i love dirt

tonight was the first night our new small group got into the Word and started discussing the book of Acts. there was some great discussion of chapter 1 and a lot of sharing about why we were even wanting to be a part of the group in general. we have quite a mix of personalities in the group, which is exciting. one of the biggest questions asked was, "What is church to you?". we all know the sunday school answer, but when we really stopped to answer it honestly it was kind of a reality check.

on a different note, i stumbled upon a pretty neat little book while i was in one of our favorite used bookstores in knoxville a few weekends ago. it goes along with the book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, a book i completely am on board with. it's premise is about how a lot of the problems with kids these days (physically, emotionally, behaviorally) has a lot to do with the fact that kids don't just play outside anymore. when i was a kid, that's all i wanted to do. by no means was i a tomboy, but i LOVED to play outside. i collected snails, built forts, rode bikes, caught frogs in the creek, ran around barefoot,climbed trees,played on the swings, ran through the sprinkler and all that good kid stuff. i will do everything possible to raise my children with a love of the outdoors. mom never allowed us to have video games as kids, and i thank her up and down for sticking to her guns. i think my imagination and kid-like spirit has something to do with playing outside and just imagining. it also promotes a sense of wonder in kids to just ask questions and want to know about the world around them.

i also strongly believe that the earth (just plain dirt) is spiritual. "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. -Psalm 139:7" We are connected to the earth, live off the earth, and will one day return to the earth when our bodies decay six feet under as mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3:20 (only physically, of course). After all, Adam was created from the dust of the earth ( Genesis 2:7 -the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being). Anyone who has farmed or gardened will probably tell you there's just some sense of satisfaction when you work in the ground. i believe that the greatest testament to God's awesomeness can be found in anyone's backyard. i want my children to learn that peace comes from watching a river roll by or be reminded of God's promises when they see a rainbow. i want them to learn to love and protect the world God gave us and be good stewards of it. (insert hippie green tangent here.)

point is, i could go on and on about why i think it's important for kids to grow up outdoors. also, my teachery side comes out in just wanting to know the answers to silly questions that a kid may just ask you one day:

Q: Why are so many plants green?
A: The green color found in leaves helps plants get energy from the sun. All living things need energy. Plants use energy they get from the sun to make oxygen for us.

think about it...the world started in a garden. point blank, that's where we were created to spend our time - outside, playing in the dirt:)

he kept begging me to read the article about losing belly fat...i tried to explain that it's what keeps his pants up...

yes, please

i went yesterday to JoAnn Fabrics and picked out several yummy yards of material that would make really good projects. i also picked up some basics to get me started on my new simple sewing endeavor like scissors, a seam ripper, pins, measuring tape, etc. all i need now is a sewing machine - haha. i'm in the process of looking around and researching what's out there, possibly scoring a great deal on craigslist or finding a great sale in the store. we're also waiting for our tax refund so i can actually go get it...and our new washer/dryer!! (oh, mama's happy.)

this is a picture of a book that i think would fit me perfectly. most of the fabric i bought was in one yard pieces, since i'm not trying to make anything too big, and most patterns have a patchwork-y type of look. i'm still running into the dilemma of every store having WAY too many cute baby girl prints and not very many cute baby boy prints...i'm just not feelin' the spiderman and sponge bob. blech.

i wrote down several books at B&N while i was there to hunt for on amazon.com, so we'll see what i come up with! plus, if i'm going homemade then it will be fun to have someone else's used books.

*if you feel inclined to send this book my way, i wouldn't argue. :)

baby bargains begin

i bought a fun baby bargain book today at B&N with my gift card, and since i love people sharing tips, i will share as well. i just opened the book somewhere towards the middle, and it's perfect - i have been needing an inexpensive solution for my own diaper changing pad that just doesn't look as "fresh" as it once did.

tip #331

Rather than spending money on disposable changing pads, make your own out of a vinyl tablecloth. They can be cut into generous-sized rectangles and folded to fit in your diaper bag.

genius! i suppose you could always back it with a contrasting color or pattern, hem up the sides and you're good to go!

It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. -Mary Daly

i feel like i've always been somewhat of a creative and crafty person. i know i get that from my mother, who has the talent of an excellent seamstress and graphic designer. she can make beautiful quilts, costumes, stockings, alter a high school banquet dress and create amazing designs using programs on a computer i won't even dare to try and use. she's also quite musical, however unsuccessful she was forcing me to take piano lessons and play saxophone in elementary school.

my favorite class was always art, i doodled like you wouldn't believe on school notebooks and posters, and had quite an impressive wall to wall collage of a certain celebrity heart throb, who for the sake of parties involved will remain nameless. my aunt introduced me to beading years ago, and i would whip up earrings pretty quickly. mom taught me to crochet, and i'm not sure if i ever made anything, but i sure remember doing it alot. i'm now the token christmas cookie baker for my dad, whose fondest childhood memories were of the deep freezer stocked with any cookie you could think of. (i intend to fill those shoes one day.)

i debated going to college to study interior design, but God led me to JBC to study education, a job just as equally creative. i was introduced to Tim, who bought me an art easel for my birthday one year and at one point, owned a few pieces i actually got around to painting. i served on a retreat committee for several years at JBC and worked to design the advertising, decorate the stage, and create interesting aspects of worship. i even asked for a nice camera for christmas and spent a year trying to take some cool photos. stained glass has even made the list.

i've dabbled in a few things here and there, but never really found "my thing" that i do, ya know? i felt like everyone had a "thing". i was alright at a few different things, and i definitely enjoyed all of it. i never really took off with any of it, though. i don't know if it had to do with my incredibly NON-overachiever personality, lack of consistency, or just lack of passion. it's always bothered me, though. why did i find interest in a hobby or creative outlet, and then just...stop?

enter isaac.

i've never been someone interested in a career. yes, i have a graduate degree and have been working full time since college, but it's just not my thing. i don't go in early or stay late, and i don't ever really bring anything home unless painstakingly necessary. i'd like to say my priorities are just so in check that i naturally put family and things first, but that's ridiculous. my dad raised us with the idea that "a job is what you do, not who you are." some would highly disagree with that statement, but for my sisters and mom and I, it meant that he would do anything for us, no matter the financial cost or risk of losing a job. he's still being tested on that today.

now that i've had a taste of being a stay-at-home mom, i feel like i finally have time to figure out who i really am, what i like, and what i'm good at. it's definitely been a slow start, just recovering from everything, but my attitude has changed and my mind's been racing with the possibilities of what i can focus on now instead of work. in some weird way, i feel like having children has given me the assignment of finding out how to make things myself and find ways to make life easier, simpler and more healthy for me and my family. this has dangerously sparked my interest on the creative side of my brain. there are endless ways to be creative and domestic, two things i think i could be really good at if i dedicated myself to it. i'm addicted to websites and blogs of moms who have successfully lived that lifestyle of the cleaner, greener, and super artsy. i have ideas that pop in and out of my brain, just dying for me to get up and get going.

i'm ready to have something in my life that i'm willing to dedicate my all to. i believe with all my heart that the Lord we love and serve has planted every single creative seed in me for a reason. after all, who better to imitate in life than the Master Creator? tim always tells his students "Be Jesus." i'm ready to give life to the ideas and passions in my head and truly, TRULY enjoy what i'm doing with my time. my Jesus and my marriage have set the stage for a very creative version of me that i'm excited to get to know. i want to be Jesus, and that means finding the paint brushes, making a trip to JoAnn fabrics after i make a batch of organic muffins and researching which vegetables grow best in pots.

here's to staying focused and exploring who God made me to be in this world.

a smiling baby, new nightstands and a blue jeep

alright, i need to get back into the habit of blogging. not just for my few faithful that read, but for myself. i'm bad at scrapbooking and journaling and all that jazz, so this is my way of keeping my memories. of course, from now on i will probably blabber on and on about my little man, but that's expected, right? :)

the above picture is at ikea, one of the wednesday dates with sarah. since i'm at home and she has wednesdays off, we try to make it a point to spend time together. this was our adventure last week, and it was quite productive! isaac did great traveling and being forced to endure yet another shopping trip with his mom and aunt:) as long as we don't force him into his car seat for too long, he usually does pretty good.

**ikea purchases to date: bed, nightstands, lamps for nightstands, new baby bathtub (a bigger one!), bowls, stockpot(i finally got one, lindsay!), pot lids organizer, glass message board, salad bowl, double boiler, lamp for tim's office, and a lint roller. ya know, last minute "oh yeah, i need one of those" items.


isaac update - our little one (10 weeks yesterday) is doing so well and getting more and more enjoyable every day. he's been continuously sleeping through the night for about 5 days now and is smiling at us when we get him out of his crib in the morning. it's the best thing in the entire world for tim and i to make him smile and laugh. he's more and more active each day and really takes to anything musical. my cell phone ringtones have become a lifesaver in a sticky situation.


he's starting to love bathtime. he is hilarious sometimes when he just lays back with his arms on the side of the tub and enjoys the warm water. he's grown out of the small baby tub we had, so i bought a bigger one that sits in our jacuzzi tub to suffice until he can sit up and use the regular one.

as much as i hate talking about it, i have to share a story about dirty diapers. isaac is at the point where not every single diaper is a bit dirty...he just decides to save it all for a major event - so nice of him. he hadn't had dirty diaper in about a day and a half, so when tim and i headed out for some errands, i knew better than to not leave the house w/ a full set of clothes on hand. sure enough, the blowout happened and isaac was NOT a happy camper. we were in the car at the time, so we had no choice but to pull into a parking lot and change him there. tim's jeep hardly has any room to change a VERY messy diaper (and clothes) so we got creative and leaned over the back seat to change him in the cargo part of the jeep. i'm sure we looked like seasoned parents as we both have our behinds up in the air and scraping poop off a completely naked baby in the back of a jeep. i just started dying laughing in the middle of it all as tim was almost gagging from the smell. isaac continued screaming, i continued laughing, and tim just drove us both home. oh, and isaac wasn't wearing any pants.

car update - for those of you that heard about the highly professional policeman who did a u-turn in the middle of traffic and totaled tim's new (to us)land rover. poor guy had only had it 2 weeks and was livin' the dream before "sargeant can't drive" comes along. now, he's living out his "plan B" dream with a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.

me upate - for the most part, i am feeling back to my normal before pregnancy self. there was a point, however, when i didn't know if i'd ever love the way i looked or felt again. i'm about 8 or 10 pounds away from what i was before, which i think is pretty good with not working out. i have EVERY intention of shedding those last few pounds and more before June 27, when my beautiful sister will walk down the aisle and i have to be in front of God and everyone in a bridesmaids dress. i'm dying for warmer weather so i can start walking! i know i can do it! being a mother is every bit worth it, though...even if i'm still in denial of having to go through it all again.

alright, that's probably enough for now. i have to save stories and such for later entries. hopefully by my next entry, i will have successfully figured out homemade dryer sheets and play silks!

my little model

here's an updated picture of isaac (being quite posh if i do say so myself)at 7 weeks. he's changing right before our eyes and developing a little personality - see above photo. :)

i promise to do a real update soon...with words and everything! hang tight. :)

3 1/2 weeks old

my baby story

so i'm finally posting. sometimes it gets to the point where it's been so long that just the thought of updating is overwhelming that i'd rather not. either way, i want to be a faithful blogger so i'm going to keep it up!

as you saw in the previous post, our little one has been here for a little over 3 weeks now...crazy. it has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but i probably would only change a few things (mainly being getting more sleep).

on thursday, dec. 17th, tim and i were to report to the hospital at 5:30am to get hooked up to IV's and whatnot to get ready for being induced. when i arrived at the hospital, i had already been dilated to 4cm for a few days. when the nurse hooked me up to the monitors, it appeared i'd been having contractions for quite awhile as well. not having been through this before, i hadn't really noticed and just thought i'd been experiencing braxton hicks contractions because they were never painful or worth timing. i started the IV of pitocin to help my labor progress and the contractions continued to get stronger and more noticeable for several hours. around noon, we started noticing that with every contraction, isaac's heartbeat would dangerously slow down. the nurses kept moving me from side to side thinking that he had the umbilical cord tucked underneath an arm or something and hopefully he could be gently moved if i moved. at this point, even though my contractions were getting stronger, i had not progressed in dilation at all. isaac's head was still positioned very high and wasn't positioning to get ready for labor, either. we had battled with the dropping heart rate for a little while and would only get temporary results before it would drop again. the dr. wanted it to stay at 110 or above, and when it dropped to 40...he'd seen enough. with several internal monitors and lots of discussion, the dr. decided that a c-section was the best thing to do.

as soon as i hit the surgery room, about 15 people were there to greet me with quick hands and lots of commotion. at this point, i couldn't feel very much from my shoulders down so i was left to stare at the ceiling and keep breathing. tim was quickly handed scrubs and a mask and was let into the room as soon as i was prepped. he sat at my side and talked me through the whole thing. it was nice to see a familiar face amongst all the commotion. everyone was calm and absolutely wonderful, making me calm and under control through the whole surgery. i felt a lot of pressure and tugging, but kept my mind occupied by trying to think about how lucky i was to get to see my little boy in a matter of minutes! from the moment we decided to do surgery until i heard him cry was only about 40 minutes! it ended up the cord was wrapped around his neck, thus explaining the complications before. we were all relieved the doc had made the decision to deliver w/ a c-section.

once i heard that little cry, i started with the tears as well. it was a mix of emotions that i had been holding in until then, when i knew all was well. while the baby was cleaned and checked, tim followed him upstairs while they stitched me up and finished up surgery. i met everyone upstairs and got to hold my little one with one major challenge....my arms were still completely numb!

i don't remember much the rest of that day except being in quite a bit of pain and being extremely happy as my mom arrived just a half hour after he was born and i was able to spend time thanking God for our incredible blessing that still seemed to unreal to me.

i ended up at the ER the tuesday following his delivery with severe vomiting and a UTI, probably from the catheter at the hospital. throwing up every 5 mins with abdominal stitches from a major surgery was almost hell. i was flushed with IVs and medication to stop the nausea and sent home that night. since then, i've been slowly recovering and trying to figure out breastfeeding - probably two of the hardest things i've done. never being admitted to the hospital for anything, never having stitches or even a sprained ankle, it was very odd to have my mother help me do everything including shower, get out of a chair, and put my socks on.

i've recently been struggling with the disappointment of not experiencing a "true" delivery and being able to have that in common with other mothers that i know, but then i'm reminded that sometimes what's best for my child will not be anywhere close to what i plan for them. God had everything under control and the result was just as beautiful as if everything had been completely natural. with so many people "looking down" on women even having epidurals, it's hard to think that i wasn't able to truly experience childbirth like i should have...or that i was incapable of delivering naturally. either way, i am rejoicing in the life of my healthy baby boy...and what's more dignified than putting your own pride aside to give life to someone else?

12.17.09

sorry for the lack of narration.....obviously our little isaac warren is here and we are healing and learning to adjust, all the while rejoicing in God's incredible blessings on us! more to come when i'm not sleep deprived and doped up on pain meds!

fast forward

so the dr. has decided that our son will be born December 17th...about 2 weeks before due date. this is due to several reasons...high blood pressure, swelling, etc. etc. needless to say...we're excited! we are stoked to have him here before christmas. we will, once again, combine our families for a holiday and just surround ourselves with God's blessings on our family. i really don't think many of us have given much thought to actual wrapped presents this year...which is great! our little bundle of joy will be more than enough for years to come.

we had one final ultrasound today to confirm baby's position, size, etc. as part of the final plans. we were able to see a 3d ultrasound, which was incredible. tim's parents were able to come to the appointment as well, so they were excited. the lab tech spotted a head full of hair already! (i've always known this boy would be just like his dad)

i'll have to update later on our staff christmas party tonight....that turned into a surprise baby shower for us! it was absolutely incredible to feel so loved by a church family. we are truly truly blessed to have found this ministry.

here are some of the latest pictures...enjoy!

i will be out of commission as far as blogging goes for the next few days. we're moving into our new rental this weekend, doing thanksgiving w/ tim's family, etc. etc. don't know when internet will be set up at the new house and all that jazz.

i'll leave you with a couple of other random updates:

i'm excited to have a good 5 day weekend ahead of me
my feet and hands continue to swell by the end of the day
we're in the process of moving (again) but we're both really excited about this new place - more details later.
i continue to get closer and closer to wanting to have this baby - you're all more than welcome to pray that he's here by christmas! :)
my energy level is diminishing
my MRE friends threw me a fantastic shower and were more than generous
they're calling for possible snow on thursday!

love.

34 weeks

no room in the inn

i apologize (again) for not posting sooner. it's been crazy around here, and i don't expect it to slow down soon for awhile. we're still in the process of finding a place. the house we really want to rent is still not put back together so we can see it. the realty company that owns it decided to replace all the carpet, paint, trim...you name it. it looks really nice (yes, i peeked in the windows when no one was there)but we're still waiting on the realtor to give us the official tour. once we've done that, he has a couple of applications to weed through, including some people that could possibly be interested in buying the house instead of renting. i've been using my dad's advice by basically calling or emailing once a day since i found the listing and not letting him forget me. he's going to have to either let me have the house or deal with a very irate pregnant lady. i now understand a bit of what Mary went through trying to find a place just to have her baby! i've done everything from send our rental application in early to chatting with him on the phone about his son to pulling the pregnant and i have no place to live card. So i feel like we're on a first name basis and he can't say no:) hopefully the house will be done by Monday and we can get a move on! Literally. in the meantime, we have an apartment on hold if nothing works out. not our ideal choice, but yet it's a nice place and would force us to downsize and live as simply as possible- which we're totally ok with. i only worry about poor Miss Marley not having her big yard to explore. keep us in your prayers that we can get a place and get moved soon....i will not bring a baby home to unpacked boxes! :)

a few college friends had a surprise shower for tim and i (even though he knew about it and helped plan it) and i was blown away! i had absolutely no clue and it was so amazing to see how friends will drive long distances just to be a part of something like that! i definitely felt overwhelmed at how much i love my friends. tim and i really do think that we have the best friends anyone could ask for. it's just amazing doing life together with people you love with all your heart, even if they now live several states away. thank you guys from the bottom of my heart!isaac is going to grow up with so many amazing aunts and uncles, he's not going to know what to do:)

no pictures this week....i'm in the swollen stage of pregnancy, so i've definitely become a little more camera shy. sleeping through the night has become a challenge, since i can only sleep on my sides and i have trouble with my hands going completely numb to the point of pain. i can't wait to sleep on my stomach again....sigh. i'm still measuring about 6 weeks ahead, which means even though i'm only at 33 weeks, my belly is the size i should be at full term! i hope that means i can't get any bigger...i can't imagine it. tim is being so generous by sharing his sweatpants and sweatshirts with me:)

the more we think about it, the more excited we're getting about having a baby close to the holidays. we both didn't really want a christmas baby at first, but just the season of christmas alone is so fun for us that it just adds to the excitement. plus, i'm VERY thankful that i'm not hugely pregnant in the heat of the summer!

well, i should get off and start packing a box or two...that's the rate i can go these days, without getting too overwhelmed by how much crap we have to get rid of or just by being exhausted.

more updates soon, hopefully! love to all.

now what?!

so....we're moving again. the house that we're renting finally sold (miraculously) and we're going to have to find another place to rent. i really was not worried due to the economy and the fact that there are probably a million and a half houses for sale in Anderson b/c nobody moves here. well, i'm now proven wrong. we technically don't have to be out till december sometime, but i'm not moving then!!we decided to do it now and get it over with.

we only have one prospective house that we're looking to rent and, needless to say, we're REALLY hoping it works out. we can't see it until november 1, and from the pictures it actually looks like it would be just fine..maybe even another full bathroom! i'm just really hoping that we're the first ones in line with deposit and application in hand, that the house is a decent place to live, and that we can just hop on over there without a hitch. we'll see. what timing, huh?

i'm really trying not to be upset about it, even though the timing sucks and moving's a pain and costs money AND the fact that we just finished painting the baby room here. we have very generous landlords who allowed us to paint whatever we wanted, and i'm wondering if that helped sell the stupid thing. some couple probably thought, "oh,look. the nursery's already done and it's so cute! we'll take it!" bah.

ah, well. onward and upward. just waiting for that peace i'm supposed to be feeling. how am i supposed to "nest" and get ready for the baby if i don't even know where my nest will be?

30 week pictures coming soon. i'm getting a little more camera shy the bigger i get...

pictures for heather

here i am at 28 weeks...and marley at 28 weeks. :) i can't believe i still have 12 weeks to go. have mercy! where will it all fit? it's a wonder i'm still upright.

27 weeks

sorry for such a blurry picture...i know i skipped a week, too. i honestly don't see much of a difference as the weeks go on in this stage but i still want to keep the motherly folks and faraway friends happy:) plus, this is like my own pregnancy journal.

not much news to share...i still have to get a picture up of the painted nursery for Heather, even though it only has a crib in it. i promise, Heather!

fall is definitely here in indiana. i know that by two things: it's 40's in the mornings and i am in the middle of my annual battle with strep throat. i guess your immune system is a lot weaker when you're expecting so the little ones at school have blessed me with their germs early this year. hopefully this will be the only time i get sick!

tim is FINALLY getting his big half sleeve tattoo next week. i told him to save up the money and get it by christmas, or he never speaks of it again. i was tired of hearing about how much he'd wanted it since we'd started dating 5 years ago (no, i'm not exaggerating)so i set a deadline. surprisingly enough, there's a really nice tattoo shop here in Anderson so Tim set up an appointment. sure, we could use the money somewhere else, but he deserves it. i guess it's his "thanks for pulling over so i could throw up, telling me i'm beautiful, eating taco bell 3 nights in a row, and dealing with my leg cramps at night" daddy-to-be gift:) plus, the guy haggles so much on craigslist, i think he just ended up selling a few things to foot the entire bill. i'm sure i'll have pictures of that when he gets it. i'm pretty excited for him! his son will be proud. and no, i'm never paying for any of my son's tattoos. unless it's a birthday gift. a small one. and it's "mom" inside a heart:)

doctor update & 26 week ultrasound

so we had our follow up ultrasound today; the one where they wanted to make sure they saw the "stomach bubble". i was a little nervous going in, but my mind was elsewhere since i had to pee SOOOOOOO bad. in order to get good ultrasound pics, they ask that you drink an ungodly amount of water right before your appt. and not use the bathroom. this is uncomfortable for anyone, let alone a woman who is 6 months pregnant! i was actually in a lot of pain and i'm not sure how tim kept a straight face watching me waddle into the hospital with a look of desperation. i couldn't even sit correctly in the chair in the waiting room i had to go so bad. and, of course, you have a couple of pounds of child deciding to take the opportunity to see how bad Mommy really has to go and kick and squirm on top of your bladder. (hopefully, not a preview of attitudes to come...)

we finally took the images we needed..i was allowed to relieve myself (for probably about 10 minutes) and then we proceeded with the enjoyable part of the ultrasound. the lab tech was able to clearly see the stomach bubble (praise Jesus!) and said that everything looked beautiful. i've included some additional images we got today. i have PROOF that it's a boy...and a pretty cool face shot. you kinda have to step back a little and look at the picture as if it were a shadow. i love the ultrasounds...getting to actually see pictures of what i'm feeling. tim and i determined that he is more and more like his daddy every day. every time we take an ultrasound, his legs are crossed and the lab tech said he had very long feet! :) he was also pretty stubborn and didn't like to have his picture taken, turning his face away whenever we got close.

they measured the femur bone once again, and moved my due date up another couple of days to January 1! we'll see how long i can hold out...just hoping i don't spend christmas in the hospital. although, if i am...i think i'd be ok w/ that being the only thing under our tree.

on other smaller notes, we bought and assembled the crib and the nursery is painted. i'll try and take a picture of that soon, once we get things together. it is a very strange realization having a crib in the spare bedroom.

love you all, and THANK YOU for your prayers! we are so blessed to be having such a smooth pregnancy which will result in, i'm sure, a beautiful baby boy!

24 weeks and a baby room!

22 weeks

i obviously took this picture myself:)

prayers needed - doctor's appointment update

another routine monthly doctor's appointment this morning...got to hear baby's heartbeat in the 140's - very good. i've been feeling movement the last couple weeks, which he says is right on time as well. this week, dr. blake actually started measuring my belly with a tape measure - i guess for every centimeter you measure from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus should be pretty close to whatever week you're in. well, i'm almost to week 22 and measured 28 centimeters! whew. i hope that's no indication to a 12 lb. baby...ain't fittin' to deal with that. it could also mean that baby is perfectly comfortable all stretched out from end to end, which might make sense considering the horrible pains in my ribs from his feet. either way, i am really hoping i'm not the size of a buick by christmas! maybe i've done most of my growing already, and will slowly grow the rest of the time.

last ultrasound we had, the lab tech was checking for all major organs, all chambers of the heart, measuring bones and head, etc. she mentioned the fact that they couldn't find the "stomach bubble". i didn't think much of it...figured it meant baby's tummy wasn't full because mine wasn't either. today at my appt, dr. blake mentioned that we need to do another ultrasound after my appointment in september to see if they can see it then. if they can't see it, he will send me to indianapolis and have doctor's there do some testing to check for any defects in the development of the baby's esophagus and trachea. apparently, checking for the stomach bubble means that the baby is swallowing like he should. dr. blake said that worst case scenario, the baby would go through surgery early on and things are easily fixed. he told me not to worry, since it can be hard to see in the first ultrasound.

neither tim or i are worried....we really have no reason to be until we have something definite to be concerned about. either way, we'd still really really love your prayers for our baby boy. we've never done this before, so it's amazing what little things can make you nervous. everything has gone so smoothly thus far, and we want it to continue that way! it was a little rocky getting to the point of expecting a baby, so we feel blessed in any circumstance. thank you so much!

p.s. i promise to get a belly picture up soon!

my life (lately) in pictures

Here are some pictures of my classroom this year (not completely finished yet) and the most recent purchase of baby clothes i've purchased.it's so much fun looking for little corduroy pants and shirts with puppy dogs(which we have a lot of)and rocket ships. belly picture update soon...sorry i've missed a week! oh, and a picture of ella playing in the sink - a good glimpse of how we now spend a lot of friday nights:)

ultrasound pics

i've gotta admit...i'm a little disappointed to not have any "manly" parts pictures to show you as proof. the lab tech gave us what she gave us. so i've included a picture of his little arms crossed in front of him and his tiny foot (i counted five toes!).

snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

yes, it's a BOY! you can imagine my reaction when it was *ahem* quite clear on the ultrasound that we were bringing a little man into our family. as you see previous posts, it's quite rare that a boy is brought into the family on my side by blood...usually it's just a legal negotiation that we allow them to hang around:) just kidding. well, kindof.

the more i think about raising a son, the more excited i get. i've always loved the beautiful chaos of little boys being who they were created to be....muddy, wild, and daring. it's definitely a picture of who God is. i look at our lab and just imagine the trouble they will get in together, both standing in front of me in the kitchen with innocent looks on their faces, hoping i'll blame the other. my dad has literally had dreams of this day for years to come. he's always warned me, "court, you're going to have your hands full one day." yeah, and little does he know - any crazy antics that stir from our son's mind will be directly linked to my father's influence in one way or another!

tim and i were up in Port Hope, MI this last week with some awesome friends we haven't seen in way too long...it was great. the weather was perfect and the family was together. tim's still trying hard to make peace with the state of Michigan. instead of being "the third ring of hell" as he refers to the summers before when it's been a little warmer than he'd like, this year he was almost eaten alive by some mysterious bug or allergen. but nothing a few steroids, choice words and millions of topical ointments won't take care of. it's just like any relationship worth having...ya gotta make sure it's worth it. :)

my 18 week picture above was taken by my artsy mother on the pier in Port Austin, MI. i've definitely "popped" recently and have accepted the fact that the pain i constantly feel on my right side is just my loving son wedging his feet in between my ribs. ah, motherhood.

16 weeks & family time

this weekend, i was able to fly home and surprise most of my family. it was a chance to see lots of people i've missed dearly and help ashley get a jump on wedding plans. i hadn't been home in over a year, and with the baby coming i'd probably not be home in another whole year until ashley's wedding. it was due time. tim was unable to come, however, and that bummed him (and many others) out greatly. i actually flew in thursday, only to get in a car for 6 hours (not my favorite) and trek to Pennsylvania to see my Aunt Jen and cousin, Bonnie. Sarah met us there from her summer camp for the weekend, along with one of her best friends and we all had a great time. My aunt lives in a gorgeous historical home in downtown Carlisle and i think it was the first time in years that it had just been "the girls" home without any boys in tow. Needless to say, my dad was in seventh heaven and it was very hard for me to imagine the possibility of bringing a boy into the family.


i'm now starting my 16th week and (i know i say this every time) but am rounding the corner of sick and tired. let's forget the fact that i was in bed at 9:30 last night, and focus on the fact that i do feel a little more energetic every day...a very good thing with school coming up next month! i feel like i balloon out a little more each day and am currently in the market for new pants.

13 1/2 weeks

So the belly pictures begin...mostly for my friends and family who aren't close to watch me grow. :) I've always had a "pooch" but Tim says it's obviously a baby bump now.

I had another doctor's appointment this morning. Nothing groundbreaking...heard the heartbeat, which doc says is nice and strong around 150's. Now that my nausea is *fingers crossed* slowing down, everything has become a lot more enjoyable. Doctor said at one point, "This is too easy." I hope it stays that way! So far, God has been so amazing and given us nothing but better-than-great news at every appointment and ultrasound so we're praying that it continues that way. We've seen the baby move early on, and even been able to identify all developing anatomy (like in the picture from last post). In early August, we'll have a "formal" ultrasound (I suppose I should dress up?) and hopefully be able to determine the sex of the baby!

In the meantime, I'm doing my best to eat as many fresh fruits and veggies as I can and take naps whenever my body tells me it just...can't...go...on. I am so thankful that the timing worked out for me to be off of school during the "ugh" part of pregnancy. God sure has His hand in every detail of this little one's life.

Tim and I are headed back up to Michigan this weekend to Grand Rapids, where we'll spend a long weekend celebrating our 2nd anniversary and attending a conference put on by Rob Bell. I'm sure it'll be a relaxing and challenging weekend, but nonetheless...the first vacation we've taken by ourselves since our honeymoon. Probably the last in awhile, too! :)

God bless you all. Love and miss you dearly.

p.s. thanks to nicole for my super cute new maternity shirt! :)

some pictures

this is a lovely shot of the blood vessel that burst in my eye...a result of major vomiting the first trimester of pregnancy....yeah, real fun.

I never have much motivation for amazing new updates. I hope you still read.

Tim is at Jr High camp this week, so it's been me and the pup keeping each other company while he's gone. So far, it's been a pretty boring week...but it's been salvaged by going to eat with Tim's parents and The Bachelorette party with the Canfields - always an adventure. I passed on Troy's second trip to the Frito Lay factory for dumpster diving. I'm sure I missed out on an entertaining hour, but I will have to eat through the many jars of salsa before we're ready for another load of perfectly good day old bags of chips and cookies. A grand idea...welcome to being friends with the most thrifty people I know. :) Katrina has lots of good tips for saving a buck with baby products as well. I now know how to make my own laundry detergent and baby wipes- genius! Tim and I are excited to have friends who can pass on little things like that...as well as eat an entire pan of brownies with us! :)

I think (fingers crossed) I'm over the sick part of being pregnant. I have never been more grateful that school is over with than I was last week. Tim said I looked like I'd been run over by a truck and all I wanted to do was sleeeeeeep. Thankfully, I got it under control with a little help from a nausea prescription and figuring out the right foods and time of the day to eat. I'm going on 5 days in a row without morning sickness, so let's pray it's over! I'm just shy of the 12 week mark so we're hopeful that those sick days are behind me. Tim has been amazing through all my laziness and puking....setting alarms for me when I fall asleep without knowing at 8pm...making peanut butter sandwiches with my request at 10:30...setting crackers and water by my bedside...letting me sleep as long as needed, etc. He's been wonderful, and I can't imagine how helpful he'll be when the baby really comes. Which he's convinced is a boy.

Not really sure what's on the agenda for today...right now Marley and I are sitting on the porch trying to figure out if it's going to rain. I may head down to Greenfield for some quality Gooch time and then who knows. It's hard for me not to just shop til I drop when I have nothing else to do! The goal of this week was to get some major cleaning and organizing done, but I seem to find other things to take priority.

We're at CIY in Michigan next week, so hopefully I'll have a few pictures and awesome "this is how God moved" stories to tell. Looking forward to going with Tim on all these trips this summer...won't be able to for long!

major update!

ok, so 2 months without an updated blog....very sorry.

there have been some very exciting and new things lately:

1. school's OVER!!!! woohooo! now i am packing my bags and following Tim around the country. we have lots of fun trips planned, and i'm excited i am able to go on all of them!

2. i'll be moving up to teach 2nd grade next year (very excited). the older, the better. whew..

3. we're PREGNANT! we just had an ultrasound today and got to see the baby squirming and kicking like crazy! i'm not sure what to think about that already...i feel like i'm already having to keep up with it...tim thinks it'll be just like his mom. we all know he's pretty easy to keep up with:) keep checking back for more updates. we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed! we love you all that have been praying so hard along with us. i feel very much unworthy of having such a short journey to get here.

just sell all your stuff and eat bean sprouts

i've always had great ambitions to organize...and reorganize...my life in terms of housekeeping, work, cooking, storage, etc. etc. i think to an extent, every woman dreams of perfect organization and impeccable systems.

i am a sucker for systems. maybe it's the teacher in me...? i get a kick out of watching Kate Gosselin organize her crazy everyday life, and i naturally gravitate towards the plastic storage aisles in stores. i think that side of me will really show once we have children and i have to resort to making sure more than just myself is taken care of and looks somewhat put together.

to go along with that, tim and i have always dreamt of simplifying our life. we have only been married a few months shy of two years, and have already way too much stuff. the house we're renting is too big for us (we think) and we would love to live in a simpler time with less stuff. it's exciting to think and dream of ways we can do that. i am blessed to have married an old soul...a man who wants nothing more out of life than a good beer, a fire, and people he loves to discuss Jesus with. that's someone i want raising my children.

i think along with simplifying our lives, it's our way of saying, "there are other things that are more important." of course, anyone who knows us knows we love a good shopping trip just as much as anyone else but we're constantly challenged by finding the best deals. does that justify? probably not. tim and i also get excited about the thought of one day raising a child in those same values. we want to raise them to be different than the world. we want to raise children who TRULY appreciate the simple things in life and love Jesus more than anyone could possibly imagine.

i've read a lot of things lately that convince me that our diets and the products we use all the time have a major impact on our lives and health. i'm personally trying to stick to a certain diet and avoid disgusting substances (mountain dews, candies, processed foods with way more dyes and chemicals than should be legal) in order to restore my own health and body. a book to read if you think i'm crazy - The Maker's Diet. it's eye opening for sure, and it'll make you think twice about what you buy at the grocery. you'll probably still think i'm crazy. i've realized i've even incorporated my newly discovered beliefs to the dog's diet. she still eats normal dog food, of course, but i'm a lot more likely to throw some apple slices in her dish now. i figured that's what she would've eaten in the Garden, so why not? i don't even want to read the label on the Puppy Chow.

i think we're on our way to simplifying our lives and truly living in consideration of the planet. we're not super freaks who only eat hummus and bean sprouts (even though i grew up on both of those) but we're slowly leaning towards wholesome living in any way we can:

-we're avid recyclers
-we're growing a community garden for our fruits & veggies this summer w/ friends
-we're trying (that's more for me) to shop more at Goodwills for practical things...did you know Target will donate their BRAND NEW items to area Goodwills when they can't sell them??? best thing i ever discovered. brand spankin' new sassy shoes for 2.99? yes, please.
-i've always tried to buy organic, but sometimes the budget just will not allow. more and more mainline grocery stores (Kroger, Meijer) have plenty of organic options at reasonable prices.
-we're hoping to have a major garage sale this spring with things we thought we'd touch but never have

oh, and tim won't let me buy bottled water. it's the nalgene and a brita filter for this girl. he's also not cutting his hair, but i'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with going green. it's pretty sexy, though, now that it's getting real long. just my opinion. :)

well, you're very welcome for a long mindless post all about me. *sigh. i guess that's okay, with a blog. it would be wrong to write about others.

if you have any green/organic/organizing tips to share....please feel free!

love you all.



oh, and one more thing to get off my chest. hi, i'm courtney and i'm reading the twilight series.

...

Marley thought it'd be a bright idea to eat a pack of light bulbs while I was sleeping.

i survived a college campus

i feel as if the last 2 months, my body is attacking itself. i feel run through the mill in a thousand different ways of being sick. right now, i'm trying to shake the flu/cold/cough/stuffy nose symptoms before i go back to another week of school with germy kiddos. the weather is only holding at about 50 something and i'm begging for it to be warm so i don't have to deal with cold wood floors and jackets in the morning anymore.

tim is on his way back from cincinatti with some of our kids. they went to a CIY discipleship weekend-another thing i wish i could've been in on. instead, i got to take PRAXIS tests to keep up the process of turning my TN teaching license into IN. however, the tests i'm required to take were the ones that most undergrads take, if they even have to based on ACT scores. good ole' IN requires i take 'em, no matter what smarty pants things you can show on your previous exemption scores. so there i was, at 7:30 in the morning, trying to find my way around a major university (which i've barely even been to) in the dark. i had copied down directions the old fashioned way, since tim took the gps with him, and realized that i was all too dependent upon the stupid thing.

i pulled into Ball State's campus and actually managed to locate the correct building. oh, but now i need to find parking. around a few blocks, i luckily followed another car of obvious students (MO license plates) to the LAST metered parking spot left within a few blocks of the building. i had a few minutes to zip into the building and find my room and testing site before they'd stop letting people in. i basically followed the crowds of other kids (yes, they were very young)into a building w/ a PRAXIS sign on the door.

the lady at the table said, "oh no, dear. your test is across the street." ok, so the building right out these doors and across the street? well, kindof. go out these doors, you'll see a long building. that's north quad. burkhardt building sits on blah blah blah. whatever. i'll find it. i walk outside, and realize- oh yeah, it's still dark. i can't see street signs and of course ALL THE BUILDINGS LOOK THE SAME. i scared some poor student to death when i ran up to her and asked where the building was. she pointed, and i ran over to walk right into my seat. prayers do work. God knows he needs to place directionally competent people in my path-always.

the test is over, and i have an hour and a half until my next one. i'm not even going to dare to leave the building. i wander the halls and look for a restroom. ok, there's the mens'. ladies? nada. i look around and just go into the mens'. quickly, quickly. it seemed like a funny skit when i was peeking around the door to make sure no one was in the hallway. ah, no one will know. (well, except you guys.)

i sat and read for awhile, ate an apple (brain food), read the posters on the wall. then i decided to set my alarm on my cell phone and just nap. i wasn't asleep for ten minutes, when i my arm slid off of the ledge and i jerked awake in a short panic, startling the 19 year olds that were now waiting outside with me.

quite a morning. needless to say, it's a good thing i went to a small school with only so many buildings...and signs for each one of them. and equal access to restrooms.

:)

updated

so our trip to Knoxville was so great. exactly what we needed...everything from the warmer weather, the view of the mountains, to reconnecting with GREAT friends and spending time with the whole family. i saw everyone that i wanted to see while i was there, and it was fantastic. it was really tough to remain positive when we were driving back to good ole' Anderson. we miss Knoxville so much and are so ready to go back and live there. the timing will be right eventually.

tim and i have been taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class through our church. i absolutely love it because i feel so much more educated with so many financial things now. we've finally put together a budget (our first one ever!) and will hopefully be really disciplined about sticking with it. it's amazing how much farther money can go when it's properly managed. we're really looking forward to paying off our small, but annoying, debts and saving for the future. i HIGHLY recommend anyone to take his class...it's incredibly educational. i'm glad we finally have someone kicking our butt and telling us how dumb we've been previously.

when i was going through our budget the other day (yes, i'm the nerd in the household who LOVES to be the budget-keeper) i mentioned to tim how we have no money set aside in case anything breaks in our house such as washer/dryer, tv, stove, etc. we laughed about how crappy our washer and dryer were since the buttons have come off and you literally had to stick your fingers into the machine to find the on switch. real safe, i'm assured. they were given to me free a few years ago from my parents' neighbors who used them when THEY got married. seriously old. no sooner than a few days later, one of our youth sponsors tells Tim he has something he wants to bring us. low and behold, he brings us a new dryer. God sure does take care of us...and even BEFORE things actually break! i'm definitely impressed. we both had to chuckle about our conversation and decided we need to start mentioning things like that more often. :) it's so awesome when God's people take care of each other.

nothing else new to report. still truckin' through the school year and trying not to kill any of the kids:) we only have about 12 weeks of school left, which i feel will fly by pretty quickly. who knows what next year will bring!

alright, i'm off to try and motivate myself to go work out. wish me luck. i've already spent too much time blogging instead of going.

wednesday

i wish i had a picture. last night, i came home early from our Dave Ramsey class, and walked upstairs to let Marley out. lately, we've been just keeping her in our bedroom instead of her kennel so she can roam around a little more and not be penned up so long. usually, she does great and hasn't taken much interest in anything except having the bed to herself. i opened the door, and it was just like a movie scene. a chocolate lab standing in the middle of the floor, covered with little white feathers and feathers still floating all around her. yes, she had decided to eat the tag off of our down comforter, and then realized how fun that was when the feathers kept flying about. the remainder of the evening was spent by me sweeping up as many teeny tiny feathers as i could find, and with her chasing what was left and occasionally hacking up a few that she had swallowed. she never ceases to amaze us.

i just finished reading Betsy's blog about the spring-like weather in TN, and it made me so excited for spring as well. I love the first day you can wear sandals, and not have to take a jacket with you. I love leaving windows open and sitting out on the porch. I love being barefoot. I've always been that way, even as a kid, and therefore I need multiple pedicures throughout the year...

The 12 inches of snow just melted, and then we're supposed to get 1-3 inches of rain on top of that. It's pretty soggy up here in Indiana, but as much as I loved the snow...I'll be ready to move on. I can't believe it's more than halfway through the school year and I'll be sending the kiddos on in no time.

Lately, I've been thinking about making a big change in teaching. There may be an opportunity to teach a higher grade, like fifth or sixth. I've student taught in sixth grade before, and while I was incredibly intimidated going in, I loved it! I loved being able to really discuss social issues and work on writing persuasive essays. I loved that they could do things for themselves!! Oh, that would be sweet relief. Don't get me wrong, first grade has always been a fun grade to teach, but I think I'd love the challenge of teaching older kids. I am about done with the whining and tattletaling, not being able to tie their own shoes, picking noses, etc. I didn't go to school 5 years to run a daycare. That would be a big change and a lot of extra preparation on my part, but it sounds soooo good these days. Am I cut out for the job? The worst thing ever would be to get the class that laughs in my face (eye to eye I'm sure) and doesn't take a thing seriously. It's one thing to discipline a 6 year old, but quite another when they're you're same size.

Lots of changes to come, I'm sure. Especially with the seasons. Rest assured, we're keeping Marley forever, staying in this house, and remaining in Anderson until told otherwise;)

Only 2 weeks til Knoxville!

this belongs on a myspace bulletin...but for the sake of a blog, what the heck.

keep in mind, i have a teeny tiny ipod that hasn't been updated in a year or so. wear it.

1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! DON'T CHEAT OR YOU'RE LAME


IF SOMEONE SAYS "ARE YOU OK" YOU SAY?
"Alcohol" Brad Paisley.....hahahaha. is that bad?

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Carolina Blues" Blues Traveler....apparently I'm stuck in 7th grade, sad, and belong on the east coast.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"I've Loved Enough to Know" Deanna Carter....oh, more true than you know.


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"What Am I to You?" Norah Jones....hm.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Sunrise" Norah Jones....no, I don't think the sun rises and sets on me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer.....SO true.

WHAT IS 2+2?
"Undertow" Sara Bareilles....that's a dumb one.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"My, Oh My." The Wreckers.....hahaha. very suitable.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"My Dear Country" Norah Jones...wha?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"She's Everything" Brad Paisley...yes, I am very much loved.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Seasons Change" Corinne Bailey Rae

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Lost" Michael Buble....I'm sure at one point they did.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Lay Me Down" The Wreckers.....haha, oh my. ;)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Don't Miss You at All" Norah Jones.....ouch.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"I'm Your Man" Michael Buble....i gotta put more songs on here.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Winter" Eastmountainsouth

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Some Mistakes" Brad Paisley....yes, but weren't they fun!?

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" John Mayer.....I can imagine that would suck.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Scotch & Chocolate" Nickel Creek....hey, at least I'll be happy.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Glass" Ingrid Michaelson.....interesting..?

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"It's Not You It's Me" Little Willies....so true. I can really crack myself up.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"All At Sea" Jamie Cullum


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"I'd Like To" Corinne Bailey Rae.....have I not already? then what WAS that?

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Your Man" Josh Turner ....yes, he does.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Die Alone" Ingrid Michaelson....yikes, my funeral does not sound promising.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"Love Ain't Worth Making" Deana Carter....um? i beg to differ?

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"The Uncloudy Day" Brad Paisley

see far in a snow storm

another delay for school tomorrow due to winter weather in good old Indiana...I saw on the news today that so far in our winter season, we've accumulated a total of 22.6" of snow. yipes. a tad different from my marshy homeland on the east coast of Virginia. still, i am with Tim when I think that if it's going to be THIS cold, it might as well snow.

ya know, that's the ONLY thing I could find that was wrong with Knoxville. i'm not sure if i remember a GOOD snow in all my 5 years of living there. yeah, we had a few random snow days, but only because Sevier County schools were pretty skittish.

Tim and I are going back in a few weeks to rent a cabin with family and celebrate my sister's birthday. it's like we're going to Disney World; we are SO excited! we have plans to reunite with friends we haven't seen in way too long and just enjoy being back home.

i'm not sure if it's the arctic Indiana winter, but we are missing Knoxville more than ever. Tennessee in general brings back pleasant memories for both of us, and we both agreed we felt like it had seemed like home. we fell in love, made life long friends, and made some pretty big life decisions all within the walls of the Smoky Mountains and Vol territory.

i almost typed that i learned who Jesus was in TN as well. but while Tim and I were trudging through the ice and snow to meet his parents for dinner tonight, we discussed how our views of Christ, the Church, and the American Christianity have changed so drastically in the last year that even we were surprised by it. i realized how different i am now. yeah, my life changed drastically in so many ways in TN, but it's here in IN that i feel like i found Jesus. like, the real Jesus. the one who had opinions and feelings. the one who said some things that i never really thought were like him. the one who tells people that if they even so much look back to say goodbye to his mother, he is not fit to be a disciple. the Jesus who wants to restore the people and the Earth that he made to live in unison with each other. the one who expects love. the Jesus that never built a building to be a church.

i'm learning that being the church is SO much simpler than we've created it to be. keyword: we.

gosh. we have a lot of work to do.

six months later...

ok, so if you have thought, "today i'll check courtney's blog. i know it's been almost six months, but MAYBE she updated. i can just feel it." good for you! if not, understandable. i am the guilty one. but nonetheless, i am back.

let's just recap the last six months. here's what i've learned (in a very small nutshell):

-teaching is easier and harder than i imagined.
-God is so much closer and sometimes farther than i imagined.
-Jesus isn't who I thought He was...in a very good way.
-Tim is so much more than the picture of any man I dreamed of one day marrying

Those are only the broadest few things I could think of to recap several months, but they are still true. So let's see...

We are a few weeks shy of marking our first full year in youth ministry here in Indiana. There are certain people that pull at our hearts here that we now cannot bear to think of ever being without. Kids are starting to show us what they're learning and what we've said about Jesus that stuck in their heads.

I'm leading a 7th/8th grade girls small group on Sunday nights, and it's scary how much of myself I see in them. I love the relationship I have with them- a relationship that I had with my youth minister's wife once upon a time that changed my life as well. It's a humbling and fragile place to see myself in.

Our baby, a now 8 month old chocolate lab, is now reaching the huge category and is so much more part of our tiny family than we thought an animal could be. She is loving life, rawhide bones, apple slices and the 6 inches of snow.

My family was able to come visit over Thanksgiving, which was a blast. I'd never had the chance to be hostess for a major holiday and I loved it (minus the strep throat part). We had a low-key Christmas in Noblesville with Tim's family, which was great..especially since his dad is still recovering from a massive heart attack he had in the beginning of December. It was one of those, " I never thought it'd happen to me..." moments for us as a family.

2009 is well into full swing now, and I feel like it's a black canvas. I have no idea what it holds. Tim and I are on the edge of so many big things in our tiny little life as man & wife...it's a grand thing that God is so big. We have bigger dreams and desires than ever, and we know the God who can make them all come true.

room 124

i actually survived the first full week of teaching first grade. barely. i found myself on a friday night, laid out on the living room couch watching a movie and literally aching from being so busy lately. it's still strange to me that i'm a teacher. it's such a huge responsibility and a lot of stress, especially being in a new school and having to learn new systems, new people, etc. i have a crazy group of kids this year...2 autistic boys, one that didn't even go to kindergarten (which isn't required in IN-stupid), a girl that was suspended AS A KINDERGARTENER for slapping other kids, and then 18 more students. on thursday, i put them all on the bus and then sat at my desk and cried. i know i'll get through it and somehow, i'm still loving it, but i'll go up against anyone who says, "gosh, it must be nice working 7 to 3 and having summers off." even still, there's nothing in the world like teaching.

hopefully once the weeks go by, i'll get more into routine and have this down pat. any prayers in my direction (north, for most of you) would be appreciated! also...there's something to be said about kids who can already read.

marley is growing by leaps and bounds every single day. she loves running laps around the house and diving in the ivy in the front yard. she found out that she loves playing in the creek beside our house and in seconds, was covered head to toe in mud and water from digging frantic holes in the creek bed. it was hilarious, and tim and i loved just letting her be a dog. she's definitely a daddy's girl - tim and marley aren't found too far from each other at any time.

my baby sister moved into college last week, and that officially leaves my parents as empty nesters. i'm not sure how well that will be handled...anyone who knows my dad, knows that he likes his girls close, with more walking in the door. everyone's coming to our house for Thanksgiving this year, including the grandparents. It'll be a giant Fair/Blum thanksgiving....watch out.

i can't believe we've already been at this ministry for 7 months. we are missing tennessee like crazy every day and still have hopes to get back some day. in the meantime, there are things happening at the church that still keep us feeling like we're being used here. kids are over more often, sharing more, trusting us with more. there are several people who just came out of the woodwork to start getting involved in the youth, which i told Tim is a big compliment. we are getting ready to kick off student small groups, and Tim's been hitting us hard with the importance of community and love. (go figure, huh?:))

well, time for cleaning the house and working on lesson plans. love you all.

and life picks up again...

we've been absolutely crazy busy since last time i blogged. everything is about to change (again) and after this, i'll be ready to settle down for quite awhile. new job, new dog, new house. goodness.

we found a great home for our psycho weimaraner at the weim rescue in louisville and got talked into a free chocolate lab puppy. we named her Marley (no relation to Bob...although they are the same color and tim's a big fan) and she's wonderful. possibly the cutest dog i've ever seen, and she's pretty laid back and enjoyable to have. we're still working on potty training, but she's a great puppy.

we are moving into another rental home, and have been doing a lot of work on it today. we deep cleaned and painted some today and there's quite a bit left to go. it's a cape cod style house on almost a full acre lot, with hardwood floors and a great big living room. i'm going to really love the yard and the quiet neighborhood. Marley already loves the yard and the rabbits that like to come by, although i'm sure they won't stay long. everything worked out with finding a renter for our current house so we could break our lease, and we're moving next week.

in the meantime, i'm in the process of moving into my new classroom as well. i'm not kidding when i say it's probably the nicest classroom i've been in...in all 5 years of field experiences and internships, i've never seen a school this nice. it's going to be great, and the staff i've met so far are wonderful. i still have a few things to come together with my Indiana teaching license, which makes me nervous so close to school starting...but God will make it happen, just like everything else up to this point!

it's all a bit overwhelming, but tim and i both agree that we're starting to feel a little more at home in the odd little town of Anderson, and we're really enjoying this ministry. we still have plenty of places we'd love to live and visit...but for now, i'm loving Indiana summers and learning about combines and corn fields.

old and married

so things are looking up, and God is faithful, always providing. also, Tim and i just passed our one year anniversary. crazy.

we finally got our stimulus check, so Tim's car has hope of being repaired, or turned in...whichever is cheaper.

Tim surprised me (well, tried to)with tickets to the Brad Paisley concert last Thursday for my birthday. Kenny & Nicole came up for dinner, and we all went to the concert together. It was a lot of fun, and one of my favorite birthdays, as simple as it was. Good friends, good music, and a cookie cake. Oh, and a JOB OFFER. The principal from the elementary school I recently interviewed with called on my birthday to offer me a first grade teaching position. The day was complete.

we're also considering moving. not states, cities, churches, etc. but to another house. when the bugs kept falling out of the ceiling, and the termites had managed to unhinge the sliding glass door, it was almost the last straw on this house. i love being renters when stuff like that happens...just have to make a phone call! don't get me wrong, we're grateful that we had it to move into, since we only had a day to look while we were here, but opportunities present themselves and we are definitely considering. we had looked at this particular house months ago, just out of curiousity, but declined, knowing that it was much too soon and more than likely out of our price range. plus, the thought of actually committing to a place was terrifying.

the house situation was long forgotten when Tim got a phone call from the owner about a week ago. he was curious if we were still interested in buying the house, and if not..maybe renting? our ears perked up for sure, and we just chuckled that it was "so weird" that he called us out of the blue months later....but on the same week i finally landed a teaching job...and the same week we had both finally felt at home at BCC. weird?

i sat in the driveway of this possible house (don't worry, no one lives there) on Sunday afternoon, unbeknownst to Tim...praying that if God wanted us to plant seeds in the Anderson community and start to grow roots, that we needed a clear sign. i didn't want to just try and justify a great house for all its perks when it could clearly be a major financial mistake. and yes, i can usually convince myself of almost anything.

not even an hour later, Tim started a conversation about random things he'd been thinking since having a great day at church that morning, finally feeling at home, and finally seeing relationships with kids being established. it was one of those conversations where you take turns saying, "Yeah! Me too!"

once again, we fight the blurred vision that we have as fallen people and try to clear up how to know between God's plan and just odd coincidence. how to be wise and a person of faith at the same time.

huh.

God?