My Story - Part 1

Can I just start off today by thanking you for your words of encouragement?  Is that okay?  I’m new to this whole blogging thing so I haven’t learned all of the rules yet, so I’m just going to do it anyway!  Thank you for joining me in this new journey!  I loved hearing from you and you will never know how much your words of encouragement mean to me.  I feel incredibly blessed to share this new experience with you.  So thank you…really, from the bottom of my heart…thank you! 

As I mentioned earlier this week, I really don’t have any idea what topics or experiences I’m going to be writing about.  However, The Lord has already began laying a couple of blog posts on my heart and I’m beginning to work on those now.  If you are going to take the time to read what God has put on my heart and be a part of my life journey through blogging, I feel it’s only right for me to lay a little ground work so that you understand who I am as a woman, wife, and mother. 

I love how David painted such a beautiful picture of how every detail of our lives are planned out by our Heavenly Father.  Psalms 139 says that we were fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together by God in our mother’s womb.  It goes on to say that God saw our unformed body and all the days ordained for me were written out in His book long before one of them came to be.  Think about that for a moment.  Your life was ordained by God.  You are no mistake.  He created you on purpose for a purpose for such a time as this! 

When I think about who I am as a person, it's important for me to understand that many aspects of my personality and life were predestined by God.  I get that.  As a mother of four children, I understand it even more!  I can see how each of my children were predestined with different personalities, talents, and weaknesses.  I believe God purposely placed specific personality traits and strengths within me to fulfill the purpose that He has set out to accomplish through me.  With that said, I also believe that it’s often our life experiences and the people in our lives that help shape us as a person, influencing us as we form our values, beliefs, and opinions.  Today, I would like to introduce you to the two people that have had the most influence over my life and have had an active hand in shaping me into the woman that I am today.  Most people know these two people as Mike and Shirley, but to me, I am the lucky one that knows them as Mom and Dad.  Let me tell you why these two jewels have made me who I am today.

I was blessed to grow up in a loving home with two parents that were crazy in love with each other!  It was a common occurrence to see them hugging, kissing, and telling each other “I love you.”  I never knew anything different.  They always spoke kindly to one another.  In fact, I can’t think of one time that I ever heard my parents speak an unkind word to each other.  Now, I’m sure they had disagreements, but they were committed to each other and they made it a priority to model that to their children.  Their love for each other was undeniable…and it still is. 

As if that wasn’t a big enough deal, they loved Jesus even more!  Just thinking about my childhood brings a smile to my face.  If I could describe my parents in one word, it would be steadfast.  Their commitment to follow Christ has always been unwavering.  I was raised in a home where going to church was not an option…it was expected.  Our family was in church Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights.  If our church was having revival, we were there weeknights too!  My parents were steadfast when it came to teaching me to put God before everything else in my life. Aside from a couple of tournaments each year, if sports practices and games interfered with church services, we didn’t participate.  If I had homework projects and assignments that needed to be finished, my parents would tell me I could finish it up after church and they would pray that God would reward me for my faithfulness by maximizing my efforts and helping me finish my work in a timely manner.  God always did!  Afterall, I did graduate high school and college with a 4.0 GPA! 

There was never any doubt where Mom and Dad’s priorities laid and their actions always aligned with their priorities…God first, family second, career and entertainment always following.  My parents weren’t just people who were faithful to the church.  They modeled being the church at home and everywhere else they went.  They were prayerful people.  If I was sick or had a problem, I always remember my parents praying for me.  It was their first instinct.  I haven’t ever known anything different.  I remember waking up to my alarm clock at 6:00am for school, only to see my dad had been up since 5:00am so that he could have time to read God’s Word before he left for work. I can see him now sitting in the sun room on the couch reading his Bible.  I never knew anything different as a kid, but as an adult, I am so grateful that he taught me the importance of renewing my mind in God’s Word daily.  Growing up in a home where my parents modeled this for me definitely had a hand in the way that I pursue God today.  Even as an adult, my parents are still pouring life into my spiritual walk with Christ.  Their passion for God’s Word is contagious and their dedication to Christ is inspiring.  I am forever grateful for their Godly influence in my life. 

Not only were Mom and Dad steadfast in their love for one another and in their love for The Lord, but I believe that describes their parenting style, work ethic, and personality as well.  The definition of steadfast is “fixed in direction, firm in purpose, and unwavering.”  When it comes to parenting and especially discipline, that describes them perfectly!  Let’s just say my parents didn’t have any problem disciplining God’s way and they made it perfectly clear to us that they loved us!  Proverbs 13:24 says “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”  And careful they were…careful to make sure they got a good solid swat on my behind any time I deviated from their direction or expectation!  I can remember them quoting this scripture as a kid and wishing they hated me sometimes!  In all actuality, even in the midst of getting my rear end paddled, I never questioned whether I was loved.  They weren’t yellers.  They always disciplined me calmly, yet sternly.  If emotions were high, they would always send me to my room to let me (or themselves) cool down before addressing the behavior and disciplining me.  I can’t tell you how much of an impact their actions have had on my life now as a parent!  Even in those moments of correction (and there were lots of them), they were shaping the way I would someday parent my own children!  Wow!  Now let that sit with you a moment the next time you want to scream and yell at your kids!  You are shaping the way your children will someday parent their kids!  Are you modeling to your children how you would want your precious grandkids parented?  I am forever grateful for the example my Mom and Dad displayed.  They taught me to love and respect my spouse and to love and train my children God’s way. 

Although I could go on and on about all of the things my parents have had a hand in teaching me, it’s their love for Jesus, each other, and for their family that played such a huge role in who I am today.  So, as you read my future posts, I hope you now have a clearer picture of why I am the person that I am today.  Thanks Mom and Dad for being steadfast in your efforts to “Train up a child in the ways they should go so that when they are grown, they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).”  It truly was the greatest gift you could have ever given me!  I take that back…the greatest gift is imparting that into my children now!  You are pouring into my children just as you poured into me and for that, I am forever grateful!

Join me on Friday as I share part two of my story. 

Much Love,

Mary

Life's Journey

Life.  It’s a journey.  Each one filled with different experiences, many of those shaping us into the person we are today.  When I felt the Lord leading me to start a blog, I began praying for direction on what exactly I should write about.  His answer…Life’s Journey.  I wish I could say I was more than willing to obey when He put this on my heart, but to say I was reluctant would be an understatement.  I have felt him nudging me to start blogging for two years!  Yes, two YEARS!

I have had excuse after excuse as to why I couldn’t start yet.  I was a busy mom.  I didn’t have the time.  No one would be interested in what I have to say.  I’m a private person.  What if someone didn’t like what I said or worse, what if they told me they didn’t like it!  What if strangers read my blog…would my family be safe?  The list of excuses could go on and on!  So you could imagine the lump that I got in my throat two weeks ago when I heard God saying, “Now. It’s time.”

Even as I sit here writing my first official entry, my stomach is turning and my mind is racing with all of the same questions and doubts that have filled my thoughts for two years.  But even in the midst of the questions, I have peace.  Have you ever been there before?  Peace in the midst of the unknowns?  I was reminded of the scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:1.  It says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”  Even though I may not know what I’m going to write about next week or who will be reading my posts, that doesn’t matter.  The only thing that does matter, is that God said to do it and knowing that brings me peace. 

Here’s what I do know.  I will use this blog to write about my life’s journey.  I want to share with you what God is doing in my life and how He is changing me.  I want to share with you stories about my life as a mom, a wife, and a follower of Christ.  I will be authentic…fairy tales are fun, but our time is short.  I don’t want to waste your time giving you a false sense of my reality.  So, shall we begin? 

I would like to begin by sharing my story…sharing some of those life experiences with you that have shaped me into the person that I am today.  Because these are such monumental experiences in my life, I will be posting my story in several different posts starting this week.  My prayer and greatest desire through this blogging adventure is that God will be magnified in my life and that He will be praised.  I am thrilled to start this journey with all of you and I cannot wait to hear back from you!  Be blessed today and remember, God is always faithful!

Much Love,

Mary

I'm Back!

I have felt God nudging me to start blogging again for quite some time.  My husband often teases me that my Facebook posts are novels most of the time anyway, so I finally decided to start blogging again...all of my Facebook friends say Amen!  Ha!  Be looking for my first offical post soon!  God has been stirring me and I am excited to share what he has put on my heart and how He is moving in my life.  Stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you don't miss any posts!  Can't wait to hear from you and praying you all have a wonderful weekend!  Much love!

Where did my baby go?

These past couple of days have been so much fun! Due to the bitter cold weather, school was cancelled for 2 days and I have been able to spend more time at home with my family! It's been great! It was hard going back to work after spending the 2 week Chrismtas break at home with Myka and Nathan! So, this little break has helped!
As I have been spending lots of time with my little one, I have to ask myself, "Where did my baby go?" Myka is now 19 months old and she has definitely changed from that baby girl (although, she will ALWAYS be my baby) into a little person! The things she does now are all signs of growing up and I have such mixed emotions about it! I watch her and smile because everything she does now is so stinkin' cute, however, deep inside...I just want to cry because she is growing up so fast!

Here are some of her latest accomplishments/behaviors:
- She is officially off the pacifier! What a big girl!
- When she wants to be held, she comes up to us and says "I hold you." How could you say no to that?
- She LOVES Elmo and when she wants to watch Elmo, she goes and gets the tv remote and says "TV...Elmo...La, la, la, la..."
- She's talking in 3 word sentences now! "I hold you. I love you. I see you. I want milk. Where is it?" and lots more!
- When listening to praise and worship music, at the end of the song, she claps and says "how-yu-yah"...translated into Hallelujah!
- She says "Amen" at the end of all of our prayers now!
- Her hair is FINALLY growing!
- She likes to wear her hat and gloves around in the house!
- She's really into her baby dolls right now...which is very good considering she'll have a real baby in just 3 more months!
- She loves to hold Momma's hand...she wants me to hold her hand in the car while I drive especially, which is very difficult. When we're at home, she holds my hand while we sit and read or watch videos. It melts my heart!

These are just some of the things we see on a daily basis from our little girl! She brings us so much joy and she is such a blessing to us! It makes me sad to see her growing up so fast. We pray for her everyday that she grows into the godly woman that God has called her to be. If she can touch the world like she has touched our lives, I know she will be mighty in the Kingdom of God! Mommy and Daddy love you, Myka! You'll always be our baby girl...even if you are grown up!

Christmas Cheer!

Wow! What a great Christmas break it's been! Here are some of the highlights:

We started off my Christmas break with a trip to the Bass Pro where Myka met Santa Claus for the first time! She wasn't too thrilled about him! I don't think she understook why her parents just sat her down on the lap of some strange guy and started taking pictures. It didn't take long for the tears to come, so that trip didn't last long! However, after meeting Santa, we took Myka out to Rhema Bible College to see all the beautiful Christmas lights! As we drove through, she kept saying, "Ooohhh, pretty!" I don't know how many times she said that! She loved all the lights! Her favorite part was the tunnel of lights and watching the ducks swim in the pond. She would have stayed forever, but it was below freezing wind chills that night, so we didn't stay long. We walked through quickly and then headed home! We showed Myka the bench where her Daddy proposed to me! We plan to take her there every year!

On Christmas Eve Eve, Myka and I baked/decorated Christmas cookies together for the first time this year! She had so much fun! Her favorite thing to decorate with were the sprinkles and m&m's! However, she ate more m&m's than she actually put on the cookies! It was definitely a mess, but so much fun! I'm looking forward to the many more times we will bake together!

On Christmas Eve, we went to my parents where we celebrated Christmas with my parents, grandparents, and sister's family! We had so much fun! Mom cooked a delicious lunch, which I'm sure they will be eating for still several more days! There was so much food! We then opened gifts...which took 2 1/2 hours! I have never seen so many gifts! What's funny is, every year my parents say they are going to cut back...however, every year there are more and more gifts! We truly are blessed! It's amazing the joy I get when I watch my daughter tear open those gifts and see her eyes light up as she sees her new toys! I just want her to always know the real reason of Christmas and the most important gift of all is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! After we opened gifts, most of the family had to call it a night. My grandparents and sister had to leave early because of the crazy blizzard conditions. With God's hand of protection, they all made it home safely! Nathan and I stayed (since we only live 2 miles away) and played Scrabble all evening! I won!!!!! It was definitely a fun day even though we didn't get to play our usual games with the whole gang! I'm just glad everyone was safe and sound!

On Christmas morning, we all slept in and I fixed cinnamon rolls for the family and we opened our gifts to one another, as well as opened gifts from Santa! Myka got a new set of golf clubs from Santa this year! Nathan and I got Myka her very own recliner, which was a huge success! She loves it! I got a new wireless printer and digital picture frame and Nathan got stocked up on clothes! We had a great time watching Myka play with her new toys!

After we finished our personal family gift exchange, Nathan had to go work on the driveway! He shoveled and shoveled and shoveled!!!!! While he cleared the driveway of all the snow, us girls got cleaned up and ready to go to Nathan's parents house for our Nelson Christmas celebration! We were a little later than usual due to the bad weather. In fact, Nathan's brother had to come pick us up in their 4-wheel drive vehicle because Nathan's truck just doesn't do very good on the ice!

Once we got to Nathan's parent's house, we opened gifts and had another great meal! We always say we've eaten so much, we won't have to eat for days...however, we're always hungry in a few more hours! =) The guys had fun playing with some of Myka's new toys...yes, I said Myka's new toys! They played "pig" with Myka's new Fisher Price basketball goal and they raced her new car around the living room! It was fun to watch!

On Saturday, we just enjoyed a lazy day at home. We didn't want to venture out into the ice and snow, so we had a fun day at the house. We took Myka out to play in the snow for her first time. She was not happy at all at first, but she soon began to have fun and didn't want to go inside! She looked like a little eskimo all bundled up out there! We had so much fun. Once we came inside, we just picked up the house, took all the decorations down, and played with all of Myka's new toys!

We are truly blessed with the most wonderful family ever! I am looking forward to this next week at home again with my baby girl! It has been great! In fact, Myka has become quite the Momma's girl this week! I'm just taking advantage of it, because she is usually always wanting her daddy! =) I'm sad Nathan can't spend this week at home with us, but it's another short work week for him too, so it will be fun!

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and we would like to also wish you a Happy New Year! May God fill your life with as many joyous moments as we shared this year! God is good and He delights in His children's happiness!

Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year! I love spending the time with my family! This year, we started our Thanksgiving day at home. We all slept in and then when Myka woke up, we brought her into our room and had a lazy morning in bed playing and watching the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV! That was always a tradition for me to watch the parade with my Dad when I was a child, and we have decided to make it a tradition with our children as well! Myka loved watching all the big balloons floating down the streets! She kept pointing and she would get so excited! I loved it!

We then headed over to Nathan's parents' house for lunch! My mother-in-law cooked a delicious turkey meal with all the trimmings! We were joined by Nathan's brother and sister-in-law, as well as his grandparents. We just ate, watched football, and hung out all afternoon.

Later that afternoon, we headed over to my grandparents and joined my parents and sister's family. We enjoyed some dessert (and leftovers) and played games all evening...and of course, it's a family tradition to shop all the wonderful Thanksgiving ads and watch more football.

It was a great day! We got one picture at the Nelson's, but forgot to take all of our traditional family pictures before we left! I did get several pictures at my grandparents house, though! We had a great time and we are thankful to have all of our family so close! We are blessed!

Happy Birthday to me!

This year has been full of blessings and joy! Here are some of the highlights of my 27th year of life!

- celebrated Myka's first Christmas

- My sister found out she was pregnant!

- celebrated Myka's 1st birthday!

- went on a family vacation with all the Roberson side to Panama City, Florida

- found out we are pregnant with our 2nd child!

- decided to put our house up on the market

- bought a lot and started building a new house!

- found out we're having another GIRL!

- and so much more!

This has been a year full of changes, which is funny because I am typically one who hates change! However, I have such a peace about all the changes going on in our lives...selling our home, moving, having another child, etc! I know God has His hand upon my family and I have such joy knowing that all my family is serving the Lord and we're just enjoying the ride and going wherever God takes us!

I celebrated my 28th birthday on November 19th this year and I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me this coming year! The best is yet to come! I was able to celebrate with all of my family and friends. I'm known to celebrate for several weeks! Some of my festivities included fried chicken birthday dinner at Papa and Nana's with all the family, dinner at PF Changs with Mom and Dad and my family, dinner at Olive Garden with all the Nelson's, and dinner at Andolini's with the Miller's...by the way, these did not take place on the same day!!!

My family showered me with lots of wonderful birthday gifts! Although the material gifts are nice, I can truly say that I would have been just as happy to just spend that precious time with my family. I love them so much and feel so blessed to have them by my side every day! There's nothing that means more to me than to have a Godly husband who loves me with all that he is, a precious daughter that I get to raise and support her in her God-given abilities, and wonderful family and friends who love and encourage me in all I do! I am truly blessed!

I will leave you with a few of my birthday pictures! Happy 28th Birthday to me!!!!!

(I couldn't figure out how to post the pictures at the bottom, so all the pictures are at the top!)

We're having a.....

The wait is over! We finally went to the doctor this afternoon for our 19 week ultrasound and the ultrasound technician said she is 90% sure we are having another GIRL!!!!!!! We are so excited! The cord is still in between the legs, but she moved around enough for us to get some good shots of the "3 lines!" For those of you with girls, you know what I'm talking about!
My official due date is April 16, but based on the measurements today, it is April 14th...which happens to be Uncle Nick's birthday! We're eager to start looking through baby girl names, bedding, furniture, clothes, etc! Nathan said it will be cheaper in the short run since this baby girl can use most of Myka's hand-me-downs. However, he is already stressing about paying for 2 weddings some day...not to mention all of the hair and nail appointments! =)
During the ultrasound, everything looks perfectly healthy on baby girl! Her heartbeat was 150 beats/minute and all of her organs look great! I still marvel at the miracle of life! God is so good and we are so blessed to be having another beautiful child. To see that little life growing inside of me makes me tear up every time. I count it a priviledge and gift from God to have the opportunity to raise these children. I thank God everyday for entrusting us to raise these two girls! I pray for His wisdom and guidance as we engage on this beautiful adventure!

Doctor's visit!

We went to the baby doctor this afternoon for our regular check-up. I told the doctor that I didn't think this baby was going to be as active as my little Myka because I hadn't felt a lot of movement. She said that the baby probably was embedded behind my placenta and that the placenta was acting like a pillow, which was the reason I wasn't able to feel the movement. Right after we had talked, she started to listen to the heartbeat. Well, our little one proved me wrong! That little booger was all over the place! The doctor couldn't ever get a good heartbeat, because the baby just kept moving! She got tickled since I was just saying this baby wasn't active! I could hear the baby swishing all around, but I couldn't feel it! After trying several times to listen to the heartbeat, she decided to just take me to the ultrasound room to take a look!
This baby is definitely a baby after her mom's own heart...loves to get pictures taken! I was so glad we were going to get an ultrasound because I really want to find out the sex of this little one! The heartbeat sounded great...around 145 beats/minute! The doctor took a look around and everything looked great. Sure enough, the baby was behind my placenta, so that's why I haven't been feeling a lot of movement! He/she has grown so much since our last ultrasound and was moving all over the place! We had a great shot of the bottom and legs, but the silly cord was right in the way! We never could get a good shot to tell if it was a boy or girl! So, I guess we'll have to wait until our scheduled ultrasound next week! It will be a great birthday present to find out! I can't wait to make the big announcement!

Pregnant...and looking it!

I am now 18 weeks pregnant...almost at the half-way mark! I was really nauseous at the beginning of this pregnancy, which was completely different from my first pregnancy with Myka. I was never sick when pregnant with Myka...in fact, I felt great the entire pregnancy...no sickness, exhaustion, etc. It was the ideal pregnancy!
Since this pregnancy started off so different, I was convinced this time it must be a BOY! Afterall, a sweet little princess would never make her momma sick...right?! Well, after I hit the 9-10th week, the sickness passed and I started feeling great again! Well, now everything is back to the same! I don't feel sick or tired...except for last night when Myka was up all night because she was sick! I was very tired then! =) However, overall, it feels like my first pregnancy again! So now, I really don't have an inclination of what I'm having! I've tried to find differences in the way I'm carrying this child and I just can't tell!
At first, when I started showing at 11 weeks...yes, I said 11 weeks!...I felt like I was carrying a little lower than I did with Myka. However, I have now rounded out and feel like I'm carrying this baby pretty high...just like with Myka! We find out the sex of the baby next Friday and I can't wait to know if we're having another little girl or if we are having a little boy this time! I am so ready to start buying either pink or blue! We tried to start looking for a name, but we got too overwhelmed looking at both boy and girl names, so we postponed that project until we find out. It was so easy to pick out Myka's name, because it was a family name with a special meaning, and I knew I wanted a child named after my dad! However, this child is much harder to name, because we're starting from scratch...and not particulary after anyone! I'm hoping once we find out the gender, it will make our baby name search easier! If you have any name suggestions that go good with our last name, I would love to hear! As you probably know with my daughter's name, I like unique names, but not so different they are made fun of! I just want to try to stay away from the most popular names...which is very difficult!
I'll let everyone know next week what we find out at the ultrasound! Until then...I'll keep driving myself crazy wondering!