FallBall

 

Micah has been playing fall ball and loving it. We have struggled to fit it in with softball but he has gotten better and enjoys it just as much as before. Sure am proud but also realizing more and more why those baseball moms are all psycho!! Boy seeing your child play sports wells up something within you that no one can warn you about! Especially not someone who isn't usually competitive but cannot control myself when Micah needs to make a play. Oh what fun this ride of being a Momma is gonna continue to be, for me and for them. Hahaha. The joke is surely on them.

School Daze

 

This first week has been a blur. Micah started on Tuesday and SayJ and I started on Wednesday. I don't have my picture in front of the car or with my teacher because she had a sick kiddo that day so instead of assisting I was teaching, and there was NO time for pictures. Micah is on his final (for sure this time) year at the ELC, SadieJane is in the two year old class with ALL of her friends and they both have had a great week. I had a good first day barring the screaming and crying from a few. But I suppose I deserve that treatment since I dished it out all those years ago. Micah did not want to go to school today, he was a little tired and SadieJane cried when we dropped Micah off because she wanted to go to her class. She even begged me to ask the teacher if she could come:) So thankful for our place of refuge and "home" school. 

There is a picture of SadieJane and her teacher's. But Micah insisted I not walk him in on the first day, so I only have his picture in the car. Sad day. So proud he is independent (not like his momma), but sad that he is growing up so fast. I see lots of tears in my future this year. 

Say it ain't so!

  

So we broke the news to the kiddos a few weeks ago. I wanted to make it fun and exciting as I knew that neither would be overly excited about it own their own. Micah has played this "a new baby is fun game" before and it didn't end as we promised. We still have SadieJane after all this time. He has mentioned numerous time that we do NOT need another baby. But we know God wants another baby in our family and we also know that God wants their selfishness to subside, a new baby will just help that little refining process move along a little quicker. I planned an impromptu spend the night getaway in Dahlonega at The Smith House and then a trip to Babyland General in Cleveland. I thought it would be cute to break the news at the Cabbage Patch Kids hospital. It is a special place in my childhood and I was excited to make it a fun place for Micah and SayJ. We had a great time at the hotel and just hanging out as a family. Then Sunday we got up and headed to The Patch. Micah LOVED it. They birth babies out of cabbages for those that don't know...it sounds creepy but it isn't. Well, at least to me. It did sortof creep SadieJane out. We put them in the giant cabbage patch and told them we had one more surprise! They were expecting ChuckECheese. So you can see or hear their reaction was slow to get happy about. Sadly, the entire video was on my phone and it somehow got deleted!!!Ugh. This is the abridged version. You miss SayJ at the end saying she wanted to name the baby SadieJane. I don't have Mick's video but wanted to catch up on the blog. I will post it when I get it. But Micah's reaction was pretty much the same. Total disbelief. He thought we were playing a cruel joke. Haha. Excuse my loud laugh but I just thought it was hilarious. Micah stated on his video that he wants to name the baby Chapel Hill. We definitely like strange names around here, but that one is not going to make the cut. After they realized we were serious we had a long lunch talk about it and I think everyone is mildly happy about it. I just know they are both going to be great with a new baby. I mean, don't get me wrong I'm sure there will be days...but all in all I think it will be a great thing for all of us. Sometimes a growing experience isn't all great but I know we will all have way more dependency on the Lord, and that can't be a bad thing.

The Story of How #3 Came to BE.

So, the last time I got knocked up I sat down and wrote a post immediately after I peed on the stick. But this go round everything is different. Let me fill you in, I know you are wondering....or confused...or shocked...or all of the above at the fact that our family is going to expand. Most of you that read my blog know that we have gone back and forth about having another baby. A. Lot. More so Mick saying no and me saying maybe. But at times I've agreed with him because it seemed it was my last resort. Who wants to live the rest of her marraige bitter, right? Just teasing. I do trust Mick's leadership. I do. But at the beginning of the summer I started feeling like we should have another one. I knew that #1 Mick did not want one and #2 we probably couldn't do it anyways as we haven't been using birth control for over a year. So I just prayed that God would change someone's heart. Then finally on a date I got up the nerve to ask Mick to just pray about it. He promised to do so and in quite a few moments of chaos with the children insinuated he wasn't getting a Word from the Lord. I had a doctor's appt mid summer so I texted Mick for one more chance so that I could get on meds that could help this thing along and he texted back, no thanks, in the nicest way possible. I dealt with it and cried in the office but knew he knew best. Then our summer went to the pooper. Well, not really but Satan just really attacked our family, our house and even our kiddos. We were having serious spiritual warfare and it was a hard place to be. I was struggling hard with sadness and one situation upon another situation just brought me to a place where I couldn't get any peace. I knew it was satan trying to render me useless. At that moment I was praying and begging God to give me peace and He did. In the midst of some pretty icky (at the time seemed insanely dire) cirumstances and He met me right there. It was a really sweet time. I went to bed for the first time in a while slept hard and peacefully. I woke up the next morning with the weirdest joy. I even felt bad about it, because I knew there wasn't a real reason in the situation to find a whole lot of joy. Peace I got, but joy seemed ridiculous at the time. I got up to spend time with Jesus (both kiddos slept in???) and I realized I was 4 days late. I am always 2 days early and I always take a pregnancy test 2 days before that. I had not thought one thing about it until I had that realization, and then I KNEW. But I couldn't believe it. I knew that I had used my last pregnancy test a few months back but went downstairs and there was still one left. Took it and did the whole, glasses on, glasses off, unbelievable thing. Back to my knees I went just as I had the day before, yet this time it was unbelievable praise. In that moment the Lord spoke as to say "I am for you, this is yours". It was one of the sweetest moments I've ever had with my Savior and I wanted to for sure record it so as to not forget it. But also I give you these minute details to say that God deserves glory in it ALL. Each step of His plan was His alone and I am so thankful to be blessed as apart of it.  We are super excited about a new baby and life in our family, but equally excited that God continues to use each aspect of our lives to grow us closer to Him. After my God moment I quickly got back to the reality that included telling my husband who hadn't gotten "the Word" weeks earlier that indeed we were going to have baby #3. So I did what any mature mother of  almost 3 children would do, I typed him up a letter and took it to Mick's work and left it on the front seat of his truck. Prayed about it and gave him the gist of my heart as well as ended it with the ever loving "don't come home til you can get happy about this, and if you can't get happy don't come home" bit. He of course called immediately and has been the proudest most supportive Dad from the first moment. So supportive that he is the main reason that our secret hasn't been much of a secret. It seems turning 40 before having his last child is something to talk about...to everyone. But regardless I am just so thankful for Mick's support and love. Never once questioning if I secretly got those meds. Which for those of you wondering...I did NOT. It truly is a miracle that we are pregnant again. So we are due towards the end of March and are super excited. Yet pretty nervous. For those of you who mentioned...yes, I did get rid of alot of our stuff. Turns out most of that was carseat related and the carseat would now be out of date anyways! So we are accepting donations:) Seriously, it is funny this go round, not once has Babies R'Us popped into my head...but the numerous cute used items I have seen at the local flea market have. Ah, the difference from 1 to 3. I can already feel the freedom...and the cries. I think I've rambled on enough. Next I'll fill you in on the kiddos response. Now that was hilarious.

Who's on THIRD?

 

Who's on first? Micah Reed 7

Who's on Second?? SadieJane

Who's on THIRD??????? A new Harper!!!

Panther Baby #3 is on the way!

Those of us at "Home" couldn't be more excited!

Well, I hadn't anticipated sharing our news this early in the "game" but our Coach can't seem to keep a secret nor can the muscles that are supposed to surround my midriff. It appears on the 3rd they have up and jumped out of the way in a hurry. While there is alot to say about this 3rd blessing in our lives, I will just say that while we weren't sure what to do in this area of expanding our "team" or making "cuts", God saw fit to help us "load the bases"! I am around 9-10 weeks pregnant and it is a sheer miracle that God deserves glory for no matter what happens from here on out. Of course we are praying for health and smoothness but also trusting that no matter what God's plan we are submitting to it. I ask you to pray along with us and couldn't keep blogging without letting our secret out. (For those in Dville, the news has been leaking slowly for weeks) If I haven't had a chance to tell you personally I apologize as this whole 3rd go round thing has been a whirlwind. (there will be a post for that too) We JUST told the children, (yet another post) and I couldn't keep this all inside any longer either!

He is for me...and you.

Kari Jobe, You Are For Me

 With all that is going on in my life (that I can't possibly put into words at this moment, hence the continual surface blog scrapbook with a hint of realness tossed in for good measure), Jesus is continuing to give me "peace like a river". In the Beth Moore study we are doing it talks about that God didn't say "peace like a stagnant pool of water". So my river still has its share of swirls, rapids and slow spots. but God is so faithful to give peace no matter the current circumstance. God has also been so kind to speak to me and remind me that even in my sin and ugliness, He is indeed FOR ME! What an amazing truth. My sweet cousin, sent me this song after I had told her about a recent God experience I'd had...it so fit and as she so wisely stated at her young 19 years of age, "there are no coincidences with our God!" Just so overwhelmed with His love and wanted to share. I know that everyone (all 3 of you) have your own "rivers" that you are trying to manuever on and I just say, let Him remind you He is indeed for you too.

Girlfriend Therapy

 

This past weekend Mick so graciously watched the kiddos while I got to go on a beach trip with some of my best girlfriends. We had a blast. It was so refreshing and fun. Although, you can tell from the pictures that I am the oldest of the crew, and I might not can hang with the young ones anymore. Staying out singing kareoke til 3 in the morning is not something my body is prepared for anymore:) We did a bible study on friendship while there. I have always wanted to write my own study to see how it goes, so I attempted it with these girls, because I knew they'd love me and be honest. God used the study to teach us alot but I am not so sure it is where I am gifted. While it was a great trip it came after an insanely hard week and some of that poured over into the trip. The girls were all compassionate and helped me deal. As usual, if you ask God to reveal sin, He will. And He did. Humbling to have sin revealed, double the pleasure if your closest friends get a front row seat in this conviction. But I am thankful for it nonetheless. I am also thankful for friends to laugh with, to cry with and to just "be" with. This was our second year to go trippin', here's to hoping we are there when we are 50! For me that isn't so far away, but for the rest of them, there is plenty of time!