So INCREDIBLY Grateful... for YOU!

Hello dear ones!

Well, I am slowly emerging from life-with-a-newborn fogginess and have lots I'd love to say to you, but know that little Miss Ellie will be waking up any moment demanding her lunch-after all it's been a whole 2 hours, she IS starving! (This is joyful sarcasm, trust me!  Ethan would have been happy to starve at this stage-thank the Lord Ellie loves to eat!!)


The overwhelming emotion I am feeling these days is intense gratitude-appropriate as we fly through November-although for the life of me I can't figure out what happened to August, September and October!  Anyway...  

One of the lessons I learned the hard way during my first introduction to parenthood is that it's ok to ask for help.  See I had (sometimes still have) bought into the lie that it's better to do it yourself, to have it all together and just power through.  HA! Ha ha ha ha! NOT true!  When Ethan was born I thought I knew what I was getting into, then life as a new mom sent me for a tailspin.  I just wasn't willing to admit it yet- after all I was independent, able to handle anything, right?  At the time my closest friends were the people I had been working with- not usually the demographic that comes and does your laundry or watches the baby so that you can catch up on rest- and so I relied on my mom, a friend who was persistent in asking and a few of my mom's friends to bring meals, but mostly I struggled through on my own with lots of tears and prayer.

Ellie & Grandy (Yes-the picture taking torture was my idea!)

Now, I feel like God has richly blessed me (our whole family, really) with a second chance to see what a blessing and encouragement it can be to be vulnerable, admit weakness and show others you truly DON'T have it all together.  Since the week Ellie was born, there has been an outpouring of love and care that many of you have shown to our family.  It has come in all sorts of shapes and sizes- adorable little outfits for her now and in Indonesia, open-ended gifts to get whatever we will need as we pack to go overseas, open-ended offers to come to our house or take Ethan out for a special treat, all of you who have brought dinner to our family (seriously HUGE for this mama who cooks because, well-we have to eat!) and even something as simple as a friend walking Ethan into his preschool class so I don't have to haul Ellie in and out of the car. 

Ethan & Grandpa wrestling- my parents have been a huge blessing!

 Do you know what an incredible blessing you have been to our family and to me personally?  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  God is using you to show me the blessing of living in community and NOT having it all together, but relying on His provision and His Body to fill in and overflow my weaknesses.  Thank you sweet friends, you are priceless!  May He richly bless each of you! -amy