An AMAZINGLY powerful skit from Easter...

Wedding bells will be ringing!

Well, it's happened...my little sis is getting married! Her fiance (wow that's weird to say/type!) proposed late Saturday night. I am so excited for Kim, she is so in love and happy and that makes my heart happy. Joel is a great guy-even though I have only met him once and I can just tell from that experiece just how much he loves my sister. Now, for the planning...ahhh if you know Kim that can be a challenge! =) She hates shopping, trying on clothes, and all that jazz. For those reasons alone I'm glad to live across the country! All the other stuff makes me sad that I am missing out. I wish I could have been there yesterday to celebrate with the family and to hug Joel and Kim, but that's how the cookie crumbles I guess. Anyway, I hear wedding bells and hear them soon!

Tummy time!

Alright, so as soon as the camera was on Owen became all shy and wouldn't show off his head lifting skills. However, you can hear his sweet noises...

Why oh why God?

OK, I'm a little sad these days. (so if you don't want to read about my complains just skip to the post below of a few new pics of my little squish) I am learning as time goes by that sometimes being married to someone who is ministry sucks! Now, don't get me wrong I love being a pastor's wife most of the time, but not so much these days. Let me explain...

My first experience of being married to a guy who is a pastor was not a great one as far as the church went. We had the awesome opportunity to meet some great people some of which we still are pretty close to, but the church was just...well how do I say this? It was just messed up! I learned in that situation that God brings people into your life at the perfect time and maybe just for a season and that was hard. It was hard to say goodbye to people who were hurt in that situation because those people became like family. Then it was hard when we felt God calling us away from that ministry and it was our turn to say goodbye.

Well today I am now saying goodbye to more people. Although, not for the same reasons. Our good friends Jeremy and Audra-people we met in Colorado at the last church we worked at-came on board to Cumberland in Atlanta at the same time Joe and I did. We are extremley close with them and their sweet little girl Aynsley- they are our family here is Atlanta. Jeremy was hired as our youth pastor and is moving on due to a lot of reasons. So, again I am now faced with God placing people in my life for seasons and then taking them away from me. I know it sounds like poor Jen and it's all about her, but I can get close to people super quick and I just keep asking God "why am I always saying goodbye?" Maybe I am just not used to being a pastor's wife? Maybe this is what ministry is like? I don't know what God is trying to teach me through this. It's hard. I hate saying goodbye...so again I am left asking "why oh God why?" I know that God will use Jeremy and Audra where ever they land. I know in my head he has a plan for them and this is just part of His plan, but in my heart it still feels confusing and it still hurts. More then anything I just don't want my heart to be hardened and lose my ability to get close to people. I think it is an awesome gift God has blessed me with and I would hate in my human messed up brain to lose that. Until I pray that God opens doors for Jeremy and Audra and that they find something quick so the stress would be lifted from their shoulders as soon as possible.

just a few pictures of my boy

Just like a typical man...zoning in front of the TV with the remote!

Handsome boy.

Sooooooo big!

Firsts...

This weekend was one full of firsts for our little family.

Friday night and most of Saturday we were glued to the TV as Atlanta was being hit with multiple tornadoes! They mostly hit about 15-20 miles both north and south of us. Downtown Atlanta got hit hard. There were a couple buildings where windows were blown out, roofs were torn off, and sadly there has been two deaths reported. There were a few times I got pretty nervous while I heard the sirens going off, but by 2pm Saturday afternoon I got over it and finally felt safe enough to get in the shower and then took off to get my eyebrows waxed! =)

Saturday evening me, Joe and Owen took part in serving the homeless at a shelter our church helps out with. When I was pregnant Joe and I talked about how we want to have Owen participate in serving others at a very young age. We didn't want to stop serving others just because we have a baby. We feel it's very important to teach him that there is so much more to life then just him, that others need him and that Jesus tells us to take care of the poor. So we did it! I strapped him into a baby carrier thingie and we went full force into helping. I tried to do as much as possible because half way through Owen needed to eat, but I really feel even though I wasn't physically serving the people a meal or drinks etc. just having Owen's presence there ministered to everyone there. He brought smiles to people's faces and it allowed me to connect with people just through their questions and curiosity. It was great!

Sunday night we went to a Seder meal our church put on in honor of passover. It was very interesting. We had a Jewish Rabbi come in and teach us all the different meanings of the symbolic foods and drinks everything from the bitter herbs to the horse radish to all the grape juice! Joe was in seventh heaven, as many of you know, he loves the the Jewish culture! I made a matzo ball soup to share and we got to eat all kinds of other kosher meals that people brought to share. I loved learning about all the and the importance of our Christian history.

So, that was our big weekend of firsts in the Braun household. =)

Happy 1 month old birthday Owen!

I cannot believe that one month ago I gave birth to the sweetest little boy. As I have blogged about in the last month, it hasn't been an easy one, but in the last week or so I have fallen so deeply on love with my little boy that I cannot even describe it. It is a love I have never felt, so pure. Sometimes while feeding Owen or just cuddling him I find that eyes start tearing because I am so overwhelmed with love for this child God has blessed us with. He is a joy in our lives.

Owen is growing so much and changing all the time. He is almost out grown all his newborn outfits, his eyelashes are growing so long and becoming so curly, he's lifting his head more and more while doing tummy time, and has given both me and Joe and smile or two!

He had his 4 week check up appointment Friday and he weighed in at 9 pounds 9 ounces. ( I think he has overcome his weight gain issues he he he), he is now 22 inches long, and is perfectly healthy. The only thing his doctor wants us to work on with him is while he is awake trying to get him to look at us on his left side of his head because he favors his right and it's a little flat...sad huh!?! If it's not better by his 2 month appointment they will send him to physical therapy to strengthen those muscles he is not using, but we are and will try hard to prevent that from happening. All and all life is good!

A great time with GG...

Today my grandma left us to go back to California...sad! =(

I had such a good time with her. She helped out so much! (even though she says she didn't do much...she really did) My laundry was always caught up, she helped with feeding and changing Owen, she sat with Owen if I needed to run an errand, she cooked and kept up with the dishes. See, she did a lot and never gives herself enough credit!

I love our little chats. The older I get the more and more I learn about my great grandparents and even my grandma and grandpa's stories and appreciate the stories so much more. We relaxed a lot, something I needed after being so sick. We went out to me and Joe's favorite pizza joint here in Atlanta. Yesterday we watched Gone With The Wind and enjoyed laughing at Scarlett's character together! I think she totally enjoyed Owen-he loves his GG! He knows her voice and would try to find her eyes every time she talked with him. It was a sweet time, something that I know we will always remember.

I look forward to when my Grandma, my Mom, me and Owen can get a good picture together. It would be nice to have one of the 4 generations...hopefully in May!

Seven Years....What?!?!?

Alright, I am really late on this post but I just wanted write about me and and my man....

It was seven years ago, February 24th, that Joe and I decided that we were a couple. =) I remember it like it was yesterday. We were at his apartment (good ol' E32 at the "Nutters" for those who remember that classy joint.) and we were just hanging out and decided we were not going to mess around and just date here and there we were going to be fully committed and make what we already knew was love (even though we hadn't said those 3 sweet words to each other at that point) official. It was shortly after that the "I love you's" came. It was such a fun time in our lives. He was in college, I was working, we would do whatever we wanted-we weren't really living the "real life" just yet. I was so young (18) and was constantly reminded of this by his room mates who would tease us both, but we didn't care! I would come out to Fullerton (25 minutes from Riverside) and stay Friday nights at my Aunt Mindy's or at the dorms with some girlfriends and we would just play the whole weekend. It was great!

We dated for a a good 3 years...3 years that seemed to take for forever in my mind, but looking back I know it was the best thing we could have done. We really got to know each other and we both had the chance to grow up a bit. He finished school and I kept on working. We are now approaching our 4th wedding anniversary and marriage has been just as fun. Full of so many good times and as you all know lots of adventures.

I love Joe so much and am so thankful for his life and how God blessed me with such a wonderful husband and best friend. I am now falling more in love with him in a new kind of way as I watch him with Owen. He is the BEST daddy and loves his boy so much! I am truly blessed =)

Back in the game!

Ahhhhh, much better! That's how I can best describe life right now. As most know I have had a really rough recovery from having this sweet baby. Emotionally and physically it has been one thing after the other...our latching on issues in the beginning which lead to Owen losing a pound in less then a week of his first week of his life, which lead to very worried parents. Then I had the real treat of coming down with that yucky 'bout of mastitis, which in my case let me tell ya I would rather birth another child then have that much pain in my boob! Not only is there pain associated with that infection but it feels like you have a WICKED flu. At some points I was running fevers of 103.6!! YIKES. BUT....I think it's all over now! =) Partly because of the medicine I am on, but mostly because I made the decision that Owen and I are just not cut out for breastfeeding. I never produced enough milk to feed his belly, and it was killing me to keep pumping every 2 to 3 hours to try to keep the non existent milk supply up-just to be able to pump less then 2 ounces total. It was very frustrating, and while being sick just too hard. He is growing just fine, believe me! He is getting chubbier cheeks and growing longer and longer, and we can tell he is getting heavier. I know formula is OK, it's just when you have your mind set on something from the beginning it's hard to let go of at first. We are at peace with the decision and are moving forward and feeling much better YAY!