Days of Grace

2010-05-24T23:45:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that my baby girl is going to be 2 years old! Seems like just yesterday she was this size!! I'm amazed at God and His mercys everday. Thank you Lord for your undeserving protection and grace on this girl. Continue to show us grace and help us all grasp the gospel in such way that brings this girl to her knees. Happy Birthday JAYDEN GRACE!

A beachy day

2010-03-19T10:12:00.005-04:00

It was so beautiful yesterday and Patrick was off so we decided to go to the beach. So we grabbed a couple sandwiches and headed that way. We took Rocky with us and found out that he wasn't the biggest fan but we had a good time anyways.

Jay eating her sandwich with her daddy

Judah chillin at da beach

the fam minus 2

daddy daughter time

the fitzy girls

one of my fav. lighthouse

Judah's lunch

Happy St /MY Patricks day

2010-03-18T23:19:00.007-04:00

St. Patrick's day in our house is a little different. We actually celebrate it and i mean not just by wearing green but we go all out! We also take this day to remember two special guys and what the the Lord has done through their lives. The first one is St. Patrick and the reformation the Lord brought through him in Ireland. I think it's really funny because most people just think of green beer and leprechaun but it's really a testimony to what the Lord has done in Ireland. Quick fun fact : St. Patrick used the clover to represent the trinity. Also we celebrate OUR Patrick!!! I think back on my life and all most all of my favorite memories has MY Patrick in them! He has truly been such a huge blessing in my life and to my soul. The Lord has ans is continually growing him into a man that seeks after His own heart. I'm proud to call him my best friend, my hubbie, my baby daddy, my accountability partner, and my love. I don't know a better husband or father. We love you. So here's lookin at you babe on St. Paddies day!!!!
Here's a good quote by St. Patrick,

"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ with in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me."
-St. Patrick

Jay enjoying her St. Paddies cupcake which is as big as she is

We got this moose for her for Paddies day, she has decided that it is a girl and her name is "NEKO"

Jay happy about holding it by herself

I looked at her face and said, " what are we gonna do with you?" and this was her response, " I dough know"

this is what bubba boy did during our day of celebration.... next year bubba

we came back home for a nap and we played in the front yard instead :)

the beach we drew on the front porch, she relaxin at the beach

Jay with her daddy

two Irish cuties

Crazy week

2010-03-18T21:52:00.004-04:00

"cheeeseee"

Jay sharing her magnets with her bubba

she's a crazy gibbon

pretty as a picture

Sorry it's been a week since we've posted anything, it's been a pretty crazy week or so. Both me and Jay have been sick w/ the stomach stuff (NO fun at all), been helping out friends, and it seems like my kids are tag teaming me. Other than that it seems to be slowing down. Here's some pics from the past week

Going for 3

2010-03-08T23:10:00.004-05:00

jay taking her own pic
buddy boy while you were sleeping ......

look at that silly waddle

the spinning wheels... what are they really called??

an attempt at taking our pic ourselves

the red ball

one on one daddy time

playing catch

YES!!!! It was sunny again!!! 60 degrees sunny!!! This time we did take advantage of the sunshine. We had 2 doctor appointments and a trip to target this morning. We all where up at 6 this morning, made a pineapple and mango smoothie for breakfast, and saw Patrick off to work all by 7. We then got ready in a flash (hahaha i can't remember the last time getting ready was a flash) and was at the navy clinic at 7:30. Judah had his 2 month check up and jay had her bum checked out. Finally after 3 hours at the doctors office we made our way to target. At Target our favorite part is the dollar section. we found spinning wheels that we enjoyed and a big red ball. Both great outside toys for today! Finally after 4 hours out I had a very eager girl to come home and take a nap. When Patrick came home we all played outside and grilled out!! We like to take advantage of the weather as much as possible especially when it comes to grilling!

sunny sleepy sunday

2010-03-08T22:02:00.005-05:00

Today was another sunny day but unfortunately we didn't really enjoy it. We woke up to little missy having really bad diaper rash. For those of you who don't know our church is about an hour away and starts at 6. So after 4 BM's by 11 am we decided that making missy prissy sit on her poor sore bum an hour both ways was not a good idea. So staying at home was the decision hands down. We cooked hot dogs on the grill for lunch and just lazied around the house. We all had a sleepiness to us the entire day, all of us except our lil energizer bunny. My bff Heidi got Jay a tent for Christmas and at first she wasn't quite for sure about it but one play date at our house her friends showed her how awesome it was. Ever since it has been played with daily. She loves to play with her daddy in her secret hiding castle. Some times a girl just needs to hide...... and it's always nice when it's a castle :) Here are some pics of our sleepy sunny Sunday. Hope you all got to take a nap ....I did!!!

Jayden Grace "charging" at her mommy from her castle fort

Judah looking at his sista like she's crazy...... which she is :)

her new St. Patricks day headband ( i made the flower)

taking a time out to cuddle with her daddy

my sweet baby girl

no mommys allowed ;)

Sunny days are ahead!!!

2010-03-06T21:57:00.006-05:00

It's SPRING!!!Okay, not really but it sure did feel like it today! It was a sunny 50 degrees!! And we took advantage of it by walking at mystic village shops and having a picnic on one of their fun rocks!! We all had a blast!! We are taking advantage of family time together while we still can (news about that to come later). Spring is coming and I'm so excited!! Spring always reminds me of Christ's return. While the sun shines on your face lets reflect on how dark the world once was and how we now have light and life in our Savior Jesus Christ!! Truly friends sunny days are ahead! Hope your day was great as well!!

how funny is that face!! He is well fed, can you tell?

he's totally excited about our trip ;)

on our way... she's a total fashionesta!!

rock climbing w/ her daddy after lunch

looking at the ducks w/ daddy

the ducks

she was convinced that she needed to hold the ducks

two tired kiddo's

jay multi-tasking

Happy TWO month b-day bubba!!!

2010-03-06T18:09:00.004-05:00

My baby boy is 2 months!!! I think the most understated phrase parents say is that it goes by so fast!!! It's SO true. It went by crazy fast with Jay and now she'll be 2 in a couple of months. So with bubba boy we are trying to savor every moment and every stage. He's a joy and a blessing straight from our Father!! I love him with every cell in my body and can't believe I never wanted a boy! Now, I would take a thousand boys like Judah boy!!!
Okay, so some of the things bubba's doing at 2 months:

smiles like crazy
talks/coo's in conversation
sucks his thumb
sleeping 6 to 8 hours during the night in his own bed! wooo hooo!!!
can lift his head up
throws his entire body back
kicks and plays with his toys

He's just pretty much awesome (says his proud mommy)!! Happy 2 month buddy boy!!!

new routine

2010-03-04T12:23:00.003-05:00

So, how you know you've entered a house that is potty training is when the toddler is running around with just a shirt, plastic undies, and boots on! That is what you'd see at our house anyways. After washing both kids bedding, 2 outfits for bubba, and 4 pairs of pants for Jay girl today I threw in the towel and opted for no more pants. Potty training is... going. Really, she's doing all right but it, as every parent knows is just time consuming. So, family sorry if I completely check out for a bit.... WE are potty training. If you need us we are probably in the bathroom.... our new home for the next month or so. :)

Why four hands are better than two

2010-03-03T00:23:00.002-05:00

I know that the statement is pretty ...well, obvious but here are my reasons for why four hands are better than two:

more is always better (most of the time anyways), right?
when you have 2 kids that think they are both dieing at that same exact moment you can huddle and break in both directions, putting out the fire a lot quicker and quieter.
makes cooking dinner and cleaning up dinner a lot faster and sometimes more enjoyable (not to have a child attached to your leg while cooking is a leisure i do enjoy but will miss we she's grown up :( ).
you can give both kids a bath at the same time in separate bathrooms and still get them ready for bed at approximately the same time.... amazing!!!!
one set of hands can sleep in on weekends and know that the other set is taking care of the kiddo's
i think it always more enjoyable to share moments with another person and helps to high-five it (yes we still do the high five... you know you still love it) or hammer it
when you need a hug because baby girl's not listening and baby boy is not sleeping the other set of hands are there to comfort.
the other set of hands knows when to call time out and let you have a break.
another set helps push and encourage you to know Christ better
holding your own hand just isn't as fun

I know that some of these are silly and there are a thousand other reasons but being for real we are never alone. I know as a growing mom ( in years, wisdom, and number) I constantly wish I could have another set of hands and in truth I do..... uhhh his name is hubbie!! How quickly I can forget how much my babe does for me and the kiddo's. With his schedule here he is gone once a week overnight and the Lord has blessed me by letting me know how NOT alone I am in this. I get a taste of true single handedness on those days. I am amazed and grateful to all the women who's husbands are in the military and are away. you guys are AMAZING!!!! Thank you for all that you do for us!! I know that days and weekends are nothing compared to months and years. But most of all we as children of God are never alone. We are always being molded by the hands of our Father and He is always guiding us in this journey!! Getting ready for our day with out daddy but NEVER without our Father! So thankful for you babe and all you do for us and our country!! you are pretty much the craziest, hottest Irish hubbie ever!!!

best mik shake EVER!!!

2010-03-02T00:28:00.005-05:00

Well, I don't know if it really is the best ever but my little girlie thinks so!! Doesn't everything taste better when it's mom's?? Or dads??? We just got a new blender and we have been using it like crazy and today for a mid afternoon snack I made jay and HER daddy a strawberry milk shake (w/ extra strawberries )!! She LOVED it and drank it like it was going out of style!
he's always smiling

fixin to try her 1st milkshake

jay saying,"ummmm ummm...

good"!!!

really mom, another pic??

i just loved this one!!

it's all gone ....

so she mooches on her daddy's milkshake

this weekend

2010-02-28T18:55:00.008-05:00

So the weekends go by really fast and blogging is the last thing on my mind. What I'll end up doing is posting pics of the weekend on Sunday or Monday. Hope your weekend rocked!! Here are the pics:

Jay loves this hat so i got her bubba one that looks like it! She went CRAZY with excitement!! the rest of the night they had to wear them.

The two pics completely describe her mood today. She is getting in her last 4 teeth so she is in emotional city. One minute shes all sunshine and butterflies and then thee next minute complete melt down. Whats funny is as quick as it comes it goes, as you can tell by the pic's.

Oh, and mom had to wear hers as well..... all night long.

We got jay MONKEY bath bubbles for bath time!! I was so excited when I found them last night. So this morning Patrick got her bath ready and I ran to get the bubbles. Now I cant wait to see her face!!! I open the package and she sees the monkeys and starts to get excited and THEN we blow bubbles at her and she FREAKS OUT!!!! I mean complete freak out with screaming and trying to get away! It did not go the way I planned at all. Me being so excited had the camera waiting and this is the only picture I got before the camera was tossed and my child was saved from the "attack of the bubbles".

how cute is she???

he played himself to sleep

sooner born sooner bred

2010-02-25T18:24:00.006-05:00

sweet baby boy. sitting all by himself in his new chair.

sweet cheeks

twinkle toes

eskimo kisses

sweet kisses

two peas in a pod

they sure do love eachother

Today is a rainy gloomy day but walk into our house and you'd think there was a party going on. There is loud music playing, dancing, snacks, coloring, and tea party's going on at random. Today is Patrick's day to stay over at work so we rest and do all our catching up but most of all we try to have as much fun as possible!!! so we put on our dancing shoes and our sooner gear!!! These are some pictures we took.

AFTER Daddy got home....

2010-02-24T23:41:00.006-05:00

After daddy got home (and a nap) we all where in happier moods!!! Gotta love daddy's and wonderful husbands who let you cry and unload their emotional sinful day on them!! We love you babe and thank you for putting up with all of our crazy mess!!

nothing like a gibbon hug!!

She had to have her Pablo in the picture with her! He's her favorite.

Jay with the monkey her daddy got her (which is pretty much the same size as she is)

Jay reading her bible

This is the coolest thing. It is a color board that you attach your paper to and plays music. The faster you color the faster the music play ect. It's amazing and she loves it!! What makes it better is it's usually $25 but I got it for $10!! I wanted to give it to her as a birthday present but her daddy found it and well .... she loves it!!!

Jay being her usual silly self

the original "sweet cheeks"

Just one of those days

2010-02-24T22:47:00.003-05:00

Sometimes you just have one of those days where nothing is easy, that was TODAY. It started last night with my kids taking turns waking up threw out the night. I've been pretty spoiled lately due to Judah sleeping 5 to 6 hours at night and starting this past Sunday he has started sleeping 8 hours (10:30 to 6:30)!! Talk about feeling like a brand new women!! Well, the Lord gives and He takes away and He took away those 8 hours last night. So this morning me and my 3 1/2 hours of sleep dragged ourselves out of bed and started our day. I should have stayed in bed because from the moment i got my girlie out of bed the battle was on. Talk about two bulls butting heads. today I knew for sure she was from my stock because she's just like me. It really was one of those days where I felt like a complete failure as a parent. For two main reasons: she wasn't listening to something that she usually does and I wasn't responding gracefully. There is one thing that drives me crazy when it comes to kids and that's not listening the first time. There is no telling her 3 times, when I speak I expect her to listen and obey right away. For the most part she does that but not today. Today she was happy, in a good mood, playing well by herself, and VERY defiant. Apparently she thought that if she smiled with her defiance that maybe she didn't have to listen and she found out that smiles are very nice but are not a "get out of jail free" card in this household. It actually has the opposite effect it make me so angry. YES, anger is the emotion that was my friend for the most part of today followed by sorrow, guilt, and repentance. I think what makes me angry the most is seeing my sin in her and don't get me wrong I'm angry at me not her for that. I think of all the times that I know I shouldn't do something and with a smile on my face I disobey God. When will I learn. I'm so glad the Lord has grace with us and doesn't react like a crazy mom (aka ME). To say the least our day was filled with spankings, time outs, tears, I'm sorry's (or "saw saw" as J says it), and repentance (BOTH her to me and me to her). His grace is sufficient in every moment and every second!! Praise the Lord!! In Edward T. Welch's new book, " Running Scared" he puts it in to perspective:

" Look at children, see all humanity. Whereas adults cover up and hide, children are unadorned and open. The lack sophisticated facades and cultural trappings that quietly add layer upon layer to our adult experience. With children, you get the real thing. Here is what you see. Children are profoundly needy but stubbornly independent:"No!" enters their vocabulary right after"Dada" or "Mama." They can be delightful and charming yet selfish and manipulative: "Mine!" comes right after "No!" When mine doesn't work, they throw tantrums, and they do this without ever having witnessed an adults banging their fists on the floor and screaming bloody murder. Children don't have to learn anger. Instead, anger can spring spontaneously from their already nascent minds."

Jayden's business is laid out there for all the world to see. You would only have to be around her a couple of minutes to know what she struggles with, with me I've learned to hide my sin and keep it to myself. The Lord is teaching both me and Jay a lot so please pray for our hearts that they would be open and receptive to these things. He is cutting and pruning us together. He is lovely and good to His children!

chuckie cheese/ valentines day

2010-02-22T21:35:00.004-05:00

We took Jayden to Chuckie Cheese for a late Valentines Day date. she loved it!!! Enjoy the pic's!!

weekend update

2010-02-22T14:57:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a crazy weekend! For all of you who don't know how Patrick's schedule works here it goes: he works Mon - Fri. 7:30 - 4:30 ish with the exception of one random day a week he stays over night and he works the last weekend of the month (Friday morning until Monday morning). This weekend was his weekend to work. So it means I was solo this entire weekend. you know how fast the weekend goes by, well it's the opposite in our world on weekends like these. I rarely get to take pictures because most of the time I'm on survive mode. Here are the one's I did get.

startin 'em off right!!

2010-02-18T03:02:00.002-05:00

While I was making dinner tonight Patrick was watching a sermon by Piper about C.S.Lewis and he had a buddy watching it as well. It was so cute he was so into it!! He's defiantly Patrick's child!! That's how we do it in the Fitz four household ;)

Now, really how cute is this??

Judah watchin "da Pipster"!

Judah saying "Amen" !!

Snow day!!

2010-02-18T02:35:00.004-05:00

This winter has been pretty hard on us when it has come to health. We've been passing colds around and it's seems like forever since we have all been well. Even now I'm still fighting a cold that won't go away. Poor Jayden was sick most of December and had to sadly watch as the other children got to play in the snow. To make matters worse we have a hill right next to our back yard that's perfect for sledding down and that's where all the kids go. So Jay would stand at our glass back door and watch the kids play. Talk about breaking a mothers heart. She finally got over being sick, we went out and got her a snow suit, and then all we needed was the snow. Well, this year has been pretty slow on snow and since she's been better we have had NO snow. Until a couple of days ago!!! YEEEAAA!!! So here are some of the pic's we took!! Hope you enjoy

Gotta love those cheeks!!

This is in front of our house

Yes, even Mr. Man went out side in the snow! This outfit is 6 months, talk about BIG boy!!

the fitz girls (and Judah is tucked away somewhere in there)

Jay wanting to see her "bubba"

me and jude boy

daddy and Jay climbing up the hill behind our backyard. our house is the one you can see in the background.

headed out back in the snow

recent pics of the kiddos

2010-02-18T01:16:00.005-05:00

Nowadays he's all smiles!
I think we got us a thumb sucker or I guess finger sucker.

What??

This is the classic "don't" face that he inherited from his dad!

This was after Jay destroyed her valentines day cupcake. I love it because it looks like she has a beard!

This is the tent that aunt Heidi got Jay for Christmas (its a castle just in case you can't make out what it is). Its her hiding place :)

BIG girl on the BIG potty reading her book like her daddy or as we call it in the"library"!

Mr. man dreaming big dreams

This is a pretty funny story. I told Jay I was about to get her dinner ready and when I got to the table to set her place she had all ready done it! How cute is that!! She's such a big girl.

Jay on her princess potty! Our first day potty training and she did her bussiness 3 times that day!!

Lots of Love!!

2010-02-13T14:44:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm starting back with the blog thing. Sorry it's taken forever to get back into gear. There are sooo many new things since last time so here's the short list:

• we have been in New London, CT since the first of July; we live on a Navy base. We have found a different kind of family around us but it has been such a blessing to have neighbors who are so giving and take such great care of us!! There is a little girl that lives next to us Jay's age and get this, her name is Hayden Faith!! How funny is that! We have resorted to calling them Jay and Hay!! It’s been hard and eye opening to us about how in need of the gospel everyone is around us because New England in its self is Christ less and church less. They are very liberal and very opinionated. On numerous occasions while I was pregnant and at the store w/ Jay I was told congratulations but 2 kids are enough and I should stop having kids after this one!!

• After what seemed like FOREVER we've found a church. The only sad part is it's in Providence, Rhode Island which is 45 minutes away. We love it and have been so truly blessed by the family we've found there. It's a new experience for us because it's a brand new church plant. They are a part of the Acts 29 network and have its official launch in April. Please pray for that! We are being pushed and pursued by our church and growing in places that are long overdue!!

• FAMILY - Our parents have been AMAZING!!! But for all of you who know our parents aren't surprised by that! You would think that us living in Connecticut would slow our parents down in visits (who live in Oklahoma and Indiana) but no way. Since we have been here we have had parents every month starting in September and ending last month! We get care packages continually, so much that when jay see’s the mail man and a box she goes, “oooooo yea aah!!". We are all spoiled to say the least.

• Last but not least, JUDAH DANIEL!!! He was born December 31st at 12:07 am and was 9 1/2 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long!!! We call him our hoss or our future OU linebacker! He's amazing in every way!!! I think he's starting to look like Patrick but when he was born he defiantly looked like my side of the family. He's still huge! Two weeks ago he weighed 12 1/2 lbs and he's wearing 3 to 6 month clothes and we are noticing they are getting a little tight on him. He's starting to smile and coo at things and he adores his sister!! Jayden also loves him and by God's grace has adapted to him being here like a pro. You would have thought he'd always been here. She is always trying to help me with him and including him in everything she does. Some of my favorite things she has done with him is cooking for him (she got a kitchen and fake food for Christmas), she randomly stops what she’s doing and gives him a kiss, she has tea party’s with him, and puts all her girlie stickers on him. I figure when he gets a little bit older he’ll be having her play cars and all those boy things with him so it'll all even out :) BUT just recently she has tried to pick him up! I know!!! Mom’s everywhere just gasped. I was standing right there as we were on our way to the kitchen to get her a snack and Judah was in his bouncy seat in her room. As I started walking away I turned to see if Jay was coming and that’s when I saw her very carefully put her hands behind his head, and his bottom like she was going to pick him up! Safe to say I got there in time, all is well, and we had a BIG talk about how only grownup's pick up bubba.

So that’s all the BIG major stuff in a nut shell. It has been hard and an adjustment being here. It is completely different than what we were use to in Louisville and has given us a lot of perspective on things. We are in a mission field that is dry and harsh. Please, please pray for us, specifically for Patrick who is around these guys’ days at a time and who are in need of the Savior and for me and my ministry with their wives. Pray that we glorify Him with our lives not just our lips. Strength is one of the big things that we are in need of. Our support group is 45 minutes away and it makes it hard to get together like we would like to. Patrick is amazing and I have no idea how he does what he does but he is such a blessing in our lives. Please pray for him for his plate is full. He is taking a full load of classes this semester, studying for qualifications for work, trying to be actively involved in church, trying to love and live the gospel at work, being a husband, and a brand new father of two.

Up to speed

2009-06-22T10:19:00.002-04:00

So 2 months later I'm writing about what's going on with us. Why? There are a lot of reasons. The main reason is that since Patrick has been gone I have just wanted to push forward with out thinking and blogging makes me think and thinking makes it MORE real that everything that's going on in our lives is with out Patrick. I know it's silly but you do what you have to do. It has gotten to be normal to go about our day without Patrick but not easier. I do have to say that the past few days have seemed as easy as can be without Patrick. I think the reason is because in FOUR days we will be together (and I have a billion things to do to get ready)!!! "Home team" reunited!!!

So here's whats been going on in our lives. Patrick left for the Coast Guard on May 5th. Me and Jay girl left for my moms in Indiana on May 8th. The flight to my moms was as good as could be with a one year old. The Lord has been so kind and tender and I use those words on purpose. He is and always has been good to us but during this time he has taken such a tender approach to every detail in both of our lives. I have and I should say 'we" have been able to rely on Christ more during this time unlike any other time in our lives. I am thankful for this time of reflection on who Christ is and where He is in my life.

I guess before I go any further I should say that baby #2 is on the way! We are due Christmas day. The baby looks great and I think it's another girl! This pregnancy has been better in a lot of ways but also worse in some. Thankfully I'm not as sick as I was with Jay but the baby is growing on a nerve in my back and hip so add carring a 25 pound 1 year old to that and I'm in a lot of pain!

Jayderbug is great! She's growing sooo fast! She officially turned one May 29th! We where able to talk to Patrick on her birthday twice! Speaking of talking to Patrick let me share one of our many blessing during this time. Since Patrick has been gone I have talked to him 9 times in seven weeks (and almost every time was once and sometimes twice a week)!! That may not seem like a big deal but we weren't suppose to hear from him until the 5th week!!!

Jayden is halfway walking. She takes a few steps but no running yet. I figure she's waiting for her daddy. She has eight teeth breaking threw the skin right now so she's gnawing on everything. She loves to be outside and loves to play in her pool! I can't wait until she sees the ocean!

We found out that we are stationed in New London, Connecticut!!! Which is amazing!!!!! I went with my BF Heidi to visit friends in Boston a few weeks ago. On our way up there Patrick called to tell me where we where stationed. That night when I told me friends where we would be living they map quested it and we found out it's an 1 1/2 away from Boston!! That next day we went down to check it out!! Isn't that crazy how the Lord took care of that situation! Right after I found out where we would be living Heidi started asking me questions and I started voicing my concerns and worries and in less than 24 hours it was taken care of!!

New London is a small town on the ocean and it's beautiful. It was the biggest whaling community and has so much history!! I would encourage everyone to visit! There are beaches, ferries, lighthouses, islands to visit, shops, and so much to do. I can't wait to get started!! We will be living on a navy base in a big house so we will have lots of room for visitors! We are also located an hour and half away from NYC, Boston and 2 1/2 hours from D.C. !! Which there is an Am track right in our town!!! But the BEST part is that we will be together!!!!

Please pray for us extra this coming week! Patrick has been asked to try out for the Coast Guards rescue divers and his testing and his helicopter drop is tomorrow!! This is a big honor that they asked him because out of 90 guys in his unit they have only asked 3!! We haven't discussed Him taking the job because the qualifications are REALLY tough and we figure that we'll cross that bridge when we get there. He also graduates THIS week!!! It's crazy and so exciting to write those words!!!! It's almost here!! Me and Jay girl will be driving to Cape May, New Jersey on Wednesday. It's a 11 hour drive but add a one year old I'm giving myself 16 hours. Please pray!!! We will also be driving back (with Patrick!!!) to Indiana on Saturday then to Louisville on Sunday morning where we will hopefully go to church at Immanuel!!!! We have to meet with the movers on Tuesday and then we will drive the 20 hours to New London. Patrick has to check in on July 2nd.

That's the kinda speeded version of whats going on. Please pray for Patrick and his buddies and that these last few days are fruitful.

I'll put up pictures later on today.

Catch up

2009-04-28T11:51:00.006-04:00

Sorry it's been awhile since I put up pictures. Here are some from the past couple of days. Jayden has learned how to drink from a straw, got her first pair of sunglasses, swung against her first OK wind (very interesting), and imitated playing guitar with her wormy. She is also getting closer to walking everyday!

Reminder...

2009-04-25T23:26:00.004-04:00

Our blog will be by permission only coming this Monday, so if you'd like to be added please let us know asap. For those who have already emailed we will send out invites this Monday. Thanks for reading!

In Christ Alone,

Fitz Family

daysofgrace529@gmail.com

What COULD Have Happened

2009-04-23T15:36:00.006-04:00

Yesterday us girls went to Hobby Lobby to get the rest of Jay's party stuff. We went to the sewing section to look at thread. I let Jayden hold her plates while we were looking around. I turned toward the thread not leaving Jay but not facing her. Then I heard the plates drop (which I was expecting any minute) and I turned to my side to tell her something and pick up the plates but what I saw was .......... CRAZY/HORRIFYING!!! She was hanging from the side of the cart and the only thing holding her up was one foot!!! Let me remind you she wasn't crying, she didn't yell, all she did was a little uhh (which she dose when she's reaching for something). When I picked her up she was still reaching for her plates. Marcia and I were in shock and in awe of God and his mercies! To think what COULD of happened makes me want to cry! But instead of crying we all started to laugh, even now I can't help but chuckle when I picture my little girl hanging from one foot reaching with all her might for her birthday plates! I must say she REALLY likes those plates! But from now on we will be using the nice seat belts they have so kindly added (probably for crazy "skydiving" babies like mine)! So friends He is good and he watches over His children (even in Hobby Lobby)! Oh, the many "what could have been" that by His grace haven't been!

A Walk in the Park

2009-04-23T00:13:00.002-04:00

Flower Power

2009-04-21T01:09:00.003-04:00

Here is the new flower "bow" that we got Jayden. It's so cute!!

Gotta love those cheeks!
This pic is for Patrick. He wanted a pic of me on here today.
Here's lookin at you babe!

What a MESS!!!

2009-04-19T23:32:00.003-04:00

This morning I walked into Jayden's room to find a happy girl in a mess of TISSUES!!
This is what I saw!!

Just imagine a smiling, proud of herself baby in the middle of it all.

There is a table by the crib in my in-law's guest bedroom. On that table is where we keep some of her stuff. Apparently Jayden can sit up or stand up, reach her hands threw the crib, and grab things on this table.

Here is the EMPTY tissue box!

Here are the other things that she tried to pull threw the crib bars but would not fit.
What a MESS!!
Oh, we cleared the table off. No worries friends!

Sunflower Girl Saturday

2009-04-18T21:38:00.003-04:00

little girl BIG sunglasses
my two favorite people

see daddy

first solo swing ride

new cup, milk tastes better when it's in an OU cup!

Thanks grandpa and grandma!

First Sentence!

2009-04-18T21:24:00.003-04:00

Today Jayden said her first full sentence. It was during breakfast and I was getting on to her. I was fixing to spank her hand and she looked up at me, smiled, and said" I love you". I instantly picked her up in a daze at what she said and hugged her. I turned around to see a happy grandma who saw what had happened! She has said it 2 other times today but she is very selective of when she says it. I told Marcia that Jay might think it's a "get out jail free" card and only say it when shes in trouble but the little girlie is WAY wrong! Love is shown in different ways and spanking is one of them!

By permission only ;)

2009-04-17T20:29:00.002-04:00

I'm sure some of you have noticed that the site has been by invite only, for one main reason, we don't want any creepo's viewing our daughter. Plus it's nice to know who's reading. If you didn't get an invite we apologize, we sent out a lot from our address book, and you probably where not in it. So, we are opening the site back up for a couple of days and if you'd like an invite please send your request to: daysofgrace529@gmail.com. Sorry for the inconvenience but keeping our daughter safe is top priority.

In Christ,

Fitz Family

Family Fridays!

2009-04-17T18:31:00.007-04:00

Every Friday my mother in-law has a lady clean her house from noon to 4 or 4:30. That means we all have to be out of the house during that time. So all five of us spend the afternoon together. Sometimes we eat together and then split into guys and gals. Other times we go out of town to places around here. It's always fun and interesting to see what happens and how Jayden reacts to everything. She has had a lot of firsts on the past two Fridays. Last Friday we went to Meer's in Lawton (1 1/2 hrs away). For those of you who don't know about Meer's it is one of the best burger places in Oklahoma. It was started in the 1930's for gold miners. They haven't really made updates to the building. They have just added more shacks onto the first shack they had. It doesn’t look like much but it is one of my favorite places!! They also have homemade cobbler with HOMEMADE ice cream! The burgers are longhorn burgers, which are better than regular beef. They are also as big as a pie plate! So we started Jayden out right by letting that be her first taste of burger, which she loved! She ate 1/2 of my burger and some peach cobbler with homemade ice cream! She was a very happy girl!
Today we stayed around here and ate at Old Chicago's. Jayden had her first taste of chicken fingers and her first taste of chocolate chip cookie! Talk about a happy surprise! Don't worry we give it to her all in moderation!
Here are the pic's today at our family lunch.

Jayden at Old Chicago's. By the way, I love the "to go" place mat's! You stick them on the table and then throw them away when your done!

Jayden's first kids meal!

This is Jayden's pooping face!

First cookie!

Daddy love part 2

2009-04-17T18:19:00.003-04:00

For all of you that don't know we have a son. And his name is Rocky.
He is our yellow lab. Patrick's parents have had him since last May and its been nice to be back with him. Here's some more daddy love! I look at this and think there is nothing better than to lay at the feet of our Father! Praise the Lord He has risen!! He has risen indeed!!

Daddy love

2009-04-17T00:06:00.002-04:00

There is no one like Jay girls daddy! He walks in the room and she's all about her dadda. I truly hope that her love for her father will one day reflect the love for her heavenly Father. Please keep praying with us for our baby girl's soul!

BEST Brownies EVER!!!

2009-04-16T23:51:00.004-04:00

On Monday I went to Ikea in Frisco Texas with Marcia. I'm nesting right now and seeing that I don't have nest I'm helping my mother in-law decorate hers. Patrick watched the Jayderbug while we went on our way.
When we got back he had cleaned and had everything ready for us. I didn't think he was acting weird or funny but they kept making me go into our room to get things. Finally after I'd been home for a couple of hours I went to my side of the bed and there was this package and a card. I looked at him and asked if it was for me which of course it was. It was a card and a box of 4 over sized brownies in their own little wrappers. It was a huge surprise and an even bigger surprise the BEST brownies I've ever ate! So the sad parts coming..... I'm down to the last brownie. I guess its true what they say (at least when it comes to food) all good things come to an end.

This is the front of the card my hubbie gave me and the LAST brownie!

Little Model

2009-04-16T23:29:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we went to a party at my sister in law Nancy's house. It was a Matilda Jane party. I've never heard of it before but it probably was better that way. They have the most cute/unique clothes and a little pricey for a one income fam like us. But it is great birthday presents or Christmas (you know the once or twice splurges). Marsha and Jayden went with me. Now I had reservations of taking her due to the fact that it started at 6 and her bed time is 7 and it takes at least 30 minutes to get there. But we aren't around our Aunt Nancy very often and this was an opportunity for her to show off her niece. Also silly as it sounds Jayden LOVES to try on clothes! She walks out and models every new outfit she gets (and I'm not joking EVERY outfit!!). The funny thing is she loves it! It has become a new tradition in our family. My favorite part of it is that her Daddy tells her how beautiful she looks and she lights up! Add a grandpa and a grandma to the crowd and we have a party!
So we went and we loved it all! They have clothes that are in all different sizes so you could try on things! They had 4 outfits in her size and we tried and modeled them all! She would walk out and everyone would stop and oww and ahhh at her. She loved it! She was the hit of the party (her and the delicious pecan muffin's Nancy made!)!
I wish I took a picture of it but sadly it didn't happen. I even got in trouble by grandpa for not recording it (he loves the fashion shows too). Here is a picture of a tired, past bedtime, little model! An Hour after bedtime and she's still all smiles!

Jayden in her dress =)

2009-04-15T22:04:00.001-04:00

Pretty as a picture!

2009-04-14T23:15:00.003-04:00

It has been kinda crazy lately and I don't see it ending anytime soon. So here's the deal. I will TRY (and TRY is the key word) to at least put a picture up everyday.I'm sure most people want to see Jayderbug anyways. Sometimes pictures say it all. So here we go.

The flower in Jay's hair is one of our new finds! It's a ribbon made into a flower on a hair clip! I'm VERY confident I can make her one for every outfit! I LOVE having a girl!!! Oh, Thanks mom for the dresses! We love them!!!

Today!

2009-04-12T00:03:00.004-04:00

Today as my hubbie called it was "My day"! Let me tell you in brief how it went.
I slept in! Yes, and it was GREAT!
I was woke up by my two favorite people!
I was handed my bible right out of bed and instructed to sit and spend time with the Lord. In my bible my hubbie had written a note of encouragement for the day! Have I said that I love my hubbie yet?
I spent the afternoon with my baby girl while my hubbie ran with his mom to do secret things.
I went shopping with my mother in law without baby girl.
I got home got ready uninterrupted! Which if your not a mom you do not know how awesome this is. Without baby maybe 15 minutes to get ready with baby at least 45!
I was driven to a secret place with only a map as a clue.
I was given a beautiful necklace from James Avery!
I was taken to a VERY VERY nice restaurant called "The Haunted House". It was so good!
I laughed, I cried , I remembered, we prayed, we hoped, we dreamed, and I feel deeper in love!
I listened to a CD made especially for our date which made me laugh, cry, and remember.
I was taken to Best Buy where we bought The Unit season 2.
I was dropped off, walked to the door, kissed, and put on PJ's.

I love you baby! Your the best! I thank God for you EVERYDAY! I just want to say that this date that my hubbie planned (and it was ahead planning) is not easy or comes natural to him but he tries and that means the MOST! It was one of the BEST one's yet babe!!

this is the beautiful necklace my babe got me!

Why I love me some Don Chaffer....

2009-04-07T21:34:00.004-04:00

10 months later...by His grace.

2009-04-04T13:04:00.018-04:00

It's hard to believe that my daughter is 10 months old! Anyone with a child knows what I'm talking about; it seems time speeds up with your kids! As I reflect on the past 10 months and look forward to the coming years it brings tears to my eyes. Right now we are in charge of guarding her heart, watching her actions, and most of all pointing her to Christ. One day, as she gets older, we are going to have to let her go and I'm going to be giving her away. By His grace, I will have raised a daughter with excellent discernment and a heart full of joy in the Lord. By His grace, she will know she is loved and I will be an accurate example of a Godly man. By His grace, I will romance my daughter. By His grace, I will protect her. By His grace, I will be that shoulder for her to come and cry on. By His grace, I will answer objections she hears about the gospel. By His grace, I will get to pray with her. By His grace, my marriage will be an example of the gospel as I lead and sacrifice for her (and mommy). By His grace, we'll have family devotions together with Christ exalting praise and conversation. By His grace, she's going to know she's a sinner therefore understanding her need for Christ. By His grace, she'll trust in His righteousness and not her own. By His grace, MOST OF ALL, God will allow me to lead her to His cross and gospel.

It's hard to believe it's been 10 months and by His grace we'll have many more "10 months."

A Day in the Life of Jayden Grace!

2009-04-02T23:45:00.007-04:00

Here are some pictures of Jayden's day yesterday.

After taking a bath! Even her bath rob is pink! Thanks to Aunt Debbie!

Taking a break from getting dressed (note no pants on) to play!

Hanging out with Aunt Debbie.

Playing outside with Mommy!

Playing with her Favorite puppy (or "bark bark" as she calls him)!

Helping mommy do laundry, starting her up right.

Feeding herself the entire meal with NO help!

A full girl ready for a bath and night time!

Sunny Monday

2009-04-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

Monday was a beautiful day! We forgot how nice it can be in Oklahoma. We ALSO forgot how frustrating it can be to have a day in the high 70's and then the next day be in the 20's. This was a nice day and Jay girl loves sunny days. Here are pictures of Jayden's sunny Monday.

Jay has play by herself times and this is what I found when I walked in her room. To say Jayden loves books is an understatement!
Hat number one for the day!

Hat number two! She LOVES to feed herself. No help needed!

One of my FAVORITE pictures of all time!

Flying with daddy what more can a girl ask for!

Playing swing me with Paw!

10 month old

2009-03-30T11:21:00.009-04:00

I have a 10 month old! I can't believe it! It feels like yesterday that I was crying because I couldn't have a baby and now she is 10 months old! God is good to His children my friends!
I don't know where to start with what she's doing..... she's a MESS! She already has 2 complete teeth but are cutting FIVE teeth on top right now! She says "da da daaddy" (which is her favorite word), says mommy (sometimes), says yep, yeah, dances, sings, claps, play's patty cake, says "bark bark" at our dog Rocky (yes Rocky is with us at Patrick's parents place!), waves hi and bye (also says it), belly flop crawl's or lazy crawl's as I call it, stands, and is trying to walk right now. Her favorite thing is to walk (I mean RUN) while holding our fingers outside in the grass BAREFOOTED! Now if your not from Oklahoma that doesn't make a difference but Oklahoma's grass is dry, yellow, and feels like your walking on straw that is sticking up. We have a tough one.

Along with all these amazing things that she's doing, she is also getting a more sinful attitude. Spankings are no foreign thing to our girlie but we have had to buckle down lately. Don't get me wrong we have ALWAYS been consistent with her but now we are pulling double time. There are 2 times that are the worst when it comes to sinful attitudes. When she is tired and on random. By random I mean when she randomly gets obsessed with something that she wants. In that case spankings usually don't work so we end up going to time out in her crib. Even in all these sinful attitude's we are ALL learning a BIG lesson: how it's important to understand and know the sin that is in our lives. Sin corrupts our heart and separates us from God. That is what we are teaching Jayden. That she is sinning against a righteous and holy God and NO sin is small when it is measured against God. We are all learning this and I am humbled every day by God and His work threw this little girl. Please pray as we train and teach this little one and PLEASE start praying with us that the Lord makes Himself known to her!

Here are some recent pic's of the Jayderbug (as Davis calls her).

This was OKC "snow storm"
Jay loves to feed herself! Note the food on her eye, in her ear, and forehead

This is the hat that my Uncle Carl and Aunt Pilar got her at Bass Pro Shop

This was one of the days that it was in the 80's! The first tank top of this year!

Sorry so long...

2009-03-30T00:32:00.002-04:00

Hey friends! Sorry it's been so long. Let me get you up to date with the Fitz family.
We had been praying since last November about the joining the Coast Guard. In December we decided to start making steps toward joining and in February we packed, moved our stuff to storage , and drove to my parents place in New Haven, IN. From there Patrick flew to his parents place in Oklahoma and me and my girlie stayed with my mom for 3 weeks. We are now all together in Oklahoma staying with his parents in OKC.
Patrick has decided to work with a recruiter in Oklahoma which has worked out as a HUGE blessing! He has signed in and we are official COASTIE'S! He leaves May 5th for boot camp so please be in prayer for his upcoming challenges.
You may be wondering why and what brought on the Coast Guard. A number of reasons but here are a few. Providing for our family is the biggest one. Patrick has a strong calling to provide for his family. By God's grace we have been doing well until recently. Patrick made a change in job's in September on a promise for a higher position. With the economy the company has taken a hit and canceled all promises. As a one income family we depend on EVERY penny of his check and he was cut (right before we left) to part time.
School plus ministry is number two. We have been paying for Patrick's school monthly and it has been taking a tole on us. With the coast guard he will be able to finish on their dime. Also we are asking for the east coast or Seattle. We will be near Acts 29 and Sovereign Grace churches which is something we have been praying about being a part of the past year or so.
We are so excited about this new road the Lord has us on. The Lord all ways throws me curve balls but in the end there always better than I would have planned.
I will be putting up some recent pic's of the Jay girl soon and let you all know what she's up too. She's AMAZING! But that is an entire blog by it's self.
Love you all,
Ash

Abortion Sunday

2009-01-18T22:30:00.004-05:00

Today is abortion Sunday. My pastor preached an amazing sermon on abortion that I would encourage you to listen to(go to ibclouisville.org). Since the 1970's 50 MILLION babies have been killed. That's the population of Canada and Australia. Another sad fact is that if church's would do there job and teach the gospel then abortion in America would cease to exist!

So, please help me pray for the woman who think there's no other option, for the church's that deceive the one's they are called to love, and the nurse's and doctors that go into work every day and destroy the image of God. Let's pray that God would make Him self known to them all!

Praise the Lord for the baby that the Lord knit in my belly that now lay's asleep in her crib!!

Funny Face

2009-01-13T22:25:00.005-05:00

Jayden has many funny faces but there is this one that's our favorite! She does it when she is working really hard on something, aggravated, or trying to make us smile. It's so funny and cute! She does it while making a snorting noise. Ever since she started making this face I've wanted to take a picture of it. The tricky thing is to have a camera when she does it (because it's totally random) and if I happen to have the camera it's to take the picture before she stops. Needless to say in three weeks I haven't been able to get a picture of it . Today my friend was THE day (I actually got TWO!!)!!!! And after three weeks here it is.......

My own little FUNNY FACE!!!!!

BIG girl

2009-01-13T09:15:00.006-05:00

She puts her passie in her mouth. This is the way she wants it, put it in the RIGHT way and she puts it back in HER way.

She is standing all by herself as long as she has a hold of something

She is pulling up on her crib

Sits up all by herself

And tries to feed herself.

Jayden is getting so big. Every minute it feels like she's grown or done something new. I must say I love this stage in my girlie's life. She keeps a smile on my face and I'm constantly on my toes!

THANKFUL

2009-01-13T09:08:00.004-05:00

In the Fitzgibbon house it is a day of thankfulness! Mostly for God and His grace, and Patrick and his desire to provide for us. But as me and my girlie wait for her daddy we are going to remember why, who, what we are thankful for. Waiting seems to be the theme for our lives lately. So, as we wait we want to remember all the good things the Lord has done in our lives. Our family(church family included) is another major thing we are thankful for. So, know family that we are praying for you this morning!

Brand New!

2009-01-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

Baby Caleb is HERE! Our friends that we live with had there baby on Thursday! His name is Caleb Haddon Svoboda. He was 8lbs 3oz and 22in long! He's SO cute! Please pray for his mommy's (Jayden's Aunt MerBeare) recovery.

We have been reminiscing our baby experience. It's crazy to think that 7 months ago that was us! To look at Caleb and then look at Jayden blows my mind! I knew she was big but next to him she is BIG! She already loves him, it's so cute to see her play her "older" role! She's not much older but still you can tell she knows it.

With every step the Svoboda's take with Caleb reminds me of our beginning with our girlie. It's such a blessing that I didn't expect. I was hoping (Lord willing) to be a help and bless them during this time but just by watching and reminiscing I have been so blessed! Here's a couple of things I've thought of:

how fast it goes! Man, FAST is an complete understatement! I remember clearly the first time I saw her......
how nervous I was. I was nervous about the delivery but being nervous about taking care of her was a complete shock (that I quickly got over).
how AMAZING God is!!!! He made this little girlie just for us!!! What a good God we serve!
how in love with her we were(still are)
how thankful I am for all the help and prayers! I can not say thanks enough for all the love and care my "mom's" gave all of us(and the MOUNDS of diapers and formula that My Danny boy and Dale got us)! MUHHH love you all more than I can express!!!

This is a stage in our lives that most people don't get to experience and I'm so glad that the Svoboda's are allowing us to be apart of their blessing! Please pray for the adjustment of the new family and that they allow us to bless them as much as possible!

Just a side note.... Mer is a great mom. It has been such a blessing to see her transition gracefully into motherhood! I love you girl and Caleb is one blessed little boy! You're already a SUPER mom!! And to all you other SUPER mom's out there, you're doing a great job!!! I don't think mom's hear it enough!

Better late than never!

2009-01-08T17:06:00.004-05:00

So, I know Christmas is over but I thought I'd share a GREAT quote about Christmas! I don't know about you but I LOVE a good quote! Come Lord Jesus come! This is from Joni Tada Eareckson.

"On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world.
Every Christmas is still a 'turning of the page' until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that draws us closer to... home.
When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth. When we see him as he is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be 'Christmas' indeed!"

Hour off

2009-01-08T00:56:00.006-05:00

Today I was given an hour off. No baby, no husband, no friend break. My husband being the thoughtful man he is gives me these frequently. Usually they are planned but today he surprised me with an hour off! What to do? Most of my day is filled with "have to's" I never reach the question "what do I WANT to do" so, you will understand why I was unsure of "what to do".

So off I went to do the things that needed to be done......

pick up a package that needed to be picked up
get gas
pick up coffee for husband

And then after some thought I spent time in the word at a coffee house and wandered into a children's consignment shop where by the way I had a $10 gift certificate! I was able to buy baby Caleb some cute denim gear and bought Jayden FOUR beanies and cute sweat pant's for $2!!! What a blessing! At the top is a pic's of one of the steal's!

Sometimes it's good just to wander and just be.....me(w/no "to do's")!

Snow flurry on Jayden's nose

2009-01-08T00:47:00.003-05:00

Today we woke up and there was snow! Not much but still it was snow. Patrick was off so he was able to take Jayden out while it was coming down and I with camera in hand was able to get some cute pic's! Everything is new to Jayden. She is constantly learning and applying what she learned to her life. We are trying to teach Jayden to see God in everything. And hopefully as she grows she will see God and His mercies new each morning, that she will see him in the extrodinary, the ordinary, and the silly. And yes, even in the snow flurry on the tip of Jayden's nose!

Adapting and waiting

2009-01-07T11:52:00.009-05:00

Jayden has outgrown her baby car-seat. Actually she out grew it at 4 months old! So she is in a big girl car-seat. Before the upgrade she loved going shopping with me. She was able to kick back relax and take a nap. Now it's a little harder. The first time we went to the store was with her Aunt Heidi. Thankfully I wasn't alone and it wasn't for very long. The next big shopping trip was with Grandma Marcia at Walmart for Thanksgiving. That was very interesting. We were there for 3 1/2 hours (poor girlie). But she has adapted, slowly and very creatively but adapted. She has had to be patient and wait sometimes but now it's her norm.

I've been thinking a lot about adapting and waiting lately. We are about to make some major changes (Lord willing) and it's going to make us uncomfortable, patient and honestly in situations I never thought we would cross. But we are in limbo right now. We are waiting. We are in the place were you know things are going to change but your waiting on some small detail. But isn't that what life is. A series of crazy events that no one would have thought would happen! My life, as wonderful as I think it is is nothing as I thought it would be. I was married at 18, sick and diagnosed at 20, moved to Kentucky at 22, diagnosed with cancer, and pregnant at 23 (when I was told I couldn't have kids). Talk about throwing a curve ball. There have been a lot of waiting and tears during the years but the Lord is good to His children!

I been reading in Matthew 4:18-22 about Jesus calling the first four disciples. They were doing a normal days work when something unexpected happened! IMMEDIATELY they left all they knew and cared about and followed Christ. The Lord prepared these fishermen and equipped them with tools so that one day the would be fishers of men.

Pray that I immediately obey my Savior no matter what the circumstances. That I view this part of my life as an important part of my sanctification and not a waiting room for something else to come. Whether it's no car seat or a new journey may we adapt while glorifying Christ!

Here's a good encouraging word from Mr. Paul Tripp about waiting.

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life. Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me. By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands."

What is Jay up to?

2009-01-05T17:52:00.004-05:00

Jayden is getting so big so fast! She is still a chatter box but just LOUDER! We are working on inside voices and listening to mommy when she says NO! She can say "Hi", "hey", and "Da". She is waving and putting her arm's out to who she wants to go to. Getting her to smile is one of the easiest thing EVER! She holds her own sippy cup and bottle (although it isn't her fav. thing to do).She hasn't crawled forward yet but acts like she might any day now. She is pulling up on things and walking as long as she has a hold of the coffee table or her bench! She is a determined little girl and finds away to almost anything she sets her mind to. It's crazy to see her mind go to work. She also gets her feelings hurt which is funny to me. She has just started crying when we leave her although it's not all the time.We just started putting her in the nursery at church on Sunday's and she seems to enjoy it. Praise the Lord she hasn't cried when we leave her there! She still fit's some of her 12 months clothing but for the most part she's in 18 to 24 month clothing, did I mention she's a big girl! She has just gotten over a cold so her sleeping has went back to normal. In short she's a happy growing girl! Praise the Lord for a healthy happy 7 month old! This is Jayden in her BIG girl rocking chair my mom got her for Christmas! The cup is one of a 10 and has number 7 on it and we put it on her to celebrate her 7 month birthday! Love and miss you all

Pretty girl Sunday

2009-01-05T17:36:00.003-05:00

This blog is for Grandma Marcia! Here is Jay girl in her Christmas Sunday dress. I made her bow and her passie string! Having a girl is so much fun!

Christmas day!

2009-01-05T13:56:00.007-05:00

Here are pic's from Christmas day with the Fitzgibbon's.......

Jayden's first Christmas morning!

Good morning sweet baby, our savior was born

Playing in the kitchen while making Christmas breakfast

good morning Paw

Aunt Mer bear making waffles

Present time

Paper always the best!

Jay has her own phone now

She got sippy cups - she thought she could use them right away

My dad

my brother Kage - the marine

my brother Evie

Patrick and his new Croc's

Heidi note the Ho ho paper!

After Jay girl's nap she resumed opening present's

Our camera died after this so no pic's of the dinner I made and the birthday cake for Jesus that Mer made. Everyone loved it, there were NO leftovers. We had a great day and most of all we are so thankful for the Son that was born to die so that we may live!

Sorry so long- Christmas eve

2009-01-05T13:29:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we last blogged. It's been pretty crazy around here and our WIFI has been messing up. So here's what's been going on since last time. Our first Christmas with our baby girl was a huge blessing and my dad and my brothers came down for Christmas. Christmas eve was busy but really good.We saved our Christmas shopping until last minute which was interesting by itself. My dad arrived at 3:30 after being delayed at Chicago airport for 3 hours. Praise the Lord he wasn't stuck there! We went to our church's Christmas eve service ( Jayden's first). It was a huge blessing to hear what the Lord is doing in the lives of our church family. After we headed back home and read the Christmas story to Jay girl then to bed she went and I made spaghetti for dinner. Here are some pic's of Christmas eve .

Jayden Grace in her Christmas eve outfit

I made her Christmas bow

Paw came in on Christmas eve

isn't this cute

Jayden playing in her saucer

It's the little things that I love!

2008-12-12T11:25:00.007-05:00

During our move we went without internet for awhile. Our anniversary was during that time. So I'm going to do a tribute to my WONDERFUL husband! So here's lookin at you babe.

It's the little things that I love.......

that you still make me laugh more than anyone.
that even when I act ridicules (like getting upset when that guy broke his arm in the UFC) you just wait until I calm down and just smile and pat my hand.
when you come home from work late and Jayden is asleep you go and whisper "I love you" to her, kiss her head, and rub her back (melt's my heart).
you still dance crazy with me and now with Jayden.
you make up silly lyric's to songs
you still pick out the red sourpatch kids for me.
you gulp all my drink down without even realizing it.
you ask me the hard questions.
the way you look at me when something is funny or sad.
when you see something you know I'll think is funny you want me to watch it with you so we can laugh together.
you make the BEST french toast in the world!
that you wanted to learn how to take care of Jayden in every-way...... and you did!
you call us your girls.
you still give me a hug and kiss before you leave.
that you LOVE being a dad.
that you are the silliest person I know and can make me smile when no-one else can.
that you show so much grace towards me.
that you can eat a whole box of sourpatch kids in less than 5 minutes.
that you get excited about what I cook or bake for you.
that you want to take care of us.
that you love people and call everyone brother or buddy.
that you point our household toward Christ.

All these little things pour into the person that you are. Thank you for being who you are and for being my husband. Love ya babe.

Photo session with Dad!

2008-12-04T23:02:00.004-05:00

This afternoon Patrick took Jayden for a play date in the living room. Here are the pic's he took. Enjoy!

BIG girl! Drinking all by herself

THEY'RE HERE!!!

2008-12-04T22:49:00.003-05:00

After 6 months Jayden's teeth have arrived! Here's a picture of two of them. She has two coming in on the side. She's growing up so fast. It's true what they say, it goes by so fast.

Aren't they cute!

I just thought this pic was cute!

Christmas!

2008-12-04T20:57:00.004-05:00

If you don't know us we LOVE Christmas! We can't wait until it's here! We love the season. Patrick loves it so much that in October he starts singing Christmas songs. Yes we are those people. The people that play Christmas music (& if not playing it humming it). We just love Christmas! This year we have a new reason to love it ........ Miss Jayden Grace! We can't wait to start new traditions and keep old ones. But most importantly we can tell her the true reason we celebrate this season. We spent an afternoon just enjoying the Christmas season together. Here are some of the pic's. Also just in case you do not have a bible study for this Christmas season here's a link to the one we are using ctkraleigh.org/mediafiles-devotional.pdf . May we glorify him threw this season and always!

This is our tree from the bottom (which is where me and Jay girl were laying)

Us laying under the tree

this is Jayden sneezing which I caught on camera

Jayden amazed by the lights

She loved this Star!

Aunt Sundi!

2008-12-02T18:06:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Sundi! Hope your birthday was great! We look forward to seeing you soon! Love you!

Happy BELATED Birthday Aunt Pilar!

2008-12-01T21:04:00.003-05:00

We love you so much Aunt Pilar! Hope your day was as WONDERFUL as you are! Miss and love you lots!

Psalm 119:25

2008-11-17T08:48:00.003-05:00

"My soul clings to the dust;

give me life according to your word."

It's amazing that we sinners are given life through our union with Christ. My heart and mind cling to the death I was saved out of but by His grace my soul thirst for His word. This very word that gives me life and renews my heart. Let us remember today that when God looks at us he doesn't see the sin that so captures us, NO, he sees Christ and we through His blood can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5). Now, through Christ, walk in newness of life today! Don't let your sin en capture your soul for your loved by a great savior! Amen!

Wanna take a walk?

2008-11-14T23:51:00.006-05:00

It's been cold this past week. Our daily routine contains a walk which is one of Jayden's favorite parts of the day. Since it's been cold we skipped it. On Wednesday Jayden looked outside with her head and hands against our window. It was so sad and adorable at the same time. Well, the Lord blessed us with two cool fall days and me and Jay girl have taken advantage. To add to the blessing Patrick got off early the past two days and was able to spend basically the whole day with his girls. Here's some pic's of our past two days.

Tada!

I loved this pic! Leaves EVERYWHERE.

Louisville has some of the prettiest buildings and this church was on our walk.

Fuel and reward for our walk! Italian Soda...um um good.

Fall Fun

2008-11-13T16:46:00.001-05:00

Play time

2008-11-12T21:35:00.003-05:00

Jayden's days are all play. Here are some fun pic's on a cold day.

Jabbermouth Jayden

2008-11-12T21:04:00.006-05:00

Jayden Loves to talk and she thinks everyone likes to hear her talk (which we do). I'm pretty much convinced that she came out jabbering about something. One of my favorite things is during church when we sing praise and worship she sings too. Here's a hint of our jabbermouth before bath time. Also her laugh is adorable. Enjoy!

Repeat after me?

2008-11-12T10:06:00.002-05:00

Jayden is at the stage where she will repeat what you do or try to. We went for a walk with aunt Heidi last week. While on the walk Heidi stuck her tongue out and blew. Jayden thought it was amazing! She was entranced by it and right away tried to do it. In no time she had it down and did it the entire time during our walk.

On Sunday we had our care group over. The mommy's where in the kitchen babies in hand when Jay's friend Magnus squealed, Jayden loved it! She's been trying to find her pitch but she hasn't quite got it yet . Well she found a new level of pitch thanks to Magnus. She's always watching and repeating. She says hey when we say hey and she talks when we talk. As happy as I am that she is learning by example it also is kinda scary. There are a lot of things I don't want my daughter repeating. A lot of sinful behaviors I don't want to teach her. But mommy is sinful so she's already seeing it. The old saying "do as I say not as I do" and " because I say so" isn't going to fly in our house. We are and will continue to teach her that dad and mom are sinful just like her. We will expect her to obey and listen ( the first time, no count to three) and to look to Christ as a model not her dad and mom. But we want to lead by example. We want her to see us fail, repent, apologize, and make amends. So no "Do as i say not as I do" as a cop out to live in our sin and expect our daughter to live differently. It's put a new view on what I do. Like the movie's I/ we watch are different because of what we put in our heads and our daughters. Being Jayden's mom makes me want to be a better daughter to my heavenly Father, and in return it makes me a better mom. Please pray as we walk the wonderful and difficult road called parenting and may we glorify Christ in it all.

Happy Belated Birthday Grandpa!

2008-11-11T20:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday (on Friday) Grandpa! Hope your Birthday was as GREAT as you are. We can not tell you how blessed our family is to have you in our lives. You are the best Dad, Dad in-law, and Grandpa Dale EVER!!! We LOVE you so much and can't wait to see you ( 2 weeks to go)!!!

Love,

Patrick, Ashley, and Jayden Grace

Here are a couple of uncut pic's of Jay girl holding her "Grandpa" sign.

Our little Hurley girl

2008-11-07T00:32:00.003-05:00

My Mom bought Jayden her first Hurley shirt. Hurley is one of our favorite brands. It's one of her firsts and as silly as it sounds it's one of my favorites.

Jayden Jump up

2008-11-07T00:19:00.003-05:00

My Mom bought Jayden a "Jenny jump up" which for all you non parents is a bouncy chair type swing. It's pretty much awesome and also her favorite thing right now. It's also mom favorite thing .... more play by your self activities always good! Here's a fun pic of Jayden Jumping up. I really think she looks like her daddy here.

We're Back!

2008-11-06T12:35:00.003-05:00

Here are some pic's from our trip to Oklahoma:

Great Grandma and Jay Gra

The Forehand - Fitzgibbon girls

Her Aunt Debbie

Uncle Carl and camera scared baby

Jay Gra and her wonderful Aunt Pilar

Cousin Davis and his Jayden

Paw and his girls

Sorry it's been so long since we posted. We have Internet now (praise the Lord). A lot has happened since we've been gone. Here's the quick version:

*Ash had a birthday

*Patrick and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary

*We visited our family in Oklahoma

*We are finally unpacked!!!

*Jayden has found her toes, turned 5 months old and army crawls (which is so cute!)

In Oklahoma

2008-10-12T14:09:00.004-04:00

We are currently in Oklahoma. We arrived on Thursday night. For those of you who don't know Patrick's brother is in the Army and is currently serving his second tour in Iraq. He is in the states on leave and is in Oklahoma to visit family. This is a great and exciting visit for a lot of reason's. The top two are seeing Kevin and for the rest of our family to meet Jayden Grace. Please pray for Patrick and Kevin's family as they leave tomorrow. Also pray that while us girls stay to see the rest of the fam that we glorify him in all our actions. Being around family can bring out the sinner in us faster than most people. I will update you more later and post pictures.
God bless you and yours,
Ash

Oh Baby Talk...

2008-10-02T11:48:00.007-04:00

Our wonderful daughter has become such a chatterbox. It seems she has an opinion on everything these days. Though she can't express what she's trying to convey through her ramblings, she certainly lets you know when she's in need of food or a new diaper. We have read the Bible to her since she's been born but lately she's been much more interactive with the text ;). We are in Romans 5 and we came to verses 9-11 which read:

"9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

The authors intent is reconciliation or better put, it is by Christ's death on the cross for our sins that we are reconciled to a holy God. It's hard to explain reconciliation to a child. Immediately words like expiation and propitiation came to mind but a child, much less most in the pews, would not understand these terms. While expiation and propitiation are related to reconciliation, we are learning there are better ways to explain these terms to children. Thank you Jayden for your baby talk and making us put the gospel in ways a child can understand.

Update (still without Internet)

2008-09-18T11:56:00.006-04:00

Well, we are moved out and in, finally! This was quit possibly the most hectic move ever in the Fitzgibbon move history! In a span of 4 days we moved out our friends, moved our stuff out, which was basically just Matt and Patrick moving all the big stuff by themselves, all this while catching a bug (yes, all of us!). Imagine, moving with a sick 3 month old! All this said, we made it out in time and we are loving the new home (pics coming soon). On Sunday a huge windstorm from hurricane Ike hit Louisville which knocked out power for the greater half of the city. That was crazy, it reminded us of home (Oklahoma City has consistent high winds). Once we get our internet installed we will post many pictures.

This move, the storm, and a sick little girl has reminded us all of our need continually for the gospel. Many sinful attitudes have arose from this move, especially in daddy (the one writing this;). Without the constant reminder that Jesus died on the cross, in my place, bearing His Fathers wrath so sinners like me can stand righteous before a holy God, so I can actually be a "good tree" and no longer be controlled by sin, therefore without this reminder I'd be hopeless and lost. This truth is amazing, sinners are no longer condemned but are declared righteous because of the finished work of Christ. This is what we live for, so that our "joy may be made complete," glory be to Christ alone. As believers this must be central in our lives and theology, we never graduate from the gospel!

Moving on out and up!

2008-09-09T20:43:00.002-04:00

We are in the process of moving right NOW! As I write my house is a total mess, so no drop in's allowed. Please pray for us during this crazy time. There will be no blogs until we are settled. We are very blessed to be able to be in this new house! It is walking distance from school and close to a lot of friends. It's twice as big as our old place and less expensive. We will be splitting this massive house with another couple that we love, so all in all we are moving out and up!
Ash

P.S
Here's a pic of Jayden to hold you over until next time.

Wonderful Aunt Heidi!

2008-09-09T09:16:00.003-04:00

Hope your birthday was as wonderful as you. You are such a blessing in our lives. You are such a great friend and a great Aunt! Happy birthday friend!

Sleeping Beauty

2008-09-07T23:56:00.002-04:00

Her new thing is sucking her thumb, which means 8 to 9 1/2 of uninterrupted sleep for Daddy and Mommy!

Starting Sooner Saturday off right

2008-09-07T22:24:00.003-04:00

One of are favorite times is morning scripture reading - add that to Sooner Saturday and the day couldn't be better!

Happy Birthday PAPA!!!

2008-09-05T20:33:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday Papa! We love and are so thankful for you!
Miss you! Your girl's

Chatter box

2008-09-05T13:16:00.003-04:00

Even though she's sick she can't stop talking. The doctor yesterday was amazed at her eye coordination and how well she talks and has already found her place in the conversation. She said she's very advanced for her age. She was talking like this for 45 minutes straight this morning!

For my dad....Chiefpa?

2008-09-05T13:08:00.003-04:00

This was a video we took yesterday and I told my dad that I would post it that day. Well, sorry dad but here it is now. Love ya

Sick days

2008-09-05T12:46:00.006-04:00

Everyone in our house is sick. That's one of the perks about being a family... we share EVERYTHING. Even our little girlie is sick. I never knew a cold could be so cute. The nice thing is that she's really tired so mommy gets some rest also. We went to the doctor yesterday and it was confirmed that we all have a cold. I don't know about you but when I'm sick I want to be dressed all cozy. Thanks to our good friends the Robydoes Jay girl was comfy and totally cute. If you’re going to be sick why not look cute? As you probably noticed there's not a picture of sick mommy (not so cute when I'm sick).

Daddy's girl

2008-09-05T12:40:00.003-04:00

Patrick wondered if Jayden would forget him since she was so young and a week was the longest she's went with out him. What do you think?

Obama and the Support of Infantcide

2008-09-04T17:53:00.004-04:00

It is imperative that people know about Obama's abortion record since he'll play an important role in the nominating of Supreme Court justices. Here is a first hand look at what his radical view promotes. I pray he is defeated for the sake of the millions of babies that will be murdered in this gruesome act!

Praise The Lord...

2008-09-04T01:59:00.002-04:00

I'm so thankful that he has saved me - nothing I have done could ever deserve his love. Yet I have his Fatherly sacrificial love. I 'll let the Pro C.H.S say it better:

“Though he knows your trials will work for your good, yet he pities you. Though he knows that there is sin in you, which, perhaps, may require this rough discipline ere you be sanctified, yet he pities you. Though he can hear the music of heaven, the songs of glee that will ultimately come of your present sighs and griefs, yet still he pities those groans and wails of yours; for ‘He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.’ In all our distresses and present griefs he takes his share; he pities us as a father pities his children.”

- Charles Spurgeon, “God’s Fatherly Pity”

from Of First Importance
Ash

While we were gone....

2008-09-04T00:45:00.008-04:00

Sadly I didn't take many pic's up there but here's some of the one's I did.

This is all the stuff Jay came back with (excluding some in the dryer). What a blessed baby!

After along day of shopping with the girls!

With HER Papa.... not a care in the world!

Her new thing is to try to fit her hand in her mouth, it keeps her quite!

This ones for laughs and for Aunt Mer Bear!

Mommy got to go on a day trip with Papa on the Harley ( and his crew of bikers) to St. Joesph, Michigan. It was so BEAUTIFUL! I predict future vacations to come.

Home!?

2008-09-03T15:07:00.005-04:00

Jayden and I have just got back from a week long trip to my parents house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We had a blast! Jayden loves her Papa and Mama so much. We were so blessed when we were down there. I have to say that we LOVE grandparents! My parents and Patrick's parents do so much for Jayden (and her parents!). We both came back different and with a lot fuller suitcases. They bought Jayden a lot of fall clothes and her mommy didn't come home empty handed either! We were gone a whole week, which is the longest that Jayden has gone without her daddy (and vice versa). We missed daddy so much and it is so good to be home.

Let me get you up to date with me and my girlie! Jayden is BIGGER, her eyes are bluer, she is a chatter mouth, and she's a lot more spoiled! She talks all the time now! She has an opinion about everything which I know sounds crazy to say about a 3 1/2 month old but it's true. She's sleeping on her side and sitting up better everyday. The only thing different with me is that I caught a sinus infection and I got all my hair chopped off and highlighted (which I love).
The last couple of days were rougher than the first. I had gotten sick and when I'm sick I always want Patrick (and home).

Home is such a funny thing. Through out a person's life home changes so often. When I was a kid my home was with my parents. Then when we started going to church it became our home church. I got married and Patrick became my home. We moved to Louisville and that became are home. When you’re away from home you realize how different you are from others. How you don't feel totally comfortable not like you would if you were at your home.

As Christians we so often tend to think of this world as our home. We tend to focus on the the things that mold this world. Our jobs, our family, everything we own are one day going to be gone. I forget that I should never feel totally comfortable here. That I'm a foreigner in a foreign place, and this is not the end; it isn't even the tip of the iceberg! Our Lord is alive and he coming back to take us home! So please pray that I may live in this world and not be of this world (and teach my little one the same!).

Caleb Haddon Svoboda

2008-08-27T17:18:00.004-04:00

Our good friends just picked out a name for their baby boy, Caleb Haddon Svoboda. We are very excited for them and can't wait for our kids, to one day, play together. Check out his post, I remember when this was Ashley and I-- looking back it all happens so fast!

mattsvoboda.blogspot.com

Even her frosting is PINK!

2008-08-26T15:46:00.003-04:00

It was daddy's idea. I don't know what I was thinking saying yes. She enjoyed it!

Prayer?

2008-08-25T23:05:00.006-04:00

I'm reading two biographies right now. “A Chance to Die" about Amy Carmichael by Elizabeth Elliot and “Doctor among Congo Rebels" an autobiography on Helen Roseveare (thanks Steven!). Today has been more of a Helen day. I've been able to read a lot today (thanks to the long naps Jayden has taken). She credits a lot of her survival (including the obvious reason, Christ) to her faithful friends that prayed fervently for her. For those who don't know her story, she was a doctor in the

Congo

when the rebellion broke lose. She was taken and raped (so I'm told, not quite on that part yet). I am encouraged and convicted by her faith and trust in the Lord.

Our God is real and He hears our prayers! What joyous news! But I’m finding that all too often I listen to myself instead of preach to myself. How many hours have I wasted on myself instead of going before the Lord for my brothers, sisters, and the lost all around me. I am sorry for not being faithful to you all. Pray that the Lord becomes more real to me and that I find my joy always in Him. I've had an amazing day with my Lord and my family and I have prayed for those of you who are away from yours.

Love you brothers and sisters!

Sunday morning talks w/ mommy

2008-08-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

Poopy Days

2008-08-24T14:14:00.003-04:00

Jayden is controlled by her emotions and Jayden's emotions are self centered and sinful. She is starting to cry when she wants something. If her bottle is not ready as soon as she's hungry... watch out. The simple job of putting a bib on is torture to her. I tell her to calm down, that she's okay and that we don't act that way. That her mommy is going to feed her, she just needs to calm down and trust me.
Jayden is so much like her mommy already. I'm also controlled by my emotions.I can have an amazing time with the Lord then something unexpected happens and my attitude changes. All of a sudden a wonderful day turns into a poopy day. As author Wendy Alsup puts it:
"Many Christians in todays churches seem much more convinced of the reality of their problems than the reality of their God."
As I tell my little one, " to be happy is a choice". Every day is a chance to glorify Him with our actions no matter what our circumstances!
Here's one of Jayden's real poopy days. I have no clue how it got clear up to her neck? She always amazes me!

Silly, sleepy Sundays

2008-08-24T13:51:00.002-04:00

Theres nothing better than to be at church praising Jesus holding your baby and the man you love right next to you! I look back over the last 6 years and would never had imagined being so blessed. Thank you Lord for silly sleepy Sundays with my family!

We love Saturday mornings

2008-08-23T11:18:00.002-04:00

Raising Jayden

2008-08-21T22:18:00.011-04:00

As many of you have heard and read we have a baby girl! On receipt of this news I was thrilled and ecstatic. Deep down I thought I was ready for a girl and in fact had strongly petitioned to our God for this outcome. However, when our doctor told us this amazing news I became worried. How am I, the leader and protector of my household, going to fight the impurity and sexual explicitness of our generation? How am I going to fight the rampant feminism that spews from the media? Because it is primarily my responsibility as the head of my household to guard, protect, and defend my girls.

The main objective is to point my daughter to the cross and the gospel. I plan, by the grace of God, to teach her of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ at a very early age. The greatest news for sinners is that Jesus Christ came to earth to live a perfect life and to bear our sins on the cross, to die a brutal death, and then rise from the dead! Jesus did all this for the glory of His name and so we may have peace with God. I continually plan on pointing her to the cross of Christ because by the cross her sinful daddy and mommy stand forgiven before a holy God. What glorious news!

The second objective is to teach her true modesty and true romance. It is the fathers role to watch over his daughter, this includes what she wears. When a woman is dressed immodestly it is normally a sign that a father has failed to lead and protect his daughter. In short (for the sake of time), I plan on protecting her from the lustful eyes of men by teaching her discernment and what is pleasing to God (through His Word). I want to impress on her the importance of modesty, before she wears anything it must be approved by dad! I also plan on romancing my daughter. This means date nights, breakfast talks, buying her gifts, and shepparding her heart. I want to be an example, once more by the grace of God (by writing this simple blog I'm reminded how much I depend on God for every little thing in life such as breathing, how much more in the matter of my daughters heart), of what a Godly man looks like. I want to consistently affirm her and pour into her passions. She is going to know she is loved and that I have her best in mind. She is going to be able to discern between a man of God and a neat Christian boy. I'm here to be her sheppard and to point/lead her to the gospel.

Daddy

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:3

The many faces of Jayden Grace

2008-08-21T11:15:00.007-04:00

Good girl

2008-08-21T09:59:00.003-04:00

When I lay Jayden down for bedtime I tell her that I love her and that she needs to be a good girl and sleep in her big girl bed. She had been sleeping 8 hrs straight at bedtime.
Lately she thinks bedtime is playtime. She'll cry until I come in and then she'll smile at me. She laughs and talks. I tell her its bedtime not playtime and that good girls sleep at bedtime.
I started to think about it. I tell her she's a good girl all the time. I also tell her when she's having a sinful attitude. No matter how she acts it doesn't change my love for her.
I'm so thankful that God doesn't base his love for me on whether I'm good or not. Praise the Lord! I can never win his love. This quote from C.S. Lewis describes it so well :
"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us."
I look forward in teaching this truth to my little sinner.
Heres some sleeping pic.'s