I love this season!

It can't really be mid-November! Where has the time gone? We have had a wonderful fall thus far. I have enjoyed fall traditions more this year than ever. We have marvelled at God's handiwork in the fall leaves, made batches and batches of pumpkin muffins, and I have fallen for hot teas and a new type of coffee that I don't seem to have a funny reaction to. We have also enjoyed many nights and mornings by the fire already, both inside and outside. We have discovered that we have a wonderful place on our property for night time bonfires. We have even been out with a glass of wine to enjoy by the bonfire after the kids are tucked in. I am going to miss the fall. I can't bring myself to shop for Christmas presents right now. I don't want to miss an afternoon to enjoy these last few days of my favorite season of the year.

Above are my boys waiting patiently for Mommy and #3 to get on our Sunday accessories and get on our way to church. They were so sweet and patient and cute while they were waiting and watching me apply the lipstick and earrings, wrestle the big bow on the baby's head, find her prettiest blanket because the regular cotton one just wouldn't do, etc. I took a picture for posterity. Maybe I will show it to them one day when they are engaged and remind them of the patience that women require. PS...I cut their hair myself! I am learning slowly but surely how to be a good steward of what God has given us, which doesn't come naturally. I saved $25 on their hair and $15 when I cut my man's...I admit I immediately wondered what I could now buy with the $40 I saved, but I dismissed that thought and left it in the bank!

The silver lining

God is really doing a marvelous work in my soul regarding my ministry here at home. I wrote in an earlier blog that I brought the kids home early from our beach trip a few weeks ago. That trip began the humbling lesson that God has been teaching me. In a nutshell, our trip to the beach was a struggle for me. My husband was asked to do a 30 minute lecture per day on creationism. The group he was speaking to was a homeschool co-op called Living Science. The kids were in high school. We went with the expectation of him being able to help with our kids during the day and afternoon, and then spend the evenings with the group. Once we got there he was asked to be with the group the whole day, every day. I was left with my newborn and two boys in a motel room. It was difficult to take the kids to the pool because the baby and I could not get in the water, and the beach was okay but very windy. By Wednesday all of the children had bad colds. So we came home. This trip was a trial for me because the majority of the time I was handling all three children alone in an unfamiliar and not ideal setting and then I traveled 6 1/2 hours home alone, only stopping to breastfeed.

So that was the down side, but isn't it just like God to have a silver lining? The up side was that I got to talk with some of the chaperones on the trip and be very encouraged for our road ahead with homeschooling. I got to see the most emotionally, academically and spiritually mature teenagers I have ever been around, and that was very encouraging! But most importantly, I learned something very important in my marriage. I learned that submitting to my husband is of upmost importance. I drove back home from a "failed trip" so tempted to have an "I-told-you-so" attitude towards my man. After all, who asks their wife to hit the road for 12 days with a newborn? But if I would not have heard God's sweet voice and listened, I would have missed out on so much. Yes the trip was a trial, but it was God's desire for me. My husband was not wrong in requiring me to go. I realized, by God's grace, the He is sufficient for me. I don't have to always be comfortable or organized or have it easy to be in His will. He taught me the strength I have when I look to Him. He allowed me to meet some amazing families and be encouraged enough to commit to homeschooling for the long run. He enabled me to not be mad at my husband for the mess we seemed to be in, but to seek out what God wanted me to learn. All of these lessons are things that I struggle with. I am constantly amazed at how God works in our lives.

My equivalent to Disney World

This week for me is the equivalent to a child's week at Disney World. I am so excited about it. The week began with Sunday when my parents were here and then we hosted our community group from church. I love beginning my week with worship at church and good fellowship with this group. I am learning in a rich way the deep blessing our Father gives us as we live in community with His body of believers. Then yesterday I met my dear friend and her three sweet children at the museum. We enjoyed hours and hours of uninterrupted conversation, a rare treat. Today I got to go to the grocery store alone. I love my kids, but this was again a rare treat. (Which would explain why I came home with delicacies that I usually don't have the time to think about...sun dried tomatoes, white wine, etc.) Tomorrow and Thursday will be low key days at home, which I am thrilled to have. I bought some storage containers and plan to continue my project in the school room of organizing and removing toys that the boys have outgrown. (Let me take this opportunity to make a plug for label makers. If you don't have a labeller, you NEED one. I'll take some pics later of how I use mine...everything from art supplies to toy bins are labelled in my house. :) ) Thursday night I am having a little Bible study with one of my closest friends here. We are reading The Ministry of Motherhood together, a must read for all moms! I have read it at least twice, but I can't wait to hear my friend's fresh perspective. Friday the same friend and another mom and all of our kids are going to have a playdate here at the house. Saturday we are having two of my man's former co workers and their families over to watch a college football game.

Having said all of this I realize we are having four events at our house in one week! I am finally ready to join the land of the living after #3's birth. I am so excited to be at a point where we can open our home to our friends and family again. It is good to feel rested and be able to serve again. I'm sure I'll be blogging on how exhausted I am next week, but for now I am going to enjoy each fun day. I definitely need time alone, time with my kids, time alone with my man, etc. But right now I am just craving time with friends after the first 6 post partum weeks. This truly is like a week at Disney... all I am missing is a Starbuck's and a shopping spree to call it a vacation!

Our little pumpkins

We had a fun Halloween. The boys, Mimi and I went trick-or-treating. There are so many kids here in our new neighborhood. I saw several families with children the same age as ours. I want so much to connect with them, but it is hard to. People are just so busy and kids aren't free to roam the streets. I am sure through prayer God will allow our paths to cross with whom He chooses. Anyway, the boys were so grown up. I can vividly remember a couple of years ago when they were too scared to walk to the doors and speak up. Last night we stood at the road and watched them walk up all of the driveways and sidewalks and say, "Trick or treat!" without any help. They just seemed so big!

I almost forgot to carve jack-o-lanterns this year. The afternoon of Halloween I remembered and we all piled in the van to find the last remaining pumpkins. The perks were that the pumpkins were practically free ($1 each), and they were very ripe which made them soft and easy to carve. The kids drew their own designs on the pumpkins with a marker and their Daddy did the carving. I bought a kids' book at the Christian bookstore about Halloween. It talked mainly about not having a "spirit of fear" when they see pretend ghosts, etc. No impressive theology, but good preparation before trick-0r-treating. The night was so beautiful. The fall trees even looked amazing in the street light and the air was cool and crisp, but not frigid.

The baby stayed home happily with Daddy to hand out candy. She has always been mostly good natured, but since we cut out dairy and began a daily regimen of Zantac she had blossomed. She flirts and smiles now frequently. We are all captivated. She looked at #1 and smiled at him for the first time today. We were at the mall. There was hardly anyone there and the kids were waiting for me in the restroom. All of a sudden I hear #1 squeal and he screams, "Mama, Mama, she smiled at me!" It was the first thing he shared with his Daddy when we got home. My family blesses me so much each day!

One month old

#3 is a month old! We went to the doctor today due to reflex. She got the same medicine that both of the boys had. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to be too fussy with it. And she is gaining weight fine despite the fact that she spits up everything! She weighs 10 pounds, 7 ounces already! Time is flying by. More later about our beach trip and why the kids and I came back 4 days early?! It was not exactly fun, but we had fun moments and we survived.

Let's not call it a vacation, let's call it an adventure

Signing off for the next 10 days. We are going to the beach. That's right, the beach. My man is speaking at a conference and the thought of being here without him for a week and a half was just too much. So "they" are paying for all of us to come along. I am not the adventurous spirit that many of you are so I am quite anxious. I wish so badly that I was a spontaneous mommy. I have never traveled with a newborn, except to see family a few hours away. I don't think we've ever even taken a family vacation for longer than 6 or 7 days. But we are going, and by golly it will be okay. I have already been reprimanded by my man for expecting the worst. I am usually a cup half full kindof girl, so he is baffled. So pray for us! I don't look to have a "vacation", I just want everyone to be happy and stay healthy. I sound so ungrateful, yikes!

The dinosaur kisses the princess

#1 has been doing a lot of reading about amusement parks. His obsession started in September when his Mimi announced to him that she and Papa are taking the whole family to Disney World next year. He immediately devoted his 20 minutes of computer time to researching every website he could find on Disney. His Papa recently bought him a kids' guide to Disney World. He received it this weekend and has already read it numerous times cover to cover. He has a mental agenda for our entire week at Disney. He knows which gift shops and restaurants come highly recommended. He knows which rides we want to get "fast passes" to ride. It is hilarious what he has planned. He has actually prayed to be 7 years old so that he can go to Disney. He also wants to go to Legoland in California. Somehow, in all of the hoopla, he discovered that website, too.

Well, yesterday I just could not take another conversation with him about Disney World. I did not want to hear again about Space Mountain. I did not want to be asked to tell him again about my memories of my last Disney trip. So I asked him to think of his own imaginary amusement park. I told him to go and dream it up and come back to me with fresh conversation. He quickly came back and said, "No girls allowed!" "What's that?", I asked. "That's the name of my amusement park." He is now in a dinosaur costume. "See, there will be scary stuff and roller coasters and dinosaurs." He then hears little #3 moan. He leans over to kiss her and quietly says, "Okay, there can be one princess playground...But that's it!!", and he leans over and kisses her. Sweet sisters change everything!

I've been thinking...

about my long term goals as a mom. I have been talking a lot lately to a good friend who has deep scars from childhood. This person has a well-intentioned, Christian mom. But her parenting was not very interactive or nurturning and the effects have been long-lasting. All of the conversations that I have had with this person have inspired me to think ahead. And then today I read a quote by George Washington that said, "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." Could you imagine your child saying that about you when he grows into an adult? A few years ago I read a collection of love letters that George and Martha Washington exchanged during the Revolutionary War. His love for her was so precious, and yet he says that his mother was the most beautiful women he ever saw. She must have been a wonderful, loving, amazing mother.

As I think about my little darlings, I have so many hopes and dreams for them. My greatest desire is for them to have a deep love and zeal for the Lord Jesus. I pray that their love for Him will be the cornerstone of their lives. That should be paramount for any Christian parent. So I have been thinking beyond that to what makes our little family unique and how I can be purposeful in striving toward that end. I can't put my desires into words yet except that I hope and pray that we will always be deeply knit. That we will always share on a deep level the joys and trials of life. I hope that my children can have the respect and love for me that will bind us together for a life time. I pray that they will look fondly back on their childhood and feel blessed by it. Hmm, I'm still trying to find the words. After countless hours of nursing my little sweetheart, I've just been thinking...

Kisses

We counted the other day...#2 kissed the baby 31 times from dawn til dusk. What a blessing.

Our first outing, just us girls

It's funny how I feel with this new baby. I guess because there is a four year gap between #2 and #3, and because I have never had a girl, I really feel like a new mom in many ways. This past Friday was a prime example. I took the baby to her 2 week check-up. I was actually nervous to see if she is gaining weight. It's so silly! But with breastfeeding, who knows how much milk they are getting? And she is sometimes going 4 hours between feedings and I did NOT want the doctor to tell me to wake her up to feed. Thankfully, she is gaining well. The picture above is what she wore to the dr. appointment. We have all of these adorable newborn size outfits and I don't want her to outgrow them, so we took the outing as an opportunity to wear something fancy. It really is fun dressing little girls.

Most embarassing moment

So, I shared my most shameful post-partum moment with my best friend tonight and I thought why not give you all a laugh, too. Yesterday, or maybe the day before, I asked my mom to listen out for the boys while I took a nap. Let me back up, I have a love/hate relationship with our master-on-the-main. I love it except when I am looking for quiet time. So, back to the story, I tried to ignore screaming, dump trucks rolling loudly down the hardwood foyer outside my door, the sound of little boys loudly imitating jets, car motors, monsters, etc. until I had had enough! I storm out the door and begin to lecture them on being respectful of others, that they are not the only two people in the family and they need to think of mommy too, etc. I notice my oldest is not looking at me in the face and I feel even more disrespected. I say in my sternest mommy voice, "You better look at my eyes when I'm talking to you!!" Just then I look down and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I had fallen asleep nursing the baby. I had on a nursing shirt and my right bre*st is just hanging out for all the world to see. My husband wonders if they will be scarred for life! I hope not. It sure is funny now in hindsight!

A new day

Today was a wonderful day. I ended my yuck day yesterday in prayer. When I woke up this morning I had to face the music, literally. The boys have an early music class on Tuesdays so I had to be up and at 'em by 6:45. I actually love being in a hot shower before the kids are awake. What a great time for prayer and clarity. And the baby decided to go 4 hours between each feeding during the night! I started the day feeling better.

Today I knew we had a morning planned away from home and I wondered how the baby would do. I hated to get her out so soon. But the day was amazing. While the kids went to their music class, I nursed her in a chapel. It was dark and quiet and peaceful. Then she slept while we played on the playground with friends. I saw one of my dearest friends for the first time in a month and the fellowship was so nice. On the way home the most AMAZING moment of my day happened, it was a huge answer to prayer. My man called and asked if my mom could eat lunch with the kids and give us some time to have a date lunch together (with #3 in tow, of course.) I knew she would need to nurse right in the middle of lunch, but so what, I was game! We had the sweetest time together. Nothing romantic, just two best friends soaking up one another's company. I needed it SO much. I think my biggest problem yesterday was that my "love tank" was completely on empty. It had been too long since I had some cuddles and quality time with my sweetheart. The timing was perfect. The baby slept through the entire lunch, so it was more than I could have expected!

When we got home I knew we needed to have homeschool. On Tuesdays we do school in the afternoon which is not the best time for my boys to focus. It turned out to be a really great day in school. They did well and the baby slept through all four lessons. She must be going through her first growth spurt. She is eating like a little pig when she nurses, staying awake about 15 more minutes and then she is sleeping for 2 or more hours. Anyway, God was gracious to allow the events of the day to go so smoothly. It was convicting for me to see that life is so full of blessing and joy and that my melodrama is really silly. I am a thankful momma tonight.

The dreaded hormones

Today the post partum hormones have surged. Ugg. I should have seen this coming. Today was a day full of doubts and fears...all day long! The baby would fuss after a feeding and I would secretly wonder, "Could this be the beginning of colic??" It was our first day to homeschool since we welcomed our new little one into the family and the lessons went really well, but I still wondered why in the world I had willingly chosen this for us this year. It seemed like too much today. Even though I am down 20 pounds, I still have 13 to go to be back to pre-baby weight. I wondered as I took a 1/2 mile walk and became winded if I would ever get "my body" back. I watched my mom cook dinner #10 for us and wondered how in the world I would manage dinner next week when she leaves. My man chose to play his Play Station football game tonight after the kids went to bed and I wondered why he would choose to do that over be with me.

The pattern here is not good, I know. I'm blaming it on the hormones. I am going to go and pray that God would give me a deep sense of the impact I am making on my children for eternity. I am going to pray that He will fill me with a deep sense of His love and calling for me. I am going to pray that He will take every thought captive. And, I'm not gonna lie, I am going to lay all of these requests before Him. And I am going to pray that He will help me to be realistic. The baby is only 11 days old. I think I have just been looking so forward to feeling good that I am rushing into everything. I'm exhausted!

Ripleys believe it or not!!

I want a consensus. Don't you think the baby could have made Ripley's for this umbilical cord? I looked over and thought a shiny squash was hanging off of her navel! I know it's gross and I'm not trying to make her a freak show. But, have you ever seen such a thing??? They used forceps to clamp it because the traditional clamp was too small.

Our little team

We have a love for college football. It actually marks my very favorite time of year for so many reasons. I remember in college during football season I could count on seeing my mom and dad every Saturday as they came to town for the games. I would meet my brother, who also attended the same college, at the stadium. I went to every game with my sweetheart all decked out (he was in a fraternity and in the south that means dressing up for every game). I love the smell in the air. I love looking at a crowd of 80,000 people that all have a love for the same team. I love instantly connecting with a stadium full of strangers. I love football season. For a girly-girl who was always into ballet and the dance team, it is the only sport I have ever understood. I never played sports in my life. So there it is, and now we are passing down the love to our little team. Don't they look cute?

Good morning!

Even after a night with little rest, I am marveling at this beautiful face that I woke up to this morning.

Today I read a newsletter from a dear friend who just had her fourth baby and is raising support to be an overseas missionary with her young family (husband, 6 yr old, 3 yr old, 18 month old, 1 month old). She quoted a book, Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, which I have not read but have heard so much about. This quote is so beautiful and poignant to me right now as I type at the computer with a weak body, ratty hair and tired eyes. I am inspired and so deeply joyful.

After the birth of a new baby Elizabeth says,
"I shall now have one mouth the more to fill, and two feet the more to shoe; more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure for visiting, reading, music and drawing. This is one side of the story to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worthy of all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation, my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"

Here she is...

With love and thankfulness we announce the birth of our little sweetheart...

Lydia Joy

8 pounds, 3 ounces

20 1/2 inches

September 21 at 7:25 pm

The baby's nursery

Before we go to the hospital, I wanted to post some pictures of the baby's nursery. This might not be interesting at all to anyone. But a while back I blogged on the changing table my husband was making for her and other decorating ideas and I thought some of you would enjoy seeing the finished product. I was really proud of my man for making his first piece of furniture for our little girl. It looks like a potter's bench from a garden, but of course the pastels make it soft and sweet for a baby girl's nursery. Also, remember the sewing project I talked about? I was going to recover the glider? Well...I ran out of time and found a local seamstress to do it. We actually just got it back today and I thought she did a good job. The fabric feels like a mixture of corduroy and velvet. It is really soft and comfy. The picture of the crib is hard to make out. The stars and dragonfly actually are suspended from the ceiling. I love the way they look and it will be fun for her to look up and see them, but I am a little worried that they will fall into her crib so they may not last. (I am so paranoid. My husband assured me that they are safely secured to the ceiling!) The wall with the window is painted pink with a scallop at the top. My husband worked so hard to make that scallop just right. But that too did not show up so well on the photo. Any how, that's the finished product. Again, I was going to sew curtains for her nursery but I some how ran out of time. (I am blaming it on homeschool! :) So I found these curtains at Pottery Barn and had her initials monogrammed on them.

I hope she enjoys it! Thank you for those who gave their advice on how to decorate and what you liked. We are happy with the way it turned out and more importantly it was such a fun step in getting excited about her birth and celebrating her. We are officially "on call" now with the hospital. A nurse will call within the next 48 hours to tell us to come in to start the induction. So I am signing off until we get back. Thanks so much for your prayers!!

Whew, what a day!

After a LONG trip to the grocery store, I was so thrilled when my friend called and asked us to come over after lunch. It was my little motivation to put one foot in front of the other and stock up on groceries and toiletries for the next week or two. The kids were great and we got everything on the list. Lunch was good. Then we went to our friend's house...

The weather was so beautiful today. My friend has a newborn, so we plopped our behinds in camping chairs in the driveway and ordered the kids to play outside while we talked. They did for the next 3 hours, but there were so many interesting interruptions. First, her 17 month old fell and just about took a 6 foot plunge into the creek below. (They have a creek that runs under their driveway.) She was literally hanging in the monkey grass when we ran to retrieve her.) I think I pulled a muscle trying to run with my big belly, and Becca had her newborn baby in tow so she was not much faster. #1 was particularly bossy today and had to be reprimanded upteen times for not letting other people share their ideas. #2 ran up to the chair and impulsively grabbed Becca's cell phone and tossed it into her water cup. I have no idea why he did that, but we will probably be paying for a new phone for her. Oh, and #1 was in the garage playing with gymnastic rings and somehow wrapped the rope from the rings around his neck. It wasn't tight enough to hurt him, but a little scary none the less. We came home and my sweetie had dinner almost ready. While I bathed the muddy kids, he got fish, sweet potatoes and pasta on the table. It was delicious to me...but it took #2, our pickier eater, 1 hour and ten minutes to eat what was on his plate!

Can you tell by my tone that I am a little grumpy? I think I need to sign off and go and get a really good night sleep. That always gives me a new perspective!

Chuggin' along

Today was a quiet day at home. The boys made me laugh at the interesting things they found to entertain themselves with. For some reason, my oldest is obsessed with wanting to see E.T. So they came up with an E.T. skit and performed it on stage (our bed). We caught a pet praying mantis, named him Bacon Biscuit Pop Tart or "Bacon" for short. Their Daddy also found a little pet turtle for them that #2 named Nemo. Other forms of entertainment were the sand box, which they decided to sit in and pour sand from head to toe on one another. And they also created a really intricate dinosaur land with plastic dinosaurs. We decided to take homeschool as I felt like doing it this week...and I was not up for it today. #1 talked the entire day long. I wonder how he has a voice left at the end of the day. He asked me at dinner tonight, "What does it feel like to die?" Literally one sentence later he was telling me of a special exhibit at Disney World that he read about and wants to see next year when we go.

We found out at the dr. that I am 3/4 cm dialated. So we are feeling good about being induced this week. We were planned for Friday, but might get moved up to Thursday. Tomorrow we will know a day and time. I am completely focussed on having this baby and can't seem to accomplish anything else. I am done nesting. I now have no desire to clean, cook or wash clothes. My husband has provided a cleaning crew for me right now, thank goodness. So at least I know that Wednesday I can count on them to clean the house really well.

That's all for us. Not much excitement today, just chuggin' along!