APPRECIATION

After 1 month with Mr. Samuel I wanted to share 5 things I now appreciate much more. (In no particular order.) 

1. SLEEP - Everyone tells you that having a baby will mean being tired. I never doubted them. I do, however, wish I never had to experience it! Yes, Samuel is totally worth it. I just really, really long for the days to come when we can sleep for more than 3 hours at a time. Sleep, I adore thee and miss thee greatly!

2. BURPS - I never thought I could get so excited about burps. Yet every time Samuel gives us a good burp during feeding (especially when they come quickly during those middle of the night feedings!) I literally rejoice and give thanks to God every time. Burps = Happy Baby = Super Happy Mommy!

3. MY HUSBAND - Shortly after Samuel was born I told Zach this, "Please don't take this the wrong way, because it is meant to be a compliment, but you are so much more awesome at this dad thing than I expected." I also went on to explain that I never expected him to be a bad father, I just would never have been able to imagine what an amazing father he was going to be. He is all in, all of the time. He takes care of Samuel AND me to ensure that everything is tended to at all times. No question he is a fantastic daddy and a wonderful husband!

4. MODERN CONVENIENCES - I know a lot of the contraptions we have for Samuel are not necessary but I sure do appreciate them. Could we survive without our Diaper Genie, bottle warmer, or bouncy seat? Absolutely. Still, I love all the little things that make our day-to-day life run more smoothly. Hooray for being spoiled!

5 FAMILY and FRIENDS - It goes without saying that we could not have made it through even one month without the help of family and friends. From people watching Samuel so we could sleep a little longer or run errands to people bringing meals to make our first days home a little easier, we are so very appreciative of all of the help that has been given to us. Not to mention just having so many people in our life (both near and far) who rejoiced with us as we welcomed Samuel into the world this side of the womb. Our Little family is truly blessed by the people in our lives.


Feeling thankful...tired...but thankful right now. :)

Introducing Samuel Micheal Little

As promised.......

(Please keep in mind, these are only pictures taken from our phones. I haven't had a chance to download any from the camera yet.)

On January 14, 2014 we welcomed our son into the world.  This is his first picture with his momma (ME!) just after his arrival at 12:30 pm. He weighed in at 9lbs, 12oz with a length of 21inches.  I don't look so great, but look at those chubby little cheeks on our little guy! He was a big boy, but was still so tiny!

Even after nearly 40 weeks of discussion, we still hadn't picked a name for our Little guy. It took us 3 days full of much prayer and discussion to finally arrive at his name: Samuel Micheal Little.


Why Samuel??? There are several reasons. It was important that the name have a personal meaning to us. Samuel can mean "God has heard" and since we had been asking the Lord for a child for some time and were not really sure how God was going to answer that prayer. We fully believed He would and continued to rest in the fact that He had heard our prayers. He, as always, showed Himself to be faithful and good to us. For me, early in the pregnancy, I was having a lot of anxiety and many questions about what lay ahead for all of us as a family. The Lord reminded me of the story of Hannah who had prayed for a child. The Lord heard her prayer and she in turn dedicated that child to Him. He reminded me constantly throughout the pregnancy (and especially once he had arrived!) to continually give my son to Him. For Zach, it was especially meaningful that Samuel in the OT was both a judge, prophet, and a counselor to King David. All things we pray that, in some way, will be part of our Samuel's destiny in life. 


Why Micheal??? Zach's father's name is Micheal and we wanted to honor him by naming him after him. In addition, it is somewhat of a tradition in his family that the male children will have the grandfather's or father's name as part of their name.

This is the first picture is of Mr. Samuel Micheal Little after he was finally given a name.

Although this is a very unflattering picture of me I had to post it because it is one of the only ones we have of the two of us in the hospital. Besides, it's hard to look good under these conditions! I ended up with a C-section and wasn't even able to get out of bed for the first 24 hours and then was limited in my mobility for the next 24 hours. It is not easy to even look human after all of that! Regardless, I felt wonderful and loved every minute of being with our new son. Well...almost every minute. There were a few times around 2 am or so that we weren't loving so much!

This is a picture of our Little little about an hour before heading home from the hospital.

Since arriving at home this is my view a lot of the time. Unfortunately, this is usually what I see around 4 pm. I would much rather see it around 4 am, but Samuel seems to enjoy spending quality time with us around that time and is wide awake and ever-so-alert. Oh well! We enjoy our time with him, too. Even at 4 am :)

Here he is with his his teddy bear while relaxing in his Snuggabunny bouncer.

Today we had our first trip to the doctor. He did SO well! He barely whimpered the whole time and, as Zach said, really put on a show for the doctor. As in, usually he screams and cries every time his clothes come off. Not this time. He was as good as can be; the model patient! Here he is with his daddy.

Unfortunately, Samuel lost a lot of weight since birth so we had to make sure he was not losing more and, hopefully gaining some. He had gotten down to 8lb, 4oz when we left the hospital on Friday. Today he was back up to 8lb, 10oz. So we are doing well! I hadn't realized until today how chubby his little face was at birth compared to now. I mean, he still has adorable little round cheeks, but I can tell a difference from the first picture to these later ones.

So, there you have it! A first look at Mr. Samuel Micheal Little. I am sure there will be more to come because, as I'm learning, parents really love to take pictures of their children. :)

2013 - That's a Wrap!

I am a few weeks behind on writing this post but am going to try to write a little something while I have a few moments. The wonderful year that 2013 was has come to a close and 2014 is now in full swing. It was a busy last quarter that consisted mostly of wrapping up a million "this and that"s and while also preparing for the new adventures that await us in this new year.

Most of November and December consisted of "just making it" through the holidays while celebrating the upcoming birth of our son through baby showers. (We had 5 showers total and were blessed way beyond our comprehension! Our son was one popular and loved little kiddo even before his birth!!!)

Other than that, we were spending almost every moment trying to get the house in order for the day when our son would come home. This was a very stressful and chaotic process for both Z and I, but we survived! The house is still a work in progress but it is coming along and looking quite nice.

With all that said, as you may or may not already know, our son arrived last week so the fact that I'm even on the computer at this moment seems to be a miracle to me! I am going post this and then work on uploading a few pictures so that I can share the details of his arrival. I know, I could share it all now but what fun would it be without pictures???

I PROMISE to post again within the next 48 hours!!! (Unless our little guy has other ideas! :) )

3 Down, 1 To Go!

The last few months have both dragged on and zoomed by. I am not sure how that happens, but right now I keep wanting to see the full fruition of all that is transpiring but also needing every second of every day to take in the breadth and weight of those same things. It is such a fun, stressful, exciting, terrifying time!

Right now I'm training for my new job and should be fully transitioned within the next couple of weeks. (Of course this transition is flowing about as fast as molasses on a cold winter day, but at least there is some movement!) As far as my career path is concerned it is not my end goal but I believe it is a step in the right direction towards what the Lord has in mind for future endeavors. There is nothing fancy or prestigious about the role but I have an overwhelming peace about it. Thus, I'm overjoyed about this change. I think it is the perfect position for me as I also step into my other new role of being a mother.

Speaking of which....

We are winding down the second trimester and everything is going along quite well. I believe I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far and am extremely thankful for that. Yes, the first few months brought on a lot of round-the-clock "morning" sickness plus fatigue beyond my own comprehension, but that passed and now the issues I face are quite manageable and I feel really well.

We did find out that we are having a boy! At least we think that is the case. The little booger was completely uncooperative and would not budge during the 20-week ultrasound. We are going back this week because they could only get a few measurments. Hopefully this one will give us a definitive answer about gender and good results all around. We are pretty sure the image revealed the gender but the doctor told us not to paint the nursery just yet. :)

Speaking of which....

We are slowly moving along on the house. Not much has really happened in the last couple of months. This is very frustrating to me, but I just have to keep trusting the Lord that my husband will come through on the schedule we set. Z always comes through but his time table is rarely in sync with mine. So I am learning to trust, trust, trust and be patient, patient, patient. It is not very easy!

As of last night, the huge hole in our living room/dining room where they demoloished the fireplace a month or so ago was finally filled in and we will be placing the new wood flooring on it this week. Then all of our floors have to be sanded, stained, and polished. Next comes filling in the cracks in the plaster walls and a new coat of paint for every room in the house. We will then tackle remodeling the kitchen (I am still not sure how that is going to go but I'm hopeful!) and buying new vanities for the bathrooms. Oh! And don't forget that my husband insists on making us a bed frame rather than buying one. (At least he has moved away from insisting on making the baby's crib!)  Oh the joys of having a 100+ year old house! All that will be left is buying new furniture and decorating! The deadline: Thanksgiving. Good luck my dear, sweet, ambitious husband! :)

Finally....

We took an early anniversary/babymoon trip this past week. After MANY attempts at making travel arrangements to various locations around the U.S. we ditched all of those and ended up doing a short road trip to The Hill Country (about 3 hours west of Houston).  I had originally said I would go anywhere BUT towards Austin. I guess it just goes to show that the more firmly I plant my feet the more likely it is that the Lord is going to use the opportunity to work on my stubborness. :)

We stayed at a B&B type place where we had a private cottage that was ideal for this getaway. All I can say is that this was by far the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on. We ate great food, did a little shopping at outlet malls, went to a glass making/blowing factory, hiked a little, and generally just relaxed. It was much needed and much appreciated. Even if it was the last place I would have wanted to go! :)


That is all for now. If I don't update again until the end of 2013 that means all is well! No news is good news, right?

Quarter 2- Done! 2013 is Half Over!!!!

With this post we find ourselves closing out the second quarter of 2013. These last few months have been quite interesting and full of good things! Let me share....



I will begin with my job. The promotion I had applied for did not come to pass. Not because I wasn't going to be offered the job, but because the job itself dissolved. The downside to this is that I’m still a receptionist. The upside to this is that they have begun training me for other functions within the company! Thus far it is not an official job change, but I’m learning the logistics/supply chain side of things here. This is something that will give the possibility move into new roles here and to gain a new set of skills. It is also MUCH more appealing to me when I think about my career path as a whole. So, yay!


We have also had changes with the church group we lead. As of about a month and a half ago Z and I are “officially” the leaders of our IMPACT group. We were co-leaders but due to ongoing out-of-town commitments the other couple has stepped down. While this doesn’t change things a lot regarding our role with the group it also does changes things a lot! We’re excited about some of the new strategies and visions God has given us for where this group is headed. Our modest little group is growing and we are just clinging to the Lord for His guidance and direction for all of it.


In regards to our home, we are planning to start remodeling our house in a couple of weeks. We decided not to do a major remodel (I think!) but just to make our existing space more functional. I’m very happy about this but also dreading the mess of it all. I just try to keep my mind focused on the end result, knowing that it will yield a happier, more organized, and peaceful home!


Finally, and perhaps the most exciting piece of news, is that we are going to have a baby! Yes! Our Little family is growing! I am nearing the end of my first trimester with a due date of mid-January and, while we are really excited, I’m also really not enjoying the journey thus far. I am just being honest. I’m sick almost constantly, insanely tired, and so emotional I don’t even know myself most days! Much like the house, I keep my eyes on the end result and try not to be too whiney. (Key word = try.) All in all we are ecstatic and thrilled to no end about having our first child.


With all that said, right now we could certainly use your prayers. All is great and well, but there are A LOT of changes. With work, church, our home, and family…Yeah! I am doing my best to keep focused and to trust the Lord that it will all work out. Which, I know it will, but at times I get overwhelmed and also have a really hard time concentrating most days.


So, there you have it! Quarter 2 of 2013 – Done! I can’t wait to see what Quarter 3 has in store!!!

First Quarter of 2013 - DONE!

I must be one of the worst bloggers ever. There was a time when I wrote habitually and I enjoyed it. That was a time when I didn't have many "real" people in my life. Most of the people I knew and could relate to were living in other places of the country or world and this was the best way to keep in touch.

A the current juncture in my life I still desire to keep in touch with and know what is going on with those same people, but having people in my life that are constantly at my disposal for face-to-face interaction makes it more difficult to sit down to write.

I think this is a good problem to have!

In my last post I wrote about the not-so-exciting year that I had in 2012. I am happy to report that 2013 has already seen more excitement and still holds more hope of good things to come. It has been a full first quarter of 2013 with a job promotion/raise/bonus for Zach in January, a trip to Indiana in February (My Nanny turned 89 and we got to visit for the celebration!), a new vehicle purchase in March (A 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee!), and a potential promotion for me in April (I am interviewing on Monday 4/1 for the Executive Assistant to the General Manager).

Besides these "little" things, life has just seemed rich and full of many mini-blessings. It has seemed pleasantly settled and non-drama filled. Yet, in juxtaposition to these things, it has also felt full of action and advancement.

At this exact moment I am trying to recover from 2 weeks of a terrible allergy attack brought on by the abundance of pollen that has descended upon us.  It is literally everywhere! Vehicles all over the city are coated with a yellow dust and our dog comes in from playing outside with the same yellow tint on her fur. It has been BAD. I'm so over feeling so cruddy because I can't sleep due to the incessant coughing. Thankfully I seem to be on the upswing and am returning to a more normal state of day-to-day life. Here's hoping and believing that the worst is far behind me!

Additionally, we are house and dog sitting for Z's parents this week and and the next. They took a trip to Costa Rica so we are living at their house (for the most part). It feels kind of like a vacation because I have escaped the messes of my own home for the time being. :) (How is it that no matter how much you clean you always feel like there is more to do???)

With all that said, I'm going to go find something cheesey and brainless to watch while Z is out running errands. I must take these times to do that which he would not enjoy doing with me. Until next time....which hopefully won't be so far into the future...Be well all! :)

5 Somewhat Memorable Events of My Life in 2012

As 2012 came to a close I found it difficult to reflect on it in the same ways that I have as the years in the past came to an end. For whatever reasons there may be, 2012 seemed to be a year of a lot of less-than-remarkable occurrences that subsequently made the year drag on and on and on. There were many trials, but thankfully they were mini. Yes, many mini-trials! There were celebratory times, but nothing life altering.



In an effort to remember the year that came to a close and to be thankful for what I know the Lord did in our lives, despite how mundane it all seemed, I am making my FRIDAY FIVE about 5 SOMEWHAT MEMORABLE EVENTS OF MY LIFE IN 2012.

1. I completed my seasonal job at The Container Store (February). With this, I gained a new appreciation being able to sit at will during work, creative means to organizing one’s space, and having a two-income household.

2. We visited friends and family “Back Home”(April). It had been over a year since I had been home and it was a nice trip. Unfortunately, Zach battled vertigo the entire trip. We did get to see our friends in Ohio and meet their brand new baby, spend Easter with my family, and generally got to relax and enjoy time with “old” friends.

3. I completed a year at the Encourager School of Kingdom Ministry (May). I did not leave with a degree nor any type of certification. Not even a job opportunity came out of my time as a ministry student. I started the school solely out of obedience to the Lord and stuck it out only out of obedience to the Lord! It was a HUGE challenge for me! Even now I don’t know exactly why I was sent down this path, but I fully believe it was right where I was supposed to be. I did get the opportunity to read some incredible books, sit under the teaching of amazing men and women of God and, generally, had a unique opportunity to be refreshed and renewed by being in a God-centered environment day after day.

4. I began a new job (June). It is not at all what I thought I’d be doing at this point in my career, but I’m very thankful for this job and like it a lot. (See previous post.)

5. Took part in the Sharp-Kline Wedding (November). Yes! It finally happened! After three years of dating they got engaged in July and married in November. Zach and I were both in the wedding and helped in as many ways as we could. It was a fun time but also one that took up much of our life for those months of planning and preparation. We are so happy for them and so thrilled to have been a part of their since before they met, at the time of the meeting, through the trials and tribulations of dating and engagement, and into the bliss of marriage!

So there you have it! The seemingly unremarkable year of 2012! It wasn’t that great but it wasn’t so bad, either. I can’t complain and will choose to give thanks because I know that beyond what I see and feel, God is using ALL things (and years!) in our lives to transform us more into Christ’s image and to further His Kingdom here on earth.

Bring on 2013!!!!







Looking forward to 2013…however remarkable or unremarkable it may be!

5 Things About My Job

It is a pretty slow day today here at work and, much to my delight, my blog isn't being blocked by our firewal today! So I'm going to write and, yes, it will be too long but I am eager to update Hennyfair's Haven.

Here goes.....

Five Things I Like...No...LOVE...About My Job

1. The People. I am "officially" part of the finance team, but work with every department on some level. In my role I have had a chance to get to know everyone to some degree or another. I LOVE THAT! I so enjoy getting to have random chats throughout the day with a huge variety of people (including all of the delivery people and maintenance staff and others of that nature). I get to hear about the joys and concerns of their day-to-day life plus, I also have a lot of opportunities to give advice to parents from the viewpoint of a teacher. This role also provides me an opportunity to share my faith and to be an encouragement to Christians in the office. It is nice to work in the "adult world" for the time being.

2. Low Stress. There are still some crazy busy days and, at times, entire weeks. Yet, overall I can accomplish everything I need to each day and leave at 5:00 pm without anything weighing on me, hanging over my head, or that needs to be done at home before returning the next day. I could especially tell this is true when returning to work today. Always before I would be stressed for several days into a break and dreaded going back to work;  I would think about it the entire break. Even though I only got two working days off for Christmas I didn't mind it at all because coming back to work isn't a dreadful or stressful thing.

3. The Benefits. I shall try to sum this up quickly. I do not wish to sound as if I'm boasting because I really and truly am not. Mostly it is just that I am a) so VERY, VERY thankful and b) am blow away that the corporate world has so many more perks than the world of education/non-profit did. My pay per year is more than what I made most of my teaching career and I have arguably the best insurance coverage you could ever imagine (Seriously....it is riduculous how awesome it is!). I still get plenty of time off, including frequent unexpected 1/2 days and we have AMAZING corporate parties with fantastic give-aways. I was further shocked and blessed by a VERY generous Christmas bonus after having only worked here for 4 months. That is not counting all of the "little" things that happen day-to-day that bless me beyond words. I can say all of this because I give all the glory to God for bringing me to this place. I left teaching out of obedience and accepted this job out of obedience. Z & I know that we are in a time of being positioned for things to come and the Lord is being more than gracious during this transitory time.

4. I Am Learning. While I can do most of this job without thinking, I am also learning so much. In part, I'm learning new technical skills, like widely used corporate software systems and how to operate newer versions of office equipment. More than that, I'm learning how to interact in a culture that is far different than anything I've ever been a part of. I have worked almost exclusively in the worlds of education, Christian ministry, or part-time retail roles. Now I work in a Saudi Arabian owned multi-billion dollar petrochemical company that has a focus on making money. Pretty much all of my other jobs had some sort of focus on imparting into people's lives (except some of the part-time roles, but even then my role was still all about solving a customer problem). It is just SO different than my other jobs. Yes, people are still people and I approach everyone just as I did when I worked in these other roles, but there are certain mindsets that had to be thrown out in order to do this job well. Everything from ordering supplies on a corporate budget to how you greet CEO's of companies from all over the world. I like that I can do the day-to-day fuctions of this job fairly easily but still have areas where I'm being stretched and have a chance to take something away. Plus, I firmly believe that there will be another role for me within this company at some point. It is just a matter of the Lord's timing.

5. Flowers. This one may seem silly, but to me it is of great importance and a huge perk. We get a weekly delivery of fresh flowers. They sit on a table directly in front of my desk. I look forward to the delivery with eager anticiaption every Monday. On Friday afternoon someone always takes them home and on more than one occassion I have done so also. This is particularly awesome when I'm hosting a bridal shower, holiday party, or something of that sort because I take them and have an instant and gorgeous decoration! I LOVE FLOWERS! So I believe that Lord provided this perk especially for me. :)

I LOVE MY JOB!!!!