a new season...I've missed you!

Almost 2 months ago, I shared with you

that I would be taking a little break from blogging...

{you can read about that here}

but I am SO excited to be getting back to it and to start catching up on yalls lives

and catching you up on ours a bit...

though I won't do too much backtracking and just pick up from here!

I truly hope everyone has been so blessed...

I seriously have felt something was missing in my life

and my community the last few months!

Oh, how I've missed you bloggy friends!!

But here we are!!

It's been 2 months of trusting God, like always,

to meet our every need,

to guide us into new seasons,

and to remember the power of prayer.

He's also been teaching me the power of

remembering

what He has already done for us.

And in that remembrance...

to recognize the ABILITY He has

to restore, to provide, to show up.

Fall has come, which is our favorite...

here it means

Candy Corn, Northface jackets, pumpkins {"punkies"},

nights by the firepit, Okahoma wind, and of course Aggie football!

In our life right now, it also stands for the

coming of a new season.

new prayers, new needs, new excitements,

new struggles, new revelations, new desires.

{and don't forget, the growing of a new baby...

I am almost 30 weeks now!}

We are in awe of the grown up girl before us.

{and a little bit in awe of the attitude that has come along..

yikes, toddlerhood!}

She is now sleeping in a big girl bed, (post on that to come!)

and we are headed towards potty training.

yep, shes growing up...she will be 22 months next week!

With Abigail growing up SO fast...

with this little princess growing each day in my belly...

with our need for trusting God growing each day...

I know this coming season will be challenging.

But I believe it will be RICH.

I believe the Lord has said this season will be full of life,

in more ways than we can know right now.

But that with that fullness,

will come an extra measure of faith needed to believe that what

He is doing is for our benefit and out of His love for us.

because HE IS GOOD.

I can't wait to share life with you here again...

BLESSINGS!!!!

P.S.

Parker and I are leaving tomorrow for a little "baby#2moon" trip

{another God story I can't wait to tell you about!}

so I will be back to posting more next week...

CAN'T WAIT!!!

P.S. #2 :)

I have been so blessed that while on my little break,

my new bloggy friend, Melissa,

with The Cutest Blog On The Block design team,

helped design some new features on my blog!

She was a JOY to work with and I am SO thankful for all she has added...

Check it all out!

{I've added those pages over on the side, and also a few other "extras"!}

Check out her personal blog and design shop too...

she is a sweet sweet treasure,

and I hope to meet her in person someday!

THANKS Melissa!!

check her out here:

linking up with other amazing ladies

over at Casey's....

check out some precious hearts here starting on Friday:

in her Father's arms

Before we moved, when Parker was already working in another state

and coming home on weekends,

he would get home late on Friday nights.

He couldn't ever resist going in and picking up his sleeping baby girl,

to love on her, and to just hold her in his arms.

I snapped this picture one night watching him hold her on the monitor.

This picture speaks to me about the love our Heavenly Father has for us,

and the comfort we can find in His arms.

"I will lie down in peace and sleep,

for you alone O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8

There is something so incredible and comforting of a father's arms and touch.

I wish that physical memory would allow us to recall

what it felt like to be held by our fathers as infants.

It must feel so safe.

Whether we had a physical father around us or not,

I am beyond thankful for the Father who is there,

who is willing to be our Daddy,

our Protector, our Provider, our Security.

I want to REST in that.

I want to "lie in peace, and sleep" knowing that

He ALWAYS has me in His arms.

And I want to always take comfort in knowing that He is that same Father

to Abigail. to my little girl.

That when she needs comforting, she has just as much access to Him as I do.

I pray daily and nightly that she would KNOW that,

that she would know and feel His touch.

A few days ago, Abigail was reaching for her lovie,

while I was reaching to get a bow right next to her,

and she flipped off the diaper table.

She was physically ok, but definitely scared.

(I was too).

God allowed me to catch her head in my hands before it hit the floor.

I don't know how that happened...

its like He just have me the reflexes to catch her in slow motion.

I dropped her off at MDO a little later and

began to work through my own fear that had entered from her fall.

All kinds of lies like "you should've done better",

"what if she had broken her neck?"

"what if she had hit her head?"

It was a battle to trust Him that He had her in His arms at that moment,

and He will at every moment.

I had finally found some peace, when I got a call from her school saying she had fallen on the playground and had hit her head.

just what I needed, I thought to myself.

well, yes it WAS what I needed.

To trust God AGAIN that He HAS her in HIS arms.

that He will protect her,

and that HIS plan for her is best.

She has a huge bruise on her head now, poor baby, but she is ok.

Parker was able to run across the street from his office to love on her after they called,

which was such a blessing.

She woke up last night, very abnormal for her,

crying and scared, like she has before when a sound or something has scared her.

I am convinced that the memory of her falls the day before allowed fear to come into her mind and she was having a bad dream.

I scooped her up and rocked her for a while.

She wouldn't calm, until I began to pray out loud over her,

against fear and for peace and rest.

she immediately relaxed and went to sleep in my arms.

Just as she needed the reassurance of loving, strong arms

to hold her when she is scared or hurt,

we do too.

We need to know DAILY the arms that hold us.

and the arms that hold our children too.

They make us dwell in safety,

Those arms allow us to rest in peace.