My God will meet all your needs...

Jesse's scripture that he has been memorizing from church for the past month is Philippians 4:19, My God will meet all your needs. Every week he brings home another little craft or magnet that has this verse on it. Many weeks, I have to admit, I forget to even ask them what they learned about in church. We have bible teaching in school, so I don't always work with them on what they are learning at church. I am going to make more of an effort in that area, b/c they do enjoy discussing what they are learning about there and it is reinforced weekly.

Anyway, Jesse's scripture is particularly fitting for our life right now. I have enjoyed the constant reminders on the fridge and in the car that God will in fact meet our needs. He always has, and I know he always will, but in uncertain times, it is helpful to be reminded. Sometimes He provides for us in subtle ways...an anonymous gift, a neighbor with extra food to share, hand-me-downs for the kids, a offer for dinner at Mom and Dad's when the fridge is bare, a refund we didn't know was coming, the list goes on and on. He provides all of our needs and many of our wants as well. I really do believe that it is a blessing to struggle financially because you are able to see God at work in even the little things on a daily basis. It is worth the cost even when it is stressful or inconvenient. Seeing Him "show up" big time is the best! He showed up big time for us recently in a very surprising way. Don't even try to be cynical and tell me that it is coincidence, because I know my God and this is just like Him!

A month ago when I posted this post someone just happened to read it who owns a home here in Anthem and now lives on the East Coast. She had seen a comment I made on a new friend's blog and followed a link to my blog. When reading my blog she stumbled upon my post about needing to find a new rental home. She contacted us, and now we are moving to the beautiful home in the picture above. We didn't even have to go searching through home after home to find something that will work. They found us and it is a done deal. It is perfect for us and the best part is that our new landlords love the Lord. They are as excited to have Christian tenants as we are to have Christian landlords. Since we have to rent for now, it is really important for us to know that we are renting from people who hold the same values we do. What a difference it will make! We are closer to my parents (less than a mile) and still close to the park. The kids and Dakota will have a yard and we will have a school room!! I can't wait. I am dying to move in! Thank you, God for surprising us with this amazing home and meeting all our needs!

If it were up to me...

If it were up to me...
-there would be free childcare provided for all of your older children for the last 2 weeks of your pregnancy and the first two weeks with the new baby home.

There is just something about waiting and expecting that puts a woman on edge and her older children would probably have a much more pleasant existance in someone else's care for that couple of weeks. I found myself crying and trying to reason with Shelby today about how it feels to be so exhausted and have to clean up after them all day. Instead of just expecting them to do their chores and having the normal consequences when they don't, I found myself doing their chores for them b/c they weren't fast enough, and then resenting them for it. Just following our normal routine seems like too much right now, but I know if I did, things would be a lot easier than I am making them. I feel like I am not in control of my emotions or my mind right now. So, a little break each day with free childcare is in order, I think.

If it were up to me...

It would be against the law to say certain things to a pregnant woman. I could list various phrases and words, but I won't, just in case someone who has used those phrases or words with me happens to read this. It is amazing how someone's words can truly effect the way I feel and what I see in the mirror. I wish I was one of those people who could let things like that roll off my back, but I have to admit that I do remember and internalize much of what is said to me. As confident and strong as I seem and as I am at times, it still gets to me. Every woman and little girl wants to be feminine and beautiful. It is how God wired us. He is so good to me. This may seem shallow and you might say it is a coincidence, but I believe He has sent some sweet people into my path in the past few days to lift my spirits and my confidence. In addition to my dear facebook friends who have said kind things to me about my recent belly pics, a few strangers have made me feel like a million bucks. The damage has almost been undone. I am feeling rather light today after being called "dainty" by the Blockbuster guy whose wife is not as far along as I am and yet she is bigger. I was also asked by a friend at TBall if I work-out because I seem to be in great shape for as far along as I am. And I was just told by someone at VBS sign-up that I don't look as far along as I am. All of this came after a week of lots of the opposite types of comments. Tell me God doesn't care just as much about the little things as the big ones!

What's going on around here lately...

Jesse cut one of Shelby's Barbie's hair yesterday, with her permission of course. I know James cut some of Joni's Barbie's hair when he was little too, so he is following in Daddy's footsteps.

Not sure this Barbie would appreciate his barber skills. Ouch!

Here is the inspiration. Shelb got her hair chopped off the other night. This short cut fits her personality and she loves it! It was her idea this time. With all of the swimming we have been doing her long hair has been a tangled mess.

Here I am about to pop. I had a bunch of contractions last night that made this whole thing a lot more real. I have let time get away from me and the baby is almost here!! Since I don't have Allyson to take my belly photos this time I am going to have to settle for photographer Shelby. I wish so much I could fly Allyson in to do our photos again. I am going to fly her in for family pics probably this fall if she can swing it.

36 weeks...

Little Miss Drama Queen Jr.

Shelby took all of these pics of Lucy and coached her on how to pose. She is definitely mastering the "angry face." Some of these are kind of scary in a Chuckie kind of way.

35 weeks and counting

I went to the Dr. last Thursday thinking I'd be 36 weeks on Friday. Imagine my surprise when the nurse told me that I wasn't quite 35 weeks. Seems like a small thing, but not to an over-ripe, bursting at the seams, can't breathe or sleep, Momma like me. No really, it isn't that bad. I love being pregnant. I will miss the movements, the expectation, the valid excuse for being overweight, and the greatest anticipation life has to offer. Pregnancy is such a gift. Along with salvation, the promise of eternal life, and the perfect union of marriage, giving birth is one of the greatest gifts imaginable. Sometimes I feel sorry for James because he doesn't get to experience it in the same way I do. He says he is fine with the whole set-up just the way it is, but I think he just doesn't know what he is missing. ; )

And so, I have a few weeks left. I am making a prediction that it will be the week of June 14. I hope she waits until Megan and Grace have completed their visit next week. I am excited for the company, and I wouldn't want them to have to help with our kids while we are in the hospital!

Lucha Libre Lucy

Lucy kept putting these bloomers on her head and racing around the house laughing this morning. She reminded me of Nacho Libre with the mask on his face. So funny.

Perspectives on Renting...where does our security lie?

Last fall we went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University with our small group. Our eyes were opened to so many misguided bits of advice we have received over the years from well-meaning friends and relatives. There are common myths about money that we Americans have been told for so long that we just believe and accept them as truths. Since the class we have watched some of our best friends get completely debt free. We have others who are well on their way, and we hope to be as well. We have already applied many of his principles in our budget and in buying our last car with cash instead of "finding one with a payment we can afford."

One thing he talked about in his class is the stigma attached to renting a home even though it can be the right thing to do at different times in your life. He said that when you rent, people treat you like you are insane. He jokingly said you might get a response like, "You are renting? You're going to Hell!" We haven't rented for 12 years because we have owned 3 homes in that time. I felt like his assesment of the way renters are treated was funny, but an exaggeration. Well, we are renting again and let me tell you, he is right! The looks we have gotten from people when they ask us if we own or rent have been unbelieveable at times. All of the sudden, we are less than human. We might as well say that we are convicted felons and see if the response is any worse.

People place so much of their security in their homes. Yes, it is better to own a home if you can put a huge downpayment and pay it off quickly. Depending on where you live, your home might be your best investment (when it is paid off.) Your home might also be the very cost of your security. In this market, especially in Phoenix, we have met many people who have lost everything because the value of their home has decreased drastically. Some of them have lost or changed jobs and need to refinance their homes just to afford the payments. Yet, they are upside down and can't refinance for what they owe. People who bought homes 2 years ago for $400,000 are selling them for $200-250,000. They would have never bought those homes that they had to stretch to qualify for if they'd known the loss they'd have to take. People are losing homes and having to move in with family or rent. These are the same people who had their third child and felt like they were outgrowing their home and "HAD" to move up. They "NEEDED" more space. Now they have much much less space because they bought into the lie that it was better to stretch themselves to get the bigger house.

I was talking with a neighbor who is becoming a good friend. She has felt the same way about being a renter for the first time in a long time. She worked in the mortgage industry and has seen countless people devastated in this market who were finding their security in their homes. She moved here from the midwest, where she had to sell her home at a huge loss. Now, she is content to be renting and questioning whether or not she will own again after all she has seen. She reminded me that we are aliens in this world. Our true home is a heavenly home, and that is where our security should lie. The more of a false sense of security we have in our homes, jobs or money, the less likely we will behave as if we truly are strangers passing through this temporary earthly life. There is a freedom in renting. There are also many hidden blessings if you choose to seek them out instead of feeling sorry for yourself. I have an amazing story of How God is blessing us through renting that I will share later. Right now, I have to get ready for TBall. : )

Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Budding Authors

My mom found some books Jessica wrote when she was 8 and it inspired my kids to write their own. I have chosen a few pages from each to post. Pretty cute stuff. I am going to laminate and bind them as keepsakes for the kids.

Shelby has had the camera again...

Every once in a while I find random pics on the camera that Shelby and Jesse have taken. These especially cracked me up.


She is such a ham! We'll call this one, "My buddy the 5 gallon water bottle makes me happy."


She is also quite a drama queen. Apparently this is her "My 5 gallon water bottle buddy and I are fighting" masterpiece. (Keep in mind that this must have been taken last Monday on our laundry day...hence the stacks of laundry on the coffee table.)



I don't know if she coaxed Lucy into following her instructions for this series of pics or what, but here she is on her way to misbehave. "Miss Misbehaving..."


We will call this one "Caught in the Act" b/c it is Lucy's little hand opening the door to the garage. Yes, we have to keep a very watchful eye on her now that she has figured this out since all of our door handles as well as my parents are like this one.


"Busted" This is a pic of her actually in the garage where she is not allowed to go without Mom or Dad since we have so many boxes stored in there.

A word of caution...

I have a wonderful friend who loves me enough to challenge me. Actually, God has given me a handful of awesome friends like this. There is nothing that drives me more insane than people agreeing with me or keeping their mouth shut when they see me possibly making a mistake just to tell me what they think I want to hear. I welcome advice from those who love me! So anyway, this particular friend sent me an email with a word of caution about hypnobirthing. Anything "hypno" can open us up to unwanted spiritual warfare...Even welcoming evil into our lives. I know this is true, and I want to assure her and anyone else who reads this that I am reading it with extreme caution. I am skipping all of the questionable parts and focusing on the body's response to breathing and relaxation.

There is a lot of material in the book that I disagree with, especially when she dogs the translators of the bible for creating fear in women through the curse of Eve. She says it was translated at a time that women were being suppressed in the church and that the original message said nothing about "pain in childbirth." She believes that the only reason we have pain in childbirth is b/c we have been conditioned to expect pain through other's birth stories and through the curse of Eve. She asserts that women of other cultures with no access to the bible do not have pain during childbirth b/c they have not come to expect it. That whole philosophy is very difficult for me to swallow.

I do know from experience that fear has a negative effect on labor and it does make the pain worse when you feel out of control and aren't consciously trying to relax. But totally pain-free is hard to believe, especially after doing it 3 times. The main reason I am reading this book is b/c with Jesse I basically hypnobirthed with scripture. My script was, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…my body is opening up, my cervix is relaxed, I am breathing, God is with me, Jesus will not give me more than I can handle…” over and over I would say this to myself and breathe really deep and slowly. It really worked to keep my labor progressing and have no pain meds with very little discomfort. Yes it hurt, but I was so relaxed that it was very manageable. (Ask my mom and doula how unbelievably relaxed I looked the whole time.) I am totally against emptying your mind and filling it with anything but scripture. I hope that in talking about this book I haven't led anyone astray. If you read the book or take the class, just do it with discernment. Ignore the garbage or skip it altogether. There really isn't much that I have found that is bad about it except for what I mentioned. I also have heard from several Christian women who have used the breathing and relaxation techniques in the program and have achieved a natural birth. Like all things, though, if you have any hesitation in your spirit, do not read it.
Thanks again, my sweet friend for loving me enough to say something!!

One thing I am learning from Hypnobirthing...

One thing I read last night in my Hypnobirthing book that I can't stop thinking about is this: Women usually approach birth in the same way they approach life. The more I think about it and recall birth stories from friends and past doula clients the more I have to agree with this statement.(Yes, I am a doula, but unfortunately I haven't gotten to attend many births in the past few years b/c of our ever growing family. I can't wait to get back into it in the future.)I know there are emergency situations and other exceptions that cause women to approach birth in a way that is counter to their approach to life in general, but for the most part, it is probably true. It is definitely true for me.

Some people think I am crazy for doing the natural route. They cannot understand why anyone would ever choose to do something that crazy when there are such good drugs available. Seriously, though, if you know me, think about my approach to life...to spirituality, to marriage, to parenting, to teaching, to health...in every area of my life I am always striving to challenge myself. I am not only forever a teacher, but a learner as well. I have an insatiable appetite for wisdom in so many areas. I never settle for mediocre...am never satisfied to just get by. Sometimes it is a royal pain being me. As I have shared before, I long to be able to relax more and just take life as it comes. But I find no satisfaction in that, no adventure, no fulfillment.

The best days of my life were the births of my children. My last two un-medicated births were the most satisfying experiences ever. Even without drugs they were easier and more positive than the first. I felt like I had run a marathon and won. And, the recoveries were SO much easier.

I love child-birth and don't want to miss a moment. I am amazed that God created women's bodies to be able to nurture and sustain another life and then to be able deliver them into their loving hands with little or no help from the outside. I love each stage of labor and enjoy feeling my body do what it was created to do. The only part that I fear each time is the last few moments of pain when the baby finally arrives. It is such a short time, though compared to the rest that it is worth it. (Remind me that I said that when I am pushing.) I can't wait to do it again next month! Actually, I can wait because I know our lives are getting ready to change in a major way and I want to be prepared, but I am so excited!

Side Note: Laugh at me if you want, but today I put a blanket, towel and trash bags in the van just in case we don't make it to the hospital in time. In Olathe we were 7minutes from the hospital. Here we are a good 30 minutes from the hospital with no traffic. This is my fourth birth... The Hypnobirthing author suggests that the more prepared you are for emergency situations like that the less frightening they will be at the time. Babies are born in places other than hospitals all of the time and it doesn't have to be a cause for panic. She suggested the whole trash bag, blanket thing & I am the good little student who follows her teacher's instruction. : )

*disclaimer: I feel no judgement toward women who choose a fully medicated birth. It just isn't for me, unless there are complications. Women should do whatever they want to do on the most important memorable days of their lives and that will look different for everyone.

Scorpion Lollipop & Easter

Papa got this lollipop with a real scorpion in it for Jesse & he actually ate it. Well, most of it. He ate the top of the head off and part of a leg. Brave boy!





I finally got these Easter pics off of my mom's camera. All of the girls lounged on the couch after dinner. There are more Easter pics to post, but I will have to do that later. We also need to have pics taken on our Easter clothes. We actually matched this year and cheesily so!

I love these women! My Beautiful Mom and Sister!!!

Bubbles!

These are our favorite cereal bowls because the kids can drink their milk through the straws when they are finished with their cereal. They also serve another much more kid-approved purpose. Blowing huge bubbles!

Lucy has even gotten in on the action. This only feeds her bubble obsession, but it gives her great joy.

Shelby may be the resident bubble blowing pro. She can make a mound that reaches far above the bowl and spills over the sides.

The final product!