Silas (2+)

Little Man has done and said some pretty cute/funny things lately and I want to write them down so we don't forget them.:)

*Yesterday when he got up from his nap he went straight to the window in the living room and looked outside saying, "Hurry Daddy hurry! Tum pay Yiyas! (Come play with Silas!)." It was the cutest.

*About a week ago Justin and I were getting ready to go somewhere when he walked in the bathroom with a big iron skillet and said "EN GUARDE!!" If you have seen the movie Tangled, you know why that is funny. They fight with skillets. He then brought us each our own and we had a sword fight with pots and pans.

*He LOVES to play Hide and Seek - especially with his Daddy and especially outside. He hides in the same place every time and then when it is his turn to "seek" he goes to all of the same places holding his big stick like a sword and then says, "nooooooOOOOO" (in his sweet high pitched voice) if we aren't there.

*His favorite words right now are "mine!" and "I do it Mommy!" with "NO!" being a close third. This was cute for about 5 minutes - not so much anymore and he is becoming very familiar with his time-out corner.

*He also says, "Sorry Mommy" of his own accord sometimes and I will hear him saying sorry to his toys and random objects if he steps on them or does something he thinks was wrong (sorry Woody, sorry Buzz, sorry hairbrush...). This makes up for screaming NO at me a hundred times a day.:)

*Today I took a shower while he was awake (a very risky move that had to happen because I have sewing to do during naptime today) and was praying the entire time that he would just watch his movie and not destroy anything or himself. About the time I got the shampoo in my hair I heard a loud bump so I called for him to come where I could see him. He came and I opened the door and asked what he was doing. He said, " I get green chocolate, Mommy" and held up a jar of Hershey's kisses someone gave us at Christmas last year that has been in the top cabinet since then. I told him to sit on the rug outside the shower and I would give him one when I got out. When I was done I went to check the damage and thankfully nothing was destroyed but it was apparent that he had spent some time rearranging the contents of the top cabinet before he found the contraband chocolate. He pushed his little chair up, climbed up on the counter and then stood and dug through everything. I know this because I made him show me how he got it. Thank goodness he didn't fall off or hurt himself getting down - we aren't ready for another trip to the ER.;)

*He also very much enjoys singing the blessings at meal times. Here's the proof:

We can thank Micah May for his volume. ;)

I love this kid!

(Sorry the video is grainy - it isn't until I upload it here and I have yet to master the art of blogger and videos.)

Boy or Girl??

Last week we had a special ultrasound and found out that Baby Moon is a GIRL!

I thought she was a girl from the very beginning.:)

We had our best friends over to take pictures of the "reveal" and share the special moment and then we let all of our family and friends know by posting on facebook. Easiest mass-announcement ever.:)

To answer all of the questions:

(when I am out and about I think I am just going to start bringing a tape recorder with me so I can press play and have it answer everything for me. People need some new small talk material!)

*Yes, we are excited.

*No, we aren't any more excited than we would have been if it was a boy.

(It is amazing to me how family, friends, and total strangers will express their deep desire for you to have a certain sex...especially if you already have one child.)

*Yes, we have a name but we are still deciding how to spell it. Once we make the final decision we will share.:) It's the same one we have always liked.

*I don't feel like this pregnancy is crazy-different than my first. I am not carrying any higher or lower despite what random people that I have never met try to convince me of in the grocery store. :) A few things are different, but not enough to write home about.

*I'm almost 20 weeks, which is half-way.:)

*For the most part, I feel fine. I do have sciatica issues, but it is generally manageable. I didn't (and don't) have morning sickness. Sometimes I am tired in the afternoons (but who isn't??). ;) When people ask me how I feel I usually just say "fine" or "great" because I don't feel like hearing every home remedy or piece of advice they feel the need to share. What is it with people feeling like they must share their advice with pregnant women? STOP DOING THAT! Unless we ask, we aren't interested in how you or your Aunt Gertrude did it.

*I don't have any weird cravings. I do crave things, but it's never anything that I don't normally enjoy. But when I do crave something, I want it RIGHT.NOW. :)

I guess that covers every pregnant woman's most FAQs.

I'm joining Emily for Embrace the Camera this week. Hope over and say hello and see if you want to join in the fun!

16 weeks

Baby Moon is growing every day and in my opinion the above picture does not do my sizeable belly justice. :)

It's very active all the time but we can't yet feel it from the outside (though I expect that to happen any day now).

I had an appointment today and everything sounded great with the heartbeat - in the 150s.

My back and hips are killing me on a daily basis and have been since about week 7 or 8. I expected this since it happened really early with Silas too.

I am also feeling Braxton Hicks contractions which again came as no surprise since they started getting where I could feel them about this time with Silas.

We have decided to find out the gender this time. Part of me thinks I will regret it because it feels like opening a Christmas present early (boo!) and we LOVED not knowing what Silas was, but the other part of me wants to experience the 2nd half of my pregnancy knowing the gender just to have experienced it both ways. So we are going to find out this time.

I'll have that ultrasound in a couple of weeks.

In my head I want to have a little party with all of our friends to make the announcement, but then again I don't always handle situations where all of the attention is on me/us well so we might decide to just do something fun with a mass announcement. I guess we'll see what kind of mood I am in when it gets closer.:)

We have a girl's name (some people know what it is but we'll not be sharing on the interwebs any time soon) because it's the same one we wanted if Silas had been a girl, but we do not have a boy's name and haven't really even talked about it. If you have any cool boys names that you want to share please do so in a comment (maybe not so much you MAMAY :P) - but don't get your feelings hurt if we don't choose it.

There are lots of other things that I want to share about pregnancy and postpartum and stuff that I just want to remember, but I've not yet decided the best way to go about doing that in such a public forum (but lets me honest - it's not the strangers reading this that I worry about - it's the people that I KNOW read it) so be patient with me as I try to figure it out. I want to be honest and open on here and I want to preserve memories for my family (this blog is the only way I am remembering what happened and when it happened during my pregnancy with Silas - thank goodness I wrote it down here!) but I struggle sometimes with what is too honest and what isn't. I guess in the end nothing is really too honest, but I want to be tasteful in my honesty. Does that even make sense? I am probably waaaaaaaay over-thinking this.

Also - that picture was taken with the self-timer this weekend while I was waiting for Justin to get dressed for our date. :)

Sunday Song

Psalm 130 (From Depths of Woe)

1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,

O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)
O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)

2. To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,

And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)

3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;

I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)
I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)

4. What though I wait the live-long night,
And ’til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;

And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)
And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free

From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)
From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)

©1997 Christopher Miner Music.

Famine in East Africa

Warning: This post has not been well thought out nor will it be a happy one. Continue at your own risk.

In case you don't keep up with the world news but do read this pitiful excuse for a blog, there is a famine/drought going on in the Horn of Africa that is the worst they have seen in YEARS. An estimated 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died from starvation in SOMALIA ALONE over the past 90 days. The drought is affecting the countries of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti and 12.4 million people.

Many people are making the long journey to Kenya where there are refugee camps that are bursting at the seams with people.

via

I read THIS article the other day and the words are forever burned into my mind. I am torn up by it. I cannot imagine being faced with the decisions so many people are having to make and yet it is a daily part of their life. Please go read that article. Please.

This is one of those moments where you can make a decision to ACT and give or just sit around and let someone else do what you are meant to be doing.

I can spout scripture but really? You already know what the Bible says and how the Lord feels about the least of these. It's not a suggestion, it is a COMMAND. It's not up to governments to fix these problems. It's up to us. The body. You and me. Together.

What are you going to do about it?

Obviously the biggest need is for financial support for aid on the ground in Africa. If you can make any donation at all, here are a couple of ministries that are happy to take that money off of your hands and save some lives with it:

Samaritan's Purse - give to "Kenya Emergency Food" to help with the refugee camps/food distribution points

World Vision - give here for relief efforts across the entire Horn of Africa

Embrace the Camera 8/4

A Story in Pictures

1. Uh oh. Cute picture but zoomed in a little too much. Try again.

2. Hang in there buddy! Just smile one more time!

3. Please?? BOYS! Smile!!

4. Ugh. Fine.

Get your Embrace on!

our little miracle

miracle: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

I tend to be leery of using the word "miracle" because sometimes I think that it is over- and mis-used. I am using it here because I truly believe that the Lord intervened in this part of our story.

Even though I do believe it, as I type this I find myself getting panicky and wanting to change the subject because what if I sound crazy???

But really, I just want to glorify Him in all things and if that takes me sounding a little crazy then bring it on. ;)

I want to tell of the good things He has done.

So.

YAY FOR BABIES!!

Yep, I'm growing another one (yes, just one) and come March Silas will be a big brother.

:)

I found out I was pregnant while we were at the beach. Best.vacation.ever. :)

I saw the doctor when we got home and everything seemed fine, though not much was done except a physical exam and pee stick test.

We scheduled an ultrasound for the next week which should have put me at 6 weeks.

You can't really see much because I had to take a picture of it with my camera, but all that is there is a gestational sac. No yolk sac, and no baby. It's the little black oval to the left center. The ultrasound tech at my doctor is great (and a Christian) and she remained very calm and said that I was measuring 4 weeks instead of 6. I immediately started panicking inside because I KNEW that I couldn't only be 4 weeks - that would mean that on the day I got a positive pregnancy test that I really would have been getting pregnant. Make sense? I just knew that it wasn't right and was terrified that I was going to miscarry.

We talked to a midwife (the same one who delivered Silas) and though she didn't say that we should be worried, she also wasn't super encouraging either and just said that we should come back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound if nothing happened before then.

I left bawling. Thankfully Justin was able to be with me and he (as always) was very supportive.

We decided to only tell the Mays and Cardozas so that they could pray with us.

It was a very hard couple of days as I fought to be hopeful and not worry about something that I couldn't control.

2 weeks was going to seem like forever.

The ultrasound was on a Tuesday and by Thursday the Lord had calmed me enough to think a little more clearly.

I had told Justin (and a handful of other people) from the beginning that I felt like the Lord's hand was on this pregnancy. I'm probably about to sound crazy, but I just really didn't think that I should have gotten pregnant for several reasons - most having to do with timing and busy-ness. I took a trip to Nashville to visit some friends shortly after I got pregnant but well before I could actually know I was, and one of those precious friends knew that we were trying to get pregnant and before I left we stood in his driveway and he put his hand on my tummy and prayed over my womb.

He prayed over my womb.

It was one of the sweetest things I have ever experienced. When Jeff prays, he EXPECTS things to happen. And he said that he knew I was pregnant and would be calling him in a few weeks to tell him the good news. From that point on I started to think that I really WAS pregnant - even though I knew logistically that the chances were pretty slim.

Sure enough, 2 weeks later I got a little pink plus sign. :)

So.

After a couple of days of really being afraid and jumping at every little ligament stretch and new feeling, I decided that being scared and worrying wasn't doing me a bit of good and that I was just going to pray. REALLY PRAY. I had been praying, of course, but I was going to stop praying with fear and just straight up pray with expectation. I decided that I was going to completely trust God to fix this and to make it right and believe wholeheartedly not just that he could but that he WOULD. It is hard for me to pray like that because then what do I do if He disappoints me? I feel like I need to make excuses for Him when things don't turn out the way that I (or a someone else) wants them too. Anyway - so that's what I did. When I started to doubt I prayed for grace to believe.

And His peace that passes all understanding was abundant.

And the 2 weeks really didn't seem to pass that slowly.:)

{side note: prayer is something that i have always struggled with. i know what the bible says about it - that the Lord hears the prayers of a righteous man and that He is faithful. i just sometimes can't make it all make sense in my head. how does prayer really work? and if he already has his plan and is working it out, why do we need to pray? this is something i am constantly working on and i just wanted to make that clear so no one gets any impression of me other than a fallen sinner saved by grace alone that sooooooo doesn't get it most of the time.}

We went back to doctor yesterday for another ultrasound and this is the picture:

Even with a completely untrained eye you can see that the gestational sac is quadruple the size that it was and there is a little baby in there (though it looks more like a bean).

Not only can we see the baby, but we saw and heard a tiny little heart beating at 164 beats per minute.

Glory to God!

This was HIS doing.

I believe it with everything in me.

I am now measuring at 7 weeks (from 4 to 7 weeks in just 2 actual weeks???) but I am convinced that I am actually at 8 weeks like we thought from the beginning. Either way, there's a baby in there!

As I was praying in the 2 week waiting time, I said that I couldn't wait to tell the story of how He has his hand on my womb and this baby.

Thank you Lord for answering prayers and teaching me lessons. I don't know why you chose to answer in this way, but I am forever grateful.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

The latest Moonpie Designs

I just realized that it has been a realllllly long time since I put any of the latest MpD creations up for y'all to see.

My bad.

It's not because I haven't been busy - it's actually been pretty steady since about November (which is GREAT!).

I just crank out the orders and forget to take pictures.

Really. I am TERRIBLE!

I've done several block orders lately and haven't taken a picture of a single one of them. :(

But I did finish a few orders this week and I remembered!

{insert applause}

This is a new item - sunglasses cases. :) A friend needed some for her bridesmaids and asked if I could do it. I could. ;) AND she wanted yellow and grey which just happen to be my faves right now. What do you think? They are double lined with fleece for extra protection. $15 with an initial.

More mini-wallets. :) My sweet DD (grandmother) loves to show off her mini (which is a couple of years old now) and last week she got me three orders while she was at the eye doctor. Now THAT'S a good grandma! ;) She also ordered a new one for herself. They are $10 with an initial, symbol, or ruffle.

That's all folks!

I don't keep stuff stocked in my etsy shop because it just wasn't proving to be worth the time and effort. Word of mouth seems to work best for me and facebook has proved to be extremely helpful in spreading the word. My clients (that just sounds weird) post pictures (that I can't seem to figure out how to put on here since FB changed their picture viewer) and then their

friends see it and friend me and so on and so forth. It's all workin' out!

I'm rambling.

All of that to say that if you are interested in any Moonpie Designs products or want to know if I can make something for you, just shoot me an email or friend me on FB and let's talk. :) I'm Stephanie Dowden Moon - moonpie(dot)designs@yahoo(dot)com.

************************************************************************

OK, so about 1.5 seconds after I originally published this post my friend Zach taught me how to save pictures from FB. So now I can share some blocks!

I did these for a friend from highschool and she posted them on FB and I got two orders from her friends in a week (one is for 4 sets!!). Thanks Hillary for being a fan and sharing with your friends!

Embrace the Camera 6/23 (playing catch-up)

We're Embracing the Camera again with Emily!

I grabbed the camera a lot over the past couple of weeks and now I have a crazy amount of pictures of me and Silas with our faces smashed together. :)

Using Momma as a jungle gym - his new favorite activity

Squeeze!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the zoo for a members only night. The Mays came with us and we were both able to get a good family picture. :) Silas decided to show his fat face. ;)

Squeeeeeeze again and throw in a pickle for good measure. ;)

I won't tell you how many times it took to actually capture a kiss. My camera is not the easiest to hold up with one hand and with Silas' attention span being that of an ant, we got lots of outtakes from this one. :)

Go EMBRACE!

Swim Lessons & One Thousand Gifts

We spent the entire last week in the pool. Silas had swim lessons in the mornings and then a couple afternoons we went to a friends pool. It was a blast! I so enjoyed watching him LEARN and then get more and more brave. Now he will get things off of the bottom of the pool and he can kick and swim to the side and hold on to the wall. He is also getting better at floating on his back. It's so fun to just watch him play. His imagination is taking off and he has little conversations with his toys. I love to watch him figure things out - he just works and works at it until he gets it. :)

Swimming to Miss Jocelyn - one of his coaches

jumping off the diving board - which he wasn't thrilled about but didn't cry and actually did really well. :)

bracing for impact ;)

swimming to the side after jumping in

choo-chooing on the wall - one of the things they teach the kids is how to swim to the wall and hold on to the side and "choo-choo" to a ladder or steps so they can get out if they ever fall in the pool alone. They also work hard at teaching them how to float on their backs.

Continuing my list:

122. fresh veggies on the stove

123. new friends over for dinner

124. decadent chocolate cake with poured chocolate icing

125. how I can SEE the temperature difference when I pour hot, freshly made, sweet tea over ice - I can get lost in the swirls

126. new swimsuits

127. the smell of a freshly mown lawn

128. my Champion God

129. our home

130. that just a hint of sunlight turns Silas' skin tan - and his little white booty :)

131. treasure hunting with my bestie

132. watching Silas discover new things

133. Little Man's developing imagination

134. a God who can be trusted to be as good as He says He is

135. words of encouragement

136. how dreams refuse to die

137. new pictures of my sweet Sarah and Nusula

138. that I am not in control

Canaans pictures

These pictures go with a previous post. Scroll down or click here to read it.

With Nusula outside her school - Canaan CTC Primary School

With Sarah before the performance

Sarah singing :)

Marvin dancing and singing. Such a cutie patootie!

Washing feet and giving out new shoes

Sweet Surika

Sarah with her new stuffed animal tiger.:)

The Baby Dorm with their animals

Surika - is that not the best smile??!

The big kids with their markers and deodorant :)

Sarah and her mirror. This girl is cRaZy! Love her!

The teenage girls with all of their goodies. :)

Saying goodbye. Our last picture. :(

Uganda - Canaan Children's Home Part 2

"It felt like going home."

That's what I said when my friend Gina asked me about my trip to Uganda.

And it did.

I hadn't thought about saying that - it just tumbled out of my mouth but as soon as it did my heart reacted.

Because it was the truth.

Uganda feels like home to me.

And oh how I miss it.

I don't miss it in a "oh that was great and it be cool to go back someday" sort of way but rather in a "I cannot stop thinking about Uganda and her children and my Sarah and Nusula and I cannot rest until I get back there" sort of way.

It's killing me that I don't know WHEN that will be exactly, and I am struggling hard to trust that God has all of the details worked out already and I needn't worry.

If you think about it, pray for me and my heart and my faith.

Alrighty.

So we spent the first 2ish days at Canaan Childrens Home and then went to Kampala for two days and then went back to Canaans for another two days before returning to the city.

I've already written about the first two days here.

When we left for Kampala in the middle of the week, I was sad. I had already fallen in love with Sarah and Canaans and just wanted to stay there. When we woke up our first morning in Kampala my whole room was sad and not really ready to meet a bunch of new kids. I even remember telling the girls that "I just want to go home to Canaans" and they agreed. Of course we ended up loving Return Uganda and Pastor Samuel and all of the kiddos there (which is another post that's coming) but we were VERY excited to get to go back "home."

When we pulled up to Canaans the bus was swarmed again but this time we were looking for our specific kids and it was the best welcome home ever!

We got there in the late afternoon and just played and loved on the kids. That night after dinner we led the kids in some crazy praise songs and then they stayed up and worshipped with us in English. It was a very special night. Sarah and Nusula fell asleep on me and I got to tuck them into bed and pray over them - like a Momma does.

The next day we spent the morning with Amazima (another post) and then the afternoon back at Canaans. The kids performed songs and skits for us (each dorm) and I'm telling you, you would have thought our own children were up on that stage. We were whooping and hollering and trying to get the best seat for pictures. It was wonderful! I was one proud Momma. ;) I kept thinking that THIS is what it's going to feel like when I watch Silas perform one day. Exactly like this.

After the performances, we had a surprise for them. One of our teammates had purchased new school shoes for all of the kids and we got to call them each by name, take off their dirty, old, too small shoes and wash their feet and put on their new shoes. It was a very special time. The kids were thrilled and so proud of their shoes! They were also able to have their fingernails painted and were given sillybandz. :)

Later that night after everyone was in the dorms preparing for bed, we took each dorm some goodies. The baby dorm got stuffed animals and this was special to me because they sleep with nothing but a scratchy blanket (no pillow) and I sleep with my teddy bear and I know how comforting it can be to have my teddy bear to hug (yes, I'm 27 and still sleep with a stuffed animal - proudly! :P). For some reason it made me feel better knowing that Sarah had a little lion to snuggle with at night.

The bigger kids got markers and other goodies and the teenagers got deodorant, mirrors, markers, and everyone got new clothes. There was great rejoicing at Canaans that night. :)

Our team spent the late hours of the night writing letters to our kids and trying to prepare our hearts for the "goodbye" that was coming the next day.

I was not ready.

The next day was Sunday and we spent the morning with Amazima and then came back and had about 30-45 minutes to load our luggage and say goodbye. This was not a happy time - for us or the kids. There were lots and lots of tears and hugs and snuggles and even though we were all out in the courtyard, it was very quiet as everyone whispered sweet prayers and goodbyes to each other and snapped a few last pictures.

I sat on the ground with Sarah and Nusula and just held them.

And then we hugged and kissed one last time and the team got on the bus.

We waved goodbye and Nusula held Sarah and walked beside my window and held my hand until we got out of the gate.

And then I lost it.

I don't think any of us spoke for at least 30 minutes.

It was rough and I was a wreck.

But hard goodbyes and being heartbroken just means that you loved BIG and I'm so grateful for the time I got to spend there.

And I am longing with all of my heart for the day that I get to return to Uganda.

************************************************************************

Here's a couple of videos. They are raw and unedited and I am a terrible ??videographer?? and you'll have to ignore my annoying voice. (Anyone else HATE to hear themselves talk on a video?) So yeah. Hopefully more videos to come. And pictures too - because for some reason blogger isn't letting me put pictures and video in this post.

So I just published the post and tried the videos and the one on the left is turned the wrong way and I don't know how to fix it or how to delete it from the post. Hopefully blogger is just being funky right now and I can fix it later. Until then, just watch the one on the right.:) Ugh.

A Visiting Orphans team was at Canaans this week and one of my teammate's husband was on the trip and he took little packages to Sarah and Nusula for me and he took pictures of them. I can't wait to see them all!

One Thousand Gifts 5/23

OK - I promise that I am going to finish my posts about Uganda.

I really am.

But not today. :P

It is entirely too pretty outside to spend the day behind the computer and I think Silas and I might sneak off to a friend's pool for the day. :)

I can't believe he is almost 2.

And that reminds me that I should probably do a post about him sometime soon too so the fam will stop bugging me about it. :)

Continuing my list of gratitudes...

103. hugs when I am lifted off of the ground :)

104. waking to find five squirrels, two chipmunks, countless birds, and a rabbit right outside the back door

105. washing cars in the sunshine with my boys

106. sweet cheek kisses saying "hello" or "goodbye" to friends

107. date nights

108. the story of Mephibosheth and that I, too, and a child of the King

109. that He cannot be put in a box or on a schedule

110. little gifts from Justin

111. clean sheets

112. laughing until my sides hurt

113. music that speaks the truth

114. Silas saying "Momma" (finally!)

115. sunshine on my skin

116. unexpected gifts from sweet friends

117. cold pillows in the summertime

118. freshly vacuumed carpet

119. when people really listen

120. forgiveness - the gift to give and to receive

121. that our God is greater, stronger, and higher

One Thousand Gifts - 5/16

He heard my cry and He came to my rescue.

And yet not for MY sake, but for His own glory.

I (as usual, but more so) was in desperate need if Him to show up this past week.

An opportunity had presented itself for me to be a part of something big, and I was humbled and honored to be asked to participate, but I was tripped up over the fact that I really didn't know what on earth I would have to offer.

So I did what I do and I laid bare my soul before Him and prayed that He would be made strong in my weakness and I claimed James 1:5 and asked for wisdom.

And then I woke up in the wee hours and drove to Nashville for this meeting filled with hope and anticipation.

And you know what?

He showed up.

{insert "of course He did" here}

My presence at this gathering could have been a big waste of time and money for the people who asked me to come.

But.

But He gave me wisdom and creativity and something to offer and I became invisible and He became greater and it was ALL His doing.

And my joy and gratefulness was {is} palpable.

*When the time is right I will share more about this meeting. Until then, please pray for continued wisdom for those of us that are part of it and that above all our Lord will be magnified.*

86. inspiration

87. answered prayers - when God shows up

88. being part of something bigger than me

89. good music on long drives

90. mountains

91. thrift-store finds

92. the scent of a little boy sweaty from a long day of play

93. hard, trying things that make me run to Him

94. that this place is NOT my home

95. *********** loving on the orphan heart (will share more later)

96. DIY mani-pedis

97. when Silas grabs my head and pulls me in for a kiss

98. dancing in the kitchen with My Love

99. imagination and creativity

100. when I wear a long dress and Silas runs up and hides underneath it - thankfully this hasn't happened in public ;)

101. tin-foil potatoes on the grill

102. that He is a father to the fatherless

Embrace the Camera 5/12

Silas and I spent the last two weeks in Louisiana at my parent's house because 1) I had not seen them since Christmas and that was the longest we have ever gone without seeing each other and 2) Justin had back to back business trips.

While we were there we went to Lafayette to the Festival International de Louisiane with my mom and Doug's girlfriend, Rachael. It was a very fun day with yummy food and craft vendors, many of whom were from Africa. I spent a lot of time just chatting it up with them. :)

These are all from Festival.

My little man LOVES to be outside and around (and by around I mean "in") water so we spent a great deal of time in the lake and fishing from the dock.

Love his crazy hair. ;)

And here's the required Mother's Day picture. We forgot to take one and waited until the very end of the day so both of us were t.i.r.e.d.

I love you sweet little man!

One Thousand Gifts

52. searching for and finding petrified wood in the lake

53. the lake :)

54. five acres of entertainment for an outdoor-loving little boy

55. hummingbirds

56. scripture that squashes fear

57. visits with friends from long ago

58. healthy twin baby boys born to a dear friend

59. a God worthy of praise - even in storms

60. peace that passes understanding

61. taking every thought captive

62. Silas's new words - "Hi Fifi" and "welcome" (you're welcome)

63. His still, small voice

64. stillness

65. the lopsided frolick of young puppy dogs

66. 4-wheeler rides with Silas

67. catching white perch with the rod in one hand and my little man in the other

68. shopping trips with DD

69. knowing what I believe

70. jalapeno potato chips

71. a husband who shares my thoughts even when we are MILES apart

72. His unfailing love

73. the sweet, earthy smell of rain

74. His power made perfect in my weakness

75. watching Silas and Emma-Claire interact

76. afternoons spent with life-long friends

77. words of affirmation

78. feminine sanitary supplies

79. turtles sunning on a log

80. airport reunions

81. shopping for flowers

82. Christ Community Church

83. my Momma

84. footrubs with lavender lotion

85. the empty tomb and death conquered

Uganda - Canaan Children's Home

I changed my mind. I said that I was going to go day by day of the trip to share it but I'm not. I'm gonna go ministry by ministry - mostly because I can't really remember what happened on each separate day and it's easier to remember what we did at each ministry. :)

So.

Canaan Children's Home.

You've already heard a little bit about it and if you know me in real life you have probably heard a LOT about it. :)

Most of my team (myself included) refers to it as just Canaans or "home".

It's where my sweet Sarah lives.

And where I can't wait to visit again.

But you know that already.

Ok.

Canaans is an orphanage that houses 107 children ages 2-18. It is run by Pastor (Papa) Isaac and his wife Mama Rebekah. The fact they their names are Isaac and Rebekah and they are married makes me smile. :) I would love to share Papa Isaac's story with you, but I can assure you that unless you hear it from his own mouth, you might not believe it. Our God is GOOD people. Go visit Canaans and hear it for yourself.

Ok. Moving on.

Canaans has a school - Canaan Primary CTC - and that is where the elementary school kids go and also kids from the community. It helps them bring in some income as well but mostly they rely on the kids having sponsors to help provide for them. The little kids stay at Canaans and have school there. We were awakened by the sound of the kindergarten class doing their morning exercises on more than one day. It was quite a sight to see! I don't even know how many kids are in that class (because community kids come to it too and also many of the kids are younger than kindergarten age I think) but there is a bunch of them and their head teacher, Summer, is crazy and energetic and she gets them marching and dancing all around and they do it all in unison. I love it!

The first day that we were there we just did a bunch of hanging out - jumping rope, playing soccer, doing hair (well, having ours done), and making bracelets. It was quite chaotic any time we tried to do a craft, but they loved it and had a blast. We were "chosen" by our kids and started getting to know them. I spent most of my time with Sarah (age 5ish) and Nusula (who told me she was 8 for the first half of the week and 10 for the second half).

I spent some time the first day hanging out with the Aunties (single ladies that are the dorm mommas) and playing "Monkey in the Middle" with them (and of course Sarah and Nusula). It was a blast (I'm telling you - they are nuts!!) and that time with them was very special to me. I could tell that they loved having visitors just as much as the kids did. They work very hard (each is momma to about 20-25 kids) and love very big so I can only imagine the relief they feel when a team comes in to share the burden with them.

Later on the first day, I got to deliver the washable menstrual pads that we made at our It's a Girl Thing party. Mama Rebekah and I took new panties and these pads to each of the 23 teenage girls.

Y'all.

I so wish that you could have been there with me!

Mama Rebekah made me put everything in a pillowcase so we could sneak over to their dorm and she had all the girls and their Auntie Sarah sit down. She made me stand in the front and told them that Mama Stephanie had brought a blessing for them. Did they want to know what it was?? Yes, they very much did want to know. :)

She let me tell them and show them and I swear you would have thought I gave them the world! There was screaming and dancing and I was instantly tackled by all of them in a huge hug! Some cried happy tears. "May God bless you Mama Stephanie! I love you so much Mama Stephanie! Thank you!" I could barely keep it together.

They each got a couple new pairs of panties and some of the pads.

And they cried with joy and gratefulness.

Oh the things we take for granted.

Blessings.

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Later that night (after everyone else was in bed), Mama Rebekah, Diana, Brenda, and I went back and took them some more panties that we found in our donation stash and they reacted the same way. It was so special and something I will never forget. All throughout the week at random times one of the big girls would come up to me and just hug me out of nowhere and whisper in my ear, "Thank you Mama Steph. I love you so much."

Melt my heart.

Ok - I'll end here for today since this has gotten pretty long. More to come on Canaans. :)

Sweet Marvin

Sarah and Marvin who, bless him, had pants 2 sizes to big on the entire week so everytime you saw him his little booty was hanging out and he was trying his best to hold them up. :) We got him so pants that fit.

Nusula playing Duck, Duck, Goose

The baby dorm - 2-5 years. Those are mosquito nets hanging from the ceiling. :)

The little boys dorm. That's Auntie Esther on the left.

Jumping rope. :) The building in the background is a hospital (clinic) on the bottom and the guest dorms on the top. This is where all the girls from my team stayed (except the two that were there with their husbands).

L to R - Henry (age 17), Faith, Enoch (age 10?), me and Sarah, and Nusula is hiding behind me.

This is what happened when I let David (13) disappear with my camera for two hours. :)

He wants to be a photographer (among other things). He took this one too. And my favorite picture of me kissing Sarah. :)

This is Bridgette, Brenda, Sarah, and me and little Sarah at the end of day one at Canaans. Bridgette and Sarah were singing for us. Bridgette can SING! Sarah fell asleep on me.

Sorry the next couple of pictures are blurry - David had set me camera to "manual" and I didn't realize it. :( Here are the girls excited about their "blessings." Mama Rebekah and Auntie Sarah are in the front. :)

They wanted me in the picture with them so Mama Rebekah took my camera. She never even looked in the eye-hole - she just held it up and snapped away! She's crazy!!

This is when we went back later that night. Again, Mama Rebekah had my camera:) I kinda love this one. We laughed so hard because they seriously were so crazy excited. :) Diana, Brenda, and me.

I have so many pictures just from Canaans that it is hard to narrow them down. There will be more with the next post.