Not Our Best Day

Monday started off a little rough. I'd just come off a busy weekend with Encores and Liam had been at Mimi and Boppy's all weekend. He always needs a day or so to "readjust" to "real" life after being anywhere with family. Mama doesn't quite keep up the level of fun everyone else does! And it was snowing six inches...at the end of March. 

To add to all that, Liam fell in his Sunday school class Sunday morning and had been complaining about his left wrist hurting. He wasn't putting any pressure on it and it seemed to get worse as the day went on. I called the doctor and we went in for an x-ray late in the afternoon. After waiting and being shuffled around, we got our x-ray. Liam was a champ the whole time, especially when he had to sit on another nurse's lap for the x-ray because I couldn't go in the x-ray room. Pregnancy and x-rays don't mix apparently. The initial reading of the x-ray didn't show a fracture, but the doctor still wanted him to wear a little splint on his wrist. He was pretty excited about that and didn't seem to mind the splint. 

By the time we were done it was after 6:00, I was starving and did not want to go home and deal with raw chicken. Rob was with us by now so we stopped at home, picked up an Applebees gift card we had from Christmas and went out to a rare weeknight dinner. 

After we ate and all felt better we got in the car and realized Bow Wow was missing. If you know anything about Liam you know how much he adores his Bow Wow. Bow Wow is one of those little blankies with a dog head on it. One way he goes to sleep is by rubbing Bow Wow's tags between his fingers. I usually never let Bow Wow leave the house because of the chance for him to go missing, but I thought with the x-ray it might be a comfort to him. We knew he'd had it when we left the doctor's office, but where it went after that we still don't know. We stopped in at the doctor's office, called Applebees and almost drove back across town to check the parking lot in the dark. 

I was dreading bedtime, but we talked about it with Liam and I told him that I'd already ordered a new Bow Wow online that would come in the mail in a few days. {Parents, let this be a lesson to you. If your child has a special lovie like this, do not wait another day. Order an extra, or two, today and be prepared!} He also got to sleep with extra stuffed animals including papa's old teddy and that made him happier. Bedtime went a lot better than expected. At the end of the day I think I was more sad about losing Bow Wow. I told Rob I've read too many stories of stuffed animals that are alive and miss their owners. I kept thinking about Bow Wow being all alone in a cold, wet parking lot missing Liam. Clearly not the case, but still it was a little sad! 

We are still waiting for the new Bow Wow to come, but the splint came off today and he's using his wrist normally again. I think it was probably just a minor sprain, but I'll chalk it up to our first childhood injury. 

And, maybe more importantly we survived the Monday and learned some lessons along the way. Like buy back up lovies or don't let them leave the house in the first place! 

Encores

The past few weeks of my life were in many ways consumed with this little {ok, big!} kids' consignment sale. This is the fifth sale our church has done as a fundraiser for our moms' group, BloomingMoms. I've been on the planning committee for every sale and every sale I always think I'm crazy for doing it again, but every sale I still love it. It is a lot of work and there are always hiccups along the way, but we still have fun pulling it off. 

This turned out to be our biggest sale ever with over 9,000 items, 70-some consignors and over 600 shoppers over Friday and Saturday. As you can imagine, all those people have LOTS of stuff to sell. However, it never ceases to amaze us how much goes out the door with the shoppers. Our consignment works out that each seller prices and tags their own stuff, but then keeps 70 percent of the amount that sells. We keep 30 percent to fill out the budget for our moms's group. This sale allows us to offer free brunch, free childcare and free crafts and speakers at our twice monthly BloomingMoms meetings. It's a great deal all around because we do all the setup, advertising and tear down and all our consignors do is bring us their stuff. 

My favorite parts of the sale are getting to work with some dear friends, using some of my skills in organizing and event planning and then of course shopping for great deals for Liam. I actually found almost everything on my list this year, including a decent Ergo carrier for $30 for the new baby. I was pretty excited about that since they usually retail over $100 new. I was a little bummed that we don't know the sex of this new baby because the clothes are adorable, but I did buy one little pair of overalls and two hats for the new baby. All purchases were based on my hunch that we're having a boy and not twins like Liam is predicting...! 

To give you a scope of the sale, I took a few pictures. 

Large items -- strollers, furniture, riding toys, etc. 

The main floor area. Tables of toys, blankets, room decor, feeding, books, accessories, etc., etc. 

Anyone need some toys? Most of this was gone by the end of the day on Saturday. 

Girl clothing racks. We take sizes from newborn through juniors. 

Boys racks. 

I'm still slowly recovering from the weekend. It's taken me a little while to bounce back from this sale because it's hours on my feet. I had lots of people telling me to take care of myself because of the baby and I really tried. Thankfully, Liam went to the Bedinghaus' for Thursday through Saturday and that was a HUGE blessing. Just knowing he was well cared for and that I could come home and take naps on my breaks was wonderful. Rob got the short end of the stick, mostly summed up in my meal plan for the week which read, "Encores - Rob alone." Poor guy. I think he lived like a bachelor most of the time and ate at least one meal at Taco Bell. 

We went to Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon to pick up Liam and celebrate a milestone birthday for Lori (I won't give away her secret!). It was a quick trip since we decided to come back late Saturday night and avoid the predicted snow storm Sunday morning. It made for a very late night Saturday, but it was worth it to wake up in our own beds on Sunday, be at our church for Palm Sunday and get to take long naps on Sunday afternoon. And watch IU barely win against Temple....

Now, it's back to "real" life. Real life meaning things like Liam spraining his wrist and losing Bow Wow...but that's for another post! 

It's Baby Time Again!

I've been carrying a little secret around inside of me for about 12 weeks now, so I figured it was time to share here. Many people know about this little secret, but we are so happy we want everyone to know! I wanted to come up with some cute way for Liam to tell you all, but lets be real, that just isn't happening. I've waited long enough. The big brother book photo will have to do for this time around. 

As those of you who read our blog know, we've been trying to have another baby since about when Liam turned one. You also know about our miscarriage last May and the subsequent ups and downs of each month that followed. There were some dark days in there. But, in God's mercy and kindness to us, He has seen fit to open my womb again and bless us with this child. Of course we are delighted and I praise God everyday for the gift this child has already been to our family. He or she has been such a great reminder that each day we have with our children is a gift, no matter if it's two weeks in utero or 60 years on earth together. 

To share some more about the past 12 weeks I thought it might be fun to do some old-fashioned Q&A. Just pretend that you and I are drinking tea and talking together. (Only I hope I would be a lot less self-focused!) 

When did you find out about this baby? 

We found out January 16. I had been tracking my cycles using the method from Taking Charge of Your Fertility for awhile and could tell this cycle was different. It was actually normal! I knew the morning I took my test that I was pregnant, even though the line was very faint. 

When are you due?
I haven't been to the doctor yet because we're still working out our insurance, but according to my calculations, I'll be due around September 25th. It's interesting that I will be pregnant almost exactly the same time frame as I was with Liam which is really nice for things like maternity clothes. 

How have you felt emotionally about this baby? 

The first weeks were hard and I was fearful about going through another miscarriage. I had to read a lot of scripture about fear and try to pray throughout the day to ask God to help me not be fearful and trust Him. I took each day as it came and was grateful for small signs like nausea. I kept saying if my head was in a toilet I would still be thankful! And that's true. Thankfully, that hasn't actually happened! 

How have you felt physically? 

I feel almost exactly as I did with Liam, which I am encouraged by. I am hungry, hungry, hungry all the time, but food itself doesn't sound good to eat. I feel sick when I don't eat though so I have to keep eating. I want salty, salty and crunchy food. Also french fries. Which I am resisting because I do not want to gain 60 pounds, but oh man, that craving is intense. I also strangely cannot make salad. Something about the act of making a salad just makes me want to throw up. I could eat it if someone else makes it, but I can't do it myself. I told my mom that and she said the exact same thing happened with her when she was pregnant with one of us. Very strange! Overall, there have been some rough days, especially with trying to take care of Liam and get some rest in the daytime, but I am not as sick as many of my friends so I'm very thankful for that. 

Are you going to find out the sex of this baby?

Yes! If he or she cooperates when the time comes. We didn't find out with Liam and I am so glad we didn't. That was the best (even though I knew he was a boy!) This time around I think we want to do things a little differently, plus it will help us do some planning of space in our home, etc. I am convinced this baby is another boy and I think it would be very kind of God to give us a friend for Liam. If I am completely honest, I'm also really scared about raising a girl, so I do wish for a boy. But, all that being what it is, it is something completely out of my control and I am thankful for that. God knows best what our family needs and he will be kind to give us that child. 

What about names?

We already have names picked out (it wasn't hard!) and I think we will share the name if/when we know the sex. Again, just doing something totally different than Liam. 

What does Liam think of the baby? 

He is so funny. If you ask him if he wants a baby brother or a baby sister he says, "I want a baby brother and a baby sister!" Then he shouts out, "Twins!" I am very hopeful that he doesn't have the gift of prophecy. Eek! As a little girl I always wanted to have twins. Now that I'm a mom with a toddler I see that as almost an impossible undertaking. I don't know if he really understands what is going on, but we talk about the baby a lot and how helpful he is going to be as an big brother. He is very excited to introduce the baby to all his cars and trucks and Thomas trains. 

I am so excited to share this wonderful news with all of you. I know you will support us, pray for us and encourage us through these months and through whatever happens down the road. God is so faithful to answer prayers and bring us through trials that seem never ending. I am thankful for the fruit that came from our time of trying and trying and waiting. Is there anything sweeter than waiting patiently on the Lord and seeing him answer prayers? I don't think so. 

Thanks for sharing in our joy! 

Recently Read

My brother Ben called me out on his blog yesterday for slacking on my own blog, so I thought I'd better jump back on this blogging bandwagon. Thanks, Ben, for a kick in the pants, even if it actually felt like a burn...

The post I've had rolling around in my head for awhile is about books. Sorry Ben, this probably won't be very interesting to you considering you've never read a book in your life.... 

I read all year long, but there's something about winter that makes reading feel so cozy. It doesn't compare to summer reading, which in my opinion is about the best reading there is. What is it about summer that makes reading particularly enjoyable? Is it because we sometimes get to read on the beach? (Or wish we were reading on the beach?) Is it because I've read some great books in the summer? Is it just because it's summer and summer is the best all around? I don't know. But winter reading all curled up in a warm bed is a close second. All that being said, I've read several books and blogs lately that I thought would be worth recommending here. 

My book club here in Bloomington is a highlight of the month. I've read books there that I never would have picked up. I've been sharpened in my reading. I've found that there are many, many classics and authors I somehow missed in my life. I've found that the more time I spend with them the less and less I enjoy modern authors. This is a good thing in my opinion because most of what's out there today is junk. Here are few worth noting: 

{All the book titles are live links to Amazon. Not because Amazon gives me anything for this, it's simply because I don't have enough time to figure out how to get an image of each book displayed properly here.} 

Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter. It is astounding to me that I have lived this long without reading this book. I knew of some of her other books, Girl of the Limberlost (which I read recently and enjoyed again) and Freckles, but I had not heard of Laddie. It's a somewhat autobiographical story of Porter's childhood on a farm in northern Indiana. Told through the eyes of a young girl, Little Sister, it's the story of a family, their faith, trials and joys. It does romanticize what life on a late 1800s farm would have been like, but it is sweet, well-written and simply a joy to read. 

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Food, Farming and Love by Kristen Kimball. We followed up Laddie with this non-fiction story of a man and a woman who decide to start an organic co-op farm in upstate New York in 2003. It chronicles their first year on the farm as they try to make it a complete farm offering meat, eggs, produce, maple syrup, cheese and fruit to their members. It is their turbulent love story too, complete with their wedding on the farm. It's a fascinating read and overall we enjoyed the book as a group. Compared to Laddie it was a modern book about farming and showed much more of the nitty-gritty of farm life. I think we were all very glad to be able to crawl into warm beds without peeling off layers of clothing stained with who knows what from the farm. 

Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. This was not a book we read for book club. This was the book my mom gave Rob and I last Christmas with the goal to read it sometime in the year. We procrastinated big time on this book and finally finished it on our drive to their house for Christmas. What a helpful book! Alcorn does a great job of biblically describing how we should use our money to bless others, glorify God and make an eternal difference with our money. We were challenged in how we use our money and what we are teaching Liam about money. 

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell. This was another book club selection that we all enjoyed. It's the fictional account of Mennonite missionaries in China in the early 1900s. We discovered that the novel is loosely based on the author's grandparents, although the author herself has completely gone away from the faith. During that time in China, a lot of political, social and religious upheaval was occurring so their story is a compelling one. It's very sad at times, but hopeful and redemptive. 

Finally, this is the book we're reading in Bible study at church: The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. This is a book I wish I had read when I was first married, but at the same time it is so helpful to be reading it chapter by chapter with a larger group of women. We are all learning so much about biblical submission and it's encouraging to share with one another as we go along. I highly recommend it to any married (or almost married woman) of any age. There is much to be learned from the Bible and Mrs. Peace on this topic. 

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I've been reading some blogs lately too, and that is very true. I have a whole list of blogs I read in my Google Reader, but one in particular I highly recommend to you. I think I've talked about these women before, but Nancy, Rebekah and Lizzie who blog over at Femina are simply the best. At the beginning of the year they started a daily devotional on their blog that I'm assuming they will turn into a book. Every day they post a Scripture and then some thoughts on it. Every time I read their posts I find myself saying "amen", then being convicted of my own sin. They also have posts about motherhood, friendship, being a wife, etc., etc. Very, very helpful stuff from some godly women over there. 

There you have it! Some things that have been keeping my mind occupied on these dreary, dreary days. I will hope to do a post soon on some of Liam's favorite books. How about you? What have you been reading lately? I'm always on the look out for new (or old) books. 

Recently...

Recently...January flew by. I'm not sure where it went or what happened to this blog in the meantime. But here I am with a few quick thoughts and pictures of what we've been up to recently. 

We...

Had a {crowded} Superbowl party at our house with our small group. At the power outage we switched over to Downton Abbey and came back when the game was closer. Good decision. 

Had some sweet bed head after naptime. 

Had some quality time with Thomas and friends. 

Had a birthday dinner for this dear sister. This is going to be a good year for her! 

Had some fun with  markers making a card for Aunt Lauren. 

Did some hiking on a warmish day earlier in January. 

Got stuck under a fence. Yes, I took a picture before I helped...

Threw some rocks in the waterfall. 

Used the hiking backpack one last time! Liam is getting too big. :( 

Got my Christmas gift from Rob - my rings cleaned, fixed and soldered together. They look brand new! 

Whew. Life is moving quickly and things are happening around here. Thanks for sticking with us, dear readers! I'll be back soon. 

January Fun

So far, our January has been cold, cold, cold. All our snow melted because we had a lot of rain, but it has still been cold. However, as I'm writing this, Rob told me it's supposed to be 52 degrees today. Go figure! 

Consequently, we've spent a lot of time inside trying to keep Liam entertained. I think we're both missing our daily walks to the park...

That time will return again, but in the meantime, here's a few shots of things that have kept us entertained. 

This bunny came to visit our backyard one morning

We spend a lot of time at this spot on the dining room floor racing trucks and taking animals for rides.

Building Lego forts

Hanging out with Thomas, Captain and Diesel in the bathtub.

This is what my floor looks like alll dayyyy long. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stab my foot on some car any moment. 

Racing...again...

These are Liam's other pals...Thomas and Hank. 

He gets pretty excited about his trains!

This is one of my joys of January. A beautiful paper white plant that was a Christmas gift from my mom. I've enjoyed watching it grow from the bulbs to just starting to bloom. 

And, in case you are tempted to believe that all we do is play all day, I will tell you that you would be incorrect. There are always dishes, cleaning, chores, emails to write, etc., etc. There are also epic naptime battles from a certain little man who refuses to lay down in bed. Let me just say I've been glad the past few days that he is still in his crib! This is life and it is a good life, but not without the challenges a toddler brings. 

How have you been spending your January? 

Holding Loosely

I was reminded today of how important it is to hold all things loosely. Particularly for me today it was my plans. It was Rob's first day back to school so it felt like my first day of "real" life again too. I got up early, had plenty done before Liam got up, plus had our day planned out. Then a friend texted asking if I could watch her kids while she took her youngest son to the doctor. I wrote a few things, made an excuse of why I couldn't watch them, then deleted it all. Instead, I texted that I would be glad to have them over and help her out. 

Yes, it messed up my morning. Yes, it made our other errands we had to do today rushed and I got hungry. Yes, it was hard for me to lay aside my plans to help her. But you know what? That stuff didn't matter. My plans need to be held loosely to account for things like this. To make others and their needs more important than my own. To be tenderhearted and gracious. 

This type of thing -- serving others and caring about them more than ourselves -- should characterize the lives of Christians. We should be reminding ourselves that God is the one who gives us all things from his hand, including the things we do need to get done in the day. Instead of holding those things and our plans so closely to ourselves and believing that we are the ones in control, we need to remember that it is God who has numbered our days and given us these things to to do for his glory. 

I know I can't always do what I did this morning, and believe me, I really didn't want to in the moment. But I'm glad I did because I love my friend and I know it blessed her day. It was great then later in the day to have another friend bless me by keeping Liam so I could go to the doctor last minute and get my toe checked out. 

I hope you know this post is talking to myself, but I hope it helps you to think about how you're holding your plans in light of what God has given to you.