December/ January

Poppy's ultrasound picture.
Pink Item telling Will it's a girl, also some fabric for her room.
Liam enjoying the ocean.
Will and I at a UofL basketball game during Christmas vacation.
Will and Liam at Disney.

Will and I were thrilled to find out our second child is going to be a girl! I found out a few hours before Will did because the gender ultrasound was unexpected at my appointment so I went to baby gap and came home with this adorable little pink bathing suit for him to unwrap. We thought and hoped it would be a girl, but we were still surprised! We were able to see her through ultrasound yesterday and everything looks great. She is growing as she should 9 inches, 10 ounces, her heartbeat was 156 and all things pregnancy look good- my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. I am 19 weeks and I have gained 5 pounds so far, so I am 145. Would love to stay under 160, so I can get back to 130 (pre-pregnancy weight with Liam) as soon as possible, but obviously want her to be nice and chunky!

We are starting to get her room ready, crib, mattress, dresser, glider and all set up. We bought pillows and some fabric so I feel like we are off to a good start.

We decided to name her Penelope Kate.

We also took Liam to Disney World for the first time. It was a great family day- all 3 of us had so much fun!

Liam also started sleeping in his big boy bed and is doing great.

He is now 21 months old. His 2nd birthday is April 9th. We haven't decided between doing a party or doing something special or just laying low.

We were able to go home to Kentucky for Christmas and visit with friends and family and it was so refreshing to be there, but it is nice to be back in our new home too!

Liam and I had a "Liam Fun Day" today because I know in 4 months we will probably be hanging around the house a lot! We went to the playground, Panera, cookie company, rode the train at the mall, went to the beach and still on the list is to go get a balloon from Publix and maybe go see a movie! We are taking a break this afternoon to rest :)

Church and Will's job is going really well. Keeping us busy. Will is taking the youth to a concert tomorrow called Winter Jam. I'm think I am going to stay home with Liam and get stuff done and relax.

Will and I were able to go on a date which was really nice. We went to dinner on the beach, Starbucks and we bought new dining room chairs!

A friend of mine here and I started a Bunco group and we had our first meeting Tuesday! It was super fun! Thankful for the sweet ladies here.

Please be praying with us that someone will buy our house. It has been up for sale for 3 months now and would really love it if by Spring we didn't own it anymore!

Will Laing

I am so proud to have Will as my husband. He turned in his last assignment for seminary last night.

In the process of figuring our where the Lord would have us, we visited several churches in several states, one church had me fill out some questions about Will and I was just so thankful I could answer the questions so truthfully and it really sums up how awesome he is! :)

Provide us a candid narrative of your marital history.

I’m trying to be as candid as possible, but we really have been blessed with an amazing relationship. We try to keep the Lord at the center of our marriage and family, along with that serve and love each other above ourselves. We also have really great relationships with each other’s families. The Lord has been so faithful to us and sustaining a strong marriage is a huge passion of ours.

Have you and your spouse always been faithful to each other and without improper sexual behavior either emotionally or physically? If answered “no”, please describe the circumstances of any unfaithfulness?

Yes, we have always been faithful to each other in every way.

Please describe how your husband has led you spiritually and contributed to your growth in Christ.

Will has hugely impacted my relationship with the Lord. He trusts the Lord completely, and goes to Him with every struggle or victory. He is just such an encouragement to me to do so as well. I often hear “Babe, why don’t you pray about this.” We have family worship time whenever possible (singing praise songs, reading Scripture, prayer time). We enjoy talking to each other about spiritual things and what the Lord is doing in our lives.

Describe how your husband has functioned as head of the home and how he has taken responsibility to provide, protect and spiritually lead your children (if applicable).

Whenever I think I Biblical Manhood I think of Will. He leads with patience, humility and love. He has been the sole provider financially for our family while in Seminary which has been extremely difficult and he has done so with strength and determination. He has spiritually lead Liam by spending time praying and reading Scripture as a family, disciplining him (teaching him obedience to us and God) as well as by example (being faithful at our church, ministering to others in front of Liam).

Please tell us what you believe are your husband’s primary spiritual gifts

I think his spiritual gifts are leadership and teaching.

Are you convinced of the call on your spouse to pastoral ministry? Describe how you came to agree on this call.

I am convinced that God has called Will to full time ministry. I just see the joy it brings him. When he preached this past weekend, I felt so proud, the Lord has gifted him and it is obvious. For the six years I have known him he has never waivered in his calling. Also, it has been neat to see his family and men in his life affirm that calling.

Describe a time when the demands of ministry put strain on your marriage or family life and how you dealt with it as a couple.

I would say on and off through seminary, working full time, having Liam, serving in church there have been times where our family time has been 30 minutes or an hour a day and that has been difficult but we have learned to lean on the Lord in those times and spend quality time together without distractions.

Other good news is that we have 2 cars again! Will's car has been getting worked on and he got it back today! Yay!

And! I think I might have turned the curve with morning sickness. I am in my second trimester, a couple days shy of 14 weeks.