Sewing...

I was talking to a friend the other day as she was nursing her little one. I mentioned that she needed a nursing cover and that I had a friend who made them, but charged $18 for each one. After that conversation, I thought "I could make those." So I went and bought some materials and these were the results! I think they turned out great! This will be what all my friends (and family) get now as baby gifts (if they plan to nurse, that is)!

More small groupies (and a few others)...

A few months ago, one of the guys in our small group asked the guys if they would be interested in running a 5K with him in December. Three of them agreed to join him and began training. Jonathan was one of those three. So the four of them (the three who agreed to run plus the guy who asked) have been talking and planning for this run for several months. It was this past weekend. The whole event is called the Thunder Road Marathon. There is a full marathon, a marathon relay, a half marathon and a 5K. The 5K was called the Reindeer Romp. The guys' goal was to finish in under 30 minutes. This time of year, the average low temperature is 43 degrees, but not this past Saturday! Oh no! It was 17 degrees outside when I got up at 7:30 am. The race started at 8:15am and I think the temperature had climbed to a whopping 21 degrees!! They were troopers, though! With it being so cold, they all still finished in under 30 minutes. You can see the final results here. The night before the race, the Blacks hosted everyone for a carb loading dinner. Michael cooked all the food! He cooked huge amounts of ziti, whole wheat pasta, lasagna and spaghetti. He also made homemade bread! It was delicous!!!!

I was SO VERY proud of Jonathan! He had such a great time that he is already starting to look forward to running another in March! Maybe I'll join him...or NOT! Seriously though, maybe I will someday...just not this March.

Small groupie birthdays!

We try to celebrate birhtdays in our small group and sometimes we get behind. A few weeks ago we celebrated Michael's birthday (11/19) and tried to celebrate Eric's (10/31) and Kari's (10/29), but they were at home because Kari wasn't feeling well. Hope things are better for you now Kari!! We love our small group and miss those that are in Bolivia! Wish you were here to celebrate with us!

God is Sovereign even in our sorrow...

We are sorrowful, yet rejoice in the sovereignty of our Lord.

On Thursday I took a home pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant. I estimated that I was about 5 - 6 weeks along. We were excited! On Saturday I started spotting and began cramping and bleeding heavily on Sunday at church. I called the doctor and was told that because it was so early in the pregnancy, there was nothing they could do and I would need to wait until today to be seen. We had an ultrasound this afternoon and I will see the doctor tomorrow. The ultrasound showed there was an "illness" in my uterus and no sac could be seen. The doctor called and said it could be too early in the pregnancy to see a sac, but she felt there was no sac because I was miscarrying. Physically, I'm beginning to feel better. This morning was proably the worst. It's been a roller coaster ride of emotions the last few days, but we're beginning to level out.

Jonathan and I said when I was pregnant with Emma and with this baby that these children are not our own. Emma and this child belong to God to do what He will to glorify Himself. We take comfort in knowing that God formed even this child's inward parts; He knitted him together in his mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) We pray He will use this loss in our lives to glorify Himself and draw us closer to Him. My specific prayer is that Jonathan and I will be able to minister to others through this loss. I pray that our faith in our Sovereign Lord through this will cause questions. And that the answers to those questions may lead to more conversation.

We know God causes sorrow and that we should expect it. Our lives would be empty without the mercy that was given to us on the cross. We are thankful for the hope that Christ alone gives, even during this time.

We covet your prayers during this time and are so thankful for the few people who've known up to this point who have loved us and have been praying for us. To God be the glory forever and ever!

Thanksgiving pictures..

We went to VA for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. Jonathan's grandmother was there from Texas so we were able to get some great family pictures.