"If you can!"

First of all, since this will be one of those theological/intellectual thought kind of post, we'll start with something cute. Using the tutu tutorial (try saying that without thinking of The Beatles' singing, "Goo goo gajoob" from "I Am the Walrus") I made Ellie a tutu the other night. It's her Christmas present but I had to try it on her the next morning to make sure the size was right. How awesome is finding projects that cost less than $10 to make and only takes an hour? Yeah, awesome. I'm telling you, you have to check out that website.
On to the meat of the post and I would love to hear thoughts afterward as I'm hearing this topic all over the place the lately.
We have been going through the Gospel of Mark in our Sunday School class. This past week we spent a lot of time and discussion on chapter 9, verses 14-29, finding the main focus to be on verses 22-24. Let's read them (first, some background - a man is seeking healing for his demon possessed son. The disciples have already tried to heal him and were unable to and so the man has asked Jesus.)
"(22)And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (23) And Jesus said to him, "'If you can!' All things are possible for one who believes." (24) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
Thus brought on the discussion of belief and faith and how little we have of both. One man explained that there is a woman he works with, fairly "charismatic" if you want to describe her as such, who tells him about the things she prays for that actually come to be. He said he often leaves her office in tears because, whereas he has the "head knowledge" of the Bible and how his faith should be, she actually has the belief and confident faith.
My mom has changed her way of praying and I admire it and am starting to follow her example because...well, it makes sense when I think about it. She prays something specific, believing that God can do it. When my dad went in to have some x-rays done a couple months ago on his chest (he was having some breathing problems), she prayed that they would be nothing but dried-up blood clots (which he developed in early 2005.) She told me to ask people to pray, but to pray specifically for that and if they couldn't, then don't pray at all. That is how we prayed and that is what the doctor said they were.
I have been thinking, and have talked with the girls in my small group, about how often we give God an "out." We pray things like, "God, please (insert request) but if it's not Your will, then that's ok." I think we have developed a weak way of praying when we say things like that. Why wouldn't God want us to be healthy? Why wouldn't He want the best for us, especially when He has given us so many promises in the Bible and we should be praying them? Why do we have such a hard time asking for something and believing He - the Creator of the universe - can actually do it?
Think, or look, back at the passage in Mark. The boy's father says, "but if you can do anything." Do you treat God like that?
Look at Jesus' response, "'If you can!' All things are possible for one who believes."
So why don't we?
It would be really easy in my life to be discouraged, stressed out and anxious. I could live in a state of worry about Tim's job and where work will come from and how we will pay the bills. However, God has taught us a lesson time and again and that is that He is a faithful Provider. He has never let us fall. Never ever.
We have grown so much in the last 6-8 months, starting back in the Spring. As we studied the Bible and sought the teaching of people with strong faith who were living it out, we felt ourselves
be challenged. We started letting our chains be loosened, stepping out in faith that God was going to come through. We started giving more - and with cheerful hearts - and we saw His blessings. BUT, and this is a great BIG BUT, we do NOT give to others with the expectation for God to bless us in return for what we have done. Our motives are not selfish, but because we can't help but do it. When you feel the Spirit move you to do something, you do it! If you don't, you've missed out on a great opportunity to do something for the Lord. We were tired of missed opportunities due to our tight fists and unbelief.
We are on a journey meeting many who have been through similar situations and are also tired of living their old "Christian" lives, people sharing hearts and missions and who are eager to walk on a path God is calling them to. Our hearts are filled with anticipation and excitement and a bubbling over to tell others what He has done and how He is working and how He can do the same for them.
"All things are possible for one who believes."
Do you still try to control your life? Do you find yourself being put through situations again and again and again, much to your frustration? Do you really believe God can come through for you? Or do you talk one way and believe another?
I'm not saying it's easy to learn. But it's freeing when you get to the point when you, as the saying goes, "let go and let God."
"All things are possible for one who believes."
How much do you believe?

For the Crafters...

I stumbled across this website today while looking for tutorials on how to make a tutu myself. (I really want to make a pettiskirt for Ellie but the material I need can only be found online and I can't bring myself to pay $40-$60 to buy one at a store, so we're using a tutu for a back-up and I'll just make it very full.)
Anyways, the website is called Make It and Love It. I can't tell you how excited I am about this site. Not all the projects call for a sewing machine either, so don't think you need to be an experienced crafter to check out this site!
Let's just say that some of my original Christmas gift projects are being changed around to do some new ones I've found on the website instead...

Prayer

Friday evening Tim was at a "guys night" with some of the men from our church. I put the kids to bed and then settled down to debate what to watch for the night. Movie? TV show on Hulu? Just listen to some music or a sermon? I was catching up on blog reading when I received a call from Matt and Jeana letting me know that on the National Youth Workers Convention site they were going to be live streaming Francis Chan speaking at their Atlanta convention and they thought I might want to watch it. Of course! I called my friend, Renee, to let her and her husband know about it and then settled in. I wasn't sure what to expect since he was speaking to youth leaders/workers/volunteers, but I'm so glad I tuned in.
The whole message was fantastic, but at the end I was convicted in a big, fat way when he started to tell about how a few years ago he sat his staff down (and he said he was going to be doing it again soon) and asked them a question. He said he had a staff of about 60-70 people (by the way, Chan does not get paid for being a pastor. He told the elder board he did not feel right taking a salary. He also has a fund that all of his book royalties go into that help missionaries/Christians in another country that are being persecuted.)
Anyways, he told his staff that they were going to go around and every person had to answer the question on whether or not they were spending at least one hour in prayer each day. He said that if they answered "no" then he was going to remove them and find someone who does to take their place.
This was like a kick in the butt to me because the subject of prayer has been on my mind a lot lately. Not prayer itself, unfortunately, but thinking about it. I think that because my Ladies' Bible Study is going through "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer - which deals a lot with prayer - I have been noticing how little I pray intentionally. There are the before-the-meal-prayers, before-bed-prayer, and the help-me!-prayers.
Prayer scares me. I don't know why. The thought of sitting down and talking with God for an extended amount of time kind of freaks me out. I worry about what to say, am I going to pray the correct way? Is there a right or wrong way to pray? Things like that. However, I felt that God is speaking to me through Shirer and Chan so I had better listen.
So this week I have been trying some new things based on Scripture. First of all, during the time I was praying yesterday, I felt like God was bringing Psalm 97 into my head. So I read it along with the next 3 chapters, through Psalm 100. Many verses stood out to me, but regarding ways to pray, Psalm 100:2b jumped out:
"Come into his presence with singing!"
Hmmmm.
I also remembered something we had talked about in Bible Study along with my verse I picked to memorize for that week:
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." -Ecclesiastes 5:2
We talked about how when we come before the Lord (and there are numerous verses that talk about this) we need to pretty much be silent. We are so quick to jump in with our requests and miseries. Not that these are not important to God, but do you love when your children come before you complaining all the time or talking about what they need or want in their lives?
So this is what I tried today that I think I may end up using for my prayer time, although I realize it can and should change based on the day and what is going on in life: I first listened and sang along with some songs from the worship CD: "Any Given Day." I like this CD because it's very passionate and focused. After coming into His presence with some joyful "noise" (since I don't sing well) I just sat quietly for awhile.
Wow, hard.
When you can hear the dryer in the laundry room, the heat kicking on through the vents, the vehicles driving by outside...you realize it's hard to surround yourself with silence. It really is an exercise to train yourself to block out noise. Our Bible study teacher had also recommended keeping some paper and a pen by you, and when a thought pops into your head and you feel you're going to be distracted, write it down and then forget about it until later. Like today I thought, "Oh! I have to remember to pick up___________before tomorrow." Wrote it down and pushed it aside. Side note: this time of prayer was obviously being done while the kids were napping or else this whole moments of silence thing would be a joke.
After that I followed the model we learned in youth group growing up: ACTS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication/Intercession
I enjoyed my time and felt like it all became more natural after I got over the thought that it's hard to find things to say to God.
Anyways, how much time would you say you spend in prayer a day/week/month and what are ways that you pray or what are your thoughts on prayer? I'm curious!

What Not To Say

You've probably heard it said, thought it yourself, or maybe even said it yourself.
If you've miscarried or lost a child at some point early on, you may have even had it said to you about your situation. We had it happen more frequently than I wish after our miscarriage.
It's the infamous phrase:
"Well, it's probably better that you lost the baby when you did. It might have had conditions/diseases/special needs/handicaps, etc."
Some people even go so far as to tack on, "God was saving him/her from a life of problems and hardship."
This kind of thinking makes me furious. It is basically implying that anyone that does have a handicap or medical disability would be better off dead.
It's like saying that kids like
Brayden
or
Kelsi
or
Waverly and Oliver
live lives of misery and unhappiness. That they shouldn't even be here because they are a burden to their families and society.
It's like saying that those of us who have lost a child in some form would rather have a healthy and beautiful baby than any baby at all.
Wrong.
I think it is funny how, after a 20 week utrasound, the parents receive two questions:
"Did you find out the gender?"
and
"Is it healthy?"
I'll be honest, we have thanked God after each appointment when we hear that yes, everything with our baby looks good. However, we also realize that ultrasounds don't pick up all conditions and that things can be missed. If we found ourselves in a situation where after one of our children were born, it was discovered that something was wrong, do you think we would be holding him or her and thinking,
"Oh, shoot. I wish I would have miscarried this baby."
No! We would do all we could to love on that baby and ask God for guidance as we walk through an unexpected journey.
Those of you reading this may have never said anything like this, but if you have - or if you've even thought it - just take the time to really think about the phrase. In an effort and attempt to try to say something comforting in an awkward situation, you're actually sticking your foot in your mouth and causing more hurt in the person you're talking to.
Please pray for the children I listed above as Brayden, a family member of our's, undergoes what seems like constant testing to try to figure out exactly what is wrong so they can figure out how to treat it. Pray for Kelsi as she has a major mid-face surgery to help her breathe, and due to her condition an infection following could be deadly. Pray for Waverly and Oliver as they and their family walk through the most agressive form of Sanfilippo knowing that, because there is no treatment or cure, they will be the parents who have to bury both their children who are so young right now.
Oh, God, help us to have Your heart for others.

Random Thoughts and Updates and Pictures

Hello, there.
Blogging for me has been few and far between. I'm ok with that. Changing seasons, things to do, tackling projects, etc. Anyways, here we go with an update, pictures and some random thoughts on this mind.
*Baby update - Went in Monday for the ultrasound (I'm 20 weeks today) and everything is checking out great. We thought we were going to have to leave not knowing the gender, which, surprisingly, I was having an easier time coping with than Tim. The "area" was under my belly button and so all we could see was a black spot for awhile where there should have been some kind of parts going on - male or female. Out of the blue the baby moved, actually, it probably was from the technician pressing so hard all over the place and annoying him. That's right, I said HIM - we are expecting a baby boy...an active one at that. He did not stop moving the whole time we were peeking in at him. Hiccups, yawns, arms waving about and kicking feet. I hope he gets it out of his system now so he can come out calm for a bit. Anyways, yes - we have a first name picked out (middle name is still being decided by Tim) and yes, we are the kind of people who share it, so - our boy is going to be named Caleb. (Sorry, Lacey - we're seriously NOT stealing your son's name!) We picked Caleb for a couple different reasons: (a) It's pretty much the only boy name we can agree on and (b) We both think the Caleb of the Bible was a strong and godly man; loyal and obedient, and we would love for our son to have him as his namesake. Over the summer I was listening to "Revive Our Hearts" and Nancy Leigh DeMoss (not sure if I spelled that right) was doing a study on the life of Joshua and one of the days was about Caleb. It is one of my favorite shows I've heard of her's and has stuck with me since. You can read about Caleb in chapters 13 and 14 in the book of Numbers.
*Played at the GR Children's Museum last week with the Nashes. We went to Yesterdog beforehand for dinner and later that night I kept wondering to myself, "What is it about Yesterdog that makes it so awesome? The dive atmosphere? The graffiti on the walls and tables and duct tape holding together parts of the seats? The soggy hot dog buns? The lack of plates? The mix of classic rock and alternative '90s music? The way you feel like you can't get your hands clean enough after you leave?" When I was thinking over all these things, all I can come up with it is that's it's a combination of all the above. The place sounds horrid when you break up all the characteristics and yet when it's all combined, it's addictive. And delicious. Tim and I think Guy Fieri should feature it on "Diners, Dives and Drive-ins." Grand Rapids' gem, right? We love it along with probably everyone else in West Michigan.
Anyways, the Children's Museum was a blast. My kids could not get enough of it. My parents are getting the kids a family membership for Christmas this year so we'll be able to go as much as we want. It is so fun.
*We've been doing projects around the house. We made a toddler bed for Ellie. We wanted to get her out of her crib and get it put away with lots of time before we have to get it out again. She has a jealous nature to her and we can see her being the type to crawl into the crib and try to take it back if it's still fresh in her mind. Tim and I (and Noah, as a "helper") made the bed and we love the way it turned out. So cheap, too. It's great. We start the next project tonight: painting the dining room. I want to paint the walls a tan color (I need a break from the green that's on there now and am in need of a neutral.) Tim said that was fine IF he could paint the ceiling red. So we'll see how this is going to turn out. I will admit, though, I trust his taste in colors completely and when it comes to paint projects, he has more knowledge than me so I can't always see the vision of what he is seeing. I'm trusting him on this one...

*The knitting needles and crochet hooks have found their way out of the basket and into my hands as the weather turns colder. I made Ellie a winter hat, Noah a hat, have one in my queue at Ravelry for myself and have two requests for hats like Ellie's from some other women. I have to say, every year I forget how much I enjoy crocheting. You can turn out a project so much faster than knitting.
*I found a website I am very excited about. It's for once a month freezer cooking and is called Once a Month Mom. I'm getting more into the freezer cooking/baking. What a great way to save money and time!
*A family from church invited us over to their house Saturday night for dinner. They have four girls - the oldest is five years. Can you imagine? We enjoyed getting to know them and had some great discussion. Another family invited us over Monday night. They have three kids and just found out they are expecting #4. Their oldest, Jack, is the same age as Noah and they play together great. Outside of preschool, Noah doesn't have any boys his age to play with so he loved being at a house with a friend his age that plays the same way he does. They also have a daughter just three months younger than Ellie and another girl who is three years old, so Ellie had fun playing with their baby dolls and girlie toys. Tim and I clicked really quickly with the parents and we ended up staying way later than we anticipated. Thankfully, we are able to put our kids to bed easily at other people's houses and they must have been so tired from playing that they were almost instantly asleep. We're enjoying getting to know people from the church and the ones we just spent time with are less interested in playing games and more interested in conversation and getting to know people on an intimate level so it leads to good discussion on what God is teaching everyone.
*We received some great news that some very good friends of our's from college may be moving back to Michigan in the next year if the husband gets the job he's applying for (please, God!!) It's looking really positive so far. It wouldn't be West Michigan, but they would be only about 2 hours away as opposed to 5, so we'll take it!
*I'm very much excited for the holidays this year. We're simplifying everything in order to focus more on what it's really about and not having the pressure of Christmas shopping and fighting the crowds in the stores is so freeing. Tim and I do have to go on Saturday and get the gifts for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes we're putting together, but we're planning on doing that without kids so we can get through faster and be able to focus. Plus, that one is just fun because you're providing children with something they won't be getting otherwise. I know that my kids will get gifts from family members and even the nieces and nephews we buy for will also be getting lots of other gifts as well from other family, but I don't think the shoebox kids will so it's just as fun for us to provide some fun for them. We'll have Noah and Ellie help us assemble and wrap the boxes when we get home to involve them in the experience.
*I'm looking forward to getting out my "2009 Goals" list out and seeing what I actually accomplished and then making one for 2010. My friend, Bekah, recently wrote a blog post about making a list of 30 things to do before she turns 30. She found it on someone else's blog and I think I might do it as well. That means I should start thinking because I only have about 13 months to go.
And if you're wondering how big the belly is getting, then here is a little update on that. I actually feel smaller than my other pregnancies so far, although I felt I started getting bigger much sooner.
This is actually me at 6 months pregnant with Noah (this is actually the first picture we took of me pregnant with him. Is that sad?)

This is me pregnant at 5 1/2 months with Ellie. I'm not sure why this writing is funky right now.This is me at the children's museum last week at 5 months pregnant. Yes, the sweater is the same. I'm limited right now on the clothing options when it comes to maternity. And it's so stinkin' comfy, too.

Fall Family Photos

We are blessed to have many friends who are photographers, both professional, and those who do it for fun because they have a good eye and a good camera. Our friend, Jeana, took some family pictures for us on an afternoon this week when we actually had a break from the rain. Here are some of our favorites. Thanks a ton, Jeana!

As any family with young children knows, it's hard to get a picture with everyone looking at the camera. In this picture, Noah demonstrates this point as he was gazing longingly at the playground equipment.

My little peanut.

My big pumpkin.

Mi amor, who has always had an obsession with putting flowers behind my ears. This day I received a leaf.

Honestly, it's weird for me to look at pictures and realize she's my daugher since she looks everything the miniature of her dad but nothing like me. I feel like I look at pictures of the two of us and say, "Oh, right. She's mine."

My two favorite guys. We had not seen the Nashes in a long time and Noah was so excited to get to play with Emma. They were collecting leaves in this basket Jeana brought along and then both picked it up to carry it over to a different playground. The picture was completely candid - nobody told them what to do. It just turned out to be one of those great moments.

A God Thing (some encouragement for the day)

The day before I left for the Hearts at Home conference, our blue van was in the shop to have some rattling noises checked out as well as have our very back door handle rigged back on since it was rusting off. The shop called to tell us that we had two problems going on. The first, which needed to be fixed immediately, was to get a new wheel bearing. They said it's a safety issue because if the bearing goes, the tire goes, too, right off the van. This would be about $175 to fix. The second problem, they said, did not have to be fixed immediately but in the very near future. This has something to do with our struts (or something like that) and would cost $X.
I told Tim that I didn't have a problem with the bearing but could we wait on the more expensive problem. We called around and found out that it is actually a great price to get it fixed for. The thing is that we're coming into "slow season" for Tim and he is possibly without work until sometime in November or December. I can already feel myself tightening down the budget and my fist closing around our money. We debated back and forth on it and finally he agreed to wait.
The night I returned home from the conference, Tim brought up the subject again. He said he felt like we needed to tithe the $X (the amount of repair) and trust that God was going to provide for the van to be fixed. He said he could tell that I was already trying to control the situation instead of trusting. Oh, to be reminded of my faults... He said that if we received a check later somehow for $X then it was to go to the van repair.
So the next morning we tithed the money I was trying to grasp. Later I told Tim that it was actually much easier for me to write a check for that amount to go to ministry than it was to think about writing it for a van that isn't going to last. We left that afternoon for Ohio where we have spent the past two weeks. The kids and I returned home on Saturday because I had meetings I had to be at on Sunday and Tim comes home today (yea!)
Last night I was checking my email and had one from an organization called Giving Anonymously. It said that someone wanted to send us a gift of money and could I verify my address so they could get it to us. It encouraged me to check out their website to make sure it wasn't a fraud. Believe me, it was the first thing I did because I was so convinced it was a scam. Giving Anonymously has been featured on news programs (popular well-known ones), radio programs, newpaper reports, etc. It checked out and I think it's a pretty awesome concept. I would definitely think about using it in the future to bless someone and if you're looking for a way to give completely anonymously, you should check it out. One of the things I think is awesome about this is that when you get the check, there is a number to call and leave a voicemail so that you can thank the giver for their gift. This is nice for those of us who have been on the receving end and wish that we could somehow thank whoever blessed us.
I emailed back to confirm my address and to ask, out of curiousity, how much the check was for. Tim and I have not told anyone about the cost of this car repair; I don't even know if we shared with more than my mom (who is not behind this) the fact we even needed a repair at all.
I think it is important that in life we listen to when God is telling us to do something. Tim obviously felt that God was speaking to him to release the money and that I needed to release my fear and control. I felt, through the peace God gave me in tithing, that He was going to take care of us even while I was writing a check that could cover my grocery, electric, gas and water bills for the month. Whether God is telling you to give up a certain amount of money, or to give up a job you may be miserable in but depend on to pay your bills, or to just give up your need to control every little thing and become anxious about every thing in life...it's crucial to listen to Him. He sees the big picture and what we don't.
So, anyways, this morning I received an email back with the amount of the check we're to expect:
$X. (The exact amount of the repair.)

When September Ends and Why It's Important To Do Your Kegels...

I'm not a Green Day fan, but their song title "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was appropriate for me last month.
September is usually an interesting month anyways. Kids are heading back to school. The seasons start changing (maybe - in Michigan you never really know what it will be like.) It kind of feels like a time of beginnings with everything starting up again. It is also an emotional month for me.
This past September was especially exhausting. Noah started 4-year old kindergarten. I struggled with morning sickness, had a break at the end of the month and then Round 2 of morning sickness started up a week ago. I've never had that kind of experience before. With Noah my nausea stopped at 12 weeks exactly. Eleanor caused me to throw up every morning until I was 16 weeks along. With this one I never know if I'm going to throw up or not and two weeks ago I thought I was in the clear with it. What is going on inside that womb?
It was a rough month emotionally. A friend of mine miscarried September 12th at 14 weeks along. The next day was my sister and brother-in-law's 6th wedding anniversary, their daughter's 3rd birthday party and the first anniversary of their own miscarriage. Three days later on the 16th was the 5th anniversary of my miscarriage which was really hard for me this year, maybe because of everything else going on around me.
That week I also received word that a friend from college had thyroid cancer and a friend from our old church had a brain tumor (non-cancerous, thank God.) They both had surgeries the following week, my friend, Moriah, having her thyroid removed on Tuesday and Virginia having the tumor removed Thursday. Both went well, praise God.
The Ladies Bible Study at our church started the same week of the surgeries on that Wednesday. I am so thankful for it. I haven't been in one since the Moms Group a friend invited me to at her church when we lived in Grand Rapids. I was telling Tim the night before that I wonder if men really understand why we women need these kinds of things. He said he understood but probably only because he has seen firsthand the positive effect it has had on me. In GR, I joined it a few months after Noah was born and I was fighting postpartum unhappiness because new motherhood was NOT what I thought it would be. This new (to me) Bible Study is proving to be something that will challenge me, encourage me, hold me accountable, and love me. To be in a group of other women - with ages spanning those who are on their first baby to those who have great-grandchildren - is what every woman should have in her life. It is led by our pastor's wife and she is a strong, wise woman who isn't afraid to speak it like it is in the Bible. No sugar-coated Truth coming from her mouth. She is Spirit-filled and you can tell she spends a lot of time in prayer and in the Word.
The last weekend of the month was...eventful? You could say. Tim had spent the week working 12-14 hour days and had to work over the weekend as well so he was not home. The kids were bathed and just kind of hanging out playing and watching a movie while I cleaned up. I had spent the day cleaning the house, grocery shopping, etc. because I finally had my first burst of energy since entering my second trimester.
*If you are a man reading this - you may want to stop now. Just a warning.*
I went to the bathroom and while wiping thought something felt a little...wrong...down there. Out of curiousity, I put my hand down to feel a little more and there was definitely something hard coming out from between my legs. Quickly I washed my hands and ran upstairs, where I squatted over a mirror to see what was going on. I screamed after seeing something protruding between my legs.
I called Tim and told him I thought I might possibly be miscarrying. He asked if I was bleeding. No. Was I cramping? No. But there is definitely something coming out from a place only babies travel out of.
I then called my midwife/doctor's office, which was of course closed and wrote down the contact number for urgent questions for the on-call doctor. I called her, left a message with the nurse, and the doctor called me back soon after. She asked me what was wrong. The following is our conversation, not word-for-word, but you'll get the gist of it:
Me: I believe I am either miscarrying or delivering an alien baby.
Dr: I'm pretty sure you're not delivering an alien baby. Are you bleeding, cramping, in pain?
Me: No. What is going on? I have something coming out of me!
Dr: Can you describe it?
Me: Well, I guess it's kind of round, muscle-y looking maybe? Is the baby ok? Am I ok?
Dr: Well, it sounds like something that happens occasionally. Do you have kids already? Were they vaginal births?
Me: Yes, two of them.
Dr: Most likely - and this is not really common, but it's not uncommon either - your vaginal walls are caving in.
Silence.
Me: What?!
Dr: Talk to your doctor about it the next time you go in. There is no harm to you or the baby. Any other questions?
Me: Um, no, thanks. Bye.
Are there any other questions?! Yes! Like, why have I never heard of this before? Is my vagina always going to be falling out? When I joke around about all the pressure down there while I'm pregnant and say, "Oh, it feels like my crotch is falling out" I didn't really mean it literally!
My friend, Carrie, who was in town for the night came over shortly after to visit. She is a nurse and has worked the labor/delivery ward before. When I told her about it, she just stared at me and said, "Annie, I have never heard of that before."
Great.
So after she left and Tim was still not home yet, I did the next thing any curious and confused woman with no answers does. I googled, "mass protruding from between legs during pregnancy." That is when I came across multiple websites about uterine prolapse, which basically means the uterus is falling out. I should have stopped reading but instead was filled with the information of bedrest, preterm delivery, and hysterectomies being the only treatment for Stage 4 uterine prolapse, which, obviously, I had to have based on the fact stuff was coming out of me.
I went to bed unsettled and woke up with nothing coming out from between my legs anymore. Whew. I called my mom - which one should never really do before having concrete information about something - and told her my theory to which she of course freaked out. She already knew about uterine prolapse because my great-grandmother had it and was contantly having to go into the doctor in her old age to have her uterus put back in after it fell out. Oh, great. Not what I wanted to hear.
The next morning I called the office and got to meet the doctor that day. He is married to the midwife, who I saw the first time we went in. He asked a bunch of questions, did a pelvic exam and asked me to cough and then said, "Oh, yeah, I see what is going on."
Can I just break here and say how uncomfortable it is to be a woman and have your legs spread apart while you're laying on a table with a male OB/GYN you've never met before pretty much stating that it's obvious there is something wrong with your woman area. Anyways...
It turns out that, thankfully, it is not uterine prolapse, but cervical/vaginal prolapse. My uterus was at a size at the time where most of the weight was resting on my vaginal walls. Because my walls are weak from having those vaginal deliveries, not doing Kegels and the fact that everything else on me is weak so why not?, they were having trouble supporting the uterus and were caving in as a result. The good news is - and this has already happened - as the uterus grows, it rests on the pelvic bone and the weight is taken off the vaginal walls. The bad news is that at the end of the pregnancy when the baby's head drops down it will rest on those walls again and I will be in the same situation I was then.
"So what was actually coming out of me?" I asked him.
"Oh, that was your cervix. When you start to feel the pressure again, get off your feet as soon as possible."
"Why do pregnant women not talk about this? I'm pretty sure it's not in the pregnancy books, is it?"
"Well," he answered. "I think most women are embarassed by it. It's more common than you would think, however."
On a side note, everything is going well other than that with the pregnancy. My due date is actually April 1st, but we think he or she will make the appearance in late March.
So, ladies of childbearing age, I am here to tell you this story not to gross you out or make you afraid of having children, but to encourage you to do your Kegels.
And to not freak out if you're pregnant and something is protruding from your legs.
It's probably just your cervix.

Was I Staring?

This past weekend I met up with two of my dear friends from college and we attended the Hearts at Home conference in Grand Rapids. We started planning it in January when Kelly came up with the idea after hearing the founder, Jill Savage, speak at her mom's group. After 10 months of waiting, the weekend came. You could say we were a bit, um, excited.
I left a few minutes earlier because I couldn't wait any longer (read: I was anxious to get away from my kids and husband) and also made better time than I thought getting to the place where I was going to pick Kelly up from her husband, Jack. I was almost ten minutes early and, lo and behold, I saw the Baker van already waiting in the parking lot. Kelly jumped out before I had the van turned off and loaded up her bag. After picking up some Subway for dinner, we were off to the Docter household to rescue, I mean, pick up, Jen. We were early and, surprise surprise, she was waiting at the door with her bags. I guess when Mommy needs a getaway, she needs it badly. =)
We checked in to our hotel and then walked over (in the rain) to the DeVos center to pick up our conference bags complete with Saturday Workshops schedule, a travel pack of Kleenex and chocolate. After comparing our schedules and cheering over receiving the workshops we had hoped for, Jen bid us an adieu to head back to the hotel to get ready for a wedding reception she was attending with her husband, which was, thankfully at The B.O.B., right down the street from our hotel.
After sitting through a small concert by the children's group Go Fish, we left soon after the comedian started. OK, now I attended this conference three years ago in Lansing and Sara Groves was the featured artist. She's not only incredible, but she's a mom! Her songs and stories could connect with each of us sitting in the audience. I understand that Go Fish doesn't use marketing or advertising, but through word-of-mouth (by moms mostly) and it makes sense why they would then be there. And they were quite good; I think that my kids would love the music...but do I really want to be singing children's songs on my night AWAY from my kids? No. The concert was followed by a comedian who we didn't really find that funny, so we decided to just leave early. I mean, it was 8:00 by that point and we felt close to bedtime. Actually, we didn't really want to walk back to the hotel in the cold, dark rain any later than that.
Before leaving we decided to wander on over to the resources tables to check out some of the books. Ever since hearing Julie Barnhill on Focus on the Family recently talking about her book, "She's Gonna Blow!", I have been waiting to pick it up at the conference and praying I would get her session (I did, along with 350 other women who apparently struggle with feeling like an angry mom.) I found her section of the table and Kelly found her favorite speaker's section right next to it. The woman behind Julie's books told me to let her know if I had any questions regarding the books. I told her I found what I was looking for and handed it to her so I could purchase it.
She laughed at my quickness and asked me if I was going to go back to my hotel and read it all night. I laughed with her while fishing out my payment. I looked at the other books while she rang it up and then, instead of giving the book back to me, took out a pen.
"What's your name?" she asked.
I told her and looked up at her face, then down at the book in front of me I had been looking at, then back up at her.
"Oh my goodness, you're her!" I exclaimed.
We ended up talking for a few minutes while I told her about how I had literally sat on my couch and sobbed during her interview with Dr. Dobson and how I felt like someone had put words to the emotions inside me that worried me so.
After thanking her again, I strolled a couple feet over to where Kelly stood talking to the woman behind the next section. She looked up at me, "Annie, this is Juli Slattery, who I told you about." I laughed and, gesturing to the woman who had followed me over to the discussion, said, "And this is Julie Barnhill!" The four of us talked for a few more minutes and then Kelly and I headed back to the hotel.
As Kelly and I floated on air, we talked about how we felt like we were meeting big celebrities because these are speakers we hear on Moody Bible Radio's programs all the time. (Side note: I would highly recommend going to Focus on the Family's website and listening to both Julie Barnhill's broadcast, which was Sept. 8 and 9, as well as Juli Slattery's, which was within the last couple weeks. They were so good and Dr. Slattery's was actually rated the top broadcast of 2009 for Focus on the Family.)
Anyways, I felt we handled ourselves quite well in meeting our "celebrities." Then the next day came and I'm pretty sure I cancelled out my gracefulness.
Between the lunch break and my second workshop (which was by Dr. Slattery) I was walking through a doorway to get to the next meeting room. It was at that point that I looked up and saw the main session speaker, Dr. Kevin Leman, walking past me. It was at that point I tripped over myself while staring and felt like a total moron.
I have admired Dr. Leman for years. When Tim and I were first married, my mom gave us the book, "Sheet Music" to read through. I laughed through most of it because he is so funny. Then I read "First Time Mom" while expecting Noah and "Making Children Mind Without Losing Your's" when we entered the toddler years. Noah has his children's book, "My Firstborn, There's No One Like You."
I decided, after finishing my lunch, to go to his section of the table and check out the books. I really didn't think he would actually be there, but he was! After purchasing a couple books for the kids, he signed one of them. Now, with Julie Barnhill, I had no trouble talking to her. With Dr. Leman, I ended up saying, "Hi" as I handed him the book.
Tell him how much Tim enjoys the fact I read "Sheet Music" I thought. No. That's weird.
He's the king of knowledge regarding birth order. Ask him what in the world to do with Ellie. No, I can't take up that much of his time.
How about any of the other books? No words came to my head.
"Who do you want me to make this out to?" he asked. I looked at what book I handed him, which was "My Youngest, There's No One Like You."
"Well, I'm not sure," I answered. Then I realized I sounded even more like an idiot. "I mean, we don't know what the gender is yet. We weren't actually planning on having any more kids. This is our little surprise." Great, genius, way to say too much.
He laughed and said, "Oh, I have three of those."
I laughed a little too hard in response, I think.
He handed the book back and said, "Good luck."
"Thanks," I mumbled and turned away. He probably thinks I need a visit to a psychologist for myself.
Anyways, overall the conference was fantastic. I sat through four really good workshops and, best of all, had an incredible time with my girls. It took me a good two days of early bedtimes and napping to catch up on my four hours of bad sleep from Friday night, but I don't regret it. We can't wait until next year, although we decided that from now on - two nights away are going to be the requirement.

In My Head

The songs and thoughts going through my head presented to you by the videos they are represented by:



Since Tim purchased their CD when it came out months ago, this is the song that gets me each time. I just love the line, "I give You all of me for all You are, take me apart, take me apart."

And this verse is rattling around in there, too:
"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." -Psalm 118:8

I watched this documentary yesterday and then again last night when Tim said he wanted to watch it with me. This is the trailer for it:



It was really interesting. A lot of the information I had read about when I was pregnant with Ellie and researching natural, pain-free childbirth (which obviously didn't happen with her.) I'm not saying an epidural or delivering in a hospital is right or wrong, I just thought it was so intriguing to see how much childbirth has changed in the last 100 years.
I should get on here and write a "real" post some day, but today is not that day.

Life

I sent Noah off to his first day of 4-year old preschool today. When the teacher opened the classroom door (we wait in the hallway until it's time) he ran in without a hug or kiss, a good-bye, or even a look back at me and Ellie. What a difference a year makes. There are a few kids from his class last year in it again and one of the teachers is the same - it happens to be his "favorite teacher" so that's nice. Our morning had a horrendous start with one thing after another going on, but we survived and even got to school early somehow. I guess it helps that it's only two minutes from our house.

Over Labor Day weekend, Tim and Noah tried camping out in the tent in the backyard one night. They went out around 9:00 that night and at 10:45 I was woken up when I heard Tim bringing Noah back into his bedroom and then he climbed in bed next to me. Apparently our backyard is not the place for a 4-year old to camp out. There were a lot of lights he was asking about, a lot of noises, the bullfrogs and crickets were insanely loud that weekend and in less than two hours, Noah was in the house twice to use the bathroom. We'll try again next year - maybe at a real campground.

My first prenatal appointment went well. We got to hear and see the heartbeat, which was in the 150s. We really liked the midwife we're going with this time and are excited for our experience. In some ways I'm hoping this time kind of redeems the labor and delivery and postpartum I had with Ellie.

Noah has been having, for quite some time now, frequent nosebleeds. They happen at random times - when he's playing, sleeping, walking, etc. We had to take him in for blood draws last week - NOT a fun experience. It was the only time I have ever cried taking one of my children in to an appointment (well, besides Ellie's tubes surgery.) They were testing him for bleeding disorders. The pediatrician called today to say all the results came back great - yea! - but now we have to see the ENT specialist to find out what's going on with his nose.

Other little things in our life - Tim's brother and his family have moved back to the area after another hurtful experience by a church. Although we're heartbroken they had to experience what they did, it's nice to have family near us again.

STATS, the high school abstinence program I help with, is back in full swing again. I should be finding out in a few days what students I have on my team. I'm looking forward to meeting the new ones this Sunday and hopefully seeing some familiar faces.

We have a wedding to attend this weekend. We're excited for our friends and it should be a great time. We'll be able to visit with some people we haven't seen in awhile.

In less than three weeks, I'll be meeting up with my college friends, Jen and Kelly, to attend the Hearts at Home conference. We're having a Moms Night Away and I could not be more excited than I am right now...unless the conference director was to call us and say we won one of the drawings we signed up for. But even if we don't win, it won't detract from any of my excitement.

Tim and I are at a great place in our marriage. I'm not saying it can't be better - marriages always take work and can always find places of improvement - but I am saying that we're the closest we've ever been. Everything we've been through in the past couple months, and it's felt like a lot, has been for the good of our family as we've drawn closer to God, and as a result, to each other. Hurts, persecution, surprises and struggles are tiny blips in a bigger story. We praise Him for what He has done in our lives.

We are building connections at our church. Tim has been on a men's overnight camping trip and spent a morning playing paintball with some other guys from there. I'm looking forward to the ladies Bible Study that starts next week. I just wish we could memorize everyone else's names as quickly as they are able to remember our's.

Oh! I keep forgetting to mention the project! A few weeks ago now, I met with the director of the Lakeshore Pregnancy Center. I had a wonderful meeting with her and also got to meet the volunteer coordinator. I presented them with an idea I had, but stressed how I really was just wondering if they had a way of letting the moms know they are loved, cared for, supported, etc. I think too often in our Christian culture, we're very pressuring when it comes to not aborting, but then we don't walk with them through the rest of their pregnancy when they make a decision to keep their baby. God's timing is, of course, amazing. The director told me they had been trying to figure out how to develop a ministry for the moms when she got my initial email. We tossed around a couple ideas, prayed with each other and are going to keep in contact as the idea grows and forms. I told her that I would like to get through my first trimester since I've not been feeling the greatest before I throw myself into it and she said that was fine since they just moved into a new building and are still unpacking. Through the wonderful support, encouragement, and help from the girls in my small group - who want to be involved in any way they can - I think it's going to be awesome. I also have the support of our church who are eager to know how they can help as well, so I have a lot of people on board! I'm so excited to see how God is going to use us for these women.

So that's our life right now.

Great For Kids...And Adults!

My sister-in-law posted a link for this on her Facebook page recently and I thought it was great.
They're called Seeds Family Worship and they have CDs that are Scripture set to music. The music is really good, really catchy, and even Tim and I enjoyed watching the videos and listening to them (you can listen to all the songs on their website.) Every time I woke up last night to use the bathroom or toss and turn, there seemed to be one of the songs in my head. At first I thought, "Oh, no. I hate when this happens with songs." Then I realized that for these songs - it's a good thing, since we're told to meditate on Scripture and to teach it to our children.
Here is one of their songs. It's Psalm 55:22: "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall."
*I'm not sure why the video picture is off, like it's too big for the screen. It's not like this on the website.*

The Stick...

reads positive!
*ETA: early April 2010, somewhere in the first week.
*Our reaction: shell-shocked for a couple days and then excited. Now we can't picture our life without this little one.
*I am a little over 8 weeks along and wasn't planning on telling for another month but a friend who knew mentioned it on his facebook page and I figured I should tell before getting confused and curious questions from our mutual friends on my own page (darn those social networking sites!)
*No, I haven't been to the doctor yet. My first appointment is September 9th and I plan on using a mid-wife in the hospital.
*Yes, I have morning sickness. Haven't thrown up yet - thank you, God! - but sometimes I just wish I would so that the nausea would go away. The other thing I'm fighting against is exhaustion. Being pregnant and chasing two little ones is HARD! I'm looking forward to the start of preschool and the second trimester.
*Yes, the kids know. Ellie has no idea what we're talking about and Noah is extremely excited. He is already requesting a boy.
Please be in prayer with us as we tread through to my appointment. After experiencing a miscarriage of one birth, I feel like I hold my breath through the pregnancy. I let out a little bit at the first appointment when I hear the heartbeat and then a little more at the 20-week ultrasound. I can't fully breathe until the baby is delivered and in my arms. This is the first time since the miscarriage that we have announced it without first having extensive blood tests or ultrasounds done to be assured before twelve weeks is up. Tim is confident everything will be fine. It's nice to have a husband that is calm and sensible. =)

Never Heard It Put Like That

Tim and I have been spending quite a bit of our spare time watching or listening to sermons, reading our Bibles, and talking about what God is showing us. We feel as if God is affirming certain things to us again and again and continually teaching us new things. It has been quite the learning experience.
Last week, while checking his brother's blog, we came across a video called The Ten Indictments. It's almost 2 hours long, but worth the time. We started it late the first night so we only watched about half of it and then finished it the next night. Randy also posted a link to the transcript and we talked about how we wouldn't mind reading through it with a hi-lighter or pen. It's a lot of information to wrap your head around, and some of it you might not like to hear, but all of it is in Biblical context and you can't really argue that.
Anyways, a ton of stuff stood out to us while watching that, but one of the things was when the speaker talked about Christ becoming our sin on the cross. The way he described it - I had never heard it before. I always believed that Jesus died for our sins on the cross but it was never really described to me that he became our sins.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says that "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Yesterday in our Sunday School class we were finishing up a series on the Atonement. The teacher of the class, who is the associate pastor, asked how - in a time of stoicism, when people showed no emotion going to their deaths or punishment - Jesus showed anguish, even crying out while on the cross.
A couple different ideas poppped up. One woman said that Jesus was stoic while receiving the beatings and whippings, never once fighting back. A man spoke up and said what was on my mind and had been on my mind since watching the Ten Indictments video. Jesus, who is perfect, became sin on the cross. He was separated from his Father in that moment. Yes, there was physical pain going on, but it was probably the spiritual pain that was causing him anguish.
Paul Washer put it like this in the video:
So many people have this romantic, powerless view of the Gospel that the Christ is there hanging on the tree suffering under the wounds of the Roman empire and the Father did not have the moral fortitude to bear the suffering of his son so he turned away. No! He turned away because his Son became sin.
Think of how much sin affects you, how much pain it causes. Now picture God taking on all the sins of the world, becoming them, so that we may have the opportunity to have relationship with the Father and join Him in Heaven. It just kind of makes you stop and think.
As Tim and I were going to sleep last night he made the comment that he can't believe in all his life he has never heard any of this described in this way. I agreed. We both grew up going to church and have attended many different churches between the two of us as we have moved around geographically and grown up. Yet 28 years later, God reveals this to us and it shakes us to the core. It makes us appreciate so much more and fall deeper in love with God, wanting to know Him more and more.
How do you look at the cross?

Happy Birthday, Handsome Boy

August 16th, 2005

August 16, 2006

August 16, 2007

August 16th, 2008

August 16th, 2009
This was the only non-completely blurry photo from your actual birthday so I wanted to also use one from the day before since it's clearer...

August 15th, 2009
...However, you're really into making silly faces right now so this is the best I can find. =)

Happy birthday, Noah (a day late but we had quite the busy and fun weekend!)

It has been a joy watching you grow and learn year by year. You are full of curiousity and you are all boy - dinosaurs, trucks, planes, trains, camping gear, nonstop movement and daredevil tricks that make my heart stop. You are a great big brother. As you start to navigate these 4 year-old waters that are as yet unchartered in our household, remember that Daddy and I love you and thank God for you every day. We are trying our hardest to raise you to know and love the Lord and we love listening to your little prayers that are so pure and honest.

Love you lots,

Mommy

In Regards To...

I wrote a post last week titled "Hard Stuff" (don't bother looking for it.) In it, I described the thoughts that Tim and I are working through as we think about "church." I spent three days writing it and even had an outside source (not Tim) check it before posting it to tell me whether or not if was offensive because that was not what I wanted.
I deleted the post Saturday morning after receiving a phone call the day before. The caller told me my post was "arrogant", "hurtful" and was causing discord within the church. They also criticized me for claiming that my way is the only way. After talking about it with Tim we thought it best to remove the post since there were some people that were not taking it the right way. Until that point, I had had no idea since the comments that were left on it had been encouraging, supportive, and a few even said that they were working through the same thoughts.
It was certainly NOT my intent to be mean-spirited, hurtful or arrogant. And while I am sorry that it was taken that way, I told Tim that I can't apologize for the issues I brought up or wrote about. After all, this is my blog where I do the following things: write updates about our family, and bring up issues in my life I'm dealing with/working through/struggling with. I don't expect everyone to agree with me - when I write about my anti-abortion stance, I can think of one of my high school friends who doesn't agree with me and reads this blog. I have posted my thoughts on birth control pills, which I know many of you don't think the same about. I have wondered about fertility methods and whether we should try to control how many kids God gives us. I have talked about how much I love using cloth diapers and I'm sure that grosses some of you out. It doesn't mean that any of my thoughts or opinions are "the only way" to think on these or that I expect everyone to agree with me.
The things I wrote about with the church have been in my head for a loooong time. This is not something recent. Nor is that fact I wrote about them. I have wrote about music in the church before, wondering what is it that determines "worship" music, and also why in most modern churches today we don't sing hymns anymore? Does the music at a church determine whether or not I want to go there? Absolutely not. It's not a "make or break" issue for me. When I go to a church, do I feel my heart is becoming more prepared when it's quieter with a variety and I can hear the people around me? Yes. But until the church we've been attending the past month, I don't know if I've ever attended a church like that. For me, it comes down to the preaching. I like it from the Bible and about the Bible.
Tim and I don't even know if we are going to end up deciding to go to church within a building. These are things we're talking through and learning about. What did the New Testament church look like? We both come from a mindset that church is for a community of believers who are encouraging each other and equipping each other to go out and make disciples. We think that if Jesus was in flesh on earth today, His church would be smaller than the megachurches. I don't think it's quantity that matters, but quality.
Are those who consider themselves Christians actually following Jesus? His teachings are not always fun to hear. We may not want to agree with some of them, but we can't question Him either on why they are that way. I have to admit that just about 4 months ago is when I feel like I came to know Christ for the first time. I grew up in the church and knew right from wrong and good from bad and what to say, do, volunteer with, etc. It wasn't until I started taking Scripture to heart and realizing the seriousness of it that I felt I finally got it. It was when I realized that I needed to start living with an eternal perspective. Thankfully, Tim was experiencing a lot of similar things at the same time so we have been able to talk to each other a lot about all this.
My post before was not to criticize the church - especially any particular church - but to ask questions. The verse that caught mine and Tim's attention and woke up us was from Revelation 3:15-17:
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
We realized we were living as lukewarm Christians, although if God is going to spit the lukewarm out of His mouth, than can they even be considered Christians? We knew we needed to change our way of living and our perspective. So that's what we are doing. Yet we are concerned when we look around us and see so many people living the same way we were. This is why we desire challenge in the church, why we think that the people in the church should be courageous, to be constantly growing and learning more. It's not a "we hate the church" thing or "we hate your way of doing church." It's wanting to see churches kick the butts sitting in their seats into a deeper, growing relationship with Christ. If you are attending a church I wrote about before and you feel that church is helping you to do those things, then that is fantastic. I just know that those churches aren't doing that for Tim and I as we grow in our own personal studies and as we are challenged in our small group. I have talked to many people around me as well who are struggling with all the same things and wanting more. That is why Tim and I feel there is a type of shift, a revolution as Tim says, that is on the rise.
That's why we are desiring to live differently, to not follow a pastor or follow a church but to follow Christ. The only way we can know how to do that is by studying the Bible, His Word He left for us.
So I am sorry if anyone took my last post in a hurtful way or were offended by it since that was not the point. It was never intended to be harmful but I can see how when things are written and not vocalized, tones can be mistaken. I think part rests on the reader as well and where their thoughts are on the matter. If they disagree with me, I can see where they would think I am attacking when that is not the case.
I hope that, in whatever church you find yourself, you are being challenged, you are growing, you are desiring God, you are learning to live with an eternal perspective, and you are choosing to live differently. Most of all, I hope that you are following Jesus.

Spirit Jump

I joined something called Spirit Jump awhile ago. It was started by a young woman who had a blog called "I Kicked Cancer's Ass." Popularity of her blog grew and people sought her out for encouragement as they battled cancer themselves. She eventually joined up with another young woman who was fighting cancer. They created Spirit Jump. "What is it," you ask? (Or maybe you don't, but let's just pretend you did.)
They send out emails with profiles for people fighting cancer who are in need of a "spirit jump," which is basically just some encouragement. You can reply back if you are interested and they will send you the address for whom you request from the email. You can request as many as you want, or you can let the email go on by and not reply at all. It is as simple as sending a card in the mail letting the person know that you are thinking of them or wishing them well. Some people who are creative make things to send to certain people and others may send gifts or have their children draw pictures to send. We have done both of just sending a card and also putting together little gift boxes to send.
I think this is a great way to teach kids the importance of selflessness, of being thankful for the things they have, of caring for others, etc. Noah loves when we do this. It is an easy way to teach some life lessons, as well as an opportunity to talk about some hard things (regarding people being sick, etc.)
If you are interested in joining Spirit Jump or finding out more about it, please click here. It's worth a few minutes of your time.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Galatians 6:9-10

What's round on the ends and "hi" in the middle?

Ohio!
Hahaha. I can actually remember that from a Laffy Taffy wrapper in elementary school.
Anyway...my mother-in-law invited me to come down for a visit with the kids for a few days. She also encouraged me to bring along a friend, preferably childless, and so my friend, Mandy, joined us. Mandy is 6 months pregnant with her first baby and has had a heck of a year with work and whatnot.
We had a great time and I thought I would share some of the highlights/pictures from our fun trip.

Tim's parents live on a lake in Ohio. There is a small beach open to the residents of the community and on this beach there is a slide. The wetter you and the slide are, the faster you go. I wasn't sure how Noah would react to this, but he quickly climbed up it, prepared for takeoff, and...

...LOVED it! He went down it so many times. My mother-in-law and I both went down it a couple times as well.

Ellie played on the "sand" (which feels more like gravel) while Mandy supervised to make sure she didn't eat any "sand" or cigarette butts.

Noah steered the pontoon boat home from the beach while Grandma Joycie finished her lunch. You can tell he takes his job very seriously.

Ellie, on the other hand, had admitted defeat to the lifejacket she tried so hard to take off and was almost on her way to la-la-land.

My big project for the weekend was to make a quilt for Mandy's baby. She loves the quilt that my mother-in-law made for Noah when he was born and so I told her that, if she wanted, I would make her one for a gift. Thankfully, we picked up all the fabric before leaving and I brought my sewing maching and things down with us. As a team, we worked on the quilt anytime the kids were asleep. Joyce was the "cutter", I was the "sewer" and Mandy was the "ironer."Since the weather was, actually, the weather was crazy while we were down there, but we still braved the varying elements to work on the screened porch and enjoy what we could of the outside.

On Friday, the kids woke from their naps right as a thunderstorm was coming in. We snuggled up to watch it together on the porch.

The kids liked these little stirrers. They were plastic (yea! not breakable!) and had pink flamingoes on them.

Eleanor loved this little rocking chair. She thought she was the coolest thing. This was moments before the accident. "What accident?" you ask...

Just the one where she was sitting on a bottom step and, while trying to turn herself around to climb down it, lost her balance and hit the wall with her eye. Her first black eye and it looks much worse than what the picture shows. My poor baby...

Noah also was put in charge of steering the lawnmower (after the lawn was mowed and blade was NOT down anymore) with Papa.

Joyce showing Mandy how to press the binding into place. Mandy loves the way it turned out - yea! It was so fun to make and now I have a little more confidence for the next time I make one.

It's Simple, Really...

While the kids and I were visiting my parents last week for a couple days, Tim checked some piddly things off his to-do list. Not that the things weren't important, just that they were quick and easy - the things you like crossing off your to-do list because it makes you look like you're working through it at an incredible pace. Can anyone else relate to that feeling?
One of the things he crossed off was hanging a clothesline for me. It's nothing fancy. Just a plain clothesline from Meijer that cost a couple bucks hung by some hooks from Home Depot that cost more or less the same amount. He strung it from the edge of our deck to a tree a few feet away. It's small but it's something.
Monday is a laundry day here. The hamper is usually overflowing from the weekend and now with summer here there tends to be more clothes changing due to bathing suits and dirty play-outside clothes separated from church clothes.
Today is sunny and there is a nice breeze so I was able to use my clothesline for the first time. The excitement! I hate doing laundry but I love hanging clothes on a line and watching them sway in the breeze. As I was hanging the first load this morning, I thought about how long it has been since I have worn clothes dried in the fresh air.
My mom still uses her clothesline that she has been using since we moved into the house when I was somewhere around the age of two or three. The lines themselves have probably been replaced, but it's basically the same. My make-shift clothesline is not as long, but that's ok - I also don't have ten acres of land.
Clotheslines are simple but they provide memories. They provide hiding places for small children behind bedsheets and towels that stretch to inches above the ground. They provide crisp clothes that at times can be uncomfortable, honestly.
A child can weave in and out of clothes flip-flapping in a warm breeze and be caught up in a dance within the swaying. Little girls love to twirl and what fun to have dance partners that twirl alongside and around her.
I can remember late summer afternoons and early evenings when a storm would suddenly be upon us. Someone would look outside and yell "The clothes!" and everyone would run out together, with one grabbing the basket on the way, and take down the clothes as quickly as possible before the rain drenched them.
I admit I have looked out our back window many times today and smiled at our clothes and towels dancing on the breeze. I don't need the noise of a television. Today I have sunshine, a breeze, clothes on a line, napping children, the sound of boats on surrounding lakes and bayous and a peaceful, content heart.
It's all very simple, really.