December Babies

December Babies are interesting creatures.  They are so fun, that no matter when they come, they take the shine off Christmas with their brightness (or the anticipation thereof).  Perhaps that's because all those silly priorities like, making Christmas candy, shopping, decorating, are not nearly as exciting or precious as a new little one.  As I am (within the next 12 days) to have two December babies I am finding it funny that with James Christmas wasn't important because I had a new baby, and now with this little guy I find myself overlooking Christmas entirely in anticipation of not only my new baby, but also of not being pregnant anymore.

And as I've been thinking about this strange December baby phenomenon, I've been thinking of another December baby, the very reason for the season.  If instead of being shoved into the background of the Christmas rush, he was the true focus, I wonder if Christmas would look or feel the same for any of us?

That said, I love December, I love babies, I love Christmas, and I am so excited for my soon to be 2nd December baby!

The Best Part of Unemployment

As we all know, the best part of unemployment is the end of unemployment.  We have entered into the best part of unemployment, in that it has ended (twice actually).  Spencer accepted a job with Alorica in their tech department, with the intention of getting a supervisor position quickly out of training because he was quite overqualified for the base level and it really wouldn't meet our income needs.  Two days into training, however, he got a call from a recruiter he had interviewed with over a month previously offering him a much better job.  He talked to the people at Alorica and when they heard how much he was being offered they practically said "Run, what are you still doing here."  Thus, Spencer has a great new job with Select Portfolio Servicing in their Bankruptcy department.  He was hired specifically for a bilingual position, so he'll get to use his Spanish--gotta love the blessings of serving a mission. He is learning a lot and really liking his new job.  The best part is the pay is better than his old job at Academy Mortgage and the benefits are better and cheaper.  Also, he gets to carpool with a friend in the ward who works there too (which is cheaper, helps him get to work early, and is better for the environment).  Hallelujah!  Another great thing is that while he was unemployed we were still able to have health insurance, due to qualifying for medicaid, and I am going to continue to be covered by them which means at least most of our baby expenses will be paid for, which is such a relief.  We also qualified for food stamps which helped us re-stock our empty larders.  All in all, life is wonderful.  We will be playing catch up with finances for a little while, but that is an adventure all in and of itself.  For the moment I keep looking at some of our dwindling resources and hoping they are like the widows barrel and let me just keep scraping from them for a little longer.  Hurrah for employment!  Hurrah for being able to pay the bills!  Hurrah for Spencer and his awesomeness!  And hurrah for life and all its fun adventures!    

Life

I realized today I haven't posted for a long, long time.  Life happens, and time just keeps rolling on whether you're ready for it or not.  I have been reflecting over the last year, and if you just look at the bare facts it would seem like it's been a really rough year.  Between Spencer being unemployed last year, me having a really rough 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy complete with 10 weeks of IV therapy, and Spencer being laid off his job last month (three months from the debut of our new little boy).  But I have a hard time thinking of it as a hard year, it has seemed so wonderful and been so full of joy.  I guess that is the beauty of God's plan, that we can find joy even in difficult times.  I really feel like God has been so good to us, and I have no doubt that He will continue to watch over and take care of us.  Yes, money is tight, and yes, I have no idea what the future holds, but I feel positive that it is full of good things to come and it is (even now) full of great and good things.

I love being alive!  I love waking up every morning knowing that I have a sweet wonderful husband who loves me, an adorable little boy who brings sunshine to my soul and a healthy little baby boy on the way.  Yesterday felt kind of dark and gloomy (talking to Wells Fargo can do that) but today is full of promise.  I know this post is a little scattered.  What it really comes down to is I am finding great joy in my journey, and I hope that you all are finding joy in yours.    

Miracles Never Cease

This evening, at 8:45 p.m. approximately, Spencer and I bolted into the car and drove our little baby boy to the hospital.  He had been climbing and fell (on his eye) onto the pointy latch piece of our dog kennel door.  He was screaming bloody murder, and crying blood.  His eye was already swelling shut, and, all in all, it did not look good.  On our way out the door Spencer gave him a blessing and we sped (literally) to the hospital.  The staff where super helpful and got us right back to a room, and a doctor saw us within 30 minutes of our arrival.  At this point our sweet, wonderful boy was no longer crying, but playing with the remote control on the hospital bed.  Miraculously, the point missed his eye altogether and it appears that his vision will not be at all affected.  Further miracle, his tear duct also seems to be unharmed and the cut on the inner part of his lower eyelid was small enough to avoid sutures.  In essence, James miraculously has a super swollen eye, a small cut, and no serious damage to his eye.  I've been using the word miracle a lot, but it is a miracle!  For the way he fell, and the object he landed on, there was no possible way it could have been better. He could have easily lost all sight in his eye.  I know God was watching over my baby and keeping him safe, and I am so grateful that my little James will walk away from this with nothing worse than a really nice shiner (which of course he will show off to his friends).  How wonderful is it that we have a God of miracles, and that those miracles aren't stuck in antiquity, but they are in the here and now for us and our families!      

The Lord's Timing

I could sum this post up in five words.  I won't, but if I were to sum it up the words would be: God is smarter than me.  Now those particular five words could probably sum up almost all of my life, but I will relate how they are applicable now.

Spencer got a wonderful new job after three months of unemployment.  Were those months hectic? Yes!  Did I constantly waffle back and forth between being faithful and questioning the Lord and his timing? Yes! Did God know best? Of course he did!  Spencer's new job is with Academy mortgage.  He is working in the  IT and Tech department.  He makes four dollars an hour more than he did at his other job, he finds work more fulfilling, and he has a very high likelihood of promotion and even better pay within a year and a half.  When things work out so well (and they always do) it makes a person feel really stupid for questioning The Almighty.

I would like to say that this incident has cured me of questioning the Lord's timing, but being human, I can't say any such thing with certainty.  What I will say is "Hurrah for the Lord and His goodness in watching over me and my little family!"

I've been thinking a lot about the Lord's timing lately.  Not only that His timing is better than mine, but also that if indeed God's timing is better than our own, which it is, than we ought to be able to relax and find more joy in our lives, knowing that God is in control and that all things will work out for our good.  I have decided that when the Lord said "men are that they might have joy" he wasn't talking about when there are no problems, but about right now (this very minute).  Having joy now, no matter what the circumstances.  It seems like a wonderful goal...and an even more wonderful outcome.  I am working towards believing and living in such a way that I can have joy in each moment of my life.