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Numbers: 26-30:The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

These are the people whom God just delivered from Egypt with amazing wonders, 10 horrible plagues and parting the Red Sea. But their inheritance was taking longer than they thought it should and while Moses was up on the mountain meeting with God, the people made idols and worshipped them just as they had in Egypt, like God had never shown up. Can you blame God for being mad?

Yikes...how many times has the Lord heard me grumble? Um...more than the hairs on my head I'm sure. Especially when the vision is taking too long. My grumbling, my complaining, my faithlessness is detrimental to my future and my promise. And what impacts me deeply is that other's inheritance is dependent on my actions. I am mistaken if I think that my disobedience only hurts me. I don't want to lose my inheritance because I lose my faith. And I most certainly don't want others to miss the blessing because I took my eyes off Him. God knows human nature and that is it normal to get down and question circumstances. But only stay there for a moment. Recognize those feelings and thoughts and stop them by taking them to the Throne. Stop and pray and ask God to give you strength and restore your faith. We absolutely can not sit down in those thoughts. Get up and walk toward Him. It's the only way to the Promised Land.

Mom, there are no words to describe what you mean to me. You are the most self-less person I know and I learned to love people by watching you all my life. Thank you for always standing by my side, even when I was wrong. Countless times you have stood in the shadows and watched me shine with that proud momma look I love so much. Thanks for cheering for me, at every volleyball match, at every pageant, at every milestone. Thank you for always standing on the Word of God. I know you wish you could quote it like Dad can, but you don't need to, you live it every day of your life and because of you I walk passionately with Him. Thank you for every kiss when I am hurt, every hug when I am down, and every prayer you ever breathed. You are so special to me.

Happy Mother's Day.

What an emotional roller coaster the past few days have been. I definitely am emotionally drained. I'm glad that it is the weekend and that the waters have calmed down. On Thursday I took Lacey to her first modeling open casting call. Of course she was her cute sweet self and they loved her and asked her to come back for a callback the next day. We left the casting call and got home when I received a phone call from my Momma. They were on their way to the doctors because my dad had hurt himself pretty badly. I met them at the doctors to pick up Gracie Bear from them. When I saw my daddy my heart sank. He was as pale as he could be, white as a ghost and was in a fog. Just not himself. Not my daddy. It scared me. I went in with them to the doctors for a few minutes and then left to take the girls home. Once we were home my Momma called me and said that the doctor was so concerned about him that they were going to have an ambulance come get him to transport him to the ER at Kennestone Hospital. I called Josh and he came home from work and we left to go meet my parents at the ER. Apparently what had happened is that my dad and another guy from the church were working around the church. My dad was mowing the yard. He decided to move the picnic tables with a dolly like he has done many times before. He moved the first one. Then went to move the second one and some how something happened (we're not sure cause my dad can't remember it) and it got unbalanced and knocked my dad over. He landed on his left side on the concrete and then the picnic table fell on top of him hitting him in the temple and right side of his face. We are so thankful that Roy was there. He didn't see it happen but heard the commotion and was able to go over and get the table off of my daddy. Once in the ER I was able to go back to the room with my parents. My daddy looked MUCH better and had more color in his face because they put an IV with fluids in him. The staff at Kennestone was absolutely amazing and took such great care of my daddy. They took him for a catscan and thankfully it came back all clear and they said that he could be discharged. My daddy has many bumps, bruises and scrapes as well as a really sore back and head. But, we are so thankful that there was serious injury. It really could've turned out much worse. The Lord definitely was protecting my daddy that day!

On Friday it was an emotional day as well at work. I was exhausted from being drained from the day before with my daddy. Then a job that I thought I was going to get at work fell through. Now mind you, I had been praying about this job for several months and had told the Lord that if it wasn't his will to shut the door. So when it didn't work out I was okay with that decision. However, there were other circumstances involved that made it so disappointing and broke my heart. I really wanted the job. I know I would've done a great job with the job. Oh well. Their loss. The Lord obviously has something even better in store for me. So now I stand and wait for Him to show me what that is. I know what my heart wants, but, just waiting to see if He'll open that door. Anyway, I took Lacey to her call back after work. They did a test photo shoot to see how she would do in front of the lights and camera. The little girl before her would not stop crying and wouldn't smile for the camera. They kept trying and trying but she just kept crying. Then they called Lacey and they wanted me to put her in the bouncy seat. She was smiling at them before I even got her in the seat. They didn't have to take very many pictures because she was just so happy and cute as could be. They said that she did an awesome job. Now we'll just wait to see if we hear something. :-)

Today, I'm hanging out with Lacey. We're about to head out and finish up some Mother's Day shopping for her grandma's. Josh and Echoing Angels are in Canton filming some acoustic tunes for a video. Then later on tonight we're going to have dinner with some friends of ours to celebrate our friend Stefanie's birthday. Should be a fun night.

Then tomorrow, looking forward to celebrating my first mother's day! :-) Very excited!

I can't wait for the weekend to start! It officially begins for me at 4. Jon and his dad have been working so hard on our property clearing it out and planting us a garden. It is really starting to look good. I'm going to go home and help with what I can on this beautiful day. Jon asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day. I told him a few things I wanted to do tonight, so I think he is going to watch the boys while I do that.

Tomorrow afternoon we are going to Trey and Emily's for a cookout. I am really looking forward to this. The guys are shooting a video of them doing thier songs accoustically at this old, beautiful church that Megan and Neil got married in. Not sure if we are eating before or after- nonetheless we are getting to hangout! :-)

Sunday the guys are playing at a church in Hamilton, GA. I think I am just going to go to my church. Afterwards, Jon is going to meet up with me and the rest of his family at a restarurant that we are taking his mom to. I am so excited that God has allowed me to experience motherhood. As you mothers know, there aren't words to describe the love a mother has towards her children. It truly is indescribable.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my mom for Mother's day, I stopped reflected on the mom that the Lord blessed me with. She is such a woman of strength. She raised 5 girls all on my dad's income. She sure knew how to stretch a dollar as well as keep her sanity with so many girls in the house. She was the oldest girl in her family and also helped to raise her two younger sisters. I obviously didn't know my mom when she was growing up, but I could definitely see her being a leader in her family as well in school. She is also a woman of great independence. This is a trait she definitely passed on to her daughters. Dad worked a lot and she stayed at home with us. She didn't have anyone while she was raising us to help her out with baby-sitting, if they needed a little extra money to help pay a bill, or anything else that we sometimes depend on our parents for. Since she wasn't accustomed to leaning on others, she learned to take care of her family herself. My sisters and I learned at a young age that if you want something, you need to work for it. Most of us put ourselves through college all while working at the same time. Mom and Dad didn't have the money to put all of us through college, so if we wanted to go, then we would have to find a way to do it. She is a woman of small stature, but don't let her size fool you. She is quite feisty! :-) I see a lot of her in Journey. The other day he was pitching a fit and she said, "Boy he has a little temper, I wonder where this comes from?" I just looked at her and said, "Really??"

Sometimes life lessons you think you are teaching your kids are really for you. Our son, who is so easy and wonderful, has been trying our patience the last couple of weeks. He is five now and seems to have hit the paranoid stage. He keeps getting out of the bed to check and see what we are doing....at all hours of the night! He is still awake when we come to bed, comes in our room at 3am, is awake when I leave for work at 6am... does this kid sleep? Anyway, he has been disobeying us by continually getting up. The first week, we took privileges of tv and games away, the second week he got spanked by me, the third week, he got his first ever daddy spanking. We believe that is the last resort, however, it didn't work. He still got up. Sooooo I will tell you what has made him stay in bed the last 2 nights as long as nobody calls social services! He kept saying he was scared, that's why he was getting up. Clearly, he was not and it was an excuse. So I told him since he was scared inside the house, he could sleep outside where he wasn't scared. It worked! He is totally freaked that I will drag his pillow and blanket out there.

After the night Trey spanked James, Trey was analyzing the problem when God spoke to him. Maybe this lesson is for him....to quit being paranoid and just relax and wait for answers. Stay where He has put us and stop worrying God so much with our doubt. I have been doing this Old Testament study and today I was reading about when the Israelites got impatient, after being freed from Egypt, waiting for Moses to return from the mountain where he was meeting with God. How quickly they forgot all the amazing works God had done for them when they didn't enter the promised land immediately. So much so that they built a golden calf as an idol! And wanted to go back to Egypt where they were slaves! I read this and think to myself, "stupid!"...but how many times have I done this? Questioned God while waiting for an answer or a fulfillment to a promise? Waiting is the devil's playground. In times like these, we get frustrated and impatient and forget to look back on all the "God-stones" (my word for milestones) that lead us to this place....doors only He could have opened to get you on your purpose path. It's so difficult when you have been given the dream and the vision but you aren't there yet. Instead of questioning God, relax and know He remembers His promise and knows the right time. I don't want to go back to Egypt, maybe I knew what eveyday would look like, but I wasn't free because I wasn't in Him, doing my purpose. One thing is for sure, I know He is the same God today and He may prolong my entrance to the fulfilment if I doubt and forget His majesty. I have personally done a soul check and made sure there are no golden calfs in this heart.....I vow to continue to wait on Him, even if its in the wilderness that I don't understand.

Yay! So glad to have the blog back up and running! It's funny because it seems like since the blog was down I had sooo much to talk about and had no where to put it. Anyway, what a full couple of weeks it has been. I think the last time I posted was on Good Friday. So, what have the LeBlanc's been up to since then...well...let's see...

1. We took Lacey to see the Easter Bunny at the mall. We figured that since it was her first Easter that she needed to meet the Easter Bunny. The little girl in front of us got up there and freaked out and ran away. We took Lacey up there and she just sat and smiled. It was so precious! However, when we saw how much they charge you for a picture with the Easter Bunny we decided it will probably be the only time we do this. It might be cheaper for Josh to put on a Bunny suit and surprise Lacey. LOL

2. Easter. Josh ended up having to work on Easter Sunday morning with his production company. They had a load in for the opera at Kennesaw State University. So, Lacey and I went to my parents church to see their Easter production that they put on every year. And actually, Lacey made her acting debut in the play this year. The very first scene of the play talked about the birth of Jesus. And yes, she did play baby Jesus! She was so cute! They did such a great job. I was so proud of my momma for producing such a good play! After church my parents, Lacey Gracie Bear and I went over to my in-laws house where Josh met us. My mother-in-law Trisha made a wonderful lunch. She also made a precious bunny cake. Then of course we took a bunch of Easter pictures. That's tradition. :-)

3. I bought some cute sandals with my birthday money that I had gotten. Both pairs were so cute! I wore one pair and loved them. Then the other sandals I wore to work and had only had them on for maybe an hour and realized how much I hated them! So I ended up taking them back. Thank you Kohl's for taking them back with no problems.

4. Saturday Lacey and I were able to go to EA's show over in Loganville at Greystone Church. It was a long haul (a little over an hour away). And the funny thing is that I was using my GPS. Well, apparently the address isn't in the GPS yet and it took me into this huge public park and said I reached my destination. LOL...um no I hadn't! Thankfully, Josh and the guys at the church were able to direct me in the right way. I was only like 7 minutes away. Also, I hadn't been feeling well and as the night went on the worse I started to feel. So, the drive home just seemed like it took forever.

5. I took Lacey to her doctor's appointment today. I'm so glad that Josh was able to go with me. I was so nervous because I didn't know how Lacey's weight was going to be. As you know, she has real bad reflux and has been underweight since about 2 months. We haven't been back to the GI specialist in a month because he said she was doing well. So, anyway, I was really nervous. As a mommy you want everything to be perfect and do everything perfectly for your child. And I have felt really bad about this thinking it was my fault...even though I know it wasn't my fault. Anyway, we saw the pediatrician today and she was really pleased with Lacey's development. She's still on the small side only weighing 11 pounds 5 ounces. But, she said she thinks that a big part of it is that Lacey is just going to be a petite little girl. I was soooo relieved! She said that we were doing a good job and that just made me breathe a sigh of relief!
I'm so thankful for a good report! Lacey also ended up having to get more vaccinations today. Now she's sleeping it off. LOL.

Tomorrow we are taking Lacey to a modeling audition. There is a certain baby brand that is looking for baby models around Lacey's age and she was asked to go. So, we shall see. I'll let you know how that goes. Should be interesting!

SOOOOO we are up and running again! Yay!!! The problem we were having was actually because of you guys the fans!!! We were getting too much traffic for the bandwidth allowed by the blog! That is an awesome problem to have and we are so thankful to all of you who read our blog and keep us in your prayers. We have truly stayed afloat because you lift us up.

Here is what happened in the last 10 days in the Heffinger household.....We went for a tour of our son's new school. He will be starting Kindergarten in August. I can not believe it!!!! He is so big and so ready for this step and I am so weak and not ready. His school is public and is very nice. It is only about 6 years old. We would have loved to have had the option to send him to private school (we have some very nice ones oh so close to us) but it is just not in the finance cards for us. But we really liked the school and have peace about it. He is so excited. He likes the gym the best of course. Trey liked the art room and music room and I really liked the interactive learning equipment.

Easter Sunday was great. I was invited to sing at Liberty Hill and had a blast. It was such a blessing for me. Trey was actually singing at another church! But we did meet for lunch with family at my aunt's house. We always have so much fun.

Last week was my precious mom's birthday. We had a surprise party for her this past Saturday. My sister and I planned this months ago and she was sooooo shocked. A lot of friends and family came, even from out of town! She is such a wonderful person and it was a blessing to honor her. Next weekend we are sending she and my dad on a mountain getaway. They deserve it. They have been married 40 years this month!!!! Their example, and Christ, is the foundation my marriage is based on. Thank you both for loving the Lord and each other!!!

Thank you all for making this BLOG a success. Keep following and tell all your friends. Stay tuned, because the BLOG is going to get a facelift.

I have always been so proud of Josh and the guys of Echoing Angels. But, today I realized how proud of them I really am! It's always so awesome to watch the guys when they are at a show or a meet and greet and how they interact with their fans. Today, I learned first hand that not all artists are like that and that is really sad. Josh and the guys are so good at talking to people and being sure to ask what their name is and really listen to them when they are talking...especially when they are telling them how a song has touched them. We met a guy tonight from a band who's song really helped me through my miscarriages and through the fear during the early part of my pregnancy with Lacey. I really felt like I needed to tell him how much it meant to me and to thank him because I know that it encourages EA when they hear stories like that. Well, although he was somewhat nice, he never asked me my name, didn't really seem interested and then said that he needed to go out into the park to ride rides with his family. Now, don't get me wrong, I totally understand family time and how that time is precious. But, it was just a little rude and abrupt. Even Josh said, did he even ask you what your name was? It just really made me proud of our guys and how genuine they are. I still love the song and it doesn't change my feelings toward that...and not really the group. But, I would hope that more artists would really take the time to be genuine with their fans. After all, they are the ones buying their music. So Josh, Trey, JP, Shannon and Neil...thank you for being you and for loving your fans! Thank you for being so genuine and caring. You truly are the real deal! I love you all!

Read Matthew 26/Mark 14 or Luke 27

Maundy Thursday is today, the Thursday before Easter. It is the day we remember the Last Supper that Christ had with His disciples. It was passover and Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal together. Jesus breaks bread saying, "This is my body, broken for you." After, He poured wine for everyone saying, "this is my blood of the new covenant for you." The 12 disciples probably didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Christ was about to be betrayed by Judas and handed over to the soldiers for crucifixion. But even more awesome was that the New Covenant, the fulfillment of God's laws that they religiously practiced was standing there in the same room! Christ was the law, the ultimate sacrifice, the atonement for the all the world. We no longer have to follow the strenuous laws of the old testament because Jesus set us free! We no longer have to offer an animal sacrifice to atone for our sins because Christ came and is our sacrifice! But that doesn't mean we shouldn't study and learn and even celebrate the old law. The more we know about it, the more intimately we know Jesus and it's all the more exciting to read the new testament because He is the old testament in the flesh!
During this last supper, the first communion, the bread represented Christ's broken body on the cross and wine the blood. But there is more to it! It's not just about what Christ did on the cross, it's about the old covenant being broken and the ushering in of the new covenant between God and his people. That's a reason the celebrate today!

I feel like I struggle with this thought a lot. I am a very black and white person and I don't do well with gray areas or things that I have no control over. So, this is why I struggle with faith. As you know, a HUGE part of what EA does is based on faith. Faith that they will have shows booked, faith in the people that work for them, faith that radio stations will play their music, faith that people will buy their music, faith that some way, some how their bills will get paid during slow times. The past two to three years has been a real faith tester for me. I will say though God has NEVER forsaken me nor let me down. There have been so many times when I know it was God that brought us through or opened up a door. However, I still have many questions, concerns, and worries. Why? I guess it is part of who I am. By completely living on faith, you constantly stay in a gray area- always wondering, or at least I do.

Yesterday began the Passover celebration. Passover is a Jewish holy day and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of "Nisan", which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
In Exodus, God helped the Children of Israel escape slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves. Plague #10 was the worst: Death of the Firstborn. Moses told the king that every firstborn would be killed. Everyone from the Pharaoh's son to the slave woman's son would die. God instructed Moses to tell his people to make sure every household had a lamb, a one-year-old male without any defects. On the given day, they were to slaughter, cook and eat the animal and put its blood on their doorposts. The angel of death would see the blood when he came to kill the firstborn and would "pass over" when he saw the blood. All of the firstborn of people and animals of the Egyptians died that night and Pharaoh freed the Israelites.

When Pharaoh freed the Israelites, they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread". Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday.

These days, only Jewish people celebrate this but I think that is such a shame. We should ALL be observing this! This is our heritage! But not only is it our history, it is symbolic and a prophecy of Christ. He is our Passover Lamb! He is the spotless lamb whose blood is shed on the door posts of our souls saving us from the Angel of Death! He came to save us and offer us an escape from our slavery and a way into the promised land. Praise God for this awesome foreshadowing of the cross! So... tell me again why we don't celebrate Passover? We are missing out.

This birthday has been the best birthday I have ever had! Instead of celebrating one day, I managed to spread it out over the whole weekend and extending into Josh's birthday, which is TODAY! So be sure to go to his Facebook page and wish him a happy birthday! Anyway, I had an amazing birthday (on April 14th) with my daughter Lacey and my parents. We went to Longhorn Steakhouse and had a yummy dinner. Then we went back to there house and my mom had set up some decorations and made me a red velvet cake (my fave). It was such a fun night with my family.

Friday night my girlfriends and I had a girls night. We started out at Laredos (my favorite Mexican Restaurant) and had a blast! We laughed so much that night at dinner. Then towards the end we started taking pictures and next thing I know I feel this big plop on my head and on came a sombraro (sp?). It scared me to death but I laughed so much after that. After dinner a few of us (Megan, Dina, Heidi and Debi) went to US Play to do some bowling. We had a coupon to use and the guy at the counter wouldn't let us use it! Boo on him! But, we at least still bowled one game. And as you can see from the picture above, I didn't do so well. I think this is the worst game I ever bowled. But, it was so busy that night that all of the lower weight balls were taken and so I had to use a ball that was about 2 pounds heavier than what I would normally use. Around the 8th frame someone finally finished with the right weight and was able to do a little better the last 2 frames. It didn't matter to me though, because I had such a great time with these girls. After bowling we were going to go to The Melting Pot for chocolate fondue but as you saw from Emily's post below we had some pretty wicked weather and I decided to call it a night so the girls could all get home before it got any worse.

Saturday night Emily took me out to Shogun, a hibachi place for dinner. Wow! Yummo!!! Dinner was so, so good!!! And of course it was Emily's mission to try and embarrass me as much as she could. So, they came out and put a napkin hat with chopstick in it on my head. LOL. I looked beautiful! NOT!!! Then after dinner we went to the mall and just hung out. It was such a fun and relaxing evening!

I have to say that I feel soo blessed to have each and everyone of these girls in my life! Their friendship means so much to me! Thank you girls for making this birthday more special than I ever dreamed it could be.

To finish...I have to say how thankful I am this birthday for my family. Josh...I love you so much! Your unconditional love and support blows my mind! I love you more and more every day! And I want to thank you for the best gift we could've gotten for our birthday's this year...Lacey Elisabeth! That is the BEST present of all this year!!!

Even though I am in the middle of my zillion hour 2 week work stretch, I have managed to have a little fun. My mom got the kiddos yesterday since I was working all weekend and Trey left for Florida this morning. Trey and I were able to go on a date last night, which a rare happening. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, PF Changs. We didn't venture too far away from home because of the bad weather. We shared the restaurant with about 50 prom goers. I was enjoying the fashion show as the girls made their way to the restroom, in groups of 3 or more of course!! Trey and I did not go to our Proms together so we had a chance to talk about ours. Not a subject that comes up often. Just as we were leaving, the weather got ominous. We were about to our car when we noticed what looked like a tornado. We quickly got in the car, and just as we did, lightening struck a nearby power pole, sparks flew and all the power went out in the area. And then the hail came. Trey drove as fast as he could without breaking the windshield. Once we got home, we turned on the weather channel (The Weather Channel headquarters is about 3 blocks from where we ate) and they confirmed that was a tornado! Fortunately it never touched the ground. But sleep was off and on last night as the thunder rolled and the tornado alarm went off in our city at 2 am. But that went around us, thankfully. I am so thankful for the time Trey and I got to spend together. With our schedules, we rarely get that. He is still the love of the my life.

Tonight, after I got off work I met Cami for dinner. I didn't go to the girls night out last night because I wanted to hang out with Trey. Cami and I went to a habachi grill to celebrate her birthday. Once again, there was a parade of Prom couples. Cami and I decided next year we were going to dress up in old formals and go out on prom night too. The kids will wonder who the two old ladies are whose out of style dresses are too tight! Then Cami suggested we have an EA prom night! It would be fun! After dinner, she and I went shoe shopping in mall....felt like I was 13 again. The mall on a Saturday night....yikes. It was great fun talking and hanging out. I feel like we have been friends forever!

I do miss my kids though. Life just isn't the same without them near. I am going to pick them up tomorrow after work. I can't wait!

Journey has always been in the lower percentiles since he was born. He only weighed 6lbs 12 oz when he was born and has been slow to gain weight. We took Journey to the doctor for his 4 month check up and he weighed 14 pounds and was in the 10th percentile. Two months later we took him for his 6 month check up and he had only gained a pound. The doctor wasn't "too" concerned because he did have a real bad stomach bug between those two visits and that is what probably accounted for him not gaining a lot of weight and he is still showing growth, albeit slow. Well, the child eats like a little pig. His little, fat cheeks are his prominent feature, so to look at him you would think he weighs a ton. I was down at my in-laws house last night and we decided to weigh him to see what the little chunk weighs. To our surpise he had actually lost 1/2 a pound. So in three and a half months he hasn't gained any weight. So my question is, why? As a parent, all of the scary things run through your mind. Nobody wants something wrong with their child. He is not scheduled to go back to the doctor until his 9 month check-up. The doctor told us that if we were concerned he wasn't gaining weight then we could bring him in to do a wieght check. So I just called the doctor to see what we should do. Please just pray it is nothing and that he begins to gain weight...... I'll let you know something as soon as the doctor calls me back.

Today was my birthday...and it was amazing! Josh is in Corpus Christi, TX with his production job so he wasn't here today! But, he totally surprised me and had my favorite flowers (daisies and pink roses) sent to my work. They are so beautiful! It made me so happy! Even though he couldn't be here I know he was still thinking about me and was here in spirit!

I was also overwhelmed by how many "Happy Birthday's" I received on Facebook! It's amazing how a social networking site can reconnect you with so many people from every area of your life. I was totally blown away at all the comments. People that I've known since elementary school, family members to dear friends and co-workers from today. Just unbelievable.

Tonight my parents took Lacey and I to Longhorn Steakhouse. It was so yummy. I ordered the top sirloin and shrimp with a baked potato. So yummy. But, couldn't eat it all. Yay for leftovers! After that we went back to my parents house and had cake (red velvet - my favorite made by my momma) and opened presents.

Tomorrow the celebration continues with a girls night. So looking forward to hanging out with my girls. And then Saturday gonna go to the Big Shanty Festival here in Kennesaw with my friend Cara and then that night going out to a birthday dinner with Emily! Sunday Josh gets home and then we are heading out with his parents for a birthday dinner. And then Monday is Josh's birthday! I think we're going to go to Scalini's and use our $25 gift card they gave us because I went into labor after eating their eggplant parmasean. So as you can see the celebration goes on! It's a birthday week! Yay!

I'll post pictures from this weekend's festivities after they happen! I feel so truly blessed to have so many wonderful family members and friends! And I couldn't ask for a better birthday present than my little girl Lacey!

It is a very busy week in the Heffinger household. This past weekend Trey was gone with EA to Martin GA, where they had an awesome time. Sunday, I was able attend Lacey's baby dedication which was so precious. It was awesome to see two of the most precious people in my life give their baby to God after so many heart breaks! God is so faithful. It was very moving. Today I began another long stretch of work. 11 days in a row I think. But I am hoping it won't be terrible. Tonight the kids have their first swim lesson! It should be fun! This weekend the guys are in Florida and my awesome mom and dad will have the kids since I am working. Cami's birthday is tomorrow so we are planning some girl fun too after work!

On the album front, it is just really hard to wait on God. I really, honestly thought after March 22, it was going to be good news, good news, good news. And while there is some good news, the album is climbing the charts a lot slower than I thought it would. It deserves to be at the top and with the incredible CD release party, the amazing critic reviews, and the responses from old and new fans alike, it SHOULD be there at the top. I truly think the whole project has God's hand on it but once again, He is asking us to wait. In due time....

Today I am back at work after a week off for Spring Break. I enjoyed so much my time at home with Jon and the boys. I am having to work an extra hour for the next twelve days to make up for time lost during the winter. This means I will not leave school until after 5! People think I am crazy for teaching middle school. I think I will be crazy after these 12 days. :-) I only have 6 more Mondays to go to work, so when I look at the future like this, it doesn't seem so bad. The weather has been beautiful down here in Georgia. However, we had to turn our air on because it was 78 degrees in our house!! We have ceiling fans going in each room, but even that didn't help. It is supposed to rain tonight so maybe it will cool down some. Jayce started "little batters" a few weeks ago. He is so stinkin' cute to watch. I think he really wanted to play soccer, but we didn't figure that out until his first practice. The coaches had gotten all of the little boys together to roll balls to each other and he found a soccer ball and started kicking it into the goal. Oh well, we will know better for next time. For now hopefully he will learn a little bit about baseball. Jon played all throughout high school, so I know he would love to see Jayce follow in his footsteps. However, now Jon says that if he knew in high school where is future was headed, he would have probably played drums in the band. No matter, what Jayce decides to do, we will still be proud. I am just excited that he is finally at the age to where he can get involved on little teams. It is as much fun for us as it is for him.

What a weekend it has been! Jam packed of things to do, yet, went by like a whirlwind! Saturday the City of Kennesaw had an Easter Egg Hunt and so my Momma and I took Lacey. It was her very first one and we had such a great time! She came away with about 4 eggs and quite a bit of candy...although the candy will be donated to my mom's Sunday School class since Lacey can't eat it! LOL. Anyway, we were so impressed with how this easter egg hunt was run. It was so organized and went so well that we decided to make it a tradition to bring Lacey to it. I think Emily is going to join us in our tradition next year with James and Eliza.

Today, we had Lacey's baby dedication. What a joy it was to stand up there and dedicate our baby back to the Lord. What a responsibility we have. But, we are so ready for it and cannot wait to bring her up in the ways of the Lord. It was so awesome to have so many friends and family be a part of this celebration as well! Emily came and sang "What Faith Can Do". When Josh and I had our miscarriages and then found out we were pregnant again, this was the song that I just kept hitting replay on. I needed something to hold on too...some type of hope...to know everything was going to be okay. She did an amazing job singing it. Definitely brought tears to my eyes. My daddy performed the dedication. It was pretty cool being able to have him do this for our little girl...his granddaughter. And we had several friends that came to be a part of this and agree to support and mentor our baby as she grows up. Thank you to my parents, Steve & Trisha LeBlanc, Emily Heffinger, Dina & Tony Scott, Cara Michelle, Jen Arnold, Winfrey Shields and Aunt Melody. And we want to say a BIG thank you to our Radiant Life Assembly of God family. You have been so amazing to my parents through the past couple of years during the ups and downs and have been so unbelievable to Josh and I! There are no words that we could say to you to tell you how much we love you and are so thankful for you! Thank you for the amazing fellowship dinner afterward in honor of our Lacey! We are forever grateful!!!

One of the most popular Biblical stories is Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. I have been studying this recently in my devotions and God revealed something new to me. Bare with me, it take some history first.

The Pharaoh on the throne made the Jewish people slaves. Moses had run away to Midian and married there forty years previously. God appeared to him in the burning bush and told him to go back to Egypt, to Pharaoh, and tell Pharaoh to let the Jews return to Palestine. Pharaoh was resistant and stubborn. He continued to make the Jew's lives even more difficult.

In an effort to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, God brought plagues upon the Egyptians. There are ten plagues listed and described in the book of the Exodus. After the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart, firm in his resolve not to let them go. After the next five plagues, it was God who hardened his heart.

Plague #1: Nile Turned to Blood

Moses and Aaron: Aaron held his stick over the river and the water turned into blood. The fish all died and there was blood everywhere in Egypt where there should have been water.

Plague #2: Frogs

God told Moses: "Go to the king and tell him that the Lord says, "˜Let my people go, so that they can worship me. If you refuse, I will punish your country by covering it with frogs.'" (Ex.8: 1,2) So Aaron held his walking stick over the river and an abundance of frogs came out onto the land. They were everywhere, even in the palace.

Plague #3: Gnats

Aaron struck the ground with his stick and all the dust of Egypt was turned into gnats.

Plague #4: Flies

Moses and Aaron approached the king again to let the Israelites go and worship in the desert. He threatened the Pharaoh with an infestation of flies if he didn't comply. This time a distinction was made between the Egyptians and the Jews. The flies would not bother the Jews. The next day God sent flies everywhere in Egypt except Goshen, where the Israelites were.

Plague #5: Plague on Cattle

The next disaster was the death of all of the Egyptian's livestock, horses, sheep, camels, goats, donkeys and cattle. None of the Israelite's animals were touched. The king remained steadfast and would not let them go.

Plague #6: Boils

The Lord told Moses to take a handful of ashes from a furnace and throw the ashes up into the air. The ash spread all over Egypt and everyone had boils and open sores. The king remained adamant because now God was making him stubborn.

Plague #7: Hail

A massive hailstorm was next on the agenda. The king was warned that everyone should stay inside to avoid being killed by hailstones. The hail destroyed the crops in the field and killed the people who didn't heed the warning. It hailed everywhere in Egypt except Goshen.

Plague #8: Locusts

Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh again. Pharaoh was willing to let the Jewish men go into the desert to worship, but not the women and children. Moses refused and the king denied his request. So God sent a cloud of locusts that covered the land and ate everything that the hail had not destroyed. "Not a green thing was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt." (Ex. 10: 15) God continued to harden Pharaoh's heart and he would not let the people go.

Plague #9: Darkness

God told Moses to raise his hand toward the sky and darkness would fall on Egypt. There was total darkness in all of Egypt for three days. Only the children of Israel had light. Pharaoh offered to let the people go but not their animals. Moses refused that offer and the king told him that he never wanted to see him again.

Plague #10: Death of the Firstborn

Moses told the king that every firstborn would be killed. Everyone from the Pharaoh's son to the slave woman's son would die. God instructed Moses to tell his people to make sure every household had a lamb or goat, a one-year-old male without any defects. On the given day, they were to slaughter, cook and eat the animal and put its blood on their doorposts. The angel of death would see the blood when he came to kill the firstborn and would "pass over" when he saw the blood. All of the firstborn of people and animals of the Egyptians died that night and Pharaoh sent the Israelites away.

Sorry that was long but I'm sure a good refresher of history. Ancient Egyptians worshipped predominately 114 Gods and Goddesses. Here is a list of those that our GREAT GOD offended during these plagues:

Hapi/Anuket: God and Godness of the nile
Hatmehyt: Fish Goddness
Heget: Frog Goddess
Sepa: God of insects and centipedes
Bat/Mhet-Weret: Cow Goddesses
Hike: God of Medicine and well being
Baal: God of thunder Shu: God of air and sky
Kek/Kauket: Deities of Darkness and night Re: God of the sun Khonsu: God of the moon
Ihy/Panebtawy: The child God
Nun-Naunet: God of Chaos and water Yamm: God of the sea (God would really offend these when He parts the red sea!)
And my favorite: Maat: Goddess of truth and order

God used the very thing they worshipped to destroy them. They bowed down to meaningless idols that couldn't protect them.
In the same way, when we covet and worship things that are not of God, He will use them to break down our selfishness and our pride in order to bring us closer to Him. Follow the trail of your time and your money and your eyes will be open to what you worship....greed, love of money, TV, facebook, self, possessions, keeping up with the Jones', addictions, pride...anything that is between you and the Living God. It has happened to me. God will use those to turn your face back towards Him.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Look full in HIs wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the sight of His Glory and Grace

Today is the last official day of my Spring Break. It has been such a relaxing time. I am so thankful Jon was home this week. We got to spend some quality time together. We worked around our house, started working on our taxes (nothing like doing it at the last minute), and played with the boys. When I go back to work Monday, I will be working an extra hour a day for the next 12 days. Back in the winter, not sure if it was Dec or Jan, we had a terrible snow storm and our school was closed for a week. So, the 12 hours is part of having to make up that time. After this 12 day period then I only have like a month left of work and I can not wait. I absolutely love what I do, but I also can't wait to have a lot more time at home with the boys, and Jon when he is home. We don't have any real plans right now for the summer. With what the guys do it is hard to plan a vacation, but we are going to try and squeeze in some time at the beach. We will see. Either way I will just be thankful for some more time off.

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29

Several years ago when I was pregnant with my son James, I received so many things at the baby shower that were lambs. Lambs on cards, stuffed animals, blankets, etc. I thought it was interesting but didn't make anymore about it until a lady at my church who couldn't be at the shower gave me a gift the following Sunday. It was a Willow Tree figurine with a mother holding a baby lamb. My pregnancy had been a difficult one to say the least and in the moment of getting that figure out of the box and placing it in the nursery, God spoke to me. "I am your Lamb." I knew Christ was the lamb of God, the sacrifice that was made just for me, but in that moment, I realized He meant he was my comforter and my faithful companion. It was true. He had given this child to me and He knew the price I would pay to carry him but He stood by me every step of the way.

The LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights as a great lion over his prey
Isaiah 31:4

As the delivery drew closer, my anxiety became greater. I work in anesthesia. I know EVERY thing that can go wrong and I couldn't help but place myself in all those horrible situations. One morning driving to work I began to fret and God clearly spoke to me again. "I am your Lion too." My spirit was immediately lifted. The same God who is my closest comforter is also my fiercest protector, the One who will devour the opposition that tries to take me down. It would turn out, not a month later, that I would need His protector during a very scary delivery.

As Easter draws near, we hear these terms, "The Lion and the Lamb" quite often. Lately, I have to remind myself of each great facet of God. He is ALL things to me. It is easy to forget ALL of who He is when the flaming arrows have been launched at your soul. Oh Great God, the One who is small enough to hear every breath of my heart and the One who is strong enough to defend my life. You are more than enough for me.

My Spring Break got off to a rocky start. I came home on Friday after work feeling terrible. I had a headache, my back hurt, and my throat was beginning to hurt. Also, I had had a very intense and painful session of physical therapy for my knee that morning so I was sore from that as well. I just ignored all of those factors and figured I would feel better on Saturday- besides, it was the beginning of my Spring Break- there is no way I could be sick!

The last couple days in our house have been a real treat! Not! The stomach bug roared its angry head. It started last Tuesday with Eliza. Poor girl! She had it for 4 solid days. I was starting to get really worried that it was something other than a stomach virus because no one else had it and it was the worst thing I have ever seen. She is tiny anyway, and I am sure she lost a few a pounds. But the worry was over Thursday when James and I got it. I had to call in sick to work Friday which I have not done in about 3 years, because in my profession, its just something you don't do. But I had no choice. And of course, Trey was out of town, so I didn't have any help. Mine is mostly over now, but James is still going strong. He looks better this morning as compared to last night, he looked like death. But he just ate a banana and the bucket is in his lap. I have done more laundry the last 5 days than I have ever done. Just when I finish cleaning up one mess, there is another. Every sheet and towel in this house has been washed 4 times over. And we have watched every Scooby Doo episode that exists. I am ready to be done with this. I have to go to work tomorrow, so I hope my symptoms disappear today and I really pray that James begins feeling better. I am going to try to clean a little this morning while I feel good, the house is a wreck. So far Trey has not gotten it. And I hope he doesn't since he has to be Mr. Mom this week.
I had BIG plans this week. I was going to work on potty training little girl and getting rid of the night time pacifier. Both efforts were halted with the stomach flu entrance. And once again, I am missing out on going to the church at Callaway Gardens that EA plays at quite often. I am the only one who hasn't been and they are having a dinner for them today. I guess its just par for the course right now. I don't get to be involved because I have to work so much. I pray that will change soon. Ok, I have to get back to the pile of laundry.

Well, I made it through my first week back to work after maternity leave! Woo hoo! I was dreading it...the part of being away from Lacey. I just love that little girl so much! But, it was nice to be back to work into a routine and seeing all of my friends. They were all so welcoming!

Its funny because this is the first Saturday in I don't know how long that Josh hasn't had to be gone for Echoing Angels OR his production job with Technical Elements. Wow! It has been sooo nice to have him home. So what are we doing on this beautiful spring day? Spring cleaning! Yep...Josh actually cleaned the toilets and the bathroom today. I've been doing laundry (does the mountain ever end?) and right now I took a few minute break from cleaning out my closet. I thought it was time to pull all the maternity clothes out and put them in storage until we need them again. It's amazing things you find that you thought you had lost. Anyway, Josh and I have a long list of things to do around the house. We're also trying to get everything cleaned (company clean) because some friends of ours from Michigan are coming in to visit us later on this week. We are so excited bout seeing them! Billie is my friend from high school and her husband Joe and Josh hit it off when we visited them last August. You would've thought they had known each other for ever! So, we are very excited about their visit with their daughter Mya. AND they get to meet Lacey too! I'll post pictures next week after their visit.

Oh...and by the way...Lacey rolled over several times today! She first rolled over at 9 weeks old and then rolled over once the other night. But, today Josh and I put her down for some tummy time and she rolled over about 3 or 4 times. It was so exciting! It's the little things that make us happy! She's growing up so fast!

Okay...I need to stop procrastinating and get back to work. Laundry calls as does my closet.

This was my day:

James woke me up at 430 because thunder was rolling and we fell back to sleep together til 730 when I heard Eliza crying. I went in and she had thrown up in the bed. Gave her her medicine, pulled her sheets off, and realized her laundry basket was full. Took all the laundry down stairs, threw it in the wash. Went to the fridge, it was hot! Everything in the fridge and freezer was hot. Great. Took everything that wasn't thawed out into the basement freezer. Got kids breakfast, into the car, registered James for Kindergarten, stopped on way home to get ice. Needed gas too while I was there. Got home, put Eliza down for a nap. Put everything that hadn't gone bad into a cooler. Threw away tons of stuff. Realized fridge needs to be cleaned now that it's empty. Oh yeah, laundry. Realized there were clothes in the dryer from last week! Folded those, put clothes in dryer, started new load. Realized liter box was full. Cleaned that. Saw they needed food. Went back to clean freezer out. Noticed vanilla ice cream had melted on the floor. Cleaned it up, noticed the rest of the floor needed cleaning. Vacuumed and then mopped kitchen floor. Went back to get clothes from dryer and couldn't find the laundry basket. Found it upstairs with clean unfolded clothes in it. Folded those, put those away. Went back to get clothes out of dryer. Eliza was crying. She had thrown up in her bed....Ground hog day? Striped her bed again, went to laundry room.....realized she had puke in her hair. Gave kids a bath. Got them in their jammies, cooked dinner, cleaned up, sat down and watched one cartoon with the kids. And then put Eliza to bed. Had a conference call at work. And now watching Yogi Bear with one really patient little boy!

It is hard to believe that 7 months ago I was in the hospital holding my new baby boy!! Some of you may not know this, but we did not know if Journey was a boy or a girl until he was born. I had pretty bad gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with him, so for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy I had to see a specialist to make sure both the baby and I were doing o.k. During each visit they did an ultrasound and I didn't even cheat!! :-) Thankfully, he was a boy because had it been a little girl, I would have been completely unprepared. If Jon and I decide to have more children, I will probably choose to find out. If it was up to Jon he wouldn't. He likes surprises. I just like to be prepared, especially if it is a little girl. I am so thankful the Lord brought Journey into our life. He is such a sweet little boy!! He has the sweetest smile and the most contagious laugh!! I love you so much Journ!!!

Sorry you haven't heard from me in a while. I have had a lot going on. As the other wives have mentioned, Tuesday night was AMAZING!!! I was blown away by the support the guys received. There was standing room only! Me and Megan didn't even have a seat. We ended up sitting on the steps in the balcony. I was worried about the boys being there, but they did awesome. Journey slept in my sister's arms and Jayce sat with a few of his cousins. One time I took him to the lower part of the balcony and he started waving and saying, "Hey Daddy", to Jon who obviously couldn't hear him. It was too cute. We got home around midnight and I quickly went to bed as I had to work the next day. While all of this excitement was going on, I had one sick little boy on my hands. I can't remember if I have shared or not, but poor Journ hadn't been sleeping to well. I thought I was losing my mind and was so thankful Jon was there to relieve me. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. We thought he was just teething since, although he sounded congested, his doctor said it was just a cold. Anyway, the boys spent the night with my in-laws the night of the CD release. I called my mother-in-law the next day to see how the boys were and she said she thought Journey needed to see a doctor because he cried out a lot during the night, and she said you could feel his little chest rattling. Good thing she took him because we found out he had bronchitis, a sinus infection, and fluid on both of his ears.The doctor prescribed him antibiotics and breathing treatments four times a day. I felt HORRIBLE!! This is what was wrong all along, and I chalked it up to him either teething, or just a cold. Needless to say, from now on I am going to be a little more aggressive in taking him to the doctor at the first sign of him not acting like himself. Jon got home around 11 a.m. Saturday, but I didn't get to spend any time with him because I had a bridal shower to attend that afternoon. We got to spend some together that evening so that was good and even better. Journ is on the mend. He truly is a different baby now that he is feeling better.

Today is our sweet baby girl's 2nd birthday. I can't believe it!!!! I admit, I am a little sad to see her leave the baby stage, it has been so much fun!!! She is so awesome and the most beautiful baby girl. We had a party today for her which we threw together spare of the moment, so if you didn't get an invite, I apologize. Trey was supposed to be in Chicago today so I didn't have anything planned. But the show fell through and we thought we should take advantage while he was here. We had a wonderful Minnie Mouse inspired day! My cousin and his wife and girls bought her a minnie mouse costume not even knowing this was the theme. She wore it all day!!! SO cute. My mom and dad, another cousin and her kids, aunt and uncle came and Cami and Josh. We had tons of fun!!
She is my little miracle. There was a some drama in her delivery two years ago. My doctor thought I had a placental abruption, which is when the placenta pulls away from the wall of the uterus and is most definitely a true emergency for mom and baby when it occurs prior to delivery. It appeared mine had been there for some time but was stopped a large blood clot. Once she noticed it, we were well passed the need to worry, this baby was coming and right on time! God spared us. He truly protected Eliza and I. Our outcome could have been very different. Then, a week after she was born, we were called by the pediatrician to head straight to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. There was something drastically wrong with her blood work. She was very jaundiced and lethargic. She was re-tested and found that she did not have a thyroid. A birth defect? She is missing an organ? I fell apart! Without a thyroid the brain can not develop properly. When this is not corrected, it leads to Cerebral Palsy. But the routine blood work saved her life. She was started on meds that day and is a normal little girl, hitting every mile stone with ease. She does have to go to the endrocrinologist every 2 months and have blood work drawn. It is critical until age 3 that her thyroid levels stay within normal range since this is when the most critical brain development occurs. She takes her medicine everyday as soon as she wakes up and can not eat for 30 minutes. This is really difficult as an infant, oh my goodness. But now she takes the medicine herself and knows she can't eat for a while. And James is so patient, he doesn't eat until she can. I truly believe this little heck-raiser has a giant purpose. God saved her life twice all within a week of her existence. I can't wait to see what she will do for His Kingdom!

The CD release on Tuesday was amazing! I have never been so proud of my husband the guys of Echoing Angels. We were all surrounded by our family and friends that have been there since the beginning. It was such a wonderful experience to see how far the band has come in the past year. EA lead us in the worship song "How He Loves" and all I could do was revel in how awesome the Lord has been to the families and the members of the band. The words of that song have never been so real to me! I have to admit- I cried. :)

Today I have been a little down and anxious. My heart is hurting for several friends of mine who are really under attack right now and going through a hard time. And it's funny (not funny ha-ha, but, funny ironic) that this week seems to be the week that friends from different parts of my life are just really hurting. And it breaks my heart. These girls are so very dear to me and I know that the Lord has amazing things in store for them and they are just being attacked from so many different angles. I have just really been praying for them that God would just bring them out of these dark places and bring joy and peace to their lives. Each one of these girls mean so much to me and have been there for me during the hard times in my life. And I wish there were something that I could do for them to make everything okay. Sometimes I feel so helpless. I want to be able to give them words of wisdom and be able to just wave a magical wand and make it all go away. But, all I can do is just pray. So that's what I've been doing. So if you would, please keep my friends in your prayers. That God would do some big miracles.

I close with a verse that really helped me through my dark days of when I was going through miscarriages. I leaned on this verse daily!

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will NOT fail you or forsake you! Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

Oh my gosh! What an amazing night we had last night!!! Echoing Angels CD came out yesterday. As of yesterday afternoon it was #5 on the Christian itunes chart. PTL!!! If you haven't bought the cd yet, definitely go and get it! It's really a GREAT record!!!

Last night 104.7 The Fish hosted a CD release concert for the guys at the Buckhead Theater. Oh my gosh...completely packed out! There was no more room in the inn! LOL. We are sooo thankful to everyone who came out to support the guys. It really was such a magical night. The guys rocked the house. The audience loved it. Seriously...what more could we have asked for. It was just such an amazing night. I am so thankful to all of my friends who came out to support Josh and I. We truly are blessed with awesome friends! So thank you to my parents, my in-laws, all the Radiant Life Assembly of God peeps, Uncle Tim, Aunt Van, Jamie, Dina, Cara Michelle, Pam, Jen, Jason, Annette, Laura, Nick and Rachel. It was amazing to see all of you. Oh, and it was such a surprise to see a long lost friend of mine, Amber. She came with a friend of hers who had won tickets. It was so great to catch up with her. Josh used to be in a band with her husband and I was in their wedding. It had been a long time since we had seen each other. We both had babies this past year so you can see why it's been a little busy. But, I was so excited to see her!

Anyway, this night was a long night coming. We had been on this journey for the last 3 years and to finally see it come to fruition was just a miracle! It's definitely been a roller coaster ride and hasn't been the easiest 3 years, but, it's definitely been an awesome ride! How could it not be when you know that you are in the will of God!

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and the My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16

Today is the big day. We have waited so long for it, endured many fierce trials for it, and fasted and prayed for it. Here is it. A piece of the promise....part of the fulfillment of God's vision for us. God is SOOOO good. Today, the CD is available in stores and online. Tonight is the sold out CD release party. I am overwhelmed and don't have words for what I feel. God has done this in His might. I have known for a very long time what Trey's purpose is, that his God given talent would be used to glorify the ONE. I have known my purpose too, to support and love no matter what the cost and in spite of what the world throws at us. God gave him 4 other guys with the same purpose and gave me 3 other wives and the journey began for us. I don't know what is on the other side of today, but I got some great advice this morning from my dearest friend and prayer partner Kristen (who lives my same life and loves me so!), to just enjoy today, just praise Him for what He has done today, and not worry about tomorrow. So I plan on doing just that! Thank you God for what you are doing and for bringing us this far. Only You could have done this and You alone get ALL the glory. Show Your power today Lord, and everyday of the rest of my life as we proclaim your name in all the earth. Amen.

I can't believe it! We have waited for this day for almost 3 years! Echoing Angles CD comes out! Woo hoo!!!! We are all so excited!!! The guys are down at the venue right now setting up production and their gear for the CD release concert tomorrow night at the Buckhead Theater. Getting sound checked and everything. And us wives? Well, we are making important decisions too. Like...what outfits are we going to wear for the show? Emily and I this morning went to get a pedicure and manicure so we had to decide what color would look best with our outfits. What outfits will our kids wear. You know...important stuff! LOL. ]

Seriously, it has been a lot of fun getting ready for this BIG day! We are sooo proud of our husbands! They have worked so hard for this! They have trusted the Lord through this whole process and have stayed true to what He has called them to do! We hope that you will go and buy this CD and be blessed by it as well.

AOL Music is having a listening party for their new release and you can go and listen to the whole CD for free (and then buy it tomorrow). :-) Here is the link for that.
http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/10

Also, our friend Kurt Wallace from WXXX in Indianapolis took EA's new single "Give You Peace" and mixed it with some moving stories from the tragedy in Japan. Be sure to go check it out. Here's the link.

http://soundcloud.com/kurt-wallace-creative/i-will-give-you-peace-japan-1?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fkurt-wallace-creative%2Fi-will-give-you-peace-japan-1

Please be praying for the guys as they have a busy week ahead! Tonight they are on Atlanta Live on channel 57 here in Atlanta from 7-9 pm. Then Tomorrow morning will be on with Kevin & Taylor in the Morning on 104.7 The Fish. Tomorrow night they have the concert then leave to drive all night to Indianapolis. From there they go to South Bend and then Grand Rapids. Please pray for rest and traveling mercies!!!

Thank you for your support! We are so grateful for you!!!

Can you feel it??? We sure can! Excitement is in the air! Only 3 more days until Echoing Angels new CD comes out! It's such an amazing feeling and so hard to contain our excitement. The guys have spent the last 2 days working on their show for Tuesday night here in Atlanta. I know it's going to be great. Josh says there are going to be a few surprises but he will not let me know what they are. Ugh...so I have to wait just like everyone else. I can't wait to see what they are! It's definitely going to be a great show! If you are on the list to come out to their private CD release concert please make sure you bring some cash with you not only for parking but to buy your CD and Echoing Angels apparel gear. You know you want it and NEED it! :-)

After the show the guys have to leave immediately to head up to Indianapolis, IN for a radio interview and then concert that night. Then on Thursday they are in South Bend, IN and Friday in Grand Rapids, MI. Then they get to come home for a few days before heading out to North Carolina to continue the CD Release radio tour. So if you could, please be in prayer for the guys. They will be doing a lot of traveling with very little sleep. Please pray for protection and for the Lord to bless this CD.

In other news, we took Lacey to the pediatrician yesterday for a weight check. PTL she gained another 7 ounces. So she is now at 9 pounds and 5 ounces. Woo hoo!!! She's still wearing newborn clothes, but, they are starting to get smaller and she should be able to start wearing her 0-3 months soon. We are so thankful that the "easy" fix is working. We go back to the GI specialist next Friday for her next check up. Our pediatrician says that she thinks that the specialist will probably not need to see us again. So we are praying that is the case.

This weekend starts the beginning of a great next few days. Today is Friday, so that is always exciting! The guys are practicing for their CD release at our church so I am going to try and meet them for dinner tonight. They are so much fun to be around. Tomorrow I am going to try and clean a bit and then spend lots of time outside. Sunday is always great because I love the church that I attend. Jon signed Jayce up for Little Batters and this starts on Monday. Sadly, Jon won't be able to be there, so I will just have to do my best getting him there and helping him. Then, Tuesday is the CD release!! I am super excited about this! We have a sweet friend coming from Virginia to stay the night with us Tuesday night. I have to work both Tuesday and Wednesday, but that's ok. I will survive!!! :-)

I ended up going to the doctor Monday because I felt so bad. I had the nurse at school take my temp and it was 99. When I got to the doctor, I looked and felt like death worn over and my temperature had gone up to 100.1. She checked me for the flu and thank goodness it wasn't that. If it had been, I would have been a little upset because I got the flu shot for that very reason. (Yes, I know there are different strands, but still....) Anyway, she diagnosed me with a sinus infection and went ahead and gave me a shot of antibiotics and steriods. She then prescribed me with 10 days of antibiotics and nasal spray. I am feeling much better!

Holy moly. One more day of this madness. Tomorrow is the 17th day of work with only one day off in there somewhere. It was so long ago I almost don't remember it. But the last 10 hours of the 154 are tomorrow!!!! Thank goodness. I am so worn out. My legs and feet ache because the last week has been insanely busy. I am so thankful to God for giving me strength and peace and getting me through. Also for providing. I am so excited to have a week off!!!!!

While it was a fantastic weekeend weather wise, I was feeling a little under the weather and by today I feel horrible. Journey and Jayce have both been a little congested, so I am sure that is where I picked up the germ. I started getting stuffy Friday night. Saturday I slept about 5 hours during the day and told Jon that I could not understand why I was so tired. Yesterday, we had a birthday party to attend. I went but didn't feel great. I didn't sleep at all last night, but since I am so limited on the days I can take off, I went ahead and went into work. I had the school nurse take my temp and sure enough I am running a fever. I am going to the doctor after work to see if it is just a terrible cold or if it could possible be the flu. I sure hope it is just a cold. I can not afford to be out of work one more day.

This is going to be short because its 11 pm and I just got off work and have to be up in a few hours to do it again but I just wanted to Praise the Lord. As crappy as it is to pull these long shifts, He gets the glory. He gave me a unique opportunity to share my faith and fasting testimony today. It was totally set up by Him, perfectly orchestrated! It so cool when He shows you His purpose for your situation! I know exactly why I was scheduled to work today. I tried multiple times to change this shift so I could go to Callaway with the band today. Now I know why God wouldn't allow that. I'm praising Him tonight for saying "no."

Sooooo.....I walked in the door this morning for my 1st 16 hour shift and the schedule was already full with one urgent case after another. Um,....if I walk back out to my car, is it too late to call in sick? Maybe no one would notice! Ha! Actually, that's what makes weekend shifts rough is that its just you and an anesthesiologists so there is nobody to cover for you or give you a break for that matter. But these next two days will give me a week off which I desperately need. However that week off doesn't start until Thursday so I have 5 shifts and about 60 hours to go. So far, I am tired because I've only had one day off in the last 14 days and still have 5 more to go. But my spirits are high and I am looking towards to week off. I won't get to spend much time with Trey because he is going to be really busy getting ready for the CD release concert and then they leave the next day for the Midwest. But I will get to be with The Cutest Kids in the Universe and I can't wait! ChuckEcheese is in our future, James' favorite place in the world. Hopefully the weather will be nice too. He has been wanting to plant a garden so I hope we can play in dirt a little too. Well, my lunch time is over so I'm signing off.