picture time.

Last weekend, my dear friend Elizabeth took pictures for us...

Isn't she talented?!

be willing.

earlier this week,

my mentor sent me the paragraph below from a devotional.

may it be an encouragement to you as it was to me.

Be willing to go out on a limb with Me.

If that is where I am leading you,

it is the safest place to be.

Your desire to live a risk free life is a form of unbelief.

Your longing to live close to Me is at odds with your attempts to minimize risk.

You are approaching a crossroads in your journey.

In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.

Let Me lead you step by step through this day.

If your primary focus is on Me, you can walk along perilous paths without being afraid.

Eventually, you will learn to relax and enjoy the adventure of our journey together.

As long as you stay close to Me, My sovereign Presence protects you wherever you go.

Psalm 23:4, Psalm 9:10, John 12:26

catch up.

Since we haven't posted in a while, let's catch up a bit through pictures...

Although Elijah's being bashful and hiding his face in the picture, he was a gem all evening at daddy's Christmas party.

This also marked his first restaurant outing.

Elijah's first time to Indiana!

He seemed to enjoy the Hoosier state just like his mommy and daddy.

Evening playtime with daddy.

It warms my heart to watch them together!

Our little ducky just chillin' after bathtime.

Literally, chilling...he looks scared but is really just cold after getting out of the warm water.

Elijah striking a pose.

He stayed frozen in this position after falling asleep in my arms. Such a funny little guy.

We'll try not to let so much time pass before posting again. Enjoy the next few weeks of preparing to celebrate our Lord's birth. We pray you are growing to know Him more.

sleepy head.

another one month old picture of our little guy

precious feet.

Elijah's sweet little one-month old feet...

provision.

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

As we look back over the past month, Greg and I find ourselves completely blown away by the Lord's provision. Not only has He met our needs, He has overwhelmed us with His lovingkindness. Through His "hands and feet" - the body of Christ - He has literally saturated us with His abundant goodness and unconditional love... the countless prayers, words of encouragement, meals, gifts, flowers, cards, phone calls, and unending support... We have come to understand the love of God in a greater way through the body of Christ. Greg and I have done nothing to deserve or earn such love, we only choose to receive it. And with very thankful, humbled hearts we do so.

chicago shoutout.

we thought all of our chicago friends would appreciate seeing elijah sporting his michael jordan jersey. we couldn't keep the matching hat on long enough for a picture though.

(thanks for the cool outfit, auntie mckayla!)

lots of love.

We were treated to some time with family over the weekend.

On Saturday, Grammy and Grandpa Ramsey and Auntie Mc spent the day with us and then on Sunday Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came to visit. By the pictures, you can tell he received lots of love and was held every minute of the day...which he loved!

grammy and grandpa ramsey

auntie mckayla

grandma anderson

grandpa anderson

melt.

little elijah just melts our hearts...

and makes us laugh often...

coming home.

We came home as a family of three on Tuesday afternoon. As you may well know Chicago drivers tend to be awful and now with extremely precious cargo in tow, they certainly haven't improved. So the drive alone proved to be a journey of faith.

The world is full of so much uncertainty and danger, but NOTHING the hand of God cannot protect Elijah from. This week has been full of opportunities to surrender to the Lord, ask for wisdom, and trust Him to provide and protect. We have loved this sweet week of growing to know one another as a family and have seen the Lord meet us in a way unlike ever before.

We pray we would continue to abide and find our rest in the Lord as

we believe God for His provision over Elijah.

thoughts from a new dad.

Thoughts from Greg...

As I sat in the hospital holding Elijah I began to recite various Bible verses that I have memorized to him. One of the first verses I learned was 2 Corinthians 5:17, so naturally, it was one of the first verses I shared with my son.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old things have passed away behold all things have become brand new."

2 Corinthians 5:17

Sitting there in the middle of the night thinking about the meaning of this verse as well as the new life I held in my arms, I was struck with two incredible realities. First, God has just given Katie and I a brand new life to take care of. Elijah is totally relying on us for food, shelter, comfort, love, etc. Those are just about the most important responsibilities anyone can be given. One might even ask, what greater responsibility could there be? Then it hit me. Yes, Elijah is a new life from a physical standpoint. But what about the fact that he has an eternal soul that will be greatly influenced through the way Katie and I live as well as how we raise him? Is there anything more important than his eternal state?

It saddens me that so many people only stress the physical nature of raising a child. I understand it is important and difficult. (Elijah hasn't yet grasped the concept of being awake during the day and sleeping at night!) However, the Lord has already greatly stressed to me the importance of his eternal soul and the impact Katie and I will have on it.

I ask you to pray for Katie and I to be accurate representatives of the love that Jesus has for him and for all of us. Pray that he sees the "new creations" we are as we abide in Christ Jesus our Lord. Also, let's pray for all parents to raise their children up in the way of the Lord so they make the choice to follow Christ and receive eternal life as well as the abundant life He promises to those who put their trust in Him.

I'm so thankful for the eternal and abundant life I have found in Christ. And now, so thankful to God for the new life He has given Katie and I in Elijah. God is so good!

elijah dean anderson.

our gift from the Lord arrived on

Friday, October 16th @ 5:45 pm

7lbs 3ounces 20 inches long

he's absolutely perfect

we are amazed by the incredible gift of elijah!

watermelon.

39 weeks along - 1 week from our due date

Apparently, our little guy is the size of a watermelon and

has been for a couple of weeks.

I can believe it. So can Greg. I definitely feel like I'm carrying a watermelon and Greg would probably agree that I look like I'm carrying a watermelon. It is such a miracle and privilege to carry a growing life inside of you and I praise God for this gift. But we must say that we're very excited to hold this sweet watermelon in our arms.

waiting.

Some encouragement from Charles Spurgeon when you

find yourself in a season of waiting.

"Being himself a waiting God, He loves a waiting people;

He loves a man who can take the promise, and say,

'I believe it...I am perfectly willing that it should be fulfilled

when God intends that it should be.”

So, we wait...

little man's room.

almost there.

22 weeks

38 weeks