Coming Soon...

This month we were happy to welcome our first out of state visitors. Our good friends Steve and Brad were able to come out to see us June 31st-July 6th. We enjoyed eating meals together, having times of worship and prayer, going to the river, the Buffalo Bill reservoir and the 4th of July parade in Cody. It was a blessing to have them with us. It felt like we picked up right where we left off when we last saw them about 10 months ago. On July 7th we got the opportunity to attend our first Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. It was a lot fun! One of my favorite events was when they invited all the children 12 and under down to the bottom level. Then they let 3 calves loose with ribbons attached to their tails. The children chased the calves and the first 3 to get the ribbons won a prize. Samuel wanted to go down and be with the other kids. Maybe next year he can give it a try.

Steve, Cody and Brad

Buffalo Bill Reservoir

39 weeks !!!

I am trying to cherish each moment in these last few days I have with Samuel as my only child. I know things will be a little different when Abigail is born and I'm praying he adjusts well. We talk about what it will be like when Abigail is born and how he can help take care of her. He is going to be such a great big brother! He is growing so fast and learning how to say so many new words. My favorite Samuel phrase as of late is: "I love you too much, Mommy!"

On July 11th our church, Living Fortress, had a baby shower for me. It was a lot of fun to spend the afternoon with these ladies, eating yummy cake and being blessed with so many gifts for Abigail. This month we have also received many packages in the mail from family and friends. Samuel has enjoyed helping us open these presents for Abigail and has received a couple for himself as well :) Thank you to everyone who has prayed, sent gifts and helped us prepare for Abigail's arrival.

It's hard to believe I'm already 39 1/2 weeks pregnant! My due date is July 22nd! I can feel that Abigail has dropped and my doctor said she is head down. During the past couple weeks I have begun to feel more contractions. But they aren't very consistent yet. The closest contractions have been 20 minutes apart. I know some people experience contractions for weeks and others pick up fairly quickly. I hope Abigail comes sometime this week, but only God knows the day she will be born.

By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. Psalm 71:6

The Father's Heart

Over the past few months as the excitement and anticipation continues to build as I wait for Abigail's arrival I can't help but think about the many children on this earth who do not have a mother or father. For many years now I have had a desire to work with orphans and have thought about adoption. It seems as time goes on that the Lord continues to increase this desire in me. I know orphans are on the Father's heart as well. Psalm 63:5 describes Him as..."A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation." I have a desire to have many children, but I don't know exactly what that will look like. Perhaps not all of my children will be carried in my womb. I imagine some of Samuel's siblings will become a part of our family through adoption.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

The orphans and the widows have such a special place in God's heart, yet they are easily forgotten by the world. But He has not forgotten them. He promises to never leave them nor forsake them. He desires that each child would experience His love through relationship. I don't know when it will happen, but I do believe the Lord will bless us with the opportunity to adopt someday. And what a blessing it will be: To love a child that is easily forgotten by the world but is loved and cherished by God.

A couple days after I began to write this post we considered a different kind of adoption. On Saturday we went to the Humane Society to look at the dogs they have. One in particular stood out to us. His name is Toby and he's a 2 year old lab mix. He is obedient and submissive. One of his previous owners taught him how to sit and lay down in German, but he also knows these commands in English. To make a long story short we adopted him on Monday and have been falling in love with him ever since! He is such a great dog and is becoming more affectionate everyday. He hasn't had any accidents in the house and is very low maintenance. With dog owners on either side of us, it's nice that he doesn't bark at other dogs. He loves to play catch and tug-a-war and Samuel loves to play with him. Samuel often says, "I like my new dog." We feel very blessed by what a wonderful match Toby is for our family. We looked up the meaning of Toby and it means: God is good! His name will ring true forever! God is so good!

Toby

Samuel having fun with our neighbor's grandkids

We took Samuel bowling for the 1st time on our anniversary

Blessings From Above

"You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas..." Psalm 65:5

The beautiful gate Cody and Samuel made for the top of the stairs

Samuel excited about his own bed and room!

33 weeks :)

At the salon....I will miss the long locks, but alas...

Who's that good lookin' fella?!

We are now in our new home! We moved in last Thursday, May 27th. We just got internet hooked up yesterday, so I'm excited to be back online and able to post an update. Our friends and now landlords were so generous to let us stay in their RV over the past two months. We are so thankful for their kindness and the example of Christ that they have been to us. They offered to furnish the apartment for us, so the furniture you see in the pictures was all provided for us by them! They also gave us pots, pans, dishes, silverware, an iron, a vacuum, a microwave and a t.v. with a dvd player. What a blessing they have been in our lives. Samuel says often that he likes his new house and his new room :)

We were blessed to find out Cody got a raise at work about a week ago! Business at Bubba's has picked up significantly since Memorial Day weekend as more and more tourists will be coming through town. Cody is known as "The Rodeo Capital of the World" with a rodeo every night June 1st - August 31st. It is also 50 miles away from Yellowstone Nat'l Park, so there is an increase in traffic when we drive into town.

I am 33 weeks now and feeling Abigail move often. At my last appointment I was thankful to find out my glucose levels were great after taking a blood test at my prior visit. Dr. Williams says the baby and I are healthy :) As we are having sunnier days, I have enjoyed spending time with Samuel outside, watching him grow into the little man that he is becoming. He loves to play with his toys, read books and play outside. He gets really excited if there are other kids involved. He also likes to play the drums, piano, guitar and sing songs with me. I enjoy these times of singing and playing that we get to have together. I pray that God will continue to grow the giftings that He has placed inside of Samuel and show me how I can encourage him in the things he enjoys doing.

On June 10th, Cody and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary. Looking back over the past 4 years, I know they are the best years of my life. And I believe that each year that goes by will be better than the last because the Lord says we will go from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). I am so thankful for the husband that God has blessed me with. I am grateful for his friendship, love and the encouragement he gives me. I love to watch him grow in the Lord and fall more in love with Him. This spurs me on in my faith to fall more in love with Jesus. I love the passion he has to see others come to know Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him. I love how he is such a loving daddy to Samuel and how he spends time with him playing and wrestling outside. I could go on and on, but I will finish by saying this: over the past 4 years through the good times and the rough times that come in this life I can say with a thankful heart to God that Cody has been there for me with love and support every step of the way.

Thank you Jesus for your goodness and faithfulness in every facet of my life. I praise You, for You are worthy of all my praise. In the good times and the rough, no matter what life brings, I will praise You.

Jackson Hole, Nat'l Parks & Camping

Archway of antlers in Jackson Hole

Yeeaaaahh Daddy! Thanks for making such a great fire!!

Bye-bye bison

Overlooking the Lower Falls and Yellowstone River

We woke up at 5 o'clock and left early Tuesday morning for Jackson Hole. This is a little town with the population of around 8,000 very similar to Cody. To get there we drove through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and saw some beautiful scenery and bison along the way. Once in Jackson Hole we rested on a grassy area downtown while Samuel tried to play with chipmunks (video below). We walked around looking at different shops and ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant called, "The Merry Piglets." After getting some ice cream at Haagen Daus we ventured back toward Grand Teton National Park to find a camping spot for the night. We found a spot, set up the tent and Cody began to build a fire. That night we cooked hot dogs, popcorn and had smores. It rained that night while we slept in the tent, but thankfully everything stayed dry inside. The next morning while Cody was out praying he got to see a bald eagle! I thought it was pretty cool that he got to see it. Then we packed up everything and headed towards Yellowstone. On the way to our next stop we met a herd of bison along the road. This was quite an experience (to view video click here). I have never seen that many bison that close up in my life! My favorite scenic area was the Lower Falls along Yellowstone River. We walked down a very long trail to see a close up view of the Lower Falls (video below). Standing above the waterfall looking down was amazing! I was reminded of how small I am and how big God is.

After viewing the Lower Falls and making the trek back up the trail we were ready to start heading back home. Over the course of our trip we had been praying that we would see a bear (from a safe distance, of course). We were excited to see cars pulled over to the side of the road because that is an indication that something has been spotted. And guess what we saw....a bear!! It was at least 120 yards from the side of the road with a river between us, so we weren't able to get a picture. But we did watch it with our binoculars. It had found some food, which looked like possibly an elk or a deer. It was neat that over the course of those two days we saw a bald eagle, a herd of bison and a bear. Thank you Lord for your creation. How wondrous are the works of your hands.

Samuel and the Chipmunks!

Lower Falls

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Heather and Jay's Wedding!

Samuel with Grandpa George

If you'd like to view more photos click, *here*.

We had a great trip to Chicago this weekend for my sister's wedding. We had started saving for the trip ahead of time. Then unexpectedly, a family gave us $500 for our trip and another family said they felt led to give $200. The Lord provided the finances we needed. Thank you, Jesus! We left early morning Wednesday the 21st and got there Thursday evening. We had a great time on our drive listening to music and teachings on our ipod. When we hit the Chicago city limits we were in heavy traffic. But in the midst of that I just started laughing for no reason. Then I realized the Lord was filling me with joy and I couldn't stop laughing for about 10 minutes. (I experienced this laughter again on our way back to Wyoming, right before hitting traffic in Minnesota.) This made our drive through about an hours worth of traffic very enjoyable. When we got to Chicago Cody dropped me off at Birthway's while he spent the evening with Jay and another friend Michael. I went to Heather's Blessing Way Party where we had some food and blessings were given. Afterward we went bowling! I haven't bowled in at least a year and a half. I bowled a 145! I was surprised by how well I did. It was fun to have a ladies night out with Heather and her friends. Then on Friday night we had the wedding rehearsal and dinner which was Chicago style hot dogs (yummy). My Mom, Dad, brother, Tim and sister-in-law, Tara arrived in Chicago that night. It was so great to have the whole family together again.

Heather and Jay's wedding was on Saturday. The wedding started at 3 pm at my sisters church. It was a beautiful wedding. Instead of having the minister do traditional vows they had friends read excerpts from different books for the vows. Then Heather and Jay shared vows spoken from their hearts. While they lit the unity candle, I sang a song called, "My Romance." For the benediction I sang, "The Gathering of Spirits" with two lovely ladies who have beautiful voices. It was an honor to get to be a part of Heather and Jay's special day. They had tied their rings to a ball and Samuel was the ring bearer. The plan was for Samuel to throw the ball to Jay. Samuel did throw the ball and it bounced at Jay's feet. He did a great job :) The wedding reception was a lot of fun. It's one of the best receptions I've ever been to. They had a Mexican buffet and a dessert buffet. The food was delicious. They also had a live karaoke band and sooo many of Heather and Jay's friends sing professionally. The talent would definitely have been competition for American Idol. The reception went from 5-midnight. Samuel had a great time dancing and hanging out with the other kids. He eventually fell asleep in my arms around 11. The next day Jay's mom, Annie had a buffet put together at the hotel from 10:30-12. It was sad to say good-bye to my family. The weekend seemed to go by so fast. But I am thankful for the time we got to spend together. I am 28 weeks and I know the next couple months are going to go fast. My parents and sister plan on coming out to see us when Abigail is born, so it won't be long before we'll get to see each other again!

On our trip back to Wyoming, we ate at Outback Steak House that night for dinner. As we were leaving the restaurant we noticed a lady sitting outside on a bench. She looked like she had been crying. We talked with her and found out she had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and had run out of gas. We got to encourage her, pray with her and helped her get some gas. I love living for God. It's so enjoyable to partner with Him.

This Man

Melodies flowing from the sky

Make my heart sing and then I start to unwind.

Heavenly songs that can come only from above

Fill my ears with such a beautiful song.

Such longings in my heart that I cannot put to words,

He replaces them with sounds we've never heard.

How these songs have come so easily

Is the result of a Man I haven't seen.

His love envelopes me in warmth that never ceases.

I know His love is real because He picks up all my broken pieces.

When He looks at me He says I am beautiful

Even when I can't see anything of beauty in me.

His thoughts toward me are more then the sands of the sea

How can my mind comprehend this reality?

His mercies extend beyond the ocean waves

And much farther than my eyes can see.

He says there is no one like me,

But, I say that there is no one like Him.

25 Days

We took a drive about 30 miles outside of Cody, yesterday. We went down some windy roads that we hadn't ventured on before and this is what we saw!

I have some very cool news to share with you that happened a few days ago! To tell the full story of what happened, I will go back to March 12th....

On March 12th, Cody was in prayer and heard the Lord say "25 days." He wasn't sure what the Lord was referring to, but wrote it in his journal and since had forgotten about it. Last week, while outside during a break at work he found $20 on the ground. Then another guy found $5 on the ground. Cody thought to himself, that equals $25. Then he heard the Lord speak to him, "I am reminding you of the 25 days." So when he got home he looked in his journal and counted 25 days from when the Lord had spoken that to him the first time. Then Cody shared all of this with me and said that the 25th day would be Tuesday, April 6th. So when Tuesday came around we both had an expectancy that God was going to do something really cool! Tuesday night, I went over to Bob and Cindy's (the couple who owns the RV we are living in) to give them back a pot that I had borrowed. Cindy told me that a person who is currently renting from them will be moving out May 26th. And she thought of us and was wondering if we would be interested in renting from them! It is a 3 bedroom home that they built. There's a dishwasher, fridge, and washer and dryer. They said they could even help us furnish the place because they have a lot of extra things that they don't need. She has dishes, pots and pans, a bed for Samuel, an infant swing, and a queen size bed just to name a few items. They also have a garden and Cindy said we could have a spot in the garden if we would like! I've been wanting to do some gardening, so I'm excited.

I am in awe once again at the goodness of our Heavenly Father. He has blessed us beyond our expectations! He is always faithful to provide what we need in His perfect timing. We are so thankful for all that He has done and is going to continue to do.

Boy or Girl?!

Baby Morris' side profile

A week of great news... On Friday, we moved into a RV that a friend isn't using right now. It is on our friends property and has running water, a shower, toilet, stove and is just the right size for us. We have enjoyed our time so far in our new "home." Samuel especially likes having a big yard to run around in, a bike, a swing and lots of new toys to play with. That same day Cody turned in an application to a BBQ restaurant called Bubba's. On Sunday, Cody was called in for an interview. His first day of work was Monday, yesterday! He is a line cook and will also do some dish washing. It looks like he will work 6 days a week, for 35-37 hours. It will be a change not to have dinner every night together, but we are thankful for this new job and will cherish the time we do have together. Tomorrow we will celebrate that on March 17th, four years ago, Cody proposed to me! It's hard to believe we will have been married four years in June. Time has flown by fast.

I had my 21 week check up yesterday. I couldn't wait any longer and decided to find out if we're going to have a boy or girl. I asked my doctor to write it down on a piece of paper so that Cody and I could find out at the same time after he got off work. So, last night after Cody got home from work and Samuel had fallen asleep, we opened up the envelope that read, "It is..." on the outside....and inside we found a little green sticky note that read....GIRL!! We were both surprised! We thought we were going to have another boy, but we were very excited to find out we are going to have a girl.

Cody, Wyoming

This is our view as we drive to Yellowstone, which is 50 miles east of Cody, WY

Going for a walk by the river

We have been in Cody, WY for a little over a month now. The Lord has done great things so far. Over a month ago, we felt the Lord lead us here, not knowing anything about the town or what lay ahead for us. Through prayer we believe the Lord wants us to have a home here and invest in the family. So far, we have met great people in various churches. A wonderful family has opened up their home to us and we are staying with them while we are looking for a place of our own. Cody, WY has a great library with a fun children's room that has blocks and fun things for Samuel to do. They also have a child development group come a couple times a month to do activities with kids Samuel's age. He loves doing the crafts and being around other kids. Samuel has been talking more and seems to be changing more everyday. He loves doing things by himself or with others and he is starting to tell me more often when he needs to go potty!! This is exciting! I'm glad he is starting to show more interest in the potty. I am 20 weeks now and feeling good. We got to see our baby on ultrasound a few weeks ago and it looks like baby is healthy! Praise the Lord! I have been feeling the baby move more too and that is fun. Cody is also applying for jobs. He would love to work on a ranch or do something outdoors. We are praying for the Lord to open the doors that need to be open. Since we have been in Cody, we have had quite a few opportunities to share the gospel and/or pray with people.

One afternoon Cody was sitting in a parking lot talking on the phone. After he got off the phone he noticed a woman in a car parked near him. His heart started to hurt and he felt the Lord lead him to go talk to her. He asked her if she had any heart problems or knew anyone with heart problems. Tears started to come down her face and she said her grandson, Sam, was in the hospital with holes in his heart. Cody prayed with this woman for Sam and we believe he was healed.

During this time of waiting for what the Lord has for us, I have been reading Andrew Murray's book, "Waiting on God". In the past few weeks, I have begun to find enjoyment in waiting with God. Here is an excerpt from his book that I want to share:

It is as we know how blessed the waiting on God has become to our own souls, that we will confidently hope in the blessing to come on the church around us. The keyword of all our expectations will be, He has said, "All they who wait on Me will not be ashamed." (Isa 49:23) From what He has done in us, we will trust Him to do mighty things around us. "Blessed are all they that wait for him." (Isa 30:18) Yes, blessed even now in the waiting. The promised blessings for ourselves, or for others, may tarry. The unutterable blessedness of knowing and having Him who has promised--the divine Blesser, the living Fountain of the coming blessings--is even now ours. Do let this truth acquire full possession of your souls, that waiting on God is itself the highest privilege of man, the highest blessedness of His redeemed child.

Even as the sunshine enters with its light and warmth, with its beauty and blessing, into every little blade of grass that rises upward out of the cold earth, so the everlasting God meets, in the greatness and the tenderness of His love, each waiting child, to shine in his heart "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Read these words again, until your heart learns to know what God waits to do to you. Who can measure the difference between the great sun and that little blade of grass? And yet, the grass has all of the sun it can need or hold.

Do you believe that in waiting on God, His greatness and your littleness suit and meet each other most wonderfully. Just bow in emptiness and poverty and utter weakness, in humility and meekness, and surrender to His will before His great glory, and be still. As you wait on Him, God draws near. He will reveal Himself as the God who will mightily fulfill His every promise. And, let your heart continually take up the song: "Blessed are all they that wait for him."

Back Home

The Lord has continued to do miraculous things in the lives of people on the streets of Seattle. For those who haven't known, Cody and a friend hitch hiked up the west coast and the Lord led them to Seattle. Cody had been gone about 40 days traveling up the west coast, sharing the gospel and ministering to the homeless and drug addicts in Seattle. Though it was cold and rainy for much of Cody's time in Seattle, the Lord gave him a heart of compassion for the homeless and he is thankful for the opportunity he got to live like they live for a moment.

One weekend, our good friend Steve flew into Seattle to see his brother and do work on his brothers house. He was able to contact Cody and Cody helped Steve work on his brothers property that weekend. Steve's brother welcomed Cody to stay in his home and Cody was thankful to be in a warm place, take a warm shower and sleep on a comfy couch. The Lord also provided a plane ticket for Cody to get back to California which we were very thankful for. Samuel and I picked up Cody at the San Jose Airport Tuesday, the 19th! We were all excited to see each other and Cody was amazed by how much Samuel has changed over the past month. He is saying so many new words and putting together 3 and 4 words to make phrases. Our time apart has caused us to fall more in love with the Lord and with each other.

I also got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time on Tuesday. It was strong and didn't take long for the nurse to find it. I'm at 14 1/2 weeks and definately starting to show! I'm excited to be in the 2nd trimester!