus and his return, but I'm beginning to learn about parenting Mali so that she sees Jesus in her parents and can easily desire a relationship with Him.

2. Mali is very active and my tendency is to think "we need to get out of the house" or try and find an active activity for her. Yesterday, I sat on the couch and tickled her and said "Mali, you need some crazy time" (that was Holy Spirit inspired, seriously). So I yelled "go, go, go" and similar phrases, while she ran around the living room crazily. That is when God spoke to me again. I realized that when we have problems I tend to parent less by getting her out of the house when the solution may just be to parent MORE by actively coming up with or engaging in an activity with her. Yes, I did know these things from my training, but it was an ah ha moment for me. You can pray for me to take more of these opportunities with Mali if you think of it. It has been even harder with running here and there with errands and work.

Quote of the day

With a three year old, there are many great quotes that come from her little brain, but today has been an exceptional day. Here is the best one "Mom, Cinderella goes potty too". Just had to share a fun moment from our day.

6 months out

We have now been living in Amarillo for 6 months. On July 13th, 6 months ago, we closed on our house in Lubbock. Last night I was thinking about that day and remembering how gloomy and even surreal it seemed. I still can “feel” what it felt like to close on our house, drive down 82nd, and then drive up I-27. I remember reminding myself that this was it, we were leaving, and some what saying my good byes to the scenery, buildings, exits that I had passed for the last nine years.
As gloomy as that day was, our transition to life in Amarillo honestly has not been gloomy. I know that God has blessed us and taken care of us and kept us under His wing. Of course life is not perfect, and a new place has new problems of its own, but it has been okay…actually I almost typed good but then hesitated because I don’t want to admit that Amarillo is good, but the truth IS that it is good and we are good.
I also wanted to reflect on the good things that have come out of this move. One of the best things is how often we get to see Brandon. I love being this close to my brother and so enjoy watching him build a relationship with Mali. You would never have known he was in another country for the first two years of her life. Mali loves to call him dude and use him as jungle gym. Brandon especially loves to spend time with Mali after she has eaten a whole container of mini M&M’s. I never want to be too far away from him again! Not only are we closer to Brandon, but almost all of our family members (except for my Mom, Grandma and sister, Zina, but even they are closer). Mali also enjoys spending time with Aunt Megan and taking trips to see Megan at work since I still have to have blood drawn and we live right behind her work. It has been fun to have a grandparent call and spontaneously take us to eat at Chik Fil A or La Fiesta. We have frequented Chik Fil A much more since our move here, I think it is because we are fairly close to this one. This aspect hasn’t been nearly as difficult or “bad” as I imagined it would be. It is different, but certainly not bad.
Another “good” thing is Mali taking ballet at Amarillo College. She really enjoys it (she started again today for the spring semester), although she does get in trouble for tuning out the teacher and being in her own world. I’ve met a mom through that, but also, it is really affordable. I love having Mali in a physical activity where I don’t have to stress each month about how to pay for it. AC cost for a semester what most places cost per month.
BSF-Bible study fellowship (www.bsfinternational.org) is also on my list of “good things” about Amarillo. BSF is offered around the world, literally, but moving to Amarillo gave me the opportunity to give it a try. I absolutely love it. I love being in God’s word so much and going over the same scripture about 3 times. It allows me to really know that passage and to glean God’s teachings for me from it. I also love it for Mali. It is a fairly strict program, but that is good for the kids, and gives me comfort to know Mali isn’t just being babysat, but is being taught God’s Truth for 2 hours every week! On top of the spiritual benefits, I have made two friends and several acquaintances through my small group. I am amazed at how many young moms are in my group, how many of them live close to me, have the same issues I have, etc., etc. It is all God’s hand in my life! My leader has also been a real encouragement to me and has provided me an outlet to talk and to get advice.
Another good thing is that we do have a church we are attending, EXP is what it is called and it is Paramount Baptist’s Saturday night service. We feel like we are were God wants us right now. They also have a great indoor play area that Mali has enjoyed going to. We look forward to bringing friends with us.
Our house and neighborhood are also a really good thing. I can look back and see how God really just laid this house in our lap as such a provision. We are so blessed and thankful to all those people that helped make it possible to purchase this house. We were also immensely blessed by the help of our family members in moving in and painting the house. We were loved through service very well. Another plus is that there is a large parking lot that is virtually unused behind our house. Sometimes our friends and family can park there, but more beneficial is that on nice days Mali can ride her tricycle back there and have all the room she needs to have fun (and burn energy). I have enjoyed running with Asa in our neighborhood and around our park. Okay, I’ll be honest, I haven’t been running since it got cold, but it will be a plus again when it warms up!:)
Doctors are another good thing. I have a wonderful doctor and was so blessed for her to see me and care for me with the miscarriage and molar pregnancy. Her staff is also wonderful and the nurses always call me back (that is pretty new for my experience at least). My oncologist was also wonderful and I’m so thankful. We finally have a pediatrician that we seem to like and she was very pro-active about caring for Mali when she swallowed the penny last week. I had a great experience working with the nurses and office staff. Under this too is that Megan works for an orthopedic surgeon. She is always willing to answer any orthopedic or x-ray questions we may have! Thanks Megan!
Places to eat! Yes I just had to include that. We live in extremely close proximity to good restaurants, that can be a problem too. Last night Eric commented that he thinks we’ve eaten out more since we moved to Amarillo then any time in our married lives. I think that is true.
Finally, I’m think that we have a lot of great activities for Mali here. We live close to Jump N Jive, although I’m sure we don’t frequent it enough for Mali’s liking. We go to a free program at the library called Laugh N Learn that Mali loves. Ballet at AC. The Discovery Center (my mom gave us a membership for Christmas, thanks Mom!). Palo Duro Canyon. Hockey games that Eric gets free tickets too. Football and baseball games galore!
So my list appears to be very extensive, so I must admit that Amarillo is good. God has really shaped my perspective about this move. The most important thing I think I will take from this move and how it has motivated me, is to be a seed sown on good soil. When we first moved here, I was or was close to being seed sown among the thorns. I had heard God’s word but “the worry of the world” was tempting me to become unfruitful. A move is a chance to start over, and a chance to be sown in new soil! I’m hopeful that I can hear God’s word, understand it, and bear fruit!

“And the one whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” Matthew 13:22-23

Penny Free

Mali is penny free as of 12:05pm CST today!!!!! Yeah God for answering our prayers! I am so thrilled, happy, excited, elated, and beside myself that we no longer have to worry about the penny not passing. I would hate to have paid $1,000 for surgery to get $.01 out of Mali!:) Plus, I'm so thankful my little girl doesn't have to go through anything like surgery or anesthesia just to get a penny out! Thank you God!

The X-Ray

This was just too good not to get a hold of!:)

A penny in her tummy!

Last night we added a new accomplishment to Mali's list of exciting things she can do...she swallowed a penny!! She seemed to be fine, cried a little, but more from being scared. We've had a lot of talks about not putting pennies in your mouth. Our pediatrician sent Mali in for an x-ray and there it was in her tummy!! When we left the hospital Mali said "Can you get the penny out of my mouth?" I explained that it was actually in her tummy. She keeps asking to go potty to get it out too! Maybe that was too much info! Anyway, I'm so thankful she is okay and that she did not choke on it! And yes, Eric and I were both here when it happened, and yes, it did happen right in front of me! Eric informed me that I will probably get an A+ on being a mom this year, I reminded him that he was here too!:) I hope to get a copy of the x-ray, it was pretty priceless...or hopefully it will be priceless because we don't want too many of these lying around! I'm not too hopeful though, if at 3 she swallows her first object. January does not seem to be our month, last January Mali got her first black eye and now this January her first x-ray! Mali definitely keeps life interesting and makes me very thankful that we have health insurance!

2007

I've been thinking over this blog in my head for the past several days. The new year typically makes me try and think over the past year and what was significant about it. I also have been trying to remember what I've learned this past year. 2007 was a difficult year. When I started to think about it, I realized that we found out we were pregnant at the end of April. Which made me realize that the majority of 2007 was consumed with the pregnancy and the fallout from all that occurred because of the pregnancy and then subsequent molar pregnancy/miscarriage. Not so much the miscarriage, but all that it created emotionally, physically, and relationally, has been affecting us for most of 2007. I know that so many more people experience such greater loss than this, and I don't believe that I have experienced something unimaginable. We also spent most of 2007 living in Lubbock but left in July to move to Amarillo. The move was hard to make because of the amazing friends and church we were leaving behind. However, through my tears as I pulled out of Lubbock, I put my hope and trust in the One who never disappoints. And He has so wonderfully taken care of us here in Amarillo. In fact, the move to Amarillo may have saved my life (as I've blogged about before). Despite all of our difficulties this year, we have had so many answered prayers and miracles, even from the smallest miracle when Mali let me brush her hair!:) 2007 was filled with wonderful times with my friends, and Mali had a blast and made so many memories with her friends. Mali began to grow into a big girl and we began to learn how to parent a big girl (I'm not sure how successful I am at it yet.) We also celebrated our 6 year anniversary and 10 years of dating/engagement/marriage. I am so thankful for what God has given us, even though we've had some losses with the gifts. During Christmastime, I spent a lot of time trying to focus on Jesus as Savior and was hit with the fact that having a Savior was/is better than anything. If Jesus doesn't do anything else for me, being my Savior is enough and immense in and of itself.
So, what have I learned this year? I've learned to be utterly desperate for God and have learned that I have absolutely NOTHING. I have lost all "skills" that I could boast in (i.e. being disciplined in exercise, money, parenting, waking up early, doing my quiet time; parenting abilities; being a successful play therapist, etc. The list could go on.) I'm not sure that I have really grasped this, but I do know that I am nothing and can be nothing without the supernatural power, love, mercy and grace of God. I can no longer boast in any thing of myself. 2007 was a tearing me down year. Just like a tree must be pruned to be more beautiful, I suppose I was pruned and might just become more beautiful. That is the picture I keep reminding myself of, even though I can't see the end result yet. I look forward to 2008 being a building me up year.
Another huge lesson I learned was from studying Ecclesiastes. I learned that bad things are just part of the experience of life and that I have hope in Jesus to get me through them. And, that I need to enjoy what I can enjoy and not worry about what I can't control. So I believe that is what I've learned, maybe the further out I get from 2007 I will realize more of what I've learned. I also wanted to include pictures from the past year as well, to remember all the events that have occurred throughout this year. Pictures are fun and can share more of the joys that we've experienced this year! So enjoy!