Maternity Photo Shoot

Thank you so much to my lovely friend Steph who took these maternity photos for us and to my parents for hosting it in their beautiful home.

**Note: In case you were wondering, yes – I did airbrush my stomach – it is no where near that perfect in real life! **

Longing for Eden

Today I am nearly at the 38 week mark in this pregnancy and the above photo couldn’t be more true – in more ways than one.

First of all, I am longing for my baby Eden to be born and am getting increasingly impatient for his arrival! As the end draws near, there is literal  discomfort and pain in the longing as my body aches from this journey of pregnancy, mixed with hope and anticipation and joy, knowing of the reward to come!

As I talked about in a previous post about how we came to name our baby Eden, part of the reason we chose this name was because it speaks of another, greater longing for the original garden of Eden where man lived in unbroken, intimate communion with God. This is the second longing which I think we feel more intensely even as we sense that His return to the earth is drawing near. This longing is also one of aching as we feel the pain of His absence, as well as joy as we look forward to the day when we finally get to see Him face to face!

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it says that God has put eternity in our hearts – or in other words, a longing for Eden, our original home, to be restored. I believe that this longing exists in everyone, believer or not, for we were all created this way – with the belief that there must be more to life than what we are experiencing – whether we choose to acknowledge that or not.

I read a quote recently from the book The Longing for Home by Frederick Buechner, where he writes, “What is the connection between the home we knew and the home we dream?…The first home foreshadows the final home, and the final home hallows and fulfills what was most precious in the first.“  As another writer put it on their blog, “Maybe we have lost Paradise but our hearts long for Eden. A place of wholeness. A place where creation and the created ones coincide without incident. We long for the new heaven and the new earth. Creation groans and so do we. We long for things to be put back in place. Back the way they were supposed to be.” The new heaven and earth, our final home, is the fulfillment of the original home that man had with God and it is where all things will finally be made right again.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Michael Milton, in his sermon entitled Longing for Eden, writes, “Every man and woman who ever lived intuitively longs for his or her eternal home. You were made for Eden…So there is a longing. That is the eternity God has placed in your heart — to be fully restored with God and to be home with Him. However, the longing is confused by sin. We cannot get home, we cannot identify or come to terms with the longing, much less fulfill it ourselves. We must have help to fulfill it. Jesus is the fulfillment. He is our way home…The longing inside of you, fulfilled in great part by the [first] coming of Jesus and the salvation of your souls, is going to be completely fulfilled at His second coming.”

And so, as I feel the discomfort and pain of longing for my baby to finally arrive and to get to hold him in my arms, I am reminded of the greater longing for my Bridegroom and to finally see Him and be with Him in Paradise.

“Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places.  And her wilderness He will make like Eden,  And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” (Isaiah 51:3)

Even so, Lord, come! (And you too, baby Eden)

My Prince Charming

After doing a photo shoot for my daughter’s second birthday, I just couldn’t resist doing one with my son as well. Since he’ll be turning four in March, the weather at that time isn’t exactly the nicest for taking pictures outside, so even though we got our first snow, I managed to sneak in a photo shoot on what may have been the last really nice day of the year. I took 110 pictures, which I narrowed down to my favorite 30, which I was then able to cut in half once more for this post.

I love my son! He is handsome, silly, full of life, joyful, adventurous, mischievious and oh-so-charming! I think I was able to capture many of these traits in these pictures…

Happy 2nd Birthday Rayah!

Last weekend we celebrated the 2nd birthday of my little girl. Rayah has really blossomed and come to life in this last year and it has been such a joy to discover more of her personality! She is definitely different than her brother, with very intense and sensitive emotions, but that is part of what makes her unique and special. She also continually astounds and amazes me with her incredible beauty – she takes my breath away!!

She can be very silly and goofy, occasionally shy but also very warm and affectionate, rambunctious (she likes to try & keep up with her big brother) and she’s simply just a bundle of sweetness! I could just kiss her smooth, soft, pudgy cheeks for days and I love her smile and laughter! It really is true that having a daughter melts your heart and she has been an absolute delight in our lives.

She loves reading, pillows & blankets, dolls & stuffed animals, coloring, the color purple, pretty clothes, shoes and eating. She also loves dancing, jumping, marching, peek-a-boo and occasionally some basketball and drumming like her brother. But she especially loves talking! She has become a very chatty little girl and I’m amazing by how much she talks already!

Here are a “few” pictures from her birthday and from a little photo shoot I did with her to celebrate her 2nd year of life.

Enjoying the birthday cake!

The birthday presents!

For Angie ~ Until we meet again…

Dear friends, family and readers,

It is with deep sadness and bittersweet joy that I share with you the news of losing my dear sister-in-law Angie to a tragic car accident this last Saturday, April 2nd at the age of 35. While our sorrow and grieving is painful, how grateful we are that we are not without hope and that we can rejoice with her, as she is now in heaven, experiencing the perfect and glorious love and beauty of Jesus and Father God. She no longer has to feel the ache of separation and longing for His presence, she no longer feels pain or sadness or bondage, but she is free to love and to be loved without any hindrances – what joy!!

~ “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,
so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope…” ~

Jacob, Angie, Chloe & Cliff – 2010

Yet for us who remain here, we feel our loss keenly and it is difficult to imagine life without her beautiful face, her loving arms, and her giving heart. Angie was an older sister to my husband Joe, and she had become my older sister too. As the oldest in my family, I treasured having older sisters through marriage, and Angie was one I called often with questions about motherhood, health concerns (she was a nurse), or just to chat. Though we knew each other for only 6 years and were sisters separated by distance, I loved and cherished her friendship.

~ “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God
will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him…” ~

 
Angie with newborn daughter Chloe and son Jacob during a visit to their home in B.C. in 2006

She was a woman who loved God and loved people – fulfilling the two greatest commandments! She was a treasured daughter, a beloved sister, an incredible wife and mother, an amazing auntie, and dear friend. I wish I had the words to express what she meant to so many people, but I don’t even know a tiny fraction of the people she has loved and impacted with her life. I am simply thankful that I was one of those people and that I got to be on the receiving end of her love for a short time. From the first moment I met her, she made me feel accepted and embraced into their family and like I was immediately her sister. I wish I could share the unique and hilarious story of my first memory of her from my wedding, but I’m afraid it contains slightly inappropriate content. However, through that experience, she made me feel loved and cared for and I’ll never forget it!

~ “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep…” ~

With Joe’s family at our wedding in 2005 – their son Jacob was our ringbearer

It is still hard to believe and accept that she is truly gone, yet we are eternally grateful that God allowed us to share several days with her just the weekend before her passing. Joe and I and our kids had all traveled to Alberta for his dad’s birthday and almost his entire family was able to be there to celebrate together. We hadn’t thought we would be able to go, but the Lord provided a way for us to spend four wonderful days with Joe’s parents, siblings, nieces & nephews. What an incredible gift that her last days were with her family, simply enjoying & loving each other!

~ “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud shout,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first…” ~

Angie, Joe & Rayah when she visited us in Winnipeg in May 2010

 
Auntie Angie with Rayah during her visit to Winnipeg in May 2010

Auntie Angie and Justice during her visit to Winnipeg in May 2010

After their visit, Angie and her husband Cliff, and their two kids, Jacob (8) and Chloe (5), were driving back to their home in British Columbia, when they encountered bad road conditions and were involved in a terrible collision with a large truck and another car. Though Angie is now in heaven, she leaves behind a family who’s pain and loss is unimaginable.

~ “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever…” ~

 
Recent family pictures taken by Angie’s niece Taylor

Cliff has extensive, but non-life threatening injuries that are being treated in Calgary, Alberta. Jacob has two broken legs and Chloe has a broken ankle and possibly some vision issues and they are also receiving care in Calgary. They are being surrounded and supported by family as they recover and as they attempt to heal physically and emotionally. Please keep them in your prayers, as well as the rest of Joe’s family who are mourning their loss while seeking to help the children deal with their loss at the same time.

~ “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~

Family picture from 2008

If you are a friend or relative of the family and wish to be kept up-to-date on Cliff and the kids’ medical conditions, Cliff’s family has a website where you can read the latest and pray accordingly. If you wish to leave words of love, memories, prayers, pictures, etc. for Angie and her family, there is a Facebook Page for “Remembering Angela Wiebe“.

Thank you for your prayers! Though we are grieving, it is grief with hope, knowing that we will see Angie again and that we will be together with the Lord forever! In the midst of trial, trouble, and the storms of this life, He is always faithful, always good and He sustains us with His love.

Fall Family Foto Shoot

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the opportunity for some alliteration in the title of my post. I realize that this is REALLY belated, but now that I finally posted my updated review of my Christmas cards, now I feel like I can share the pictures from that photo shoot, taken by my friend Alyssa Rempel.  I already gave you a sneak peek with the post full of pictures of Justice, so I won’t include those again, but here are a few of my favorites from that day…

 

My parents with all their grandkids!

My whole family – Joe & I and our kiddos, my brother Derek & his wife Erin, my parents, and my sister Nicole & her husband Nick with their sweet & beautiful twins.

My Handsome Boy

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything about my dear & handsome son Justice, since Rayah sort of stole the show with all of her birthday & sickness drama!   Justice is quite the spunky fellow lately, with his favorite phrases being, “I won’t ______ / I can’t ______ / I don’t have to _______ / I don’t want to _________ - ever, Ever, EVER!!”  LOL.  He is becoming quite independent and is very adamant about dressing himself in the mornings now, so it takes some creative parenting to convince him to let us help him when things don’t go quite right.  He is also becoming more creative in his imaginative playing and increasing in his drumming & dancing skillz!  He’s a hilarious kid with a fantastic smile who brings us MUCH joy!  

Anyways, here are some fantastic photos my friend Alyssa took of Justice during a family photo shoot we had in the fall that I absolutely love!