Our newest entertainment.  Eden's sweet little ooohs and coos have turned into this...an all out yell!

The Things You Do!

Our little baby girl is growing up (literally considering she is taller than 75% of most 3 month olds...but average weight) right before our eyes.  Sometimes I feel like she gets bigger over night.  As she grows and becomes more of a baby than a newborn, she gets more and more fun.  We have laughed from day one at the hilarious things she does.  For example, we have multiple videos we filmed in the wee hours of the morning her first week at home.  This was to document her unbelievable cuteness, but more so her hilarious facial expressions.  She will love this one day.

In addition to funny faces, miss Eden has made herself rather famous for her very unladylike flatulence.  She has literally woken us from sleep with the volume!  She will hate this one day.

Most recently, Eden has gone from a sweet little babble to us and her favorite bunny, to an all out yell!  My ability to talk on the phone has almost completely diminished.  I dont mind this.  I couldn't talk to anyone as a result of my hysterical laughter anyway. 

Celebrating more than 45 minutes of sleep...and her first New Years Eve

The mere time lapse since the last blog is a window into the last 3 months for us. Since the arrival of our little pumpkin, it seems that life has been busier and harder than ever. When I was prenant, people (sometimes random people in Walmart) told me all the time: "Girl, your life is about to change." I would smile politely and say "Yeah, I know, we're excited!" I had no idea how right they were....

The first month of Eden's life was one of the hardest I have ever had. She was suffering from a horrible case of colic and was around the clock gassy and uncomfortable. I altered my diet over and over to see what I was eating that resulted in these sleepless nights...and days (milk...go figure). Clint and I lived in shifts. He, up til 4 am playing video games to stay awake. Then me, up from 4 am on trying to soothe our very sad baby. An excercise ball my sister gave me while I was pregnant literally saved our sanity. I lived on that ball for weeks...into months. I cried and bounced...and sometimes slept.

And then...we drove to Washington DC for our New Years Conerence. I had dreaded this trip since she was born...8 hours in the car with a screaming baby on I95, great. However, this was a turning point for our little bundle of gas...she slept the ENTIRE way there. Only waking to eat. At the same time I was both rejoicing over the easy trip and dreading what 8 hours of daytime sleep meant for the night..and consequently for the rest of the conference. Maybe she just likes a fast paced lifesyle...but our little girl was a totally different baby that week. No belly aches, no screaming so hard the neighbors could hear...and on top of it all...a 7 hour night of sleep! I could function again! That was at 6 weeks.  Last friday Eden turned 3 months old. 

Though these has been the hardest and most self-denying 3 months of my life, they have also been some of the most joyful. There are no words to explain what your heart feels for your own child. I could write pages and never come close to doing my heart any justice.  It just cant be explained.  

Being patient with Mommy as she plays with her new camera.

Showing her new trick (responding to someone sticking out their tongue by doing the same) to Tayler at the New Years Conference

Its a GIRL!

Our sweet little surprise decided to give us an even bigger surprise as she arrived 13 days early!  Eden Bradlee was born on November 13th at 4:45 pm.  She weighed 7lbs. 4 oz and was 19 3/4 in. long.  Here are some pics of the family on the day she was born!

Prego Pictures!

These fun pictures were taken by our good friend Jenelle on campus at Wingate!  We are officially 3 weeks from our due date as of today!!  

Breakthrough

John 3:19-21 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and the people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lets his deeds should be exposed. 21. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.”


I know that all of you have experienced a late conference night ending with the joy of coming into a nice, clean hotel room for much needed sleep. You close the curtains making sure the room will be utterly dark hoping that will make up for the fact that you only have 5 hours before you get up. But the next morning you wake up to what feels like a laser pointer of light, that has somehow penetrated your placement of the curtains and landed directly in your eyes. You cover up with a pillow and flip over in frustration as you HAD one more hour of sleep before you had to get up. Instead of getting up you toss and turn for the next hour not really getting good sleep but refuse to get out of bed.

As I have studied I John this semester I have been rocked off of two themes. God sending the Light, Jesus, into darkness and our bent to love darkness instead of The Light. All too often I think we experience this hotel room scenario in our spiritual lives. There is a breakthrough of light in the curtains of our hearts that wakes us up. And we try to cover up our eyes so as to not see it and toss and turn uncomfortably for hours trying to remain asleep and in darkness. God is so committed to us that He sends light into our darkness and as uncomfortable and disturbing as it may be we should run over to the curtains and throw them as wide open as fast as possible. 

Repentance is so counter-intuitive. Why would we want to see sin, why would we want to see failure, why would we want to see disobedience? Because if we can see sin, failure, and disobedience that means the glorious light of our Lord Jesus is shining into our lives. So I believe that John would tell us to “walk in the light” and live a lifestyle of repentance. I have really been convicted at how often I run from repentance instead of running right at it. I pray that the Lord would make us people who consistently experience the passionate breakthrough of light into our own personal darkness. May we be a people who responds to this breakthrough by flinging open the curtains “confessing our sin” and believing our God is “faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!” I John 1:9 And may believers and nonbelievers alike look at our lives and conclude Jesus is a God that is committed to SAVE and BEAUTIFY HIS BRIDE!

Love You All! Praying for personal and TEAM breakthroughs!

Clint

Fall Showers

Rachel with the grandmas-to-be!

Rachel with Clint's very first teddy bear.  His grandma gave it to him at his birth!

Rachel loves the duck! :)

Things have been non-stop in Wingate!  The past 3 out of 4 weekends have been spent away from home for support and baby showers.  Though it has been taxing to travel so much, it has been SO fun!  We have received so many generous and unique gifts!  As the calendar closes in on November 26th, we are becoming more and more excited to meet our new little baby!  The nursery is under construction and we officially have the crib ready for safe sleeping!  Pics of our sweet little Pooh nursery will be up as soon as we get it finished!