Life Lately

Every year, my midwife, Nancy, has a picnic for all the families that she has helped in the birthing process. Basically, she gets to see all the little kiddos she's help bring into this world! That is where we went today. The weather was gorgeous, not too hot, not too cold. We had hot dogs, apples and lemonade. Talk about the perfect picnic fare! Then Brilla played on the big toy, got a "choo-choo" train painted on her face, and tried out some toddler gym equipment a gal had brought for all the kids to play on. Very cool.

Yesterday (Monday), was Bible club night. The birthday girl ended up not showing, but we went ahead and ate the pie at snack time anyway. We also watched an animated version of William Tyndale. Didn't realize it would be such an adult-level story!! I think Brilla freaked out at the burned-at-the stake part. It was a very compelling and challenging, but maybe a tad heavy for our audience.

On Sunday, we had to say good-bye to our youth pastor, Pastor Dan. Though we're all gonna miss him, it was actually a great time of fellowship, laughing and giving him a basket full of cards :) Later that night Mike and I challenged each other in a game of Skip-Bo. It was a tied score! Our first time playing; can't wait to try that again.

On Friday and Saturday (notice I'm working backwards here), we had great times at Lake Tapps with my family! They rented a cabin for the weekend, so we got to have a potluck one night, then just hung out and swam the next day!! Such great weather. Then Uncle Sean came over to Brilla's house :) and we had dinner and chatted up a storm.

What a fun weekend and week so far!

My nausea is plain awful. I try to eat a good breakfast, and eat when I can, but sometimes I don't quite make it and my stomach turns on me. Sometimes things just do not sound good, and of course, cooking meat has been a no-go for me. Yes...first trimester is awful around here!! It was like that with Brilla and also Amelia. I am simply doomed for queasiness in early pregnancy.

However, that can't quench my anticipation for the months ahead where I will be feeling good and will get to see my belly enlarge - knowing that a baby is growing healthy inside of it!! I am praying every day and just can't wait until the 18-20 weeks when I finally get to see if our munchkin is a guy or gal!

I don't know if I mentioned it, and I guess I didn't since it's been awhile since my last update, but I got to have an early ultrasound of the little one! Obviously, he/she is only about the size of a grape, but the picture was so clear (even on Nancy's basic machine), that we could see a faint heartbeat. So reassuring. It will be even cooler at the next appt to hear the heart beat.

Unfortunately, this last week, I found out about another couple who lost their almost full-term baby. Still birth. So hard. My heart was heavy the whole day. I was praying for them, and the Lord just filled my heart with compassion - I was brought back to remembering when I found out Amelia was no longer with us. I wept. Such pain and agony, mingled with guilt and all the what ifs. Thankfully, they believe in the Lord, so there is the knowledge that baby is with Jesus.

I was thinking about how in 1 Corinthians it talks about the difference between our earthly and spiritual bodies. And how the "sting of the death is sin". I think our terrestial minds can't nearly comprehend was heaven will be like, what our new bodies will look like...what we'll feel and think, simply due to the contrast between our sorrow and pain we experience down here, and the glory of new life up there. It's hard to imagine that death has lost its victory and does not triumph! Especially when someone close to us, as in a child, has gone ahead. But it is true! There are no question marks! I think we can get so caught up in the things we don't know about, that we fail or it's just hard to grasp the promises and truths God has already given. We will be made completely new and our little ones will be There to greet us. What a Day that will be!