Update from mama...

I totally realized that I haven't posted anything about baby in a few weeks. We have been so busy and sometimes I just forget to write a quick blog entry. But I have some time before bed to quick type up some amazing things that have been going on..

We set up the crib and it is really cute! I am thankful that a friend let us borrow it until she has grandchildren in 10 years.. LOL

We have also purchased lots of books, toys, and a cute toy chest. I will post photos another time. 

The little one is kicking and moving around A LOT these days. 

I have been playing lots of classical music for the baby. I just set my phone on my belly and let it play. I like to picture the baby dancing in there. Because he or she sure does wiggle around when the music plays!! 

This experience is so beautiful. It really is special time just mommy and baby. This is time you can never get back. I am so glad I am blessed with a hard working husband. :) I love him! 

I am going to post photos in order... from 21 weeks until 28 weeks (this week) 

21 weeks

23 weeks

23 weeks, 3 days

24 weeks, 

24 weeks, 3 days!

25 weeks, 1 day!

26 weeks!!

27 weeks, 4 days

27 weeks, 5 days!

28 weeks, 1 day!

28 weeks, 1 day!

I have watched several documentaries about birth in America! They are wonderful and every woman should watch them! They are on Netflix. Here is a trailer! I am also posting the bullet points that stuck out to me. Quotes from celebrity women who gave birth naturally. THE ONLY WAY! Unless there is a serious problem.---- Not just a lame excuse from a doctor....

• "Midwives are hands off and more faith is involved. More faith in the natural process. Too much information takes away the mother's instincts". -Kim Williams-Paisley (Brad Paisley's wife)
• "Due dates arent't real". More Business of Being Born.
• "Anytime in the last month is normal". Ina May Gaskin
• "80% of first time moms go "over due". Ina May Gaskin
• "It is an illusion that inductions are necessary. 10 - 15% induction rate should be the max. - Ina May Gaskin
• "It is safe to eat during labor". Ina May Gaskin
• "2500+ babies delivered naturally and no autistic children". -More Business of Being Born (MBOBB).
• "When we are pregnant, we are not sick. We are stonger. Why would it be that God would make you weaker? You are stonger". -Cindy Crawford, MBOBB.
• Your uterus does the work. It gets the job done at it's own pace.
• Doctors say: A normal low risk pregnancy can become high risk, life or death, without warning, within minutes and there's just no way to transfer in time.....Midwife says: You know, I cannot think of a time where we had a low risk go to a high risk without red flags. There are some red flags that occur. If we see one we watch close. If 2 come up we transfer to the hospital. 
• Stimulate the clitoris during labor, if it is comfortable for mom
• When men came into the birth process they made it modest and not about sex
• Ovulation and cycle length change it all and determine gestation period, but it is still a waiting game
• Stay with natural childbirth until you see a real IMPASSE and then you do something (intervention) - Ina May Gaskin 
• We have questions about all medicines given during labor. Baby gets the medications from the placenta. What happens to the baby when this cocktail of drugs is introduced to a brand new human?? Where is the research? We don't know what all that does. We should be curious about these questions".
• "When you put ultrasound waves on some cells it changes the cell size. What does it do to the DNA of that small baby's cells? This is a concern".
• Studies have been done to link ultrasounds to autism. 
• 2800 births performed by the midwives on the farm (Ina May Gaskin's farm) and NO autistic children. 
• The midwives have deliver 2800 babies and their c-section rate is 1.7%
• The c-section rate in the U.S. as a whole is 37% as of 2007.
• Doctors used to know things with their hands that they don't know anymore because they didn't learn it in medical school. 
• Graduating OB/GYNs have most likely NEVER seen a regular natural birth
• Midwives visualize a problem and solve it if they can.. 
• "If we really want to know the truth, we should be curious enough to find out what the truth is". -Ina May Gaskin
• A higher value on mother's lives needs to happen
• "It is safe to eat during labor". -Ina May Gaskin
• "Midwives ask, "how do you feel"? instead of testing and disecting". - Kim Paisley
• "I don't want to not have the birth I want because I'm scared" -Alyson Hannigan.(Lily, from How I met your mother)
• "Early laboring was beautiful and calm and quiet. We relaxed and ate and enjoyed each-other". Alanis Morisette
• "I was in deep prayer and meditation". Alanis Morisette
• "Labor is a natural drug trip". Alanis Morisette
• "I spent my whole life doing things to escape my body and for the first time, I was doing something that lead to the greatest euphoria I have ever felt, but I had also never felt so in touch with my body". Alanis Morisette
• "We carry the pro-creative imperitive in our body. It is the culmination of the entire reason we are here, on a physical level". Alanis Morisette
• "I needed to labor. No one can do it for you. You have to do it". - Cindy Crawford
• "The resistance of something is what makes it painful". -Gisele Bundchen, brazillian fashion model
• "After every contraction I thought, I am that much closer to meeting my baby. All the time spent talking to my baby and meditating about my baby, I was so excited to meet this little being".. -Gisele Bundchen, brazillian fashion model
• "There are so many things you do in life to be successful. And so many things others do for you to help you. There is no question about who delivered my baby.. I did it. That is my success". - Cindy Crawford
• "It is an out of body experience but at the same time you are SO in your body. I was praying, I was with God" -Kellie Martin,
• "The biggest love I have ever felt" . -Gisele Bundchen, brazillian fashion model
• "My job as a mom, was to breathe relax and trust my body and allow my body to do what it naturally does. We need to stay calm and allow the baby to do what it needs to do". Gisele Bundchen, brazillian fashion model 

I HAVE ONLY WATCHED 2 OF THE 4 EPISODES AND I AM EXCITED TO WATCH THE REST SOMETIME SOON! 

WATCH THEM!!! 

Remember: Jesus Saves!! God Bless and Goodnight!! 

Celebration of Life Banquet!

Last night we were blessed and were invited to share a table with the Horyzas at the Hope Pregnancy Centers annual Celebration of Life Banquet at the Holiday Inn! It was absolutely so wonderful. Kaleb and I would have never been able to go if it wasn't for them inviting us. We are so grateful! We don't have much more time to do things spur of the moment. And God seems to be blessing us with opportunities to do so. That is pretty amazing if you ask me. Well, at the banquet we heard a speaker talk about her experience in planned parenthood. She worked there 8 years and was employee of the year in 2009. Since then, she was converted to Pro-life and has written a book and tours the country speaking on behalf of the unborn.

• Planned Parenthood tells women babies (excuse me "products of conception" the word baby is forbidden in a Planned Parenthood clinic) have no senses until 28 weeks gestation that way the woman agrees to the abortion because she is told her baby won't feel the pain. In reality, not la la Planned Parenthood land, babies develop the sense of touch starting at 3 WEEKS gestation!!!

This is someone response to the above post that ^ that was my Facebook status last night: 

"Please remember that Planned Parenthood is amazing place to go if you are not ready to be a mom or dad as you are Jenni...they do amazing work and don't get enough aid to do what they do...if someone would believe that the baby will not feel pain then that woman should not carry a child and should have a place like Planned Parenthood to go so another child doesn't have to grow up without...not fair to be against something that does more good than bad for those that can't afford it! You'll be an amazing mom!"

My response: "THEY DON'T GET ENOUGH AID!!! The Federal government gave them 467 MILLION of our tax dollars. If you aren't ready to be a mom, carry the child and GIVE IT UP FOR ADOPTION!!!!Justify it however you want. It is NEVER fair to go to a Planned Parenthood clinic at 25 weeks pregnant and get a late term, live abortion, where the woman gives birth, the baby is often STILL ALIVE when it comes out and many times they just put the "product of conception" in a bucket and wait til it DIES!!THEY GET PLENTY OF AID. THEY GET OUR TAX DOLLARS EVEN IF WE ARE PRO-LIFE. WE DON'T GET A SAY IN WHETHER OR NOT OUR HARD EARNED MONEY GOES TO KILL BABIES. KILLING CHILDREN THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD RAISE IS AMAZING WORK? KILLING 1.2 MILLION BABIES A YEAR IS AMAZING WORK? Amazing work to me would be Hope Pregnancy centers, they are a non-profit organization where any woman can walk in and get the help she needs. YES, they are pro-life so they encourage women to either keep their baby and give them the means to do so OR they direct them on how to go about the adoption process. I know many women who have used their services and their lives have changed for the BETTER. There are 4,000 Hope Pregnancy centers in our country and only 650 abortion clinics. One of my statuses last night said I am done being silent and I AM! I am OVER IT! Ethically, I won't be standing by any longer while poor innocent babies are being murdered. For what reason? Sounds like a pretty selfish reason to me. It is more about not wanting to be pregnant for 9 short months and it is more about having other people know you are pregnant and feeling that shame and embarrassment. It should be about the fact that there is a LIVE HUMAN BEING inside of you that GOD has blessed you with and it deserves a chance to enter into this world. A baby needs a family, it doesn't need it's biological mom to survive and have chance at a good life. There are so many women who WISH they could have children but CAN'T. Since abortion has become legal in our country over 30 million babies have been murdered. That is sick. I say baby because I refuse to say anything else. That little one is a BABY. And the fact that people think P.P. is a great organization makes me sick. They take a vacuum and suck out your baby and then take the pieces out of the container and a specialist pieces them back together to make sure nothing was left behind in the woman's womb. It is bloody and disgusting. Usually, that baby has, fingers, toes and sometimes the heart is even still beating as the technician PIECES it back together. THAT in my opinion, is NOT amazing work.And the baby DOES feel the pain. I think an amazing medical clinic would be one that tells the truth to it's patrons. Instead of lying to them to MAKE THEIR MONTHLY abortion quota. They talk about killing the unborn just like law enforcement talks about giving out their quota of speeding tickets. YUK! How many women would NOT get the abortion if the person working at planned parenthood said, YES, your baby will feel this and it is going to be painful and bloody. Your baby gets ripped apart limb by limb. But don't worry we won't leave any of it behind in your body because that could cause infection and you could sue us.. If P.P. is underfunded, I am curious as to what amount would make them OVER-funded. That 467 million they received was ONLY tax dollars. NOT money they received from donations by private people and organizations.. That number we aren't allowed to SEE! The wonderful thing about this life we live is this, Jesus died on the cross. So any mistake anyone made at any point in their life can be forgiven in the blink of an eye. We just have to acknowledge in our hearts that Jesus lives and ask for forgiveness and BOOM it's erased. I don't know any person including myself that can forgive anyone for anything THAT easily"

Things I wrote down from last nights speaker, Abby Johnson.--

• "Just because the clinic in your town doesn't provide abortions, they are abortion salesman! They send people to the big clinic in Minneapolis because they want their money"!! -Abby Johnson, Pro-life advocate.
• "I worked at Planned Parenthood for 8 years. I was a nice person and I was an abortion salesman". - Abby Johnson, Pro--Life speaker, former Planned Parenthood Director and 2009 Planned Parenthood employee of the year..
• 467 million of our tax dollars went to fund Planned Parenthood in 2011. 
• 4,000 Hope Pregnancy Centers exist in the U.S.
• 650 abortion clinics exist
• 1.2 million abortions are performed EACH YEAR, 300 thousand by planned parenthood
• Abortion has been legal for 40 years and in that time over 30 million babies have been terminated/murdered.
• Planned Parenthood lies to the women who enter their clinics
• Planned Parenthood does not give proper help to women. If a battered woman comes in and says my boyfriend said he would kill me if I don't get an abortion. The Planned Parenthood worker simply gives the woman paperwork and sends her off to her procedure and sends her right back to her boyfriend. When there are other actions that could be taken to help that woman. The options can at least be offered to the woman. BUT Planned Parenthood does NOT care about the well being of it's patrons. It cares about your money. They may act as though the needs of the patient matter but they don't. Because if they did, they would give women their options and tell them the truth. BUT THEY LIE!! 

I learned some things I didn't know but mostly, I was convicted that it is not the time to be silent. I need to trust that Jesus is our healer and HE is working everything out for anyone who trusts in Him. I should not be afraid to speak up and point someone in the direction of a Hope Pregnancy Center. They offer GREAT services that women need. They will help a woman buy groceries, pay rents, pay for baby clothes, set up adoption processes.. the list goes ON AND ON!! I will NOT be silent anymore. It is the time to stand up for everything I believe in. I know I have been standing up for Jesus for a few years now and not caring how many people make fun of me or push me down. I won't stop. Because it is because of JESUS that I am who I am today and I AM ALIVE. The mistakes in my life are great. BUT that doesn't matter to God. The mistakes in your life are NEVER too big for our SAVIOR AND KING!! If you are struggling call a Hope Pregnancy Center. They will guide you in the best direction for you and your future child.. They will help you make decisions that won't ruin your life. They will help you choose life. Because life is the only choices worth making. The other choice, the choice of abortion comes with so many regrets and so much pain. I have spoken with many girls who have had abortions and they are sad and often feel so much guilt.They wonder about the baby they killed. They wonder if they are going to hell because of what they have done. They believe the lies of SATAN when he says, no one will ever love you. They believe the lie when SATAN says, you can't fix what you have done. Who could forgive you for choosing to end the life of your child?... WELL I am hear to write, that HE IS A LIAR. He wants you to stay in a dark pit and live out your days in pain. JESUS wants you to be forgiven.To walk in the mercy and grace of HIS LOVE!! His love is deep and wide and covers anything we have done.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28) 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“Come now and let us reason together,” says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)



“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

Jesus died on the cross so that EACH and every person that exists has a chance to hear the gospel and be saved and live out their days with Jesus by their side. That is some great news if you ask me!! 



Kaleb and I are both excited to be bolder and proclaim what is righteous and what is true. 
ABORTION IS NOT A NECESSARY EVIL!! It is not a womans only choice. YES, being pregnant is not a cake walk. It takes dedication, diligence and hard work. BUT it is also a beautiful process that shows us that God can use us to help Him create life. Now that I am in the midst of this amazing experience, I cannot imagine any other life. This little one has already changed me in more ways than I can explain. It teaches us to sacrifice and give things up for someone else's benefit. It shows us another form of love, a type that is different than any other. Yeah, things get stretched out and our bodies change and we no longer look super perfect. We have stretch marks and our feet grow and hair starts growing and falling out. But all of the physical changes cannot compare to the joy of realizing that in 9 short months a tiny little person comes out of us that loves us and NEEDS us. And if abortion is something a woman is considering, I get sad because women can create life with God's help. We are giving up the one thing we can contribute to this world that is a legitimate MIRACLE!! Men can't do it. Only us. It is God's gift to us. To be mothers and raise children to love God. We GET to do that. It should be viewed as a privilege. And if someone truly cannot care for a child, then adoption exists so that children can live and grow up loved. . . 

God bless. You are loved and loved to the fullest. Remember that. 
Jesus Saves. 

Trip to South Carolina & Florida 2012

This is a magnet that has hung in my Nona's bathroom my whole life!!

I have been praying and seeking wisdom about what to write in this blog entry. This trip was a whirlwind adventure. We decided to make the journey after much contemplation. My moms father battled cancer 3 years ago. He had two major surgeries in 3 years and he is now quite frail. So we made the arrangements and decided to go. My mother and I knew it was God leading us with such urgency. We weren't exactly sure why. But we are now. God sent us to Florida to see Popop (my mom's dad) one last time. It will be the last time we are all together. I am so thankful to God for putting that feeling of urgency in our spirits. I honestly don't have the words to describe the feelings inside of me. Following the Lord wills brings such a feeling of joy and serenity.
We made the best of the trip. We rented a nice car, a Buick Enclave and packed it full of stuff and were on our way, August 18 at 11:30am. We were all so excited and so anxious! I am so glad that my husband took the time to plan the trip and gather the information. The gift he gave us is one that has eternal significance, in my mind. It was such a blessing. Kaleb did most of the driving. I had trouble feeling kind of sick and weird in the car and so did my sisters.
First, we traveled to Clemson, South Carolina and spent Sunday, August 19, with our lifelong friends, Tammy, Erin and Erica Young. We had a wonderful 11 hours with them! I feel so blessed to know such wonderful human beings! Time always goes by so fast and we have such a good time reminiscing and making new memories. Every time I am back around these dear friends, the Lord reminds me and I hear His voice so strongly, "see I did create a friend just for you but you need to be okay with the distance, yes it is hard, but this is a  friend you have had your whole life"...
After Erin and Erica's we drove to Greenville, SC at 11pm to stay with my moms sister R and her husband and 5 children. For privacy purposes she requested I don't give out names. We stayed at their home for 2 days. It was fantastic! We explored Greenville on the 20th and on the 21st I woke up and my belly had grown immensely! It was pretty incredible. Everyone noticed it. That day, we drove up to Asheville, NC into the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was wonderful! I took so many photos! I can't wait to spend some time editing them! We listened to music in the car and had some good times singing loudly! Being reunited with our cousins was fantastic! 6 years was a long time to be apart!
On Wednesday, we started our journey to Daytona Beach, Florida. I wanted to see our old house in Summerville, SC and we wanted to visit with our former neighbor, Aunt Cheryl. It was wonderful to see her and snap some photos!! We couldn't stay long because we had to get to Daytona to meet up with our cousins again. That was a blast! We walked on the beach at night and we all got up early and watched the sunrise come up over the Atlantic Ocean. That is a sight to remember forever. We also at at Joe's Crab Shack that evening. That was also an experience to remember forever. The employees all started trying to get the crowd to dance the Cupid Shuffle, but it seemed people were too shy, so our 55 year old mother stands up and starts dancing. It was awesome!!! She got other people to get up out of their seats and dance. I love her!!
That evening after playing on the beach and walking on the boardwalk (with all the roaches, YUK!) we went back to the hotel room to get to bed. Baby H was super active. My brother and mom and sister Kiah had been trying for a long time to feel the baby move or kick. And that evening, August 21, 2012 everyone was able to feel it and also see the baby move my belly up and down. It was such a beautiful memory!! In the morning we watched the sunrise. And my siblings and Kaleb swam for a while. The ocean waves were too intense for me. So I watched and took pictures.
Then we were on our way to Nona (grandma in Italian) and Popop's house in Orlando, Florida. It was only a one hour drive. Kaleb had made arrangements to get a Grand Caravan for the drive home. and we were all looking forward to having the extra space... Arriving there was a whirlwind of emotions. I am so glad they were able to meet Kaleb and see how wonderful he is and hug his neck. My Nona said, in her strong Italian accent, "You pick a good one, Jenni".. Those two days went by so so fast. We hung out until late at night. On Friday, we woke up early and went to Cocoa Beach, it was so much fun. (side note, just as I typed that last sentence, Baby H started moving all around.  Must be time to wake up.) I tried to brave the waves but my body just feels fragile and my muscles don't need to be strained and bashed around by intense waves. Kaleb and my siblings had a blast. They had bought a boogie board in Daytona Beach and spent lots of time on it in Cocoa Beach. It was fun to watch them enjoying the water and the waves. I decided I would just take tons of pictures. My brother had the great idea of burying himself in sand up to his neck. So he dug a hole and climbed in and Kaleb buried him. I recorded the whole process. I have lots of stuff to do to get everything uploaded and edited. I hope to quickly get it all done this week! Just in time for our new couch and recliner on Saturday!! :)
After the beach we went back to Orlando and hung out with Nona and Popop and our cousins. We enjoyed every minute we could. I snapped tons of photos. You can never take too many! We had pizza that night and we celebrated my birthday! The cake from Publix was so so yummy!! We stayed up late that evening looking at old photos!! I now have an awesome project/task for the winter months, I am going to scan and digitize all of the old photos of Nona and Popop and my mom and aunt. I am so excited!! It will be a hard task but it will be worth it. We packed up our bags and planned on leaving Florida at 8 am but that turned into 9:30am because we realized we forgot to take some photos and we had to pack up the van. So we all lined up and each took a photo with Popop and again with Nona. I am so glad and so thankful that Kaleb took charge and helped us. We were so emotional and so many tears were flowing. I could not think straight. Kaleb took the initiative and snapped the photos. I am so glad he did!! After the final photo shoot, we were on our way out the door. We hugged everyone and I hugged Popop several times and Nona many times. We were all a pile of tears by that point. Every "see you soon" is so difficult. This one was even more so because we won't all be together again on this earth. It was a lovely family reunion.
The drive home was crazy! It went by so fast. And it was much more comfortable with the extra space. We could actually get out the computers and watch some movies.. Kaleb and Jesse (my brother) drove all night until we reached Champaign, Illinois. Our family friend, Melanie grew up there and her parents offered for us to stay overnight with them. So we took them up on the offer. It was a great time! We are so thankful!! We only slept a few hours. But it was nice to just rest and lay horizontal on a soft bed and pillow. We were up and on the road at 8am. Then we had an 11 hour drive home. We made great time even though we had to stop and use the restroom a lot. Pregnancy is so fun!! We dropped Kiah off at her apartment at 5:30pm in Minneapolis. Then we had 2 hours left! We were all ready to be home and ready for our beds. We were home by 7:30pm and dad had grilled ribs!! It was so yummy! We ate ribs and corn and relaxed. Then we unpacked the van. And Kaleb went home to bed and I drove the van home an hour later. The next day, Monday, August 27th, my mom and I left at 8:30 to bring the van back to the car dealer in Minneapolis. We brought Kiah her house plants and went out for lunch for my birthday. Then mom and I rushed home to get Gina to her school registration. FUN TIMES!!
Mom made linguini and spaghetti sauce, and green beans and we bought a chocolate Pepperidge Farm cake. YUMMY!!! It ended up late so tonight we will go back to my mom and dads to play some board games. Because there just wasn't enough time last night to play. :)

Okay, now I am off to edit some photos and get this house cleaned up!! Oh and eat some food too!! SO EXCITED to get back to a somewhat routine!! :)

I also kind of wanted to blog this in terms of what this trip taught me and showed me, personally. I haven't spoken with Kaleb yet to get his input. I will do that later..
WHAT I LEARNED:
1. Life does not wait for you.
Psalms 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
I did my best to take as many photos of everything as I could. I wanted to remember every moment . Life doesn't wait for us. I think about my life so far, I ponder the fun memories and the bad memories. I think about where each one of my choices has brought me, even the bad choices. God didn't create us to sit around and mope or to wait for great things to happen. He didn't create us to live in negativity and be sad. Proverbs 18:10 (KJV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

 He also didn't create us to sit around and ignore people around us and walk over people and be rude to one another. . The thought "life does not wait for you" reminded me of childhood. How each day is precious. How as parents we have to make sure each day is a blessing to our children, as best we can. We teach them, love them, show them how to love God, and so much more. I also think I was shown even more, how special being with family is. We had childhood to be together and now that childhood is nearing it's end as we all grow up and make lives for ourselves. My sister, Kiah lives in Minneapolis (2 hours from me), my brother Jesse is leaving for the Coast Guard sometime this fall, and my "little" sister, Gina is a Junior in high school. Gone are the days where we wake up and our biggest worry is what we eat for breakfast and what toys to play with and what we will watch on TV. We are growing up.
2. We will all get old
WE choose how we live. WE CHOOSE IT!
Joshua 24:15
... choose this day whom you will serve ... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
 God doesn't force it upon us. Most things that happen we caused and created and then we still blame GOD for things failing. IT is a cop out and so sad to me. I am guilty of doing this. I have. But I refuse to do it now. God brought me everything I have. I CHOOSE to believe that because everything keeps working out for the good. And that is what the Bible says will happen. We may be young and spry right now but we WILL be old one day and have nothing left but our thoughts, memories, choices, mistakes, and regrets. All the things we think are so important fade away because in the end what matters is the people WE LOVE. It matters how we treat them. It does so greatly matter. We may think that our choices don't matter now because we are young. But seeing my grandfather sitting in his chair, quiet and content was a beautiful sight. He may have made mistakes, but he has Jesus. That is the best choice we can make. JESUS. And I saw such peace in his eyes and floating around my grandfather. It was tangible and I felt as though I could reach out and touch the calmness. I was also overwhelmed with this thought. It may sound simple to some people but it hit me so profound. I know we all do things we regret and get lost in this ugly world. I know some of the things my grandfather regrets because he told them to me 3 years ago. But to see him on this trip to Florida and to see the peace and dignity within him. I couldn't help but be reminded of My Lord and Savior. This was God's plan. What I mean is in the end, if we have chosen Jesus, He will meet us where we are and He will bring us peace and comfort. Our past doesn't matter. God still brings us wisdom and allows us to bless others. Even in our last days. Popop said some amazing things while praying over his family. Things that I won't share online because they are special and were so family specific. But they moved us all to tears. There was an air about my Grandfather George that I have never felt or seen. He is at peace. He is ready. He knows his days are numbered. He was so glad we could all make it to see him because he knows it was the last time we could ALL be together.. All of our days are numbered.

3. Real love transcends time and distance

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails
What I mean by that, is the word love gets thrown around a lot. I have had many friends say they love me and then I am crushed when I find out they lied to me or deceived me somehow. But they claim they love me so much. Or they hear a rumor about me and hold tight to it, and forget all about the wonderful things I have done for them. It is as if the love they have for me is circumstantial. The love they say they have depends upon so many things. When real love isn't that way, it never depends upon anything. IT simply exists and stays and grows.. I truly believe it is because in our society/culture today love is portrayed differently. IT is portrayed wrong. But real love between people holds on despite the miles between the people. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a family that loves and openly says it OUT LOUD! My grandmother, Catarina is from Italy and the love she has for all of us is so beautiful. Her love does not depend upon anything. What I mean by that is this, she would never say "well how much I love you depends on your actions". She simply loves us the best she can.. There is so much emotion between us all. It is incredible. I am so glad we will all be in Heaven together. It makes up for the fact that we are thousands of miles apart from one another.

I will leave with this. Life is not long, life is short. Answer this question:

What are you making of your life? 

I want to make a difference and I don't want to be selfish. I want to let God make me strong and courageous. I want to love with everything I have. I want to include God in my life. I want to embrace others as JESUS has embraced me. I want people to know their life has PURPOSE AND MEANING. I want to crush Satan with my prayers and actions. I want to raise my children to love the Lord with all their hearts. I want to pray daily. I want to be faithful to do what is right and what is just. I want to be a good wife. I want to combat the darkness with the light of Christ. I want for no one to suffer. I want my lost friends to believe that Jesus died for their sins. I want to be the light that leads others to the face of Jesus. I want to gain more patience. I want to hold my tongue when God wants me to. I want to speak when God wants me to. I want to forgive people that hurt me. I want the lost to be found. I want to be selfless. I want to help people grow in Christ. I want to seek hard after Jesus everyday. I want to be wise in my old age. I want to shake up this complacent lost and hurting generation with help from above. I want to hold tight to the cross. I want to repent daily. I want to stay free from sin. I want to tell my story. I want to love the darkness away from people's hearts. I want to show people Jesus is always there for them. 

I WANT EVERYONE I LOVE TO COME TO KNOW JESUS AND SEE JESUS FACE TO FACE AT THE END OF THEIR LIVES.. 

This is the word I woke up with on my heart this morning. So I posted it and shared it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and now on this blog!!

Weekend fun with friends!!

This weekend we accomplished a lot and had fun at the same time! We went to Slumberland Furniture to just look around and ended up finding exactly what we love! And so we bought a new couch for the living room and Lazy Boy recliner for the nursery! :) After that we had a nice lunch with my mom at McDonald's! McDonald's has become a treat because Olivia, MN doesn't have one. After that, we went to the Kandiyohi County Fair in Willmar, MN. It was fun! I enjoyed going this year because I know next summer will be such a different summer than any I have ever had! Kaleb and I will have a completely different life. We will have an 8 month old to take care of next year during the fair. At the fair, I had a homemade lemonade, the lady squeezes the lemon right at the stand! I also had a HUGE funnel cake that I split with Kaleb and Rachel's children. Kaleb rode some rides with our friend's Child! It was a blast!! :) My mom tagged along and so did my sister, Gina! We also ran into our friend Melanie and her 3 kids! It was just the best day ever!


Sunday was a great day also! I enjoy going to church and enjoying some more time with God. This week was amazing! The sermon was about making a difference. About how it only takes one person to make a change and shake things up. It only takes one person to tell someone else about Jesus and change their life for eternity. Life isn't about going to church on Sunday and leaving God inside the building. It is actually about bringing Jesus with us everywhere. Everything we do matters. We needs to pay attention to the music we listen to and the movies we watch. I was quite convicted. I really want to watch less television and less movies.This Sunday was just a solid reminder of how important it is to keep focused on Jesus. To love others and show them that Jesus is the answer to it all. That Jesus is why we live and believing in Him and following Him is the whole point of life. And nothing we can do can separate us from that love.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 There is no act on this earth that can make us more worthy of His love. It is given to us freely, just by believing. This past Sunday I was reminded of how blessed I am.. How much God has blessed me even though I don't deserve it. I love that God will meet us where ever we are.. Yeah, at church the Holy Spirit shows up because we ask Him to and worshipping God and singing praises to Him creates an atmosphere where the Lord is welcomed. But it is so wonderful that at any moment of any day we can call upon Jesus and He will bring His kingdom and stand by our sides! I love that thought! It isn't about where we go or what church building we enter into! It is simply about Jesus. He is everywhere, all the time.


John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I added photos of the new couches and also photos from the fair! It was such a blast!

The boys are right in the center of this photo at the top of the ride! 

Same ride as the one above. It takes forever to get the ride completely loaded up. The ride workers were so generous and ran most of the rides double. 

G making a funny face! 

On this ride, a boy in another car puked all over himself so they stopped the ride. It was so gross looking!! 

I can't wait to sit in this comfy chair and hold my precious son or daughter!! 

Kaleb really wanted a red couch and I love red also so this couch just fit the idea we had in our heads! It will also match the large paintings that hang on our living room wall. I love those paintings, I worked so hard on them! 

This is me 8-13-12, I am 22 weeks 1 day pregnant!  WHAT a change! 

Just wanted to post a comparison, this is me a week after we found out!!  So about 6 weeks along! 

21 weeks, 4 days..

This has been a great week so far! I had a midwife appt on Wednesday and that went great, as usual. My blood pressure is staying the same. I have gained 5 pounds since last month. I feel fantastic. Baby's heart beat was incredible sounding! SO SO LOUD now and easy to find!! I love this little one! hmmm what else, Oh yeah, we have decided to birth in Willmar. We will be in a private location. I won't ever be letting anyone know where we will be (except the people attending the birth). I like the secrecy!! We also decided NOT to circumcise IF it is a boy obviously.. But since we aren't finding out the sex, we have to make all the decisions. Now the next time we meet with Joy (the midwife) we will be discussing more of my idea for my birthing method and tentative plan.. It is exciting!!  

21 weeks along!!

Well this marks the 21st week of pregnancy! I am feeling fantastic. I have been eating everything in sight and loving it! Food tastes soo sooo good!!The baby is kicking and moving around a lot! It is so wonderful! I am getting more and more excited! I see the midwife on Wednesday of this week and look forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat. I am whole heartedly trusting that God knows exactly when this baby is supposed to come and is taking care of everything. I feel sad for the women who trust the doctors more than they trust their own bodies. It seems women lean so hard on what the doctor says. The doctors seem to scare women into thinking the baby will be too big or the baby is too small. Yada yada! I would not trust anything they say. Half of the time, they are wrong! Our bodies are capable of birthing. We were made for it! Trust your body, not a MAN who went to 10 years of college. He doesn't have woman parts and doesn't know what YOU KNOW!!
Ok that is another rant I just have been thinking about it a lot lately!
I love you baby Holzhauer! Mommy and Daddy are very excited to meet you and hold you and love you forever!!!