Happy Anniversary!

 

Yesterday marked eight wonderful years that I've been married to the love of my life. Although there have been anniversaries where I've been pregnant (and of course we've had children too) , this is a first for us with having a newborn. Needless to say, we didn't really get to go out and do anyhing just quite yet (we loved the pizza though - thanks Brand!) However, my dear hubby did surprise me about a week ago with these beautiful roses - "one for each beautiful baby you've given me" - he said. Of course I cried my little post-partum eyes out.

The night before our anniversary I was up after one of J-boy's feeds, and I wrote him this poem. For my dear hubby...I love you and happy anniversary!

Most days I am a MomGirl – a very busy Mommy of three
But tonight I am thinking back to a time when it was just you and just me…

Of a white wedding dress, and a perfect spring day,
And a man and a woman speaking vows
Of a man and a wife, starting a new life,
Christened by wedding night “wows”

Of an apartment so sweet, all 650 sqaure feet
Dinners shared by candlelight
Of working the day thru, and coming home with you
Of “cuddling” in bed together all night

How we’ve grown, how we’ve changed
Our lives rearranged – now we have three children all still quite small
Now it’s diapers and wipes, sibling rivalry and fights
But I still have the best life of all

A husband I adore, every day more and more
As we maneuver the rapids called life
Blessed by God above, I couldn’t be more in love
And happier to be called your wife

HAPPY EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY!!!!

A Labor Story

I love to hear other people’s accounts of how their own little one came into the world. Funny how each birth and can be so alike OR so different in their experience. Mine have all been very different experiences. Here is a snapshot of my experience with J-boy.
3:50 a.m. – Phone rings. I had been moved-up to a 5:00 a.m. induction time, but the hospital was calling me to tell me that they were full and I was being put on a wait list.
4:00 – 6:00 a.m. – Too much adrenaline to go back to sleep. I toss, turn, and pray waiting for the morning light, and finally drift back off to sleep.
7:30 a.m. – The girls wake up and the day starts like any other. My sister-in-law is still on stand-by to come and stay with the girls, but the morning passes without any phone calls from the hospital. My husband decides to go ahead and leaves to work his morning shift.
10:00 a.m. – The carpet cleaner comes and is surprised to find me still at home (I had told him I’d be having a baby). I play with the girls in the kitchen while he cleans all the carpets for me. Cain has been my carpet cleaner for years – he is a small business guy and a Christian too. He tells me he and his wife will be praying for us. He leaves us with clean, happy carpets.
11:30 a.m. – My Mom’s flight back to Phoenix from Texas had arrived earlier that morning, and she is home now. Hooray!! I’m so glad to see my Mom (the girls are too!) God worked it out so she could be present for J-boy’s birth.
Noon – My hubby arrives home, changes his clothes, and I start lunch for our family and my Mom
1:00 p.m. – The phone rings and it’s the hospital telling us to “come as soon as we can.” I go back to the bedroom to tell my hubby that we got the call, and it’s time to go. We’re both a bundle of excitement and nerves. My Mom will stay with the girls until my Mother-in-law can arrive to take over in a few hours.
1:30 p.m. – My dear hubby and I both grab quick showers, I put on my make-up (have to look pretty for my pictures, right? ), and we load the car with the diaper bag, my suitcase, and some pillows.
1:45 p.m. – We check in at OB triage, sign some paperwork, and are sent directly over to labor and delivery. A nice nurse shows us to our room, and proceeds to hook me up to all of my various monitors.

 

2:45 p.m. – We complete our paperwork, and the nurse starts my IV (ouch! That long needle hurts). She also tells me that I tested positive for the group beta strep, and will need to complete several rounds of antibiotics before the baby is born.
3:00 p.m. – My pitocin drip is finally started and I am also started on the first round of antibiotics. BTW, the penicillin burns like FIRE while it goes into my arm – I hold my arm and pray for it to be quickly over each time I start another round…
3:00 – 8:00 p.m. – I am dialating very slowly. My Mom shows up and my Mom, my hubby, and I all sit around talking. I am having regular contractions, but I am able to breathe and even talk through them. When I ask why it’s going so slow, they tell me that they have had to turn up the pitocin very gradually in order for me to receive all the rounds of antibiotics.
8:00p.m. – My OB comes in to break my water. She informs me that my contractions should become “very painful, very soon” and what-do-you-know……OWWWW! The contractions are suddenly very intense and only two minutes apart. I beg for my hubby’s hand, and try to squeeze his fingers completely off while trying hard not to scream out loud during the actual contractions.
8:00 – 10:00 p.m. – Some of this is a blur for me .I do remember lot of very intense pain.
-The baby’s heartbeat keeps dipping up and down, so I am rolled onto my left side into a rather uncomfortable position. My contractions hurt even worse on my side, but I’m willing do to whatever it takes to keep the baby healthy.
-I beg for an epidural and the anesthesiologist is summoned. He is a very quiet and serious looking man with a very kind bed-side manner. I HATE epidurals (but I hate the pain even more), and I actually bite my pillow while he puts it in – he was very quick and very good though. He stays for a while and my hubby and I get a chance to talk and joke with him a little bit (he had a very dry sense of humor….he was actually quite funny)
-But then something happened that I’ve only heard of happening to others before – the epidural took effect on only one side of my body. So soon I’m back to squeezing fingers and trying not to scream while I’m rolled onto my right side to try to get the epidural to numb that side of my body.
-The epidural finally takes effect on both sides. I breathe a sigh of relief…..

 

10:05 p.m. – I’ve been pain-free for about ten minutes when I’m checked and told that I am ready to push….so I guess it’s time to go…more nurses show up and get the room ready for a baby
10:15 – My OB shows up and we’re all ready to go. I’m so numb from the epidural that I can’t really feel anything, but I push the way I think I’m supposed to.
10:20 – Three pushes later, my OB informs that the head is out, but that the shoulders are stuck. A look of concern crosses her face, and I worry for the first time that day. She tells me to push once more, and as I do, she applies pressure directly on my abdomen with her body.
10:22 p.m. – Baby J-boy slides out into the world. I was pretty freaked-out, because my first look at him was of a completely purple and blue-faced baby. My OB immediately started saying, “He’s Ok, he’s Ok, he’s just bruised, he’s just bruised…”
10:23 p.m. – I hear his first cries, and I start tearing up too. I just remember saying over and over to myself, “He’s Ok, he’s ok…he’s crying.” I get hugs from my Mom, and kisses from my dear hubby.

 

10:26 p.m. – They place him in my arms for the first time, and the new adventure begins…

 

The Number Three

There’s nothing really so scary about the number three, that is, until the pregnancy test turned positive this last time….I remember all during my pregnancy, when people would ask me which baby this was for me, and I would tell them “My third” one of two things would happen.
#1 – They would tell me how wonderful it was to have three kids – and how wonderful for me that it was two girls and “now you get your boy too! Life will be so much fun!”
#2 – They would tell me something along the lines of, “When that third one came along, it was just SO much harder, things were WAY busier then with two, etc.”
And the response in my brain would go something like this –
#1 – “See, you can totally do this Stacy!” OR
#2 – “What was I thinking? I can’t do this!”
So, here I am. An official Mommy to three wonderful children – all under the age of five.
And how I am coping? Hard to tell, a week into this adventure, but I will tell you a few things I DO know….I’ve already had many moments that were just like the two scenarios above – lots of fun and firsts AND some tears and moments of feeling completely overwhelmed.
I also know that when Joshua came out, I instantly could not imagine our family without him. He is a miracle and I fell instantly in love.
I also know that during my first day alone (more on that in a later post), I could count the minutes I had to myself in VERY small increments, and had the feeling that my time in the months ahead would be consumed with meeting the immediate needs of my young children. So, where I am going with all of this? I’m not sure….
I just know that the adventure ahead has been given to me by my Heavenly Father, and He has promised to be with me every step of the way (even at 1:00 a.m. feedings! - and you my bloggity friends get to come along on the ride!
Thank you Father, for the number three.

BABY JOSHUA IS HERE!

Joshua Alexander Smith made his entrance into the world on leap year - Friday, February 29th at 10:22 p.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long.

Yup - this boy is big. I ended up being induced around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, and after a lot of labor, Joshua came with five minutes of pushing. There was a push or two where his shoulders got stuck and my OB informs me we were "this close" to an emergency C-section. Praise God though, one more mighty push and Joshua came out - albeit with a LOT of bruising on his poor little face (they told me he came down really fast and hit his nose/face on my pelvic bone).

We are all home now and Joshua is doing well. The girls are super excited about their baby "brudder" (as Lauren calls him). We are moving slow (and I'm a little sore..) but we are just so thankful for all of God's blessings in getting our son here safely!

We'll send more pictures and updates in the days ahead!

 

 

 

 

Pregnacny Randomness

1. My son might be born on leap year. This was slightly distressing for me for about a millisecond before I thought, “That would be really neat!” Thanks for the encouraging comment from Kim about her own leap year baby.  My dear hubby says he knew a few leap year kids when he was in elementary school and he thought it was SOOO cool that they were born on leap year. So, there you go, my son is cool even before he is born! :)
2.My Mom WILL be back in town on Friday morning, so should be around before or after the baby arrives. Yeah! My Dad will stay on with my Grandma, who is not doing well, but continues to hang on.
3.They have moved me to an earlier time on Friday to deliver, but I am not revealing it here, because there is a good possibility that they will push me back again, so we’ll just have to see if little Joshua WILL be a leap year baby or not!
4.My To-Do list is almost done. I actually even have the carpet cleaner coming tomorrow, so besides getting the taxes done (which means ugh…we still have to do them…) I think we got everything completed. Whew! It’s been work!
5.Here are a few pics of Joshua’s room. I still have colored letters to hang on the walls and a blanket and some pictures to hang, so I’ll post it again when the room is REALLY all done, but at least you can get an idea.

 

 

 

6.One more day of being pregnant – I’ve become SO used to this little guy moving inside me at all times of the day and night. I’ve even become used to the size of my belly and how to walk, etc… is it really only ONE more day?
7.I am starting to feel a cross between excitement about his coming and wondering if I can handle it all….I love my girlies SO much and I have struggled even these last few weeks with feeling like I am spending enough time just loving on them. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to finish up this post and go cuddle on the couch with them while we watch Curious George. One of my last times as a Mom of two

COUNTING ON YOUR PRAYERS AND LOVING YOUR SUPPORT!
Stacy

Undeserved

 

What can I say? I am aware every day of the fact that I, Stacy, do not deserve the love that is so lavishly poured out on me...

even if I do look really cheesy in this pic...:)

First and foremost, by my Heavenly Father, whose love I cannot ever fully grasp – how wide, how long, and how deep is His love! His love reaches to the heavens. His deep calls to my deep. Everyday I have the chance to drink in new mercies and to live a day that will bring me closer to Him and bring glory to His name.

Secondly, by my family and friends. I have a husband who has loved on me every step of the way of this pregnancy, and two beautiful, fun, and fabulous girlies who bring me joy and delight every day. I believe I have the best friends anyone could ever be blessed with – couples who love my dear hubby and I just the way we are, and girlfriends who care deeply about me. These women encourage me, love me, and pray for me in this journey of life.

SO….that being said, I wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who has loved us through this pregnancy – it has been a journey - NOTE: it's a rather lengthy post, but I wanted to make sure to include all I could remember.

1.Thank you to everyone who helped to plan, put together, and organize our baby shower on February 17th. It was a VERY fun afternoon, and I LOVED all of the wonderful decorations (especially the cute football field Trace!) and the food. A special thank-you to the ladies (Tracers, Andrea, Jess, Lindsay) who gave up time on their Sunday to show-up early to set-up and decorate and a big thank-you to Lindsay and her husband for helping to organize and provide all of those tables and chairs!! Thank you to Nickle-Pickle for her amazing macaroni and cheese, and everyone else who brought food to share that day. Thank you to all of the families who showed up to support us, and those who supported us even in their absence. It was a perfect baby shower for us, and we were blessed with so many things that we needed.
2.Thank you to my Sisterchicks for SUPER surprising me with an amazing diaper and wipes shower. These chickies brought me sugar-free treats to munch on (thanks girls!) balloons to decorate the house (my girlies have been LOVING the ballons, by the way) and enough diapers and wipies to last us for a while. And even though I was in my pajamas (like I said, I was very surprised) and my house was less than perfect, these ladies still loved on me in such a special way. Thanks to ALL of you for giving up Monday night time with your families to come and surprise me.
3. A BIG Thank-you to Andrea for the use of her highchair and swing for our little guy, and another BIG thank-you to Jen for letting us use your bassinet and other various baby things. Also, to Linds, Jules, and Brand as you have lent me maternity clothes to cover my belly in all of its various sizes.
4.Thank you to all of our doctors, nurses, and specialists who have helped us through nine months of first trimester super-sickness, second/third trimester gestational diabetes, and every other part of this hormonal time. It is safe to say that I truly adore my OB, Dr Mystie Johnson, and her staff has been more than kind to me.
5. Thank you to all of my friends who have encouraged me that I can have this little boy and be OK with being a Mommy to a boy as well as girls.
6. Thank you to the WONDERFUL offers of help - Miss Angela has offered to do everything from painting in my house to watching the girls when I went into labor! You rock Angela!
7.So many others I’m sure I’m not even putting down…my bloggity friends like Tab who have been so encouraging...others who have sent their love and prayers from afar...Carmen, Scott, Margo....and I'm QUITE sure they are more that I am missing.

Tick, Tock...

Well, they called me this morning with my time for Friday.....

Are you ready for this? 10:00 o clock

P.M. At night....

Craziness! I told the nurse I was going to probably keel over this Friday from the sheer anticipation of having to wait until 10:00 p.m that night.

I understand though. My OB wants to be there to deliver, so it needs to be after office hours and it has to work with the hospital's schedule as well.

AND....I have to call at 9:00 p.m. to make sure that they can still get me in at that time, because the hospital may be too full to take me (LOTS o babies being born I suppose). If the hospital IS too full, then I will be rescheduled for another time this weekend.

With the time being so late, there is very good chance that baby Joshua won't be a leap year baby after all, although I did deliver my last daughter within an hour of being induced, so it's hard to tell...

It's hard to tell, all the way around, exactly what will happen. Thank you ALL for your continued prayers and love. The adrenaline is definitely going and flowing for me, and I am forcing myself to slow down instead of speed up as we get closer.

Today the girls and I dropped off some items at Salvation Army and took the van to be washed and cleaned. Later tonight my dear hubby will install the car seat base and we will do some housecleaning.

I'll get the swing tomorrow and the bassinet sometime this week. I've been washing, scrubbing, and disinfecting everything in sight. (I know my friend Brandie can appreciate this one)

I have my bag packed, the diaper bag packed, and an working on a schedule and grocery shopping for the girls while we're away.

Oh,and sleep, guess I need to schedule that in too. I'll savor my last few days of a full night for a while....

We Have A Date!

My OB’s first words to me today were “We’re inducing you next week. How does Friday sound?” Although she’s not sure all of the reasons why our son is so big (she seems surprised that the diabetes would be playing a big part, as my blood sugar has been well-controlled by diet), but in any case, she doesn’t want him to have to be cut out via C-section

…and believe me, I don’t either…..

so we will be inducing sometime on Friday, February 29th. It sounds like it will be late afternoon or early evening, but I won’t know an exact time until Monday. I am also dilated to two centimeters already, so if labor happens this week, we will obviously just let it come.

I think I felt a little overwhelmed at first – one week away. Both of my girls were born about a week before their due date, so knowing that I will be induced at 37 weeks feels so early to me.

My parents may or may not be back in town, as they are still in Texas, where my Grandma is still hanging on, although not doing well overall (thank you ALL for your prayers, by the way). But knowing in advance that they will induce on that date gives us the chance to set up some childcare for the girls, and gives my dear hubby a chance to notify his school and our church about taking some time-off.

We have gotten many of the projects on my to-do list crossed off, and we will focus on the essentials this week – packing my suitcase, posting pictures of his nursery on the blog (okay, okay, so that may not be essential, but the room does look cute!), and possibly getting the van and the carpets cleaned.

More importantly, we will pray and ask God to cover us and be with us every step of the way as we prepare for baby Joshua’s arrival. Lord, please give me wisdom, and may our family bring glory to You and Your name, as we prepare to bring this miracle into the world.

We appreciate all of your prayers and support more than you know – everyone from family, to our amazing friends, and to all of my bloggity friends as well.

I will post more once I know an exact time, etc…. the countdown begins now!

Also, my dear hubby has exactly one week to pick a middle name for our son. I think he’s decided on one, but I’m still having fun giving him a hard time and offering bogus
suggestions (I should probably stop though – what if he actually picks Artimus or Leo?...hee,hee)

36 Weeks And Waiting....

Hello All! Just wanted to give you a 36 week update. I tried to get a picture of my big belly, but was unsuccessful. Trust me, my tummy has continued to grow in size. The OB specialist I saw on Tuesday commented “that really is a big belly for a small lady”. If the OB thinks I’m big, I must be a sight to behold. But I can’t really behold myself sooo…I must rely on other’s comments and reactions.
That’s Ok – I’ve still got my natural cuteness to fall back on….ha,ha,ha….

*Ahem*

Anyway, I went and had a follow-up growth ultrasound at the Arizona Perinatal Care Center, and while our boy had his hands in front of his handsome face the entire time, my dear hubby and I got to see plenty of other body parts, looking healthy and strong. Joshua’s heartbeat is strong, my amniotic fluid is measuring great, and he is in the head down position (this is something I already knew because I can feel it), ready to go.

They measured his size on Tuesday and it turns out by their best estimate, Joshua is weighing in at 8lbs, 5 oz. And this is at 36 weeks!!

So, my brief talk with the OB specialist after the ultrasound revealed three things:
1.My son is big
2.He (the OB specialist) feels they will induce me sometime soon
3.I will talk with my personal OB during my appointment TODAY to figure out when that might be (this is because it took a few days for the results to get from one office to the next)

My blood sugar has been well-controlled by diet, so while my gestational diabetes is playing a part in the baby’s size, he could also just be naturally big.

I have been in pure TORNADO mode for the last week and a half, and I am finally at that point where I feel like if I have to be ready sometime soon, I can be.

There are, of course, a few more things on my list, but if they don’t get done, it will be alright. Except for the bassinet – have to find time this week to grab that from my friend Jen……and maybe the swing too, from my friend Andrea, and get the van cleaned, and the carpet cleaned….etc

I will let everyone know what my OB says at my appointment this afternoon. :)

Prayers Please.....

Some of you may know that my Dad has been back and forth between Arizona and Texas many times this past year, as he has been helping to care for my Grandma Icie. She is in her late eighties and not in good health. He went two weeks ago to care for her in the hospital with pneumonia. Surprisingly (it was pretty bad according to the doctors) she rallied and recovered, and my Dad made all the arrangements to move her over to a nearby nursing home. I talked with her several times by phone, and although she seemed confused at times in our conversation, she still had her spunk and was optimistic and feeling good overall.
Last night, he received a call that she was back in the hospital, and the nurse on duty told my Dad that she was not expected to make it through the night. She has kidney failure, and her old body is just not going to recover.
My Dad took the first flight out this morning, and thankfully, she did make it through the night, and my Dad is with her now. My Mom took a flight out this afternoon to go and be with my Dad. We are told to expect a phone call sometime in the next 48 hours, and my parents will be there for an undetermined amount of time (a week more or less).
Although I have peace about my Grandma’s passing, and I confident that she will go to be with Jesus, I will still grieve her loss from this world, and my own inability to go and be with family as they make preparations for a funeral, etc.
The hardest for me is watching my Dad grieve so much and so hard. He was very close to his Mom, and he has been an emotional wreck since he received that phone call last night.
Please pray for my parents as they go and deal with all the week will hold ahead, and for us, as we pray and support and grieve from afar.
There is also the possibility that I will have a baby before my parent’s return, and I know that they felt torn about not being able to be here. Please pray for our family, as we accept God’s timing and make alternate plans for child-care, etc. “just in case”
Here is a picture of my brother and I with my Grandma in December 2006. We took the girls to go and meet Grandma that year. I’m so thankful she got the chance to meet them!

 

Here is my Grandma with Lorelin during that same vist.

 

Valentines: The Warm-Up Blog

Well, it’s that time of year again – my favorite time of year. Time for VALENTINES!!!!!!!

I love everything about this holiday, and although I enjoy the romance I share with my husband now (and the special story we share…that’s another blog), I have loved Valentine’s Day since I was young.

I used to get the Highlights magazine in the mail, and every year I would do EVERY suggested Valentine’s craft inside. I also made a homemade Valentine’s card for my school-teacher - which, since I was home-schooled, was my Mom - but I did it anyway, just because I thought it was FUN!

When I started my job at Hallmark at the age of seventeen, I loved the fact that there were literally rows and rows of cards for me to look at, and aisle after aisle of Valentines “stuff” to buy. I loved helping the bewildered boyfriends and husbands who rushed in the day before or the day of looking for something to give their girlfriends and wives. As a matter of fact, we had longer lines during Valentines Day than we did at Christmas!

On a deeper note: For me - Valentines Day has always represented a day that I remember my Savior’s deep, wide, amazing, overwhelming, and intimate love for me. And because of HIS great love, I am able to love others. Simple as that. The fact that I love the hearts, and the glitter, and the chocolate doesn’t hurt either…. {smile}

Valentines: The Party

So because of my o-so-great love of this Valentines holiday, some friends of mine agreed to let me plan a Valentine’s Day party for our kiddos. My dear, dear friend Lindsay agreed to host at her house, and everyone else pitched in to bring food, decorations, cookies etc.

 

I brought my guitar and we had some music time with the kids, singing, of course, all about love (God’s love for us and our love for each other). My friend Julie brought a Valentines book that she read to the kids, and my friend Brandie brought cookies, which the kids decorated with sprinkles and icing. The kids had a messy, but yummy time decorating and eating their cookies.

 

We then had the kids decorate some bags with stickers - here's Loreline with hers!

 

We then delivered Valentines to each bag. My girls’ favorite Valentines were the red hearts with sweetheart candy in them, courtesy of adorable baby Jett and his Mom, Missy
And although there was the usual skirmishes between the kiddos (mostly having to do with which person had which toy first…), there were also lots of sweet hugs and kisses too.

 

We ended the morning with a peanut-butter-and jelly lunch for the kids. My girls have both continued to talk about their “very fun Valentines party”, and I loved participating with my girlies in the morning of fun!

The Contraction Machine

I’ve definitely had my share of those tight, squeezy, painful moments lately.

I contracted often and early (at nineteen weeks to be exact) during my last pregnancy with Lorelin, and was put on some medication to help control them. Anyway, this pregnancy has been a little different in that department – no real contractions to speak of, save a few Braxton-Hicks here and there.

That all changed on Saturday, February 2nd, when I started off my day with grocery shopping. I took both the girls by myself, and had SO many contractions in the store that I found myself stopping the cart at every isle, and basically just trying to “get through” my shopping as quickly as possible.

I knew it was more contractions than I normally had, but I told myself it was because I had attempted a shopping trip alone, where I had to lift kids up and out of the cart, bend down to get things, etc.. I cam home, put the groceries away, and laid down for a nap when the girls did that afternoon.

My dear hubby came home from his morning of church responsibilities, and although I contracted on and off throughout the afternoon, he took of any “heavy lifting” and encouraged me take it easy with lots of water on the couch.

The evening rolled around, and my dear hubby and I went to watch a UFC event at our friends Dan and Kelly’s house. From the moment the event started, I realized that my contractions had kicked into a new gear. They were definitely becoming more painful and closer together. I spent my evening drinking water, trying to find a comfy position on my chair, and running to the bathroom. We didn’t get home until around 11:00 p.m., at which point I actually started to time the contractions.

They were consistently five minutes apart, and I knew that although I DIDN’T want to, we needed to head toward the hospital. So, my Mom camped out on the couch (she was already there anyway to babysit), we packed up and carefully wound our way to the Emergency Room at Estrella Banner Medical Center.

The ER was a sight to behold – I thankfully did not have to spend more than a few minutes in there before I was sent back around to OB triage. (those were some poor SICK people – all manner of coughing, sneezing, and throwing-up……I wanted those germs far away from me!!)

In OB triage, our super-nice nurse, Amy, got me hooked up to a monitor, and commented that sure enough, I was having nice, strong contractions close together. She called the OB on call, and gave me a shot of terbutaline in the arm. After some more monitoring to make sure the contractions had stopped, we headed home around 4:00 a.m. in the morning.

My dear hubby got up at 7:00 a.m. to lead worship for church the next morning, and although I had to drop off supplies at the church, I did so in my pajamas and promptly came home. We spent Super Bowl Sunday at home, sleeping…

Although I did have to make one MORE trip to OB triage that next Monday afternoon, I am thankful to report that since that time, my contractions have calmed down to their more occasional pattern.

A Week "Off"?

So, my week of abstaining from internet use was a lot tougher than I thought. And I am going to admit to you that I cheated a few times in order to send and/or check some e-mails.

And I wish I could tell you that my times of intense prayer with my husband were wonderful and fulfilling. But to be honest, our week was intense with home projects and when we sat down to pray together we were usually either really cranky or really tired (or both!). 

I look back and believe that I have no-one to blame but myself for that. God desires to know us intimately, to listen to us, and to have us know Him. The fact that I gave him my “leftover” energy, instead of the best parts of my day, shows me that I still have some work to do in my goal to make quiet time/prayer time a priority in my life.

And yes, we still have no “super-clear” answers about some of the things we’ve been praying about – things like selling our house (to move where? Good question….), things like our current work within the church, and yes, do we still want and/or are we called to move out-of-state?

These things are all on our heart, but our thoughts and actions are definitely in this moment, where I am 35 weeks pregnant, with projects needing completion before this little one’s birth.

Thank you for your prayers and understanding during my week “off”.

A Quick Break

To my dearest bloggity friends....
As my hubby and I pray about some decisions that God is leading us through, I will be taking a break from blogging and internet for exactly one week. If I don't check in on your blogs or leave comments this is why....please don't give up on me. I'll be writing my "posts" on a Word document so that I can post lots when I get back!!! Thank you for your prayers!

Safety Bubbles & Your Neighbor

Don't you hate it when something happens that breaks into your personal bubble of "safety"? I remember how violated I felt when my dear hubby's and mine's first car was stolen TWICE and broken into TWICE at the apartment complex we lived in as newlyweds (a word of advice - if you have a Saturn, please make sure to invest in an alarm system....:)
So, this afternoon, there's a ding-dong at the door, and my dear hubby opens it to find a young woman (looked to be in her early to mid twenties). We immediately assume she's a salesman..er...saleswoman...of some kind, but she introduces herself as our neighbor - a single lady living down at the end of our street. She was knocking on doors just to inform her neighbors that her house was broken into yesterday. There was a neighbor next door who saw the car, and perhaps the suspects, but didn't know that anything was wrong. They broke in through her front door and then opened her garage to cart away her valuables.
We expressed our surprise and our sympathy, and she expressed a desire to "get to know" her neighbors better, so that we could start to keep an eye out for anything suspicious going on.
The sad part is that she has lived in her house down at the end of the street for as long as we have lived in our house - five years. And we've never met or seen her before. There is nowhere to point the finger except myself. I'm ashamed to say that I've never taken the time or the opportunity to deliver Christmas cookies to my street or to foster that sense of community that I so long for.
I may not be a big fan of Phoenix, and yes, things like this make me want to pick up and move somewhere "safer" as fast as I can. But....in the meantime, while God has planted me here - I want to be a light to my neighbors.
Lord, move in me, fill me, enable me to be that light....

Well-Read Wednesdays

Well, I have decided to try to add another weekly dose of fun – a day where I can briefly talk about a book or two. Most of you who know me know that I LOVE to read ALL kinds of different books, so this should be fun...especially for me...:)If I get organized enough, I’d love to do some book give-a-ways as well.

Having young ones around has made me very interested in finding high quality children’s books, so today I’m going to talk about two of MY favorite children's books.

The first is called “I’d Be Your Princess” by Kathryn O'Brien.

 

I found this book on a 50% Christmas sale at Berean. The girls helped to wrap it, and then gave it to their Daddy on Christmas morning. I LOVE the amazing illustrations in this book – very rich, colorful, and engaging.

And even more, I LOVE the story. It is a conversation between a Father and his daughter that begins each page with, “If I were a princess…” And on each page, the Father talks to his daughter about all of the Godly traits that would make her the perfect princess. There is a Bible verse listed on the bottom of each page that correlates to the trait talked about (i.e.. “You are very generous and kind” with Gal. 5:13 – “Serve one another in love”)

The girls beg their Daddy to read this book to them often, and he has often told me that he chokes back a few tears as he reads it to them. This book would be a great Father’s Day present or just one to add to your little girl’s library.

BTW…they have one for Moms and their sons, called, “I’d Be Your Hero.” And yes, I will be getting a copy for my own son - I can’t wait!

 

The next book is called “You’re All My Favorites” by Sam McBratney.

 

This has been MY current story to read because it is the simple, but wonderfully told, story about three baby bears who decide to ask their Mom and Dad, “Which one of us is your favorite?” And the Mommy and Daddy affirm each and every baby bear and tell them why they are ALL their favorites!!

I especially love this one because the three baby bears remind me of own soon-to-be three little ones, and just like the story, they are ALL my favorites! The picture below has it shown with the stuffed animals that can be bought with the book (my Mom bought them for our family...thanks Mom!) This book is SO incredibly sweet, and one the girls ask for VERY often

“Will you read it again, Mommy?” “Again? Ok, one more time [smile]…”

I’m always looking for great new children’s books to add to the Smith library…so please tell me, what’s one of your favorites - and you don’t have to have kiddos to answer…like many of you, I loved children's books before I had children to read to!

The "List"

As baby Joshua's birth moves ever closer, my brain moves ever faster, and my list of "projects" that I want to get done before his birth gets ever longer. Also, the house is starting to seem smaller and smaller, as the thought of having three kids in our less than 1500 sq ft house is starting to make me feel slightly panicked (I know of several other ladies who have dealt with three kids with even less room, so I know I'll be OK). So, in an effort to get my thoughts out there, I share with you a portion of "The List"
1. Clean out middle bedroom - we're about 3/4 done with this one
2. Paint middle bedroom and possibly master bedroom - we have a guy coming to give us a quote for what he would charge to paint both rooms. If it's too expensive, we'll just paint baby Josh's room ourself and put ours on hold.
3. Decorate nursery - we have Joshua's crib set already. I found this ADORABLE Pottery Barn Dinosaur crib set on Craig's List (I took a picture of the quilt that came wit the set....see below) It was actually in Utah, but the owner was willing to ship to me. I got for it for a GREAT price too - cut stuff at a good price - it makes me happy!

 

4. Get the girls a big-girl bed for their room - I have had a very frustrated search on Craigs List for a white wooden trundle bed. I have found some online and in the store, but I'm trying to avoid paying $600 for it. We need to move the crib and toddler bed out though.....so the search continues
5. FILE TAXES!!! - This one is really important to me. Since my hubby is self-employed, getting all the information together to file our taxes is sometimes a big job. We have a great CPA who does the heavy lifting for us, but again, beacuase we are self-employed we have to pay all of our taxes, etc. that my dear hubby has been saving all year long. I'm ready to know exactly where we stand with the dear ol' IRS.
6. Put in new flooring in kitchen and bathrooms - This one will happen if we get a return on our taxes (which thanks to the Economic Stimulus Package passing, we will get a return of some kind). We are looking to hire a private party to put in wood laminate in the kitchen and washroom and put tile in the bathrooms.
7. Clean out garage - Yup, I want it staight and clean. Right now it's a definite mess. Don't have a total reason as to why this is so important to me, except for nesting reasons.
8. Get girls spring wardrobe - I usually start buying in February to get the girls' spring wardrobe going. This year I would really like it ALL done before the baby comes, because I know I'm NOT brave enought to shop with a preschooler, a toddler, and a newborn. :)

Well, that's it, the BIG stuff that I want to get done before Joshua is born. I don't know if I'll go full-term or be induced early, and this only increases the urgency in my mind.

I read the Bible story to the girls last night about Jesus commanding the wind and waves to "Peace-be still". Today K-Bug told me, "Does Mommy need to be still?" And, I told her, "Oh, yes, Mommy needs to be still too"

Lord, help me to be still before you, and commit this "list" to you!

I Am.....

Soooo incredibly tired. I don’t know if it’s just pregnancy at 33 weeks, my gestational diabetes (although my blood sugar is currently holding pretty steady), if my iron might be low again, or if my body is just trying to recover from this past week. It was one of our busiest to date. Here’s a quick overview –

1.We took the girls to the zoo and Rainforest Café’ on Martin Luther King Jr Day since my dear hubby had the day off. It was busy (and boy did my feet hurt from all that walking at the zoo!) but LOTS of fun!
2.I had TWO doctor’s appointments – one with the specialist for the diabetes and tummy check with my regular OB.
3.THREE different shopping trips – one to Wal-Mart, one to Sprouts, and one to Costco. All of them were for much needed groceries.
4.We also went on Friday to look at a trundle bed for the girls room that I found on Craig’s List. It turned out not to be what we needed, but that’s OK
5.Saturday was a baby shower (that I was helping to plan) and Sunday was full with church and an afternoon birthday party…..WHEW!!!

Interestingly, one of mine and my dear hubby’s goals for 2008 is to be more intentional about slowing down. We’ve decided to do that by actually scheduling weekends on our calendar where we write the word “NOTHING” in bold, black letters. And then, we simpy say “No” to 99% of things that are going on that weekend. It’s been a little tough for me, as I have had to say “No” to more than my share of offers, but it’s been SO incredibly good for us too. We’ve already scheduled two nothing weekends in February, wrapped on both sides of two weekends packed full of events.

Slowing down is good – and this week is nice and open, with no events in site……maybe I’ll go and take a nice, long, hot shower, and put my fuzzy slippers on (and maybe even blog a bit more than I have been!)

Ahhhh……rest……

Diabetes Update

So, today was the day that I went for my “diabetic education” appointment over at Arizona Perinatal Care Center. I arrived at the office at the o-dark-thirty hour of 7:00 a.m.After filling out large amounts of paperwork, I quietly waited in the office (while looking at my scrapbooking magazines – thanks Trace!!) until my name was called.
The first order of the morning was a Level II ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was very sweet, and super enthusiastic about my “big, beautiful belly!” She loved the fact that the baby was all out-front, because, in her words “Oh, these pictures are just SOOO clear and beautiful!” She talked to me the entire time and told me exactly what she was taking measurements of, etc. Everything came back completely healthy and normal – great heart, healthy lungs, normal head shape/size, etc. I also had her give me up-close pictures of our little guy’s private part – just wanted to make sure that “he” was really a “he”. Sure enough, there’s no doubt he is ALL boy!

 

We also got this great picture of his very cute little foot…..

 

From the ultrasound room, I went into an office, where I sat with a dietician for my “diabetes education”. Val was another very nice lady, with lots of good information. She walked me through a meal plan, and showed me how to use my new glucose monitor (ouch! It’s a quick prick with a tiny little needle, but it does hurt) and showed me how to fill out all of my weekly eating charts. I will send my charts, showing food consumption and my blood sugar readings, into their office weekly (by fax) so that the dietician can keep track of all that’s going on body-wise with me.

Finally, I went to one more office to have a consult with Dr. Petron. A friendly and professional man, he told me that the only concern was the baby’s overall size, with the baby measuring at 35 weeks already (the ultrasound tech had told me this earlier in the morning). I was 32 weeks yesterday. He said that if this little guy were to go full-term, he could weigh in at close to 10 pounds!

Although he said that the diabetes was a factor, he also said that the baby could also just be “a big, burly boy.” The concern for a small woman like myself is that I won’t be able to push out a baby quite that big.

So, in the doctor’s words, the “handwriting is kind-of on the wall” for a possible early inducement, with the hopes of avoiding any kind of C-section. I will return to Arizona Perinatal Care Center in exactly four weeks for another ultrasound and doctor consult.

The doctor said it really was too early to make any kind of final decisions or predictions, so I guess for now, I will eat healthy, poke often (again, ouch!) and see two sets of doctors (my regular OB and the OB specialist) over the next few weeks.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your love. God has the precious boy right in the palm of His hand, and I am at peace with my big God being fully in control.

Monday Moment (on Tuesday)

Just wanted to share a smile and an "awww!" moment you today..

 

You might be a three-year old preschooler named K-Bug if you –
1.Walk through the grocery store calling, “Sour cream, sour cream, where arrrrre yoou?”
2.Offer to let Mommy wear your Tinker-bell panties – “and I’ll wear the pony panties, Mom.”
3.Use your imagination to be a purple kitty, a brown puppy, or a baby tiger (your favorite) - all in one afternoon
4.Can’t pick up your toys because “it might be too scary” [nice try, kiddo]
5.Like to tell the same joke over and over again to EVERYONE - “What’s a pirate’s favorite letter? Arrrrr! {R}” – and then laugh hysterically at the joke yourself
6.Enjoy wearing large pink boots, a red fire-hat, and completing the ensemble with a colored wand
7.Dance and sing your way through the entire day
8.Love to play with your sister (even if you a *little* bit bossy sometimes) and teaching her how to use the potty
9.Offer to share your “flakes cereal” with baby Joshua after he is born – Note: K-Bug doesn’t like her flakes cereal very much, but it was cute to hear her try to pass it off to the baby
10.Bring joy, hugs, smile, laughter and music into our lives every day!!

Monday Moments...

It’s Monday again….time to smile, time to laugh, and time to slow down and see the humor in life around us.
“Fire & Water”
Ok, so I admit that I have had a few “oven” incidents in my years a cook. And we’re not talking about burning toast either. However, due to the Lord’s grace and working smoke alarms there have never been any situations that require the fire department….

However, a few months ago, I was cooking dinner and talking to my sister on the phone at the same time. I had a steak that I was broiling in the oven, so I slid it on the top rack, and continued my conversation.

Little did I know, SOMEONE (we won’t say who…but it might have been someone’s whose name starts with an S and ends in tacy.) had moved the oven rack up a rung or two, so the steak – which was quite thick – was pressed up against the coils.

I turned from my vegetable chopping to see large amounts of smoke pouring out from the stove’s back burner. Cracking the door open, I could see that the top layer of meat was um…baking….. with flames dancing happily away.

Hey, everyone loves barbecue, right?

“I’ve gotta go! The steak’s on fire!” I yelled into the phone.

I hung up to the sound of my sister’s laughter ringing in my ears.

Thankfully, with the oven off, the flames quickly died down, and I was able to salvage the rest of the dinner, even though my family refused to eat the black meat on the top…..I told them that charcoal aids in digestion, but no dice...

I didn’t need any water to put out my little “steak fire”, but if I did my friend Nicole would have had plenty to spare.

This little incident happened just last week, as I was visiting one of my dearest and bestest friends (and her cutie-patootie son).

She had made me a snack (she always knows what to feed me to make me feel GREAT!) and had asked if I wanted something to drink.

“Just a glass of water….thanks”

Realizing that their water cooler was empty, she headed out to the garage for a new five gallon jug. She removed the empty jug, and heaved the full bottle onto her hip. She was getting to make the final “swing” that would put the container into it’s new resting place, when her grip slipped and the container fell onto the wood laminate floor.

It bounced once, then, it happened….. a giant crack which soon become a giant split and then, “GA-BOOSH!!!” – five gallons of water rushed over the floor, under the table, and behind the refrigerator, and over our bare feet.

Now drenched in water up to her ankles, Nickle-Pickle quickly rushed to the garage for the handy-dandy Wet & Dry shop-vac. She called her husband to inform him of the situation (“I flooded the kitchen!”) and then set about plugging in and turning on the blue canister vacuum.

With a giant whir, the machine roared to life, and we proceeded to watch the vacuum slurp water down it’s giant black tube. The only problem was that the slurping quickly turned to sipping….it simply wasn’t sucking much up. Looking behind her to see the problem, we saw a giant lather of foam had been squirting out the back of the vacuum and all over her kitchen counters, floor, etc.

At this point, we lost it. I had to sit down to stabilize my pregnant belly, completely shaking with laughter. Nickle-Pickle had to lean on a counter to hold herself up. Once we regained composure, we mopped up the rest of the water with beach towels, and left her floor sparkling clean.

Now, although you might be doubting my ability to broil things in the oven, or Nickle-Pickle’s ability to sling large jugs of water, rest assured that it is our pleasure (thanks for the help Nickle-Pickle!) to bring a smile to your face today! Blessings!

Pregnancy Update - 30 Weeks

 

Ok, so I’m not technically 30 weeks yet, but I will be next Monday, so I thought I would just go for the nice, round number and take it from there.

As you can see, my belly has swollen to sizes that would make Farmer Brown’s Melon farm mighty proud – it is huge! Everywhere I go, people ask the natural “When are you due?” question, and I’ve almost gotten to the point of expecting them to be completely taken aback when I tell them that I’m not due until March!

Yes, people, hang on to you hats – in all likelihood, I will get bigger!

In other news, I took my normal glucose test a few weeks ago and failed, causing me to be sent for the longer, three-hour glucose test, which I took last week. My doctor’s office called me this past Tuesday to tell me that I had failed that test too – which means I am officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

What does that all mean? I’m not exactly sure yet. They gave me some information on the phone, asking me to come in for yet another blood draw, informing me that my days of eating sugar were officially over (for now), and that I would be sent for some “diabetes education” in the near future.

I did some research online, and have been trying to follow a five mini meals, low-carb, no sugar, high protein diet. I definitely have noticed that my mornings have been rough the past week or so – I wake up feeling sick, light-headed, and sometimes dizzy to the point of whiting-out (or feeling like I might pass out). Now that I know this diagnosis, it’s making sense to me that my blood sugar is probably taking a not-so-pleasant dip first thing in the morning. I’m going to try to eat some protein (like raw almonds) first thing in the morning, and then make sure that I get a good breakfast.

Thankfully, it sounds like I have a rather mild form of the diabetes, and although I will be subject to more tests (and MANY more blood draws) it sounds as though I can control it through diet and some mild exercise. I will know more after my regular OB appointment this afternoon.

I was also diagnosed a few weeks ago with some anemia, but some iron added to my daily pre-natal has definitely helped with that.

Otherwise, my little monkey of a baby is busy rolling and kicking most of the time.

Oof! There he goes right now…

As much as I have some discomfort, I am so thankful for a growing, healthy baby boy. I ask for your prayers for a continued healthy pregnancy, even as I manage the new diagnosis of the diabetes.

Christmas Recap - Part 1

I am still here – just been SOOO super busy that I have either fallen asleep before I could blog or just not had the chance to get to my computer. The last few weeks (and especially the last few days) before Christmas seemed to descend on our family like a snowstorm – and the flurries are just now clearing up…  Here’s just a quick snapshot of what the Smith family has been up to.

Christmas was WONDERFUL, just very busy. We did special outings with my Mother-in-law, a gag gift party for my Father-in-law’s side of the family, a Christmas Eve service at church (where my dear hubby led the music), multiple Christmas parties…whew!

We spent all of Christmas Eve day with my family as my sister and her husband had headed down all the way from Okahoma to be with us. SOOO much fun!!

 

We opened presents late that night, with both of the girlies taking a late afternoon/early evening nap so that they could stay up for the presents (although adrenilene might have carried them through… K-Bug got the dollhouse she had been asking for, and Lorelin got this great Little Einstein’s play-set.

 

Being 2 ½ and 3 ½ they responded to EVERY gift with wonder and excitement – even if it wasn’t for them {grin}.

“Wow, Mommy, your new book is SOOO cool!”
“Yook at this Daddy! It’s- a -SHIRT!!”

We then spent Christmas morning at my dear hubby’s sister’s house, where the girlies were like little ping-pong balls, with our now teenaged (and one pre-teen) niece and nephews playing it cool as they opened their gifts. (when does that happen to us??) Stil, it was great to see them all and we had a great time. Here are the girlies with their cousin Alison.

 

Then it was back to my family’s house for dinner and stockings with my sis and her hubby and my parents. And then, we finally rested………

It's 3:00 a.m. Do you know where your Elmo is?

 

Here is a true Monday Moment – it happened just last night. I was up last night (or this morning) at 2:00 a.m. with HORRIBLE pregnancy heartburn. I took as many Tums as I could and drank a few glasses of water. I was flipping thru some informericals and had just turned them off to settle down with some of my Bible reading when I heard it.

The voice.

It took me by surprise and I jumped, causing my unborn son to wiggle and kick inside of me for the next few minutes.

I heard it again – a high-pitched voice, somewhat faint, but very clear.

“Let’s try and use the potty! Hee,hee,hee,hee!”

I realized then what it was. We had bought K-Bug this Elmo potty book with the push buttons when she was potty training last year. We had started to use the book again for Lorelin, and had left it placed by the training potty for her easy access reading.However, K-Bug had an unfortunate pee-pee accident on Sunday, which left the Elmo book, shall we say, drenched. Not being able to save the book, I had thrown it in the trash. Apparently all of the dampness had now caused the book’s batteries to go crazy, so that Elmo’s voice was speaking without any of the buttons needing to be pushed.

I laid on the couch, hoping it would stop.

“Let’s-try-and-use-the-potty!Let’s-try-and-use-the- potty!Let’s-try-and-use-the-potty! Hee,hee,hee,hee!”

Now determining that Elmo wasn’t going to stop, I waded through the trashcan until I found the book. Here I was, almost 3:00 a.m. with a endlessly talking Elmo book. I examined the slimy book and thought through my options.

The batteries on the book were button cells, with a screwdriver needed to access them, and lots of warning about mercury contamination (how did I not notice this before…this is a children’s book!) Anyway, I figured that a pregnant woman dealing with mercury in the middle of the night was NOT the way to go.

So, I placed the book directly outside the kitchen door inside of the garage. No good – I had planned to go lay down on the couch for the rest of the night (my pregnant back sometimes does better that way) and I could now clearly hear Elmo echoing throughout the entire garage.

What to do? What to do?

Thinking quickly, I grabbed up the book, opened the front door and heaved Elmo far out into the night. It landed somewhere in a bush in our yard. Closing the door, I could still hear Elmo’s voice, ringing through the night, “Let’s try and use the potty! Hee,hee,hee,hee!”

Going back to the couch, I began to laugh, and then belly laugh, about the whole episode. I could just imagine some poor person going for their morning jog being surprised by the small muppet voice coming from our yard.

I am happy to report that this morning the batteries seem to have made their final push, and the book is silent. The book will go back in the trash, and I made it through the rest of my night in peace (and even with some sleep!).

Beware the Elmo…

Christmas Questions...

Happy Friday everyone! I decided to take a a few minutes to answer this fun questionairre about Christmas traditions and preferences.Enjoy!
1. When do you put up your Christmas tree? Usually a day or two after Thanksgiving.
2. Favorite Christmas Goodie: Hmmm…that’s a toughie. I LOVE all of the homemade breads (especially my friend Brandie’s banana nut bread!!), but I also really love things made with peppermint. I really like peppermint bark – a combination of white chocolate and peppermint candies. YUM!!!!
3. Favorite Christmas Carol/Song: “Breathe Of Heaven” – it’s a beautiful song that is sung from the point of Mary as she contemplates being a Mother to Jesus.
4. Least Favorite Christmas Carol/Song: Ok, I’ve already blogged about this one. “I Want A Hippopotomus For Christmas” Nuff said…
5. Do you like egg nog? I LOVE the stuff! My dear hubby and I used to buy it by the gallon when we were first married – we’ve since slowed down a little. I also like the Egg Nog Lattes at Starbucks….mmmmmm
6. Oddest Christmas Present You’ve Ever Received: This is a very tough one, as my lovable Meemaw (my Mom’s Mom) never fails to disappoint in this area. Last year, she gave me multicolored granny panties (that were WAY too big) and some powder from Walgreens…definitely an odd combo
7. Best Christmas Present You’ve Ever Received: From the same woman, no less, a large amount of money (I won’t say how much…let’s just say it was jaw dropping) written in a large check – it was such a blessing to my hubby and I that Christmas. There was also a year that my hubby did a princess theme to all of my presents – it was so fun and special!
8. Most Memorable Childhood Christmas Present: Probably my rollerblades or my Debbie Gibson “Electric Youth” perfume!!
9. Favorite Color of Christmas Lights: White/Clear
10. Tree- real or artificial? My family had always done artificial, then when I married Bri we did real (like his family always had). Then last year, my Mom bought us an artificial tree with the lights on, so we’ve used that last year and this year. So, I guess my answer is I’m using artificial, but I prefer real. Love that smell!
11. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We open just our immediate family’s presents (us and the girls) on Christmas Eve and then do dual celebrations with both sides of the family on Christmas Day.
12. One of YOUR family’s favorite Christmas traditions - past or present Hmm….
Past - it would have to be making gingerbread men. My Mom would let us decorate them with all kinds of candies, raisins, and icing and then we would spend one whole day delivering them to family and friends. I LOVED it!
Present - Spending time with just our own immediate family on Christmas Eve, always eating chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese for dinner that night (that’s what my dirt poor hubby and I did our first Christmas Eve together – and that’s what we’ve had every year since…) and reading the Christmas story together as a family. There are several other traditions that I’d like to start as the kiddos get a little older too.
I am tagging ALL of my bloggity friends - Carmen,Jen,Tabitha,Lindsay,Tracy,Andrea,Jen,Brandie,Scott,Crock-Pot Mom, Nickle-Pickle, and Jules (and EVERYONE else) to post their answers to the questionairre on their blogs - can't wait to hear about your own Christmas traditions!

Christmas Smiles

As I started to sit down to type this post this afternoon, I could hear K-Bug out in the hallway (she often naps there in the afternoon) reading books to herself. She had opened one of our books about The Christmas Story, and was re-telling in vivid deatail about Mary,Joseph, baby Jesus, the sheperds, and the angels (she especially likes the angels). I had to smile to myself as I heard her telling the amazing story of Christ's birth through her preschool mind-set.
My Mom blessed us with an AMAZING Nativity set this year too - it's Fisher Price, and all the pieces are bright and fun and most of all, NOT breakable. Both girls spend time each day playing with their "Na-tivvy set" (na-ti-vity set is kind of a mouthful...:) Somteimes the baby Jesus ends up riding in the back of a wagon pulled by a sheep (when Lorelin's playing), and sometimes the Wise Men will spend large amounts of time asking Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus if they'd like to come and play.....
of course, AFTER the wise men give baby Jesus their gifts of "gold, grain, and fur" (as K-Bug called it tonight. K-Bug has taken the "na-tivvy" story one step further though. After she saw a DVD telling the Christmas story a few weeks ago, K-Bug has asked me almost every day if I can help her "be Mary"

 

This task is accomplished by getting one of her blankets and placing it fully on her head (this was ALL her idea, not mine!) I found a little clip that works well for holidng the blanket in place. Then, we must wrap her "baby Jesus" in swaddling er....blankets...:) She will then carry baby Jesus from place to place lying him in various places around the house. I've even found her on her knees with her hands folded in front of her in a most reverant position. :) I love, love, LOVE the fact that my preschooler with the vivid imagination is using it to place herself in the Christmas story - it has made the story come alive for me in new ways this year.
Putting up a Christmas tree has long been one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This year the girls helped me take the ornaments out of their boxes and place them on the tree. No-one loves the Christmas tree more than Miss Lore-lin though! She absolutely ADORES the fact that there are so many different types of ornaments hanging from the branches. A few days after the tree was up, we also noticed that the ornaments seemed to keep finding new homes - moving from place to place. We've since had to keep a closer eye on Lorelin and the tree, but it's been so incredibly fun to see how much Lorelin loves this Christmas tradition. :)Here's a picture of Lorelin in front of the tree with an amazingly huge smile on her sweet pixie face (she's probably thinking about which ornament she'll try to move next! :)

 

For those dear friends and family so far away, we miss you and wish you could be here to help us make Christmas smiles in person. Until then, we hope you enjoy this pics of the smiles we've been making at home!

Dry-Part 2

 
It was a December morning (2006) at Compass Church, and our daughter was playing a sheep in the Christmas program. A chain of events had led to our pastor stepping down for what I thought was just a few months, and although I was looking to transition out of my church job, I was still currently loving every minute of it, and loving in every way my church family, and my place inside it.

I remember doing the announcements that morning with genuine excitement and joy. I remember announcing that we were having a church family meeting that evening to discuss the situation surrounding our Pastor’s current step-down and return.

The evening came, and as the meeting progressed I watched for one of the first times in my life as a few sheep of God’s family proceeded to verbally rip to shreds the man who was my co-worker, my pastor, and most of all, my friend. Something crumpled in my spirit that night, and I will not grace the months that followed with many comments except to say that it was one of the more miserable experiences of my life.

Please know that although I questioned God as to why this was happening, I didn’t blame Him ever, at all, for what happened. I didn’t even realize that I was allowing (and would allow) this wound to distance me from my Heavenly Father.

The months that followed that meeting were full of my husband and I seeking new direction from God. Some of our oldest and best friends had felt the call of God to start a church plant sometime in 2007, and they asked if we would come and be a part of it. They wanted my husband to help lead worship. We weren’t sure though, since we were strongly considering a move out-of-state to Oklahoma, where my sister and her husband both lived.

We felt like our family was ready for a big change, and so on our anniversary, March 2007, my hubby and I flew out to Norman to visit my sister and brother-in-law, look at houses, and spend some time in prayer about what then next step would be for our family. In short, we loved it, but after a LOT of prayer, we both felt that God was asking us to stay in Phoenix for now and be obedient to help start the church plant.

I can’t say I said "Yes" to the church plant with joy, though. In a way, although I knew we were obeying, I was angry at God for saying “No” to Oklahoma. Most of you who know me well know that I desire a smaller, slower pace-of-life outside of Phoenix, and have for some time. I couldn’t understand why God said “No” to such a big desire of my heart.

The river drained dry just a little more, as I allowed more distance to develop between my Lord and I.

So, in September 2007, we helped open the doors for The Way Christian Fellowship.

And my heart has been stuck in a muddy, dried-up place ever since. I am currently doing children’s ministry, which I really, really, really, don’t feel called to, and am struggling with guilt over because I just don’t enjoy it at all. I won’t stay there forever, I’m sure, but with a church so small there really is no-one else to do it. The core families’ wives that helped to start the church plant are the ones working nursery/kids right now (including the pastor’s wife) because it has to be that way. And my husband is leading worship again, but I have struggled with all of the time commitments that means – including worship band practices, extra church meetings with the pastor, and not getting to see and/or go to the church with my husband on Sunday morning.

And, looking back, I can tell you this – I MISS my church family at Compass. My original, beautiful, vibrant church family. Where I watched church softball games, and had my girls dedicated, and listened to the truth being spoken, and singing “How Great Is Our God” at the top of my lungs with both arms raised high. I miss it SO much, and pockets of my heart still ache for it.

And most of all, I miss the JOY and INTIMACY that I have always had with my Heavenly Papa.

.......I want it back.

Please pray for this season of spiritual dryness in my life.

Dry - Part 1

So many of my blog posts have happened lately while I’m on the run – running to do my errands, running to finish my grocery shopping, running to finish my housework (or start it, such as the case may be..), running to birthday parties, or Bible studies, or baby showers, or Christmas shopping… as I stay busy, I sadly often stay too busy to really even feel the impact of what effects my spiritual walk with God day by day

So, finally, on Thanksgiving, as our family was up at the cabin – away from all of my daily obligations of cleaning, laundry, etc… away from even the computer (which I admit can be a distraction), with a couple of free late hours on my hands, I found myself sitting on the back porch of our cabin, watching the moon rise over the forest, and really talking to God and allowing myself to take stock of where I am spiritually right now.

The answer.......dry

Dry as a bone. Dry like the desert….dry

And maybe for the first time in months, I allowed tears to fall about the state of my deeper heart. This is where my husband found me, on the back porch, crying.

Poor guy - he was probably thinking that the hormones were running strong in his big, pregnant wife (which I'm sure is true)

It was good though, because he grabbed a blanket too, and we were able to have a really long, and probably overdue, discussion about where both of us were spiritually.

My revelation came as we were heading back down the mountain, driving along in the van, when my hubby turned to me and asked, “So when WAS the last time that you can remember feeling vibrant, excited, and joyful about where you were with the Lord and what you were doing for him?”

And I could remember EXACTLY, down to the day, that I felt that way, and also saw for the first time the chain of events that had led me to this spiritual state of dryness. It wasn’t all at once – like pulling the drain on a sink. Instead, it was more like a river, slowly drying up, without me really realizing that it had happened.

I Want A Hippopotomus For Christmas...

I don't have a lot of time here, but my friends Scott (who cares not to listen to one more line of Feliz Navidad) and Nickle-Pickle got me to thinking about annoying Christmas carols. My own personal vote is for "I Want A Hippopotumus For Christmas" When I use to work at Hallmark, our manager made us turn it to the All-Christmas music station the day after Thanksgiving, which for you Phoenix people who know what I'm talking about, doesn't it seem like they play the EXACT same versions of every single song every single year??!! Well, that one RIDICULOUS hippo song would play over and over again and get stuck in my brain at the oddest times (like now....)
I WANT A HIPPOPOTUMUS FOR CHR-IST-MAS
ONLY A HIPPOPOTUMUS WILL DO

AHHHHH!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!

Anyway, in my own little search on the web for annoying Christmas songs, I found a writer over at a site called Platypus Comix and his own take on my friend Nickle-Pickle's personal pick of all-time annoying Christmas song, "The Christmas Shoes" I thought it was very funny...
And the WORST OFFENDER.....
#1 "THE CHRISTMAS SHOES"

AWFUL! AWFUL! AWFUL!

The newest and absolute WORST entry in the Christmas Song Collection. I can't stand it and I won't put up with it. If it comes on the radio, the radio goes OFF. If it comes on the supermarket PA system, I blow up the supermarket. No one is going to subject me to this wretched thing without a fight.

See, when you're making something Christmassy, what usually works is keeping the sentimentality subtle. This wasn't the approach when they were making "The Christmas Shoes. They were setting out to smash the audience with an emotional anvil so deadly, you'd have to be a cheerleader in Texas to have any hope of survival. "Okay, his mother's dying. No, we have to make it worse! Okay, she's dying AND they're dirt poor! NO! WORSE! They're so poor they can't even afford a lousy pair of shoes from K-Mart! And the kid is at the counter, crying because he sweetly and naively thinks she needs nice shoes to get into Heaven! Hoooo, terrible! Now we got a winner!"

As Christmas carols go, this isn't the one you'd pick to sing at your neighbor's door. It's not exactly "jolly." Many people can't make it through this song; some even break down crying whenever they hear it begin. This is a problem for all of society.

"Billy, you stay close to me and don't wander off....oh no, it's that song again....sniff, I never make it through this....OH IT'S SO SAD! BWAAAAHH HAA HAAAA!! Okay, it's over....wait, where'd my son go?"

"All right, this next part of the heart surgery is very delicate, so we have to be very fast and precise once we open this valve.....oh, The Christmas Shoes is coming on the hospital music speakers! Oh no, this always makes me cry! BWAAAAHH HA HA HA HAAAHHH!! ....Oops.....

"The Christmas Shoes" is a threat to our health and safety, and the only solution is a nationwide ban. Join me in the struggle, and together, we can make a difference.

What's your vote for most annoying Christmas song of all time?