Before and After: Bedrooms

I know, I know.  I've taken my sweet time posting any before-and-afters of our new house.  I finally decided to take some pictures today so I can share the blessing we have in our home!  When we first got into it, it had been foreclosed upon and some friends of ours had taken out all the "garbage."  It was quite the job for them, I'm sure!  And once we got it, it was basically a blank slate, minus the bathroom, which we (and by "we" I refer to my husband and father-in-law!) gutted.  Pictures of that to come soon.

Samuel's Room

Here is Samuel's room now.  I got a lighter blue for the walls, and the ceiling was cleaned and painted.  David and his dad also re-textured the whole upstairs (which contains the hallway, bathroom, and the three bedrooms), which fixed a ton of holes and other imperfections!  We carpeted both of the kids' rooms.  I still have work do to finish the windows - they all need paint on the trim, and I'm still looking for the perfect curtains for this room.

Both of the kids' room floors looked like this.  It's a wonder what carpet will do!

 

Our Room

 

 

So actually, our room wasn't too bad.  And I know this is a different angle, but you'd probably rather see this than a shot of our messy dresser!  I got a medium tan for this color, which I just love!  We also installed a ceiling fan and light.  I'm still looking for curtains for this room, too.

 

Girls Room

 

 

 

I think the girls room has the most noticeable difference.  The wall color was my choice, and it came out a little more bold than I thought.  But the more decorated the room gets, the more toned-down the paint seems.  I think it's going to be just fine when all is said and done.

 

We figured out pretty quickly that someone "closet smoked" in there ... the walls in the closet were yellow and stinky!  We did the same in the girls' room as in Samuel's room - new paint on the walls and ceiling and new carpet.  I'll get another set of curtains eventually, and we have some cute decorations for the walls in both kids' rooms.  Hey, I'm not doing so bad! We lived in our North English house for five years and I didn't even buy any decorations for their room in that time!  I have to feel inspired before I know for sure where I want to hang things.  We're getting there. 

 

This is it . . . we've found "the house"!

God is always at work - always moving, always showing us His ways.  And His ways are so much higher than ours!

Last time I posted that we had reneged on the house we had been planning to buy.  That was a Wednesday. Two days later, we were signing a lease for a home.

On the Sunday before we backed out of the house, David was looking through craigslist to see what was available since we hadn't kept our eye on the market as much recently.  He came across a home that was listed to be sold "as is" or to be fixed up and sold for a higher price.  He called the owner, and it turned out to be a relative of our sister-in-law, who buys homes like that as a business.

We are going to buy the house but it needs some major (cosmetic, not structural) renovations before we will be approved for a loan.  Fortunately, a lease to own program was available, and David and I decided to go that route.

So, we are knee-deep in our home renovation project.  David has done similar things many times, but never on his own home; I have never been a part of such a huge undertaking.  We are so excited to be able to make this home our own, and it even has room to grow in if we stay for several years.

I can't wait to post lots of before and after pictures and will start doing so as soon as we get some rooms finished!  We are working on the bedrooms and a bathroom right now and plan to move in as soon as those are done.

Thank you all for your continued prayers!  It has been a very exciting several months and we expect nothing less for the future

A Big Decision

Ohhh, the mysterious ways of our all-knowing God!

Last weekend was long and emotional as David and I felt we were wrestling with God's will for our future.  It's kind of a long story, but all in all, we prayed and sought counsel and came to the conclusion that our God is not a God of confusion.  As I alluded to in my last update, we seemed to be met with nothing but confusion throughout our buying process.   We also feel we've had a real wake-up call in regards to taking care of our family's needs and being very wise in our spending, as we've had two friends unexpectedly die, leaving a wife and children, within the past four months.  It has made us take a second look at making the most of what we have - time, money, and resources.

On Monday we signed a rescission form releasing us from all responsibilities and obligatins we had made to the house we had been planning to buy for the last two months.  We thought we'd be heartbroken, but instead we both have complete peace with it, and our parents agree that it was the best decision.

We covet your prayers, friends, as we contemplate our next steps.  Thank you to all of  you who've followed our progress through our move, for all of the prayers and encouraging words thus far.  I will continue to update as we seek God's wisdom for the placement of our family!

Housing Update and Patience Lesson

Did I pray for patience?  I don't remember doing so, but God certainly is teaching it to me! 

An update on our housing situation:

We are still waiting on the house that we signed papers to buy clear back in mid-April.  We didn't realize, first of all, how much work a realtor does to make the buying/selling process go so smoothly.  David and I have been on the phone countless hours working out details, and have spent lots of time e-mailing, scanning, signing, faxing, and the works. 

It seems like the theme for this process of buying a home could be described by one word: delays.

Everywhere we turn, we are waiting on someone or something!  We had multiple misunderstandings from the start, from attorneys to bankers. 

As of now, everything has gone through.  Our loan is approved, all the paperwork is finished.  We were supposed to close last Friday the 31st of May.  On Thursday, we received a long list of fixes that needed to be completed before closing.  Obviously we were thrilled with that timing (note the sarcasm). 

We were quite nervous, because we had already decided that we could not invest any money up front on these fixes, and so the conclusion was that if the sellers would not take care of them, we would have to back out.  We were struggling to be content with that decision, but just trusted that God would lead us through that as He has during this whole moving process.  David visited with the homeowners as soon as we got the list and they said it seemed quite "nit-picky", but we didn't even have to ask them to fix anything; they offered to do it all but the electric work.

I had a great time on Saturday while David and his dad worked to fix the electrical issues - I got to go through the house and take measurements and pictures of everything! 

Right now we are waiting on the appraiser to finish his paperwork (par for the course to wait again!) because he has the final say on what actually has to be fixed.  As soon as he submits it, we think the sellers will only take a few days at most and then we are praying that we can close and move in quickly!

We are so thankful that we're in the situation that we are, so that we aren't in limbo somewhere else while we wait on all of this to go through.  I am glad not to be alone with the kids in North English, without David, or that we aren't renting something. 

We are hoping to be able to spend most of the summer in our new home, which has plenty of space for guests and barbecues!  For now, we just keep praying during the process and appreciate friends who are joining us in prayer.

Sneak preview:

Dining Room view from the Living Room - yep, that's a breakfast bar coming from the kitchen!!

Living Room view from the Dining Room

Other Half of the Living Room, looking out to the deck and yard

While We Waited . . .

Remember last week's post? 

I am utterly amazed at God's goodness and His perfection.  I wrote that post in the early afternoon last Wednesday.  Shortly after, I checked craigslist just to see what was out there, and I saw that there was an acreage for sale by owner. 

We called the homeowner at 4:00 that afternoon and went to see it at about 5:30.  The moment we walked in the door, everything became clear - this was without a doubt where God has had us all along.  Not only is the house everything we need, but God has provided us with many of our "wants" as well.  All new appliances, a master bathroom, a heated garage, 2 acres in a very ideal location . . . and the list goes on.

We signed an agreement on Friday, and are currently in the process of buying this house.  What's also neat is that the homeowners were unexpectedly called by their church to move to New Mexico and are en route even as I write, so having the house sold was a huge blessing to them.  We actually felt as though if they were to stick around the area, we might have become friends.

I'm sure there will be many pictures and further explanation to follow as we begin moving and settling in to this beautiful home.  For now, I just wanted to update everyone on the perfect timing of God and His provision while we were waiting!

Throughout this whole process of moving, we have clung to Proverbs 16:9 - "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."  How thankful we are!

While We're Waiting

Do you ever ask God what He's doing?  Or why He's doing it? 

What a roller coaster we have been on lately, all while wondering, "God, what are you doing??"  As most of you probably know, we felt God's leading of our family away from our home of 5 years and back to David's hometown in late September last year.  And boy, has it been a roller coaster of emotions and experiences ever since!

We moved over here December 30 - Rachel's 2-week birthday - and have been living with David's parents ever since.  We've been keeping our eyes open for places to live all along; since our ultimate goal is to move to a family farm, we've also been hoping to rent for cheap or to find a home that we could purchase for very little so we could continue to build a savings.

Last weekend, we made the big decision to go ahead and buy a home, so we contacted or agent and she showed us several places in our price range.  To make a long story short, by Saturday noon we had found a home in town that we loved . . . and we found a rental house in the country that would be well under our budget.

 For the past several days, it has really seemed like all signs were pointing toward us getting the rental.  We started preparing for that particular house, and making plans to paint and move within the next month.  We kind of convinced ourselves that we shouldn't buy the house in town, and that God has had this rental for us all along.  The timing and events were just too perfectly aligned.

Today David got a shocking phone call.  The rental has gone to someone else. 

So, God, what are you up to?  We're just not sure.

I am reminded of a song by John Waller -

While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you, Lord,

And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on you, Lord

Though it is painful, but patiently, I will wait.

I will move ahead bold and confident

I'll be taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting, I will serve you

While I'm waiting, I will worship

While I'm waiting, I will not faint

I'll be running the race even while I wait 

 I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you, Lord

And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on you, Lord

Though it's not easy, but faithfully, I will wait

I will serve you while I'm waiting,

I will worship while I'm waiting on you, Lord

It is easy to feel discouraged, like we had built ourselves up for nothing. My tendency is to sit and stew about why my own plans didn't work out, and worry about whether we'll ever have our own house again.

But instead, we see this as a reminder (and we had forgotten) that God is truly working in His timing.  He will provide how and when He sees fit, just as He always has.

Until then, we will wait, and pray, and just keep running the race!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Am I Really Thankful?

This morning I woke up before the kids, which hasn't happened for me in over a week (and I do much better when I don't wake up to them yelling for me to come get them up!).  I was so glad to have time to drink coffee and do my Bible study for a few minutes.  Along with my Bible study, most days I also try to list 5 things for which I'm thankful. 

But today when I sat down, I literally thought to myself, "I just don't feel thankful today."  I don't know why.  I just didn't.  But then I took a look around at my cute little home, with my husband curled up in his blanket with his Bible, and picked up my coffee.  What is there that I don't have to be thankful for? 

It's the week of Thanksgiving, for heaven's sake!  I asked God to make me thankful.  And He did.  So in the tradition of many of my facebook friends who are listing one thing each day, here is my list of 30 things all in one day!

I AM THANKFUL:

1. For the incredible, perfect timing of God in each moment of every day - because it's certainly not what I would plan but it always works out for the best.

2. That we sold our house before the baby comes, so I don't have to worry about keeping it clean afterward.

3. That after we're moved out of our house, I get to take a "break" by living between my in-laws' and my parents' for a while, rather than having to worry about setting up a new house while getting used to the baby.

4. For my husband, who is sweet and sensitive, yet very much a man.  He loves me, he loves our children, and he is daily growing to be more like Christ as he leads our home.

5. For my beautiful children, who teach me more than I ever thought each day.  They are completely opposite of each other, yet equally lovable.

6. For my third child, who should be here in less than a month (I HOPE!!).  She is healthy and strong, and reminds me of that at least every few minutes. (kick . . . turn . . . hiccup . . . kick)

7. That God brought us to Williamsburg when He did so that we could learn and grow as a family and as Christians for the past 5 years.

8. For the two Bible studies I've been in - Ladies Bible study each Wednesday and Young Marrieds Bible study every third weekend.  What an encouragement each has been to me!

9. Plain and simple . . . for coffee of all sorts, at any time of the day but especially in the mornings.

10. That this is the week of Thanksgiving, which means 4 days with David home, a wonderful feast with the Larsons on Thursday, Christmas decorating at home on Friday, and goodie making day on Saturday!

11. To have my 3-year-old sitting in the office with me "reading" silently because his sister is still asleep.  So precious.

12. That my #1 craving during pregnancy has been ice and not ice cream!

13. That so far, we have had gorgeous weather this fall.  What a beautiful season to enjoy with my family!

14. For my two best friends from college, Sarah and Heidi, who are always there for me.

15. For my washing machine - a gift from dear friends at church that makes it much more enjoyable to do laundry during the week.

16. For God's Word and the promises He gives in it.

17. That I live in a modern day where we have electricity, running water, etc. because I'm kind of wimpy and doubt that I'd survive well without lights or a bathroom inside.

18. That David is the "nerd" of the family and is willing to crunch numbers each month so we actually have a budget.

19. For my church family, who just keeps blessing us even though they know we will not be here much longer.  No one has said "good riddance" or anything; they keep on loving us!

20. That no matter what happens - who is president, where I am physically, what may be going on in the world - I can trust that nothing happens outside of God's knowledge.  He has a perfect ultimate plan for each of us and He definitely wins in the end!

21. That both of my kids are at an age where they say really, really funny things.  I'll be even more thankful when I remember to write them down!

22. That after I have the baby I get to be in the hospital for a couple of days.  I know some people don't like it but, really?  I quite enjoy sitting in that hospital bed where they bring me food and take the baby when I'm tired. 

23. For meat.  Yup, I said meat.  Some friends gave us a bunch of burgers, roasts, and chickens, and I am very thankful for each bite.

24. For pens and notebooks.  I am that crazy one that loves to write anything and everything, and make tons of lists.  I'm glad to have something that makes it happen.

25. That no matter what my physical blessings - and I've listed many - my spiritual blessings are far more and far greater.

26. For evenings spent lately with David, a cup of hot tea, and great conversation.

27. For my crockpot and my bread machine.  They certainly make life a lot easier!

28. For our SUV that God arranged for us to buy with cash.  It has been a huge blessing in our lives to be able to give rides, haul some things, etc.  We always wanted one but never thought we'd be able to afford one!

29. For personal ministry meetings we've been able to have with our pastor. 

30. As I finish my list, I'll end with the most important.  I am so thankful that God sent His Son Jesus to be born as a man, to live as a human, and to give the ultimate sacrifice so that we might each be saved from our sins.  I am thankful that this sacrifice was a gift I only needed to accept, and that Jesus is alive today!  I sure can't wait to see Him face to face someday!

Hello, facebook . . . with limits!

Well, I'm at the end of my official facebook sabbatical.  I have to admit, I did log on about 4 times, for maybe 5 minutes each, during the month I took off.  But in my defense . . . a few of my friends from college were having babies and I just had to check on them!!

To describe the break from facebook, I think I can sum it up in one word: "refreshing". 

I knew that facebook had become an idol of sorts to me, but I really didn't have any idea of the extent until I stopped logging on altogether.  I still can't believe the amount of time I was spending on the computer and on the Kindle Fire in contrast to the time with my children as well as doing other, more constructive, activities!

Here are a few of the things I got done in the past month that I truly believe wouldn't have happened if I'd spent my normal amount of time on facebook.

*I read books to the kids.  And read, and read, and read.  Literature has been such a huge part of my life, and I have so enjoyed sharing that with Samuel and Julia.  I even set aside a half hour each day after laying Julia down to read more informative, "older" books to Samuel.  He absolutely ate them up - all the knowledge, entertainment, imagination, and ideas in each book.  It has also been absolutely precious time spent just sitting together on the couch with my quickly-growing 3-year-old that I never would have had because I was always itching to put him to bed and check on everyone else's kids via facebook.

*I spent more time in God's Word.  Oh, sure, I did okay before.  But once again, I'd rush through any quiet time with God that I may have had so that I could log on to facebook for as much time as possible.  But this past month, I was able to truly spend and enjoy that time that I need reading my Bible, studying, and praying.

*The kids and I spent more time outside on walks, playing in the yard, and enjoying parks nearby.

*The house stayed cleaner.  I didn't think it'd make a difference, but it certainly did!  I wasn't rushing to get one thing done and doing it half-heartedly, but rather spent all the time I needed really cleaning.

*I read a whole bunch of books!  As I mentioned earlier, literature has been a huge part of my life, but I just wasn't finding the time to read over the past several months.  I think I read about 6 books during the past month, and it was great!

Those things alone made it worth it to take a break from facebook.  And now that I'm back on, I've found that if I'm on for 15 minutes, I quickly log off and feel at least somewhat guilty, wondering all the things I may have rather done during those past minutes. 

What is fun is being able to continue to see progress with friends as facebook is the primary means for keeping up with people in other towns.  So these past few days (and I haven't been on every single day, just a couple), I've just quickly scrolled through the news feed and checked on a few friends specifically who I knew may have changes or may have posted pictures recently. 

It is definitely refreshing not to feel so attached.  I can see how that could easily become a habit once again, so we've moved our computer back upstairs to the office and out of our living room.  I also put up the Kindle Fire and am considering sending it to work with David to prevent me from picking it up on a whim and getting "stuck". 

I hope that anyone else who feels he or she might be spending too much time on facebook would consider taking a break.  Even after a week, I felt so much less dependent - a month just solidified it for me! 

A quick update on other events in our life:

David will be starting his new job working for his dad December 31st.  We will be moving in with my in-laws for the time being until we put more of a dent in our student loans and find a place to live.

We are negotiating the sale of our home here, so if our praying friends would oblige, please pray that we could sell it for enough to pay off the mortgage and have a little extra!

The baby is due in 6 weeks.  She has finally moved out of my ribs and is sitting much lower, so I am not experiencing so much pain from that at least!

We are continuing to trust God for each step and though it is bittersweet right now, thinking of leaving here after 5 years, we are very excited to see what He has for our family in the future!

Blessed :-)

I had a really rough start to the morning.  I couldn't get out of bed.  I woke up tired. 

Tried to reschedule a dentist appointment and they told me they were going to charge me more than double what I paid to actually go to the appointment.

 I had planned to get groceries and was ready to walk out the door when I found out the dentist rescheduling was not an option.

 I called a friend to ask her to babysit and could barely get out the words because I was crying so hard.

 And so it went.

 I called David (crying once again, of course . . . that's how I roll these days).  He told me exactly what I didn't want to hear: "It's not that big of a deal.  God is good.  You are blessed."

Are you kidding me??  I wanted to wallow in self-pity all day!

Then I prayed and asked God to help me see things in perspective. 

I got a really good night of sleep last night.  I only woke up tired because, well, it's Monday.

I was forced to go to the dentist instead of rescheduling all the time.  I hadn't been there in three years.  My teeth are sparkly again, and I don't have to worry about going again now for awhile.

It's okay that we didn't get groceries today.  We're going to eat supper with friends tonight anyway, so I don't have to scrounge around to find something to feed my family.

My friend was gracious and told me she'd be over to babysit.  She even came half an hour early so we got time to chat, and she gave me a couple of much-needed hugs. She told me it was okay that I called crying, and even thanked me for trusting her enough to cry to her.  After she left, I realized, she'd folded my laundry.

What's more . . . since I didn't grocery shop today, my house is clean.  My kitchen is shiny and the living room is vacuumed.  The kids have clean sheets on their beds.  I finally arranged the pumpkins on our front steps to display instead of keeping them in a heap inside.  I had time to talk to my mom, to do my Bible study, and to visit with David - and the kids are still sleeping. 

It is a beautiful fall day today.  I am truly blessed.

Happy Monday, everyone!

A "Blessings" Update

I've been spending a lot of time weeding my garden and pricing things for my upcoming garage sale lately, which has given me quite a bit of time to think.  I've been overwhelmed by how many things I have to be nothing but grateful for! 

The number one "blessing", of course, is my salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is astounding to me how God would love me so much that He would condemn His only son to a cross, to suffer in my place for the punishment that I deserve!  If I had only this promise - that I have been saved from my selfish sin - I would have everything.  I would need no more.  And yet, because God loves me so much, He chooses to give me tangible, earthly things as well.  So when I list these blessings, please keep in mind to whom it is that I am grateful. 

James 1:17 - "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Family
1. My wonderful husband David, who loves and cherishes me far beyond what I had ever hoped for.   Just this past weekend, he saw that I was down and he arranged for me to go out with several girlfriends for a night without children, just to enjoy conversation and food.  David works hard to provide for us all and is a great dad, a godly example, and a good friend to many.

2. Samuel, my sweet little boy who calls himself  "Mommy's 'nugglebug".  I am forever being showered with kisses and hugs, which I never turn down!  Samuel is learning to be courteous to others because he tends to be shy in public.  He's doing a great job answering when adults ask him questions, opening doors for others, and helping me to clear the table after we eat.  Samuel seems to have my personality but is all boy to the core, following his daddy everywhere and always telling us he has "lots of work to do."
I am so happy to report that Samuel has not had an asthma-type attack in a few months now - we will be seeing our allergist to check on his progress from the past year very soon. We have also been working with a dermatologist who understands us and we feel is on our side, and his eczema is almost completely under control at this point!

3. Julia, our little princess with a big personality.  She's opposite of her brother and doesn't know a stranger!  Julia has her own ideas about everything, and keeps us laughing with all of her antics.  I love to watch her with her baby dolls as she takes care of them, feeding them bottles, changing diapers, and rocking them to sleep.  Julia is 100% proof to me that God has created boys to be boys and girls to be girls!  She is all about her clothes and hair, keeping her nails trimmed and painted, princesses, babies, etc.  Julia is a Mommy's girl . . . and I am okay with that!  She is also what I would call the "picture of health", which is huge for us after we've struggled with Samuel's health for the past year.

4. Baby L3 has been growing as well - I am now feeling lots of kicks and wiggles, and we're looking forward to having an ultrasound on August 6th!  As I had mentioned previously, I felt far more sick with this pregnancy than with the other two.  It did last about 2 weeks longer than the others, but I am now feeling great!  We are so looking forward to Christmas season this year, with a new niece and our own new baby coming in just a few short months!  Here is a picture of Baby a few days ago, at 18 weeks.

5. My parents and in-laws.  What blessings they are in our lives!  All four are awesome at the grandparent thing, and our kids beg to see them all the time, which we try to do as often as possible!  We got to take a vacation with the Larsons in June, and are really looking forward to going with my parents on a trip to Dubuqe in a few days.  I am grateful to have both my mom and my mother-in-law, as they are always up for a nice chat, meeting to shop, or coming to help out with the kids.  Along with this part I also must include my awesome sister, as well as the 3 sisters and 4 brothers that I have been given as a bonus for marrying into the Larson family!  They're all great aunts and uncles, and are always there for us as friends and helpers when we need them!

Friends
1. What a neat group of friends we have at Harvest, our church!  We are so thankful to have people we know we can count on of all ages to get together just for fun, or for serious conversation.  We have everything from a young marrieds Bible study, to friends our parents' age to act as surrogate "grandparents" when we need them, to friends our grandparents' age with whom we can just enjoy a great visit!

2. David and I both keep in touch with a few of our college friends.  We get together often with David's best friend Rick, and are thrilled that he and his wife are expecting their first baby in February!  Though I don't see my college girlfriends as often, when I do, we can always just pick up where we left off.  I recently got to spend a whole week visiting with them - Sarah, who lives just an hour from me, came to visit one day.  The next day, the kids and I went to Illinois to see Heidi, who returned on the 6th of July from two years in Peru.  Then we drove down to St. Louis to see Becky and Joe, dear friends of ours who just had their second baby.  How wonderful to have friends we've known for years and who know who we are and who we used to be, and they still love us.

3. I recently received forgiveness from an old friend that could only have been given through the grace of God.  I am so grateful that He restores relationships, and am so humbled by His working in my life as well as friends' so that we can live for God and be at peace with each other!

4.  David and I both have co-workers (mine are former, from pre-SAHM days) with whom we enjoy spending time.  It is so nice to have friends from all walks of life, and we both enjoy all the opportunities we can get to see them.

Finances
1. God's provision of jobs for both of us when we needed them.  Though it was miserable on our family life, we felt that God provided a second job for David at McDonald's last year that we used to get out of the "hole" we'd been in since shortly after our wedding.  When that job was too much, He provided a job for me with just enough to help us get ahead and earn some savings.  Both of these jobs were brief, as they should have been, but during that time we discovered how much we needed each other and for our family to be whole! 

2. Shortly after we quit doing everything but David's full-time job, God provided for us in so many different ways, that it more than made up for that extra income we had been receiving!  God sure does work in mysterious ways.

3. Though I cannot yet share many details (I don't know them all, to be honest!), our great God has provided once again for something that David and I most definitely did not bring upon ourselves.  I can just say that David has been asked to help out an older gentleman in our church for a while this fall.  He will be doing one of his favorite things while earning extra income, and I believe there will be other perks to go along.  More information to come on this one . . . let's just say we are in awe and we are thrilled!

I think this will do for my listings as of now, though the great things God has done just keep on rolling into my head!  Something that I did last fall was to keep a daily "thankful" journal, where I wrote five things each morning that I had to be grateful for.  I would love to start that up again - I truly saw a difference in my attitude when focusing on the good rather than the bad! 

My Baby Girl Turns 2!!

We're home!  I am just now logging on to the internet for the first time since late Friday night, and (this is a real shocker) I haven't even checked facebook yet!  I know once I get on that and Pinterest, all of my time will be spent "catching up".  So I figured I'd better post this first.

Yesterday, my baby Julia turned two.  When I got old enough to have a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and a baby on the way, I have no idea!  Last I checked I was living on my own in an apartment, barely out of college, and dating the neighbor boy. (Yes, that neighbor boy was David . . . the only person I ever dated!)

Since I shared Samuel's birth story, I thought I'd go ahead and do so for Julia, too.  For whatever reason (I imagine it has to do with him being my first), I have to think a little harder to remember all the details of Julia's birth than I did for Samuel's! 

I was due on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010.  It had been a rough couple of years, having gotten married and gone through several trials, then having Samuel, and unexpectedly finding out we would be having another baby when Samuel was only 6 months old. 

On Saturday evening, the 19th, I started having fairly regular and sometimes intense contractions.  David and I were both quite nervous about the whole labor process, since I was only in the hospital for little over an hour before delivering Samuel.  We live 45 minutes from the hospital, so we were not willing to take any chances with this baby!  We decided around 9:00 that night that we should go in and see if I could be admitted since we were pretty sure it was the beginning of labor.

One thing I remember being very sad about was that my main OB was still on vacation.  She would not be back until Monday, and since I just adore her, and she had also delivered Samuel, I was really wanting her to be the one to deliver Julia as well.  I was very thankful, though, to find that my second choice was on call for Saturday night into early Sunday.

When we got to the hospital around 10:30, my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart and I was dilated to 4 cm.  They put monitors on me and let me lay in a waiting area and chew on ice.  I know the ice seems to be a very small part of this story . . . but ice is one of my favorite things during pregnancy.  Especially the incredibly crunchy crushed ice they have in the delivery area.

I was monitored all night, and though our nurse insisted David and I get some sleep, we were both uncomfortable and just ready to have a baby.  We stayed awake watching old TV shows and visiting, and all the while, my contractions seemed to be slowing.  By 4:00 a.m. they were 30-40 minutes apart, and I had not dilated any further.  The on-call doctor said she could come in and break my water to try and speed up labor, or that we could go ahead and leave and come back when the contractions were closer again.  She said, though, that we should not go home since I was definitely in beginning labor and we live so far away.

What in the world do you do at 4 in the morning on a Sunday, though??  Walk around Wal-Mart.  We actually kind of enjoyed ourselves, picking out a little outfit for David to get after I delivered, if the baby happened to be a girl.  At 5 we went to IHOP where we wasted about another hour eating stuffed French toast.  Finally, around 7:00 when we had walked around the mall with the older people for an hour and realized we truly had exhausted all of our options, we decided we would go home. 

We called Labor and Delivery and told them our decision.  I was scheduled to be induced the next day, Monday, by my regular OB, Dr. Wenzel. 

We picked up Samuel from our friends' house Sunday morning and then went home and took turns sleeping on and off all day.  Monday morning we called in at 6:30 as we had been instructed, assuming that we would be able to leave shortly thereafter and have our baby.  Since Dr. Wenzel had been on vacation, she had scheduled about 10 inductions for that Monday the 21st.  They told me that not only did they have a full induction schedule, but several ladies were in labor and all of their beds were full.  I would have to wait to call until 10:30.  How disappointing.

Between that time, my contractions started picking up again.  They went from 40 minutes, to 30, to 20 . . . I called in at 10:30.  "We're still really full.  We'll call you when we're ready - probably in an hour or so," they told me.  Great. 

I had a really terrible stomachache in addition to the contractions, and all I could stand to eat was ice cream, so that was what I ate all morning.  I have to say, David and I did really enjoy every moment with Samuel that day.  We knew it would be his last day as an only child, so we played with him and read to him. 

By 1:00, my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart, and I knew I was going to be having the baby soon.  We had not yet received a phone call from the hospital, so I called in and told them what was going on.  I was surprised at their non-chalance.  They told me to take a bath, and take my time, and to come within the next 2 hours.  Maybe they would have a bed ready.

It was actually pretty nice (aside from the whole labor/contraction/pain thing).  Instead of going to emergency, since we were technically being induced, we parked in the regular parking lot and took our time getting up to labor and delivery.  My parents met us in the lobby, where they had been waiting since 7:00 that morning.  They didn't want to miss the birth.  We were able to hand Samuel over to them, and go straight back to be admitted.

By the time I was admitted, it was around 3:30.  My contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and I was dilated to 6 cm.  I don't remember a whole lot from that time - it really seemed to fly by.  I do remember asking David repeatedly to tickle my arm, and then yelling at hime to stop touching me.  I felt kind of bad about that . . .

Julia Lucile was born at 6:24 p.m. on Monday the 21st - exactly 14 months, 14 days after her big brother.  She was a "mommy's girl" from the beginning, crying if anyone else was holding her but me.  That was wearing on me, and I have to admit that it took a few months of getting used to. 

Once again, God answered our prayers and I did not have an epidural, we made it to the hospital, and my own doctor was there to deliver.  We are so thankful for how the events took place as we brought Julia into the world that day.

Here she is this morning, two years later, sporting her new big girl backpack that we gave her to replace her diaper bag.  Julia is independent and has an opinion on everything.  She loves the color pink, babies, purses, having her hair and nails done, and doing things she's told not to do.  Seriously, who couldn't love this girl??  Happy 2nd birthday, Sweet Baby Julia!!

ch-ch-ch-changes!

We are experiencing several changes at our house right now.  For one, yesterday we started the process of refinancing.  That's some fun stuff, let me tell you!  Actually, I am very thankful for a husband who is willing to figure all of that out and get the ball rolling.  I wouldn't get past the "thinking about it" stage!  Can you believe, though, by refinancing, we will be paying less per month for 15 years than we are right now for 30??  That's crazy!  I'd like to keep all that extra money, thank you!

David has also been working really hard to get the outside of our home looking decent.  We decided after 5 years of being here, we should probably repaint the windows, mulch the landscaping, trim the bushes, etc.  He's doing a great job!

Here's another change: my children are learning to be more self-sufficient.  Not necessarily because they want to, but because lately if they want something, they either have to be very patient or to get it themselves.  I simply have been too sick.  With "morning sickness", that is :-)

Sweet baby Julia helping her sick mommy with cleaning

A bit of a story goes with this one.

David's brother Jeff and his wife Courtney, along with David and myself, came up with this awesome plan.  We would hold off on any babies for about a year, so that we could take a trip to Florida next April and Courtney and I would be pregnant at the time.  We were pretty excited about it.

But God started placing all these "circumstances" in my path as He showed me that my plan (as usual) is not His.  I kept on hearing radio program after radio program that talked about babies.  Sanctity of life.  Women who wanted to be pregnant and couldn't do so.  And the list goes on.  It seemed like everytime I turned on my radio for at least a month's time, another of these programs would be on.

I was really struggling with this, wondering if it wasn't all part of God's plan for me to hear those programs.  Finally, at the end of March, I was really down about it and David could tell.  I finally explained to him what was going on, and he said he'd been having the same conviction that maybe our "baby plan" wasn't perfect.  We decided to see how God would work.

I got sick about a week later. 

I must have already been pregnant!  With Samuel, we were so new at everything - married less than a year when we found out we were expecting him.  With Julia, I was so full of resentment that I couldn't enjoy my pregnancy or even her as a baby for way too long.  With this one, I have peace. 

Here's the funny part.  The day after we got a positive test, Jeff and Courtney called.  They had the same story as us - becoming convicted about their plan and then getting pregnant right away after deciding to surrender to God's best for them!  We didn't tell them for 2 more weeks - that was pure torture!  I wanted to share with Courtney so badly my excitement for both of us, but we wanted to wait until we could tell them in person.  It was worth the wait!  And to think, we were both a bit nervous that the other would be upset for ruining the "plan"!

So here's the official announcement.  Baby #3 is due on or around December 11th, just about a week after my sister-in-law is due.  We couldn't be happier!

Which brings me to another change . . . adding a bedroom so we have a place for Baby to sleep!  I'm sure there will be plenty more posts on that subject!

Samuel

I know it has been quite some time since I have posted.  You see, I have this post in my head that I've been working on for weeks now.  I just haven't found the time to write it yet.  And now that I have a few minutes to do so, David has the book from which I wanted to quote! 

It's okay, though.  There will be another day for that.  Today is the day before Samuel's 3rd birthday, so I thought I'd take the time to reflect upon that day three years ago when we welcomed our first baby into the world and our life.

I wasn't due until April 10th, 2009, and everyone always says you go late with the first baby.  I had no reason to think that the 7th would be the day.  I got up and went to work at Star Drug as usual, working a 6-hour day as I had been doing since the end of March.  But that day, I knew something was different; I just wasn't sure what that was.  Looking back, I do remember the feeling that the baby was going to fall out every time I walked!  (Possibly gross part alert here!!)  I lost my mucus plug right before lunch, but I asked the girls in the pharmacy and they said that could happen up to two weeks before the baby was born.

I drove over to David's work as I often did over my lunch hour and asked him to get into the car.  "Something is happening."  I told him.  I still didn't believe that it was actually labor, though.  He insisted that I call Labor and Delivery and ask them what to do.  I don't like doing that kind of thing, and to be honest, I was embarrassed to call and just tell someone that "something was different but I don't know what"!  He told them what had happened and the nurse assured him that it could still be a week or two before the baby came.  Then she asked to talk to me and told me that I should probably go home and relax.

I certainly wasn't going to waste a good day, though!  I think I was in the restroom more than I worked that afternoon - I thought that I was constipated.  I have talked to many moms since then who have thought the same thing during labor.  I finished working at 2:30, and my friend Amanda had asked me to stay at her house during her kids' naptime, so I went ahead and did that.  Thankfully the kids stayed asleep - I would not have been a very good babysitter if they'd needed anything!  I laid on the couch for a couple of hours and watched "The Cosby Show" until Amanda's husband Trent came home.  I felt terrible by then, and couldn't wait to get home to my bed; unfortunately my demeanor showed that and it appeared as though I just wanted to get away from Trent :-) 

At home, I made supper as usual, and then headed for the bed.  David was very insistent that we go to the hospital, but I was not about to make a fool of myself and be sent home.  After all, I had an OB appointment the next day!  We ended up calling the hospital a couple of more times, and both times the nurse said no, she didn't think it was labor, and that I should stay at home.  Finally, at about 9:30 the night of the 7th, David coaxed me into the car telling me that we would go to the hospital, get a stool softener, and come home.  I reluctantly went along . . . and by the time we got to the hospital, my "constipation pains" were 2 minutes apart. 

We found out why the nurse had been so quick to tell me to stay home.  She was a very unpleasant lady who clearly did not want to be there.  Not only was she just plain unfriendly, she put the band on my tummy and told me that she couldn't find the baby's heartbeat.  FYI, that is not something that you tell a mom who's ready to give birth!  I told her that she had put the monitor on the wrong side and that I could see the baby's head on the other side.  She didn't believe me until David came into the room and told her the same thing, and sure enough, there it was.  We were so thankful to learn that she was at the end of her shift and that she was leaving a few minutes later.

Since I had been convinced that I wasn't in labor, I would not allow David to call either of our parents until we were in the hospital.  It was 10:15 when we got there, and I was dilated to 6 cm.  Dr. Wenzel, who I absolutely adore, just "happened" to be on call that night - thank you, God!!  It was one of my main concerns that she would be the one to deliver the baby.  At the point where they decided to move me into the delivery room, she was already on her way to deliver another baby of a mom who was on her third child and "goes fast", according to the staff. 

They broke my water and the contractions came so strongly, I changed my mind about the whole "natural" birth thing without an epidural, and I begged for one.  But it was too late.  I was dilated to a 9 and thing were progressing very quickly.  Dr. Wenzel flew into the room just as I was pushing, and Samuel was born at 11:35 that night - quite some time before the lady in the next room, for whom Dr. Wenzel had actually come.  I was in shock.  After all, hadn't I just come in as an obligation to my husband?!

I am in awe as I look back on the experience of our first baby's birth.  God showed Himself in control and mighty.  All of my fears, all of the unknowns that come with a first baby, were taken care of.  As I already mentioned, my own doctor was able to deliver (in fact, she has delivered both of my babies!).  I didn't have to have an epidural, as I had so often prayed I wouldn't have to do.  I didn't have to go through hours at the hospital or be sent home. 

I can't believe it has been three years since Samuel was born - the memories are so clear, as if it only happened last week.  I am so thankful for the beautiful son that God has given us.  For his great sense of humor, for his tender heart, for his love of learning.  I'm thankful that he wants to be just like his daddy, and I pray that he is. 

And most of all, I pray that he comes to know Jesus as his Savior at an early age.  I never fully understood the love of a parent  for a child - the love that God had even as He sent His only Son to die in place of my sins and yours - until I had Samuel.  What a gift He gave us!

Happy Easter as we celebrate Christ's resurrection, and Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet son!

 

My Body: God's Temple

I post quite a bit about healthy (or at least, healthier) recipes, but have never really given a reason for doing so.

 I am sure that many of you who actually read this blog already know that I used to be quite a bit heavier than I am today.  Right now, at the age of 27 and having had two children, I am about 40 lighter than I was in high school and my freshman year of college.  I know it's not all about weight - it's about balance - but for me, weight certainly has a lot to do with my life in so many ways.  It affects the way I view myself, the way others view me, the things that I can do or am willing to do, and so much more.

I have always been "overweight".  I can remember getting a report back from our school nurse when I entered junior high that said I was 200 lbs.  When I think about that, I can hardly believe I was that size at the age of 13!   I struggled with it when I was young - I didn't want to be overweight and unhealthy.  But I also didn't ever believe that I could do much about it.  I remember crying when I was alone, wanting to be a "normal" size like other people, but I don't think I ever let on how much I was hurting.  I just believed I was destined to be that way and nothing I did could change that, so why try?

It wasn't until after my freshman year of college that I saw such a huge need to lose weight and get into shape.  This afternoon as I was looking over some writing I did that first year of college, I reflected on the two experiences that changed my life.  The first was a one-mile hike up an incline in order to reach a castle in Germany.  I wrote about how dreadful that hike was, and how embarrassed I was that the really nice athletic boys that everyone liked had to coach me up that hill.  The second memory is similar; it was a few weeks later in Colorado when I was trying to hike up to Hanging Lake with my college singing team.  A couple of those same guys were nice enough to lag behind in order to help me get to the top.  I was mortified. 

That was the beginning of the end.  The end of the embarrassment, of having to shop in the Women's section, of having to look like an old lady when I was 19.  But it was also just a beginning.  I finally realized that it wasn't my genes that condemned me to this life of shame.  It was myself. 

And something that I didn't even know about then, but have been mulling over lately is that not only is it important to mine and my family's health to be careful about overindulgence and to keep up at least somewhat of an activity level; it is actually pleasing to God. 

Consider these passages:

1 Cor. 6:12 NIV Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.  (And the love of food was definitely something that mastered me)

1 Cor. 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Or, as I was just reading last week in 1 Samuel, there is the example of Eli the priest.  I have always wondered how his sons turned out to be wicked when Eli was so godly.  Then I read it again; Eli was actually reprimanded by God for taking the "choicest meats" from the sacrifice and for overindulging.  He was the one who taught his sons to be so selfish in the first place by his example - his sin of gluttony!

As I am learning more and more of God's desire for us to glorify Him in everything that we do, I am convinced that part of that is in taking care of our physical bodies.  I remember hearing a man who was not a believer during his younger years tell of his disdain for his college president, who stood up front telling the students not to drink or smoke.  He told these students that they must have control over their bodies and what they put into them, yet the president clearly had no control over the food that he put into his own body as he was at least a hundred pounds overweight.  The students listening to him scoffed at his hypocrisy.

So am I opposed to eating some unhealthy foods?  Am I saying that I think we should exercise, exercise, all the time?  Absolutely not!  After all, the key to everything in life is balance.  Any one thing - whether that is food, alcohol, exercise, another person - can become an idol when its value is placed above God. 

My goal in this post is simply to explain my view of health and our bodies at this point in my life.  I adore a good creamy, cheesy dip as much as the next girl.  But I also love that God gave us so many delicious fruits, veggies, and grains to enjoy as well!  I want my testimony to be that of someone who loves God and who believes that her body is a temple - a vessel to be used for His honor and glory.  And from where I stand today, I believe that part of that honor and glory comes when I take care of the vessel that He has given to me.

Debt vs. Family

I put in a two-week notice at my evening job last  night.  It was bittersweet telling my supervisor that I would be leaving, knowing that it will leave a gap that they will have to fill, but today I am filled with joy as I watch my children and know that after next Thursday, we can finally be a "normal" family (and normal may be relative!).

Since having children, we really have not been what I would call "normal" because we've been on such a mission to earn income.  Now, I have to say, we have no high hopes of becoming rich by any means . . . we just made a few un-wise decisions early in our marriage that we had to live with and learn from for the past few years.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we are committed to getting out of debt, which means paying off all of our student loans.  After that our only debt will be the mortgage, and we can live with that!

So why would I quit my job?  Normal to us would be where Daddy goes to work, and when he comes home, the family is together - eating, conversing, working on a project - just together.

After making our "bad" decisions (though we've come to realize they were necessary and God used them to teach us to follow Him better), we spent several years playing catch-up.   We had more bills than income, and were constantly trying to fill those gaps.  So David started a demolition business.  I started selling Discovery Toys.  David got a job at McDonald's.  I got jobs at the mall and as a janitor at a local manufacturing plant. 

None of these were bad things to do.  There is no problem with starting a business or selling something out of your home, but we didn't have the capital to be able to make them turn a profit.  There is no problem with getting a second job, but we let those jobs take time from our family.  When David was at McDonald's, he was working about 16-20 hours a day, leaving me at home alone with the kids. While I've been working, David and I meet at the door and he comes in while I'm going out.  Our only time at home together is Wednesdays and weekends.  We're usually busy on Fridays and Saturdays, so we've started using time that we would usually attend church to stay at home and have that family time we've been missing.

We started talking about it and questioning how we could possibly get out of debt, and one of us working a second job seemed like the only way.  Then we met with our CPA to do our taxes.  She is an awesome, godly lady who is familiar with what we are trying to do and has also been through Financial Peace University.  She worked with us and helped us to find a way David can prevent the govenment from taking so much out of his paycheck (yes, it's totally legal!).  And that amount is equal to what I have been making the past few months at my job!

We doubted, we didn't trust that God would take care of our desire and honor our commitment to be debt-free.  Yet, He still provided a way when we didn't expect it!  How awesome! And so, last night my job began to end.  I have 5 more nights of working, and I am so looking forward not only to having evenings at home being a mommy to my children and a wife to my husband, but to going back to church for more than just the morning service. 

I am so thankful for a God who does care about us, who wants us to follow Him and to train our children to do the same.  He provided for us in spite of our best efforts to do so ourselves. 

Eph. 3:20-21 has long been one of my favorite passages: "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever"!!