A Little First.

Just had to post so I could share a few pics from last night. We went out to mom and dad's to watch the Bedlam game. I was SO stinkin' tense! OSU kept coming back with great plays, but OU finished it out 61-41.

My friend, Joy Lin, was there, too! Bless her heart, she couldn't sit down most of the last half. Little enjoyed his first Bedlam game - except when we all started yelling... It scared him and he cried - such a sad face! I didn't actually get any photos of that expression, but I did catch a few sweet pics of him with his Papa and Layla. So fun!

Just a Game.

Here I am - getting ready to go out to mom and dad's to watch this year's edition of Oklahoma Bedlam. I think I'm surprising myself how much I wish/hope/want OU to be victorious tonight. I even feel a bit guilty that I don't want to see OSU win for our friend, Nathan Gilsleider's sake (a family friend who walked-on to OSU this year. We're SUPER proud of him.). I just can't. Anyway, four hours from now we'll all know the outcome... Makes me think, is it really "just a game"?

New trick!

Hey! I just figured out how to get my videos from my (read: my dad's) Flip. I've had some kind of software glitch (gotta love Vista) and have not been able to get them to load... Anyway, here's one of Little in his little walker (Thanks to Cam for recommending it). He loves it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to share a quick pic from the day before I go to bed (I'm exhausted!). It was Little's first Thanksgiving... He happens to be a large part of that for which I'm thankful.

Because you needed a new time-waster!

Hey! One of the blogs I've found has a list of her fave places on the web... I just checked out one of them and I can see that it would be a lot of fun to spend some time there. Click Here to check out Scrapblog. Fun!

Sooner Born.

Thursday morning Papa calls and asks if I'm planning to meet him at Wal-Mart with Little so he can meet Heisman winners, Jason White, Billy Sims, and Steve Owens. I knew we were in for an adventure!

Dad and I stood in line with a very patient baby for an hour and a half! Poor little guy was such a good sport. He even took his nap while we waited in line.
It was all worth it, though. Our reward was more than just the autographed footballs (a required purchase if you wanted to walk by the Heisman winners). Here's my boy with three OU greats:

Sweet Sleep.

Last night Little would not go to sleep peacefully. I usually let him cry it out (it generally takes him just a couple minutes), but last night I wanted to rock him - to me that is one of the privileges of being a stay-at-home momma - I can handle the late nights. Anyway, he was immediately quieted by the rocking and fell asleep. I noticed that he started smiling and all of a sudden he was chuckling - big belly laughs - in his sleep. I couldn't help but think that he was dreaming of his Layla tickling him.

The photo here isn't actually from last night, but I think it's cute... It looks like he's hiding.

All my delight is in You.

Today has had such a sweet feel to it. A song (click HERE to see the video) kept going over and over in my heart/head - especially the line, "All my delight is in You, Lord." It amazes me how when our hearts are turned toward Him and focused, even for a few moments, that He is faithful to meet us in that place. In the song the lyrics state once that "When you call, I won't refuse." and another time, "When you call, I won't delay." I am thirsty for times like these. I feel that familiar call. I will not refuse and I will not delay.

Lord, may that be true of me - that all my delight be in you, today and always. May my home and my heart be a place where you feel always welcome. May my response to you be immediate obedience. I love you, Lord.

Here are the complete lyrics to the song to which I'm referring:
"None but Jesus" copyright Hillsongs.
In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored

When You call I won’t refuse
Each new day again I’ll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You’re Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will

When You call I won’t delay
This my song through all my days

All my delight is in You Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore

That for which a Masters Degree cannot prepare you:

Putting together baby toys.

Red Light. Green Light.

Hello! Here I am - back online - and in the comfort of my own home! For three days I watched a red light on my modem, waiting, hoping, wishing it would turn green and signal that I would once again be connected to the outside world. Yesterday (Day 2), Little and I took off to be anywhere but here. We went to see Papa, then to see Layla (the Spanish version of "Grandma") and from there just thought we'd push our luck and run over to Owasso again. Little is such a good sport! I'm telling you... I don't need to be forced out in a state of boredom like that very often. I visited Hobby Lobby again and would you believe it, they've got more Christmas stuff at 50% off! What a happy little place for me.

On another note: Tuesday night I got to go to my friend K's for Life Group. It's been several months since I last got to be there. And, I just want to say what a nice time I had. It is so valuable to me to be a part of a community. I draw strength from others and am challenged to grow. I want to be an encouragement to others, but if I'm hiding out at my house, I'm not much good for that. Isolation is a trick that keeps us from community and essentially from the gifts God has given to us in His people.

Point of Gratitude: Connections. Both in relationships and the Internet! :)

Oh, the agony!

Today is Day 2 without the Internet at my house!! Augh! It is more painful than it should be. But here I am, loyal followers, posting from my dad's office at the church to tell you that I'm full of wonderful blog material, but just can't get it out there. I'm telling you, every time I've talked to the tech people, that scripture about hope deferred making the heart sick has come to mind. I'm going to risk it one more time - I'm hoping it's back up when I get home.

Gratitude point for the day: A reliable vehicle that takes me away from my Internet-less situation.

Ready, Set, Go!

Yea! My mom and I went on a little adventure today (any day out with a 4 month old is an adventure in my world). Our first order of business was to get something to eat. If you know me, you know I'm not in any danger of starving, but I would have argued the point at that time. We had agreed that I would drive through Taco Bueno for me and then go to Sonic for Mom and sit there to eat. It was only after I had placed my order at Bueno that Mom started to come down with a bad case of Food Envy. I ended up circling back around so she could order the exact meal I had. The lady who took my money seemed genuinely amused.

I'm on a mission to find a Christmas tree. The Hobby Lobby ad had Christmas stuff on sale for 50% off! But if you look a little more closely at the ad... Trees are only 30% off. Boo Hiss. Maybe I'll get inspired to go on the hunt again tomorrow.

Little seems to already understand that there will just be some things that he must endure. His Papa thinks we're mean:

Bright spot in the day: A stop at Owasso's Starbucks for a caramel frappucino.
I think I'm already ready (Say that out loud. It's fun!) to start a new feature on my blog. It will be at the end of the post for the day and highlight something for which I'm grateful. Here it is for today: My health. It is true that a merry heart does good like medicine - and I'm grateful.

A Promise Kept

Today I am working on the design for the December bulletin for my church and it is feeding the excitement I have about Christmas this year. I am struck by the privilege I have as a new mom to share the story of Christmas and how even before there was time God had a plan to bring man back into relationship with Him. I love that in that story I can teach Little that he can trust in God and in that promise of relationship. Truly it is JOY to the world!! (Can I go ahead and just have church now! :)

11:23

A random thing about me...

Any time I notice the clock at 11:23, I think "Happy Birthday to me" because November 23rd is my birthday. It seems silly, but I don't mind. I love my birthday and I love that we're now in November and it is - as my sweet friend, Lesleigh, says - my birthday month. It also happens to be Lesleigh's birthday month...

And guess what we're doing to celebrate my birthday? Watching 24. Here's a look at my fave 24 fans.

What's in a Name?

So, here I go. I've been talking to my dear friend, Joy Lin, about blogging for a few months. I love reading hers and have become a little bit of a junkie. I find that there are a couple of people whose blogs I've kept up with for a while now... and get this... I don't even know them (Joy Lin's friend, Chelley writes one of them). It seems a little pitiful, but I'm hooked.

The truth is that I've felt like I have something to say, but was a little intimidated by the idea of allowing others to read my thoughts. Tonight, as I decided to take the leap, I sat for a very long time trying to come up with something clever and beautiful to name my blog. (Could the word "blog" be any uglier in itself?) I went through a thesaurus and everything! I truly wanted something that communicated how truly rich I feel. I am so very grateful for the life God has given me. So, this is fair warning early on. I may gush a little. I am overwhelmed at the goodness of the Lord and sometimes I may want to elaborate on that. Just letting you know. I think that is only fair... Therein lies the reasoning behind the name of my blog. To me there are not many things in this world more valuable than the Life of Peace and the Heart filled with Joy that God has provided for me...

And, in the event I ever post an annoying song's lyrics on here, I'll be sure to warn you at the beginning so that you can choose not to read it and risk getting the song stuck in your head. (Nod to JL) So, here we go.