Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! 

-Love Eric, Briana, 
Cohen, Conrad, and Moriah

Jesus is the reason for the season!

This is as close as we are going to get for sending out Christmas cards. Enjoy! ;)

 I don't know why things like that can be so difficult when they really are something you can do very fast these days all online with your own photos. Though for me instead of stressing over getting it done I just choose not to do it.

But still why is it that the littlest things can be so hard to do take cutting three little children's nails for example. Seriously the struggle for my children to let me do this to each of their fingers and toes, you would think I was giving them shots. They all fight it. But once I get it done I feel like I ran a full marathon and I feel so accomplished. Only to turn around and get scratched the next week an get to do it all over again. :) 

One of my goals for this next year is to get organized with my children's photos and make them some photo books. With not printing our pictures out these days they just sit in files in our computer and I have almost lost all of our photos twice. I really pray I can do this and get caught up on photo books for Cohen and Conrad. Seems like it should again be so simple especially with shutterfly and other internet sites you can use. But I haven't ever been really good at things like that and I hope to change that this year! 

So even though we didn't do Christmas Card that doesn't mean we haven't enjoyed getting them! 

I love the good old Christmas cards that actually require you to use ink, but I also love the new ways you can be creative with adding photos. Eric and I decided we were going to pick our favorites from the ones we received this year. Though we enjoyed them all there were two we have for the winners!

Drum roll please…………………….

The most creative goes to ……

&

The cutest goes to ……

{{Congrats to our winners! Excited about our new tradition and to do this again next year - 

no pressure people ;) }}

These two cards inspire me to be good at taking photos of my children and to be organized with them! 

Knowing both these families and both working moms shows that you can find time for the little things. If your enjoying your first little baby or still cleaning up after your older boys be encouraged that if you like me find it hard to get the little things done it can happen! 

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes from all our family and friends! I am excited for another New Year! Comment below with your goals for this next year, we can be praying for one another on reaching our goals! 

I said yes ;)

This weekend 5 years ago Eric asked me to be his wife.

I said yes of course and was (and still am) so excited!!

 I literally could not sleep for days. I remember asking my Dad if this feeling would ever go away. I never had a problem falling asleep and I could not for anything sleep especially the night it happened. I ended up taking a shower finally around 4am. I thought something was wrong with me, my eyes would not close. I was just way too shocked and excited, it was the best feeling in the world.

I eventually within the week was able to sleep and had no problem then making up for the sleep I had missed, though now when I would lay down my guest list and to do list was running through my mind at night.

but anyways…

 He totally and completely surprised me I had no idea even after receiving a text from him the day before that said "tell them your picking up the bible with the name Briana Coblentz on it" -haha I just thought it was a Christmas gift instead of a promise ring like people do he was giving me a promise bible. :)

I received that text on a friday evening while I was riding to Pittsburgh for his basketball game he was playing for Akron University at that time. I was in the back of his parents car and while I was beaming from ear to ear after reading that text still not at all thinking engagement not once did that cross my mind, I was just so excited to see that text knowing yes one day I will be his wife, we had been dating for three years and knew we wanted to get married though it was not time and we were going to wait for him to graduate. At the same time he was texting his mom letting her know he was going to propose tomorrow - lol if you know my mother in law (whom I love and have a great relationship with :) ) you know that she was freaking out and wanted to talk about it with her husband but here I was in the car with them, she knew he was going to do it as she went with him to get the ring but she didn't think it was going to be that soon. But Eric said he was way too excited to wait.

To skip ahead and so this isn't 5 pages long I will give you a brief version on how it went down…

He had wanted to take me out and picked me up at work, he said he wanted to stop at the church for something, still not thinking anything going to the church on saturday night wasn't something we did but the man loves Jesus I just thought he wanted to go and pray together or something.. not sure but he took me into the sanctuary and walked me down the candle lit aisle where at the altar was roses more candles and a bible opened up. He said read this pointing to the highlighted verse:

"my soul has found the one it loves" song of solomon 3:4

short verse that took me a while to read because things started to click in my head. I turn around to see him on one knee with a ring in his hand.. "what are you serious?!" "shut up!" "are you serious?" "is this a joke!!"

After telling me lots of sweet things and how much he loved me and that he wanted me to be his wife, he asked me to marry him and I said YES! :)

His proposal and reasoning behind the church was a representation of doing it before God, he could have done it anywhere and it would have been before God but it was special and it was neat to stand at the altar and pray over our lives together and Thank God for bringing us together.

I never imagined that my engagement would have been that perfect.

and I can't imagine if we would have waited and got married once he graduated, which would have been just last year.  We sure would have missed out on a lot together. Eric had said he was praying about it and that was what helped him make the decision, and my fathers blessing of course. :)

He was so nervous but I couldn't tell he was just so sweet.  He is an amazing husband and father, I am so blessed to have him. My feelings of excitement have not changed though my reasoning for lack of sleep has and that is our three little beautiful blessings Cohen, Conrad, and Moriah. ;)

I am so thankful he asked me to be his wife.

Moriah Lael Coblentz

September 23, 2013

5:03 AM

7 lbs 14 0z 

20 inches

pretty blue eyes &

lots of dark beautiful hair.

she looks like her daddy

& her brothers.

she is perfect.

she is beautiful.

she is sweet.

she is so loved.

we are thankful.

we are blessed.

we are in love.

When I look at my children and especially after they are just born and you are holding them for the first time or during my pregnancy as I feel the baby move, I am reminded just How GREAT our God is, what a miracle. Thank you Jesus for our healthy precious daughter.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above. 

James 1:17

You can see Conrad is just about to attack his sister- they are very loving with her but this just captures what it's like with these little ones Conrad especially right now can't turn my back for one second. I love these children. :) 

Tara Bowers did an amazing job on our photos and we are thankful for her patience and talent. I am enjoying being a mom of three but also realizing it is hard to get things done, and when it comes to blogging that is the last on my list, but as I get a better handle on nursing and being the mom of three little children I hopefully can get into a routine to find some more down time. :) 

Until then I am just making sure my children are loved, fed, getting sleep, baths & letting my children make messes and memories.

Thanks for reading.

-Bri

Thank You Jesus!

   We are so quick at times to ask for prayer as soon as the slightest need comes up.  Jesus wants us to come to Him at all times, every day. Not just when there is a need, we are afraid, or if one of us gets sick.  He wants our conversation to be so often, he wants us to be His very best friend. He knows our thoughts and our deepest needs before we even tell Him.  He is just waiting for us to open up our hearts to Him. I also think sometimes he is waiting for a THANK YOU.

  We make sure the girls always say "Please" and "Thank You."  We ask of Cohen to say Please and Thank You for just about anything { it's really cute } but more importantly we want him to learn to be appreciative of things. Lately he has been saying it without us telling him.  When I give him anything like a cup to play with in the bath, open the door for him, or today when I helped him jump over a cement block that we cross everyday when walking into the orphanage, he just looks at me in his little cute not at all baby voice and says "Thank You Mom" and oh my goodness......my heart melts. It is the simplest phrase but it means so much. Eric and I both always love when he does this and we always share with each other if one is not around, or even if we are both there we will say "did you hear him!?"

So if we get that excited from it, how much more do you think it melts the heart of our Father.
  
    I was thinking of how that last couple months before our move here all my prayers were, Jesus please keep us safe, Jesus please provide for us, Jesus please keep the boys healthy, Jesus please take away all my doubts and fears. Not saying I still don't add those things in but I don't at all feel afraid being here.  I was more afraid living in the states when Eric would have to travel for basketball then I have been here at all.  I am not worried my children are going to get sick every time they take a bath from the water. :)

  I also know we asked of many of you to pray with us for those things and for our transition here. I want to make sure you don't stop praying for us by any means..... :) but so you know that He has heard our prayer and we want to Thank You for praying, but most importantly Thank Him and Praise Him.

For from HIM, Through HIM and to HIM are all things. For HIM be the glory forever!  Amen. 

Romans 11:36  

  Thank you Jesus for this day, Thank you for your provision in our lives, Thank you for bringing us to Haiti, Thank you for our marriage and the love we share, Thank you for our healthy boys and for coming before us in Haiti and meeting us here and our every need. Thank you for the girls and our staff, Thank you for allowing us to grow closer to you during this time and as a family. Thank you for Jared and Jalayne and for helping us and for the very special time we have been able to spend together, Thank you for surrounding us with so many friends and family that love us and truly care for us, Thank you for those who are praying for us everyday and when ever they think of us, Thank you for those who are financially giving to meet our needs here, Thank you for our health, Thank you for a home, Thank you for making this the smoothest transition in the world for us, Thank You that you are not even close to being finished with us, Thank you that you love us so much, Thank you for allowing us to see how much you love us, Thank You for who you are, Thank you for freedom to serve you in Haiti, Thank you for allowing us to learn the language, Thank you for generators, Thank you for fans, Thank you for rice, Thank you for clean water to drink,  Thank you for computers, phones, and skype. Thank you for CFM trusting us to be here, Thank you for visitors, Thank you for comfort when we are missing out on births of new babies from people we love, and for comfort and peace when a brother was in ICU, Thank you for very dear friends of ours who are going to soon be parents. Thank you for comforting us and family during the many transitions we have gone through on both sides in the last couple months. Thank you for supportive and praying churches, Thank you for praying parents! Thank you for PEACE and GRACE.  {We are so blessed and we are so loved by our Heavenly Father} Thank you for answering every prayer we prayed leading up to us being here and since we have been here. Thank you that because of who You are we do not have to live in fear.
Thank You Jesus So Much!  WE LOVE YOU!    
Amen.


{{You can send us praise/prayer requests we would love to pray with you! ebcobz@gmail.com}}