Halloween

Tonight was a very cool night.

Trick-or-treating is an hour and a half, and we were a bit nervous, having never done this in town, together. Living in an apartment we never saw a single costumed soul.

We bought some tracts, and make what we decided to call treat bags, stuffing them with a tract each and some candy. It was so fun to see parents taking pictures, kids having fun, and the excitement that came with sending the Gospel with each precious child. My favorite were the two teen girls that rang the doorbell and then giggled nervously, wondering what I would do. I teased them about being "too old", and gave them each a bag. I was thrilled to send a Gospel message with them too!

Please join us in praying for each family that received a tract tonight. The salvation offered in Jesus is something that each and every person can ask for and receive, and we are praying for open minds and receptive hearts.

P.S. What did you do for Halloween? I'd love to hear your traditions, ideas, and ways you share Christ with your neighbors!

The Little Darling

This is what she looks like when she says "happy". She's very adamant about being happy. She says "happy" every time she sees someone smiling! It's the instant cure to whining..."Ava, can you be happy?" Cue big grin and a chorus of "happy happy happy happy!"
I love this grin. And she showed her tooth!

Oh...and it is BIG RED football time! We're just doing our part to properly indoctrinate our child in the ways of Husker football.

I hope you are having a lovely fall, and finding ways to rejoice in the Lord and celebrate the beauty He creates every time the leaves turn color!
(Oh, and try not to get too violent when your team loses, and be nice when your team beats your friend's team.)

Sickness, be gone!

This is the first full week in 3 months that I have consistently felt good.

I have been productive!

My home has slowly been put back in full order, just in time for my daughter to start crawling.

Oh, yes, my nearly 13-month-old is crawling. Sort of an army crawl, her left leg up like a spider and her right knee down. She is very specific about how to crawl. It is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

This morning she emptied a nearly full box of Kleenex...she was quite pleased with herself. I questioned the right approach. Should I discipline something that I had not noticed her doing from the start? It didn't seem right to punish long after her deed was completed.I did what seemed right. I laughed, took a couple pictures for posterity, and then put all the tissues back in the box and told Ava no as I put it out of reach. She hasn't tried to get it again...yet.

Perfect motherhood is non-existent. I love learning this even at such an early stage. My daughter changes, and while discipline needs to be consistent sometimes my approach must alter, lest I damage her very sensitive nature.

So, back to feeling well. This has involved no longer having a logical excuse to linger in bed in the morning. Laziness is a sinful excuse. So...I woke up with my alarm this morning. I turned my lamp on (since the room being dark makes it that much easier to just go back to sleep), and grabbed my Bible. What an amazing start to my day! The quietness in the early morning hours, the beauty of the Word, and the peace that began my day were exactly the refreshment the Lord knew I needed and impressed on my heart to follow through on.

Another big advantage to feeling well is that I am actually cooking meals again. This has eliminated me saying, "Honey, could you eat a cold meat sandwich or wrap again?" I am also washing the dishes more regularly because smells are not such a big deal right now. Being the keeper of my home is something I have missed out on.

Feeling well also means I am paying attention to how my body is changing. I'm 99% sure I've felt the baby move. Those little butterflies that say, "Hi, mom!" and make my heart flip a hundred times.

I should tell you about my awesome Swagbucks deal maternity skirt hanging in my closet, and coupon discounted photos on their way from Snapfish. The maternity skirt came from Amazon.com, and I only had to pay shipping thanks to $15 in gift cards from Swagbucks. Now that is a great deal! Snapfish is currently giving an offer of 100 free prints when you purchase 2 8x10's. If you dislike the low quality printing at many stores, and don't mind paying the shipping, this is an excellent choice. I picked up my 102 prints for $12.23.

Apparently I have now rambled on much longer than I planned. Thank you for reading, and let me know of your projects, your great deals, and any unexpected blessings you receive in your life!

Lamp Shade Makeover

Since I tend to jump right into my projects, I forgot to take "before" pictures. But this should give you an idea of what the lamp shade looked like in Ava's original pink themed room.
These flowers were hot glued around the bottom edge of the shade. Cute, but now she has more purple in there, and I wasn't a huge fan of the flowers any more.

I took off as much glue as I could, realizing there was no way to completely remove it.
Then I pulled two different kinds of lace from my stash and glued them in alternate layers to cover the old glue.

I had 4 sections of ribbon that I had decided not to use with another project, so I knotted them, made a few adjustments, and glued the ribbon to cover the top of the lace.

Perfect for a cozy, warm glow. You can see the yellowed glue when the lamp is on, but that's typically for a short time before Ava lays down at night, and then maybe in the morning. It's not a big deal, and it looks perfect in her room.

Since I had all the materials on hand, it was free!

Computers, etc.

Something has made my darling hubby very happy lately.
However, there is some history here that I think you should know.
Here are the facts:
1. Scott loves computers, and has wanted to have a master computer from which to run everything on the network, and ideally set up to run a home theater system.
2. I am perfectly fine with our boring old laptops.
3. It was brought to my attention that for a reasonable amount we (Scott) could rebuild an old computer a friend gave him so it would run the printers, scanner, and be an over all useful machine.
4. We discussed, wavered, and prayed about it. Was it a silly thing? Did we really need it? Since our kids aren't yet old enough to care about computers, was it really necessary?
5. Long and potentially boring story short, we decided it would be a good investment since Scott's laptop has been attempting to go on the fritz.

So...he has been gleefully working on his new project:

(He didn't even change after work...that is how excited he is about building computers, folks.)
Installed, running, and so pretty. Plus, we get to use our nice monitor we bought with Christmas money last year.
................................................

And now the et cetera:
My daughter is a bookworm, and I love it!

Yesterday

I had a doctor appointment. I'm officially 11 weeks along, closer to 12 though. There are so many mixed emotions right now that began yesterday as I saw my baby on the ultrasound.

Our tiny 9cm baby is perfectly formed, right down to the fingers and toes. I could see so much detail, even on that fuzzy black and white screen. Part of me is celebrating this child, and part of me is again grieving my last one, realizing what was lost even more.

My next appointment is in 4 weeks. I will be 15 weeks along at that point, Lord willing. That's when I lost Heaven Baby. That appointment is also a week before Heaven Baby's due date, November 14th. I think I mentally check off each week, sometimes holding my breath as I approach November. Often times my desperate prayer is, "Lord, please let me meet this baby here, please let them be born." It's not born from a lack of trust, but rather from an intense desire to know this baby here, to raise this child, to have them as a brother or sister for Ava. I present my petition with thankfulness, and leave the results to God.

Last night was our church's monthly womens' Bible study. We are going through Hebrews, and in chapters 3-4 it talks so much about rest. Forgive me for not remembering much more than the fact that God delights to give us rest, and we can delight in the promise of rest (fellowship) in Heaven someday. Friends, that was such a comfort last night. As I'm reeling from new emotion, and new heartache, I was reminded that in Christ I have rest for my soul; I have a quiet place in the storm of life and a promise of rejoicing with Him.

So while I share all this with you, and while I still shed tears for my baby with Jesus, I want you to know that I am not alone, that Christ is my able portion no matter what, and that I have hope unbounded. That, friends, is what faith does for the soul.

October

We have had some beautiful weather! Maybe a bit warmer than I would pick for October, but I know that in a few short months I will be wishing for the snow to leave.
I'm practicing being thankful for the beauty of each season, and not complaining about the different nuances God gives each one. This autumn has been lovely!

This little miss has taken to smiling at every camera but mine. This is one of the rare smiles I have captured lately:

She also likes to help daddy. We've spent so much time teaching her that cables and cords are off limits, that it's pretty much no problem to have her sitting in the middle of everything.

We won this from Hayley, courtesy of Miss C's great drawing skills. :)

Little Miss Timidity is getting bolder. Hubby and I's struggle is to find the balance between encouraging her toward mobility, and not pushing so hard that she refuses for days because she got so frustrated.

She'll get there, and I'm thankful to not be chasing a kiddo and trying not to get sick most days. Being able to veg on the couch and still enjoy playing with Squeaky is nice.

Oh, and by the way, this is typical of her play area:
Pull out every toy she can find, then scoot over and play with the big box, then get into the toybox and pull something else out. She was very proud of herself, and I was thrilled to see her moving around so much and pulling herself up on something! She had a total blast!
"Au revoir" for now, friends.

Ava is...

...officially big enough for a forward facing car seat!
She is now 20lb. 0.5 oz, and the requirements are that a child be 12 months and 20-40 lbs.
Her weight and height have took off in the last 3 months, and she is just right.
(But we already knew that.)

Birthday, Part Two

Part One, or,
How to Open Presents

1. Always read the card first, so you know whom to thank for this gift.

2. It is more than acceptable to pose for photos while you are opening your gifts.

3. Take time to enjoy your gifts, and show your thanks and appreciation to the giver.

A special play blankie and puzzle from Aunt Stephanie

A one-of-a-kind dress, beautifully sewed, smocked, and embroidered by your Aunt Lori, Aunt Heidi, and Aunt Ellie.

Aunts Megan, Esther, and Mary,
and Uncles Titus, James, Silas and Ezra
got you all sorts of fun toys, including new bath toys.

You got birthday money, a special letter from your grandparents, and another round of "Happy Birthday".
All told, you were completely doted upon and showered with affection and enjoyment!

Part Two, or, How to Eat a Cupcake1. Love being sung "Happy Birthday" for the umpteenth time.

2. Initial timidity is charming. Take time to get to know the cupcake.

3. Faceplants in the cake are acceptable. Your audience would have loved to see you follow through on this attempt.

4. Savor every bite, even if it means sucking every bit of frosting off your thumb before continuing.

5. Savor the flavor,and enjoy experiencing the sugary sweetness from every angle you can think of.

(if you drop some, we don't mind)

6. Since cake goes best with milk, we will accommodate a drink break halfway through.

7. It is polite to eat as much as you can hold. Even if holding it includes every chubby fold of skin, the creases in your legs, your diaper, your fingers...

Once you have eaten your cake, you are now free to enjoy the rest of your party, and finish playing with all your new things.

Thank you to all our family for such a fun and wonderful birthday party! We love you!