A letter to my girl for her 1st Birthday!

Dear Calleigh Elizabeth,

Tomorrow is your first birthday, oh how time has flown by! We have had so many exciting things happen in this first year with you.

You have been the miracle we always wanted and the light of our lives! I thank God each and every day for him allowing me to be your mommy. I am blessed more then one person should be!

In this first year you have done so many new things. You have learned who you daddy and I are, you have spent the night with many people, you have learned to crawl and now you are starting to take your first steps. You have said your first words, mama, dada, nana, bird, bite and papa, you have six teeth now, and the only food you will not eat is cottage cheese! You love to eat your oatmeal in the mornings with your sippy cup of milk!

Every night, we play in the living room with daddy. Some of your favorite things to do are to wrestle with daddy, pet Roo, and open and take everything out of the drawers on the end tables! You also love to sneak your way into the utility room and get into Roo’s water bowl and splash around! You love bath time; you just can’t get enough! Sometimes you get really mad at us when we take you out!

When you are getting tired we sing some songs to you. You favorites are “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. You are just like your daddy and love to watch TV! Some of your favorite shows are The Backyardagains, Handy Manny, Micky Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, and Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends. You dance and clap your hands and have such a good time!

You have the sweetest smile, the most beautiful blue eyes, and a personality like no other! I can’t wait to watch you grow and see the young woman you become. My prayer for you is that you love and welcome Jesus into your life. He has done so many things for our family and I can’t wait until we can pray together and worship the Lord with one another.

You, little bear, are my angel. There was a time in my life that I never knew if you would ever be here. But after lots of prayer, God decided the time was right and sent you to us! Mommy and Daddy will always be here for you no matter what! You have made us so happy, completed our family, and we are so happy to celebrate your first birthday with you!

Happy 1st Birthday Calleigh Elizabeth! We love you!

Love,
Mommy

Birthday pictures and more!

Calleigh had her birthday pictures taken on Saturday and we had a blast! They all turned out so good! Here is a little sample, thanks to Dan and Adrienne!







Here is their website and blog, check them out!
Rowe Portrait Studios:
Blog-http://www.roweportraitstudios.blogspot.com
Website:-http://www.reowportraitstudios.com

We also went to a wedding Saturday, we left early! We hung out as a family on Sunday! It was a good time! We also have had a great week! Tonight Andrew and I are going to Formal Tea and I get to sleep-in in the morning! I am very excited! A good weekend ahead!

I'm off to lunch, I'll write more later!

Short Tid-Bits!

Random thoughts:

* Today I had the biggest blessing I have had in a long time. On my way to drop Calleigh off at my mom and dad's, Calleigh and I were listening to a worship cd and she started clapping her hands and singing(well, her version, anyways) and it brought tears to my eyes. I hope that she continues to praise the Lord with me!

*I have a confession: I LOVE 80's music. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite songs with you....just listen, get in the 80's mood........

*I am sure you noticed, but I have a new Blog design....It's stylin and profilin! Thanks Summer, I love it! If you need a new design, hit her up! She does quality work and is super fun and easy to work with!

*In just 13 short days, my angel will be 1!!!! Can you believe it? I am gonna have a 1 year old! Where has the time went?

*Pray for my friend as she is going through a rough time in her life. Also pray for some of my friends and fellow church members as they go on their "A Walk to Emmaus". I am going on my own walk in September, pray for me! I am so excited to see what God has in store for me!

*As Andrew and I are getting our bills all work out, our checking account back in order thanks to the ID Fraud(see below), pray that things continue to get better for us financially!

*I pray to God blesses you each and every day!

*Lastly, Andrew's birthday is on Monday.....any thoughts on gifts or ideas on how to celebrate? He loves sports, to hunt, fish and be outside. I want to make this a special day for him! Help me out people!

Calleigh the Cookie Monster

My mom watches Calleigh during the day while Andrew and I are at work. They have so much fun together! Calleigh has recently taken up a liking for cookies! Sine she has 4 teeth, she can bite them off herself. Here is pic of her eating some cookies and loving them! This is what makes me smile each and every day! You'll see how she is smiling and laughing about her cookies, she loves them!

ID Fraud

Yesterday morning started out just like any other morning at work....
I came in, checked my voice mails, checked my emails and got ready for the day. Then, the phone rang. It was a lady from my bank calling to confirm some recent transactions that looked abnormal. Well, abnormal was not even a good word to describe these actions. Someone had stolen my debit card number, charged plane tickets to Italy to it(which now I now cost $1762.65, just in case you want to go) and some other small charges. Orbitz for $10.99, Itunes(amount still unknown), Wal-Mart for $44.00, a gas station, Subway and some others. TOTAL= Aprox. $2000!

They told me to go to the bank with Andrew and we would take care of everything there. The card company sent over a fraud report, the bank sat down with us and went through statements to see what else could have been taken out that we did not do, and after a couple of hours and lots of phone calls things are going to be just fine and taken care of. The bank has frozen my card, but Andrew's is fine. Our checking account seems to be fine, but we are having to keep a close eye on things.

It is really scary to have someone have your debit card information. I am very thankful for my bank and card company. They paid close attention to my account and they knew things looked unusual. This person made the major purchases during the middle on the night(we're talking 12-1 at night people....those of you who know me know I am fast asleep in my warm bed at those times) so that was a warning sign for them.

I am also thankful for co-workers who are a good support system during these times. Here I was at work with no money or no access to my money, no money for lunch, and no money for gas. Lauren and Jim both gave me money when I needed some.....could I ever find better co-workers? I don't think so!

I felt bad because it was MY card, not Andrew's, that they stole the numbers from. But Laurie at the bank made me feel a lot better. She told me it was nothing I had done. These people can get your numbers a lot of ways. So always guard yourself when entering those pin numbers and be careful where you use your card. I know that I am going to be super cautious from now on!

Please pray with me for these people who stole my numbers. Pray for conviction for their heart and maybe through all of this that they will find God if they do not know him already. If they are going through a rough time, pray for peace and comfort form them. I am praising him because he was there when I needed him. And, I got most of my money back...with a little work, we should have it all shortly!

I want to be better

I am sure that you read this title and you wonder what this is all about. How do you want to be better? I feel that I am a good wife and a good mommy. I feel like I am a good daughter and a good friend. I feel that I am good at my job. I am a good listener and a overall good person. But I want to be better. I want to be a better wife, mommy, daughter, friend, listener, and person. I WANT TO BE A BETTER CHRISTIAN!

For those of you who do not know, here is my testimony:

I have been raised in church my whole life. I have always went to church. I have known who God is and loved him my whole life. But I did not have the relationship with God that I do now until I was a senior in high school.

I had a group of friends who gathered with other Christian teens and worshiped the Lord. It sounded great and since I had nothing else to do that night I went with them. Mostly to meet a guy, which was the wrong reason, but I went. When I got there I heard worship music and teens everywhere were talking. I met some people and then I saw one person I could not stand. This was a guy who mad completely messed up a previous relationship for me and I could not even stand the sight of him.

We took our seats, sang some songs, prayed, and heard a sermon; One that touched my heart and changed me forever. I do not know the man who was preaching the sermon, but he was great. He talked about forgiveness......just what I needed and did not want to hear. This guy that I did not like was directly in front of me. I looked at him, looked down and prayed. I prayed for God to release those bad feelings I had towards him. I prayed for them to be gone and my heart to be filled with peace. And just like that, it was all gone. I was happy, and just like that I accepted God as my personal savior. It was one of the best feelings I have ever felt. After the service was over I walked right over to this guy, told him I was sorry, forgave him, and asked him to forgive me for all of the hateful things I had said to and about him. And he did, just like that.

I went home and told my mom that I had been saved. I told her I wanted a new bible, one to read and understand. She shared this with my aunt, and later that week my church had purchased a Teen Study Bible for me. They had planned to get it for graduation, but knew it was time to give it to me now. And that was how and when my life changed.

I then came to college, met and got engaged to Andrew, but there was one thing hanging over my head. I wanted to be baptized. Before we got married. I wanted Christ to be the center of our marriage. Andrew had already accepted God into his life and he had already been baptized. So it was my turn. With my aunt and uncle(who is a deacon at my church), my mom, cousin, and my future husband my preacher baptized me the summer before my wedding. Coming up out of that water made me new.

Now, I want to be better. God has blessed us with so much in our life, but I want more. I want to hear God speak to me all the time. I want to read my bible daily(which I slack on), I want to know my purpose in life. I want to forgive that one person that I have not forgiven and to be released of the hatred in my heart. I want to be a woman of Christ. I want my daughter to look at me like I look at my mom. Thanks to her, I love and have accepted Christ into my heart. But I want more. I want to be better.

I am going on A Walk to Emmaus in the fall. I want a deeper connection with God. I want to be free(more free then I am!) Pray for me. Right now, I would say that I am the head of our family from the religious standpoint; I want Andrew to be that rock. I want God's will to be done in our lives. I want to be better. Pray for me. I want to not be afraid to praise the Lord without reservation. I want to be able to pray at the alter without people looking at me....basically, I want to not care what they think. I want to praise my God while singing worship songs. Pray for me.

Any suggestions on what I can do.....I am open to any advice. I want to be better for myself, my family, and for Jesus Christ.

What's going on?

Sectionals are over for the WC Cardinals! They lost, although they put up a good fight! We are very proud of them and very proud to be a part of a school with such school spirit! It was great! Calleigh had such a good time watching the game, the cheerleaders, and the students! She clapped her hands and smiled the whole time! Here is a family pic and some pics of Calleigh having a good time!




















We had a good night at the game, but we were very happy to get to stay home last night! It was nice to eat hamburgers and french fries at home! When we got home we watched The Bachelor: After The Final Rose, Part 2. It was good to see the things are working out for Jason and Molly, and I am happy for them, but I hate the way he broke it off with Melissa on TV....what was he thinking? The good news is that Jillian (MY FAVORITE) is going to be the next Bachelorette and that is scheduled to start on May 18. I am pumped! Next Monday night will be Dancing with the Stars and I am glad to get to watch it again too (just not as glad as I am about the Bachelor/Bachelorette!!!)

Tonight we are planning on going to see Andrew's Dad and Step-mom. We love to spend time with them and they love to spoil Calleigh rotten!

Tomorrow is a big day for us, so please keep us in your prayers. It could be a new and wonderful job possibility for Andrew, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that he finds out some good news tomorrow, but we may not even know until this summer.....we'll just have to see what happens and pray that God's will be done in our lives!

Please pray for the McKay family as they are going through a rough time with the loss of their husband/father. It was such a sudden thing, so sad.
http://mckayfamilylife.blogspot.com/

Sectional Time and the Bachelor!

CA-CA-CARD IN-IN-INAL C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L
Victory Cardinals Fight Fight Fight!!!

Tonight is sectional night and we are cheering for Washington Catholic! It's red out night, so we are decked out in our red cardinal shirts, Calleigh will be in her cardinal cheerleading uniform and we are headed to North Daivess High School. This is what we live for! High School Basketball!

We will also be cheering for our old high schools,the Pike Central Chargers and the Southridge Raiders!

Luckily, all 3 schools are in different sectionals, so we do not have to pick one to side with!

We should be getting out tax refund money back soon and we are so excited to be paying off some bills! Yeah for getting rid of debt!

Our weekend was packed with fun time! We woke up Saturday morning after getting to sleep in(finally) and Calleigh and I headed to a baby shower while Andrew went to pick up some fire wood. I dropped Calleigh off at Andrew's moms house and I headed home. Andrew and I got ready and went to a wedding for Scott and Crimson and we had a good time there! We did not know a lot of people, but it was still fun to get to be at their wedding and share some conversation with them! On Sunday, we went to Andrew's families church and then we ate at a benefit for a very wonderful lady named Lynn. She owns the pizza place in town and she is sick with something called Merca. This is a disease that leaves open sores on her body, and sometimes they get in very bad shape. She has two on her legs that require skin graphs because they are so bad. The benefit was a spaghetti lunch and all the food was donated. They also had a silent auction and raised about $7,000 for her! We then we to Beth and Earl's house to spend some time with the family, went to Los Dos Charo's to eat, and then went home.

Yesterday we cleaned the house and watched the Bachelor Finale. What a disappointment! I loved Jason on the Bachelorette and was so excited that he would be the Bachelor. Then it was perfect, he picked the right girls, got rid of the crazies, and it was down to 5. Then went Stephanie, Then Naomi, Then Jillian(who I loved) and it was last night! Down to Melissa and Molly. I love them both, so whoever he picks is going to be great. He picked Melissa, who was so excited. It was wonderful....almost to good to be true. And it was. Right after the finale come the After the Final Rose show, where they take a look at how things are going. Jason walks out, says he is not happy with Melissa and can't stop thinking about Molly. He broke it off with Melissa on TV.....hello, this is not cool at all! Then Molly comes out and he tells her he wants to be with her, and the next thing you know she is back with him they are hugging and kissing and all is well......until tonight. There is ANOTHER after the final rose show tonight...what more can there be? My speculation is that (a) he is not happy with Molly anymore, (b) he wants Melissa back, (c) he is not with either one of them or(d) he is with one and they are very happy!

Let's watch tonight(I am DVR-ing it) and see what happens......I can't wait!