Carson Seth

How horrible has my blogging been?! Today, I've seen a few people do posts, so I figured it was catch-you-up-on-life kind of day. :)

Well, baby Carson is here! But you live under a rock if you didn't know that. :) He made his debut on January 9th at 4:36 in the afternoon. His due date wasn't until February 2nd, so he was born an adorable 5 pounds 11 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. When he was delivered, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he wasn't breathing. His head was bruised significantly and his body was gray in color. Because he was a preemie, the NICU doctor was called in for the delivery, so once he arrived, the doctor took him to the side and literally pumped air into his lungs. Within minutes, his perfect infant wailing cry filled the room. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Carson ended up having to spend 8 days in the Special Care Unit {which is different from ICU} and Seth and Stacey had to go home without him. Can you imagine how hard that would be?! I definitely can't. But God will make a way, amen? At Chesapeake General, they have a couple of rooms for parents to be able to stay in if their baby has to stay an extra night and they've been discharged. I'm not sure if many parents get to leave and then come back, but Seth and Stacey were able to do that! If I can remember right, they were there for two nights, but the doctor told them that even if they kept the baby for another week, they could stay in the room. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Ever since the 17th, Carson has been home. He's been growing and he's been SUCH a blessing to all of us! The first week of Carson's life was the farthest thing from what Seth and Stacey had expected and planned for, but they were so strong. I'm proud of both of them and am so thankful to have them in my life. And now this precious baby boy! He's here and he's healthy. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Seth wrote this song while Carson was still in the hospital. It's as heartfelt as you can get.
"The doctors took him to the side and with God's help, they gave him life. We heard his cry and that was our hallelujah!"
Having been there, this is the most powerful line I've ever heard. Makes me cry every time. :)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=524650540908518

God has blessed us, once again, in the form of baby Carson Seth. You're loved, little guy. More than you'll ever know.

Winter Wonderland

In case you don't have a window of your own, IT'S SNOWING!

Today has been a lazy day of vacation planing. While getting things settled for our Outer Banks beach house rental, snow flakes started to fall. For where we live, we're pretty much in a blizzard right now. :) Luckily for me, I have the perfect tree in my front yard to photograph from inside my nice, cozy home.

Now, my fantastic boyfriend {who isn't much of a snow fan} has just built a big fire with wet wood.  

I'd say we're walkin' in a winter wonderland.

Happy New Year!

2013. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday, I was kneeling at the alter with my church family, praying in the new year. So much has happened this past year that I'm thankful for.

In April, I celebrated two insanely wonderful years of dating Sebastian Michael Brown. Thankful!!

In May, I graduated from highschool. Wow.

In June, I met my first nephew who I've grown so close to. He makes our lives so much happier. :)

In August, my family and I left the church I grew up in. Fourteen years at Calvary Temple Church came to a close.

In September, my dad planted a church. I became a charter member of Chr1st Fellowship Community Church.

Many more things have happened this past year, but my CFCC family is due to arrive at my house in four minutes, so I need to expedite. :) I want to do a walk through this past year in pictures, so I'll hopefully get to that tomorrow.

I'm so excited to see what God has in store for this next year. I hope you all have a good, safe night tonight!

Happy New Year!!!

Busy Bee

Hey, guys!! It's been awhile! I've been quite the busy bee lately. :)

A week or two before Thanksgiving, I was hired as a seasonal cashier at Walmart. I worked for a few weeks then was offered more hours at my first job {a nanny} and decided to quit. That and the fact that lifting beer cases, soda cans, and gallons of milk for five to eight hours every night re-injured my neck and shoulders from the car accident. So, 25 hours a week, $7.65 an hour, and a hurt neck? Or 15 hours a week, $13 an hour, and lots of baby giggles. Don't have to think about that one too much. :)  Although, Sebastian was hired too, and the thought of not being able to ride to work together aaaaalmost kept me there. Close, but no cigar. ;)

Baby Carson will be here soon! Speaking of that precious boy, I need to put baby shower pictures up {Sorry, Grandma Cindy!}. I had the privilege of going to the 3D ultrasound and was blessed by seeing his little smile. Still in his mama's belly, yet we can see him smiling. Gotta love technology. Seth, Stacey, and Carson's big, huge family can't wait meet him! Can it be February 2nd already?!

Speaking of nephews, Ryder is already six months old and is wearing nine month clothes! He's one of those ridiculously cute chunky babies. He loves to play and he LOVES to bounce. He's our very own Tigger. This little boy has a smile that's contagious and the most adorable laugh in the world. Should I go on? :)

This is an oldie, but certainly a goodie. :)

Those eyelashes!

He's giving the smolder. ;)

What a model.

And there he is. <3

 Sorry about that Ryder overload. He's just so stinkin' cute.

I got a car!! My parents surprised me and took me in to get my first car. Well, I've had three others, but none of them came from a dealership. As I've mentioned before, I reeeeaaaaally wanted a Ford Fiesta. Believe it or not {I'd believe it}, my mom and dad were able to get me a 2012 lime green Fiesta! And I'm pretty much in love with it. :)

There is one word to describe my life and I'm positive all of you have guessed what that is:

Blessed

In the event that I don't blog again within the next few days, I hope you guys have a very Merry Christmas! I have lots of presents to wrap and still have a few to buy. Oh, the joys of having a big family. :) I'll leave you guys with a picture of my favorite person. Any guesses? ;)

Bingo. :)

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

In honor of exam week, I saw this and thought you may be able to use a laugh. Hopefully, all you college kids did/will do a little bit better than this guy. :)

1) In which battle did Napoleon die?
 * His last battle.
2) Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
 * At the bottom of the page.
3) River Ravi flows in which state?
 * Liquid.
4) What is the main reason for divorce?
 * Marriage.
5) What is the main reason for failure?
 * Exams.
6) What can you never eat for breakfast?
 * Lunch & Dinner.
7) What looks like half an apple?
 * The other half.
8) If you throw a red stone into a blue sea, what will it become?
 * It will simply become wet.
9) How can a man go eight days without sleeping?
 * No problem, he sleeps at night.
10) How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
 * You will never find an elephant that only has one hand.
11) If you had three apples and three oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
 * Very large hands.
12) If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
 * No time at all, the wall is already built.
13) How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
 * Any way you want, concrete floors are hard to crack.

I have no idea what genius came up with these answers, it was just something I saw on the internet and I'm sure a lot of you have seen it too. But if not, I hope you laughed at atleast one question. :)

4 More Years

Well, the results are in.

President Obama it is!

Yesterday, I woke up, got ready, and went to the polls. I stood in line for all of thirty-five minutes, showed my support for Mitt Romney, and left feeling All-American. I'm thankful for my right to vote. I'm thankful for the freedom to have my own opinion. And today, I'm thankful for Barack Obama. For if it wasn't God's will for him to be re-elected, he wouldn't have been.

I disagree with most things President Obama stands for. I think abortion is one of, if not the worst thing on earth. Not to go on a rant about that, but I'm not quite sure how anyone can sit back and allow the murder of an unborn, innocent child. From one of my previous posts, you all know how I feel about same-sex marriage. There are things, as a Christian, that I won't support.

This election has been brutal. I know someone who has deleted multiple people from facebook {me included} because they didn't agree with their political views. What happened to love your neighbor?

Luke 10:27 says, "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself."

So now we know that we are suppose to love Jesus Christ first and foremost, then love your neighbor. Not 'love those who are against abortion' or 'love those who voted for Mitt Romney', we are to love our neighbor. Period. We are to love the doctors who willingly take the life of a human being, and we are to love the man who allows it all.

Barack Obama is our president for four more years. Instead of downgrading all he is and may do, lift him up in prayer. Trust our Savior during this time!

"Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God, Your are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power; Our God! Our God!!"

Don't put your faith in a man! Put it in Jesus Christ! 

The Red, White, and Blue

Tonight, I'm going to bed unsure of what I'll wake up to. President Obama? President Romney?

I'm thankful for a God who's faithful. He already knows who our next leader will be and He already knows the road America will be taken down. It may be a surprise to some, but it's not a surprise to Jesus Christ. I'm going to sleep with peace knowing that the Lord is in control.

Oh, and for my first time voting, I had a blast. What an honor it is to be able to have the slightest say in the direction our country goes in.

I'm proud to be an American.