Happy 1 year my little man

Rowynn James * RoRo * Wynn * My Little Man * Mama's Little Man * Turkey * Little Monster

So let me take you back to almost two years ago. I was on a strict no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no caffeine diet and lost about 15 pounds in a month...I was slowly starting to add things back in my diet...I was making cupcakes one night for Don's coaches meeting and decided I would go ahead and eat one...I mean prior to this diet I always considered myself someone who had a "sweet tooth". 

After eating one...I threw up. I highly dislike throwing up.  I was actually devastated because I thought "man, this diet has so messed up my system I'm never going to be able to eat anything sweet again...I was actually partly sad." About two days later, Bekham, Don and I drove to Tulsa to go watch one of his teams play and on the way home I felt horrible...like so nauseated. He stopped at a gas station and it finally dawned on me...either something serious is going on or wait...hold on...am I pregnant? NO WAY! I had just lost 15 pounds...surely not...when indeed I was...it was September 26th...I remember going to buy a test...then walking in and telling Don, well...the good news is I'm not sick. Happy early bday! His bday was the next day. 

I have been more than blessed with two healthy pregnancy's. I couldn't stand the smell of sugar for months after that....and not only was I pregnant...I was 9 weeks and didn't even know it...seems strange to me, until I hear people giving birth and NOT knowing they were pregnant....I mean, I can't imagine...

So in December we find out I am having a little boy. I have to be honest I was slightly nervous. I mean I had an amazing little girl who literally was a pretty perfect image so far of what a great baby is. She was my buddy...I knew how to be a mom to a girl...well hold on...I'm still learning...so let's just say I was comfortable being a mom to a girl thus far. Bekham is straight up awesome. The perfect mix of girly and tomboy. Wants to do the monkey bars until her hands hurt, wants to dress up, wants to learn to skateboard and surf and sno board, wants to put on her ballet slippers and walk on pointe. 

So when we found out I was having a boy, it was like all this anxiety because I knew what kind of expectations I would put on myself to raise a Godly man. Not just a boy, but a man who changes and influences people, households, nations. I suppose it was like I felt know I was pregnant for the first time with Bekham...maybe you always feel like that when you find out you are expecting...

So we find out it's a boy...and a month or so passes and we start playing around with names. 

We had girl names, but not boy names...we finally settle on Rowynn...it's funny because I found in my Bible a few weeks ago the piece of paper Don and I had written down names and when we FINALLY decided, or I convinced him to go with the name Bekham. Names were crossed out and I had her come over and said see...this is what mommy and daddy prayed about and when we were deciding to pick your name to which she BOLDY said, "I like Bekham. " yep me too!

So then the decision on how to spell it...Rohan, Rohen, Rowan, Rowen....or I saw a guy on TV named Wynn...I remember telling Brooke Harrison and she had a relative named Wynn...I like it...so we decided on Rowynn....and then Don had two "good" trips to the Wynn in Vegas....and I'm going to be honest that sealed it:)

So here comes May and we basically decided to have him around soccer playoffs for high school...that's just the truth...and Dr. Parker knew it and he was fine with it. We had many conversations at the dr. office about, well if they win here it could be here or lose here it could be this day...so we decided to have him on May 6th...and hope it was in time for Don to leave to go to his game that evening...:) 

I remember checking in on May 5th at midnight and they said, great, you are dilated to a 2 and you are already having pretty good contractions...praise Jesus Bekham was an easy, fast delivery...why shouldn't I expect the same thing with Rowynn?  These are the funny things that happened so I can remember...skip if you don't want to read...around 5am I had been waiting to get my epidural because I had in my mind to wait until I just couldn't stand it...  the nurse finally said, okay, this is as strong as they're going to get, are you sure you don't want to go ahead and get it? YES PLEASE! The lady came in and JUST as I was about to, she got a call to see if she could leave and go do another one...she was actually discussing with someone on the phone whether or not to go. Don and I were begging her to please stay and just get it over with already...thank goodness we talked her in to it!

Around 7:30 or 8 Dr. Parker came and broke my water...and kinda like with Bekham, I could tell they were holding me off until a Dr. could get there to deliver her. Rowynn wouldn't let me lie on my back. his heart rate dropped everytime...so I stayed on my left side and it was much more difficult. I remember they couldn't get ahold of Dr. parker to come deliver him and it was around 9:30-10, they had put me on oxygen (which is really hard to breathe with one of those on while trying to have a child... and I said to the nurse can you deliver babies? cause I'm good with anyone doing it at this point. she finally called their office and got a few people together and said "I have delivered 17." of course about that time here comes Dr. parker...

Rowynn James Rother
May 6th 2011
11:25 a.m.
8.1 lbs.
20 1/4 inches

These are some of the fun moments I remember over the past year and many times thinking to myself...so this is what it's like to have a boy..

5 weeks he was rolling over...freaked me out....

5 months he had mastered the army crawl and was ALL over the place. I remember leaving him under his play gym and going in my bedroom to change REAL quick...I came out and he was gone...it was like that panic like "i've lost my child"...I couldn't find Bekham one time around 18 months and she was in my bathroom under the sink playing in some dress up jewlery...took me forever to find her...but Rowynn had managed to crawl in the kitchen and once he found out he was mobile...it was all over. 

he was for real crawling at almost 7 months and figured out he could move his legs and walk 11...just a few weeks ago he realized they went really quickly...he does a bear crawl that I will be sad when he doesn't do it anymore because I have gotten so use to it...

The way I look at it is I have been blessed with 4 "men" in my life. 

My Heavenly "man"

My Daddy "man"

My "man"

My little "man"

The difference for me is the responsibility I have in "who" Rowynn becomes. My prayer now is that the Lord uses his quickness to quicken the hearts of others for my Heavenly man. I'm never one to say oh my kid is more awesome than your kid...but I am just so appreciative of the strengths and weaknesses of both of my punkins...I know that I know that I know that Rowynn's smile, personality, sheer and utter determination, and quickness will be used for something. I never knew I could be this exhausted and yes I have days where I need a calgon bath to take me away...but I love being a human jungle gym and I love the roughness and all out play he brings to our home. Bekham may not on most days, but she will one day:)

Oh my sweet Rowynn, words can only say how proud I am to be your mommy. What pure JOY. Some days I wonder what you are thinking because it seems all you do is smile...I cherish each one you give me. And even though most days I am one step behind you, instead of two steps ahead...I consider it a great joy and challenge to help lead you to become a mighty man of God. You are pretty awesome and I am so thankful that today I get celebrate who you are and all that God has made and equipped you to be!

This has been the verse I prayed over him, and I believe God is allowing him to live in it.

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Luke 2:40

I really like you...

I like this guy... Like I really like him.I have known him since I was 17...now I realize some days we may "not" like each other.
We didn't sign up for perfection, just for life. He has had my heart since I met him at the Hartsocks at an FCA night.
It was the Friday before school started my senior year of high school...I talked him in to letting me drive his truck, which later I learned that NO ONE ever drove his truck.
This man has had my heart from that day...and as we ate dinner last night he looked at me and
said "aren't you glad we still like each other so much?" I love that question...because its so true...of course we love each other...but I'm thankful now more than I have been before...that after almost 16 years of knowing him and with two punkins and almost nine years of marriage later, he is who I want to hang with.


Yep, that's my man:)

Strong and Mighty: forever changed by one night of photography

So last night I had an opportunity to experience something I honestly had never thought of until a few months ago...and it was definitely something I did not "hope" to do when I was little girl. While you're reading this, turn your speakers on....you will need a little background music.

Many of you know my story of getting in to photography...always taken pictures, self-taught, and as cheesy as this sounds...my heart is full when I am doing it...it just makes my heart smile through the whole process...a few months ago I got an email from a non profit asking if i would consider volunteering from time to time to take pictures of premies and donate my time and pictures because the expense is usually so high, the last thing the parents can afford is pictures. One thing I would challenge anyone reading this to do is use the talents and gifts you were given and donate something to non profit, etc; that is seriously one of the single greatest things about doing photography for myself is that when I hear God saying "go", "don't charge this family", "go here" I can do it and not ask anyone's permission. ..SO ....I signed up...thinking i would have quite a while to digest any of this volunteering...I think I had to digest it because I knew I would leave a piece of my heart with these families and just how difficult it would be for me to take pictures of teeny tiny babies...how selfish...thinking it would be hard for ME.

Yesterday I was driving my two punkins and running errands and I got a text message from Shannon Ho. About the best thing to gift photography in this region. Shannon is one of the sweetest and most genuine people I know. I have known her since I was twelve....I feel old now.

I will not be saying the families name for the sake of privacy, but writing this is my way of expressing and remembering all I learned yesterday...Shannon was looking for someone to go to the hospital that afternoon and take pictures of a family and their 20 week old son who would be delivered via c-section that afternoon and would not survive. Shannon photographed them about a year ago when they endured this the first time.

I am going to be honest, when I read the text message the time they needed someone was kinda close after another appointment I had. I mean I could make it, but did I want to try that bad??? Again, my selfishness creeped in and I began thinking I cannot do this...when I quietly, yet firmly heard "GO". My first thought was "ugh". Lord, don't you know I am the most sensitive person when I see others cry? don't you know I am not strong enough to do this? don't you know I have never done this before? don't you know i am not a good photographer? i will never live up to any expectations they have? everything about ME...I learned alot about my selfishness yesterday...all of these thoughts were in a matter of two minutes...when i texted shannon and said i could do it. Later she said no one else was able or could do it...I have to believe God brought me to a place such as this.

Shannon was so gracious in explaining to me what I could expect, but she also said I would be able to see God's handiwork in it all...she was so right.

I sent a prayer request to some amazing women whom I knew would lift up this family, and also pray that I would not breakdown in the room with the family. The last thing I wanted was for them to feel like I needed to be comforted.

I will tell you my life was forever changed yesterday evening. Since doing photography, I have felt like this has been God's doing...it has all just kinda happened...it has also become like a little ministry as well. Never in one million years did I think I could make it through...and when I thought about it, wouldn't everyone want to have some type of memory of a life they created...it all became so clear.

This family was so sweet, so gracious and so strong. I have heard when enduring a loss, you really are given all you need to get through it. Sometimes I get fearful, because it has been so long since losing a dear loved one...how would i handle something of that magnitude now that I am a mom and I have experienced a love unlike anything I knew prior?

My heart was so sad for this family, but seeing their faith was so encouraging to me. This may sound creepy, but I will forever be grateful that I was able to fill in for Shannon last night. My faith grew, my understanding for how we are each PERFECTFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE has a new meaning...this life, yet he was so tiny, was so mighty in power.

I have looked at those images a few times since last night, wanting them to be the best they can be for this family, because for them, this will be all they have. My heart breaks, and my mind is amazed at how God knits it all together.

I arrived and the family spent some time together...and before i walked in, my stomach was in complete knots...it had been all day...but when i walked in, it was like i had been prepared for this and felt God just loving on this family through me. it was def. an out of body experience, but i desperately wanted to do my best for them.

As I was getting ready to leave, she asked me if I had any children...see this was the first time I had met this family. I paused not really knowing how to answer I suppose, my eyes filled with tears and I said yes I have a four year old girl and a nine month old boy...and she just smiled...i was able to share a prayer with them. I don't know if they will ever know the impact their family had on me. I am telling you, if anyone has ever had a doubt in or who Jesus Christ is....or how God can make this happen...i am shouting from the rooftops to please let me tell you about Him!

Friends, not only seeing this sweet boy but also seeing his family walk straight through this is a huge testimony that He is best shown in our weakness. For I am sure they felt weak and burdened, but they all were mighty to me. It was only by the Holy Spirit and the grace of God and my friends prayers that I did not lose until I said my goodbyes to the extended family, walked down the hall and completely brokedown. I cannot wait to meet him one day and see how his body has been healed and made whole. I hope he remembers me, because this family will forever have a piece of my heart.

I only thought I was meant to be to do this before, but now I know, more than ever, that it's really not about me. It's about me, giving people, with the gift I have been given, something tangible to hold on to, to look at and bring them joy. If you read this, all the way through, please don't feel pity for me, and don't for this family, because they know they will meet their children again.

This is one of the hardest things I have ever digested...it was like he was so perfect...he was just so perfect...and for some reason until right now when I am typing this...i never asked "why?" My prayer is that we do not take our earthly life for granted because we each truly do have the ability to make a difference even if it is on one life. This one little, sweet life, will forever change my outlook on several things, and I will never ever forget him.

And yes sometimes we post things on facebook, or blogs and people comment, but i ask that you don't comment and just continue praying for this sweet family. Thanks for letting me sit and digest this in to words. Praying, that like I had the privilege of doing, God will give you a situation that you really do not want to walk through so that you may be as richly blessed as I was last night.

I love hearing people say "Merry Christmas"

Okay so I have been a complete slacker on writing on this blog since....discovering pinterest....i know...that you know...what i'm talking about:) it has given me too many ideas to keep up with...well thankfully they make it easy to keep up with all of them...and i have emailed numerous times about buying stock in it...not yet...continues to be their answer. oh and on this blog i will probably not always be grammatically correct or capitalize everything...

So Christmas is here and I figured some people may get tired of seeing me post pictures of my kids, or other photography stuff on facebook, so I am going to post a few here.

Since August my love and passion I've had for photography since...well I can remember...or actually when we had those things i cannot for the life of me remember what they are called...you would look through like binoculars and click the wheel and the next picture would click over...i loved those...then disposable cameras...then a point and shoot camera...then a rebel xsi, then a 500d now my 50d and soon to be 5d mark ii...i have been more than blessed this year and on one hand yes my photography has been a side business over the past few months...tax id and all...and on the other hand and expensive hobby because i continue selling what i have and upgrading to the next...it's amazing to me how i can have a family waiting for me to take pictures...i could be tired, having a rough day, etc; and when i head to the session i always pray for that family...when i'm done, my heart is full, my face is beaming and i am just praying that God blessed that family like they did me and i was able to capture a few special memories for them.

i have approached my business thus far from a mom standpoint...someone who loves having pics up of my kids but couldn't afford all of the pics i wanted...i am loving the season of learning and growing i am doing...i even called a past client...one of my first and asked to do a session for them because i was embarassed with how their pics turned out a year ago...i told don i would do this for free if i wasn't purchasing equipment...it just makes my heart smile...

anyhow, enough about all of that...we are having some fun here at the rother household...wynn is simply charming and bananas all over the place...and when i say bananas...i mean crazy in a good way! he keeps me BIZ-EE. and i love him. bekham is so in to "pretend play". oh how i remember that...she simply makes me smile. i cannot begin to tell you the number of times don and i look at each other with the look of "where did s

he even come up with that?"

i know all moms feel this way, but i was explaining to her that God loved me so much that i cannot believe he wanted me to be her mom, and i feel that way with every fiber of my being about our kids. we

have been beyond blessed with healthy, happy children and i praise Jesus for it. I have been on a search since last summer to rest in the sweet spot of Jesus' heart...many of you know why...and i have started to have the craving for that again which also makes me smile...the Lord has blessed don in the last few months with some amazing opportunities within NYSA...just seeing successful things happen in the club...and for that i am grateful...don is one of the most loyal people i know. he has been with nysa for 27 years...started playing when he was 5....so my cup overflows...i wanted to

put on here a few pics i have taken with our elf on the shelf and tell a little story on myself...

i found out saturday at another family i was taken pictures of that they also had an amazingly similiar story happen w

ith their elf...weird i know...

but our boy elf was given to us two years ago and bekham didn't really understand but boy does she this year...so Sparky came to visit and I have to admit i'm not as good as the rest and he has only does "special" tricks a few times...so you'll see a few those here...

then last week Sparky had to go visit the north pole...and we could not find him anywhere!!!!!

so i did what any mother of a four year old when do when their elf went to the north pole...what we thought was for good....we went out and found another one...a girl...so in came Star Glitter...yep....that's right...Sparky and Star Glitter. being the slacker that i am...bekham came in this morning and noticed they had not flown around the house last night and was so upset...she was crying thinking they didn't care...so again....i did what any mother of a crying four year old would do who thought her elves did not care...

i bought the dvd...just to reemphasize that they DO care and will most definitely be flying around doing amazing things these last few days! i know..i know..the dvd was not necessasy...so when i was taking the pics of sparky and star glitter today i got some pics and loved the tree in the background...we are praying through the idea of making a little studio area in the house and i want to keep this tree up year round....kidding...but all of these pics posted on here are completely unedited! more of why i love them!

and on a side note...i love love love this time of year...one of the reasons is because EVERYONE says good bye and thank you by saying Merry Christmas...I feel like I am in the movie "it's a wonderful life"

enjoy all!

and merry Christmas!

.

Welcome home Jamie!!!

Dons best friend Jamie, who led Him to Christ, is coming home today! It's a day of celebration! Gods provision over Him and his wife Whitney is the closest example we have seen of strength in a relationship. They started dating briefly before he went on his first tour over there (he is returning from his second) they were married in between his two tours. And if you know Jamie, you know that a sniper Is an interesting career in the Army for him. This was from Whitney rose and jamies wedding last February.













We are so excited he has made it home!!!
When we were deciding about names for Rowynn we couldn't decide on a middle
Name. After praying about it I kept thinking James...I don't think Don ever thought I would recommend his best friend, but when I thought about what I hoped he would stand for, I thought of the sacrifice Jamie has done for our country...the book of James in the Bible and how profound it is, his grandpa had James in his name... So we asked jamies permission over Facebook:) and that is where Rowynn James came from:)



















This is the verse I have prayed over Rowynn
There a child grew strong in body and wise in spirit and the grace of God was on him.
Luke 2:40
So true for both of them!

Blessings,

"Good Job Mom! You're doing it!"

This morning I got to have some snuggle time with Wynn and when bekham got up it was still 72 so I said hurry let's get in the stroller! So we got in the awesome gift my dear friends got me and headed on a little mile loop.
We got down to the other entrance of our neighborhood and it got black, gusts of wind were circling, and birds were trying to fly through... Of course I envision it down pouring with my three year old and three month old. I was listening to a talk on praying Bold prayers by Craig Groeschel.
How do we pray? Do we pray weekly? And what do we pray for? It's all a reflection of who we BELIEVE God to be...
Now let me say this may not seem like a bold prayer but when in the middle of a loop and youve got to push through and turn around and go back which it's the same distance either way, all things considering my prayer seemed bold at the moment!
I started running pushing the 50 plus pounds as fast as my body could through the wind that they said was blowing 35-40 MPH. boldly my prayer was Lord please let me make it home with these two! I still had half a mile to go!
Thankfully we did and I snapped this pic when we were almost home:)
Not only was I grateful to make it home dry, every time I would run, because let's be honest, I didn't run the whole half mile straight through pushing 50 pounds, bekham would turn around and encourage me "good job mommy! You're doing it! You're running!" "good job mommy! You're pushing us fast!" thank you Jesus for letting her be my little encouraged this morning:)


Blessings,

Change

Change is good but oh so challenging. I know that's when we grow the most.
I read something pastor Craig Groeschel of Life Church posted the other day on Facebook and it rang so true. I am paraphrasing here but he said- We always say God won't give us more than we can handle, but it's in the times He does that we must press in to Him.
This last week Bekhams Godparents oldest son moved to Tulsa to play soccer for ORU.
This is RaRa and Deb or as bekham says princess mermaid












Although only an hour and a half away, he's still out of the nest.
Don and I started talking about it....we are both pretty much from Norman. Never ventured out although we have traveled a lot.
Don said Shar he's just in Tulsa, to which I said yes but even if it was OU it's like you're dropping them off, they're no longer under your thumb, you have to let go and trust. And man that seems so hard to do and my kids have not even started kindergarten!

We got to see Trevors dorm and spent the night in Tulsa as bekham was a flower girl in Ty and Amandas wedding. The wedding was precious!












The bride Amanda picked out these adorable dresses and she said we could pick the shoes. I had the sparkly toms in mind but when reading the reviews of the new material for the girls they all said the material freyed. So one night bekham ad I sat down looking at toddler dress shoes and came across these. Although I was not fond of them at first because I thought they made too much of a statement, don said Shar they're awesome! So we went with them are all she wants to wear:)
Don always jokes about the Lion King when passing a baby off to someone else...as you can see from the picture:) here we are at the rehearsal passing time:)











So funny:) anyhow this week has challenged me to be even more present in the moments with b an Wynn. Last night Deb said she has been texting Trevor scripture. I sure hope he saves those texts...and one night he said I miss you mom and she said you have no idea how much I miss you. I about lost it thinking how fast time flies....how you have such a short time to make an impact and truly teach them to walk in Gods way, to raise them to be respectful, appreciative, humble, gracious, giving and loving...all the things that when you drop them off you hope thy remember. I hope I remember to celebrate who they are and who they will be and celebrate all God has called them to and instilled in them.
I already look at Bekham and am halfway anxious to see all God will do through her.
I was in the car with my mom maybe a year and a half ago...of course your patens always think their grandchildren are amazing... But I will never forget saying mom, I don't know what, but I know she has been called to greatness. She has been called
To be a world changer...and it will be for Him. I just hope I don't get in the way....
Sorry for the sappy post...this has been a week of recognizing when to press in to Him...when change is hard...it is also good.
For He IS good:)
Here are some pics in celebration of Trevor:) rara and Deb did an awesome job!














































Blessings,