All kind of things to Share

The first couple days Del and Arielle were here

TJ and his new baby

enjoying some music

daily dosage of dirt

Unlike Ava Penny really enjoys sleeping on my chest

Ava and Ezra having fun outside

Ezra... such a sweet boy (he just turned 2!)

My big baby girl!  :)

my growing girl!

Beach Day (with Nonnie!)

Penny enjoying her little bed on the beach

Playing together

first time touching the ocean at 2 1/2 weeks old

I think she was ok with it

Silas getting his turn in the ocean

Me and my girls!  (I love to say that!)

Ava's got her much needed equipment

Feeding the birds

just chill'n

Del & Arielle took us to dinner at our favorite place "The Garlic"

First Bath

Ava joining in the fun, she had to give Penny an Ava kiss

Hello Penny!

Nonni, and 4 of her 6 grandbabies

Ava letting Silas suck on her arm... weird, but he liked it!

Ava carrying her baby like "Mommy"

Little baby... Big Avacodo

Ava loves to hold Penny and give her several kisses a day

There's a handful

At the Shower... Betsy and Penny

Cherie Shropshire threw Penny and I a lovely baby shower!

Beautiful Cake by Joan and Gena Cicerelli

Wow!  So much has been going on since I last blogged… as you can see I have overloaded you with pictures, but I really wanted to include things that we have been doing here at our house. 

Life seems to be throwing us some curve balls, and I feel as though God is putting our trust in Him to the test.  A week after Penny was born we found out that our Pastor was resigning, it was a BIG surprise… gosh, I had so many emotions not to mention the fact that I recently had a baby and had all kinds of hormones running through my body.  After finding out the initial news there were a few options for our “Calvary Chapel Space Coast” church body, we could just dissipate… be no more, which was such an overwhelming thought!  TJ and I have put in a lot of time, energy and effort in this church, assuming it would be our sending church, the backbone to our future ministry, this was the church that was going to be partnering with us to help reach the unreached… why would God do this right now?!?!!!!!  ..Especially with us finally going to school in the fall.  So many things running through my head, I wanted to trust God, but had a hard time not feeling lost, confused, and honestly just flat out angry.  Ok, so on to the other options… our church could stay together (what does that even mean?  We are the church… the body of Christ!)  Of the utmost respect for our recent pastor, we don’t follow a man, we follow Christ because HE is our head.  Our church can move on with fire in our belly’s passion for the Lord, and a refreshing new beginning to follow God in a new direction.  So… Our church fellowship has decided to move on... to stay together, we are excited about what God is going to do, and where he is going to take us… Day by day we are trusting Him to sustain us to give us Hope, to give us the ability to thrive in Him… I would say this is forcing us to trust him, and stay together as a church family.  I believe God has good in mind for us, and that he has a plan for our church family. 

TJ and I still want to go to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in the fall, God hasn’t given us any indication that we should put our plans to a halt, but we are trusting him and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  We are willing to do what it takes to do the right thing even if that means staying here longer.  I can rest in the fact that God does have a plan, and he will not lead us astray. 

Del, Arielle, Ezra, and Silas have been staying with us since March 1^st and they leave in the morning (Tuesday) to go to Maryland, and then a few days after that off to Senegal west Africa.  It has been so good to spend this time with them before they leave for Africa and we don’t get to see them for 4 years..  They have been such a help to our little family, keeping the pantry and fridge stocked, dinner on the table, keeping me company when TJ has been gone for nights at a time, entertaining my little Ava which has been a little more difficult than normal seeing how she has been adjusting to the new member in the family.  I am so thankful to Del and Arielle, God brought them here at just the right time, and they have been so encouraging to us in this interesting time in our lives.  

My mom also got to come visit and help us a week after Penny was born,  it was such a blessing to have her here, I wish she could have stayed longer, but her work and husband were calling her home.  She got to be here for my baby shower that my sister in law Cherie Shropshire so graciously threw.  This baby shower really was a lot of fun, and I felt so loved by Cherie and all the people that showered Penny and I with love and gifts.  The cake was beautiful and delicious!  I think it might have been the most delicious cake I have ever eaten... wow!  We enjoyed it for several days after.  We also all took a Beach trip which was a lot of fun, I made sure not to walk around much as I was still healing, but everyone had a lot of fun, and of course the kids all crashed when we got home.  

Penny will be a month old on Thursday, time is flying yet going so slow at the same time, I am sad to see Del and Arielle go, but am looking forward to getting into some sort of routine with my girls, and figuring out how to operate with another little person to take care of.  :)