Baptism round 2!

For those of you who didn't read my childhood and churches post (please go read it after you finish this one...) I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school, and accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour in 7th Grade at Horseman for Christ camp. Since I was raised Catholic I was baptized as an infant. This was a beautiful day for my family when I was a baby, and I understand why people choose to baptize their babies. Justin and I plan on dedicating our children at the next opportunity our church offers but we will be waiting for them to make the decision for their baptisms after they accept Jesus.

I started reading the book of Acts this week before the kiddos wake up in the mornings, and it was kind of random that I chose to start that study in the first place. I literally woke up Monday morning and decided that I would read it... so I woke up each morning before the girls, read in Acts, and journaled about what I was reading. I was reading about all of the baptisms in Acts which all take place after the person accepts Christ. Now being that I was raised Catholic and have already been baptized, I have given this a lot of thought throughout the years. I have felt for a long time that I needed to be baptized again because it is what the bible tells us to do (get baptized after accepting Christ). The issue I had with it was that I have been a Christian for 13 years already, and it is usually something people do right after they accept Christ. I don't really know why this was such an issue for me, but it was and as the years went by it only got worse. I knew that I would eventually do it again, but hadn't really sought out the opportunity. Well the Lord smacked me in the face with that opportunity this morning.

Our church had a spontaneous baptism! Yep we got to church this morning, checked in the kids, and settled in for worship. Pastor Daniel got up, talked about all of the baptisms in Acts (again the Lord smacking me in the face with it...since I had been studying this all week!) and let us know that the opportunity was open to everyone there, they would baptize people all day if necessary. I was pretty excited and nervous and knew that I was supposed to do it! They provided a change of clothes and everything we would need after being dunked so we didn't have any excuse for not being prepared. I went out of the service with the other people, changed clothes, went outside and publicly professed my faith! 132 people were baptized this morning between the 2 services!! Amazing! The best part of it was I watched several of my friends get baptized this morning, friends who have also been Christians for a long time. I was very proud to 'take the plunge' with them!

I chose to be baptized again this morning because it is what we are instructed to do, and in order to be obedient to the Lord we need to do as we're told! I am thankful that my parent's had me baptized as a baby because it set me on a track to a personal relationship with the Lord. Their encouragement and support of my faith has been amazing, and I am so excited to say that I have been restored, made new, washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and was baptized (again, finally) this morning! Thank you Lifepoint Church for all you do, I am thrilled to be a part of the mission to reach people far from God!

I survived mom's night out!

Last night was my first night out since July of 2010! I am a very social person and I have always had girlfriends and girls' nights and things like that. So when I got pregnant and moved to VA that all pretty much stopped. Now that Madi is here I am at her beckon call 24-7. As a breastfeeding mother who hates her pump with a capitol H, I don't get much freedom, and it is by choice. So last night a dear friend was hosting a Tupperware party in northern VA....yes that's right my first night of freedom in over a year and I was at a Tupperware party. Go ahead say it....so suburban right? But the ladies in attendance are some of my favorite people on the planet and even though we are suburban we are still awesome! I worried and stressed that I would not have enough milk for the baby, and she had never had formula before Monday. So I decided I would do my best to get what I could for her with the mother's torture device and if she was still hungry she could have a little of the fancy formula. So that's what we did. Justin got home and sent me on my way to ladies night! I only called home about 4 or 5 times, the baby was fine and so were Justin and Bethany. I didn't have a meltdown and I actually had a really great time. Tupperware is not the most thrilling subject matter but the stuff is really kind of cool. Bronwin ran over some of it with her car (and the woman has an enormous car!) and it didn't break! I ordered the keep your fruits and veggies fresh system, and I am going to host a party once we are settled in the new house. Of course at the Gardner's there is always tasty food and delish wine, so I had a great first night out....even if it was technically a night in at our friends' house. I am looking forward to our friends wedding on Oct 1...that will be the true test as it is our first overnight stay away from the baby, my parents are flying out to hang with the girls so Justin and I can have a couple of days for ourselves and to celebrate with the Boker's, and that wedding is in Ohio!

Mom's Playdate!

I have to say that ever since some friends of ours moved out to VA and started having babies and having a mom's group, the idea of play dates and other mom friends has been a dream of mine. When I was working I had other friends at work who were moms but when I got home it was dinner, bath, and bed. So now that I am staying home I have had more opportunity to meet other moms and have those play dates! When I was thinking of play dates, I wanted to make sure that the other moms were in the same frame of mind as me....meaning I didn't want to be a part of a catty moms group. I want to make sure that they are the type of friends that will support my mothering, my marriage, and that are 'for me friends'. Thankfully I have been able to meet some great friends through our church, and the play dates have begun!

I just got home from the first big play date with both kids. I had so much fun, and so did Bethany...Madison did too(I guess, she just hung out on my hip).

I am so excited about what the Lord is doing in my life right now, and I am so happy to have the opportunity to just be a mom. In our society a lot of people see being a stay at home mom as being 'just a mom'. When did that start and why is it a stigma? I understand that with the economy most families need 2 incomes, and that women fought for equality in the work place and all of that stuff....BUT

I am loving learning about being a mother and a housewife. I am having fun teaching the kids things, and doing 'mom school' with Bethany so she can keep up with her school during the summer. I am loving getting to see Madison grow and change every day.I am loving being able to make our schedule for each day, and knowing what and who they're exposed to! I am loving learning to cook all kinds of meals and learning to make other stuff without a box!! I even tried my hand at canning this weekend with homemade black berry jam, and it is delish!

I am in no way saying that being a stay at home mom is the best thing for every family, and I know how hard it is to be a working mom because I've been there! It is incredibly hard to get all of the things that need done at home while maintaining a full time job. Not everyone is cut out for staying home, and I actually used to consider myself in that category....I was short on patience most of the time, and felt that not working would be a waste of my college degree. What I found was that when I was not exhausted from working at Enterprise all day, I am a much more fun mom, and I have way more patience!

I think that if you are able to and you think you would enjoy staying home, jump in with both feet. I am the type of person who wants to be the best and to succeed, and I want to do everything I can to be the best mom and wife I can. Plus it keeps my mind busy to learn new things and to have other mom friends to learn from and share experiences with! So there you have it, I am staying home and loving it. I am learning how to cook and bake and be a little crunchy granola and while I am by no means making everything from scratch it is fun to try my hand at things and see how it turns out. And yes....some of you will be recieving home made jam for Christmas!

A Poem By Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

...when I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

when I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

when I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

when I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far to visible
but, God believes I am worth it.

when I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I will call upon His name.

when I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
who received God's good grace, somehow.


I read this poem for the first time a few years ago, and it is simply perfect!

Medical Bills make me NUTS!

I am sitting here in a pile, and I do mean pile of medical bills. We have amazing insurance and I am so thankful for that, because there is no way I could aford to pay for all of these things without it, even with it we owe a considerable amount of money!

Why on earth is it so expensive to seek medical treatment for yourself and your children? Why are doctors SO fond of their time? She didn't need surgery or anything invasive, just some tests run and IV antibiotics. And we are talking THOUSANDS of dollars. No wonder people in this country are struggling financially, especailly if they don't have insurance. Ah! Okay just had to rant...now where is my piggy bank??

4 Months old!!!

Madison just came home from her 4 month old check up! I cannot believe how quickly she is growing. She can roll over and loves to stand up (with help of course). Her hands and feet are her favorite toys other than Douglas P Cuddlehorse and her sunflower. She is very vocal and loves the sound of her own voice. She weighed in at 12lbs 8 ounces and 25.5 inches long. She is in the 90th percentile for height and 25th for weight....doc says she's gonna be long and lean! <3

The doc still wants us to have the reflux test done on her kidneys but we will wait until she is at least 6 months old. She can start having rice cereal now, and we can introduce solids during the next couple months, but she is getting all she needs from the breast milk. Dr. said we may have better luck with her sleeping longer at night if she is in her own room...but I am not ready for that yet.

1 year ago tomorrow...

3/8/08 My wedding day! We had a Papaw/ granddaughter dance and I sang in his ear as we danced to the Judd's "grandpa"

Papaw in the 70's

Mid 80's at a ranch in TX

My high school graduation day!

1986 at the KOA that he and Nana owned in Fredericksburg TX

1989 fishing in MI

1 year ago tomorrow my Papaw went to be with the Lord. In the midst of our pain my mother and I deemed July 27th to be the worst day ever. We ached and cried out for our loving patriarch. I can remember the wee hours of July 27th like they were yesterday. We told Nana to go get some sleep in the guest room, and I laid in my grandparents bed with my mom and dad, as we all stared at Papaw. He was laying in his hospital bed, thin under his sheet and pale. Around 4 or 5 am I couldn't handle listening to his breathing any longer and I moved to the couch. Not even 30 seconds later, he was gone. I remember praying for the Lord to take him, take his pain away. And then all I could do was pray for him to bring him back! I wanted my Papaw back here with me!!! And I still do. I wish he was here with us and that he could see Madison (who is named after him) and that he could see what an amazing little girl Bethany is growing into. But then I realize that he knows Madison, because he got to meet her in heaven before she came to live with us!

Last night I read a book called Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo. It is an amazing account of a little boy who became very ill and got to see what heaven is like. This book gave me amazing clarity and peace that my Papaw is doing just fine. And the little boy said that nobody is old in heaven, which is awesome because ladies let me tell you when my Papaw was younger he was a hottie.

Something amazing happened for our family on July 26th. The day before Papaw passed away we were all there. My Parents, Nana, Uncle Carl, and Carli. We sat in Nana and Papaw's bedroom and sang worship songs with our amazing friends Karen and Cody Greathouse. Cody prayed over Papaw, and then the most amazing thing happened. Mom was in the kitchen, and I was on the bed. Papaw sat up all on his own (something he hadn't done in weeks) and shouted "Kimberle, RyRy Come on, let's go." I asked him where we were going and he didn't anwser. Mom asked him if we were going to a horse show and he said yeah that's right. I will never forget watching my Papaw's soul leave his body. At that moment he left his earthly body and went to the big horse show in the sky. He layed back down and didn't speak or move again. He was in a kind of catatonic state, he heart was still beating, but he was gone.

I am not writing this to make my Mom sad, and I know she will cry when she reads this. I am writing this for myself. It has been said that I haven't dealt with his death. And in a way that is true. But I think because of the amazing event that happened when I held his hand, I know that he is in heaven. I celebrate his life and the amazing grandfather that we was to me. I wish he could be here for me today and play with my girls, but I know he is up in heaven and there are many children there who could use a Papaw to play with.

I miss him so so so much, and I joked that he picked Madi out in the baby factory in heaven. But in all seriousness the Lord sent Madison to me, to our family, at the perfect time. I was expecting when Papaw passed but didn't know it. The Lord takeith and the Lord giveith.

For anyone struggling with a loss please take a couple hours and read Heaven Is For Real, it is amazing!