LOTS of pictures and stuff.

So here I am thinking that I am doing such a grand job of "blogging", but really, SO much has happened in the last month and a half that I haven't even "blogged" about. Therefore, I don't think I'm doing such a good job :(

My response: Just keep trying.


First up is... My youngest brother Ben. He is a Senior at Biola University majoring in Communication Disorders. He is also a stud soccer player on their soccer team. He endured many setbacks and injuries, and we are so incredibly proud of him. Here we are at his last game...

Zoe's into it.

Zoe not wanting to be still. Shocker.

Love this guy.

Husband and brother. Handsome aren't they?

Us. We love each other.


HALLOWEEN! Honestly, my least favorite holiday of the entire year. However, this time is was highly enjoyable thanks to my adorable daughter. She was a cupcake! And not just your average cupcake. More like the cutest cupcake you have EVER seen!

I told you! The cutest cupcake ever!!

To die for.


Next was Thanksgiving. Now this is one of my favorite holidays. It makes me happy, warm and fuzzy, and very full. This year we journeyed to L.A. to my Aunt & Uncle's home. They are so weird and wonderful and we love them.

The cooking of the turkey. Ben assisting.

Ben and my beautiful cousins.

The cutting of the turkey.

Skyping with Grandma.


And the rest are all of my Zoe girl. My sweet, wonderful, beautiful girl.

My sleeping beauty.

Reading time with Uncle Benny. She still thought she was a cupcake :)

She is obsessed with pushing strollers.

She woke up and the first thing she did was put on her cupcake hat.

Being silly. And once again, in her cupcake hat.

Seriously.... words fail me....

Those eyes......

All bundled up!

I love her.

Zoe and Sully.... Pals.

Devotional.

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed." Romans 4:18

Abraham's faith seemed to be in complete agreement with the power and constant faithfulness of Jehovah. By looking at the circumstances in which he was placed, he had no reason to expect the fulfillment of God's promise. Yet he believed the Word of the Lord and looked forward to the time when his descendants would be "as numerous as the stars in the sky" (Gen. 26:4).

Dear soul, you have not been given only one promise, like Abraham, but a thousand promises. And you have been given the example of many faithful believers as a pattern for your life. Therefore it is simply to your advantage to rely with confidence upon the Word of God. And although He may delay in sending His help, and the evil you are experiencing may seem to become worse and worse, do not be weak. Instead, be strong and rejoice, for God usually steps forward to save us when we least expect it, fulfilling His most glorious promises in a miraculous way.

He generally waits to send His help until the time of our greatest need, so that His hand will be plainly seen in our deliverance. He chooses this method so we will not trust anything that we may see or feel, as we are prone to do, but will place our trust solely on His Word - which we may always depend upon, no matter our circumstance.

Remember, the very time for faith to work is when our sight begins to fail. And the greater the difficulties, the easier it is for faith to work, for as long as we can see certain natural solutions to our problems, we will not have faith. Faith never works as easily as when our natural prospects fail.


(From Streams in the Desert.)

The Best.

My favorite time of the WHOLE year is upon us! November, December, and January are without a doubt my favorite months. Why you ask? Well, let me tell you...

1. Cold weather! I would be completely happy to wear my scarves and boots all year round. And this is not an exaggeration. I love bundling up in layers of fantastic clothing.

2. The smell. Have you ever noticed the smell that comes along with cooler weather? Oh I have. And it's positively fresh and clean and wonderful.

3. The colors. Okay, so the colors don't change so much here in Southern California.... BUT, I still love the changing colors of the trees. Just beautiful.

4. Holidays. Honestly, this is probably my favorite reason. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays. I love everything about them! The very special food that is set aside for these special occasions only, family, green and red and sparkly things, Christmas trees, twinkle lights, Christmas music, pumpkin pie, presents, Christmas cards, shopping, decorating...

And what about everything in between... Hot chocolate, fire places going, snuggling in blankets, turning on the heater... Gah! Love it all.

I hope that you also enjoy this season... It's special.

Sick.

It was a rough weekend. I got the stomach flu on Saturday. Yeah, not fun. I actually don't even remember the last time I had the stomach flu... when I was a little kid I think. But nonetheless... vomiting, achy body, pregnant... it was terrible. But you know what was even worse? What was so much worse, was watching my sweet Zoe go through it. Yep, yesterday it was her turn. It was the first time she has ever been sick at all! I am so thankful that she had been so healthy for so long. But watching her go through this for the first time was one of the absolute most horrible things I have ever witnessed. And I am not joking. The discomfort she felt... the confusion on her face from not understanding what was happening or why... the big tears rolling down her face... her big brown eyes wanting us to make it stop... Completely unbearable. There is something so strange about watching your usually crazy and happy child, all of a sudden become this nearly comatose little person. All she could do was cuddle with her daddy. All energy was just sucked right out of her.

But you know what?! She was such a little stud! Even in her yuckyness, she was still trying her absolute hardest to love us and to smile and to be happy. She amazed us with her determination and perseverance.

And I need to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to her daddy. Once again, I was amazed by my husband. He held his little girl ALL day. (Well, except to eat and go to the bathroom :) He held her while she puked, comforted her, watched movies with her, she fell asleep on him, and he even slept on the couch with her until 3 in the morning making sure she was sound asleep. And at some point earlier in the evening while she was getting a quick nap, he managed to finish his homework. Oh, and then he woke up at 7:15 to go to work. And let's not forget that when I was sick the day before, he took care of me and Zoe then too! Good golly... how in the world did I get him??!! I'm not sure. But I'm sure glad I did... Cannot express how blessed I feel to have Lee and Zoe. Thank you to both of them for showering me with so much beautiful love.

Music.

Cannot stop humming this song tonight... So I thought I would share it with you guys. Blessings to you this night.


In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

Promises.

I don't know about you, but I have been in need of some reminders lately. Reminders of how good our God is, and of how much His promises can be trusted.


"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."
Psalm 9:10

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21

Zoe's Birthday.

It's official... my daughter is a year old. It's still hard for me to believe. It completely amazes me how it still feels like I just brought her home from the hospital... I can still remember everything so clearly. And yet here we are, one year later. It has been a good year. Zoe has enriched our lives in ways I never thought possible. She has challenged us and grown us because of it. She is a continuous source of joy and laughter.... We love her.

And I am glad to report, that her very first birthday bash was a success! We had yummy food and great friends and family there to celebrate Zoe. Here are some pictures of the happy occasion.

Pictures.

Well everyone, once again I must ask for your forgiveness... I cannot believe it has been a month since I last posted something! I have been SO busy and I am so sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you :)

She thinks she's pretty hot stuff.

Chillin'.

Walking Daddy to class. She was a little sleepy.

I am a firm believer, that every little girl should wear leggings and tutus.

It has finally gotten a little chilly out!

Her very first pair of skinny jeans.

Zoe's first pumpkin patch experience.

AND here is the winner! She picked it herself.

Pics.

Uncle Ben and Zoe have matching socks.

The furrowed brow.

My mom was here teaching at a conference. She was amazing.

In my personal opinion, the only good thing about Halloween.

Cool stick.

Her new thing... Sticking her face in her bath bubbles.

The first birthday present I received... AWESOME!

The second present.... AWESOME!

Present #3... Dinner with people I love at my favorite restaurant... The Cheesecake Factory.

Me and my little bro.

Random Thoughts.

Thought #1:
Mustard. I've always been a fan. But over the last couple weeks of this pregnancy, mustard has a new place in my life. Just give me a string cheese with mustard on it and I am happy. Sorry if I just made anyone want to puke.

Thought #2:
I have my first dr. appointment for Baby Briggs #2 this Thursday. I'm very excited. Can't wait to hear that first heartbeat... makes it so very real.

Thought #3:
My Zoe is going to be a year old in 2 1/2 weeks and I have very mixed emotions about it. I guess I should get used to it... I hear it only gets crazier from here on out.

Thought #4:
I can't believe I'm going to admit this... But I turned 30 this past Sunday. Talk about weird! I remember being in high school thinking it was going to take FOREVER to get to 30. Well, as they say, time flies when you're having fun.

Thought #5:
Lee is working full time and taking 3 classes here at the Bible College. And on top of that, he has to come home and help his crazy, pregnant wife (me) and chase his very silly daughter around. I'm really super proud of him.

Encouragement.

"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above."
John 19:11

Nothing that is not part of God's will is allowed to come into the life of someone who trusts and obeys Him. This truth should be enough to make our life one of ceaseless thanksgiving and joy, because God's will is the most hopeful, pleasant, and glorious thing in the world. It is the continuous working of His omnipotent power for our benefit, with nothing to prevent it, if we remain surrendered and believing.

Someone who was passing through the deep water of affliction wrote: "Isn't it glorious to know that no matter how unjust something may be, even when it seems to have come from satan himself, by the time it reaches us it is God's will for us and will ultimately work out for our good?"

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Rom. 8:28). Think of what Christ said even as He was betrayed: "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
(John 18:11).

We live fascinating lives if we are living in the center of God's will. All the attacks that satan hurls at us through the sins of others are not only powerless to harm us but are transformed into blessings along the way.


Taken from Streams In The Desert.

The Famous Zoe.

Dancing.

She was sneaky and found my clutch. She was very proud of herself.

It's Been A While.

My apologies for the HUGE gap between posts! We have a new internet service now... a very moody new internet service that makes getting online, and staying online very difficult. So, so sorry.

But here are a handful of pictures for you to enjoy.

My youngest brother Ben plays soccer for Biola University. We are his biggest fans.

Watching the ducks.

Seriously, I can never get anything done. When she's awake, she keeps me on my toes. When she sleeps, I just want to watch her...

Oh that face... melts me.

The life of a pregnant woman.

Watching Uncle Ben.