Love Is... an encouraging word (Week 35)

Have you ever gone through a rough day and just thought "Oh I can't wait until this is over" and then all of a sudden, you get a text, call or email from a random friend/loved one with an even more randon I love you or encouraging word?

Those are some of my favorite examples of love. You know... the ones that it takes you 5 seconds to send to a friend and you find out later that they have had a hard day or a tough time and there was something about what you sent that just made their day a little brighter. Or one of my favorites is when my mom or Jonathan tells Jocelyn, as I am leaving for the work day, "tell mommy bye bye and you love her" and then she does it! Just melts my heart and makes my day so much better!

I am so blessed to have surrounded myself with ladders (people that lift you up) instead of adders (people that just leave you feeling so low by adding un-necessary gunk to your life) in my life that I get to experience this quite often. Not in a "oh I am so awesome way" but more in the way that my friends know I love it when I get a "Hi, I was thinking of you today" or a "Just thought of the time you did blah blah blah and shot milk out of my nose" you know those normal day to day comments <3

These are a few recent examples that are so simple and yet made me feel so good
- Thank you for being you and helping me out today. ♥
- Praying you are feeling GREAT!
- so happy to see the tiddens this morning! :) it was a great way to start our day!
- I'm super excited for a new recipe that can double as a freezer recipe as well! Yay! Thanks!
- Just stopping by to share a Facebook hug! Miss yall
- I'm reminiscing and missing you. And on a side note our kids our soooo cute together.

So all that to say this, it takes maybe one minute to make a positive difference in someone's life. It can something so small and simple but yet make such a huge impact in our lives. Whether it be someone you know or someone you are just passing by in this crazy life. Take the few seconds to smile, say hi, write a friend, text a family member or make someone laugh. There will never be a time that you will regret too much positive communication with your love ones!

Project 52 Date #34

So sometimes life throws you a curve-ball, like planning a car wash date in the middle of a drought and all of a sudden a huge rainstorm comes in! But we tried to make the best of the situation! The date was to wash both of our cars and then go out to eat afters, so my plan was to take both cars and go to B&J's after, but it seemed like God had other plans, so we adapted!

We figured out that we could wash the cars but then they would just get extra dirty on the roads coming home, so we opted for vacuuming out a car. Well we got to the car wash place and wouldn't you know they had convenient little tarps over the vacuum place, SCORE! So the rain started to come down harder and we began to quickly realize that these tarps were not waterproof :) And that there was a 2 foot gap between tarp which allowed the sideways rain to wash the inside of our car too.

Plan B:
Since vacuuming went alot quicker then planned, and since we already had a babysitter for Jocelyn (Thanks mom) we opted to go see a movie that the both of us have been dying to see. We squeezed in a quick dinner of salads at Montana Mikes and then off to the movies we ran! All in all the night was great and full of laughter and "oh my goodness are you serious" moments :) We had a great time with the car, dinner was fabulous and the movie was great. Fantastic date night!



JT: So the date night was for us to go wash and clean out our cars together and wouldn't you know that the day we plan that is the one day in the last 100 days that it decides to rain! I'm not complaining because we needed the rain but it was kinda funny. So we get to the carwash place and it's raining lightly and as soon as we start cleaning out the car it starts raining harder. So we're starting to get wet because the tarp canopy roof they have isn't really offering any protection but instead has just enough gaps in it to let the rain get to us. So we hurry up and get the car all nice and clean and get outta there just in time, as soon as we got in the car again it started raining even more! SO now it's time to grab some dinner so we head over to Montana Mikes and kill a small mountain of cheese fries followed by a killer salad(yeah real healthy...). Then we top the evening off with a trip to the movies and watch Rise of Planet of The Apes! I highly recommend this movie, it was so much better than I anticipated. I'll warn you though, it may change your mind about that cute little pet monkey you've been wanting lately.......

Love Is... New Life (Week 34)

Earlier this week I was sitting down brainstorming what I should make the topic of this week's edition of "Love Is..." and then, all of a sudden, it hit me. Literally. First in the hip, then in the ribs, and then lastly, straight to the bladder. So this week I decided to write about my new, tiny, growing life. So, here I sit- 30 weeks pregnant with a little baby bug kicking, hitting, moving and shaking all around. Feeling SO blessed to be expecting my second darling daughter. Deciding to have children is one of the MOST wonderful, most terrifying adventures any couple will go on. And some of us are crazy enough to have more than one! :)

But, getting pregnant or staying pregnant, does not come easy to everyone. I know couples who struggle for months and years to conceive a child... and for some that dream never comes to fruition. Thankfully, with the help of modern technology and a God that has been SO good to us, we were able to have our healthy, beautiful, spoiled rotten little girl in July of 2009, and her little sister will join us in October of this year. They did not come without heartache, though. After two miscarriages in 2008, my doctor ran a series of tests on me and my husband to see if there was any reason why this was happening to us, or if it was just a case of- "this is not your time."

Before getting pregnant the first time, we had prayed faithfully and truly felt like God was giving us the green light. So after our second loss, we were really struggling to understand why this was happening. To say I was angry at God.... would be an understatement. I was livid. I cried, John cried, we were crushed. Then- my blood work came back. My doctor called us in to the office to tell me that the tests showed two abnormalities with my blood. One- a folic acid deficiency, and the other- a blood clotting disorder. Both with a high miscarriage rate. She told us right away that she had seen this before and it was a TREATABLE condition. AMEN! We were so thrilled to know that other women with this disorder had successfully carried a baby to term. Then came the "bad news." The treatment?? Daily injections of blood thinner. that I would do myself. in my stomach. everyday that I was pregnant. SAY WHAAAAAAAT?

John and I talked about it... for about half a second. I immediately knew I wanted to do it. I have known since I was about 6 years old that I wanted to be, no, that I was CALLED TO BE, a mother. So my doctor sent us to a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor. He told us the plan was- as soon as I got a positive home pregnancy test, I was to go to the pharmacy and fill my prescription for a drug called Lovenox. It's a once daily injection, straight in the gut. So, we tried again. and got pregnant right away. Hallelujah! So off I went to the pharmacy, got my prescription and went home and gave myself my first ever shot. I ended up doing 232 shots my first pregnancy. It was not NEARLY as bad as I had first imagined. For the miracle that is our sweet Kennedy, it was an extremely small price to pay.

So, in my 30th week of pregnancy with baby #2, I've done approximately 161 shots... not that I'm counting. ;)

People go to MUCH greater lengths than I have to have a baby. I've known people that have spent their entire life savings on fertility treatment. A friend of a friend re-mortgaged their home to do ONE.MORE.ROUND of IVF... so I am counting my blessings. I am grateful, thankful and extremely happy that all I have to do is a tiny little shot in the belly everyday. Every time I tell people my story, they immediately say "there is no way I could do that." To which I reply "You could if you had to." And it's true, if you were really faced with that choice, you'd do it... because THAT'S what Love is.



Rebekah

Love is ... to serve (Week 33)

serv·ice

1. an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word "service?"

For me, the first thing that popped into my head is how someone else serves me. For example, at a restaurant. How good was the service? Did my food arrive on time? Was the wait staff friendly? Then I sat down and really started thinking about service and I was SO ASHAMED of myself that the very first thing I thought of was me and how well others serve me. I know tons and tons of others ways people serve, and ways I, myself can serve and have served but for some reason (I'll blame it on the pregnancy hormones) the first thing I thought of was me.

So this week, I am challenging myself, and all of you, to think of service in a bigger, grander way. After my appalling first thoughts about myself and food, I realized that there are several (way more important) ways in which people serve. Probably the most obvious is the Military. I can think of no greater act of love than to serve our country. To willing put your life on the line SOLELY to help others... is nothing short of amazing.

For me, as a Christian, another way of serving is in Church. Volunteering time to work in God's house is not only beneficial to the Church, but is SO beneficial to the individual that is doing the serving. Some of the times that I have felt the best is when I am serving in church. And serving in Church looks different for every person. Some people do child care, some greet at the door, some come early and make all those gallons of coffee, and some go on mission trips. All are equally important.

And finally, just helping people. Help anyone! Help an elderly person across the street, help a short, pregnant girl like myself reach something on the top shelf of the grocery store. Just DO SOMETHING for someone else. I promise it will not only make them feel good, but you'll be surprised how good it makes YOU feel!

Project 52 Date #33

This date was a combination of two because we were off by a date. Breakfast for dinner/Tower of Terror(Jenga)!

We made our favorite breakfast entree Swedish Pancakes, they're kinda like crepes. I used to make these for Mia almost every Saturday when we first got married. It's been awhile so we were pretty excited. Swedish pancakes with whipped creme and pears oh my! after we cleaned up the kitchen it was on to a game of Jenga. I made the mistake of asking Mia which table she wanted to use(we have 2) and after a long drawn out smarty pants thinking session she decided we will be sitting at Jocelyn's lilliputian table(if you don't know what a lilliputian is I really can't help you...)
So we get our first tower pretty high and then I loose my concentration and down it goes. Round 1 to Mia. Second time went down pretty quick and to Mia's hand, Round 2 to Jonathan. Best of 3 and I knocked it over again so Mia won. We love our pancakes and Jenga was alot of fun too!!!



Mia Says: This date was delicious, swedish pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast dishes and we seriously have not had it since before Jocelyn, so I was really looking forward to this date! Oh and we had whip cream and fruit as the topping which is a childhood favorite so it was double the awesomeness! Then JT asks me to choose my favorite table but won't tell me what for.... let me ask you this... do you have a "favorite" table? I don't, so when he MADE me choose, I chose the itty bitty Jocelyn table :) Jenga was a blast because at a table, that isn't made for your height, adds another element of "danger" Great date!

Project 52 Date #32

So last night's date got changed up twice but we ended up having a great night of take out from HuDat and then played a quick game of "Would you rather...?" Lots of fun questions and of course some surprising answers.

He says: Sometimes life throws you a changeup and you just have to go with it. So 2 trips to Hudat(the girl at the counter looked at me the second time i came in, in less than an hour :), and said "long time no see", and 2 Disney movies later and we were all set. We were going to play a board game but we had both had such long days so I got out the always ridiculous and sometimes inappropriate Would You Rather...? game and we played a mini 2-person game for a bit before calling it a night. Would you rather...parachute into the Superbowl naked or.....????

Love is.... Man's best friend (Week 32)

I am not a pet person. I know that statement will NOT win me any fans, but it is the truth. I don't dislike animals, by any means, but I just don't have that warm, loving place in my heart for pets like some (okay, most) people do. So this week, I decided to try and grow a little and find out what exactly it is people love about those hairy, slobbery creatures that people are willing to let them sleep in their beds!! I asked around and got lots of positive feed back. Here is what a few of my friends and family said about their loyal companions.

"I love our dog because no matter how much my boys follow her around, dress her up, try and force feed her bugs, or fall all over her, she takes it and rewards them with a kiss." - Christy S.

"I love our dogs because they are a source of comfort & protection, even if they are bigger weenies than I am!" - Hannah K.

"I love our dog because he never complains about what's for dinner." - Alicia G.

I loved all the good things people had to say about their dogs, and even some of the not so great things made me giggle. But from talking to people, I really got a sense of the love they felt for their pets. Then one day I was browsing a certain social network site and a dear friend of mine posted about shelter dogs. Of course I know there are tons and tons of animal shelters, and millions of animals that need to be adopted, but after doing a little research and talking to my friend Neda, I really realized the severity of the situation. Animal shelters all over the country are PACKED full with animals. Animals that have been abused, neglected, beaten, and all kinds of other really horrible things. It was heart wrenching- even for me who claims not to hold a special place in my heart for animals. It got to me.

My parents adopted a dog in January of this year from a boxer rescue. I asked my mom why she chose to go to a shelter/rescue instead of a breeder or a pet store. Here is what I found out about their newest family member, Piper. Piper came from a "puppy mill." Basically, someone had her locked up in a cage all the time and just kept breeding her and breeding her until she literally could not have another puppy. Then she developed heart worm and the puppy mill abandoned her. Thankfully, she was rescued by the Houston Boxer Rescue in time to get treatment for her heart worm and was able to make a great recovery. Here is a little information on what dogs go through while they are being treated for heart worm. http://heartwormtreatment-fordogs.com/ Unfortunately, there are way too many dogs dying of sickness, abandonment, and all kinds of unimaginable awful things. There are TONS of animals that need new, loving, compassionate homes. So if you are in the market for a new pet, I BEG you to check your local shelters or rescue centers. I know, for me, if I ever decide to get a pet (which is likely to happen once my kiddos start begging!!) I WILL adopt a shelter dog. BUT- if you are not in a place to get a new pet at this time, please take the time to seek out a shelter near you and see if there is anything you can do to help. Maybe you can offer a little Saturday morning time, or I know they are always in need of supplies, or, of course, they could always use monetary donations! See what you can do to help today!!

‎"Shelter dogs aren't broken. They've simply experienced more life than other dogs. If they were human, we would call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tell and stories to write. The ones dealt a bad hand who responded with courage. Don't pity a shelter dog. Adopt one. And be proud to have their greatness by your side."

-Rebekah

Project 52 Date #31

This date was to make a house of cards. Instructions were easy(yeah right) get a deck of cards and them make a house of cards. Neither one of u had ever done this before so this was a new and amusing experience for us. It's definitely not as easy as it looks...oh yeah sure you just stack em up and make like a 4 story mansion out of cards...no problem right? Wrong! we ended up busting out the Google on it and watching some pro do it like it was the easiest thing in the world. But it did help us get the idea of how it works down. At one point we did manage to get 3 levels built up but it fell before we could get a picture of it. I think we had a good stack going like a dozen times and then it would just all the sudden POW! and collapse. It made for some tense moments and alot of laughs. This was the simplest of dates and was alot of fun working together to try to get a house built.

Mia: So we decided to make our house of cards together which added a difficult element to it. Once we googled it, the first thing the guy on the video says is " do not start with a brand new deck of cards" Jonathan and I then stare at our brand new deck of card :) So that is why it didn't work the first time around. So we went and grabbed a old deck and it worked alot better that time around, even so that we were able to get a three level house of cards, but not before a camera got to it. Lots of fun on this date and lots of teamwork :)

Love is... making room (Week 31)

My husband and I moved from Houston to Corpus Christi in October of 2008, after a VERY stressful job hunt that lasted from May to September of that year. John had just graduated from Law School and was seriously struggling to find employment. Then, thanks to his brother in law, he landed a job in the oil and gas business and that led to our move to CC. Our original plan was to be there a year, and then transfer back to the Houston area... well, that year turned into three. We eventually made Corpus our home and met some pretty amazing people (our fantastic blog host, for example).

But we missed our family terribly and when we got news that our second baby was on the way, we decided that it was time for John to start the job hunting process all over again. Only this time, it didnt take long. He contacted a guy in Houston that he met at an oil & gas pipeline meeting and asked if he knew of anything and the guy pretty much offered him a job on the spot. Hallelujah!

We were so excited to be getting back to where we knew we wanted to be long term. We were SO ready to get a place of our own and really settle down, for us and for our girls. The only problem was, we needed to save for a down payment and then house hunt, and all of that takes WAY longer than time we had before my husband had to start his next job. So we prayed about it and talked to family and decided to move in with my parents. I know this is not a decision many couples could quickly agree on, but for us, it was a very easy choice. We have a great relationship with my parents and they were VERY quick to offer up their upstairs to us.

We have only been here a week and we are SO thankful that my parents agreed to put us up for *gulp* the next 6 to 8 months!! My parents, along with my 13 year old little sister and their 2 LARGE boxer dogs, have a four bedroom home. It is spacious... when it's just the three of them plus the pups. but when you add in another couple PLUS a 2 year old AND another baby coming in October, the spaciousness quickly dissapates. But NOBODY has complained or grumped about being cramped or crowded, and everyone has been so great.

Throughout this whole process, we have been so filled with love and family, but one thing stood out to me in a BIG way. My mom is an AVID seamstress. She can pretty much sew or quilt anything you could ever imagine. She has an entire room dedicated to sewing. A room with floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with beautiful fabrics and craft projects. A room with a giant, old oak table used for cutting and piecing things together, a room witha little desk and a sewing machine that hums away every second my mom has to spare. A room... that has now been completly stripped bare to make room for our 2 year old. My sweet mom. She spent hours and hours going through all of her fabrics. Cutting it down to what she needed and wanted to keep, and then donating an enormous box to her church's "ladies sewing team." Then she moved her, now significatly smaller "stash" down stairs into Dad's office. So now mom and dad share that space. to do all the office type things and to sew and to watch tv. It's kind of their version of a "man cave" only now it's the "couples cave."

I am so grateful that everyone has been so willing, and good hearted about making room for us and our little growing family. I am sure it will get a little crowded (especially when we add a newborn to the mix in a mere 3 months) but I know everyone will make room for each other, because that is what love is.

13 Weeks!

Decided to try something new with this pregnancy to keep everyone in the loop as much as possible :)

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:


How Far Along: 13 Weeks (End of first trimester officially) wow this is going by fast!

Fruit/Veggie: Size of a cute perfect little peach (Around 2.9 inches and nearly an ounce)

Baby changes: Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now.Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Best Moment this week: We got to take a second look at T2 (Tidbit 2) this week and he/she is actually looking less like a peanut and more like an actual baby :) Dr. Wilder was happy with everything, which makes us happy with everything! Also I am half way done with finishing Jocelyn's dresser this week so then I will be able to move on soon to T2's dresser next :) EXCITING!


Movement: None yet, but I do see a noticeable bulge which is making everything a little bit more real!

Food Cravings: Tin Roof ... if you don't know about it, you should! It's a bluebell ice cream that is randomly put out and then at the same time randomly put away. You will always find a member of the Tidden Family searching the ice cream aisle for a glimpse at the elusive ice cream. Well... we found it last week! Love it!
Sleep: Loving it for now!

What I am looking forward to: More pictures and updates :)

Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain and being randomly emotional (don't watch the talking cat commercial for the humane society, not fair!)

Sleep : one of two ways; like the dead or not at all!