9 Weeks Old is so Much Fun!

It's like he fully woke up this week! He has long periods of alert time now where he just looks at you and smiles! His gassiness is so much better, he hardly grunts if at all! He smiles and looks for me when he hears my voice if I have been out for a little while. It's such a wonderful feeling to have your baby respond to you in such a loving way. It's incredible how I already forget things too! I already forget what it felt like when they first handed him to me in the hospital- it already seems like he was always the size he is now... I can't remember holding him being smaller... how do we forget so quickly? Anyway, I am enjoying every minute I can- soaking it all up! I love my boys!

Healing Prayer

The past few months I have been learning a lot about the Lord, and myself, and how to hear His voice more clearly and to trust Him to know what is best. I have been meeting with a friend for Inner Healing Prayer. It's pretty simple when you look at it from afar, but it's intense... and pretty amazing to experience. Basically my humble description would be that it is a prayer meeting, usually one on one, where you have someone who is experienced in this ministry walk you through praying to the Lord to ask for the roots/memories/reasons-behind something you are feeling or going through. The other person is basically there to intercede for you in prayer or to help you focus or lead you deeper into asking the Lord for more clarity about what you are praying over.

It's amazing the things the Lord has revealed to me, and especially the fruit in my life from getting healed of things. Sometimes I will have a memory come to mind and I think "this can't possibly be from the Lord, it's a pointless memory," then I'll have another memory come to mind and little by little as the Lord reveals things, as we pray, I realize that it is all connected and it all makes sense! It's incredible. As a result I am beginning to trust myself more and more that I do indeed hear and know the voice of the Lord. Sometimes I even think it is my own thoughts and it's actually the Lord speaking... it's hard to explain something so deeply personal, but it's amazing.

I think everyone should have this experience. I think we should all be seeking the deepest possible level of spiritual healing. In this way we are less offended with one another (because we recognize that where others are acting out, they too are wounded and in of healing just like us), we are less co-dependant (because we learn to lean on the Lord for our emotional needs), we stop looking for and fishing for approval from others (because we learn to listen for the voice of truth about who we are and what He thinks of us). I can imagine what it would like to live in community with people who felt healed and whole and did not depend on one another in an un-healthy way, but leaned on the Lord and enjoyed the blessing of what community was supposed to mean. With no expectations on each other, with abundant grace, with understanding and forgivingness flowing like a faucet rather than at a drip. Where people felt free to be themselves- faults and flaws and all. Where we can say "no" and "yes" to the thousands of invitations that come our way each day (babysit, watch TV, pray, have lunch together, call me back, text me back, take a nap, clean the house, run errands, blog... whatever) without wondering if we still seem "Holly."

I am thankful that my God heals. That salvation means more than "getting into heaven." So much more than that- it means healing and freedom and "kingdom-come" life even now. We are all missing out on so much when we miss out on being healed. My prayer is that the enemy will not have His way. That instead we will all unashamedly admit that we are in need and seek out the healing that God so generously gives.

Evan brings in the New Year!

I am in love! I have two beautiful boys and 2012 couldn't be off to a better start!

Evan was born at 2:32am on January 12th 2012 after only 2 hours of labor! I woke Joey up at 12:30am, not convinced that this was "it." My water broke (I assume) when I felt a POP in my belly like a balloon at 1:30. Then we worked on getting out the door to the hospital. By the time we arrived we had about 10 minutes to "settle in" before Evan was in my arms! What a wonderful blessing!

Aaron is adjusting well as far as we can tell! I think he really loves his new brother. He is changing daily and growing so much in maturity (as well as physically). We have started "homeschooling" now and he knows a little bible memory verse from 2 Thessilonians "Stand Firm" and it is precious. He is learning his letters and their sounds, mostly from The Letter Factory on Leapfrog. He is learning shapes and colors and we are adding in calendar time and the weather to our school day.

He speaks full sentences and talks all the time! "Common Mama, sit down" he says when he is watching a movie and wants me to sit with him. He is such a compassionate boy. He loves to pray for his friends and family. He is tender hearted and sweet. I am so blessed to be his Mom. He knows Joey and my names now, so if we don't hear him calling us he will switch from "Mommy" to "Jen!" and it cracks me up! I am in awe of him. He is sleeping in his big boy bed (again). He used to sleep in it, but I just wasn't ready to have him in that bed with all the unknown and intensity of waiting for Evan to arrive and being pregnant and a little emotional about how big my "baby" is getting. But now I need him to be in that bed, and feel ready for it, since soon Evan will need the crib. The last thing I want is for Aaron to feel he is being kicked out.

The next big thing on our schedule will be this weekend! We are potty training Aaron on Sunday! I am so excited for him! I really think he is ready! We will go buy some special underwear this weekend and then on Sunday is the "Big Day."

Evan is a sweet heart! I am so smitten with him. He was born 7lb 1oz (smaller than Aaron was) and is already 14lb at 7 weeks! What a good eater! His cheeks are amazing and his rolls are wonderful! I love my little chub-ster. He is a gassy boy, so we are working on trying to find a solution to that so he can be more comfortable, but otherwise it has been a smooth transition. It is amazing how in 7 short weeks life can be so routine after so much change! I am really getting the hang of having two babies (yes, I still consider Aaron my baby... probably always will!). Potty training Aaron will really (potentially) help make things a little easier (and cheaper!).

The boys looked so much alike at birth and as newborns, it's unbelievable! Check it out!

(Left) Evan...

(Right) Aaron...

Evan...

Aaron...

I love those boys! And just for good measure- here are some more pictures of sweet little Evan!

Well, off to bed! Who knows how much sleep will be in store for me tonight! I am so thankful that I have a child to keep me awake. Not everyone has that blessing! I am thankful that I have messes to clean, dishes to wash, toys to put away and diapers to change. It all means that I have a family and the season that I am in right now I would not change or fast forward for anything!