Monday, September 27, 2010

big wheels keep on rollin...


i rolled over yesterday at church!
mrs. sabrina and mommy saw it and were so proud of me!
i am still trying to replicate it today...

Went to the Neptune Festival this weekend with GiGi, mommy, & uncle kyle!

little update:
Though it is never easy to leave my little munchkin...
It is getting better and better each week.
It was both, Ray & my, decision for me to go back to work twice a week... one day shift, one night shift.
This is what works best for us... and this is what we feel God giving us grace for at
this time. Though it is hard at times, we are peaceful.
I have actually enjoyed being back to work... once I get there...
I love catching up with all the other moms... having a little grown up time
without doing the whole baby talk thing :)
I have enjoyed getting back to nursing... to helping patients and families
through the difficult times of being in the hospital and dealing with the diagnosis of cancer.
I know that God is using this season to show me all that He has called me to.
His plan is ALWAYS better than mine...

I am loving watching Barrett grow. It seems like this week he has had a big developmental growth spurt... laughing, cooing more, and now rolling over!
God has been so kind to allow me to be such a big part of Barrett's life and work to help our family! I hardly miss much of his life at all :) I am also very thankful that Ray does such an awesome job with the baby overnight and that Ray's mom takes such good care of him during the day! The transition was hard, but it is getting better with each passing week.
I am so grateful for ALL of you that prayed for me, encouraged me, and have walked with
me through this hard transition.
My parents have been an extra special encouragement to me during this time.
I am so grateful for the people that the Lord has placed in my life!

so... embarking on another week at the Hunt household!! :) In all the business, God is quieting out hearts and drawing us to Himself!

Friday, September 24, 2010

1 Peter 2:4-10

Realized that on days that I work night shifts I will not be getting much sleep...
So, after a nice morning walk to the Chiropractor with my baby, I decided that I would listen to the message from Sunday while Barrett is content playing. It is hard to focus on the message at church now that I have a little one. I listened to Eric's message, Our Identity, Our Purpose, and was so convicted and encouraged. I was exactly what I needed to be reminded of today... who I am in Christ and who we are as a church. Life can get so busy that my purpose and passion can quickly be crowed out and conformed into something completely different. As Eric reminded us, "Our purpose is to proclaim the excellencies of Christ!" What a privilege to participate in proclaiming Christ everyday!

One question that really caused me to think was, "What do you find yourself placing your identity in?" That question will start to reveal the idols in your heart quite quickly! Man, I can think of so many things that my identity is found in... and at times it is far from who I am in Christ...
A Royal Priesthood
A Holy Nation
A People Belonging to God!

I must remind myself daily that I am His daughter, that He has raised me up in Christ to life, and that His spirit is active in me all the time! He is the living stone and I, a dead stone, am connected to Him... therefore, I am ALIVE and His passion and purpose should consume to life!

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5

And, the beauty of all this is... we are the Church! All the dead stones that have been made alive are working together to make up the church! I am seeing a renewed love for the church growing in my heart. What could be more important than meeting with the people of God... to be where his spirit dwells... and to all being sanctified together in love! I think of Barrett... wanting Him to know what the most important things are to his mommy and daddy. What will he say one day... is it sports, work, entertainment, etc... or is it Jesus Christ?

Eric encouraged us to, "see what God is doing in our generation, and throw ourselves into it!" I want to throw myself into "proclaiming the excellencies of christ" in all that I do. I know that I needed a fresh look at who I am in Christ and the work that He has for me to do! I can feel frustrated at times with this season of my life... sometimes its just enough for me to get up, showered, dressed, and take care of my family. How can I "proclaim His excellencies" in this season? I am already feeling a sweet new outlook for what God is doing in my heart, my family, and my church! Oh, how I want to be a part of it all... whether it is worshipping together on Sunday, praying with a friend over the phone, bring a nurse at KD, taking care of my son, or encouraging my husband... I know that it is not always in the BIG things that are noticeable, but the little things are just as important to Jesus.

So... though I woke up exhausted, knowing I have to be up all day and work all night... Just hearing the truth of God's Word this afternoon gives me renewed strength to serve my Jesus with my all... in all that I do... for His glory!

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:10

Monday, September 20, 2010

Lovin baby BOY!

Woke up this morning at 8am thinking, man, why isn't my baby up yet? I raced into his room to make sure he was ok... and that little stinker was wide eyed, smiley, and just rolling around! I was reminded, as I am so often, of what a wonderful blessing our baby boy is to us!

Wearing my first tie..
i love my mom!
my fingers are very tasty!
i'm so big... 3 1/2 months!!


Starting another week.... asking the Lord to fill up my cup with gRacE, TRUTH, pEacE, and PATIENCE! He has good things in store for us this week... now, if I can just keep my eyes on Him and not on my circumstances!

Friday, September 17, 2010

I really love the hearts of this band...


This is actually the blog for their son, Bowen, who was born with a heart problem.
Their faith is so inspiring!


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

CrAzY LiTtle LiFe

One of my dear friends asked me how I was doing last week... and well, yeah, I pretty much said that things really stink right now! She said, I thought things were great because you always seen so positive on you blog... so here's the real scoop... the real heart issues... my real life...

Do you ever go through a time where you think, "man, I am doing pretty good! no huge sin issues in my life and things are going, well, almost perfectly."? Little do you realize that pride, self reliance, and complacency are invading your soul...

This has been me lately... thinking that things are going so well... not relying on the Lord for everything...not acknowledging that I need His help. Well, things will quickly come crashing down if this is what you think... and the past few weeks have shown that...

The past 3 weeks have probably been one of the most stressful times in my life. I know that you can always compare your problems to others and see that things really aren't that bad... but for me, in my world, things are stressful...

One of the saddest things that I have seen come out in my life during this season of stress is that my marriage takes last place. Though Ray is the love of my life, there are other (what seems to be) pressing needs.... baby, house, work, friends, etc... What I have to give him is just left-overs alot of the time. I see him for a bit in the morning and then right before we go to bed... and its hard... we're tired... BUT...

Thank you Lord for opening the eyes of my heart to see clearly how dangerous this can be! Under God, Ray is and should be the most important thing to me... my time and energy should show that. Oh, how I long to erase these past few weeks.. things that have been said, silly arguments, and just plain left-overs... NOT FUN!

After chatting the other night, we decided to just forget the past and move forward. I am so blessed to have such a forgiving, loving, patient, and loyal husband. God is making it more and more clear how I can best love this sweet man in my life :) It just boils down to making time to spend with the LOVE of my life! I am ready for a gourmet feast... no more left-overs for this girl!!
___________________________________________________________

As for the rest of my life... CrAzY!! Having a little guy that loves to have your attention, needs to be fed, changed, burped, played with, and loved on takes ALOT of energy! It has been amazing to see how God has continued to replenish me each day with a renewed strength to care for my sweet baby boy, manage our home, and work.

Today was Barrett and Ray's first full day together... and a mommy couldn't be more proud! They did awesome!! I think they are gonna be the best of friends! Ray is so good with him... and that helps put my heart at ease. I see now why you need a mom & a dad! ;)

Though many tears have been shed as I drive to work the past few weeks... It has been a blessing to go back to work and do something that I love! Though I am not always able to be with Barrett, I am able to be with someone else's little boy or girl that needs attention, care, and love. It has been fun to laugh with my friends and carrying on about "mommy things." I have loved continuing to learn new things since coming back and getting reaquainted with the old. And, I must say that it is only 2 days a week... so, God is kind in allowing me to only have to work this little.

On another note, I have missed my family more than I think I ever have! Sometimes I just cant shake the longing to be near them... it hurts to know that they are missing so much of Barrett's little life. I know that God has us where he wants us right now, but it doesn't make it any easier. I have had some wonderful talks with my parents the past few weeks... they have helped encourage me through such a hard transition. I am grateful for my family and I am SO excited to see them in October.

So... All in all...
I'm thankful I have the Lord
Im thankful I have my husband
I'm thankful I have my son
I'm thankful I have my family
I'm thankful I have my job
I'm thankful I have my friends



P.S. New things Baby Barrett is doing: Smiling alot, Laughing, Ticklish, Drooling more than ever, Going 3-4 hours without eating, Sleeping from 9-10 hours at night, talking/cooing up a storm, getting super excited when mommy & daddy get home from work, has many different expressions, working on tummy time, rolling side to side, loves hands and fingers, loves bathtime, and pretty much is a happy baby overall! So thankful for the past (almost) 4 months with our precious little boy! Mommy and Daddy love you so much Barr Barr!! We are continuing to pray that you grow big and strong for Jesus!

GoodNight from a tired mommy :)

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I am your God

Isaiah 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Jeremiah 31:12 "They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, And they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD-- Over the grain and the new wine and the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd; And their life will be like a watered garden, And they will never languish again.

Basking in the LOVE of my Father tonight...
my always trustworthy friend and lover...
Keep my eyes on you, Lord,
not my circumstances...


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

i miss them...




Have alot that i could say tonight... but i think i'm just gonna hit the hay....
missing my dad, mom, & sis alot... wishing that they lived closer to us...
sometimes i just need a good dose of my fam... and tonight is one of those nights!

a good laugh and chat with dad!

a long talk with my sis... just being crazy!

a time of catching up on all the little things that moms just love to hear