It’s with great thanksgiving to God that we welcome Harrison McElroy Cole to our family. He arrived bright and early on April 29th weighing 8lbs. 11oz. 19.5″ long and looks just like his dad. I’ll post more when I gather all the photos from this past week. I just wanted to get his arrival posted and show his first meeting with his big sister who, by the way, is very smitten with him.

As I prepare my heart & home for a sweet new baby I have a world of emotions swirling within which surfaced as I was cleaning the other day. I was listening to one of my favorite CDs by Indelible Grace and when the song below came on all these emotions came flowing out freely. As I stood there in my dirty kitchen with stray bits of dog food on the floor, coffee stains on my counter, an oatmeal pan soaking in my sink, sippy cups stacked to my ceiling and a beautiful toddler dancing to the music around my feet, the Lord brought me to an amazing place of worship. What a beautiful reminder that no matter where, no matter what I don’t walk through anything alone, but I have a beautiful shepherd who even in spite of myself, is faithful to love, guide and meet me where I am.

“He tends his flock like a shepherd;
He gathers the lambs in his arms
And carries them close to his heart;
He gently leads those that have young.”
Isaiah 40:11

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
based on Song of Solomon 1:3 “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth.”

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
‘Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Dear Name, the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!

By Thee, my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

‘Til then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death.

I’m thirty-nine weeks pregnant and counting. I can’t believe how the time has flown by with this pregnancy. I worry that I’m not going to believe the baby is really mine because I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this idea of having a sweet baby boy soon. We are excited to meet him and anticipate his arrival with thanksgiving in our hearts. After waiting 6-years for Holland and losing one before her, this sweet miracle of life I feel inside of me isn’t lost on me. I pray I never forgot those years of desiring a child so deeply it hurt and that when I become weary and begin to take for granted this time in my life that the Lord will remind me of the journey He so faithfully has taken us on to get here. I never cease to be humbled and amazed by God’s incredible goodness to me, such an undeserving soul.

don’t forget to stop & smell the flowers