Sending Joy and Cheer!

This is our Christmas card this year! I am so incredibly humbled that we have a new addition to it this year.  I just can't believe I am going to have a baby!  Some days it seems so sureal and others very real. We talk about him all the time and wonder what he will like and who he will look like. Oh to dream about this sweet baby. My heart is overflowing with joy!

Gift Tag Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

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Happy Thanksgiving: Life within

Today I read the devotional entitled Perspective Precedes Thankfulness. I completely understand the title.  Today I am thankful for my infertility struggles. I am thankful for the 19 months of completely trusting in God and the intense spiritual growing that took place over those months.  I am thankful for all the countless nights of seeking desperately just to feel the hem of His garment. I am thankful that I know how to reach His heart and that He hears me. Not that He didn't before, we just have a greater bond through it all. I know His voice better and He knows mine. My perspective on life has completely changed and for that I am so greatful. 
  As a pediatric nurse and now a cardiac nurse I have known the preciousness of life, but have never experienced the mirical of it.  All I knew was girls all around were having babies and I was helping them live in the NICU and in the Children's Hospital. It seemed like "what happens" to everyone. How nieve I was. I am so thankful to have matured to this new perspective reguarding life.
  Perspective changes everything. It can change the look of a photo drastically. In learning to shoot photographs I learned the importance of perspective and always liked finding a new perspective that no one else would think of in the class. I would climb to different heights or lay down on the ground and find that my pictures turned out completely different than the others'. I learned that in changing my perspective the "same" world looked completely different than I could ever imagine. The same with this journey, my perspective has sompletely changed and therefore my thankfulness has changed.
  So today I am reminded of some of my favorite verses that held me close to Him in the hard days and now remind me of the journey I am now on the other side of...

"Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

 And the peace of God,

wh ich transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and

your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7, (NIV)

"Remember that you were slaves in Egypt

and that the LORD your God

brought you out of there with a mighty hand

and an outstretched arm."

Deuteronomy 5:15 (NIV)

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit himself intercedes for us

with groans that words cannot express.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,

because the Spirit intercedes for the saints

in accordance with God's will."

Romans 8:26-27,  (NIV)

 "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to His power that is at work within us."Ephesians 3:20, NIV

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 (NIV)

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God

has done from beginning to end." 

Ecclesiastes 3:11,(NIV)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Thanksgiving...baby bump memories...photoshoots gallore

Wow that was a weekend? It felt like a work week!  J and I both worked on Saturday and it was pretty much all day for us. I ended up with 4... yes 4!...photo shoots and J had to meet with 2 clients about an hour away... twice!  The dogs were groomed. We had our family photos made. We attended the Tucker Thanksgiving (friends J grew up with). All this in one day!  This pregnant girl was hungry and tired for sure. I couldn't feel my body when it landed on the couch Sat night about 9pm.

  Over all it was a busy accomplished weekend. Glad last weekend was a lazy one ;) We of course had date night Friday and we started by going to USA baby. J had never seen the baby's furniture in person. He likes it and tried to help pick out bedding. That turned out to be more challenging than I ever dreamed. He likes simple and I like color. It was cute... he started putting together his own combo of cordinating bumper pads, sheets and bed skirt into the cart. We just couldn't find a sheet to tie all the colors together. I did go back to babies r us on Sunday night and we decided on this....

His daddy fell in love with this little guy and just had to buy him!

He is a snuggly blanket. I think Eli will love him!

This was my main goal to purchase this weekend... g diapers.

Aren't they precious? It's the new cloth diaper reinvented...

I think I am partial because of the little "g" on the back of them.

My nick name is "G".

So he will be my little "g".

Look at this precious munchkin on the front of the pack...

Just can't wait to hold my little "g".

I only bought the disposible refills because they were on sale with a $5 off coupon! 

We will use those when we go to church and out places.

Otherwise we will use the cloth, hemp inserts.

Oh and this is Eli's first load of laundry!

Many many more to come. 

I just had to wash a few to enjoy the smell and dream.

We were able to sneek in our own photoshoot this weekend for our Christmas cards and since the dogs were groomed Sat. I figured it was the perfect time. So this is what we came out with...

so blessed to have this new "bump" addition to our pictures this year.

I almost cried several times when just J and I were together doing ours.

I am just SO THANKFUL for this life that is inside me and

I am PRAISING God for this precious gift.

Last year was so hard for me at this time and I am

just so thankful that this year is so joyous for us.

Praying for all of you who are waiting for your "Promise".

It will happen!

All in God's timing for sure.

I can not tell you how perfect His timing is with Eli.

I always knew it would happen in the right time, but it

still hurt like a death every month just the same.

So I hope you read this post and found hope.

God is Faithful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will post more later on my photoshoots so you can see my work!

Happy Monday!

EWO,

Jen

Lazy weekend...baby 101

 This weekend was so nice. J and I had nothing on the agenda and it was so nice to not have to be anywhere.  Friday night I was wanting Mexican so we headed over to Tequilas for date night.  It was so yummy that we couldn't stop and cleaned our plates... well my definition of clean is leaving some beans, rice and the sides. J's def. is literally scrapping the plate clean! lol  He even ordered Flan!  We did not finish  that thanks goodness. We had ordered it in Aruba at Iguana Cantina and it was amazing and he was hoping for the same experience... well lets just say I took 2 small bites and let him enjoy the rest.  Not worth the calories.
  So being use to walking every night after dinner in the open air malls or the beach, we decided to do the next best American thing and walk around Target! lol  I kinda used that as an excuse to see how he would do with baby registering {wink}. He didn't go the with me to register for our wedding and I hated that he didn't so I wanted to include him in the experience...  Then he zoned out....he lasted about 45 min {chuckle}. He said, "now I think your just scanning to be scanning." That's when I had to explain the different sizes because to him it all looked the same. He all of the sudden took a huge interest in the colors of the baby nursery. I found him over next to a car seat rubbing the fabric saying "I like these colors". It was so cute!  He also pointed out a wall color on a poster above shelve to point out what color of blue/ aqua he likes.  I just melted. I had dreamed of getting lost in the baby section for so long and now it is an incredible reality!  We just laughed as he pointed out in that incredible moment that I had dust all over the front of my bump and boobs. Which was kinda embarrassing because 2 of the guys in our college class at church had kindly stopped to say hello at that exact moment. So in my dusty mess I said hello while trying to somehow not breath in the dead skin that was attached to my shirt! lol  Can we say gross!  All over picking up a humidifier box to read the specifications... geeze. We just laughed and proceeded to continue scanning thermometers and such. It was fun for me, but not for him. He basically said I have no idea what you are registering for. I had to explain the snack cups with the slits in them and that it was okay that I registered for them in purple and green, because that was the only color options available.  {chuckle}
  Afterwards we went home and watched a movie with the girls (our pups) all snuggled up around Eli. They love to lay their head on my bump, it is so cute. It happens at a random moment and if J jumps up to get the camera they move. So then onto Saturday...
  I spent the whole day editing pictures for Jenny H Photography. My CS3 locked me out and didn't like my serial number so I had to figure out a different way to edit. Then disaster hit Tue night... I deleted some pictures from Aruba!!! yes, deteled before they were saved safely on a CD.  Needless to say I am sick to my stomach, but hopeful that a friend can help me recover them. So I need a break tonight at church to just be.
Okay so here are a few pics from Aruba...

Christmas Card Time!!!

I love sending Christmas cards and half of the fun is picking one out the other half is receiving them!

This year we have a new bump of an addition to our card and I am excited to share this little love bump with the world. I have always loved the fun, creative and classy designs by Shutterfly.  I also love that it is easy to find what you are looking for on the site too. They have so many incredible options and it can be overwhelming, but they have a cleaver way of narrowing down the choices to make picking out the perfect card a little less intimidating.

One of my favorite choices is the religious Christmas cards as this is why we celebrate the holiday.  Here are a few of my favorites...

I love the verse on this one...

Kinda too many pics involved though,

but I love the concept.

This one just rings true of our 2010 year... we are counting our blessings for sure!

Yes I like it because of the E....

See what I mean... I narrowed it down to those 8... whew.

I need your votes!

Also I can't wait to send these out next year with all the fun updates of little man Eli on a holiday story card...

Aren't they adorable!  I love that it gives a place to for seasonal updates. 

It gives friends and family a year in review for your family. 

Also I can completely see myself doing these wall calendars next year too...

in between laundry, feedings, and baby proofing the house!

I love the desk calendars too....

I plan on doing several of the 12 X 12 Wall Canvas for Eli's room...

that will come after his first photo shoot!

The quality of this pic isn't that great, but just check out the site

to see how awesome they look

By doing this post I will receive 50 free Christmas cards!

You can too if you are a blogger just visit this site

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