Heaven Sent

Hello!! I have a story to share and want to remember so I knew I needed to blog about it. One day I will have more time to blog...:)

So I went to beach with a friend from work (Lea)  to visit our other friend from work (Maggie) who is part of our Wilmington Team.  She is commutes in from Topsail Beach where she lives. She invited Lea and I for a night at her home and a day at the beach.  We were thrilled and had been counting down the days for the weekend to arrive!!

It is hard for me to leave Jonah but for one night it would be fine. He and Daddy could have some bonding time.

So after work right at 5pm off we went to the beach. The drive was easy. We made great time. We went out to dinner at The Beach Shop.  Sooooo delicious! I had oysters and shrimp and they were incredibly fresh!! I love the beach!

Saturday we enjoyed coffee, blueberrry pancakes, a morning walk on the beach, laying out, swimming, and lunch at Buddy's right by the pier. Great day. After a late lunch it was time to head home. Lea and I said our goodbyes and were Raleigh bound.

About 30 minutes into the drive my tire pressure light went on.  We just had the tire plugged from a previous hole the day before (the original hole was a roadtrip to a wedding and the tire needed repaired we knew we would get new tires soon but had a few weeks) , car inspected and oil changed. Everything was supposed to be good to go. Well we were going down a 2 lane country road and no gas station in sight.  About 5 minutes later I start to hear the sound everyone dreads. Its like a helicopter is right over your head. Yep, the tire is flat and what do we do now. I start thinking about pulling over on the side of the road but there is not much room.  Lea says look there's a daycare pull in their drive way.  So I pull in at the last minute. The tire is shredding and about to fall off. We get out of the car the assess the situation and 2 people come out of the garage at the daycare. They were sitting outside and we realized they lived there. It was a home daycare. The guy said I was hoping you would stop here...I could hear you coming down the street. I said we need to change our tire. He said ok and walked away back to the garage.  He came back a minute later with a car jack!! He said I will change your tire. As I sat there in awe of this sweet guy changing our tire I said to him" The Lord knew to send you because we would have a hard time changing this tire".  Lea said "He's Heaven Sent". I said
" Yes, He definitely". She said " No, It's Heaven Sent Daycare" and points to their sign.  I said "Oh my goodness!" The sweet gentleman just smiles and says he is happy to help.

In about 10 minutes he changed our tire.  We offered to pay him and even offered fresh blueberries Lea's mom just picked from her garden.  .  He said no no just glad to help you. d We told him thank you so much!

Riding away we talked of how thankful we were and how God had protected and cared for us. That could have happened on Highway 1-40 or we could have been struggling to change the tire ourselves.  ( We could have changed the tire but it definitely would have been longer than 10 minutes and all we had was the tire jack.  We would have been exhausted!)

God spoke to me about what happened at Heaven Sent and how it relates to my life.
1) In life you are going down the road and something bad happens. Me-I look side to side and just want to stop. Lea, a fellow sister in Christ, said look ahead let's go there and stop.  In the storms of life, his provision, his blessing, his promise is just ahead.  Our lack of patience can lead to a consequence. I was reading to just pull over but if I did the tire change experience would have been A LOT tougher!
2) God knows everything. He cares about the smallest details. He loves His children.
3) Having a fellow believer along side of you in life's journey is essential. They have a different perspective and can see things you don't.

Enjoy the moments!!
Love,
Sarah :)

P.S. My boys are great ( Matty, JJ, and  Louie) Matty is doing well at his new job, selling mortgages at DNJ Gateway Mortgage, JJ is 14 months! He is silly and such a sweet heart. He loves learning new words, books, lawnmowers, trucks, and cars. Louie is a rebel and we are retraining him. We still love him and JJ and him are buds :)

Happy New Year!

Being that it's a new year it has inspired me to start blogging again. Jonah is 7 months old and it has flown by! Blogging didn't make it on my top 10 list so it just didn't happen. Now that he is on a schedule and I have some more flexiblity at work things aren't as crazy busy.

He is the sweetest, cutest, happiest boy in the world :) Although I am little biased. :) Seriously though his laugh will melt your heart and put you in a better mood no matter what is going on. Matt and I couldn't be more thankful and we are grateful for our blessing from the Lord!!

Jonah is on the move scooting around and rocking back and forth on his knees. He will be crawling soon and I am very excited.  He loves taking in everything is a little sponge. He is making all kinds of sounds and will try and sing in the car. It is the sweetest thing. He has his own little language and I love it.

Here are some pics of JJ!

Enjoy the moments!!!

Sarah

Jonah James Valentine

Welcome Jonah James Valentine! This is a little late...well almost 8 weeks late to be exact! Having a newborn you really don't have much free time. Jonah is an amazing blessing and Matt and I love him so much! Words can't express our love for him. 

We think he is going to keep those gorgeous baby blue eyes :) My Dad and Grandpa both have blue eyes so it is in the genes.

Here is a short video of his life so far :) http://animoto.com/play/IMAlG57tvtjxNtVoiWvgNA

Jonah will be 8 weeks old on Sunday. These past almost 8 weeks have been incredible, exhausting, and emotional. Jonah is a sweet boy and him and I are learning this new life together every day. Matt is learning as well but I am home all day so it is a little different for me. Being a mom is a huge responsibility and I don't take it lightly. I want to provide a great environment for Jonah and keep him healthy and safe.  

The biggest thing I have struggled with is.. I am doing this whole parenting thing right? Am I a bad Mom?(this thought creeps in when Jonah is crying a bunch and I don't know why) He has had some acid reflux so now that we got medicine for that he is MUCH happier! He still has his moments though..and Matt reminds me that he is a baby and he is going to cry. Very true but it is never easy to see Jonah cry when you have tried everything to comfort him. Sometimes the little man just needs his sleep and he fights it to the end. He doesn't want to miss anything!

Another struggle has been not being able to stay at home with him full time. I go back to work on Tuesday. Just a few days away!I can't believe it :(  This morning I sat down to read the book "The Circle Maker". I opened the book and immediately the spirit lead my eyes to this " A Second lesson learned is that no doesn't always mean no; sometimes no means not yet. We're too quick to give up on God when He doesn't answer our prayers when we want or how we want. Maybe your deadline doesn't fit God's timeline. Maybe no simply means not yet. Maybe it's a divine delay. Finally, I learned that we shouldn't seek answers as much as we seek God. We get overanxious. We try to microwave our own answers instead of trusting God's timing. But here's an important reminder: If you seek answers you won't find them, but if you seek God the answers will find you. There comes a point after you have prayed through that you need to let go and let God. How? By resisting the temptation to manufacture your own answer to your own prayer. " 

So that hit me upside the head this morning! That is exactly what I needed to read. Definitely don't like hearing that but it is true and don't I want his perfect divine plan? Not one that I have tried to force? Maturity, surrender, losing control...this is what I am learning. I want to stay at home or at least work part time but the time just isn't right..right now. I am holding to that promise that one day I will get more time with Jonah day to day. 

Until next time Enjoy the Moments!

xoxo Sarah, Matt, Jonah, and Louie

Oh and Louie is adjusting to Jonah :) He is now second fiddle and is coming to terms with that. He is still well loved just lacking as much attention.  

37 weeks

So it has been wayyy too long since my last post! We have been extremely busy with work, church, preparing for Jonah, baby showers, a wedding, and just life in general. All wonderful things that I am thankful for. Matt and I can't wait to meet Jonah!!! I have been checking things off my "to do list" and I am officially ready for him to come now :)

At 37 weeks you are considered full term but my due date isn't until May 23.  So we will see....Any bets on when he will come??

Here are some shots from this week. I have gained a total of 28lbs.I look quite different from my first preggo shot!! It is hard to remember what my body used to be like..haha

37 weeks

Here's Jonah :)

As of Tuesday I am currently 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Praying Jonah won't wait too long to arrive. Can't wait to hold our precious blessing from the Lord!!!

Love,
Sarah

26 weeks pregnant

It has been quite a while since my last post so I am finally taking a few moments to give you an update :) Me and Jonah are doing great! I am feeling great and He is moving around all the time! I am 26 weeks and growing every day. Matty and Louie are doing good too!

I am on a trip with Dad right now. Just me and him and the dogs (Louie and his dog Rufus). It is our Daddy/Daughter trip that I have been looking forward to! We are at Isle of Palms which is right by Charleston, SC. It has been a great trip. A little rainy but that is passing today. We ate some yummy seafood last night, and today we went to a cute coffee shop in Mt. Pleasant, walked around the market in downtown Charleston, took a stroll on the beach, watched movies, and basically have enjoy this pretty area!  I have Monday off for President's Day (tomorrow) so it is a nice long weekend.

Latte with Breakfast

Jonah's first walk on the beach

We had a bumpy start to the trip with a flat tire and waiting for it to get fixed at Walmart for 2 hours but we made some memories..haha  and it could have been worse.

Enjoy the moments. I am soaking them in today spending time with my sweet and caring Daddy. Enjoying time with Jonah as he grows and cherishing those precious kicks!

Jonah waving in the ultrasound this past Monday :) Sweet Boy! (That is his hand in the upper left corner)

God is good!
Love,
Sarah xoxo

19 weeks

It has been a great week. Monday off from work. I went back to work Tuesday and thankfully we havent been too busy. So I have been catching up from being on vacay last week. Tomorrow is Friday and I have Monday off for New Years! Love me some Bank Holidays! :)

Jonah is moving and and it wonderful being able to feel him. It is like flutters and they are getting stronger and all day long. When I settle down at night and I am laying in bed I can feel Him the most. It is awesome! God amazes me how He is knitting Jonah and creating every little part of him.

Almost Happy New Year...so excited for all the amazing things to come in 2012! Jonah James Valentine will make appearance into the world in 2012!!! Can't wait!

19 weeks pregnant :)

Our Sweet Baby Valentine

So.....it's a BOY!!!!! Jonah Valentine :) We are absolutely thrilled! He is such a cutie already! He is healthy and all is well with him and Mom! God has blessed us with a sweet son! What an amazing Christmas gift the Lord has given us!

Our boy! P.S. That is not a widow's peak it is a shadow on his soft spot. haha Although I am sure he will have lots of hair! :)