A Thank You Note

Dear "Santa,"

I'm writing again to thank you for all of the great presents!

As you can see, I enjoyed them.

But most of all....

Thank you for making my Christmas so special... And giving me lots of time to laugh and play with Mama & Daddy. Thank you for reading my letter & making my wishes come true. However, I think I've already figured out who you are... Only Jesus could make such wishes come true! Thank you, Jesus. Talk to you again real soon!

Love, Hannah

Ho,Ho,Ho....

Merry Christmas!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,
I've taken over my mama's blog...but it's for a good cause. I didn't know how else to get a hold of you (especially since Mama doesn't believe in you). I'm writing to let you know my Christmas wishes. I wish for $1,000,000 so Mama & Papa don't ever have to work again and can stay home with me. I wish for world peace & no more hunger. I wish that I could start to talk so people wouldn't just stare at me when I want something (and therefore have to cry to get it). I wish for a new job for Papa cuz he doesn't seem very happy with his (that is, if he has to work). I wish I could have my own room so I don't have to hear Papa snore. One last thing...I wish that I could spend more time with my Papa...cuz I've seen enough of this Mama lady....and I miss my Papa! Thanks Santa! I hope that I don't ask for too much.
Much love,
Hannah Isabel

A Letter to My Daddy

Dear Daddy,
I just wanted you to know that I've been a very good girl. I even let Mama sleep until 9:00 and take a shower before I got up. Since I've been such a good girl, would you come home now? I haven't seen you since last night and I sure miss you! I even wore this cute little outfit for you. I helped pick it out before I was born. I love you, Daddy. See you soon.
Love,
Hannah Isabel (aka, "Hannah Mae" like you and Mama like to call me)
XOXOXO

You give and take away...

Hannah Farnsworth

Born: Oct. 25, 2008

Robert Westlund, Sr.

Born: Dec. 12, 1921

Died: Nov. 22, 2008

One of the greatest things anyone ever told me was when my grandpa said that I was a lot like him. Anyone who ever knew him would appreciate this comment. Grandpa, I love you. I miss you already, but I'll see you again someday in a much better place. Enjoy your mansion up there. I'm sure it's beautiful!!

Here's a good question...

Why do babies smile when they have gas???

Happy 2nd Birthday, Miss Mae Belle!!

Depression Hurts

Is that all they do?

Announcement

And weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces (and training for the heavy-weight championship of the world)...21 inches long...2 weeks and a day early...after enduring 32 hours of labor and minimal sleep...

HANNAH ISABEL FARNSWORTH AKA "DADDY'S GIRL"

Or maybe "MAMA'S GIRL"

Ok, maybe we'll share her!!! But it's not my fault she's crying... We'll say she's "DADDY'S GIRL" cuz I think it's his turn.

Growing Belly (by request)

One day....I found out I was pregnant.... (12 weeks)

And I just kept growing...

(18 weeks)

And growing...

(24 weeks)

And growing...

(30 weeks)

And growing...

(32 weeks)

And growing some more...

(35 weeks)

And hoping for it to all be over.....

And then one day...(hopefully soon) it will.

The end.

More to come...when it actually is all over and instead of pictures of me growing, you can look at pictures of a beautiful little baby girl!!!!

Getting prepared...

Here's our little take-home from the hospital outfit....all ready to go (just in case she decides to come early). I've been getting prepared (and excited) since I found out I was pregnant!

Something New on the Horizon..

There is definitely something new on the horizon. The crib and changing table are finally set up (thanks to my wonderful husband and his brother). Things are falling into place. I finally feel like I can relax about preparing for the baby. She's in God's hands and we all know, those are the best hands to be in!

Now that the Lord knows I'm ready (and not in a panic)... He has blessed us with another life-changing thing... Yesterday, as I stopped by the hospital to pick up another application to apply for yet another job.. I was informed that I was going to be offered a position. So, I went to the HR lady to ask and she said, "Your ears must have been ringing because I just called your home phone and was about to call your cell." Then and there, she offered me a part time position in the ICU where I would be working 12 hour shifts. I started the paper work, did my drug screen, and got signed up for orientation that starts in 1 week. Just when we were starting to wonder what in the world the Lord had for us...He dropped this right into my lap.

So, YEAH!!....I'm not un-employed anymore! I'll work for 1 1/2 months, have 2 off, and go back for 2-3 shifts a week! God is good.

Did you know that "Hannah" means "Grace"...and we all know that God's grace is sufficient!

Roller Coasters of Life

Do you ever feel like your life is a roller coaster? You start out going slow... You go up the incline slowly and down you descend so fast you can hardly even tell the best part is already over. Soon you're going up and down and round and round, wondering when the ride will just mellow out for a while so you can enjoy the scenery around you.

Isn't it ironic that the funnest part (the decline) goes by so quick and that the most painful part of climbing takes the longest? It's like climbing a mountain...It takes forever to get to the top and once you're there, you don't spend half the time on the top as you do climbing.

It's too bad that the thrill part of a roller coaster ride couldn't last a little longer and the painful incline (wondering if something's going to go wrong or you're going to fall out or whatever people wonder when they're way up there in the sky) would be a little less.

I guess it is what it is...and life is full of roller coasters, so hold on for dear life. Hopefully the Lord will be gracious and help us to trust in Him instead of allowing our minds to envision the worst possible outcome.

In Awe

I am ecstatic that my Amazon.com order arrived today! This is a sample picture of the "Jungle Babies" set that I ordered. I absolutely love it..it's even cuter and more creative in person than in the pictures.
You know, it's amazing how one could get so excited for someone who is not even born yet. It's also amazing how much love a person can have stored up and welling up inside of him/her for one who has never even seen the light of day. I feel this baby moving around inside my belly and I have a minute sense of what God must feel for His children. There is definately a love that goes beyond words. It's amazing that we can go on faith and not sight when it comes to a small being that will soon share our world and so often we lack faith of the One who has created it.

A Day to Remember

Once upon a time...3 years ago to be exact... there was a guy who thought today would be a good day to begin the rest of his life. However, that life was not meant to be spent alone... Therefore, he would select a helpmate to begin his journey alongside of him. So without informing his bride-to-be, he drove 4 hours to a beloved place called Rustproof (the place they met). Once he got there, he had to hide so no one else would see him. He had a special surprise in mind. His clever friends helped him set up the theme for the night. It was all about discerning God's voice. Our wonderful friend, Jenny, decided to see who would volunteer for a little example. Even though the soon-to-be helpmate didn't volunteer, she was elected to wear the blindfold. A little nervous because she had just been gone for 9 months...she knew she had to make an attempt to try and discern whose voice she was about to hear. With her blindfold on she heard an ever-so-familiar voice declaring his love for her. Her heart was a pitter-pattering... As he knelt in front of her, wooing her with his words and ring in hand, he asked her to marry him.

That was the beginning of the rest of our lives! It's amazing to think that it's already been 3 years since that day! I sure am glad we were able to discern the voice of God!

The Little Things In Life

Today I went to check out the little raspberry patch we have hidden behind our garage. To my surprise, it was filled with juicy, red raspberries. So, I clipped and pruned this little raspberry jungle and found not just a few but many of these little treasures.

Sometimes we have to take the time to enjoy the little things in life and not just let them pass by. When we bought the house, there was still snow on the ground. I thought that there was just a jungle of weeds growing behind the garage until one day the neighbor informed us that someday that jungle would bear fruit.

When all we have to hold onto are the little things, we can't take them for granted. God is gracious.

Wondering What We've Been Up To???

The risks are high, but the rewards.... (well, what of them?)...

If you can flip that house!

So, here's to flippin'!

A classic red door.

My handy-man husband put in some brand new ceramic tile. Looks good, huh!?

Curb appeal.

A little more curb appeal.

Well, being laid off has it's benefits and downfalls. The downfall being no job= no money. However, no job also means you have lots of time to do whatever you want. For me, that means fixing up our house (painting, planting flowers, cleaning, and so on). My loving husband even took a couple of days off this week to help make-over the house.

There it is... now you know what we've been up.

For Sale

Beautiful, beloved 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom colonial home.

It's been a blessing while we've had it, but now it's time to part. And miss it, I will.

Desperado!

Remember this post?....

Well, now it's serious...

It's a.......

We had a rather entertaining time yesterday watching our little one flip around while being pushed and prodded by the Ultrasound Tech. Rob seems to think that she must have missed a certain appendage, but she actually got a pretty clear view. Now it's time to prepare (to continue to outnumber the only man in the house)!

And Running...And Running...

Somebody's gotta stop this guy! He's outta control! I've even heard him talk about next year's marathon already....

I've Seen Better Days...

Looks like I may need a new job.

A Black Belt in Karate???

Often people don't feel their first baby kicking until around 18-20 weeks. Well, mine is already practicing to be a black belt at 16 1/2 weeks (although realistically I don't think he/she will be in karate). As I sit here with my hand on my growing belly, I feel occasional little pieces of popcorn popping against my hand. Hmmm...must be the baby! Haven't had popcorn for a while. :)

FREEDOM!

Dogs are strange. Here I thought Mae Belle liked her new fenced-in backyard, but I found out today that she is trying to dig her way to freedom (or China, whichever comes first). Why is it that we are never satisfied?

A Pre-Mother's Day Gift

At 7:00 on Sunday morning, as I was getting some quality sleep in our newly refurbished Master bedroom... I heard some noise coming from the other side of the house...It was then that I realized that my thoughtful husband was busy working on my pre-Mother's Day gift. Now all we have to do is set up the crib and furniture and we'll be ready for baby. (Ok, so maybe there's a ton more we have to do to prepare and many diapers, etc. to buy...but atleast the majority of the nursery is done!)