What a Joyful Day

Today while driving to a play date Kaitlyn was talking my ear off, as usual, and mentioned that Jesus always protects us. I said "yes, he does" and then she said something I will never forget. She said, with a rather worried tone of voice, "well I know He loves me but I just don't KNOW that he's really in my heart." This is not the first time this subject has come up, the previous time was also in the car and I felt ill equipped to handle something with such gravity. I wanted Ben with me to witness the moment and help us pray. But this time I knew I couldn't put it off again. My girl was aching at the core of her being to know with all certainty that what she was wishing so desperately could be true. I told her that in order for Him to live there that she has to invite Him in, and promise to follow Him forever. It was the best I could do in the moment and I was trying not to overwhelm my eager four year old with ramblings of adult theology. She simply wanted to know He was there, for sure. I told her I would pray a prayer of salvation with her and that Jesus would be in her heart if we prayed it together.

After a short lecture about how I should not close my eyes and pray while I drive because I "might bonk something with the car" and after I assured her I would keep my eyes open, we prayed. I said the words, and she repeated them carefully, word for word, head bowed, eyes closed. When we finished I assured her that Jesus had heard her prayer and that he now lived in her heart, forever. When I looked back the smile on her face was indescribable, so peaceful and joyful at the same time. Let me tell you, the rain had nothing to do with the blurred vision I was experiencing in that moment.

Then the day went on as usual. She played, laughed, sang songs and cried about losing a hand of Old Maid to her mom. But I couldn't help but wonder...does she really get it? Which immediately I answer myself in my head "do ANY of us REALLY get it?" My fear for her is that being so young she won't remember that moment, that somehow things will become stagnant, common and boring when it comes to her faith. What a huge weight it is to feel responsible for helping to guide her on this path and help keep her excited in it. Mostly today I feel grateful that God saw fit to come to earth, save me, and continue His legacy in my child. Her future was written before she was born, but today I got a small glimpse of what it could hold, and the possibilities truly are endless.

So this is her, as she is today, four years old and teaching me so much already. Part of me can't help but sigh in relief knowing that compared to her eternal fate, everything else is "easy" from here. :)

Happy New Year!

On New Years Eve we attended an "East Coast" new years eve party!



Hosted by our friends the Lowe family, a bunch of families came together to watch the ball drop at "midnight" east coast time and then head home in time to be in bed at a reasonable hour!



We had so much fun!



Even Lance stayed up to enjoy the festivities...and chew on my teething necklace.



Kaitlyn and her friend Makena ringing in the new year together! They have known each other since they were six weeks old. Man how time flies!



My friend Kate and I. My first Lincoln friend, someone to commiserate with on the trails of daily life as a stay at home mama and someone who watches my children... even when she doesn't want to. That's a true friend!


Kate and Kandice sporting the beautiful tiaras of 2010!


Me and my Lincoln girls. Kandice, Kate and Shannon. So much fun to be together after 5pm! Happy New Year everyone! I cannot wait to see what 2010 has in store for us all. Hopefully full nights of sleep and occasional dates with our husbands. What can I say, I like to set the bar high!

Lance is ONE!

My poor December baby. Part of me still feels guilty about his birthday, as if he has any idea what a birthday is, and am afraid he will need lifelong therapy to get over this tragedy. Nonetheless we did have a family birthday party for the little dude and although he was not interested in opening or playing with his gifts whatsoever, the rest of us enjoyed ourselves! Here are a few (alright a ton) pictures of the festivities...


Here's his actual birthday. First birthday breakfast!


Opening his first gift from our dear friend (and mother of his namesake) Melanie.


So excited to have his own silverware! Although he still steals mine as well.

Introducing Lance Tyler Nelson

Dear Family and Friends,
On December 16th 2008 at 10:56pm we welcomed Lance Tyler Nelson as the newest member of our family!!! Lance arrived weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces (just one ounce more than his sister did at birth) and 20.5 inches long. So far he is a very sleepy little boy and has already had many visitors come to welcome him to the world. Here are some pictures of his first days of life...

Third Trimester!!!

I am officially in my third trimester and have less than 90 days to go! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly (for the most part) and I am trying to enjoy every moment, seeing as we still don't know how many children we want and this could potentially be the last time I do this. Although there are some of the normal discomforts of pregnancy I can honestly say I am one of those women who not only enjoys it, but LOVES being pregnant. The whole process is so amazing to me. I love feeling the baby move, watching my body change and knowing what I am making is a miracle. And although I so long to meet this baby and hold him/her, and see my children (that still sounds weird) together, I know this part of it goes by all too quickly.

We are already so blessed to have one healthy, smart, thriving child and I feel equally blessed with the upcoming arrival of this next one. Being a parent is so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. We knew it would be hard, long nights, sick children, ER visits and lots of bodily fluids, you hear all about that. But I honestly did not know how FUN this would be. Each day is a new adventure and to see things through my child's eyes is such a blessing. Her perspective on things keeps me in the moment. As a parent I find myself eagerly looking forward to new accomplishments and milestones in her life, but clinging to the very moment we're in, knowing she will only be little for such a short amount of time. Sometimes I wish I could pause the day, hour or second we're in and go back to it at any time. There are so many things that cannot be captured, even on film. So I will try to burn the memories into my mind, as many as I can. Because I know this will all go by before I know it.

Five Years

This past weekend Ben and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been that long, it seems like it was so recently that I was tearfully kissing him goodbye, wondering when he would be back to marry me. Seven months later he returned to fulfill that promise and on August 31st 2003 we were married. One year later, to the day, he left for his second deployment to Iraq. After just six weeks I received the news that he had been seriously wounded. Two days later I was on a flight to Germany to get my man. What followed was months, and ultimately, years of recovery and healing. And though he is not the same man I married, in many ways, I still get glimpses of that man through everything that he has been through and I know it has changed and shaped our marriage forever. And although I never would have prayed for something like that to happen to him, or to us, I thank God that it did.

Today, and everyday, I am so thankful he was the soul survivor of that terrible day. Having the kind of perspective that incident gave us so early in our marriage was a gift. I am able to focus on what is truly important in life and know that sometimes you just have to let the little things go. These past five years have been everything I dreamed of and nothing like I thought they would be. Even on our worst days, I know we are lucky to have each other. I have a hardworking, chivalrous, upright, handsome husband who spoils me rotten and allows me to live out my dream of being a stay at home mom to my children. It hasn't always been easy or fun, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Seeing him as the father of my children only deepens my love and respect for him. I cannot imagine raising Kaitlyn (and this next baby) without his support and guidance, both for them and myself.

We are not perfect, we disagree, squabble and make mistakes. But if someone had told me 10 years ago that this is where I would be at this moment in my life, I would have wondered how all my dreams came true.