Packing

I have moved several times in my life, and I have never really stressed over it. I used to just take it day by day, room by room and pack a little at a time. Well, things have changed, now that I have a toddler. How do moms pack with a little one running around?! She wants to get into everything. Whatever I pack gets "unpacked" almost immediately. (Sigh....) I'm ready to send her off to my mom's for a whole day so that I can get some seriuos packing done! Countdown to moving day: 15 days. Yikes!

Picture...hopefully

Trying to see if I can learn how to post a picture.

Yay! It worked. This is my daughter (16 months old) chasing a dog at the park. She just LOVES dogs.

Prayer for Audrey

In the book, "Don't Make Me Count to Three," there is a section in the appendix called "How to Pray for your Child." I thought this list was a wonderful reference for me as I pray for my daughter, Audrey. Of course, I don't think I have time every day to pray for all 15 items, but I will try my best to cover all the areas at least once a week.

Lord,
1) I pray that Audrey will come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
2) I pray that Audrey will honor and obey us as parents as well as those in authority over her.
3) I pray that the Lord would surround Audrey with godly friends and role models.
4) I pray that the Lord would implant into Audrey's heart a hunger and thirst for Him.
5) I pray that the Lord would give Audrey the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that she might know You better.
6) I pray that the eyes of Audrey's heart would always be enlightened in order that she might know the hope to which she has been called.
7) I pray that Audrey would always follow the truth and reject the lies of Satan.
8) I pray that Audrey would bear much fruit for God's glory.
9) I pray that Audrey would flee temptation.
10) I pray that Audrey would use her gifts and talents to honor You.
11) I pray that Audrey would have freedom from fear as she trusts in You.
12) I pray that Audrey would keep herself sexually pure for her future mate.
13) I pray that the Lord woudl bring a godly husband into her life.
14) I pray that Audrye would take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
15) I pray that Audrye would become more like Him.

Amen.

My post-pregnancy weight

During my pregnancy, I gained a little over 50 pounds. Yup, you read right. Fifty pounds. (gulp!) I don't know what happened. It's not like I was eating like a pig, but it's not like I was carefully watching what I was eating either. Well, the sad part is that I still have 15 more pounds to go before I go back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I look at our wedding pictures hanging on the wall and just sigh. I tell myself, "Man, I look alright back then." Then I get a bit depressed when I look at myself in the mirror. Audrey is already 16 months old, so I feel like my body has pretty much "settled." It doesn't want to lose any more fat. It's comfortable with all the excess fat lingering around my mid-section and thighs. Sigh....

Back when I was in college, I zealously memorized Bible verses. One passage that I memorized by heart was Psalm 139. I was pretty proud of myself because I memorized the entire chapter, all 24 verses. (If you're like me, a total scatterbrain, you'd be proud too.) Back then, this chapter of the Bible encouraged me in many ways as I struggled through college life. Never did I know that this passage would stir my heart once again in a totally different way.

"For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I
am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret.
And skillfully wrought i the depths of the earth.
Your eyes hae seen my unformed susbstance,
And in Your book were all written
the days that were ordained for me,
when as yet there was not one of them."

Here I am, having a pity party about my post-pregnancy weight, and it just clicked! I remembered these verses. How dare I think so low of my body when it was God who fearfully and wonderfully made me! I am His precious creation. He is my almighty Creator. Instead of complaining about my double chin, I ought to praise God daily for weaving me into the person that I am.

But what about the fact that I am still overweight? I've decided that instead of playing the number game (calculating how many pounds I have to lose, etc.), I must take care of this God-given body by pursuing a healthy lifestyle. More exercise, less TV/internet. More healthy foods, less junky foods. I need to pursue good health in my daily living. I think this will glorify God.

My Daughter, the Imitator

My daughter, Audrey, is a year and four months old. Sometimes, I love her so much that I just want to cry. At least I get to be home with her all day. My husband is jealous that I get to stay home with her, because he only sees her in the evenings. He emails me everyday from work and asks me to send him some pictures of Audrey via email.

One aspect of parenting a toddler is that they change so much and so quickly. Just couple weeks ago, Audrey was really into screaming. She screamed to ask for something, she screamed when she was tired, and she screamed when she was excited. She was constantly screaming. Looking back, I now know that she was screaming as means to simply communicate. But wow, it was quite an annoying stage.

All of a sudden, the screaming stopped and a new phase had begun. Now, she's in the "imitation" stage. Today, I said "wow!" in response to something and sure enough, I heard a little voice saying, "wow!" as soon as I had finished speaking. She imitated me couple days ago when I was sweeping the floor with a wet cloth. Audrey found a napkin, came right next to me and started sweeping the floor just like me!

What a frightening thought that my daughter is imitating me. I feel like I have to be extra-careful now with what I say, how I do things, and how I behave. Her eyes are always on me and I can't slip up. What an awesome privilege I have as a mom. I get to shape my child to be a woman by modeling for her. She is not going to learn through books or lectures. She will learn by watching me.

This is also a humbling thought, because I'm just an ordinary woman. I'm a Christian but I don't consider myself as a "godly" woman. I am quite far from being a Proverbs 31 woman. I don't lead any Bible studies at church; I'm not involved in any ministries at church, and oftentimes, I'm not even paying attention to the sermons on Sundays! Of course, these things are outward manifestations of what a godly woman ought to be doing, but I will say that in my heart, I am striving to be a follower of Christ daily. Maybe that's all that Audrey needs to see... that I'm trying, even though I fail miserably everyday amidst all the temptations that surround me... but I'm trying and being sanctified in Christ every day.

So, what do I need to show Audrey as she's constantly imitating me these days?

"More of You and less of me
Oh, my Father, I want to be
A spotless vessel so all can see
more of You and less of me."

First post

So...

Here I am, starting my own blog. Help! I don't fully understand how this works, so I will have to learn bit by bit.

How do you post pictures? How do you add links on the right column of your site? How do you add site counters and other cool things? Well, it's too late to figure this out now, but hopefully, I'll be coming back to this site often to give updates on my/ my family's life.

The purpose of this site is "to just ramble" about whatever is on my mind. Usually, my head is filled with thoughts about my daughter (Audrey), my family, my walk with God and other daily happenings. I hope my ramblings won't be too boring for whoever reads this! Haha!


It's getting late, so.... for now I'll end here with: Happy Resurrection Day! He is risen!