Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

"'Where, O death, is your victory? 

Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

For a great message about Easter, go here and listen to/watch "The Story Plain and Simple".

Happy 2 Months!

 

04.11.2011

happy 2 months, miss peanut

you've had a busy month. you've started eating like a champ and gained a couple pounds (yippee!), and you continue to bring joy to your mom and dad. we couldn't love you more.

here are some highlights...

 ...you've started grinning. 

i couldn't love your smile any more, sweet girl.

...you cheered on the Texas A&M ladies to a national basketball championship - whoop! However...

 

...you either don't like A&M, don't like your cheerleader outfit, or secretly you want to be a Longhorn...

 

...are you trying to hold up a "hook 'em" on your birthday card to your uncle? yikes.

we went to the arboretum and saw beautiful flowers like these...

...but you didn't seem to love the wind in your face while we were there. 

 

 ... you still make the cutest faces, and you've started getting your sweet little fists involved. it's like you're getting ready for your senior pictures already.

...these are the fists i'm talking about. i love how you are calmed when they're close to your face.

i love watching you learn new things, like the fact that those little fingers are somehow connected to you. you've discovered them this month, and i wonder if one of those sweet little thumbs is going to replace your binky one day...

...you spent some time napping in the closet this month. this is what we used to keep an eye on you when daddy discovered that when you get overtired, you like things to be as quiet and as dark as possible. so, with a couch cushion, your sleep wedge and a portable video monitor, my closet became your new napping spot. you slept like a...baby.

...you spent some more time on your tummy. you don't seem to hate it as much, but it still only lasts about 10 minutes before you start getting frustrated. soon enough, you will be pushing up, rolling over, then crawling away from me!

...you spent a lot of time on your activity mat. you aren't crazy about the music but you love watching the animals up above you.

 

we got a new jogging stroller this month for us to take you on runs and walks at the lake. we first tried to see what you thought. you didn't seem snug enough, so...

 

...we packed you up a little cozier. after a walk though, we decided you're too little to be in there like that, so now we just put you in the car seat, and attach the car seat to the stroller. but i couldn't resist how cute you were all bundled up like this.

...we still take lots of pictures of you. you've started looking at the camera more this month...although sometimes you look a little more suspicious and skeptical...

...you make the funniest faces when i try to take your picture. here's one of my favorites. 

here's a few more of the sweet little faces you make. pictures can't capture them fully, but they give a good idea. i still can't believe that you have blue eyes. never in my life did i think i'd have a blue-eyed child! i love discovering more about the way God has made you.

 you still love to nap on your daddy's chest, and i just can't stop taking pictures of you with him. i love this picture because even though you're awake and showing off your beautiful eyes, you're still content and calm in your daddy's arms.

 

we love you, peanut. happy 2 months!

Finally!

Peanut has been smiling for about a week and a half now, and I finally caught one with my camera. It melts my heart every time, and I can watch her smile all day.

365 days

365 days ago, I married the man of my dreams.

We wrote in our vows, "No matter what may lie ahead, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful wife/husband, as long as God gives us life on this earth."

365 days ago was the best day of my life. 

For 365 days, I have had the privilege of being Adam's wife, being led by him, being loved by him, and learning from him. 

For 365 days, we have laughed and cried a lot together. 

Day 1...I became Mrs. Adam Sandwick in front of friends and family.

Day 7...We jumped off a (small) cliff together. It was a great picture to me of jumping into marriage. We were both "all in."

Day 10...The first time we heard hard news together, as a couple.
Day 52...The biggest and best surprise of our lives...we found out that God had blessed us with a little baby.
Day 88...The day we saw our little Peanut for the first time. I couldn't hold back the tears of joy when the doctor showed us her heartbeat, and our baby was growing perfectly.
Day 142...My heart broke when the doctors said my dad had cancer.
Day 143...We learned our little Peanut was a bit stubborn, and didn't want us to know yet if she was a he or a she.
Day 163...Adam rocked his first Olympic distance triathlon in Washington, DC. We started training together to support our friends the Holmes and 2 of our cousins to raise money for cancer research...

 
...we finished training with me on the sideline and with a new hero to train on behalf of. 

Day 171...Peanut cooperated this time and we learned she was a girl! 

 










Days 189-195...We celebrated 6 months of marriage with a Babymoon to the Northwest, and I learned again how fun my husband is to be with. We both did things we wouldn't have done alone, like using vacation money to see a new musical...

 









   


...or riding across huge bridges on bicycles.

 











Day 201...30 days before my 30th birthday, Adam surprised me with a poem he had written, and the news that I would get one each day about one thing he loved about me until I turned 30. 
Day 237...We celebrated how much we had to be thankful for together.
Day 267...Our first Christmas together at home - a favorite memory for both of us.

Day 304...Peanut was due to arrive, but the day passed with nothing but freezing rain in Dallas and the continued debate about what her name would be.
Day 312...After a night of contractions, we were sure this would be the day!
Day 313...After another night of contractions, we hoped this would be the day!

Day 314...Peanut made her debut at 6:37am.

Days 315-->...Our hearts melt every time she smiles. We get to watch each other become parents.
Day 364...We celebrated a year with delicious dinner, an intense mini golf competition, eating "the top of our wedding cake" at Pinkberry, and buying each other paper gifts at the bookstore. What a year...
Day 365...Year 2 begins. I cannot wait.

I love you, Adam. My life is sweeter, richer, deeper, and more with you in it. I am closer to Jesus because of marrying you.

Roommates

Last weekend, Peanut and I got to meet a new sweet friend, Rebekah. Rebekah's mom, Amanda, and I were roommates in college, along with 2 other girls, Sarah and Kristyn. The 4 of us continue to call each other "roommates," even though it's been years since we lived together. 

We loved living together in college, and laughed more together than I ever had before...and probably didn't get too much studying done in the process. We lived in a pink and brown house on Arctic Circle, which we named, originally, The Arctic House. It had 4 bedrooms, and I think my share of the rent was $275/month.

We dreamed of getting married and having kids one day, but none of us dated much in college, and it seemed like we were all heading our separate ways to great adventures. Sarah was moving to Dallas for nursing school - a pit stop for her until she could move somewhere exotic and tropical. Kristyn was headed to London for at least 6 months to wait tables, Amanda was sticking around for a victory lap year at A&M but we thought she'd more than likely start working full-time at a camp in Tyler, and I had committed to going to Central Asia for at least a year. Marriage didn't seem to be in the picture for any of us.

A year or two later, Amanda was the first to meet her love, Chad. We liked to call him "The Chad," and after putting him through the gauntlet, he passed every test we could give him. He loved Jesus, he loved Amanda and she loved him. Sold. They got married in 2004. The rest of us cheered and devotedly stood by her as she said her "I dos." Here is the 4 of us at her wedding. By this time, I was back in Dallas, Sarah had moved to San Diego, and Kristyn was living in China. I think Sarah was dating someone but he didn't last long. ;)

Fast forward to the summer of 2005. Kristyn had just returned from overseas to see what adventures awaited her back in Texas, I was about to start grad school in Dallas, and Sarah had moved back to Dallas from CA. The 3 of us were excited to be living in the same place again. One night we were hanging out at a coffee shop, and a guy came up to our table and just struck up a conversation with us...or more specifically, with Sarah. The sparks between him and Sarah were e-lec-tric. His name was Rob, he quickly proved to be worthy of our friend, and a year+ later, they were married. 2 down, 2 to go. 

I'll be honest. It was getting harder and harder to wait for the Lord for marriage. I am grateful for Amanda and Sarah, plus a number of other great friends who had great, godly marriages. I had really good examples of what I wanted to wait for. Don't get me wrong - I loved this season of life. I was in grad school, I was living with 2 great roommates, God was providing incredible opportunities to minister to others and be ministered too. But I still longed to be a wife and a mom. I was constantly encouraged by Psalm 84:11 - "No good thing does He withhold from him whose walk is blameless." Marriage was never to be my ultimate goal, and a husband would never fulfill me. Knowing Christ is my goal, and when I look back to those years, I am immensely grateful for the season of being single, and the longing He allowed me to experience - because He used it to draw me to Himself. 

So, we roll on to 2009, springtime. By this time, Amanda and Chad have had a precious little boy, and Sarah and Rob are expecting their first that summer. I remember when Amanda told us she was pregnant, I was thrilled for her - but I said, "Now you're 2 life stages away from me!" Not only was she going to be a momma, but I wasn't even dating anyone. I love my friends, and it was hard to not get to go through those stages of life with them. Kristyn and I were still holding strong, trusting God for the plans He had for our lives. 

Much to my sheer delight, one day Kristyn called to tell me that she was going on a date with Randy. Randy...the guy we had hung out with numerous times over the last few years...because he also happened to be Kristyn's older brother's best friend. I couldn't believe it. I had been praying for this for a couple years, and I loved that it was happening. I think they got engaged 2 months after their first date, and got married 2.5 months after that. Since they had known each other since middle school, they didn't see much reason to wait. Randy and Kristyn got married on a ranch in south Texas, at a wedding that fit them perfectly - small, uber-cool and stylish, and with their family and best friends around. Here we are...

But I have to confess, I was a little distracted that weekend...by the man who would become my love. Adam and I had been dating for 3.5 months at that point, and this trip to South Texas was a big step in our relationship. He was going to get to be around Amanda, Sarah, Kristyn and their husbands - who would all need to 'sign off' on any guy I was dating if we would ever be moving towards marriage. Adam was well-loved by all, and 3.5 months later, we were engaged, planning our own wedding.

Spring of the next year. It was Easter weekend, and Adam and I were getting married! These 3 girls were among those who stood by my side as I said yes to this amazing man. I still can't believe how blessed I am.

Fast forward...but not too far. At the end of May, Adam and I received the shock of our lives when we found out we were pregnant! The best and biggest surprise EVER. According to the doctor, our little one would be arriving around February 1st. A week after we found out, Kristyn announced that she and Randy were pregnant, expecting a little one January 26th. That next day I talked to Amanda, and found out they were expecting their second January 27th!

I could not believe it - 3 of us were due with babies within a week of each other. We later found out that all of them would be girls, and we quickly described them as best friends. A few months later, Sarah announced that she and Rob were pregnant too, due in May. I'm still hoping they have a girl.

The four of us got together for some time away in December, 3 of us with big bellies to show off. We talked all about pregnancy, babies, the delivery, labor...conversation that would have been boring, annoying, and gross to anyone who wasn't pregnant. After 6+ years of the 4 of us being in different life stages, it has been so sweet to get to connect with each of them as we have become parents. I have learned from all 3 of them already, and I know that I will continue to learn as the months and years go by. 

I am grateful for these sweet friends. I remember praying when I got to college that God would lead me to Christian friends who would encourage and spur me on as I started to walk with Jesus. 

I am overwhelmed when I think about how He's answered, not just with these girls but other unbelievably fun, faithful, loving friends as well. And He's continued to bring new friends during different seasons. I know that the way I love my husband and the way I parent our daughter is immeasurably influenced by all of the women whom the Lord has given as friends.

Back to the babies... Kristyn's little girl was the most eager to arrive, entering the world on January 6th. Amanda's munchkin came next, on February 1st. And sweet Peanut was last to the party, coming a few days later. 

Here they are at their first play date.

 They had a great time. Clearly.

We loved getting our girls together, and I can't wait to watch them grow and change over the years, and tell them stories of the fun and stupid things their moms did together. Who knows? Maybe one day they will find themselves living together in an ugly rent house in college, and later they will stand by each other in matching dresses as they say "yes" to their loves, and then get their little girls together for play dates one day as well.