and so we grow... :)

and i am growing in more ways than one! God is growing me so much spiritually lately that i don't even know where to begin. i've been reading in matthew recently and man! there is some great stuff in that book! the sermon on the mount brought out some pretty incredible thoughts in life on this end. specifically...

1-i want to be a peacemaker. this looks so different in life than what i'm used to. it means that when i am feeling upset/frustrated/angry with someone, i have to be willing to talk it out or life will spiral downhill FAST! it means that in everyday life, when i see opportunities that could potentially cause strife, i have to choose to say "i will choose peace." striving to live at peace with everyone is much tougher than ever imagined, but i'm so grateful for the opportunities God is giving me to put that into practice.

2-i want to be a giver. i want to give of my time, my money, my life...its not mine to begin with-its God given and because of that very truth, i have to be willing to put "me" aside and say "today-i give..."

3-i love prayer and i love being able to commune one on one with God through prayer. i love watching Him answer in His perfect way at His perfect time...i just love prayer!

i could go on and on through what i've been learning in matthew, but maybe i'll save that for the next post (and yes-with accountability from a friend here at work who shall remain nameless (Wendy)-i plan on updating much more frequently) why you may ask? well that answer lies in the next reason in how i'm growing :)

i'm growing OUT! yes-its true. chris and i are expecting a baby! i'm 23 weeks as of today and feeling pretty good for the most part. pregnancy has definitely been a stretching experience (in more ways than one) but we are so excited for the little addtion we will get to add to our family :) so-with that being said, i'm hoping to pop on here and do some updating on how baby bean (or bubbles as some girls in the youth group have started calling) is doing. baby bean is due december 14th and is ridiculously active! tends to be the most active when momma wants to head to bed, but we're working on that :) here's the first belly shot i've taken! stay tuned for updates on baby bean and the cox family as we grow from a family of 2 plus a dog to a family of 3 plus a dog! :) and just so rudy doesn't feel left out-here's a current picture of him as well :)