Vision: November 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Delighted to Introduce

I fell in love all over again and his name is:

Zion Israel Denninghoff

Born 11/10/12 8lbs 15oz 20 1/2 inch. long

The name Zion is found throughout the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The name Zion is used to describe a holy mountain where God can dwell and it also refers to the pure and heart. Zion is also a city where the inhabitants are of one heart and one mind and there are no poor among them. The name Israel means one who prevails with God or true believer of Christ. Our hope is that when our son thinks about his name it will give him guidance as to how to live his life. Both Mark and I had strong impressions of his first name. His middle name is what took the longest. He has brought such a sweet spirit into our home. When we were all in the car driving home from the hospital I looked back at my children and my heart was full! For the first time I felt like my family was all there. Children are indeed a gift and a blessing from our Heavenly Father and I'm delighted that once again He has trusted me to take care of, learn from, and nurture one of his chosen spirits.

My midwife cleaning him up before giving him to me

All my girls doing their own thing

My beautiful family

I'm so in love!

P.s. My birth story this time is quite interesting. It's funny, embarrassing, and unlike any of my other births. Mark and I laugh because it's the only one we didn't video tape for good reasons and it's not a birth you would see on the baby channel. All in all it was perfect for Zion and I. I ended up being a lamb and a lion with this birth;) We are both healthy, happy and thriving.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Getting in the Zone

It's time to get into the zone! I'm 40 weeks pregnant, any day my son will be here. I'm anxious, excited, content and so very happy that this pregnancy is coming to an end. My back is killing me and I walk like a penguin. I gained all my weight back that I worked so hard to shed off this past year. That's the price I pay when I get pregnant. Oh well! He's worth every ounce. His sisters talk about him every day and kiss him before they go to sleep. I'm excited to see how this birth will turn out. Will I roar like a Lion protecting her cubs or will I just breathe him out in silence like a timid Lamb. This is when I get my spiritual RUSH wrapped in a ball then exploding in every direction. I can't wait! Oh my son please don't tell me you're going to wait till grandma gets here. That's in 2 weeks! Although my midwife said she would let me wait that long. Only time will tell. Love you sweet angel can't wait till we finally meet.

P.s. Your daddy did a pretty good job taking pictures of you so far

Juanita's Conversion Story

I feel that Heavenly Father has blessed me with the desire to play softball. The fact that the Lord was guiding me to play softball became more evident to me when I was offered a scholarship to play ball at BYU-Hawaii. The thought of attending BYU-Hawaii just seemed right and good at the time so I attended college there. My first year in college I was so excited to learn, play, and party. I discovered real soon that the students who attended the university had fun without drinking. I also discovered that the people were faithful and they had a strong sense of purpose and Identity. This compelled me to go on a spiritual search. I decided to take the lessons from the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I took the lessons I was taught things that I heard before and things that were new to me. Such as the Book of Mormon and the prophet Joseph Smith. These were things that were a challenge for me to believe. So I took these challenges up to the Lord and I asked him if the Book of Mormon is the word of God and if Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. I'm so delighted to share with you that I do know that the Book of Mormon is true and that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. I know that it's true because of the power of the Holy Spirit, because of these truths and much more I decided to be baptized and serve the Lord. Getting baptized was the best decision I ever made. It's because of this choice that I enjoy the blessing of life today. The church is true and I find myself indebt to the Lord forever.