20 Weeks with renewed strength and hope!

I got dressed today for this picture. You wouldn't want to see me in my jammies...my new wardrobe. Haha!

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
Isaiah 26:3-4

Thank you all so much for your prayers, love, support, meals, and all you have done for us this past week. It has been a time of ups and downs, but Erik and I feel renewed each day and God's presence is upon us. Our girls continue to do amazing. They are moving a ton and I am loving every minute of it. As I think of how we've been feeling recently it has been so different than our previous losses. As one friend said, we are experiencing both sorrow and joy. We have sorrowful hearts for our son and yet so much joy still for our girls. Some of the hardest moments come when we enter the nursery and see all the little outfits especially for Ephraim and remember all the dreams we had for him. But we know the Lord had a plan for his life and His dreams are greater than ours.

The Lord spoke to me so much this week through the book I'm reading. His timing with this book has been so fitting for what I'm going through. Isn't that how it always is...He knows me so well! I've talked about the book before, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, this weeks chapter dealt with the death of Lazarus and lessons to learn from it. This chapter discussed how God always has a plan, even though it may not follow human logic. Which is always the hardest to understand. From the author, "Trials are real. Bad things happen. But we are given a promise: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
I have come to rest in this promise and know that these earthly trials will pass. A key to getting through the trials of life is to find scripture to cling to, scripture that shows God's heart and faithfulness. We must remind ourselves that God is our strength and he is the source of comfort. "Yet not one of them is forgotten by God...Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7) His ways are not our ways, but God is the one telling the story. We need to trust Him to take the tale in the right direction. We can have faith that everything really will turn out all right. Here is a perfect quote from the book to sum it all up; "Tragedy may come. So will the darkness. But triumph is waiting just around the corner."

I also want to share what my life has been like on bed rest these past few weeks. It's been a huge adjustment, but I must say I am getting used to it. Our pastor came to pray with us last week and said that this time of rest I've been given is a time for me to be obedient to the Lord and to use it spiritually. So that's what I'm doing and he's giving me true contentment in being at rest during this time. As crazy as this is, and you animal lovers will understand, my dog has been a fun source of support. She is my constant companion when Erik is at work and I am home alone. Check out the fun pictures below. I decided to chronicle a day in the life of my dog, Mollie, from my view on the couch.

A daily look out the window to check for other dogs she can bark at.












The daily occurrence of Mollie begging for my snack food. For some reason the word "no" isn't in her vocabulary. Haha!

















This is Mollie's meerkat stance, which also looks similar to ET. This always makes Erik and I laugh. She just sits like this and stares at me.














This is my favoirite. My sweet Mollie laying on the couch with me. She looks pathetic...what a rotten dog she is.