Fall is HERE!!!

This is The Rollins FAVORITE time of year!!

It's A... Part 2

IT'S A.....

Saturday Marc and I were given a blessing by a good friend from church to have a sonar in her home to find out the gender of our baby! When asked Friday night I, of course, was excited but nervousness soon followed! I knew that whatever that sonar revealed would change our lives either way!
Since this pregnancy was so different (and when I say "different" I mean SICK.. Very,very SICK) I was convinced that it must be a boy. Seeing as my pregnancy with Sarah Catherine was a breeze in comparison! I am totally convinced of what my sister in law, Staci, told me a couple of weeks ago.. "God gives you a great first pregnancy so you will want to have another baby later on." My mother was in total agreement and so truthfully stated (as mothers often do) "If you (me) had been first, I wouldn't have had another one." (Thank you for the sweet love Mom)
After the nervous feeling passed, anxiety set in.. I was ready to find out and start nesting!! We are proud to announce that we will be having another little girl! We are so excited and Sarah Catherine is nesting more than I am! She couldn't wait to get the baby things out of the attic and start cleaning and washing everything! She was upset that we decided to paint the nursery the week of Thanksgiving.. She wanted to do it all RIGHT THEN!!!
After finding out Marc really wanted to surprise Sarah Catherine, so we went to the mall and bought a sweet little gown and a matching bib and burp cloth wrapped in a pink bow! Her expression was priceless! We were able to tell her that her baby sister was stretched out on the sonar waving her little right hand and had her feet crossed at the ankles! We were able to see all 10 little toes perfectly and her heart and brain also looked great! God is continually blessing our family and I am so thankful we serve such a BIG God!

Fish Anyone?

Marc took Sarah Catherine fishing today.. Who said fishing was a guy sport??? And she caught with a Hello Kitty bow.. What a girl!!

6 Years Has Flown By

Last Friday was Sarah Catherine's 6th Birthday and with everything that had been going on in the month of September the 28th really snuck up on me! I laid in bed Thursday night watching Sarah Catherine sleep and could still see the resemblance of the baby she used to be. With the absolute madness that goes along with raising an almost six year old and plus Marc being out of town for three weeks I wished for that moment she could be a baby again.. No judgement, no arguing, no back talk, and last but not least NO attitude! I never realized how much of a Daddy's girl Sarah Catherine really is until he was in Georgia finishing his training for three weeks (which really felt like 3 months). Nevertheless, party day had arrived and she was so far past excited!! Not only was her party that evening, but she knew I was bringing cupcakes to her class for snack, but even more importantly, her DADDY was FINALLY coming home that day!
I have no idea what possessed me to make my doctors appointment for that morning (bad planning on my part), but Marc was able to meet me in Birmingham and see the baby's heartbeat (which made his day)! After rushing home, grabbing the cupcakes, I stayed up until 11 the night before baking, and rushing to MPS I saw my daughters face beam with joy and excitement (which of course made all the stress worth it)... After partying like it was 1999 with the Class of 2025 (ok figuring up that year scares me a little) we checked Sarah Catherine out of school early (per the request of the birthday girl) and rushed home to prepare for her party that night.
I am noticing hiding gifts is much harder than it used to be.. Buying things too far in advance is not always a good thing for me seeing as I forget about it or I can't remember where I hid it (aka the toys I hid in the storage under my trunk that will now be used for Christmas.. Lose/Win I guess)!
Choosing a painting party for Sarah Catherine was so much fun! The kids had a great time, everything was included, and the best part.. I didn't spend the week before the party cleaning and two days after cleaning either (WIN/WIN/WIN).. Ginny Robert has a great location for her painting parties and it was all Sarah Catherine could talk about.. That and the gifts! Overall it was a great day for the birthday girl and we are so proud God has blessed us with her (attitude and all.. Ok maybe I could do without the attitude ;) ). Just think this time next year Baby Rollins will be here to party hardy with us!

What is TRUE Integrity

Webster's Dictionary defines the word integrity as "firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values." The Biblical definition of integrity is to "be complete or to be upright." Recently my Father In Law, Johnny, ran in the mayoral election in Jasper. Unfortunately, Johnny was not successful in becoming Jasper's next mayor. But, as I watched Johnny's reaction at each stage of news he received I quickly realized how successful he really was! I saw first hand the definition of integrity! Johnny was successful in running a CLEAN race by being honest, trustworthy, and certainly NOT obnoxious!
Later that night, after putting Sarah Catherine to bed, I told Marc how proud I was to be apart of his family and that I respected his Dad even more for handling himself with TRUE INTEGRITY and Grace! Jim, Staci, Marc and myself are so blessed our children have a Papa that sets such a wonderful example for them! We love you Papa!

A Sigh Of Relief

Monday my Mother went with me to my second OB appointment. I was nervous about hearing a heartbeat, seeing as my last visit we were not even able to see the baby. I know God's will is perfect, but when it comes to our children it can be even harder to understand! As I waited for the sonographer to enter the room I prayed for God's mercy and protection! Not only did he give me both He also gave me comfort! Within just a few seconds I heard the sonographer say "We have a heartbeat!" I cannot express the amount of weight that was lifted from my shoulders! She told me to hold my breath and then we heard a beautiful little heartbeat (or heart beep as Sarah Catherine calls it)! Walking to the nurses station I was overwhelmed with emotion.. The floodgates opened! Of course they were tears of happiness (I am pregnant and hormonal :) ) !! My next appointment is September 28, Sarah Catherine's 6th birthday! More updates to come!!

What A WEEK!!!

Wow!! What a BUSY week this has been!!! With Sarah Catherine starting Kindergarten and Marc working in Opelika for the week I took on the roll of single parent. Let me just say I have a whole new respect for single parents out there! Tuesday I received wonderful news that my blood work came back and my levels had more than doubled!!! This news was a true answer to prayer! I have an appointment next Monday, and we are continuing to pray for a healthy baby! Sarah Catherine had a great first week at Kindergarten! She loves her teacher and is already making new friends and being a helper to Ms. Lay (which is right up her ally). This being the last week before preschool begins I was able to get a lot of cleaning done. A big shout out to my sweet friend Stephanie Burnam and our cousin Patrick for helping me clean out the baby's room!! After four trips to the basement and three trips to the Jimmie Hale Mission I was able to organize closets and cabinets! I know Stephanie probably thought she was on a bad episode of Hoarders (without the bugs of course). I just didnt realize how hard it was to get rid of Sarah Catherine's Preschool work. I love going to my Aunt Cathy's (especially around the holiday's) and seeing how she can still bring out my cousin Joel's artwork for that particular holiday or season. I think it is a wonderful way to reminisce and also be festive! Nevertheless I was able to let go and let Stephanie do her thing!! I am so happy with the way things look and I look forward to finding out the sex of the baby so the decorating can begin!

Sarah Catherine's First Day of Kindergarten

I never thought I would be so thankful for Sarah Catherine's preschool experience at First United Methodist Church as I was the first day of kindergarten! As the three year old teacher I am a little bias to our preschool, but we couldn't have asked for a better experience for our daughter! It totally prepared her for this day, and for that matter, this year!
I thought trying to wake Sarah Catherine up was going to be the hard part.. WRONG!! Watching my bright eyed baby sit at that red table playing blocks, totally confident in her surroundings, was probably the toughest part. She didn't need mommy to stay with her! She was ready
to start her day with her teacher and her new classmates. I was so thankful for the independence that preschool taught her! She had a wonderful first day of school!

Psalm 9:10

Yesterday I went to my first OB appointment. Although I was running on pure adrenaline the whole week in anticipation for Thursday, I was still nervous something may not be exactly right with the pregnancy. It always seems satan takes my worries and feeds me more doubt. After entering the sonar room I prayed for comfort. We saw the amniotic sack and the yolk sack, but no baby. The doctor told me not to worry! He said that the technology in the home pregnancy tests are much more advance than the sonar machines. He also informed me I may not be as far along as I originally thought. I was instructed to make another appointment for Monday to check my HCG level and compare to Thursdays levels (which were over 7,000). He said we are looking for these numbers to double or triple.
Waking up Friday this scripture was in my daily devotion I receive through email: Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help." Psalm 9:10 I love how God speaks to me through His word! He never deserts me and always comforts me in my time of need! I know that no matter what happens with my HCG levels or the pregnancy in general, God is in control! Please pray for HIGH HCG levels on Monday!

Is that Phil Robertson???

Today Marc, Sarah Catherine, and I had the pleasure of going with our dear friends, The Rhodes, to Decatur for the 75th Ducks Unlimited Anniversary. Normally I would not be interested in the least in going to these sort of functions, but when I heard Phil Robertson, The Duck Commander, was going to be there I was psyched! All I had to do was talk Katie into going (who also would rather be in her PJ's watching housewives.. Or better yet Hutterites.. Wink wink). After replaying my official meeting, to the BIG duck Commander, in my head I was quickly sent back to reality when I realized that about 2,000 other people shared my same dream. Nevertheless I did get some distant pictures of him and Ms. Kay!!! Listening to Phil preach was a blessing! Not at all what I expected to hear. I know they end every episode around the dinner table having prayer as a family, but I had no idea how on fire for God he really is!
We had a wonderful time watching the kids play and even made it through breaking the bad news to Sarah Catherine and Tucker that we didn't win the 2 ton playhouse (seemed like I was not the only one with crushed dreams for the day ;) ) All in all it was a wonderful day with wonderful friends! The weather was PERFECT and the entertainment was great! Definitely do it again.. Maybe they will send Uncle Si next time!!

Great News!!

VIRGINIA OR BUST

My mom, Sarah Catherine, and I are on our way back from Lynchburg, VA visiting my brother, Jason, and his family! Seeing as Sarah Catherine and I hadn't been in 5 years, we were well overdue. Like any vacation, preparation is part of the excitement (for me anyway.. just another way to put my organizational skills to work) but, the 10 hour trip is complete torture at about the 8th hour especially!!

After our arrival and hugging my big brother and sweet sister in law I saw my little nephew, Jaxon, who had grown a foot and is the exact replica of his daddy at that age! He was so excited to see us he began to run around showing us his spiderman act ( again just like his dad, except instead of spiderman it was star wars). I stood there for a minute pondering his life and what a blessing it truly is! I was so grateful for the time Sarah Catherine and Jaxon were able to spend playing and, more importantly, bonding. After resting, eating at some very good restaurants, cooking a home cooked meal for J, and having overdue playtime with my little nephew the 4 days, that took me 2 weeks to prepare for, was over in a snap! As my mom and I gathered our things and got an early start home, on this early Sunday morning, we prayed for a safe trip home and for God to bless Jason and his family! Driving down the interstate I look in my rear view mirror and see massive mountains that meet a sky that looks like it is on fire. Gods beautiful artwork (which still baffles me that people can see the same thing and not believe in our Lord). Jus as excited as we were to visit Virginia we are just as excited to head back to Sweet Home Alabama!

Testing, Testing 123..

As most of you have read Marc and I have decided to deactivate our facebook accounts. We hope that our family and friends will keep up with us through our family blog! We would love for everyone to watch Sarah Catherine grow up and hopefully watch our family grow in numbers (we pray sooner rather than later!) ;)

Walk by Faith Not by Sight

As many of you have heard Marc's Grandaddy, John Rollins, passed away yesterday in a car accident. As you would expect this came as such a shock to our family. I have never met a man with so much knowledge about the Word of God as I saw and heard from Grandaddy Rollins. His Christianity did not stop at knowledge, it carried on into faith, trust, and a deep love for Christ! He was so dedicated to his wife and family and I feel I am a better person for knowing him!
I woke up this morning at 5:30 (for those that know me well, know that is UNHEARD of) and was lying in bed listening to Sarah Catherine giggle in her sleep. I laid there wondering what she was dreaming about. Could it be that she was dreaming about her great grandparents who she loves very much (and who spoil her rotten)? Or could it be Grandaddy Rollins telling him he loves her? Listening to that little voice giggle in her sleep took me back to a time in my childhood right after my Papa died and I had so many questions about Heaven and God. I remember when I was about 8 (my Dad had just accepted Christ as his Saviour) and we were laying in bed one night right after saying our bedtime prayers and he began to tell me about these beutiful mansions God was preparing for us. He told me that my Papa was living in the most beautiful mansion and then we proceeded to describe how we wanted our mansions to be. I remember telling him I wanted mine to be made from pearls and diamonds. As you can imagine how HUGE that was in the mind of an eight year old.
As adults we sometimes lose our faith and walk by sight (at least I know I do). 2 Corinthians 5: 6-8 says " So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." One thing I take from this loss is to pray for God restore my childlike faith and love The Lord our God with all that is in me.
I know yesterday Heaven was rejoicing and I know Grandaddy Rollins finally got to see his BEAUTIFUL mansion!

Learning the hard way about God's timing!

Several days ago God layed it on my heart to share a little about our trials and triumphs and how our family has experienced life in GOD'S TIMING, not our own! Being a Type A personality myself I am so thankful God placed "Mr. Type B" personality in my life. I cannot tell you how many times Marc has had to talk me down off the ledge (figuratively speaking of course)... One night several months ago we were having dinner at the family table and I was going through the "what if's" of life which has always been a huge part of my thought process, but more so in 2011. Marc looked at me and said "Jennifer, if you continually doubt God's timing you will keep going around the same mountain." Now most of you that know Marc, know that he is a fun loving and goofy guy..he is more likely to listen and observe than be full of opinions. So, as I stopped and actually HEARD the words that came out of my husbands mouth, I KNEW it was OUR God speaking through him!
At that time I did a lot of soul searching and even more praying. I knew that God was teaching us a lesson through these trials, I just didn't know what it was (which drove me crazy since I am a get it done and get it done now kind of girl). There were so many lessons God was teaching me and I didn't realize it was coming until it was staring me right in the face.. but not one time did He leave our side. Through each trial my faith grew little by little. Have you ever heard the statement "you can't have a rainbow without a storm?" The first time I heard that it put so much into perspective.. That rainbow is so incredibly beautiful and so worth waiting for! James 1:12 says "Blessed is the man who perserves under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." HIS promise.. just like the rainbow is a reminder of God's promise. This is what gets me through every day.. knowing that I have the PROMISE of Jesus Christ!
When I think of God's timing vs. my own I sometimes snicker.. After getting married Marc and I talked about when we would like to start having children.. we put a two year time stamp on it and set it to the side.. Well, to our surprise three months later we found out we were expecting a baby and I went into FREAKING OUT mode.. Seriously. what happened to my TWO YEARS!!! So here we go again... WHAT IF, WHAT IF, WHAT IF (looking back I don't know how Marc put up with me). When Marc got home from work and I announced I was pregnant and began to cry (mostly from the fear of child birth) Marc reassured me ONCE AGAIN that God was going to take care of us. He would not bless us with a baby and not the resources to take care of one. Right then and there we dedicated our baby to Him! Hebrews 11:1 says " Now faith is being sure of what we do not hope for and certain of what we do not see." I have to say that was our first HUGE test of faith in our marriage and God blessed us with a BEAUTIFUL 6lb. 13 oz. healthy baby girl! WOW.. I sat in awww at God's PROMISE!

Good Reading

A while back someone gave me a xerox copy of a picture of Billy Graham at 90 years old and his prayer for our nation.. I have read it several times and keep it in my Bible to remind me of what a wonderful country God has given us and we shouldn't take it for granted. It also makes me so thankful for God's Grace, love, and forgiveness! I wanted to share it on our blog and I hope those of you who read this are touched the way I was!

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbors possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. WE have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!"

Please feel free to copy and paste and keep this prayer moving on! God's Grace is sufficient for us ALL!

Welcome 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My New Year's Resolution.. to blog more (seeing as I only have 2 and the last was from 2010!!!) 2011 was a crazy year and we are welcoming 2012 with open arms!!! Marc has started his new job with Norfolk Southern Railroad and we are so excited! Although 2011 was filled with disappointment, sadness, and grief we still feel blessed to be children of God. He never said there wouldn't be hard times, but He did promise he wouldn't leave us in the hard times! Thank God for that!! Hopefully the first of many blogs.. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for The Rollins in 2012!!!