God's Favor

I have another update that I will be posting soon with all sorts of cuddly wuddly photos of Leonard in all his glory, but first I wanted to share with everyone what happened, literally, the moment he was born.This is Leonard just seconds after he was born. Before anyone breaks into the "oh how cute...blah blah", let me explain that the light that you see is not a trick of the camera. Our son was literally born with a halo around him. Some may think that I'm making this up or that it could have been "anything", let me assure you that I know what I saw and I know what I felt when the light hit me. It was by far the most amazing and glorious encounter I've ever had in my life (and this has been one strange year for me). Whether Leonard grows to be a prodigy or a great scientist or an enigmatic pastor, nobel prize winner, whatever, is inconsequential. What is important is that God has given him grace at the moment he was brought into this world and I just wanted to share that with everyone. Stay tuned for more photos. We've got plenty...believe me. ;-)

Ciao.

Most Parents....

Most parents think their kid is just the most handsome/beautiful creature on this planet. Well, our kid really is the most handsome creature on the planet, so pfft!! There. ;-)

So for all of those who were not on the massive email/text message list this week (not that I actually think there are any people not on that list), Erin gave birth to our son on Monday. Her water broke at 12:30 am and we got to the Hospital around 2 am. So, once she was admitted into the exam room, they performed a simple test to confirm that her water had in fact broken and then we were moved into the delivery room. Erin was such a trooper. She held out through all of the contractions right up to 4 cm dilation. At that point the pain coupled with being awake for nearly 36 hours, she decided to have the epidural (smart choice in my opinion). A couple of hours after that the pushing began, and at 12:54 pm Leonard Graham Russell was born. And so, without further ado, here he is - the latest addition to our family (and a handsome one at that if I do say so myself) Leonard!!! Come on down!!!

Let the Countdown Begin

Oh Boy! Literally. Leonard is on his way and this last weekend was a big one, let me tell you. My father-in-law and I finished sanding the floor (finally) and got a coat of sanding sealer down. So the floors look nearly normal. All that is left is a little finish sanding and two coats of polyurethane, then we're done. It looks so amazing in there. Erin spent Sunday and some days this week cleaning up and organizing things. She's been having a blast with that.
Now, with that nearly done, we can concentrate more on the rest of the house. Things are still coming along...slowly. But for the most part we're able to at least keep the place clean and moderately orderly. Life is speeding to the eventual birth of Leonard, so we're pretty darn preoccupied with that right now. It's ok though. All is manageable. So, here are some photos of the work Erin did.
Also, a quick thank you to everyone who blessed us with so many of the things that we needed for our baby. We really are blessed with the most amazing family and friends in the world.

10 Things Im Thankful For

I post on a scrapbooking forum quite a bit and one of the ladies there challenged another (who complains quite a bit but wont take any advice) to do some positive things to help her realize the good things in her life. One of her suggestions was to list 10 things you are thankful for.

Sometimes (at least for me) it is so easy to focus on all the negative things because they seem so big. The positive things tend to be forgotten. So here are mine for today.

1. My husband is AMAZING
2. This morning myhusband brought me coffee to my office when i didnt ask for it
3. Im wearing shoes that dont hurt my feet today
4. My family is incredible
5. Im having a BABY
6. My stepdaughter actually likes me
7. We bought a house this year (even though it needs some cosmetic help, its awesome, i must remind myself of that daily)
8. Jesus loves me
9. I am healthy
10. I have new scrapbooking stuff at home :)

When I look at these, I realize how small my big problems seem. I am BLESSED!