Advent, Luke 1:26-38

Impossible Things, Part II 

Luke 1:26-38

We are called to focus on and believe in the impossible, when we believe in Christ and the events surrounding His first coming. The story here in Luke covers the facts, but between the lines we read the glorious news of God’s redemption, and the power of His love for us. It is His love that raises a humble girl, Mary, and an elderly woman, Elizabeth, into pivotal roles through which come both the Messiah and one in the spirit and power of Elijah. It is His love for us that sent Gabriel on this holy mission to tell a virgin that the Messiah is coming, and through her.

I am always amazed and humbled by Mary’s reaction to the angel Gabriel’s news. There was a profound work of grace in Mary’s life, and it is especially evident here in Luke. In these short twelve verses, we hear of an astounding, impossible work that God is setting into motion. And Mary, a young woman, still an innocent, accepts this plan by openly and trustingly giving of herself. I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful picture of the Church’s trust, as a bride, in the love of the Bridegroom. 

Mary’s trust and acceptance provides quite a contrast to Zachariah’s disbelief in the previous verses. While this woman-child was shocked and bemused at first, wondering how all of this could come to pass, she quickly responded with a servant-hearted attitude. In fact, the term she used for servant was also used for slave, but truly meant a lifetime commitment. Little did she know that she was emulating the Son of God and Man, for even He came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Nought, nought, dear Lord, could move Thee

    To leave Thy rightful place

Save love, for which I love Thee;

    A love that could embrace

A world where sorrow dwelleth,

    Which sin and suffering fill,

More than the tongue e'er telleth;—

    Yet Thou couldst love it still!

(Ah! Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee; An Advent Hymn by Paul Gerhardt, 1653)

As we celebrate Christ’s birth, let us, with Mary’s childlike faith, rest in the promises that He has made, and the plan that He has for our lives. Let us love one another, and through the impossible, precious love of Christ, bind ourselves more closely with His identity. For our Lord said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). 

Let us echo Mary, when God’s prophecy over us seems strange or impossible, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). And before the pace of this Christmas season distracts you from Him, bring these things to mind, for He who testifies says “Surely, I am coming soon”, and our response should rightly be: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelations 22:20).

Advent, Non-Serious Version, Luke 1:1-25

Luke 1:1-25

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast” Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice in Wonderland.  I would not like to emulate this character in other ways, after all, “Off with his head!” is really not a good coping mechanism for stress.  But I do believe that we are called to focus on and believe in the impossible, when we believe in Christ, and the events surrounding His first coming.  And starting before breakfast certainly sets a trend for a faith-filled day!

Zachariah was called to believe an impossibility that directly impacted his own life.  He was in a holy place, the Temple, burning incense to the Lord and praying.  Then, with a fear and awe-inspiring visit from the angel Gabriel, Zachariah was asked to believe that he and his wife, both past child-bearing years, would have a child.  And what a child!  He would be the cause of rejoicing; filled with the Holy Spirit from birth; a forerunner in the spirit and power of Elijah; making ready a people for the coming Lord (Luke 1:13-17). 

So many unbelievable, impossible things! Words from an angel were ringing in his ears even as the incense from the Temple wreathed Zachariah’s head with scented smoke.  Yet what did Zachariah doubt?  His own flesh and age.  And he, a descendant from Abraham and Sarah, questioned God’s ability to bring forth life from an aging womb!  

I am certain that I would not do better than Zachariah, but what if, every time we were given prophecy over our own lives, we answered with doubting questions and excuses as to why it wouldn’t work?  And what if, whenever we questioned, our mouths were made mute and our powers of speech were taken away?  Was Zachariah made mute so he would learn to be still, and know that God is God, and he is not (Psalm 46:10)?  Was it so that Zachariah would meditate on God’s abilities for nine long months before his faith was made complete?  

But we have a ballast of belief in the impossibly wondrous things that are listed in scripture.  For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  And so, before breakfast and the pace of this Christmas season distracts you from Him, bring these things to mind.  And rejoice!  For He who has come, is coming again!

Advent, Serious Version, Luke 1:1-25

Impossible Things, Part I

Luke 1:1-25

As I’ve read Luke’s account, I have often wondered why he would begin with John’s coming, instead of the Messiah, Jesus’ coming.  And other than the obvious chronological aspect, I had not given it more than a passing thought, until I began to learn more about the prophecy in Malachi.  According to this prophecy, the Messiah could not come until Elijah had come (Malachi 4:5-6).  And since Elijah had been taken up into heaven via chariot of fire, the priests and Jewish leaders of that day expected him to return in the same shocking manner. (The Ante Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, records a conversation between a believer, Justin Martyr, and a rabbi Trypho in 100 A.D. that highlights the dismissive attitude Jewish leaders held towards Jesus, due to John’s physical birth; it’s a fascinating read!) 

So this man, Zachariah, was called to believe two impossible things, one that truly upset the beliefs of that day, and a second that directly impacted his own life.  He was in a holy place, the Temple, burning incense to the Lord and praying.  Then, with fear and awe, he receives a visit from the angel Gabriel.  Zachariah was then told that he and his wife, both past child-bearing years, would have a child.  And what a child!  He would be the cause of rejoicing; filled with the Holy Spirit from birth; a forerunner in the spirit and power of Elijah, making ready a people for the coming Lord (Luke 1:13-17).

Yet of which two impossible things did Zachariah speak his doubt?  That Elijah was coming?  No, he spoke his disbelief that he could have a child at his advanced age.  And he, a descendant from Abraham and Sarah, questioned God’s ability to bring forth life from an aging womb! 

How often do we doubt our own abilities, instead of trusting in God’s fulfillment of these impossible things?  But God was faithful, no matter Zachariah’s doubt, and brought forth both life from a barren womb, and a man with the spirit and power of Elijah; filling John with the Holy Spirit from birth. And by this, fulfilling the prophecy through John that Elijah had come, and that the Messiah was coming!  As confirmation, Matthew wrote that as Jesus was coming down from the mount of Transfiguration, he addressed the disciple’s question about the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5: 

And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”  He answered,  “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.  But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.  So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”  Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13)

And our ballast of belief in the impossibly wondrous things that are written in scripture is in His words.  For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  Let us hold fast to these impossible things, for they are right and true!  And have hope in the prophecy that is spoken over all our lives.  For He who has come, is coming again!

An Email to my Thursday Ladies

The Lord is doing a good work and, bear with me, I've just got to preach it to somebody! 

(Can I get an "Amen sister!")

Turn in your bibles to Nehemiah 8:10. 

Now Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites had just read God's law aloud to the Israelites. It had been forgotten for generations and, when they heard it, they were all convicted for the first time in their lives. They heard about a holy, holy ("he's not a tame lion") God and were weeping because their hearts were broken by conviction and repentance. 

So, everybody pull out the sackcloth and ashes, right?

No! God calls for rejoicing!

"And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
"Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
"So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them." (Nehemiah 8:9-12 ESV)

Amazing, isn't it? I am amazed. :) God will never let us go, and for that I am so thankful. He keeps on us until we see and understand. Then, once we do, he gives us a command to rejoice! Rejoice before this holy God who has worked the miracle of salvation and then made us holy! 

God is just stunning. 

Love you all! :) 

"Oh my goodness gracious..."

That's what my 3 year old said today. "Oh my goodness gracious" echoed from the many times that he has heard me say it. He said it while coming down the hall for breakfast and my husband and I simultaneously looked at each other and laughed.

My eldest has been entertaining us with some really great and clever remarks recently. While eating yogurt, he told his utensils: "Sorry Fork, this is a job for Spoon." He also has become very proficient in the use of the words "because" and "why". Most often he uses them together. And asks again after every explanation which leads to quite a string of information. Until finally, I have to say the much used Mommy Sentence "Because I said so."

And my second born has been entertaining us in an even more frightening way. He is quite the daredevil and has no fear. He isn't afraid of high slides, or climbing the monkey bars (not that he can, but he tries), nor is he afraid of swimming. When dunked under water he comes up spluttering and laughing.

I love them. :)

Patien(ce)t

The rail-thin old man leans forward, the ugly, faded patient gown falling off of one shoulder. His face curls up as he grimaces and forcefully states, "Git out o' my face. I'm walkin' out o' 'ere."

Gently laying her hand on his shoulder, praying for patience and clarity in the mind of her patient, the ICU nurse reminds the man of his recent surgery and the need to remain seated. Seeing that she is making headway and the man was calming down, she removes her hand and sits down on the bed across from his chair.

The nurse puts her best smile on and, adding a soft southern tone, she asks the patient if he would like a television brought into the room. She smiles and apologizes that they don't have a television and explains that the ICU doesn't usually have patients with entertainment needs. Still smiling, she waits for his reply.

The old man leans forward, and with just as much force as before, "I am tired o' yur voice." After this statement, he shuts his mouth in a firm, hard line.

The nurse takes a moment to take that comment in. Raising an eyebrow and reminding herself that he probably didn't mean it, she gets up still smiling and half-sarcastically states, "Well, that's the
easiest problem to solve!" And she walks out of the room to the desk behind the glass windows, praying he doesn't try to stand up or Houdini out of his restraints in the moments her back is turned.

She sits at the desk and takes a moment to breathe. Looking down at the notepads, charts and pens which lay scattered on the desk, she runs through her mind the events of the day. A trifle discouraged, she looks at the computer and finds this as the verse of the day:

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

-Hebrews 6:10

The fog is lifted, the message of encouragement is received and, like a dove finding a resting place, her thoughts become still and peace is found.

The nurse smiles. Her Father was just waiting for her to look up, to see the kindness in His eyes.


***

Written back in 2007, when I was a Real Nurse. :)

“Do you not care that we are perishing!?”

How frequently do I panic.

I’m tired, a day hasn’t gone well, the children are fussy, I have a fight with my husband - and I panic! God, don’t you care? 

His response - “Peace! Be still!” to the wind and the waves. 

And even the wind and sea obey him! (v. 41.) How amazing, how incredible - how revealing! 

And my panic is meaningless... no, not meaningless, because he cares - but rather, moot - a purely academic debate. He, who calms the storm, has control over my life and has allowed these tempests in my life for His sovereign purpose. 

This, is what faith in God looks like. This, is what sanctification is made up of. Tempest and trusting, child-like, in His grace. 

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Mark 4: 36-31 

Re-purposing Adult Scarves to Child Sized Scarves

I needed some quick scarves for my boys, so I pulled two of my own out of the closet and "repurposed" them! 

Folding them in half, length-wise, I crocheted the two layers together with a contrasting color around the border, leaving a section at the top in a single layer, so the end could be looped through. 

As you can see, I folded the scarf in half, began at the "Y" on the left side, crocheted a single layer around the top loop of the scarf, then joined both sides to create a double-layer all the way down and back up until I reached the approximate length and split to one layer to create a loop on the top. 

(Single crochet with a 7mm (US K) hook)

Now I have choke-free scarves for both of my boys! Much better than wrapping a scarf around and hoping that one brother doesn't drag the other down the hall by the end of it, these scarves resist tightening around the neck, preventing strangulation.

G loves his! 

It stayed on his neck for nearly an hour, and then I only took it off so I could feed him breakfast.

And now I have room in the closet to knit more scarves! ... ;)

Enjoy!

Update Daily? ...Hah...

Ok, so maybe expecting myself to update this blog daily was a little much. But things are going well in the novel writing club, in spite of my inability to keep a blog updated.

And that's good news.

As far as my book goes, I've been trying several different methods for getting plot to paper. Right now I'm using the "Dialog Pass" as outlined at terribleminds.com. And I've got my "Story Bible" all written out as well (I love MindNode). It's been very helpful and both of these allow me to skip around to parts of the story that I feel inspired to write at the moment.

Now I just need to get out of the house a few evenings a week so I can actually focus! :)

But now I'm off to bed, I do still have two children to raise, after all.

Did you know? ...

... That November is national novel writing month?

Well! It IS! So, I'm going to write 50K words in November. And each day, I'm going to jot down (quickly, because who knows WHERE I will find the time) how I am feeling, and what the process is like. 

Thus far, I've gotten a basic plot, my two main characters, a few secondary characters, and a setting. 

And I'm already procrastinating. But, just like Johnny Cash sang, "Time's a wastin'"! After all, "A cake's no good, if you don't mix the batter and bake it!" Yes, I know, June. I'll get this batch in the oven somehow.

... So much fun. Anyway! Over the next few days before the first of November, I am going to set down the rest of my plot, plan my chapters, and get to developing my people. 

If I like certain parts, I might put them here. ;) 

So you and I both have something to look forward to! :)

What a lovely day!

After a few hiccups in our morning routine, we were off! K and G in the jogging stroller and Mama with her running shoes on. It has grown cooler and the first hint of fall is in the air. My usual route is about 4.5 miles and this morning we set off, K chatting away about the trees and the cars and the birds and me listening to The Power of a Praying Life.

One ear was open for the chattering of my sons, the other ear was occupied listening to some great encouragement. What a good way to start the day!

We saw a turtle the size of a car tire, we saw a lovely blue heron. And we also watched a tiny turtle eat his breakfast - though the dead bug didn't look appetizing to me, I guess you can't blame him for an easy meal. And the exercise just makes it all so good. Even just walking is so energizing.

So I encourage you to get out of the house! It takes less time than you think. And your investment of energy will be returned and doubled. :)

Enjoy!

If I Don't Love Ya Baby...

If I don't love ya baby 

Grits ain't grocery, 

Eggs ain't poultry, 

And Mona Lisa was a man! 

-Little Middleton

When I got married, I was given some excellent advice from another married woman whom I respect and whose friendship I treasure. "Learn how to please your husband," she said, smiling, as she addressed me and the crowd at our rehearsal dinner. 

Now, to be fair, her husband gave my husband the same advice (about pleasing me). And I filed the information away for after the honeymoon, thinking that I would naturally want to please my husband anyway, right? ... Wrong. I have learned more about how selfish I can be in the past three years of marriage and parenting than I ever knew was possible. And every time that I tried to do the "right thing" with the wrong motivation, I lost steam and turned it into something for myself. 

For instance, I had some wonderful pregnancies. There was nothing wrong with me, other than light nausea in the first trimester, and the usual complaints about sleeping and (frequent) peeing. But I used this "right thing" as a reason why my husband should serve me, hand-and-foot. I had moments where I was quite proud of myself for my endurance as I cooked food, cleaned the house, and puttered around, but I wasn't really serving Boone - I was making myself look good. And when he came home, (whew!), I would list my activities and sit down and rest! But I didn't really put himself first. I put myself first, expecting him to put me first, too.

That doesn't sound very pretty, does it? I would love to say that I'm just being too hard on myself, but I believe I have had an epiphany, and don't want to reason my way out of it because it will be very good for my character. If God can help me make it stick!

So, for the next moment, day, and season, on into the rest of my life, I want to serve him, and by doing so, serve Him. I have been trying to think of ways to help and bless my husband, and, over the past week, have been amazed at how much I am being blessed as well.

I want him to be sure that I love him - or Grit's Ain't Grocery! Because of my actions, my love shines forth, without conscious thought as to how it may selfishly benefit me.

It's a lesson to be kept close to heart!

It's a Good, Good Day!

Well, my friends. Yesterday was quite productive, my house is much more orderly with the laundry folded and put away. And I have been able to bless my husband by cleaning the house and feeding him. It's so important for everyone to be fed at appropriate times (snarky, snarky). ;) Speaking of feeding... My little G, at nearly 9 months old, is already starting to be a champion eater!

Why does that not surprise me?

Maybe because he's always been a little on the ginormous side? We only started trying solids this past week (going for the baby led weaning here) and he is putting fist to mouth quite well!

It's amazing, actually. My oldest, K, took such a long time to figure out how to swallow. Now we are all sitting around the dinner table together, and it's quite sociable and nice.

Here's a little encouragement on the matter of first-time-obedience. K has been trying the boundaries and testing us at every turn (sigh). And so my lovely Mom sent me this link and it really was quite an encouragement. I needed to be reminded that it is His kindness to us that leads us to repentance. And I want repentant children, because I want their hearts safely in His charge!

I'm looking forward to the weekend, and completing the other tasks that I have set for today.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, too!

Some Encouragement, Please? Someone? ...Anyone?

Mercy! Raising children is backbreaking labor! Not to mention keeping the household from falling apart. The laundry must be washed, folded and put away, the bread must be baked, frozen and stored, breakfast, lunch and dinner are daily trials, er, I mean tasks..., and if I want a happy husband, I must clean the house and keep it neat.

Whew!

I've been having a hard time staying motivated to do simple things around the house. It seems like there is a never-ending to-do list that follows me around. And so, what's my response to that? Do I stand up, take-the-bull-by-the-horns and plow through? ...Well, so far, no. I have been a lazy bum. It's true. I'm throughly embarrassed and my heart is sinking while I type these words. I have been skating by doing the minimum requirements.

And what has that lead to? An unhappy husband, a low personal regard and whiny children. My husband finally said to me, last night, "Honey, would you please just stop reading?". Yeah, that's when you know it's gone too far. But moderation has always been a struggle for me. I love to read, to escape. And I have been using books as my escape for as long as I can remember. But right now, what my family needs is for to not escape. Rather, to focus.

So here's my encouragement to myself, and to you. And it comes from a very good Book that is not about momentary escape, but true and lasting freedom. With contentment.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galations 6:10

 So there you have it! I will be striving, and trying, and pushing myself on to do this good that comes from God, to those whom I have opportunity to touch.

Letters

Communication fail. My husband and I do this all the time. We will discuss a topic, flesh it out, and end the discussion with each one thinking the other person agreed to the opposite thing. I would be rich if I had a dime for every time I have heard, or said "But I thought you meant thus-and-such!"

So in an endeavor to communicate better, my husband sent me this invitation:

Would you be willing to join me in an experiment for the rest of our lives? I want to write to each other, not on any kind of schedule or about anything in particular. Just writing to one another, both of us making an honest effort to communicate out of our sincere desire to know one another better. We could use this medium to document our letters and keep them for the future. Each of us just creating a new note in response to the other and when it's finished, letting the other know a letter is waiting.

So we have begun a Letters folder in Evernote. He writes, I respond. Sharing a new "page" in the love story of our lives, with a grace-filled heart.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of an older, wiser couple. ;) The Lord knows we need the help!

Oh! Well Hi!

One month after my last blog post, on December 11th, 2011, our second son was born.

Yes, he's now a healthy 8.5 month old!

The birth experience was amazing, while the month in between my last blog post and the birth was one of the physically toughest of my life. It seemed like, at 8 months pregnant, my world was falling apart. My firstborn got a cold, the whole family got food poisoning, I went into preterm labor due to the food poisoning, and then had several bouts of serious false labor. All the while, the baby was growing like a weed.

Maybe weed is the wrong term. How about football player? Sumo wrestler? No, football player. He was growing like a football player, then. He weighed in at a whole 9 pounds, 4.5 ounces (sound the resounding gong here!). Graced by his length (22"), he didn't appear disproportionately huge. (Ergo, the football player comparison - tall and wide!). In fact, he was so proportionate that we had to weigh him twice before anyone would believe he weighed that much!

And then Life went into warp speed. And here I am, with two handsome and busy boys, a smart and good-looking husband who has just started his undergraduate degree, adjusting to a new way of life in a non-military town!

Looking forward to sharing the rest of the summer and fall with you all!

Pregnancy Insomnia

Yes, it's 2am. And I am sitting here drinking chamomile tea in an effort to calm my busy mind and soothe my rather uncomfortable self back to sleep. I'm not sure if writing a blog post really is the wisest thing to do at the moment, but, like all of the other tasks on my to-do list, I have a limited time before things become even more busy!

Yes, the baby is due in 27 days (or less, of course). And this short-torso is running out of room. That's what I get for being 5'2" and marrying someone who is 6'2". ;) Long babies.

I did want to update, however, that the weekly to-do list and f@cebook/n3tflix hiatus has been a huge success. I have never had such a productive time period in my life! But I guess I just should have put blogging on the weekly list! ;)

I have been exercising regularly, and really have never felt better, in spite of being pregnant. I'm looking forward to labor being different as well. Dailymile didn't get put on the daily to-do list either, so that didn't get updated. But I have been regularly walking and lifting weights (light ones) since this last spring.

I am very excited about the next few months. We have some really great Thanksgiving plans and Christmas plans, in spite of being far from home and on a military base, and due early December! Our amazing friends all happen to be in similar situations and unable to travel home for Thanksgiving, so we are planning a "Round Robin" progressive Thanksgiving dinner on the weekend following that thankful day. Though perhaps it should be called "Round Turkey" dinner! So I have to keep from going into labor before that, especially because one of the courses is at my house! Yes, 38 weeks-pregnant-woman is hosting, and thrilled about it!

Christmas is open thus far, but I am hoping to have my custom-made (by my handsome and talented husband and a friend) Moravian Christmas pyramid in my living room. I am looking forward to being able to set up a nativity at a focal point on our "tree." Our son is nearly 2 and this Christmas will be all the more delightful for being able to enjoy our own traditions as as family.

O look! It's nearly 2:30! I am finished with my tea and this blog post as well. ;) Nighty-night... again, for this sleepy pregnant lady!

Blessings to all 4 of my faithful "followers" and I remain:

F@cebook and N3tflix

So, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, right? Well for me, it's paved with f@cebook stalking and n3tflix watching.

So in an effort to curtail my more useless activities, I am taking a hiatus from both! It's time to build some really good new habits. Instead of sitting in front of the computer when I have a spare minute, I now turn to my notebook planner.

Exhibit A:

As you can see, it is a messy work-in-progress. But the key word is progress. And thus far, I have been making a lot of progress! :)

Here is my new cookbook. I pull the 6 or 7 recipes out to the front that I am cooking that week and then have easy access on the counter!



Here are my activities of the day, in photos:
I boiled 8 pounds of potatoes, and made mashed potatoes as a side dish and as a topping for Shepherd's Pie (to be prepared Thursday, then frozen).


I cleaned, peeled and diced a massive sweet potato to make home fries. Sweet potatoes are my son's favorite side dish!


I browned three pounds of meat with two onions. One of the pounds of meat and onions I set aside for the Shepherd's Pie. The other two pounds of meat I continued to cook with seasonings to make the filler for Empanadas.


I added a few ingredients to make it last longer: 1/2 cup quinoa, 3 celery stalks, 2/3 bell pepper, and some cayenne pepper.



Here are the sweet potatoes finished, and the browned meat set aside for the Shepherd's Pie.



And finally, the cook gets to eat! I used the Empanada filler and filled up two extra tortillas from the fridge! I have to say, it was very good!


It has been a full and productive day. I also made powdered laundry detergent, 5 gallon bags full. But due to a child hanging around my knees I forgot to take pictures. Needless to say, I am exhausted. And now, I'm off to bed!

Back in the Saddle, Again.

So can you guess what happened? Pregnancy, nausea, fatigue, and a month long battle with bronchitis and a nasty sinus infection have kept me both too busy with my 15 month old and household to blog. Not that I haven't been thinking of blogging and wishing for the time! But I've gotten through the worst and am ready to be back on track.

I have a plan. During first pregnancy I was in the mountains at winter time. Cumulatively over the winter we got over 9 feet of snow. And the snow was built on several layers of ice. Needless to say I was in pretty terrible shape from not being able to go outside. This pregnancy is going to be different. Now that I am through being sick, I am going to train, train, train! I have been told by many that being fit helps decrease the pain and quicken the recovery from labor and the postpartum period. So here is my trial: will I be able to tell a difference between the first and the second time of birthing a baby?

I am excited! I am so ready and done with being fatigued and out of shape. So here I go!

Three days a week I will participate with a group of other moms who walk 2.5 miles with their strollers and then do various resistance and weight training exercises. On alternating days I plan on walking/light jogging (cause nothing else helps my rear slim as quickly as jogging). And on the weekends, I will do something active with my hubs!

I will be using dailymile.com to keep track of my workouts and help keep me accountable. :)

See you on the road!

So there I was . . .

...Holding a pee-stick in front of my husband's face. On Saturday morning. Before 8 o'clock, poor man. I had just turned on the bedside lamp. The hubs was blinking bemusedly, trying to focus as I was wildly waving the pregnancy test under his nose.

"Two lines! Am I seeing two lines, or am I hallucinating?!"

Yes, there were two lines. There ARE two lines. And I am due in early December! Caution was the first reaction that we both had; I have had several miscarriages in our short 2 years of marriage. However, I am now feeling the blessed morning sickness and am confident that this child is going to be just as hale and hearty as his/her older sibling. I may be the only woman alive who actually prayed:

"Lord, it would make me feel better, if I felt a little morning sickness. Amen."

And so, every time the wave of nausea hits, I smile a little inside and am thankful. Our son will be 20 months old when his little brother/sister will be born. And we are just thrilled!

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

Psalm 127: 1-4