Tuesday, January 22, 2008
In Case You're Wondering
Hi from the land of diapers, round-the-clock feedings, and my four walls!! I have just a few minutes before my little "master" will need to eat again. So, I'm going to try to peck out a few words to let you know how we're doing.
Huh, I hardly know where to start. It seems like I've crammed 3 months of living into the last week and a half. Maybe that's because I've spent so little time sleeping. :-)
The first days/week were rough in some ways. My milk was slow to come in so the poor little girl was quite hungry and nursed for hours on end, it seemed but still wasn't content. Neither Keith nor I got much sleep those nights!! The good news is, I didn't really get that stressed out or anxious about it. And for me that's what you'd call a major miracle!! By Tuesday night, I did sorta lose it though and then (finally!) Keith and I spent some time really praying about my milk coming in. When we were done praying, I fed Hannah and, wouldn't you know it, I had more milk than any other time! After that, she would nurse and then was contented. And I think once my milk came in she slept for about 36 hours, only waking up to eat. :-)
A day or two later, I was getting very sore, um, well, you know. Keith prayed about that too and since then, it's gotten much, much better. So, we were starting to get the idea that God really is listening and caring about our lives!! So, when I started to not have enough milk again this weekend, I knew what we needed to do! We prayed some more, and now I seem to have LOTS. I'm just so thankful for our wonderful, compassionate, and personal God! Nothing is too big or too little to bring to Him!! Last night Keith read a story of Jesus healing a blind man. And Jesus asked the man, "What do you want me to do?" Huh? Seems like sort of a no-brainer, right? But Jesus obviously wanted him to ask. So we were discussing why Jesus wants us to ask Him for things. I think one reason is so that we can give Him the glory when He answers - and we know for sure that HE did it, and it wasn't a coincidence. Also, I think it helps us to be humble when we have to acknowlege our needs. What do you think? Why does God want us to ASK??
In other news... The boys seem to be really happy with their sister. I see some small signs of us all "adjusting" here and there, but nothing too major yet. I think it really helps that we have lots of help, so I'm not stressed out and I can give the boys my attention. I didn't mention this before on here - I think I was afraid it wouldn't work out... But, it did, and we have a wonderful young lady named Anita N. (Michael and Connnie's daughter, in case you know them) here helping us out for several weeks. She's doing a great job - cleaning, laundry, getting meals on, helping with the boys, etc., etc. I called her Cinderella today! But, I'm not the wicked step-mother because I do tell her she can stop and she just keeps going. :-) She's been a huge blessing. It's so wonderful in the morning when I think Hannah is going to sleep longer and the boys are up, I send them downstairs to get Anita to feed them breakfast, and I go back to bed!!
I guess that's all for now. I'll try to post a few pictures to keep Rachel happy. Oh, one more thing. Here's a typical converstaion with Josiah right now...
Me: "What's the baby's name?"
Josiah: "Two!"
Me: "It's Hannah."
Josiah (emphatically): "Hannah Baby!"
Huh, I hardly know where to start. It seems like I've crammed 3 months of living into the last week and a half. Maybe that's because I've spent so little time sleeping. :-)
The first days/week were rough in some ways. My milk was slow to come in so the poor little girl was quite hungry and nursed for hours on end, it seemed but still wasn't content. Neither Keith nor I got much sleep those nights!! The good news is, I didn't really get that stressed out or anxious about it. And for me that's what you'd call a major miracle!! By Tuesday night, I did sorta lose it though and then (finally!) Keith and I spent some time really praying about my milk coming in. When we were done praying, I fed Hannah and, wouldn't you know it, I had more milk than any other time! After that, she would nurse and then was contented. And I think once my milk came in she slept for about 36 hours, only waking up to eat. :-)
A day or two later, I was getting very sore, um, well, you know. Keith prayed about that too and since then, it's gotten much, much better. So, we were starting to get the idea that God really is listening and caring about our lives!! So, when I started to not have enough milk again this weekend, I knew what we needed to do! We prayed some more, and now I seem to have LOTS. I'm just so thankful for our wonderful, compassionate, and personal God! Nothing is too big or too little to bring to Him!! Last night Keith read a story of Jesus healing a blind man. And Jesus asked the man, "What do you want me to do?" Huh? Seems like sort of a no-brainer, right? But Jesus obviously wanted him to ask. So we were discussing why Jesus wants us to ask Him for things. I think one reason is so that we can give Him the glory when He answers - and we know for sure that HE did it, and it wasn't a coincidence. Also, I think it helps us to be humble when we have to acknowlege our needs. What do you think? Why does God want us to ASK??
In other news... The boys seem to be really happy with their sister. I see some small signs of us all "adjusting" here and there, but nothing too major yet. I think it really helps that we have lots of help, so I'm not stressed out and I can give the boys my attention. I didn't mention this before on here - I think I was afraid it wouldn't work out... But, it did, and we have a wonderful young lady named Anita N. (Michael and Connnie's daughter, in case you know them) here helping us out for several weeks. She's doing a great job - cleaning, laundry, getting meals on, helping with the boys, etc., etc. I called her Cinderella today! But, I'm not the wicked step-mother because I do tell her she can stop and she just keeps going. :-) She's been a huge blessing. It's so wonderful in the morning when I think Hannah is going to sleep longer and the boys are up, I send them downstairs to get Anita to feed them breakfast, and I go back to bed!!
I guess that's all for now. I'll try to post a few pictures to keep Rachel happy. Oh, one more thing. Here's a typical converstaion with Josiah right now...
Me: "What's the baby's name?"
Josiah: "Two!"
Me: "It's Hannah."
Josiah (emphatically): "Hannah Baby!"
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The much anticipated photos
Since all of the adoring fans are SCREAMING for pics, here you go. Ain't she sweet?
Saturday, January 12, 2008
If you haven't figured it out yet....
....it's a girl! Hannah Joy arrived at 11:37, she weighed 9 lbs 3 ozs, and was 20 1/2 inches long. I have too many things to do right now (like get back to the hospital and see my DAUGHTER) to give you lots of gory details about the labour and delivery. I can tell you that Jenni's labour was 5ish hours, with the first 3 hours being rather light. Although far be it from me to suggest any woman's LABOUR is LIGHT. She pushed for six minutes.
Oh, and she has red hair!! Imagine. Two redheads out of four kids.
Keith, for the SIX of us. (THAT sounds strange.)
Woo Hoo!
Oh, and she has red hair!! Imagine. Two redheads out of four kids.
Keith, for the SIX of us. (THAT sounds strange.)
Woo Hoo!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
1 & 2 - Elise took some "Christmas" pictures for us.
3 - The boys in their "Christmas Duds". Isn't Josiah's vest cute?!? Rachel got it for him at her Special High Class Place for Good Deals! And isn't it cool that the boys' bubble gum matches Caleb's shirt?
4 - The Magic Apple Machine that inspired Keith to do a bunch of work for me. (Available at Lee Valley. Think I could get a commission?)
5 - My new pendant. Ain't it purty??
6 & 7 - The bedroom carpet - before and after. Now I want to figure out a way to make the blue chair turn red. And there will be baseboard before the winter is over - I hope.
8 - Caleb's black eye. It got just a little worse, but didn't last too long.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Josiah is Two!!
Where has the time gone?? Josiah is Mr. Talkative these days. He's venturing into 3 - 5 word sentences which never ceases to amaze me when I hear it. I can't remember for sure, but I think he's our best talker so far. He's really a barrel of fun these days. He understands and communicates so much and he's been really happy most of the time. He can be a real tease/show-off. I'm not always sure when we're supposed to laugh. I can hear my Mom's words so clearly regarding my little brother, "Don't laugh at him when he shows off!". But many times he's truly funny and not being naughty.
I still haven't adjusted to the reality of having a birthday to celebrate on New Year's Eve. But we managed. It's a good thing I simplified the cake, though!! (See previous "I'm Free" post). We ended up having a pizza supper with the grandparents, Jeff and Wendy's kids (Jeff's were off celebrating their anniversary) and Derek, Elise, and Scotty.
Josiah was quite impressed with the Happy Birthday song as you can see in the second picture. It was a fun evening. And after the kids were in bed, Keith and I watched "The Nativity Story" and went to bed around 12:30.
Friday, January 04, 2008
38 Weeks - And What That Means For Me
* I'm officially as big as a barn. The Dr. said today that I'm measuring 41 cm and she keeps muttering ominously about "big baby". Oh yay!
* One day I'll feel great physically and emotionally and have lots of energy, and then the next day I'm tired, uncomfortable and grumpy. I never know what's coming! My poor family!
* Sleep is a Precious Commodity!!!! I'm thankful that I can get comfortable, but the challenge is I can't breathe well. I don't know if I'm still fighting a bit of cold or if it's all just pregnancy related congestion. Either way, it's annoying. But, I'm finding some ways to cope.
* On a similar note, I spend a lot of time in bed! I'm trying to get all the rest I can right now.
* Night-time "rest" involves 2 - 4 trips to the bathroom.
* My feet and legs are swelling, but my hands are pretty good. I'm still wearing my ring and that's never happened before!
* I get to spend lots of time in the Dr. office. It took two hours today. :-(
* I'm in full-blown nesting mode. Any extra time/energy is going into cleaning, organizing, getting baby stuff ready, crossing things off my to-do list, etc.
* I'm ready for this to be over!!! And really excited about the new baby we're waiting for!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Pictures I Meant to Post Weeks Ago
1 & 2 - Keith, shorn and shaven! I'm so glad he grew it back!
3 - The truckload of stuff we took to the second-hand store and Wendy. That felt good! I hope no one sees anything in the picture that they gave me. :-)
4&5 - Iris and me carrying on our crazy sweet tradition of making Christmas candy. Isn't an apron flattering on a largely pregnant woman?!?
I'm Free!!
My sister says I'm anal. I say I'm obsessive compulsive. Sadly, we're both right. I usually tell myself that as long as it doesn't put pressure on other people, it's okay. Well, last night it got the best of me. I love traditions, and I decided long ago that I would make the same birthday cake for the boys for the same number birthday. Make sense? So, when Caleb turned one, he had a sheet cake with balloons on it. So have all the others. And that started because I'm not that great at decorating cakes and I can do balloons in cool colors! So, for Caleb's second birthday, we upped it a notch and he had a puppy cake made in a shaped pan. This involves 3 - 5 colors of icing, 100,000 drop flowers, and some training and experience. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure that my sister (who has much more training and experience than I in decorating cakes!!) made that cake. I think I fumbled through making one for Logan and it was okay. Now it's Josiah's turn. (He's two today!!) So last night I dutifully mixed up a yummy carrot cake and baked it in the puppy pan - while sort of dreading the decorating part. Alas, I forgot to flour the pan, and the durn thing stuck like crazy. Ruined. At 10:00. That's when it hit me. I don't have to do this!! Just because I've always done it, doesn't mean I can't quit! Oh bliss! So now there's another carrot cake in the oven. It will also be a puppy, but the easy kind where you cut it into pieces, arrange them, ice them, and make eyes, etc out of candy. Much easier! Much more within my realm of possibilities today!! Oh, and the ruined cake... It tastes really good! :-)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Another Christmas Come and Gone
I was just going to post a bazillion pictures to make Rhonda happy, but the PC is not cooperating. :-( So, I'll just type a bit here and see what comes out. Then I'll go to bed like I should have a half hour ago!!
I feel like I"ve been living in a bit of a whirlwind around here. I have to admit that, even though Christmas was really fun, I'm glad it's over for this year. I guess it's because I'm pregnant and don't have the energy I usually do, and that I'm trying to home-school as well. Anyway, there were lots of things that just didn't get done this year and I did learn to be okay with that. Really! Like that fact that there was a pile of clean laundry on my bedroom floor all through the holidays, and it just got folded today. For the last few days, I've been sleeping lots and slowly working my way through the house (with the help of Keith and the boys!) restoring order from chaos. And it feels good! I don't know when I'll tackle taking down all the decorations. I'm not ready for that yet, and we have to have a birthday party for the little guy first...
So, here's a run-down of our Christmas activities, and I'll try to be brief. (hahahahaha) Last week I finally gave in and admitted that I couldn't get ready for Christmas and still do school, so we abbreviated it for a few days, and then scrapped it totally. My out-of-town family arrived Friday evening/early Sat. morning (except for the Malagasies, whom we missed!!) We all just met at Jeff and Wendy's this year and it went really well. We really did have a fun time. Talked, laughed, ate (duh!), played games, slept, etc. On Sat. night we had a catered Christmas meal at the Rec. Centre then went bowling and swimming - all under one roof. Pretty cool. I opted out of the bowling, but did go swimming. Some people stayed at Jeff's overnight, but I wanted my own bed! :-) Logan stayed over there with his best friend, Alabama. We had fun getting to know Rachel's boyfriend, Dave. I hope we didn't scare him off too much! Also, Alicia's boyfriend, Aaron was there. How can I be old enough to have a niece seriously dating?? When I stop and think, I realize I am old enough to be her mother... Oh well! Sunday after lunch we opened presents. That was fun, of course. We had exchanged names, and we supposed to spend $5 - $10. It's amazing what you can come up with for that price! One sad thing was that Dad ended up having to be on-call for the snow-plow and it snowed a pile. So he worked Friday night and part of Sat. night and didn't get to be there as much as we wished. By Sunday night I was pretty much toast, but it was a fun time.
Monday I don't remember much about except a bit of cooking, and preparing for the evening. We once again we pretty involved in the Christmas Eve service so that was a bit stressful until it was over. But, I think it was a really good evening - one of my favorite parts of Christmas!! One really neat thing was a video of Matthew and Rhonda talking and Derek put video and pictures with it. They talked about God's grace in their lives. It was so neat to hear their voices and see the pics of them and the girls. And the girls sang "Angels We Have Heard On High" at the end. Makes me excited for next Christmas when they can be here!!
Our dear friend, Debby R. came Christmas eve and spent three nights here! Rachel and Dave were here too. So, we had lots of fun. After the service on Christmas eve, we ate a bunch of food and then watched a movie, "Scrooge" that Dave's family always watches on Christmas Eve. We let the boys stay up as late as they wanted. Caleb went to bed at 12:30 or so and Logan stayed up until the end of the movie - about 1:00!! The only good thing about all the late nights is that the kids slept in so we could too!!
Christmas morning we were pretty slow to get moving! Keith and I made our "traditional" gut-buster brunch of pancakes, eggs, sausague, etc Debby brought a cinnamon roll wreath so we put candles in that and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. And we also lit the Christ candle in the Advent wreath. After brunch we finally got around to opening presents. It was a little chaotic and took a long time. Dad and Dru stopped in around 12:00 and we still weren't done. I didn't get very good pictures this year. I was too tired and out of it, I suppose. But I'll post some when the computer decides that I may! Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty laid back. Some went for walks, Josiah and I had naps, we made a fairly simple dinner - sweet and sour chicken, etc. Our friend, Bobbi and her Dad joined us for that. After the kids were in bed, Debby taught us how to play Battleship on paper. That was fun! Of course, we got to bed late again!
On Boxing Day we headed for Grandpa and Grandma Grabers. That was another laid back day - big breakfast, opened some presents (Caleb got a Swiss-Army knife and life will never be the same again!), crotcheted, slept, went with Rachel and Dave over to see our house where we grew up, Debby joined us for dinner (prime rib roast!), made home-made ice cream, went home and crashed!! :-)
Since then, we've been slowly recovering. :-) On Thursday I told the boys we'd do something fun (play a game, read, etc) and then clean up a room, then repeat. It worked pretty well. Yesterday we did some more of that. The house is starting to look normal again, and that MOUNTAIN of laundry is folded, at least - but not all put away. This morning Keith took the two oldest with him to get a load of firewood and I managed to get Josiah's hair cut while they were gone. I don't know how my parents ever did that without movies to distract their kids!!! This afternoon Caleb went to a birthday party for his friend Taylor. They went sliding and, unfortunately, his face connected with another kid's face. I had to go get him because he was crying and crying. He said he doesn't remember what happened, so I guess that means it was a pretty hard hit. :-( He has a big fat lip and one side of his nose and eye is swollen. Keith is predicting a doozy of a black eye. I feel bad for him, and for me because I really was hoping to get someone to take family pictures of us this weekend. I guess I have to leave the tree up until Caleb looks normal again. :-)
Okay, this is geting really long (surprise!) but I really have to list a few blessings from the past few weeks.
* Remember me complaining about my back hurting?? It was pretty bad at times and really was affecting my life! I was praying about it and was trying to slow down and rest more. Then we went to a Christmas party at the home of some friends. She "happens" to be a physio-therapist. She and I were chatting and I asked her if she treats pregnant women with lower back pain. Before I knew it, she took me in the bedroom, gave me a treatment, and showed me a simple exercise/stretch to do whenever it hurts. My back improved dramatically over the next few days, and it's been feeling great ever since! Yesterday was the first I've done the exercise in awhile! And I can walk on the treadmill without pain. Thank you, Lord (and Deanna!!)
* Awhile ago, some friends gave us some boxes of apples. We've been eating them, but not fast enough keep them from spoiling. I really wanted to slice and freeze them, but it just wasn't happening. I had borrowed my Mother-in-law's apple peeler/corer/slicer, but hadn't done anything with it yet. Keith picked it up today and started slicing apples and he and the boys had a blast doing all of them!! Here's a hint ladies: If you need your hubby to help with something, have a cool tool on hand that will do the job!!
* I'm not a big jewelry person, but I do usually wear a necklace. Usually the same one for about 6 months at a time. :-) Well, one of my two pendants that I usually wear lost the stone, and I was actually wishing for a new pendant for Christmas. But I didn't get one. (Yes, I know this isn't really a big crisis! But God cares about the little things too.) So, yesterday I got a box in the mail from two dear friends who forgot that my last birthday was a "big one". I guess they felt a little badly about that. :-) Anyway, they gave me a beautiful pendant from Greece. (They were there on holidays this summer and so they ordered one for me from Thessolonika!) How cool is that!?! Maybe I can post of picture of it soon. Thanks, Brenda and Karla!!
It really is time for bed! Since tomorrow is Sunday and I'm leading worship, I really can't sleep in like I've been doing! So, more later, and hopefully a bunch of pictures soon!
I feel like I"ve been living in a bit of a whirlwind around here. I have to admit that, even though Christmas was really fun, I'm glad it's over for this year. I guess it's because I'm pregnant and don't have the energy I usually do, and that I'm trying to home-school as well. Anyway, there were lots of things that just didn't get done this year and I did learn to be okay with that. Really! Like that fact that there was a pile of clean laundry on my bedroom floor all through the holidays, and it just got folded today. For the last few days, I've been sleeping lots and slowly working my way through the house (with the help of Keith and the boys!) restoring order from chaos. And it feels good! I don't know when I'll tackle taking down all the decorations. I'm not ready for that yet, and we have to have a birthday party for the little guy first...
So, here's a run-down of our Christmas activities, and I'll try to be brief. (hahahahaha) Last week I finally gave in and admitted that I couldn't get ready for Christmas and still do school, so we abbreviated it for a few days, and then scrapped it totally. My out-of-town family arrived Friday evening/early Sat. morning (except for the Malagasies, whom we missed!!) We all just met at Jeff and Wendy's this year and it went really well. We really did have a fun time. Talked, laughed, ate (duh!), played games, slept, etc. On Sat. night we had a catered Christmas meal at the Rec. Centre then went bowling and swimming - all under one roof. Pretty cool. I opted out of the bowling, but did go swimming. Some people stayed at Jeff's overnight, but I wanted my own bed! :-) Logan stayed over there with his best friend, Alabama. We had fun getting to know Rachel's boyfriend, Dave. I hope we didn't scare him off too much! Also, Alicia's boyfriend, Aaron was there. How can I be old enough to have a niece seriously dating?? When I stop and think, I realize I am old enough to be her mother... Oh well! Sunday after lunch we opened presents. That was fun, of course. We had exchanged names, and we supposed to spend $5 - $10. It's amazing what you can come up with for that price! One sad thing was that Dad ended up having to be on-call for the snow-plow and it snowed a pile. So he worked Friday night and part of Sat. night and didn't get to be there as much as we wished. By Sunday night I was pretty much toast, but it was a fun time.
Monday I don't remember much about except a bit of cooking, and preparing for the evening. We once again we pretty involved in the Christmas Eve service so that was a bit stressful until it was over. But, I think it was a really good evening - one of my favorite parts of Christmas!! One really neat thing was a video of Matthew and Rhonda talking and Derek put video and pictures with it. They talked about God's grace in their lives. It was so neat to hear their voices and see the pics of them and the girls. And the girls sang "Angels We Have Heard On High" at the end. Makes me excited for next Christmas when they can be here!!
Our dear friend, Debby R. came Christmas eve and spent three nights here! Rachel and Dave were here too. So, we had lots of fun. After the service on Christmas eve, we ate a bunch of food and then watched a movie, "Scrooge" that Dave's family always watches on Christmas Eve. We let the boys stay up as late as they wanted. Caleb went to bed at 12:30 or so and Logan stayed up until the end of the movie - about 1:00!! The only good thing about all the late nights is that the kids slept in so we could too!!
Christmas morning we were pretty slow to get moving! Keith and I made our "traditional" gut-buster brunch of pancakes, eggs, sausague, etc Debby brought a cinnamon roll wreath so we put candles in that and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. And we also lit the Christ candle in the Advent wreath. After brunch we finally got around to opening presents. It was a little chaotic and took a long time. Dad and Dru stopped in around 12:00 and we still weren't done. I didn't get very good pictures this year. I was too tired and out of it, I suppose. But I'll post some when the computer decides that I may! Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty laid back. Some went for walks, Josiah and I had naps, we made a fairly simple dinner - sweet and sour chicken, etc. Our friend, Bobbi and her Dad joined us for that. After the kids were in bed, Debby taught us how to play Battleship on paper. That was fun! Of course, we got to bed late again!
On Boxing Day we headed for Grandpa and Grandma Grabers. That was another laid back day - big breakfast, opened some presents (Caleb got a Swiss-Army knife and life will never be the same again!), crotcheted, slept, went with Rachel and Dave over to see our house where we grew up, Debby joined us for dinner (prime rib roast!), made home-made ice cream, went home and crashed!! :-)
Since then, we've been slowly recovering. :-) On Thursday I told the boys we'd do something fun (play a game, read, etc) and then clean up a room, then repeat. It worked pretty well. Yesterday we did some more of that. The house is starting to look normal again, and that MOUNTAIN of laundry is folded, at least - but not all put away. This morning Keith took the two oldest with him to get a load of firewood and I managed to get Josiah's hair cut while they were gone. I don't know how my parents ever did that without movies to distract their kids!!! This afternoon Caleb went to a birthday party for his friend Taylor. They went sliding and, unfortunately, his face connected with another kid's face. I had to go get him because he was crying and crying. He said he doesn't remember what happened, so I guess that means it was a pretty hard hit. :-( He has a big fat lip and one side of his nose and eye is swollen. Keith is predicting a doozy of a black eye. I feel bad for him, and for me because I really was hoping to get someone to take family pictures of us this weekend. I guess I have to leave the tree up until Caleb looks normal again. :-)
Okay, this is geting really long (surprise!) but I really have to list a few blessings from the past few weeks.
* Remember me complaining about my back hurting?? It was pretty bad at times and really was affecting my life! I was praying about it and was trying to slow down and rest more. Then we went to a Christmas party at the home of some friends. She "happens" to be a physio-therapist. She and I were chatting and I asked her if she treats pregnant women with lower back pain. Before I knew it, she took me in the bedroom, gave me a treatment, and showed me a simple exercise/stretch to do whenever it hurts. My back improved dramatically over the next few days, and it's been feeling great ever since! Yesterday was the first I've done the exercise in awhile! And I can walk on the treadmill without pain. Thank you, Lord (and Deanna!!)
* Awhile ago, some friends gave us some boxes of apples. We've been eating them, but not fast enough keep them from spoiling. I really wanted to slice and freeze them, but it just wasn't happening. I had borrowed my Mother-in-law's apple peeler/corer/slicer, but hadn't done anything with it yet. Keith picked it up today and started slicing apples and he and the boys had a blast doing all of them!! Here's a hint ladies: If you need your hubby to help with something, have a cool tool on hand that will do the job!!
* I'm not a big jewelry person, but I do usually wear a necklace. Usually the same one for about 6 months at a time. :-) Well, one of my two pendants that I usually wear lost the stone, and I was actually wishing for a new pendant for Christmas. But I didn't get one. (Yes, I know this isn't really a big crisis! But God cares about the little things too.) So, yesterday I got a box in the mail from two dear friends who forgot that my last birthday was a "big one". I guess they felt a little badly about that. :-) Anyway, they gave me a beautiful pendant from Greece. (They were there on holidays this summer and so they ordered one for me from Thessolonika!) How cool is that!?! Maybe I can post of picture of it soon. Thanks, Brenda and Karla!!
It really is time for bed! Since tomorrow is Sunday and I'm leading worship, I really can't sleep in like I've been doing! So, more later, and hopefully a bunch of pictures soon!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Recent Adventures
* On Monday, Grandma Graber came over and helped us make Christmas cookies. We made four kinds, and I think it was that day or the next that I heard from God about not over-doing it. :-) I just can't be on my feet all day like that anymore! But the cookies were very yummy and I was so thankful for Grandma helping us! The boys had great fun with the cut-outs - and I forgot to take pictures.
* A couple weeks ago, Keith shaved his goatee. He didn't even ask me! :-) It was quite shocking to say the least. I don't think he's been without facial hair since before we were marrried. Anyway, it didn't take much at all to convince him to grow it back. It's almost back to normal already. But, I must say, there's something quite nice about kissing a smooth-shaven man! I guess that's the first time I experienced that! :-)
* Keith started training Josiah to sleep with the boys in their room. It's not working so well. We're not sure what to do next. He just has a terrible time relaxing and going to sleep.
* Last Sunday evening we had our annual joint-church Christmas Sing. It was so good. I always enjoy that so much. I was thinking as I sat there that I really need times like that to focus my heart and mind on what Christmas really is! This afternoon we have our ladies Christmas Tea and I think that will be another time of "re-focusing". I'm so thankful for the Gift of God which is our salvation through Jesus Christ!!!
* I'm in the second week or so of my Worst Cold Ever, I think. It just hangs on and on, although I can tell I'm getting better slowly. I've had a hard time sleeping at times because of coughing and a stuffy nose. Thankfully, my nights have been more restful lately!
* And, on top of that, lower back pain has set in for me. The weird thing was, it hit both Keith and me the same day. He's much better and I"m up and down with it. It seemed the other day like God was saying to me, "You are over-doing it and need to slow down." So, I'm willingly taking that to heart!
* Awhile ago, I promised the boys we'd make gingerbread houses and have some of their friends over too. So last Sat. was the day. Unfortunately, it was the day I felt about the worst with this cold. But, the kids had a great time and us Moms enjoyed it too. There was lots of sugar everywhere, both inside and on the outside of the kids! We made the houses out of graham crackers, which works quite well and is so much easier than making the gingerbread!! Now my challenge is finding a place to put their creations where Josiah won't help himself to all the "tandy" he wants! (Josiah was "un-invited" to this party! He went to Grandma's!)
* I'm not sure how to make this long story short... We got a treadmill from some friends this summer, but we lost the "key" in transport. It won't go without that key (basically a little rectangular piece of plastic). I tried to make a key but the treadmill only worked sporadically, and finally not at all. We finally concluded the treadmill just didn't work. We just kinda never got around to doing anything about it because I didn't really need it in the summer and fall. Now that I'm huge and it's very cold outside, I want to walk inside. I prayed a little while ago and asked God for a treadmill. Finally, last week, I asked Keith if he would make a key out of wood for it. (This had never occurred to us before.) He made one, and the thing works just fine! It was just that my "key" wasn't right. I'm sure it was God that prompted me to ask Keith to make a key! Thanks, Lord, for providing for us again!
* And speaking of provision... I've always wanted to change the carpet in ours and the boys room. What's there is gray - which is really not my favorite color - and worn. I didn't decorate at all around the carpet, so both of our rooms are painted some shade of tan/brown. Anyway, some friends of ours just replaced their carpet and what they took out is a medium brown. It's not the newest, but the color is so much better and the price is right (free!) So, last week, Keith started working on putting it in our room. Last night, Jeff (my carpet-laying-wonder-brother) came over and helped him finish it up! Or I should say, Keith helped him. Anyway, it's done in our room and it looks so much better. Once he does the boys' room, we'll (meaning Keith) steam clean them both, and then I'll feel really good about it! Oh, and then we're getting base-board in those rooms, which have never had it! Yay!
* We've been so busy the last few weeks (why did we add carpet installation to the Christmas season??) with various things, that we haven't had a chance to go cut a Christmas tree. (For those of you not familiar with our area, we can just go out in the bush (woods, if you're an American) and cut one down and no one cares!) I actually talked Keith into just buying one this year. Gasp! Heresy! We've never done such a thing before, but this time, even Keith was okay with the idea. Then, when we went to get it, the man (who goes to our church) wouldn't take any money for it! Wow! We picked out a white pine (I think that's what it is) with long needles. It's really pretty, but the funny thing is, the ornaments slide off very easily! So, I have a little pile of stuff to put back on the tree one of these days!
* Keith has been hauling loads of free, easy-to-get firewood this week. We're really happy about that!
* I've been faithfully checking my blood-sugar, and it seems that with a few changes to my diet, I can easily control it. I've even been able to eat my share of cookies, dessert, etc sometimes. In fact, I've wondered sometimes if God has healed me. I've definitely asked Him to! I'm really thankful that I don't have to say no to ALL off my favorite Christmas goodies!
* I guess that's all for now. I really need to sit at the desk for awhile and sort through receipts and bills. I have the ominous feeling I've let some bills go overdue again. Duh! Merry Christmas everyone!!
* A couple weeks ago, Keith shaved his goatee. He didn't even ask me! :-) It was quite shocking to say the least. I don't think he's been without facial hair since before we were marrried. Anyway, it didn't take much at all to convince him to grow it back. It's almost back to normal already. But, I must say, there's something quite nice about kissing a smooth-shaven man! I guess that's the first time I experienced that! :-)
* Keith started training Josiah to sleep with the boys in their room. It's not working so well. We're not sure what to do next. He just has a terrible time relaxing and going to sleep.
* Last Sunday evening we had our annual joint-church Christmas Sing. It was so good. I always enjoy that so much. I was thinking as I sat there that I really need times like that to focus my heart and mind on what Christmas really is! This afternoon we have our ladies Christmas Tea and I think that will be another time of "re-focusing". I'm so thankful for the Gift of God which is our salvation through Jesus Christ!!!
* I'm in the second week or so of my Worst Cold Ever, I think. It just hangs on and on, although I can tell I'm getting better slowly. I've had a hard time sleeping at times because of coughing and a stuffy nose. Thankfully, my nights have been more restful lately!
* And, on top of that, lower back pain has set in for me. The weird thing was, it hit both Keith and me the same day. He's much better and I"m up and down with it. It seemed the other day like God was saying to me, "You are over-doing it and need to slow down." So, I'm willingly taking that to heart!
* Awhile ago, I promised the boys we'd make gingerbread houses and have some of their friends over too. So last Sat. was the day. Unfortunately, it was the day I felt about the worst with this cold. But, the kids had a great time and us Moms enjoyed it too. There was lots of sugar everywhere, both inside and on the outside of the kids! We made the houses out of graham crackers, which works quite well and is so much easier than making the gingerbread!! Now my challenge is finding a place to put their creations where Josiah won't help himself to all the "tandy" he wants! (Josiah was "un-invited" to this party! He went to Grandma's!)
* I'm not sure how to make this long story short... We got a treadmill from some friends this summer, but we lost the "key" in transport. It won't go without that key (basically a little rectangular piece of plastic). I tried to make a key but the treadmill only worked sporadically, and finally not at all. We finally concluded the treadmill just didn't work. We just kinda never got around to doing anything about it because I didn't really need it in the summer and fall. Now that I'm huge and it's very cold outside, I want to walk inside. I prayed a little while ago and asked God for a treadmill. Finally, last week, I asked Keith if he would make a key out of wood for it. (This had never occurred to us before.) He made one, and the thing works just fine! It was just that my "key" wasn't right. I'm sure it was God that prompted me to ask Keith to make a key! Thanks, Lord, for providing for us again!
* And speaking of provision... I've always wanted to change the carpet in ours and the boys room. What's there is gray - which is really not my favorite color - and worn. I didn't decorate at all around the carpet, so both of our rooms are painted some shade of tan/brown. Anyway, some friends of ours just replaced their carpet and what they took out is a medium brown. It's not the newest, but the color is so much better and the price is right (free!) So, last week, Keith started working on putting it in our room. Last night, Jeff (my carpet-laying-wonder-brother) came over and helped him finish it up! Or I should say, Keith helped him. Anyway, it's done in our room and it looks so much better. Once he does the boys' room, we'll (meaning Keith) steam clean them both, and then I'll feel really good about it! Oh, and then we're getting base-board in those rooms, which have never had it! Yay!
* We've been so busy the last few weeks (why did we add carpet installation to the Christmas season??) with various things, that we haven't had a chance to go cut a Christmas tree. (For those of you not familiar with our area, we can just go out in the bush (woods, if you're an American) and cut one down and no one cares!) I actually talked Keith into just buying one this year. Gasp! Heresy! We've never done such a thing before, but this time, even Keith was okay with the idea. Then, when we went to get it, the man (who goes to our church) wouldn't take any money for it! Wow! We picked out a white pine (I think that's what it is) with long needles. It's really pretty, but the funny thing is, the ornaments slide off very easily! So, I have a little pile of stuff to put back on the tree one of these days!
* Keith has been hauling loads of free, easy-to-get firewood this week. We're really happy about that!
* I've been faithfully checking my blood-sugar, and it seems that with a few changes to my diet, I can easily control it. I've even been able to eat my share of cookies, dessert, etc sometimes. In fact, I've wondered sometimes if God has healed me. I've definitely asked Him to! I'm really thankful that I don't have to say no to ALL off my favorite Christmas goodies!
* I guess that's all for now. I really need to sit at the desk for awhile and sort through receipts and bills. I have the ominous feeling I've let some bills go overdue again. Duh! Merry Christmas everyone!!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Here It Is, Rachel!!
I really am alive! Maybe you’ve guessed that my last month or so haven’t been exactly filled with free time, peace and tranquility! Besides being Very Busy, we’ve also had our share of emotional/spiritual struggles. I do find it really hard to write when I’m not feeling “on top” of things, maybe since writing isn’t my preferred form of communication anyway. So, without any more excuses, I’ll try to update you on what’s been going on around our house…
Some words to describe my life (with apologies to Rhonda for stealing this idea from her:
Fragile: This fourth pregnancy has been the hardest for me emotionally. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older or because I have more children than other times and I’m home-schooling two of them… At any rate, I find that my emotional and mental energy are so quickly depleted and I can very quickly slide into crying, feeling overwhelmed, yelling at my kids, etc. I feel pretty fragile and haven’t been too impressed with my behavior many times. But I do have to say that God is faithful and when I cry out to Him for help, He does help me!!
Grateful:
-Caleb pulled our 4-drawer filing cabinet over on himself last week! (That’s what happens when you pull out the top three drawers at the same time!) I couldn’t get it up by myself and he was pinned under it. I panicked, of course! Then I remembered that my friend, AnneJisca was here. She heard the commotion (to put it mildly) and came to my rescue. Together we were able to set it up. I was wondering how many bones were broken, but he ended up with two little bruises – one barely visible. Amazing! Thank you, Jesus for your protection!
-My kids have two Grandmas who like to take them for part of a day almost every week. (One of them gets two kids and the other one gets one.) It’s a great way for me to have a break and get some other stuff done!!
-When our stuff was stolen in the City, one big disappointment was that I had bought a denim shirt for Caleb at Value Village. I was so excited because all three of them would have one then and I like to dress them alike sometimes. (See, you can still have some fun dressing little boys!) Anyway, it was gone, and I said something to God like, “Well, you provided all these things once, I wonder how you’ll do it again?” Then I gave up on Caleb having a denim shirt. Last night, Keith brought in from the van two garbage bags of clothes a friend had given me a week or two ago (I don’t get things done fast around here, remember?) :-) One of the first things I pulled out of them this morning was a denim shirt in great shape that fits Caleb! I was floored and so thankful that God knows exactly what we like and want and sometimes He just hands out little special blessings like candy!
Anticipation: In only 7 weeks (give or take!) we’ll have a precious new baby to hold and take care of!
Confusion: What in the world should we name the precious little baby??
Validation: The other night I was talking to my dear sister. I mentioned that I feel like absolutely all I get done is home-school, and just the basics at home. She replied with “well, of course” and explained that she thinks that’s pretty normal for my situation. That made me feel so good, because so often I feel like I should be more of a super-woman and “get more done” or educate my boys more adequately. It’s hard not to feel like a failure lots of the time. Thanks, Rachel! And the same day another friend who home-schooled 4 (now-grown) kids assured me that you do what you can and don’t let Satan steal your joy by always telling you you’re not doing enough. Thanks, Debbie!
Excitement: Christmas is coming!
Wondering: How in the world will I get everything done by then? I’m having to lower my expectations big time. Really, I should be happy if we get a tree up and decorated and the presents bought and wrapped. Plans are already made/in the making to make candy on Saturday with Iris (yay!) and gingerbread houses with the boys and some little friends next Sat. I really want to do the advent wreath and calendar again with the kids. Other than that, I hope I’ll have some time to make a few kinds of cookies, but who knows??
Fun!: The presents are bought!! Well, almost all of them. Last Saturday, Kendra, Logan and I went to the “Big Town” to shop and have Logan’s picture taken. (And I just have to insert that Logan my have a future as a model. He was such a little cheeser and had so much fun having his picture taken!) That was a very successful shopping trip and we got to eat at Pizza Hut and get bagels from Tim Horton’s for on the way home. Then yesterday morning I spent an hour and a half on the internet and crossed lots off of my list of gifts to buy (two of the boys were at Grandma’s!). In the afternoon, Caleb and I did some more shopping around town and got a bunch of stocking stuffers, etc. Last night the boys helped me start wrapping some stuff. That was fun!!
Disappointment:
-Why does God answer some prayers – big or small – “easily” and others just seem to take forever?? There are things I’ve been praying for and it seems like so long and sometimes I think my heart will break if they’re not answered soon. I just started (again) the book “Believing God” by Beth Moore and I hope that helps answer some of my questions and bolster my faith!
-The day Josiah was born, they discovered I had high blood sugar. We don’t know how long it had been going on. So, of course, this time, I’m having to check it periodically. I had been forgetting for awhile, but the other night when I checked it, suddenly it was quite high! Sigh. Since then it’s been high sometimes but not always. We’ll see what the Doc says on Monday! In the meantime, I know I shouldn’t be eating any sugar, but I’m rebellious on that one right now. And we’re making Christmas candy tomorrow!
Health: Thank God for health! Keith went through a week or more of a really nasty virus. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so miserable. We’re so thankful he’s better! Then Josiah got pink-eye and had to have antibiotic ointment for that. Other than that we are healthy. I’m just so thankful for how good I feel. I can still sleep pretty well at night, I’m not retaining fluid yet so no carpal tunnel when I sleep and my feet don’t hurt, my back rarely hurts, and I’m just now starting to feel a bit like an elephant, if you know what I mean. :-) Thank God for His goodness!
Cold: It was -30 C (you Americans can do the math) this morning!
I’m sure I could write more, but I need to just get this posted so you won’t all think I’ve died or something! I wonder if anyone is checking my blog anymore! Happy December!
Some words to describe my life (with apologies to Rhonda for stealing this idea from her:
Fragile: This fourth pregnancy has been the hardest for me emotionally. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older or because I have more children than other times and I’m home-schooling two of them… At any rate, I find that my emotional and mental energy are so quickly depleted and I can very quickly slide into crying, feeling overwhelmed, yelling at my kids, etc. I feel pretty fragile and haven’t been too impressed with my behavior many times. But I do have to say that God is faithful and when I cry out to Him for help, He does help me!!
Grateful:
-Caleb pulled our 4-drawer filing cabinet over on himself last week! (That’s what happens when you pull out the top three drawers at the same time!) I couldn’t get it up by myself and he was pinned under it. I panicked, of course! Then I remembered that my friend, AnneJisca was here. She heard the commotion (to put it mildly) and came to my rescue. Together we were able to set it up. I was wondering how many bones were broken, but he ended up with two little bruises – one barely visible. Amazing! Thank you, Jesus for your protection!
-My kids have two Grandmas who like to take them for part of a day almost every week. (One of them gets two kids and the other one gets one.) It’s a great way for me to have a break and get some other stuff done!!
-When our stuff was stolen in the City, one big disappointment was that I had bought a denim shirt for Caleb at Value Village. I was so excited because all three of them would have one then and I like to dress them alike sometimes. (See, you can still have some fun dressing little boys!) Anyway, it was gone, and I said something to God like, “Well, you provided all these things once, I wonder how you’ll do it again?” Then I gave up on Caleb having a denim shirt. Last night, Keith brought in from the van two garbage bags of clothes a friend had given me a week or two ago (I don’t get things done fast around here, remember?) :-) One of the first things I pulled out of them this morning was a denim shirt in great shape that fits Caleb! I was floored and so thankful that God knows exactly what we like and want and sometimes He just hands out little special blessings like candy!
Anticipation: In only 7 weeks (give or take!) we’ll have a precious new baby to hold and take care of!
Confusion: What in the world should we name the precious little baby??
Validation: The other night I was talking to my dear sister. I mentioned that I feel like absolutely all I get done is home-school, and just the basics at home. She replied with “well, of course” and explained that she thinks that’s pretty normal for my situation. That made me feel so good, because so often I feel like I should be more of a super-woman and “get more done” or educate my boys more adequately. It’s hard not to feel like a failure lots of the time. Thanks, Rachel! And the same day another friend who home-schooled 4 (now-grown) kids assured me that you do what you can and don’t let Satan steal your joy by always telling you you’re not doing enough. Thanks, Debbie!
Excitement: Christmas is coming!
Wondering: How in the world will I get everything done by then? I’m having to lower my expectations big time. Really, I should be happy if we get a tree up and decorated and the presents bought and wrapped. Plans are already made/in the making to make candy on Saturday with Iris (yay!) and gingerbread houses with the boys and some little friends next Sat. I really want to do the advent wreath and calendar again with the kids. Other than that, I hope I’ll have some time to make a few kinds of cookies, but who knows??
Fun!: The presents are bought!! Well, almost all of them. Last Saturday, Kendra, Logan and I went to the “Big Town” to shop and have Logan’s picture taken. (And I just have to insert that Logan my have a future as a model. He was such a little cheeser and had so much fun having his picture taken!) That was a very successful shopping trip and we got to eat at Pizza Hut and get bagels from Tim Horton’s for on the way home. Then yesterday morning I spent an hour and a half on the internet and crossed lots off of my list of gifts to buy (two of the boys were at Grandma’s!). In the afternoon, Caleb and I did some more shopping around town and got a bunch of stocking stuffers, etc. Last night the boys helped me start wrapping some stuff. That was fun!!
Disappointment:
-Why does God answer some prayers – big or small – “easily” and others just seem to take forever?? There are things I’ve been praying for and it seems like so long and sometimes I think my heart will break if they’re not answered soon. I just started (again) the book “Believing God” by Beth Moore and I hope that helps answer some of my questions and bolster my faith!
-The day Josiah was born, they discovered I had high blood sugar. We don’t know how long it had been going on. So, of course, this time, I’m having to check it periodically. I had been forgetting for awhile, but the other night when I checked it, suddenly it was quite high! Sigh. Since then it’s been high sometimes but not always. We’ll see what the Doc says on Monday! In the meantime, I know I shouldn’t be eating any sugar, but I’m rebellious on that one right now. And we’re making Christmas candy tomorrow!
Health: Thank God for health! Keith went through a week or more of a really nasty virus. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so miserable. We’re so thankful he’s better! Then Josiah got pink-eye and had to have antibiotic ointment for that. Other than that we are healthy. I’m just so thankful for how good I feel. I can still sleep pretty well at night, I’m not retaining fluid yet so no carpal tunnel when I sleep and my feet don’t hurt, my back rarely hurts, and I’m just now starting to feel a bit like an elephant, if you know what I mean. :-) Thank God for His goodness!
Cold: It was -30 C (you Americans can do the math) this morning!
I’m sure I could write more, but I need to just get this posted so you won’t all think I’ve died or something! I wonder if anyone is checking my blog anymore! Happy December!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Noah's Ark Party
The Baptist Church has a "Noah's Ark" party on Halloween. The kids are supposed to dress up as a Bible character or animal. So, we had fun with that again this year. I just shifted Caleb and Logan's David and Goliath costumes from last year down to Logan and Josiah. I just had to hem up Josiah's robe 4 inches. :-) I tried and tried to convince Caleb to go as Lazarus, but that was just a bit too "outstanding" for him, I think. So, we settled for King Solomon. (I got a robe from the kid's costumes at the church. I had no time to sew one!!) Anyway, it's a fun and wholesome way to spend my least favorite holiday!!
You Know You've Been Busy When...
October was such a crazy, busy month! The boys' hair was getting longer and longer and there was just no time to cut it. It was starting to really really bug me. Anyway, here's the proof that it really was long! And this is after I trimmed Caleb's bangs and "side-burns" just a little so he wouldn't look like a dork in his King Solomon crown.
So, we finally got it done on Friday, and I'm much happier with the way my boys look. I know I'm biased, but I think they're pretty cute.
Look, Ma, No Teeth
When we came home from Winnipeg, Caleb had lost one tooth. The other one followed a few days later. Keith was having fun teasing him and not telling him who the tooth fairy is - although Caleb really does know, I think.
He has little bit of a "lithp". :-)
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Promised Pictures
Top picture: The birthday party that Connie brought along. It really is just grape juice and Keith really isn't sloshed.
Middle: At the Ethiopian Restaurant. I don't think the guys really knew what they were eating. Sheldon will correct me if I'm wrong.
Bottom: Pretty obvious, I guess.
Here's a little van update. Our "new" used window arrived today and Keith put it in this afternoon. Yay!! It's so nice to be able to see. Here's the fun part though. Keith also asked them about a radio when he got the window and they threw in a radio/cassette player for nothing. (Our cassete player doesn't work, and it's a bummer when the kids can't listen to stories when we're traveling!) Also, our rear defrost didn't work, which is also rather unsafe up here in the north. So tonight when I drove, I turned it on, and wouldn't you know, it works. I'm so excited about that! I guess that's the silver lining in our little cloud.
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