All about Whitt.

Oh Whittaker, you are as busy as they come...but that is you and I love it. You are getting so big and it just tears me to pieces. You are in a phase right now were you love everything and you speak your love too, no matter what it is you tell it how you feel (today it was a crane, like a construction crane). You are talking more and more everyday, your vocabulary blossomed this month and it has been a complete joy hearing all that you come up with. Every night you have me tuck you into a baby burrito and it is my absolute favorite part of the day because I love to hear you say it. You have enjoyed cooking lately... you are constantly wanting to sit on the counter by me. You think that your Monk (his stuffed animal monkey) is somewhat human... you try to feed it, give it drinks, baths, etc. It is a little weird but I kind of like seeing you being a little nurturing since you are so wild. You still are very boyish... and love all things trucks, cars, construction, dirt, jumping, wrestling. You are still a very picky eater and I have to trick you into getting food in your body, lately dad has been paying you money to actually eat. What can I say it worked once or twice. You love salad, chicken lay (chick.fil.a) and coke (sparkling water). You also like to play with money, carry it around it your pocket, etc. I think it is because you always see that your dad has it in his. You call your earphones just phones and It melts my heart for some odd reason. You are sill obsessed with airplanes and helicopters and I love how your face lights up when you see them. You are going tall , which makes you even skinnier looking that you are. You show me your muscles all the time and they are quiet big. Everytime you don't want to listen to me or ignore me all together, you close your eyes and start snooring, you are full of all kinds of personality with a touch of attitude You are a catch that I am never letting go of.

Airplane fun @ Houston Intercontinental.

Rise and Fall.

It been a different week for the Wetherell's. We have spent our first week here at our home in Houston. On Sunday we don't have to pack a bag to go somewhere for the week for work, we just get to be. It's been kind of surreal, I feel like someone is going to snap their fingers at any moment and I am going to wake up. I have been able to hang out with other moms and make plans. Andy has been working his little training tale off at the new company he works for (hint hint: the name of it is my favorite pattern). I sometimes feel guilty for having fun, but I am soaking it up while it lasts-until I find that J-O-B. God has shown us over and over again that he has orchestrated this for us, so we are beyond excited.

These last weeks have been different in other ways also, I have been able to rejoice and be devastated at the same time.

I found out this week that I have three friends that are pregnant and they are all having little boys. Two other friends found out they are having little girls. Which is so exciting but yet I feel a little jealous that it isn't me. Is that bad that it makes me a little sad for myself?

RISE and FALL

Then I have a friend who lost her first baby at 9 months in-utero. I cannot imagine her pain. I am in pain for her. The littles funeral was this week.

FALL.

I have a friend who got engaged and is marrying the love of her life. I am proud of my friend. She has gone through some pretty crazy things and life and I am so excited that she is happy and doing good. Like really really proud of her.

RISE.

I have another friend who was hoping to get placed with a little boy through CPS and they didn't get him. My heart breaks for her because I know she longs for this.

FALL.

Then this past weekend we had our first Bayou City Core night. Where people could join our church and become a part of our family in Jesus' name. It was big guys. Our church is growing and it is a reminder that God is Good. Like really good. It was a turn in the book that God is writing for our church.

RISE.

SO these weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster. You know when you are waiting in line and the anticipation of the new, not exactly knowing what is coming around every corner. And then you are finally on that roller coaster and you are screaming with excitement but are secretly scared. Up and down and up and down until it comes to a screeching halt.

That has been what's been going on. Its been good but hard. Crying tears of excitement and sadness all in one breath. It's been real. God is real and he has proved himself of that through every RISE and FALL. You see HIM in every RISE and FALL and that is Good.

Pray for my friends as they rejoice about new life and mourn for life that they thought would be apart of theirs. Pray for our church as we add pages to our book. Pray for us as we embark on all things new for the Wetherell's.

Below an unloading of pictures of a BIG Rise in my everyday life....

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2, 3 NIV)

Enough.

fear.

This is something that has occupied my life for sometime now. It still dwells in me, I will be the first to admit it. Very strongly to be completely honest.

The first time I can remember actually be fearful was when I was in 5th grade. My dad had brain cancer, he had had it for over a year. he had seizures. I hated them. This was the first time I remember feeling fear. My mom wanted to leave me alone at the house with my dad, I remember crying to her in fear of the fact that my dad could possibly have a seizure, she reassured me I would be fine... but the fear was there. The fear turned into reality and my dad did in-fact have a seizure on our kitchen floor that day. Fear has stuck with me ever sense...

Im sure it was there long before but this was the first time I could actually feel it

in my bones, if that makes sense. My dad had cancer for 4 more years after that seizure until he ultimately won his battled over cancer and was welcomed into the arms of Jesus Christ.

My dad was gone.

Cancer was gone.

The seizures were gone.

But the fear remained.

It's is now 14 year later and that fear is still very present. 14 years people, I am embarrassed to admit that, but it is true. It has come and gone but it's always lerching. It is always a fight. I don't do a lot of things because of fear, I think I miss out on a lot because of it. I am not a hermit or anything by any means but I think I don't step out in faith a lot because of this fear. I believe God has an extravagant life planned for me and I sometimes just watch from the sidelines because I am so fearful. God has done and is still doing some pretty amazing things in mine and Andy's life and I see myself taking a step backwards in fear... In my head a want to run forward, be bold and embrace what God has laid before us, but I see that fear creeping in. But I don't want it to creep in, I want to see God in his full glory and not look at the road ahead through fear tinted glasses.

My friend recently wrote a post about how she has been under spiritual warfare . In her awesome post she wrote:

"This Sunday morning I woke up and sensed in my spirit that God had given me victory over my enemy. That specific battle was over. My Savior had said Enough!and the accuser was silenced. The heaviness was gone."

(Read her post here, it's good people, like real good)

The word ENOUGH really stood out to me when I read it, it was like someone was standing in my face yelling it at me. Enough. In scripture time and time again God tells me, Do not fear...and yet what do I do, fear?

God has promised me that HE is with me, so I say to myself, ENOUGH. God had said it long before that. I could picture in my head the accuser being silenced with one word, Enough.

So in this new season of life that Andy and I are about to embark on I will choose Freedom not Fear. God has set His path and we will walk on it, in Freedom, the freedom that He paid for on the cross. Ultimate freedom.

Enough is Enough.

I will be back...

Soon, real soon!!!!

With all kinds of great news and things to tell you.

jump on the bed excited.

Until then.....

xoxo!

Feels Like Home.

You know that feeling when you walk into your families house for Thanksgiving...

You can smell desserts that you have eaten since birth.

Your grandmother is singing softly under her breath "How great thou art".

Your family is there to welcome you.

You feel that you are home.

Well that is what I have felt every Sunday for the last few months at

Bayou City Fellowship.

Even though none of those things are actually there...

I get that same feeling in my heart of being, HOME.

I feel God there.

And it rocks you to the core.

There is no turkey but there is God.

And that is one heck of a trade off.

So come to Bayou City Fellowship.

Feel God there.

Make it your home.

I promise it won't disappoint.

We officially open our door this coming

Sunday, September 11 @ 10:00.

Houston Christian High School.

Come.

Bring your family and friends.

Visit our website in the meantime.

mustaches or Bows?

A few weeks ago I had the complete honor of throwing a party for one of my best friends and college roommates. It was a party to celebrate the arrival of her new baby- and to find out what exactly she and her husband Brad, were having. My friend Jordan has a big heart and a great family. She is a great friend and one of the best mom's I know. College would not have been the same without her...we were inseparable for the majority of our years there and for that I am thankful. This is how it went down.....

Mustaches and Bows...What is baby Dittoe?

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

I love my friend and wouldn't trade her for a whole bag of jelly beans. I can't wait until Thanksgiving when we can snuggle with her bundle of joy.

PS. she has all her babies all natural- she is every woman.

HEART.

My heart is Here today.

Praying for Sudan.

You cannot help but fall in love with these people and this place.

My heart is there.

Wetherell What?!

What? Wetherell? Where have y'all been?

Blogging had to be put aside so I could catch up on life, sleep, and just soak up all the craziness. This being said I don't know how consistent I am still going to be, blogging wise, but this is progress. Summer has been great. Great things have been happening and we are praying for big things to continue happening... sometimes begging patiently. Is begging ever patient? Really, Corey. But to be honest that is what is happening. I was reading Radical Together by David Platt and he states that "God is indeed sovereign and that in our suffering He may actually be plotting our satisfaction". Wow. That was big for me to read and it reminded me to rejoice in this season that he is in fact plotting and bringing satisfaction NOW.

And what a season it has been. We are in the midst of a church plant in which I have talked about before. Being a part of this has been, well, rad. It has opened my heart in big ways. God is doing amazing things and the church doors haven't even opened. I just can't imagine what God has planned. We (the core team) meet every Sunday evening and these past two Sunday's have just left my love tank full. Hearing the word by our pastor and having sweet girl friends pray powerful prayers has just done a work in me. I do not have words to describe it, it has made me cry, laugh,draw closer to the Lord and be more excited in the days to come. For all this I am thankful. Bayou City Fellowship doors open on September 11, 2011 and I am bursting in excitement for this date. BURSTING.

Adoption stuff is about the same. We payed for our home study tonight and we are submitting our paperwork for it hopefully next week after we get some physicals done for the 3 of us (which can be a little difficult since we don't live in Houston during the week yet that is where our doctor is). At the same time I am collecting paper work for our Dossier, when all that is collected, we will submit that. (probably will take a little while to collect though). A couple weeks ago we were blessed with a donation that literally left me stunned. When I saw the person that donated it as I wanted to run and give them a screaming leaping hug, I literally was paralyzed and speechless. Has that ever happened to you? It's weird. Just so stunned by how God has blessed them and then they chose to Bless me. To God be the glory.

Whitt is growing like crazy and is all boy. He impresses me daily with how much he is growing up and learning. He is so smart, sometimes a little to smart. He loves to talk about the moon and talked about how he "held" it and "touched" it. He loves helicopters, planes, coke, golf, baseball, the song "this little light of mine", his dad... the list could go on. I recently took him to seaworld with my sisters and this little 2 years old leaped with excitement when he saw shamu, I will never forget the look on his face when Shamu jumped out of the water (picture below). He is officially in a big boy bed even though he likes to try and sneak out. He is just a loving, non-stop little boy that I am officially obsessed with.

This month we also had girl move in with us. Her name is Alicia she is originally from Texas but moved from Cali. She is great. She will be serving as a staff member for Bayou City Fellowship and we were excited to welcome her back to Texas and into our home. She has been a complete joy and is blessing us already. Our past paths had crossed a lot as we attended the same University and church, we even went on a mission trip together...but we never really knew each other. So we are looking forward to getting to know her and gain a new member of our fam.

Well i think that pretty much wraps up some of life right now.

so with the life dump... I will also leave you with a dump of my iphone.

(when he saw Shamu)

Fun picture posts to come.....

blessed yet breathless

Life is going. It is leaving me breathless. I sometimes feel as I am taking quick deep breaths to keep from drowning in the deep end. I know that sounds weird but I often feel this way. The way we do life right now leaves me tired. I am tired of traveling back and forth, tired of living in two places. Just tired. I hate being tired, It makes me feel as if I am not giving 100%- not to whitt, not to my husband, not to my friends (new and old), GOD, not to our new church BCF, not enough time to our adoption, not enough time for myself.

At the same time I am blessed beyond belief. I have a great husband, a precious son (boy is he precious) and we both have great jobs, food on the table...the list could go on. I am blessed and I am thankful.

God is stirring in us. I just pray I am not to tired to see what HE is stirring. I am trusting though. He is a Big God with Big plans and maybe he needs me

tired to be able to see that. To trust in that.

When we were in Seaside, it was a break- a time of much needed rest with great friends where I could just breathe, think and soak up life. I didn't have to worry about the 5 billion pieces of paper work that needed to be filled out for our adoption (happy to do them, just overwhelming) or the work that needed to be done for my job.

My mind could relax (for the most-part).

It gave me enough breath to jump back in the deep end.

Trusting in God.

Taking long deep breaths.

Warning: Seaside, Florida Picture Overload

Beyond blessed. I mean look at these pictures. Beyond.