I love how Jesus breaks us down to make Himself show through. Really, it is quite beautiful! I haven’t posted a blog in a VERY long time, but I was feeling crappy enough about myself today to write a bit.
I just posted something over on my Fostering page… Check it out.
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said”.
Matthew 28:5-6
Each year I look forward to Easter, more than any other holiday. I love it. I love the spring weather, I love the celebration, and I love focusing on Jesus… His death and resurrection. I usually read through John Piper’s Passion of Jesus Christ, 50 Reasons Why He Came to Die. It is a great book. Very easy to read and study.
I also love the time with the kids. Getting the girls dressed up, dying and hunting eggs, making a delicious lunch… This year we had some family and friends over for a dessert buffet and Easter Egg Hunt. Here are some pictures from our day.
The girls before church.
We love to camp. Chris and I camp very well, but we have gotten out of the habit. Can you believe that Jane was almost 3 before we took her? I am still not sure what the deal with that was, but Mae has already been twice! This last trip was taken to Shores Lake Campground. It is a beautiful place, covered in dogwood trees… They were in full bloom. I have always wanted to go back there to see them in bloom, and they were beautiful. There is a nice hiking trail that goes up the mountain to White Rock. We only did 2 miles of it, but we are hoping to get Jane up to 3 miles before summer. The first picture is of Mae after our hike, Tuckered out. We enjoyed some great family time, some good food, and beautiful weather.
is not all of the sweet hugs and kisses I get, even though they are great. It is not the beautiful smiles that greet me, or the constant questions, or seeing them learn something new. It is the feeling at the end of the day. That feeling is joy. And it is accompanied by little memories of cute things Jane said, or the face Mae Mae made, or the way they played together. That feeling of joy is so good and deep that I know it echoes what our Father feels when he meets with us. It is true relationship and it is wonderful.
Well, I have started a new blog… With the addition of Mae to our family and with the other changes we are going through, I hope this new site will be more accommodating.
Feel free to give feedback and suggestions!!
Thanks for visiting,
Carrie
So after prayer, chatting with my sisters, and many hours of contemplation I have discovered that the grieving process takes a LONG time. As you know from my previous post, I have been feeling very blue lately. I am sure now that it was a combination of things, especially not getting enough alone/quiet time. In missing out on this time, I have pushed certain feelings aside and not let them be expressed in any way. This has erupted into sadness… The importance of alone time for me is to just be able to pray and sort through my life; things that have happened, are going on, and coming up.
After getting some much needed me-time, I realize that I really miss my mom. I miss talking to her about my pregnancy and Mae, what she will be like. How, even after having one baby, I am still scared about the delivery. I want to tell her about my super fun shower, and how wonderful my sisters and friends are. And, I miss that joyful sound in her voice when she would tell me how happy she is and excited she is about her new granddaughter…
I also realize that I have many wonderful friends that I need to call on when I need them. I am so blessed to have friends that love me and my family, and that would do anything we need, when we need them. God is so faithful in this way. His body is not only for His glory, but also for our benefit. We are to bear with one another in Love… take care of each other, as members of one body. I just love God’s word, and how it never fails to comfort and bring me joy.
So other than the tears during the writing of this post, I am feeling very joyful. I woke up feeling joyful! This last week I have been able to catch up with friends, have some much needed me-time, and I started to feel an overwhelming sense of excitement for the arrival of my sweet Mae, Mazie Judith Tucker. Named after mom, Judith Elaine Moore.
“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have losed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my Glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever!!” Psalm 30:5, 11-12
Well, the plan for today was to get out in the yard and do a little gardening… Something that I LOVE to do. BUT, it is very windy-not exactly great gardening conditions for a pregnant lady with balance issues. Instead we are going to scrub the house. However, I am feeling a little on the blue side today. Something about being Mommy 24-7 and cleaning house and being 7 months pregnant and never getting a break is getting to me today. I am sure that it is a common condition among stay-at-home Mommies, but when do we get a break?? Is it a discipline thing? I have never been good at taking time for myself. When Jane is gone, I miss her and wish we were hanging out. I don’t like finding baby-sitters. I am not good at just calling up friends and saying- hey let’s go do whatever. So my biggest problem is me, I guess. Friends, what I need is some good old accountability. Someone to remind me that this is a need, not a want, and that we all could use a little break from responsibility.
So the last week has been filled with painting, moving furniture, assembling furniture, installing light fixtures, cleaning out closets, organizing toys, books and bedding, buying mattresses, and of course the overall clean-up. We have successfully completed stage one-The Girls’ Room, minus curtains and wall-art. It looks pretty good. Chris was a trooper. He had a positive attitude during the entire project, even though he had to do the bulk of the hard work. Jane is enjoying her new room and getting very excited about her baby sister. She is such a big girl. She is going to be a big help when we have the baby. She LOVES doing her chores; making her bed, feeding Lucy-the cat, picking up her shoes, etc. Hopefully the love for helping out will only grow:)
It is hard to believe that baby Tucker will be here in less than 13 weeks!!
It has been a while since I have posted about Jane. This update is about her, and her precious, sweet, heart. She has been saying the most glorious things lately, which makes Chris and I even more thankful for the heart God has placed in her.
We have been in Monticello with Chris’s parents for the last few days. We arrived Wednesday night and almost immediately were ushered to the Christmas tree for Jane to open her presents from Chris’s sisters and parents. We noticed how excited she was for each item, which happened to be Princess themed… She was so thankful and never acted spoiled or greedy. When asked who she loved more (a terrible question, I know), her Memaw or Pepaw, she answered, “Memaw AND Pepaw!”.
Today, we went for a walk. We drove to the cemetary because they have nice sidewalks to walk on. Chris, his mom, and I were talking about who we knew that was buried there, about the pretty stones and monuments, etc. During our conversation we were discussing how someone we knew had died and where they were buried. I said something like, “where are they?” Jane piped in, “to go live with God, Mommy? Is that where they went?” I was amazed at how much the child listens and retains. She is always amazing me with her level of understanding…
As we were getting ready to leave Monticello, she became very upset. In the car, she stated that she didn’t know why she had “so much tears”. I said I know that it is good that she loves her family so much. She said,” that is why I am crying, Mom, because I love them and don’t want to leave them!” So sweet.
Tonight, as we were saying prayers, she said she wanted to say thank you to God for loving us so much, and thank you for all her presents. It is so wonderful to hear her say these things… I love her more every day.
The Tuckers... Learning to Shine 