The three amigos

Howdy y'all

Sleep deprivation

Sleep where art thou?

Little E's prayer

Little E asked to pray the other night at dinner. Please understand that he did not mean any disrespect as after it happened he looked up at us all like what are you laughing about?

His hands are folded and tucked under his chin . . . "Dear Jesus . . . .*BURP* . . . .Amen"

Of course we probably shouldn't have laughed but you know sometimes that's just easier said than done.

An end to our $ classes

Sorry this is going to be a long post, there are just so many of my thoughts I want to record about this . . .

One of the best things EH and I have done for our marriage is to complete the Dave Ramsey online money classes. I have been "in charge" of paying bills and managing the checkbook for the last eleven years. I never felt like I did a very good job and always wondered what I should do differently.

One of my favorite routines that we've established since doing these classes is to have a weekly money meeting. Many times we're tired and there are many kid-related interruptions. BUT there is such peace in coming up with a plan for our money and not having it weigh on only my shoulders.

A fully funded emergency fund (3-6 months worth of expenses that you don't touch for anything except job loss, injury, etc.) is reportedly highly important to women. It didn't seem very important to me at first but now that ours is under way I can't tell you how freeing it is to know that it's there.

I dragged my feet for years about living within a budget - it's just sounds miserable and so controlling. It has had entirely the opposite effect. I think that it has to do with self-control and discipline. Neither sounds like much fun but are a part of how God wants us to conduct our lives. We know that he doesn't make up rules just to be controlling but to benefit us and that has been the outcome. I'm forever telling the boys that obedience brings blessings and we are seeing the fruit of that in our lives.

Thanks a million to the grandparents who spent hours babysitting and even letting us use their high speed internet connection to view the movies. Please forgive me if you hear Dave Ramsey this and Dave Ramsey that frequently. We're just thrilled with his program!


We no longer have any credit cards or credit card debt!

Armed and Dangerous

Agent H shared that he's afraid of witches and wizards. He wants to know where they live and if they can get in our house, etc.

For me it was warewolves. I remember sleeping on the floor of my room with my bed placed between me and the window for what seemed like months because I was afraid one would come bursting through my window. Yickes! I still remember the movie that inspired that fear and the long walk I had with my dad on a dusty road in MT discussing whether or not they were real.

The problem is, I can't tell him witches and wizards aren't real. He asked about their magic so we talked about how God's power is stronger than the magic that w&w use and how they even know they are weaker than God. That's part of the reason why Satan tries to make trouble for us by encouraging scary thoughts. By the end of our chat, he was punching the Devil in the face and yelling "JESUS" and giggling over the new found power he has through being a child of God.

Sometimes I struggle with what I believe and what I want to teach our children from my very charismatic upbringing. I wish I could get it all sorted out before Agent H brings on the tough questions.

What the doc said

"What are you feeding this kid?" was the question the doc asked today at our new recruit's 2 week appointment. The little guy's birth weight was 7lb, 3oz . . . today he weighed in at a whopping 8lb, 10oz adding nearly a pound and a half and 1.5 inches. I guess I won't worry that he frequently nurses for under 10 minutes a side. Anyway, he checks out healthy and is a happy baby.

When to buy organic

Supporting organic farms is usually a pretty good idea. Usually the purpose is to avoid loading our bodies up with pesticides, etc. Other than than that it's just plain a good idea to care for our environment by supporting green farming practices. I'm not going to run out and buy a green Bible but I do think that we have some responsibility to care for our "garden".

Have you heard of the 12 foods you SHOULD buy organic? Here they are:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

On the flip side, here are a 12 foods that you don't have to worry about as much eating when they are grown conventionally:

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion

One more thing. Many folks are avoiding GMO products. I just learned how to tell if the produce you're buying is a GMO or not. You know the stickers on our produce . . . a five digit -code starting with 8 indicates that it's a GMO. If it starts with a 9 then you know that it's organic. By the way, I found out this info at Mercola.

The new recruit @ 2 weeks

Today marks 2 weeks since our new recruit joined the family force. Notable accomplishments:

- Lots of sleeping and eating
- Thus, lots of dirty nappies
- Nice full cheeks
- Sweet meowing and grunting baby noises
- Umbi cord fell off Monday the 11th

How are the big brothers? Way better than I imagined! I used to joke that we'd need to build a fortress around the babe to protect him from his canon ball brother Little E. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised that Little E has demonstrated nothing but gentleness and love to his new little brother. Agent H is just so pleased to have four boys in the family, he just adores our new recruit.


Life feels so full and so right with three little boys!

Lactating

Apparently any child soliciting for help can stir my body to action. Whether it's a 2 week old or a 2 and a half year old crying for help to zip and snap his shorts I start leaking like a faucet. Ah the joys of lactating.

A family's loss

I have a dear friend and her family who have experienced a tragedy. Another in what seems to be a long line of trials for them. This week her in-laws were in a head on collision resulting in her mother-in-law's death. I believe her father-in-law is still in the hospital receiving treatment for his injuries.

This family has been effected financially by the lack of construction business (husband is a skilled contractor), a garage/house fire which displaced them from home for months, and now a loss of life in the family. Would you please offer up a prayer for these friends? You can read her blog at Our Family's Journey.

This is the family of Agent H's best buddy Agent E.

Because I knew you wanted to know

It's happened already. Our new rookie's diapers have already changed from that dark maconium (sp?) to the seedy yellow! How did that happen so fast? How is he only three days old and I couldn't imagine life without him?

He smiled while nursing today. Sigh . . .

Two more

For the last 4 months Agent H has been praying for our "baby to be healthy and to come soon". Last night at prayer time he prayed for two more babies.

The Arrival!

A sweet little boy was born to EH and I this blessed morning. Our hearts are full of the tenderness one feels towards new life.

Our dear Baby L (blog nickname to come) was born at 4:32AM this morning after about 5 and a half hours of laboring. About 4 of those hours I was able to do at home and the rest with our doula at the hospital. This was our third natural birth. The tears that I cried as I reached out to catch hold of our babe and place him on my chest were of overwhelming gratitude to our Lord for this new life and great relief. This pregnancy was done. Birth was done. Our gift from heaven was healthy and in my arms. Praise be to the Giver of Life!

Baby Stats: 7 pounds, 3 ounces; 19 inches long; all ten toes and fingers

Up North

Our summer vacation was a long weekend spent up on the North Shore. I think we'd all been looking forward to it since the last time we were there about two years ago. Duluth . . . the name of the city just brings on a feeling of adventure and freshness.

We played and played and played some more! Our weekend was filled with a scenic ride on a train . . . one of the best playgrounds ever . . . swimming in the hotel's pool, watching boats come and go and the lift bridge rise and lower, and of course ice cream!

Some friends of ours decided to take in the scenery for a day and joined us for a bit. We traveled together to all the good places to throw rocks and listen to the lapping of the waves. Ebug took an unexpected dip in the frigid cold waters via a slippery rock and about scared me into labor. After getting him warmed up and in some dry clothes we hit Betty's Pies for some grub and pie. Yum!

EH has the ALL the great pictures here.

Anticipation

Week 39 here with Baby Berry still safely tucked inside me. With past pregnancies I remember being anxious for the baby to "hurry up and come". With the end of this pregnancy I find myself saying "okay babe I need just one more day" before I go to bed each night. One more night so I can get the checkbook balanced, one more day so I can get the hair clips that Baby Boutique ordered in the mail, one more night and on and on.

Today the baby doc said she wouldn't be surprised to see me at the hospital this weekend. I've been told that with other pregnancies and still had to wait a week though. I can't predict anything but my body seems to be kicking into birth mode. I'm trying not to feel anxious but to just focus on the joy that will be when I get to hold this wee one against my chest.