Lovely Reminders

As I sat down to work on my Master's homework today, God provided me with the perfect mentality to have during this season of change.  Most of you know that I am a teacher and I began my sixth year of teaching yesterday.  The last two weeks of meetings and planning were hectic and necessary overload.  I left each day with a longer to-do list than the day before.  I love teaching and interacting with my kindergarten kiddos but the behind the scenes trainings, meetings, and preparation can be taxing.  The first two days have flown by and I have a sweet group of little ones that I know will keep me entertained and on my toes.  I am looking forward to an exciting year of growth and fun.  With that being said, I have been exhausted trying to adjust back to the routine and schedule of school.  My body is not responding to the constant ups and downs as it has in the past and I've let the frustration get the best of me at times.  I always play Pandora while working on my online coursework and today was no different.  The first song that played was Bethany Dillon's "Hallelujah."  The chorus alone tugged at my heart and was an excellent reminder that it's okay to be frustrated and struggle but having the right mindset is key to accomplishing great things.  Change is inevitable and this fall will bring many for the Uhlaender family (all good and perfect blessings!).  The lyrics of the song have challenged me to stay positive and to approach each change as an opportunity to grow and become a better person.  I have four short months until we meet our sweet baby girl and I am sure there will be times that school, working on my Master's program, Chris going through the fire academy, and preparing for our little blessing will get the best of me, but I pray God continues to provide lovely reminders as He did today to keep my mind in the positive and focused on the good.  I'll leave you with the lyrics of the song in hopes that you, too, may be blessed by the words.

"Hallelujah"

Who can hold the stars
And my weary heart?
Who can see everything?

I've fallen so hard
Sometimes I feel so far
But not beyond your reach

I could climb a mountain
Swim the ocean
Or do anything
But it's when you hold me
That I start unfolding
And all I can say is

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
Help me to sing hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
I'll choose to sing hallelujah

The same sun that
Rises over castles
And welcomes the day

Spills over buildings
Into the streets
Where orphans play

And only you can see the good
In broken things
You took my heart of stone
And you made it home
And set this prisoner free

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
Help me to sing hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
I'll choose to sing hallelujah

Here is a link to the acoustic version on YouTube...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5_jMdELnw

Psst... Hug, high-five, or pat a teacher on the back the next time you see one.  The truth is the job is demanding and precious and the beginning of each school year is tough.  A little act of kindness goes a looong way! :)

All things GIRL!!!

We found out two weeks ago that we're having a girl!!  Our sweet little blessing is due to arrive on December 20th and we're so looking forward to meeting our Christmas miracle!  Christmas truly is my favorite time of year and always has been.  I was the little girl that bought into the magic of the season and wanted to keep up with all of the family traditions.  I love everything it entails... beautifully decorated trees, twinkling lights, cheery holiday music, yummy treats, and the cozy change in the weather.  But most of all I love celebrating the birth of Jesus.  Each year brings a chance to celebrate the birth of our Savior and doing so in ways that include family and making memories is what makes it so special.  I cannot help but smile when thinking about celebrating our little girl's birth during my favorite time of the year and know it will add to the joy of many people we love.  Our sweet little blessing is loved by so many already and we've been overwhelmed by the prayers and well wishes.  Only 18 weeks until she graces us with her presence and I cannot wait to love on the miracle God has blessed us with!

Oh yeah, did I mention how much fun it is to shop for all things little girl??

Thoughts of Joy

I'm wide awake at 3 AM as my mind races through the thoughts of the next 12 hours.  Today we find out the gender of our baby and I could not think of a better way to express my thoughts than by dusting off the 'ol blog and letting them free.  This journey has been a long one in the making.  Chris and I tried for 20 months to get pregnant.  The process was not as complicated as some go through but it definitely took a toll on my emotions.  It was a roller coaster of ups and downs and what, at the time, felt like a lot of disappointment.  My faith was tested throughout the 19 months of false tests and the unknowns got the best of me for sure.  Chris was my rock.  He stayed positive the entire time and always encouraged me to let go of the sadness and find joy in the current day.  His faith and belief in the experience kept me going and I love him for that.  With all of that being said, today I am 19 weeks and 5 days pregnant!  My heart is full of gratitude for God entrusting us with this new life and for being given the opportunity to become parents.  It is amazing how my thoughts have already changed and I view things in a different perspective.  We are truly taking this journey one day at a time and soaking up the experience (even the yucky evening sickness I went through early on).  I can guarantee you there is no taking things for granted on our end!  So as we go check on our baby today, our thoughts will be full of joy and we'll focus on the blessings we have been given.  For God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Help Needed...

My twin brother, Jared, is heading to Ethiopia as I type.  He and his group will travel to the southeast border town of Dolo Ado, which borders Somalia.  Each month, nearly 30,000 refugees are dying due to hunger and lack of medical attention in the region.  I get chills just thinking of the images Jared will see, but I know his heart and know he'll make a difference in the few days he will be there.  


Jared is a youth minister at First Baptist Church in The Woodlands, Texas.  He has a heart that longs to serve others and his personality is infectious.  I know he will be fine, but please join me in praying.  Please pray for safety and for change, for I know he desperately desires to share the unconditional love of Christ to those who have no hope.  If you are interested, you can view updates (as he has a chance to add them) on his website, www.jaredmccaleb.com.  


Thanks for your prayers, I can't wait to hear his stories!


XOXO,
Erin


PS... I promise I won't neglect my blog anymore :)

Summer Photo Recap

Well, my summer is quickly coming to an end (I have a workshop this week and Inservice starts next week, Booo!!) so I thought I'd recap this simple gal's summer. Enjoy!

Our summer started off with a bang celebrating my sister-in-law Kylie's birthday, our 3rd Anniversary, and Chris' cousin Daniel's departure to Marine Officer School by seeing Eli Young Band in concert at White Water Amphitheater in New Braunfels.  They are my FAVORITE band so naturally I had a blast!

Chris and me before the concert started.  He loves any reason to wear a cowboy hat, and he's cute in it if I do say so myself!

Chris, Kylie, and cousin Daniel

Me, Kylie, and Daniel's wife Jenn (check out my birthday boots!!)

We also took time to hang out with our Goddaughters, Lilly (3) and Teagan (2).  We are so fortunate to live in the same neighborhood as these two squirts, so we intend on spending as much time with them before their daddy is stationed elsewhere and takes them along.

Lilly and me swimming ~ she was much more relaxed this summer and improved alot!

Teagan sitting in my lap while watching Yo Gabba Gabba. This little stinker cracks me up!

Our next happening was the PBR Rodeo at the Cedar Park Center.  We had never been to the new venue, but we had a great time and saw some bull riding (which Chris loves).

We then headed down to South Padre (which I blogged about below) and had so much fun! I wish we could go back today!!

Last, but not least, I got to try something I had never done before... ride a four-wheeler! Chris was surprised I had never been on one before, but hello.... I'm a city girl! I'm constantly reminding him that we didn't "rough it" or four-wheel around the cul-de-sacs of our neighborhood growing up. Poor thing just doesn't understand! Our friend, Kristin, and her family's house is on land near Wimberley and she was kind enough to take us out on their four-wheelers.  I had a blast riding behind Chris but have to say I felt most comfortable being in charge of the controls (probly so I could avoid Chris' "throttle-happy" moments). Either way, I had a great time and can check that off my bucket list.

Beware: City Girl Driving!!

As usual, my summer break has flown by quickly, but we had lots of fun and made precious memories.  I'm looking forward to another challenging but rewarding school year full of shoe-tying, manner learning, number counting, word spelling, finger painting, dance partying, all around fun!!

XOXO,

Erin

Knee Deep in the Water

We went to South Padre Island the first week in July with Chris' parents, sister Kylie, and friend Kristin.  We both love the beach and his family practically grew up there so we were looking forward to this trip for quite a while.  We stayed in an awesome condo on the beach with a beautiful view.

The weather was hot but the waves were fairly calm.  We set up our EZ Up tent first thing in the morning and stayed on the beach all day.  We listened to Texas country, threw the football, built an awesome sand couch, and I read books on my Kindle... it was perfect! I loved getting to spend time with family and taking a much needed mental break.

 Chris and I on the beach.  It was good to see him relax and have fun after working so hard!

 Here are Chris and Kylie on our sand couch creation.  The family next to us had little boys and they made their own mini versions of the couch, it was adorable!

It was a perfect week of fun and relaxation, just what I needed! :)

XOXO,

Erin

Addition to the Fam

Meet the newest member of the Uhlaender family... Pixie!

We adopted this sweet Rat Terrier in early June.  She was rescued from an animal hoarder just weeks after being born in April.  Chris and I had been wanting to get another dog to play with our Mini Daschund, Sophie.  So now both girls are happy to have a sister to play with!

Look how cute these two are! It took Sophie a little bit to warm up to her new sibling (she was the only child for 4 years), but she loves playing with her now and they're best of friends!

Pixie is absolutely adorable and quite photogenic if I do say so myself. But she is very mischievous and gets into lots of trouble very quickly.  Her latest tricks are bringing in mulch from the backyard to shred and pulling down the curtains in the front dining room.  She's quite the hand full but we love her and are glad we were able to give her a good home!

XOXO,

Erin