big brother

Or should we say...

big brotherS!!!!

Surprise!!! Heath will be joining Nolan in the big brother's club this December!

Nolan is the perfect big brother- he loves Heath and wants to play with him! He shows him how to do things, kisses him goodnight, and only occasionally do we find him pinning Heath to the ground, throwing elbows, swiping toys, or licking his face like a puppy!

And now this little munchkin gets to take a crack at this important role too! He's not gonna know what hit him! Heath is our ultimate "I need attention and I need it now!" boy! So we are going to really have to find ways to make him feel special and praise him for his new big brother ways once he becomes the middle child! (Just like his Mommy & Daddy!) He LOVES to help and do little jobs for us, which I'm sure will come in handy once we are out numbered! It will be so neat to watch our THREE children grow up together so close in age!

We were definitely surprised by this happening, but God certainly has shown us time and time again that He has a plan.

I read this recently on a blog and what it had to say really resonated with me: Jesus calls us to abandon our own agendas, what we have deemed will please and fulfill us, so that we can embrace the kind and quality of life that only he gives. This is not about adding Jesus to the life we are living. This is about making Jesus our life. This is about putting our plans for our lives to death so that the abundant life he offers has room to take root and grow. The problem is, we don't really believe that God's plan for our lives could be better than the one we've crafted. We don't believe we could be as fulfilled by the life he offers as we would be by the one we've planned. It takes a step of faith to believe God will supply satisfying life now and when we die.

We are thrilled that God has chosen us to be the parents of this teeny tiny one! That He has entrusted us to guide this precious life to know, love, and serve Jesus! And we are stepping out in faith, knowing that he has a future for our family that is blessed and completely unfathomable! He's not saying that it won't be hard. Because let's get real, it will be! 3 kids, 4 and under will be insane and challenging. But it will also be so completely rewarding!

I think this picture of the boys about sums up how we are all feeling and thinking about our lives come December...

We are all a little bit frightened and we will all have times when we feel like screaming and crying! But...then Nolan will come and zerbert my tummy or Heath will repeat "baby" as I take his hand to rub my (too big already) belly and all seems perfectly right in the world!

It is wonderful to go through this all again with a 3 1/2 year old! Nolan understands things so much more than last time. His opinion of the baby changes daily but he is so interested in it all. One day he wants it to be a boy, the next a girl. One day the baby should be named "No name Jansen" and the next it should be "Dexda". He asks a million questions about when, and where, and how the baby will be born. Some of which I'm not too sure I want to answer! He is actually o.k. with the thought of sharing his way cool big boy room with Heath. And he definitely knows that the baby is coming "before Christmas"! He doesn't forget this month- Christmas and his birthday in the same week...what could be better! And now, the gift of a new brother or sister!

We find out the gender on August 9th, although we kind of already feel like it's another BOY! We'll keep you posted! But as for now we covet your prayers for health and happiness as we prepare for the arrival of this little life to COMPLETE our family!

God is so good!