Progress..

So tomorrow Steve comes home from his week away at training. It's funny the things you sit and think about when you have too much time alone! I was sitting here tonight thinking about how far I have come since Steve and I first got married. When we lived in England and he got deployed to Saudi Arabia, I slept four months on the couch (pregnant with Tyler) downstairs with Chelsea on the floor with the TV on! I was such a chicken and didn't want to sleep upstairs and felt safer downstairs on the couch. I know it sounds silly for a grown woman to be such a chicken, but I really really am! I let fear over-take me easily. Too many scary movies when I was a kid I guess.
So then when Steve first left for Iraq last year, I did very well and slept in my own bed but with the tv on. By the end of the deployment (six months) I had the tv off and was sleeping in the dark....all by myself!! Yeah for me! It's amazing what growing up can do. I believe that alot of this has to do with my faith and how it has grown too. I now know to trust the Lord to take care of me and my family and to protect us and keep us safe from harm. When I was first married, I was still new in my faith and didn't really know what it meant to trust the Lord with all of my fears and problems...to pray for things and know that everything would be alright.
Today I am proud of how far I have come since I first accepted Jesus in my heart (ten years ago next month). I have come along way, maybe not always made the best choices all the time, maybe not always been on the right path, but I always know that I can pick myself up and know that my Father will be there to help me get back on my feet.
I am so thankful and grateful for my life today. I have three awesome children, a loving and caring husband, and great family and friends. Growing up, I never thought this is how my life would turn out.....this is way better than I would have ever imagined.
Here are a few pics of my sweet girl. She had a much better morning. Today Jaelyn and I had a great day at the park, then we went for ice cream, and then spent time at my friend's house so Jaelyn could jump on her trampoline for a while. It was a great day today.
Jaelyn and her "corky" smile. She had a great morning compared to the other day! Thank goodness!

Isn't she the cutest thing? I got this one good smile out of her on this morning....check out next pic....

My silly girl's smile. She is going through that stage when they do that silly smile. It's hard to get her to smile normal now.