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Here is the deal-- I haven't blogged in roughly 3 months. And I have missed it. I have missed writing. I have missed connecting in this way with those of you who read this.

And now softball is over [I hope to write a wrap up of that this week sometime].

I am still in the midst of my new job at the church [my title is "director of engagement and prayer" and I work ten-ish hours a week, which is a lot more than it sounds like when you're already a full time stay at home mom :)].

But I figure you all deserve some grand, exciting post for my first one in so long. So here it goes.

Deep breaths.

Well, actually, let me just put these pictures here first:

oh this one makes me laugh

Is that grand and exciting enough for you? Because it is for me!

…and if you didn't look closely enough here is a hint: read Becks' shirt…

And if that still isn't obvious enough for you…. 

That right there ^^^ is our THIRD baby that is due in April. And please tell me that he/she and this announcement gets me off the hook for not having time/energy/motivation to write on here for awhile!? Yes? Okay. Thank you.  :)

Here is the long story short:
Last Spring Brent and I were doing a lot of talking and praying and thinking and talking about our family. When I was pregnant with Becks, I said, "If this is a girl, I'm totally okay with stopping at two," because I just wanted Blythe to have a sister. Becks was a girl. Done. Family complete in my eyes.

But.

There was always a little, tiny sense that, for us, that may not be true. Or best. Would two be easier for us? Probably. Would two be best for us? We started praying. Here is the deal: the idea of three children terrifies me a bit, to be honest. THREE?! That's like an entirely new level of insanity [trust me, I've visited my sister ;) just kidding. just kidding. But really]. Was I ready for that? Was I capable of that? And the answer I came up with was: NO. I'm not ready. I'm not capable. I'm not strong enough.

And that is exactly why we decided we should have three children. 

Because God is ready. He is capable. And He is so strong. And by having another child we would enter an entirely new level of dependency on Him. Our family will have to link securely with His strength and faithfulness and peace and forgiveness, and with His unending love as we welcome this new baby and figure out life as FIVE. And while there are still so many unknowns and it still is a little crazy to think about, I hear Him saying, "When you are weak, I am strong."

Remember when Jesus reached out to the storm and simply said, "Peace. Be still" ? He is saying that to my soul right now.

And on top of all of that goodness, we get to have another little person in our family! A new personality to learn and love. A new heart to pour into and discipline and tell about Jesus. And that is always something to celebrate.

When we first got pregnant with Blythe I was overwhelmed by the miracle of life. And now that we are pregnant with our third, I am even more overwhelmed with life. We do not take this miracle lightly, nor do we fully understand why we are in this place and others are continuing to wait month after month for a chance to start a family or grow their family. We just know that God is on the throne, and we will receive this child with such fullness of gratitude.

So here we go. We're so thankful to have such a wonderful support of friends and family, and we are so excited to share this little life with all of you.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to read the note I wrote this child the day we found out about his/her existence.