I have so much to write about.  Such a story in how God brought Bensen Kyle Gravener to us…on Thanksgiving Day no less!  Bensen was born November 22, 2007 at 4:57pm weighing 7lbs. 2.9oz and 20in. long!  He is such a miracle and a blessing, my words can not even begin to express it!

There have been so many lessons learned along these past 9+ Months and I know so many more to come over the life of this little man.  My hearts desire to raise Ben to love and serve God is not going to be an easy task, and certainly not one that Sean or I are taking lightly at all.  It’s amazing the rush and the overwhelming love and sense of a different kind of responsibility God fills you with as a parent.  It’s nothing you can realize or even explain until you actually experience it for yourself!  I mean, I loved this little guy long before he was born.  I spent hours during my pregnancy rubbing my belly, praying for him and even talking “to him”.  I felt like there was such a bond there already, how could I possibly love this little person any more?  Well nothing could express the way I felt the moment I heard him cry for the first time.  Ben was born by c-section after a very very long labor (4 days as a matter of fact), and it was sorta scary feeling the doctors tug and pull and really cut me open to get this baby out, but the second I heard that first whimper of Ben, my heart totally melted and I cried such a mixed emotion of tears myself.

It wasn’t long after he was delivered that I had him in my arms and was really just praising God for this miracle of life that He gave Sean and I to raise.  This baby is so beautiful and precious.  He’s been so good too.  I can hardly believe that tomorrow he will be 2 weeks old.  This time is going by too fast already!!!  I want so bad to capture every single moment with him and share it with the world (though the World is probably not quite ready for that haha!)  In any case, my desire to still blog at least 3 times a week about my devotions and everything is still a goal, one that I am falling very short of at the moment, but still recovering from the c-section and taking care of the newborn is a little bit more than I thought it would be…so much better, but more than I thought it would be.

Sean and I both really have our hearts set on wanting to do so many things, and it’s really hard some days.  Trying to find the balance, the discipline and the consistency, really isn’t an easy job either.  We want our relationship to grow in so many ways, then to also think of what we have to do personally for our own relationships with God to grow, and then raise a child to have a relationship too, it’s overwhelming to think of the proactive steps we have to take to draw closer to God, but the rewards of how He draws closer to us is so worth every step when we take it.

Sean and I were talking this morning, and it is so neat to see how much closer God is drawing us to Him.  How much we do not want to become stagnant in Him, even when it is the easy thing to just read the Bible once in a while, go to church and pray before we eat…that’s not a real relationship with God at all, and I am so thankful to be married to a man who actually sees it that way too!

My hearts plea is just for God to continue to draw us, teach us and convict us.  That we would just stay humble before Him and before each other as a couple.  I know that may sound a little cliche, but it really is how I feel.

I am so thankful for EVERYTHING God has done for us, right now I just praise Him for this beautiful family, a wonderful husband and an extremely good baby!  For this warm and safe home He had for us, for the car that we can drive, for the Doctors that are taking care of us.  For the exciting time of year to celebrate His birth and spend time with family and traditions, for the snow fall that is so neat to watch out my living room window this great afternoon.  I’m thankful for God’s word and for His gracious mercy toward us!  I’m so thankful for Sean’s job and for the provisions it allows us!  There are so many things that I really could just list on and on this afternoon…but I’m sure you get the idea.

In any case, I am really going to commit myself to writing as much as I can, to continue to read His word and to Rejoice Always!