McInnis Minute

New Year, New Posts (Hopefully)

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:52:00 +0000

In the blogs that I read, I stumbled upon this list (below). You are supposed to check things off if you have done something. I was surprised what I had done and had not that was actually on the list. Hope you enjoy, I did at least!

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. (Sang, only sort of a band, more like a group)
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (Is on the eventual to-do list)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. (No, but the Empire State Building, Yes)
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. (Petted a lamb)
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Well, I had help, but I learned one!)
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. (Not proffesionally, just homemade)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (It's actually in my son's closet right now)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Um.. ewww.)
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone’s life. (It's amazingly scary how often toddlers choke...)
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Sundays are always the hardest day of the week for our little man, I think that many other parents feel the same way. Church throws a kink into the regular schedule, Caeden eats at a different time, he normally won't sleep while at church because it is just too fun and exciting with everything going on, so usually he is exhausted and falls alseep on the way home from church. However, I guess our poor little guy was so tired this past Sunday that he fell asleep in the stroller (as you can see by the pictures above!). This is remarkable for Caeden, because he is always so interested in everything that is going on to even THINK about falling asleep in the stroller. Needless to say, he was worn OUT! He didn't even blink an eye when Ben transferred him to the car seat to go home!

Exploration and Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Caeden has found a new favorite past-time that his daddy introduced him to this weekend, crawling under the coffee table and looking through the glass above him! He also loves to play with all the magazines underneath there too! He is becoming such a little toddler lately, and I can really tell that he will be 1 years old in a little over a month! I still can't believe it, but his mannerisms are so much less baby-like these days. He is still such a happy little guy, just content to be around people or kids or doggies, and he is learning more and more all the time. He has recently started to stand up from squatting all by himself, without holding on to anything. We have several guesses as to when he will take his first steps, but both Ben and I think that he will be venturing out on his own 2 feet in the next month. What a new phase that will be! He is already such a fast little crawler, I can't imagine the speed he will gain when he starts walking! He is such a joy and blessing to us, and we are so thankful that he is our son. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with him by staying home.

In other news, Ben has started his last fall semester at Southeastern (Lord willing!), and it seems like it will be a little bit better than last semester. He was able to set up his schedule to have 1 Tuesday night class and the rest of his classes are on Thursdays from 12-9. He is also doing "early morning" with Ravenscroft, which is great because it does not reduce his hours at work any. He is also taking only 1 independent study class, which will be better on his work load. We are excited about him graduating this coming spring, as long as everything goes as we think it will!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:45:00 +0000

On Friday night, I had one of the scariest experiences yet as a parent. I was babysitting and giving Caeden his bath. As usual, Caeden decided that he wanted to stand up and see what the tub spout was like in this new fun bathtub. In a matter of a split second, while standing at the spout, he lost his footing and went face first into the spout and then down into the water. Immediately he started crying hard. I scooped him up in a towel and held him close. After his crying subsided a little bit, I held him away from me to see if he had hurt himself. I saw blood in the corner of his eye, and the whole right side of his face was red, with a purple spot on his cheekbone. Of course, as if I was freaking out already, I freaked out when I saw the blood coming from his eye, not knowing exactly where the cut was, in or outside his eye. I immediately called my mom, knowing that she was the closest person to me as I was in Cary, she said she would be right there. After a few minutes I could tell that Caeden had a tiny cut on the corner of his eye (thankfully!) and it stopped bleeding fairly quickly. He was acting very normally, and when my mom got there, she said the same thing. I am so thankful that the Lord protected his little head and caused him not to be seriously harmed by the fall! It was extremely scary, but the Lord is teaching me through this and many other thins lately that Caeden's life is not in my hands, he is protecting him and watching over him always. Only He can sustain Caeden's life, and I am not in control of that. This is a hard thing for me to learn, as I would like to be able to control Caeden's safety, but I cannot ever protect him as well as God can and I need to leave it up to "Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine!"

Okay so I am a horrible blogger....

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

...But here is an update!

Well I know that it has been a long time since our last real update on Caeden but he is continually growing and changing every day! He has recently conquered the art of sitting up on his own! He loves to play on the floor and is so happy that he is not laying flat on his back. This week has been really good for him as he has played on his own in his room for at least an hour every day! What a great thing for mom! I have really seen him transforming into a little boy this week instead of a little baby. While I know that he IS still a baby, I have seen more and more mannerisms of a kid. It is crazy to think that almost 7 months ago he was a helpless little newborn and now he can sit up and play and babble and eat real (almost) food! This is how I left Caeden playing in his room on Monday:

As you can see he was having a great time playing with his toys! Well I came in maybe 30-45 minutes later because that babbles and talking and laughing had subsided a bit and I wanted to make sure that he was still okay. Here is what I found:

Yes, that is a TAG from one of his toys that he was enamored with! He had fallen backwards onto his boppy (which normally elicits at least an unhappy babble) and was just happy and content to be chewing on the tag of his toy. It is amusing to see what babies find fascinating!

He has also been taking really good naps this week! pretty much 1.5-2 hour naps twice a day! For Caeden this is amazing considering he has never been one to nap during the day. We are constantly working on his sleeping issues, especially at night lately, so this has been really encouraging for me to see some improvement, even if it is not at night. We are praying that the Lord will guide us in the right way to teach Caeden to sleep at night as we have reservations about letting him "cry it out." It is wearying to continually have interrupted sleep (especially since he did at one time sleep through the night!), but we are perservering through it by the grace of God!

In other news, Ben is nearing the end of his school semester which will be awesome when he is done with all these papers! It has been very busy lately and hard to keep up with everything but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! At least until next semester. Anyway, we are enjoying the nice sunny weather lately as it gives us an opportunity to get outside and do some different things! I hope it stays cool for a while but who knows!

wow...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Buckhead Church using rock band during service...

Guitar Hero controller used with live band...

Thanks Josh Webb for the videos...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Here is Caeden in his new Bumbo!

And here he is trying to get out of his new Bumbo!

He actually really likes sitting in it since he can't sit up on his own and gets tired of laying on his back all day long. It is funny how quickly they learn how to wiggle and wriggle out things though! Hopefully there will be more updates and pictures to come as we have made a long awaited purchase.....We got a MACBOOK!! Yaayy! This should make uploading pictures and videos much easier now that we have the space to do it!

For the record...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:07:00 +0000

This picture embodies just one of the reasons we would like to buy a Mac. With programs like photo booth and garage band, we might not ever leave our house again. Pass the stimulus plan!

Baby Dedication

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:00:00 +0000

It has been a while since we posted, sorry about the gap. We wanted to post a video of Caeden being dedicated. It's a short clip but I hope you enjoy it. Lord willing, we will post more about this event in the future.

At Last...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 02:45:00 +0000

Well, good news everyone! We are currently in the process of moving back in to our apartment! Woo Hoo! We are moving in slowly though... meaning that we bring some of our stuff back, clean and organize, and then repeat the process a couple of hundred times. We will post some pictures soon! Just wanted to update all of you, our faithful blog readers, on our lives- Thanks!

P.S. Caeden's good too. He smiles a lot in his NEW, never before lived in or even seen, home! He's "talking" a lot too. Personally, I think our apartment accelerates growth and development. Feel free to bring your own babies by to become "advanced."

5 weeks and 3 days old...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:49:00 +0000

The benefits of living with the grandparents...
Enjoying a good pacy
I'm a gangsta
Trying hard to stay awake...and not succeeding
This is what happens when Daddy puts socks on me...
Getting sleepy after a good meal

Caeden's first bath...with lots of help!The CUTEST belly button in the world!
The last of the umbilical cord!!

Chillin' in the bouncy seat
Looking surprised at the world
Sooooo sleepy
Hanging out with Mamaw Mac
The precious face of a sleeping baby

Work in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:20:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures from the Jones Family Blog. Looks like we'll be with Jones' until December. The Lord is good and He provides all of our needs! Caeden is doing well... we'll be posting more pictures soon. Thank you for your prayers for us! We are so thankful for all of you!

This picture was taken yesterday (10/29) when we found out that the concrete needs to cure for 2-4 weeks before we can put the new flooring down. So it looks like it will take a little longer than we thought.

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Fri Oct 26

New beam installed at exterior wall.

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Thu Oct 25

Video of Caeden

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 01:42:00 +0000

Here is a video we made a few nights ago... I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Caeden Silas McInnis is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 03:32:00 +0000

Hello all! Alright, here is the belated post about the birth of our son, Caeden Silas McInnis. Becca and I were called by Rex Hospital on Wednesday night (October 3) at about 8:45 and told to come in around 9:30. When we got there they gave her some medicine to get her ready to deliver and some ambien to sleep- which she did very very well.

The next day at 7am they started her on pitocen. Around 12:30pm they broke her water and the contractions got very intense and painful. It was really hard to see her in that much pain. Around 3pm they gave Bec the epidural (a much more painful process than I or Bec thought it would be) and after that kicked in she slept for about an hour. She slowly progressed all day until she was finally 10 cm dilated around 11pm... about 16 hours after the pitocen started. She started pushing around 11:15pm and she made some great progress for the first hour... the next two hours of pushing were not very productive because Caeden was stuck on Bec's pelvic bone. Around 2am the doctor asked us for the second time if we wanted her to use a vacuum to help get him out. After asking for her opinion we opted to do it. In a matter of five minutes, an additional five nurses entered the room and the doctor suited up in plastic scrubs as the nurses converted the bed. It was intense and Bec and I were amazed at how quickly things seemed to be moving. Things went from moving so slowly to moving quicker than we were comfortable with. The vacuum wasn't like we were thinking it would be. We were expecting an electric machine of some sort. A better description of it would be a suction cup with a cord attached to it. While Becca pushed the Doctor pulled the cord and 10 minutes later Caeden was born. This was the worst pain that Bec felt the entire day.

Initially, Caeden got a 1 on the APGAR but five minutes later he got an 8. They had thought he had a fever at first but it turns out he did not have a fever. But they let him recover in the nursery just to be safe. He was brought into our room around 5am. It was a hard delivery for Bec but God was gracious and faithful and sustained her through it all. We are so thankful to Him!

As I write this Caeden is now about 3 hours short of being 4 days old. It's really incredible to see how much he has changed just in that amount of time- but more amazing is how much Bec and I have changed. Our prayer going into the delivery was that God would show His power through Bec. That He would help her to push when her strength ran out. As I mentioned before, God proved to be faithful. I could see Him working through Bec. She was so calm and did not complain much about pain. It was a great testimony to the faithfulness of a good God who hears our prayers and delivers us.

The amazing thing is that after God proved His faithfulness I began to doubt and forget that He is not only Becca's keeper during delivery, He is Caeden's keeper- not me. I was so nervous about Caeden's health and whether or not we could really take care of him. What a terrible shift. To go from trust and praise to fear and doubt. I am thankful that the Lord has shown me this. The Lord watches Caeden with a vigilance that I cannot comprehend. He doesn't just watch Caeden's breathing- He sustains it. What a weight off of my back when I trust the Lord.
The whole process was pretty intense and incredible. The rush of emotions are difficult to describe. But we are so so thankful to our faithful, powerful, and sustaining God for all HE has done during this process.

New Home for now...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:04:00 +0000

Hello everyone who reads our blog... we wanted to give a very short update on what's been going on this past week. The Structural Engineer finally came (Praise God!) and said that he was going to recommend that the homeowners association repair our floor. There are two ways that the repairs could happen. 1. They could repair our floor from the apartment below us (which includes ripping out their ceiling and having them move out while the work is being done) or 2. They could rip out the concrete on our floor and fix the problem from above(which includes moving all of our stuff out of the apartment, I think). We should know something for sure this week. The engineer said he was going to submit the report on Friday (9.21) of last week. So we are so thankful to know something and are excited to know more. Since all of this started we have moved into Becca's Parent's house until all the work is finished. This way we have a "home" to bring the baby to after the BIG day, which we are eagerly awaiting! Becca is due on October 3 and they say she could deliver at anytime so we are waiting. God is growing patience in us through all the waiting we've had to do these past few weeks. But He is so good and He is working all things together for our good... which is to be more like His Son who patiently and obediently endured the greatest sufferings by taking our sins on Himself on the cross. What a good, powerful, loving God we have.

On another note, my sister had her baby by C-section on 9/17/07! His name is James Alan Davis III. I'm not sure if that's how you spell "alan" but whatever. He was born at 4:17 and was 8 1/2 pounds. From what I can tell from talking with her she is recovering well and they are very happy. The Lord is so Good! Hopefully our baby will follow suit this week. Thanks for reading....

Waiting for our engineer in shining armor... or whatever engineers wear.

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 13:48:00 +0000

As many of you already know, we were getting new flooring installed in our apartment last Thursday. Well, that's what we thought we were getting... actually, as you can see in the picture we are in for a lot more work on our floors and much more waiting for the work to be finished. After the old carpet was ripped out, we found the floor was riddled with cracks, including a 1/4-1/2 an inch gap around a few of the walls as seen in the picture to the left. You can see in the picture that the concrete below the crack in the floor is lower by about 1/2 an inch.
So what do we do? Well we are currently waiting for a structural engineer to come and inspect the floor. He is an expert in concrete floors... so we're thankful that he's going to do the inspection. However, while he is qualified he is not punctual, we were told he would definitely be over to inspect the apartment by Friday and now it is Saturday.
So, we're trying to be patient waiting for him to come so we can start the process. Regardless of when the work starts, it will probably be about three weeks until the work is finished and then we have to put flooring on the concrete.
Our idea of bringing a baby "home" has changed significantly. We are praying about where to go while the work (pending the inspection) is going on. Maybe he'll come and it will be an easy fix, or it could take longer than we think. We don't know what to expect. We would appreciate your prayers. Pray that we would trust the Lord , find joy in Him in the uncertainty, and not be anxious about these situations... that Becca would be able to continue to rest well and that she and the baby would stay healthy. The Lord is providing in so many ways and we are so thankful. We just want to glorify Christ in the way we handle everything that happens to us. We know that the Lord is trying to make us more like His Son through all of this. So we are thankful and hopeful.
Here is a picture of the crib that we put together and of Becca at 36 weeks. (She is 37 weeks now). Enjoy!

New Tunes

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:27:00 +0000

Caedmon's Call plus Derek Webb just released a new album, Underdressed, a few days ago and it is pretty good. I read an album review that said that they returned to the form of 40 acres and My Calm, Your Storm... while I wouldn't say that they have returned to that level of ingenuity, this album is very good. I completely agree with the reviewer that the album shows how much Caedmon's has missed Derek... and it is clear if only on the two or three song he sings. There are a few poppy, CCM type songs with weaker lyrics but for the most part I'm very pleased with their new release and would recommend it to all of you.

Long time, No Post...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:40:00 +0000

Well, it looks like we aren't so good at posting often. A lot has happened since our last post. Becca is now 35 weeks pregnant. It's incredible to think that we only have 5 weeks left! Last Wednesday Becca was put on full bed rest by our doctor because of her blood pressure being high. So now she has nothing but time to grow our son. haha. It's much more difficult than we originally thought it would be. You'd think that she would have more energy from all the rest she's getting but she is actually sleeping through the night and taking naps during the day. After only a week of bed rest, by God's great grace to us, her blood pressure has come down to a more normal level and the significant swelling in her hands and feet have diminished! God is so good to us! Our church has been so great during this time. Some of the women have brought meals, movies, books, company, and milkshakes to Becca. It has been really encouraging to hear all of the ways that people are thinking and planning to serve her as well... we're most thankful that they are praying for us. It's great to be a part of the TCC family! Becca's mom and sister have pitched in to help too by coming by, calling, doing laundry, and making lunches. God is so good!

I have started "coaching" the softball team at our church and have found much encouragement from the service of our team to one another. My brother-in-law, Joe, commented that I haven't had to do much... and it's true. I'm very thankful that the team has been so helpful. It's my first time putting together a team and it's been great. We're having a lot of fun and have actually won our first two games. One by forfeit and a 16-5 win. But more important than the wins is the way that everyone on the team plays for the glory of the Lord. It's a lot of fun to be able to play. I'm really thankful.

Lastly, my parents were able to come up for the weekend a few weeks ago! We got to spend a lot of time talking together. We also toured the State House here in Raleigh per my dad's request. We had so much fun with them. We were able to get a 3D ultrasound thanks to their generosity. What an incredible experience! It was incredible to get a peek into the womb see this little blessing that God is literally creating right now. We'll post some pictures at the bottom of this post. My parents also brought up all the gifts we got at the baby shower in Warner Robins. We are so thankful for the gifts everyone gave in our absence!

All in all, things are changing once again and will continue to change. I am more busy than I have ever been, but the Lord has been very gracious to us! We have everything that we need in Him. Please pray for Becca as she is on bed rest and will probably remain that way until she delivers. Pray that she will not despair of where God has her. As a friend said, God is making her lie down in green pastures. I really like that. Pray that I will serve and lead her well in spiritual disciplines and everyday physical needs. Also, we still have a ways to go in getting the nursery together so pray that we will not worry about the details and trust a good God who has provided in the past and will provide in the future according to His will. Please post comments so we can hear from you! We look forward to talking to all of you soon!

Things are Changing

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 16:55:00 +0000

Well, it has been while since the last post, but it has seemed like such a short time! Things are busy and seem to be getting busier as the new school year approaches. The weather is stiffling with no sign of letting up. With only 2 weeks left before Ben has to begin regular work again, it hit me that summer is almost at an end! When you are little, time seems to drag, day by day, hour by hour, it seems that time couldn't get any slower; and now it is as though each day that goes by is gone before I even realize it was there! I am 32 weeks pregnant this week and it is astounding that it has been so long since we first found out we were having a baby, and yet as it grows hotter I find myself counting down the days until our precious little boy is safe to come into the world. It is hard to just sit back and enjoy this time when there is so much that needs to be done before our little boy gets here! Our friends Temarie and James just moved out last weekend and we officially can begin setting up our nursery, which is so exciting and a bit daunting at the same time. While we don't have nearly everything that we need, we do have quite a bit of clothing that needs sorting, a crib that needs putting together and on top of that a closet that was previously filled with my clothing that needs to fit his! The amount of new items that are needed for a baby is overwhelming and how we are going to fit everything into our small apartment is even more challenging! It will, however, be a great opportunity to de-clutter our lives and our apartment. And I am sure that my parents, whose guest room has been our make-shift baby storage room, will be glad to have that room of their house back once we bring everything over to our place! I am thankful that they have been willing to store our things while we did not have room for them, I am also so thankful that I have a couple dear friends that have offered to help me organize the baby things once we get further along in getting the nursery set up. The Lord has been providing in many ways and it is evident in our lives every day. I pray that as we draw closer to the delivery, we continue to rely on Him for guidance and trust that everything is in His plan and we have no need to be anxious (as I so often am).

Birthday Party Fun!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Last week my sweet husband and my wonderful family had a great birthday dinner for Erika and I. My parents cooked an amazing dinner and it was a great time of fellowship with everyone! I am so thankful for a family who loves me and my husband and is there to support us in everything we do. It is so reassuring during this time of transition to have a loving, caring family who is excited and waiting with us for the arrival of our precious little baby boy. Here are some pictures of the fun night.

For my birthday present, my whole family (both sides) and Ben chipped in to get me something I have been wanting for a very long time: a kitchenaid mixer!! It is so wonderful and the very next day I was making cookies with it, I can't wait to make all these great creations with it! I am so grateful to everyone and especially my sweet husband who helped!

Updates, updates, updates...

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:20:00 +0000

Well, I wanted to give everyone an update on the past eventful week. And I wanted to post some pictures of the finished counter tops and the new sink we just installed with the help of Bec's dad and James Kendall, our new apartment mate. It was a ton of work and with the extremely busy weekend we had planned (I led worship at church and set up/ran sound for a wedding, Becca directed a wedding, and counter top/ sink installation) there is no way we could get it done on our own. The Lord provided enough help, the patience, and the strength to get it all done well. Here are some pictures of the process and the finished (almost) product.

Secondly, Becca directed her first wedding this past weekend! She did an incredible job. The Lord was truly gracious in supplying the strength and endurance to direct and organize well. Apart from being extremely tired at the end of day on Sunday, all went very well. I was very proud of her and so thankful to the Lord for her service! Here are a few pictures...

Becca's birthday was yesterday (6/14). We had a nice dinner at Vic's Italian Restaurant in downtown Raleigh. We sat outside on a beautiful night and had a great time together. We will celebrate with her family on Sunday (6/17). Here is Bec and Erika on their shared birthday.

We are very excited that the Lord has allowed us to serve James and Temarie Kendall for a season. They will be living in our extra bedroom (soon to be the nursery so you can imagine how must space they have right now) until they find a job and a place to live. I'm sure they would welcome your prayers in their job and apartment/house search.

And many of you have requested some new pictures of "Pregnant" Becca... so here they are!

This is Bec at 24 weeks (also on her birthday)

This is Bec at about 15 weeks on Easter...

This is Bec at 5 weeks...

Even though we have been extremely busy, the Lord has been faithful. Please continue to pray that we rely on Him to graciously give all things that we need.

"Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come"

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 15:09:00 +0000

While driving home this morning I was listening to Derek Webb and the song that Becca and I danced to for our first dance (Better Than Wine) came on and it made me think about this past year and five months that we've been married. To start I am incredibly thankful for my wife. There are so many ways that she has blessed me. She is beautiful and there is no one else in the world I would rather spend time with. I enjoy every moment I get to spend with her. I know that this is a gift from the Lord. Only He can take two people that are so different and make them one. And He continues to make us more and more similar everyday- from mannerisms to thought processes... it's amazing how He works. And more than that it's amazing how much the Lord has provided for us. Every time that we worry the Lord delivers. With our baby boy on the way it's easy to worry and think that the Lord won't provide. So I thought I would list the ways that God has provided for us in the last year and five months of marriage in order to encourage you and to inspire faith in our hearts:

He provided us with a place to live (with room to share), an incredible church where we have grown more in our faith than we thought possible, funding for Becca's finished degree, anonymous donations to help Ben go to school last spring, a randomly found engagement ring (not Becca's and not claimed by anyone) to pawn for much needed money, school books to sell and earn exactly the amount we needed for a bill, a "homeless" single friend and couple friends to share our home with for a time, a car bought for a dollar, a full time job at Ravenscroft with benefits for Ben, Becca's full time job she got without an interview that will allow us to save much needed money for the baby, literally years of clothes and a place to sleep for our baby boy, our wonderful families that encourage us every time we talk to them, free "new to us" couches, the grace to love each other and overlook offenses, great friends that encourage our faith, our community group full of friends that are as close as our family, an uneventful pregnancy (so far), the ability to serve each other even when we don't want to, life and breath and everything.

The Lord has been seriously good. There is nothing that we have that has not come from His hand! We are so thankful and looking back at His goodness and His provision convinces me more and more that He will continue to provide for us in all ways. Even though we still have many questions about our provision for the future we know that God will provide as He has over the past year and a five months. He will continue to work all things together for good- to make us more like His Son!

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." ~Acts 17:25

Painting Extravaganza

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 29 May 2007 02:47:00 +0000

Last weekend we accomplished the challenging task of painting our study/new guest room and the nursery-to-be. We had my sister Erika here for most of the day on Saturday and Sunday and we utilized her extreme talent with cutting in/trimming. I don't think that we would have been able to get it done without her help! We also utilized the talent of Temarie and James Kendall and my Dad to get it all done. Ben had the hard manual labor of doing most of the rolling, which was a feat in and of itself. Were it not for his persistence, our walls would not look at good as they do. And now we are proud to say that our aparment is now a much prettier place to live than it was just over a week ago. Here are some shots of the gang in action and the end results:

Announcing Baby BOY McInnis!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Tue, 29 May 2007 01:18:00 +0000

On May 14th, we found out that, along with many other couples we know, we are having a boy! We both are so thrilled to know that he is healthy and growing well. It was so amazing lying on that table while the ultrasound technician examined every organ and bone in his body. We were anxiously waiting for her to get to where she could tell it was a boy, but also very thankful that she took her time and carefully measured his bones, looked at the chambers and valves in his heart, looked at the ventricles in his brain and spent time on every vital organ making sure that it was growing and forming properly. We are so grateful to know that so far the Lord has been so gracious to us by forming a healthy boy inside me. While we await the challenges of parenthood, we are enjoying the pregnancy and are working hard to get our home ready for our little boy. Please continue to pray for his health as well as mine and a smooth pregnancy all the way to 40 weeks.
Trusting our Savior's provision,
Becca and Ben

Long Delay

noreply@blogger.com (Ben, Becca, and Caeden) — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:56:00 +0000

We have had a very eventful couple of weeks, and it seems like every time we try to sit down and update, another thing needs to be done. However, we will be posting soon to let everyone know of our exciting news that we found out last week. And we have pictures! So stay tuned...