Thursday, March 10, 2011
It's been so long!
So much has happened in the last year! I gave birth to my son Gibson Taylor on July 12th 2010. He is now 8 months old and brings so much joy and change to our household! I can't imagine our lives without him now! I will try to post on a regular basis! I'll write later when Gibson is up and gives me a story to tell!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A boy it is!...
This morning my husband and I went in to have our Ultrasound done...and to learn the sex of the baby. This whole time I was looking forward to it being a girl....well today all of that changed! We're having an adorable lil boy! We're kind of starting from scratch now, with names and such. So it'll be fun brain storming! But what a blessing life is. It was so neat to see him on the ultra sound, he's so active! He's already a bundle of joy to me. I have posted a few pictures, I think you'll agree!
Monday, February 22, 2010
4.5 months! So that's 4.5 months to go!
Being pregnant has been amazing. The first trimester was a chore of course...I was sick a lot. now I'm almst 20 weeks and feeling better each week. On February 15th I felt the baby move for the firs time! It's amazing to have the confirmation that the baby is active like he or she should be! It feels like the baby is doing flips and just enjoying it's time with mommy. We find out on February 24th if it's a boy or girl, so only 1 day away! I can't wait! I hope baby chooses to cooperate with mommy and isn't shy. I started to show at about week 17...it seemed like it happened over night. It's hard to notice myself, because I see myself in the mirror every day. But one day I took a close look and realized wow...boy am I pregnant! And everyone else started to think the same thing. It's weird getting used to having people coming up and put their hand on my belly. I guess that's just something that I have to get used to...it'll take some time.
My mom was in town last week helping my older sister Leah make her new baby's crib set. I'm very excited for when she comes to town to help me with my baby's room. I'm getting very anxious to find out the baby's gender, it'll make it easier to connect with the baby. So far being pregnant has been quite a joy.
My mom was in town last week helping my older sister Leah make her new baby's crib set. I'm very excited for when she comes to town to help me with my baby's room. I'm getting very anxious to find out the baby's gender, it'll make it easier to connect with the baby. So far being pregnant has been quite a joy.
Announcing the BIG NEWS!
Since we found out that I was pregnant towards the first part of November we decided to tell our families around Thanksgiving time. We had to time it out right because we were going to my parents for Thanksgiving. We were going to see his parents before Thanksgiving. We decided to tell his parents in person the week before Thanksgiving and to tell my sister and brother in law the same week because we weren't going to see them on Thanksgiving.
When Steven told his parents, we went over there for dinner and he ended up writing the BIG NEWS down on a piece of paper then passed it to each of them. As they read what he wrote down they both squealed with glee! And jumped up and gave each of us a hug.
We then headed to my sisters house to tell them as well. When we were there we had a lot of small talk but finally I couldn't wait to tell my also pregnant sister, so I blurted out "I'm pregnant!" and of course they're response was...."nah, no you're not, you're kidding", so after a few moments of us convincing them that we were pregnant they finally believed us and congratulated us. My sister is due on April 7th with their second son. My due date is July 19th, so the cousins will only be about three months apart.
We also called my oldest sister and brother in law to tell them because we were't going to see them on Thanksgiving either. My sister has always been the very vocal one, so as she screamed on the phone when I told her our news I had to hold the phone away from my ear. It was so neat getting to tell people our news as it made it become more real.
Now for the big revealing at Thanksgiving around the table. We arrived at my parents house late on Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. It was hard to keep it in for the day and a half before telling them, but it was very worth it in the end! While we were getting ready to eat, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for...being that it was only my mom and dad and my little sister Bekah, it didn't take long to get to me and Steven. We stated that we were thankful for family in 2009 and that I'm pregnant. Again, they hesitated to respond because it took a moment to set in, then the squeals took place. It was very special and fun to share the news in that manner.
We ended up waiting a little longer before telling Stevens siblings. His oldest brother and sister in law live in Canada and were coming up for Christmas. So we decided we wanted to tell them in person at Christmas time. Then we told his other brother Jeff and his wife over the phone a couple of weeks before Christmas, they had the neatest response...I'm pretty sure there was screaming involved! And Stevens other brother John we told on Christmas eve...he was a hard one to tell because he's stationed in Cuba, so he's a tough one to get ahold of!
We told the staff at Valley Assembly (where Steven is on staff) by giving them our Christmas cards that said "Love, Steven and Sarah and Baby Fazakerley too". Then we announced it to our students at Revolution Church on New Years at our big New Years Revvies award night. It was so exciting to let everyone in on the big secret!
It's been fun sharing this experience of being prenant, I have felt so loved by so many people.
When Steven told his parents, we went over there for dinner and he ended up writing the BIG NEWS down on a piece of paper then passed it to each of them. As they read what he wrote down they both squealed with glee! And jumped up and gave each of us a hug.
We then headed to my sisters house to tell them as well. When we were there we had a lot of small talk but finally I couldn't wait to tell my also pregnant sister, so I blurted out "I'm pregnant!" and of course they're response was...."nah, no you're not, you're kidding", so after a few moments of us convincing them that we were pregnant they finally believed us and congratulated us. My sister is due on April 7th with their second son. My due date is July 19th, so the cousins will only be about three months apart.
We also called my oldest sister and brother in law to tell them because we were't going to see them on Thanksgiving either. My sister has always been the very vocal one, so as she screamed on the phone when I told her our news I had to hold the phone away from my ear. It was so neat getting to tell people our news as it made it become more real.
Now for the big revealing at Thanksgiving around the table. We arrived at my parents house late on Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. It was hard to keep it in for the day and a half before telling them, but it was very worth it in the end! While we were getting ready to eat, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for...being that it was only my mom and dad and my little sister Bekah, it didn't take long to get to me and Steven. We stated that we were thankful for family in 2009 and that I'm pregnant. Again, they hesitated to respond because it took a moment to set in, then the squeals took place. It was very special and fun to share the news in that manner.
We ended up waiting a little longer before telling Stevens siblings. His oldest brother and sister in law live in Canada and were coming up for Christmas. So we decided we wanted to tell them in person at Christmas time. Then we told his other brother Jeff and his wife over the phone a couple of weeks before Christmas, they had the neatest response...I'm pretty sure there was screaming involved! And Stevens other brother John we told on Christmas eve...he was a hard one to tell because he's stationed in Cuba, so he's a tough one to get ahold of!
We told the staff at Valley Assembly (where Steven is on staff) by giving them our Christmas cards that said "Love, Steven and Sarah and Baby Fazakerley too". Then we announced it to our students at Revolution Church on New Years at our big New Years Revvies award night. It was so exciting to let everyone in on the big secret!
It's been fun sharing this experience of being prenant, I have felt so loved by so many people.
Can it be?...nah...yeah!
It was a fateful evening on November 11th 2009...I paced back and forth in my empty apartment as I waited for the three minutes to pass by, although any other time three minutes would only take a matter of seconds, not this time...it actually felt like minutes slowly going by. As I looked down at my cellphone to see if the time had yet passed, I learned that it had...now was the time to discover if the usual little red line would show or if a red plus sign would show. Unsure if I'd even recognize a plus sign in this circumstance, I stepped into the bathroom, and turned on the light, as I looked down at the test that lay on the counter, there it was, a red plus sign...or was it? Or maybe it was a smudged red line. I had to pick it up to take a closer look. After staring at it for a few moments (which again felt like forever!) I understood what I was looking at...it wasn't just a red plus sign, it was a sign that I was pregnant!
The day that led up to that moment are as follows.
Steven (hubby) was speaking at our Youth Ministry that wednesday night. The lead Youth Pastor was out of town on vacation. Later after the service he had to head straight to Seattle for a three day conference, to return on Saturday the 14th. At about 5pm that Wednesday night I thought that it had been a while since I was supposed to start. I stopped paying attention as to how late my period was, but I guestimated that it was about 2 weeks late. I decided to run to the store to pick up a pregnancy test. It was weird to think that I could actually be preggo. As I rushed home to change and get ready for the service that was taking place within the hour, all I had rushing through my head was "what if?"...and "what should I wear tonight?". I ran inside and quickly took the test out of the box, and read the instructions carefully. After the three minutes were up and after the few moments passed, I decided, I need to take one more test to be sure! So I again ran to the store and picked up another preggo test. Rushed back home, and yet again it was positive. I was so excited while it took a while to sink in! I didn't have much time to ponder on it, as I had to rush back to the church for the youth service. I decided to not tell Steven right away because I knew he was leaving for the weekend right after the service, I wanted to tell him in a special way at a time when WE could celebrate about it.
Three days went by as I held my secret in without telling anyone! It was a hard task. I ended up staying in doors a lot as to not blurt it out to a friend! I stayed home and researched my possible due date, and pregnancy facts...etc. It kept me busy, but I counted down the minutes Steven would arrive home.
When Steven finally arrived home at roughly 1am on Sunday morning, I was still up waiting for him, which was out of the ordinary for me, so I think right away Steven thought that something was up. After small talk for the first 20 minutes or so, discussing the facts of the conference and drive home, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I said "Steven, I want to show you something"...right away Steven replies "what'd you buy? How much was it?" (he knows me too well! Just not in this moment!) Then I pulled out the pregnancy test and showed Steven. He took it and just looked down at it for a moment or two, at first I don't think he realized completely what he was looking at, then it came to him. And a big "WHAT?" came out. Then to make sure we were on the same page, I said "Steven, I'm pregnant". At that he sat on the bed next to me and held me as it began to sink in for him and I. I couldn't have asked for a better or more special response from him.
This journey has been an exciting journey, especially while each day passes there are so many unknowns ahead. The one thing we both know is that we are going to love this little baby boy or girl the way Jesus loves us, by being willing to lay down our lives for him or her.
The day that led up to that moment are as follows.
Steven (hubby) was speaking at our Youth Ministry that wednesday night. The lead Youth Pastor was out of town on vacation. Later after the service he had to head straight to Seattle for a three day conference, to return on Saturday the 14th. At about 5pm that Wednesday night I thought that it had been a while since I was supposed to start. I stopped paying attention as to how late my period was, but I guestimated that it was about 2 weeks late. I decided to run to the store to pick up a pregnancy test. It was weird to think that I could actually be preggo. As I rushed home to change and get ready for the service that was taking place within the hour, all I had rushing through my head was "what if?"...and "what should I wear tonight?". I ran inside and quickly took the test out of the box, and read the instructions carefully. After the three minutes were up and after the few moments passed, I decided, I need to take one more test to be sure! So I again ran to the store and picked up another preggo test. Rushed back home, and yet again it was positive. I was so excited while it took a while to sink in! I didn't have much time to ponder on it, as I had to rush back to the church for the youth service. I decided to not tell Steven right away because I knew he was leaving for the weekend right after the service, I wanted to tell him in a special way at a time when WE could celebrate about it.
Three days went by as I held my secret in without telling anyone! It was a hard task. I ended up staying in doors a lot as to not blurt it out to a friend! I stayed home and researched my possible due date, and pregnancy facts...etc. It kept me busy, but I counted down the minutes Steven would arrive home.
When Steven finally arrived home at roughly 1am on Sunday morning, I was still up waiting for him, which was out of the ordinary for me, so I think right away Steven thought that something was up. After small talk for the first 20 minutes or so, discussing the facts of the conference and drive home, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I said "Steven, I want to show you something"...right away Steven replies "what'd you buy? How much was it?" (he knows me too well! Just not in this moment!) Then I pulled out the pregnancy test and showed Steven. He took it and just looked down at it for a moment or two, at first I don't think he realized completely what he was looking at, then it came to him. And a big "WHAT?" came out. Then to make sure we were on the same page, I said "Steven, I'm pregnant". At that he sat on the bed next to me and held me as it began to sink in for him and I. I couldn't have asked for a better or more special response from him.
This journey has been an exciting journey, especially while each day passes there are so many unknowns ahead. The one thing we both know is that we are going to love this little baby boy or girl the way Jesus loves us, by being willing to lay down our lives for him or her.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Shifting seasons...shifting shadows?...
Today was an interesting day. It began to feel like fall. I love this time of year....I love wearing scarves, and coats, and gloves...the like. The one thing I don't necessarily enjoy about this time of year is that I begin to see shifting shadows of what I was previously in the past year.
I went to Africa the last week of July, and God truly rocked my world. It was so amazing to experience what we experienced there with my husband and our youth ministry. I vowed I would be changed from those weeks in Africa, but now come a month after our return, my old shadows are starting to creep on the walls again taunting me.
We saw incredible things there. We saw miracles and lives being changed. We both had courage to speak out about the love of Jesus, and his grace that so abounds in us. Yet one month later here I am, back in my routine of life, seeing the same people every day, yet without saying a word of what Jesus has done and what He could do in them. In Africa I had a realization, these children, these villages are no different from back home. They may look different, have different physical needs, but life is life, what is life without breath, nothing, what is life without hope, nothing. The same need is here as it was there.
I'm beginning to realize that I've once labeled life in order of importance, when I am not at liberty to label. Who am I that I should say they need Jesus, and they don't? I was in love with the children in Africa and knew we might be the only ones to be able to share God's love with them. But here, somehow my co-worker is different, someone else might come along. I thought these thoughts, and now the enemy is showing me shadows that I misinterpreted as a mirror. These shadows are only a mere distortion of my old self and how I used to be, but as it states in Ephesians 5:13 "Everything exposed by the light becomes visible", since I've been changed, God's light has now exposed my old self, I am now a new creation, I need new thoughts, new actions and new faith. The trouble is that the enemy will try to make us believe that the shadow is a mirror, a current representation of our present self. But we have to realize that we USED to be like that, that is the past, this is the present, who am I today who will I be tomorrow?
As the physical sun begins to fade and summer becomes a memory, let us not forget of the shadows we once were lest we forget where we came from and where we are now as the Son continues to shine in us. Africa, never leave me...
I went to Africa the last week of July, and God truly rocked my world. It was so amazing to experience what we experienced there with my husband and our youth ministry. I vowed I would be changed from those weeks in Africa, but now come a month after our return, my old shadows are starting to creep on the walls again taunting me.
We saw incredible things there. We saw miracles and lives being changed. We both had courage to speak out about the love of Jesus, and his grace that so abounds in us. Yet one month later here I am, back in my routine of life, seeing the same people every day, yet without saying a word of what Jesus has done and what He could do in them. In Africa I had a realization, these children, these villages are no different from back home. They may look different, have different physical needs, but life is life, what is life without breath, nothing, what is life without hope, nothing. The same need is here as it was there.
I'm beginning to realize that I've once labeled life in order of importance, when I am not at liberty to label. Who am I that I should say they need Jesus, and they don't? I was in love with the children in Africa and knew we might be the only ones to be able to share God's love with them. But here, somehow my co-worker is different, someone else might come along. I thought these thoughts, and now the enemy is showing me shadows that I misinterpreted as a mirror. These shadows are only a mere distortion of my old self and how I used to be, but as it states in Ephesians 5:13 "Everything exposed by the light becomes visible", since I've been changed, God's light has now exposed my old self, I am now a new creation, I need new thoughts, new actions and new faith. The trouble is that the enemy will try to make us believe that the shadow is a mirror, a current representation of our present self. But we have to realize that we USED to be like that, that is the past, this is the present, who am I today who will I be tomorrow?
As the physical sun begins to fade and summer becomes a memory, let us not forget of the shadows we once were lest we forget where we came from and where we are now as the Son continues to shine in us. Africa, never leave me...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Friends, God's lil' somethin somethin...
My husband and I started our time together by resting. We took a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon, it was great, and we probably would have been able to go back to sleep! We were also able to go to our friend's house, Mike and Katie. We had a great evening with them and Shawn and Michelle. One thing that I've learned throughout the last several months is that friends really do make life more fun. We have been blessed very much with Godly friends, we'd call them our unfiltered friendships. It's neat when, with one look you can have a whole conversation, without having to say anything at all.
It makes me think about our place in life right now with out these solid relationships. We wouldn't be in this place without them. Steven and I both enjoy the fact that God has us in this place in life for a reason, and we need to embrace it as much as possible, rather than looking ahead to what else is in store for us, we can look at our TODAY and be happy with it's results.
As I call it a day, I will thank God for it, and be thankful for life in all it's abnormalities.
It makes me think about our place in life right now with out these solid relationships. We wouldn't be in this place without them. Steven and I both enjoy the fact that God has us in this place in life for a reason, and we need to embrace it as much as possible, rather than looking ahead to what else is in store for us, we can look at our TODAY and be happy with it's results.
As I call it a day, I will thank God for it, and be thankful for life in all it's abnormalities.
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