Thankful for 2009

2009 has truly been THE best year of my life. it has brought so many blessings, a few of them unexpected! these are the things i'm thankful for this year:

it was my first full year of motherhood. i can not believe how much i love being a mom. i've always known, since i was a little girl, that being a mom was my calling. but i never truly knew how much i would love it. it is truly the biggest responsibility i've ever had & also the greatest joy i've ever known. Jack is a blessing. i love all things about him, even his stubborn grunts! He is a gift. i'm so aware of that. i can not tell you how many times i've been humbled by the Lord about how truly blessed i am to be able to have a child. so many are hurting & pleading with Him to give them a baby. and so many go without ever knowing the joy of being a parent. my heart breaks for those couples. i want Jack to look back on his childhood & know that i LOVED and treasured being his mom & raising him. i never want him to think, for even one moment, that my role of raising him is an obligation, that i would have rather been doing something else, or that he caused me to miss out on life. My prayer is that he always knows how much i love him and that being his mom is an honor. Thank you Lord for my sweet Jack & thank you for his health. Help me to use the year 2010 to be a patient, sacrificial godly mom that raises Jack in a way that honors you.

i received the greatest surprise of my life. on june 12 i found out that i'm pregnant. it was not planned, i was on birth control. i could not believe it. after all, i had just had a baby, 6 months earlier. i went through a whirlwind of emotions. but after talking with ben & spending time in prayer, i had such peace about this new precious baby. the issue was never that i didn't want my child, just that i was overwhelmed by the thought of another c-section, possible BP issues, feeling Jack was no longer my baby & financial struggles. but God is bigger than all of those things. He always provides & is always faithful.

we learned on September 25 that this sweet little baby is a precious little girl. we would have one of each gender! how exciting and what a blessing. we truly would have been thrilled with another little boy, but how fun to get to experience a boy & a girl, so close in age. we immediately named her Jovie Claire. Ben came up with her first name & i came up with her middle name. we have been so excited knowing that our world is about to be invaded by pink & all things girly. We have spent time preparing ourselves & our home for her arrival. we are now just 5 weeks & 3 days away from meeting her. we could not be more thrilled. Jovie will be the perfect addition to our family; and Jack will be the perfect big brother for her.

Ben & I have grown so much as a couple. we are constantly learning what it means to be a good spouse & a loving parent. we've made mistakes & grown from them. we've laughed, a whole lot, and loved Jack more than we ever thought possible. each night, in bed, we talk about how blessed we are, how much we love our son, how excited we are to have a little girl & how we love our family. we strive to make our relationship a priority. it is harder once a child enters your life, but we have worked at it. we have regular date nights & we try so hard to make sure the other's needs are met. Marriage has been even more wonderful this year, than any year before. it is only by the grace of God that we are doing so well & not falling apart. i love my husband & i'm so excited to see what the Lord & 2010 will bring to us.

i have had the joy of watching my 2 little sisters marry the men of their dreams. Lindsay & Ryan were married on May 23. they had been dating for over 4 years & finally got to fulfill their dreams on that day. they are so sweet together. it is so obvious that the Lord created them for each other. Ben had the honor of marrying them & it was such a blessing for us. we are so confident in their relationship & we know that the Lord has great plans for their marriage. Katie & Josh were married June 20. they are adorable. i couldn't hand pick a person more perfect for Katie than Josh. its crazy how well they fit together. they are so in love & we are so thrilled to see them married. i have praised the Lord over & over for giving my sisters such wonderful husbands. and i am so blessed to have such sweet brother-in-laws! ben & i are so excited for the years to come with them.

there have been so many other wonderful blessings this year. we have a great church family, a loving extended family & wonderful friends. the Lord has taken care of us & met all of our needs. we are so blessed.

Thank your Lord, for a wonderful 2009. we know we can trust you with 2010. help us to love you more, serve each other more, be godly parents to Jack & Jovie & honor you with our ministry.

Happy New Year everyone!!!