Filtering Life

Me, glorious ME!

Published by Kelly July 18th, 2008 in For Kicks and Giggles and Kellyisms. 21 Comments

Seeing as I have the think tank the size of a gnat lately….I just can’t come up with any topics. I know it is a common blogging practice to write 100 things about yourself. I honestly don’t know if i can up with 100 titillating (oh man….love that word…WINK!) things about myself. But if you really do want to know because you are writing a book or regularly stalk me and my family…well here you go.

1. I am a horrible speller. A world without spell check would be disastrous. Like my first sentence in this post where I spelled gnat with a “k” instead of a “g”. Yes, I am THAT bad! Michigan education failed me!
2. I am massively computer illiterate. I was on the cusp of the computer being madatory for college….like you might have been required to have one internet source for a research paper….I never really learned and I am a total technology mooch off my husband.
3. I am a trend whore, ( although I will never, EVER pull off skinny jeans and I am not stupid enough to try) I get bored so easily and always want the next fashion. Thank God for Target and TJ Maxx…I can make a cheap version of most things.
4. Decorating makes me very very happy
5. I care much more about E News than CNN News.
6. I have five tattoos. You can imagine how happy that makes my parents. Only one is visible to the public on my left foot. It says “He leadeth me”. My stomach has a butterfly (how cliche) with the Greek word for “redeemed”, my back was three sittings and has vines and flowers and a Christian fish with the Hebrew word “righteous” and my left ribs have a sun thing with the sign of the trinity in it.

7. I only regret my rib and back tattoo.
8. I actually used to love my stomach (pre babies…dang babies…DANG DANG babies.) It was the one area on my body genetically small and easy to maintain.( I know…don’t hate me) Go one inch below and it is a different story. I miss it…..a lot.

9. I always wished I was 3 inches taller. I am 5′2″…but 5′5″ seems easier to buy clothes.

10. I love doing Chloe’s hair and I am secretly way more excited than her to play dress up and Barbies….I can’t wait till she is old enough
11. I lived 9 years in Michigan, 9 years in New York and 14 in Virginia, but will always consider myself a northerner even though you couldn’t pay me to move North again.
12. I don’t enjoy breastfeeding AT ALL…but I know it is best for my babies and isn’t forever.
13. I have traveled to Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Kyrgystan, Kazahkstan, Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Southern Cyprus, Mexico, Venezuala,Dominican Republic, Pureto Rico, and of course Canada. Love me some Canadians…you guys are some faithful readers.
14. I would love to be paid to travel and write travel guides on the best places to go, eat, and be entertained. Anyone, anyone…want to fund this dream?
15. I do crack myself up and think I am darn funny. (Does that sound conceited? I hope not)
16. Blogging was an obsession the first year, after I let it go…my site grew!
17. I love my hair and I am sad I cut it…VERY VERY sad. It will be a long year growing it out.

18. I cry when I watch Extreme Home Make Over. Really anytime someone is down and out or has a disability and something awesome happens to them. It makes my heart so happy.
19. I think people with Down Syndrome are adorable.
20. My favorite color is green…but orange and red make me very happy.
21. I have spinal degeneration so I have not slept a whole night through since I was 20 years old…that is 12 years of getting up all night long to adjust or pee. I miss sleep and wish it wasn’t so hard for me.
22. I hated going to bars. I felt dirty and desperate. I would much rather stay home.
23. I find guys more fun to be around than girls….I think it was because I only had a brother who was fun and funny to be around. Girls are too catty and serious most of the time. LIGHTEN UP!!!!!
24. I get a little rush of excitement when I splurge on a People or US magazine.
25. I have over 100 pairs of shoes. But I haven’t hardly bought any new ones since having children.
26. I am not into real jewelry.(minus my wedding ring) I would rather have Gadzooks plastic jewelry anytime.
27. I have a hard time receiving gifts.
28. I am a horrible gift giver…I can NEVER think of something someone would want when it is their birthday.
29. I think my husband is sexy when he throws a baseball or football.
30. I wish my ankles were smaller
31. I am a boy when it comes to movie taste. My favorite movie is “Braveheart” followed by Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan.
32. I wish I could learn how to dance like they do on So You Think You Can Dance. I should have stuck to dancing and not gymnastics.

33. I know nothing about car brands. I say, “the red car” or the “big black truck”. Doesn’t interest me. I would be horrible guessing prices on the Prices Is Right for vehicles.
34. I am very discerning about people and can figure out the real “issues” immediately, especially when it comes to their past and their relationships.
35. Most people don’t want to hear the truth, so I have to keep my mouth shut or it gets me in trouble.
36. I am easily annoyed but almost impossible to offend

37. I am very good at impersonating people, horrible at accents, wonderful at writing stories, terrible at telling stories or jokes.
38. I give too many details when I talk.
39. My favorite number is 11
40. I am still insecure when I think about my high school years.
41. I love to read and miss having time to devour a good book
42. I love doing photography with my husband.
43. I sleep with a body pillow every night that has a brown pillow case and we call it my “Poop pillow” or my “Turd”. That word is hilarious. Turd Ferguson anyone….anyone?
44. Josh Lucas is my Hollywood crush.
45. These were my favorite jeans of all time before I ripped the crap out of them stepping off a ladder. RIP jeans.

46. The only veggie I can’t stomach is mushrooms…GAGGGGGGG!
47. I had salmonella poisoning and a parasite all at the same time.
48. i lost 32 pounds because my small intestine shut down
49. I was glad I got sick, it took off all of my college and depression weight and all I had to do was poop a lot! Not a bad gig.
50. I hate not having a tan.
51. This is a picture that Ryan took of me back in 2004 where he knew he wanted to date me.

52. This is one of my favorite pictures of Ryan and I. It makes me smile everytime I see it.

53. I did my own hair on my wedding day because the stylist screwed it up.
54. I want to write a book, but I don’t know about what
55. I love having a really really ridiculously tall husband (6′6″) and I still get amazed when he can touch things that are really high up. Never gets old.
56. I am fairly certain I could survive on the following foods: cheese puffs, cheese, cream cheese, chocolate, caramel, coffee, bacon, steak, mashed potatoes, ….can I go back to bacon. YUM!
57. I think Sandra Bullock could play me in a movie.
58. I wish Dwight Schrute was real and lived next door to me.
59. I have a hard time being serious in a photo.

60. If I could bottle Chloe’s laugh and Bennett’s chatter and sell it, I would be rich. It could melt an iceberg.
61. I sing out loud all day long. I love to sing. Let’s hope my children like my voice.
62. My fingernails are really strong and can grow really long
63. I wish I could experience living in different environments like a major city, internationally, on the ocean, in the mountains, and on a boat.
64. My heart comes alive when I am doing missions work. I love serving overseas.
65. Sarcasm is my middle name….or it should be. I don’t understand people who are literal.
66. I have a compulsion about the couch cushions. I straighten them a million times a day even if I am going to come right back and sit down on them. OCD maybe?
67. I love my daughters butt. It is so cute and bouncy…it makes me laugh when she runs.
68. I had two surgeries on my left calf to remove a massive birthmark. One when I was 7 the other half when I was 13. I have a 9 inch scar on my calf and part of my muscle was removed so it looks a little funky.
69. My favorite form of exercise is swimming.
70. J-Lo and I have something in common…but i just can’t put my finger on it.

71. There is not much I won’t share about myself or not say.
72. I like being silly, even at 32.
73. I have never been to a real music concert.
74. I wish I had the guts to try out for a musical
75. I wouldn’t know what to do with an IPhone
76. I think Chloe looks like me as a wee one

77. I LOVE being a mom and my kids are the shiznit, but some days are boring if I have to be honest. I am looking forward to them being a little bit older so we can do more.
78. Being a special ed teacher for children with autism was so hard and SO interesting.
79. The only poster I ever owned was of Kirk Cameron ( I am obviously a teen from the 80’s)
80. I always wonder how people describe me when I am not around. “You know Kelly, she is…..”
81. I wish I wasn’t so afraid to try new things
82. i want to sky dive
83. I hate my profile (My crescent moon face)
84. I love the smell of coffee, fresh bread, laundry detergent, peonies, and a good sale
85. I have a really really hard time with emotionally needy people, arrogant people and mean/inconsiderate people.
86. I suck at napping. I probably only take 10 naps a year. I wish I could turn my brain off to sleep during the day.
87. When I smile really big I show a lot of gum. I call it my “horse smile”
88. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome which makes for some GREAT stories. Just not funny at the time.
89. I think farting is hilarious and can smoke Ryan out any day.
90. I find my kids to be incredibly cute, devilishly sweet and funny and the biggest blessing ever to happen to me
91. I have a husband that loves me no matter what. It blows my mind sometimes. He is awesome
92. My life is different than what I thought it would be and yet it is exactly as it should be.
93. I would love to know what people will say at my funeral someday
94. I know how to laugh at myself

95. I love Ryan’s legs…he has great calves.
96. I have a fear of drowning, being set on fire, or suffocated. Gives me the heebie geebies.
97. I consider myself to be really well rounded and able to talk to anyone from any walk of life.
98. I am a born sales woman.
99. I laugh A LOT! My crows feet are proof.

100. I was able to come up with 100 things you may have found boring, enlightening, interesting or egotistical. Nobody made you read! Care to leave five interesting facts about yourself.

The Chloster

Published by Kelly July 15th, 2008 in Chloe Grace and Photoganza. 19 Comments

When is that moment that you pass from infancy to toddlerhood to childhood. There are moments I look at Chloe and I don’t know when it happened, but it did. Just a mere 20 months ago she was born in to the world.

Last week as we were hanging out on the porch I saw a little girl. One mindlessly eating pretzels, chatting away, getting on and off of a chair, nothing really special…but she looked so old! It is exciting and sad all at once.

With her growing independence I get more thrilled that we can communicate more, but with independence comes a stubborn will. She definitely has some donkey in her! Like mother like daughter.

I love her neck…it is so pretty.

She will kill me for this one day. Her little knock knees….like mother like daughter!

And so time goes marching on and so my little girl grows, learns and expands her world. I am so thankful to have a daughter. One that is so sweet, funny, sensitive, and intelligent. She teaches me patience, joy, love and how to laugh from my belly.

I realize the last few posts have been a bit melancholy. I don’t apologize for such things. So many things the Lord is teaching me and a deep appreciation for those around me and my family has swept over me. Ramey’s death has been a wake up call on many levels and I am so thankful.

her last breath

Published by Kelly July 10th, 2008 in Life in General. 23 Comments

Beware…this is heavy.

When I moved to Lynchburg back in ‘94 to attend college I began looking for a church to call home. Within my first year I settled on what would be my church of now 13 years, Grace EV Free. To say I love my church would be an understatement. It has been my rock during a long hard 10 years of my life. A support to my marriage and children. I have some of the most amazing friends and mentors. I am forever grateful for my time here.

One of the best parts of my church is the worship. Our church has a full band along with lots of really unique instruments. Just full of talented artists and song writers. Most of our songs are unique to Grace and some are common worship songs and hymns.

There was one particular girl who went to our church in the mid to late 90’s. Her name is Ramey Reeves. She is one of those girls that is just effortlessly “cool”. She never tried hard but she just had that really amazing sense of style that was thrown together but worked. Didn’t wear any makeup or style her hair…and yet she looked amazing! She has an infectious smile and laugh. You just instantly liked her. I didn’t know her well, but I wish I did.

Ramey was on our worship team for many years. When she sang, she sang from her toes. You knew she didn’t give a flying flip what she looked like. If she wanted to lift her hands, she would. If she wanted to cry, she would. There was one particular song she used to sing a solo on that is one of my favorite songs. This song runs through my head all the time even 10 years later and I can hear Ramey’s voice in my head and all the little licks and runs she would put into the song to make it her own. I call it “Ramey’s Song”. I love her voice!

She moved away sometime around 1998, got married and had a little boy a few years later. It wasn’t until a couple months ago that I heard some devastating news that she had brain cancer and was about to undergo a second major brain surgery to remove a tumor. Instantly I signed up for her husband’s blog to follow the journey, praying with so many for a full recovery for her. The news was touch and go day to day. She struggled greatly to recover from her surgery having very little function or ability to communicate as well as losing sight in one eye. Still the prayer warriors marched on standing in the gap asking for a miracle.

Last night I was checking my bloglines and saw there was an update. As soon as I read the first line my heart sank so deep in my chest I actually gasped. Ramey had breathed her last breath yesterday and was home in heaven.

If you only have a few minutes, please, PLEASE read her husbands entry about her passing. I can only hope and pray to have that sort of grace and heart of worship if I were to lose Ryan. This entry also includes one of the most amazing things, a dream her seven year old son had last week. If you don’t cry after reading that, then I question whether or not you have a beating heart. God has a way of preparing us, even children to come to peace with his mysterious ways and timing.

As I crawled into bed last night no longer able to fight back tears. I looked across at my husband as he was talking and thinking this simple act of laying in bed with my husband talking about our day is no longer available to John and Ramey. I had gone up stairs to check on my children giving them one last kiss and thinking that moment is no longer available for Ramey’s son Judah. A wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend was gone.

I have not been exposed to much death. It is still a relatively abstract concept for me to deal with. I realized last night as I was grieving for Ramey’s loss it opened up the doors of my heart to a bigger concept. One as a parent you don’t want to dwell on. What if I were to die, what would happen to my children? We have a host of family and friends that would be there to support Ryan, Chloe and Bennett….but not to have their own mother…what would that be like? It is an unbearable thought to me.

This morning I have spent a good deal of time crying on and off asking God for some peace and clarity that I may come to terms with the finality of death and the glory of eternal life with him. One free of pain, tears, or evil. The selfish side of me doesn’t want to let go of anyone I love. I know it is because my mind can not imagine a world beyond what my senses experience right now. The riches of glory in heaven pale anything that this world has to offer. It isn’t that you can’t grieve the loss of someone and thank goodness her husband and son have the assurance that they will be reunited some day by the saving grace of Christ. I can not imagine not having that hope, how devastating.

I want you to enjoy two songs by Ramey. Listen to the lyrics, they will blow your mind given her circumstances and ultimate departure. I haven’t stopped listening and singing all morning. My heart stirs with so many emotions as I meditate on the words and picture this vivacious girl, the one with her hands held high singing boldly into the microphone now singing at the feet of Christ.

I don’t have many hero’s, but after reading this article and watching this video, learning more about her last few months and how she handled this devastating situation, I most certainly call Ramey Reeves my hero.

Told you so

Published by Kelly July 8th, 2008 in For Kicks and Giggles and My chitlins. 21 Comments

Deanna and Jesse sitting in a tree, K-I-SS-I-N-G. First comes friendship, then comes kissing, THEN comes proposal. Wow. What an ending. They totally edited the first hour to look like Jesse was a total numnut at Deanna’s parents house. The dad would ask a question and Jesse would sit there with a nervous face and then they would cut to the next scene. Ummm…hello…can we at least hear how he answered. We got the point that he was nervous and checked his personality at the door…but come on, give us a fair shot at how the day really went.

The Jeremy segment…kinda awkward, kinda sad, kinda…well…awkward. Especially his crouched down move after he left the house. You think he is bawling his eyes out but he is just crouched down acting like he is crying. It’s a little word I like to call “CLOSURE”. So did the “Men tell all” episode happen before or after he talked to her again in Malibu? Because he asked her the same questions there as he did in that episode. Weird, don’t get that whole segment. Buzz kill during three terrific hours.

So yeah, not much to say but that I am genuinely happy for them, I feel terrible for Jason. That was very shocking and he is top shelf sweetness, so a broken heart is so terrible to hand anyone. Who knows, maybe he will be the next Bachelor. The show has totally redeemed itself. It was really really decent this season. (can’t say as much for Matt/Shane…or I mean Matt and Monkey…just can’t get into them)

Moving on.

Thank you for all your wonderful comments from my last post. I need to respond to a few of you, especially those that really opened up or commented for the first time. Thank you.

I wanted to give you a little eye candy on this fine Tuesday afternoon. On Sunday morning while Ryan and I were getting our coffee I came back into the living room to a couch full of the most scrumptious little people in the world. You can see everyone is in the early…EARLY…morning stupor. My heart smiled. This is my FAMILY. It never gets old and it never stops amazing me. Three years ago I lived in an apartment with a roommate. Now I own a home, married with two children. BLINK!

Sorry for the grainy shots. It was dark in there and I didn’t want to bother with the external flash.

Do you love the new pillows I FINALLY finished. My poor sewing machine is lonely in the closet. Such a pain to set it up and tear it down between naps. This is the fabulous IKEA material I got many moons ago for the dining room curtains and to recover a bench. LOVE IT. Totally ties the two rooms together.

Hey sweet cheeks, going my way?

Chloe looks like a little elf when her ears poke through her hair. I wonder if smiling is her favorite? Apparently, not that morning.

This dollar store foam puzzle has become her obsession. To the point I am ready to hide it. I can’t decide if it is the best dollar I ever spent or the worst because she pesters you all day to put it together and take it apart a million times. She is finally starting to talk this last week (outside of her 10 words she has said for months). The puzzle has Disney princesses on it. She calls Cinderella “rella” and if you can imagine a bunch of marbles in her mouth, then you would clearly hear the word Air-el for Aerial. I wouldn’t have gotten it if her chubby little pointer finger wasn’t violently poking the Aerial piece. Now I get how parents can understand their kids but nobody else can.

Hey Bennett, did you eat a doorknob for breakfast. It is official. This is the worst possible angle to photograph your children at. His zipper is all jacked up and it looks like an alien is popping out of his chest to eat all his chins. At least that is the image that pops into my mind, you?

Fourth of July was pretty low key. We are in the process of painting our house on the outside. I know..I just love to sit around and do nothing! So we have converted the hideous early 90’s hunter green trim and cedar shakes into a wonderful sorta mushroom brown. We bought shutters and painted and hung those. SOOOOOO much better. My little home is turning into the cottage I have in my head. In another year it should be just about magazine worthy. I love my house, I LOVE IT!

We worked all afternoon on the porch so we had some neighbors over to grill out and watch the fireworks from our front porch. Who knew when we bought it that we could see the city’s fireworks off our porch….five dollar view.

UNFORTUNATELY…it was a very hazy day so they shot them really low in the sky so we barely saw an edge of a firework. How sad.
As boys would be boys, our neighbor brought over a stash of fireworks to light on our lawn. We were THOSE neighbors. Instantly, Ryan and the other guys turned into 12 year olds shooting them at each other and having contests. I don’t get it.

FIRE + STUPIDITY = BURNS

Nobody got seriously hurt but there was some contact with flesh and fire.

I had to lay down the mommy hammer once they started shooting the firecrackers into the sewer drains so it sounded like a cannon was going off. Do you think the guys would have been the ones comforting the waking crying children?

Lastly in this fascinating post of randomness. We are apparently Nest Farmers. I mean our ferns seem to attract every egg laying bird in the county. We pull one of these nests out of our ferns every 1-2 weeks. Anyone interested in purchasing a real live nest?

That’s all I got.

The ordinary, not the extraordinary

Published by Kelly July 3rd, 2008 in Uncategorized. 32 Comments

First, before I launch into this post, let’s set the record straight. Bennett is no longer this…

Although that only lasted about five days. He is most definitely this….

Can you believe how much chub he has put on. Our little Alfred Hitchcock…but not a weirdo like him. The chins…they are out of control!

Okay, this is one of those posts…lots of pictures, lots of emoting. Choose now to scroll through and see pictures or commit to reading. The choice is yours.

I have had some great friends visit over the last few weeks including my very best friend Dikola. She left a couple days ago and before she left we had our usual time of prayer together. I think we could easily pray for an hour straight. She is my spiritual soul sister. One of the questions she asked me is how is my time with Jesus. Well, now…good question. The key word “TIME” is relative. Those of you with multiple kids, especially really young dependent kids know that your day is filled with the relatively simple and redundant tasks of feeding, changing, playing, comforting, picking up endless numbers of toys and sometimes actually taking a shower and getting ready. My life is no exception except at night I have the distinct pleasure of editing a butt load of photos, balancing our finances for our business and home, and making calls. I know, cue tiny violins. I can’t really complain because this is how I can stay home and be with my children and not have to work a 9-5 job. So I am very thankful for God’s provisions through Kellan.

Anyhoo, so my answer to her was… although times with the Lord are scattered at best, I have found that I am in a constant place of worship and thankfulness because of my kids. It may sound weird or cliche to some, but to others it will strike a cord.

It is hard to explain in words the depth of love I can feel when chubby little arms fling around my neck and a raspy little voice says, “Meh Ma” Nothing extraordinary about that moment, it is just a moment, a moment where this little girl that lived inside of me, came out and has become her own person decided that she wanted to give me a hug. God did that….for ME…so that I can see his goodness and love. He did that for ME. Ordinary? No.

I realize that we tend to tag our days as “good” or “bad”.
“Man those kid were hellions today. Didn’t listen to a thing, didn’t take good naps, threw a pitch fit in public….BAD DAY!” Is it though? Is the WHOLE day bad? Is it really based on behavior? Now I admit the day is definitely peppered with good moments and bad moments but I have realized lately when I turn off the TV, put down the computer, crawl onto the floor and I play with Chloe that I am speechless at who she is and who she is becoming.

Little hands that were once clenched little fists that she didn’t even know were attached to her body, now manipulate puzzle pieces. Dexterity and spacial skills growing by the day. She looks up at me excitedly, proud of herself and makes an elephant noise for emphasis.

What will these hands do in 10 or 20 years? Cure cancer, paint a masterpiece, dunk a basketball? What would thrill me more is if they would hold a Bible, raise in worship, clasp together in prayer, feed the poor, clothe the needy. That her hands would serve.

Now that is just me thinking about her hands. Can you imagine what I thank God for when I see her kiss her brother, walk over and share a toy, clap her hands when we sing praise songs at night, smile at a stranger, wave hi to a neighbor. Little moments of ordinary that are extraordinary to me.

Sometimes I think about how and when you start to love someone. It think back to Ryan and I. Because we were friends for years long before there was romance, I remember being impressed with ordinary acts of kindness that Ryan would do for others. Driving people home, buying meals for people that didn’t have money, taking the time to talk to people that others would easily pass over, never ever ever being late for work, he is always polite, considerate, ethical, and just plain nice. Let me tell you, he was 110% different from the guys I was dating. The love I felt for him was a gradual build. He didn’t climb Mount Everestt or make the baseball hall of fame. He just wowed me with the ordinary. When we have rough seasons in our marriage, I dwell on these truths about him because they are who he is at the core of things and they trump any crappy bump in the road of life we may be working through.

Not to beat a dead horse, you all are smart enough to know where I am going with this. Can I be honest? I mean it is my blog. I find most mommy blogs boring. GASP….but I do. Unless you are related to my kids….nobody wants to read about the little milestones, what they are eating, how they are pooping and sleeping. Have I written about these things…absolutely (my parents don’t live here…and they do care about these things.) I guess I find them boring when that is all that can be talked about. Were you not your own person with your own interests just a few years ago before you had kids. Is there not more about your life and kids, richer, deeper things you can share. Can you not laugh more and poke fun at the silly things that happen during the day?

Can I recommend something? Journal to your children. Even if they are 7 years old, it is never too late. I only write in Chloe and Bennett’s every few months. I just tell them what they are doing, learning, and accomplishing. I talk to them about how I feel about them, what I am praying for, how much I love them and what I am learning as their mom.

My mom wrote a few letters while she was pregnant and they are a treasure to me. To know what she was thinking, feeling, and dreaming about with me in the womb. I wish she had written more.

My last thing is to focus on the ordinary with your children but pray for the extraordinary. I am going to share one snippit of an entry in Bennett’s journal. This was the first time I wrote to him after I found out we were pregnant. I didn’t know if he was a boy or girl and frankly I was still in shock I was pregnant again. I opened up his journal and asked God to reveal to me the things I should pray for this specific child. This is what he showed me.

October 25, 2007

I pray you are humble, putting others first, giving God glory for any and all accomplishments

I pray you are not easily offended or angered but quick to listen and quick to forgive

I pray you have a sweet spirit, you laugh easy, speak with grace, not judgmental

I pray you have a humanitarians heart. That you see the world and your potential to help those less fortunate and you would go wherever God asks

I pray you have a great sense of humor, you look at the lighter side of life

I pray that you would have a strong sense of family. That you would love your sister as one of your best friends. That you would trust daddy and me and that we would give you the space and freedom you need to grow into your own person, but the love you need to always come home.

Lastly, and most importantly, I pray you would love the Lord God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength and recklessly follow his leading.

So those are my specifics for Bennett. I hope that encourages you and gives you ideas of how you can pray into your children’s character. To see them as future adults and not just praying into the age they currently are. I don’t know one person who doesn’t pray for a baby that is a good eater and great sleeper…kinda a gimme…so think beyond that.

One more thing to confirm God’s blessing on an act like this. One of the things God laid on my heart was to pray that Bennett would be willing to go and serve wherever. This, again, was before we knew what gender he was or even had a name picked. Guess what his name means.

Bennett Wade…..”Blessing, To go” ….coincidence? I think not! I had no idea what his name meant when we picked it, just wanted a good family name. But God did. I love that his name confirms my prayers for his character.