Isaac's 4th Birthday!!!

The day BEFORE we went to the hospital because mama had gone into labor, Grandpa Marty and Grandma Cheryl had a birthday party for Isaac. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and we spent time on their back porch with Isaac's Great Grandpa Mel & Grams, Papa George & MorMor, Uncle Jim and Aunt Mandy and his cousin Mercedes.





It was VERY important to Isaac to have a birthday part with his cousin. He LOVES her and they had a great time together. Isaac spent a few days before the party at Grandpa & Grandma's house and they played for hours together!



Isaac and Mercedes laughed as he opened his presents.



Papa George gave Isaac some walkie talkies and he and Mercedes LOVED them!





A back yard birthday party was perfect. The weather was perfect and the birthday boy was in heaven!







It was a great way to celebrate prior to Caitlyn's arrival!

Isaac got to celebrate his birthday 3 times this year! Once before baby sister's arrival, once on his actual birthday and once with his Papa and Nana the weekend after Caitlyn's arrival... more pictures to come!

Blessed

Caitlyn came in the wee hours of the morning on Monday, October 17, 2011. We knew she was gonna be here before her big brother's birthday on Wednesday, October 19, 2011. So, as a mama, I got creative and made her a very special outfit to wear at the hospital on the 19th.



Little did I know, we would be allowed to come home on the 19th! It was a great surprise for Isaac! Caitlyn was prepared with a little present for her brother, Isaac was surprised with balloons and cupcakes, it was the perfect way to celebrate on his actual birthday!

Not only did we come home on his birthday, Isaac was able to go to school and tell everyone about his little sister! He was very excited!



It was important to me to make sure Isaac's birthday didn't just go by. I know he is 4 and doesn't know the days of the week or the date, but as his mama, it was something that was important and my heart was blessed by how special it made him feel!



A very proud big brother on his birthday with his baby sister!



I couldn't help my self, I had to take a picture of how sweet she looked in the car seat on the way home! Our hospital experience was a huge blessing. The C-Section went great, I was blessed in the most simple and yet powerful ways. We only had to stay 2.5 days in the hospital and I did not experience tremendous pain, I just needed Tylenol and Advil for the pain, isn't He good! Praise HIM!



Blessed beyond measure!

His story... HE is faithful...

This is my daughter... I have a daughter... this picture was taken just a few minutes after she was born.

You see, her story is a story of HIS faithfulness. I was asked during my first trimester if we, my husband and I, wanted to scrap this pregnancy and start over, as it is unlikely we would carry her full term, due to some growth issues in her and blood/platelet issues within me. I was put on bed rest for the last 2 months and struggled with every physical, emotional and mental aspect of this pregnancy. I clung to my Jesus. I cried out to Him, I cried for Him and I begged Him...



This is my daughters BIG BROTHER. Not only has her birth taught her mama about HIS faithfulness, it has taughter her brother about HIM, Jesus, the REAL ONE who answers prayers.

Isaac has been praying for his baby sister, Caitlyn Starla Blueberry Vigil to grow and be healthy. He prays for her at night and before he goes into school. He has witnessed people praying over his mama and he has witnessed his prayers being answered.

Side Note: Isaac calls her blueberry because in all her pictures from the doctor, she always looked like a blueberry :)



In May, I went away for the weekend, before I knew via medical confirmation that my baby was a girl. I spent most of that time crying and begging the Lord for a healthy baby and for the first time in my life, I had a very private moment with the Lord that I quietly wrote down in my journal and I waited and prayed over...



This is Caitlyn Starla Vigil...



This is Daddy, Mama and Caitlyn just after her arrival via C-Section. Praises Be... Mama got to be awake for the procedure, we were told because of the platlet/blood issues Mama would likely be put to sleep, so this was a HUGE answer to prayer, a precious blessing and a tender moment for Mama...

Caitlyn Starla Vigil was born on Monday, October 17th, 2011 at 12:25am.

She weighed 8 pounds and was 19 inches long.

She has no signs of health or growth issues.

Jesus, I love you, I love your story of faithfulness and I cannot thank you enough for the journey You and I have had for the past several months. I know you more deeply, I love you more passionately, and I trust you in a way I cannot describe. You are who you say you are and I love you! Thank you. Amen

A Day Out with Thomas

This little boy LOVES trains and he LOVES Thomas the Train! We took him last year to see Thomas in Golden and it was a HUGE hit. So this year, he got to go again...



Isaac and his daddy!



Funny faces are the best!



Papa, Nana and Mama Pita came along and spent the afternoon hanging out with Isaac and Thomas!



Isaac got to meet and hug Sir Topam Hat, which was very special for him.



And of course... the train ride!





A day with Thomas was fun!



One of the new things this year is that Isaac, Daddy and Papa got tattoos together.



Daddy got his on his arm, Papa got one on his hand and Isaac actually left the day with one on each arm...

Welcome to the family, blog, offically...

This is Esther, and Tim. Tim has loved my sister Esther for a few years now, they recently got married and now, Tim has been officially introduced to the blog. Welcome to the family!

I love that Tim loves Esther, I love how Tim loves Esther. I love that the two of them laugh together. I love that they have their own inside jokes. I love that they are friends and loves.



Frankly, I am rather discouraged. I am very pregnant and have not had the best pregnancy. This weekend, Tim and Isaac played and played and played. As I listened to them play and as I listened to Isaac laugh my heart was blessed.




Tim took these pictures on his phone. I think they are precious!



Isaac calls Tim his Big Big Friend, it is from a new TV show that he is watching about a little boy and his extra large stuffed animal that comes to life and there is even a song that goes with it.
Isaac sings the song all the time and it is precious that he sings it about his Uncle Tim.

"My friend, my big big friend, my good friend, my big big friend, my fun friend, my big big friend I love my big big friend. I can count on my big big friend, always with me, my big big friend, I believe in my big big friend, on you I can depend... My friend, my big big friend, my good friend, my big big friend my fun friend, my big big friend I love my big big friend"

Isaac will be in his play room just singing the song, over and over again, and when I ask him what he is singing, he says he is singing about Tim.

Welcome to the family blog Uncle Tim! We love you! Isaac loves you! Thank you for loving us!

School has started!

Monday and Wednesday mornings are very special in our house!



Why? Because, this little fella LOVES school.
He goes to school for a few hours every Monday and Wednesday morning!
We took the summer off from pre-school and he went back in August.



He loves his backpack and all the kids in his class.



He was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for the first day of school. I love this time of year as well and love all things back to school and fall.



Every time I drop him off at school, we have a sweet mama and Isaac moment as soon as we get in the door, in the very spot he is standing. When we come in, Isaac always asks for a prayer, so we bend a knee, he sits on my lap and we pray over his day before he runs off to his classroom. It is by far my very favorite part of the school days!



One of the things that is different this year than last year is how excited Isaac gets when I pick him up. He is sooooo excited to tell me everything about his time at school. He shows me his projects and talks all the way home about every aspect of his day!

Best Daddy Ever!

Andrew has been working a lot. Long shifts at night for long stretches of time. While we are thankful for the overtime, we miss him while he is gone.

However, one day, daddy and Isaac went out to go look for some new golf shoes for daddy and they came back with something else...



Daddy bought Isaac a big boy bike!



The nights we have daddy at home have been spent riding his bike, he has even taken it to Papa and Nana's house to ride around there too! He loves the bike!



It was such a fun family moment. Isaac loves to ride through the neighborhood!



He LOVES the bike!



And he pretty much has the best daddy ever!

Blessings in Boxes

One of the many blessings of having packed in preparation to move is that there is almost nothing to clean!

One of the things I dislike the most is dishes and since we only have 6 plates, 4 bowls, a handful of cups, some silverware from college and a few pots and one glass dish is that there aren't many dishes to do!

Blessings in Boxes - while I am in this season of waiting, preparation, study and rest, I will praise Him for the blessings of having the dishes in boxes!

A Real Train

One of the things that blessed me during this time was a simple phone call I got one day from Isaac's Papa. He called, in the afternoon to see if Isaac could come ride on a REAL TRAIN!



It was such a blessing to watch my little man on this adventure!



We moved rail cars and laughed and laughed!





Isaac eventually started to fall asleep so we had to call it a day, but he had a great time and his mama was blessed by a phone call, an afternoon on a train and some time with Papa!

Him, Jesus, My One and Only, and I still love Him!

Lots has happened. Lots of tears have been cried. Lots of stuff has been done and undone. Lots of time has been spent in prayer and anger. Lots of stuff, life's stuff has happened.

You see, for some time now, life has been a little overwhelming. I can almost pin point the date and time when things changed. A major transition occurred in my life two years ago, I found myself no longer employed by the place that had provided friendship, financial provision and routine for me and my little family of three. The sheer crushing blow to my self confidence has knocked me to the ground and I have stayed there, face down on the ground for two years.

It wasn't just the job that was the issue, things started to pile up from there. It was just the beginning, and I had no idea at the time it would be a two year process, which has lead to a very hard 6 months. I am not gonna lie, there have been moments that I thought things would never be normal or okay again. It was just the start of the adventure.

So, there I was, in this pit, no job, thrown into the life of a full time mama, while I searched for a job that paid money. I had started a ministry and began the process for it to become a Non Profit Organization, I had started writing, I had heard from the Lord about what was in store for me, I had known beyond any doubt that Girls Only Ministry would be my career, my life long calling. I sent out resumes and cover letters, I was a college graduate with LOTS of experience and didn't think it would be hard to find a job.

Shortly after my employment changes, my beloved dog went to be with Jesus. I had never experienced such a loss, such heat ache, such pain. I still miss her to this day. I still hurt and I still cry over her.

A few months had past and more happened. An issue had come up that required me to get a lawyer. And a lawyer is what the Lord provided. It was Good Friday, I got an envelope delivered to my door in the morning, I got on the phone, I got in the car and I drove an hour to my parents house, I didn't even have on the appropriate clothing or shoes for what the day would hold. I met a man who loved Jesus and loved my family and didn't even know me. I met a man who would fight for me without asking for a dime in return. I met a BIG man, and by BIG, I mean he had to go duck and turn side ways to walk through a door way.

I am just started to see the damage that this one envelope had done to my heart. I am just starting to real heal from the words with this delivery. I am just starting to really talk to Jesus about it and it has been TWO YEARS!

Months had past. I had learned to cut coupons and save money in very way I could. I had learned to embrace a new routine as an at home mama that included trips to the library. I had received the very first copy of my first Bible Study that has been published. We had great family moments. I was enjoying my time with Isaac, but something deep inside was hurting.

I spent the mornings in the Word, I gave myself manicures and pedicures at home, I enjoyed life as best I could. We spent the summer camping, we enjoyed Isaac's 3rd birthday party with friends and family. We had put our townhome on the market and were going to sell the house.

We had an offer on the house and started to pack. Little did we know at the time we wouldn't be moving. We unpacked. Enjoyed Christmas. My heart still hurt. I cried a lot. I tried the best I could to be okay.

We said goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011.

We learned that Isaac would be a BIG BROTHER. My pit dwelling time just started to consume me. My husband was working hard for our family, he works nights and took on more shifts and looking back I felt trapped within this pit I couldn't get out of. This pregnancy has been hard, we have had a rough time with our little girl, I have had a rough time emotionally and am ready to meet my daughter and hold her tightly! I am ready for her to be here, I just have to wait a little longer!

A few things have changed for our family financially over the past few months, which has provided us a way out of our town home. So, there we were packing once again. We had found a rental home we liked and were ready to move at the first of this month. But, just before we signed the lease, the plan changed and our things remain packed. We are waiting. I am waiting.

I have learned to speak honestly and openly with my Sweet Jesus. I have learned to give Him my opinion regardless of how it might sound. I have learned to be mad at Him and still love Him. And most of all, I have learned that I have been in a pit for a long time and am ready to get the heck out of it. So together, He and I are working on getting out of the pit I jumped into and never go back!

So for now, we will wait, I will wait on the Lord, I will dive into the Word and demand His attention! I will rest in the home we have for now and prepare for the one that is to come. I will wait, just wait.

Gone, but back...

Well, a lot has happened in the Vigil house hold since I last posted pictures, wrote words down on paper or seen anyone really. We will get more into that later. But in the last few months, I have cried lots, laughed some, ate lots, and spent lots of time smothering myself with my child and my husband.

It has been an interesting few months. But, the Lord has remained faithful and I have emerged from under the cleft of the Rock stronger, more humble, cautious,wounded yet healing, refreshed yet still tired, and more educated and in love with Jesus. More on this journey over the next few days.

In the midst of everything the Lord has been doing, the moments of laughter have been a HUGE blessing. So we will start the recap of this journey with one of the best memories, bowling...



I took Isaac with me to an event for Girls Only Ministry, we had a bowling night, and it was his first time bowling and HE LOVED IT!



The night was good for my heart. The night was filled with laughter and love. My son thought bowling was the greatest thing in the world. I had some time to be wrapped up in watching these girls laugh, I sat back and watched my son play and play hard, I enjoyed the blessing of laughter.



I want to take Isaac bowling again, but the memory of this one trip is still so tender to me, I can't move on yet. So for now, I will cherish this one and re live it over and over again!



Did I mention we also ate bowling ally food? Which was FABULOUS!



More on the events of the past few months to come...