Reflections

02 Jan 2012 1 Comment

2011, A Blessed Year

2011 has been a year of trials for our family and with the ups and downs of everyday life, sometimes we fail to realize the good things going on around us. I have been thinking about the previous year and I am finding that our family have too many things to be thankful for. I am amazed at how much God has done.  If there was one word to describe our lives, it would probably be “blessed.”

After one crazy year, it feels pretty good to focus on the good things instead of the list of bad things. Back in May, Jordan fell and had stitches on his lips. But wow, it could have been much much worse. Two months later, I was stuck in the hospital for over 5 weeks due to placenta previa and my scheduled c-section didn’t go as planned. I had to go under at the last minute but Jayden and I are both healthy and he is now a bouncy 5-month old!

It’s hard not to look back on this year and think wow, God was really taking care of us. I know I am blessed beyond measure, and all I really need to do is look around me. To just glance at all the toys scattered around our house. Food crumbs under the table where Jordan’s high chair is. Jayden’s binky on my night stand. My parents’ eye glasses sitting next to the coffee pot. My husband’s socks on the floor in our bedroom (yes, it usually annoys me). All these things are simple yet the most profound  reminder & symbols of a life well lived and well loved.

I’m also glad that I have thousands and thousands of pictures with captured moments to remind me of these blessings. I am hoping and praying that our 2012 will be as great if not better than 2011. 

 

 

by Joy in Holidays, Reflections

17 Jul 2011 5 Comments

Light at the End of the Bed Rest Tunnel

I have finally reached the 38-week mark! After 5 long weeks on hospital bed rest, unwanted contractions & a seemingly endless needle pokes, reaching this milestone is truly a huge blessing from God. As my bed rest time draws to a close, I realized that the most important things I’ve done for my sanity while on bed rest is letting go and holding on. More

by Joy in Placenta Previa, Pregnancy, Reflections

06 Apr 2011 2 Comments

Kids Are Not Expensive, Lifestyles Are

We’ve all heard the saying – it costs $$$ a year to raise a child. Admittedly, Michael and I were apprehensive about the costs of raising children before I was pregnant with Jordan and almost worried ourselves sick when talk of the economic crisis started surfacing. But as some awesome parents I know have told me, priorities change and you simply make do – whether they cost over $10,000 or $1,000 a year. More

by Joy in Parenting, Reflections

31 Mar 2011 No Comments

Burning Grudges Leads To A Happier “YOU”

A friend was asking me why is it so easy for me and Michael to kiss and make up after a fight? Why is it that if she and her husband get into a heated discussion, she’ll be so indifferent towards him for a few days?

The only reason I can come up with is maybe because I try my hardest  to never allow negative feelings to crowd out my positive feelings. I don’t dwell on the negative things because I’m afraid that I may find myself swallowed up by my own bitterness or sense of injustice. More

by Joy in Marriage, Reflections

19 Jan 2011 3 Comments

True Happy Surprises In Life

When I was pregnant with Jordan, I remember the disappointment in people’s faces when Michael and I tells them that we won’t find out the gender until the baby’s born. Many of our friends and relatives were shocked and in full panic asked what clothes should they get for the shower? Most of them think that it’s ridiculous not to find out the gender because they think that we need to prepare for the nursery, clothes, etc.

So Jordan’s gender was a surprise and we loved it! This whole conception and pregnancy is one of the greatest mysteries and a miracle of life and we feel like finding out the gender of your baby on the delivery date is part of the whole package. We also feel that there really are so few true happy surprises in life that we should savour each one of them! So when Jordan came out, the Dr. flipped him over and Michael cried it’s a boy! Needless to say, it was one of the greatest surprises of our lives.

As for decorating and buying items, we never have really decorated in a gender related way. We’ve always just been into bright and cheery colors for the bedrooms and such. With the clothes, because babies grow so quickly and everyone loves to give clothes as gifts, we bought whites with some yellows and greens. After the Small Fry arrived, it was fun taking him to get clothes especially for him in whatever colors we found were cute, and what actually fit because he grow and change sizes so rapidly!

Like what you’ve already guessed, we are keeping the gender of our Small Fry #2  as a surprise as well. We  think that finding out is cheating – kind of like unwrapping your Christmas present way before Christmas. However, we are definitely not against anyone who wants to and does find out the gender of their babies. We just personally think that it’s so amazing to wait.

So the old-age question remains… did you find out the gender of your baby? And if you’re expecting, are you going to? :)

by Joy in Pregnancy, Reflections

25 Nov 2010 No Comments

Thanksgiving

It’s that time of year again – a time when we traditionally look back over the previous year and think about all the things we should be thankful for. It’s a time to remind ourselves to see and acknowledge our blessings. Here are just a few things I am thankful for this time of year. More

by Joy in Reflections