Words Of Wisdom - The Birthing Process

One night we were talking about the fall of man from Adam and Eve's story in the Bible and there was a picture of Eve crying while holding her new baby.  The kids were a little concerned about why she was crying.  We tried to explain that when babies come it hurts now as a consequence of sin.

A few days later we had this conversation over dinner:

Areyna:  "I don't want it to hurt for Baby Micaiah to come out."

Me:  "Well, baby it'll be okay.  It only hurts for a little bit and it's well worth it."

Areyna:  "Wouldn't it be funny if the baby came out of your mouth?"

Josh and I laughing histarically...

Me:  "That would be pretty funny.  Do you know where the baby comes out of?"

Areyna:  matter-of-factly while making pushing motions from her ribcage out toward her belly button "Out of your belly button.  You just have to puuuuush him out!"

We just left it at that=)

Remember When...

Yes, that is an actual toy inside a cereal box.  Do you remember when almost all cereal boxes came with some kind of toy in them?  Now they have these Proof of Purchases you can collect (usually like 8-12 which means a LOT of boxes of cereal or pop-tarts) to mail in with your money for shipping and handling to get the desired toy.

I snagged this huge box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for Areyna, one of her favorite kinds, for $.50 and it had a lego race-car inside for Zeke.  Double Prizes!!!  He's been playing with it all morning!

I think they should bring this back!=)

What is your favorite toy you remember getting inside of a cereal box when you were little?

Words Of Wisdom

*With Bible in hand*

Me - "Alright kiddos, the timer is going off so it's time to put the books away and hop into bed."

Areyna - "Well mom, I can't do that.  I'm reading to God right now."

What in the world are you supposed to say to that?

Now That's My Kind Of Sample

Usually when I sign up for free samples in the mail I expect to get, well, a sample.  Usually a 1-2 days worth of a certain shampoo, 1 sheet of a paper towel or 3 tampons.

But check out what was stuffing out of my mailbox today!  A WHOLE role of toilet paper with a travel sized package of wipes and 2 coupons!

The rate that I've been peeing lately this is a godsend=)

Now that's my kind of sample!

38 Week Belly

Fun Facts For Friday - Via Vacation Facts

Via Vacation

1- A minimum of 14 adults, 8 grandkids 4 and under, and 3 pregnant women all under one roof.

2- If you hear "CLUB CRANIUM" it's game time!

3- Way more junk food than anyone should ever consume in a week's time.

4- I have to prepare myself weeks in advance for all the chaos that occurs and all the people that are in 1 house but it doesn't compare to the year of anticipation that leads up to it in excitement for the next one!

5- Laying out, cookouts, fishing, swimming, diving for treasure, eating, staying up way too late, reading, cousins, family togetherness, games, bonfires, traditions, boat rides, feeding the fish...am I leaving anything out?

Christian Radio - Just Venting A Little

The CD player doesn't work in one of our cars and we ALWAYS forget to grab CD's for our other car so when the kids are in tow we listen to a lot of Christian Radio.  It is "family friendly" but it absolutely drives us crazy sometimes.

For example, the other day Areyna told me 3 songs in a row, "we already heard this one mommy".  Then, when we do hear a "new" song it was a #1 hit when I was in like middle school!  I just don't know if I can take another remake of "Here I Am To Worship" or "Lord I Lift Your Name On High".

Something else that drives me crazy...

Have you ever heard of Bluetree?  I bet many of you have not.  Let's try the song "God of this City"?  I'm sure many of you have.  The sad thing is you probably thought Chris Tomlin wrote it, along with "Indescribable" which Laura Story actually wrote.  

Now, don't misunderstand this post.  This is not a bash on Christian artists who remake songs (we did Jeremy Riddle's, Sweetly Broken on our last album) or against Chris Tomlin or anything of this nature (he's a very talented musician and songwriter).  It is just a pet peve of mine to turn on the radio and hear the cheesiest version EVER of Hillsong's "From The Inside Out" by Big Daddy Weave or something when you NEVER hear the original Hillsong version.  Or Lincoln Brewster's "Everlasting God" sung by Phillips Craig and Dean.

Josh and I were absolutely floored when we actually heard Hillsong on the radio on Sunday morning.  We'd LOVE to hear more Hillsong, Bluetree, Gateway Worship...you know, the originals.  Such powerful Christian music.

I'm just saying...

2 More Weeks

2 More Weeks Until...

...I can sleep on my left side again

...I can sleep on my back again

...I can sleep on my stomach again

(can you tell I haven't been sleeping well=))

...I get to hold my new baby boy in my arms instead of in my belly

...I can eat a full meal again

...I can take deep breathes again

...I can move without waddling around quite as much

...I get to see Rainy and Zeke interact with their new baby brother!

...I get to see Josh fall asleep with our newborn on his chest as they cuddle together=)

...I can paint my toenails again without having to hold my breathe to reach them

...I get a lap to hold my kids on again

...I can read my kids a book without trying to catch my breathe

...I can get off the couch without Josh's helpful push to get the momentum going

I know the stage after the baby comes is hard and tiring, but I can't wait!

This Just Isn't Like Me

I like to think of myself as a fun mom but I do have boundaries.  You know, certain items have a specific purpose and there is a place for everything.  Especially during this "nesting" time in my life=)  Well, I'm not sure what happened yesterday.

For example, the kids normally go down around 2pm for a nap but they were having SO much fun playing outside I just let them keep playing.  I even allowed Areyna to use my watering pot to make mud for Nemo (don't ask, she's got an amazing imagination).  Then she came up to me about 15 minutes before I had decided to finally put them down for a nap and she asked if she and Zeke could get "really dirty in the mud"....and I said "YES".  I mean why not, right?  Normally I would just tell her no because she's about to take a nap and we could play again when she woke up, but not yesterday.  She would have been fine with either answer, but she was ecstatic with the outcome of yesterday's answer!

Then to top it all off, instead of rinsing them off in the bathtub before a nap I just gave them a little sponge bath and stuck them in bed, HA!  I figure it's time to wash their sheets anyway.

I won't even mention that while the kids were down for their nap I sat on the couch, ate a snack and watched TV, accomplishing absolutely NOTHING that afternoon.  But why not?  I can't even remember the last time I watched TV in the afternoon=)

Then last night we went over to hang out with some friends.  They had made dessert for us and I allowed the kids to eat until they were STUFFED with sugar and drink as much as they wanted to.  Normally, they get one helping of dessert and they have to stop drinking with dinner, or else they'll be up all night going to the bathroom.  But not yesterday.  No, yesterday was different.  Not, that they didn't get up to pee all night=), but I just kept saying "sure, why not".

What have you been saying "Sure, why not!" about lately?

Perfect Timing

This past week's devotion times have been a bit ironic I should say.  They have been focused on bowing our times of waiting and worshiping through these times.  Whether it's waiting on a baby to come, waiting to finish an album in the studio, waiting for family vacation, waiting for your next paycheck, we should be waiting in anticipation and hope of God's sovereign and perfect timing.

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,

I say, 'You are my God.

My times are in your hands.' "

Psalm 31:14-15

Baby Swings and Movies In The Park

After realizing that our baby swing, which we have had for almost 5 years now, wouldn't turn on I went out to get some fresh batteries thinking that maybe it just needed some new ones.  Yesterday I put them in and ... NOTHING!  It is in EXCELLENT condition, it just won't start=)  It did make it through 3 kids and 3 moves (our cousin Ella used it between Areyna and Zeke), I think it did it's job.  Josh suggested that maybe with the momentum of the baby inside it would just keep rocking on it's own for awhile=)  I told him he could have that job, or we could go look for another one, HA!  

Anyway, we found a brand new one on craigslist for super cheap.  We figure we haven't hardly spent any money stocking up on diapers, we already had baby clothes, bed and accessories, that we could spend a little money on something new for Micaiah.  This swing is a little smaller than the one we originally had, PLUS it plugs in OR uses batteries, so we are pumped.  

We were already out and about so we decided to stop by CrossPoint's Movies In The Park.  Our friend, Scott, is on staff their and our kids love him and his wife so we thought we'd hang out for a little bit.  They had free face painting (my kids opted for leg-painting - Spiderman and a Bunny), free pop-corn and water and a free movie.  It was right around 8 and the movie wouldn't start for another hour.  Never in a million years did I think our kids would sit through the whole movie, so late at night, but they did and we had a BLAST!  I'm so glad we went=)  It was fun cuddling up with my family on a Friday night under the stars (with a few hundred other people) watching a movie=)

Fun Facts For Friday

Random Neighborhood Facts

1- Our neighbor directly beside us has a bale of hay that has been sitting in his front yard from 3 halloweens ago.  It is beginning to disintegrate and grow grass through the center.

2- We have a neighbor who painted their house lime green and another who painted their house rust orange.  We also have several other odd colors in the mix.  It kind of looks like Rainbow Row around here=)

3- We have 13 dogs surrounding just our backyard.  They like to all get up and bark around 7:30am every morning.

4- Every once in awhile, if you are sitting very quietly, you can hear a sizzle from the electric wires running between the neighborhoods.  I'm guessing that's not a good sign.

5- When we go on a family walk around the neighborhood we inevitably have to stop to say "hi" to the cactus in the first culdisac while looking for treasures along the way=)  Without the combination of these 2 things the walk just isn't complete.

"Work It Out"

Rainy and Zeke having a party with the Burgess Family

There is a seat and a basket of "fun stuff" for each of them=)

We have a phrase that we say around this house when bickering starts...

"Work It Out"

This means that mommy and daddy are not going to step in and "fix" the problem.  It means that our kids have to step up and work things out together until they can come to an agreement using words.

I haven't been feeling all that well the last few days and the kids have been really sweet.  You know, sometimes kids will pick up on you not feeling well and just go crazy, but this week they have taken their own initiative to "work it out" without me even having to tell them to!  It's been so awesome.  Especially with Josh being gone in the studio all week.

The kids have been playing "house" ALL WEEK long.  This morning they "went to work" and took care of their babies.  They are the mom and dad of course=)  Then they began raiding my cabinets and getting utensils together to 'make pancakes for dinner".  Areyna is getting the menu ready for the rest of the day as well=)  Right now they are getting ready for a "party" at their psudo-grandparents house, the Burgess', in the guest room.  They've even made cards for their Papa and Grammy.  I absolutely LOVE when they play so well together.  It's been so nice to hear the sweet sounds of them "working it out" together on their own!

Actual Conversation

Several weeks ago I thought I'd call my insurance company to see if they had any incentive programs for expectant moms.  You know, sometimes they give discounts for exercising and eating well as well as give you some free books and other fun "stuff".

Here is the conversation that took place:

Me:  "Hi, I'd like to inquire about any incentive programs for expectant mothers"

Agent:  "Sure, I'll need to get some information from you first.  When is your due date?"

Me:  "August 5th"

Agent:  "OH wow, that's just...uh...a few weeks away!  The first package usually gets to you in 4-6 weeks but seeing as you are so close we'll go ahead and expedite this for you.  Also, we usually have a voucher for every trimester that you send in for a free gift.  I'll have you just go ahead and send all 3 of them in at one time since you are in your 3rd trimester.  Now, what is the name of the hospital where you are going to be delivering?"

Me:  "Oh, uh Carolina...ummm...something.  Well, it's in Monroe and I know how to get there."

Agent:  "Uh, okay.  How about your practice?"

Me:  "Oh, it's, uh, Union....uh, hold on let me go get the card and check."

Agent:  "Mm-hmm.  How many Dr.'s are in the practice."

Me:  "Well, I'm not exactly sure, I've only seen one of them."

Agent:  "And what was their name?"

Me:  "Gosh, I don't even remember."

Agent:  "This isn't your first child is it?!"

Needless to say, I had a lot of questions at my next appointment, including where in the hospital I should go when I go into labor=)

Vaccines

The topic of vaccines has come up several times over the last week or so with some of my friends and I'd LOVE to see what all of you have to say and where you get your information.

As far as I can tell there are 2 choices:

You can allow your children to get their vaccines and there is the chance that there could be some very serious side effects (like autism), although there is actually no solid proof that anything is linked to vaccines.  One point being that there is autism in countries where vaccines aren't even available.

OR

You can choose to forgo vaccines and there is the still a possibility of something just as awful happening and your child could get the disease that the vaccine is supposed to prevent as well as your child being a carrier and passing the disease on to other children.

There are possible consequences for both choices.

So, what are you supposed to do as a mother searching for solid answers?  Where can you go to get real un-jaded information?  What have you decided is best for your children and why?

Guessing Game

Can you guess what I'm getting ready for?

• Put on my LONG yoga pants
• Put on some socks
• Put on my slippers
• Put on my jacket
• Zip up my jacket  (Yes, it IS July here!)

Still don't know?  Here are a couple of other clues.

• Light a ring of Tiki torches
• Light the Citrinela candles 
• Get the bug spray
• Turn on the Off Clip-on Personal Repellants

I just want to go in our backyard and relax outside under the stars with my baby and sip on some tea after the kids go to bed!  Is that too much to ask?  The mosquitos are so bad in our neighborhood that we heard the 90's ZAPPER going crazy in our neighbors backyard, HA!=)

Know Where Your Organics Come From

Check out Josh's blog about the link between Malaria and Organic food/produce sold to the West.  Pretty eye-opening.  Makes you want to double check where all that Organic food you buy is coming from doesn't it.

Fun Facts For Friday

Because He Turned 3 This Week

1. I have never asked Zeke, nor shown him for that matter, how to change the toilet paper roll but every time he is the last one to use up the toilet paper on a roll he'll throw it away and change it with a new roll from under the counter.  And don't worry, when there isn't one he'll come ask me for one so he can change it.
2. He can role-play the entire movie "Cars
3. He is very sensitive to people's feelings concerning their belongings.  For example, one night when acting like a rock star he jumped off his "stage" and landed on some of my Tupperware that had been lying on the floor.  He crushed it and it broke in little pieces.  He acted devastated, knowing it was his mommies and apologized over and over=)
4. The best consequences for him right now are not spankings or time-outs.  Nope, we just have to mention that we will take one of his new cars he got for his birthday and he straightens right up and acts like an angel!
5. Zeke tells Josh on a daily basis (if not more) to "stop talking to mommy and come hewe so I can wessle you!"

All Night

The last few nights have been long nights for me.  I've not been sleeping well at all and after every trip to the bathroom it takes me FOREVER to get back to sleep.  

I've even made up a new game.  I try to guess what time it is by the lighting outside every time I have to get up to go to the bathroom.  I was WAY OFF after my first trek out of bed last night.  I thought for sure it was around 1:30am but alas...it was only 11:28!  Not even midnight!=)

Which brings me to the post at hand.  I've been sitting in bed for several hours at night lately and just thinking.  For instance, after watching/hearing days and days of Michael Jackson coverage (that seems to be the only thing going on in the world apparently) I laid in bed pondering what it would have been like to grow up knowing him, wondering how he made his body move the way he did while dancing, how he wrote his songs...you know, things like that.

Last night I stayed awake thinking, what if Micaiah came tomorrow?  Would I be ready?  I get pretty uncomfortable, as most women do, during that last few weeks of pregnancy and my short torso, numb rib cage, and lack of air supply (Josh was laughing at me while I tried to eat corn on the cob last night with my stuffy nose and lack of oxygen, HA!)  are evidently taking the brunt of this discomfort.  So, physically speaking I'm ready, and as of next week he'll be considered full term (37 weeks) so Micaiah is ready.  Areyna wanted me to just push my belly last night and make him come out so she is ready.  Josh is ready for another kid to wrestle so I KNOW he's ready.

I waited 10 months to get pregnant with this little guy.  We prayed and prayed, ultimately knowing God's timing is perfect but feeling very impatient.   God is good (even if we wouldn't have gotten pregnant again, I might add) and saw fit to bless us with Micaiah to raise to fear the Lord.  That's a big responsibility.  

These are just things I've been thinking about.

What Makes Me In The Mood

No silly... for cooking=)

If you know me at all you know that my culinary skills aren't quite my forte.  Now, I don't want you to think I never cook or make healthy dinners for my family.  On the contrary.  We actually hardly ever go out to eat and I cook filling, healthy dinners almost every night of the week, but it is not my favorite past time if you know what I mean.

But, there are those certain times that I do get "in the mood" to bake or cook something scrumptious.  Here are a few of those times...

• Rainy days
• Snowy days
• Christmas time
• Any holiday when the weather is just right
• In the afternoon when I'm all caught up on my work and it just sounds like fun

Can you tell I am swayed by the weather a lot, and today is overcast and we're on the verge of a downpour.  Plus, we had some bananas that we got for 1/2 price at ALDI that needed baking=)

So, for all of you kitchen gurus out there, here is a simple, yummy Banana Bread/Muffin recipe given to me by our dear friend Dave Krausse.  You probably have every single one of these ingredients in hand.  Your kids will love it...I know mine can't get enough of them!

• 5-6 Bananas
• 1 3/4 cups Flour
• 1 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 Tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 350* for about 15 minutes for muffins and 20-30 minutes for a loaf of bread.

What makes you in the mood to bake a little?

Home, The 4th, New Baby, 3 and Other Baby News

First of all, I think Josh gave me his jet-lag=)  I have hardly been able to keep my eyes open since he got home as my body has finally allowed itself to let down.  I've decided that the next trip Josh takes will need to be minus the super-prego wife and the emotions that come with it, HA!  This was def. the hardest trip on me just because I'm getting more and more immobile and tired while having to keep up with the kids=)

HOME

Josh made it home.  The kids have been like static cling to his side, not even allowing him to get up and go to the bathroom without them, literally!  We all missed him so much but are so thankful to have a daddy/husband who loved Jesus more than anything and is willing to go and be a mouthpiece for the Lord in other countries.  You can read the recap of his trip HERE!  God is SO good.

The 4th

The kids had started hearing the prelude to fireworks by the neighborhood kids all week long. They also knew that daddy was coming home on fireworks day so you can imagine how excited they were to get their daddy home and head to Monroe for the light show. The parking lot that our church's Monroe campus is in is a GREAT place to watch the fireworks. They had set out bouncy fun houses and had live music and BBQ. It was a fun night. This is the first year Areyna watched the fireworks without covering her ears because of the noise=)

New Baby

My sister and brother-in-law had their 3rd little baby girl on the 4th so we figured, hey since "this is just what we do" we hopped in the car to go visit little Karis and the rest of the family=)  Now I'm REALLY ready to have Micaiah, I'm next in line!

3

Zeke turned 3 yesterday!  I can't believe how quickly time flies.  He is such a big boy now.  Here are some things he is into...

• Sneaking food out of the pantry
  
• "Cars" - He LOVES Lightning Faqueen=)
• Super Heroes
• Acting like a rockstar!
• Food
• He can now get up and go potty all by himself at night...although he hasn't quite mastered putting his jammy bottoms on alone=)
• Playing air guitar, air piano, air drums...
• Wallets - he loves to put things in them, out of them, just plain carrying them around
• He ALWAYS has to have a guitar pick
• Eating
• Swimming
• Buttons - Anything that has knobs and buttons to push
• Have I mentioned that he loves food?!

We all went to Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate and he had a blast!

Other Baby News

I made it to another baby appointment on Monday.  Micaiah is down and ready.  She also said I was measuring right at 36 weeks and was a fingertip dilated which I know doesn't mean a thing except it's nice to know things are heading in the right direction!

So now, we are home.  I love my house, my family, my God and the life He has given me!

Fun Facts For Friday - Ready For Daddy

The Adventures of:

1 Mommy, 2 Kids, and A VERY Preggo Belly 

who are all more than ready for daddy to 

come home TOMORROW MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Past 2 weeks have been quite adventurous to say the least.

1- We headed to my best bud's house and hung out with her family for a few days.  Areyna absolutely LOVED having a princess buddy.  Their imaginations ran wild as they literally played for hours together.  "Flying Mermaids" and "Princess Fairies" were a couple of favorites.  Zeke didn't mind a little male company.  Little Ezra kept us all on our toes and we had a GREAT time.  Each night ended catching fireflies and/or baby frogs=)

2- We went to the Durham Museum Of Life And Science.  It was SO cool.  The kids LOVED the interactive learning centers.  

3- We came home for a day to recoup and do laundry before packing up and heading to my friend Emily's house in Greenville.  We were all packed up and ready to go.  I was in the kitchen fixing a quick lunch before hitting the road when I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from Zeke.  He had a massive run-in with the corner of our bed frame that sent us to the Pediatric ER for the afternoon...and early evening.  Apparently Super Heros still need to obey their mommy's and NOT jump from stools to beds, because they may not make it on TOP of the bed=)  The kids were so sad we didn't make it to our other friends house but we made up for it with lots of swimming and a trip to the library the next day!  (Don't worry, Zeke is MUCH better)

This picture is for his daddy.  He's saying "I'm Being Bwave!"

4- Josh made the kid's incentive charts before he left for Africa.  Every night before bed we sat down and evaluated our "happy hearts" and attitudes from the day.  If they have a certain amount of stickers by the time their daddy gets back they get to go on a date with him to "Chuck E Cheese"!

5- On the way to the Library the car started feeling like it was dragging and then 2 little, green, plug-looking lights showed up off and on.  I don't know much about car maintenance, but I'm guessing this isn't a good sign.  Then the NOISE started.  Thankfully we made it back home without breaking down. 

It's time for daddy to come home before anyone else ends up in the ER or the car breaks down completley=)

Ladies And Gentlemen, We Have A Name

Micaiah Joel Via

Micaiah means "Humble" and "Who is Like to God"

Joel is Hebrew meaning "God's willingness" and "Jehovah is Lord"

Micaiah was a prophet in the old testament.  King Ahab wanted him to prophesy only the good but he refused by saying he would prophesy ALL that God told him.

You can read more about Micaiah HERE.

Words Of Wisdom

Areyna:  "When are we going to go see Cousin Ella again?"

Me:  "Maybe next week after daddy leaves for Africa."

Areyna:  With hands up in the air and a silly grin on her face..."But we just got home?!"

Me:  "I know."

Areyna:  "Why do we always leave?"

Me:  "That's just what we do."=)

Areyna:  "OK.  But that's silly=)"

Memory Meal

Tonight's verse is:

God gives joy to those who promote peace.

Proverbs 12:20

My Little Super Hero

Zeke always goes into Superhero mode with his Superman Slippers.

His Superhero Slippers motivated him to pick up daddy's manly duty of mowing the grass while he was away.  Super Heroes don't need pants anyway?=)