A Chosen Name

As I've said at some point in the past, Ben and I believe strongly in the power of a name. Throughout history God used the process of naming to tell his story.  Names were prophetic and spoke of what was to come in the next season. God even changed names when a person was transformed or entered into a new season in their identity.  I could go on, but my friend Kristina said it better than I could ever attempt to in her post, What's In a Name?, which I highly recommend.


From the beginning Ben and I wanted to choose names through prayer and  patience, believing that God would speak to us about what he wants to do in our family's journey through each child.  We initially chose a different name for Anna, but God tugged at our hearts to choose a name that meant "grace". While at the time we had no idea what was about to unfold, we knew he was promising to bring grace to our family. That's exactly what he did, and this promise from early on served as a source of comfort during that time. With our second baby, I sensed God drawing me to the name Kimberly, a family name, one wasn't new to us.  God was speaking to me about redemption.


The name Kimberly doesn't actually mean Redemption the way Anna's name translates directly to Grace.  The name signifies to us redemption through family history, after the tragic loss of Ben's sister a month before she was to enter into the world. Her name was Kimberly. While such a loss is always carried in one's heart, I have been truly inspired at the way in which God redeemed that loss, including the blessing he brought to the family with four more beautiful children. We named our sweet girl after this little one in heaven, knowing that in some way in the next season of our lives, God desires to bring us redemption.  I'm not sure what that looks like or what it refers to, but I'm excited to see it unfold. The middle name, Hope, was an easy choice. The promise of redemption brings with it hope.  Hope is one thing Ben and I have never lost while treading this journey of challenges the last few years. I am confident that no matter what comes our way in the future years, we will retain that hope. Hope is a powerful, beautiful thing.


Kimberly Hope, you were chosen by God.
Our family is blessed to be chosen for you.
We love you.

A New Year

I've realized that I've spent too much of the last year focusing on my wants- wanting my children and husband to not have to struggle with illness, allergies, and disabilities. Wanting to not have to wonder how to pay medical bills for the rest of our lives. Wanting these stresses and burdens to be lifted more than anything else. I wouldn't say it has done anything positive for my overall attitude; in fact it has hindered a lot of joy. I have let so many of these things take away the joy of what I do have. Sounds cliche, but true.

This year I'd like to be more thankful and joyful for what I've been given: two beautiful girls and a wonderful family whom God has provided for. A steady, secure job for my husband. Supportive family. My own health. Abundant Grace.

May the new year ring in this truth in my heart, more often than not.

Happy New Year!

Home makeover: Kitchen

 

I have been slack about posting our home projects tht we did before all the craziness began. I actually had this post done a while back and hadn't posted it. Enjoy!

 

The kitchen was our biggest hurdle because it's a very small space, particularly when it comes to cabinet space. We tried to open up the kitchen as much as possible and utilize any extra space we could. We got rid of our second set of dishes, so we only use our nicer ones. We kept the same gray-white-black-red color scheme as the dining room to make it feel like the rooms were one. This kept all our dishes and kitchen stuff coordinated in both rooms (side note- I was really thankful we never registered for china at our wedding. Not practical for us or for this kitchen).

 

 

BEFORE (not loving that dark red, or the ridiculousy low-hanging ceiling fan. Note the reappearance of the gold, as well. That fridge was not included in the house so we had to get a new one):

 

 

AFTER (I apologize for my terrible pictures. The light coming through the porch doors made it hard to get a good shot):

 

 



I had to add some racks to the small pantry door to hold spices.

Pictures on the hallway off the kitchen.

 

Not a complete re-do, but considering the fact that it cost less than $150 (minus the fridge, which we would've had to buy no matter where we moved), it definitely served its purpose.

 

What we did:

• Painted the walls (Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray)- housewarming gift from parents
• Replaced the 27 gold cabinet knobs with silver (Amerock from Amazon.com)- $25
• Replaced the two gold doorknobs (Gatehouse from Lowes)- $25
• Mounted the knives on a magnetic strip on the wall (super easy access when cooking), mounted the paper towels (we have to move these farther back), and put in racks on the pantry for spices (Bed, Bath and Beyond for knife strip and Lowes for racks) - $50
• Replaced the ceiling fan with a flush light fixture- this made a HUGE difference, even though I couldn't get a decent picture of the light, which we love (Calypso light from Ikea) - $30
• Spray painted two frames that held our existing art (Valspar black from Lowes)- $5

 

 

Someday in the far future, we would like to:

• Try our hand at putting up a white backsplash
• Get a couple of stools for the little bar.
• Find something small to hang on the back wall.
• Maybe someday replace the table and chairs, but after our kids are older. I like having a set that I don't mind getting beat up with little kids. This is the one I've had since college. The chairs are a little small, but we are small people so it works for us.

 

Disclaimer: Our kitchen is NOT this neat on a typical day. I moved all the dirty dishes and food to take the pictures.

A month of love

This has been quite an emotional, eventful month for us as a family. While we had a completely healthy pregnancy up until this point, at the beginning of December there were some abnormalities noted on the ultrasound. I had to see a specialist and get some additional ultrasounds every other week. We were told that the baby could be another IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and that her femur and abdomen measurements were way off. As you can imagine, this was a deep concern for us, particularly after having gone through what we did with Anna. We felt as if someone had punched us in the stomach... that this was some cruel joke and it couldn't be real. But we prayed for peace and stayed hopeful, and before I was about to go get another scan and possibly have to decide whether to induce early, I started to have contractions. Kimberly was born just under two weeks before her due date, completely healthy.

 

I absolutely love having a newborn again. I love everything about them- their feel, smell, adorable faces, and complete innocence. They are so precious and I'm trying to cherish every moment I have with her, because I don't know if there will be another baby in the future.

 

Along with the joy of our healthy daughter's arrival, there has also been some difficult news. My dad was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He and my mom have been in my heart a lot this Christmas season.

 

I pray that you all had a beautiful Christmas celebrating our Father and what he gave up for us in his only Son, and I pray that you draw near to Him as he draws near to you, and that you hold your loved ones close.

 

 

37 weeks pregnant.

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa

 

 

Welcome to the world beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Sisters

Had to take some pictures of our Christmas baby in the hat and socks they gave her at the hospital.

All I want for Christmas

 

I wanted to share some of Anna's special Christmas gifts this year! As a family we decided to forego gifts considering all our money is going towards medical bills and Anna's next leg, so we really didn't expect many gifts around the tree... yet somehow family surprised us with some wonderful presents for Anna. Here are a few special ones:

 

 

This hand-made playhouse was passed down to Anna:

 



 

 

This adorable wooden kitchen from Anna's grandparents which is just her height:

 

 

 

This beautiful doll cradle hand crafted by Anna's uncle:

 



 

This winter hat from my sister:

 

 

Some little clay ornmants from my other sister:

 

 

 

And of course, new books for Anna. Her favorite!

 

I will post some more Christmas/baby pictures soon!