Christopher's birthday!!!

The kids, mom and I went to the beach yesterday... And this morning, christopher was born! So much fun... David even got to deliver him!!! That was fun to watch! I will write more about our last 24 later... But suffice to say, we are tired, happy, excited and overwhelmingly loved by our family of friends in Hawaii!!! So blessed... On so many levels!

The kids and my mom came to visit, along with several friends. The kids love their brother, and jamey REALLY didn't like it when c cried! We are settled in our room for the evening, and are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers! More pics when I get home!!!

manic monday...

so, it's monday. and david didn't have to work. it was so nice! and SUCH a fun weekend!! i don't know why (except for being almost 40 weeks pregnant) i have NO motivation to update the blog... my mom got here on friday, after the kids and i had a great playdate. we got mom and the kids settled, and david and i left to go to the b fam's house for games and dessert. but, we had to have dinner first. we stopped at a little burger joint i love, and ran into some OTHER friends, who we had been talking about getting together with forever. after a fun dinner with them, we left to go play games with the b fam... something we haven't done since newport. it was SO MUCH FUN!!

saturday, we got up and went to the beach. the beach shot is NOT posed. that's how daddy and his girl were, just chilling out in the water.

sunday was church. we all got home from church, and due to a party next door that kept some of us up until 2am (noise outside the bedroom), and kids waking up at 5:30am, we all crashed. we got up just in time to meet the previous other friends for dinner at a new (to us) restaurant. it was awesome!! there was a sandbox for the kids to play in, great gluten free food for mom and nora, and just a fun time with friends!

today we got up and rain thwarted our plans for the beach. so, we went to the zoo... and i STILL am not having a baby yet! but, it was nice to walk around, and watch david enjoy his kids!! we had dinner tonight with our new pastor and his wife, and it was so nice to get to know them.

we have been playing monopoly nightly, much to david's GREAT enjoyment. (and, let's be honest, my mom's! they are kinda competitive!) i came up with a list of faq's today...

1. yes, i am SO ready to have this baby... a frequently asked question. although, i WANT to say, "no, can i do this for a few more months??"
2. YES, i agree, he IS very low!!!
3. i have, indeed, tried EVERYTHING i can think of to get this baby here...
4. yes, i have been contracting for 18 weeks... nothing is different. in fact, i think i am contracting LESS now that i am full term!

anyway... i am still pregnant and ready for a baby! david has stopped asking christopher to come in the morning, and rather, just begging him to come!!! so are my kids!!!

how is it friday???

more pics... that still aren't showing up for me to comment correctly!!

jamey picked out his outfits this week. the second was his plaid shirt and khaki pants. he looked so cute! and, he LOVES to have hairspray put in his hair! it's so funny. nora won't let me touch her hair with a 10 foot pole!!

the kids enjoy playing with my iPad. they have a few movies and books on there, and have so much fun "reading", etc. it's so cute! and fun to watch them work together.

i am 39 weeks. and 2 cm (tmi for some of you, i know!). david's guess was that i would deliver by today. and my mom flies in today. however, i am STILL under 200 pounds (and may start refusing to step on the scale!!!), can wear my wedding rings 95% of the time, and can reach my toes to do a pedicure! best of my three pregnancies! whoo-hoo!

yesterday the kids really wanted to do the pool. i opted for the beach instead. nora sported her new swimsuit, nordy rack for $8!! and was a FISH in the water. she had her goggles on and was diving to find rocks, etc. she was amazing! jamey will even get in up to his neck. he'll lay and play sometimes. and then, he loves to play on the beach. nora was playing with this little girl in the water, and this other boy came up and just stared at our sand toys. i told him he could play. he was so excited! (then, he wanted to play with both diggers and made his sister/cousin/friend made, so i made him share... )

it's amazing how a nap can change perspective! i am loving my naps, but loving time spent with my kids. two days ago, i had an amazing spurt of energy and didn't need a nap! i cleaned the house, did laundry, organized the fridge and played barbies with nora. it was so much fun! yesterday i went for a big stock up at the grocery store, since my mom is coming and there will be someone in the house to eat the food, even if i am not! my house won't be cleaner than it was this morning! even david has stopped asking christopher to make his appearance in the morning, and now just asking him to come!

again, maybe it's just because i am mildly aware that my life won't be this easy for the foreseeable future (although MUCH more full!!!), i am so enjoying these two kids right now. we went out to dinner the other night, but no reservations were made. after waiting an hour, getting seated at BEDTIME, and then waiting for food, etc, the kids were FANTASTIC! they said "thank-you" without being prompted. sat still and fairly quietly. it was quite impressive!! (okay, even i was impressed with my kids!!) we have had some fun days recently...

last night, i got dinner ready, using up some leftovers, while the kids played after the beach. daddy came home, we had a good dinner, and he took them outside to run and play. all i could think was that song, "and i think to myself. what a wonderful world". it truly is. we live in paradise. i have two (almost three) great kids that i have so much fun with. i married the best man in the world! i love living in this moment!! i couldn't ask for more (except maybe to actually MEET my third child!!!)...

more phone photos...

again, i can't tell what pics uploaded where. i took the kids to yogurtland the other day. they have been asking forever!

the kids also begged to do pt tonight after dinner... so daddy encouraged them! (i joined in for the jumping jacks...) a great reward for eating their dinner!!

jamey wanted to wear his brown polo shirt, plaid shorts and red polka dotted tie to school today. and wouldn't be deterred. i tried to get a matching shirt. or one that at least matched the tie. but, it's what he wanted!

oh, and nora drew a pic. i was curious as to what it was. so, i asked. the "bump" is my arm. and the rest is the "blood of Jesus". hopefully washing away my sins! she is currently OBSESSED with writing. she wants to know all the letters. and spent the afternoon doing it!

jamey is exceptionally clingy! but it's so sweet...i am loving all the love from him! and he is doing so well in school... loving going, not sad when i leave, and knows his letter sounds! such a big boy!!!

sooo... here we are! oh! a link for photos... my wonderful sister in law uploaded all the pics of the hawaiian vacation to a web album. so, i THINK the link will work, and you can view them! lots of beach. everyone (except the day i did diamond head) else did a bunch of hiking. we had a run in with search and rescue, as there was a slight miscommunication while hiking. two helicopters, 18 firefighters later, everyone was safe and okay. it is good to know that our tax dollars work so well! (by the way, search and rescue is a public service... no charge!)

enjoy all the photos!!!

phone photos...

pics from my phone this week... but they aren't showing up for me to annotate them.

in no particular order (it's like a guessing game for you!!!)

a dress i got from old navy, but hated the length of. i think the dress was like $6, too! so, i cut the bottom off yesterday and threw in a quick hem before church. hopefully no one noticed how sloppy it was!!

first day of soccer practice... or soccer lecture with no soccer ball and weird drills. she actually was happy... that is her "posed" smile!

nora told me the mountains with the sunset the other day looked like heaven. i couldn't have agreed more!!

christopher's room.... just waiting!

38 weeks... and counting!!

new packaging for pink hydrangea shop. thanks to paper krush. if i could get blogger to do links, i would link to her. is anyone else having problems with blogger right now??

rapunzel was sleeping. on the landing of the steps. but she was just so cute!!

showing off his new "cars" bike helmet. he was given a new bike (used, but new to us) recently! his feet don't quite reach the pedals... we are trying! again, weird "posing" smiles!!

we met daddy for lunch the other day. so fun!! taking advantage of being able to do that!!

this was how i found james the other day. he told me he was hiding from the man on the ceiling. given the recent scares about attempted abductions in our neighborhood, i was slightly nervous. thankfully, i haven't noticed a man on the ceiling...

brotherly love...

so, they might be near in the right order... we'll see!!

waiting... waiting sucks. (sorry mom, i know you hate that word!!) there are so many things we wait for. and we live in a culture where we just don't wait well. i mean, if there is more than like one person in line at the grocery store, we are getting impatient, and they are calling another checker. it's one of the things i remember (and hear so often) from being overseas. there is no rush to get your order taken, placed, food brought out to you, check to you. (i wonder how all of our rushing/anxiety relates to our high blood pressure rates and heart disease...)

anyway... waiting. i am waiting for christopher. and trying to really enjoy these last few hours, days, weeks with my two kids. they have been so fun. and i feel so boring. (i CANNOT keep my eyes open at times to save my life!!!) i have NO ENERGY! but i know that i will lack energy in a different way as soon as he gets here! but each day i wake up, wondering if this is going to be the day. and each night, i lay in bed, a little sad that it's not. i have a hard time planning more than a day out, just to be safe.

and yet, i am thankful that he is still inside me. that he is alive and kicking. ALL. THE. TIME! and i know that God is in control of the timing, and there couldn't be anything more perfect than that. and so i try not to be so impatient. and love that my kids want to snuggle me. and make a great dinner, complete with chocolate cake, just cause i can. and do random fun things with the kids (albeit a little selfish), like take them to the beach for 3 minutes just so i can put my toes in the water, because around a full moon, that's supposed to help!!

and more on waiting... or instant answers from God. i feel like so often, it's easy to see direction. or at least it has been recently. some of that is david. when we are making a decision together, and we feel differently, i state my case, we discuss, and then if he still feels differently, we go with him. there is so much peace in knowing that even if i don't agree or would do it differently, still, God has placed him as the head of our family, and i submit to him. it's made decision making so easy recently.

except for finding a church. don't get me wrong. the ones we have tried were good. good preaching. or good children's programs. or good friends attending. but not "our" church. not the right fit for us, for a variety of reasons. good friends recommended a church before we even got to the island. and we tried other things first. all the while, praying about where God would have us. and i was so frustrated and so impatient that it had taken so long. and then we tried the recommendation. talk about eating a little bit of crow! it has been fantastic. great preaching. great kids' program. and a true church family. for the five weeks we have been there. from the first week. we have felt so welcomed and loved. and reached out to. and a part of it. i know i mentioned it last night, but as i thought about waiting today, i thought about this. i wanted an immediate answer from God. i wanted the first, or second, or third church to be the one. i didn't want to keep looking. i didn't want to wait. but, for whatever reason, God wanted us to (because, i THINK we were being sensitive to his leading, and not ignoring him...). and it is SO MUCH FUN to see his plan. because it's better than i could have imagined!

what are you waiting on???

still here...

not sure about this upload... not sure if it's working. but, the new diaper bag i made!! but we are still here! and pregnant! it's been a fun week, and my kids have been so wonderfully enjoyable. more than normal! (maybe i am just taking advantage of the last few moments with only two!!) james has been super snuggly!!! nora is just so grown up! it's wonderful. she told me she has to keep growing up, so she can have a baby, but first she has to get married! it's so cute.

the other day, i was trying to get david to think of music lyrics, but i could only come up with like two words. nora told david that "he married me, he had to help"! it was so sweet!!

today, we went back to church. it was wonderful. it felt like walking into a family. we were so welcomed. and so loved. and a family who had been on the mainland knew who we were and were anxious to meet us. it was so fun!! and, they had a fellowship lunch afterwards, WITH gluten-free pizza! wonderful!

tonight was dinner at a friends' house. we have just felt so loved and taken care of recently. and so thankful for God's provision here...

2012...

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.- ferris bueller

wow, i can't believe it's 2012 already. or that it's january 4th already (happy bday shoney, a few more hours for christopher to share your bday!!!)! and, as i look at my kids, that i have a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 1/2 year old. and that in hours/days/hopefully not weeks, i will be the mother of three kids. (you should see my slightly panicked face!!) (also, can't believe that wvu is winning 70-26... highest scoring bowl game in HISTORY!- guess who left the tv on when he went to put the kids in bed!!)

for some reason, i can't upload pics again (and this is NOT my laziness this time!!). sorry! so, you get to hear my thoughts. i told you a few weeks ago that i wanted to be intentional. (aaaand, i am 4 days late in "starting"!!)

intentional- done on purpose, deliberate.

i feel like that is the opposite of my life recently. (yes, i could argue that i am nine months pregnant... every move is deliberate! and i am tired. but that's just an excuse. there's always one!) i want to be deliberate. in raising my kids. in instilling Biblical values in them. in memorizing Bible verses with them. in loving my husband. in showing him that... cleaning the house, having dinner planned AND ready for him. laundry done and put away. things that show love to him! (it would be so much easier if he was a "gifts" guy!) (also having problems creating a link. is it me today? the link is www.5lovelanguages.com if you want more info!) i want to be intentional about WHAT we eat, how and when i work out, losing weight again after the baby, spending quiet, personal time with God. in my friendships. keeping in touch, writing letters, emails, phone calls. reaching out to those who need it and not getting lost in my bubble. doing the things i pin on my interest board.

that girl i am describing sounds pretty perfect! i am thankful that i live under grace! we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. i want today to be worth it!

so, i sit here, with yet ANOTHER calendar/day planner (because as cool as technology is, i NEED to be able to cross something off!!), to organize my life. to attempt to start the year off well. i was wonderfully reminded this morning at MOPS, how important self-control is. some of the things mentioned in the devotional were responses to kids (i had already apologized like 3 times on the way to MOPS for my bad attitude with my kids. it's not THEIR fault i stayed up until 12:30 sewing!!!), planning meals, etc. wonderful how God works like that. (and thankful that i had already apologized to my kids!!!)

on the plus side... i totally forgot what time mops started, so i showed up 30 minutes early!!! it was so nice! and then, we had lunch with daddy, hit up the groc (in the spirit of being intentional, since there was NO food left in our house...) and then napped! dinner was ready to go in the oven when daddy got home, and we got to play as a family outside. it was a good day. so was yesterday. both my kids are being super snuggly, always wanting to cuddle. maybe it's a sign that they get what's coming, and i am taking advantage of their extra love!

nora is SO GROWN UP! the other day at the beach, i asked her to stop growing. she told me, "i have to grow to be healthy. and want to have a baby, so i have to get married, and i have to grow up to do that!" good rationale. also, we were at hanauma bay, a nature preserve. you have to watch a video about how it's illegal to touch the sea turtles, and you shouldn't touch fish/coral, etc. you are also not allowed to take rocks, shells, etc. she loves bringing rocks home, and i told her we couldn't, cause we would get thrown in jail. didn't think much of it. she played with them there, and had no problem.

well, she went in the water on uncle andrew's back and got to see fish and coral. she kept telling me how she "smidge almost touched" the coral so she asked uncle andrew to move. it took several days to realize she had taken it all to heart and thought she would get thrown in jail just for touching!! oh, i felt so bad... and reassured her that it was just to not make them sick/hurt the reef. not jail! but she could quote the movie. it's AMAZING the things that kid picks up on!

james is talking all the time, and his little 2 1/2 year old voice is so sweet. he, too, is seeming so big to me! i can't believe my kids. he got a new bike helmet and tried riding his tricycle tonight for the first time. (again, aforementioned pics not uploading) so thankful for this time. so thankful for the 2 weeks of family, and the 2 weeks of david's leave. it was such a special time.


alright... that's all i got for tonight. hopefully pics (or a baby) tomorrow!!!