The search might be back on again!

I am so disheartened! I am afraid that our search to find a church in our new town might be back on again! Nick and I were really enjoying the Baptist Church in Wentzville but I just don't think it is going to work for our entire family. Max is having such a rough time in the nursery we haven't been able to stay for a whole church service in like 2 months. And honestly, I don't really blame him. I went in and sat with him a few weeks ago after they paged me to come get him because he was freaking out and honestly, it was a total mess. I was sitting there and kids were just running around like crazy people. The two teachers in the room spent the entire time talking to each other and totally ignoring the kids. Several kids came up to Max while I was holding him and tried to take his cup or his book and the teachers just totally ignored it. There was no structure whatsoever. I asked the nursery coordinator about it and she didn't seem too concerned. So, I am afraid we might have to start looking again.

We just can't go to a church that isn't good for our kids. And, since we never get to even sit through a whole service because Max freaks out it really just won't work! It is just so hard to look for a church. Nick and I desperately want to find a church that we can call home and start building relationships. So, please pray for us as our journey continues!

Woo hoo!

So, I have to have a little celebration here. I just bought a pair if size 10 jeans! I haven't worn a 10 since like, high school! I am so excited! Although, to be fair, I haven't done any exercising or dieting. It is all from breastfeeding my little miss. Because, to be honest, I eat horribly and don't exercise at all! Since we live with my grandma there are always delicious sweets around. So, I have desert after every meal and a late night snack of some sweet treat. I know, it is terrible! But, I do feel more encouraged to exercise and eat right now. Because, if I can make this much progress eating like a horse I can probably do even better on a more sensible meal plan. And, since I won't be breastfeeding forever I should probably get back in the habit of eating well again! But, even though I didn't really "earn" this weightloss... it still feels good:-)

"I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said..." Luke 1:38

Every year around Christmas time I read this verse and am always left speachless for a few minutes just pondering Mary's amazing faith. An angel came to her when she was engaged and told her she was pregnant with God's son! And she says, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." I think back to when I found out I was pregnant with Max... a human baby that was conceived... well, you know, the normal way;-) And my reaction was nothing like Mary's even though I shouldn't have been very suprised at all! I remember thinking God was crazy and what would I do and what would people think (even though I was a married woman!). And yet, Mary, a young, virgin girl accepts God's plan for her with a humble open spirit. She had to have immediately thought, "what will people think?" "what will my parents think?" "will Joseph stay with me" "how will I raise God himself!?"

I have learned so much from this single verse in the Bible. And today I am still praying that in all circumstances I will accept God's will openly and humbly just like Mary did.

Father, help me to be more like Mary. Help me to accept what you have for me with an open and willing heart. Help me to be humble and understand that I do not know what is best. You do! And you want your best for me and my life! Thank you for choosing Mary to give birth to your precious son. Thank you for using her to teach all of us women how to respond to every task you call us to. I love you and am so grateful for all that you do for me and continue to do for me and my family. Amen.

We're Debt Free!

So, I have been wanting to write this post for the past few days but hadn't gotten the chance yet! This is the biggest news to hit the Ramsey house since Sophie Nichole was born almost 4 months ago. So, here it goes...

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!! WOO HOO!!! Nick and I are so excited we can hardly contain ourselves. It has been on our heart to become debt free for the past few years. We had started reading Dave Ramsey and really exploring the Bible on this issue and came to strongly feel convicted to get out of debt and stay out of debt. I am not saying Nick and I got ourselves out of debt though. God got us out of debt! We followed his leading and made some sacrafices and He provided for us in amazing ways!

It was actually a pretty amazing journey and I see now why God didn't pull us out of debt right away. He had a lot to teach us in the process and we are so much stronger and closer to Him for it. In the beginning when we were trying to get out of debt I know my whole heart wasn't there. I so desperately wanted to believe that we could get out of debt and I could still do everything I wanted to do. I could still go out to eat every week (multiple times a week), still have Target shopping sprees, etc. And, honestly, I started to believe that it would take us forever to get out of debt and that we would never get ahead. But, then something changed. I was praying about our situation and God seemed to let me know that if I was willing to do my part and put my whole heart into this, He would cover the rest. HOLY MOLY DID GOD COVER THE REST!!! He provided lump sum gifts from bonuses or gifts that helped us to really get started. Then He provided Nick with the opportunity to significantly increase his income and He provided me with the opportunity to make a bit of an income. And voila, we are debt free! Which is why I can't take any of the credit! God made this happen and I am so grateful!

I'm not writing this entry to brag in any way. I have NOTHING to brag about. I am only writing this to give God the glory He always deserves. And also to encourage any of you with a desire to get out of debt. Pray to God about your desires and He will provide in ways that you never expected. Everyones journey to get out of debt is and will be different and He will always do things in His own perfect timing. But, don't let yourself think you have to do it on your own. Our Heavenly Father wants to be actively involved in this and every other endeavor in our lives!

My Mom

I just have to take a few minutes and talk about how much I love my mom! She is just the most amazing mom ever and I feel so blessed by her!

I have always been close to my mom. But since having children I feel even closer to her. She loves me and my husband and my children so much. She is so supportive of me and everything that I do. One thing that I have come to appreciate so much, especially since becoming a mom, is that my mom doesn't tell me what to do. For me, that is huge! If I ask her a question, she will tell me what she thinks. But, even then follows it by... but I'm not sure, maybe you should ask your pediatrician. This is just so important for me because it makes me feel like she thinks I am a good mom. She trusts my judgment and she believes in me. When I am having a problem with discipline or something she is so amazing. She listens to the problem, talks with me about what I think I should do (never telling me what I should do)and then is my biggest cheerleader! She is there totally just there for support and encouragement.

Now that we live so close I just feel even more blessed by my mom. I still talk to her on the phone at least once a day and now I get to see her a few times a week. I am so grateful for her amazing relationship with my kids. She loves them so much and they love her so much. For Max, going to Grandma and Grandpa's house is the best thing in the entire world. He lives for it! And it makes me so happy that we are able to really help foster that relationship more now that we live closer.

Later today we are headed to Mom and Dad's to help them decorate for Christmas and our whole family is just so excited! Mainly, just to spend time together! So, all I can say is, I love my Mom! And I hope I can be as good of a mom as she is one day!

thoughts from James

The book of James is one of my favorite books in the Bible. There is so much wisdom inside this tiny book. And one thing I love most about it is that this book contains some of the "hard stuff". It talks about the things we in the modern church struggle through the most. Issues like trials, favoritism, faith vs. deeds, taming the toungue, suffering, submission, ect. Everytime I read through James I feel such conviction!

One section in James that really stands out to me is a discussion on boasting about tomorrow. It says:
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes

We can be so full of ourselves! We can think we know what will happen in our lives! We make all of these big statements which may or may not be true. I love reading this section because it reminds me that God should be acknowledged in all that we do and all that we want to do. In some ways I believe that God has allowed this rough economy to teach all of us this lesson. We do not get to decide our tomorrows.

Quick Vent

Okay, I really hate to use my blog for negative things, but I have to vent for a second! Writing things down is the best form of getting feelings out for me, so here we go....

I sometimes think people don't think being a stay at home mom is a real job! People seem to expect me to just do whatever they need because obviously, I have so much extra time because I am home all day. I would venture to say that I have LESS time since I stay at home all day. When I was going to school I had the opportunity to have 5 or 10 minutes by myself before class to return phone calls or do quick paperwork. Or, I could easily run an errand on my way to or from class because I was all by myself. Now, I don't have the time to do those things. I mean, chances are I will get the time sometime during the day, but I have no idea when that will be. And, there is no gurantee! Infact, the only reason I am getting to type this right now is because I am listening to my poor little girl cry and fight a nap in her crib. Which, as any mother who has let her baby cry it out knows, is heart wrenching!

I know, it is really my issue. I need to set better boundaries with people. I need to learn to say "no". But, I am a people pleaser and that is really hard for me. So, for now, I will just vent about it:-)

I absolutely LOVE being a stay-at-home mom. But, I will not sugar coat it... it is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life! And, if you don't think it is a real "job" feel free to come try it out for the next 72 hours and then let me know what you think!

What the world tells me I should be...

Some days I feel like the world is just screaming at me! "Be an independent, career minded woman! Put yourself first! If you don't feel head over heals in love with your husband today, move on! Your children will be just as happy in daycare 60 hours a week as they will be at home! Buy what you want now and pay later! You deserve it! You deserve it! You deserve it!"

Well, guess what world, I don't deserve ANYTHING! I am a sinner saved by grace and everything given to me is so much more than I could ever begin to earn myself! God has blessed me so lavishly that I can't even wrap my mind around it!

I feel comfortable sharing what is on my mind today because almost everyone (that I know of) that reads this blog is a like-minded Godly women! And, I know that you all share my heart for being a woman who is pleasing to the Lord.

As I was putting away laundry today I just had a total feeling of joy come over me as I put my husband's socks in his drawer. Okay, now before you stop reading and call the nearest mental institution to see if you can have me commited, let me finish! I get so much joy out of helping my husband! I think I feel so much joy doing it because it is what God created me to be, a helpmeet to my husband! I love getting to take care of him and make his life easier. I love helping him succeed in every way possible! I love that I get to take part in who he becomes!

And you know what is weird to me is that I don't feel the need to "make a name" for myself! When people only know me as "Nick's wife" it brings a smile to my face! I am happy to be known as his wife and associated with him! I love that when we got married God made us into one! It gives me such peace and happiness.

Now, this isn't to say that I don't enjoy a little time to myself! I love it! But, I also love coming back together again! I am so blessed to be able to stay home and work at being a helper to my husband. I love that he entrusts me with the responsibilities of raising our children, handling our finances, and running our home. I know that he totally trusts me and I love taking care of these things for our family!

This might be coming out a little 1920's housewife. If a feminist is reading this she is probably ready to jump through the screen and smack some sense into me. Sorry! It is just how I feel! I LOVE taking care of my husband and helping him succeed. I LOVE taking care of my children and helping them succeed. Some days it is so hard I just want to sit on the floor and cry because I haven't gotten a minute all day to go to the bathroom by myself. But, even on those days I am grateful!

I am so grateful that I know who Christ is and that I can feel peace in being pleasing to Him. I know that the world sees my life as boring. I know that people in our world would say, "you have a degree, go use it!" Well, if I have it my way, I will NEVER use it! I believe that the greatest thing I can do with my life is be a helper to my husband throughout our entire lives! I love that he doesn't have to worry about laundry and housework because I take care of it during the day. I love that he can spend his time doing the "man work" when he is at home, OR just spending time with our family!

I hope I have expressed my emotions clearly! It can be hard sometimes when you are so passionate about something!

But, I am just feeling so blessed today that I had to share!

Heavenly Father, Please help me to be a woman who is pleasing to you! Help me to ignore what the world says I should be because my hope is not in this world, it is in You. Help me to serve my family with a joyful heart and to feel fulfillment through that. Help me to seek You in all that I do. Amen!

And just when you want to give up...

God gives you the answers you were looking for!

A lot of you know we have been searching for a church home since we moved here. I think everyone knows how stressful and hard that can be. We went to a lot of really awesome churches and listened to some amazing preachers. But, we just weren't finding a church where we fit. We believe that one of the main reasons to go to church is fellowship with other believers but a lot of the churches we visited didn't have Sunday school classes. Some of them had small groups but most didn't offer childcare so there was no way for us to be involved there.

Well, the first week we tried a church we went to the First Baptist Church of Wentzville. We just went to the service and about half way through they paged us that Max was having a hard time in the nursery so we left early. We thought the church was okay. The music was fine but the church was pretty traditional overall without all of the bells and whistles and "cool" style we had gotten used to at James River in Ozark. So, we kind of let it go. A week after attending we got a call from a Sunday school teacher inviting us to come back and visit their class and a call from the church asking if the pastor could come visit us. We said no to both requests thinking we would keep looking. So, we starting going to more "contemporary churches". We went to some really good ones! But, like I said, they just didn't seem to fit us! So this week I got a letter in the mail from the Baptist church inviting us to take their class to learn more about the church. I asked Nick if we could try going again just to see. No other churches had reached out to us at all and this one had reached out to us several times!

So, this morning we got up early and made the decision to go to Sunday school and church. We checked the kids into the nursery and went to the Welcome Desk to get directions to a Sunday School class. Some very nice men reccomended a class and walked us to it. We were immediately greeted and welcomed by several members of the class. Most of the class members were quite a bit older than us (people always think Nick is older than he is because of his lack of hair!) But, wow everyone was so warm and welcoming. Then we actually learned in Sunday school! Everyone participated in the lesson and I could tell I was in a room full of people passionate about the world of God. I am sure Nick and I looked like total dorks because we were sitting there with the hugest smiles on our faces! Then after class several other people welcomed us and talked with us for awhile. The lady I sat next to and chatted with was super nice. She ended up sitting next to us during the service and afterwards she gave me her contact information and said she would love to help in any way and get to know us better! (Yay, I maybe made my first friend in St. Louis!)

Then after church we met up with my mom and grandma for lunch at Arby's. As we were eating the teachers of the Sunday school class we attended stopped by because they recognized us. After we ate and my mom and grandma left they came and sat down with us and just made us feel so welcome! Then they gave us their contact information in case we needed anything! (They are a really sweet older couple).

Anyway, I know that was a really long boring story! But, I have just been praying for someone to reach out to us and today so many people reached out to us and made us feel so welcome. It was also neat to see a really traditional church so on-fire for the Lord and so excited about His Word! They also have lots of things for us to get involved in which makes me very excited!

Anyway, I just want to thank you all so much for your prayers during this journey! Nick and I are both feeling so good tonight and both agree today was one of the best days we have had since coming to St. Louis! (Next to the day Sophie was born of course!)

Counting my blessings...

I am just having one of those days where I just feel out of sorts. We are back on the search for a church home again and I am getting antsy to buy a house. But, instead of venting about those things and the other things that are bugging me, I have decided to talk about the things I am so blessed by right now!

Yesterday and today we were so blessed by a visit from our wonderful friends Christy and Andrew Hatfield. Christy has touched my life in so many ways and Andrew has been a great friend to Nick. Andrew and Christy are preparing for the arrival of their first baby in January and are preparing to enter the mission field in August. They are so special to us and it was so wonderful to spend some quality time with them. We are so excited for the work the Lord has prepared for them and the adventures that lay ahead. Christy was such a wonderful encouragement to me. Moving here and getting adjusted has been hard but Christy has helped me make the transition so much easier. She has been such a great listener and prayer warrior for me and I am so grateful to have her in my life! I will miss getting to see her and having her just a phone call away. But, she will still be just an e-mail away and I am grateful for that.

Another thing I have been so grateful for today is my wonderful parents. Max was asking all day if he could go and see Grandpa. Their relationship just warms my heart so much. My dad was a great dad but I have never considered him much of a kid person. But, Max and my dad adore each other! They already have so much fun together and I am so excited to see all of the fun "manly" things they do together in the years to come. Living close to my parents has blessed us in more ways than we can count. I am so excited that our children will have such a close and special relationship with extended family. And I am so grateful that my husband loves it as much as I do. I think for some men hanging out with his inlaws all the time could be a real drag, but Nick has expressed that he loves it and that it means so much to him too! Nick often initiates going out to my parent's house or planning something to do together and I just love that!

And, I just can't help but be so grateful for my own little family. All I have ever wanted to be since I was a little girl was a mom and wife. God has blessed me so abundantly through my amazing husband and children. Nick wasn't a super "romantic" guy when we were dating and when we first got married. But, lately, he has really changed on that one! On Tuesday this week he brought me home flowers to celebrate the anniversary of our first kiss! How many men remember that date? He has also been so sweet lately about writing me love e-mails and even just saying romantic things! I feel so loved by him! And, of course a day doesn't go buy that I am not grateful for my beautiful children! We love them so much.

Anyway, it is 4:12am right now and I think Sophie is finally settling back down (she was wide awake for some reason and I couldn't get her back to sleep so I have been letting her swing for a little bit!) so I am going to try to get her to sleep in her crib and I am going to try to get some sleep!

Boys Should Be Boys

I am reading one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time (and not just because most of the books I read only have about 2 words per page and I have a wiggly 2 year old shouting out each word while sitting on my lap!) I am reading "Boys Should Be Boys" by Meg Meeker. Meg Meeker wrote an amazing book about girls, "Strong Fathers Strong Daughters" that was also increadible.

I am having so much fun reading this book because I don't know anything about boys! I grew up with just a sister and my mom grew up with 3 girls in her home so we have always had kind of a "girl family". Nick is actually learning a ton from it too because although he grew up as a little boy he grew up sitting in front of video games pretty much all the time which is one of the main things the book says we need to keep our precious boys away from.

A few generations back boys were encouraged to totally just be boys. Their moms would send them outside right after breakfast to play and they would find other little boys to play with and together they would build treehouses, shoot sling shots, catch frogs, and form their own little groups by taking leadership roles and figuring things out on their own. They would stay outside all day until their moms called them in for dinner.

Today, we can't let our little boys out all day. Our world is too scary. But, Dr. Meeker suggests that what we have started doing is totally harming our son's masculinity. We plug them into electronics to keep them out of our hair. For boys, these electronics can be very addicting and lead to a host of problems in their lives. Other moms choose to hyper schedule their little boys to "keep them busy" so they are put into every activity under the sun. But, neither of these things give boys what they really need. They need to be outside playing. And, they need to be in charge of setting the rules, making up the games, etc. As parents we are so quick to micro-manage our kids games. But, what boys need is the freedom to set their own rules when playing. Grown-ups need to back off and stay away sometimes! So, we as parents need to help nurture these desires and needs in our sons.

That is only a small portion of the book, but I loved it so much because honestly it was kind of brand new information to me! I want to raise a man who loves the Lord and a man of integrity. This book speaks on that in so many ways and I am so glad to have found it. Right after Max was born several people told me to read "Bringing up Boys" by Dr. Dobson. Sorry to you Dr. Dobson fans out there, but the book just left me a little disheartened about raising a boy. This book has helped me to be excited about Max getting older!

Anyway, I am not totally finished with the book (although I got the book yesterday and am almost there!) but I highly reccomend it to anyone with a little boy. Our son's masculinity is at risk in our society and we as mother's need to step up and protect it. And, if you have a daughter I can't say enough about "Strong Fathers Strong Daughters". Even though I am a girl that book changed my life and the way I think about raising girls!

Be blessed today... I am going to go read some more before the kids wake up:-)

Making history

I had been hesitant to comment on politics here. But, this morning I thought, "hey, it is my blog! I can write what I want" So, I think I will!

In yesterday's election I voted for John McCain. I didn't vote for him because I am a huge fan, although there is a lot I do like about him. I voted for him because I didn't want Obama to win. The main reason I didn't want him to win was because I am a capitalist to the core and I hate socialism. I do not believe in "spreading the wealth". I have always believed in the American Dream that if you work hard you can achieve anything you want. But, you have to do the work. I think that robbing from the rich to give to the poor hurts everyone. Rich people are having money that they earned taken away from them and the poor are given a handout taking away from them the right to work hard and have a sense of achievment.

Now, before I sound insensitive I do believe in helping the poor. Infact, God tells us to give to the poor. But, I don't agree with the way the government does it. I have known too many people living off of their government checks sitting at home watching their big screen tvs and playing their playstations. But, I have also seen amazing organizations help the poor. I have seen them give to them when they are down and help them rebuild their lives and become self-sufficiant again. I think that is what we should be doing. And I think it is what we should be doing by choice, not by government mandate!

I strongly believe in less government not more. So, obviously, there is no way I could have voted for Obama.

But, with that being said, I am so excited that our country nominated an African-American president. I love that my children will get to grow up in a country where that is possible and I hope that it helps our nation grow even further away from our sad history. I hope that it helps my children to grow up in a generation that says we are all created equal and know it!

I am very dissapointed that Obama won because of his economic policies. And, I am a little nervous about our economic future as a country because of that. However, instead of complaining about it, I am choosing to accept Barack Obama as our next president. I love America and I intend to stand behind my president. God is not suprised that Barack Obama is the president-elect today. And, because I serve a mighty God I will sleep peacefully at night knowing that He is in control!

Extreme Homemakeover destroying people's lives?

I was listening to the radio on my way to MOPS yesterday and heard the saddest story. They were talking about how several of the families that were built new houses from ABC's reality show, Extreme Makeover had lost or were about to loose their houses. The taxes and utility bills on the houses they build are so high that most of the people who get new houses can't afford them. So, now many of these contestants are worse off financially than they were before. They also mentioned that because of their fancy homes many of the contestant's families, neighbors, and friends assume they are rich now and are constantly trying to get money from them when they are barely able to make ends meet themselves. It just breaks my heart to think of these little kids who were so excited to get these amazing new rooms would have to give them up and go back to living in horrible conditions because of irresponsibility on the part of many adults. I know this isn't the case for all contestants who have been on the show but it just breaks my heart to think about. I hope that ABC thinks about this and considers the families finances before building them a new home. Homes should be a blessing and not a curse.

The family that prays together...

Nick and I have started the new habit of praying together before bed time and I can already feel it having transforming power on our relationship. Our prayer time as a couple was usually more before meals and when we were praying about something specific. But, I think this new prayer time will be so amazing for us. Already I feel like we are more on the same page and in-tune with each other. And, I just love the power of the two of us coming together and praying for God's blessing on each other and our family.

I have always struggled a little to share myself spiritually with my husband. I am a little intimidated by him because he knows the Bible so well and I don't. But, I believe that I was letting Satan take away something from our marriage and family by not opening up and sharing with my husband.

Nick and I both grew up in homes where God was kind of a church thing except for praying before meals and we both desperately want to raise our children to know that God is an all the time thing. We want them to know that He is the center of our lives and that we hope He will be the center of their's. I think that Nick and I praying together at night will really help us feel more open to talk about God in our home. And, I also believe that God will teach us how to make Him the center of our home.

So, please be praying for us in our new praying endeavor! And if you don't already I encourage you to try to make a new habit of praying daily with your husband, just the two of you! (Or if you aren't married just keep it in mind for the future and don't wait 3 years to start!)

Sometimes I just feel the need to add a new post even when I don't really have anything to say! So, I guess I will start by updating everyone on our little family!

Nick is doing well. Last week he had a crazy week at work and had to work a lot! He didn't get home until after 7 most nights and had to work on Saturday:-( But, he gets paid hourly so I couldn't get too upset. Plus, it was so weird, he was in such a great mood all week. Nick is happiest when he feels like he is accomplishing things. So, even though it was kind of rough not having him home as much as I would like, I was happy that he got to get so much done! This week was much better.

Max is doing very well too. He is definetly 2 so tantrums are a pretty normal occurance around here. He is definetly growing up so fast. Lately he likes to "read" to us a lot. It is pretty amazing to us how many of his books he has memorized. Even ones we don't read that often! The other day he was playing with blocks on the floor and he saw one of his books lying on the floor next to him and without even picking the book up he started to recite parts of it. It was so sweet!

Sophie is also doing well. I took her for her 2 month check-up today and am happy to report a very healthy little girl! She weighs 13 pounds, 8 ounces and is in the 97% for weight! Woa! So, I don't worry that she isn't getting enough to eat while breastfeeding anymore! She is also sleeping pretty well at night. She usually goes for about 8 hours at a time which I am very pleased with. She is definetly getting more of a personality. She gives us big smiles and coos all the time now and she is totally infatuated with her big brother!

I am doing well too! I am loving getting to spend so much time with my family. I LOVE getting to be a mom and a wife right now too! Sometimes I get this "stay at home mom" guilt where I feel guilty for not bring in an income or like I am not sucessful because I don't have a "career". But, Nick and I had such an awesome talk about it the other day and he just made me feel so much better about it. He expressed that he really didn't want me to work and that he hopes I never do. He enjoys the calm life we have because we aren't trying to balance 2 jobs and our family. That affirmed me so much! I don't think there is anything wrong with women working!! But, I am just glad my husband and I are both totally on the same page with the choice we made for our family!

Other than that I guess I don't have much to report! We hope everyone is doing well! We are hoping to try to catch a few Springfield friends the Saturday after Thanksgiving (although, I know that might be a difficult day for some people!). But, as always, let us know if you are ever in the area!

Learning...

God is so facinating! He uses EVERYTHING to teach us! Right now I am in such a strange but wonderful season of life! I think our little family did every stressful thing imaginable in a one moth time (moved, started a new job, had a baby, sold a house) and we are really starting to just wind down from all of the caos. And, after the whirlwind I am finding myself a little big lonely in a new place. I am used to having lots of friends to do things with on a regular basis and now I don't. And yet, I am still seeing God's hand in all of it.

I kind of feel like I have learned more in the past 2 months than I have in the past two years. I didn't realize how much I was living my life from day to day just trying to fill the days with activities and social events. God is using this season of lonliness to let me know that I was doing things wrong! Although playdates and get togethers are fun I was making them my number one priority! God gave me the job of being a wife and mother and as much as I was wanting to make them my main priority I just wasn't! And, I didn't realize how much I was missing. Now when we have a playdate or activity more than twice a week I start to feel a little gyped out of quality time with my kids. In the past I would want to go out in the evenings and do soemthing just to be "out". Now if we have places to go after Nick gets off of work I almost get a little annoyed because I want to be having our family time. I used to always want to eat out and now I would much rather make a meal at home. Infact, Nick and I haven't had dinner out in over 2 months! And, I have lunch out maybe once every other week. The thought of fast food makes me a little ill now that I have been eating healthier and when I do get to go out (like for date night tomorrow!!) I am so excited! I also used to spend the whole day watching the clock for Nick to get home and if he was even half an hour late getting home I was so annoyed! Now that he is a job that is a little more demanding and he works longer hours I am somehow finding myself more content with being home alone with the kids. I mean, I would much rather have him home, but I have peace knowing that he is doing what God has for him right now.

I think time with friends and fellowhip are very important! But, I think God is teaching me how to put those things in their proper place. Isn't it amazing how we can take anything God gives us as a gift; friends, food, sex, etc. and turn it into sin? I do believe I was almost idolizing social situations.

I am so thankful that God has brought us to this place. What I have shared today is such a small portion of what I have been learning! But, I just had to share. God is giving me such peace and is showing me so much of my purpose for Him right now. I am just feeling so blessed and grateful for it all!

Prayers Please!

Argh! I am so sick of "church shopping"! I am starting to feel so disheartened and like we will never find a place to fit in and get plugged in. All of the churches we have gone to have been good but many of them really don't have a place for us to get plugged in and get to know people. Almost all of the churches we have visited don't do Sunday school and the ones that do small groups are adults only so that means we would have to get a babysitter one night a week which I really am not willing to do at this point in the game.
Please pray for us that we will find a good church home. I am in desperate need of some good girlfriends to hang out with and we could really use some family friends! We need fellowship! We are getting lots of good family time but they really can't take the place of some good friends who are at the same place in life.
Thank you so much! And, if you know any good churches in the St. Charles County area please let me know!

The big 2!

I just can't believe it, my little man will be 2 years old tomorrow! It feels like just yesterday we were headed to the hospital after my water broke totally suprised that our baby boy had decided to arrive 3 1/2 weeks early!

He has grown and changed so much in the past 2 years. Sometimes I can't believe that the little helpless infant we had is now a crazy little boy running around making elephant noises and counting to 13! It is just too much!

Tomorrow we will celebrate with a little family party and I am really excited. My parents, my Grandma and Grandpa Powell, Grandma June, sister, sister-in-law, and my 2 nephews are coming.

I can't wait! We are so blessed by our precious little boy!

Pondering my role as a parent

I have recently been pondering what makes a good parent and what my role is in the lives of my children. When I think about all of the people I know with great relationships with their parents one thing really stands out to me: their parents are their number one fan, always encouraging them, telling them how proud they are of them, even well into adulthood. The most secure and grounded people I know have loving and positive parents.

I have been so blessed in my life. I have always been surrounded by an amazing support system of people who think I am the greatest thing since sliced bread. My parents, grandparents, aunts, etc., have all been crazy about me since the day I was born. That doesn't mean that they have agreed with everything I have done or that we got along 100% of the time. But, they always sent me the message that I was loved and accepted.

I believe this is how God is with us. He loves us so passionately and so fully. I believe the relationship we have with our parents can very easily shape our view of God. I am not a psychologist, but it seems like a lot of people who I know that don't feel approved of by their parents struggle with understanding how much God loves them. They seem to never feel good enough and like they don't measure up. It seems like these are the people who tend to become pretty legalistic in an attempt to please. Adults who have never received the approval of their parents seem to be still wanting it.

I am not in any way saying that I do not know some increadible people who don't feel approved of by their parents. Some of the most wonderful, loving, and successful people I know have bad relationships with their parents and have always felt like they don't measure up. But, most of them have shared with me their struggle and insecurities because of these tainted relationships.

I desperately want to give to my children what my parents gave to me; a number one fan. I want my children to wake up every morning knowing that they are loved so intensely. I want them to go to bed every night knowing that their mom (and dad) think that they are awesome. Because, I believe that this translates easily into their relationship with God. I believe it builds a confidence that is hard to shake. And, I believe it gives us a sense of security that we can't get anywhere else. It is almost like we are wired to have our parent's approval.

So, in order to achieve this I must look at both positive and negative examples. What to do and what to not do. I think it is easy for some parents to be a little neutral with their kids and not say anything. They feel proud of them but don't express it. I don't think that does anyone any good.

I believe that this is totally different than saying, "I love you." Being loved and being approved of are so totally different things. Not to mention the fact that the word "love" is so overused it is almost completely meaningless in our society. Not, that we shouldn't tell our children that we love them! Mine hear it several times a day! But, that we need to go beyond that. The phrases I remember hearing most growing up that gave me the most security were ones like:
- you are awesome
- you can do anything
- I am so proud of you
- I knew you could do it
etc.

I guess I feel like it is one of my most important jobs as a parent to be a cheerleader for Max and Sophie (and my husband too!). And, I believe that this will give my children a leg up in life and in their relationship with Christ.

Taking off the pounds

Grrr... so I am starting to get to the point after having a baby where my weightloss is slowing down. Breastfeeding for me really helps loose weight... but it can only do so much. Right now I weigh a few pounds less than my weight when I got pregnant. So, all the baby weight is gone which is awesome. But, now I have to loose the weight I have been wanting to loose for awhile. I am hoping blogging about it gives me some accountability and helps!

My goal is to loose 30-40 pounds. My only challenge is that since I am breastfeeding I can't really restrict my calories too much or my milk supply will go down. So my main focus will be making the foods that I eat healthier options and of course exercising. So, here are my goals:

1. no more soda:-( (I LOVE soda so this one will be tough! But, since giving up diet soda for health reasons I just can't afford the calories, plus it has no nutritional value.)

2. easy on the carbs (when I was pregnant I basically let myself eat whatever I wanted, so it is time to reign it back in)

3. exercise (both cardio and strength training)

It is important for me to loose weight because I want to be healthy, feel good, and be a good example for my kids. So, I will update my progress from time to time on here! Wish me luck!

Peace and Quiet

Ahhh... I am just enjoying a little peace and quiet at 11:30 at night. My little Sophie is a wonderful little baby but she has really rough evenings. I finally got her to sleep... hopefully for "the night". She usually sleeps from 11ish to 5ish which is awesome!

Nick is back in Nixa tonight moving us out of our house. My parents went down with him to help which is just awesome. We are so thankful for them. We are set to close on our house on Tuesday. It feels like a huge weight is being lifted off of our shoulders. We were so blessed to have an AMAZING realtor working with us. We sold our house within about 30 days which is pretty amazing in this market. If anyone in the Springfield area ever needs a realtor definetly give Don Caudle a call. He knows what he is doing!

Today I took Max to the pediatrician since he had a really bad cough. I LOVE our new pediatrician and the whole office! The place is just totally centered around kids! The office is so nice and brand new and all of the staff is so friendly. The nurses were so sweet to Max who is going through a really shy phase. They showed him books and gave him stickers while they were taking his vitals. Then our pediatrician, Dr. Hanson, came in and was so sweet with Max. She let him sit on my lap during the exam and she sang Max little songs to keep him calm and distracted while she looked him over. It was so wonderful! (Note: Max just has a little virus)

So much has been on my heart lately that I have wanted to share on my blog but I just haven't had time to sit down and share it all (I wonder what I have been doing??) Even now as I sit here I don't know where to start. God is just teaching me so much lately that I can't even wrap my mind around it all. I am learning so much through my amazing and increadibly generous family. I am also learning so much through my children. It is amazing how God teaches us lessons about His character through people in our lives. I will try to write more about these things over the next few weeks as time allows!

My only "complaint" right now is my lack of time to spend with my husband. He has been a little stressed lately and we are just very busy having a newborn. Nick loves his job and living here but the reality of the move is starting to set in a little bit. He has pretty much lived in the same area for 26 years and getting used to St. Louis has been a little difficult for him. Change can be so hard. But, he is handling it like a champ! I am looking forward to Sophie being a few weeks older so Nick and I can go on a date and spend some one on one time together! I miss him!
Oh, here is a thought! I was watching Oprah the other day (on accident, it came on and I couldn't reach the remote because I was feeding Sophie). But, the topic was affairs and the "expert" was discussing affair proofing your marriage. The guy said that in order to affair proof their marriage couples need to:
1. affirm one another more often
2. have sex more often
3. have date night once a week where you do not discuss kids, money, or work
I think the one that suprised me most was not talking about kids, money, or work. Nick and I definetly fall into that trap a lot! But, it is such a good idea! So, Nick and I are going to try to take some time every week to have "date time" since we can't really go out and talk about things other than kids, money, or work.

Anyway, this was a very random, rambling blog post. I should get some sleep while I have a chance. Or, maybe I should do some work? No, sleep!:-) Good night!

Beautiful Girl, 1 month old!

 

What are the Ramsey's up to?

Hello wonderful family and friends!

We have been living in St. Louis for nearing on 2 months now. Wow, I can't believe it! Sophie will be a month old on Sunday which is totally crazy to me! She gets more beautiful every day. And, Max of course gets cuter everyday too!

Well, if everything goes through, as of September 26th we will no longer be homeowners! Please keep the closing of our house in your prayers as it is a little stressful! But, we are so grateful for it selling so quickly. God is so good.

Originally our plan was to stay with my Grandma until our house sold and then rent something while we pay off our debt and then save for a downpayment on a new house. Well, we thought it would take a lot longer to sell our house. And, we are loving living here (I think my Grandma is enjoying it too). So, as long as everyone is happy with the arrangement we are going to keep living here for the next 8-10 months I am thinking. That way we don't have to rent and we can go ahead and buy a house as soon as we have enough money saved. And, we should be able to buy a fairly decent house that we will be able to stay in for quite awhile! We are so blessed that this situation has presented itself. My Grandma is so amazing for keeping us! We love her!

So, that is our plan! As always, we love to hear from everyone whenever you get the chance!

Thinking about our finances

This morning I was up nursing Sophie and I was flipping through the channels and I came to Joyce Meyers show and she had the guy from Crown Financial Ministries on. Dave Ramsey has spoken highly of Crown Financial before so I was interested to listen. Crown's plan is a lot like Dave's but is more spiritually based. Anyway, as I was listening to the conversation between Joyce and this guy a statement really spoke to my heart...

"You need to do what you can and then God will do what you can't."

It was so simple but totally made me stop and think. When it comes to my finances am I doing everything that I can to make my financial situation better? Or, am I expecting God to just jump in and do things for me so that I don't have to make sacrafices? It would be so much easier to keep living the lifestyle I want and have God swoop in and miraculously take care of our debt and savings for a new house and retirement and college, etc. When I sit down to think about it I realize how rediculous that is! This was such a good reminder for me!

We have been doing so much better with our finances since we moved but I know that there is always room for improvement. We hardly ever eat out anymore (but there is still more room to cut some out). But, even with that small change it is amazing how much money we saved last month! Wow! Even when we were being "good" we were wasting so much money. I also used to go out to lunch several times during the week. Since we have lived here I haven't gone out to lunch during the week at all and that has also made a huge difference!

I am also learning so much more about the silly things I was spending money on before we moved. Since we are living with my Grandma right now I don't have a house to decorate or extra places to put things that I don't need so I don't buy those things. It is amazing the little things I would pick up at the store that would really add up. A candle that is on sale or pillows are no longer a temptation.

Anyway, I guess the whole "point" of my rambling is that I am still not convinced I am completely doing my part to attain the financial freedom that I believe God desires for His people. I am praying today that God will reveal to me other areas I need to be making changes in my money management. I am so thankful that we serve a God that does lead us and does provide for us in so many ways, even in our finances. I pray that I will be faithful with what God gives me and that I will be doing everything I can!

A lot of blogging to catch up on!

Hello Friends! I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! I know I have a legitimate excuse with a new baby, but I still like keeping this up to date! It might end up taking me a few days to actually write this blog entry but I intend to do it!

Well, as everyone knows by now, Sophie Nichole Ramsey is here!

On August 14 Nick and I woke up super early and headed for St. Luke's so that they could induce me. But, we had to stop off for a little St. Louis Bread Co. first! It was fun to sit and enjoy a little time together before heading to the hospital. We arrived at St. Luke's at 7:30. We were taken to our room and they had me change into a gown and then around 8:30 they started the pitocin. I was pretty nauseated most of the day but for some reason I just love being at a hospital giving birth so I was pretty much in heaven all day! Around 11 or so I started having contractions and by 12 they were getting more intense. Around 1:30 they did my epidural. I was so scared to have it because I didn't remember what the last one felt like (stupid Stadol making me all drugged out!) But, our anesthesiologist was really great and it actually wasn't too bad! Immediately after that they broke my water and I started having some real progress! They checked me around 2:30 and I was dialated about 6cm. At 3:30 my doctor came to check on me and I was almost at a 10! They worked on getting everything set up and at 4:30 after only 5 minutes Sophie came out!! It was amazing!

She got to stay right in our room with us while they gave her her first bath and did all of the baby care stuff. It was so neat. Then I got to nurse her and she latched right on!

I loved having Sophie at St. Luke's. I loved my experience with Max at Cox but everything I didn't like about my experience at Cox they did differently at St. Luke's. They kept the baby in the room pretty much all the time, I stayed in the same room for labor, deliver, and postpartum, Nick had a pull out couch to sleep on, all of the nurses taking care of us were RNs not those silly patient care assistants that had no idea what was going on, when you needed something you could call your nurse directly on the phone, and all of the rooms are private!

Sophie has been doing great. She had a little jaundice the first few days but that went away pretty quickly. Breastfeeding for the most part is going great. I am a little sore so that is effecting it a little bit right now but overall the transition is much smoother than it was with Max. There is definetly something to be said for a little experience!

Max has adjusted so well to being a big brother. I really thought it would be hard for him but he has been amazing. He had a few moments the fist day or two we were home where he wanted to be on Mommy's lap when I was nursing Sophie but he never had any major meltdowns or anything. He calls her "Phophie" or "Sister" and is very sweet to her. We are so proud of how well he adjusted!

On a non-baby note, we sold our house today! I think I will be pretty aprehensive until the day we close! But, it is still exciting. We loved our house but it will be great to move on. I am really excited we sold it with it being on the market for only a month. God is so good to us! This only could have happened through Him!!

We will probably stay with Grandma for another few months or so after closing. We are all really enjoying the arrangement. Max loves his "Gaga June" and she is so much help with the kids!! She entertains Max while I am nursing Sophie or holds Sophie for me while I am getting things done. It is also great because I can run to the store while both kids are napping and leave them at home! Shopping is much more efficient that way!

We are still searching for a church home so please be in prayer for our family in that area. We are excited to get settled in a church and to get plugged in! I think tomorrow morning we are going to try the First Baptist Church of Wentzville. We have heard good things about their kids programs. It is also the church I plan on joining their MOPS group so it will be good to go check it out.

Anyway, I guess that is all for now! I actually got this written in one day! Woo hoo!

Help?

So, in all of the craziness of moving and waiting for this little girl to be born I have really let my Bible Study/Quiet Time slip and let me say Sisters, I am feeling it! I am loving life but you know, you just drag a little when you aren't in the Word daily!
Can anyone suggest any good studies or ideas for me? I need something that isn't too intense since I will have a newborn any day now. I could easily order a book or workbook if you have any suggestions! Or, if you just have an idea to work through a book or the Bible or something that would work too!
Thank you so much! Feel free to leave it as a comment or e-mail me at KatieLRamsey@gmail.com. Thanks! Love you guys!

This being overdue thing waiting for Sophie to be born is not fun! I feel sick and tired and uncomfortable pretty much all the time! AND, it has started... people calling, e-mailing, and leaving messages asking if the baby has been born yet! AHH! I promise, I will not keep it a secret when she gets here!! I know that people are just being thoughtful and are curious but as any one who has gone past their due date can relate it always just feels like a giant reminder that the baby isn't here yet!! I am hormonal anyway so it is just frustrating and annoying hearing the same things over and over again! I feel like my whole life is this dialogue...
-"Have you had the baby yet?"
-"No, not yet"
-"Well, what are you waiting for?" or "do you think she is ever going to come out?"
It is definetly enough to reduce a pregnant woman to a puddle of tears!

I am sorry, I just had to vent! And, I know that pretty much everyone who reads my blog is a mom or is a great friend and none of you have asked me this question which I appreciate more than you will ever know!

doctor's appointment

Well, I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday... no progress! Darn! It could still be anytime but nothing is happening yet. We will set a date to induce at my appointment next Tuesday if she still isn't here. So... we keep waiting!

Wow, I cannot believe I am still pregnant! I know I am still 4 days away from my actual due date but with Max born early I was convinced Sophie girl would be too! The waiting is definetly the hardest part.

Although, I know God's timing is absolutely perfect! Now that we are here and settled and have doctor's I am so glad she waited to be born. But, I kinda feel like now that we are settled she should hurry up and get here! I am ready to meet her!!

Only a little bad...

I felt only a little bad yesterday as Max and I spent the day lounging around the pool while Nick was at work:-)

Just a quick update on how our family is doing!... We are doing great! Our only complaint... we are still a family of 3 and are very eagerly awaiting our little girl!

Yesterday I had an appointment with my new O.B. He is fabulous! If I could I would carry him around in my pocket! He is extremely kind and took lots of time with me going over everything and answering all of my questions. He made me feel very comfortable and welcome. He told me all about delivering at St. Luke's and got me really excited about that. They have rooms where you labor, deliver, and then stay all in the same room. And, they are all private rooms! They give the baby its first bath right in the room so mom and dad can be involved and they just seem to make the whole experience very family friendly! I can't wait!

Nick is enjoying his new job. I think it is a little bit of an adjustment going from a company with about 5 full time programmers to hundreds but not a bad change. I think working in a cube after having an office is also an adjustment but not a big deal. Nick (who you know is die-hard about getting out of debt) is most excited about his opportunity to work overtime. After 40 hours he gets paid hourly and has been invited to work as much overtime as he wants. Although, I don't love the idea of him working extra I do know it will be short term and is a great opportunity for our family. Plus, him doing it now has the added bonus of me having back-up! My grandma is a huge help and as you fellow stay-at-home moms know the main thing is having an adult to talk to throughout the day so that will make it all a lot easier.

Living near family is amazing. Max loves spending so much time with Gaga, Emmie, Gaga June, Gapa, etc... I think if it were up to him we would all live on one big compound and spend all day, everyday together! He just loves, "his people"! And, being 9 months pregnant, I LOVE having so many people help keep my son entertained! I always knew our family was wonderful but these past few days I have really felt it! I can't believe we lived without family for this long!

I can't think of much else to report! Since I have a little more free-time these days I will probably update here in a day or two or when Sophie gets here!

Getting Settled!

Well, we are here in Lake St. Louis and working on getting settled! We are so happy to be here and are enjoying getting all moved in and making ourselves at home.

We headed out from Nixa at about 10:30 yesterday morning. We are very grateful for all of my parents help in getting us moved out! After getting settled we got to celebrate Emily's 20th birthday with the family! It was great to see everyone! Max is in absolute HEAVEN with so much family around. Last night he was playing with all his cousins, dragging around the adults, and making sure his Grandma, a.k.a. "Gaga" was always in sight!

This morning when Max woke up the first thing he did was ask for his Grandma and then when he was informed she wasn't here he cried for about 5 minutes! Not that I want my son to be sad but I love the special bond he has with his family. He loves them so much!

This morning we woke-up (well, Nick woke-up, I didn't really sleep at all!) and we had breakfast and then walked over to the park to let Max play. It was so nice!

On Friday I was able to find a pediatrician for both of the kids and when I arrived here I had recieved all my hospital paperwork in the mail. So, it is nice to not have to stress about Sophie coming with all of our doctors and hospital stuff lined up!

Well, I will post pictures and more updates soon!
Love,
Katie

I got a new doctor!

Yay! I found a new baby doctor when I move to STL!! I knew that I would find someone but I really wanted to find a good one and I was sure the whole situation was going to be a big hassle! So, I went to my O.B. appointment with Dr. Franklin on Monday and she suggested a doctor for me. I called the next day (ready to put up a fight and do lots of begging!). I called and told them my situation and the lady said, okay, well I can get you in on Tuesday! It was the easiest thing I have ever done! Plus, his office is located in Chesterfield, super close to where we will be living! And, I love that I will be going to someone Dr. Franklin reccomends because I trust her so much! So, praise God! I just had to share my good news!

update

Wow, I can't believe our big move is only a few days away! There are definetly pros and cons with making such a quick move! Things have been stressful and busy around here but overall really good! I will definetly miss our friends and am trying not to think about that too much and focus on how great it will be to live so close to our family.
We have been so increadibly blessed by family during this process. My parents have totally helped with the moving efforts including packing here and getting our "place" ready at Grandma's... all while waiting on stand-by for Sophie to come. Then my Grandma has generously opened up her home to us which is just an increadible blessing!! We really look forward to getting to spend time with her and are so thankful for the opportunity to get settled without some additional stress! She is amazing! I really don't know what we would do without our increadible family! A day hasn't gone by since all of this moving stuff began that Nick or I haven't looked at each other and said, "we are so blessed to have such wonderful family!".
My family has taught me so much about what it means to be a family and I am so grateful for that. They really are always there for us when we need them and are the first ones to offer to lend a hand when things come up. I am so grateful to God that my kids will get to grow up with such amazing people totally involved in their lives.
Growing up I had the most amazing relationship with my grandparents (I still do!), but we lived so far away. I am almost jealous of what my children will get to share by living so close to my parents!! I am so excited that they will have grandparents that they get to see all the time! I am so excited that they will get to have grandparents at their soccer games, school concerts, church plays, etc! And, I am not going to lie... after living far from family the past 21 months I am really excited to have a date night with my husband every once in awhile knowing my kids are having a blast with thier grandparents!!
Please keep praying for us as we make this transition! I am kind of hoping that Sophie comes soon or holds off for a little bit! But, please pray that no matter when she comes she will be healthy and that everything there will go well! Thank you all so much for your love and support!

Nick and I had the most amazing date night last night I just can't help but write about it! I am the luckiest woman in the world!

We decided since we are moving we needed to go to one of our favorite local places so Nick decided to take me to "Milly's" downtown. It was so much fun! I just love the atmosphere there and the food is delicious. It was so fun to just sit and eat and chat! Then we went for a walk around downtown and just talked. It was so romantic and so good for me emotionally with the stress of everything else going on! Then we went to Target and bought a few last minute things for Sophie.

I just love my husband so much and love getting to spend time with him one on one when we are just husband and wife. He is so amazing and I am so proud of him!

The Ramsey's have lost it

The Ramsey's have lost their minds. We are moving to St. Louis and are supposed to be there in two weeks! Not sure how we are going to pull it off, but here are the details...



Nick got an amazing job offer from a company called SBS Creatix. Through SBS he will be doing contract work for Brown Shoe Co. in Clayton, MO. Nick has been looking for more of a challenge in his career so this is a great opportunity for him. Anyway, we have been feeling called to move to the Saint Louis area and this opportunity presented itself! So, we are trusting God and heading North!



We aren't sure if Sophie will be born here or in St. Louis but we are kind of hoping she will be born here. Since Max was born early there is a good chance she will be too. We are putting our house on the market within the next day or two and just praying that everything will come together. We are so excited to finally live near family and even though the timing is a little crazy we see God's hands all over it.

My AMAZING grandma has invited us to stay with her for a little while so we can get settled and start looking for a place to live. She has a great house with a finished basement with three bedrooms and a large living area so we will have our own little "apartment" while we stay with her. We are so grateful for our Grandma!

Please pray for us as we make this transition. The next 2 weeks will be crazy... especially if we have a baby in the middle of it. But, we are trusting God and heading out!

Free Samples

Okay, as a lot of you know I am a HUGE dork and I LOVE getting free samples. I spend a little time at WalMart.com every week or so signing up for free samples. Someone posted this and I thought I would pass it along! I haven't signed up for all of them... but you can pick and choose!
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Sunday Fun

I just love 3 day weekends! Somehow that one extra day with Nick at home seems to make all of the difference! We had such a fun time and got so much done! Max and Nick got to play a lot which is so fun to watch. They really are best friends! Today Max snuggled Dad pretty much all day. It was so sweet... and I am not going to lie, kind of a nice break for me!
Today we had a really fun suprise. We went to church at James River and ran into our friends, The Carpenter's! They invited us back to their house for lunch and we had such a wonderful time catching up. They just bought a beautiful house in Ozark so it was fun to get to see it for the first time. They have two kids, Ella (2) and Sam (10 months). It was neat to watch Max and Ella play together. It was the first time I have really seen him interact with another kid about his age. He called her "Ew-wa" and they had a ball! It was great because she totally wore him out and he ended up taking a 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon! Woohoo!
We had a great time at James River this morning. Nick and I are always so amazed at how much we learn during every sermon. My absolute favorite thing about James River is that God gets the credit for EVERYTHING! It seems like at such a big church they could get pretty proud of themselves and start glorifying themselves but they never do. I am really learning so much about how God deserves the credit for every aspect of our lives. Pastor John continued his series on the Second Coming from the book of Luke. Learning about end times is a little scary and intense but if it is in God's word we need to be paying attention to it. And the good news is, if we know Jesus we have nothing to fear! I was reminded of how important Nick and my job as parents is. Raising children who know the Lord is really the only thing that matters! I needed to be reminded of that!
We are looking forward to another fun week! I am trying to stay cool and comfortable... but that is becoming more of a challenge every day! Wish me luck!

Love Languages

Nick and I read the book, The 5 Love Languages before we got married and really learned a lot. We were also very fortunate to hear the author, Dr. Gary Chapman, speak at a marriage conference a little over a year ago. We have really learned a lot about marriage and speaking love to one another through Dr. Chapman.

Last night, for fun, we took the Love Languages quiz again and our answers had changed a little big since we took the quiz over 3 years ago! Here were our results:

Nick's Main Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Nick's Secondary Love Languages: Quality Time and Physical Touch (totally tied)

Katie's Main Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Katie's Secondary Love Languages: Physical Touch and Quality Time (much less QT)

The funny thing is that even though we share the same love languages and usually people speak their own language to show love, Nick doesn't. He speaks love through Acts of Service which doesn't even register on my radar! Don't get me wrong... I totally appreciate everything he does for me!! He is incredible and I am so lucky to have his help. But, for me, having him fold the laundry (while appreciated) doesn't say "I love you". So, right now we are working on speaking to one another in our love languages!

It is so fun to still be actively working on improving our marriage! I am so blessed to have a husband who wants us to have the best marriage possible! Mediocrity is not okay for us! Thank you, Lord for Nick Ramsey!

One of my favorite things to write about in my blog is what God is teaching me. I tend to write about that a lot because God is always teaching me something! Wow, I have SO much to learn. Recently, God has been teaching me about tithing and it has been mind blowing. The principles are so simple and yet I was just ingnoring it!

God has always blessed our little family so much. Even when we have not been faithful with giving 10% to our church he has been faithful to us. In fact, beyond just giving us what we need he has showered us beyond that! We are so blessed and so rich in so many ways. Every month we are able to pay all of our bills and ever since we have become dedicated to becoming debt free we have not had to carry over any debt.

For awhile we were not giving a full tithe. And, while I felt guilty, I was very quick to justify it in my mind. "Well, we are trying to get out of debt" or "God isn't legalistic about these things. I won't go to Hell if I don't tithe". While these things were totally true they still weren't sitting right with me. Recently I have asked God to teach me more about this area and he made the answers so plain and clear! Everything we have is His!!! EVERYTHING! All he asks is that we give him 10%. That is like nothing! Yet somehow I was justifying lunches out but I didn't have money to give to God? Are you kidding me??? I could buy fun things but not give God His money. Wow, I was so misled.

Heavenly Father,
Please forgive me for my wrong attitudes about money. Please forgive me for being selfish while you have remained so selfless. Help me to think about you and your priorities with every dollar I spend. Thank you for giving so much to our family. Thank you for showing us your priorities for money and for teaching us to be givers! Help me to daily remember that you come first in all things!
Amen!

So, I am up late with nasty heartburn so I thought I would say "hello"! My heartburn is a little out of control! I had it with Max but it was nothing compared to this. This is like painful, curl up in a ball and cry heartburn. ICK! I plan on calling my doc tomorrow to ask if there is anything else I can do. I have been following all the "rules", doing the home remedies, and taking Tums.

Anyway, other than that life is good! My mom and sister are coming tomorrow or the next day so I am super excited about that. I LOVE it when they come to visit. And, not just because I have people to help me chase my son around! Although, that is a huge perk! Max loves his grandma and his "Emmie" so I know he will have a great time!

I guess I don't have much else to report! I am just trying to stay as cool and comfortable as possible! I hope everyone out there is doing well!

Walking as Jesus did

"3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[a] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:3-6

Thank you all so much for your responses! I got most of them through e-mail so I am going to just put all the responses here in kind of a list! Thank you all so much for your help and participation. Isn't it amazing the insight other people can have on a topic you already feel you have studied thorougly! I love that God uses our Christian brothers and sisters to teach us so much!

Ways we can walk like Jesus:

• give Jesus' unfailing grace to EVERYONE like he has given it to us
• Jesus spent time with sinners and believers
• Jesus was grateful, he thanked and praised God
• when he corrected someone, he used the word of God to prove his authority. he didn't typically accuse or blame, he taught & demonstrated
• he didn't JUST pray for some one, he helped them on a basic level, whether it was food or health or something else. he satisfied peoples basic needs in his ministry. he showed his love & then the people responded to his message
• Jesus spoke truth in love
• he had regular "quiet times"
• he asked for God's will to be done in all situations, even his death on the cross
• he fellowshipped with other believers and with non-believers, sharing meals, wine, and social things

Thank you all so much! A few of the responses were similar so I kind of combined!

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for all of the increadible women who responded to my little question. I thank you for their faith and ask that you would draw them closer to you. We love you so much Lord and we have such a strong to desire to walk like you did! Show us the areas where we are falling short and help us to change! Thank you for always desiring the best for us, Lord!

AMEN!

If you can't say something nice...

I know I am not perfect. I am not always the nicest person in the world. But, I really do try to be nice, positive, and encouraging when I talk to people.
Lately, I have encountered so much negativity that I cried this afternoon! It wasn't a big deal... Max and I were getting home after a wonderful morning with friends and my neighbor (who is always negative and nasty) comes onto MY driveway and says, "wow, you have so much junk in your garage you can't get your cars in". I know, it was rude, but not that big of a deal, but I am pregnant and it really hurt my feelings and made me angry! Yes, my garage is a mess right now... but it is because I have a huge pile of stuff I am sorting through because we are trying to donate everything we don't use or need to the Springfield Victory Mission or give to people we know who need things. Not that it is any of her business what I do in my garage anyway! It just kind of was the straw that broke the camel's back after having a lot negative comments from various people lately.
I just cannot wrap my mind around why people feel the need to be negative to people! If you can't say something nice you don't need to say anything at all!

No one mock my menu for this week! I am 8 months pregnant and it is hot outside... I am doing the best I can:-)

I am currently studying 1 John from the New Testament with my friend Christy. I learn so much when I slow down and take a part from the Bible piece by piece. Yesterday I was reading and came across these verses,
"3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[a] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:3-6
I am working on memorizing these verses this week. But, as always when I am reading God's word I was felt like I was hit with a brick when I read, "whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." I claim to live in him. Does my walk look anything like Jesus'? I don't think so! I know we can't be perfect and our walk will never look exactly like Jesus', but that should be our goal. So, as I was taking notes I jotted a little thought, What does it mean to walk like Jesus did? I started making a little list of the things Jesus did and the way he acted.
So now, I have a favor to ask! I don't really know how many people read my blog! I have a few faithful commenters and I have several people tell me they read it from time to time. But, I would like to ask everyone who reads this post to help me with my list! You can either leave your thoughts in the comment section (annonymously if you want) or e-mail them to me and I will add them in later! KatieLRamsey@gmail.com.
I just started jotting down a few things like, speaking truth in love, praying for God's will and not my own, serving others, fellowshiping with other believers, studying God's word, not sinning...
I think sometimes I come across verses like this and I think, yeah, I should live like Jesus but I don't take the time and really think about how Jesus lived!
Thank you in advance for your help!

Sound Doctrine

During my quiet time this afternoon I came across this in 1 Timothy and it has totally had me thinking!
1 Timothy 6:3-4
"If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing..."

I think this scripture is so important to our lives as Christians today. We live in a society where everywhere you turn people are ready to give advice. We have mounds of information packed into our brains and it can be so easy to forget the source. I often find myself getting of giving advice that is not biblical and I am realizing how dangerous this can be. I never intentionally lead people astray but ocassionally someone will ask me for advice and I will look back and realize that even if it wasn't "bad" advice, it might not have been Godly advice and as someone who openly professes Christianity I need to make sure people know where my advice is coming from. I know when I was a very new Christian I assumed any advice I got from a Christian was biblical advice and I was very often led in the wrong direction. Many Christians have given me advice on marriage, parenting, handling money, etc. that I later found to not be in line with the word of God.

So, I guess I am realizing some very important things today during this quiet time!

• as Christians we must never give advice that is against God's word
• if we are giving advice on a subject God is silent on we must be straightforward about that and explain that we are only giving our opinion and that the person should pray about it for themselves... we can't lead our brothers and sisters into sin!
• we need to know God's word so that we can help others

Father God, help all of us Christians to be true to you. You are so gracious and loving to provide us with truth on so many aspects of our lives. You know how you want us to live and you give us the wonderful gift of fellowship to help us learn from other believers. Help us to never malign Your word under any circumstances. Help us to lay down our pride and not always feel the need to be an expert on every subject but to always turn to you, The Expert on everything! We love you Father! Help us to glorify you and to lift one another up. Help us to be especially careful when talking to people who do not yet know you or new believers that we will not lead them away from who you really are! Amen.

A shortish rambling

Wow, we have had a busy week! We have had something going on everyday! It makes the week really fly by! But, it can make it difficult to get much done! We do something fun in the morning and then by the time we get home and I put Max down for his nap I am exhausted and end up resting or taking a nap myself! Hopefully this weekend will be fairly restful. We don't have any big plans so that should be nice!

I think the biggest thing on our minds these days is that Sophie's arrival is about a month and a half away! I can't believe how fast being pregnant has gone by this time! Part of me is so ready for her to be here and another part of me is just savoring the one on one time with Max! I am definetly starting to get nervous about having two! But, I know that it will be wonderful at the same time!

I am very excited that Max and Sophie will be so close together in age. I always wanted that for my kids! Although, I have a feeling it will be a couple of years before I appreciate it! At least, that is what I hear from moms with kids about 2 years apart.

Let's see... what else has been going on in the Ramsey house? We have been doing a little "church shopping" lately. It has been difficult but really good for us at the same time. We love Northside so much and so many people there are just like family to us. But, with gas prices so high and time a precious commodity with small children we have been looking a little closer to home. It takes us about 40 minutes to get to Northside and we were finding ourselves avoiding serving and special activities because of the drive. We have spent quite a few Sundays at James River Assembly and we have really been enjoying that. Nick and I both never thought we would go there but have enjoyed the preaching and seeing God totally on the move through that church. Plus, Max loves his classes so that is a huge blessing to us. We are also hoping to try LifePoint in Ozark sometime soon. We are still attending Northside off and on as we have prior commitments to serve throughout the summer.

I guess that is about all for now! I hope everyone is enjoying summer! Can you beleive it is here already?

A Week Away

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! Life has been kind of crazy! But, oh, so good!

Max and I are spending some time in St. Louis this week with my family. We got here today (Tuesday) and are staying until Friday. I was a little nervous about making the drive by myself but it went great. Max stayed awake the entire time but he was such a good boy and just ate his snacks and watched his videos. The portable DVD player was definetly a good purchase!

He is having a blast being at his Grandma and Grandpa's. He especially loves all of the animals to play with. His favorite is Grandpa's pigeons. Tonight Grandpa got them all out and let them fly around and Max thought it was pretty awesome. He has also had a great time playing with all of the new toys Grandma insisted on buying him as soon as we got here. He is a little spoiled... but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I think tomorrow we are headed to the zoo. I am very excited! The weather wasn't good enough to go last time we were here and I think Max is old enough to enjoy it this time. Then I think on Thursday we will probably go over to my Aunt Heidi's house and swim in her new pool. It will be Max's first swim of the summer! I am very excited! (Less excited to get into a bathing suit myself!) Then I think we will head home Friday so we can enjoy the weekend with Nick!

I hope everyone else is having a good week!

Necessities

As a lot of you know Nick and I are huge Dave Ramsey fans and are currently working through his plan to become debt free. We are making lots of progress which is so exciting. God has really blessed us during this process and has provided many unexpected gifts to help us.

Nick gets paid once a month so about this time every month we start working on next month's budget. (By the way, I LOVE getting paid once a month, although at first I thought I would hate it! But, since everything we pay for is paid once a month it just makes sense! But, you do have to be careful!) As I am starting to think about this month's budget I was thinking about necessities vs. things we want. We are making so much progress on our debt and should be debt free except for our house in less than a year but I can't help but wonder how much faster that process would go if we really were spending less money on our "wants".

I think society has really skewed my view on necessities vs. wants. I have become convinced of so many things that I should have that I don't stop to think about if I really need those things. Not that we need to deny ourselves of everything, but we do need to exercise descernment. And, as soon as we are debt free we will really be able to enjoy the things we want! Like Dave says, "Live like no one else so that later you can live like no one else."

Father, I just pray that you will help me to be a good steward of Your money. Show me what I need as opposed to what I want. Help me to spend wisely so that even through spending money our family can bring glory to You.

Ready for the week!

So, I think our whole family is finally healthy again and I am ready for the week! Being sick really threw us all off! Even though I will miss Nick when he goes back to work tomorrow I am ready for life to get back to NORMAL!

We don't have much planned for the week which I am really excited about. Max is teething and is in kind of a pre-terrible 2's phase right now so a lot of time at home where I can be consistant with him is just what we need!

I am super excited for next weekend because 2 very fun things are happening! 1- I get to go to Catrina Steinmann's baby shower which I am so excited for! Christina is throwing it and she always throws FABULOUS showers! 2- our good friends Melissa and Joe Jackson are coming into town and spending Saturday night with us and part of the day Sunday! I can't wait! We haven't seen them in a long time and we always have so much fun when we get together!

I hope everyone had a fun Memorial Day weekend, despite the bad weather!

Moving Bug

Every once in awhile I catch the moving bug. It ususally doesn't last long and it doesn't happen very often, but today I definetly have it bad! I really wish we could move and be closer to family. It hits me the most during small holidays like Memorial Day or Mother's Day. Days where you really wouldn't drive 4 1/2 hours to spend with family but if they were close by you would definetly be with them. Most of our friends have family in town or within an hour so on holidays and special occassions they are hanging out with their families and we spend them alone. Not that we sit around moping. We definetly make the best of them! And we are truly content within our little family of 3 (almost 4) but I do think it is something that people who do have family around really can't relate to. Nick's family lives fairly close but they just aren't the kind of family that gets together for things like my family is.
It is especially hard living so far away when I want a date night with my hubby or my family is doing something fun I want to be a part of. I am also super close to my grandma and she really doesn't drive. So, I would give anything to be there and be able to take her to run errands once a week and things like that.
Don't get me wrong. I love where we live. I love our friends so much and we truly have a home here. But, when you have little kids it is hard being away. I want my children to have a close relationship with my parents and I want them to grow up with family around. And, even though we are close and can visit often it just isn't quite the same as being able to see them every week.
Of course, I am sure we won't move. Nick loves his job and we are just kind of tied down here for now. I guess maybe I wish we could just move all of my family here!
Anyway, I am just asking God to give me peace and to carry out His will in our lives. If that will is here than I want to have peace about living here. If it is to move than I pray that he will open doors for that and show us opportunities. Please be praying for me in these areas!

Worst place to live?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24713234/

Who would have thought that Springfield, MO was one of the worst places in the whole country to raise a family? Interesting...

Sick for a week...

So, I have been sick for about a week now. I am about to loose my mind! I am actually "feeling" a little better but my cough is keeping me up almost all night. It started out as a fever, sore throat virus thing. I went to the doctor Friday morning and was told it was just a virus and that because I am pregnant they couldn't give me anything. Then Saturday night when I was up all night I started feeling like I was getting a UTI which can be very dangerous during pregnancy. So, Sunday morning I went to urgent care and was given some antibiotics. So, I think that is better but my cough is still going strong.
I am feeling so frustrated because I am exhausted and want to sleep but I can't. Plus, being cooped up in the house all week is rough. The weather is beautiful and there is fun stuff going on and I am trapped inside my house.
And now, Nick is getting it. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't last so long...
Anyway, just thought I would update everyone on what's going on in my life! Sorry if it is a little whiney! Hopefully I will be in better spirits tomorrow!

My Greater Purpose

Ever since becoming a Christian about 4 years ago I have had a strong desire in my heart to do big things for God. How can you know who Jesus is and be saved by His grace and not have that desire? However, lately, as I am sure most of you stay-at-home moms can attest to, it is very hard to feel any purpose in my life!

Now first, let me put a disclaimer on that.... I LOVE being a stay-at-home mom. My husband and my son are the most important people and I know that nothing in the world is more important than investing in them full time. Which is why I said it is hard to FEEL like I have any purpose in my life.

In my head... I know I have purpose! We are making a huge sacrafice to say to God, our children, and the rest of the world that family is our main priority. I know that my being home full time and investing in them makes a difference, not only for them, but for God's kingdom. My child (soon to be children) get to hear all about God on a daily basis, have healthy home cooked meals three times a day, live with routine and consistency, and are entertained not by a television set or video games but by us and good books and carefully selected toys.

I know I could make a lot of money out in the work force and I am not going to lie, the money is appealing some days. Whenever people hear what my degree is in they ask why I don't work from home. I could work from home and make a lot of money doing so. But then, what? Park my kids in front of the televsion during the day and spend my evenings listening to my husband and little boy laugh in the other room. I might as well go sit in an office several hours a day.

But, I can't do that. My time with my children is limited. I only have them for 18 short years in my home and I need to give them my full attention. I am not bashing women who have to work. I know that there are some cases where that is necessary. And, some women choose to work and that is totally their choice.

But, I guess, sometimes it is just hard to see how this "sacrafice" has a greater purpose. Especially at the end of the day when all you have accomplished is two loads of laundry, a clean floor, wiped a nose 5 times, played Legos for an hour and a half, and read 32 books out loud it can be hard to feel like you are doing anything great for God. Or even, anything great at all.

So, I guess this is what I am struggling with right now... feeling like I have a greater purpose. In my head I know without a doubt that I am doing the most important work in the world and that this is what God wants me to do. But, I let the world get to me and tell me that if I am not doing 100 million things and am not frazzled beyond any recognition I am not serving a greater purpose.

"Father, you are an amazing God with amazing plans for all of those who love You. You know me and You know the desires of my heart and I am so grateful for that. Please help me to be content and patient and follow You. I know that what I am doing with my life right now is what You would have me to be doing. Please give me Your peace that I may know that I am doing the right thing and show me ways that I can greater fill Your purposes for my life. Help me to shut out the lies of the world when they tell me I need to "get a job" or suggest my current career is "temporary and that one day I will have a real job." Help me to be a better wife and mother every single day as that is what you have called me to do. Thank you for allowing me to do this very important work for You. I know that raising children that are sold out for You is a very high calling and I pray that You will help me to accomplish this task. I know that it will only be possible through you! Thank you for being a God who hears our prayers and allows us to struggle! I love you so much!" Amen!