Arrival

Brett Matthew McFarland

June 12, 2013

4 lb 13oz.

18 1/2 inches long

Baby Brett made his arrival early Wednesday morning (12:01am to be exact) a few weeks early. We didn't expect him until July 19th, but he had other plans and decided to come at 34 weeks. Mommy and Baby are both doing fine. We are so blessed with this little treasure, and just fall in love with him more and more every single day. 

Brett will have to stay in the NICU unit of the hospital for a week...maybe two... until he gets bigger, but we know he is getting the best care possible while he stays there. 

I will blog more about all the details later, but in the meantime, enjoy some pictures of our little bundle.

With the man I love....

 

 

 

The best place in the world is in the arms of someone who will not only hold you at your best...but will pick you up and hug you tight at your weakest moment!

 

 

The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forhead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.

 

 

 

If I had a flower for every time I think of you...I could walk through my garden forever!

 

 

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams!

~Dr. Seuss

 

 

Oh, to be married to the one you do love...and love most tenderly and devotedly.

That is the bliss beyond the power of words to express or imagination conceive. Every day as it shows more of the mind of your beloved, when you have such a treasure as mine, makes you only more proud, more happy, more humbly thankful to the Giver of all good for this BESTof earthly gifts.

-Hudson Taylor

 

 

 

Oh I wonder what God was thinking when He created you--

I wonder if He knew everything I would need

Because He made all my dreams come true!

When God made you

He must have been thinking about me!

 

 

 

You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.

 

Happy 8 Months

Today marks 8 months of marriage for Matt and I!! It seems that the time has flown, but in other ways it seems that we have always been together!! In celebration of the 8 month mark, I am taking a trip down memory lane and posting some of my favorite pics from our wedding. Enjoy!!!

 

       Through the years a young girl prays for her husband to be,

She prays that God will reveal Himself, and set His spirit free.

To love, believe, and walk with God, His Spirit to obey,

She asks that Truth will be his guide and keep him for her someday.

 

Now she's rejoicing in his love as it flows from God above. The one for whom she's prayed and dreamed is here for her to love.

 

She knows now who God's given her, that she might understand 

The love of Christ for His own bride-- she's rejoicing in God's plan.

 

At the same time a young man asks that God will give him a wife;

A woman pure, who loves the Lord, a friendship made for life!

 

He hopes that she will love God's Word and often that she'll pray;

For Jesus Christ to be her life and then turn her heart his way.

 

Now he's rejoicing in his love as it flows from God above.

The one for whom he's prayed and dreamed is here for him to love.

 

He knows who God's given to him, that he might understand,

The love of Christ for his own bride-- he's rejoicing in God's plan.

 

Today they come to unite their hearts as one in Jesus name;

They'll give their hearts, their lives, their love;a ring to seal the same.

 

What once was two shall become one, that the world might see again

A testimony of the love of Christ between a woman and a man.

 

Now they're rejoicing in His love as it flows from God above.

The one's for whom they've prayed and dreamed are here for them to love.

 

 They know now who God's given to them, that they might understand,

The love of Christ for His own bride-- they're rejoicing in God's plan.

 The hardest thing about dreaming of you is waking up. If I could only see you in my dreams, I would sleep forever!!

 

 Thank you for the best 8 months of my life, honey!!  I love you!!!

Because....

...It was a beautiful warm, sunny day....

...It was the weekend...

...Matt had had a good week at work....

...I felt like eating an icecream cone...

...My man loves me....

He spoiled me rotten!!!

My darling man added to the ice cream cone idea, and took me out for supper to a Chinese restaurant called Shinbashi on Saturday. It was recommended to him by one of his coworkers, so we thought we would give it a try. It was a cute little spot with really good food, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! On top of taking me out for supper, and getting me an icecream cone(black raspberry soft-serve, no less) my man took me shopping and bought me a GORGEOUS tangerine colored shirt! (Maybe I'll post a picture of it sometime!) :-) I have the sweetest man EVER!!!

Matt's drink. {I thought it was so cute!} He said the lime was *SOUR*!!!

We ordered the pu pu platter for two. It has a flame in the middle to warm your food on. SO NEAT!!

Five months ago today.....

....I married the love of my life!!!

And they have been the best five months EVER!!!!!

Loving you is like counting the stars...Just when I think I've discovered all the reasons to thank God for you-- I realize I've just begun!!!



I love you with all of my heart, sweetheart!

Spring Date

My sweet man took me on an impromptu date yesterday afternoon! It was a BEAUTIFUL warm, sunny day perfect for going on a drive,so with our car windows open and the warm breezes blowing in, we headed to the cute little town of Castine. The town sits right next to the ocean so many of the houses have a beautiful waterfront view, an also a harbor where fishing boats pull up to the warf and sell their fresh catch to a restaurant right there on the warf. The harbor docks the huge State of Maine ship used by the Maine Maritime Academy to train coastguard students. Each student that goes to the Academy has to jump off the bow of the ship before they can graduate. If you could see the ship,you would know what a feat it would be to do that! Matt said people of the town come to watch this event. The ship was docked yesterday, so I was able to see it! :-) He also took me to Fort George, a fort surrendered to the Yankees by the Britsh in the War for Independence. We enjoyed walking around it and reading about its history. Then we just drove through the town looking at all the GOREGEOUS houses and scenery and the cute little shops and cafes before heading home.
The whole way there and back I was treated with the sight of sweet little daffodils blooming in many gardens and beautiful snowball bushes loaded with white blossoms. The gorgeous scenery, spectacular weather, and being with my darling man made the afternoon one I will not soon forget!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful date, sweetheart! I love you!!

Unfortunately, since it was an impromptu date, cameras, iPads/iPods got left behind, so I didn't get any pics of the town. Maybe next time we go!:-)

"Openings in Heaven"

"Perhaps they are not really stars,
but rather openings in heaven
where the love of our lost one
pours through and shines down upon us
to let us know they are happy."


It has been a month today since we had to say a hard goodbye to my big/little brother,Spencer.
If somebody had told me a month ago that I would be able to live a whole month without him, I would have told them they were crazy! Yet,here I am a month later, missing him like I have never missed anyone before, but being able to carry on with life. I can't say life has returned to normal because it never will be the same "normal" without Spencer here, but life has returned to a "new normal" in which I enjoy every day of my life with Matt, and rejoice knowing my special brother is in heaven extremely happy,and free of pain, hurt, tiredness, or temptation. BUT.. there is a huge hole left in my heart and life that nobody can fill, cause that was a special place ONLY for Spencer. All those fun things we used to do together-going to horse pulls, scooting the horses, driving out to Teen Thunder together, talking long into the night when something was bothering him or me, listening to music together- I miss being able to do those things with him. All the fun things we planned to do together-coming to visit Matt and I, going to the gravel pit to try out Matt's guns, going to watch him pull in Cumberland, Maine when he qualified to pull there, watching him pull at the Lawrencetown exhibition this summer-knowing I'll never be able to do those things with him hurts and leaves a big empty space in my life.
But one of the things that really helps when I am hurting and missing him SOOOO much, is to go outside at night, and look up at the stars. There is usually one that is brighter than the rest, and I imagine it is Spencer saying "Hi" with that little grin of his, and telling me that he loves me. I mentally, and sometimes even physically, blow a kiss to him and whisper "I love you, Spencer!" Then the hurt goes away, and it feels like he is right there with me, telling me that it is "Ok", and that he truly is happy.
A peace and a calm assurance comes over me as well whenever I read Psalm 18. The Lord gave me this chapter to help me in the days after Spencer's death,and I have read and reread it many times since. The whole chapter is full of promises, but there were a couple of verses that were especially helpful to me.
Verse 2: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Verse 30: As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Verse 32: It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
So,a month later, although I GREATLY miss our Spencer, the Lord has given a peace and a strength that only He can give, and the hole that Spencer left is only being filled with more and more love for that special brother of mine. :-)

Spending time...

Doing laundry...washing dishes...cleaning up the house...this is a typical Monday at my house. It seems that over the weekend my housework gets neglected because my man is home and I just want to spend time with him! As soon as he gets home from work Saturday evenings, we both slip into weekend mode and just enjoy spending time with each other. Sunday morning my man usually makes breakfast while I rush around to get out the door on time for church. Then it's home to make dinner, but who wants to do dishes when you could be spending a whole afternoon with your husband? Note: Most of the time dishes get done Sunday afternoon,but not all of the time. We leave the house at 4:30 Sunday evening for choir practice before the evening service, and come home after church ready to get a small snack and head to bed.
So this brings me to Monday morning and a house that is in need of some T.L.C. Dishes need to be washed, the coffee table needs to be relieved of the items strewn over it, a clothes hamper full and running over needs to be laundered, towels need to be picked up from the bathroom floor, and a thousand other little projects are just waiting for me to have some extra time to work on them. But am I annoyed or upset because my house is cluttered and I have a full day ahead of me? NO!!!!! I got to spend time with my man ALL weekend!!! I would spend all week cleaning up a messy house if it meant I could have "together time" on the weekend with my special guy! There is nothing I would rather do and nowhere I would rather be, than spend time right beside my Matt!
With a wonderful weekend behind us, I'm embarking on my typical Monday tasks, with some music playing, a smile on my face, and my heart spilling over with love for the man I got to spend my weekend with! :-)