This should bring you up to date.

As great as my life is right now I must say - it never seems to slow down! We finally have internet connection at our house. However, contrary to my expectation, I still don’t have “extra” time to sit down and blog regularly; maybe after we get back from this conference.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! Today she is one month old! If the next eighteen years go as quickly as the first month then I had better not take for granted any moments I have with her. We still love watching her every movement. She is just so cute! Our nights are going as well as can be expected. She usually wakes up twice during the night to eat but quickly goes right back to sleep. She seems to be healthy and growing quickly. At the doctor last week she weighed just under 8lbs. I love it that she is starting to smile at me and seems at least a little interested in a few of her toys. A couple weeks ago she rolled over from her tummy to her back twice. Unfortunately I didn’t see it. : ( I thought it was probably accidental but since then she has done it three or four more times. I was glad to finally catch her in the act yesterday. It still may not be on purpose but I suppose that is how she will learn.

We are busy, busy, busy getting ready for our departure to Richmond, Virginia for the out of state pilot conference for Character Focus Ministries. We are expecting this conference to have approximately 500 children for 2 full days as well as a training day for the volunteers we will be working with from there. We are excited about the team the Lord has put together from here and are looking forward to what He is planning to do through us for his kingdom. Please be in prayer for us as we finish all of the many preparations and while we are there June 4-14.


Mother’s Day was very special this year! Brandon did a wonderful job helping Elizabeth honor me. He bought me a corsage, some roses, and a shirt.

At church that day we had the baby dedication service. Although Brandon and I together gave Elizabeth to the Lord in the hospital we wanted to take advantage of this time to publicly dedicate her to the Lord. It was such a special time and made the day even better for me. We pray Elizabeth will follow the Lord with all of her heart, all of her days.


After church we spent Lunch with Brandon’s mom and dinner with mine. It was a wonderful day! We enjoyed spending time with our families and blessing our mothers for all they do for us. Needless to say, they enjoy our new blessing as well. :)



Elizabeth’s first vacation was when she was 10 days old. We went to Lake Ten Killer with Brandon’s mom and dad and stayed in a cabin there. The plans were changed by unanticipated circumstances and mom and dad had to leave the day after we got there. Brandon and I went ahead and stayed a few more days with Justin.

The next week mom and dad went back and at the last minute Brandon and I went with them. The weather was nice so they got out the jet skis and put them on the water. Even though I didn’t bring a swim suit Brandon took me for a spin. It was a lot of fun and Elizabeth enjoyed it too! I still haven’t decided if Elizabeth or Papa and Nanny enjoyed it more.

Papa and Nanny loved going to the lake with their first grandaughter! We are excited about going back this July with the whole family!













Well that should pretty much bring you up to date. Sorry it has been so long. I will try to do better about posting more often.

Blessings,
Rachael

Finally... Pictures of Elizabeth Grace!

Wow! What an indescribable feeling to be a mommy. Elizabeth is doing very well. At night she sleeps, except for her feedings. She doesn’t seem to be a fussy very much at all. Sometimes I wonder if I am going to wake up one day and this will have all just been a “season” or did I just get really blessed with a good baby or is this really the way things are going to be. Either way we have been trying very hard not to spoil her and even at her young age, start getting her used to bedtime routines and schedules.
I love letting her little eyes find mine and her little hands grasp my fingers. Something else I love to soak in is watching Brandon sleep on the couch while Elizabeth sleeps curled up on his chest. He is such a great daddy! Yes, life is different and I am still trying to learn and adjust to life with a baby but it is all going well. I feel so blessed to have this little life placed in our care. What a joy, what a task, what an adventure!

The labor and delivery went really well. Brandon was a wonderful labor support person; I couldn't have done it without him! Labor started on Saturday around 4:00pm, got hard around 10:30pm and ended at 1:04pm Sunday afternoon. What an experience!

To see pictures of Elizabeth, visit our web album by clicking the link below.

Elizabeth Grace Werner - Birth

More pictures soon,
Rachael

New Arival!

Elizabeth Grace is here! I know you all want to see pictures but our life has been a little unorganized recently. Rachael will be writting an update and then she will be posting pictures and a new web album! For now, all I have is the specs.

Elizabeth Grace
Born on April 22, 2007 at 1:04pm
Weight: 6.13 Hieght: 19in.

Rachael and the baby are doing great! I am getting internet at our house so that Rachael can post pictures, updates, and more often for your enjoyment. We are going out of town this weekend so check back soon for updates on the baby, our trip, and more!

Many Blessings!
-Brandon

Just a Waitin'

Although we officially have nine more days until the actual due date of our new arrival it feels like it is just a waiting game now. To think it could be any moment is so exciting! I know the Lord has the perfect day and time for Elizabeth to make an official entrance into the world but the waiting is a little difficult. I am so grateful to still be feeling so well. It seems almost to good to be true. In some ways it doesn't even feel like it is "time".

On the 10th of April our church had a baby shower for us. The love and blessing we felt was indescribable. All of the preparation, people in attendance, and wonderful gifts made us feel so loved! We received a stroller and car seat travel system so now we officially can bring Elizabeth home from the hospital. :) I was also very excited to receive an album and other cropping supplies to preserve all of these precious memories for generations to come. There were many cute little outfits given. Some people say I am going to have to change her more than once a day in order to let her wear them all. The shower was so much fun and...wow... I just can't describe it! Our family, both church and blood, loves us so much and we can feel it!!!
I will be posting some pictures of the shower soon.

After the shower Brandon helped me open all the gifts and organize, organize, organize! It was actually really fun. Not only did we completely organize and prepare the nursery we went ahead and did all of our spring cleaning. Brandon is a great organizer and I could not have done near the things we got done without him! It just doesn't seem like there is much more we could do in order to prepare for Elizabeth. It is wonderful to have a very clean house! :)

Thank you all very much for praying for my family during the loss of my Great Grandma. The funeral services were good and although my voice wasn't "normal" I was able to sing with my sisters.

May the Lord bless each one of your households!!

Rachael

Trust in the Lord

“Trust in Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and HE SHALL direct your path.”

Life is full of giants. Giant bills. Giant task. Giant problems. Giant temptations. Giant decisions. At times it feels like these giants are to big for us to handle. The truth is... they are.

We cannot face the giants alone or in our own strength. We grow tiered. We grow weary.

"But those who wait on the Lord will RENEW their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."

Where is your trust? Where is your strength? When life knocks you down what do you do? Do you grow weary or do you put your trust in the almighty God who is in control of everything that happens? God is still on the throne! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! And no matter what man may try, no matter what happens to you, nothing will remove Him from His throne. He is eternally steadfast.

And what does He ask from you? The same thing He has been asking from the beginning of time. For you to love Him more than anything. “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” Love Him more then sin. Love Him more then self. Love Him more then family. Love Him more then friends. Love Him more then dreams. Love Him more then desires. Love Him.

When we do this, we will unlock a relationship with our Savior that will surpass all others. Why? Because He loves us with pure and undefiled love. He loves us with a love that nobody else can. How do I know? Because He proved it:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life.”



The Lord directed me to share this with you all today. I am not sure who this is for but I pray it will minister to you all. May you stand in awe in the presence of His love today and put your full trust in Him. If you would like for Rachael and I to pray for you please feel free to leave us a comment or catch up with us later. We love you all!

In Christ,
-Brandon

37 Weeks! Baby Shower at Covels.

We have officially reached thirty-seven weeks! Elizabeth is now considered full term! Friday I had an appointment with Ann. She said things are progressing well and now it’s just a waiting game. As far as being pregnant goes I have been feeling great and my cold/sinus stuff seems to slowly be getting better.



Something you could be in prayer for me is that I will have my voice back in its entirety by Tuesday. This past Wednesday night my great grandma Kelley (my mom’s grandma) passed away. The funeral services are going to be held on Tuesday and my sisters and I are supposed to sing. Although it isn’t something I look forward to, I know it would greatly honor the family and especially my great grandpa.

This last Monday a baby shower was held for us at a friend’s home. Our extended family and friends were invited. There were so many people there.
We truly were showered with many gifts and felt so loved and blessed! There were many ladies that helped to prepare a table full of wonderful snacks and afterward one of the young ladies there rubbed my feet! I felt like such an honored guest!!!
We are almost completely ready for Elizabeth’s arrival. The only thing we lack as far a necessity goes is a car seat. Of course, I’m sure if she makes an early appearance we will be able to overcome that obstacle with little to no problems.
The nursery just keeps looking better and better. I love to go in and just think how any day now our baby could be lying in that crib! WOW! God’s design truly is perfect.

For more pictures of the shower visit our web album:

Family Baby Shower

27 Days to Go!!!

It is getting soooo very close! Brandon and I were looking at the calendar and thinking of the “best” times for Elizabeth to arrive. I was amazed at how many “important” things we are supposed to do this month. However, I have no doubt those “important” things on the calendar will be able to be adjusted rather quickly whenever Elizabeth is born. The Lord’s timing is perfect!
According to my weekly email update Elizabeth supposedly weighs about 6lbs. now and is a little less than 19 inches long. At my last appointment the midwife said they would not do anything to stop my labor at this point. She said I was good to go anytime! She would still be considered premature if she were born this week. Ann (my midwife) and her assistant were guessing what the baby weighs. The assistant guessed currently a weight of 5lbs. 9oz. and my midwife guessed she would weigh 6lbs. 8oz. at birth! It was fun to have them guess and I must admit I would be thrilled if Ann was close in her guess. They both agreed that the baby didn’t feel very big. Yippee!

How much do you think she is going to weigh? Leave a comment with your guess!

Both Brandon and I have been fighting sinus stuff or some virus going around. He seems to be on the down side of his but mine unfortunately just started. Yesterday I was able to rest all day and sleep a lot, which seemed to help some. Today I am feeling better but would like for both of us to be able to completely knock this thing before Elizabeth is born. Please be praying for quick healing for us both.

35 Days and Counting

On Friday I received my weekly pregnancy email update. It was pleasantly surprising to read there were only 35 days left! (As of 3-23-07) I thought that sounded far less than five weeks. The email also informed me that all of her functioning organ systems are pretty much functioning and these last few weeks are mostly for gaining weight! Yes, slightly discouraging. I certainly want a healthy baby but….let’s not get carried away Miss Elizabeth. She should already weigh about 5lbs. This pregnancy has seemed to be pretty easy thus far. My heartburn hasn’t given me problems for several weeks now and although I have been dealing with the regular slight ankle swelling I just can’t bring myself to complain. I’ve have seen too many other women have things far more difficult.

This past week while Brandon was gone my mom came over and helped me get the nursery cleaned and organized. It looks really good. I was so grateful to have her help! It was really fun putting on the bedding. (Mom T. bought it for us as a gift.)We still have to hang some things on the walls but everything that I currently have is ready. After my baby shower I will just have to put the final things away.

Mom W. found this beautiful dresser set and small nightstand (seen in picture above) at a garage sale. Our crib is white but I think this furniture looks great in the nursery anyways. It is really good quality furniture made by Broyhill. Mom and Dad W. bought it for us as a shower gift. It was really a great blessing to us and I am sure we will use it for many, many years to come.





We are excited about the things the Lord has in store for us! This is quite the adventure!!!