No Vaccinations in Heaven...

Having a baby has taught me so much about God's love for His children.  I think I am learning more about God's character and heart for me now more than ever before.  


Scripture refers to our God as Abba Father, which means " Daddy".   It's a term of endearment that makes me visualise being held close and comforted.  I was reminded of that this morning as I prayed for Abigail during my quiet time.  I am taking her to the doctor for her 4 month check up today which means 4 shots in her little legs and lots of tears.  Her 2 month check up did not go well... for me!  She did fine of course, but I cried my eyes out watching her shriek in fear and pain.  I held her as close as I could and wiped her tears until she had forgotten those awful sticks!  


I plan to do the same thing today since I anticipate the pain she will feel and the fear that may take her by surprise.  I will be right there with my cheek next to hers when the nice lady gives her those shots.  I will hold her close and console her until she is calm.  I'll be right there to get her through it.  


This morning after praying about my silly anxiety and later after talking to a dear friend that is going through an unimaginable loss, I got it.  God is there with us through every circumstance and painful situation.  He knows what we are about to go through, even when we don't see it coming.  It hurts his heart.  And like a good Daddy, he holds us close and wipes our tears until the fear is gone.  


So if your heart is hurting today and you are feeling the sting of pain, lean in to Jesus and let him comfort you.  He is right there to hold you close and get you through it!  And He promises that one day there will be no more tears...


"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:4

4 Months!

Abigail is 4 months old this week.  She has really hit a growth spurt this month!  I just hope she doesn't grow out of these sweet cheeks!

She is growing so fast and her personality is really starting to come out.  Here are a few things she is doing now: 

* She is starting to squeal and make high pitched noises.  Then she laughs at herself!

* She continues to love her bath and now she splashes her feet and gets water EVERYWHERE!

* She is sitting up in her Bumbo 

* She found her feet!  

* She does the motorboat sound with her mouth

* She rolls from her back to her side
* She can lift her head up when she is in tummy time and smile at me!

The physical therapist in me is so fascinated with every milestone that she makes!  Here she is lifting her head during tummy time!

Miller is still following Abigail around the house. Sometimes she'll bring her toys and lay right beside Abigail's play mat. My other baby...

We still love you Miller!

A little trip down memory lane...

Last week Mike and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary!   After sleeping in, we packed a thermos of coffee along with a few snacks and headed out for a little morning hike at Radnor Lake. This is a special place to us because it was here that Mike proposed to me. We grabbed Swanky's take out on the way home and as Abigail napped, we enjoyed our lunch and thanked God for all the blessings in our life.

I know that I am one lucky lady to have such a sweet man to share my life with and I also know that the love we have would not be possible if he hadn't first loved Jesus.  Take a look at my handsome husband on our wedding day!

Like most brides, I was a bundle of nerves leading up to our wedding day.  After covering up scabs from wax burns and praying that the construction workers had finished the roof on the church like they promised, I headed out the door early that morning to see my groom.  

I really wanted to get married in the morning and since it was our day...we did!  I love our morning wedding and one of my favorite memories is the first moment we saw each other.  We decided to meet in the sanctuary early that morning so we could pray together.  

I am so thankful to all of my family and friends that made our wedding day so special.  This is one of my favorite pictures of that morning, mostly because I am looking at Mike and I feel it captures how much joy was in my heart!

Marriage is such a gift and I am so thankful to share my life with Michael Andrew Harder!  I love you Boo!!

First Mother's Day!

We bought our first home 2 years ago and one of the perks of our sweet little neighborhood is how close we are to downtown Franklin! Some of my favorite date nights are cooking together at home and then soaking in the southern charm as we walk the sidewalks downtown.  


I have sweet memories of getting coffee at Starbucks and crossing the street to get yogurt at Sweet CeCe's.  Mike and I would find a quiet little bench where we share our dessert and talk about the day.  It was in those moments that we began to dream about starting a family and what our new " Franklin Stroll" would look like! So it was extra sweet to take Abigail downtown yesterday for my first Mother's Day.

Abigail is getting more alert and aware of her surroundings so I'm sure this loud, colorful place was fascinating to her!

She sat so still and watched all the children skip around with their cups full of yogurt.

Candyland was one of my favorite board games when I was little, and something about this shop reminds me of it!  It's such a cute place! Hopefully she won't hate me too much in a few years when I walk her past all this candy and load her yogurt up with the fruit...

I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to be her mom.  I am also thankful for the many women God placed in my life to teach me what motherhood looks like.  There were many years that Mother's Day was a difficult reminder for me, but God has redeemed this special day and filled my heart with JOY. 

Happy girl!

First Mother's Day 2012

Family Beach Trip 2012

We took a trip last month to Gulf Shores, Alabama with Mike's mom and dad.  It was a wonderful vacation and we got to celebrate Mike's 35th birthday while we were there!  I think we should start a family tradition of this...just saying. 


I grew up going to Gulf Shores each summer with my family so it's really fun now to go back with Abigail.  The weather was perfect and Abigail did great down at the beach.  We took a little portable swing and a baby beach tent so she was able to relax by the ocean too!  

Abigail's first day at the beach!


She also got some good time with her sweet Grammy!


Grandparents are such a blessing and we are so glad that we had this vacation together.  Mike and I were able to run on the beach each morning and take a walk together in the afternoon.  Thank you Dan and Alice!! 


And then, there was our vacation bird...

This little guy showed up one morning on the balcony as Mike was having his quiet time.  We were so amused by this bird because not only was he not scared, but he actually wanted to come in the condo with us!  A few minutes after stepping back inside, Mike went over to the window to see if he had finally flown away.  Guess who still wanted to hang out?!?

I was hoping to get a few good pictures of our family on the beach, but I learned that getting out there when the light is good and your baby is awake and happy can be quite a challenge! 

Dan and Alice on the beach!

Almost had her looking, but I'll take it!  I'll take it because this was our other shot...

Family Beach Trip 2012!