Tessa is part of an incredible school, with the absolute greatest teacher and sweetest of friends!!
Seriously, what sweeter of a 'get well soon' could a little girl hope for!!!
~Whitney
Thursday, February 26, 2015
God's Secret & My Imagination (or lack thereof)
I took a walk around the pond a couple of times with Parker yesterday evening. It was beautiful outside. I absolutely love the opportunities I get to just walk and talk with him. I cherish those moments of hearing his heart, learning more and more about how he sees life, and watching him become such an amazing little man. He told me last night that he really liked "taking a stroll with me". At first he wasn't super thrilled about it being a little chilly in the wind, but told me several times how surprised he was that he kept forgetting about his hands being cold because he liked 'strolling and talking' with me so much. My heart melted a few times :)
He explained to me that 'a stroll' was a more laid back/relaxing walk (smart kid ;). He said we were doing that because Weston is getting so big these days...and let's be real, that's about all this mama can do ;) Then I started talking to Parker about how exciting it is when a baby arrives...because once they are here, you can't imagine a time that they weren't here. I went on to say how it's been kinda hard to imagine him here right now...but that when he gets here, it's so different, so neat. His response to all of that was 'well yeah, cause when he gets here is in the future and we don't know what the future looks like'....again, smart kid ;)
We've shared off and on as a family about the things that we are each excited about with Weston's arrival. Potentially just a short 4-5 weeks away! Life has been fairly challenging and overwhelming over the last two months that it has honestly made it hard to stop and embrace all the excitement to come. We've taken moments to talk about the excitement, but overall, we are still just coping with day to day, doing our best with what's right in front of us.
To reminisce for a moment...as a child, I had a heck of an imagination. When I was a little girl...barbies and barbie-land was my happy place. Man, the things I came up with that kept me entertained for hours, were unreal. I remember how fun it was and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. But anymore, I'd say my imagination is almost non-existent. These days, I tend to settle a little better, smack dab in the middle of reality, than in any other alteration of reality. I would say that having a child with special needs is likely a contributing factor to this. Even though I had a huge imagination as a child, it has been dwindling for years and eventually came to a screeching halt. All that to say, I really haven't spent much of this pregnancy imagining life ahead. Instead, I've just taken a day at a time, and then of course, have been looking foward to the day our sweet Weston arrives and when I can't imagine life without him. I guess maybe I fair better in the world of "can't imagine".
Just like Parker said, "we don't know what the future looks like". We do our best to take things a day at a time, embracing God's love and provision in our lives each and every day...moment by moment. It may seem like it steals some of the excitement and anticipation away, but instead, I actually think it allows us to approach life with joy and peace.
It was so fitting when I read in Jesus Calling today:
I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day. Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy -- even precarious. That is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. When you try to figure out the future, you are grasping at things that are Mine. This, like all forms of worry, is an act of rebellion: doubting My promises to care for you.
Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me. I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.
Deuteronomy 29:29 & Psalm 32:8
Life is uncertain and unpredictable for us all. Though some of us might depend a bit more on the unpredictability than others. So while the future is both exciting and overwhelming, I love looking at it as God's secret. I am so excited about God's secret plans for our lives. Honestly, I'm grateful for my lack of imagination, because in a way, I feel like it helps me allow Him to show me the next step forward, without me having to worry about every little detail. Maybe 'not imagining' is a bit of a coping mechanism for me personally, I don't know, but I love finding God's perspective in it all!
~Whitney
He explained to me that 'a stroll' was a more laid back/relaxing walk (smart kid ;). He said we were doing that because Weston is getting so big these days...and let's be real, that's about all this mama can do ;) Then I started talking to Parker about how exciting it is when a baby arrives...because once they are here, you can't imagine a time that they weren't here. I went on to say how it's been kinda hard to imagine him here right now...but that when he gets here, it's so different, so neat. His response to all of that was 'well yeah, cause when he gets here is in the future and we don't know what the future looks like'....again, smart kid ;)
We've shared off and on as a family about the things that we are each excited about with Weston's arrival. Potentially just a short 4-5 weeks away! Life has been fairly challenging and overwhelming over the last two months that it has honestly made it hard to stop and embrace all the excitement to come. We've taken moments to talk about the excitement, but overall, we are still just coping with day to day, doing our best with what's right in front of us.
To reminisce for a moment...as a child, I had a heck of an imagination. When I was a little girl...barbies and barbie-land was my happy place. Man, the things I came up with that kept me entertained for hours, were unreal. I remember how fun it was and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. But anymore, I'd say my imagination is almost non-existent. These days, I tend to settle a little better, smack dab in the middle of reality, than in any other alteration of reality. I would say that having a child with special needs is likely a contributing factor to this. Even though I had a huge imagination as a child, it has been dwindling for years and eventually came to a screeching halt. All that to say, I really haven't spent much of this pregnancy imagining life ahead. Instead, I've just taken a day at a time, and then of course, have been looking foward to the day our sweet Weston arrives and when I can't imagine life without him. I guess maybe I fair better in the world of "can't imagine".
Just like Parker said, "we don't know what the future looks like". We do our best to take things a day at a time, embracing God's love and provision in our lives each and every day...moment by moment. It may seem like it steals some of the excitement and anticipation away, but instead, I actually think it allows us to approach life with joy and peace.
It was so fitting when I read in Jesus Calling today:
I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day. Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy -- even precarious. That is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. When you try to figure out the future, you are grasping at things that are Mine. This, like all forms of worry, is an act of rebellion: doubting My promises to care for you.
Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me. I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.
Deuteronomy 29:29 & Psalm 32:8
Life is uncertain and unpredictable for us all. Though some of us might depend a bit more on the unpredictability than others. So while the future is both exciting and overwhelming, I love looking at it as God's secret. I am so excited about God's secret plans for our lives. Honestly, I'm grateful for my lack of imagination, because in a way, I feel like it helps me allow Him to show me the next step forward, without me having to worry about every little detail. Maybe 'not imagining' is a bit of a coping mechanism for me personally, I don't know, but I love finding God's perspective in it all!
~Whitney
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
School Experiences Update
Enjoying some spaghetti and green beans
Jammie day at school!
Sweet friends helping her keep her ears on and hold her head up
And sliding time too!!
Such sweet sweet friends!
Helping Tessa have fun so much fun
Pre-K 3 acting out The Little Red Hen for the school talent show :)
Mrs. Parker and Tessa making a bird feeder together
Deacon Dan welcomed the Pre-K 3 friends over to talk about and give ashes to all the little friends today.
Oh. My. Goodness. Look at Tessa's face!
She's seriously loving this experience :)
Just love seeing that huge grin!!
~Whitney
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Baby Weston Shower Fun!
I got to spend the most precious time this weekend focusing on the reality of Weston's upcoming arrival!
My dear sweet friends threw us such a fun and beautiful shower!
The decorations had me smiling all day long!!
We still have about 6 weeks to go, but yes, there are days already that I feel like I'm ready to pop ;)
Such an incredibly sweet celebration!
And the FOOD! It was so cleverly put together and so yummy!
It was a brunch theme...my request ;)
And I'm very very thankful that I had also requested that we have the shower at our house. I wanted Tessa to be there with me and I wanted her to be comfortable and in her own environment / equipment.
I didn't realize how important this would be until she had another ugly seizure around 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning. It sure got the best of her and I was SO THANKFUL to be home with her where I could help make her most comfortable.
I joked with my friends that if it hadn't been my shower and hadn't been at my house...I probably wouldn't have been able to make it ;)
Tessa was able to get comfortable in her recliner and slept for a couple of hours...straight through the shower.
Wow! So blessed with such sweet and precious gifts for Weston!
It was so fun to go back through everything later that evening and show Darin and Parker all the goodies.
It's funny how you can be almost 8 months pregnant and still stop and think "umm, wow, this is really happening!" ;)
Life has been so busy lately with Tessa not feeling well for so long now. It was such a huge blessing to have some time to slow down and take everything in. We know the 'busy' is inevitable and we don't live in regret with how life plays out...it's just such a blessing when God gifts us with moments, surrounded by people that we love and love us! I am so humbled by all of the love, support and encouragement we have from such amazing and dear people in our lives. It's exciting to know we'll be welcoming our sweet Weston right smack-dab in the middle of it all!!! :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Parker is 7!!!
Parker is 7 today!!!
I don't know how this has happened, but it has ;)
He is the sweetest, most compassionate little boy I know. He has such a creative mind and is quite the problem solver. He has graciously led the way as I learn the ropes of being a mom. He's a helper, a reminder, a creator, and a jokester. He's grown up way too fast, but it is an absolute joy to watch him on his journey. Parker and his daddy have incredible conversations about God and he has such a passion to seek and follow Him. He has seen a lot and been through a lot for his age, but knowing what God has planned for him, exceeds anything we can imagine, just means we get a front row seat to all the greatness to come!
Since we have lokomat for Tessa tonight, we had an early birthday dinner for Parker last night!
His favorite place in Yukon is the place with the fire ;) Tokyo Moon
I love this sweet boy!!
After dinner we headed home to make Blueberry muffins for Parker's class!
He's not a cupcake fan...and was very specific about his bday snack request ;)
We set the biggest one aside for a little morning celebration!
So thankful for this litle boy! Love him like crazy!!
~Whitney
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Other Weekend Updates
Saturday afternoon was beautiful!
It was the perfect time to get outside and do a little power chair driving/scooter riding
Tessa had fun trying to chase Daddy and Parker on their scooters :)
I think she was wishing for a sun hat or some sunglasses ;)
She keeps me movin!!
We opened up some happy mail from Tessa's IRun4 runner, Amanda!
She sent Tessa her two medals from her last two half marathons
Just love these smiles!!
Shiny medals are very intriguing!
Amanda was SO SWEET to remember Parker's birthday this week!
He'll be 7 on Wednesday and she got him an anwesome Lego shirt and new Lego set!
These three were attempting a Tessa-Sandwich on Saturday evening
L.O.V.E
And today I walked in front of a mirror while we were out shopping and was like "whoa!"
Baby Weston is getting bigger and bigger!
Just a couple of months to go!
Darin was sneaky and took this picture of me and little miss at church during connection class.
She was having a bit of a rough morning and needed some mommy-snuggles.
This is what we call 'squished prego belly'...
Little miss isn't so tiny anymore, but her snuggles are just as delightful ;)
~Whitney
Cub Scouts' Pinewood Derby
Saturday morning was our first experience with a Cub Scouts' Pinewood Derby!
It was super fun to watch Parker and Darin work on his car together throughout the last few weeks. I'm so thankful they have these special times together. Darin is amazingly patient and Parker is lots of fun to learn new things with!
Proud of his car!
You could tell the older kids put a lot of extra creativity into their cars...they've learned a thing or two over the years ;)
Parker's is on the back row by the blue arrow:
This was Parker's first race...he was in the second lane
He got 1st place on this one!!
Tessa was super excited to have a friend there too!
Miss Ashley was there supporting her big brother and came over a few times to hang out with Tessa
Sweet friends.
It doesn't take words, just being there
A couple of cuties :)
~Whitney
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