november, done

i finished all my snippets for november month of thankfulness. though i will not be writing a snippet every single day any more i do want to continue the thankful attitude and positive thinking. being thankful and actually thinking about it and telling others about what i am thankful for has helped my attitude and outlook on who i am and what i am doing with my life. it is so easy to get discouraged, especially when it's just me and little jane most days (a lot of time to be with my thoughts) but i can't let that happen because that's not the person God wants me to be. so if you find yourself discouraged during these cold winter months, i encourage you to reflect on how blessed you are and how great our God is!

it's a BOY!

i went for my 16 week (4 month) checkup and ultrasound today and we found out baby #2 is a boy! pete is very excited; i am too but i was just fine with another girl. baby looks healthy and weighs about 6oz measuring at what a 17 week baby would be (i'm 16.5 wks pregnant so right on track.) i waited until now to tell the internet i was pregnant - mostly to see if i had the will power to do so, it was easier than i thought - but i am glad i finally did. so much of my everyday life obviously deals with pregnancy and sometimes it's nice to share that with others who know how it feels. i am giving this pregnancy to God's control everyday. it is so easy to let my sinful nature and satan take over my thoughts and convince me something bad will happen. i trust God and know that whatever happens, good or not, He is sovereign and will sustain me.

beautiful gift

our wonderful friend kris has painted a portrait of little jane. it came from a picture my mom took at church a few months ago. jane was about 14 months old, i'll have to check for sure. the picture is gorgeous and looks so much like jane, complete with big cheeks. kris is a gifted artist and will be entering the painting in a few "contest" type events. someday, jane will be able to have the painting and remember a time that she herself cannot remember but her precious "baby self" will always be there, in the painting. thanks so much to you kris!

november thankfulness

a few of my friends are participating in a facebook challenge to update their status daily in november with something they are thankful for. it is a lead up to thanksgiving and the purpose is to help you focus on what you are thankful for and not "other" things. while i understand we are to be thankful all the time every day of every year, it is nice to get "back on track" much like we do with new year's resolutions. so instead of facebook, i will be putting my daily thankfulness on my blog in the "snippets" section - right column at the top, if you've never seen it before.

i hope you can find encouragement from it as i know i will. maybe it will remind you of what you are blessed with and thankful for. lately, many of my friends seem to be discouraged or struggling with seeing God's plan and purpose in everything and taking it all in stride. i know i can get like that too and i will be praying this month that the hardships we face (whether real or imagined) can be faced with God's strength and not our own.

i have been thinking a lot lately about James 4. it talks about not loving the world because that makes us enemies to God and the perspective we should use when looking at our life. specifically verses 14-15:

"yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."' esv.