When Dan travels for work...

I fill up my week with play dates, coffee dates, sleepovers & family time!  Hey, I figure, why stay home alone all week & mope around missing my husband, when he's having fun going to baseball games & golfing, when I can have fun too! = )  So, this last time a few weeks ago was no different, fun I had!


Dan left early on Tuesday morning, as in 4:30am, before I even begin to think about waking up, early.  Josiah & I got our things together & drove out to Hampshire to spend the day with my mom, aka Nana, as well as sleepover.  It was loads of fun!  My parents bought Josiah a sandbox to put on their deck & so he got to enjoy that for the first time & loved it!  I stayed up way too late watching a movie with my bros, but since I don't get to do that anymore, I'm glad I did.  We even popped popcorn, something Dan & I don't very often do.


Wednesday morning Siah & I met up with one of my childhood bff's at her new apartment in Huntley.  I love her new place & the location, right behind her is a fun park that Josiah loved playing at!  She also made me some very yummy passion iced tea that I have to make sometime!  Later we came home for lunch & a nap before trecking down to Naperville to spend the night at one of my new bff's Jennifer, & her baby boy Owen & hubby, Jeremy's house.  Note to self:  DO NOT drive south on 59 at the 5 o'clock hour!  But I quickly forgot my 1 hr plus drive when she put dinner on the table... one of my faves... a baked mac n cheese with garlic bread, how did she know?!  Thanks hun!  After putting the boys down, Owen & Siah that is!, Jen & I put together a surprise sprinkle gift for our bestie, Angie.  We had A LOT of fun!  Again, I stayed up way too late, but it was sooo worth it, because not only did Jen & I have lots of laughs, but it included a whole half of a chocolate pie!  We may or may not have eaten the whole thing ; )


After waking up & feeding Josiah breakfast Thursday morning, we left Jen's & took back, country roads to one of my besties, Angie's place.  The drive reminded me of growing up in Hampshire & all the back roads we always took out there, sweet memories : )  Once we got there we loaded the kids up in Angie's car & we met up with Joei, another bff, & drove to a few garage sales in the area.  They weren't the best, but I did find a pair of shoes for Josiah for the fall.  & its always fun with this clan of girls & kiddos!  I then spent the afternoon at Joei's, & highlighted her hair while the kids napped.  She's a beautiful blonde bombshell, kinda like my twin ; )  Later we went over to the Knapp's for dinner & Lucas & Ryan watched all the kiddies while all us ladies- all 6 of us!!!, did our Excellent Wife study.  Thursday also turned into a late night when some of us stayed out talking around the camp fire, fun, fun times!  & I can't wait for many more of those nights alllll summer long!  Oh & I always enjoy staying at the Knapp Inn : )


Friday morning came & Angie had a brilliant idea to go to a donut shop in dt Oswego & a park nearby.  Well, let me tell you, I had the best donut EVER!  A glazed, white frosted, with a coconut crunch yummy goodness donut!  & a very good cup of coffee to top it off!  We also found out the woman who owns it is a Christian & the place they get the coffee from are Christians too & have a cafe in dt Yorkville!  Can't wait to check them out too!  We then went down to the park, & well, this is one of the BEST parks I've been to!  Josiah & Tehya had a lot of fun playing!  We went back to the house & had lunch & put Tehya & Josiah down for a nap, & Ang & I sat outside & soaked up some sun for a bit.  But... it was a 90 plus degree day so it didn't last long before we came inside.  I helped her with her sisters baby shower invitations & then got Josiah up to head home & see Dan!  


Unfortunately, I dropped the ball on this one & didn't arrive home until 30 minutes after he did.  Now you say, whats the big deal?  But, not only was he locked out of our house (didn't have a key), earlier in the week he had asked me to be home when got there, so of course I wanted to, but failed to keep track of time.  I've apologized many times, & he has forgivin me, but again, I'm so sorry babe!  I promise to do better next time, & have a home cooked meal waiting for you as well ; )  


So what a fun week we all had, even though we were separate.  But I truly do believe in  the old tale, absence makes the heart grow fonder!  Also wanna add that I love all these women of God that I got to spend quality time with this week, thank you for your generous hospitality!  : )

Mama's Day 2012

Leading into Mothers Day, you know, MY day, without a minute of sleep was not my idea of 'fun'...  but being a mom means you sacrifice for the good of your child, & the night before mothers day I sacrificed sleep to comfort & cuddle my sick baby boy.  But being a mom is not just a sacrifice, it is sanctifying & satisfying & sooooo rewarding!  I wouldn't change my role as a mom to Josiah for anything in the world, & I mean that with all of my being.  So... when I knew Josiah was up for the day at 6:30am, Dan so graciously took care of him & played with him while I got a little shut eye, until 8:30am.  Wow, a whole 2 hrs of sleep, woo hoo!  LoL  Well, I adjusted my attitude, & we ended up having a very fun day!  We drove up to Rockford to my in-laws, & my parents & brothers came too.  It was a beautiful summer like day & we loved being outside watching Josiah run around the big yard, see the bunny rabbit, ride on the gator with Grandpa, & kick the ball.  We enjoyed cooking out on the grill & each others company.

I am so thankful for my Mom, for the way she raised me & taught me about the LORD.  I'm thankful for her sacrifice to home school my brothers & I.  I'm thankful for all the basketball games she drove me to & watched & all the games she came to once I was in college.  I'm so thankful for her godly insight & wonderful encouragement.  God gave me the best mom for me, He knew I needed her as my mom.  I pray I am half the woman, wife & mother she is, someday.

  

I'm also very thankful for my Mother-in-law, for her sweet spirit & her giving heart.  She is so kind & compassionate, & always thinking of us & our needs.  I thank God for blessing me with such a mother-in-law as her!

I pray I am the best mom I can be to Josiah.  I'm so thankful for that lil boy & love him so much it hurts.  I was joking around on mothers day saying it would just make my day if he said 'Mama'.  But he didn't, & hasn't yet, but I know he will someday, & it will make my day then.  Can't wait!  Mama loves you Josiah with all of my heart, you're the reason I get to celebrate Moms Day at all!  So thank you!  You're so special to me!

Last night

Yesterday was a very fun, but very long day.  The garage sale we have been prepping for for a few weeks now started yesterday, & it was busy!  What a beautiful day to have a garage sale.  & what a beautiful day to go shop garage sales.  A few of my girlfriends met me there in the am to score some deals too, & boy did we!  I came away with a baby gate to block off our kitchen, a booster seat for when Siah outgrows the highchair, a little tikes basketball hoop (Oh ya!), a few lil boy clothing items, & 2 (1 for us & 1 for my mom) toy lawn mowers.  SUCCESS!  


Well after a few hours out & about & a sun burn later (ouch!), we took time out to play & then eat lunch.  I tried putting Siah down for a nap at my aunts but it being somewhat unfamiliar, he wouldn't have it.  So we went for a walk instead & while singing Jesus Loves Me over & over again, my active, never wants to sit still, lil boy finally fell asleep!  For 45 minutes.  & well 45 mins is never a long enough nap for that busy of a lil boy.  But he adjusted fine & just went on exploring like most lil boys like to do.  After we closed up shop for the day, we drove out to Hampshire, with Nana, to see Josiah's uncles & have dinner.  Again, Josiah couldn't get enough of play, play, play.  On our drive home he took a cat nap & then we played & played some more, squeezed in a bath & went to bed around 8:15pm.  I would have loved to put him to bed sooner since we had such a long, busy day, but Josiah is too smart for his britches some times & thinks now since its still light out at 7:30-8, he should be able to stay up longer.  Dan got home around 9:45 from a work dinner meeting & we went to bed shortly after.  


Okay, so I tell you all this so you know a little bit how I felt when Josiah woke up at 3am = )  I was exhausted, I was pooped, I was frustrated, I was sad, well you get the picture!  So I sat up with him for close to an hour rocking him, & it didn't take me long to realize how precious my son is all cuddled up in my arms on my lap & how blessed I am to be able to hold him & comfort him.  This doesn't happen very often anymore (where I get to hold him & rock him), so I knew I had to cherish the moment.  So cherish I did.  I started singing worship songs to my God, & thanking him for entrusting such a sweet lil boy to me.


But... after an hour I figured it was time to lay him back down in his crib.  Well... he didn't like that too much.  So for the first time in a LONG time, I brought our almost 14 month old into bed with us at 4:20 in the morning & we slept peacefully until 6:30am.  Now, no this is not my ideal night of sleep, but I am choosing to cherish it in my heart forever.  Because I know when my son is grown & living on his own I will remember last night & thank God for it once again!


I write this now as Josiah is taking a morning nap, which he never does anymore, but after a day & night like last, he sure did need it.  & I'm sipping my coffee & looking out the window at another beautiful day the LORD has made.  Let us rejoice & be glad in it!


Lovin mommy-hood,
  Kate  

Psalm 103

I have been continuing my journey of reading through the Bible chronologically again this year & it has again been so instrumental to my faith & my walk with Christ.  Not to mention our new series at church, Authentic Jesus, as we go through the book of John verse by verse, I am falling more & more in love with Jesus my Savior.  The past few weeks I've been reading through the Psalms, & although they are all SO good, Psalm 103 is what I keep going back to & reading over & over again.  It starts by saying,

 "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, & forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns

you with love & compassion..."

Just those words alone give me goosebumps.  I think of the song by Matt Redman, 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord), & every time I hear it I have to stop what I'm doing & praise the LORD!  Does that ever happen to you?  There are so many reasons to worship our LORD Jesus- he forgives me of my sins & washes me white as snow, he has saved me from hell, he is HOLY & for all his goodness I will keep on singing!  The Psalm goes on to say in verse 8-

"The LORD is compassionate & gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him..."

I'm so thankful for God's amazing grace.  I'm so thankful that God is love.  I'm so thankful that even though I deserve death, he gives me life everlasting.  

Bless the LORD, O my soul, O my soul, worship his holy name.

Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship your holy name.

You're rich in love, & you're slow to anger.

Your name is great, & your heart is kind.

For all your goodness, I will keep on singing,

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

Thank you Matt Redman for making this Psalm come to life for me.  Thank you LORD for all the reasons you are GOOD!  I bless your name FOREVER!  I LOVE you Jesus!  Praying you too fall more in love with the God of the universe as you read his word.

Princess of the King,
Kate

A Day to Remember: Dedication & Birthday Party

Two weekends ago our baby boy, my lil prince, turned 1!  The events of that weekend fill me with such joy!  Josiah's birthday was on Saturday, March 17th, & it was a beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day.  We had a family photo shoot done by Rich & Leeann Chang, who are good friends of ours & are superb photographers.  I will hopefully get these amazingly beautiful pictures up soon!

Sunday, March 18th, was another beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day!  That morning was very special to us as we had Josiah dedicated to the LORD in a small service with friends & family at Harvest Bible Chapel.  (1Samuel 1:28)  Pastor Marc Abatacola did such a great job with the dedication.  He gave a short message first from Deuteronomy 6:5-9 & then us & 4 other families stood up in front to commit to raising our child up in the LORD.  Pastor Marc asked each parent the child's name they are dedicating, the meaning of the name & why we chose it.  We chose the name Josiah for our lil boy because of the meaning, the Lord saves, & because of king Josiah in the Bible who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. (2 Kings 22:2)  We pray that for Josiah every night, that he would come to know the LORD personally at a young age & that he wouldn't turn to the right or left, but that he would stay on the straight & narrow.  Pastor Marc then asked Dan to read over Josiah the Bible verse we chose for him, which is Zephaniah 3:17~ "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;  he will rejoice over you with gladness;  he will quiet you by his love;  he will exult over you with loud singing."  Pastor Marc then prayed over us, it was so special.  What was also very neat is that after we all sat down, Pastor Marc went on to say, specifically to the guests who came, that by dedicating your child to the LORD does not by any means save that child.  He wanted to make it very clear that salvation is a gift & a decision Josiah & the other children will have to make on their own someday.  We as his parents cannot make that decision for him, & that is why we pray every day that Josiah would accept the LORD as his Savior early in life.

Later that day we had Josiah's 1st Birthday Party at church, & it worked out so perfectly!  On the 3rd floor they have a children's playground that the kids had so much fun playing on!  We provided a light lunch, socialized with all the guests, had the smash the cake session & opened gifts.  We were amazed at the outpouring of love on our son that day & every day for that matter.  We are so thankful for our family & friends who came, shared their support, & who helped out.  It made it all the more special & a day I will never forget!  Our good friends, Rich & Leeann, also took pictures at Josiah's party, so I will get those up soon.

It's crazy to think a year has already come & gone & our baby boy is growing up before our eyes.  But I love watching him learn & grow & become such a fun-loving little boy!

Cheers,

  Kate  

To my Birthday Boy

My Birthday Boy,


  It is unbelievable to me that you are 1!  As I reflect on your BIRTHday just one year ago, March 17th 2011, I am filled with so many different emotions.  It was the best day of my life, Josiah.  When I finally figured out that I was in labor with you, I was super excited, a little nervous, yes, but mostly excited!  Your daddy & I couldn't wait to meet you & hold you & take care of you.  Josiah Daniel, your first breath took ours away.  We couldn't believe how beautiful you were, a perfect miracle from God.  We were in awe.  We were in love.  And we couldn't believe you were ours, God is so good!  From that moment on our lives were forever changed & we would be forever grateful for our beautiful firstborn son.  I will never forget those first few days of your life, Josiah, they were so special.  We tried to soak up every moment, knowing how fast time goes by.  


It's amazing how much you have grown & changed in just one short year... from being a newborn infant who was completely dependent on me, to this little boy, a toddler, who can walk & say words.  Who no longer needs to be nursed, bottle fed or rocked to sleep.  A little boy who loves life, is so determined to figure things out & accomplish new things, who is strong willed & independent.  But also a little boy who is so loving, compassionate, & such a sweetheart.  We are starting to see your fun-loving personality shine & we love it!  You love to laugh & make people laugh.  I think you are gonna be the "funny" guy, the class clown.  You are the king of expressions, you have a face for everything, & its so cute!  We love that about you Josiah.  Thank you for making us smile : )  


Life as we knew it completely changed that day, March 17, 2011 & I wouldn't have it any other way.  Even though we have hard days & bad days, the good days far outweigh any of them & I am so thankful to our God for allowing me to be your Mama.  I can't imagine my life without you, Josiah.  I love you to the moon & back.  I'll love you forever & always, & as long as I'm living, my baby you will be.  


Happy 1st Birthday Boy!  I love you!  XoXo Mama XoXo

Happy Birthday Dear...

  Today is a day that is very important to me because, 29 years ago on this day, March 31, 1983, my dear husband, Daniel David, was born.  So this post is a birthday tribute to the man in my life I have the privilege of calling "Husband".  I'm going to share this poem that completely says it all if you ask me!

For my Husband, my true Love!

  The day I met my knight is one that changed my world forever-

  I gazed into those eyes and knew we'd always be together!

  So kind and gentle, caring, too-

  a sweet and studly charmer.  

  A man above all other men-

  my hunk in shining armor!

  Now years have passed and though, at times, we've had our share of hassles,

  Through thick and thin,

  love reigns supreme,

  and laughter fills our castle!

  My life reads like a storybook,

  with love that's never-ending.

  You found me... Once upon a time...

  And you're my... Happy Ending! 

Here's to many more birthdays to celebrate life together, Daniel!  Happy Birthday, my love!  I love you more than you will ever know!

 

  Your Bride, Katey