Miracles

Okay as excited as I am about my newphew being born I am going to let mom and dad post on all the details since he is their child. I will however share my thoughts. We started getting texts from Grandma (my mom) about 5 a.m. Friday morning saying that Bekah was in the hospital with contractions and Joseph was on his way. I didn't take this too seriously seeing as how Bekah had been having contractions for quite a while. I talked to Bekah and mom off and on throughout the day and finally that afternoon I got the text saying Joseph Howard Sparhawk had arrived.

I can't tell you how emotional this was and it wasn't even my child. I was so excited and happy for Bekah and Robby and so sad at the same time because I was in Houston and they were in Lubbock. Of course that same day work had pushed down an email about mandatory charge hours and working weekends since we are getting into busy season. The only thing I could do was cry and think of a way to get out working the weekend and go see Bekah and Joseph.

Now, those of you that know me know that Bekah and I are twins and extremely close. I was so upset that I could not make sure Bekah was okay myself. So after debating the merits of driving/flyinig/not going....yada yada, Ryan told me to go. I'm so so thankful that I have such a good husband who knows me, and I am so so glad I went.

All I have to say is if you don't believe in God, you need to witness a birth/1 day old baby. He was absolutely amazing and you can't tell me there isn't a God after seeing him. Robby and Bekah make great parents and I was so impressed with how well they both went about their new roles as parents. Robby just stepped up to the plate and helped Bekah with anything she needed and wasn't afraid to take care of Joseph either.

So congratulations to the new parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles....and thank you God for such a wonderful gift. Help us to guide little Joseph Howard and point him to You.

Wife's Roles

God has been teaching me so much about the role of a wife. Thankfully this is early in our marriage where I can practice and haven't developed habits yet. One of the things He keeps bringing to me over and over through various people, books, and His Word is that the man is the leader of the home. This is how God created them to be. My job is to encourage, pray, and be Ryan's helpmate. I know, I know, it sounds so ancient doesn't it, but I personally want the best marriage I can have and I know deep down this is the key. When I am praying for Ryan and encouraging him our relationship is better. When I'm nagging or handling things myself instead of discussing with him there is conflict. I'm issuing a challenge. Start praying for your husband. Pray that he will have confidence and a hunger for God. Pray that he will feel the responsibility of the leader of the home and strive to be the best leader/husband he can. Pray that inspite of all the attacks on marriages and family there are today that he rises above that.

Catching Up

So I took my last section of the CPA test on July 3rd. Hopefully and prayerfully I passed. I had that whole week off to study and I used it wisely. I just hope I used it wisely enough. We got our wedding pictures in and they look great, great, great. It was so exciting seeing everything and everyone. It made me want to do it again :) My newphew Joseph is doing good and everything looks great for the due date. I believe his mother is ready for him to come and we're praying extra special prayers down here in Houston for a safe and healthy baby and mama. Ryan's parents are coming down in July so we are getting the house cleaned and trying to figure out how to entertain them. One would think living in such a large city it would be easy but there's so much to do and show off. We also get to keep my friends dog for a week so Ryan and I get to see how we like the responsiblity. I'm excited. She's a good dog and it will be fun to have something different. So that's the story of my life right now. Marriage is still a really good thing and I recommend it highly.