Romans 8:28

Do you see this little bit of super cuteness? She turned 4 years old yesterday. I was thinking about the day she was born, and how she's not really a baby anymore. And then, I began to think about how God worked it all out and I was gobsmacked at the absolute ridiculous awesomeness of it all. Check this out. Boy meets girl: two kids in the youth begin to date. Will they last? Who knows? It is high school after all. Well fortunately both of them realize how amazing the other is and they think: let's get hitched. Miss B. will soon be Mrs. S.

Back at the stately El Hira, Jen finds she is with child much to her surprise and shock. She and her man, Major Hotness, have decided that 2 kids is enough...God was thinking 3...the baby is due on Aug. 6th, 2007.

Boy marries girl: like everyone else that year, Miss B. and Mr. S. decide they want to marry on 7-7-07, but because everyone else wants to marry on that day, that doesn't happen. They are to marry almost 3 week later on July 23rd, 2007. Because they are cool like that, they invite Jen and the Major to the wedding. They happily go.

Before the wedding: Jen has 37 weeks of baby using her bladder as a trampoline. She rushes to the bathroom before the wedding is to start. She leaves the bathroom and is forced by someone pushy to run to her seat so the lovely Miss B. can walk down the isle on time. Now usually, Jen would've told pushy person where to stick it, but she didn't want to upset Miss B. on her day, so she runs and is then yelled at by the Major for running.

The wedding: Miss B. and Mr. S. got married.

During the reception: Jen starts to feel rather ill and wants to go home even though everyone is line dancing, and it is very hard for Jen to give up a line dance. Very. Hard. By the way, Major Hotness blames this on the running...not helping Eye Candy Man. They leave early.

The next day at the El Hira: Jen is talking on the phone from bed because she's still not feeling good. She's not feeling good because she's been in very mild labor since running down the isle. Her good buddy Lizz makes her laugh so hard her water breaks. Uh-oh. It's baby time. Time to call the Lanning hotline for help. It's not quite the Bat Phone, but it's pretty cool.

At the hospital: About 6 hours later, Annalina Elizabeth is born on July 24th, 2007 at almost 9 lbs. Yeah, that hurt. She was born almost 3 weeks early. She had slight breathing trouble called snorting and flaring. She also had her cord wrapped around her neck a few times and two knots in the cord. If she had been born later and bigger...things might have been bad.

Tonight at the El HiraLina: I am struck at how God wove all these happenstances together to make this awesome picture...like one of those picture mosaics...a bunch of little moments ended up in one big one. I'm not saying something bad would have happened if Lili had been born later, but that's some pretty good circumstantial evidence in favor of God's ultimate protection and divine grace. Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Happy Anniversary Adam and Chelsey Sexton. May your life be filled with joy, blessings, and the kind of crazy only God can provide. Don't ever think God isn't using you in some way or another because you just might not be in the loop yet. I love you both and thank God for you.

Happy Birthday Little Pretty. Ditto. Mamma loves you and I thank God for you.