My Favorite Hymn

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died

Chorus:
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me
Oh, it is wonderful
Wonderful to me

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine
That he should extend his great love unto such as I
Sufficient to own, to redeem and to justify

(Repeat chorus)

I think of his hands, pierced and bleeding to pay my debt
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me
Secure in the promise of life in his victory
Thus ransomed from death I will live to my Savior's praise
And sing of his goodness and mercy through endless days


In our ward, we don't really sing hymns that I'm familiar with... including this one. It makes me sad that I don't get to sing it in church very often, but I am happy to come home after church and listen to it while I make dinner. It's one of the highlights of my sunday... even though I sing it quite frequently throughout the week :)

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, Jason, David and I went to St. Louis for a visit & we had a blast! We were plagued with a couple tornadoes, but we survived :) It was great to see my family again! It seems like a long time between our visits even though it's only about 4 or 6 weeks. My little brother is turning into quite the stud... he's very busy finishing the school year, running track and playing baseball. They have quite a few tournaments so I'm looking forward to getting to see him in action someday soon. Dad is hard working as always and mom is working diligently to finish her PhD work.

Our main reason for our trip was my cousin's wedding - it was beautiful! She and her new hubby have been dating for a long time and it was wonderful to see them become man and wife. We had a blast at the reception! The food was delicious and the music was great for dancing. This was the first time in a long time that Jason and I got to dance together and we really enjoyed showing off our swing dancing skills :)

Now, we are back to "normal" life and quite happy to be home

Extra time

Today, David went back to his 2 nap schedule - what a difference!!! Not sure why he chose to cut it out, but we much prefer 2 naps. David woke up a little before 8 this morning which is completely normal. We ate breakfast and played for a little while. At 9:45ish, I went to the bathroom to wash my face and when I came back into the living room, David was almost asleep on the living room floor! I picked him up and put him in his crib and he slept for 2 hours! After he woke up (and after Daddy left for work), we went to run some errands. On our way home, David fell asleep in the car. After bringing him into the house and putting him in bed for the second time, he slept for another 2 hours! I had no idea what to do with all that extra time! lol It was fabulous to get the after bedtime chores done before dinner.

Besides our new schedule, we are getting ready to head up to St. Louis this weekend and we can't wait! We got a new case that will allow us to attach our portable DVD player to the headrest of our car seats so David will have a new form of entertainment - thank goodness! We're so excited to go home for a little while... we're needing a break! :)

Well, today we got a letter from Jason's school... he didn't get into nursing school this semester. We were pretty distraught so Jason called the school to find out why. Apparently, one of this 3 references never made it into his file. He asked the people who wrote his references repeatedly if they turned them in and they all said yes - We even gave them stamped, addresses envelopes to make it easier! We know which person's reference never made it so Jason doubled checked with him and he assured us he mailed it. So, who's to blame? The school for possibly losing it or the post office for not delivering it? The school is on the lookout for Jason's lost reference - which apparently happens more often than you would think - but we're not counting on much. We feel hopeful but chance-less currently. So, unless we get our small miracle, it looks like we're going to be postponing nursing school 5 months (fortunately OTC offers nursing school twice a year!). This isn't really how we imagined the situation happening - something so small is what's keeping us from our goal - it's so frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're just trying to focus on the positive and see where we end up.

Wish us luck!

Day at the Park

Yesterday was Jason's day off (besides Sunday) so we made the most of it. We ran errands most of the day and took a break at the park - David LOVED it!!!!!!!

David's first time to the park

Today, David and I got to go to the park and we had a blast! We only had about 15 minutes before we needed to be at Jason's work since we were taking him dinner, but it was plenty of time. In the 10 minutes it took for us to drive to the park, David fell asleep - awesome... I thought for sure our play time was going to be horrendous. As soon as I took him out of the car, he woke right up - almost as if he knew what was coming, lol. We visited the swings first and they were a hit! I got some really cute videos on my phone. Next we tried out the slide and he wasn't sure at first. After a couple times, I couldn't tell if he loved the swings or the slide more! Hopefully we can go back to the park tomorrow with Daddy so we can get some cute pics, too.

We had so much fun!!!!!!!

Productivity

Today, I am feeling good! I woke up naturally before my son and was able to have breakfast waiting for him. We ate breakfast together and sang silly songs. Afterward, we cleaned up breakfast and played with Mega Blocks for awhile. Once David was playing happily by himself, well, with his friend Roger the Giraffe, I started cleaning the house. I keep the house pretty clean normally, so it didn't take me too long to dust, sweep, mop and sanitize... I clean the kitchen and vacuum everyday anyway. Once I finished that, I waxed my eyebrows and got ready for the day. Once Jason got home from school, we left to pickup both our cars (oh yeah... we bought a new car on Saturday, lol) and came home for lunch. Now, Jason's at work, David's napping and I actually get to relax! I'm sure I'll be doing some sewing later, but for now, I'm enjoying catching up on my reading.

I'm currently reading "Born in the USA" by Dr. Marsden Wagner and it's a great book! It's about the problems with the maternity care in America. What's even better is that it's written by an obstetrician! I am a supporter of the education of women about their birthing options. Sometimes I feel a little overbearing when one of my friends tells me their expecting, but just because we're all young and not everyone has had the option to learn about birthing with a midwife or doula. It's such a wonderfully different and refreshing experience.

Anyway, just an update on my daily life, lol

Is this not the sweetest picture ever?!?!?!?

This is my glorious new niece, Ava... Hello Sweet Girl! Auntie can't wait to meet you!!

I can't recall being so nervous

Jason applied for nursing school a month and a half ago... We're still waiting to hear if he's being called back for an interview... and I'm a nervous WRECK!!!!! He's got a terrific GPA and has been working in the nursing field for almost 2 years which makes him pretty qualified already. Jason is very calm and confident, but I can't help but worry! If he doesn't get accepted this semester, it'll set us back a whole year :(

This is my fear:

When we moved to Springfield, Jason has 2 job offers. When we got here, the jobs he was promised weren't there anymore. He was crushed. We knew we were supposed to move to Springfield, but it felt like the odds were against us. I was worried sick... and so was Jason. Jason is a very emotional guy so I tried to stay strong for us. We spent hours calling to see who was hiring, I drove around with David picking up applications while Jason was at school. I would fill them out and Jason would return them. After 2 weeks, just as Jason was going to apply at a gas station, Jason FINALLY got a job offer that was better than we hoped... and that's when I cried. I stayed so strong for Jason and I could finally breathe. If Jason doesn't get accepted to nursing school... I'll be the one to break down first... almost guaranteed!

I guess now that it's "go time", the time for our plans to become reality, I'm so nervous.
Someone talk me down!!!!!! lol

The end of an era

David's nursing days are numbered!!! For the past almost 2 years, I have shared my body with the cutest, sweetest, snuggli-est little boy, but they are now coming to an end. Pregnancy was quite rough for me (yet I'm so eager to do it again! lol) and it was so weird for that to come to an end. Then the nursing began which was equally rough, but only for the first couple weeks while we were learning. I really have enjoyed nursing - it's special bonding time! Having special clothes and nursing every 2 hours were probably my least favorite parts, lol. David was even nursing every 2 hours up until we started actively weaning a couple weeks ago (except during the night). I know I'll be sad when we're completely done, though.

I will gladly continue to share my shoulder for tears, my hand for holding and my lap for snuggling... just for you son!

I HAVE A NEW NIECE!!!!!

Ava Ginelle Duree was born at 8:30 am on April 5th. 7lbs 12oz and 20 inches long. Congrats to my amazing sister-in-law, Linda, on her baby girl (after 3 boys!!) and a terrific home birth! I am so proud of her!!!!!!!!