Ordinary Days in the Divine Dispensing

Caleb is 4 months old!!

2012-02-01T17:03:00.000-05:00

On January 30, 2012, Caleb turned 4 months old! Wow! It's hard to believe it. Today was his 4 month old appointment with Dr. Adams. He did so well. It's really funny how Caleb cries more when he's being checked by the doctor more than when he receives his vaccines. He was such a big boy today! Thankfully daddy was able to come with us this time. Now for his stats. Our big boy weighs 18 lbs 6.5 ozs (97 %), his length is 25.25 inches (75%), and his head circumfrance is 17 inches (75%). The doctor encouraged us to enforce him sleeping in his crib at night time since no one is sleeping well at night. This will be much better for baby and parents. I'm hoping this works! We've been doing crib training little by little. I can't be one of those all or nothing parents. I like slow transitions. He's doing really well.

Here's some super cute photos of our sweetie:

During this past month we've been working on sitting up (unfortunately his bumbo was too small..hefty thighs haha..., but we got another type of bumbo that fits! yay!!) with his new bumbo and bouncer. We have also started reading together (which he didn't enjoy when he was younger) and working on tummy time. He's really getting much better at all of these. At first he was really confused with how to sit up. He would always lean forward, but he's starting to grasp the concept. He really is a good boy. We are so thankful to the Lord! The two new things he's learned how to do the past month is to push the buttons on his musical toy to listen to the music and lean his head ALLLLL the way back to watch the t.v. ;) Such a silly boy!

Bouncer time!

Leaning forward to stare at the musical lights

enjoying our new bumbo. See how he's playing with the toys?? :)

Reading to Caleb in English then Chinese.

Look at the curve on this boy! Getting this pushing up down!

Talking to daddy on the phone while he's at work.

I wanna see the Wii game too!!!

New Happenings in the Chen Household

2012-01-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

SO, today is a BIG DAY! Caleb Chen just fell asleep ON HIS OWN in his crib for the FIRST time. I am so proud of him :) I realized this week it was time to start transitioning him from the bassinet to the crib because in 3 more inches he won't fit in the bassinet any more. Yesterday was a big FAIL! His stomach got upset and his face was in it before he fell asleep lol. I rocked him a bit and he fell asleep in the bassinet. Today he cried for maybe 5 mins and then passed out. I know what they say about on the back, no blankets, no bears, but i keep a close watch on him and will not be putting him in the crib at night for a little while longer. I go in and check on him every 5-10 mins. I think the blanket tucked in under him and his soft little bear (i think this will now become his bedtime bear) helped him feel safe. He doesn't know his baby room well, so it helps to have familiar things with him. Also, Jenn's mom got Caleb a bouncer (which we are very excited about, but Caleb doesn't like it just yet. He needs to get a little older and he's going to love it!) and sweet daddy put it together. I can't wait until he's old enough to enjoy it. It's going to be so much fun. Now it's time for super cute photos!

First time falling asleep in my crib :)

Daddy putting together my bouncer

loving his toy from Aunt Christy and Uncle Troy

Isn't that the cutest face??

Playing with mommy this morning. (my Cars socks are so cute! Thanks Nana !)

sweetness

laughing and having fun

Our time in Jackson, MS

2012-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

After spending 3 days in the northern part of MS with my family and friends, we drove 3 hrs down to Jackson to visit our many dear friends in the church in Jackson. Sadly, we left late on Sunday morning so we didn't get to see everyone as much as we had hoped. We hope everyone there knows how much we miss and love them!! We did have more time with two families who we were very close to when we lived there and had dinner with them and stayed overnight in one of their homes. We had such a GREAT time!! It was way too short as we were only there until Monday morning.

Enjoying some rest time with the sisters and amazed at their skills!

Loves from Sarah

Such a content baby :)

He had dirtied his clothes and daddy had left for a little bit and had taken the keys so I couldnt get an extra outfit so he just enjoyed carefree time with love from Abby :)

So sweet

Luke playing with Anastasia. TOO precious!

Passed out on Rebecca

Enjoying the Word with Paul

awww can you tell how much this little boy is loved??

kissing the baby <3

All the sisters who were at dinner with us. Love you all!! Thanks for all the fellowship!

Next time we'll have to get a picture with Caitlyn and Caleb and spend more time in Jackson so we can have a LOT more time to see everyone!

And now a last few SUPER CUTE pictures of Caleb from the past month!

he's getting SO long!

I think this means: Come give me more kisses Mommy :D

Until next time, enjoy the Lord and have a blessed month! love, the Chens

3 months old and going strong

2012-01-04T12:22:00.000-05:00

Our sweet baby boy is no longer a newborn!!! On December 30th he turned 3 months old and is officially an infant! The month of December was full of new experiences, fun, and challenges. It was a really great month (except daddy worked ALL the time).

Some of the new things Caleb began doing during his 3rd month: grasping objects, picking up legs, doing "crunches" trying to sit up, and not fighting me anymore to go to sleep. He isn't sleeping that great at night yet, but he is an EXCELLENT day napper! I have no trouble from him at all 99 % of the time. I think this is definitly the Lord's mercy.

We also got lots of family/friend time in December, and we were SOOO happy to have some time with the ones we love. Uncle Joe came to visit, our friend Wingyin came too, and we even did facetime with grandma and grandpa and uncle Michael in Taiwan! We also saw LOTS of family and friends in MS during our super short visit there at the end of the month. It was very special because Caleb met so many people who love him very much for the first time.

Time with Uncle Joe

Facetime!

with cousins Ryleigh and Victoria

With cousins Ashley and Jenny

Meeting Grandpa for the first time!

Lovins from Aunt Christy

All the 1st cousins! I guess we need another boy! ha!

we stayed with Nana and Pop

While in MS we got to do lots of fun things! Including going to our cousin's bday party at the skating rink I use to go to all the time as a child, hang out at the mall, go to the park with the fam and feed the ducks, have dinner with my dear friends at Peppers for my bday, and bday fun with family ending with fireworks and the beginning of a new year!

Niece kisses

Trampoline jumping

Silly faces

Happy birthday Jada!

At the Tupelo Park

feeding ducks

My girls (and Caleb) at my bday dinner. Love yall!

Everyone at dinner <3

My bday cake with the whipped cream icing YUMMM

Love my nieces!

Hubby hugs :)

Uncle Troy with the babies

Sparklers!

Pajamas and fireworks. Nothing better!

Happy New Year kisses!

NEXT....our time visiting with the saints in Jackson!

Life has been a whirlwind!! Caleb is 2 months old today!

2011-11-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

Wow! Life with a newborn has been a whirlwind! Many people gave me advice, tried to warn me, encouraged me, and reminded me to enjoy every moment; but I had NO idea till Caleb was here what to expect. It has been such a sweet and incredible time watching him grow every week. I can't believe how big he is! Now, he is bigger than the average baby, so, I guess he really is my big boy! haha. The past month has been more challenging as Caleb gets stronger and stronger which means he fights more when he's tired, and he's been fighting sleep like crazy when he's soooo sleepy. I've heard these few weeks are the hardest and by 3 months it should get easier... not easy.. but easier. After some consulting from a couple of my mom friends, I tried stuff out and in 3 days he was falling asleep on in own very well! I'm so proud :)

He has started to smile and coo and laugh and "communicate" in his own little baby way. I have loved every minute of it! He absolutely loves his bouncy seat and goes crazy when we bounce him in it. He needs that exercise ;) Caleb loves being outside and going for walks in his stroller and Becco baby carrier. He is such an active boy. He's going to love to play outside when he gets older.

One thing that Tim and I can't figure out is what color Caleb's eyes are. He was born with grey eyes, but now they are a color we cant distinguish. They look blue some days, hunter green others, and yet brown on others. I guess they are changing and can't figure it out OR he has so many mixed genes his body can't decide. ha ha!

Today (November 30) Caleb is 2 months old! We had his 2 month appointment today and got to see how much he's grown. His weight is 14 lbs 1 oz (90 %), 22 1/2" height (25%), and 16" head circumference (75%). SUCH A BIG BOY!!! Doc says he's very healthy and looks great. He also got 2 shots (4 vacs) and one oral med. He was such a good boy and barely cried, but after he got home he was so sleepy and cranky. Poor baby. We snuggled all day. He wanted his mommy.

Tim had a busy busy month in November and it was hard for all of us. Caleb misses daddy and cries a lot when he's gone. Thankfully this month is almost over! YAY!!!!! December here we come :D

Caleb is here and will be 1 month old on the 30th!!!

2011-10-28T21:01:00.000-04:00

On September 30th, 2011 at 11:33am our sweet baby boy arrived after a long 9 months and a long 14 hrs of active labor! Thank GOD for epidurals! I think I might have died without one... actually at one point I pretty much would've rather not been alive at the moment haha. We are so happy Caleb is here! He is a very sweet and handsome baby. The Lord has been very merciful to our family and answered all of our prayers for a very healthy baby boy. Actually, he's quite a character! From day 1, he was already trying to lift up his head and by 1 week he was able to hold his head up and look at you for a couple solid minutes. Now his beautiful grey eyes (wonder what color they're going to be!!) can hold a gaze at you for a long time. He's trying to figure this whole world thing out. At about 2 1/2 weeks Calab "crawled" from one side of the quilt to the other side.. although he did use his face. Does that count?? And at 3 weeks he rolled over 4 times from his stomach to his back!! Needless to say, he hasn't done it since, but Tim and I were quite amazed.

The hardest thing about Caleb is he has not been very cooporative at sleeping at night. He will not sleep unless he is laying next to you in the bed or in your arms while reclined in the recliner. Now, I know what they say about that, but after a few nights of no sleep this mama got desperate! We havent had any trouble yet and actually got some sleep along the way. Caleb is growing so fast and has these cute adorable little cheeks.

Oct 21, 2011

He has his next appointment on November 1st (his 1 month check-up), and we can't wait to see how much he weighs. When he was born he weighed 7 lbs 15 ozs and was 20 inches long. He lost 9 ounces after he was born, but by the time we was 1 week he had gained 16 ounces! He likes to eat for sure :)

Tim's mom came for 1 month to stay with us and help us out, and then my mom and step-dad came for a week after that. It was nice having their help, and now it's time to start figuring this mom thing out. Today was the first full day I had him all by myself, and it was challenging! He really likes to be held and as much as I try to get him to sleep on his own, he doesn't always cooperate (even during the day). We've tried a few different ways to get him to sleep by himself......and yet it's still a work in progress. *dont worry i keep a very close eye on him and make sure he's breathing every 5 mins hehe*

I'm a couple days early, but I couldn't contain myself. Actually it was exactly 4 weeks when I took this picture, but then I forgot I should go by numbers and not the number of Fridays since he was born. HAPPY 1 MONTH BIRTHDAY SWEET CALEB ELIJAH!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Endeavoring to enjoy each day for it's blessings, but wishing Caleb would come already :)

2011-09-17T15:01:00.000-04:00

Today we are at 38 weeks and 3 days. I think it's funny that for the majority of this pregnancy I had a fear in the back of my mind that Caleb wouldn't make it to 37 weeks. I think most parents have it always in the back of their minds and pray their babies make it to full-term. Now that 37 weeks has come and gone, I'm wondering what the hold-up is (haha!). I keep reminding the Lord and Caleb that he's fully mature now, and TODAY is a great day for him to be born. Then the Lord reminds me that He has the best timing, the best plan, and has arranged everything so perfectly for each one of us that I shouldn't try to interfere with what He's doing. After the Lord brought that to my attention, I also realized something else. It seems like so many times I try to rush life through all the "boring parts" or the "difficult parts" or even the "annoying parts" to get to the "better, more fun, exciting times". What a waste of time! I really prayed to the Lord and asked Him to give me a thankful heart for every minute, situation, and experience I have while on this earth. That I will see each one as an opportunity to gain Him more, build up the Body, and acknowledge the positive things. I have a problem with first noticing the negative things and complaining about it (usually inwardly, but sometimes outwardly) rather than seeing the positive. So, I have given Caleb's birth to the Lord. What do I know anyways? The Lord sees today, tomorrow, and 10 years from now, so why wouldn't I just lay it all down at His feet. I know I won't REALLY be pregnant forever; and if Caleb doesn't make his appearance in the next 11-14 days, they will induce me and he will be in my arms very soon. I'm so grateful we can lay all things down at His feet. What a relief and peace to our body, soul, and spirit. Praise the Lord!!

I can't end the blog without a few pictures, so I wanted to put a couple up of the surprise baby shower Tim's lovely co-workers threw for us and of the bump.

Life in the Fast Lane.... or should I say SLOW lane!

2011-08-16T16:47:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow Caleb will be 34 weeks. It is amazing to think he's already 34 wks, but yet I still feel like I have forever until he is born. After being pregnant for so long, many days I honestly feel like I will be pregnant forever. What amazes me even more is how different each trimester is, and how my body responds to the changes in each one. Each stage has been so different and so unique. I haven't always been trilled with each side effect or change, but it has been an extremely amazing experience. During the past almost 8 months (6 more days!) my body has changed and grown in so many ways, but I didn't really notice it all that much while it was happening. Because the Lord gives us 9 (almost 10) months to grow this tiny little human in our body, the changes aren't so dramatic. Imagine if the Lord let us have it our way.. the "I want it now" "can't wait that long" mentality. How HORRIBLE that would be! Our stomachs sure wouldn't look pretty afterwards HA! The Lord is so good!! He knows exactly what we need! Not only physically but also mentally, spiritually, financially, ect. we need that time to prepare for the arrival of our little ones (birthing or even adoption I do believe!).

Since week 31 I have had some major changes take place. I began nesting like CRAZY and have probably drove my dear sweet husband crazy with desperately wanting to get things done. Thankfully, he has been understanding and kind, and we basically have the baby room finished and everything we need for the first 3 months. We are missing a few things, but my mom is bringing them when she comes and visits in October. Beyond that my belly has really grown a lot! My shirts don't sit so nice and straight on my stomach anymore, but flare out in the front. At our appointment today, the doctor said Caleb is probably 5 lbs. now! AND he looks very good. :) I guess since little man is growing so quickly he needs lots of food and all my energy. For the past 4 weeks, I promise I have spent half my days eating, resting on the coach, dozing off, and tossing and turning at night because of the extra weight (haha). I feel like such a bum!

Tim, on the other hand, has a very light rotation this month and has been home a lot. We have been able to have lots of alone time together to snuggle, laugh, go to a couple cheap matinees, cook together, and exercise together. It has been exactly what I think we both needed especially before Caleb comes. Besides that he has done a lot of the chores I haven't been able to manage lately. I can not thank the Lord enough for such a loving husband. I fell in love with the Christ in him, and I'm so thankful for all that he is.

Now, a few pictures for your pleasure:

Please ignore the messy craziness going on in this closet haha

Caleb Elijah Chen's baby shower :D

2011-07-20T13:35:00.000-04:00

My sweet sister, mom, and friends Heather and Amanda helped to put together a baby shower for me while I was in town. Although getting the stuff back to Charlotte is a little more work, my dear mom is really helping me get it all together and shipped. Whatever is too big or heavy she will bring with her when Caleb is born. I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! "Thank you" to everyone who came and for making me feel so cherished and loved! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

My mom got me this super cute corsage to wear at the shower with baby booties and a mini bottle on it.

Delish cake with WHIPPED topping (my fave!), punch, mints, nuts, and a "diaper cake" tower.

The cake was perfect!

My beautiful mom and I

Some of my family that came: Aunts Jamie, Ruthie, Rachel, Cousin Adrianna and her mom

Table of opened presents

Mrs. Nellie, Heather, Christy, Heather, Hilary, and my mom

Heather was the 1st winner of the "can't same the word 'baby' pin" game

Aunt Ruthie was the 2nd winner

My cousin Adrianna is due any day now. She puts me to shame haha!

Thanks Amanda and Heather (2 of my very close HS friends) for helping set up!

My sister did most of the work and because she was so busy I didn't a single picture with her! SO.. i put this one up because she's actually in it :)

Me laughing at Ry while opening a present

I needed the scissors! I made the comment that I guess I don't have to worry about breaking the ribbons at this shower since, well, I already have a bun in the oven :)

Vacay with the fam

2011-07-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to visit my family and friends in MS from July 7 through July 18th. I knew I better do it now because I won't get another chance for months to come. Tim wasnt able to come because he had to work, but he had plenty to keep him busy in Charlotte so he wouldn't be TOO lonely.

I was super excited that the time I planned to come to MS was the same time my younger niece Olivia was turning 1 and having her birthday party. I felt so blessed to be able to participate in this exciting time!

Olivia, my sis Christy, and our cousin Lydia

Olivia loves balloons :)

Opening Presents

She was such a lady most of the time while eating her cake,

but a couple of times she went in for it face first!

On Monday through Friday, my mom, sister, two nieces, and I drove down to Perdido Beach, AL and spent some time in Orange Beach, AL and Gulf Shores, AL while we were there too. I got a lot of experience in how to take care of children while on a trip, and I realized there's a lot more to it than I thought! We had a wonderful time together and since we were able to stay in a couple's lake house who I know from the church in Jackson, we got to spend our money on other fun things.

The house we stayed in.

The backyard view. Simply beautiful!

I really like this picture of Ryleigh walking down to the beach

Olivia's first time to be at the beach and touch sand!! She DOES NOT like it! haha

Me and Ry being sweet because we love each other :)

Ry took a picture so we 4 could have one together in front of the ocean

We played putt-putt

and sweetpie Olivia laughed and watched.

We played games in the arcade,

AND when we thought we were never going to be able to eat at Lamberts, the Lord opened a way and it sure was tasty!

We went shopping at the Outlet mall

This is my "29 weeks" picture in my preggo bathing suit hehe

(Ryleigh)
The waves were crazy strong, so we spent most of our time near the edge of the water enjoying the breeze.

Ry and my mom went looking for crabs in the lake behind the house and found 2!

Since the ocean was so crazy we decided to go to a waterpark and get really wet. Ry's climbing up.

27 wks and counting

2011-07-20T11:26:00.000-04:00

Tim and I have really enjoyed 2nd year starting and him having much more time to help me with the baby room and planning. We haven't done very much, but then again we don't plan on doing too much. All our sweet baby boy needs is love, kisses, food, and a comfy place to sleep :) My mom and aunt chipped in together to get us a really beautiful crib that I love very much. Tim put it together and now we just need to get the mattress and sheets put on it. We are considering moving some things around and doing something different, and I'll have to post more pictures as we do more to the room.

I had to get this picture. He did such a great job!!

We put a few decorations on the walls and doors

this is the chest of drawers/changing table and my new rocking recliner. ITS THE BEST!!

AND an updated picture of me and baby Chen :)

Busy Busy Busy!

2011-06-28T11:45:00.002-04:00

We moved into our new apartment about a month ago and have been really busy with unpacking, working, the church life, planning trips, planning baby stuff, and growing a small human. Needless to say, we've been busy!! Tim's been working around 80 hrs every week (30 hr calls every 5th night) which has been hard, but praise the Lord last night was his last call of his intern year! Hallelujah!! Among the busyness of the past couple months, we've also had a few times to visit with great friends and just enjoy the time we do have together.

Some of the Family Med. Residents after the 3rd years' graduation banquet

I enjoy this part of a Christian song I know, "Life is full of opportunities ordered by the Father's hand you'll see. Everything's the best that it can be. So let's gain Christ!!". Intern yr has been challenging, but every situation has given us a choice. We can wallow in our pity and feel sorry for ourselves or can rejoice in the Lord and thank Him. We don't always overcome and make the right choice, but I can say without a doubt I know we've gained the Lord a little more this year!

On baby news, we felt sweet baby boy hiccup for the 1st time on June 25th. Amazingly enough, Tim was home and got to experience it with me. I didn't know what it would feel like, but it just felt like a small steady little drum in my belly :-) Speaking of bellies, mine decided to make its entrance into the world over the past month.

25 wks 6 days and some crazy lordosis!

In 1 week we will officially be in the 3rd trimester, but I honestly can't believe it. I've felt like I'm in the 3rd trimester since about June 7th (my 24th wk). Many new symptoms have been showing up and some of my favorites include: hiccups, a lot more moving and turning, and a super cute bigger belly ;). I wonder how in the world I will make it through 3 more months. It seems like I've been pregnant for forever. I'm enjoying it, but I can't wait to see his little adorable face! My sweet educated doctor husband reassures me almost EVERY woman he's seen in the clinic says the same thing but they all get through it just fine. Well, I guess it's normal and normal is good!! I pray every day sometimes several times a day for the Lord to cover this sweet precious vessel for His economy, His desire, His joy, and His purpose. The fact he is healthy and growing is such a miracle. What can we do but thank and praise the Lord?

Another Milestone in Baby Chen Land

2011-06-04T08:06:00.024-04:00

During the night of June 4th, Tim was home (for the first time in forever it seems), and we were sitting down eating dinner. Because I have bad back pain, we usually eat on the couch. Baby boy loves food, so after eating he becomes a human pinball, and I become the pinball machine! He's really gotten bigger this week (23 wks) and much stronger. He especially loves getting on my nerves (literally lol) and making things fall asleep. So last night after dinner he was very hyper, and Tim and I were being entertained when all of a sudden we felt his ELBOW (we're pretty positive) move across my belly!!! We had never felt that before. JB also likes to play games with us. We would take turns poking a finger into my belly, and he would hit it! Tim's pretty positive he was giving us high-fives :)

And here are a couple updated pictures of baby Chen at 23 wks:

Jellybeans's Gender and Tim feels first kick!

2011-05-18T22:42:00.103-04:00

On May 12th, 2011, Tim and I had our 20 week check-up at the Eastover University Clinic, but this was no ordinary check-up. This was the day we were able to SEE our baby! The last time we saw the baby was at our 8 week check-up, and it was just a tiny little thing. The only thing we could see clearly was that little heart pumping away.

Going up the elevator to the clinic REALLY excited

Waiting in the waiting room to be called back

The time had come, and now we were able to see every precious important organ and bone. We were even able to see the 4 heart valves! Tim has seen some pretty amazing stuff before, but I had never in my life seen the human body in such detail. No matter what, it was the most incredible thing to this day that either one of us have witnessed. The tech was wonderful and explained to me what everything was and didn't get annoyed when I kept asking questions. Jellybean was really funny. The tech had such a hard time getting clear views of the right foot and kept shaking my belly hoping the baby would move. That felt weird haha! Finally, she got a clear view and was able to tell us that we are having a BOY (I spare you from witnessing that picture)!! During the whole Ultrasound, I held Tim's hand, stared in amazement, and continually thanked and praised the Lord for covering our sweet baby boy through the past 20 weeks of the pregnancy. The ob doc gave us a wonderful report telling us that our baby boy was as healthy as could be, and he couldnt be any happier with how he was growing and his progress. What sweet news to our ears! We left and since Tim had been on call (30 hrs) the night before, he desperately needed caffine, so we went to McDonalds and got some cold coffee drinks.

...and now to share a few pictures of our sweet baby boy! We are so blessed! Thank You Abba Father!

On May 18th, I had a wonderful time visiting with my good friend Lindsay W. We had a delicious lunch, fun walks around historical parts of Winsten-Salem, had yummy truffles, and laughed and laughed :-) It was so nice to get away from all the busyness of packing up all our stuff and all the stress that comes with moving. Thankfully, we're only moving 10 mins away, so it won't be too bad. Plus, we have so many saints from the church coming to help us! Praise the Lord!!

On a very exciting note, that same evening (at 21 weeks) marks the very first day Tim felt Jellybean kick!! We were sitting in Bible Study, and although JB hadn't been moving too much that day, he was kicking up a storm! When I realized I could actually feel him outside my stomach, I grabbed Tim's hand fast. He felt it!! He was so happy :-) He had this huge grin on his face, but of course we were in the middle of Bible Study and tried to keep it under control. It was a very sweet and touching moment for both of us.

It actually took me quite a long time to have the assurance that what I was feeling was baby Chen and not some hunger rumbling or gas gurgling. I started feeling something about 16 weeks, but didn't want to say that it was him until I knew for SURE. At 20 weeks, just a day or two before we went to see the Obgyn, he kicked me so hard I knew it was nothing other than our sweet baby having a jolly good time in my stomach. He was getting stronger and stronger, and now I couldn't confuse what was him and my own body. When I realized that I could really feel him and knew it was him, it was such a relief. I'd waited 4 weeks to know it was definitly him and have peace that he was doing just fine in there. Now.. I can't get him to chill out in there haha! But, it is wonderful feeling him be so happy and healthy inside of me.

Half-way Mark Tomorrow!!

2011-05-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow marks Jellybean's (JB's) 20th week and the half-way mark to having our sweet baby in our arms. I won't lie and say it seems like it's flown by, because honestly, it hasn't flown by HA! I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of being pregnant, but I'm thinking that will change once I can really feel the baby more. Right now I barely feel JB, but I'm sure once he/she gets bigger and I can feel him/her more it will be incredible! We will also find out the gender this week. I CANT WAIT! This is the ONLY time in my life that I hope my sweet baby isn't modest. :) We've been waiting for a long time to be able to give our baby a name and be able to call JB he or she. I fully believe that when we know the name, it will be so much sweeter to talk to JB as a person with a name. A real wonderful person growing and getting bigger every day. (Now, if mommy didn't have to get bigger too that would be EVEN BETTER hehe!)

We've been practicing and anticipating baby Chen's arrival.

We've been waiting for 20 WEEKS to give you a name and to know your gender.

We decided to have a little fun with Boy or Girl?? since we have to wait a little bit longer to find out.

Does Tim think blue?? (by the way, my favorite color :) )

And we've been enjoying watching Jellybean grow and can't wait to see him/her on Thursday!!!

Come and Vote!!

2011-05-07T23:41:00.000-04:00

We have added a gender poll for all you lovely people to vote on. It's located at the top of the blog. You only have till Thurs!! Please vote :) It'll be so fun!

Also, in case you didn't see it yet, Tim passed his Step 3 test! As a medical student/resident there are a series of 3 test called the "Step" tests. Step 1 is taken after Med school yr 2. Step 2 is taken after Med school yr 3. Step 3 is taken after Intern yr. in residency. Without passing these tests they can not continue on in their studies. They can retake the test, but that costs money, time, and much undesired stress and frustration. Thankfully, Tim has passed all 3 on the first try. So proud of him!!

And for all you wondering minds out there.. here is the latest picture Tim and I have taken of baby Jellybean hidden in my belly. The belly really popped out the past 2 wks. I was like... DANG where'd that come from? Especially since Ive only gained 2 lbs since my last appointment. Hahaha!

More pictures from our trip...

2011-04-19T12:10:00.000-04:00

The sand near the water looked awesome!

beautiful area outside of our hotel- the Holiday Inn. At this time there were no kids but by Friday 3 little boys were having a blast in the water :)

This tree is gorgeous, and I love it!

This reminds me of a knock knock joke my niece Ryleigh and I used to always tell one another.

This was my idea, but doesnt Tim look awesome in that tree??

me trying to be cute ;)

The pier outside of The Crazy Crab restaurant

and again..

We had a PERFECT spot for the sunset. This is the only place on the whole island you can see the sun set (which we didn't actually know at the time) AND MY CAMERA DIED after this picture. I was bummed, but hey... what can you do? haha!

The beach area near the pier

yay! we love each other :)

This was the same day at the picture above. We drove quickly to our hotel to get new batteries to get the sunset and realized.. ohh it's behind the trees oops! So, I took a pic anyways.

same sunset

hehe Tim cracks me up! We didn't see any alligators... darn! We really wanted to haha

it really wasn't this dark. My camera just isnt good with darker pictures. Every time we drove by this I wanted to walk it, so on thursday after dinner we did and it was AWESOME!

Beautiful flowers outside of our hotel

I wanted to post some pictures of the places we ate at and the delish food, but I only have a few.

We ate at Skillets Cafe twice for lunch. It was sooo good!

meal 1- I had seafood stirfry and Tim had an omlet with cheese and ham inside and scallop potatoes. YUMMM

2nd time there- Tim got a burger with fries, and I got the "healthy omlette" with egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, salsa, and guacamole. I know in the picture it looks gross, but it was very tasty!

The Crazy Crab!!! I didn't take a picture of the food, but we shared a big pot of fresh steamed seafood: crab legs, oysters, shrimp, and lobster tail. IT WAS THE BEST CRAB OF MY LIFE!!!! and the first time I ever had oysters, which were surprising good.

The Big Bamboo. It looks like it'd be Asian, but it tricked you haha (dont worry we got Asian food later ;) )

Tim got a spicy wrap which he said was great, but I didn't take a picture of his. oops :) It was really dark in there, so the picture isnt so clear, but I got a huge chicken breast with a fruit salsa on top, a salad with vinegar, and fries. It was so good :)

Us after The Big Bamboo. I realize I dont look good in dresses that go half way down my shin haha

Tim had never been to Rita's before, so one day for a snack we shared a regular chocolate and peanut butter. it has no dairy, which makes Jenn happy :)

Tim has a big mouth haha

!THE END!

Nice Rotation, Step 3, & Hilton Head Island, SC

2011-04-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

This has been a wonderful month in Chen world! Although Tim has been spending a lot of his time at home studying, we've had more time together in Charlotte than we've had in several months! Having time at home together and being on vacation together are 2 totally different things. It was nice to just be together, clean together, cook together, grocery shop together, and go to the church meetings together! Tim hasnt been to a full Lord's Day meeting for at probably 8 weeks before April. I've enjoyed this month SOO much and hate to see it go, but life must go on.

Tim took his last Step test (A test doctors and medical students have to take to practice medicine. There are 3 parts.) on April 11th and 12th!! yay!!! We have to wait at least 4 weeks before we find out how he did, but I'm sure he did a wonderful job.

After his test, we left for Hilton Head Island, SC. It's about 4.5 hrs southeast from here. It was a beautiful day! By the Lord's wonderful mercy there was rain on Monday and Saturday, but our trip was from Tuesday to Friday :) Hallelujah!!

Beautiful sunset on the way to SC

Tim had conference meetings from 7:30am until 12:00pm, but because our breakfast buffet didn't open until 7am, he usually got there closer to 8am. It's so laid back, though. Tim said some guys didnt show up some days haha! The breakfast was soooo good! Of course, I tried to pick healthy things. Apparently, Jellybean loves fruit already :)

Fruit, eggs, and potatos

Our breakfast spot overlooked the ocean. It was so nice to watch the sun rise as we ate breakfast. I ran outside on the last morning to take a picture of it.

GORGEOUS!!

After breakfast I had from 8am til 12pm to keep myself busy without being able to spend any money. The first day it was really easy, the second day I got antsy toward the end, and the third day I just wanted Tim with me. It can get lonely at a new place, even if it's beautiful, by yourself. BUT I did get some amazing shots of the ocean...

One thing that was pretty neat was in the morning, usually starting at 8am and ending sometime after I went inside, there would be some water that would get trapped between 2 parts of the land and people would walk or run on the piece of land between the water. I walked on it one morning. It was pretty amazing how for just a short time in the morning this piece of land was there, but by 1pm it was gone!

There were also many neat animals we got to see while we were there. Tim got to see 1/2 of them, and I always tried to take pictures so he could at least see them in the camera. The only animals I didnt get to take a picture of, because my camera was in the room, were 2 dolphins!! They were so beautiful, and I believe that because I was feeling kind of lonely that day the Lord gave me a wonderful present :) Here are the pictures of the animals I did get:

The Herring was SOO close! Tim and I saw another one later that day who was following a man fishing around. It was so funny. I guess he was expecting a free handout. We went down the beach and came back 20 mins later and the bird was still there haha! BUT, i didnt get a picture of that Herring. :(

Ok, yes it's dead, but I never saw one in real life before, and I thought it was cool, so I took a picture. Then, I took Tim down to see it when he got back :)

Beautiful pink bird next to our parking lot! At first we thought it was fake. Tim thinks its also a Herring.

awww super cute baby birdies!!

AND.. last but not least... we looked all over the creeks for alligators, and our last day there I spotted these 2 baby ones, but tim wasn't will me. SO, after lunch we walked back to this creek and they were still there. I never did the mama though.

Here's the alligator... closer this time (I took this picture when Tim was with me), and a cutie black turtle. There were so many turtles in there!

I wanted to share more pictures of Tim and I and other stuff, but my computer takes forever to load the pictures and it's already 10:30pm, so, I'm going to bed and will try to finish the pictures tomorrow or Wednesday.

Love,
the Chens

The progress of the size of jellybean...

2011-03-31T20:15:00.000-04:00

Week 4 - size of 1 poppyseed

Week 5 - size of an apple seed

Week 6 - size of a small pea

Week 7 - size of a blueberry

Week 8 - size of a raspberry

Week 9 - size of a grape

Week 10 - size of a kumquat

Week 11 - size of a fig

Week 12 - size of a lime

Week 13 - size of a peach

Week 14 - size of clenched fist

Week 15 - size of a navel Orange (Next Week!)

I will do another blog with many weeks again later in the pregnancy :)

A much needed update

2011-03-31T18:40:00.000-04:00

On March 15th, Tim and I went to our 4th obgyn appointment. It was quite exciting! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time!! The heartbeat was at 150 bpm, and the nurse said it sounded healthy and strong. She was telling me to listen for something, but I had no idea what I suppose to be listening for, so I just enjoyed the little gallop coming out of the speaker :)

The baby is definitly growing and my hips and legs can surely feel it. I have been trying to stretch and walk a lot. I'm sure it's helping, and it would be a lot worse if I wasn't doing that. I've missed a lot of church meetings and have sat around quite a bit, but try to get up and do housework, get out of the house, go visit people and spend time with Tim. At 14 weeks I'm still getting nauseous a lot and am extremely tired. Actually, I think it's gotten worse instead of better haha!

I learned some pretty interesting news the other day:

The Important Fetal Developments of a Baby
4 weeks - the fetal heart beings in beat
8 weeks - all body organs are formed
8-12 weeks - Fetal hert can be heard by doppler
16 weeks - Baby's sex can be seen. Athough thin, fetus look more like a baby (although I think my doctor's
                  going to make me wait until 20 weeks to find out :( )
20 weeks - heartbeat can be heard with fetoscope. Mother feels movement. Baby develops a regular
                  schedule of sleeping, sucking, and kicking. Hands can grasp. Baby assumes a fave position. hair,
                  eyebrows, and eyelashes present.
24 weeks - weighs 1 lb. 10 oz. More activity. Fetal respiratory movements begin.
28 weeks - eyes begin to open and close. Baby can breath. Surfactant formed that's needed for breathing at
                  birth. Baby's 2/3 final size.
32 weeks - Baby has fingernails and toenails. Baby appears less red and wrinkled.
38-40 weeks - Babys fills whole uterus. Baby gets antibodies from mother.

Maybe that isn't fun for you, but I love reading that stuff! Ok, I know some of you have asked for some belly pictures, so, here you go!

These 2 pictures are from when I was 12 weeks and 3 days

Oh yeah! little bump showing out.

My belly looks huge when I put my hand under it hahah

Date night and Birthday fun

2011-03-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Even though Tim's birthday isn't until March 14th, we went ahead and celebrated it yesterday because he was actually off for 1/2 the day. Even though he makes the money, I do the budget, so in a way I really did take him out :) Usually he does whatever I would like to do because he's such a sweet guy, but I told him that this time we are going to do whatever he wants to do. Tim doesn't really like to celebrate anything about him. He's very humble, but if it's for anyone else he wants to go all out. SO, I told him if we did this it would make me SOOOOO happy to do something for him. After that he agreed, and we had a blast! It just so happened to be pouring outside, but this was probably the best part. With one little umbrella, arms around one another, we tried to miss all the puddles and laughed every time one of us got soaking wet haha.

I didn't get any pictures, but first we went to watch a movie. It was a perfect guy and girl movie. Some suspense and action with romance intertwined. The name is "The Adjustment Bureau". I wish there wasnt any cursing in the movie, but except for those few words, we REALLY enjoyed it.

Next, we went to eat dinner at a little place called "Bento". It's a small Chinese restaurant we'd never been to before. I was most excited about the Boba Tea. I even took a picture with mine!!

Taro Boba tea w/o the Tapioca.. DELISH!

Tim got one too, but he got it after his meal. He got the original Boba Milk Tea. I wanted to make sure I could drink the whole entire thing and could bring home leftovers from the meal, so I got mine the first second I sat down hahahhah. Tim's meal looked really good. I'll let you see for yourself:

Rice, some kind of chicken with Vegetables, Hot and Sour Soup, pineapple (hidden behind soup), egg roll, and a cute little dessert in the corner

That dish was CLEAN when he got done. I think he liked it :)

This is proof of Tim's clean plate haha and my really long noodle, shrimp, veg, and miso soup. I was probably fun to watch trying to eat those noodles with chopsticks and a spoon.. i tried to copy other people Ive seen in the past, but lets just say some soup ended up on the table that night :)

The lovely couple after dinner (that would be us hehe)

We went home after dinner and still had some time before Tim had to study, so we took turns playing Wii. I got really tired after like 7 mins (i had an eventful day) and laid down on the couch and fell asleep. Tim played for a long time. He really likes that thing. Thank you taxes for giving our money back so we could buy it! It was a perfect night together, and I'm so thankful we did it. We realize there's not much time left for us to do things like this as a couple... especially spontaneously, so we want to enjoy one another as much as we can before precious little baby comes to forever rock our world :)

10 wks and counting...

2011-03-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the "baby" at 9 weeks. I am already showing a good deal... and believe part of that has to do with other things that go on when one is pregnant haha!

I have still been pretty sick (sometimes with 3 different things.. 2 of them not pregnancy related), so it's been hard for me to take care of things in my normal schedule. Thankfully my dear hubby and friends and the saints in the church have been very understanding and helpful. One family even went to buy us groceries and made dinner for us! It was such a blessing to Tim and me.

Tim starts a new rotation this month: Emergency Department. The good thing is he's not on call, but he does have shift work and this means he has to work nights 1/2 the time. I think working nights is one of the hardest things for me and him. Please pray for him during this time as he deals with the crazy switching of working days and then nights and then days.

Also, randomly and for fun times sake, I want to post some pictures from our wedding in Taiwan in December 2007. It was a gospel wedding, and the church in Taipei and friends of the family (ones I hadnt even met yet) and our mom did everything! Hope you enjoy!!!

Me sharing my testimony

Tim sharing his testimony

Everyone else singing the hymn in Chinese while we sang it in English :)

These pictures are full of loving friends and family who were there (some were visiting from America and came to BOTH weddings :))

I was sooo excited Clare could speak English!!

And then the youngins went out to KTV. We had such an AWESOME time!

I guess I'm just really missing Taiwan and all our friends and family that live all over the place.
Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

In Case You Haven't Heard.....

2011-02-23T21:38:00.002-05:00

there's a bun in the oven!!! That's right! We were once just a couple, and now we are a family :) Today we are 9 weeks and getting more and more excited as the days go by. Although we've known since 4 wks and 1 day, we decided to wait until we actually saw the baby to make it public news. We are sooo thankful to the Lord for this precious life that He is growing!
The day I found out we were going to have a baby Tim was on call (which means he was working from Wednesday at 6am until Tuesday at 12pm), so I had to wait a whole 24 hrs before I could tell him! I wanted to do something really cute and fun to tell him the wonderful news. I came up with a plan.
Now for a few fun pictures.... (Tim said to please ignore his hair haha)

I was having lunch with some friends when Tim got home from work, and after lunch I went and got this cake from Harris Teeter. I had the bakery guy write "boy or girl" on it to reveal the surprise.

When I got home Tim had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, and I tried to be super sneaky so he wouldn't know what was going on yet. After opening the cake, I told him I had gotten him a surprise since he worked so hard and to come see it. This is him half awake trying to read it.

Short pause.... "Wait... what?? Are you?? Really?? Oh my gosh!!"

(I'm so glad Tim graciously let me share this picture with the world. Love you, Honey! :))

Double Chens with Double happiness :)

The now awake Tim with the celebration cake.. yep ate that thing in 2 days flat. I blame the baby for that one :)

Starting February off in MS!!

2011-02-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

This has been a BUSY month but full of enjoyment! Sadly enough, I would've enjoyed the first 2 weeks so much more if Tim would've been with me, but thankfully he's here now!! The first week I got happily stuck in Jackson because of a crazy winter storm, but that time got to be filled with sweet times with baby Anastacia, Rebecca, and Paul. This was my first time seeing Paul & Rebecca for 7 months and first time to meet baby girl :) she's sooo cute!! Two days later I was in Starkville for a Gospel trip. For the next 10 days my time, energy, breath was for the Lord and His move. Of course, every day of our Christian life should be this way! It was tiring but as we were speaking to people, handing out the Recovery version Bibles, going to people's homes, standing in the cold, ect Christ was there and it was so sweet.

More to come...

A couple of fun days with the hubby!

2011-01-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

Tim has been working a lot lately, but we also have had some really fun days together when he is off. I believe it's true what they say, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I thought it would be fun to share these 2 days with you!! About a week and a half ago (1-10-11), we got a pretty big snow here in Charlotte. Probably got 4-5 inches. The weird thing was that the next morning there was a thin layer of ice covering the snow. I had never seen that before! This made things a little more dangerous and slippery. Thankfully, Tim was off on Tuesday and didnt have to go out in that. PLUS we got to spend the day together! YAY!!

After we got a lot of snow, we made snow cream!

Me enjoying a walk in the snow

About to fall down for a snow angel, but the camera died once I was on the cold ground haha!

Trying to use dishwashing gloves to play in the snow... not reccomended!

Attempting to make a snowman.. FAIL!

We had a really great time in the snow, but didn't last for very long because neither one of us has good gloves and our hands were FROZEN! By the time we got in, both of our hands were burning on fire.

more to come...

some more pictures from 2010

2010-12-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

Trip with Mom and Bill to Pigeon Forge, TN...

Thanksgiving Dinner with some friends...

End of 2010..

2010-12-30T14:33:00.000-05:00

The year has gone by so fast! I can't believe that just one year ago we were in Jackson busy getting ready for Match and having no idea where we would be for the next three years. Since we've moved to Charlotte, it's been pretty normal for us (if you can call random call nights, different schedules every month, and trying to figure out Charlotte's crazy roads as normal haha!). The routine is basically the same each day (for Jenn at least) with little twists here and there. Tim, on the other hand, has something new every month, if not every day! Right now he is finishing up Surgery and getting ready for a new rotation. Thankfully, he got a week off from work (Dec 23rd-27th), and we got to go to MS and see my side of the family. It was such a sweet time with my 2 nieces, mom, sister, bro-in-law, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, friends, and saints! The bad news is they were all sick when we got there, and when we got home we were sick too!! Hopefully it will all be over very soon just in time for my birthday :)

more pictures to come!!

Update

2010-03-24T23:12:00.000-04:00

Well.... I got all caught up in the interview trail and the busyness of 4th year and completely forgot about the blog. I'm very new to blogging and have to get use to getting on here and updating my life. It has been a blend of excitement and nervousness as we have applied to residencies, waited on responses, scheduled interviews, planned plane flights, packed our bags and headed to 5 cities all over the USA. First we went to Charlotte, NC in November, and next we went on a huge interview trip for a whole month to the west coast in January. Our trip included Seattle, Wa; Portland, OR; Spokane, WA; and Irvine, CA. It was my second time to ever be on the west side of the country, and definitly my first time in Washington and California. I have to say the West coast is sooo different. I felt like a country bumkin when I was walking around there, and I was actually wearing some of my nicer outfits! haha!

I am so thankful the Lord placed us in Charlotte. It is really the best place for us. We know a lot of the saints there and the church life is very wonderful. There are a lot of students, and I'd love to be on the campus. So, whether to work or go back to school is a huge question for me right now. Thankfully my hubby is so open and supportive to whatever I feel the Lord is leading me to do. Right now we are looking into the possibility of buying our first home, and since we will be in Taiwan in April, we have a short time to get it all together. It's going to be a FUN 3 months till we move. I'm so excited i can't contain myself!!

More of Portland

2009-11-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

I seem to have longer and longer breaks between posts. Sorry about that. Our time in Portland was amazing. We were so blessed to have the time to go for a week to visit with the saints and see such a beautiful city. The hospital visit was nice, but it wasn't even close to the best part of the trip. Blending with the saints is truly the greatest joy on earth. Of course the food was delicious and the sights were beautiful, but meeting with the saints builds up the Body and helps you gain more of the Lord!
After we went to the hospital, we visited Portland State University which is in downtown Portland. It's a beautiful campus, and there's a really awesome historic building they use for some kind of offices.

Near the campus, a brother and his wife own a shop with chinese food and bubble tea :) yummm! Tim and I got a free one! whoo hoo! it was so good. We got to fellowship for about 30 mins with the brother, and he was so excited about us possibly coming to Portland. haha.. but of course he wants us to follow the Lord's leading. It really does feel good to be needed, but we also know we can't do it on our own. It's definitly the Lord's working it out in us! Praise the Lord!!

We also saw the Union Station building, but only from the car. I took this out the window while at a red light.

We went to a home meeting to meet with the saints one night. It's was really awesome because the family whose home we went to use to live in Jackson! :) They moved to Portland in either the end of 2007 or beginning of 2008. It was so good to see them and enjoy the Lord together. I also love multi-language enjoyment!!

more to come....

skipping ahead to the present..

2009-09-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

So, I know I have a lot to tell about, and I'm in the middle of telling about our Pittsburgh, PA trip, but I am going to skip to the present and tell you about our current enjoyment. Right now we are in Portland, OR and really enjoying our time here! We are staying with Brother Luke and Sister Tina. They brought Tim's parents to the Lord and also Tim into the church. They are so dear and have known Tim since he was a baby. On the way here we stayed with some saints in New Orleans, LA. We've never met them before, but really enjoyed meeting them and their sweet young children. We had breakfast together and enjoyed fellowship about the Lord. Sister Sue even took us to Cafe Du Monde. Tim has never been before, so, I knew it would be fun for us. I have pics. on my cell phone but cannot post right now since I dont have my cord to connect to the pc. The ride in the plane was a bit scary because of the bumps and turbulance from the clouds, but it was so beautiful! I will also have to share those later because they are also on my phone haha!

We went to visit the hospital Tim is interested for residency and it was HIGH on a mountain (the locals call it a hill) and very beautiful. This is the view from the hospital.

Mt. Hood

The first picture is of us and Brother Luke and the second is us and the brother who graciously showed us around the hospital.

Gotta get ready for dinner, so, I have to go for now!

Praise the Lord!

going away party June 17th and Pittsburgh June 27th

2009-08-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

On June 17th my wonderful coworkers gave me a going away party. It was so sweet I almost cried!!! A few of my friends did hehe... which made it an even sweeter day!

Ten days later, since our trip to Portland was cancelled, Tim and I rented a car and drove to Pittsburgh, PA. I love that place! My friends Jenny and Adrian were getting married, and I wanted to do everything possible to make sure I didn't miss it. It was a crazy drive there. Lets just say we were tired from all our traveling and then because of some crazy drivers in front of us we almost died but praise God my hubby saved the car with his mad driving skills!

Half way on the drive up there and back, we stayed with our newly married friends in Nashville and really had an awesome time. We even got to see Joseph's parents and their sweet dog on our way back home.

We had a really good time seeing old friends that I miss very much. Also, we went to Dave and Busters (awesome place!) and met my friend denise there. That was sooo much fun! Im so glad we got to spend some time together.

I'll post more about the trip to Pitts later.

I have the flu (prob swine flu grrr) and don't feel so well... need some rest time!

One week Later...

2009-08-04T16:35:00.000-04:00

As I'm still trying to catch up I feel this will take forever. I'm still in May and have two more months to go. Man I always feel like I'm trying to catch up and am never ahead. hahaha... One week after the conference in Philadelphia on May 29th, I drove to Tyler, TX for my friend Angela's wedding. I was able to stay the night in her house with her, her parents, sisters, and cousins. TIm didn't get to go because of school stuff, so, i drove the 5 hrs all by myself right after work and got there around 10pm. it wasn't too bad, actually. I had lots of people praying for me and I definitly prayed a lot on the trip.
These are the awesome cakes Angela's sisters made for her. Aren't the really good for two girls still in High School??? well, good for anyone if you ask me! The chocolate one in the front was made by Evan's grandmother. They are all beautiful and were mighty tasty!

The wedding was very sweet and beautiful. I am so glad I got to be a part of it.

One of my favorite things about attending weddings is helping out. So, no one really asked me, I just offered to help. I had the best time setting up the food and setting it out and refilling stuff as it got eaten away. Man, people at weddings know how to eat! haha!

Here is me and the other 2 ladies that helped out. They were so sweet. There was also one of the ladies' husband, but I didn't get a pic of him.

some wonderful pictures of the happy couple :)

And to end... some of my fave pics. plus Angela's super sweet family:

to continue....

2009-08-04T16:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome! I wanted to just share a little bit about what I really enjoyed in the Memorial Day Weekend Conference. The title was "Being One with the Lord in His Move for the UNiversal Spreading of the Church as the Testimony of Jesus". The Lord desires so much. He has such a deep love for us and a hope that one day we too can be just like Him in our nature and likeness and to express Him in every way. He wants all of His believers to be formed into a corporate Bride. Of course, this is revealed to us in Revelation and throughout the Bible. He brings experiences and circumstances our way to transform us into this lovely person. He allows wind, storms, and problems to come our way. These are hard for us and cause us to be dissatisfied and concerned about our spiritual condition and to have a turn in our spiritual life. The Lord also brings himself as a cloud to cover us in order to care for us and show favor to us. He is our tabernacle and our shade from the sun's beating upon us. Next, we recieve the fire which signifies God's burning and sanctifying power. The more the fire of the Holy Spirit "burns"us, the more we are purified and enlightened. We see our real condition and where we stand with the Lord. We realize how much we need Him and the other saints to live this life. lately, God comes as electrum which is composed of the elements of gold (the divine God) and silver (signifying the Lamb-God, the redeeming God). The more we experience the wind, cloud, and fire, the more the electrum is constituted into our being and making us a people filled with the Triune God and bring Him glory. I just love how even when we go through struggles and hard times or really wonderful fun times, the Lord is using all of this to gain us for Himself. He really wants us to be holy as He is. We are His children and like most families on the earth, the children resemble at least one parent in features and one parent in actions. Oh Lord, we want to resemble you in both ways!!

Long time no see!

2009-07-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

me and ben.. good times

some of our new friends from all over the country!

us and ben

Welcome back to our blog. If you have been checking regularly, I'm sorry in the delay. Lots of stuff going on and my computer doesn't always agree with me, so, there ya go. My excuse in full! haha! Last time I was talking about the memorial day conference in Philly and now realize I am really behind and have lots more to share, so, I'll finish this one up and try to catch up. We were so blessed to be able to attend the conference. Besides the 21 hr drive there (due to traffic) and the 17 hr drive back (through the night taking turns driving!) we had a wonderful time. We had a wonderful time meeting saints from the Philly and Boston area. We even met a couple that lives in Philly and are moving to Seattle. That was pretty funny considering we are thinking about all of these cities for residency. We had emailed the saints a head of time and planned on getting together to fellowship and just hang out and enjoy the Lord together. We got treated very well, had amazing food, and made some new friends in the Body. It was quite enjoyable AND tiring! haha...

wonderful lunch with saints from Philly, Ohio, and California

On the campus

We tried the Philly Cheese steak, saw the libery bell and where the declaration of independence were signed.

This place was really awesome... Sonny's Famous Steaks.

More to come....

2009-06-30T19:09:00.000-04:00

Now that my class is over, I want to go back a few weeks ago and tell about our awesome time at the Memorial Day Conference! We DROVE to Philadelphia, PA with a stop in Roanoke, VA. A wonderful couple in the church in Roanoke let us stay with them and lucky for us, there were 3 other sisters staying with them. They were a bit older than us and shared their amazing stories of coming into the church life and how the Lord has richly revealed Himself to them. Tim, Joe (Tim's bro) and I were so blessed just by our time there!!

We also stopped at DC to see our good friend Nick. He came in from Bethesda and showed us around the capital (although honestly he didn't have a clue where he was going haha!). We went to cups and got some yummy tea and coffee. Good times with good friends!

We left D.C. right at 5:00pm. We do not advise anyone to ever do this! haha! Our 18 hr trip suddenly turned into a 21 hr trip and we missed the first meeting :( BUT praise the Lord! We were able to watch the first meeting when we got to the hotal, since it was broadcasted on all the tvs in the hotel. Needless to say, it was a LONGGGG day, but very enjoyable!

More to come soon!!

Welcome!!

2009-06-19T17:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome! We are new to this blog stuff, so, please bear with us as we figure it all out. Today was my last day of work with UMC in Clinton. I had such a great time there and will miss everyone! Hopefully you guys are reading this and will keep up with everything that is going on. I really should be writing my Spanish paper instead of doing this, but it was so bare I had to do something. Have a wonderful evening!