Watermelon

On Saturday, Sept. 18, we had watermelon on the deck in 50 degree temperatures with a 30 mph north wind. The watermelon was amazing! We laughed so hard because it was so cold but we weren't about to not eat LOL!
~Randi

Thank You LORD for CHANGE

WOW!! My whole body literally just got stomped on during today's lesson from Beth Moore's "A Women's Heart; God's Dwelling Place." Going into today's lesson, I could barely even pray. I just kept saying, "LORD," over and over and finally said, "Show me what you want me to hear today." My heart has been heavy for many reasons this week and I am thankful for being apart of this study because on a daily basis it opens my eyes.

The lessons so far have been over Genesis (Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham) and now Exodus (Moses and the Israelites ). Currently, the Israelites are being led through the wilderness (Exodus 15:22-16:8) and they keep complaining. They are thirsty and God gives them water; it is bitter; God is leading them to the Promise Land; they are hungry; God gives them manna; they want meat. This whole time the Israelites are grumbling on about how much better Egypt was (plenty of food, water, etc.) even though they were slaves.

THIS IS WHAT STOMPED ALL OVER ME...Beth Moore asks a question, "How often do we stomp our feet at God after HE has delivered us from the things of this world and say, "I want some of it back"?" The Israelites wanted both the riches of God and the perks of Egypt...this immediately hit me as Omaha vs Snyder. Rick and I had been praying diligently for God to move us where He wanted us because we knew our time in Snyder was coming to an end, BUT, neither of us wanted to leave our friends (family) and our church.

God opened doors to Omaha: he opened Rick's parents house to accommodate us (even the coming addition); Rick has a head volleyball position and a salary staff position (not uncommon for coaches to just coach and work somewhere else); I am still able to stay at home with Mathen; bills are paid and literally EVERYTHING is taken care of because of GOD and Him working in us and others! So, what is my deal...I miss my friends (who most were/are still pregnant) and I miss the opportunities to be with them; I miss my church family and singing in the choir; I miss Mathen being able to play with his "little buddies" and I miss my house with my things. Do you see what I see???

I (we) have been delivered to Omaha by the grace of God and I am still grumbling over things that I think I need. GOD HAS PROVIDED in so many ways and trust me I am very grateful but is my gratefulness null and void due to my grumbling?? I have always thought of myself as a happy and content person and then an answered prayer takes place and I find myself thinking negative thoughts towards what God has given to me on a daily basis.

I am so thankful that God's timing is perfect and that I am in the process of going through this Beth Moore study. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I am ready to see what God has in store for me. God brings us through the Marah (place where the Israelites found water but it was bitter) to Elim (place where there was 12 springs and 70 palm trees). Sometimes we go through something we see as a "hard time" so we can experience joy and be grateful for what God has given us.

Potty Training

Mathen is on day 4 of potty training! Little accidents on occasion but I'm not complaining. Before this picture he actually said, "Go pee". He ran to the potty and pulled his big boy pants down all by himself! He even rode in the car twice yesterday during some errands and he was dry both times. I'm still putting a pull-up on for nap and a diaper for bed (2 nights in a row he has asked to go potty while in bed before he actually falls asleep). I'm rejoicing in the small steps and am so very proud of my little man :)

Changes = New Adventures

This is my new hobby...quilting. I find it relaxing and it gives me time to pray, praise or just listen to what God is saying to me at this time in my life.

My mother-in-law is an avid quilter and I told her I would love to learn. I saw this particular quilt in a magazine she received and I fell in love. She was excited and I was excited so the adventure began. We went to a quilting store and they had the exact fabric I was looking for and we came home ready to start. She showed me how to cut all the pieces. I completed that task. She then showed me how to make a sqaure with the cut pieces. I completed that task and then there was no stopping me :) I finished the 16 12x12 sqaures fairly quickly and now I will learn the new steps for the finishing of the quilt.

This is my 1st quilt and it is for the little one that will be arriving in less than 10 weeks. I still have the border and backing to put on but I wanted to share the progress so far.

My mind is already racing with ideas for future projects (including a quilt for Mathen).

Photo Shoot

Here is the link to the photo shoot from 9.7.10.

https://viewimages.jcpportraits.com/sharealbum/sharealbumlist?rndId=1283915952&uId=1130662

Nothing too fancy but it will show how much Mathen has changed over the past few months.

Over a year equates to many changes!

WOW, I knew it had been forever since I had posted last but I never thought it would have been over a year. Here is a quick synopsis of our lives in the past year.

Rick-is now employed at Burke High School in Omaha, NE (we moved May 28th, 2010-Our 5 yr Anniversary). He is the Head Volleyball Coach and is loving every minute of it and in return has lost at least 15 pounds (less stress, happier, less time to snack HAHA). He is currently working on his NE teaching license and will hopefully obtain it this summer.

Randi (ME)-is still staying at home with Mathen and having a blast most days (I can't lie) and is currently pregnant with another "Sweet Baby" due Nov. 19th, 2010. We are 31 weeks, Sept. 17. We didn't find out the sex with this little one and at times I am debating if I made the right choice. There are days I really, really want to know :) I am considering/praying for a part time job that would allow me some "ME TIME" and extra money but also allow the kiddos to have some other interaction besides "MOMMY" all the time. It is in God's hands!

Mathen-will be 2 1/2 yrs old (Oct, 2010) and is growing and learning so much everyday, I stay amazed. He has literally grown almost 4 inches since we have been in Omaha! I will post pics soon. He is talking in 5-6 word sentences and is daily adding words (sometime 3 syllables) to his vocabulary. Today he actually used the potty for me and was dry for over 2.5 hrs before nap (I put a pull-up on just to be safe). He gets really excited using his new chair so hopefully he will continue on this new adventure. UPDATE: He was dry from 11am -7pm with 2 successful trips to the potty. I think that is a good start.

We are currently living with Rick's parents (Doug & Shae) in Omaha. It has been a true blessing since we haven't seen a paycheck since the end of June (some camp pay but nothing steady). Luckily we were participating in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace and had some money set back. Not going to lie, Rick's parents have been the only reason we weren't literally "on the street". We knew going into this situation that it would be tough but that God has a plan and we are going to hang on and trust.

There are days (I blame pregnancy) were I am confused, upset, mad, annoyed, jealous, envious or I tend to cry randomly. These days I have to remind myself that what ever God brings us to, He will bring us through! I miss my friends and daily think of calling but then I don't know what to say. It is hard knowing that life is still going on even though I am not there to witness it with them. Thank goodness for blogs, facebook, random texts or calls because that is what keeps me up to date in their lives. I am being honest here and I am actually feeling a release of different emotions. I am blessed by knowing them and can't wait to see them :)

On a happier note, I just started a Beth Moore bible study on Wed. mornings (Mathen gets to play with other kids!!) and I am excited to meet some new ladies. I have already read/completed 4 days in "A Women's Heart-God's Dwelling Place" and I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

Hope this catches everyone up and I will post pictures soon but a shower is calling my name :)