Well, it has been a few weeks since I posted from our first blog entry. Things have been fairly relaxed and normal(but I guess that word normal can be quite relative, right). I had my track-out at school the month of January. It was nice to not really have anything to do…although, I found myself seemingly bored by the end of track-out and very eager to get back to my familiar 6th grade schedule. I did manage to finish the guest room and the guest bath during track-out, with the help of my fabulous mom! She was so helpful. It seriously takes me a good while to select things for our home, and my mom really lit a fire under me. I really was excited to see some rooms complete. We are still waiting on our furniture for the living room, but it should be here soon. If anyone knows a great place to get some end tables or night stands, let me know! We’re in need! We also recently purchased our first item for the nursery…a changing table/dresser (pictures to come!). We found it at the flea market–what a great steal! Still waiting to find the perfect curtains and shams for our kitchen and bedroom…but those things will come!

In addition to making our house a little more “colorful,” I had a great time spending a few days with my mom and dad in Elon. I just love them so much! It was great to hang out for a bit and see my family. We also got to celebrate Jeff”s birthday on January 20th! He’s a whopping 26 years old…what an exciting 26th year Jeffrey has in store for him. Jeff had a “white” birthday seeing as we had 7 inches of snow on his special day. We still managed to get out and celebrate with family. His sweet mom planned a great dinner get together at P.F. Changs (don’t you love that place?) with my parents. We had such a wonderful time chatting it up!

I spent the last week of my track-out cleaning our house and simply enjoying being able to do nothing! Track-in is always a little crazy, but I was thrilled to get back to work on Monday the 26th and get things in order for our 3rd quarter. I can’t believe the year is halfway finished! Wow! Time really flies when you’re having fun (at least I am…I’m not sure if my students always agree). Today, is the 2nd day back with the kiddos. They’ve been great so far, and I’m hoping this behavior continues. Over track-out, the Lord really began to speak to me about how to discipline my students. I have found that classroom management/discipline has been the most challenging aspect of teaching so far. I have been asking the Lord to help me discipline my students as he disciplines me…out of LOVE. I have found that I can get somewhat annoyed with particular students, and out of my flesh, discipline them out of annoyance. The Lord loves us so much that He disciplines to mold us more in His image. He is gracious, yet just. I’ve asked the Lord to help me discipline the same way in my classroom, to be gracious, but just.  I was thinking about the facets and complexities of the Lord’s love…that EVERYTHING He does is out love for His bride. Crazy thought, huh? He loves us so much that He corrects us. I’m not sure I always receive the Lord’s correction as a loving act, but shouldn’t I? Just a thought.

On the baby front, it’s 15 weeks and counting. I shared the news with my students and they seemed pretty pumped. It was great to let the little “secret” out of the bag. They seemed pretty stoked about it all, which was very encouraging and made me more excited. They said they wanted to come visit the baby–even though, they’d be in 7th grade. They said it be like their little baby too. They’re great (for the most part!). We have our next appointment on February 3rd and then another on February 23rd. The February 3rd appointment is really just a general check up. We may be able to find out the gender, but it’s debateable whether not the picture will be clear enough or if it will be too early in the development process. Jeff really wants to know, I’m more of a surprise kind of gal. I’ve conceded to finding out. I guess it will help us plan better! Our appointment on the 23rd will be at Duke Perinatal. This will be our first 3-D ultrasound. We’ll be able to see the face and such, much more clearly! So crazy to think about! I was sharing with a teacher at school our first ultrasound picture, and the Lord really used Him to remind me what a miracle life really is! It is truly astounding to think a human life is developing and growing this very instant inside of me. Wowzers! The intricacies of life really are a testament to the Lord knitting each one of us in the womb and how he creates life from something so small. Isn’t He so good?

So, as we look ahead into the coming weeks, would you partner with us in prayer for our family and little one? We would covet your prayers. Would you pray that:

Our little one experiences the Lord’s love even in the womb.

Our little one would be healthy and energetic.

Our sweet baby would have sense of great calling and purpose on their life even at a young age.

Jeff and I would learn in greater measure how to love out of the overflow of the Father’s love for us.

Jeff and I would continue to pursue the Lord with fervor and zeal in our marriage and in our adventures in parenting.

Our appointments would go smoothly.

The Lord would grant us both wisdom and revelation in the coming days so that we can know Him in greater measure.

Our prayer for YOU is that the Lord have favor on you and your family and that the Lord would lavish His blessings on you that you in turn would bless and serve others.

We love you so much.

       Wow. It’s pretty hard to believe that Jeff and I are quickly approaching our 3 month anniversary. Honestly, I feel like we have been married an eternity–not that that is a horrible thing.  So, a brief overview of the past few months–the Lord has really gifted Jeff with a knack in sales and the Lord has really honored him in that. He is such a man of integrity and so incredibly honest in his business, I’m truly proud to call him my husband (I’ve haven’t gotten tired of saying that yet!) I’m still teaching–trugging along in the wonderful world of 6th grade. I absolutely love it (most days) and it’s really amazing the things the Lord can teach you through middle schoolers–even as awkward as they are, they can teach me some serious life lessons.  Our first married holidays was fantastic! We had a blast over Thanksgiving and even got to venture to the mountains for a few days to hike some of the Grandfather Mountain trail–it was way fun (and way cold). Christmas proved equally as exciting as we got to spend tons of quality time with the people we love most, our family! Jeff’s sister and brother-in-law came down from Ohio and we had many adventures with them. They are true blessings in every sense of the word, and really are some of my favorite people ever. Jeff’s parents hosted some smashing holiday bashes with kazoos and all. We had a cookie making palooza and lots of great food… that Sue is a great cook (Mrs. Lowe if you read this noticed I used Sue).

     As for the Thompson clan, we had one awesome Christmas holiday full of caroling, TONS of food, and lots of laughs. My brother and I have this ongoing thing with the way in which he wraps my present for Christmas. One year it was in a shoe box, with a piece of green tissue paper lying on top with my name written in all caps on the tissue paper–I thought thanks for putting so much effort into it! This year he really out did himself and doubled it for extra padding with two Wal-mart bags with a bow tied around the top. I looked at Jeff’s present from my brother, and well I got the shaft. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what creation he comes up with next Christmas. New Year’s brought several exciting adventures– my mom’s birthday and First Night in downtown Raleigh. Our First Night experience should probably be a post all of its own; however, I’m choosing not to write about our encounter because, well, it gets me all riled up. But, needless to say we had an awesome time ringing in 2009! And, now dear friends and family that’s pretty much our life in a very brief nutshell so far. Now, onto the meat of the post…

     The past few months have exceeded my wildest dreams. In Ephesians 3, Paul writes that the Lord will give us above and beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine. He is so faithful to bring fulfillment of His Word in our lives! The Lord sure has gone way above anything I could imagine and we (Jeff and I) are truly grateful for the outpouring of the Father’s unconditional love on our marriage. I have learned a tremendous amount about loving out of the overflow of the Father’s love for me in the short time I’ve been married. Unconditional-that’s pretty big, and can be overwhelming, but man, is it sure fun to be loved that way by heavenly Father and my husband. But marriage has been great practice in teaching me to love my husband, and others for that matter the way that Christ’s loves me.

     I was taking a walk the other day (and was attacked by a couple of dogs, however, that’s not really the point of the story) and the Lord begin to whisper to me as I was walking…”Lyndsey, I love you so much. I love you so much that I desired to call you my own–that I came and died for YOU.” I continued to walk and the Lord continue to whisper… “Lyndsey, your walk (in the spiritual sense) has been brisk, but it is now time to sprint. Your sprint will be long, and you’ll grow tired–but my love will sustain you. You’ll want to give up, or find an easy way out–but my love will sustain you. You’ll be thirsty and weary–and yet my love will sustain you.” Wowzers. All I could do is weep. How often do I hear, the Lord loves you, Jesus loves you– He died for you, and yet how often do I minimize or have become complacent to my Father’s unconditional and unwaivering love for me, his daughter. So, as I’ve been reflecting on my journey through marriage thus far, the Lord has been so gracious about teaching me the awesomeness of His love. Scripture says that when we experience the Love of God there is freedom. The Psalms talk about the Lord being our strength, sustainer and rescuer. He does this all out of HIS love for us. In Hebrews 12:6, scripture also says that out of His love his disciplines HIS children (and believe as the Lord has been romancing my heart through His great love–I’ve been getting a few spankins’ along the way). The Lord loves us so much that he wants to bless his people! Wow, isn’t the Love of Christ kinda overwhelming (in such a blow your mind kind of way).

        Again, the Lord is continuing to teach Jeff and I about the way in which the Lord expresses His love towards His people. As I mentioned just above, the Lord delights in blessing His people for them in turn to bless others. Blessings are not to be horded, but to be shared and to advance the kingdom. Sometimes the biggest blessings come when we least expect them! Jeff and I recieve one of these unexpected blessings shortly after we got married–a sercarrow if you’ll call it. I’m very well aware that sercarrow is not a “real” word–but I have officially adopted it into my vocabulary–it could be pronounced “ser-sa-row.” It’s a combination of sercy (French for surprise and arrow, thus, sercarrow). I digress.

       And the story begins… Jeff and I returned from our honeymoon on Halloween, and about 3 weeks later, I was really paranoid about being pregnant–extreme paranoia at its finest. Jeff was out of town and I thought I’ll put my mind at rest and take a pregnancy–thinking it will surely be negative because I have an IUD. Well, I took one and it took less than 5 second flat to show two pink lines–yes, two. I thought-NO WAY… how could this be? I took another one, and then another one, and sure enough all were positive. Jeff was out of town and I called him (in somewhat hysterics) as he was in transit on the way home. Long story short, after multiple ultrasounds, and blood tests it was confirmed that I had a wee little one growing inside of me. My doctor says I’m a true medical mystery because in all the patients she has had that had the same type of IUD none of them had went MIA–and this one definitely went MIA. The ultrasound nor the doctor could locate it anywhere in me. Jeff and I believe God just kinda said ok, time to take it out!

     With this new blessing, came a rollercoaster of emotions. But besides the support of our family and friends, the true comfort we have found is resting in the LOVE and sovereignty that Christ has such an awesome and extroridnary plan for this baby. In Jeremiah 1, the Lord speaks to Jeremiah and says, ” “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” We are believing and trusting that the Lord created our baby for this age in history. Talk about the Lord’s perfect timing about teaching how to love like Christ’s love. We want to love our child out of the overflow of the Father’s love for us in our lives.

      As Jeff was sitting in the airport after receiving the “big” news, the Lord directed him to Psalm 127:

 3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
       children a reward from him.

 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
       are sons born in one’s youth.

 5 Blessed is the man
       whose quiver is full of them.
       They will not be put to shame
       when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

We have both found great comfort knowing the ALL children are arrows, ready to be catapulted out into the kingdom to penetrate hearts. Wowzers!

We would really covet your prayers as we are now beginning another adventure into the world of parenting. Their is definitely so much to pray for–which can be somewhat overwhelming in and of itself, but we would so appreciate if you would partner with us and pray for our family and baby:

1. Pray that the Lord would lavish His unconditional love on our family and even in the womb our baby would feel or “know” the love of Christ

2. Pray that the Lord would continue to grant us peace…and lots of sleep!

3. Pray that our baby would be set apart and come to follow Christ at young age.

4. Pray that the Lord would grant us wisdom and revelation that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened.

5. Pray that we continue to seek the Lord first and foremost in our marriage.

Our prayer for YOU is that in this new year the Lord would have favor on you and your family, and that you too would not just know about the Love of Christ but would EXPERIENCE the Love of Christ in greater measure in 2009.