I can face tomorrow.

With two little babies and a part time job that I love, blogging has been put on the back burner.  So, here is an update.

-Baby Luke is doing amazing.  Seriously, the best baby. ever.  He sleeps 10 hours at night (though he squeaks in his sleep and keeps his Mommy from sleeping..) and can raise his head up while on his belly.

-Emma had her first cold of the winter season.  Other than that, she is a healthy, mouthy, independent little thing.  She amazes us at how much she learns each day.  Her favorite activity is going outside with her Daddy.

-Katie and Garrett (don't you love how I refer to us in the 3rd person) are taking dates every so often, but we are planning on taking more soon.  Life is definitely different with our sweet ones.  We are exhausted more than we are energized.  And our "efforts" to do P90x are limited..lol!



So much has been going on in my mind. More than I can type.  We are currently living in such a trying time in our world. Its Biblical, and inevitable.  But sometimes don't you just feel like the weight of the world is too much? Like you don't see the purpose in trying? I was thinking/talking to God today and He laid this song on my heart.  I bet I hadn't sung it in years and years, and instantly I'm remembering every tune.  It is not just a song, but a promise, a hope.  We do not have to fear death, we do not have to fear bringing children into this evil world.

Well, let me share with you the song-

Bill Gaither wrote this song.  We used to sing it at Enon Baptist a long time ago when we went there.  Its called "Because He lives."

God send His son, they call Him Jesus.
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died, to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold, a newborn baby
And feel the pride, and joy he gives
But greater still, the calm assurance (wow!)
This child CAN face uncertain days because He lives!

Because He lives, I CAN FACE TOMORROW!....


What a peaceful, assuring song.  This world is not our home, and we do not have to fear what is to come.  God wants us to be prepared and to stand firm on His righteousness, even in the midst of evil.  I think of the verse, "Train a child up in the way he shall go, and when he is older, he shall never depart from it." Prov. 22:6

I hope that you have a blessed day and that you know- because He lives, YOU can face tomorrow :)

Luke's birth story

Unplanned.

That word can mean so much.

Some people could take it negatively, but in Luke's life, unplanned has really meant God-planned. Luke was not planned by us. We now call him our little "annointed one" because his conception, pregnancy, and birth are all so wonderful.

In the world we live in, its so easy to get swept away in doing things by your own plan. In a Christians walk with the Lord, we learn that God wants us to let go of our will and follow His. After all, He is the beginning and the end. He HAS been there. He knows the suffering or pain we might go through. A week before delivery, my Mawmaw and I were eating lunch and she said that that week, while praying for Luke and others, she heard God say, "For my Glory." Neither of us knew what it meant...but we'd soon find out.

Luke's labor started around midnight. I kept having "braxton hicks" that wouldnt really go away. Theyd follow a type of pattern and then get totally off. False labor. Thats what I thought. Because I have these all the time! Until one of them hit me and made me grab the dresser. Hmm..maybe not. They still werent consistent at all... not that textbook labor. Well it was at 5am that I finally laid on my side and got some rest. I called and scheduled my dr appt for the day to be earlier so that I could find out if these easy contractions were leading to something. It was a great choice to do that because I was already a 4cm! The dr suggested to break my water since I was overdue. After looking at how low Luke's fluids might be low, we thought it was a good idea. I was so nervous because I did not want pitocin. So we went in with confidence in Gods promises to us (Psalm 91) that HE would deliver this baby...and Ohh did he. This was my chance to trust God with the water breaking to start real labor, and trust Him that His plan was greater than my own.

Water broke 12:30 pm.
Complete and ready to push at 2:30 pm. Could not ask for more of a blessing!

Each contraction that I had for those two hours was taken one by one. I remembered Matthew 6 that says, do not worry about tomorrow for today has enough trouble of its own. Well...each contraction had enough trouble, so why worry about the next one?

With Emmas birth, I never had that urge to push, but with Luke...he was coming whether anyone else liked it or not! Dr. Mills almost didnt make it in time. Luckily I had some rockin' nurses who could have totally handled it on their own. :)

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I have called little Luke a child of peace. We all know that someone doesnt usually PLAN to have kids this close...so his pregnancy came as a surprise. No prior worrying needed!

The entire pregnancy: peaceful.

Hardly any complaints, no swelling, perfect check ups, only 20 lbs gained... it was peaceful. And his birth was nothing short of that- peaceful. Contractions were only 30-45 sec, and not very painful, and I pushed for 15 min. But this was not on my own. My mind was so submerged in Gods peace that nothing, at this point, could distract me. I literally felt him take away the pain!

Here is the amazing part- during one of my last pushes, I remember looking up and seeing at least 8 nurses and doctors standing around in the room. Silent. Before I went into labor I had a strong feeling that this time Id want to bring a playlist of songs with me. Im so glad we did. Garrett turned it on for us earlier and the songs were like comforting words to my ears. So during these last pushes the song "Breath of Heaven" was the one to play. I started crying in amazement and sang along through the last pushes. One nurse said, "Okay get ready to push" in which I responded, "No God is pushing, just let him handle this!"  They all fell quiet. See...they didnt know the peace that I felt inside, but this time, they could see the peace in me. Many of them were there for Emmas birth that was much different.

It was at that moment I heard,
"For my Glory."

If there's ever a moment where time stood still, it was right then for me. Proof of His existence in what Mawmaw had said last week. Proof thst He could give me what I longed for- a short, beautiful, natural birth.  But this was for His glory- to show everyone in that room how powerful and loving our God is. Through something as "everyday" as a birth at the hospital. But for them, I dont think this was an every day birth.

If you have never heard the song "Breath of Heaven" it is from Marys perspective. And I couldnt help but think...what did she feel on that night at Christmas?

"Breath of Heaven, hold me together...pour over me your holiness...breath of heaven."

I'll put my playlist in another post in case anyone needs it.  We named it "Peaceful Playlist" and these songs are so very special to my soul now. :)

Welcome to the world Luke Dean Campbell! God has such an amazing plan for your life...we cant wait to see what it is!

organized new year!

Well its officially the waiting game. Patience is a virtue, right? Those last weeks are always the hardest in pregnancy...you want the baby here, you don't want to go through labor, you want to have it over...AH the confusion.

So, to ease my mind...I'm thinking of how to organize the new year.

Who's with me?

In between working for North Hills Admissions, being a mama, and being a wife, I plan to do a few things differently this year.

Though none of us have to wait until the "new year" to change, I think its more fun that way.. :)

Last year my new year's goal was to "simplify" our life.  For the first time ever, I believe I SUCCEEDED in a new year's goal!  I went part-time (major simplification...and not a choice for everyone I know), I de-cluttered our newly built house, finished many projects along the way, cooked more meals at home, transitioned us to eating at the table together each night, and simplified our health by finding a great natural alternative in essential oils. The only part of my house that isn't organized now is the office and garage, next on the list don't worry!

When I look back and think of everything we went through last year, its amazing.  The Lord was so gracious to me as a new mom and a fairly new wife.  We have raised a toddler together and now have an anointed God-sent little boy coming into the world.

So, what about this year? Well...I have two goals for our family.  Because you all know, and understand, MOM RUNS the family...right? :)

GOAL 1~
Organize our "office" side of life.

I am driven this year to form a family budget, and keep EVERYTHING paperwork in order.  After all, being home more, it really should be more of my responsibility to do this.

I found a great lady who has free budget binder templates.  That is what I plan to get ready this week. Here is her link- http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/  She really has great ideas with organizing your life in binders.  Some of them are a little unnecessary in my opinion, but hey....someone might need them!



In this goal, I plan to make our office in tip top organization to help promote this habit.  If you have a cluttered space it doesn't help you get motivated at all.  No more organized chaos! Anything that hasn't been used or needed in the last year will be tossed or donated.

I purchased, from Walmart, this (well, one like it but for only $5) letter holder to go by our door.  It will hold things to mail, and important documents that need to go out with us when we run errands.  NO more leaving it on the counter top to accidentaly get scooped up.

One other project in the "office organization" is a file box for each of my kids. ^^(picture above) These were found on pinterest via a lady's blog, here- http://destinationofdomestication.blogspot.com/2011/08/baby-boxes.html.

What a great way to start organizing all of that crazy paperwork and keepsakes! This is at the top of my list to start for Luke and Emma this year.  I'll be glad I started it in 18 years. ;)

GOAL 2~
 More Bible Study

With the "3 gift" Christmas, (which was really neat by the way) I purchased Garrett his own study Bible, since our dog decided to use his as a bathroom a few years ago.  He's been surviving on a little travel ESV Bible since... so I purchased him the Ryrie Study Bible (Found here-ESV Study Bible ) It is great, and we love the quality of it.

My parents, being the "sweetness" that they are, found me the journaling ESV Bible ( Journaling ESV ) along with a book on how to do annotations to connect with God in Scripture (Writing In The Margains).  PLUS highlighters and a pen to kick off the year of study.  With a new baby, Garrett and I have fallen into trying to sleep/rest more than studying the Word together.  We both hope to make it more of a priority this year.  I can't wait to see what kind of things God teaches us!

So what are your new years dreams for making life better this year?

-Kay





Recap on our Christmas- 
For those of you who were wanting to know about the 3 gift Christmas, see my last post about the meaning behind it.  This year, Garrett and I gave each other a new rocking chair for Luke's room to make those sleepless nights a little more comfy.  ;) But below are the other gifts we gave in our little family-

Emma-
Want- Bitty Baby Doll (from my childhood) with diaper bag
Need- Melissa and Doug latch board (Link-latch board...don't tell her, but this was free with old Huggies points I stashed away..lol)
Spiritual- Kidkraft Noah's Ark, which she loves! (Link-Ark Sorter)

Garrett-
Want- rocking chair
Need- A really nice pancake griddle with a warming tray for our pancake cookin' Daddy, he was so excited to make them for us Xmas morning!
Spiritual- Ryerie Study Bible

Me-
Want- rocking chair
Need- Much needed PJs ;)
Spiritual- Moravian Star for the top of our tree...I nearly cried, its so beautiful.

CHRISTmas not GIFTmas :)

Don't get me wrong...I love gifts, and I love giving them.  But oh MY how America has transformed Christmas into what you will GET rather than what we have already been GIVEN by our Lord.

 While Garrett and I have been prepping for the Live Nativity here at our house (sponsored by our church for ...over 20 years now?) ...we are reminded of the beautiful gift God gave us.  It warms my heart to know that my kids will always take part in making this Nativity reminder for the community.   It isn't flashy, it isn't fancy.
Its in an old barn with mason jar luminaries leading the way.
An old Moravian star is hung in the barn just like it is every year.
The costumes were made by the ladies of the church years ago with old underwear bands and sheets.

But its beautiful.
Its serene and peaceful.

If you haven't had the chance to come see it, I invite you to do so...with your family.  Sunday at 6:30-8 pm.

It put me to thinking... we are having two kids this year.  We have traditions to set for them, and expectations to set before them.  As a child, I loved Christmas...it was a magical time where my parents poured their heart out to give to us.  We normally didn't have much at all, and Christmas was a time of giving to each other.  And the funny thing is...Santa wasn't really ever a part of it.  GASP! I know... a magical Christmas without Santa? ...or in my case it wasn't without Santa...I only got one thing from him and he just was never a big deal.  And they stopped mentioning Santa when Matt came along (7 years later) I don't think I ever remember him asking if Santa was real.  He still had the same magic in his eyes that I did.  He'd barrel down the hallway and nearly slip and slide to get to the living room after Dad read the Christmas story from the book of Luke.  Christmas was about family and love.

I want my kids to experience this feeling.

Christ's innocent, peaceful love.

So.. I've heard a lot about the "Three Gifts" Christmas tradition and I think I'm hooked.  If you haven't heard what that is, here's a short summary.

The three gifts Christmas is a reminder of the three gifts brought to Jesus.  Gold, Myrrh, and Frankincense.  Gold symbolizes a "want", Myrrh symbolizes a "need" and Frankincense symbolizes a "spiritual" gift.  So, your focus on Christmas is to gift each other with these three things.  This keeps it simple, focused, and not excessive.  And what a great reminder of the REAL meaning of Christmas.  We say that, but... how much do we attempt to REALLY remind ourselves that Christ is the only reason you are celebrating Christmas anyway?

So this year I think I've come up with some really good ideas for both of the sweeties in my life.  Can't wait to share what they are...but for now...they are a secret. :)

And what about Santa?

Well...I've thrown around the idea of how to still bring a tiny bit of the Santa magic to my kids lives....and I really like the idea of Santa filling their stockings.  It keeps some mystery and magic (believing when you don't see) without getting out of hand.  We shall see!

What does your family do?

Strength in Sickness

Its coming, you know it.  You get that sniffle...that achy stomach.  Immediately you think to yourself, "NO. Please don't be getting sick."

That is what hit me at midnight on Tuesday.  The aching and the thoughts that the stomach flu had hit our house for the first time in years.  And oh did it.  I was the most sick of all, out of our whole family.  Its so easy to start feeling sorry for yourself as soon as you get sick...and in this case I did, which was completely wrong.  I tried "praying" and notice I put that in quotes.  My heart wasn't in it.  I was exhausted (no excuse) and defeated (still no excuse).

What are we to do then? I can tell you simply...we fall to Satan.


James 4:7 says "Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and He will come near to you." That is exactly what I failed to do.  I failed to resist the devil completely.  I felt sorry for myself, felt sick, payed attention to my flesh. The last part of myself that I should have paid attention to.

2 Thessalonians 5:23- You are made up of spirit, soul, and body...and you must take care of them in that order.  Your spirit (the Holy Spirit), your soul (mind, will, and emotions) and your flesh body.  How many times in life do we do that order completely opposite? I struggle with it so much.  We focus on our bodies to make them beautiful, or healthy, but the main goal is to keep our spirit and our soul healthy...and the body will follow.

This mistake of mine led to a five hour hospital visit hooked up to every IV and labor and delivery monitor you could think of, while all the time I'm thinking "Why am I here? This could have been rebuked from the beginning!"


It was such a learning experience for me in two ways.

1.) Your words and thoughts are SO very powerful.  They shape your soul...and they are YOUR choice and yours alone.  I know this in my heart so true, yet I still struggle with it like anyone else.  I've believed for years that if someone doesn't believe they will get well- they won't.  You can pray for someone, and that is a wonderful thing, but if they do not have the strength to believe that they will be healed, it won't happen.

2.) God has given me an incredible gift.  This gift is overlooked so many days out of the week, and neglected on some days too.  Of all of the gifts I've received, it is the most precious (besides my salvation).  I know you are probably thinking, oh she's talking about her Bible or scripture...well no...I include those in salvation.
This gift is Garrett.  No, I'm not putting him on a pedestal, I know better.  Throughout my life I've been taught that putting others up high would only harm my spirit and soul.  No...but I do thank God for him every day.  I do not near deserve the love that he gives.  Sounds familiar doesn't it?  Lately, through two back to back pregnancies,  looking my worst, acting my worst...I felt surely he would be tired of me.  But no.  He still looks at me like we are 17 years old.  And just this year, it has hit me like  a ton of bricks- he loves me no matter what.  I truly believe that God gave me him to SHOW me a glimpse of the Lord's love in everyday circumstances.  I grew up seeing this in my Daddy.  Even at such a young age, I understood it.  I knew that the patience, kindness, and love that he had was like no other.  I grew up seeing it, but I still always had a hard time believing God could love me so much through the rough times.  Why would he want to love someone who forgets to read their Bible, who doubts, who whines, etc.  Its an unfailing love.  And thank you Lord for this glimpse of it here on earth....I am so grateful for both you and him. <3


So...maybe this will speak to you if you are struggling with sickness right now.  Or maybe you can save these thoughts until later when you need them.  I am in no way someone to give advice.  I just don't mind writing down what I've gone through. :)

Have a blessed day!

Kay

A Spirit of Thanks

Has anyone seen the "black friday preview" ads? They have actually managed to start their black friday sales DURING Thanksgiving dinner. Call me crazy, but there is no way on God's green earth that I would go choose to shop during Thanksgiving dinner. No "deal" is worth that. It makes me sad in many ways...

1- I love Black Friday. Sure, I never get that "tv for $50" but I always have the best time shopping for others, and being that annoying happy girl in the midst of grumps. Well...with it starting at 6pm...I guess I wont be joining them.

2- What is our country coming to? Can't they just leave holidays where they are on the calendar? We skip right over Thanksgiving because there's no sales profit for it unless you are a grocery store.

Well...in the spirit of Thanks, I will share with you what we will be doing. Maybe it will spark some thanks in your life too.

For the first time, I am hosting Thanksgiving! I am so excited...its one of my favorite holidays. Yummy food, family, and giving thanks. My family has SO much to be thankful for and I want my kids growing up with a thankful, loving heart. Each place at our table will have a place to write what you are thankful for, along with a notecard with a Bible verse. 

The menu is a blend of family "must haves" and Pinterest. Here is our list of yummies:

-turkey, stuffing, and gravy (made by my wonderful mawmaw)

-mashed taters

-dressing

-corn casserole

-sweet potato casserole 

-fried green beans

-stuffed mushrooms (my specialty)

-homemade rolls

-cranberry sauce

-pumpkin pie

-pinterest appetizers

-crockpot apple cider...yumm!!!

Now you cant be at my house and not see some homemade decor...so here is my inspiration board. Ive done a few of these so far, and I have to say, its added some warmth around here! 

1 Thesselonians 5:18 "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

Homemade Ranch

This is the yummiest homemade rach, yumm!!! Couldnt help but share. I made a quadruple batch to share with my brother. (Hes obsessed with ranch lol)

1c sour cream
1/2 c buttermilk (the real stuff...its thicker)
1T lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1T parsley
1/2t onion powder
3/4t sea salt
1/2t black pepper
1/8t dill (I used the last of my dried dill from our summer garden, wahh.)

Mix sour cream, lemon juice, and buttermilk, whisk. Then add all dry ingredients. Enjoy!!!