Small Miracles.... Great Evidence

     I have been going crazy the past 2 weeks getting ready for a craft boutique I'm in, so I'm a little behind on what's been going on around here. However, I just wanted to take a minute to reflect on some things that have happened lately.
     You would think that since we're having our 3rd child, we would be a little more financially prepared and have everything we need... However, this is not really the case. Yes, we are no longer students and Nate has a grown up job, but we also have more expenses and 2 other kids to provide for... and to top things off, we sold ALL of our baby stuff and girl clothes before we moved up here because we had no where to store everything.  Needless to say, the past year I have been nervous about how we are going to manage to get everything ready for this baby.
     Some people may put off having kids until they are absolutely stable, and while this is great for them, Nate and I felt that another child was to come to our family, and knew that the Lord would provide for us if we followed the promptings we were having.
     So, a year ago, we started preparing to have another child.  This decision was a huge leap of faith for me, and it has been absolutely nerve wracking at times. But I cannot tell you just how blessed we've been, and how I've seen small miracles come about. These small miracles have been great evidence that the Lord really does have a hand in our lives and is aware of our needs. My faith has been greatly (and I mean GREATLY) tested and has been stregthened. I have learned more about myself and have had to rediscover my testimony this past year, but it has been worth it.

I wanted to just take a few seconds and record some of the small ways the Lord has provided for this baby...

     1. We needed bunk beds for the girls, so we saved up and bought them some. But have you ever looked at bedding? It can be quite pricey, and of course I wanted their bedding to match, so I went on the hunt for matching comfortors. One day, I was at Target just browsing around when I saw a pink twin quilt on the clearance rack. I looked at the price, and it said $7.50. As you can imagine, I quickly snatched it up and went scouring for another one to match. A few rows over, I found one, but some lady was looking at it. Well, she looked at it and looked at it and looked at it some more.... I finally went to an aisle near her and watched her, praying she would put it down, and a half hour later, she set it down!! Yes, I stalked her for a long, long time, but it was worth it! I got both of the girls' bedding for a total of $15.00.

     2. My friend just gave us her carseat. Wow.

     3. My other friend gave me her old maternity clothes and her baby girl clothes since she's done having kids. I can't tell you how greatly this relieved some stress of mine! Baby clothes are expensive, and while I do shop at Goodwill and DI (and proud of it!) each piece can still add up!

     4. My friend threw me a shower. I blogged about that awhile ago, but it was a huge blessing, and I received a lot of things I needed.

     5. My other friend (don't I have great friends?) was moving away, and gave us her swing and a play mat.

     6. There has been a couple of consignment sales here, and I have been able to purchase some things for dirt cheap. I found a snap 'n' go stroller frame for $10 and a bouncer for $15 as well as clothes for all the girls for cheap. Let me tell you, shopping for 3 girls is fun, but extremely exhausting!

     7. We have been provided with a bigger place to live, and just the way it came about and the timing of it was amazing.

    8. And today, I needed some maternity pants and rain boots for the girls. I was stressing about the price of all these things, and I decided to take a look at Goodwill. I didn't have high hopes because it's always hit and miss. For instance, a couple of months ago, I struck gold when I found winter shoes for both the girls. I found a pair of rockin' Puma shoes for Ava and some cute white shoes for Halle. So, I set out, thinking my hopes would be dashed and I would have to go to Ross or something. However, I found rainboots for both the girl, and I found 2 pairs of maternity pants for me. Now seriously, what are the odds of that happening? I have been on the lookout for pants for awhile, and I always browse the racks at Goodwill, but have found nothing. But today I found 2 pairs! And one pair was even brand new with the tags still attatched! And finding rainboots in the exact sizes for both my girls is practically unheard of... but the Lord provides.

     9.  One of the last things I needed was white onsies. They aren't too expensive, but I always like to have a onsie under each outfit... and if this baby has blowouts like Ava and Halle, then we'll be going through 2 or 3 outfits a day, and that adds up to a lot of onsies... especially if I don't want to be doing laundry every day... but I went to pick something up from my friend who had a baby back in June, and she had a bag full of white, newborn onsies.

     10.  For the past 17 weeks, I have been getting weekly Progesterone shots to reduce the chance of preterm labor. When I first heard about these shots, everyone told me how expensive they were, so I was highly concerned as to how we were going to pay for them... As I talked with my doctor, she told me how they actually go through a compounding pharmacy, and it should be about $7 a shot. So, instead of paying hundreds (and these shots get up to about $1500), we've been getting them for dirt cheap. Then, Nate had to learn how to give these shots to me. Normally, I would have my mom show us how, but obviously we live hundreds of miles from her. I didn't know of anyone else to help us. Then, I remembered that my visiting teacher is a nurse, and she was able to show us how to inject them into my thigh muscle. :)

     11. One of the major blessings we have seen has been my health. I have been closely watched this pregnancy, and so far so good. I have had energy to keep up with my kids, and to complete another move. I know Heavenly Father has blessed my body. He knows that I don't have a lot of help up here with the kids, and with doing everything, and I know that's why things have gone the way they have.

      These are just some of the ways we have been blessed. Some may say these aren't miracles... that they are just coincidences, but I don't believe that for one second. These miracles are proof that God exists and that He hears prayers. He hears my prayers, even when they are uttered in the shower or while I'm crying into my pillow. It's also proof that when we pay tithing, the blessings of heaven really are poured out upon us.