Thursday, October 18, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Happy Little Pickle - BLUE!
Yup, K-Bug (and most of you) were right all along...
We got the definite evidence in the ultrasound today that it is indeed a little boy Smithlet that is shaking and baking in the oven. :)
I will admit that I am still in a state of being shell-shocked, as I know nothing of having and/or raising little boys. My Mom has told me not to worry - it's just like having girls, only totally different. :)
We are very excited, and thankful to report that the ultrasound showed everything looking healthy and the baby looking strong.
Now...to pick out a name....and find some clothes that AREN'T pink!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tommorow Tomorrow, We'll FInd Out Tomorrow
It's ONLY A DAAAAY AWAAAY!!
Well,hopefully anyway, unless the little pickle decides to be too shy to show us his/her gender-related parts...:)
The ultrasound appointment is for tomorrow afternoon, and yes, I will post on the blog (as well as send out a mass e-mail) for everyone to check on and check-in..
Is it a "brudder" or a "sister"??
God has known all along...now we'll get to see into the ultrasound "window" and find out too!
Well,hopefully anyway, unless the little pickle decides to be too shy to show us his/her gender-related parts...:)
The ultrasound appointment is for tomorrow afternoon, and yes, I will post on the blog (as well as send out a mass e-mail) for everyone to check on and check-in..
Is it a "brudder" or a "sister"??
God has known all along...now we'll get to see into the ultrasound "window" and find out too!
Pretty Pumpkins and Dream Dinners
I have always enjoyed trying new recipes, and while I haven't always enjoyed the clean-up part of the process, I love being able to provide healthy, home-cooked meals for my family.
But lately.....
Lately my motivater to cook has been de-funct. I stopped cooking almost completely for the first three months of my pregnancy, as the very *thought* of stepping into a kitchen full of smells left me running for the toilet. And while I'm back on track with feeling good, my desire to plan, shop, put togther, cook, and then clean-up meals just hasn't been thre.
So last month, while talking with my best friend Christy, she introduced me to Dream Dinners. "Dream what?" I asked....The concept is familar to most of you - there's a host of places out there now that have different names, but a similar layout(My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Entrees Made Easy, Let's Do Dinner, Etc.)
You go online, pick out the dinners you want from their menu, and then show-up on the night you pick to put your dinner together. It was fast, it was fun, and the dinners have been DELICIOUS! They provide you with sides for several of the meals, and the rest is as easy as throwing in some bread and salad of your own.
The night I went to Dream Dinners to assemble everything, I left my hubby at home with the girlies for the second time that week. I was feeling a little guilty about going so much, so I left out a craft project for him to do with the girls, in order to help pass the time in a fun way together.
He was a little skeptical about it at first, as he has never fully attempted a craft project so completely on his own. But, after he saw that I had fully laid out everything (except the art smocks....whoops! That's OK...he improvised) he agreed to give it a shot.
The results were these very cute wooden pumpkins, painted and crafted all by my girlies and sweet hubby! I think they were all very proud of themselves... Good job everyone!!
But lately.....
Lately my motivater to cook has been de-funct. I stopped cooking almost completely for the first three months of my pregnancy, as the very *thought* of stepping into a kitchen full of smells left me running for the toilet. And while I'm back on track with feeling good, my desire to plan, shop, put togther, cook, and then clean-up meals just hasn't been thre.
So last month, while talking with my best friend Christy, she introduced me to Dream Dinners. "Dream what?" I asked....The concept is familar to most of you - there's a host of places out there now that have different names, but a similar layout(My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Entrees Made Easy, Let's Do Dinner, Etc.)
You go online, pick out the dinners you want from their menu, and then show-up on the night you pick to put your dinner together. It was fast, it was fun, and the dinners have been DELICIOUS! They provide you with sides for several of the meals, and the rest is as easy as throwing in some bread and salad of your own.
The night I went to Dream Dinners to assemble everything, I left my hubby at home with the girlies for the second time that week. I was feeling a little guilty about going so much, so I left out a craft project for him to do with the girls, in order to help pass the time in a fun way together.
He was a little skeptical about it at first, as he has never fully attempted a craft project so completely on his own. But, after he saw that I had fully laid out everything (except the art smocks....whoops! That's OK...he improvised) he agreed to give it a shot.
The results were these very cute wooden pumpkins, painted and crafted all by my girlies and sweet hubby! I think they were all very proud of themselves... Good job everyone!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
My Latest Pregnancy Craving...
Is chocolate milk. I could drink it every day....ok,ok....I have drank it every day for the past week.
Here is my process for liquid goodness in a glass -
1. Fill a large glass almost completely to the top with ice.
2. Fill up the glass 3/4 of the way with regular (white) fat-free milk
3. Fill up the rest of the glass with a small amount of pure chocolately wonderment(I prefer the O Organic Chocolate Milk from Safeway)...:)
4. Stir it all together and DRINK IT DOWN TO THE VERY LAST DROP!!!!!
YUMMM!!!!!
Monday, October 01, 2007
Monday Moments...
Life is funnier than we think...I'm reminded almost daily of my need and yes, even my choice, to lighten up and laugh at life. In that end, I've decided to share some of the silly moments and thoughts that come the way of the Smiths..:)
"The Starbucks Missile"
My Mom had bought our little family a Vanilla Bean Frapuccino at Starbucks (I LOVE those!) to share amongst ourselves. And although we had managed to down about half of the Mega Huge Large Size (a Venti...right Nickle-Pickle/Tracers?) we still had a a good quarter of the frozen drink left in our cup.
So, we stuck the whole thing in the bottom of the freezer for my dear hubby and I to share at a later time without tiny girlies around. A private dessert-time becomes a sacred thing once one has small children - I once heard a Christian comedian do a whole bit on how he and his wife hid brownies under their bed away from the children. So, when his wife invited him down to the bedroom for *dessert*, she really meant dessert. :) Hee,hee!
Anyway, back to the story at hand.....
We had taken the drink back out of the freezer, where it had, of course, frozen into one large round chunk. So, we got out the spoon and picked away at it, eating small frozen slivers and chunks as we could get them.
This went on for a few minutes before my hubby decided to "soften" the frappucino even more by squeezing the sides of the cup. The cup made a funny sound as he ryhthmically pushed the plastic sides in.
Ka-Thwunka....wait,wait...Ka-Thwunka
It was on the third or fouth Ka-Thwunka when it happened. The entire round-shaped chunk of frapuccino flew up out of the cup.
WAAAY UP....
It caught the tip of my dear hubby's nose on it's flight up, before turning, circling, and splatting his entire face on it's return trip down. Then the disc bounced off the table, hit the chair, and fell to the floor.
This is one of those moments, as you look at your hubby covered in frozen frapuccino and just...
Laugh, and laugh, and laugh....
He laughed too. We bent over we were laughing so hard. We laughed so hard and so long that our little frozen disc melted into mush on the kitchen floor.
The first words out of his mouth were, "You've got to blog about this!" We cleaned up the mess and decided that the laugh was worth it.
I hope that you get a smile out of this too, and remember to laugh today at all of the silly moments of YOUR life! :)
"The Starbucks Missile"
My Mom had bought our little family a Vanilla Bean Frapuccino at Starbucks (I LOVE those!) to share amongst ourselves. And although we had managed to down about half of the Mega Huge Large Size (a Venti...right Nickle-Pickle/Tracers?) we still had a a good quarter of the frozen drink left in our cup.
So, we stuck the whole thing in the bottom of the freezer for my dear hubby and I to share at a later time without tiny girlies around. A private dessert-time becomes a sacred thing once one has small children - I once heard a Christian comedian do a whole bit on how he and his wife hid brownies under their bed away from the children. So, when his wife invited him down to the bedroom for *dessert*, she really meant dessert. :) Hee,hee!
Anyway, back to the story at hand.....
We had taken the drink back out of the freezer, where it had, of course, frozen into one large round chunk. So, we got out the spoon and picked away at it, eating small frozen slivers and chunks as we could get them.
This went on for a few minutes before my hubby decided to "soften" the frappucino even more by squeezing the sides of the cup. The cup made a funny sound as he ryhthmically pushed the plastic sides in.
Ka-Thwunka....wait,wait...Ka-Thwunka
It was on the third or fouth Ka-Thwunka when it happened. The entire round-shaped chunk of frapuccino flew up out of the cup.
WAAAY UP....
It caught the tip of my dear hubby's nose on it's flight up, before turning, circling, and splatting his entire face on it's return trip down. Then the disc bounced off the table, hit the chair, and fell to the floor.
This is one of those moments, as you look at your hubby covered in frozen frapuccino and just...
Laugh, and laugh, and laugh....
He laughed too. We bent over we were laughing so hard. We laughed so hard and so long that our little frozen disc melted into mush on the kitchen floor.
The first words out of his mouth were, "You've got to blog about this!" We cleaned up the mess and decided that the laugh was worth it.
I hope that you get a smile out of this too, and remember to laugh today at all of the silly moments of YOUR life! :)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I LOVE This Stuff!
Alright, so most of my fellow blogging friends have posted at least one post about a product that they like, enjoy, or have found useful in everyday life (haven't tried LemiShine yet, Brand, but I will!) And, although I have many products that I like and enjoy, I haven't as of yet joined in with any online reviews of my own.
Until today...DAH-DAH-DAH-DUM!!!
When, I thought, "Why not?"
I won a jar of this Arbonne Sea Salt Scrub about a year ago thru a drawing. I'm not a regular user of Arbonne (I know, I know....I can hear the collective gasps of Arbonne consultants everywhere....:) but I was definitely excited to get the chance to try this bath and body product for FREE! :)
I opened the jar, took out a scoop, and was instantly...HOOKED!
The sea salt scrub has oils that leave my skin feeling baby smooth soft, and the smelll is absoultely divine!
I find myself sniffing my own shoulders after a shower, and then proceeding to tell my husband, "Smell me! Feel my skin? Isn't that fabulous?"
And he reacts like most husbands would by jumping up and down and asking..."YES,OH YES, WHERE CAN I GET A JAR OF MY VERY OWN??"
Ok, so not really...he does however agree that my skin is indeed soft and I am very pleasant smelling.
I recently bought another small jar on e-bay, but am hinting to my hubby to find an Arbonne Consultant to buy a large jar for me for Christmas. The cost is about $25 per jar, but the large jar will last you a while, and I truly believe that the cost is absolutely worth it!
Happy Scrubbing Everyone!
Thankful Thursdays....
One of my other goals in life, besides laughing at myself, is to be really, truly thankful for the blesings that God has placed in my life. So, in an concious effort to write some of these blessings out, I have decided to start a Thankful Thursday blog post... So, here, in no particular order, is a list of things that I am thankful for right now.
1. The COOLER Weather!! - This one is an automatic for me. After what has been a very, loooong, hot summer of many sick tummies, the cooler weather is a balm for my very spirit. The girls and I enjoyed an early morning playdate at the park this past week with some other Mommies and kiddos.
And, get this....
We DIDN'T MELT!!
At least not until about 10:00 a.m. , at which point it did start to get a "tad" uncomfortable...however, a *tad*, as we all know, is like a smidgen, which means that the heat was still in the bearable range VS the heat-is-so-bad-I-will-melt-like-a-purple-popsicle...
2. My wondefully supportive hubby - Although I am in my second trimester, I still get very tired at the end of most days. The night before last, my sweet hubby "made" dinner by ordering a pizza for the family, and last night, he let me lay down and take a 40 minute nap on the couch while he took the girls to their room and played "Farm Set" with them. Most nights, if I ask him ever so sweetly, he will even concede to rubbing my back or my cute little feet (hey, my belly is swelling to the size of a watermelon..I reserve the right to think my feet are still cute!! :)
3. Our summer vacation - I will post some pictures and a little bit more about our summer vacation, but for now, I just want to share that the summer vacation was just a wonderful gift from God, beginning to end!! :) Pictures coming soon - I PROMISE!!
1. The COOLER Weather!! - This one is an automatic for me. After what has been a very, loooong, hot summer of many sick tummies, the cooler weather is a balm for my very spirit. The girls and I enjoyed an early morning playdate at the park this past week with some other Mommies and kiddos.
And, get this....
We DIDN'T MELT!!
At least not until about 10:00 a.m. , at which point it did start to get a "tad" uncomfortable...however, a *tad*, as we all know, is like a smidgen, which means that the heat was still in the bearable range VS the heat-is-so-bad-I-will-melt-like-a-purple-popsicle...
2. My wondefully supportive hubby - Although I am in my second trimester, I still get very tired at the end of most days. The night before last, my sweet hubby "made" dinner by ordering a pizza for the family, and last night, he let me lay down and take a 40 minute nap on the couch while he took the girls to their room and played "Farm Set" with them. Most nights, if I ask him ever so sweetly, he will even concede to rubbing my back or my cute little feet (hey, my belly is swelling to the size of a watermelon..I reserve the right to think my feet are still cute!! :)
3. Our summer vacation - I will post some pictures and a little bit more about our summer vacation, but for now, I just want to share that the summer vacation was just a wonderful gift from God, beginning to end!! :) Pictures coming soon - I PROMISE!!
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Appointment Is Set
I had my OB appointment for my regular tummy check yesterday...
By the way, I remember VERY clearly how looong each of those monthly appointments seemed from each other when I was pregnant with K-Bug. I would sometimes check the calendar several times in a day just to see *again* when my next appointment was.
Now, I feel like, "Wasn't I just here? Where did the time go? Where did August go?"
"What day is it again?" :)
Anyway, I had my appointment yesterday, and at said appointment, I was able to make the NEXT appointment where we will find out what the new little Smithlet will be.
Tuesday, October 16th.
Votes on the blog have many of you pulling and rooting for me to have a boy this time around, and K-Bug has requested a "brudder", as she pointed out that she already has a sister. :)
We'll see what God has baking in the oven in just a few short weeks! :)
By the way, I remember VERY clearly how looong each of those monthly appointments seemed from each other when I was pregnant with K-Bug. I would sometimes check the calendar several times in a day just to see *again* when my next appointment was.
Now, I feel like, "Wasn't I just here? Where did the time go? Where did August go?"
"What day is it again?" :)
Anyway, I had my appointment yesterday, and at said appointment, I was able to make the NEXT appointment where we will find out what the new little Smithlet will be.
Tuesday, October 16th.
Votes on the blog have many of you pulling and rooting for me to have a boy this time around, and K-Bug has requested a "brudder", as she pointed out that she already has a sister. :)
We'll see what God has baking in the oven in just a few short weeks! :)
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday Moments...
Life Is Funnier Than We Think. I have always strived to be the kind of person that LOVES life, and to laugh at myself and situations I find myself in. That being said, I have decided that each Monday I will share a "moment" from own brain or experience that makes my life just a little bit silly...
"Where Are The Pants?"
My hubby is the modest sort. He is the kind of guy who keeps all the blinds in the house tightly closed until ALL members of our family are fully clothed (I don't really mind walking around outside in my bathrobe...) My hubby on the other hand, would NEVER hear of me walking outside the house in my PJs, even if they are the comfy flannel ones with penguins on them...
I love COZY pajamas - I think that everyone is simply in a better mood when they are at their comfiest. I think it should be a rule that everyone wears their comfy PJs to shop the day after Thanksgiving - it would be like National Shopping In Your Pajamas Day. It would cut down on the line cutting and road rage....peace and harmony would rule once more and the true Christmas spirit would return to malls across America!!
And that's my shortcut down random thought lane....back to the story now
Anyway, knowing this background about my dear hubby will help you know why this story is so funny to me. About a month ago, I asked my dear hubby to please take our family by the mall after one of K-Bug's swim lessons, so that I could take advantage of the Big ONE-DAY Sale at Mervyn's. My hubby knows that I am trying to make a dent in my fall/winter clothes shopping for the girls, and so he sweetly agreed. He dropped me off at the front of the store, and said he would bring the girls inside to play at the indoor play place while I shopped. About ten mintues later, my cell phone rang.
It was my hubby.
In a frozen sounding whisper he said, "I need your help!"
"What?" I asked, thinking one of the girls must have surely fallen and hurt themselves, etc..
"It's Lore-lin. I forgot to put her pants on her, and she is walking around in just a T-shirt and a Pull-Up!" - "You have to help me!" he continued.
Please keep in mind that my husband is genuinely mortified at this prediciment.
"Ok", I said, "Give me five minutes." I walked to a clearance rack and pulled off a pair of blue shorts marked down to $2.00. Placing my large pile of accumulated clothing on the counter, I explained to the register lady that I needed to buy ONLY the shorts at the moment. She obliged with one eyebrow curiously raised
The children's deparment in Mervyn's is located on the second floor of the mall, and by walking directly out of the children's department, you can look down off a balcony at the playplace directly below. So, after making my purchase, I walked out into the mall, and calling my hubby on his cell phone, strategically dropped the shorts down to his waiting arms.
Red-faced but relieved, my hubby put the shorts on Lorelin (I guess he had changed her in the van, but in his haste to get out of the hot car and into the mall, had not taken the time to put her pants back on..:) and I went back to my shopping.
All's well that ends well - at least we were all wearing pants.. :)
"Where Are The Pants?"
My hubby is the modest sort. He is the kind of guy who keeps all the blinds in the house tightly closed until ALL members of our family are fully clothed (I don't really mind walking around outside in my bathrobe...) My hubby on the other hand, would NEVER hear of me walking outside the house in my PJs, even if they are the comfy flannel ones with penguins on them...
I love COZY pajamas - I think that everyone is simply in a better mood when they are at their comfiest. I think it should be a rule that everyone wears their comfy PJs to shop the day after Thanksgiving - it would be like National Shopping In Your Pajamas Day. It would cut down on the line cutting and road rage....peace and harmony would rule once more and the true Christmas spirit would return to malls across America!!
And that's my shortcut down random thought lane....back to the story now
Anyway, knowing this background about my dear hubby will help you know why this story is so funny to me. About a month ago, I asked my dear hubby to please take our family by the mall after one of K-Bug's swim lessons, so that I could take advantage of the Big ONE-DAY Sale at Mervyn's. My hubby knows that I am trying to make a dent in my fall/winter clothes shopping for the girls, and so he sweetly agreed. He dropped me off at the front of the store, and said he would bring the girls inside to play at the indoor play place while I shopped. About ten mintues later, my cell phone rang.
It was my hubby.
In a frozen sounding whisper he said, "I need your help!"
"What?" I asked, thinking one of the girls must have surely fallen and hurt themselves, etc..
"It's Lore-lin. I forgot to put her pants on her, and she is walking around in just a T-shirt and a Pull-Up!" - "You have to help me!" he continued.
Please keep in mind that my husband is genuinely mortified at this prediciment.
"Ok", I said, "Give me five minutes." I walked to a clearance rack and pulled off a pair of blue shorts marked down to $2.00. Placing my large pile of accumulated clothing on the counter, I explained to the register lady that I needed to buy ONLY the shorts at the moment. She obliged with one eyebrow curiously raised
The children's deparment in Mervyn's is located on the second floor of the mall, and by walking directly out of the children's department, you can look down off a balcony at the playplace directly below. So, after making my purchase, I walked out into the mall, and calling my hubby on his cell phone, strategically dropped the shorts down to his waiting arms.
Red-faced but relieved, my hubby put the shorts on Lorelin (I guess he had changed her in the van, but in his haste to get out of the hot car and into the mall, had not taken the time to put her pants back on..:) and I went back to my shopping.
All's well that ends well - at least we were all wearing pants.. :)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Over The Weekend
Just a brief glance of what happened over the weekend for us Smith-o-roos -
On Friday, we took the girls to Chuck E Cheese pizza for lunch (my dear hubby gets off early on Fridays). It was the most un-crowded we had EVER seen it (guess it pays to go when most of the older kiddos are in school) so we had a free run of the place. We have a million-gabillion tokens that we don't ever seem to use up there - did you know that every game/ride there is only ONE token? Wow - what a bargain (and I love bargains!) Anyway, the girls rode every ride and we played games to our hearts content. After feeding our faces with pizza, and feeding our tickets into the little ticket eater, we had enough "ticket points" to get the girls both an oh-so-fancy plastic princess bracelet to take home. K-Bug said that hers was "very beautiful and very sparkly".
Saturday was one of those beautiful and rare occasions of not-much-planned. I watched some college football (I LOVE college football!!), folded some laundry, and our family ate a BBQ lunch over at my parent's house. I went out on Saturday afternoon with my Mom to help her take pictures for her photography class, but a dust storm forced us inside early (sorry Mom! :) My parent's watched the girlies on Saturday night, and my dear hubby and I went out an actual date to a restaurant where I enjoyed eating an entire Mexican food meal with little to no nausea!! Yeah!
Sunday morning brought our second Sunday for the church plant. We had a few more kids and adults this week, and I totally forgot my camera again (sorry Scott) The visit of some of my dear hubby and mine's good friends made the day really special for us! Thanks for your support!! A relaxed afternoon of napping has brought me to tonight, where I am actually fighting a big ol' headache. All in all, though, a wonderful weekend!
Watch the blog for the addition of some new weekly additions - Monday Moment's OR aka Life Is Funnier Than We Think and also Thankful Thursdays! Goodnight bloggity friends!
On Friday, we took the girls to Chuck E Cheese pizza for lunch (my dear hubby gets off early on Fridays). It was the most un-crowded we had EVER seen it (guess it pays to go when most of the older kiddos are in school) so we had a free run of the place. We have a million-gabillion tokens that we don't ever seem to use up there - did you know that every game/ride there is only ONE token? Wow - what a bargain (and I love bargains!) Anyway, the girls rode every ride and we played games to our hearts content. After feeding our faces with pizza, and feeding our tickets into the little ticket eater, we had enough "ticket points" to get the girls both an oh-so-fancy plastic princess bracelet to take home. K-Bug said that hers was "very beautiful and very sparkly".
Saturday was one of those beautiful and rare occasions of not-much-planned. I watched some college football (I LOVE college football!!), folded some laundry, and our family ate a BBQ lunch over at my parent's house. I went out on Saturday afternoon with my Mom to help her take pictures for her photography class, but a dust storm forced us inside early (sorry Mom! :) My parent's watched the girlies on Saturday night, and my dear hubby and I went out an actual date to a restaurant where I enjoyed eating an entire Mexican food meal with little to no nausea!! Yeah!
Sunday morning brought our second Sunday for the church plant. We had a few more kids and adults this week, and I totally forgot my camera again (sorry Scott) The visit of some of my dear hubby and mine's good friends made the day really special for us! Thanks for your support!! A relaxed afternoon of napping has brought me to tonight, where I am actually fighting a big ol' headache. All in all, though, a wonderful weekend!
Watch the blog for the addition of some new weekly additions - Monday Moment's OR aka Life Is Funnier Than We Think and also Thankful Thursdays! Goodnight bloggity friends!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Random Blessings - Part 2
Here is some more of my my random blessings that happened during my When-Will-This-Ever-Be-Over-Someone-Stop-This-Ride-And-Let-Me-Off first trimester.
1. My sister came down from Oklahoma for a few weeks and stayed with my parents (who live next door). My sister is SUCH an AMAZING cook, and one of her dreams is to open her own cafe' and coffee shop someday. She volunteered to cook for our family a few nights a week (I helped with grocery costs) since my morning sickness kept me far away from the kitchen and food in general.What a blessing! My family loved ALL of the amazing dinners that she cooked for us (I think we might have even gotten a little spoiled) It was SO great to have my sister around.I really enjoyed getting to visit with her face to face, and she and I got to do lots of things together (shopping at Sprouts is NOT the same without you, Autumn!) The girls loved having their "Auntie" close-by to visit and love on too. It's kind-of a washed-out picture, but here's a picture of us at the Rainforest Cafe'.
2. So many of my AMAZING friends supported me in a way that absolutely defies all thankfulness during my months of sickness. Offers to watch the girls, bringing dinners, sharing medication and tips for relief, and one of my friend's even surprised me by hiring a cleaning company to come and clean my house from top-to-bottom. I was so thankful, all I could do was sit and cry....
My friend Nickle-Pickle even cleaned her toilets just for me so I would have a clean place to urp at her house. :) Really, the Lord has shown me how many true friends I have, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO blessed by ALL of you!!
3. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it now, but my main reason for rejoicing over my ten week OB visit is that it meant that my first trimester was almost over! I was also VERY excited to hear the little heartbeat for the first time. Dr Mystie had trouble finding it with her little heart doppler, and since her ultrasound tech was open, she sent me in for a quickie ultrasound in the room next door. All was well, and my happy little pickle was floating about with a strong heartbeat of 176. For SO many weeks all I could think of was the naseua - getting to see the baby and that little heart beating was a very special moment for me. My Mom and Lore-lin were in the waiting room, so we called them back to take a quick peek. Lore-lin looked at the screen and said, "Yook! A ba-yooga whale!!" (we had just gotten back from Sea World) Hee,hee!! I guess the baby did look a little whale-ish at ten weeks - nothing compared to what this Mommy will look like at nine months, huh?
1. My sister came down from Oklahoma for a few weeks and stayed with my parents (who live next door). My sister is SUCH an AMAZING cook, and one of her dreams is to open her own cafe' and coffee shop someday. She volunteered to cook for our family a few nights a week (I helped with grocery costs) since my morning sickness kept me far away from the kitchen and food in general.What a blessing! My family loved ALL of the amazing dinners that she cooked for us (I think we might have even gotten a little spoiled) It was SO great to have my sister around.I really enjoyed getting to visit with her face to face, and she and I got to do lots of things together (shopping at Sprouts is NOT the same without you, Autumn!) The girls loved having their "Auntie" close-by to visit and love on too. It's kind-of a washed-out picture, but here's a picture of us at the Rainforest Cafe'.
2. So many of my AMAZING friends supported me in a way that absolutely defies all thankfulness during my months of sickness. Offers to watch the girls, bringing dinners, sharing medication and tips for relief, and one of my friend's even surprised me by hiring a cleaning company to come and clean my house from top-to-bottom. I was so thankful, all I could do was sit and cry....
My friend Nickle-Pickle even cleaned her toilets just for me so I would have a clean place to urp at her house. :) Really, the Lord has shown me how many true friends I have, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO blessed by ALL of you!!
3. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it now, but my main reason for rejoicing over my ten week OB visit is that it meant that my first trimester was almost over! I was also VERY excited to hear the little heartbeat for the first time. Dr Mystie had trouble finding it with her little heart doppler, and since her ultrasound tech was open, she sent me in for a quickie ultrasound in the room next door. All was well, and my happy little pickle was floating about with a strong heartbeat of 176. For SO many weeks all I could think of was the naseua - getting to see the baby and that little heart beating was a very special moment for me. My Mom and Lore-lin were in the waiting room, so we called them back to take a quick peek. Lore-lin looked at the screen and said, "Yook! A ba-yooga whale!!" (we had just gotten back from Sea World) Hee,hee!! I guess the baby did look a little whale-ish at ten weeks - nothing compared to what this Mommy will look like at nine months, huh?
Where Were You?
I've been tuning in to some of my friend's blogs as they have posted their stories from September 11. It's always so sobering, and healing, to share your story and hear other's stories from that day. In a nutshell, here's mine:
My dear hubby and and I were young newlyweds living in our apartment that September 2001. I rememmber that it had been a stressful, but exciting week, for me. I had just graduated from Arizona State University the month before, and taken a job with my husband's company while studying for my board exams (for music therapy). I had stayed up late the night before, however, stressing that I had not yet received my college diploma in the mail. "What if something is wrong?" "What if I didn't really graduate?" - silly worries that I promised to get remedied with a call to ASU in the morning. My hubby and I were sleeping when the phone rang - it was my husband's boss, calling to tell us to turn on our TV. We stumbled out of bed and hurried to the couch where we promptly turned on the news. The second plane had hit the towers just minutes before we tuned in. We sat, and as we realized what was happening, we began to pray out-loud.
I think what I remember most vividly is the moment that the towers fell - realizing that countless thousands had just lost their lives as I watched it unfold on television.
I didn't want to leave my husband's side, and I didn't want him to EVER leave me, but he encouraged me to go on to work. I remember feeling SUPER numb as I prepared and went to my job (working with preschool kids doing music). I only worked a half-day, and then went home to sit and stay glued to the news as the next few hours and days brought new light to what had happened to our country and to our lives.
I forced myself to stop this past Tuesday and to remember. I visited the 911 Digital Archive, a website I found last year on September 11th. www.911digitalarchive.org
It has many, many amazing pictures - some inspiring, some heartbreaking. I forced myself to look through one of the sets of pictures entitled "Victims". There is nothing graphic there, but there are many sharp and startling pictures of the people affected directly that day and in the days that followed.
I would encourage everyone to go and give at least one listen to Alan Jackson's song, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?" I KNOW that you will find yourself somewhere in the song.
My dear hubby and and I were young newlyweds living in our apartment that September 2001. I rememmber that it had been a stressful, but exciting week, for me. I had just graduated from Arizona State University the month before, and taken a job with my husband's company while studying for my board exams (for music therapy). I had stayed up late the night before, however, stressing that I had not yet received my college diploma in the mail. "What if something is wrong?" "What if I didn't really graduate?" - silly worries that I promised to get remedied with a call to ASU in the morning. My hubby and I were sleeping when the phone rang - it was my husband's boss, calling to tell us to turn on our TV. We stumbled out of bed and hurried to the couch where we promptly turned on the news. The second plane had hit the towers just minutes before we tuned in. We sat, and as we realized what was happening, we began to pray out-loud.
I think what I remember most vividly is the moment that the towers fell - realizing that countless thousands had just lost their lives as I watched it unfold on television.
I didn't want to leave my husband's side, and I didn't want him to EVER leave me, but he encouraged me to go on to work. I remember feeling SUPER numb as I prepared and went to my job (working with preschool kids doing music). I only worked a half-day, and then went home to sit and stay glued to the news as the next few hours and days brought new light to what had happened to our country and to our lives.
I forced myself to stop this past Tuesday and to remember. I visited the 911 Digital Archive, a website I found last year on September 11th. www.911digitalarchive.org
It has many, many amazing pictures - some inspiring, some heartbreaking. I forced myself to look through one of the sets of pictures entitled "Victims". There is nothing graphic there, but there are many sharp and startling pictures of the people affected directly that day and in the days that followed.
I would encourage everyone to go and give at least one listen to Alan Jackson's song, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?" I KNOW that you will find yourself somewhere in the song.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Random Blessings - Part 1
I just wanted to briefly tell my wonderful bloggity friends about some of the wonderful blessings and miracles of the past few weeks! :)
1. The girls have been, for the most part, such little angels during my weeks of reigning as "The Queen Of Urpiness" (a title my friends Kelli or Brandi might dispute me on...) The weather has been SO hot that it's been virtually impossible to go outside, and I definitely didn't feel up to taking the girls anywhere, so they have had to largely invent their own fun. Being the creative and amazing little girls that they are, that's just what they did. One of the "FUN" things they found to do was to raid my sock drawer and wear my brightly colored fuzzy winter socks "Cindy Lauper" style up to their kneew like leg warmers.....WHY did we ever think leg warmers were cool?..
Oh well,Lorelin made it look cute!
K-bug called the socks "skis" and she and her sister proceeded to ski on the linonleum in the kitchen. They also put socks on their hands to act as "mitten", of course!
The girls also found a bag of old party stuff from their birthday parties this past year, and unbeknownst to me, decided to set up a birthday party of their own on the coffe table. I came out of the bathroom from one of my "rounds on the ground" (I think the toilet won that one :) to find this!
HREF='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMkdoQgC2v4d1tofTJGz64OEUR4TvSSDM5btnkienCEDg6v2Z5wKG5Wo8fOSGbsZjqu5DlUvlLJLiiY2sMbaIaoic6yGxjRf68Hsid5B5UkS4sMfpRTn0Qs0h8tsLU6H6UXGB/s1600-h/100_1475.jpg'>
1. The girls have been, for the most part, such little angels during my weeks of reigning as "The Queen Of Urpiness" (a title my friends Kelli or Brandi might dispute me on...) The weather has been SO hot that it's been virtually impossible to go outside, and I definitely didn't feel up to taking the girls anywhere, so they have had to largely invent their own fun. Being the creative and amazing little girls that they are, that's just what they did. One of the "FUN" things they found to do was to raid my sock drawer and wear my brightly colored fuzzy winter socks "Cindy Lauper" style up to their kneew like leg warmers.....WHY did we ever think leg warmers were cool?..
Oh well,Lorelin made it look cute!
HREF='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtilulk2131JkMUy1P_IcOz6cje6-7-nkR6ABNKkKbkcvUePAX0dCDNVVvCA40m8_NsA8EQ46hjL34_gNk7yg0B2miR0WlUSCjhyphenhyphenK70SFYB870cKlVvxEmTQsDVfAo4IWk2L8/s1600-h/100_1597.jpg'>
K-bug called the socks "skis" and she and her sister proceeded to ski on the linonleum in the kitchen. They also put socks on their hands to act as "mitten", of course!
The girls also found a bag of old party stuff from their birthday parties this past year, and unbeknownst to me, decided to set up a birthday party of their own on the coffe table. I came out of the bathroom from one of my "rounds on the ground" (I think the toilet won that one :) to find this!
HREF='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxU2CDgdKV5HEenRGiqABIm849Tq9iayGr9UgrFxn3Jaj3YlyfGhXI3ydpPhXq_WwcnEkWENLyfDE6c8YGemv1yqf4jwjPH_9mKpGs3ncc-25uGzn5fgRfEndYdYhrCofP-qew/s1600-h/100_1474.jpg'>
HREF='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMkdoQgC2v4d1tofTJGz64OEUR4TvSSDM5btnkienCEDg6v2Z5wKG5Wo8fOSGbsZjqu5DlUvlLJLiiY2sMbaIaoic6yGxjRf68Hsid5B5UkS4sMfpRTn0Qs0h8tsLU6H6UXGB/s1600-h/100_1475.jpg'>
A Church Plant Blooms
I haven't really had the chance to blog much about this, but as most of you know, we are helping our friends Scott and Christy to start a brand-new church plant. Brian is the worship leader, and Scott (he is finishing seminary) is the pastor. God has REALLY worked out all of the details, from church sponsorships/affiliations to a nursery for the kids. We are meeting at a Improv Theater at Peoria/Loop 101. The children's facilites are located directly next door at the Peoria Avenue Preschool(the theater and preschool are side by side in a strip mall). The theater has a stage, a sound system, a TV screen hooked into a computer, and all of the chairs, etc. set up. The preschool has five rooms that we are allowed to use, with the church having FULL access to the entire facility and the use of their toys, cribs, etc. It's such an amazing set-up that you have to stand back and know that God's hand has been all over this.
The name of the church is The Way Fellowship Church. The website is www.thewayfellowshipchurch.com, but we don't really have very much on the site yet.
We had our very first Sunday service yesterday. It was SUCH a busy and, I will admit, stressful week leading up to the service. There were countless details to nail down, and my husband was beyond busy with worship band practice, gathering a sound system, picking out a set, etc.
Still, we were able to relax a little on Saturday, and pray it up for Sunday morning. We have had SO many people say that they are interested in coming to the chruch, that we didn't have ANY idea of how many people to expect. I'm helping in children's ministry right now, and we had the fear of having swarms of children with not enough childen's workers.
As it turned out, though, we had about 40 people TOTAL for our first Sunday, and that was including the 10 kids we had over at the children's church. I think our little band of core couples were a little dissapointed at first before we remembered that this was ALL about God and not about us.
And althgouh I didn't get to be a part of the service, Brian told me that worship was AMAZING and the sermon was great!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for their prayers and support as we have joined God on this new adventure.
We're not sure how long God will ask us to be a part of this chruch, be we know that this is one of the reasons that God has asked us to obey and stay in Phoenix for now.....
Oh, BTW, we are all a bunch of dork because I don't think even ONE of us grabbed a camera to take pics of our first Sunday. I'll make sure to take our camera this next Sunday to take pics and then share them with you all!
The name of the church is The Way Fellowship Church. The website is www.thewayfellowshipchurch.com, but we don't really have very much on the site yet.
We had our very first Sunday service yesterday. It was SUCH a busy and, I will admit, stressful week leading up to the service. There were countless details to nail down, and my husband was beyond busy with worship band practice, gathering a sound system, picking out a set, etc.
Still, we were able to relax a little on Saturday, and pray it up for Sunday morning. We have had SO many people say that they are interested in coming to the chruch, that we didn't have ANY idea of how many people to expect. I'm helping in children's ministry right now, and we had the fear of having swarms of children with not enough childen's workers.
As it turned out, though, we had about 40 people TOTAL for our first Sunday, and that was including the 10 kids we had over at the children's church. I think our little band of core couples were a little dissapointed at first before we remembered that this was ALL about God and not about us.
And althgouh I didn't get to be a part of the service, Brian told me that worship was AMAZING and the sermon was great!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for their prayers and support as we have joined God on this new adventure.
We're not sure how long God will ask us to be a part of this chruch, be we know that this is one of the reasons that God has asked us to obey and stay in Phoenix for now.....
Oh, BTW, we are all a bunch of dork because I don't think even ONE of us grabbed a camera to take pics of our first Sunday. I'll make sure to take our camera this next Sunday to take pics and then share them with you all!
Friday, September 07, 2007
Celebration & Perspective
Celebrate with me - do a little dance - you too, Heines! Those Virginia people dance too, right? Hee,Hee
Call your neighbors and share the joy!
I am feeling BETTER!!! That's right, folks. I hit the twelve-week marker this past Monday and almost instantly, like a cloud had lifted, I started to feel better. I still have flashes and times of nasuea, but it's not what it used to be.
I had already noticed a difference in my mornings and afternoons being less nasueas the past two weeks, but the evenings contined to be VERY rough for me, with lots of throwing up.
However, the past two nights have been great, with the nausea that I do feel being managed by chewing a piece of Orbit Mint Gum (bless that little piece of gooey gum!)
And suddenly, I am able to sit at my computer, and actually feel the will to type words and sentences. To want to communicate - indeed, to catch up even. I think I might even be able to go out on a date with my husband in the evening.
So, watch the blog. I may have to blog in several short snapshots to catch everyone up (inlcluding myself) and get current with everything that's going on.
So, praise Him with me. He is SO incredibly gracious! He is the God who holds our hand as we puke in the toilet and dances with us as we do happy dances of thanksgiving when its finally over.
At one point in my first trimester, I was on some WONDERFUL little meds called Zofran, a nausea reducer that is now commonly given to chemotherapy patients. As I lay near the toilet, night after night, somtimes crying from the sheer exhaustion of battling hour after hour of nausea and throwing up seven times in row, God would remind me to pray for these patients, these people, who fight and battle for their lives from this very same position.
So I am, in my computer incompetence, wanting to link a few blogger sites of places where you can go, and see the journey of some of the these amazing Christians, trusting God with their very lives, as they battle cancer in its various forms and stages. You can start with www.especiallyheather.com (I am SO sorry, I DON'T know how to hpyerlink yet - I'm sure it's something simple...Tracy, can you show me? I need your help!)
Here you can follow Heather's story as she posts about living and coping with brain cancer. Her posts regularly have me on my knees and in tears.
You can also go over to marisavanderveen.wordpress.com for her blog called Life. Marisa is dealing with an advanced breast cancer diagnosis.
There are so many others that God has put in my heart and mind lately. Most of you know that my friend Joy battled cancer and graduated to heaven this past December. She is still in my heart, and her husband, Adam, still in our familys' prayertime.
So join me in my celebration(I LOVE it when my sisterchick Brandie does her happy dance! :) and join with millions of other Christians as we storm the gates of heaven for these sisters in Christ.
Call your neighbors and share the joy!
I am feeling BETTER!!! That's right, folks. I hit the twelve-week marker this past Monday and almost instantly, like a cloud had lifted, I started to feel better. I still have flashes and times of nasuea, but it's not what it used to be.
I had already noticed a difference in my mornings and afternoons being less nasueas the past two weeks, but the evenings contined to be VERY rough for me, with lots of throwing up.
However, the past two nights have been great, with the nausea that I do feel being managed by chewing a piece of Orbit Mint Gum (bless that little piece of gooey gum!)
And suddenly, I am able to sit at my computer, and actually feel the will to type words and sentences. To want to communicate - indeed, to catch up even. I think I might even be able to go out on a date with my husband in the evening.
So, watch the blog. I may have to blog in several short snapshots to catch everyone up (inlcluding myself) and get current with everything that's going on.
So, praise Him with me. He is SO incredibly gracious! He is the God who holds our hand as we puke in the toilet and dances with us as we do happy dances of thanksgiving when its finally over.
At one point in my first trimester, I was on some WONDERFUL little meds called Zofran, a nausea reducer that is now commonly given to chemotherapy patients. As I lay near the toilet, night after night, somtimes crying from the sheer exhaustion of battling hour after hour of nausea and throwing up seven times in row, God would remind me to pray for these patients, these people, who fight and battle for their lives from this very same position.
So I am, in my computer incompetence, wanting to link a few blogger sites of places where you can go, and see the journey of some of the these amazing Christians, trusting God with their very lives, as they battle cancer in its various forms and stages. You can start with www.especiallyheather.com (I am SO sorry, I DON'T know how to hpyerlink yet - I'm sure it's something simple...Tracy, can you show me? I need your help!)
Here you can follow Heather's story as she posts about living and coping with brain cancer. Her posts regularly have me on my knees and in tears.
You can also go over to marisavanderveen.wordpress.com for her blog called Life. Marisa is dealing with an advanced breast cancer diagnosis.
There are so many others that God has put in my heart and mind lately. Most of you know that my friend Joy battled cancer and graduated to heaven this past December. She is still in my heart, and her husband, Adam, still in our familys' prayertime.
So join me in my celebration(I LOVE it when my sisterchick Brandie does her happy dance! :) and join with millions of other Christians as we storm the gates of heaven for these sisters in Christ.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Still Moving...
Wow, has it really been 26 days since I've blogged? Yikes! The last few weeks have been full - first vacation, and upon my return, weeks of heavy duty morning sickness, and then some family adventures which I'll expound upon later.
I am approaching week 12 of my pregnancy in a few days, so I should start to feel some relief here soon, but in the meantime, I have taken a brief break from life. I haven't called, I haven't e-mailed, I haven't blogged, and I haven't had much life happening outside of the pukiness of the bathroom.
So, I just wanted to let my wonderful bloggity friends know that I am coming back and returning tomorrow with pictures and stories of our wonderful vacation and SO much more that has happened since then!
See you tomorrow!
I am approaching week 12 of my pregnancy in a few days, so I should start to feel some relief here soon, but in the meantime, I have taken a brief break from life. I haven't called, I haven't e-mailed, I haven't blogged, and I haven't had much life happening outside of the pukiness of the bathroom.
So, I just wanted to let my wonderful bloggity friends know that I am coming back and returning tomorrow with pictures and stories of our wonderful vacation and SO much more that has happened since then!
See you tomorrow!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Pherengan To The Rezzzcue...
I haven't found my way over to my keyboard very much lately. I'm still spending most of my days feeling sick and "blobby".
Thank you to all of my dear bloggy friends who have given me such wonderful encouragement, support, and advice. I have been taking the anti-nausea medication Phrenegren (spelling?) for the past week or so, and while it does help to knock the edge off, it doesn't stop me from...ahem...tossing the cookies, so to speak.
It also makes me extremely sleepy (it's main side effect), making it difficult for me to operate heavy machinary or kitchen appliances...
OF which the warning label explicity warns against BOTH...HA!
Soo, in light of my family's vacation to San Diego next week, I called in the very selfish request for at least one week's worth of the little gold nuggets called Zofran. Will zofran make me zzzzz....?
It's not supposed to. It's supposed to be the expensive little miracle in a bottle. And me?
I just want to be able to not be sea-sick while my family is sea-side.
I will continue to keep everyone updated, and will cause further posts to turn away from my tummy and towards other blessings in my life!! :)
Thank you to all of my dear bloggy friends who have given me such wonderful encouragement, support, and advice. I have been taking the anti-nausea medication Phrenegren (spelling?) for the past week or so, and while it does help to knock the edge off, it doesn't stop me from...ahem...tossing the cookies, so to speak.
It also makes me extremely sleepy (it's main side effect), making it difficult for me to operate heavy machinary or kitchen appliances...
OF which the warning label explicity warns against BOTH...HA!
Soo, in light of my family's vacation to San Diego next week, I called in the very selfish request for at least one week's worth of the little gold nuggets called Zofran. Will zofran make me zzzzz....?
It's not supposed to. It's supposed to be the expensive little miracle in a bottle. And me?
I just want to be able to not be sea-sick while my family is sea-side.
I will continue to keep everyone updated, and will cause further posts to turn away from my tummy and towards other blessings in my life!! :)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
More Rejoicing!
Just a few more pics of the girlies playing in the puddles after the rain!
SPLASH,SPLASH,SPLASH!!
I had to take this picture of the cat! He ran outside just as the rain was starting to fall, and of course, immediately came back inside. THIS is the look he gave me, like it was MY FAULT that it was raining! I cracked up!!
SPLASH,SPLASH,SPLASH!!
I had to take this picture of the cat! He ran outside just as the rain was starting to fall, and of course, immediately came back inside. THIS is the look he gave me, like it was MY FAULT that it was raining! I cracked up!!
Rejoicing In The Rain!
It's finally arrived - Mosoon 2007. The time when that wet stuff that the rest of the nation knows as RAIN makes a stop in Phoenix, Arizona.
All I can say is - YAAA-HOOO!!!!
And despite being so sick that walking from one room to another can cause dry heaves(sorry...not a pleasant thought, huh?) the girlies and I had just had to stand on our front porch and welcome in the first few rainstorms of the summer monsoon season.
K-Bug had the idea to grab hers and Lorelin's jackets (it was their rain-coats, of course! :) and to put on some hats (You have to have a rain-hat, Mommy...no pics, but I wore a hat too). Last, but not least, K-Bug got out her bearly-used (hee,hee) Care Bears umbrella.
So, we stood on the front porch and watched as the storm rolled in.
At the first hint of thunder, K-Bug said, "Let's go back inside now", but little sister Lorelin would have braved the elements head-on from the driveway if I would have let her.
As it was, the wind blew so much that we managed to get plenty damp right on our front porch. Look at all that rain!! (this is the part where I prayed that I wouldn't drop the digital camera while trying to capture said rain on film..:)
After the storm was over, we, of course, had to go out and splash in the puddles!
I am thankful to report that the weatherman is calling for a high chance of rain all week, and even now as I write, I hear the sound of raindrops falling.
Thank you Lord for the rain!!
All I can say is - YAAA-HOOO!!!!
And despite being so sick that walking from one room to another can cause dry heaves(sorry...not a pleasant thought, huh?) the girlies and I had just had to stand on our front porch and welcome in the first few rainstorms of the summer monsoon season.
K-Bug had the idea to grab hers and Lorelin's jackets (it was their rain-coats, of course! :) and to put on some hats (You have to have a rain-hat, Mommy...no pics, but I wore a hat too). Last, but not least, K-Bug got out her bearly-used (hee,hee) Care Bears umbrella.
So, we stood on the front porch and watched as the storm rolled in.
At the first hint of thunder, K-Bug said, "Let's go back inside now", but little sister Lorelin would have braved the elements head-on from the driveway if I would have let her.
As it was, the wind blew so much that we managed to get plenty damp right on our front porch. Look at all that rain!! (this is the part where I prayed that I wouldn't drop the digital camera while trying to capture said rain on film..:)
After the storm was over, we, of course, had to go out and splash in the puddles!
I am thankful to report that the weatherman is calling for a high chance of rain all week, and even now as I write, I hear the sound of raindrops falling.
Thank you Lord for the rain!!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Roughing It...
I wish I was talking about camping...
Truth is, my morning sickness hit hard over the weekend, and has not let up for a second of relief. I was quite sick with both of my girl's pregnancies, and I guess this one has decided to not be an exception.
I don't remember my other sickness being around-the-clock though...I am literally up at all hours, visiting the bathroom.
Bless my sweet K-Bugs's heart, she has been so sensitive today. As she has found me bent over the toilet, she has given me back rubs, covered me with her blankets, and offered many words of encouragement.
"It's Ok, Mommy"
"You alright, Mommy!"
She even left once and came back with one of my cooking magazines with a "Here's something for you to read, Mommy"
I think Lore-lin is a bit mystified as to why Mommy is in the bathroom so much, but she has proceeded to follow her sister's lead and bring toys and what-not in to me. :)
I have my first OB appointment tomorrow, and I plan to ask for ANY further relief they can give me, as I cannot forsee being completely house (or bathroom)bound for the next two months. I must take care of my girls, and still try to some-what run a household.
In the meantime, I am literally flat on my back, and praying for the weeks to quickly roll by. I know God's grace will carry me, because I can't carry myself. :)
Truth is, my morning sickness hit hard over the weekend, and has not let up for a second of relief. I was quite sick with both of my girl's pregnancies, and I guess this one has decided to not be an exception.
I don't remember my other sickness being around-the-clock though...I am literally up at all hours, visiting the bathroom.
Bless my sweet K-Bugs's heart, she has been so sensitive today. As she has found me bent over the toilet, she has given me back rubs, covered me with her blankets, and offered many words of encouragement.
"It's Ok, Mommy"
"You alright, Mommy!"
She even left once and came back with one of my cooking magazines with a "Here's something for you to read, Mommy"
I think Lore-lin is a bit mystified as to why Mommy is in the bathroom so much, but she has proceeded to follow her sister's lead and bring toys and what-not in to me. :)
I have my first OB appointment tomorrow, and I plan to ask for ANY further relief they can give me, as I cannot forsee being completely house (or bathroom)bound for the next two months. I must take care of my girls, and still try to some-what run a household.
In the meantime, I am literally flat on my back, and praying for the weeks to quickly roll by. I know God's grace will carry me, because I can't carry myself. :)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Gather My Insecurities...
I don't ever desire to use my blog as my whining place, and there is a big part of me that believes that is part of my issue. However, I do desire to be transparent, and it's that part of me I hope comes out.
I am feeling insecure right now.
There..I said it..
And I really dislike the feeling.
I feel insecure about my body, which is already undergoing changes. I don't feel pregnant..I just feel overly pudgy at this point.
And, so many days, I wonder, if I'm too much or not enough for those people around me, especially my friends and family. You know the dance - trying to be "just right" and balanced in all of your relationships, all the while wondering if you really are.
So, I went searching last night, and the God who bends down and listens to me whine..ahem...pray...gave my heart the reassurance that it needed.
Romans 8: 38-39 - "And I am convinced that nothing can ever seperate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to seperate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)
Nothing...not hormones or my own insecurities. I aslo found this great verse.
Psalm 52:8 - "But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever." (NLT)
Again, what a relief. My trust is not in myself, but in God's amazing love, which, if you didn't catch it up there, we can NEVER, no, not EVER be seperated from.
After reading in my Bible a bit, I opened up the book Captivating (by John and Stasi Eldridge) and, turning to the back, my eyes fell upon some encouragement that, again, God knew my heart needed.
"As a woman who has been ransomed and redeemed, you can be strong and tender. You speak to the world of God's mercy, mystery, beauty, and his desire for intimate relationship. You are inviting; you can risk being vulnerable, offering the weight of your life as well as your need for more because you are safe in God's love."
There it was again. I am safe in God's love. I thrive in God's love. I can't be seperated from His love.
Those are all really great reasons to JUST BE ME - pregnant pooch and all.
I'm ending this post with the lyrics of a Reliant K song called "For The Moment I Feel Faint" (go download it. It's not a typical sounding Reliant K song. It's very acoutic...really nice)
Lord, I gather all of my insufficiencies and place them in your hands...
Am I at the point of no improvement?
What of the death I still dwell in?
I try to excel, but I feel no movement.
Can I be free of this unreleasable sin?
Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong
I throw up my hands
Oh, the impossibilities
Frustrated and tired
Where do I go from here?
Now I'm searching for the confidence I've lost so willingly
Overcoming these obstacles is overcoming my fear
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
Gather my insufficiencies and
Place them in your hands, place them in your hands, place them in your hands
I am feeling insecure right now.
There..I said it..
And I really dislike the feeling.
I feel insecure about my body, which is already undergoing changes. I don't feel pregnant..I just feel overly pudgy at this point.
And, so many days, I wonder, if I'm too much or not enough for those people around me, especially my friends and family. You know the dance - trying to be "just right" and balanced in all of your relationships, all the while wondering if you really are.
So, I went searching last night, and the God who bends down and listens to me whine..ahem...pray...gave my heart the reassurance that it needed.
Romans 8: 38-39 - "And I am convinced that nothing can ever seperate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to seperate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)
Nothing...not hormones or my own insecurities. I aslo found this great verse.
Psalm 52:8 - "But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever." (NLT)
Again, what a relief. My trust is not in myself, but in God's amazing love, which, if you didn't catch it up there, we can NEVER, no, not EVER be seperated from.
After reading in my Bible a bit, I opened up the book Captivating (by John and Stasi Eldridge) and, turning to the back, my eyes fell upon some encouragement that, again, God knew my heart needed.
"As a woman who has been ransomed and redeemed, you can be strong and tender. You speak to the world of God's mercy, mystery, beauty, and his desire for intimate relationship. You are inviting; you can risk being vulnerable, offering the weight of your life as well as your need for more because you are safe in God's love."
There it was again. I am safe in God's love. I thrive in God's love. I can't be seperated from His love.
Those are all really great reasons to JUST BE ME - pregnant pooch and all.
I'm ending this post with the lyrics of a Reliant K song called "For The Moment I Feel Faint" (go download it. It's not a typical sounding Reliant K song. It's very acoutic...really nice)
Lord, I gather all of my insufficiencies and place them in your hands...
Am I at the point of no improvement?
What of the death I still dwell in?
I try to excel, but I feel no movement.
Can I be free of this unreleasable sin?
Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong
I throw up my hands
Oh, the impossibilities
Frustrated and tired
Where do I go from here?
Now I'm searching for the confidence I've lost so willingly
Overcoming these obstacles is overcoming my fear
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
Gather my insufficiencies and
Place them in your hands, place them in your hands, place them in your hands
Busy Summer...
It's been a few days since I've blogged, but we've been a busy little crew, especially these past few weeks. I've actually had to watch the calendar to make sure that we still have a few mornings still at home. Here's just a peek of what we've been up to.
This is a picture of the girls in their Gymsters class. Each Monday, Teacher Lonnie (or Lom-nee, as my girls pronouce it) comes to the Valley Cathedral Church (a church in the West Valley) and leads the kids in lots of fun and phsyical activies. The program includes learning all of the scientific names for our body parts (both girls go around chanting...patealla bones, patella bones, our knees are our PA-TELL-A BONES!!) and also includes sign language. It's fun to have the girlies in an activity that they can both enjoy together.
Here's Lore-lin playing with a ball in her Gymsters class.
Here's both girlies...it's hard to tell from the picture, but they are trying to hit the balls with the big, giant plastic hands.
We've also been beating the heat (or at least trying to) by spending as much time in the water as possible. Here's a pic of the girlies and I at a breakfast/swim party at a friend's house.
This morning, we went to Bounce U with my church's MOMS group, and each week finds us at swim lessons for K-bugs. I'll try to post more pictures of the Smith summer fun sometime soon..
This is a picture of the girls in their Gymsters class. Each Monday, Teacher Lonnie (or Lom-nee, as my girls pronouce it) comes to the Valley Cathedral Church (a church in the West Valley) and leads the kids in lots of fun and phsyical activies. The program includes learning all of the scientific names for our body parts (both girls go around chanting...patealla bones, patella bones, our knees are our PA-TELL-A BONES!!) and also includes sign language. It's fun to have the girlies in an activity that they can both enjoy together.
Here's Lore-lin playing with a ball in her Gymsters class.
Here's both girlies...it's hard to tell from the picture, but they are trying to hit the balls with the big, giant plastic hands.
We've also been beating the heat (or at least trying to) by spending as much time in the water as possible. Here's a pic of the girlies and I at a breakfast/swim party at a friend's house.
This morning, we went to Bounce U with my church's MOMS group, and each week finds us at swim lessons for K-bugs. I'll try to post more pictures of the Smith summer fun sometime soon..
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sleepy And Weepy..
Now, I just know that you cruised on over to the blog to hear even more about my little ol' hormones, and are just absolutely riveted to hear a play-by-play of all of my cranky, weepy, pregnant moments.
So, not to dissapoint...
I watched Charlotte's Web last night with K-bug and let's just say that I was swallowing many lumps and wiping away tears for quite a few...okay....all...of the heartwarming scenes in the movie. It's just that that pig IS SO DOGGONE CUTE and the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte is just SO BEAUTIFUL...and...well...
I am just really pregnant. The Hormone Express has definitely arrived.
Warm and fuzzy cereal commercials have me grabbing for a Kleenex.
Now, I am normally what you might call a passionate and emotional person, but add a bucket of hormones, and I am like a Water Wiggle looking for a place to land. My dear hubby is very supportive. He hands me a few pieces of chocolate and pats my back, and works-out often to support his own sanity! :)
HA! Seriously, although I am what you might call a "tad" bit more emotional than normal,overall I have been feeling just fine. My tired body has blessedly been able to induldge in daily naps...
Do you hear that?
That was my bed...telling me that it's time...
Better go nap now.
One last note, my dear hubby told me last night. "Girls are strange sometimes, and pregnant women are even stranger..." Guys, if you agree with this, don't tell me or any other pregnant woman. It might start us to crying(for the record, I didn't cry when he said this...I laughed) and well, a pregnant woman's emotions are indeed a "strange" thing..
So, not to dissapoint...
I watched Charlotte's Web last night with K-bug and let's just say that I was swallowing many lumps and wiping away tears for quite a few...okay....all...of the heartwarming scenes in the movie. It's just that that pig IS SO DOGGONE CUTE and the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte is just SO BEAUTIFUL...and...well...
I am just really pregnant. The Hormone Express has definitely arrived.
Warm and fuzzy cereal commercials have me grabbing for a Kleenex.
Now, I am normally what you might call a passionate and emotional person, but add a bucket of hormones, and I am like a Water Wiggle looking for a place to land. My dear hubby is very supportive. He hands me a few pieces of chocolate and pats my back, and works-out often to support his own sanity! :)
HA! Seriously, although I am what you might call a "tad" bit more emotional than normal,overall I have been feeling just fine. My tired body has blessedly been able to induldge in daily naps...
Do you hear that?
That was my bed...telling me that it's time...
Better go nap now.
One last note, my dear hubby told me last night. "Girls are strange sometimes, and pregnant women are even stranger..." Guys, if you agree with this, don't tell me or any other pregnant woman. It might start us to crying(for the record, I didn't cry when he said this...I laughed) and well, a pregnant woman's emotions are indeed a "strange" thing..
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Wide Open Spaces
Wide open spaces. Expanses of land or water. My heart drinks in the glory of the Creator whose hand crafted such beauty, and a part of my soul wakes up to breathe.
I am almost clausterphobic somtimes in this endless concrete jungle, with buildings in the West Valley of Phoenix springing up overnight. And then, I see a picture like this, and, even for a moment, I stop.....
Plain and simple. Wide open spaces make my heart come alive.
What makes your heart come alive?
Feeling Sluggish...But Hungry
Blargh.....I feel like I'm moving through molasses syrup as the news of my pregnancy has made me stop and take notice of what I thought was just some uncommon fatigue these past few weeeks. That fatigue is probably here to stay for just a few more weeks more, eh? :)
I have been napping when the girls nap, and climbing into bed before my dear hubby each night (and believe me, that does not EVER happen!)
Thankfully, though, all the nausea that I had been feeling these past few weeks is gone. The doctors don't think is connected to my pregnancy. I do, bu we won't be able to tell until I have an ultrasound done sometime in the near future.
Anyway, the nasuea has gone away and my tummy is surprisingly "even" feeling. However, as my nausea has abated, my love for food has increased dramatically. Last night, as we stood around the snack table at Bible study, my friend Brandie (who is also brand-new pregnant) and I had a TEN-MINUTE CONVERSATION ABOUT FOOD.
No kidding...
And it was a passionate conversation that went something like this:
Me: Oh, I just LOVE Guacamole, don't you?
Brandie: I totally LOVE it! I could eat it on everything. What about sour cream?
Me: I ADORE sour cream! I wish I had some right now!
Brandie: Me too! How about some more tahini dip?
Me: Oh, I just LOVE this Tahini dip.
Brandie: Me too! Here, have another pita chip...
Our hands were basically blurs as we had a continous motion of food from the table to our mouths during the conversation.
All-you-can eat salad bars would tremble at the sight of these two hungry mommas...
And I just have to say, that although my dear hubby is already calling me "The Pregnant Princess" I am just absolutely craving a Banana Creme Italian Soda with extra cream......
Maybe my Prince Charming will pick one up for me on the way home from work?
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Happy Birthday Honey!
All of the family (both sides) and many friends all went in together to get my dear hubby a Nintendo Wii for his birthday. We gave it to him at his birthday party (at Chuck E Cheese, thank you very much) today. He was VERY surprised and almost little-boy giddy about it by the time we got it home. Thanks everyone!
Oh, by the way, that's not the announcement. Look below for that...hee.hee..
Guess What?..or Should I Say Guess Who?
Ok, so this is a really lousy shot, but if you kind-of squint and turn your head sideways, you can see TWO little lines that indicate the doctor's results of a pregnancy test taken this past Friday morning.
If you can't see (again, bad picture), I'm sure you can guess that the results were POSITIVE!! We are expecting one more little Smith-let, with a due date set for March 19.
Some of you might be shocked (I am), others may have thought this was coming (I did...it's weird how I feel both. We have been leaving the results of having baby number three in the Lord's hands, and we are so thankful that He has seen fit to bless us crazy Smiths with one more little life.
I wonder so many things right now. Can I do this? Really? Some days I feel as though I am barely able to keep it all together, and other days I feel as though I can conquer the world.
I hear my girls laughing just now...oh wait..now Lore-lin's crying (be right back) and I wonder if I can do all of the sibling stuff x3.
But then....
Then I pat my tummy, and smile, and already love this tiny little life with all of my being (great...now I'm starting to cry...DADGUM HORMONES...) and think everything will be wonderful.
With God leading the way...it's going to be an amazing ride. Thank you all for being the family and friends crazy enough to come along for the ride. :)
So Blessed (And So Were They!)
Hello All...although I did ask many of you to be in prayer for my sis-in-law Carmen (pictured above) and her trip to Guetamala, I didn't get to post all of her information here before she started out on her mission trip. She returned safely to my brother's arms (thank you Lord!)late on July 3rd. I haven't yet had the chance to talk to her personally yet (I'll have to rememdy that soon), but I have heard (through my Mom) that her trip was full of ups and downs. I know that Carmen was busy the entire time she was there. She was busy before the trip even began, as she was asked to translate many of the English Bible Study materials into Spanish for their use on the trip. She particpated in adult Bible studies, and played an important role in the Vacation Bible Schools that were held for the children and teens there. These blessed children got to have my sister-in-law love and hug on them as she helped them create amazing crafts (can't wait to see pictures!). Carmen has one of the biggest hearts out of ANYONE I've ever met, and her love for Chris and sharing Him with others is her life's passion. She is extremely bright (she speaks multiple languages fluently) She is one of the most intelligent, warm, compassionate, caring people I've ever met, and I am so blessed and proud to have her as my sister-in-law. I know that she will tell me that she was the blessed one to have been with the people of Guetamala, but I believe that they were as equally blessed to have her there with them too.I haven't yet heard if she'll be posting about her adventures on her blog, but check out her wonderful writings at http://sinedeosinespes.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 06, 2007
Happy Fourth
Hello Everyone...hope that everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July! This was the first year that both of our girls have been old enough to stay up late enough to enjoy the fireworks (or maybe they could have done it in years past, but their parents were big sissies and didn't want to deal with tired, cranky kiddos)
Anyhoo, the whole day was very family-oriented for me - just the way I like it! My hubby went to a movie/lunch with his Dad and the girls and I hung out with my parents - first at the grocery store, then in the kiddie pool in their backyard, and finally for a big BBQ lunch. The girls went down for a late, looong nap (had to get them all ready to stay up and see the fireworks), and my hubby and I mangaged to sneak a tiny nap in as well. My sis drove all the way from Oklahoma for a visit, and she arrived around 5:30 p.m. (a fourteen hour drive all by herself!!) After she had rested for a few hours, we were all ready to pack up the van and head out to see some fireworks!!
I love fireworks...I could watch them year round - and I often do, thanks to Sunset Point, a fabricated western town owned by a local resort and located just west of our housing development. People rent out the location for parties, which often end with fireworks...it's awesome!! Where was I? Oh yoh....the Fourth
So, we armed ourselves against the record 116 degree weather with frozen bottles of water in a huge icechest, and drove the five mintues to down-town Litchfield Park. (my orginal post included a very long rant inserted here about the heat in Phoenix, but I took it out. It just made me sound whiny...and why be whiny when you can be cute?)
It was all pleasantness from that point on. We found a great free parking spot with no problem. We settled down in a great spot under a tree in front of the pond, with a great view of the pond's new fountain. A small group of people had brought their remote-control boats and the girls watched with delight as the little elctronic boats scooted back and forth on the water. I had bought some glow bracelets and necklaces for the girls, and they oooed and ahhed over them as we all put them on....
ok, so I bought some for myself too..don't you think that glow jewelry stuff is SO MAJORLY COOL?!)
Around 9:00 p.m. the fireworks started - on both sides of us. Behind us, the city of Goodyear shot of their fireworks from the Goodyear Community Park. In front of us, Litchfield Park shot their fireworks up and over the pond, reflecting the bright poofs of light on the water. It was loud...it was bright...it was...AWESOME! Both of the girls delighted in the colors and sizes of the all the fireworks. After twenty minutes (and two awesome finales!) the last firework fell, and we fought the traffic for our short drive home.
On the way home, I told K-bug about why we celebrated with fireworks. She latched on to the phrase "I love freedom" and went all around the van asking family members, "Do you love freedom, Daddy?", "Do you love freedom, Nonna?" Everyone affiremd that they did, indeed love freedom.
We are so blessed, and for all of you who continue to serve our country and keep us free, we choose to remember and pray for you all. Our gratitude is deeper than words can say.
Thanks for loving freedom!
Anyhoo, the whole day was very family-oriented for me - just the way I like it! My hubby went to a movie/lunch with his Dad and the girls and I hung out with my parents - first at the grocery store, then in the kiddie pool in their backyard, and finally for a big BBQ lunch. The girls went down for a late, looong nap (had to get them all ready to stay up and see the fireworks), and my hubby and I mangaged to sneak a tiny nap in as well. My sis drove all the way from Oklahoma for a visit, and she arrived around 5:30 p.m. (a fourteen hour drive all by herself!!) After she had rested for a few hours, we were all ready to pack up the van and head out to see some fireworks!!
I love fireworks...I could watch them year round - and I often do, thanks to Sunset Point, a fabricated western town owned by a local resort and located just west of our housing development. People rent out the location for parties, which often end with fireworks...it's awesome!! Where was I? Oh yoh....the Fourth
So, we armed ourselves against the record 116 degree weather with frozen bottles of water in a huge icechest, and drove the five mintues to down-town Litchfield Park. (my orginal post included a very long rant inserted here about the heat in Phoenix, but I took it out. It just made me sound whiny...and why be whiny when you can be cute?)
It was all pleasantness from that point on. We found a great free parking spot with no problem. We settled down in a great spot under a tree in front of the pond, with a great view of the pond's new fountain. A small group of people had brought their remote-control boats and the girls watched with delight as the little elctronic boats scooted back and forth on the water. I had bought some glow bracelets and necklaces for the girls, and they oooed and ahhed over them as we all put them on....
ok, so I bought some for myself too..don't you think that glow jewelry stuff is SO MAJORLY COOL?!)
Around 9:00 p.m. the fireworks started - on both sides of us. Behind us, the city of Goodyear shot of their fireworks from the Goodyear Community Park. In front of us, Litchfield Park shot their fireworks up and over the pond, reflecting the bright poofs of light on the water. It was loud...it was bright...it was...AWESOME! Both of the girls delighted in the colors and sizes of the all the fireworks. After twenty minutes (and two awesome finales!) the last firework fell, and we fought the traffic for our short drive home.
On the way home, I told K-bug about why we celebrated with fireworks. She latched on to the phrase "I love freedom" and went all around the van asking family members, "Do you love freedom, Daddy?", "Do you love freedom, Nonna?" Everyone affiremd that they did, indeed love freedom.
We are so blessed, and for all of you who continue to serve our country and keep us free, we choose to remember and pray for you all. Our gratitude is deeper than words can say.
Thanks for loving freedom!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
What Goes Around Comes Around..
I remember when I was little, getting up in the middle of the night, and creeping, creeping, creeping, ever so quietly into my parent's bedroom. Tiptoeing over to my Mom's side of the bed, I would touch her arm.."Mom?" Let's just say that she was um...surprised...to find me only inches from her face. The following response usually went something like this:
Mom: GASP! GAAAH!!
Dad: What? What is it? Who is it!!??
Mom: Stacy....you scared me!
Me: Mom, I need a drink of water....(or to go potty, etc..)
Mom: (still panting): Ok..ok...
Now, I will admit that, although I hadn't meant to surprise my Mom, I always found my parent's response just a wee bit funny.
Last-night my dear hubby and I went out on a date. My Mom had put the girls down to bed, and while we usually let them both have sippy cups of water, she had forgotten to give them one when they laid down. I awoke at 3:30 a.m. in the morning to a little touch on my arm, accompianed by a little voice asking, "Mommy?" The following scene went something like this:
Me: GASP! GAAH!
Hubby: What? What is it? Who is it!!??
Me: K-Bug...you scared Mommy!
K-Bug: I need a drink of water Mommy
Me(still panting): Ok....ok....
Eventually my heart resumed a normal pace, and we got K-bug settled back in bed with a sippy cup. I had to laugh as I thought of the old adage that "What goes around comes around." I suddenly had sympathy for my poor Mother being awakened in such a manner. As I got older, my Dad made a point of telling me that I could get a drink of water or go potty "all by myself like a big girl" without first getting their persmission. They eventually got their uninterupted sleep, and I gained the confidence of doing things on my own.
Although K-bug is still young enough to need my help, I have asked her to first call out from her bedroom before stealing down the hallway to bore her tiny eyeballs inches from my face. I don't know if my heart can take too many midnight visitors! :)
Mom: GASP! GAAAH!!
Dad: What? What is it? Who is it!!??
Mom: Stacy....you scared me!
Me: Mom, I need a drink of water....(or to go potty, etc..)
Mom: (still panting): Ok..ok...
Now, I will admit that, although I hadn't meant to surprise my Mom, I always found my parent's response just a wee bit funny.
Last-night my dear hubby and I went out on a date. My Mom had put the girls down to bed, and while we usually let them both have sippy cups of water, she had forgotten to give them one when they laid down. I awoke at 3:30 a.m. in the morning to a little touch on my arm, accompianed by a little voice asking, "Mommy?" The following scene went something like this:
Me: GASP! GAAH!
Hubby: What? What is it? Who is it!!??
Me: K-Bug...you scared Mommy!
K-Bug: I need a drink of water Mommy
Me(still panting): Ok....ok....
Eventually my heart resumed a normal pace, and we got K-bug settled back in bed with a sippy cup. I had to laugh as I thought of the old adage that "What goes around comes around." I suddenly had sympathy for my poor Mother being awakened in such a manner. As I got older, my Dad made a point of telling me that I could get a drink of water or go potty "all by myself like a big girl" without first getting their persmission. They eventually got their uninterupted sleep, and I gained the confidence of doing things on my own.
Although K-bug is still young enough to need my help, I have asked her to first call out from her bedroom before stealing down the hallway to bore her tiny eyeballs inches from my face. I don't know if my heart can take too many midnight visitors! :)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Update Tummy Ache...
Hello All,
Just wanted to send out a quick post to let everyone know that I had an ultrasound done yesterday on my abdomen. My doctor's office called this morning to let me know that everything had come back all clear. YEAH!! While I am bafffled on the one hand, I am very thankful on the other. Thank you Lord that so many things that could have potentially been "serious" have been ruled out. I will go back to see the doctor in another week, so if I'm still having the pain/nausea I'm guessing we'll take a new course.
Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers.
Just wanted to send out a quick post to let everyone know that I had an ultrasound done yesterday on my abdomen. My doctor's office called this morning to let me know that everything had come back all clear. YEAH!! While I am bafffled on the one hand, I am very thankful on the other. Thank you Lord that so many things that could have potentially been "serious" have been ruled out. I will go back to see the doctor in another week, so if I'm still having the pain/nausea I'm guessing we'll take a new course.
Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Being Filled..
As most of you know, the Lord currently has me stuck smack-dab in what is one of the hottest places in America. I wonder if the weather forecasters ever get bored working in Phoenix. You know those little hooks that they say to keep you tuned in to their station...things like, "Is the hot weather going to hold? I'll have the forecast coming up in just a few minutes!" And you think "DUH!!" in your head, even as you "stay tuned" to hear the forecaster give you the predictable summer forecast of 10,000 degree weather. (sorry to sound so caustic...being baked at 112 degrees for two weeks running makes me a little cranky) I think the weathermen (or women..:) hold out for what is called the "monsoon" season - a wet couple of weeks/months where Phoenix finally starts to see some of the wet stuff actually hit the ground.
Until the rains come though, many previously filled streams in the Phoenix area simply dry up.
The tell-tale signs of a packed dirt cracking under the sun can be seen in washes around the Valley. They are more than a little depressing to behold - hollowed out pieces of earth empty and devoid of water. EMPTY.
The Lord has been speaking to me a lot lately about what it means to be filled up with Him. And how I can get that idea across to myself - not only spiritually, but emotionally as well. I could make this the Stacy-climbs-on-her-soapbox and declares the three spiritual truths to being filled, but I don't have a soapbox......and really, why a soapbox...when a five point sound system connected to a REALLY SNAZZY power-point presentation with loads of TOTALLY ROCKIN' clip art would work much better :)
So, no presentations. Instead, let me open up my heart to you for just a minute. I can tell you that the closer I get to HIM, the more I am able to recognize when I'm running on empty. When I'm feeling empty, I often start looking to other people to "fill me up". The end result? People, intentionally or not, often let me down. Ever been in a room filled to the brim with your friends and still felt alone..empty? I have.
Or, instead of people, I start looking to other things to fill me up. Things like stories in books, television programs, or shopping trips. The end result? If I'm using these things to try to fill myself (instead of just for enjoyment/relaxation), then it's like trying to fill a river with a dropper. The enjoyment is not enough to "fill" me.
Water - and imagery involving water, is everywhere in God's Book. I went to http://www.blueletterbible.com/ and looked up every reference to water. It occurs 460 times! Some of you will be familiar with the story in John 4 where Jesus refers to himself as living water. John 4:14 states - "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (NKJV)" Those of us who have made the choice to be Christ-followers never have to worry about that part of our spirit going dry. We have everlasting life...it springs up in us.
The type of empty I'm talking about comes from not drawing from that living water on a daily basis - allowing that living water to heal us, sustain us, and overflow from our lives into the lives of others around us.
So, if we are feeling dry, where do we start? With Him.
Psalm 107: 35 says "He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. (NKJV)" God can make something out of nothing, or in this case, bring water where only emptiness existed before. We can turn to His word with the expectation that He will use it to speak to our thirsty hearts. God promises this -
Isa 55:10-12 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hill shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Wow! Isn't that awesome! Think of it this way. When you sit down to read the Word, the God of heaven and earth sits down beside you, with His arm wrapped around you, and uses the Holy Spirit to speak truth to your life - specifically your life, your circumstances, etc. And that water reaches down to your soul, begging you to dig your roots into Him and His word. As you do, God promises this - Jeremiah 17:8 "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. (NKJV)"
Another way to fill yourself up is to daily be in prayer. Talk with God like a child talks to their Daddy, delight yourself in all of His creation, praise Him for all he's done, and rest in His grace. Also, pour out your fears, cry your tears of dissapointment, and give him your angry words. Basically- give it ALL to Him. Psalm 68:19 says "Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. (NLT)" Choose to let go and climb up into His arms.
So, my encouragment? Don't run around on empty. Don't run from the grace, peace, joy and love this is available to fill you up and fill all of the empty places within you. I'd like to end with two things. One is a poem that I wrote many years ago, on a dark night when it was, strangely enough, actually pouring down rain in Phoenix. The second is Steven Curtis Chapman's song Dive. My prayer is that you will go deep with God - and come up soaking wet!
Rain
Falling freely
Pours over my face
My lips, my eyes
My nose, my chin
Bathing my shoulders
My arms, my hands, my fingertips
Drenching wet
Shaking
Praying
Praising
The rain is the grace of my God
And I am getting wet
Until the rains come though, many previously filled streams in the Phoenix area simply dry up.
The tell-tale signs of a packed dirt cracking under the sun can be seen in washes around the Valley. They are more than a little depressing to behold - hollowed out pieces of earth empty and devoid of water. EMPTY.
The Lord has been speaking to me a lot lately about what it means to be filled up with Him. And how I can get that idea across to myself - not only spiritually, but emotionally as well. I could make this the Stacy-climbs-on-her-soapbox and declares the three spiritual truths to being filled, but I don't have a soapbox......and really, why a soapbox...when a five point sound system connected to a REALLY SNAZZY power-point presentation with loads of TOTALLY ROCKIN' clip art would work much better :)
So, no presentations. Instead, let me open up my heart to you for just a minute. I can tell you that the closer I get to HIM, the more I am able to recognize when I'm running on empty. When I'm feeling empty, I often start looking to other people to "fill me up". The end result? People, intentionally or not, often let me down. Ever been in a room filled to the brim with your friends and still felt alone..empty? I have.
Or, instead of people, I start looking to other things to fill me up. Things like stories in books, television programs, or shopping trips. The end result? If I'm using these things to try to fill myself (instead of just for enjoyment/relaxation), then it's like trying to fill a river with a dropper. The enjoyment is not enough to "fill" me.
Water - and imagery involving water, is everywhere in God's Book. I went to http://www.blueletterbible.com/ and looked up every reference to water. It occurs 460 times! Some of you will be familiar with the story in John 4 where Jesus refers to himself as living water. John 4:14 states - "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (NKJV)" Those of us who have made the choice to be Christ-followers never have to worry about that part of our spirit going dry. We have everlasting life...it springs up in us.
The type of empty I'm talking about comes from not drawing from that living water on a daily basis - allowing that living water to heal us, sustain us, and overflow from our lives into the lives of others around us.
So, if we are feeling dry, where do we start? With Him.
Psalm 107: 35 says "He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. (NKJV)" God can make something out of nothing, or in this case, bring water where only emptiness existed before. We can turn to His word with the expectation that He will use it to speak to our thirsty hearts. God promises this -
Isa 55:10-12 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hill shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Wow! Isn't that awesome! Think of it this way. When you sit down to read the Word, the God of heaven and earth sits down beside you, with His arm wrapped around you, and uses the Holy Spirit to speak truth to your life - specifically your life, your circumstances, etc. And that water reaches down to your soul, begging you to dig your roots into Him and His word. As you do, God promises this - Jeremiah 17:8 "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. (NKJV)"
Another way to fill yourself up is to daily be in prayer. Talk with God like a child talks to their Daddy, delight yourself in all of His creation, praise Him for all he's done, and rest in His grace. Also, pour out your fears, cry your tears of dissapointment, and give him your angry words. Basically- give it ALL to Him. Psalm 68:19 says "Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. (NLT)" Choose to let go and climb up into His arms.
So, my encouragment? Don't run around on empty. Don't run from the grace, peace, joy and love this is available to fill you up and fill all of the empty places within you. I'd like to end with two things. One is a poem that I wrote many years ago, on a dark night when it was, strangely enough, actually pouring down rain in Phoenix. The second is Steven Curtis Chapman's song Dive. My prayer is that you will go deep with God - and come up soaking wet!
Rain
Falling freely
Pours over my face
My lips, my eyes
My nose, my chin
Bathing my shoulders
My arms, my hands, my fingertips
Drenching wet
Shaking
Praying
Praising
The rain is the grace of my God
And I am getting wet
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
More VBS Pics...
The Preschoolers Hear A Bible Story...
Lore-lin riding one of the "decorations" in the main auditorium
One of church members owns a local Chik-Fil-A restaurant. On the last night of VBS, he brought his cow costume down and dressed-up for the kids. Lore-lin is NOT to sure about this cow, though..
K-Bug LOVED seeing the cow, and gave him lots of hugs and high fives!
Vacation Bible School - Wild RIde!
I'm just now getting my bearings after a wild n' wooly week of Vacation Bible School at Compass Church, where I was a "Crew Leader" for a wild bunch of elementary-age kiddos. In hind-sight, I would say that the commitment to be there each and every night was a LOT for our little family of tots and preschoolers, but my dear hubby was committed to be as flexible as a bendy-straw....and made it possible for our family to fufill the role. The theme for our Vacation Bible School was western. It was called "Avanlanche Ranch - A Wild Ride Through God's Word!" Each night, a different animal helped us to remember a different truth about God. Let me see if I can remember..
1. God is real - Buc The Horse
2. God is with us- Shadow The Dog
3. God is strong - Range The Buffalo
4. God is awesome - Skye The Eagle
5. God is in charge - Boss The Longhorn Cow
WA-HOO! I remembered them ALL! Anyway, the songs, stories, crafts, games, etc. for each night all centered around the showcased Bible point. One of the GREAT things about our VBS is that they included preschoolers, who did their own version of all of the activities the "bigger kids" were doing. So, my sweet K-Bug got to experience her very first Vacation Bible School. My "flexible"hubby came and took lots of great pictures of our girls on the final night of VBS. I wanted to share a few of them with you!
The Preschoolers were called "The Prairie Dogs" Here's K-Bug with their mascot!
1. God is real - Buc The Horse
2. God is with us- Shadow The Dog
3. God is strong - Range The Buffalo
4. God is awesome - Skye The Eagle
5. God is in charge - Boss The Longhorn Cow
WA-HOO! I remembered them ALL! Anyway, the songs, stories, crafts, games, etc. for each night all centered around the showcased Bible point. One of the GREAT things about our VBS is that they included preschoolers, who did their own version of all of the activities the "bigger kids" were doing. So, my sweet K-Bug got to experience her very first Vacation Bible School. My "flexible"hubby came and took lots of great pictures of our girls on the final night of VBS. I wanted to share a few of them with you!
The Preschoolers were called "The Prairie Dogs" Here's K-Bug with their mascot!
The preschoolers joined all the other kids for an opening time of worship each night..
Here's K-Bug making a "sheriff star" craft project..
This was K-Bug's teacher, Miss Hannah. I know that she tirelessly loved on my daugter all week long! THANK YOU!
Tummy Ache - Update
Hello All,
After a loong twelve days of nausea and stomach pain, I finally made my way to the doctor's office yesterday. He asked a long litnay of questions, and took two vials of blood to test for a whole gamut of ailments. He says it is probably one of three things:
1. Severe Heartburn (manifesting itself in my tummy/back...weird, huh?)
2. Gallbladder Issue
3. Ulcers
The GOOD news is that I just got a call back from the doctor's office about an hour ago, and ALL of my bloodwork came back clean! Thank you Lord! I know that the doctor was testing for some of what could have been more serious culprits behind my issues.
He is sending me for an ultrasound test as well, so I'll let everyone know what we find out there. Thanks to ALL of you as you have prayed for me and this health problem. God is so good, and I'm quite sure we'll get to the bottom of it yet.
Please continue to pray as I do still deal with this still mysterious nausea and stomach pains.
After a loong twelve days of nausea and stomach pain, I finally made my way to the doctor's office yesterday. He asked a long litnay of questions, and took two vials of blood to test for a whole gamut of ailments. He says it is probably one of three things:
1. Severe Heartburn (manifesting itself in my tummy/back...weird, huh?)
2. Gallbladder Issue
3. Ulcers
The GOOD news is that I just got a call back from the doctor's office about an hour ago, and ALL of my bloodwork came back clean! Thank you Lord! I know that the doctor was testing for some of what could have been more serious culprits behind my issues.
He is sending me for an ultrasound test as well, so I'll let everyone know what we find out there. Thanks to ALL of you as you have prayed for me and this health problem. God is so good, and I'm quite sure we'll get to the bottom of it yet.
Please continue to pray as I do still deal with this still mysterious nausea and stomach pains.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Tummy Ache
Hey there... I've got all these blog posts just swimming around in my brain, waiting to be typed out (do you fellow bloggers notice that you start to view different events, funny happenings, or sayings as "Ooo...I've got to blog that." :) Anyway, today my blog will just be informing everyone that the longer posts will have to wait - due to my tummy-ache...ooo- that rhymes if you read it just right in a sing-songy kind-of voice...
Anyhoo....
For the past few days I've had a nauseous stomach after the hour of 5:00 p.m. Now I know what you all are thinking, and just so you know I took a prego test which read very negative and I've had a very normal cycle this month already. Soooo.... what gives? Today is the first day that I've kind-of felt nauseous during the morning/daytime hours too. I was up from about 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. last night with just waves of sickey-feelings. Amazingly, I still have a normal appetite, and no imminent feelings of tossing my cookies... I just feel plain sea-sick. I will get through this weekend one way or the other (the other being that this is a stomach virus which chooses to pass of its own accord). If my tummy is still rebelling on Monday morning, I'll call my primary doc to try and get some relief.
I would please ask for prayers for my tummy issues. I'm due to work a full week of Vacation Bible School at church all next week....in the evening hours.... please pray that I'm feeling fully back on my feet by then. Blessings!
Anyhoo....
For the past few days I've had a nauseous stomach after the hour of 5:00 p.m. Now I know what you all are thinking, and just so you know I took a prego test which read very negative and I've had a very normal cycle this month already. Soooo.... what gives? Today is the first day that I've kind-of felt nauseous during the morning/daytime hours too. I was up from about 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. last night with just waves of sickey-feelings. Amazingly, I still have a normal appetite, and no imminent feelings of tossing my cookies... I just feel plain sea-sick. I will get through this weekend one way or the other (the other being that this is a stomach virus which chooses to pass of its own accord). If my tummy is still rebelling on Monday morning, I'll call my primary doc to try and get some relief.
I would please ask for prayers for my tummy issues. I'm due to work a full week of Vacation Bible School at church all next week....in the evening hours.... please pray that I'm feeling fully back on my feet by then. Blessings!
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