Welcome Caroline Ruth

Remember the baby shower the girls and I attended!  The baby was born today - Feb 25th at 3 PM weighing 8# 2 1/2 oz. and was 19 " long!  She is an ADORABLE round little girl.  To see pictures look at her Grandma's blog.  Yes this makes me a great Aunt to boot :-)  Poor Andria is being harassed at the hospital as I type.   She had to fight tooth and nail to have the baby natural.  Andria was born with a rare disease - MSUD (Maple Syrup Urine Disease).  There are only, like, 10 women that have ever given birth who have MSUD.  She was a very high risk for the hospitals apparently.  Praise God her delivery went Extremely well and she and the baby seem to be doing fine.  The dr., however wants to have her put in Intensive Care.  I am praying for a restful night for the dear girl and her sweet husband.

Chicken Killer

We learned several lessons yesterday.

1) Always keep the yard gates closed.

2) Always keep the chickens in their pen.

3) Even nice neighborhood dogs can't resist chickens when they squawk and flutter about.

This is a dog Drew and Jacob stop and pet every week on the Weekly Paper Route.  He is a really friendly nice dog.  A totally unapproachable animal when guarding his fresh kill, however.  Wow!  Did he provide some excitement in our yard yesterday AM.  Needless to say I was thankful Drew volunteered to come when I called him at the office.  I like the way Mary summed it all up.  Dogs can't help it, they were created with a desire for chicken.  Men can't help it they were created to protect their chickens and children.  Girls can't help it, when they see animals being hurt, they cry. 

Pretty Chloe Peek-a-Boo

This is a memory of Chloe I don't want to forget so I thought blogging it might help it sink into my grey matter.  I came up stairs to find Chloe so cutely holding out the side of this dress in a little curtsey pose.  Of course I couldn't catch her making that exact pose when I tried to take her picture.  Abi dressed her in this adorable home made dress the neighbor gave us.  Her mom had made it for her daughter and she had held onto it since she was little.  She said she hadn't been able to part with it until she met us.  She knew we would enjoy seeing Chloe in it.  Anyway, Chloe was so proud of herself bobbing around and playing peek-a-boo with me.  Smiling away.  I am so thankful to the Lord for this little life!

Can you guess what I've been eating?

No it's not blue icing.

No it's not blue marker or ice cream.

It's crayon!

Happy Sickie

You would never know by looking at these pictures that this little sweetie threw up twice recently!  Once at 2:10 AM, the other around 8 AM.  She has had more baths in the past 6 hours than in a weeks time :-).   When I brought her down stairs after bathing her this AM she was definitely hungry and thirsty.  I have very hesitantly given her small bits and am waiting to see if there are repercussions.  So far no one else has been hit.  Time will tell.

Bed Time Routine

I have started rocking Abram and Chloe before bed.  It is so cute to have the two of them on my lap together.  The first night Abram ripping off a piece of the batting that is loose and falling off all over his blankie and handed it to Chloe.  She took it and instantly stuck her fingers in her mouth (just like Abram).  I couldn't help but chuckle, pretty soon we were all laughing.  The next night she reached over and said piece, piece.  Abram gave her another piece, in went the fingers.  For some reason that night it didn't strike me as funny.  It made me really miss Seth and wish that I could have seen he and Chloe love each other.  That night I cried.  I usually pray with the older children and then rock Abram and Chloe.  I am so thankful to be making these memories. 

I sat down to pray with Jacob and in comes Papa with the camera.

Typing Instructor Whiz

Some time ago Drew's sister headed us to this wonderful typing program called Typing Instructor Deluxe.  We used it on an old PC for years.  We recently purchased a Mac compatible version and are loving it.  Inspired by her older brother's stories, Abigail showed interest in learning to type.  I mainly got this program for her but Mary and Cob enjoy it too.  Yesterday even Baruch did a home row keys lesson with Abram sitting beside him cheering him on.  In this photo Cob is typing 84 words per minute!  He doesn't always type that fast.  This is a speed encouraging lesson so the words are a bit easier but I still think it is impressive.

Happy Valentine's Day

While we were at Pa and Grandma's yesterday I thought it would be fun to have the kids make Valentine's for some of the friends they would see at church.  I had packed along some sticky foam hearts Aunt Terry sent for all the kids.  Cob and I were the only ones that made any.  Cob is ALL boy and his Valentine's were evidence of the fact.  Pa's card read something like .  . .

Outside of card - if you want to shoot me.

Inside - go ahead and break my heart.  The inside picture was all action and stuck on the side was a cut up sticky heart that had been blown to smithereens.  I am getting the wording on the card a bit wrong but you get the idea.  

So Happy Valentine's Day One and All!

Saturday Happenings

We had a hugely busy Friday.  We ran, ran, ran ALL day!

6:00Am - paper route

6:30 - stretches interrupted by waking children needing lap time.

7:00 - organized morning routine chaos including daily bible reading, breakfast, AM chores, set automatic oven for lunch left over heating

8:30 - head to chiropractor

9:30 - wal mart

10:10 - library

11:00 - home

11:30 - bread in oven - lunch out

11:45 lunch

12:30 - naps which involved reading books first so the actual sleep part happened around 1:00.

2:00 - Mary and Cob head to neighbors for dog sitting instructions

2:30 - laundry catch up

3:00 - older kids quiet time - I pray and read

3:30 - Poor Abram had hardly gotten any attention ALL day (other than books at nap time).  He woke up out of sorts and very needy.

4:00 - (O. kay so we didn't run as much when you start typing it out but it sure seemed like we ran a lot Friday.)  Love Abram up and have him help with supper prep.  Mary chops cauliflower and Abram and I make the cream of part :-)

5:00 ish - supper

and so the day flew by.  But this post was going to be about Saturday Happenings.  The Friday happenings were just a precursor.  We had a lovely Saturday.  I slept in until 7.  Did some laundry and upstairs organizing with Chloe and however else came and went until 7:30.  Had Muesli for breakfast.  Jacob headed to the neighbors to take care of the dog.  He could not get the key to work so I went over.  We finally got in.  He headed out to walk the dog after he (the dog) finished woofing down his breakfast).  I headed home to continue eating and start breakfast clean up.  I glanced out the window and noticed Cob struggling with the key to get back in the house after the walk.  I stopped clean up and headed over to help (did I mention it was 5 degree's this AM?)  It was 5.5 degrees by this time so these comings and goings all involved putting on and taking off boots, mittens, and coats.  We got the dog safely locked back home and Cob headed over to clean up some shoveling he hadn't finished earlier in the week when we had a bunch of snow.  I gave up on breakfast clean up, assigned Abigail to finish clearing and wash the table.  Drew and Cob left for Drew's office to finish a project there.  The other children and I worked on folding and putting away the enormous amount of laundry that had accumulated in front of the dryer!  No small task.  (All of this is between changing a Chloe stinky, wiping and Abram bummy, getting Baruch a drink. . .)  Then I headed to my room.  I cleaned the huge piles of stuff that had mysteriously grown out of no where on my bedroom floor.  Chloe and Abram helped while Abi and Baruch built trains and Mary flitted in and out, sometime helping me, sometimes watching Chloe, sometimes playing the piano, sometimes reading in her room.  While we were folding laundry I had cleaned out and repacked Chloe's diaper bag too.  About 10:20 I kicked it into high gear to get ready to leave for Andria's baby shower!  Thankfully I had gotten the gift ready the night before - even went as far as loading it in the van.  I packed everyone's snow pants, boot and mittens so the kids could enjoy playing outdoors at Pa and Grandma's house.  It had warmed up to 10 by now so who knows, they might want to go out :-).  I packed shampoo and conditioner, hoping to sneak a shower in at Pa and Grandma's house later.  Drew called to say they were on their way and by 11:06 we were all buckled in the van and listening to A.A. Milne's Winnie The Pooh.  

Drew and the boys dropped myself and the three girls off at the shower around 12:20, and headed for Pa's.  

It was delightful to see Andria pregnant.  She looks great!  Her shower was over the top!  The food was all very appealing to the eye as well as the palate.  Lynn's house is wonderfully set up to host a party, and she was the hostess with the mostest.  ( Little side note - When I spoke with Kari briefly earlier this week she asked if I would read a portion from Psalm 139.  She said I could share a few words if I wanted to.  I was really excited to be asked.  Psalm 139:7-16 were the verses I memorized to help me through labor with Baruch so they are very dear to me.)  So after some socializing all of us ladies, and girls and babies settled in the living room.  Kari thanked everyone for coming and asked me to share.

Here's what I shared.

I was very excited, Andria, when your mom asked me to read this portion of scripture from Psalm 139 because it has ministered dearly to me over the years.

I have heard it said that salvation is finding a promise in God’s Word and believing it in Christ Jesus.  The New Testament reads, “For as many as are the promises of God in Christ, they are yes.

If we want to be saved from our sinful desires we need to look to scripture for that redemption.

Some of the beautiful promises that have ministered to me from Psalm 139 are. . .

first --- God is ALWAYS with me.  (whether I’m in the last stages of pregnancy, in labor, or up all night with a colicky baby - He is with me!  He is with you Andria)

second ---My days are / ordained by God.

third --- The days of the precious baby God is growing in your womb, Andria are also  /  ordained by God.

This psalm is white hot with the promises of God!

Psalm 139:7-16

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,”

12 Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day.  Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

As many promises as are in this Psalm, IN CHRIST, they are YES!

Then I prayed and after a bite of food ;-) we played guess how many q-tips were in the container, guess how many outlet safety deals were in a container and guess how many diapers were in one of those cool diaper cakes.  Then we played gift bingo while Andria opened her gifts.  She got some lovely, practical items.  I enjoyed talking different ladies.  It was nice to get to now Andria's Aunt Diane a bit better.  I don't even remember what time we headed with Drew's mom back to their place, all at once we were hugging goodbye and gone.  We had a really nice time with Grandma and Pa.  The day just flew by.  Before I knew it we were homeward bound, listening to My Side of the Mountain (library audio books are great!) Here's a few pictures.  

Pictures, but sadly, none of the shower.  I wish I would have had the camera at the shower.  Jordan and Jenn's little girl is an absolute DOLL.  Jenn is such a relaxed mother.  Anyway you will have to visit the daily Serena blog if you want to see a picture of Serena.  Maybe Kari will post some shower pictures on her blog.  That would be good, hint hint Aunt Kari. 

Fellowship with Friends

We had such a nice visit with Tonya and her children today.  Mary elatedly held Sophia while the children played and Tonya and I stirred up Christ in one another.

Mary and one month old Sophia S.