39.5 weeks

Not that I'm counting or anything....

I really do know better than to get anxious too soon about having a baby before my actual due date. But I just can't help it. I can't. I just think, maybe this time, maybe my baby will come at 38 weeks and be little and really easy to push out, and it won't be that scary.' But no. I cook 'em full term. Full-full. And they are nice and healthy and round. And that is good too. It's just scary. And I do stuff to try and encourage my body to move things along...but as I have learned before, if the baby isn't ready....there is no "making" things happen before it is time.

So today, I thought nothing of putting on all my snow gear (the stuff that still fits), basically layers of cotton/stretchy stuff and then hats, boots and gloves. I layered up all 3 kids, grabbed a carrot and some sleds and tromped off into our winter wonderland.

It is awesome out here. Apparently we are in one of those "pockets" because a lot of the areas around us don't have nearly the amount of snow we do. We've had 3 inches since yesterday and it's been snowing here almost all day with more expected tonight! Wooohoooo! I just measured and we have a solid 4 inches right now. (There is a small element of fear that I might end up delivering my baby unattended or something, but then again I don't think I'm ever going to have this baby...so carry on)

Living in the woods we have patchy areas that don't have as much snow, but there is plenty of clearings to go build a snowman. We built our 4th snow man today. He was pretty cute. And it was not easy for my body to do that. But I did. And my water didn't break. And my labor didn't start. I just couldn't breathe very well, and my back was aching after. And then I pulled Easton in a sled up a hill. I would love to have seen myself. I must look rather ridiculous. I guess if I'm going to be pregnant forever, I should just get used to it. :)

(don't worry. I know the end is near. Soon the huge child in my midsection will be out of my way and I will be able to bend and breathe at the same time. And that will be nice.)
Until then.....life as usual!

More Snow!

It is a winter wonderland!

SNOW

Snow here is a coveted thing amongst some. Pacific Northwest weather is mild. Summers are spent waiting and waiting for a little hot weather to show up and winters can be frustrating with lots of moisture and temperatures hovering just barely above "snow". That just means there is lots of cold rain. So when Alaska sends us some really cold air and it slams into all that ocean moisture we always have, we occasionally get the perfect mix that equals a snow day. Yesterday it came!
Most of the snow fell last night when it was colder and we are anxiously waiting for the sun to come up so we can play in the "real" snow, but yesterday afternoon was very exciting for the 3 little boys from the desert. The snow was scarce and very wet but that doesn't stop anybody from trying to make a snowball and eat it.

The next trip outside should be more fun!

Easton's Fake Laugh

I live with a bunch of characters I tell ya.

Baptized

We're real proud of our little dudes who decided to get baptized today!

Acts 10:47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”

Acts 22:16 'And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’

 
  Galatians 3:27 'For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.'

 

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism



The Lower Yard

 We have a small backyard and then a bank and then a ton of land. The little bank (until recently) was covered with a brush that we discovered was a Chinese weed and our landlord had said he was considering ripping it out (and then poisoning it so it wouldn't come back). He said we could do what we want. We have now deemed the area at the bottom of the bank our "lower yard". We have fantastical plans for it. The swing set is going down there (yes, we moved with our giant play structure) and a garden for me and maybe a little camping area for the summer with a bon fire pit and what not. Because there will most likely be a garden down there we opted to rip out the brush (by "we", I mean Rand) ourselves and NOT add RoundUp to the hill that would run downward directly into our vegetables. I can buy toxic veggies at the store, thank you very much. :) I'm not sure what it is with us and giant yard projects, but apparently we like them. And Rand just gets out there and starts working.....even in the winter. I think the thought was, "Let's clean this up before stuff starts growing and getting totally out of control." Instead what we are dealing with is very wet and heavy debris. But it's mostly all cleaned up now. And the best part is that our landlords (neighbors) are very helpful and are taking care of the piles for us and brought down his mower and mowed the whole cleaned up area for us. Score! We are really having fun here...even though it's winter. And I can't even wait for spring to see how everything will transform and bloom and come to color. It's going to be so fun to watch.

So here is the beginning of the "work" we do when we aren't "working".

before

after

the "lower yard". see the potential??

2011 Wrap Up

2011--It was a good one. There was a lot of swimming, baseball, shirtless boys playing in the backyard, teeth falling out, baseball, sunshine, more baseball and just plain growing up. We've done a lot. We've played hard. We've loved deeply. We've done some hard things and we've been blessed beyond measure. Although 2011 brought yet another move and a few sad and hard things, God has been faithful. We look back with hearts of gratitude and forward with hope.



“I don’t really want more time;

I just want enough time.

Time to breathe deep & time to see real & time to laugh long, time to give You glory & rest deep & sing joy…

I just want time to do my one life well.

Life at its fullest is this sensitive, detonating sphere —

... and it can be carried only in the hands of the unhurried and reverential—

a bubble held in awe.” -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts