Monday, November 30th

8:00PM EST/7:00PM CST

Gather up a group, or make it a night with just mother and daughter. Get comfy, make some hot chocolate, snuggle up, and make some memories as Jennifer Kennedy Dean hosts a live web event with Jackie and DeDe Kendall.

Drawing from the Lady in Waiting series of books, for young ladies and for little girls, Jackie and DeDe will speak to the hearts of mothers and daughters about becoming the ladies God intends them to be, with hearts devoted to the One whose heart is set on them.

Geared for girls age 8-18.

Register to listen.

Personally I am very thankful for Jackie Kendall’s book Lady in Waiting. Someone gave it to me in highschool, I ended up reading it in college, and I needed it. I think it is a must read for every girl and woman. I would love to do a study with our highschool girls using Lady in Waiting. I bought the extended edition this past summer to use, and started reading it over again. Even as a married woman who isn’t “waiting” anymore, the lessons taught in the book are needed through marriage. If you can, I highly recommend joining in on the web cast. I am really looking forward to it!

I haven’t told many people that Tim and I follow the Baby Wise philosophy with Hannah. We’ve found that people either love it, or hate it. Luckily we have people really close to us that love it, and we can see that it has worked with their kids. It has been a real life saver though with raising Hannah, helping us know how to arrange her daily schedule to be best for her and us. Otherwise I know I would be one super stressed momma without a clue of what to do.

We had to dig out our Baby Wise book this past week after being baffled of what to do with Hannah. She wasn’t napping well at all, we would put her down for a nap, but she would lay there talking for a while, then finally fall asleep, only to wake up wide awake 45 minutes later! So I read up and we jumped her from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule, and she has been doing wonderfully! We get to enjoy 2 hours with her awake, and then she’ll take a 2 hour nap, which is so wonderful to know that I have a 2 hour block to get things done (like exercise and shower, yay!).

So here’s a rough outline of what Hannah’s day looks like:

8 am up after sleeping through the night! Woohoo! eat, play

10 am nap

12 pm eat, play

2 pm nap

4 pm eat, play

6 pm nap

8 pm eat, play

9 or 9:30 down for the night!

Hannah has been growing and developing like crazy! It is so much fun now to watch her purposely reach out for something and grab it with her little hands. She is still a little spastic with her arms, but when she concentrates really hard she can get them to do what she wants.

Hannah has also been sleeping really well lately. Up until this last week we have always slept her on her side. I know, I know, “back to sleep” but she really slept well on her sides. But this week I started napping and sleeping her on her back because the other day she was super fussy going down for a nap…I put her on her back, and she napped better than she ever has. So we slept her on her back last night and I didn’t hear her cry once through the night!

I am really looking forward to the next 3 months. They are going to go by fast with all of the holidays and traveling coming up. Next week we are spending Thanksgiving with Dan and Maggie, then Christmas is out in Pennsylvania with Tim’s family, then my family will be coming out to PA for Hannah’s dedication and to see Hannah’s great great grandmother in Maryland and get a 5 generation picture. We will get a break from traveling in January, then in February we’ll head to Texas over Valentines Day and at the end of February we’re heading to Chicago for the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. It is going to be so much fun to travel and show off Hannah to everyone. I’m just praying Hannah will think it’s fun too!

Our Senior high students started a new study yesterday that we’re using from Perry Noble’s sermon series Don’t Get Married Until…
I called Tim wondering where he was so long after Impact was supposed to be over, and it turned out that even though the video was finished when they were supposed to end, the students wanted to stay late and discuss what they just watched.
Tim asked some of the students if they would want their parents to see this section of the video, and they said yes.
Parents, get involved in your child’s life, especially dating life. Even if they don’t want you involved right now, they will be thankful for it later.

Hannah has been learning a lot lately and 2 of those things are her high pitch squeal and to giggle! Enjoy the video.

A blog I follow is doing a fun online scavenger hunt, and the winner gets a southern style cookbook. If you are married to the ministry join in on the fun! Go to The Preacher’s Wife blog and follow the rules.

For those of you who don’t qualify, I hope you enjoy learning a little about me.

1.  First Name. Dana

2.  State and Country of Residence. Minnesota, USA for almost 3 years now, but born and raised Texan.

3.  Husband’s Ministry Title. Youth Pastor and blogger of Life in Student Ministry

4.  Length of time in Current Ministry Location. {IMPORTANT:  There are several of you who may not be in a current ‘official’ pastorate/ministry, etc.  That makes you no less a minister’s wife!  You play along, girlfriends, and let us pray for you!} 2 years, 9 months

5.  Children?  If yes, give gender and ages. yes! One adorable 3 month old baby girl.

6.  Number of unique homes in which you’ve lived during your marriage. 2. First was my husband’s one bedroom apartment that he lived in before we got married and we lived cramped for 7 months before moving to Minnesota where we rent an amazing 4 story lake house with the 4th floor being a tower that you can see the whole lake from. Perfect for quiet times with God.

7.  Cook Sunday lunch or eat out? Cook, unfortunately most of the time we end up eating something simple due to busy Sunday schedules, sometimes I think ahead and have something in the crock-pot.

8.  Typically on time for Sunday School or not? Surprisingly on time since we have to show up early anyways for Tim to teach Jr. High SS. Of course we do get up 2 hours before we need to leave the house since Hannah was born.

9.  Favorite TV Show. Do I have to choose one? Biggest Loser, Survivor, Amazing Race and 18 Kids And Counting

10.  Something you watch/like/do that you would never tell the church people. (Except now you just did…lol) I recently started watching the Country Music Channel, getting hooked on World’s Strictest Parents, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and Cowboys Cheerleaders. I’ve really been missing my Southern roots since Hannah was born.

11.  Most annoying church-related pet peeve. When people say that Tim and I are the youth pastors/leaders (plural), meaning that I am it too. The church hired Tim, not me. I am Tim’s biggest fan/helper, but not one of the youth pastors.

12.  One thing you need to throw away but can’t bring yourself to do it. Old shoes. I have many from college still sitting my closet that have made many moves with me already.

13.  The one food you can not live without. Chick-fil-a. There aren’t any in MN, which is frustrating, so any time we travel I always look for the closest one to where we’re going. Looking forward to our next trip over Christmas!

14.  Parsonage or have your own home? neither, we rent

15.  Freak when the doorbell rings or always ready for a visitor? Freak! With both Tim and I despising any kind of chores, our house is usually a mess. We do enjoy having visitors over so we will clean, only if we have a heads up though!