Four Months Old

Mr. Canaan is four months old today. He just enjoyed his first Christmas, and got

To celebrate with both sides of the family. Which was such a wonderful blessing! He did absolutley fantastic on the two plane rides, so far he travels like a champ! Hopefully when him and I head back to Manitoba without daddy he will do the same thing ;)

Canaan likes too:

-talk and grunt. He's always making some kind of noise.

-listen to people sing. It calms him right down!

-watch us eat

-move! He's become a shuffler

-giggle when he gets tickled

-play in the bath!

-reach and play with his toys

-sleep! 

He's getting so big. I don't know how much he weighs, but he's getting heavy! He's so good at entertaining himself-it's fun to watch! He got to open lots of presents this Christmas, even though he didn't know what was going on he seemed to enjoy himself! 

We're having a great time in BC. Really enjoying spending time with family, Canaan really loves his uncles :)

  

Little man we love you so much. I thank God for you so often. And pray that I won't take for granted any of our time together. 

 

 

Thankful Thursday

1. Electricity. We were without it yesterday for about 4 hours. It's crazy how much we rely on the stuff. Without it our house wasn't warm, I couldn't flush the toilet, turn lights on etc. once it came back on I couldn't help but be thankful for it, because I really did miss it! 

2. Clean water. Today our taps are running this gross looking brown water. It probably won't stay that way for long, and is probably just some sedament in our pipes. But I'm thankful that usually every day we have clean water to shower in, cook with, drink and that we have it in abundance!!

3. Airplanes. In one week an airplane will take my little family and I to BC for Christmas. Thank you airplane! 

4. Disposable diapers. I'm thankful that there is one less thing I have to wash! I have a puker, I'm always doing laundry! 

5. Health. We take it for granted! I'm thankful today that we are getting over colds, and that a cold is all we had. 

6. This mild winter we're having. I do miss the abundance of snow, we could have more of that. But I am enjoying the milder temperatures.

7. The frost that's been hanging around for a few days. The trees are beautiful! I don't get outside a whole lot this time of year with a little one, but I love being able to look outside and see the beauty still! 

8. Photography. I really do enjoy using my camera. And I love that I can capture memories of my little guy and not just have to commit them to memory. 

9. Salt water spray and nose syringes. I know gross, right? But without them I would of had a grumpier little boy on my hands! I'm also thankful that eventually little ones learn to blow there noses😊. 

10. Being able to buy gifts for people. I love giving gifts. Having to think about what that person would want, searching for it, seeing there face when they receive it. I'm thankful that we have the luxury to purchase gifts. I know gifts don't have to be bought, but it's nice to be able to do that every once in a while! 

What are you thankful for today? 

10 on 10 December

Today was busy. I kept forgetting to take my SLR with me, so

Once again all these photos are from my phone. Boo, I know. This season is always so busy, and I realized today that we have something happening every single day this week- all they way to next week! I was a little stressed today, there's lots to do. But it all got done. At least the stuff on today's list :) I did end the day not feeling well and having to cancel my evening plans, I think a nice hot bath might be on the menu for the rest of my

Evening. 

1.breakfast. Cinnamon toast crunch, yes please. 

2. Mailing Christmas letters was on today's agenda. Done. 

3. Home made turtles, Christmas baking has commenced.

4. Front door selfie. we left the house today to run errands. I was in real clothes, and make up. It had to be documented. 

5. Beautiful day, in the pluses! 

6. Fun leggings. I'm usually not this adenterous with my clothing, but there so comfy.

7. Nap time in the car seat.

8. Snack time. He's very non chalant about his eating. 

9.  Canaan is beginning to play with his toys, it's so fun to watch him!

10. Ending the evening hanging on the couch, watching TV and

Ignoring the laundry basket in front of me :) 

Three Months

Canaan Brian Andrew is three months old! I know I say this every time, but man TIME FLIES. I looked back on some pictures the other day, and it's crazy how much he has changed! He's losing that baby look and is becoming more and more like a little boy (which kinda makes me sad, but i'll get over it).

He is becoming so much fun; Canaan interacts with us so much now, and we love it! He is such a little talker, always blabbering away! He has even laughed a few times, which is just so cute! He doesn't give away giggles freely though, i've tried many times to make him laugh! If the TV is on, he is looking at it- it must be all those bright lights moving back and forth! I tried to get him to appreciate the lights of our Christmas tree the other day and he wasn't interested because the TV was on! In the past few weeks he has noticed his hands and feet and stares at them quite often! And if the soother, or a bottle isn't in his mouth there's a good chance his whole fist will be! It's been so much fun to see him develop and change and begin to have a little personality. He holds his head up now, and were starting to work on strengthening the back muscles so he can sit up by himself! That will be quite the day!

The older he gets the more Michael and I realize how much we love his name. I'm not boasting, when we first named him we were a little worried he wouldn't grow into it and that we to wouldn't get used to saying it. But he most definitely has, and we love it. A friend of mine wrote a blog the other day about why they named there son what they did, and I to have been wanting to write about that for a while I just kept putting it off. But she reminded me, so I thought i'd share it all with you. Thanks Steph :)

I had loved the name Canaan ever since I was in high-school. I remember reading my bible one day and coming across it, I'm pretty sure in the book of Joshua. I thought to myself, that would make a good boy name for my future son! I had never heard of any one being called Canaan before, but I thought it worked- so I kept it in the back of my mind for future reference :) I loved the story behind the name. God promised his people that he would lead them to the promise land- the land of Canaan. Despite his peoples many failings and disobedience God kept his promise and led His people there. It may have taken 40 years but God kept His word and in His timing made it happen. We serve a God who keeps His promises, when He says something it's as good as done. I just love that. And the most amazing thing? God keeps his promises even when we are disobedient. AMAZING, what a love we are so unworthy to receive!

When we found out we were expecting I shared my love for this name with Michael, and he didn't feel the same way about it. We chose many more boy names, although none of them really seemed to win our hearts either. I kept returning to Canaan, and Michael still wasn't convinced. When Canaan was born we decided to find out the meaning of Canaan, and it just seemed to fit exactly with what we were feeling and what we hoped he would one day live up too. Canaan means to be brought low, or to be humbled. It sounds a little harsh at first, but there is nothing more humbling than being a parent. At least not right now in my opinion. I have been humbled time and time again in my new role as mommy, and even on his first day of life we both recognized that. We are also told in the bible to "humble yourself before the Lord", in a sense we are to be brought low so that Christ can be made high. In our lives we need to be made less so that Christ can be made more. Something we hope and pray that Canaan will do one day. That he would take hold of the promise of eternal life that God gives to His people because of the Gospel and that he would accept the free gift of grace and humble himself before God in a personal relationship with Him. It seems like such a big name for such a little boy to live up too but we know that even that is something he can't do without God.

Being his mommy is one of my greatest joys. It's not the easiest, but I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world! Keep growing little stinker, we love you!

Now for some pictures.....

A little three month to one month old comparison. He's getting chubby :)

Ten on Ten- November

Today, I used my SLR. It was very exciting.It's crazy how differently I viewed my day through the eye of a lense- the every day events seemed to be a little more fun. It's more than 10 pictures, but that's ok :)

Today we:

Woke up and hung out in bed for a while.

 Had some coffee.

 Lit some candles, because it's cold outside and seems like the right

thing to do.

 Might have had more than one

cup of coffee.

 Had some waffles for lunch!

 Hung out with Daddy.

 Had some tummy time.

Took a nap.

Had some supper,

courtesy of Daddy.

 Played scattergories with some friends!

The prideful momma

I read an article a while ago on all these "mom shaming" things that us mom's do to each other. Not only did I agree with every one I read and experienced  the "shaming" in some way, but  I felt convicted. Not just because I knew that I too had judged my fellow mom but I was just as guilty of being prideful in my mothering skills. This article pointed out my sin to me in a way i'm sure it didn't intend. I realized that I strived for, and so desperately wanted to be the perfect mom, the perfect house keeper and the perfect wife. I realized that sometimes I thought I was, and I wanted others to think the same of me.

As I started to evaluate my life and how I  was portraying this kind of attitude. How many times a day was I doing something just so I could post it on instagram? How often was I browsing online stores just wishing that I could purchase these specific treasures for my home or my little one. How often was I stressing and getting worked up before we left the house to visit friends hoping our little guy wouldn't cry the whole time or that I looked a certain way. As I type this i'm reminded again of just how sinful I am. I knew being a mom would be hard, but I never imagined it being a sinful battle! I spend so much time worrying what other people think of me and how I mother my child or the way I keep my home. No my home isn't always clean, yes I have to formula feed my baby and I understand it's not the best like breast feeding is, yes we leave our little boy with his grandparents every once in a while so my husband and I can go on a date, yes we use a soother, no we don't use cloth diapers. There's a lot of things that we do that I know a lot of moms would disagree with, or choose to another way. And yes, I care a little too much and wish that I could do things perfectly and by the text book. But, I can't. I'm not perfect, and I will never be. I will fail at this mothering thing. I will make mistakes. And I will battle with my pridefulness every now and then. But I worship a Saviour who is perfect, who lacks nothing! In him I live and move and have my being, and in him can my battle with sin be defeated.

I pray that my pride, my covetousness, and my desire to please other people will become a thing of the past, that I will gain victory over these issues. That I will live to bring glory and honor to my Saviour and not myself.  I'm thankful for forgiveness. I'm thankful for mom's who can be honest about there struggles and for those who have encouraged me.

"But, he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." - Hebrews 4: 6 and 10

Grace- unmerited favor. Something we don't deserve.
Proud- having or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance or superiority.
Humble- The opposite of proud, feeling of insignificance, modest of opinion of ones significance or rank.
Exalt- To raise in rank, to elevate. To praise or extol.

I'm slowly learning what it means to humble myself before the Lord. But i'm thankful for grace and for a God who doesn't give up me!

It's not about being the perfect mom;

But, pointing your children 

to a perfect

Saviour.

-Anonymous 

Thankful Thursday

I have half an hour of Thursday left, although I'm sure I can be thankful on a Friday too :)

1. My baby slept 10 hours last night, which means mommy did too. I woke up feeling like a million bucks.

2. Today has been busy,  and my house is a mess but I love working along side my husband whenever I get the opportunity!

3. The bible.

4. I get to see some of my dearest friends in one week! I'm so excited, plus there's a wedding- I love weddings :)

5. For calendars. I'm fairly good with remembering dates, but lateley I'm very forgetful! Calendars come in handy...if I remember to write stuff on it ;)

6. Coffee. I love it lately.

7. We had a date night this week. It was needed, and I loved every minute of it.

8. It's Thursday, and it's almost over which means tomorrow's the weekend. Which means we get to hang out with daddy all day for two days, we're looking forward to it.

8. The heat in our house, it's getting cold out there. Heat in your home is not something to take for granted.

9. For prayer. That I can talk to God freely, with confidence and be humbled by his presence. Nothing compares. 

10. Soothers. They're magic, and I love them. 

Two Months

Little stinker is two months old today! Man, time sure does fly. Our lives have been forever changed by this little guy, and I wouldn't change anything about these past two months for the world. He has taught us so much, especially what it means to be selfless. Having a child is the perfect lesson in being selfless. All of a sudden you have this person who fully depends on you for everything, even when you don't feel like meeting all there needs! Whether thats late night feedings, lack of sleep, eating your food once its cold because your dealing with a fussy baby. The world doesn't revolve around you anymore. 

Canaan is growing so much, and looks so much like a little boy to us. He grew out of that newborn look pretty quickly (although I wouldn't of minded if it stuck around a little longer!) He is getting so long, just like his daddy! He already has to wear size 3-6 month old clothes sometimes just so they fit length wise! His hair is finally starting to come in, which is so very exciting! It's still super blonde, and kind of hard to see unless its in the right light- but I promise its there! Canaan smiles every chance he can get, and it melts my heart! A few weeks ago he started making little noises whenever we talk to him, and i'm sure will giggle very soon! This little dude is so strong, and is already very good at holding his own head up. He loves to kick his legs and move his arms around, and has been spending a lot more time being awake during the day. He sleeps through the night, and still loves his soother! We've travelled a lot these past few weeks, and he travels like a champ! He has recently gained the new nick name "stinker"- not to sure why I started calling him that, but its stuck! Poor kid :) Canaan can sleep for hours if he is covered in blankets, the more blankets the better! This kid loves being warm, just like his dad. We still think Canaan looks mostly like his uncle Nathan, although some days I can really see his daddy showing up in his looks. 

I absolutely love watching his little personality develop, and see him grow and change into a little man. We have been so blessed, and am so thankful for the gift of a son! 

He also doesn't mind all the pictures his mom takes of him, he cooperates mostly :)

Before the throne

"By grace alone somehow I stand, where even angels fear to tread. Invited by redeeming love, before the throne of God above."

These lyrics have been playing over and over in my head (and on my iTunes!) these past few days. These past few weeks I've even reminded and struck by the fact that I can boldly approach the throne of God. I don't know what it is that sparked this reminder but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I've recently just started reading Hebrews again and it has come a few times there too. Me, a sinner destined to an eternity in hell, because of the grace of God and the sacrifice if his sons blood am freed from the bondage of my sin, am free from condemnation and can approach the throne of God with boldness and confidence because that curtain was torn in two! I can come before a holy, perfect God because of his sob and lay my anxieties, my cares and my sin at his feet.  And not only can I do that, but because of Jesus God looks at me through the sacrifice that his son made. Because of the blood of Jesus when God looks at me he sees someone who is not only being made holy, but it already Holy. Obviously I am still a sinner, but I've been saved by grace and that sin no longer has a hold on my life. I have a way out, I have been forgiven and I am urged to longer live in the sin that I used too. I have been promised eternal life, and not only that but I get to spend eternity praising and worshipping the one who paid my debt! 

In light of everything that goes on in this world and in my life, I can so easily forget the importance of the Cross and the gospel. Oh May I never forget the importance of what Jesus did for me and the place the Cross needs to have in my life. May I pass on this GOOD NEWS to everyone I meet (can someone say scary) and onto my children so that they to can one day experience the forgiveness that I have so freely been given! That they would boldly be able go before Gods throne and have a relationship with their Saviour!

" Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize whit our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without soon. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4: 14-16

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith , with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10: 19-23

"A thousand years, a thousand tongues are not even to sing his praise!"

"This is the art of celebration, knowing we're free from condemnation. Oh praise the one, praise the one who made an end to all my sin!"

These lyrics are from the rend collective experiments song: boldly I approach- check it out:
Boldly I Approach- the Rend Collective Experiment

A week of firsts

This past week was one of the busiest we have had in a long time! But, it was a different kind of different and we enjoyed every minute of it!

For thanksgiving weekend we headed up to Belbutte, Saskatchewan for thanksgiving with my husbands side of the family to visit his aunt, uncle and cousins and there young family. We weren't going to go because the drive is 10 hours and we weren't sure how well Canaan would travel, but we decided we would go for it because we didn't want to spend thanksgiving weekend without family! It was such a wonderful time and we were so glad we went! Canaan travelled SO well! We left after work on Friday and only stopped to feed him once, the rest of the time he slept! On the way home we traveled during the day so he ate more, but he still slept the majority of the time and didn't fuss at all! Our family up (down? I never know which direction we are going) in Saskatchewan owns a ranch, with cows, horses, chickens,pigs and lots of cats! It was Canaans first time on a farm and seeing all of these animals! I know he is still really young and wasn't comprehending what he was seeing, but it was still fun for me :) He also got to go on his first quad ride! Well it was a trailer pulled behind a quad, but still. It was so good to be out in the fresh air and just relax. We didn't have any set schedule and we just enjoyed each others company. I loved it.

We traveled home, and on Tuesday all I did was laundry and re packing. On Wednesday we were heading to Grand Forks, North Dakota for the rest of the week. One Hope Canada brought all of us Manitoba Missionaries down there for two nights in a hotel. It was such a great time! I always enjoy getting together with the other Manitoba Missionaries and hearing whats going on at there camp and in there families. We have such a wonderful group of people working in Manitoba and I just love getting to work along side them. It was very relaxing, not much of a set schedule. We enjoyed two suppers together, and an afternoon at a water park. On Saturday evening the directors of our camp offered to look after Canaan for the evening so Michael and I could spend some time together. It was such a blessing to us. We didn't really do anything special, did some shopping at went out for coffee- but it was perfect. We just spent time together-my favorite. It was Canaans first time in the states, he did a lot of shopping and went in the pool for the first time! He liked the water, although it did get pretty cold for him quickly. He also starting cooing for the first time while we were there- its just the cutest little thing! He smiles away and makes these little noises, it just melts our hearts.

This past week was jam packed, but we spent every minute together as a family and I just loved it so much. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to spend time with my little family, creating new memories and watching our little boy grow!