Belly pics!

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted these sooner, I have cleary had them since I am now 30 weeks! I can't believe how fast pregnancy flying by!

25 Weeks

29-30 Weeks

Only 10 weeks left! I am still feeling great, besides the fact that my body is tired a lot more often than normal. The baby moves a lot and I just can't get enough of it. John, on the other hand, thinks I am crazy and wonders when I will get tired of staring at my belly.
I have not been keeping my house quite like I would like but not only has John been helping out lately but I am also just trying to surrender that to the Lord. After a talk with John Henderson I realized what an idol my house, I mean a clean house is to me. I was quite surprised by this realization just because I never thought that would be me. It was good to see and I think it is in part, prep for what the spring will ne like when I go back to finish out the year.

In other updates:
* John and I start birthing class this week.
* John's team won the Krappu Bowl at The annual Village Staff Retreat
* Stewart and Lilly definitely know that a baby is coming- its so wierd
* We are headed to Portland for Thanksgiving- yay for cold weather and really good coffee.
(which by the way I am starting to enjoy, I've always appreciated it and understand all of it, just didn't like it. My husband is very excited about my new found like, not sure if it will be love just yet...)

Best Question of the week!

Question from a Kindergartner (in the hallway):

"Why is your belly so big?"

I told her that a baby is growing in there. She just non-chalantly said "oh" and walked away. So random and hilarious! Also, probably more funny if you knew this child. I don't even teach Kindergarten but know about this little girl!

My thoughtful husband!

A week or so ago my sweet husband came home with this:

My very first Le Creuset! I love it! It looks so pretty sitting out on my stove! He also bought me 2 new stainless steel skillets and a stainless steel sauce pan. I think it was a early baby gift of sorts...He said something about "I just know you want nice stuff to cook with when you stay at home". It was so cute.

All in a Day's Work

First Things first...that picture I promised many of you:
21 WeeksI have been feeling great. I feel so fortunate to have had such a great pregnancy so far. I have been feeling the baby move since week 17, and it is moving more and more everyday. Today I put the remote control on my belly and it totally bounced everytime s/he kicked! The baby is REALLY low, so that was the first time I had even felt him move anywhere near my belly button. John felt the baby for the first time this week, which was fun. He got excited and starting talking to the baby at that point! :)
So far, no cravings really and I've gained 10 pounds so far. My midwife , Jean, says that is perfect for me. She only wants me to gain 20-25 pounds to help ensure that I don't make a baby that is too big for my body. We should start birthing classes soon. Jean holds them at her house and we need to get them done before the holidays are here.
I did have a baby shower in Portland and got lots of great things. I will post about that more once I get it all arranged in the baby's room.


And on to what we did Saturday:
Somebody asked me the other day if I had started "nesting", my response was "not really" but later I realized that I feel like I am always "nesting". It's kind of my nature.
So..nesting or not, We have had our pantry on that infamous list of things to do around the house and we tackled it yesterday.

Here is the before

...minus the food and a few shelves(my sweet, hard-working husband doesn't think about before pics like I do):

The shelves were tragic, sort of painted but very scratch up and dirty looking despite my attemps with bleach!
And the After:
(it looks really skinny because of the way I edited it on here)
We adjusted the shelves that I can actually utilize all the space and walk into the pantry!

Another thing on the list was to swap the bedrooms. That entailed taking the twin bed down and out of the front bedroom and moving the back bedroom into the front one. Did you follow that? So now our back bedroom is empty, just waiting for a crib.

The new guest bedroom.

I will show you more once I get it finished. I still want to paint or re-stain the headboard and unfortunately the treadmill will also go in here, it has to go somewhere. I also need to find a cute bed skirt to match.

The new (but empty) Baby room!

We do have a cute dresser in there that has been in John's family, if it's a boy that dresser will stay in there. If it's a girl we will swap it with the dresser from the guest room. That dress was in my room when I was a little girl!

What rules my heart?

A quick update that I am now 6 months preggo! WHOA! I can't believe it and I will try to get a couple belly pics up here soon. I must also make a disclaimer that none of the below may make sense to you, I hope it does but my mind/heart was mixing these very seeemingly different ideas. It made sense to me but may have come out all jumbled, so sorry if that is the way it seems!


Last Sunday, John Henderson taught at church and he said one of those statements that just sits on you and doesn't go away: "What rules your heart, rules your life". The next night at our home group, of course John Wright calls us out on it and asks us to think about that this week and be ready to tell everyone what rules our life, which means what rules our heart.
I've been haunted by that question all week because I know what rules my heart is definitely not always my Lord and Savior. I am not sure what it is exactly. I know the answer is there, i just need to find it, and that is hard when you don't stop very often to sit and listen to the Lord or think about what is in your heart. I get so busy with the everyday, with what I need right now, with what I feel like doing, with John, the house, with teaching, the list goes on because there is always something to lure me away from sitting quietly before the Lord...
I got up early this morning to clean the house before church. I got ready and had my keys in hand when I just felt a need to stay. Do I start planning my lessons for the week, dust & vacuum, OR sit and listen to the Lord, read & pray?
I ended up opening my computer and went to the first Blog on my list of blogs I like: " A Holy Experience". This woman has a way of writing that just makes me start to think and really causes me to think about the Lord and my heart towards him.
I read her blog from Friday (pause and go read it) and it just pointed out my sin, my lack of consistency that is driven by my selfishness (or pride that causes me to think I deserve whatever it is I want). I choose not to have daily "ceremonies" or rituals because I am weak, I want to choose what I want. I choose not to spend time quietly before the Lord because i want to do something else, that seems more exciting. She is right, the word is true- my flesh is weak, and if I want what, deep down I really want, which is HIM I have to depend on and ask for his strength.
So....maybe what rules my heart is my pride by way of my emotions and feelings...
Do we need to embrace rituals and "ceremony" just like the Lord does everyday when he calls the Sun up and the tide in? Do we need to plead with the Father just like the Lord does on our behalf?

The Village Worship Blog

John and the 2 other worship Pastors, Michael Bleecker and Isaac Wimberly have started a worship blog called Sound Doctorine. It is on the churches website. They have posted some great stuff; I would encourage you to go read. John just did a great 2 part post on how we should be worshipping. It was very encouraging! Check it out here.

Sin Boulders

ok, I hope I am not starting a habit. This is only the 2nd "re-post" I have linked of this ladies blog but I am often moved deeply by the way she writes and more importantly the content of it.
Beau spoke this morning of feeling the weight of "The Fall" and our personal sin. Something I have been working through lately. I love the picture she gives us here and think it is amazing that she lives in the reality of that world. Sometimes I wish that we lived like her family because life seems slower and less full of stuff. Anyhow, click here to read!! Enjoy - and add her to your blogroll!