pix from the last month

a birth remembered, and a birth awaited

When pregnant (sorry, another preggie post) with my first, I inhaled pregnancy books, magazines and literature. I wanted to be fully prepared for the big event.
What is recommended, maybe especially the first time around is a Birth Plan.
I always wondered if birth plans are followed or do they all go out the window when the pain hits hard. I suppose I had a birth plan back then, but as is my usual fashion, I adjusted it accordingly.

8 years ago today our firstborn Chase made us a family of 3. On the day that I labored I visited my Dr., went to Value City, and played cards with Dan and my parents, all the while Chase was preparing to meet us. When we got to the hospital, we walked the halls and looked at each other, like "how did we get here, and now what do we do?" I vividly recall the moment I received the much anticipated pain relief and observed my husband nap, snack, and take a bath in MY jacuzzi tub. Was this a vacation for him? Certainly this was not part of the birth plan.

What a day, and night, early morning, and finally late morning of great excitement. When Chase was born at 10:38am we rejoiced, we had a son! A precious gift according to God's plan. Happy Birthday Chase!

I suppose I have no real birth plan for this 4th time around. If I did, it would go something like this:

--Wake up on a Tuesday or Thursday from an excellent night's sleep
--Send the boys off the school with a hug and kiss
--Shower, shave
--Eat first breakfast, read an inspiring bible verse such as Philippians 4:13
--Labor begins.
--Call Dan who WILL NOT be working in Indiana.
--An hour later, drop off Joy and head to the hospital.
--Be greeted with open arms by the anesthesiologist
--Push a time or two
--Meet our baby gal.
--Actually have a name to give her.

It could happen, maybe with a few minor adjustments.

Sell, Salvage, Donate, or Dump!

An old friend, and I use that term lightly, has returned to haunt me these past couple weeks. An old friend named Pack-Rat. I have tried to ignore him, but it just isn't proper to ignore an old friend now is it?

Remember this post of almost 2 years ago? Did I not learn a hard lesson from my pack-ratty ways?

Once again I have a storage room full of clothes, housewares, and junk that needs to be purged.
As previously mentioned, the my Nesting Instinct is in full swing.

Nesting Instinct --according to pregnancy weekly

Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

Fifth month? No one told me that! I was supposed to take care of all of this in the 5th month, and somehow I am nearing the 9th month with pack rat still hanging around!

I ask you now bloggers, what to do.

Shall I save it for a garage sale in the summer? Donate it all to the thrift store?
Toss it out? or simply stand paralyzed at the thought of it all and close the door to it. Do I need to tackle this kind of project so late in the game?

please advise

strange

all my organ systems are complete and being finalized...

I just noticed that is what the little baby ticker at the top of the blog says. What exactly am I growing inside? A robot baby?

so long ol' trusty.

After 7+years of living in a "bag of Skittles" as Dan would say, we have made a few changes in the house.
After many spills, spit ups, farts, and what have you on the old , colorful couch, we shipped her off to the second hand store. Kind of sad for me, exciting for Dan.

Thumbs up to Danno and his willingness to spend some time appeasing my nesting instincts. He has a list a mile long of "honey -dos" before the baby arrives. Including the most dreaded...crib assembly.

Here are a few photos of the new neutral color scheme. Now, rather than a bag of Skittles, I would say we live in a coffee cup. Mmmm...coffee with cream.

that is all.

brain bender...sort of.

So I was driving past a local Costco the other day and saw lines of cars, some 6 long at their gas pump.

Odd, I thought. Does Costco has super excellent gasoline? Is there some oil shortage I didn't hear about on the news? Why are all these people wasting, I mean, waiting in line for gas?

Considering I could see 2 gas stations from where I was located I wondered why folks would prefer to:

1. waste time (and probably gas, it was a cold day) in a long line at Costco.
2. not just go to the station across the street where they would be first in line.
3. drive to Costco from who knows where, just for gas. It's not like Costco is on every corner. You know some of these folks drove a considerable distance to wait in this ridiculous line.

It's all about the washingtons & lincolns. At these gas prices, the jacksons and the benjamins too! Costco must have el-cheapo gas. But after doing the math, does it really save that much $$ over the Quik-E-Mart across the street or conveniently placed Fill-R-Up on the way to your destination?

Maybe that was you in line for gas that day, I judge not.
I am severely about convenience these days, prolly to a fault. If I need Milk and it costs me 4 bucks a gallon but is on my way home from somewhere I will grab it and go rather than drive to some obscure place to get it for $3.19.

blogger nation, what do you think?

Grace in an unexpected place.

Many Friday nights following what seemed to be a long week I drift off to sleep with grand visions of the perfect Saturday morning. It might go something like this:

I roll over, wake up slightly to notice my clock says 6:30. I realize it's Saturday and doze back to sleep. I awake again as I hear the kids playing nicely at 8:00am and think to myself, "oh, what precious loving angels." As my husband is right there keeping the bed warm on the cold morning, I enjoy the fact that he is home on a Saturday as those days will soon come to an end when Spring arrives. With everyone awake, we congregate in the kitchen to enjoy artificially flavored blueberry pancakes and anticipate the day ahead. No fighting, no whining, just glee.

The above did not occur today.

Instead of describing every last detail about how this particular Saturday stunk, I will share the one redeeming quality for this Saturday morning filled with fighting , whining, and non-glee.

All 3 of them were playing with Joy's doll house, ironically called the Loving Family Doll House.

Snarling and gnashing of teeth ensued. I stomped into the room. Well, I waddled as fast as I could and sighed heavily as to let it be known that heads were going to roll.
Joy had thrown the picnic table at Dewey's head "for no reason!" Off to my bed she went to sit, cry and hopefully prepare her apology. She screamed for her blankets , Dewey cried in pain, and Chase felt altogether satisfied that he had no part in the debacle. As she continued to cry, I saw Dewey do the most unexpected thing, and this is what gives me hope for my children, heck, for humanity.
He went to Joy's room, found her blankets (dee-tees), opened the door just enough to slide them through the crack and hand them to her.
Let me tell you, I was shocked. I stood there in my robe with my mouth wide open.
My children actually care for one another? My children can actually see past themselves once in awhile.
God's great grace and the Holy Spirit works in little hearts!
Now, just how do I apply this to my own life when someone throws a picnic table at me...

This just In...Mini-Van Mega-Fun returns!

Since I have not blogged for nearly 3 weeks, I have received much flak and inquiry as to where I went. I did not disappear into some blogger's abyss. Thank you for your concern and/or mockery. If anyone still checks in, well, why I haven't blogged doesn't have much to do with anything except that life gets in the way and days turn into weeks and so on. Excuses, excuses.

February was a month of snow, winter fun, illness, and sadness. March has arrived and we celebrate a new month of birthdays, "a birth-day", and my yearly itch (let's blame the hormones) to paint the interior of the house (yes, again).

I am putting together a little photo show of recent events that I will post soon.

For now I can sum up the last few weeks with numbers.

• pregnant now for 240 days, 40 to go
• 32lbs. and counting.
• different colors my kitchen/living room area has been in 6 years---6
• number of times my daughter told me to "stick a sock in it" ---at least 10.
• Joy turned 4
• I welcomed in 32
• Hugs given and tears shed in sadness and in praise---many, so many.
  
• 56 candles for my parental units.
• pink diaper pail purchased---1
• 111 miles traveled to IKEA for house goodies where Dan consumed the 15 pc. meatball plate.
• number of solid contenders for the name of our little bun in the oven--ZERO

Well, I guess that counts for a blog entry, sketchy as it is.
More to come.
Just for giggles, a photo that never gets old.