One of my favorite parts of my birthday was purchasing a giant food board from World Market! We bought lots of food from Sam’s Club for our party, and served light snacks with soup and salad for a delicious, easy dinner! It was so much fun.
Celebrating my birthday felt more special than ever this weekend. 
My husband was able to drive and take me out for dinner and even insisted on bringing me coffee in the morning! 
(He is still recovering from COVID and on oxygen at nights and when needed, and walking is exhausting for him!)
October ushered in a whirlwind of trial for us, but God spoke in the midst of it. One truth comforted me again and again:
Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.-
Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. Psalm 119:89-91
All things are God’s servants. COVID is God’s servant. God is in control of COVID- all of it. He is in control of every molecule of my being and my husband’s and my children’s. And He holds ALL things together, every minute of every day. (Col. 1:17)
This was and is still so comforting to me! As a believer, I know that God has a good plan for me to work everything together for my good! (Romans 8:28) I can trust Him 100%. Even in the fiery trial that comes upon me.
(I wish I could say I never doubted Him even for a second, but even in my moments of fear, God was still so kind and good to me and gave me strength and fought the battle for me.)
As we celebrated my birthday on Sunday, I think we were celebrating even more than just another year of life. We were rejoicing in a God who is so kind to us, who allowed us all to recover from COVID and gave us sweet children who can decorate and cook and hold babies whenever needed.
This year brought me a deeper gratefulness for my husband and family and for God who works miracles and loves us through His church. I’m so (so!) thankful the outcome has been recovery for us, but also thankful for a God whose character never changes, no matter the outcome. He will always be the same; every year of my life, and for all eternity.
Turning 39 was good, because God is good.
Our verse we are learning this week: James 4:8. When we draw near to God, He promises to draw near to us. What a thought- when we lean in to come near, our Lord will lean in toward us! We don’t deserve such a loving Father who cares for us so!
Thanks be to God, we are celebrating 19 years of marriage this year! We are continually marveling at the grace of God in our lives, often wondering why God is so good to us! How can we be so happy together, never wanting to separate? It remains a mystery to us, but we are grateful nonetheless.
We celebrated with a night away in the big city, complete with a Target snack run and ordering room service at the hotel! 🙂 We find ourselves getting old and enjoying resting in our hotel more than any other adventure, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
With our baby’s due date only 3 weeks away, we weren’t sure if we should go out of town- especially after an early morning scare at 37 weeks on the day. Everything calmed down on the labor front, so we were happy to get a chance to take one last night away before she arrived! 19 years of marriage with our 8th baby in my belly- I am a happy woman!
What a joy to be able to carry another precious life.
We finished the last of our anniversary celebrations several days later with dinner out, flowers (above), and a little last minute shopping!
Little did we know our sweet girl would arrive only 8 days later! 🙂
Here we are just 7 days later at the hospital: <3
It was a happy anniversary, indeed. 🙂
Here are the last few weeks of the baby bump- this baby belly grew fast in the last month! I am so in awe of the miracle God has done in my womb. I can hardly believe this is my eighth child!
36 weeks:
37 weeks:
38 weeks:
39 weeks:
And the last one not in a hospital gown: 39 weeks + 5 days! 🙂
I’m 35 weeks along and starting to feel quite pregnant! 🙂 I am down to weekly doctor’s appointments and so far baby girl is doing perfectly, thanks to the Lord! I may be slowing down, but the house projects are speeding up. I took a tour of labor and delivery today and pre-registered at the hospital, which brought back so many memories and made me feel excited to meet this sweet little one. I’m due one month from today!
waiting on our ultrasound
Shopping for textiles in Pakistan was probably one of the highlights of my travels. The color and richness of fabrics, the scarves, even the oldest of rugs- they made me want to bring all the beauty back home with me so I could share it with the rest of the world. Perhaps someday there will be a chance to do that, but for now these memories will have to serve as my inspiration. 🙂
After striking out at another paint store, we finally found paint! We plan on painting the floors, the walls, and the trim, and phasing out the gray to bring in warmer browns and mid-tones. I’m so excited about the new design. Let operation nest commence!
Nesting is officially kicking in as I round the corner to 35 weeks. Suddenly I want to paint everything and do every house project I can think of! I’m thankful for this kind of energy- it’s not how I usually feel! 🙂
My list so far:
-Redo the floors
-Paint the downstairs walls
-Move the bookshelf
-Paint the bedroom
-Rearrange and hang curtains in bedroom
-Purge clutter from cabinets
And I’m sure I will think of more! We headed to the hardware store today to get started but couldn’t even get a paint sample pot- surprisingly, they were out of everything! The stress of the pandemic has really taxed supply of everything, including housing renovation items. I wonder what we will be able to accomplish on my list in 5.5 weeks? 🙂
We are in the last six week stretch with this little baby love! I’m feeling great, thanks to the Lord! I think the exercising I have been doing has been so helpful, I’m so grateful to be able to keep doing what I love this pregnant! 🙂
