National Honesty Day

"He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He." Deuteronomy 32:4

I guess today is National Honesty Day. Who knew? Started by M. Hirsh Goldberg in the early 90's, he said, "April Fools Day begins with a day dedicated to lying (April Fool's Day), and should end on a higher moral note."

In all honesty, let me say I was going to take it easy and finish watching Nacho Libre with a mug of hot chai to start my day. There would be no problem with this, except that I usually start my day with reading God's Word. I'm not disappointed to say I chose the latter after all...even though I will most definitely get to my movie after this post :D I hardly watch movies at home during the day. I never have time and if I do, never get through more than 5 min chunks. This is a special treat!

Honesty Day or not, this gives us a chance to think about honesty and truthfulness. It's a trait all those who follow Jesus should take seriously. Especially since we know God is truth and cannot lie.

There is such a tendency to tell half-truths, white lies, and stretchy truths. Basically, all facades. Why is it so hard to say what we mean and mean what we say? I think we've forgotten the power of honesty. The power of being able to trust someone's word. There is great comfort and endurance in that.

So today (and tomorrow and the next), honesty will be in the forefront of my mind. I am striving to make sure my word can be trusted. We serve a God whose Word is rock on which we stand, should we not emulate that?

Here are some "truth" Scriptures to think about: Deut. 32:4, Num. 23:19, Heb. 6:18, Prov. 6:16-19, Jn. 8:44, Prov. 13:5, 1 Cor. 13:6, Col. 3:9, 1 Pet. 2:1, Prov. 12:17-22.

Meditating on this passage today:

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

A time to kill, and time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.

A time to rend, and a time to sew together; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

A time to love, and time to hate; a time of war, and time of peace.

What profit has he that works where he labors? I have seen the travail, which God has given to the sons of men with which to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in His time: also He has set eternity in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

It corresponds well with this devotional from Our Daily Bread...

It’s been a long, cold winter, and I am eager for warm weather. I’m tired of seeing bare trees and lifeless brown leaves covering the ground. I long to see wildflowers poke through the dead leaves and to watch the woods turn green once more.

Yet even as I anticipate my favorite season, I hear my mother’s voice saying, “Don’t wish your life away.”

If you’re like me, you sometimes hear yourself saying, “When such and such happens, then I will . . . or, If only so and so would do this, then I would do that . . .or, I would be happy if . . . or, I will be satisfied when . . .”

In longing for some future good, we forget that every day—regardless of the weather or our circumstances—is a gift from God to be used for His glory.

According to author Ron Ash, “We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow.”

In every season, there is a reason to rejoice and an opportunity to do good (Eccl. 3:12). The challenge for each of us every day is to find something to rejoice about and some good to do—and then to do both. —Julie Ackerman Link

Just as the winter turns to spring,
Our lives have changing seasons too;
So when a gloomy forecast comes,
Remember—God has plans for you. —Sper

Every season brings a reason to rejoice.

The Last Few Days.

I'm at the point where my body is feeling whole again, and we are getting into kind of a groove. I definitely don't want to get too confident and head out into the wild blue yonder. Have to remind myself to take it slow. But in order not to catch cabin fever, we've been venturing out.

Tuesday, we went to the Supermall to get Katie some church shoes, lacy socks, and frilly hat. Every girl must have her frilly hat. We were only out for an hour and a half, but it was perfect. We forgot it was Tuesday, but were pleasantly surprised to realize that it was when we saw the "$1.00 Pretzel Day" at Auntie Anne's. Yum. Bri and I each got a delicious raisin pretzel. Last time we got this deal, it was the garlic pretzel. Word to the wise, those things are nasty. Basically, it's a pretzel with garlic powder sprinkled all over it, I kid you not. Even Brilla (who will eat anything snacky) scrunched up her face and said, "Mama, I don't like this."

Tuesday are Mike's basketball nights, which is great, because then B and I watch American Idol together! B loves to hear the people sing. Something tells me she'll be a singer some day. We were rooting for Tim Urban. I think he has a great voice (not the greatest up there, though), but mainly because we know him from church and homeschooling long ago! He was just a little guy (about 5) back then. No longer, eh? Honestly, I like Michael Lynch the best. I could imagine myself listening to him for hours. I think Miss Shiobhan Magnus is quite weird. I also think it's funny how she always has to give a speech about why she chose the song. Casey James is not my style, though one can't deny he's got the looks and an amazing voice. Wish he'd branch out bit, just so we could hear more of his natural voice. I think Aaron Kelly should have gone out a while back (I liked Katie Stevens better!), and Crystal Bowersox definitely has a naturally gorgeous voice, just not my style of performance. I heard that Tim did not make this week, which is sad, but it just makes me curious as we get down to the final few!

On Wednesday, my husband had tools stolen from his trailer. He tries to put them all in a container, which he was going to do the next day. The trailer is ruined, too - they couldn't cut the lock, so they cut the latch, and the door can't close. So now he has to get the trailer fixed. Yeah, it's all deductible and such, but that's all happening next year and will set the company back a bit. Thankfully, not everything was taken, and not all the tools were in the trailer/at that job site.

Wednesday evening, our dear neighbor-friend brought chicken pot pie over for our family. She is pregnant with her third baby!! And yes, I did feel a bit awkward that she brought US dinner. However, it was fun to have her over to chat for a while, plus the pot pie was delicious and really helped me out. Even though we're neighbors, we both have kiddos and haven't had time to catch up. Brilla enjoyed the company of having her kids over. After dinner, a couple neighbor girls visited Katie :) One of them had not seen her yet. I think God brought them over because we got into a discussion about what it means to believe in God/Jesus and some other random questions about heaven, hell and the Bible. This is why God has planted us in this neighborhood! Thank you, Father, for drawing these hearts! When they left, I headed to Dairy Queen to grab some blizzards for Mike and I. They're having a special we couldn't pass up :) Are they ever dangerously good!

Today, we went to the doctor's office for Brilla's infected finger. We've been soaking it in salts for days, cleansing with hydrogen peroxide, and using Neosporin, but it is stubborn. The doctor said it should be looking better by Monday at the latest! Yay. After the appointment, we went to Target to get the prescription and shop. Target has a brand new line called "Baby Glam". Talk about adorable!! So I had to get her this little tutu/onesie that has rosettes and rhinestones on it. Another one that was tempting has rhinestoned on the front, "Diva". Too much cuteness! Then we ate at Qdoba, our favorite Mexican place as fast food goes. I then grabbed a caramel macchiato, which I am still sipping on now.

We have been having fun, us three girls! Of course, much of it is unbenownst to my Sleeping Beauty, Katie. She got toted around in her Moby wrap today though. That thing is wonderful!!

After touching up my house, I am finally relaxing on the couch and really feeling grateful for everything I have. I love my husband and my daughters. God joys in giving His children good gifts. Now as I typed that last sentence, little Katie is letting me know it's time to eat again.

Ta-ta for now!

As I sit on the couch in my robe...

...I wonder what I have accomplished today. I have fed, changed, put to bed little Katie about twice, about to be thrice, now. I have washed my insanely huge pile of dishes. Our dishwasher still doesn't work. Pooh. And if you are married to a construction contractor, you know that small home repairs like that don't get done for at least a few months because you're husband is exhausted enough when he gets home :P I have fed my toddler a semi-healthy lunch of mac 'n' cheese with veggies mixed in. At least it was Annie's. I have washed a load of laundry, and have a load sitting right beside me, ready to be folded. I also did a few school workbook pages with Brilla.

That's it. It's 1:20 and I am still clothed in my robe, have my glasses on, and have not taken that much needed shower that actually all three of us girls need desperately.

My intentions for today?

To clean the bathroom (my absolutely least favorite household chore), dig out my pre-pregnancy clothes out of the garage, and organize/clean my toddler's room. And maybe even get out of the house, as we're all getting cabin fever. Instead, I have been listening to whining all day, which greatly diminished my desire to do anything.

But I am determined to push forward. We may have to have dinner out tonight (such a shame ;P) but I will get those said chores done eventually!

I need to be patient with myself. It's only 2 weeks later from having Katie.

Are you a craigslist addict? Well, I am. And yesterday, I got a great deal on a Graco swing/bouncer. It's a VERY nice black and white toile design with toys on both above and on the tray, complete with detachable bouncher for the infant. For only $10. The gal was also selling a beautiful black sleigh crib and changing table for only $50 (I know, insane!) But as my husband reminded me, we don't need those! :D

Lately, I have been loving Katie's awake times. She has the bluest eyes. And I've been putting her on her tummy a bit. She's already raising that little head up. So cute - today I found Brilla by the crib singing her little sister to sleep. It was precious. Wish I could've taken a pic, but the flash would've been disturbing.

Well, it's time to go get my precious little newborn and feed her. Then get my groove on for the day! The rest of the day anyway.

Spring Fair

I wish I would have remembered my camera. It was the one thing I'd realized we'd left at home as I was already going on the road.

Let me scoot back a bit. It was late Thursday night. I suddenly remembered it was the Spring Fair this weekend. We had to go! I brainstormed how we were going to go (either just the girls and I or with Daddy, too) and what the weather was predicted to be like. Turns out Friday was going to be the best weather and no, Daddy was not going to be able to go with us!

After mulling it over, I decided we would go; we would just take it slow. So after making a McDonald's stop for breakfast, getting money from the bank, and buying a fair ticket for me, we were finally on the way to Puyallup for the fair. And that's when I remembered our camera.

We found a fantastic parking space right around the corner from the entrance. It was my first time using the sit n stand stroller. It's a Cadillac of a thing. but handy and nice nonetheless. After finally getting inside the gate, it was time to nurse. That took forever it seemed with Brilla bouncing and peeking around corners, ready to hit the rides!

So we headed to our first ride...the hot air balloon-looking one. I was amazed at how many kiddie rides they had open this year. Brilla also rode the swings, fire engine, boats, motorcycles, and airplanes. The only one she got scared of was the small roller coaster. She was already sitting in her seat when she popped up and said, "No, I don't want to go on it!" We lost out on a ride, but it's worth my daughter not being terrified.

The Spring Fair is kid-geared. There are animals to pet - miniature horses, chicks, ducklings, bunnies, goats. And all kinds of others to look at. B was impressed with the alpacas. But she wasn't expecting the alpaca to want to meet her, too, so she fell backwards in surprise when she reached her hand out and it made a noise right in her face. Ha! There's also face-painting, horsie rides, moon walks, kid contests, pig races, doggy dock performances, and pirate shows. We obviously didn't get to all that, like I said we were taking it slow.

It was warm! I had worn a long-sleeved tee just because you never know the weather around here. But I could have worn a tank it was so hot!

We enjoyed some scones and French fries. The ice cream was just too expensive. I couldn't justify $4.75 for 2 scoops of Dreyer's ice cream. Thankfully, B was more than happy to stop by McDonald's on the way home for a huge 99 cent cone.

It was a gorgeous and perfect day. I can't wait to get out again like that. But next time it will be a little easier with my husband along :)

Sunshine

Amazing what sunshine can do for the body and mind.

I was feeling a little dreary, tired and well, tired. Getting up twice in the night is doing me in. I'm exhausted! I have started little Katie on her semi-schedule already. Eating every three hours, then awake and sleep time in between. But I forgot how hard it is to keep newborns on a "schedule". I've had to be flexible. The awake time cannot be guaranteed one iota, the sleep time, that is a guarantee, and the eating, well, that's not an easy one either since she always sleeping. You would think I wore her out, but it's the other way around. Oh, to sleep like a newborn babe.

So, I'm slightly wary of changing about 8 diapers or more a day. Plus, I'm trying to keep Brilla from going bonkers out of boredom.

Herein enters the beautiful sunshine. I think God sent it just for me! As soon as the warmth touched my skin, ahhh....I literally just sat there, unbathed, unmatchingly dressed in my sweats, Uggs and wild hair, soaking up the sun. After sitting there awhile like that, suddenly it didn't matter when Katie had to eat, what Brilla was asking me a million times, or what I was making for lunch. It just felt good to be. And I thanked God for that wonderful lift in spirit.

We later ventured out to - deposit checks. I know, not very exciting :) But the ladies at the bank were very happy to see Katie. They knew about my former loss, had seen my week after week pregnant, and were glad to see her safely arrived. The one teller I usually do business with even had tears in her eyes. Another bright spot in our day.

For lunch we had leftover spaghetti and pb&j. A weird but satisfying menu. I had the former, B had the latter. We topped it off with a few Jelly Bellies each. The Jelly Bellies are leftover from Easter. Is it just us, or was not this Easter like the most candy (your children) my daughter has ever received in her life?? Worse than Halloween! She got a basket from us, candy from church, two candy gifts from relatives, and two Easter egg hunt stashes! That's my excuse for "helping" her with all that sugar goodness! ::wink::

Yesterday, I was pooped. Mike has basketball on Tuesday nights. So we only saw him for about 30 min before he left again, coming home around 9 p.m. Really, I've always been glad to see him go get exercise and hang with the guys, but it will take some getting used to with two kids.

Well, I actually have a small window of time. I will be taking my much needed bath! And perhaps a nap.

Here's to hoping it's sunny again tomorrow!

Update

I am so stinkin' sore. I feel like an old lady hobbling around the house. A thorough lower back and hip massage sounds excellent.

As I sat in my bed around 1 am nursing, I looked down at my Katie's face. I am blessed to the hilt to have her. I am exhausted and sore, but it's worth it.

She had her routine check-up yesterday. She's down to 7 lbs, 11 oz. No jaundice. She's breastfeeding and filling her diapers well. And Nancy said happy babies curl their pinkie up when they nurse, which K was doing. Cute~

I've forgotten how much newborns sleep. Seriously. Katie's an expert. I have tried to do the feed/awake/sleep schedule. Maybe in a week it will happen, but not right now. Figured I'd take advantage by taking my long baths, coffee and internet breaks when I can. Ha, didn't even have time for coffee OR internet yesterday. Poor me :)

Brilla is still getting the hang of not getting all the attention. Poor girl. Every time Daddy holds Katie, she wants to be on his knee too. Or when I'm taking a video/pics of Katie, Brilla says, "Mama, look at me!" Well, we all take to our new baby girl a little differently. So sweet, yesterday Brilla leaned over, lightly kissed Katie on the cheek and said, "I love you, Katie Claire."

I, too, am learning how to balance between the two girls. It leaves me worn out. This is only the beginning!

My mom was Mary Poppins yesterday, minus the funny hat. I don't know what I'd have done without her. She came over and basically cleaned my whole kitchen. She cooked us meals. She re-made Brilla's bed, so it actually had a top sheet and matching pillow cases; what a concept. She drove me to our appt with Nancy. She cleaned up B when she had an accident. She cleaned out our rice cooker that has been in the garage for ages before having to use it to make dinner. She did big and small things. Things that, if not done, would have driven me crazy. It really kills me to have someone else clean my stuff up and knowing I can't help. But if ever a time I needed it, this was it. Like I said, I am sore, sore, sore.

Today my mother-in-law is coming over to help. Having an extra pair of hands will be wonderful. I am always tentative to ask for help because I have the superwoman mentality. But we all are superwomen until we collapse for exhaustion. Later on, I'll look back and be very glad I accepted all the offers for meals and such.

Really, the next exciting thing on my agenda is to take a sitz bath. Wahoo. Happy Friday everybody! Come quickly weekend!

Meet...

~The Girls~

Brilla Felicity and Katie Claire, our duo daughters.

Grand Arrival

She is here! Our daughter, Katie Claire, has come to us finally!

On Easter Sunday evening, Nancy stripped my membranes and gave the order for a castor oil shake. Yum...2 oz castor oil, 2 raw eggs, few scoops of ice cream and milk :P I think I shall never have Espresso Mocha ice cream again. Throughout the night, contractions came long and hard. However, about 6:30 am on April 5, contractions stopped completely. Nancy got things started again at about 8:30 am and contractions started at 10am. Labor was slow, but intensified quite a bit after Nancy broke my water. Nancy had another midwife assisting with the birth. They were very aggressive in getting her out. Baby Katie was in no hurry to come, but she needed to. At the hospital, doctors would have let Mama just labor on for another day (or two), and then decide on C-section. But no option here, thank God! At only 8 cm dialation, they pulled the cervix over Katie's head and 15 min later, Baby Katie wriggled, or rather, torpedoed, into Daddy's arms, onto Mama's chest at 4:14 p.m. At 8 lbs, 20z and 20 inches long, Katie was bigger than expected. Thankfully, she had a round head, and there was no tearing! For a little detail, the entire placenta came out, but in pieces. It was old, and the midwives were amazed that it held out and Katie was very healthy. Just shows the amazing God we serve! Thank you for everyone's prayers; there were no complications and everything went super smooth.

My husband was the best coach and we are so glad labor is over. Now we are resting and working on the whole breastfeeding adventure. I am getting lots of helping hands from friends and family. We are abundantly blessed and are in awe of God's little miracle to us, Katie Claire!

A Little Peek

If you're my friend on facebook, you probably already know I got to have a peek at Katie Claire! Since I'm officially one day overdue (from my April 1st due date) and a week overdue (from my original due date), my midwife wanted to get a routine biophysical profile of Baby to make sure everything was okay.

And she is!! Her heart, movement and breathing is excellent. She's just a bit big at 8 lbs, 6oz. You can understand my horror, being that Brilla was only 6 lbs, 5 oz. I don't want to push out anyone bigger than that, so please pray she comes soon!!

At 40 weeks and counting, here is my precious princess, Katie Claire:

Can't wait to see you, beautiful girl!