For God.. I am so grateful

It has been so long since I have posted, but on this special holiday I couldn't go without posting.

Thanksgiving has always been a holiday I looked forward to since I was young as I got to spend special time with family and of course eat delicious food and pumpkin pie. But this year there was something special added to this holiday. I have always reflected in things I am grateful for... but this Thanksgiving it's is extra special to me. All day I have spent feeling grateful for the amazing God we are so blessed to have above. If it wasn't for Him and His great love, this Thanksgiving wouldn't be what it was today.

I got to experience my two bundles of joy .. Easton all excited for turkey day and Asher full of the cutest coos and smiles. I spent all day today feeling blessed. My eyes took in every moment of Asher smiling, laughing, napping peacefully, and content.. and yes the moments of his cries. Looking at him made me reflect on God's beautiful grace. At one moment my world felt turned upside down... but I didn't lose hope. I knew God and my brother were with me... and I chose faith and prayer... two beautiful gifts from God. Again there were rocky moments... but I just held onto my Rosary tighter in prayer... another beautiful gift from God. Before I knew it.. Asher was progressing and the words home were heard. Hearing the word "home" was an indescribable feeling I will never forget. One I will forever praise our amazing God for.

Sent home on oxygen was a little scary at first, but I reminded myself God was with Asher. Through faith , prayer warrior prayers, and the beautiful works of God, Asher was blessed off of it a couple weeks later. Now he has quadrupled his birth weight and is happy and cozy at home.

God writes each of us beautiful stories. Sometimes the stories begin rough and scary... but it is only Him leading us to His light and seeing how His miracles surround us. If it wasn't for rocky moments, how would our faith grow stronger? How would we inspire others to stay strong? Without stormy times, would we be as grateful  as we are? The most beautiful blessings shine out of the most uncertain situations. God's miraculous gift of Asher and other preemies just like him is proof.

So this Thanksgiving, I pray you cherish each moment with those you love. I pray you enjoy delicious food. And most importantly I pray you send praise to our Merciful God above for all the tiny and even big miracles in your life ... and even those stormy moments that He blesses you with.. to show with Him... you are stronger than you know! Happy Thanksgiving!

We Are Home!!!!

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY..... WE ARE HOME!!!!!!

 Easton was soooooo excited! What a BIG BROTHER! It is hard to tell unless you zoom in .. but Asher is smiling in the picture above too! :)

Dear God, You are so beautiful! What a special Sunday you have blessed us with... one we will NEVER forget!

Easton was so excited to give his lil brother a special balloon that he picked out just for him!

I love my paci!

Bottle Time!

Brotherly Love!

Easton loved his brother in training shirt!

Last, but not least..... our hero... our angel sent from above.... Dr. Pyle!

What would we have done without you? You picked our spirits up from the first day we met you and brought us so much hope during this whole journey! Our miracle is home today because of our Miraculous God above, our amazing prayer warriors, because of Dr. Fitzpatrick and his staff, all the amazing high risk nurses, all the wonderful nicu staff, and YOU! We love you so much and will miss you dearly! Know we will be sending you photos throughout the year and will be back to visit soon!! 

Thanks to all of you for your endless prayers! You mean so much to us! Let us continue to hold hands in prayer that God may continue to bless Asher with strength, prosper him off oxygen soon, and keep us safe and healthy at home in a germ free environment! We love all of you! We can't sing enough praises to our loving God above for this miraculous journey!! We love Him above all things! Amen.

Our first night together

God is BEAUTIFUL!

As I sit here in a hospital room with my husband and miracle as we are staying overnight to get all ready for the big day tomorrow, my heart is filled with so much joy! It is really indescribable.

It was close to 19 weeks ago when this journey began... unbelievable. I really can't believe it was that long ago! God has truly blessed us with a miraculous journey that has truly flown by because He has held us through it all and will continue to hold us close as we keep Him close.

I think back to that first night being wheeled into my room with a broken heart wondering when my baby would arrive and how I was going to deal with everything. Then I remember turning to God, Josh, and Mary. I remember thinking I can do this.... Mary did it and she will keep me strong. Then I remember an angel sent to us the next morning... Dr. Fitzpatrick giving us hope and reminding us that with God all is possible and to stay strong. Then came another angel .. Dr. Pyle the nicu doctor giving us even more hope and a beautiful positive outlook on this journey.

I remember being on 7 weeks of bedrest... looking forward to each Saturday as it was another huge milestone in Asher's progress. Going from 2% to 95% .... God and Josh and all of the Angels and Saints along with you our prayer warriors got us there!

How blessed I felt each day in that bed... how grateful I was for this beautiful story God was writing in our lives.... how blessed I was to get to spend each day in bed close with God. That time changed my life as did this whole experience! I have built such an amazing and special relationship with God... one I pray grows stronger and stronger each day.... one I hope my boys can build with our Merciful God too. I would never change this story..... God is the Greatest Author of my life and I couldn't be more thankful!

Now I am sitting here.... on the couch not in the hospital bed ( instead just staring at it lol telling James I am sleeping on the couch tonight... had enough if the bed this summer lol). I am not hooked to IVs... I am not hooked to monitors..... instead I am relaxing on a couch as James us snoring in the recliner next to me and my sweet miracle is peacefully sleeping in his little nursery bed by my side. I feel so blessed..... I could never thank God enough for this story... I could never thank all of you for your endless prayers. For it us because of our AMAZING God and you that we are here! I just can't get over how fast it went and how this moment is truly here!!!

Dear Miraculous God, You are the greatest and most beautiful Author of my life. I could never imagine a greater story. You have shown me how strong I can be... stronger than I ever thought possible. You have shown me how strong your nicu miracles are... again stronger than I ever imagined. You have brought us sunshine out of the rain. You are our light and rock. I praise You for keeping us strong... especially our miracle boy! We praise You for the miracle you have blessed us with. We pray You may continue to shine Your healing grace through Asher and continue to prosper him each day. We pray in Your perfect timing he may be blessed free of oxygen. We trust fully in You and Your perfect timing. We love You above all things. Amen.

We love each of you so much. You are our strength. Thank You for fighting with us throughout this miraculous journey. We pray you may continue to join hands with us along with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints in prayer and praise. Let us pray Asher may continue to grow in strength and let us praise God for this beautiful fight and all the blessings He pours out to us each day. He is a beautiful God who loves us more than we could ever imagine!

Please check back for photos of our big day! Also I am sharing the lyrics below from the Christian band Kutless as this song I first heard a couple days ago and made me truly reflect on this miraculous journey and the miraculous God we have as with Him anything is possible ... even what man sees as impossible... all is possible with our everlasting God!

What Faith Can Do"

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes
And make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it's more than you can take
But you're stronger
Stronger than you know

Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you've heard
Impossible is not a word
It's just a reason
For someone not to try

Everybody's scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It'll be alright

Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That's what faith can do)
When the world says you can't
It'll tell you that you can


I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
That's what faith can do

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

God's Timing

It is hard to believe that Asher has now conquered 40 weeks! We are now in the home stretch and God's beautiful timing of his arrival home with us is so close! He is now a little over 7 pounds and getting so big, so strong, and is truly a miraculous blessing in our life. Happy 40 Weeks to our little miracle!! We love you so much!! Hugs, Kisses, and so much Love~ Mommy, Daddy, Easton

Timing.... Patience... Trust.... Hope..... Gratitude.... Blessed..... Miraculous....

These aren't just words..... they have such important meaning in my life and all of our lives. This journey has truly taught me so much and has really defined how important each of these ingredients are in our lives.


God has truly taught me so much. He has reminded me that it isn't our timing.... it is His perfect timing. He has taught me the gift of patience. We all wish we can have things now, but life doesn't work that way. And it is a blessing that it doesn't happen that way. For if we were blessed to have everything we wanted right when we wanted each time, where would our relationship with God be? Wouldn't we be too caught up in ourselves and only worry about getting what we want instead of focusing on the beauty of how God works in our lives?

I am going to reflect back on the last week on how God has reminded me of the beauty of His timing and the gift of patience.

Last Wednesday, while my mom watched Easton throughout the week so I could spend more time with Asher and breast feed him, I headed in as he was scheduled for several tests that day as he is in the home stretch. When I entered the main nicu, a nurse told me that he had graduated to Nursery B, which was down the hall and a smaller nicu for babies about to go home. It made me smile as again I couldn't wait for that day to come and felt blessed that he graduated to the smaller nicu! When I arrived, the nurse told me that he wasn't a happy camper that morning when they moved him as it was right at his morning feeding time, and he didn't get fed in time. The poor guy would have to be awaken two more times throughout my time there for a MRI and a heart ultrasound. First was his MRI. He wasn't happy when we had to wake him up, as he assumes that means feeding time. So we did all we could by comforting him with a paci as we had to walk him all the way across the Hospital to Gateway (about a 10 minute walk) in his little crib. Once we arrived, they weren't ready for him. We all hated to hear that as it is hard to have a baby wait... especially as we had to wait for a good 20 minutes and he already was upset! He was fussy and didn't like the wait, but once he got in the MRI machine, he did really well, and we were all proud of him. Next he had his eco test on his heart where again he was woken up, but this time more content. He did very well for that test too. Finally he got to eat and rest, which he needed as he had a busy day with getting moved around and having a couple tests.

Thursday, the nicu doctor called me to tell me that his MRI was normal and that his heart eco looked good but had a small opening in one vessel that should close on its own, but will get it checked in a couple months to be sure. Then the most beautiful words rolled out of her mouth as she said that Asher was being a rock star without his nasal canula and if he continued to do well, we could room in Friday and take him home Saturday. I will never forget that unbelievable happy moment! Mom had come down that morning, and we were doing some "Spring Cleaning" (I know it isn't Spring lol) as we knew Asher's homecoming was very near. We were in the midst of cleaning ceiling fans when my phone rang and that amazing news entered my ears! I was so filled with joy and was almost in shock. I then got the overwhelming feeling as I felt like I was ready for him, but the house wasn't. My to do list hit my brain, and I wrote down my to do's. However, I let go of the anxiety eventually and reminded myself that we will be ready..  and all that mattered was our miracle would be home so soon! It is just funny because I look back and can count back 18 weeks of this journey.... and yes that seems really long.... but man how fast it truly went! With the gift of all of your prayers and God as my rock, this journey has flown by and has brought so many blessings in my life! So when those words of him coming home hit my ears, it felt almost unbelievable that he was in the home stretch!


That evening I brought in Asher's car seat as they were ready for his car seat study. In order for him to go home, he would have to be able to sit in a car seat for 1 hr 30 minutes. That doesn't seem hard I know.. but for a nicu baby it can be a challenge. As preemies are usually born with underdeveloped lungs, sitting in that position can be difficult for them to adjust. They planned on doing his study that evening. When I arrived back home, I excitedly picked out Asher's take home outfit and blankets etc. to bring in Friday evening when we stayed over. I couldn't describe the beautiful feeling in my heart that I felt. Right before bed, I placed Asher's freshly cleaned sheets on his crib mattress in our bedroom again smiling that his homecoming was really happening soon.

I couldn't wait to head in Friday morning! James' brother Adam came down to watch Easton and took him to Gatti Town etc, while I headed to spend the morning with our miracle. When I arrived, his nurse was busy but informed me that she had to sit down and talk with me. Nerves hit me, as I just had a feeling that it probably meant that maybe he wouldn't be going home quite yet. When she finally caught a break as it was a busy day in the nicu with 30+ babies, she informed me that he failed his car seat study Thursday evening. I wanted to sit down and cry. I will never forget that feeling.. my heart felt like it broke into pieces... yet I held myself together. After 35 minutes in his car seat, his saturation dipped down to 82. For the test he can't dip below 92. They could try it 1 more time that day with a car seat specialist there to be sure they have him in the car seat correctly and to see if they could add any cushion to help him. If he didn't pass it, they would have to wait another 2 days before trying it again. This meant that he wouldn't be going home as planned. This meant that we wouldn't be staying over with him that evening. This meant it wasn't God's perfecting timing for him to go home. I felt torn. I only hoped for all to go as planned. However, I reminded my self of being patient and remembering that God knows His perfect timing. Yes, I longed to hold him that weekend at home on the couch. Yes, I longed to let Easton bond with him for the first time. Yes, I couldn't wait to walk him in the door at home. Yet, I trust God and know He has a beautiful day planned for him to experience all of that... and very soon! My broken heart began to bond back together as I held him in my arms and looked at my little man and smile at how far he has come.... again the thought of what could of been hit my mind... and praises to God sung through my mind at the miracle he brought us! Waiting a few more days was nothing... I would wait as long as I needed.... because Asher's health and coming home at God's perfect timing is what matters the most to me!

After feeding him, he rested calmly in my arms. Then the photographer came by to take his baby photos, which I was excited about! I got him a personalized onesie that said... "Asher- Brave Little Warrior" with Arrows on it of course! I then brought in the same deer outfit that Easton wore in his newborn photos. I look forward to putting their deer photos together in our house and see how similar/different they look. Following his photos, he got circumcised. It felt good to get all of that done, so when that beautiful day arrives, we will have items already checked off our list.

When Saturday came, the doctor again talked to me and decided to give him another 5 days in the nicu to be sure he didn't need to go back on oxygen and had time to prosper some more. I agreed that would be good as I wanted to be sure he came home when he was truly ready. They would do his car seat test again mid week.

He did well over the weekend. However, the nurses would occasionally have trouble with his bottle feedings with him choking some. He seems to be able to pace himself much better with breast than bottle. The nipples of the bottle come out faster and it challenges him more to get the suck, swallow, breathe in rhythm, as he is still learning to adjust. As he grows stronger, it will become easier.

Sunday afternoon we took Easton to Maize Farm. As it was possibly the last weekend to get out and do something with him before Asher's arrival home, we wanted to do something special together. He absolutely loves pumpkins and being outside, so we felt this would be something fun that he would love... and that he did! We first went on a hay ride and let Easton pick a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. It cracked us up as he chose the smallest pumpkin. James tried to guide him into picking a large pumpkin, but he said they were too heavy. It melted our hearts when he said that in the sweetest way. So we ended up picking Asher a large pumpkin while Easton picked the smallest one! :) Easton then got to ride a small pony for the first time. He looked so big on it! He then enjoyed playing on the tractor play set, walking through a corn maze, going down a large slide, racing ducks, etc. Before leaving, we let him pick out 3 small pumpkins/gourds. He of course had to choose one of them as a white one as he likes ghosts. He already told me that he wants to be a ghost for Halloween... which Easton and I just made his ghost costume yesterday (Saturday) together. It turned out so cute!!

When Monday came around, I was filled with gratitude to hear that Dr. Pyle was on for the next two weeks. It was a blessing from God... I knew He knew how much Dr. Pyle meant to me. After all he sent Dr. Pyle to me throughout my bed rest stay to keep me positive, informed, and to make me smile. He is truly an angel to me! So, what a gift it would be to be able to take Asher home when he was on shift! He called me in the afternoon to update me. He decided that Asher needed to go back on the oxygen for a few more weeks to help him prosper some more. With him having such little fluid in me for 7 weeks, his lungs were very underdeveloped. Then he got that infection early on. So, the oxygen will only help his lungs prosper some more. Again, it wasn't what I had hoped. It wasn't what I had planned. I only hoped he could breathe room air on his own, but God knows best, and I know He is working through Dr. Pyle to provide Asher with the best care. He then informed me that his plan is to have me breastfeed 5 times and have ready made formula 3 times to help him prosper and grow. Eventually the plan is to be pure breast milk.

As the nicu is swamped with God's beautiful miracles, Dr. Pyle didn't get to call me until this evening for his update. Those beautiful words hit my ear once more! He said he was looking into Sunday for Asher to go home. He had a dip in heart rate this past Sunday, which they call a Brady. When that happens, it pushes them 5 days back. However, God has blessed him so far this week with being brady free. So, as long as he continues to stay strong, his plan is to send Asher home on the low amount of oxygen until he is indeed ready to come off. It was a little scary to hear that, as he will be sent home on a monitor too. However, I trust in God's beautiful plan, and I know He would be right there with me to help me care for Asher! I look forward to the beautiful day when God blesses him with arriving home.....maybe Sunday!

So what do I hope you get out of this post? I pray that when things don't go as planned, you remember that God is guiding to you an even more beautiful plan. I pray that when things seems to take forever to happen, that you remember to be patient as God will let it happen at the most perfect timing. Our world is so fast paced, that it is often hard to be patient and hard to remember there is a reason why things may not be going as we had hoped. No matter how busy our world is, God is right here with us. He is writing our story. We got to trust in His plan, not ours. After all, His plans are so much more beautiful... just like this miraculous journey has been!

Dear Loving God, Thank You for the gifts of patience and timing. I trust fully in Your most perfect timing that Asher will be healed. I sing praises to you each day for holding Asher in Your healing and loving arms. You keep him strong! I pray You may continue to prosper him. I pray in Your timing that he may be blessed off oxygen and grow in his feedings. I pray You may bless him during his car seat test coming again soon. I thank You for reminding me the importance of being patient. I pray that when Your perfect timing comes, that You may continue to be right there with us at home to care for Asher in the best possible way. I pray that You keep us all healthy to help Asher stay strong. You are a beautiful and merciful God who I love above all things! Amen.

You are all so powerful! Your endless prayers are constantly surrounding us, and we couldn't be more grateful. Thank you all for keeping us strong! May we continue to unite hand in hand with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints in this miraculous journey for our little Asher. God is so beautiful and all of you are so amazing! Asher is the strong little warrior he is because of God's great mercy and your powerful prayers!

P.S. Check out or Etsy store at the link below. We have added some new items! If you are interested in anything you can order with the promo code: PRAYERWARRIOR10

for 10% off or if able to pick up in Evansville or Jasper email us your order at oldsouthernsawdust@gmail.com and you will still get 10%ofg all thanks for being amazing prayer warriors in this miraculous fight!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSouthernSawdustCo?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Happy 38 Weeks... near 39 Weeks!

Wow! Where has time gone? I really  now realize how busy we are in the world we live in! Looking back on my journey of 7 weeks of bed rest at the hospital, I really got to cherish each day fully and was blessed with time to focus fully on my prayer life and sharing this amazing story with you. I will forever cherish that time as I really got to fully relax in God. As I am back into reality, I still am sure to take each moment and praise God for His daily blessings. I still am sure to take time to be with God and pray. However, I feel at times I am not giving him enough of my time as my days are filled with so much. At times it begins to really bother me, but then I stop and remind myself that isn't what God wants me to feel or think. Any moment of time with him each day is what matters to him. He knows our world is busy, but He doesn't want the world's busyness to take over time with him. So where am I getting to with all of this? When we have time to fully be with him.... take advantage of it and truly be with him! Those 7 weeks were a gift from God... giving Asher and me time to fight together and to let us rest fully in God! When our days are crazy and we don't know if we can handle much more, rest in God and don't forget to take a moment to do just that. Even if it is for 5 minutes, take it and rest in Him. After all, He will be your calm in your day of craziness. Don't feel guilty when you feel like you aren't giving Him enough time. Remember.... He cherishes any amount of time with us... what is most important to Him is that we give him that time each day. This experience has changed my life.... and no matter how crazy my day is... I will find time to rest in Him... He is my rock, my calmness, and my Greatest Friend!

So much has occured over the past couple weeks! Let's begin with the greatest blessing.. our little miracle Asher!

He is now a happy and strong 38 weeker... heading to a 39 weeker on Saturday! He has officially doubled his birth weight.... now weighing in at 6 pounds and 4 ounces! Our next big moment, which we are currently working on, is getting him to full feeds off the feeding tube. He is still at a very low oxygen setting, but the doctor plans on keeping him there until he conquers the feeding tube. He is up to 52 ccs of breast milk... which is amazing... growing strong! As Asher was born early with underdeveloped lungs, it is a learning experience to be adjusted to a bottle. He has had a feeding tube since the beginning, so it is a new learning experience also as he got so use to it. His challenge  is to learn to suck, swallow, and breathe through his bottle feedings. Currently he is taking about 30 ccs of breast milk through bottle and the other 20+ through tube. The reasoning is that he is still struggling a bit with the suck, swallow, and breathe causing him to choke. Until we can get that under control, we will feed him through both and gradually get off the tube when he is ready. He has therapists working with him on these strategies. So please say a special prayer that God may bless him off the tube in His most beautiful timing.

I am also trying to breast feed him. The challenge is getting in there enough to get him use to it. With James working and I taking care of Easton during the week, it is a challenge to get there but more than one time a day. They recommend that I try at least 2 times a day, which is easier on weekends. However, my parents helped out this week by taking Easton home with them for a few days so I could get in to work with Asher on breastfeeding twice a day. Asher has been doing pretty good with it... that is when he is awake lol. With preemie babies, we can't feed them if they are sleepy and not alert. So during those times, he is fed through a tube. Most of the time though he has done very well and gets close to an ounce (30 ccs) of breast milk before falling asleep on me, and then rest through tube. He is a true warrior, and I have complete faith that God will bless him off his feeding tube in His perfect timing. Patience is key!

I thank God each day for my strong little man! Each time I look at him I think back to what could have been, and praise God for the miracle He gave us! I really can't believe 40 weeks is almost here. His planned c-section was to be this Monday the 19th. Again the key word "planned". We can plan anything we like, but in reality God's plan always shines right through to an even greater and more beautiful plan! At 40 weeks...... that will officially be 18 weeks of hospital stay combined for Asher and I! We have been at the hospital each day for 1/3 of the year! Crazy I know! But I wouldn't change one moment! God's miraculous works have shined through the nurses and doctors at the amazing hospital and brought us our little miracle! I look forward to bringing him soon.. in God's perfect timing!

As we wait for his arrival at home, James has been busy getting our company going! He has built several trays.. and we even have sold some to some of our amazing prayer warriors! He has also built a Christmas sign and Stocking Holders. Our next venture is to create monogrammed stenciled trays. We are patiently waiting for our stencils! Then go onto making rustic arrows as they have a very special meaning to us! The arrows are to signify strength and bravery... what makes a strong warrior... just like our little warrior! As I have already asked James to create arrows for Asher's warrior themed nursery, we then were led to the decision to make them to sell also as a beautiful way to say thank you to our amazing God for blessing Asher with strength. My mom is also having James create a special arrow for her. We will then move on to creating napkin holders and maybe even chicken wire mason jars with rustic wood backing to hang on a wall. We have tons of other ideas in our minds... and I also have to give credit to my sister and mom for giving us ideas to create and sell! We thank God for James talent of wood working and giving us this idea as it is something we both enjoy and it brings us peace to build each item... it is soothing to our soul as we journey together throughout the year to take the greatest care of Asher and Easton.

My Godchild Spencer holding a cookie and milk tray we created for them... he is eager to make Santa some cookies and milk to put on the tray at Christmas! 

Our first Christmas sign we made... we love how it turned out!

We made this stocking holder out of barnwood from the barns of Southern Indiana!

Check out our store at the link below! If you are interested in purchasing any of our items, we are offering you 10% off for veing Asher's prayer warrior! If ordering off of Etsy, use the code PRAYERWARRIOR10. If you are in the Evansville or Jasper area and can pick up your items, you will get 10% off the Etsy price too plus no shipping cost! We want to thank you in advance if you are interested in purchasing, it means sooo much to us! Also if you could share our store with others that means so much too! Stay tuned as we will add items to our store throughout the coming weeks! Most importantly, thank you for all your prayers... those are what matter the most to us!

Old Southern Sawdust Store Link:https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSouthernSawdustCo?ref=hdr_shop_menu

To order through me insteas of Etsy and pick up in Jasper or Evansville: email us your order at oldsouthernsawdust@gmail.com.

Lastly, I can't leave out stories of my daily delight... Easton! He has really grown this summer! He is a true chatter box! He cracks me up each morning as he wakes me up and tells me that I have to pump and give him his cereal bar. This past week we visited the post office quite a bit to get items weighed and to ship out one of our trays. Each time he went, he called it the mailman's house. It was too cute! He wants to be just like daddy... as he has had to paint blocks while daddy stained wood. He has had to get a pencil and put it on top of his ear just like daddy. He has had to take a mini tape measure and pretend to measure things just like daddy.... his measurements are in dollars tho.. everything to him is $2.00! He even helped daddy pick weeds! The other day when he and I were outside and daddy was still working, he had to even come and show me a weed in the landscaping and pick it out! He also loves to be just like mommy! While I vacuumed the house, he had to get his toy push mower and pretend to vacuum with me. As I was cutting strapping off a package of boxes, he took his play scissors and pretended to cut with me. As I was writing on a box with a marker, he too had to have a pen to write on his own piece of paper. The best moments of the week though were when he crawled into bed with me after James left for work, and told me he loved me and then fell asleep, when he asked me to play the song "Every Move I Make" (or as he calls it.. the "na na" song as he moves his pointer fingers up in down as I taught him that move when we sing it together) to worship Jesus together, and when he randomly went and got my Rosary and prayed to Jesus to heal Asher's lungs ("ungs")! All these moments melted my heart and are beautiful God Moments! These moments are so special to James and I.....what a special big brother he already is!

Easton has my Rosary clasped in his hands pausing to pray to Jesus for his little brother and asking Jesus to heal his "ungs".

Dear Loving God, I praise You for all Your beautiful blessings in my life! Thank You for this amazing journey. Thank You for the time in the hospital to rest fully in You. Thank You for letting me rest in You even on my craziest days. Thank You for always blessing me with strength even on days where I feel exhausted and overloaded. Thank You for blessing us with a miracle from You! Thank You for keeping Asher strong and holding him in Your loving and healing arms. Thank You for blessing us with God Moments each day. Thank You for blessing us with Easton's love and special moments. Thank You for James' talent and this beautiful idea to bring us the gift of peace as we take care of our two blessings from you.. Easton and Asher. You are a merciful and loving God who I trust completely and have complete faith that You will bless Asher with complete healing in Your most perfect time. I pray You may prosper him through his feedings. May You continue to shine Your miraculous works through him guiding all closer to You as they witness Your amazing healing grace. Please bless all the miracle babies in the nicu with healing and keep all of their families strong. I love You above all things! Amen.

To all of you... Asher's Amazing Prayer Warriors... Thank you so much for continuing to pray for our little miracle. I know I have said it time and time before, but I truly mean it... Your endless prayers do wonders! You and God keep Asher and us strong! Asher is the strong little warrior he is because of God's beautiful love and you. May we continue to unite together with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints in this miraculous journey to keep Asher the strong little warrior he is! God is AMAZING and so are all of you!

Check out this sign my sister got me from the Magnolia store in Texas (if you watch Chip and Joanna on Fixer Upped.. it's their store!) This sign is so true and is a perfect addition to Asher's Nursery! James is going to put it on barnwood. :) Thank you Lacy for this beautiful gift! It means so much to us!

A New Journey has Begun!

Wow what a crazy past couple weeks it has been! I am hoping to post soon updates on the past couple of weeks. But I do have some exciting news to share with all of you... which is part of why these past couples weeks have felt so busy.

As of today, our Etsy store has officially opened! We named it Old Southern Sawdust Co. James and I were blessed with a weekend together, while Easton spent a few days with his Papaw and Mamaw Fettes. We went out to eat for our Wedding Anniversary that was back in July thanks to a nice gift card from our good friends Jason and Ashley. We then spent the weekend together creating trays and putting our store into gear, which we truly cherished. As we both enjoy being creative, making these trays together is a gift and is a true stress reliever. Easton enjoys being right there with us playing in the saw dust and painting little scrap blocks with his paint brush and paint.. too cute!

We began our store by creating one of a kind Christmas themed rustic trays. We wanted to begin with these types of trays to honor our Miraculous God who has blessed us with a true miracle this year... our little warrior Asher.. now growing strong at 37 weeks, 5 pounds 11 ounces, and on lowest level of oxygen! As God has blessed us with our miracle, it reminds us of His GREATEST miracle He sent to all of us because of His great love for us.. Jesus... who we celebrate at Christmas. Therefore we felt what a beautiful way it would be to sing our praises to our AMAZING God! 

As of now, we have 3 different stenciled trays listed on Etsy. The sayings include "Silent Night Holy Night", "Cookies And Milk For Santa", and "Merry Christmas". Each listing is unique with a different Christmas saying on it. There are different stain finishings and font schemes to choose from for each tray as well. We are currently working on 3 more Christmas Themed trays that will also be available hopefully by the weekend. The sayings on those 3 will be: "Merry Christmas Ya'll!", "Merry Christmas", and "Wise Men Still Seek Him." We will be creating Christmas Stocking Holders as well that will include the saying "And The Stockings Were Hung" on them. We will also be selling the trays as they are without any sayings on them for those wanting a tray they can use all year. In addition we will be selling trays with monogram letters on them too and hope to get a sample possibly by the weekend as well to add as another listing on our shop. We will then expand from there as we hope to eventually create signs, mason jar/lantern holders, and napkin holders all rustic made. 

We are very excited about this beautiful new journey God has led us to as we work together to adventure through this year together.. a year that will be filled with much joy, strength, and faith as we will lean on God as our rock and guide. 

To help us spread the word about our new shop, please share our store on Facebook, Pinterest, etc. We would truly appreciate it! Also, I have attached a link to our shop below so you can get a peek at what we have created so far. In honor of the Powerful Prayer Warriors you have been throughout this whole miraculous journey and continue to be, we are wanting to offer you a special discount on any of our products. If it wasn't for your prayers, Asher wouldn't be the strong warrior he is! Your prayers truly do wonders as does our Merciful God above! Please see below for our store link and our special offers for you!

Store Link: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSouthernSawdustCo?ref=l2-shopheader-name

You can order our products in two ways:

Option 1: 

If you are in the Jasper or Evansville area and are willing to pick up your purchase either at our house in Evansville or my parents house in Jasper you can order through e-mail. We will sell all the trays to you for 10% off the listed price that is on Etsy, and you won't have to pay shipping!

To do this you will need to do the following:

1. Visit our Etsy shop and decide on the product you would like. 

2. E-mail us at oldsouthernsawdust@gmail.com and tell us which product it is and the details needed.(For example: Silent Night tray, 18x12x2.5", Weathered Grey finish, Rustic White font) Please also include your name, phone number, and where you plan to pick it up (Evansville or Jasper). You may also have others pick the items up for you if you are out of town, but have family or friends who can get it for you to deliver to you at a later time. 

3. We will then respond to your e-mail to let you know we received it, provide you with details (payment options etc.) and ask any needed questions.  We will then e-mail you when your product is ready to pick up (1-2 weeks depending on number of orders). 

Option 2:

If you are either unable to pick up your products or prefer to have the product shipped to your house, you can simply order through our Etsy shop and put the following promotion code that will deduct 10% from your purchase. Please note you will still have to pay some shipping with this option.

The promotion code is: PRAYERWARRIOR10

Please choose what is most convenient for you! 

You all mean the world to us, so any purchases from you our amazing prayer warriors would be the most special to us! Therefore we will be including a special thank you prayer from our little miracle along with each product you our prayer warriors order! Know that Asher smiles each day as he feels your endless prayers surrounding him. YOU keep him strong and YOU keep us strong! 

We love all of you so much! Let us continue to journey together in prayer hand in hand with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints to keep Asher strong and heal him in His perfect timing. Prayers are so powerful and God is MIRACULOUS!

A Change of Direction - Following God's Beautiful Plan

We all have plans for our futures... plans for the next hour, the next day, the weekend, the next month, throughout the year, and throughout our lives. A lot of times we make the plans and think nothing can change them and they will happen as they are. As we journey through our life though we experience moments where our plans we had set didn't go quite the path we pictured. However, often times the changes to our plans turn out so much more beautiful and meaningful, even if it may mean making some adjustments to our lives.

Let me venture back to my mom and dad's past. When Josh, my brother, was born they planned normal baby plans, nothing seemed to cross their minds at first that anything would go too differently. As Josh progressed through his toddler years, they began noticing some things that didn't seem normal... for example him army crawling across the floor and to get up off the floor... seeing him struggle using furniture to pull himself up. After getting him checked, he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 3. They were scared and felt lost. What did this mean? What would be his future? They hoped only the best for their son, and now he had a challenge to face his whole life. It crushed them. However being the strong faithful parents they are, they didn't let this diagnosis stop them. They educated themselves with this muscular disease and took Josh to St. Louis multiple times throughout his life to do all they could to be sure they did all they could to keep Josh strong throughout his life. He eventually went through leg braces and then to a powered wheelchair. My parents turned into his legs and arms. They were super heroes who brought him strength both through exercises and just by their faith and love. He may have been different by means of not being able to dribble a basketball, kick a soccer ball, ride a bike, walk, run..... but it never really got to him. Just as my parents had to adjust to the change, he adapted just as well. Because of my parents great love, care, and ambition in life, Josh held his head high and was content with his life. He enjoyed being with his family, cousins, friends. He loved watching IU basketball, playing video games, reading comic books, and telling all of us jokes. He was very intelligent in so many ways as well.... way better at math and drawing than me! Best of all, even though he may have not known it, he was a gift from God. He taught us and so many people the true meaning of life... to cherish each and every moment.. both small and big. My mom and dad's change of plan was far greater than they could ever imagine.... because it was God's plan. Yes they would have loved to not see my brother face all the obstacles they did and still be here today.... but Josh brought them strength and a close relationship with God..... and after all he is still present in our lives today... now as a guardian angel watching over each of us... even Easton and our little miracle Asher who was due on Josh's birthday. They would not change God's story for the world!

In January 2016 we found out that God had blessed us with the gift of my pregnancy. We were so excited and so was Easton! Again, just like my mom and dad, we had things planned in our minds. Over the summer we would paint and decorate Asher's room, we would get Easton potty trained, I would do learning activities with Easton and take him to the library each week. We also planned to get Easton a playground and tricycle for outside. The principal at my school, Hallie, got my maternity leave and sub set up. I planned to work for 5 weeks and then be off until the start of the new year. I planned to help the sub over the summer get things organized. Yes... again.. we had all these plans set not stopping to think they would go any differently. Just like my mom and dad... our plans did change as God stepped in... His story would unfold into the most beautiful change that we never could have imagined... this Miraculous Journey began. Like my mom and dad, we experienced a very dark and scary moment. We felt lost and didn't know what our future would hold. But we didn't lose faith... we reached for the light ... we reached for strength..... we reached out to God through prayer. God brought the most beautiful sunshine out of the darkest moment. The first few weeks on bed rest were like walking down a path where we couldn't fully see ahead, but yet we just knew in our hearts that God was walking right with us and He had a beautiful rainbow that He was leading us to. Before we knew it, July hit and so did contractions. Again there were scary moments, but God held us and we knew He was guiding us to His perfect plan. July 11, 2016 (29 weeks, 2 days) came... and God brought our miracle into the world. What a beautiful day that was and one we will never forget! In the nicu he entered.... some shaky rides have came and gone... but God has never left. Now at 36 weeks, 2 days.... 7 weeks have passed since our miracle's beautiful entrance.. and in the nicu he is still in God's healing arms strong and growing big. Our plan of a c-section at 39 weeks changed. Our plans for the summer never happened. But the story God gave us is so much more meaningful than any of our plans! I would go on bed rest again any day. It blessed me with two amazing things..... keeping Asher strong and forming a much deeper relationship with God. God blessed us with a miracle.... there is no plan greater than His!

So where am I getting at you might ask? Well if my plan had gone as I planned, I'd be teaching at this very moment and have a couple weeks to go. I would then be returning to school in January and teaching 22 second graders until the end of the school year while Easton and Asher went to the sitter. Again, those plans have changed... God had a different story in place for the year.... again a more beautiful story.

After talking with Dr. Pyle a few weeks ago, we were told how important it is to quarantine Asher and Easton for the year. Due to Asher being born at 29 weeks with little fluid, his lungs were hard and needed a lot of assistance. Babies born with underdeveloped lungs are highly prone to any germs... especially the flu and RSV... which if they would get would be very risky and mean hospital stays. With me being a teacher, I have a high chance of bringing these types of bugs and colds into the house where Asher could easily then pick up. With Easton going to the sitter, he again is in an environment where he could easily bring these types of illnesses into the house.. again putting Asher at risk. Dr. Pyle encouraged us to discuss with Hallie and Father Ed to see if there was any way they would grant me a year leave. Yes it hit me, and I never imagined this being the plan. But again, it was God's plan and His plan is the most beautiful!

James and I knew that we needed to make this work. Again this change was very scary to us.  It was hard to not take Easton to the sitters as that was where all his buds were and where he learned so many things. What would Father Ed and Hallie think?... I felt in my heart they would understand... but it was scary because I loved my job and didn't want to lose it. However, again we knew we had to take a leap of faith because this was God's story and it would all work out according to His beautiful plan. So we took that leap of faith and met face to face with Father Ed and Hallie a couple weeks ago. On our way we said prayers and just knew God would be with us. The meeting went very well, and they were very understanding of the situation... after all they only want the best for Asher too. Last week God's plan got even more beautiful as I was granted the year off and Janet (lady taking my leave) is going to teach the whole year for me. God definitely had that planned as her grandson is in the class this year... so it will be a special year for both of them! It broke my heart as I received some mail from the 2nd graders praying for Asher and saying how they looked forward to me being back. However, I knew they would understand as they knew Asher needed Mommy's love and care this year. Teaching is my passion, especially in a place where I am blessed to teach about God's everlasting love. So it is difficult being away, but God is calling me to a different plan this year. He is calling me to be at home as a Mommy to our little miracle and Easton this year to be sure they get the best care in an environment as germ free as possible. It is a blessing and I look forward to each moment and will cherish each moment! Yes God has led me on a complete different path than I had ever imagined... but how special of a path it is! God gave us a miracle, and now I am blessed with the year off to take extra special care of our miracle. I want to send a special thank you to Father Ed and Hallie for their understanding and granting us this opportunity as it will provide Asher with the care he needs. It means the world to us.

At first James was looking into finding a second job. Right away I told him that just didn't feel right to me in my heart. I felt God speaking to me that that wasn't part of His story for us. I felt God was calling us down a different path... a path that would allow James and I to work together and form a little side job while getting to stay at home with our sons. James is a handy man... and loves carpentry. He enjoys creativity and working with wood. We have been those people who have always enjoyed looking on Pinterest for ideas and Etsy to observe peoples creative talents. James has made things for the house such as lantern holders etc., but the thought never really crossed our minds on making things to sell. After all we both worked in the past, so extra time we dedicated to Easton, our family, and friends. But now James is working while I stay home with Easton and eventually Asher. So the thought hit me one day... I felt a calling to create an Etsy shop of our own and come up with something creative for James and I to make together. This would allow for him to let his carpentry shine. It will allow me and him to have a second little hobby that we would both enjoy. I began looking for ideas on what we could create together and sell. We enjoy the rustic style, so I began searching for things that we could create out of pallet wood. At the same time, I wanted to create something meaningful to praise God for the miracle He blessed us with. Then the thought hit me, I felt a calling for us to begin our shop by creating items in honor of Christmas- as Christmas is the season we celebrate our GREATEST miracle... Jesus. So to me I felt what a beautiful way to honor God for the miracle He gave us... by honoring the GREATEST miracle he gave ALL of us on Earth. While searching for rustic items that we could make and Christmas ideas, an idea was made in my heart. I always have loved rustic trays made out of pallet wood. Why not create rustic decorative trays with Christmas sayings on them? James could make the trays, and I could then finish them by using stencils and paint to create them. We also will be creating rustic stocking holders to hang on walls for the Christmas season. Our idea was formed and we both agreed it would be something we would enjoy while honoring God at the same time for our little miracle. Once Christmas season passes, we have other ideas in mind for our store that we will share later.

I have already ordered stencils and James has began getting wood ready. This weekend we hope to make our first Christmas tray so we can then begin to set up our shop on Etsy.  We look forward to sharing photos of our creations and more on this with you as we get it together.

Did we ever plan this journey? Did we ever plan our summer to be in a hospital? Did we ever plan our miracle to be in the nicu? Did we ever plan for me to take a year off from my passion? Did we ever plan on using our creativity to create and sell items on Etsy? No... God did. And we are so grateful He did. I can't say enough what beautiful stories He writes for each of our lives. Because of this miraculous story He has changed our lives and led us to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him. He has shown us what life is all about.

What do I hope you take from this post? I hope it reminds you that when your plans go in a complete different direction there is a purpose. I hope that when they change you stop and remind yourself God has a different plan... a better, more beautiful plan. Also, I hope when you feel scared and lost when they do change, that you turn to God in faith and know He will lead the way and guide You to His beautiful plan as He writes the most amazing stories of our lives.

I ask that you keep us in prayer, as you have since day 1 of this journey (which means so much!). Please pray that we continue to let go and let God.... this year will be a little rocky at moments I predict as it will be busy. But we have a rock to lean on... God. Pray our creativity may shine and our Etsy store becomes successful. Most importantly pray that we stay healthy throughout the year, especially throughout flu season to continue to keep Asher healthy and free of sickness once he arrives home. Your prayers bring us strength and mean the world to us! May God bless all of you for the amazing prayer warriors you are..... Because of you and God Asher is the amazing warrior he is and we stand strong in faith. We love all of you so much and God above all things!

I had to update this post with the following beautiful words below.... I just got back from the nicu and it has been several hours since I made this post. But as I was pumping I opened my reflection book that I usually read in the morning, but didn't get to yet this morning. Each day I flip to next page where there is a verse and a reflection to go with it. The verse and reflection made my eyes widen.... it went right along with this post. I felt God talking to me through the words... I felt He sent me these words to go along with this post and to share with all of you from Him... a beautiful God Moment!

From the book Blessings for the Morning
Written by Susie Larson

Todays Verse:
"Do no be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown." Isaiah 43:1-2

Reflection Title: Do Not Fear

Reflection:
When you can't sense what God is up to, may you trust even more His heart toward you. When your journey is different than you would choose, may you see His invitation to make you new.

When the storm rages overhead, may you know - with everything in you- that new mercies are on the other side.

And when you're tempted to overstate your problems and understate His promises, may you step back and find your footing again.

On Christ the solid Rock you stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Embrace a joy - perspective this day!

Happy 36 Weeks to our Warrior!

Happy 36 Weeks to our little miracle! You continue to amaze us with your strength and growth! You have now hit the 5 lb milestone and at 2.5 liters of oxygen pressure. Your face is filling out and you are so cute! Your strawberry blonde hair shines as you talk to us with your precious coos. Your eyes are observant of what is close by you. Every moment we hold you we sing praises to God for you.. the miracle He blessed us with from above! We all love you so much and can't wait for your arrival home! Love, Hugs, and Many Kisses ~ Mommy, Daddy, and Easton

I can't believe another week has gone by! It was definitely a busy week, but another very blessed one because of our loving and merciful God! Some of my favorite moments of the week would include giving Asher a bath, dressing him in clothes for the first time, holding him face to face while we talked to each other, spending time with my sister and family, Easton being a big helper around the house and running errands together, and of course each moment I got to spend with Asher and cuddle with him.

Bath Time: Monday night, James stayed home with Easton while I went to the hospital to visit my miracle boy. I will explain in more detail later in a separate post, but James is starting to see Asher every other day now due to work and spending meaningful time with Easton. When I entered, it was bath time. The nurse asked if I would like to give him a bath, and of course I said yes! I am still a little nervous as he has cords and his breathing tube to work around, but it gets easier each time. The nurse guided me through it and gave me tips on where to start and end. I began by wiping both eyes from the inside corners to the outside corners. Next came wiping his precious face. Then I took the soap and dropped some droplets on his tummy and gently wiped his tummy making sure I wet the sticker areas where the cords were so they could easily wipe off as he gets new ones each bath. Then it was time for his little feet, to his legs, and then his bottom. Last I soaped his hair, as that is the part of the body that loses heat the quickest, so she said it is always best to do last.Finally she helped me pour clean water over his tummy, legs, and hair to clean the soap. She then showed me how to wrap him in a towel being sure to dry the hair first and to do it well. Then it was time to place him on the scale.. which he was in the 4 1/2 pound range.. getting big! As she made his bed, I got to dress him. It was my first time dressing him in clothes. It was a little challenging as I first had to put on a tiny t-shirt  onesie. Then put the sleeper on. Due to it being a zip up, she had to cut a tiny hole in it for the cords to go through. We then wrapped him up in a warm blanket. He was wide eyed and very comfy. Giving him a bath was such a beautiful gift and he did very well.. didn't get too upset! I loved seeing him all clean, happy, and warm. :)

Mommy/Son Time: Wednesday I met my parents at the hospital. Mom went in with me first. When we arrived I again got to give Asher a bath. This time he was a little mad at first, but we managed to calm him down. Mom heard Asher cry for the first time and it cracked me up because it broke her Grandma heart. She couldn't take seeing him mad, and being the loving grandma and mom she is, she just wanted to so bad pick him up and cuddle with him and let him know all is okay. While I gave him a bath, she then got my dad. My dad loved seeing Asher and enjoyed watching him get a bath, get weighed,and get dressed. He took several pictures and video of it, which I am so grateful for to add as memories of Asher's miraculous journey. Dad enjoyed seeing him all wide eyed and observant. As Asher got cuddled back into bed, Dad got mom as she didn't get to see Asher all content and wide eyed since he was upset when she was in. As my mom reentered, the nurse came over with a pillow. I thought it was to help me prop up my arm in the chair, but instead she had a beautiful idea. She placed the pillow vertical on my lap and then placed my little fighter face to face upright on the pillow. He was all wide eyed, full of coos and smiles. I told him all about how Daddy and Easton painted his nursery, how Daddy was putting his crib together, how I had washed his clothes and hung them in his closet, played with Easton.. etc. all the happenings of the day. I can't put into words how special that moment was. Our eyes locked together in a special Mommy/Son conversation. The nurse then came and took photos on my phone of the special bonding moment. I just remember sitting there with him eye to eye thinking how blessed I truly was that God blessed us with this miracle and this miraculous journey. Yes it is hard to see Asher on oxygen and all that he has went through, but I honestly wouldn't want the story any other way. This story God has written for James and I is beyond beautiful. It has changed our lives and led us in a much stronger relationship with Him. It has led us to truly cherish each day and moment. It has led us to see what a miracle life is... and especially how precious it is! He has blessed us with a little fighter who has touched our lives so deeply.

Nesting: So yes usually the nesting phase comes to mothers in the third trimester prior to baby's arrival. Well my story is a little different. My nesting phase I believe has officially hit this week. I have felt more energized this week and so I went on a nesting mission... to get the house organized prior to Asher's home coming. Tuesday I had my 6 week check-up at Jasper, yes it has already been 6 weeks (now more like 7) since Asher's arrival... crazy! All went well, so when I came back home, I was ready to get the house put back together.

I began by hanging up the clothes mom and I had washed a couple weeks ago, while washing some of the clothes we didn't get to. In the end, I have arranged Asher's closet from newborn size up to 12 months. I then have 18-24 months in bins. With Easton being born in the month of November, and Asher technically due in September, most of Easton's clothes should fit perfectly. I then got all his drawers organized with sleepers, blankets, bibs, burp cloths, etc. Hand me downs are such blessings!

The next mission was to get all the toys mom and I had cleaned organized in his room. James had put together his crib on Wednesday evening in our room as we will have close watch over him the first year. So in his room, we have stored all his toys and gear for the first year. We will gradually get to putting decor on the walls, but our main focus is to just have everything organized. I will be doing the warrior theme in his room... arrows and deer..... as he is a true warrior! With the grey walls I will be adding mint and navy and white as accents. But like I said, that will be a winter project most likely as our main focus is our little miracle right now. :)

Easton enjoys helping mommy, so he was all excited when I asked him to help me organize his room. Prior to this journey his room was pretty organized, but since I have been home and not been able to get down on the floor to help him clean up or to control how many toys he dumped at a time, the toys have gotten all mixed together in different boxes. So he thought it was a treasure when I told him to dump a box at a time and we sorted the toys together. Eventually  we got the toys in the right boxes. We then looked in his toy box and got it all organized. Next was the puzzle shelf as most of the puzzles were missing pieces etc. So we managed to put them all together and find all the missing pieces. Then I let him dump his 2 shelf spaces of books on the floor. We put them back on his shelf spaces in a much neater way as before they were just piled on top of each other where you couldn't see which book you were choosing. Next we went in his closet and organized his memory boxes as we had a whole summer of items to add to his boxes. Easton loved looking at his favorite baby toys again as we went through the boxes. We then went through his clothes hanging in the closet putting away the ones that no longer fit him into the bins in Asher's room. We then ran errands together Thursday early morning as the nicu was in need of more breast milk. After running to the nicu, we went to Target and Wal-Mart to get a crib sheet, diaper changer cover, and boppy pillow cover. Easton then wanted a cookie as each time we run errands he assumes we are going to Schnucks for a free cookie and grocery shopping. He had been such a great helper and so good running errands that I couldn't say no, and I was need of frozen spinach anyways to make some spinach dip I had been craving. It made my day to see him full of smiles as he chose one of his favorite cookies... M&M (or as he call it "M's).

James also was a big help in this "nesting"  phase lol. Our tile floors hadn't been scrubbed since prior to this journey, so we knew it was time to clean them as they felt grimy on our feet (gross I know!). This had obviously been the longest time we have went without cleaning as we weren't home over the summer and since we have been home our days have been quite busy. So James got the fun job of scrubbing them :). It honestly was such a gift once they were clean as the floor felt so smooth on our feet.. you could just tell they were fresh and clean! Next was the lovely bathroom..... our tubs and floors needed cleaned badly as they too have not been touched since prior. So yes James... (he gets the fun jobs as you can see!) cleaned them good. However, I can't forget to mention that he had a helper.. Easton! He was truly daddy's boy on the cleaning day because Easton loves to help.. especially when it comes to cleaning! He will take the swiffer across the floor... pretend to vacuum along with daddy with his little toy push mower, dust with mommy or grandma with a cloth, and now he was in  the bath room helping daddy clean the floors and observing daddy scrubbing the shower and tub.When they were done, Easton had to come get me and show me how clean the floors were as he was so proud to have helped clean them.. something that truly melted my heart!

This week my "nesting" goals are to shred a bunch of papers that have built up over the past few months, dust the house, and file all our lovely hospital papers to help keep us organized as we get many, many, many envelopes in the mail daily that are hospital related.. so it is hard to keep them organized when we just stack them on a desk. I also plan to officially sign papers for us to join Saint Wendel Parish as we love going to Mass there, not only because it is where I work, but because Father Ed means the world to us and we feel at home there. We also will then be planning Asher's Baptism with Father Ed. We plan to do it in October/November sometime and Father Ed has told us that we will do a family Baptism that is separate from Mass as Asher is to be away from any sickness for a year. That means so much to us, as most Baptisms are during the Mass, but Asher would be at risk of catching something more easily in a big crowd. So we thank Father Ed for going out of his way for us. I also plan on dropping off photos of Easton and Asher for the Saint Wendel Social photo contest. My sister was here over the weekend and took some cute photos  of both of them for it. :) On a more fun note, I hope to make spinach dip tonight as I have been craving it for a long time!

I thank God for this time to "nest" as I didn't really get to "nest" as a normal mother would. I would much rather have Asher home, but God has blessed our little miracle in so many ways and keeping him strong in the nicu right now is such a blessing. So as I sit and wait patiently for his arrival, I cherish this "nesting" time God has blessed us with to prepare for our sweet miracle's homecoming.

Family Time: On Saturday my parents along with my sister and Hunter visited. I was excited as Lacy was bringing her wedding DVD that our cousin taped and put together. He did an AMAZING job with it! Even though I Skyped the whole wedding, there were still things that I didn't get to fully see, so it was so neat getting to see it all again. When we watched the moments Easton walked down the aisle as ring bearer and when I gave my speech over Skype, my eyes teared up. It brought me back to that actual day, yes it was so hard not being there, but how grateful I was for that day! With God's blessing of technology I was able to "be there" and that is what meant the most to me! After watching the DVD, we visited our little miracle in the nicu. Hunter got to see him for the first time, which he was all smiles when he saw him. Lacy got to see him wide awake and take some cute video and pics of him. She even got to see Dr. Pyle again as he was on for that day. After the nicu, we went out to eat and then headed back to our house as Lacy took photos of Easton for the contest. It was nice to again get to spend time with my family. I couldn't be more blessed..... they are always here shining the gifts of love, support, care, smiles, and laughter.

I will be posting another post today about God's special plan for us this year. I wanted to post it separately so I can just focus on the one topic. So you will be blessed with 2 posts this week! :)

Dear Loving God, I praise You for all Your endless blessings in our life. Thank You for keeping our little miracle strong and blessing him with amazing growth. Thank You for the gift of family time. Thank You for this beautiful "nesting phase" to help us prepare for Asher's arrival home in Your perfect timing. Thank You for time with Easton as he is such a big helper! Thank You for the joys of giving Asher a bath, dressing him, bonding with him in special ways, and holding him, our miracle, in our hands. Thank You for amazing prayer warriors who pray daily for our little fighter. Our trust is fully in You as You heal Asher in Your perfect timing. You are so beautiful to us! May You continue to shine Your miraculous works  through Asher so all may witness the power of Your healing grace and grow closer to You. Please heal and protect all the nicu babies... which are all miracles! We love You above all things! Amen.

Thank you to all of you for being the powerful prayer warriors you are! We couldn't be more blessed to have all your amazing prayers surrounding our little warrior and all of us. May God send many blessings upon all of you for being our strength. Let us continue to hold hands together with God, Josh, and all the Angels and Saints in prayer throughout this amazing journey! Asher is comforted in all your prayers and in our Miraculous God's loving and healing arms!