New Life!

I hope everyone had a great Easter. This year was pretty special to us for so many reasons. This is the first year that we have really been involved in a church that we could truly call our home. My mother in law (Shelly), Eric and I got the privilege of teaching Ansley's Sunday School class. We had 15 or so kids ranging in age from 5-12. It was such a joy to teach them the lesson and know that they actually got the true message of Easter. And I can say I learned some things too :) It was so much fun!

We went to my parents house for all the family fun and great food. The kids hunted Easter eggs despite the wind. We now have a huge basket full of candy that will never be eaten. We still have candy from Christmas (I guess its time to throw that away).
Ansley is holding a confetti egg and can't wait to hit someone on the head with it :)
Kinley loved the confetti eggs ...... she walked around saying "head please". She looks worried but I promise she was laughing!
On to other things. I thought you might all need a Bridgette fix. I got to watch the girls 3 days last week so you know I took lots of pictures! She is such a good baby! She coos all the time and I even got her to laugh at me. So cute! I think she looks more and more like Haley with blue eyes :)

No this is not a picture of a turkey though that's what it looks like. It is the biggest blessing we could ever ask for! We are having a baby! I am 15 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good. This one has been much easier then Ansley was. Another blessing. But I didn't think there was a better day to share this new life with everyone then the time when Jesus Christ died to give us all new life. He died for our sins so that one day we can all live an eternity with him! So celebrate your new life! I know we have lots to celebrate!

Empowered and Encouraged

No pictures today....... well not as of yet :) Just doing laundry and Ansley is painting .....that's not a very exciting picture.
I have been getting a lot of calls and emails asking how I'm doing. Thank you all for thinking of me! I thought this was the easiest way to let you all know. I am doing a lot better. I don't use a cane anymore! Crazy thing.... I miss it. I don't feel very confident yet with out it but they say it comes with time. I can get in the car like a normal person! Yeah! I'm sending the hospital bed back today. So I get my living room back... Another Yeah!!! Its nice to get into my own bed after not sleeping in it for so long. I will say it is really physically hard to get out in the morning .....but so worth it :) I go to the Dr for my six week check up the end of next week. But I think everything is going pretty good. I still have a limp but I think it also will get better (it better ..... I didn't do all this to walk funny the rest of my life). I want to thank all of you for the prayers and just being there for me I know I'm not the best patient. In fact I don't have much Patience for anything :)
To change topics completely (read my first blog if this bothers you). I often read the blog bring the rain (so proud of myself that I figured out the link thingy). I digress.... I often read the blog bring the rain and I love this post and thought I would share it with all of you. I don't know about you but I wasn't to excited about the results of the presidential election on Tuesday night. Most of my thoughts were (are) about what kind of world are we going to leave to our children. I felt helpless and really insignificant in this big world. And since then I have really been praying for Ansley but I read that post and got so excited to realize I wasn't the only one that felt the need to pray. Don't get me wrong I pray all the time for her but I was so excited to see Angie take the time to find scriptures. It made me feel empowered because I can make a difference in Ansley's life and that is a huge deal. So read it and I hope it inspires you to find your own scriptures for your children (or use those) I feel like God has been pulling on my heart more and more to surround my life with prayer. For my country, husband, child, family, friends, and myself. I hope you too feel empowered and encouraged.

My Big Girl

My baby is 5. Even as I type it it doesn't seem possible. It seems like yesterday we had her. I think back to those days after having her and all the feelings come back. Not so great ones..... she had breathing problems most of you know. She was amazing but fear over took our lives. It took 2 of us to feed her. Me holding her and Eric at my side with the oxygen for when she quit breathing. Not if but when. A happy but scary day.... We gave all the monitors back when she was 7 months old and my life has never been the same. I had to make the choice to trust God with my little girl. I prayed every night and morning that she would be breathing when I went in to get her up. Imagine the days she slept in and I slept in ...... the fear I had was crazy. Every mom out there can relate to that fear. But what a testimony I have. I grew in the Lord so much in this time. Our daughter is living and breathing (talking all the time). You would never know that she had any issues at all.

To My Ansley: I love everything about you. I love the way you already have your own mind (that's an understatement). I love how you hug my neck and tell me I'm the bestest momma ever. I love how you have to give everyone a million hugs and kisses before they leave. I love to listen to your prayers at night ... I can picture God smiling at all the hilarious things you say. You have such a huge heart. I love to listen to you sing and watch you dance! Your favorite song is Mighty to Save and every time you hear it on your radio you make me run in your room and listen to it too. You are a lover of people! You are such an encourager! I love how you love your daddy! Most of all I love your laugh! I am so blessed to get to spend my days with you. I will miss you so much next year. I know you will enjoy school so much. But its bittersweet to me. I am so proud to be your mom. I just cant believe your five!!!! I love you so much and I'm so excited because I know God has big plans for you and I'm so blessed I get to watch! I know you will have a great birthday there are so many people who love you too!

Isaiah 41:13

13 For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

This is Ansley's bible verse she says every night when she goes to bed. She heard me say to Eric last night I was scared to have my staples out. She grabs my hands and tells me "Momma don't you remember Isaiah 41:13" ..... and she proceeds to tell me the verse. And I cant tell you how much the smile on her face and the picture of my God holding my hand was so comforting. Sometimes I think this is never going to end but everyday I'm getting better. I cant wait for the day when I'm glad I did this :)
I actually drove myself to the Dr today and I am now staple free! Yeah!!!!! It wasn't so bad. I had a picture in my head that they took them out with needle nose pliers and just pulled. They don't :) I'm so excited ..... I get to take a real shower tomorrow night. Another Yeah!!!! And I found out today that I get to take these nasty, tight, ugly (I think you get how I feel about them) white socks off for a whole 8 hrs a day. I asked about them last week at my visit and they said I have to wear them for six long weeks. They left out the part where I get to take them off for part of the day! Another Yeah!!!!! I ditched the walker (complete with tennis balls on the feet - you know your jealous) and Im now walking with my cane again. Yeah!!!!
Its crazy I started this blog thing for Ansley and its pretty much all about me. So hopefully since I'm getting better I wont have much to write about me!
I need to say thank you to all the people who have helped my little family! Wow I'm blessed! Eric is doing much better and Ansley is such a little encourager. She always tells me how good I'm walking and is always eager to be my helper. Words can not express how much I love those two!
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Blessings to you!

Prayers Please!!!!

Again this is going to be short and sweet. I don't know why but my head doesn't quite work right yet. Its getting better. I can watch TV and focus but I cant read yet :( The post below took me a whole hour to type. I know crazy huh? I'm typing now not for me but for Eric. He saw a Dr last night and his blood pressure was 178 over 115. That's high!!!!!! He went because we thought he had shingles. He does! You get them from stress but you have to have them treated with steroids and antibiotics. So 140$ on prescriptions later hes on the road to recovery. I'm not doing so good either. I go see the Dr tomorrow to see if everything is ok. Mentally I'm doing better today rather than a few days ago. It hit me that this is going to take a really long time to get better. I know some of you are saying well Duh!!!(that's a bad word too) But to me I thought it wouldn't hurt so bad and maybe not take as long. I just want to be normal again! Anyways I'm rambling about me and that's not what this is about. Eric ----- he needs your prayers! He has been the most amazing husband and it makes me so sad that he has to keep all this inside to the point hes made himself really sick. God is bigger than all this!!!!! Love to you all!!!

Corndogs, Doctors and God

Its been a while and not much has been going on here. It makes it kinda hard to be exciting when we have to stay home 90% of the time. But on Monday we took the girls to the fair. We ate corndogs, funnel cakes, cotton candy (Ansley) and corn on the cob. That's the only reason to go to the fair ....hello the food! Well and to let the girls go to the petting zoo. I was really excited to see Kinley but she was a little disappointing. She had fun but she wasn't as thrilled as I thought she would be. Ansley said something pretty cute I thought...... we were in line at our church's corndog stand and Ed (our pastor) was talking to her through the window and told Ansley "I have a corn dog with your name on it". Well a little later while eating my very literal daughter said to me with all seriousness "Ed said this corn dog would have my name on it" and obviously it didn't. :) All in all it was a good time.














I went to the Dr for my pre op visit yesterday and to my pre surgery class. There is this whole other world out there for hip replacement people that I had no idea even existed. It went pretty good except there was alot of walking. Eric asked me why I didn't ask for a wheel chair....... well to be honest (I'm always honest) the thought never crossed my mind. I told Eric there would have been no one to push me and you know my measly arm muscles wouldn't get me very far :) Ansley stayed the night with her Nona since my appointment was at 9. She had a blast. When Shelly brought her back Ansley crashed on my bed with me for about an hour. For those of you who know Ansley .........that is very rare. She was so cute. If I could have gotten out of bed I would have taken a picture. When she was asleep like that I couldn't help think how little she still is ..... its only when shes asleep though. When shes awake she talks all the time and that's when you forget shes only 4. I love how her little mind works!

Last night like I said I couldn't get out of bed. I have never felt pain like I did last night. Never! It started when I went to the fair (I know I shouldn't have gone but seeing Ansley and Kinley there is something I could never get back) and then the Drs yesterday. I didn't have time to get better. By last night I had taken every kind of medicine I had and nothing would put a dent in it. I told Eric if I didn't get any relief in an hour we were going to the hospital and they could just knock me out. The meds I had were the strongest you can get and they did nothing. I finally turned to him! God! Why I do that when I can no longer take it I don't know.I should start there! I guess I try it my way first, second and on and on until I finally give up and give it to him. I don't know if others out there are the same but I like to control everything. And hes telling me I cant control him. He wants to be with me in every moment of every day. So I'm laying there crying (which I hate to do) and I told Eric to call my mother in law and ask her to pray for me. So Eric, Shelly, Lisa and I prayed and I would love to say I was immediately healed but I wasn't. Not that I don't think he could have if he wanted to. But I did get relief, my pain was bearable. I got some sleep and I am feeling a little better today. Ansley and I are having a movie day......laying around coloring, watching movies and cuddling. Shes so funny I told her we were going to stay in our pjs all day ....... she asked a million questions like am I going to do her hair, do I get to take a bath (I said if you want) she decided not to and this might be a good day after all. So today I'm thanking God for the love he has for me and the strength I have found through him and asking for forgiveness for all the things I try to do on my own. Thank you all for all your prayers...... I feel loved!