Lately

There seems to have been a long pause on my posts recently and I am sorry for that. We have had a lot going on. Um… like the news of our 4th baby on the way! That's not all of course that has been going on but that alone has muddled my thoughts recently beyond normal. I have been dealing with the "pregnancy brain" more than I'd like to admit. In those times my sweet and loving husband gets a good laugh as he reminds me "You're pregnant…".

Before I go much further I just want to say Thank you! to all of our family and friends who have been so encouraging in our BIG surprise news of our 4th child. It was overwhelming and exciting for us and the news could not have been more welcomed by all of you (I'm thinking the cute video might have helped that ;). Your encouragement means more than you know! As I mentioned, this was a surprise for us. God's plans are perfect. He was ready and blessed us with our little "poppy seed" (as we've been calling the baby since we found out).

Please do not read this and think "They didn't want this baby" or "Oh, they got their 'Oops baby' ". That is NOT our hearts on the matter at all! Was this part of our plan at this time? No. But we have trusted that God knows what He is doing. And if this is how we can continue to bring Him the most glory, well, then bring on the baby belly!

I am 16 weeks along in my pregnancy this week and things are going great! I did deal with a lot of sickness this time (much like with Kohen). It started earlier in this pregnancy, though. But PRAISE THE LORD, I was over it quicker this time! Once I was a week into my second trimester I started feeling better gradually and now I hardly ever get nauseated. Some smells can get me a little sideways… but I can handle that! The "morning sickness" or more like all-day-every-day sickness (or as I like to call "progesterone poisoning") seemed to be more than I could bare some days. I am very thankful to be feeling better.

The boys are SO excited about having a new baby in momma's tummy! They have been so cute about it from the time we told them. T, of course, understood right away what we were talking about. His response was, "But… You're belly's not big…?"
P has slowly come around. His first response was, "I'm going to be in your tummy??" After explaining to him that there was a new baby in mommy's tummy he responded with, "That's cwazy!"
And Koko, well… He still has no idea.

The two big boys talk about the baby and make mention to him/her often. From the very beginning Tristan has said the baby is a girl and he's not changed his opinion for a second. And in the same sureness, Peyton says it's a boy! I have no clue who is right… We should find out within the next month though… :)

Here are some name suggestions from the boys:
Boy names:
Baby Joel (their cousin)
Baby Finley (also their cousin)
Baby Keith (they know a couple of Keiths… one is a friend of theirs and the other is their Aunt's boyfriend)
Jesus ("That's a good name!" -T said)
God (…I'm still speechless about this one…)

Girl names:
Aunt Kayla (obviously, their Aunt)
Aunt Sarah (yeah, the thing is… they don't even have an Aunt Sarah??)
Sarah
Dora (yes, as in "Dora The Explorer")

Brandon and I have yet to talk about names for the baby. If you'll remember, Kohen wasn't named for the longest time. I hope this baby will have a name soon but that requires us actually sitting down and talking about it!  Sigh.  I love thinking about the fact that God knows this baby's name. Even before the foundations of this earth were laid, He knew. Wow. Does that give anyone else the chills it gives me??

More exciting baby news: I felt the baby move yesterday for the fist time! I knew as soon as I felt the little thump thumps, that it was the baby moving. What a wonderful feeling! It never gets old.



I'm sure there is much more to cover that I am just not going to get to this time. But I will try to not let a month go by again before posting what's going on with the Davis family. Until next time...

"Every good gift and every perfect gift 

is from the Father of lights with whom there is

no variation or shadow due to change." -James 1:17

What's Cookin'?

Say Whaaa?

I don't know if you remember my first post about things I have heard coming out of my mouth lately, but here's another one!  I've had this saved as a draft and have been adding to it for a couple of months (when I've remember to). Here you go, simply for your enjoyment. 

"Hey! I don't care if you are a bird, that's fine, but please don't get so loud."

"Leave the lizard ALONE. Now." (I was referring to Kohen, who apparently was subject to the big boys imaginations.)

"Yay! You did great! Yes, now you may have some poo-poo candy."

"That's enough, stop arguing! That is neither loving or kind. Oh... I see... Well, please tell your toys that they need to be loving and kind also and that we don't talk to people like that."

"Why did you do that? I am not a napkin." (as Tristan repeats me from across the room, giggling... 'Momma's not a napkin.')

"Yes, baby. It will get dark later today just like it does everyday."

"Son, cover your mouth when you cough. Okay, next time you need to use your own arm... not mine."

"I've been looking for that sword!" (referring to my spatula that had been missing for a week.)

"Well, Buzz Lightyear has to obey momma too."

"Feet do not go in your mouth. Or on your tongue."


What are some things you've heard coming out of your mouth lately??

life happens.

Can I share a verse that has been on my heart and mind lately? 

Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 

-James 1:2&3

I have heard this passage many times in sermons, bible studies and referenced in books. My favorite has been listening to my husband teach on it. Not just because he's my husband or because of his wonky and absurd dry erase board drawing skills. But because he tells it like it is. 

The truth is we are going to encounter trials. Or "pot holes" in our "road of life" as Brandon says it for his weird fingerless gorilla man who is walking on a road.

James uses the word when. Not if, possibly or maybe. He says when.

At some point we will all encounter trials. There is a gospel preached that says, 'Come to Jesus and your life will be perfect. You'll have all the money you want and all the things your heart desires. Oh, and you'll never have to worry about your health, because Jesus loves you and wants you to be comfortable.'

Hmm... I'm guessing that person uses the bible like a buffet and takes only what sounds good to them in that moment. Obviously they haven't taken James' Holy Spirit inspired words into account. Not to mention many other verses that talk about life as a Christian that don't mention prosperity as one of the attributes we receive from the Holy Spirit.

Let's stick with James for now...

James used the wording "various trials" meaning trials can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as small as stumping your toe or as large as losing a loved one. 

He says for the believer (and even more so, a bond-servant of Christ) this is how we are to handle these various trials...

with JOY.

Count it all joy.

Now, I'm not sure when the last time you faced a trial was. It may have been a day, week, month, year or many years ago. I could have been small or large. Was it easy to find the joy in it?

I personally happen to be sitting in a pot hole right now. I found out yesterday I have two slipped discs in my lower back. It's definitely a pot hole alright. And it's a doozy at that.

Can I just say... I am struggling. I'm in pain. I can't do much for myself and it will be a long process for a complete recovery. I am overwhelmed that everyday things I could do even two days ago aren't possible for my body to accomplish today. 

I have found myself praying, "God, I don't understand."

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you

may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all

generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

-James 1:4&5

I think James knew we (I) would need the wisdom to understand. And so he says, if you don't understand then ask God to give you the wisdom you need. 

I have and will continue to ask for wisdom. I don't know the reason for this yet. I trust that the Lord has a plan that is better than anything I could ever come up with. Trusting His Word...

And we know that God causes all things to work together for 

good for those who love God, for those who 

are called according to His purpose.

-Romans 8:28

Also, from the passage in James, it's clear He is allowing this trial to produce more endurance in my life so that as I put my faith and trust in Him, I may be complete and lacking nothing through Him. 

Okay, back to the joy thing... I am thankful that joy is not something I have to muster up. I can't try to be more joyful. Joy is something that has been placed inside of me by the Holy Spirit. Even as I go through things that are painful, uncomfortable and are hard to understand, I can have joy in knowing its all a part of God's plan. As I spend more time in the Word, and dwell on the truths of who God is and what He desires to do within me, I am more joyful. It just happens. 

Joy is the overflow.

Even though it's been a challenge at times, I've been seeking for ways to see the blessings in this situation. Here are a few things that have truly blessed me once I opened my eyes for them over the past few days:

• I have been loved on by my husband in ways I didn't think he would ever have to. Has your husband ever put your clothes on, top to bottom (in a very non-sexual manner) AND applied your deodorant for you? It's been humbling. I have always known he meant what he said when we vowed "for better or for worse" but when you're in the middle of the worst, you get a chance to follow through, replacing words in a vow made years ago with actions of love.

• Tristan (only 4) prayed the sweetest prayer of healing over me the other night before bed. He prayed while looking out his window toward "God's star." He said he likes praying when he can see the star. This isn't something we taught him, I think it's something he picked up from watching Hermie the Caterpillar, when he prays to God you usually see a star, the sun or moon in the sky. Something we'll have to address, God's whereabouts not being on a star or the moon... but the prayer was pure and full of love. He want his mommy to feel better. Oh and by the way, the "star" was a blinking cellular tower :)

• We have had help with the boys from our family here in town. Brandon's mom and sister took the boys most of the day yesterday which enabled us to go to the chiropractor and get some rest afterward. Not having to worry if the boys were being taken care of was a huge help. Having family close is something I don't want to take for granted.

• Seeing the body of Christ functioning like it should. Our church family is reaching out to help in many ways. I've had so many offers from people to babysit, come and help around the house, bring meals, etc. Today a friend of mine (with a hint from my hubs) brought me my favorite sandwich and side of soup for lunch. Nothing cheers up one's day like a Turkey Todd. And another friend, who we'd planned on joining for dinner at their house, brought over dinner for us tonight. What a blessing.

Seeing these blessings has helped me keep my eyes on Him. I know He is good. His plan is perfect. And He gives us the wisdom, strength and grace to endure the trials we face. 

Lord, may I be found faithful to trust in You

as you carry me through this trial and onto the next. 

May you receive all the glory and honor forever and ever. 

Amen. 

*Picture credit goes to my awesomely talented brother in law, David Templin.

Bling!

I wasn't going to do this but one of the last times Brandon left for the weekend, he took my van keys with him and if it hadn't been for the spare set (which I found in his car after looking for 20 minutes) I would have been stranded. So brace yourself for a funny story that involves my hubby.

A few weekends ago, Brandon spent his weekend on a hunt. He went out to a ranch in West Texas and worked with a ministry that takes young students out on hunts and spends the weekend pouring into them spiritually. It really couldn't get any better to him than that: Ministry AND hunting?! Wow. He had a great time.

Prior to him going we had been having an ongoing debate about both of us wanting to get some new earbuds and who really needed them most. You see, I washed a pair of earbuds (his) that he had left in his pullover pocket. Okay, so I might have neglected to check the pocket but regardless, they were washed.

Surprisingly, even after the earbuds were washed, they still work! Crinkled, curly and all. They work. But he wanted new ones.

The earbuds I have been using aren't the most comfortable and the left ear piece is a little broken. So I wanted new ones.  

We were talking on the phone while he's on his way to his weekend-ministry-hunt and he tells me before he left he bought some new earbuds. He bragged about how he got a heck of a deal and only spend $6 on them! He was soooo impressed with himself for finding them. Punk. Well, I pretended to be happy for him. And I got over it and went on, enjoying my weekend with family.

Fast forward to him coming back. I asked him about his weekend, the youth, the hunts, etc. Then I asked how he liked his new earbuds.

He says, "Yes, I like them... it's just... well... I didn't realize when I bought them that they were 'BlingBuds'."

Trying not to crack a smile I ask, "And what exactly are 'BlingBuds'?"

And then he showed me... 

Brandon wearing his "BlingBuds"

It was then I completely lost it, "Bahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

It doesn't get much better than that. Does it? 

Oh and by the way... he still uses them.

un casa por Cristo

Over New Years I was so very blessed to go to Mexico and be apart of building a house for the man on the left in this photo. His name is Tomas. He and his family had been in prayer for a house for 4 years. God answered that prayer through a ministry called Casas Por Cristo. 

The man on the right is Da'vid, a true follower of Christ who works with CPC as a liaison in Acuna. 

 This is the site where we built the house. Behind the men in the picture is Tomas' existing house. I'm not sure if you can see but the right side of his house had no roof.

Our goal was to build a two bedroom house in 3 days. 

Day 1:

Starting on the frame work for the slab.

 Making sure it is level.

 Cutting the lumber...

This is Tomas' son.

 Me and my hubby working together building walls.

 Pouring the slab...

 Tomas' sister and niece watching. All of his family was so very sweet! I don't speak much spanish and they didn't speak much english but we seemed to communicate well through broken conversations, smiles and hugs. 

Sifting sand for stucco. 

 End of day 1: The slab was poured, insulation cut and ready to fill walls, walls built and chicken wire was cut, and we had started sifting sand for stucco.

Day 2:

 Black board and electrical.

Chicken wire.

 Suah, Tomas' wife.

 Roof.

Stretching chicken wire is not as glamorous as you would think. Okay, maybe you didn't think it was glamorous in the first place. Well, you are right, it's not. 

I was thrilled about being able to serve alongside my husband.

 The family served us lunch two of the three days. This meal we had beans, ribs (we weren't positive as to what kind of rib meat we were eating), tortillas and pickled peppers.
It is possible that the family used all of their food money for the entire month in order to feed us those two days. And not only did they provide food, they bought drinks as well. They were so overly generous. These people had next to nothing and yet, they were serving us.

 End of day 2: We had put up the walls, blackboard, the roof, chicken wire, started on electric and sifted more sand for stucco.

Some sights that stirred me...

Church building.
Do you think this congregation has much say so over how hot or cold it is in their sanctuary?

 Neighborhood pup.

 Laundry.

You can't see well because of the size of the picture, but there are little baby clothes hanging on the front line.

 A home.
Materials used on this home were tin metal sheets, wooden crates, plastic tarp and anything else they could find. 

 A lady washing her dishes.

This lady washes her dishes outside everyday and I complain because I don't have a dishwasher inside my house. Ouch.

The evening of the 2nd day we served the community. 

 Early that afternoon a group went out and walked the neighborhoods inviting people to come. 130 people showed up. 

We served Taco Soup, cookies and bottled water. 

 They were so grateful for everything.

We brought boxes of clothes, shoes, bags, diapers, and other items to give away. After they got their soup they formed another line to get their turn to go through the donations. 

 They waited so very patiently, never fussed or complained about anything. Even as we started losing light and the temperature dropped by the minute.

The kids jumped on a box of stuffed animals with pure excitement and delight! This little girl ended up with a cute teddy bear.

 Day 3:

Tomas' children playing ball.

 Mixing stucco.

 Pedro, Tomas' father.

 Stucco.

 Sheetrock.

 It was amazing to watch everyone work together.

 Lunch on day 2 was Chicken Mole`, rice, tortillas and salsa.

It was delicious. So very spicy. But delicious!

 Gifts we brought the family and left in the house. Things like toiletries, a heater, fan, rugs, bedding, towels, pillows, cleaning supplies and cookware.

 Tomas and Pedro embracing. About 45 minutes to an hour before we finished the project, Tomas started weeping and he hadn't stopped by the time we left. He sat in the corner of one of the rooms in the house watching as we made the finishing touches, overwhelmed and thankful to the LORD for the blessing of the house.

 Just about ready to dedicate.

 This was taken during the dedication of the house. Da'vid read the Word and preached. We gave them a bible that we all signed, told them thank you for serving us while we were there and how much of a blessing they were to us. One of our men had the honor of giving Tomas the keys to his house. We laid hands on the walls and prayed over the house all at once in a concert of prayer. Tomas and his family are believers and knew exactly where the praise and glory was due, before we closed our time of dedication they led us all in a song of praise, "Gracias Cristo". I know their words were sweet to our Fathers ears. It was beautiful.

 

Tomas nailing the last nail in the house.

The crew and family in front of the finished house.

I took 272 pictures in these 3 days. It was hard to narrow them down to the 48 you saw here. I pray you were able to see the need that was met through God's provision for this family and even their community. I fear my words are lacking to describe the full magnitude of these 3 short days, but it was truly life changing for me. I pray one day I will be able to return and be apart once again!

To God be the glory forever! Amen.