sweet relief

Five weeks ago we were told that baby boy appeared to have an enlarged heart.  We were referred to a specialist.  Four days later, after an echocardiogram with Dr. Montgomery, we were told that baby boy had a ventricular septal defect.  Today, we got the wonderful news that the VSD is gone and baby boy looks perfectly healthy...and really cute!

Just yesterday I was telling Lyla not to be afraid of something and I quoted this verse to her: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).  We stopped and prayed for whatever it was that she was worried about and it made her feel better.  I then realized that the Lord was trying to impress that upon my heart as well.  Everytime I felt anxious about today's appointment, I stopped to pray for the baby's health and God always gave me a sense of peace about it.  I am so thankful for our Heavenly Father who hears our prayers!

Here's a picture of our handsome boy from today's visit.

a day about showing LOVE to others!

I absolutely love Valentine's day.  I always have.  Even in my single days, I enjoyed making little treats for my single girlfriends.  I don't see this day as a day for just romantic love...it's an excuse to show our love to everyone around us.  After all, God asks us to do this.  Jesus said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." -John 15:12.

This morning I made some pink, heart-shaped pancakes for my three valentines.  We told the kids how today is about God's incredible love for us, how we can show our love to Him, and how we can spread that love to the world around us.

I LOVE this little face...

...and I LOVE this one too.

Happy Valentine's day to you all!  May your day be filled with incredible amounts of LOVE.

punxsutawney pudding cups for groundhog day

I saw this in a magazine and I instantly wanted to make this for groundhog day.  How adorable does punxsutawney phil look peeking out of a pudding cup?  Here are the simple instructions.

Start with a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie.  To make the ears, halve a sliced almond.  Trim another almond into teeth (this was the trickiest part).  Cut off the points of two butterscotch chips to make them flat.  Spoon chocolate frosting into a ziplock sandwich bag and snip off a tiny corner.  Use dots of the frosting to attach the ears, teeth, and cheeks to the cookie.  Pipe on frosting eyes and nose.  Slide the cookie into a chocolate pudding cup and sprinkle on crumbled oreo for dirt.

The kids each got to make their own with a little help from me.

We got to eat them for dessert after dinner and they were delicious!