The prayers of a wife...

"The implications of woman’s origin are profound. Her
dignity and worth, her necessity, her role in life and marriage,
and her unique beauty have been established by God from the
beginning. She was made to be a man’s faithful helper. 
And there is no greater help she can offer him than her prayers on
his behalf to the One who alone can provide perfect, sovereign
help. 

When the psalmist sings, “I lift my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?” he answers his own
question with the words, “My help comes from the LORD who
made heaven and earth.” 

You are not sufficient succor for him. A stronger Hand must come to his aid. 
Blessed is the wife who pleads often for this mighty Hand to keep her
husband’s life; who begs for him at the gates of Grace. This is
the sort of woman who fears the LORD, feels her own weakness,
and finds refuge and righteousness in Jesus Christ. 
She wants God for her husband. She is to be praised." 

by Andrew Case in "Prayers of an Excellent Wife"

These are my thoughts today. 
I want God for my husband. 
I am so feeble, fickle, selfish and corrupt. 
My help will fall short every time.

Thank you Lord for the chance to be a "helpmate" to this man you have gifted to me. 
Use me to help him, honor him and love him and may I pray for him with fervent zeal as if his life, our lives depended on it. 

Our lives do depend on it Lord...for we depend solely on you. 

One year old...

Today I am one.

I love to smile.

I like to "talk" really loud so my big brother & sister can hear me.

I am crawling everywhere and am pulling up on anything that will stay still. Then I like to let go and see how long I can stand. I am getting pretty good at that trick.

I do not like to take steps when mommy is holding my hands, but I do like to push the chair around the room and take steps.

I love taking baths and my body almost shakes with excitement when I hear the water running.

When you say "How big is Amelia?", I like to reach both my hands high up in the air as you say "So big!".

I love my snuggly yellow blanket and my little stuffed sheep. They are my friends when I am sleeping.

I like blueberries, apples, pears, yogurt and pancakes. These are my favorite things to eat right now.

I love to snuggle with mommy, wrestle with daddy, get tickled by Levi and get kissed by Ella Mae.

I am growing bigger everyday.

I love my little life.

Today I am one.

I arrive...

I am smiley...

I am cute...

Happy Birthday to me...

Another Valentine's Day...

So Valentine's day has come and gone...some of you may have seen my post on Facebook about my husband taking me on a 24-hour, kid-free, mini-getaway over the weekend. 

Sigh. It went too fast. 

And speaking of going way too fast...

10 years ago this month (February 19th to be exact)...this man of my dreams whisked me away on another wonderful 24-hour weekend. Except this time, it was to ask me to marry him. 

With a masterfully contrived plan, he managed to surprise me with plane tickets (to fly me from Portland to Wenatchee), with my bags already packed by my roommates, with 2 days off work (approved by my boss)...and then came the extravaganza complete with:

-a beautiful drive into the mountains... 

-a double ride on a hidden snowmobile...

-a map for a secret location... 

-a bonfire in 5+ feet of snow...

-music playing on a mountaintop...

-delectable food chilling in a snow bank...

-red roses leading me down a beautiful snowy path...

-a breathtaking diamond ring...

-and a mountaintop proposal by a handsome young man on bended knee on a blue-skied, gorgeous February day complete with celebratory gunfire by the "helpers" who watched across the canyon via binoculars. :o)

Yes, that was the day I got engaged. 

And the adventures have just kept coming. 

Now, 10 years and 3 children later this man of my dreams is still:

leading me...

loving me...

wooing me...

honoring me...

serving me...

desiring me...

praying for me...

listening to me...

and laughing with me.

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone and darling, they just keep getting better.

I love you.