Happy 6th Birthday, Pierce

Six years ago today, God gave Ryan and I a precious gift of a baby boy! He made his appearance early, according to my due day, but as long as he was healthy, we were o.k. with it.  It was all in God's timing! He entered this world, December 16, 2004 @ 3:53 a.m. It seems like yesterday that you were so little. 

Pierce, it is so hard to believe that you are six already. Time is really flying by!  You have been such a joy to momma and daddy, as well as everyone else in the family.  You have turned out to be such a clown!  You love to be silly and love to get everyone's attention.  The more attention you can get the better.  (most of the time anyway).  You like to play shy but there really isn't a shy bone in your body, especially once you get to know people.  You started kindergarten this year.  Oh how bitter sweet that was.  I cried when I walked out of the room.  It was exciting to see you in your room and meeting new friends, but bitter sweet because that is just another sign that you aren't a baby anymore! You have loved every minute of kindergarten so far.  You love Mrs. Tuttle and Mrs. Jennifer.  They are precious women, that love what they do and are making sure that you have a great start to your education.

You are a big Daddy's boy!! Always have been, since I was pregnant with you!  You love me and everyone else, but there is a connection between you and daddy that no one will ever be able to replace!  It is so sweet and melts my heart! You are a momma's boy when you don't feel good and then there are times where you just decide you'll be a momma's boy.  I could go on and on about you.  You have blessed our lives so much in the last 6 years.  My prayer for you is that you will continue to grow up healthy and have a great loving relationship with everyone.  I pray that you will grow up to be a Great, Mighty Man of God, who has a heart to serve the Lord.

Happy 6th Birthday, Pierce Ryan
Momma and Daddy Love You So Much!

Pressing Forward

I finished up this semester of classes last night.  I took my final in A&P I.  Man, am I glad that this semester is OVER with!! It was challenging to say the least.  My online classes were a little more than I expected, but I got through them with A's! Now the waiting game is on to see what my final grade is in A&P I.  I have to wait until tomorrow after 10a.m. Torture!
I had forgotten how challenging it is to be in school, work full time, and have a family.  It had its bumps in the road but I got through them.  But I didn't get through them by myself by any means.!

All the Glory and Praise goes to God!!!

I would have never made it through this semester without relying on him!! He has called me to do the nursing school, so I am following him.  And I had to completely trust in him!! God has been my rock and will continue to my rock through school and for the rest of my life!!I also have the most amazing husband in the world. He is my other rock!  He is always there to pick me up, listen to me whine, cry, fuss, and he always reminds me why I am doing this!  He is a great motivator and he loves me even when I am irritable about school, or anything for that matter!! He always reminds me why I am doing this and reminds me that if God called me to do this then he will see me and us through this. I can never thank him enough for being so loving, caring, compassionate, selfless, hard-working, providing, encouraging, and many more things!! I also have the greatest family and friends that have always been there for me too.  They are always reminding me that I'll do great and that I will succeed.  They are always reminding me why I am doing this and that God is always there guiding me and directing my every move, thought and is always there for me! I can't say enough about my fabulous support system that I have.  They are always there to take care of the boys if I have class or if I need to study. God has TRULY blessed me!!!

I look forward to pressing forward in my journey to nursing school.  I am excited to see what God has planned for my life and for my future in this field that he has called me too!

Brotherly Love!

Here is proof that my babies do really love each other and like to be around each other.  It is hard to tell that sometimes with the way that they act and treat each other.

 I LOVE these boys!!!!

My prayer is that Ryan and I can raise them to be Great, Mighty Men of God! I know with God's guidance and his love pouring through us that we can do it!!

Be Still and Know

This past month God has really being working in our lives and really making his presence know to Ryan and I.

• At the first of November, Ryan hurt his back.  We thought that he had just pulled a muscle and after a few days he would be better and able to move and walk better.  After 3 days of not getting better and not being able to do anything but lay in the bed, we went to the doctor.  He had herniated a disc in his lower back. We were referred to a neurosurgeon to see what the best options were for Ryan's back.  We were told that 50% of people with herniated disc heal on their own with time, and the other 50% have to have surgery.  The dr. told us that it would take at least 4 weeks for his back to heal.  Ryan was told to come back and see him at the end of 4 weeks for a follow up.  So we decided that we would wait and see if his healed over time.  In the mean time, we were praying and believing in God for Complete healing in Ryan's back.  The Sunday after we found out about his back, 2 friends of mine and myself prayed for Ryan's back and for complete healing. This week Ryan started to be able to do more, he was walking better, able to get up and down out of bed without hurting, he was back to helping me around the house, picking up the boys.  Which means that 2 weeks after he hurt his back, and the same week that my friends and I stood in the gap for Ryan and prayed for healing Ryan's back was HEALED!!! God is amazing!  Ryan didn't have to wait the 4 weeks to feel better and be healed!  God heard our prayers and answered them, PRAISE GOD!!

• Ryan has been looking for a second job for several months now.  He is doing this, so when I get accepted into nursing school, we will be able to live, since I will be quitting my full-time job to go to school full-time. He has tried several places and it always fell through.  Since we are humans, we started to really stress and really worry about what would we do and how would we survive while I was in school and not able to work.  We know that we can't live off Ryan's 1 full time job.  We would try and think of another option, only for us to realize that wouldn't work, or that wasn't going to be right and many other different things.  We finally realized that God was testing us.  He was testing our Faith and Trust in him!  We weren't trusting him by worrying and fretting about Ryan finding another job.  We weren't allowing God to provide for us.  I believe that all the times that jobs didn't come through for Ryan or ideas for jobs didn't pan out the way that we wanted them to, was God telling us that we will fall if we try to do this on our own, but if we would completely trust in him and stand on faith that everything would be fine and we would be taken care of and provided for. He kept reminding us that he wouldn't call me into Nursing and get me a quarter of the way into it and then just leave me there all by myself.  He would always be there for me/us and we had to trust in him.  He will always fulfill his promises.  So Ryan and I prayed about it and we put it in Gods hands and trusted in promise.  Shortly after that, Ryan was able to get an interview with the Gluckstadt FD.  (They aren't a city, so they don't have a full time fire department.  They pay Firemen to be there during from 8am-6pm.  They they rely on their volunteer guys to cover at night.)  The interview went well and Ryan was told he would hear from them in a week or two.  So we prayed about it and left it in God's hands.  We knew that if this was the right place for Ryan and this was God's timing then he would get the job.  If it wasn't God's timing or Gods will, then something else would come up at a later time.  Last Wednesday night, Ryan found out that he got the job! He will start in January.  God showed out again!! PRAISE GOD!! 

We are ever more thankful for God always taking care of us and reminding us that we can't do anything in this world without him!! We have to put him first and foremost and then let him guide us through our life!  I pray that God will continue to work in my life as well as Ryan's and reveal himself more and more to us! 

"He says, Be Still and Know I am God.

I will be honored among the Nations.

I will be honored in all the earth."

Psalms 46:10