The Joy of Home

Sarah's Birth Story

2011-07-02T13:02:00.000-04:00

On Monday, June 6th, Josh and I took the boys to Vacation Bible School at our church and then drove to the doctor's office to be checked again to see if there was any further dilation. Even though I hoped there was some change, I knew most likely I would still be one centimeter dilated from past experience. Sure enough I was still the same as the week before, but by this point I was ready to be induced. My doctor agreed that induction would be wise because he didn't want me having a bigger baby than I already had with Josiah (8lbs 5oz).

We scheduled the induction for Wednesday morning, June 8th, but he wanted me to go into the hospital on Tuesday evening to give me something to help the cervix "ripen" and help the induction go quicker.

On Tuesday afternoon, my parents came up from Georgia to stay with the boys while we were in the hospital, and Josh and I left to get something to eat before going to the hospital. I was having contractions off and on at dinner, but nothing too uncomfortable. We arrived at the hospital around 6pm and I thought I would be able to wear my own clothes and not be hooked up to any monitors until the next morning, but I was wrong. They immediately made me change and then put the monitors on to listen to Sarah's heartbeat as well as measure my contractions. The worst part was inserting the IV needle (even though I didn't need it at the time), because it took 3 attempts and 2 nurses before they finally got it in...ouch!

My doctor finally arrived about 9pm to give me the medicine. After giving me the medicine, he checked me again and I still was only one centimeter. He told me the nurse would wake me up around 5:15am the next morning to get a shower before they began giving me pitocin at 6:00am. Josh and I settled in watching some television and waiting until 11pm when I could get out of the bed again and the nurse said she would give me a snack since I couldn't eat after midnight. A little after 10pm I noticed my contractions were getting much harder and by 10:30pm, they were painful. I was confused because this wasn't supposed to happen until the next morning and we wanted to sleep.

At midnight, my nurse decided to check me and see if I had dilated more. Thankfully, I was at 3cm but you need to be at 5cm before you get an epidural, so she offered to give me some other pain medicine to take the edge off and maybe I could nap a little. She came back with a shot and told me it was really going to burn because it had phenergan in it and boy was she right! It did work and I was able to sleep between contractions until about 2:30am. My nurse checked me again and I was only about 4cm, so I told her I would hold out another hour to see if I could get to 5cm and have the epidural. Around 3:45am she checked me and I was finally at 5cm and I told her I wanted the epidural (I had not slept since the night before and I really wanted some sleep before Sarah arrived thus the desire for the epidural).

The anesthesiologist arrived a little after 4am and gave me the epidural. The funny part about getting the epidural is that I was still so groggy from the shot of phenergan that I had a hard time keeping my head up while she was giving me the epidural! Thankfully, it worked quickly and I don't remember anything until the nurse waking me up at 6:45am to check me again. I was fully dilated as far as she could tell, but my water still hadn't broken and she needed the doctor to break it to be sure I was ready.

My doctor finally arrived about 7:35am (the nurse thinks he fell back asleep after getting the call) and broke my water. As soon as he broke my water, they could see the top of her head and all her hair! They immediately started getting the room ready and one of the nurses was about to position me, when another nurse said, "Wait! The doctor isn't ready yet and if you do that the baby will fall right out!" As soon as the doctor was ready he told me to gently push and her head was out and then said to gently push again and she was completely out! It was by far the shortest labor I have had and the easiest delivery!

Thank you to all who prayed for us. I was nervous about the induction, but technically I was never induced as I never received pitocin to start labor. We are so thankful for a beautiful and healthy little girl!

Welcome Sarah Carolina!

2011-06-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

Sarah Carolina Culbertson
Born on June 8 at 7:50 A.M.
7lbs. 9oz.
20 1/2 inches

Mama & Sarah are doing great!
Daddy & Brothers are in love!

Only 9 Days!

2011-05-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

I think the last time I gave a pregnancy update, I was 9 weeks away from my due date and now I'm 9 days from my due date! However, I'm really hoping our baby girl makes her appearance this week. Of course, I am more than ready for her to be here and she is definitely big enough to come. I've had contractions off and on for the past couple of weeks, but nothing that is consistent or even that painful. When I went to the doctor last week, he said that I had started to dilate and offered to induce me this week. I have declined to be induced until I reach my due date, because I would much rather her come in her own time.

The Lord has blessed us abundantly with two baby showers and I have everything I need for our sweet girl. In fact, her closet is so full that I can't fit anything else! People love to buy little girl's clothes and I'm not sure if she will be able to wear everything before she outgrows it. The nursery is also completed and looks beautiful (I'll try to post pictures of it soon). Now we are just waiting for her to make her appearance.

We plan to take the laptop to the hospital again and post when she is born. So keep checking back if you are interested!

Tribute to Grandy (Again)

2011-05-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Three years ago, I wrote a tribute of my grandmother for Mother's Day. I wanted to include it again this year for those of you who didn't read my blog back then. She has been gone for almost 4 years now and I still miss her so much. I miss her wise and godly counsel and her sweet laugh. We talked on the phone weekly and she was such an encouragement to me. There are so many times that I wished she was here to see her great-grandchildren and especially now that I am about to have her first great-granddaughter (she was hoping Thomas would be a girl!). However, as much as I miss her and long to talk to her and spend time with her, I know that she does not miss me or this sinful earth. She is at home with her Savior and that was what she wanted most. Three years later, I'm even more thankful for her godly legacy and look forward to the day that I see my Savior and her again.

Easter Pictures

2011-05-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from Easter as I have been absent from the blog lately. We had the wonderful joy of going on vacation for a week and then with the busyness of Easter and planning for baby's arrival, I just haven't gotten around to the blog. Here are a few of my favorites:

Hospitality

2011-05-04T13:36:00.000-04:00

Today, I read a wonderful blog post on "10 Steps to Courageous Hospitality" and it really convicted and inspired me. We know that Scripture commands for us to be hospitable, but often times my excuses outweigh my obedience. Of course my main excuse is that my house just isn't clean enough or I'm too tired (which is definitely valid at only 5 weeks out from baby's due date), but I realize there will always be excuses for not practicing hospitality.

Read the article and let me know what you think.

Pregnancy Update

2011-04-06T14:46:00.000-04:00

Last week, I realized two things: I have failed to update on my pregnancy and we have not taken one picture of me pregnant! I told Josh our baby girl is going to think she was adopted, because there are no pictures of her in my belly. Thankfully, my best friend took a couple of pictures of me last weekend at our girls' weekend and now I have one to share!

I am officially 31 weeks as of today - only 9 weeks left until her due date! This pregnancy really has been a blur and I can't believe she will be here in 2 months. As I sit here typing, she is moving around quite a bit (may have something to do with that Krispy Kreme doughnut I just ate!), which is not unusual for her. Thankfully, she is not quite as active in the womb as Josiah, but she definitely makes her presence known.

My pregnancy has been very normal and easy thus far. Weight gain is normal, no swelling, and other than my back hurting in the evenings, I feel fine. I have had to ease up on some of my household chores, because I was getting winded very quickly and so tired by the afternoon that I was ready to go to bed at 7:30pm! I didn't realize until this weekend how tiring it is taking care of two small children as well. The Lord blessed me with a weekend with college friends and for the first time, I wasn't taking care of my boys. I was amazed at the amount of energy I had! Routinely picking up a 27lb toddler probably isn't the best thing in my 3rd trimester, but the Lord gives me the strength to take care of them.

When I went to the doctor yesterday, he mentioned that I could be induced at 39 weeks if I want. I talked with Josh about it and right now we think it better just to wait. My labors with the boys have been very slow and I would rather go into labor naturally and be able to stay at home as long as possible before submitting to the restrictions of the hospital (no eating, drinking, walking around, etc). Plus, Josh said he likes the excitement of wondering if this is going to be the day! Even so, I would still be more than happy to go into labor naturally at 39 weeks!

Homeschool Conference

2011-03-31T14:12:00.000-04:00

Josh and I were able to attend a homeschooling conference a couple of weeks ago very close to home and it was such a blessing. My parents came up and took the boys to their house for a couple of nights so we could just focus on the conference. Thomas was super excited about going to Grandpa's house and didn't really care what we were doing because he knew the world was going to revolve around he and Josiah for a couple of days!

While we aren't formally homeschooling yet, it was a good chance for us to explore what is out there, especially in terms of curriculum. If you have never been to a curriculum hall, it is so overwhelming. Who knew that so many people wrote curriculum for history, science, reading, spelling, writing, etc.? And it seems like everyone has a different opinion on what they like best! We are pretty set on wanting to give our children a classical education, so most of our sessions were geared at training our children classically. We were able to hear Susan Wise Bauer a couple of times, as well as a seminar on helping children learn to read (which I am actually beginning to do now with Thomas!), traveling the Southeast with children, teaching history from a biblical worldview, and Josh went to a seminar from Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis.

One of the most important realizations we came away with is that we want to make sure to buy curriculum that is in line with our worldview, especially as it relates to history and science. So many of the history curriculums don't begin with creation and don't incorporate the biblical narrative into history. Susan Wise Bauer's curriculum The Story of The World is hugely popular among classical homeschoolers, but Josh and I will not use it because she begins with the nomads and not with creation. We may use it to supplement a primary history text, but it certainly won't be our main history curriculum. We also want to be careful with science curriculums too, because so many assume evolution and not creation. While we plan to expose our children to the theory of evolution, they will be much older when they can understand the difference between between fact and fiction.

I almost forgot one of the best parts of the conference: we got to see Tim Hawkins in concert! And for those of you who know who he is, it was a treat! We laughed until we cried and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The best part: it was only $5 for each ticket! If you don't know who Tim Hawkins is, follow the link or look him up on YouTube.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

2011-03-09T08:00:00.005-05:00

When I was in high school we weren't required to read many books and especially classic literature. I remember reading The Scarlet Letter in 11th grade and I think we read Of Mice and Men in 10th grade. Some of the other classics were not read, but we just watched the movie. Ten years later I really regret that I haven't read much classic literature and since we want to give our children a classical education, my goal has been to read more of the classics every year. Thus far I have read Pride & Prejudice, Emma, The Tale of Two Cities, and yesterday I finished Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Josh read it first and couldn't put it down. When he finished it last week, I picked it up, but started reading it slowly. I honestly wasn't sure I could read it because the opening chapters tell of one of the main characters escaping so she can save her four year old son from being sold to a slave trader. I don't know if you read like I do, but I put myself in the shoes of the characters and all I could think about was someone trying to take one of my boys. As I got further into the story (and Eliza and Harry were okay), I could not put the book down either.

My emotions through reading Uncle Tom's Cabin were varied: sadness, repulsion, anger, hope, and even elation. Harriet Beecher Stowe did a great job of portraying slavery from the perspective of all people involved: benevolent owners, harsh owners, slave traders, abolitionists, and of course the slaves themselves. I was struck with how slaves were treated as mere property and it didn't matter if an owner broke up a marriage or took children from their mothers (one of the hardest aspects of slavery for me). There were some kind owners who were very good to their slaves, but it seems for every kind owner there were two who were harsh and inhumane in their treatment of their slaves.

After reading this book, it really gives me a new perspective on the evils of slavery, but also on the faithfulness of God to His people. Many slaves were introduced to the gospel for the first time through slavery and Uncle Tom (the main character) is such a godly man even through all his suffering. The gospel is woven throughout the book and that's what gives hope to the slaves. Uncle Tom repeatedly says, "They may kill my body, but my soul is with Jesus." One quote from the book is especially moving:

Tom looked up to his master, and answered, "Mas'r, if you was sick, or in trouble, or dying, and I could save ye, I'd give ye my heart's blood; and if taking every drop of blood in this poor old body would save your precious soul, I'd give 'em freely, as the Lord gave his for me. O, Mas'r! don't bring this great sin on your soul! It will hurt you more than 'twill me! Do the worst you can, my trouble'll be over soon; but, if ye don't repent, yours won't never end." (p. 407)

Josh and I have talked about what is comparable to American slavery in our modern world and we can think of two things: abortion and sex trafficking around the world. Both the unborn babies and those enslaved now are not treated as persons, but as something you can treat and do with as the mother or owner wishes. While sex trafficking is not legal in this country (hopefully, not any country) abortion is and it is truly horrendous. Psalm 139 clearly tells me that the Lord knit together every baby in the womb and He is the creator and sustainer of life.

If you haven't read Uncle Tom's Cabin or if it has been a long time, I would highly recommend it. Not only did I learn much about slavery (it was written in 1852), but was so encouraged to persevere to the end no matter the circumstances of this life.

Limping Josiah

2011-03-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

In mid-February, we noticed that Josiah was limping with his left leg. Not only was he limping, he was also crying when we put his left shoe on or sometimes even when we put his left pants leg on. If he fell down on his left side, he would just cry and not want to get up. We don't run to our kids and pick them up when they fall; instead we usually say, "You are okay. Come one let's get up." We also aren't parents who are quick to take their kids to the doctor; we like to wait and see if they recover without medical intervention. After a week of continued limping and people at church sharing their concerns with us about it, we decided to call the pediatrician on Thursday morning.

Thankfully, I took Josiah to the pediatrician alone (Thomas went to work with Josh) because it ended up being a very long process. We had to wait about 30 minutes to see the doctor, but when she came in Josiah was not happy if she was touching him. Therefore, she really couldn't examine him to see where the pain might be because he cried at the sight of her! Since he is too young to tell us what is wrong, the only choice was to have x-rays taken of his left leg.

Our pediatrician's office is located in a small hospital, so we didn't have to travel far for the x-rays. We did have to go the business office of the hospital so they could get all our information, but thankfully the wait wasn't too long. However, the same cannot be said for the waiting room for the x-rays. We waited over an hour to be seen, but Josiah was a champ through it all. He was so well-behaved and happy through it all (I think the goldfish I had in his bag certainly helped!). I was really glad that Thomas was with Josh as it would have been much more difficult to take care of both of them for the long wait.

Once we were taken back for the x-rays, it wasn't long at all. The worst part was that I could not hold Josiah or be with him while he had the x-rays because of my pregnancy. Josiah cried and called my name and it took everything I had not to cry along with him. Thankfully, they were quick and I could see him the whole time.

The results didn't show anything, so the doctor thinks most likely he twisted his ankle or pulled a muscle. He has been doing much better now and the limp is completely gone. We are thankful he did not fracture a bone or anything more serious. Somehow I think this won't be the last time one of my boys has to have an x-ray since they are so active and sometimes play rough. Maybe this was just preparing me for the future!

The Boys

2011-02-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

I realized that I haven't updated on the boys in quite a while, and felt it was time to say a little something about each of them.

Thomas - He is now officially three-and-a-half and really amazes me at all he understands and can communicate. Josh and I spell a lot more around him now when we need to say something that he doesn't need to understand! We are still working through a preschool curriculum that I found online and that he loves to do. I have bought a couple of books from Barnes & Noble to practice numbers, as his letter recognition and sounds are way ahead of his numbers. He can pretty much count to 20, but has a hard time going past 20. He loves to look at the clock and tell me what time it is. At breakfast, he will usually say, "Mama, it is eight oh eight," and then proceed to update every minute after!

Discipline is much more frequent now than at any other time. We know that he is constantly testing us to see who is in control. Not only do we still deal with direct disobedience, but also defiance and disrespect. The rule in our home is to obey happily, quickly, and totally. If he does not obey in those ways (which rarely happens since whining is still such a big issue) then discipline follows. One of the biggest areas of disobedience is sharing/being kind to Josiah. I constantly tell him, "Thomas you have to share with Josiah," to which he says, "But I don't want to share!" At least he is honest!

Thomas is still a very happy and loving child. He is quick to express his love to us and is overjoyed to do something one-on-one with us. Spending time with daddy is definitely at the top of his list and I love to see how much he adores Josh and wants to be just like him.

Josiah - It is so hard for me to believe, but he is only 4 months away from turning 2! Maybe it is so sudden for me since it took him forever to walk and I never felt like he was a "big boy" when he was crawling everywhere. Josiah is definitely a mama's boy. He prefers me over anyone else, and often will not be comforted unless I am the one holding him. With that preference of me also comes his many demands of me. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I hear "Mama" during the day. Since he doesn't say a lot of words right now, he calls my name anytime he wants something: get out of bed, milk, food, sit on the couch, reach a toy, tattle on Thomas, etc. Some days it is overwhelming!

Josiah has always been a very sweet child and continues to be very loving to us. He laughs easily and still likes to sit in our laps while we read or watch television. He loves to play with puzzles, cars (he says "car" with a Boston accent - so funny), trains, and read books.

Of course, sharing isn't easy for him either. He can take a toy just as quickly as Thomas and often resorts to pulling hair or biting to show his anger. Sigh...the joys of close siblings who have to share toys!

Just a little update on both of the boys. I really would like to post more frequently, but often don't make the time. I'm reading a lot these days and just trying to spend more time with my boys. My goal is to blog once a week, but that hasn't been very consistent thus far!

Cinderella

2011-02-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Last night, Josh and I were in the car on the way to meet friends for dinner. He was flipping through the stations and one of the songs I heard was "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I told him I had heard the song the other day and thought of him and our yet to be born daughter. He went back to the song and listened to the first verse and then abruptly changed the station. As I was protesting the change of the radio, he said, "I can't listen to that," and as I looked over at him he had tears in his eyes! A good friend told me that he will never be the same after having a daughter, and I'm starting to believe her (especially since she isn't even here yet!). Thankful to have a husband who loves his daughter so much already!

If you have never heard the song or would like to hear the story behind the song you can watch this:

Finally - A Girl!

2011-01-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you have already read about our great news. Baby #3 is a girl! We honestly couldn't believe it when we had our ultrasound on Tuesday. Josh and I both were expecting another boy, so we were so surprised and elated when we saw that baby is a girl! Thomas went with us to the ultrasound and when the ultrasound tech told us her gender, he wasn't the least bit surprised. He has told us from the beginning that baby was a girl.

Josh was skeptical when the ultrasound tech told us those were girl parts. He said, "Are you sure? Don't the boy parts hide sometimes and you just can't see until birth?" The ultrasound tech replied, "You see this [pointing at the screen] her legs are wide open and she is definitely a girl!" We both were teary eyed when we finally realized we are going to have a daughter. Josh has already said, "She's mine. I might let you hold her occasionally." I told him I would remind him of that at 2am!

As you other women know I'm busy thinking about all the little girl clothes and decor I need to buy. I can finally have a feminine diaper bag and buy dresses, bows, tights, and girly shoes! I have also been wanting a bassinet this time and Josh told me on Tues morning before the ultrasound that if baby was a girl, I could have a bassinet. So I get one now!

I'm including some pictures and a short video clip of baby. The pictures are so great because I went to a specialist's office since my OB is in solo practice and doesn't have the latest technology for ultrasounds. And of course, I think she is just beautiful!

He Walks!!!

2011-01-08T18:25:00.000-05:00

Prayers have been answered today for Josiah, who is only 5 days away from 19 months, finally decided to walk independently!! You have no idea how much I have fretted, whined, and complained over his refusal to walk. I took him to the pediatrician this past week for his 18 months well-check and he told me that he would walk when he is ready. The doctor said that as long as he thinks it is faster to crawl from point A to point B, he is not going to walk. As much as I appreciate the doctor's lack of concern for his mobility, he isn't 4 months pregnant carrying around a 26 lb toddler!

Thankfully, today he just decided it was the day. Josh's parents came over for a little while to see the boys and Josh positioned Josiah to walk between him and his dad. He has done that plenty of times, so it wasn't that thrilling, except he seemed to have good balance and was walking more than two steps. Then Josh had him walk a little farther, until before we knew it, he had walked across the kitchen! He is still falling down quite a bit, partly because he is so interested in what his feet are doing and also because he is too busy socializing!
We are out of dvd's to record this momentous occasion (I will get some this evening), but I did snap a few pictures of my toddler!

Just For Laughs

2011-01-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a couple of funny pictures with you just to make you laugh. Josiah is 18 months and we put him on the potty when he has to do his business. He is a very expressive child, so it is easy to recognize the signs of needing to use the potty. Believe it or not, he actually likes to sit on the potty and has been doing it for a few months now. He also likes to "read" while he is sitting there. I usually ask, "Josiah, would you like a book?" And now he says, "Yeah, Yeah" and shakes his head. So here are a couple of pictures of his recent "reading on the potty" :

Anyone still here?

2010-12-28T17:10:00.000-05:00

You know you haven't visited your blog in a long time when typing in the url you say to yourself, "Now what was the name of my blog again?" So I guess anyone reading now hasn't forgotten! It has been a very busy holiday season and this has been the last thing I have thought about. Of course being pregnant doesn't help either. Naps are not optional for me right now. And you know what? I'm completely okay with that because I know in less than 6 months sleep will be a luxury! Thankfully, the second trimester has proven to be much better in terms of fatigue and sickness. I was finally able to return to a normal routine around Thankgiving, which was perfect timing!

In family news...the boys are doing well. Thomas and I started doing "school" again the beginning of the month and I could tell how much he had changed just in the six weeks we had taken off. He understood directions quicker and our activities seemed to "click" with him. Thomas LOVES to do school. In fact, he asks most weekends if we can do school. I guess when school consists of playing games, using blocks and magnets, and jumping around any kid would want to do school! He does know all his letters now as well as the short vowel sounds and most common consonant sounds. I am debating on whether or not beginning to teach him to read in the spring. He is eager to know and the book I have seems fairly simple and easy lessons of around 10 minutes.

Josiah has changed a lot too. He is into everything! Thomas was not a climber, but Josiah climbs on everything. A couple of weeks ago, I found him sitting on top of the train table with all the trains and tracks thrown on the floor shouting, "Mama!" He knows how to climb up, but has not mastered getting down. Even though he is into everything, he still does NOT walk independently. *sigh* He will walk holding our hands and practically runs behind a push toy, but refuses to let go. Josiah is a very stubborn (but lovable) child and when he doesn't want to walk, he just lets his legs go limp. The ladies in our church nursery call him "noodle legs." We go back to the pediatrician next week for his 18 month well check and I'll see what he has to say.

Baby Culbertson is doing well. I'm 17 weeks pregnant and everything is normal. I haven't felt movement yet, but it should be soon. I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday, January 10th. We are hoping to find out the gender, as long as baby cooperates. Thomas is convinced he is having a sister. In fact, the past week he has been saying there are two babies - a boy and a girl! I hope he isn't prophetic about that last statement!

Well, I've rambled long enough. Below are a couple of pictures from Christmas.

The boys listening to Josh read about Jesus' birth on Christmas morning.

Josiah looks like "Ralphie" from A Christmas Story!

Future Employee?? This was the gift they both loved the most.

Another Addition!

2010-11-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you already know our good news. We are expecting again! Baby #3 is due the same time Josiah was due - the exact same date actually (June 8)! I'm really hoping this baby decides to come a few days before his birthday, because I really want my kids to have their own special day. Of course, we are very excited and a little nervous too about being outnumbered by kids!

Thomas is very excited, although doesn't completely understand what is going on. He thinks the baby should be here now. We were talking about the baby earlier this week and he said, "Mama, you just pretending." When he does refer to the baby he always says, "she". We don't have a preference either way, but I would be thrilled for the boys to have a sister.

While baby is doing fine, I feel awful. I think the worst part is the fatigue. Nausea was something I dealt with in the other two pregnancies (and still feel with this one), but the fatigue this time around is overwhelming. I honestly have never felt this tired in my life. Right now, it is all I can do to take care of my boys, cook dinner, and do the laundry. Thankfully, the boys still take a nap every afternoon which allows me to nap as well. Any other ladies experience such fatigue with third pregnancies?

I do want to post some pictures from our trip, but I have to find the energy to go through 400 pictures. Hopefully, in the next week or two, I'll get them up. Don't expect much activity on the blog until the 2nd trimester comes.

Vacation & Sermons

2010-10-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

I have been MIA on the blog for a couple of weeks because we had the pleasure of going on vacation last week! It is such a tremendous blessing to get away and we don't take it for granted. Josh and I both talked about how blessed we are that the Lord allows us time to rest and gives us innumerable gifts we don't deserve. When we think about our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering in ways we can't even imagine, it is even more humbling to think of the blessed life the Lord has given us.

We went to the mountains of North Carolina and the leaves were at their peak! It was absolutely beautiful. Most days we had clear blue skies and beautiful fall colors surrounding us. Thankfully, we were able to find a cabin to rent, although I learned my lesson to begin looking for a place more than 3 weeks before we want to go! The cabin was on a mountain and our first trip up there was a little harrowing, but Josh figured out exactly how to navigate and the rest of our trips were smooth. We were able to do some fun things with the boys as well and they had a great time. Thomas' Missions Friends teacher told me that he couldn't stop talking about how he went to the mountains tonight.

I'll try to post some pictures in the next couple of days. I have been so busy trying to get back in the routine of life, that I haven't even taken pictures off of the camera. In the meantime, I wanted to tell all my blog readers who aren't Facebook friends, that my husband's sermons can be found online if you are interested in hearing him preach. You can listen to two different ways:

1. Go to http://www.npbcfamily.org/ and click on "Resources" and then "Sermons" and they are all right there.
2. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes. Just search for "New Prospect Baptist Church."

Blog I Follow

2010-10-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

There are a couple of blogs I read on a regular basis, but aren't on my sidebar and I wanted to highlight them for any of my readers who might be interested.

1. They Are All Ours - This blog is written by a sweet couple who served at a church I attended during my Junior & Senior years of high school. He was my youth minister and she was his sweet, godly wife who had three children (all fifteen months apart) at the time. They were both such an encouragement to me to continue to fight the good fight and I was thrilled when I found them on Facebook a little over a year ago. I was even more excited when they finally started a blog a couple of months ago. Mostly, Joy writes out of her triumphs and failures of a being a pastor's wife and mom of eight children. Since I just began this journey of being a wife and mother, I find her blog very real and encouraging. Joy is one of those women who I wished could be a Titus 2 woman in my life. I would love if she lived right down the road from me, so I could come over and just observe and learn from her as she cares for her family. I encourage you to check out her blog - you will be blessed!

2. Elizabeth Esther - I found this blog through another blog. Anyone else ever do that? Someone that I enjoy reading (and who is a believer) recommended her blog and I decided to take a look. Elizabeth Esther is a woman with a large family as well (5 children), but she comes from a very harsh and abusive fundamentalist background. There are MANY things on her blog that I disagree with, but I read it because I need to read things I disagree with as well. I remember my OT professor in seminary, Dr. Daniel Block, telling us, "For everything you read you agree with, you need to read at least two things you disagree with." The comments in Elizabeth's blog are always lively and she intentionally brings up subjects that are tough. She is Catholic now, but really wrestles with her past. One of the other reasons I enjoy reading her blog is because she is an excellent writer. Check it out if you want to read something you are likely to disagree with!

4 Years

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

Josh and I celebrated our 4th anniversary last Thursday, September 30th. We decided since we didn't have a newborn and we weren't on a family vacation (both of things have happened for at least 2 of our previous anniversaries) to take an overnight trip. My parents were kind enough to come from Georgia and watch the kids for us (we certainly didn't have to beg them to come!). I was able to get my hair cut and fixed on Thursday afternoon before we left. I don't know if you are like me, but the hair stylist always makes my hair look better than I can. She curled it really cute and sprayed half a can of hairspray on it, but Josh loved it and so did I.

We didn't go too far for our overnight trip. Thankfully, we have a beautiful city with a great downtown not too far away and decided to go there for the night. I have always wanted to stay in the Westin Poinsett on Main Street because it is a gorgeous hotel. We checked in around 6pm and then went to dinner at a great restaurant right across the street. It was so nice just to have time alone without any interruptions. If you have/had small children then you know interruptions are the norm, so it was especially lovely for us to talk and even hold hands! I forgot how much I miss holding hands, but with two small boys we never have a hand free. After dinner we walked down Main Street and ended up in a nice toy store where we gathered some ideas for Christmas (can you believe it is less than 3 months away?).

The only downer to our trip was our room at the Westin. We had turned on the air to 73 degrees when we got there around 6pm and when we came back around 9pm, it was at 75. Josh turned it down to 66, but two hours later it was still on 75. After calling the front desk a couple of times, we asked to move to another room because we weren't going to stay in a nice hotel and burn up. Unfortunately, they didn't have another room available with a king bed, so we were moved to a room with two double beds. We both were really looking forward to sleeping in a king bed (we have a full size at home). Thankfully, they willingly reduced our cost.

We are so thankful for the chance to get away. It really is great for our marriage to have time just to be alone. It feels like we are dating or newlyweds again (especially considering Thomas was born a month shy of our first anniversary). Most of all, I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. God gave me more than I had even prayed for in Josh and I'm honored to be his bride.

Josiah's First Haircut

2010-09-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

This morning I finally relented and decided Josiah could have his first haircut. He has been called a little girl a little too much lately (although if he were a girl, I already knew the perfect place to put a little bow in his hair!). Originally, I had said he had to walk before I would cut his hair, but at 15 months he still isn't walking. Any tips from my readers about how to motivate a child to walk? He will walk if we hold his hands, but he really just wants to crawl. Since he is 23 pounds now, I'm really hoping he walks soon.

We took him to the sweet girl who cuts my hair and Thomas' hair. He sat on my lap because we knew he would be squirmy. Turns out he wasn't as squirmy as he was upset. He cried through most of the haircut! Thomas has such a laid back personality and when we cut his hair at 13 months, he sat perfectly still without me holding him. However, Josiah has a completely different personality than his brother and while we knew he wouldn't sit still, we didn't expect him to cry. Below are some pictures that tell the story.

This was his move throughout the haircut!

Looking to Daddy and Thomas to save him!

Still not happy, but looking like a big boy *sniff, sniff*

Amy let him touch the "peanut" that she was about to use around his ears.

Josiah's reaction to the "peanut."

All done, but still not happy!

Preschool

2010-09-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

For a few months now, I have been looking for ideas to start doing preschool activities with Thomas. He just turned 3 in August and my plan has been to start a more structured learning time with him at three. A couple of months ago, I was reading Money Saving Mom and she was giving her top 15 picks for home school aids. One of her top 5 was the Letter of The Week curriculum by Confessions of a Homeschooler. I clicked over to see what it was all about and after reading some things and looking through some of the material, I was hooked!

The Letter of The Week curriculum has activities designed for your preschooler for every letter. A short list of some of the things I have done with Thomas for letters A - E (we are on letter E this week):

Puzzles
Lacing Cards
Magnet Pages
Floor Numbers
Do A Dot
Color Puzzles
Color by Number
Cutting
Graphing
Patterns
Letter Matching

There is a wealth of activities and Thomas never gets bored. Every morning he says, "Mama, are we are going to do school today?" And when we have finished for the activities for the day (she also has pre-made lesson plans for each week), he usually says, "Mama, can we do just one more?" What I love most about it is how much he is learning. His letter and number recognition has improved dramatically (especially numbers) just by playing fun games using numbers. He is also learning the sound of each letter to prepare him to read.

This wonderful program only costs $10!! You download everything and then print out what you want to use (I have used just about everything for each week). I did buy a Xyron 9" Creative Station on Amazon (I got it really cheap with some gift cards) to laminate most of the material since I plan to use it again with Josiah. Of course I have had to replace some ink cartridges, but again I got a great deal on a big pack :-).

Whether you are homeschooling preschoolers or older children, I really think you would enjoy the Confessions blog. She has tons of resources and I have found so many other things I want to buy to help Thomas learn. I'll try to get some pictures up sometime soon of Thomas working hard!

ESL Ministry

2010-08-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, when I was in another country, I had the opportunity to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to primary school teachers for a week or so. I had never done anything like it before, but really enjoyed the interaction with the students and especially the opportunity to share the gospel. There was much fruit from teaching ESL and in fact one of the students, who was not a believer at the time, now feels called to pastor! ESL is a great way for an English speaker, who doesn't know other languages, to meet and communicate with people from other countries and languages.

This summer, Josh has preached on being a missionary in our community. He wanted to provide our church with opportunities to do missions where we live. I immediately thought of ESL and Josh and the mission team agreed it would be a good time to try it. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into, but I'm learning as a I go!

Thankfully, The North American Mission Board has a book on how to start an ESL program in your church and it has been so helpful! The book has everything in it for student registration and placement testing. It suggested we do a short devotion at the beginning of the class and one of the members of the Hispanic ministry, who speaks decent English, is sharing the devotion in Spanish. I have no idea what he is saying, but I pray for those who do.

We meet on Thursday nights at 6:30pm and have met for three weeks. The first week we had six students (5 men and 1 woman), the next week we had 10 students (6 men and 4 women), and last night we had 19 students (I've lost count of men/women)! All of our students are Hispanic (there is a significant Hispanic population in our community) and they are from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, etc. Some of them know enough English to hold down a job, and a couple of the new ladies last night knew almost nothing. Thus far we have had everyone together with me as the only teacher, but that is changing after this week. With so many students at different levels, it is impossible to know if everyone is getting it or if I'm belaboring some of the curriculum for the more advanced students.

We are using the curriculum Word By Word Picture Dictionary and I really like it. The teacher's guide spells out what to do and that is very helpful. I am also supplementing with curriculum that a friend from seminary created. Right now we are just doing the basics: alphabet, personal information, numbers, time, money, etc.

If you think of it, please just pray for the Lord to use this ministry for the advancement of the gospel. Last week, our family went out to eat and we ran into (almost literally!) a student from the class, her child, and her boyfriend/husband (no one is married but they use marital words). We were able to talk to the couple for a while and the student, Senia, even asked if I would invite her to church sometime! I invited her right then, but she was unable to come on Sunday because of sickness. Please also pray for me and the other teachers to have much clarity and encouragement as we teach. I'll try to provide an update once a month on the ministry. Thanks for your prayers!

Thomas Turns 3!

2010-08-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 21st, our oldest son turned three! In some ways it seems surreal that I have a three-year-old. I remember his birth as if it happened yesterday. I started having contractions early on Monday, August 20th, 2007, but Thomas didn't make his appearance until Tuesday, August 21st, at 9:29am. Even with Josiah, I was in labor a long time, but not that long!

Thomas has been such a blessing to us and sometimes I have called him our "guinea pig" since he is our first-born. There are so many things to learn with a first-born child and so many things you do wrong. I'm just glad children don't remember the infant years! Thomas has always been such a sweet baby and now a boy. He is quite shy and timid when he first meets people, and it takes him a while to "jump in" with the other kids. He is very observant and is a people-watcher. Thomas has an expansive vocabulary now and we realize that he listens to everything we say and understands much of what we talk about. While we have to watch what we say, we also have the opportunity now to share the gospel with him more and more. He has learned the first five catechism questions and is working on Scripture memory (he knows Ephesians 6:1...we quote it a lot!). Thomas also loves to read the Bible. Most of the time, we read The Big Picture Story Bible because it has lots of pictures and points to Christ throughout.

We did have a party with our families on Saturday. He was so excited about his party and his cake. I made him a Lighting McQueen cake from Cars and he loved it. He loved all his gifts, and especially a big box of cars my brother gave him. His gift from us was visiting Thomas the Train last month (although Josh did run to the store to get something for me and came back with a Cars puzzle for Thomas). Below are some pictures of our fun filled day!

Thankfully, family was eating the cake, because there was definitely some saliva in his blowing out the candle!

Excited about his gifts!

Sweet Josiah enjoying the festivities!

Radical

2010-08-13T14:22:00.001-04:00

I recently read David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream and I would highly recommend it. Through reading this book, my eyes have been opened as to how I love this world more than Christ. This book is very challenging and while it is a short book, it isn't something you can read in one sitting because it is so convicting! As a Christian, I am called to take up my cross and follow after Christ. David Platt fleshes out in real, hard hitting ways what that means and how it is contrary to the American dream.

If you are looking for a great review of this book, visit the Search & See blog. Pastor Wil Owens is much smarter than me and does a much better review than I could ever do! After you read his review, go to Lifeway or Amazon and purchase Radical!

Thomas & Thomas Meet!

2010-08-09T13:55:00.000-04:00

Right after we returned from vacation, I received a flyer in the mail advertising Thomas The Train coming to North Carolina. Josh and I talked about it and decided this year would be the perfect time to take Thomas. He loves to watch Thomas the Train (and loves that they share a name) and we knew it would be such a fun trip for our almost 3 year old. We decided not to take Josiah since it would be a long day and he wouldn't care anyway. He had more fun with Grandma and Poppy then he would have with us!

We drove up on Thursday evening, spent the night in a hotel, and went to see Thomas The Train first thing Friday morning. Thomas was memorized by it all! While we were standing in line waiting to take his picture with Thomas, I asked him what he thought about Thomas the Train and he said, "He's not talking Mama." He always talks on the movies and so I told him, "Maybe Thomas is shy like you and he doesn't want to talk right now." He agreed that had to be it! Thomas got scared when the train blew off steam, but he certainly wasn't the only one! Children all around us started crying at the noise!

Besides the 25 minutes train ride, they had four stations for the kids to rotate through and then they got a prize! Thomas played at a couple of train tables, played in sand, played with bubbles, listened to a Thomas the Train story, and even watched parts of a movie. We also went to see a train museum with lots of model trains as well. Of course, there was a gift shop and Thomas picked out a new engine (Charlie) for his birthday, as well as a book.

This was a perfect trip for Thomas. I told Josh this was such a better use of time and money than going to Busch Gardens! The weather was perfect, all the children were around Thomas' age, and he had a blast. Below are some pictures of our fun day!

Excited about riding the train!

Playing with the sand...he could have done this for hours!

Love the serious face!

Train museum

Music & Mama

2010-07-28T11:12:00.000-04:00

I thought I would give a quick update on the latest things happening with the boys. Thomas will be three next month and I honestly can't believe it! He is getting so big (and he tells me all the time, "Mama, I'm getting tall."). When I tell him that he is still my baby, he says, "Mama, I not your baby. I'm a boy." *sniff, sniff*

Anyway, on to what this post is really about! In the last couple of months we have really noticed his love for music. As I type this, he is playing with a book that plays classical music. Thomas enjoys all kinds of music and even loves to sing now. He knows all the songs to Josiah's toys and has picked up many of the children's songs we have taught him as well as some hymns. Currently, we are working on "Holy, Holy, Holy." I need to record him singing it, because it is so precious. Josh found an old book of nursery rhymes at his parents house (with sheet music) and plays it often. Thomas loves to sit with him at the piano and sing along. On a side note, he also likes to dance to music now and I think that has much to do with his friend Savannah - she has demonstrated some moves to him!

Josiah also loves music and as soon as he hears it, he begins to move his head. Of course he can't sing along yet, but he looks so cute bobbing his little head to the beat!

The biggest difference with Josiah is his recent attachment to me. Yes, he has always been attached, but now he is going through a hard phase of separation anxiety. Anytime I leave him in the nursery now, he cries. And it is a sad, hold your breath, kind of cry. They tell me that he stops crying after a few minutes, but it is still hard to leave him. Even when I worked in the nursery a couple of weeks ago, he would not let me put him down. Therefore, I was of no help to any other child, because I was busy holding my baby. Thomas never really cried after me and he preferred Josh and I equally, whereas Josiah really prefers me over Josh. Maybe it is the difference in being the second born? I don't feel like I treat Josiah any different than Thomas, although I do have to comfort him a bit more when Thomas pushes, pulls, or hits him (that is another blog post!).

Our hope is that Thomas & Josiah both will continue to love music and they will desire to play the piano like their daddy one day!

Potty Training Update

2010-07-20T08:16:00.000-04:00

Three months ago (exactly!), I wrote about my struggle to potty train Thomas. While things aren't perfect, they have improved! He does great telling me when he has to pee-pee and very rarely has an accident (even at night). His favorite place to potty is on the grass! This is actually very convenient when we are running errands. More than once, I've stopped at a church or an empty parking lot and let him go to the potty. You don't have to worry about finding a potty indoors when you have a little boy and you don't have to worry about aim when he is outside! :-)

Unfortunately, our struggle isn't over with the other part of potty training. He would still rather go in his pants than in the potty! Is this frustrating?! Absolutely!! He has been wearing underwear since my last post and we talk everyday about how he needs to go in the potty and not in his pants, but he still won't do it. And yes, he is very aware of when he has to go. He never does it in public or in front of us. Normally, he goes into his room and comes back out a few minutes later to tell me what he did.

I really don't think he is scared to go in the potty, because he has went a couple of times. He did it last week because I found him right before he went in his pants. While he didn't want to go in the potty, he did with no problem. I often wonder if this has become an issue of disobedience or if he just isn't ready yet. The big three-year-old birthday comes next month and I really would like him to be completely potty trained!

Any advise from my blog readers?

Josiah's One Year Picture

2010-07-13T15:03:00.001-04:00

We went a couple of weeks ago and had Josiah's picture made. And of course, they turned out wonderful! One of the many things I like about our photographer is how he can take the mosquito bites and the runny noses out of the pictures!

The photographer took us to the same spot where we took Thomas' one year picture. It is neat to compare their pictures and to see their similarities and their differences. Thomas looks so much like Josh (and everyone tells me how much), while I think Josiah favors my side of the family more. Josiah also is a little more plump than Thomas was at this age; I'm sure it has to do with Josiah eating everything that is put before him while Thomas is such a picky eater.

Here are the pictures of my precious baby!

Cloth Diapers...Again

2010-07-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, I decided to try cloth diapers. They sounded like a great idea and so I took the plunge and bought 3 Bumgenius diapers and 6 pre-folds, 2 covers, and a snappi. If you know anything about cloth diapers, then you know that is not nearly enough to last for more than a day. I used the Bumgenius at night and a pre-fold during the day along with disposable diapers. To order a complete supply of Bumgenius pocket diapers would have cost a little over $200 and I just wasn't willing to invest that much money. When I became pregnant with Josiah in the fall of '08, my nose was so sensitive and my stomach so queasy, that I dropped cloth diapering all together.

I have thought about going back to cloth, but dismissed it because I just didn't want to spent so much money, and I can get disposables pretty cheap with sales and coupons. Recently, some blogs I normally read have talked about cloth diapering all around the same time. One of my friends, Meggan, even did some follow up posts after I asked her some questions about cloth diapering. Two coupon sites I visit, Southern Savers & Money Saving Mom, both had posts about the difference between cloth and disposables and a parenting site I visit had a guest post about cloth diapers as well. It was actually through reading the comments on the parenting site, that I decided to take the plunge into cloth again!

One of the comments gave a link to Kawaii Baby diapers. I went to the website and discovered they had pocket, cloth diapers for $6.99 each! Bumgenius diapers are $17.99 - what a huge difference! After talking (and beginning an email chat) with the lady who left the comment on the parenting site, I decided to buy 10 cloth diapers and it was only $67 (shipping was free). And you know what? I love them! The 3 Bumgenius diapers are velcro, but I chose to go with snaps this time and I'm really glad. They are super easy to use and I have even taken them to church. Josiah is now exclusively cloth diapered and we are saving more money!

I do plan to buy 10 more, because that would give me 23 pocket diapers and I need them. Josiah usually goes through 6 diapers a day right now and that means washing diapers every other day. I would like to have enough diapers to wash every three days. Many people have also told me that cloth diapering promotes earlier potty training; I sure hope that is the case!

A Wedding & Vacation

2010-06-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

Our family just got back from a week long vacation and it was wonderful! There weren't too many activities planned and we were able to relax most of the week. We went to Treasure Island, FL, and while we normally don't travel that far (the trip took around 12 hrs!), this year we had a wedding to attend. One of Josh's cousins got married and Josh's parents, his niece and another cousin, and our family decided to attend the wedding and then make a vacation out of it. We found a great house to rent with plenty of room on Treasure Island and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. If you are ever vacationing on the FL coast, let me know and I will give you the info for the house.

The FL coast was also beautiful. The Gulf's water was really pretty and thankfully, the oil has not moved that far down. Thomas really liked playing in the sand, but wasn't crazy about the waves. He liked being in the ocean, but not on the shore. We didn't put Josiah in the ocean, but he did get in the pool and loved it. He instinctively knew to kick his legs and looked like a little tadpole in the water!

Josh and I had heard a few months ago that Busch Gardens had just opened a Sesame Street mini-park within the park and we thought it would be fun for Thomas. In hindsight, we should have taken into account that the heat index would be over 100 and having two small children who both still need naps. We were also very worried about Josiah because he was so red and hot. We were constantly blowing a fan on him and spraying him down with water. Thomas did have a good time, but we spent a few hours riding a train around the park and trying to see an Elmo movie in 3D (it was canceled several times). We should have spent the day in Elmo land, because that is what Thomas enjoyed the most. He rode the rides and played in the water.

We had a great time learning to play poker at the house where we stayed. They had a poker table complete with cards and chips. Josh's dad knew how to play, so Josh joked that "the Baptist deacon taught the Baptist preacher and his wife, as well as two underage girls how to play poker!" We played poker almost every night after the boys were in bed and while I didn't win very many games, I still enjoyed it!

I'll admit this vacation was hard to leave. The only time we truly ever get away is when we are on vacation. Because we do live right by the church, Josh never truly gets away from work. He heard a pastor say a few months ago that when he and his family moved out of the parsonage into their own house, that their family's stress level decreased remarkably. We aren't moving anytime soon, and I'm very thankful for our home, and will continue to strive for relaxing vacations!

Mr. & Mrs. Culbertson at the wedding.

Josh and his dad kayaking in the inlet. We all had a lot of fun in the kayak with our experienced guide, Josh's dad!

Thomas riding a hippo at Busch Gardens...he loved it!

Our sweet baby at Busch Gardens.

Josh's wonderful parents!

The girls and Thomas. He had a great time "playing" with them all week.

My wonderful friend, Elizabeth, came to visit! She lives only an hour and a half away from where we stayed and it was wonderful to have a day to catch up with her. We have been friends since our freshman year of college. A true and sweeter friend you will not find!

First Birthday!

2010-06-17T11:21:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Josiah's first birthday on Saturday, a day early. Originally we had planned the party outside at our house, but it was so hot we moved into the church (benefit of living next door to the church). We invited family and some close friends to help us celebrate his big day. Josiah was oblivious to it all, but he sure did enjoy his cupcake! He tried to put the whole thing in his mouth at once! When we opened gifts, he got a little upset. I'm not sure if it was all the people and the noise, or Thomas eagerly putting every gift in his face - maybe a combination of all of it!

At one year, Josiah still only has 2 bottom teeth. He is not deterred by only two teeth because he eats anything we give him. Now I mainly feed him table food: peas, green beans, lima beans, corn, potatoes, squash, carrots, etc. Thomas has always been such a picky eater and it is so nice to have a baby that will eat anything. In fact, we have to stop giving him food because he will eat as long as food is there.

Josiah finally mastered crawling the week before his birthday! He has rocked on his knees for months now and scooted backwards, but the kitty inspired him to crawl. He finally found something he really wanted! Now he follows me from room to room and it is so cute! He's not pulling up yet, but I'm sure that will be soon!

Here are some highlights from the party:

First taste of cupcake

Putting the whole thing in his mouth!

A very happy baby!

Love this picture!

This is when he was happy opening gifts....

And this is when he is not!

Thomas takes over while Josiah rests on mama.

I love that sweet boy!

Rite Aid Paid Me!

2010-06-14T21:16:00.002-04:00

Yes, that is right: I made a profit shopping at Rite Aid! Here is everything I got:

Total before sales & coupons: $64.78

Total out-of-pocket: $14.18

Total rebates: $15.99

My profit: $1.81

From the picture you know that we will at least be clean shaven and smell good!

By the way, I will be posting pictures of Josiah's first birthday party soon. The stomach bug has hit Thomas and me. I'm recovering, but he just got it today. Praying Josh and Josiah don't get it and spraying lots of Lysol!

New Haircut

2010-06-03T14:31:00.001-04:00

Josh and I decided that we needed to cut Thomas' hair short for a variety of reasons. One is that he is so hot natured and sweats all the time so a short cut would help keep him cool this summer. Another reason is that his hair is so unruly. Between the cowlicks and the crazy crown on his head, his hair is always sticking up somewhere, so I took him to get it buzzed this morning. I will admit that I had to hold back the tears when she was cutting. She said to me, "Dianna don't you cry! If you do he will get upset." So, I held it in but he just looks so different to me and much older too. Here is his new cut...for now.

He looks so grown up to me!

Look at that grin!

He found this hat in some stuff of mine and has wanted to wear it ever since.

Working With Daddy

2010-05-27T14:31:00.000-04:00

Last week, Thomas had the pleasure of going to work with Josh. He talks about going to work and has wanted to go with Josh before. Since Josh was going to clean out some things in his office, he decided Thomas wouldn't be too much of a distraction to go with him.

Thomas made sure to take his phone and keys, just like daddy. You can also see that Josh took some crayons, just in case!

It was very nice for me, because Josiah napped most of the time Thomas was at work. Josiah and I went over to see all the work Thomas had done before lunch. When we got there Thomas had managed to color all over himself, but other than daddy being a little flustered, I think it was a great day! Oh, and Thomas got to see the church's bathtub too! Below are some pictures of Thomas demonstrating what he had done all morning.

Thomas working on a sermon?

Taking messages for Daddy.

I think he even decided to preach a little too.

I just love this picture, even though he looks like such a big boy!

Sweet Josiah came over to hear Thomas' "sermon."

Work day is over. He wants mama and a nap now!

Fighting Discontentment

2010-05-26T11:19:00.000-04:00

About a year ago, I read a book by Jerry Bridges Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Tolerate. Convicting? Oh yes! He addresses many of the sins that we don't even call sins: impatience, discontentment, irritability, anger, anxiety, frustration, unthankfulness, etc. Wow, I see those things evident in my life way too much. His point of the book is that we have to call those emotions what they are: sin. We can't brush them off like they are no big deal, but remember they are sins against our Holy God.

One of the sins that has came to mind the most after reading the book is the sin of discontentment. For me, it is a sin that creeps up on me and before I know it, I am not happy with life. Anyone else feel this way? I begin to think that the grass is greener other places. Thankfully, the Lord doesn't leave me in that sinful place, and the Holy Spirit begins to convict me and remind me that I have nothing to be discontented about. It is so easy to focus on worldly things instead of focusing on the gospel.

What helps me fight against discontentment? Preaching the gospel to myself. When I begin to think about all that I have in the gospel - my sins completely forgiven, a perfect life lived for me, an eternity with Christ - what do I have to discontented about? Nothing! No matter how things are in this life, all will be right in the next life. Praying for persecuted believers. I live in a free country where no one will arrest me or kill me for owning a Bible or worshiping privately and corporately. When I begin to pray for those believers who are facing unimaginable horrors just because of the name of Jesus, I weep because of my sin. Who am I to deserve what I have? Recalling all my blessings. The Lord has blessed me with a godly, wonderful husband who loves me deeply. My boys are such a huge blessing to me and they are so healthy - what an amazing gift. I also have wonderful parents, extended family, and all the comforts of the modern world.

When I look at the above list, I am reminded once again that I have nothing to be discontented about. Life is not always going to be exactly the way I want it because we live in a sinful world. However, because of the cross there can always be contentment in my heart.

One last note, if you haven't read Jerry Bridge's book, you should!

New Life

2010-05-19T10:48:00.001-04:00

No, I'm not pregnant, but we do have new life in our garden! Some people requested that I post updated pictures, so here they are.

These are the three square foot beds, front to back: corn, beans, and tomatoes/flowers.

This is our corn. We planted it at the end of April, beginning of May. Looking good!

We have 2 rows of lima beans and 2 rows of green beans. They should be ready to harvest in about 3 weeks!

There are 8 tomatoes plants in the middle and then flowers in the corners. The flowers haven't done as well as we wished. Any thoughts on how to make them look better? We planted a lot of tomatoes and I'm the only one who eats them, but I will be sure to eat them all - I love tomatoes!

Josh loves gardening and Thomas is right there beside him telling me, "I helping daddy in the garden." It is amazing how much we have enjoyed having a garden. I'll admit Josh has done the majority of the work at this point. I do water it on occasion, but he really loves to work in it. I foresee that I will have a larger role when it is time to harvest and put up the produce.

We are also in the process of starting a compost pile. Here is the beginning of the work and a cute picture of Thomas.

Familly Conference

2010-05-04T11:05:00.001-04:00

Last weekend our family had the wonderful opportunity to visit sweet friends in Paintsville, KY. Josh was invited to preach at FBC Paintsville for their first ever Family Conference. Our good friend Wil Owens serves as the pastor there. We met Wil and his wife Summer almost two years when they visited our church while searching for a church to pastor. They are such a godly, delightful couple and we became fast friends. They didn't think they would be at our church for long, but ended up worshiping and serving along with us until February '09. We have missed them dearly since they left and were so excited to have the opportunity to visit them.

Although it was a fun trip, it was also a very busy trip. Josh preached in all 6 times in three days! He was exhausted by Sunday night. Our kids did very well, even through many missed naps. We even got in a trip to Butcher Hollar! If you listen to classic country music, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It is the home where Loretta Lynn grew up and she references it in her infamous song, "I'm Proud to be A Coal Miner's Daughter." Josh loves classic country, and even though it wasn't much to see, at least he can proudly say he has been there!

We pray the time we spent with the Owens and FBC Paintsville was encouraging and glorifying to God. They are transitioning to a family based ministry and the conference was a tool to teach parents that they are the primary disciplers of the their children. The church's purpose is to come alongside of families and equip them to teach and train their children. Of course the church also supplements what the parents are already doing at home, but the church isn't the primary place children learn about the gospel. It is a completely different mindset than what Josh and I both grew up with, but we believe (as does the leadership at FBC Paintsville) that this is the biblical way of parenting.

This is the link to listen to the sermons Wil and Josh preached at the Family Conference: http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=searchandsee

Below are some pictures of our time in Paintsville!

Butcher Hollar

Josh proudly posing at Loretta Lynn's home

The kids on the front porch swing

Sweet Josiah at Butcher Hollar

Thomas and his buddy, Haddon

My sweet friend Summer!

The Owens Family

Reunion!

2010-04-27T15:11:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, our church had the pleasure of having a wonderful couple who are workers in East Asia visit us! John & Rachel (you can see her blog linked on my blog list) are also wonderful friends as well, and we were so privileged the Lord gave them an opportunity to visit us. They are home for a very short time, and it was only at the beginning of the month they emailed and said some dates had become available for them to visit us. Even though it was a busy time for us (it was the same week Josh went to Together for The Gospel), we absolutely could not pass up a visit with them.

On Thursday evening, the team (and their families) who went to visit them last summer had dinner with John and Rachel and their girls at a local restaurant. It was a great time of catching up with them and also receiving more details about people they had shared with last summer. All of the kids had a wonderful time playing together after dinner too (I think their were nine children, 5 and below, between us).

We had John and Rachel and their girls over for lunch on Friday and it was a sweet time of fellowship. I was struck with how we don't know each other all that well (other than through visiting them in East Asia and once before in the states); we really are united through the gospel. We are on the same page theologically and it that really does unite your hearts together.

Friday night there was a potluck dinner at the church and then John and Rachel shared with us about their work in EA. I am so glad that some of our church family was able to meet them and hear about how to pray for them as they labor for the sake of the kingdom.

It was a short visit, but we are so glad they were able to come! Below are some pictures of their time here.

Potty Training Help

2010-04-20T07:38:00.000-04:00

I am in need of potty training help from all you experienced moms out there. Thomas is 2.5 and we have been potty training for about 6 months or so. We haven't really followed any method, but just take him to the potty every so often (about every hour) and if he does something, he can have one M&M or a jelly bean. He has always done well pee-peeing on the potty, and in the past few weeks he has gotten even better at telling me when he has to go (he just tasted jelly beans around Easter and I think that is the motivation for wanting to go to the potty!). In the past few weeks, I have also noticed that he has developed the ability to wait for long periods of time to go potty. For instance, we can go out for two to three hours and when we get home, he is still dry! He has also stayed dry during naps and even once stayed dry all night!

My dilemna? He will NOT poo in the potty. We have tried bribery, but it doesn't work. If you ask him where he is supposed to poo, he says, "In the potty." He does know when he has to go, because he wants to be alone now and if I happen to catch him in the act he says, "Mama, I'm pooping right now." I would love to transition him out of pull-ups and diapers, but I just don't think that is possible until he can poo in the potty. I have tried training pants, but he doesn't get upset if he gets those dirty. I'm hesitant to go straight to underwear because I don't want to ruin them.

Seasoned moms, what would you do? How have you handled this with your children, especially boys? Everyone told me boys were hard to potty train, but I really have no idea if that is true. Please help!

The Family Circus

2010-04-14T20:45:00.000-04:00

I came across this cartoon a couple of weeks ago in the Sunday paper. I loved it because I think it does sum it my job and so many other in my occupation who feels the world doesn't understand or appreciate our job. Hope it brightens your day!

Square Foot Gardening

2010-04-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

This year Josh and I decided to try out square foot gardening. Neither one of us have ever gardened, but both of our grandparents did and we wanted to try it. I'm not sure what Josh's reasons for doing it are (other than to get dirty), but I have a couple:

Eat Fresh Produce - There is nothing like fresh corn and tomatoes from the garden. Nothing in the store can compare.
Saves Money - Seeds really are cheap and square foot gardening is so economical that it will save us money. If you've read my blog for any length of time, then you know how much I enjoy saving money!
Better for us - We don't have to worry about the food containing harmful chemicals or pesticides. I read an article in All You (a magazine) a couple of months ago and was surprised of how many foods are shipped from overseas or from across the country. It just makes sense to grow your own food if possible.

We decided to do square foot gardening because it is easy. No gardening tools required and no expertise needed. A guy in our church introduced us to the idea and we bought the book All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. The author lays out step-by-step instructions and give you the benefits of square foot gardening versus single row gardening.

Thankfully, the guy in our church who introduced us to the idea has also helped us get started. He built us three 4x4 gardens and then helped us fill them with the right soil. We could have done it without his help, but we are always so thankful for anyone's assistance!

We have planted lima beans and green beans thus far. In a few weeks we will plant, tomatoes, corn, and okra and maybe a few flowers. Josh is so excited about the garden and loves to go and look at it! He and Thomas water it each night and are anxiously waiting for the first sign of life.

Orderly and Organized

2010-04-06T16:09:00.002-04:00

As Thomas grows older, we begin to see more and more of his distinct personality traits. One of his most prominent traits is his orderliness and organization skills. Thomas likes everything to be lined up perfectly. Josh and I both are organized, although he would admit his organization tends to be "pile" organization, whereas I am "everything last paper has to be in the proper place" organized. Thomas so far has more of my organization habits. Before he goes to bed, he wants all the books put back on the bookshelf (as I do!) and he likes to help me put up all the groceries in their proper spot. Maybe part of this organization trait comes from being a firstborn? I don't know too much about how birth order affects personality, but it might have some affect.

Here are some recent examples of Thomas' organization of his toys. By the way, I love that he has some of my personality since he looks exactly like his daddy. I need to know I contributed something to my firstborn!

Train people lined up perfectly on his table.

One of his favorite places to put his many cars - all in a line!

Pull-ups all lined up one morning when I went to get him from his room. I guess he got bored while waiting on me!

Easter Prayer

2010-04-04T17:21:00.000-04:00

Crucifixion And Resurrection

O Lord,

I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate,

be crucified, dead, and buried.

The sepulchre calls forth my adoring wonder,

for it is empty and thou art risen;

the four-fold gospel attests it,

the living witnesses prove it,

my heart's experience knows it.

Give me to die with thee that I may rise to new life,

for I wish to be as dead and buried

to sin, to selfishness, to the world;

that I might not hear the voice of the charmer,

and might be delivered from his lusts.

O Lord, there is much ill about me - crucify it,

much flesh within me - mortify it.

Purge me from selfishness,

the fear of man, the love of approbation,

the shame of being thought old-fashioned,

the desire to be cultivated or modern.

Let me reckon my old life dead

because of crucifixion,

and never feed it as a living thing.

Grant me to stand with my dying Saviour,

to be content to be rejected,

to be willing to take up unpopular truths,

and to hold fast despised teachings until death.

Help me to be resolute and Christ-contained.

Never let me wander from the path of obedience

to thy will.

Strengthen me for the battled ahead.

Give me courage for all the trials,

and grace for all the joys.

Help me to be a holy, happy person,

free from every wrong desire,

from everything contrary to thy mind.

Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:

may it rule me,

may I walk in its power,

and be strengthened through its influence.

- From The Valley of Vision

Learning About My Husband

2010-04-01T08:07:00.001-04:00

One of the best sessions at the True Woman conference was the first breakout session with Bob Lepine. He is the host of Family Life Today and the topic of his session was "What Your Husband Wishes You Knew About Being His Wife." Sound interesting? It really was great. Bob Lepine used a lot of humor and his own observations and illustrations from his 30+ years of marriage. These are the 10 observations he gave about men:

Your husband needs you to be a helper. He doesn't need you scolding, shaming, griping, insisting on your way, or nagging him.
Your husband needs your perspective. You need to do it with respect and humility.
Your husband is insecure and not confident of his abilities in some areas. Therefore, be kind!
If your husband isn't winning at what he is doing, he will quit and find something else. This is especially true with marriage and family. If you are constantly criticizing your husband, he will just give up. You are your husband's cheerleader and your husband needs your affirmation.
Your husband needs to know you aren't trying to use your relationship to manipulate him.
Your husband needs grace and love even when he makes mistakes and fails. Galatians 6:1 You need to always speak the truth in love and again affirm him even when he make mistakes.
Your husband would rather be respected than loved. Affirm him in what you respect about him. And remember it is God's job to "fix" your husband; you aren't the Holy Spirit.
Sex is one of the most powerful ways to affirm your husband. 1 Corinthians 7:3-4
Stop trying to control your husband! 1 Peter 3:6
Make it your goal to fulfill the "one anothers" in your marriage.

I think the message will be online in the coming weeks and you can check out the True Woman website to find it. I really was encouraged and challenged to be my husband's cheerleader. The world doesn't affirm him, and even his role as a pastor can be very discouraging sometimes, so I need to affirm him and pray for him. I've come to realize that Josh is very aware of his flaws, as I am of mine, and there is no need to point those out and be critical. Even though this was a women's conference, it also helped me in loving my husband more!

True Woman '10

2010-03-31T09:58:00.001-04:00

I had the privilege of attending the True Woman conference in Chattanooga this past weekend. It was the first of three conferences (2 others in Indianapolis and Ft Worth in the fall). You may remember that I also went to the True Woman '08 conference in Chicago. My initial thought when I heard about this conference was that I would not go this time, but after discussing it with some other ladies, we decided to go. I'm so thankful that I did because it was so refreshing and challenging.

Here are just some brief things the Lord taught me.

Challenged to love and serve my husband. This is something that I seek to do, but I was reminded once again why it is so important. So often I become critical and instead of affirming him, I am negative and remind him of what he isn't doing. We are both sinners and I need to give grace to him as I expect him to give grace to me. On Saturday, there was a panel discussion and one of the speakers on the panel said, "Keep short accounts with your expectations. Give your husband room to grow and give him grace." Josh needs my affirmation, not my condemnation.
Challenged to teach and pray for my children. My time really is short with my children, even though sometimes the days are very long. I was challenged to make the most of my time with my boys. The Lord has given me such a wonderful opportunity to teach my children and I need to not be so distracted with the unnecessary things: the internet, a spotless house, "me" time. On Friday morning, Fern Nichols of Moms in Touch led us in a wonderful time of prayer for our children. I do fervently pray for me children, but I was reminded to be in constant prayer for them and to model for them a life or unceasing prayer.
Challenged to teach and model biblical womanhood in my church. I have taught Bible studies to the women in my church, but I know that I need to do more. Why? Because I want the ladies in our church to embrace biblical womanhood and not what the world calls womanhood. Unfortunately, our culture and our churches have been so influenced by feminism that we don't even realize that every area of our lives has been touched by feminism. I want to live a counter-cultural womanhood and teach it as well so that women will live for the glory of God.
Refreshed by the worship through singing. If you have ever had the opportunity to be led in worship by Keith and Kristyn Getty then you know why I was refreshed! Their passion for the Lord spills over into their worship and their songs bring you to closer fellowship with the Lord. If you don't know who they are, check them out at http://www.gettymusic.com/

If you haven't heard of the True Woman movement, I would encourage you to also check out their website: http://www.truewoman.com/. Nancy Lee DeMoss of Revive Our Hearts is spearheading this movement and her passion is to see women living out biblical womanhood in every area of their lives. If that is your desire as well, you can read and sign the True Woman Manifesto on the website.

Also, if any of my readers live near Indianapolis, IN, or Ft. Worth, TX, make plans to attend! I promise it will be worth your time and expense.

Disappointment and Death

2010-03-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

I do like to post a couple of times a week, but lately that seems impossible. Last week was crazy, unexpected, and not according to our plans.

In February, Josh told me that he had planned a surprise getaway for us the third week of March. We were to leave on Monday, the 15th, and come home on Wednesday, the 17th. Because of the nature of Josh's job, we have to take mini-trips during the week since we have to take vacation time to miss a Sunday. As you can imagine, I was so excited! We have never taken a surprise getaway (and we have only been away one other time for a marriage conference) and I couldn't wait. My parents were going to keep the boys for us and of course they were thrilled as well.

Sadly, our plans were canceled on Saturday night because a lady, who was a shut-in, in our church passed away Saturday night. She had been moved to hospice at the end of the week and Josh had been to see her multiple times in the hospital, so we knew it would be soon. In fact, we made the decision not to go before we found out she died. We didn't want to be on the road and have to come home - that would have been even worse.

We did wonder why the Lord allowed this to happen at this time, but we know that he is sovereign over all things and death is never convenient. However, the Lord revealed to us fully on Monday morning why our trip was postponed. We received a call around 9:30am that a very faithful man in our church had a massive heart attack and had died earlier that morning. It was such a shock to us and to our entire church. He was such a godly man and a death that sudden is hard to understand. My last memory of Mr. Charles is of he and his wife coming forward last Sunday morning to pray for Josh. Mr. Charles took his wife's hand and then took Josh's hand and knelt down and prayed for him. He will be missed in our lives and at our church.

Instead of going to Asheville and visiting the Biltmore (Josh told me about the getaway), my parents came to visit us, Josh wrote two funeral sermons, and then preached two funerals last Wednesday. I haven't seen him that exhausted in a very long time.

We are thankful the Lord's timing is best and we hope to take our getaway some other time, Lord willing. I have been reminded through this experience that our plans really are in His hands. As James 4:15 says, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." Please pray for Mr. Charles' widow, Mrs. Nell. She has lost both of her children (one 5 yrs ago and the other just 6 months ago) and now her husband. My disappointment of a trip postponed is nothing compared to her grief and sorrow.

9 Months of Fun

2010-03-13T14:27:00.001-05:00

My little Josiah is 9 months today. It really does seem like that I was pregnant just a mere 2 months ago and now he is nearing the end of his first year. My time with him has gone much faster than time with Thomas or it just seems that way. Since it was just Thomas I could concentrate all my time and attention on him, but Josiah has the added blessing of a sibling to interact with everyday. There are definitely wonderful things about being the firstborn (not sharing parents), but also wonderful things for younger children (the joy of having a sibling).

What Josiah is doing at 9 months:

Still sleeping great. He has dropped his 3rd nap (I'm glad!) and just has a morning and afternoon nap. Sometimes I'm able to squeeze an errand in between he and Thomas' afternoon nap.
Scooting backwards. He isn't crawling yet, although he has been on all fours a few times, but he does scoot backwards. I'm in no hurry for the crawling. Thomas didn't crawl until 11 months. My boys are content where you put them!
Babbling all the time. Around 8 months he began saying "da-da, ba-ba," and sometimes "ma-ma." When he wakes from his naps, he often lays in his crib babbling until I get him - so cute!
Loves big brother more each day. He gets so excited at everything Thomas does. His whole face lights up and he squeals with delight - I love it!
Reaching for everything. I have learned not to put things within his grasp or it will be gone! He has spilt food recently because he grabbed a spoon or container before I knew what was happening.
No teeth. Not even signs of teething. I know some babies don't teeth until late, but Thomas was 6.5 months when he got his first tooth and had 8 by his first birthday. I really thought siblings would teeth around the same time. Guess I was wrong!
Loves to eat! He can eat a whole banana (mashed of course, see above comment!) after he has had 3 cubes of peas/squash/sweet potato/mixed veggies. He really likes to eat and I'm trying to teach him to sign "more" because he gets really impatient when the food doesn't come fast enough or if I don't have the next thing ready.

Josiah really is a joy to be around. Life is just a big party for him. This week we were in the car and we heard him in the backseat laughing and squealing and clapping just because. Thanking the Lord today for 9 months with my sweet "Jo-boy."

He has a cold in the picture (see his poor nose) and you can't see it here, but his hair is really blonde now!

Great Learning Website

2010-03-12T11:37:00.001-05:00

I have found a wonderful new website called No Time For Flashcards. There are so many wonderful learning and craft ideas for toddlers and preschoolers. It was a website that I found through another website (you know how that goes!) and I liked it so much that I bookmarked it and have been back over and over.

One of the crafts I have used most frequently is her crafts with letters. She has a craft (often multiple ones) to do with each upper and lower-case letter of the alphabet. Since Thomas is learning his letters right now, this has been really helpful. For instance, a couple of weeks ago he was having a hard time learning the letter D. I went to the website and found two different crafts using the letter D. We made a dragon and a duck with the letter D. And now he knows the letter D with no problem.

There are also tons of crafts for animals and holidays and just fun stuff. Check it out if you have a child and tell me what you think. Here are some pictures of Thomas painting an elephant.

Greater Works

2010-03-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year, our church had a week of prayer. It was entitled Greater Works: Asking for a Decade of Growth in Grace! Josh really wanted us to begin the year asking God for greater things in this year and the next 10 years, as we just started a new decade. The desire for this prayer week grew out of John 14:12-14: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works that these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Those are some truly powerful words! Whatever we ask in His name, He will do it. Do you believe that? When Josh preached through the book of John last year and came across this passage, I really had to stop and ask myself, "Do I pray believing that God will answer my prayers?"

The key to this prayer is "whatever you ask in my name." What does that mean? Josh explained that to ask something in Jesus' name is to pray according to His will and His character. We know what God's will and His character is by reading the Word. For instance, we know that the Lord desires for His people to worship in Spirit and truth and so we pray that our church would worship Him in Spirit and in truth. These are some of the "greater works" Josh listed in his sermon:

More people repenting of sin and trusting in Christ
More lives changed by the gospel
More hatred of sin
More hunger for the things of God
More families studying the Word together
More evangelism taking place at home and work
More people called and sent as missionaries/pastors
More people embracing biblical manhood/womanhood

Since this sermon on January 3, and our week of prayer, my prayers have changed and I see evidence of God moving in my life, my family, and our church. Do you pray with dependency and expectancy? Do you long for God to move in your life and in your church? Your church can have a wonderful preacher (of course I think we do!) and have the best worship leader and Sunday school teachers, but if we aren't depending on God and expecting Him to move, then we are trying to accomplish spiritual things in our power and it will fall flat.

I hear so many people say, "I wish God would change our country" or "We just need another revival to get people saved." What we need is for believers to be on their face before God asking Him to save people and to change us and our churches for His glory. May it be!

Publix, Where Shopping Is A Pleasure

2010-02-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. Up until a few months ago, I thought anybody who shopped at Publix was wasting her money. Their stores are always very nice and it just always seemed to me like an "upper-end" store. Who carries your groceries out to your cart anymore without even asking? However, I have been proved wrong. Very wrong.

About a year ago, I became what some would call an extreme couponer, but what I would classify as frugal (my husband says I'm crazy!). A lady came to talk to a group at our church about the advantages of couponing. Sure, I got a Sunday paper and I clipped coupons, but not that many. This lady talked to us about how to get products for free! Free? How can you walk out of any store with something free? I was a bit skeptical at first, but now that I have been couponing for almost a year, I know that I can get several things for free at one time!

I still was a snob about Publix until I began reading the Southern Savers blog. Jenny, who operates the blog, lists the weekly ad of most southern grocery stores and the coupon match-ups each week (I have no idea how she has the time or patience to do so, but I'm very thankful). As I started reviewing the ads and the coupon match-ups, I realized that Publix really has the best deals. Why do I like Publix so much now?

· Buy-One-Get-One Free Deals (BOGO). This is when at item is 50% off essentially and you can buy one or both items and use a coupon on each item you buy. Great deal even without a coupon.

· Store Coupons. Publix issues coupons they can be used in their store and "stacked" with a manufacturer coupon. For instance, Huggies diapers are on sale for $8.99 and I have a manufacturer coupon for $2 off and I have a Publix coupon for $2 off. That makes the diapers $4.99 - a great deal!

· Competitor Coupons. Publix accepts competitor coupons, although not as many as they used to accept. Who can blame them? They are losing money when they accept another store's coupon.

· Friendly Service. They really have the best service of any grocery store I know. They are always ready and willing to help with anything in the store and cheerfully take my groceries to the car.

Let me give you a quick example of how I saved on chicken and beef broth this weekend at Publix. Progresso Chicken/Beef Broth was BOGO for $2.59 (1.29 each). I bought 4 cartons. I used (2) $.50 manufacturer coupons that doubled to $1.00. One manufacturer coupon of $1 off when you buy 2. And one Publix store coupon $1 off when you buy 4 Progresso products. Basically, $4 off my purchase of $5.18, which made it $1.18. Divide it by 4, and I spent about $.30 on each carton and it is normally $2.59 a carton!!

Have you ever tried Publix? If so, what was your experience? Do you have a favorite grocery store? Or do you just buy what you have to get when you need it and could care less who has the best price (that is Josh's philosophy and one of the many reasons I do the grocery shopping!)?

Brotherly Love

2010-02-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

Since today is Valentine's Day and my valentine is sick in bed, I thought I would post some pictures of my two little sweethearts. It is so fun to watch Thomas and Josiah interact with each other. Right now it is fun ... ask me again in a year and I'll probably tell you how it is fun and challenging, but right now it is great!

In the past couple of months, Josiah has become very aware of Thomas and he watches everything that Thomas does and loves to "play" with Thomas. In return, Thomas loves being the center of attention. Josiah laughs at almost anything Thomas does and Thomas tells me all the time, "Mama, I funny." Well, to Josiah he is a regular comedian!

Thomas has also realized that this little person isn't just for mama, but he is a playmate and that is exciting! He likes to "teach" Josiah how to play with his toys or "read" to him. It is fun to watch him take care of Josiah and love on him. Of course, Josiah thinks that Thomas hangs the moon!

Josh and I both look forward to watching them grow up together and to have a close relationship. Both of our siblings are over a decade apart from us (Josh's brother is 12 yrs older; my brother is 13 yrs younger) so we both grew up as essentially only children because our siblings weren't around as we were growing up. Sometimes it makes me sad not to have a brother or sister close in age, as many of my friends do, because those sibling relationships are so close and unique.

Here are a few pictures of our sweet boys together, who we pray will one day be the best of friends!

Busy With Birthdays

2010-02-08T15:15:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy with celebrating birthdays! At the end of January, my brother-in-law celebrated his 40th (pictures to follow). Last week, we celebrated birthdays three days in a row: mine, my mom's 50th, and a good friend's 30th! My posts have been non-existent because I have been busy. I'll admit the blog is the first thing to go during busy weeks and days because it is by far the least important thing on my to-do list. Taking care of my family and my home is the most important task the Lord has called me to do and I have learned that means I can't do everything I want to do all the time.

With all that said, I wanted to share the fun cake I made (with my sweet husband's help) for my brother-in-law's birthday. Since he was turning 40, it was only appropriate to do an Over The Hill cake! The cake turned out much better than I expected, especially since I started off with problems.

A few weeks ago, Crisco sticks, which I use to make icing, were on sale and I had a coupon (of course!), so I decided to stock up on them, but I bought butter flavor instead of original. At the time, I thought this would be a great idea and would make the icing taste even better. The icing tasted great, but the butter flavor Crisco also had the color of butter and when you try to mix black food coloring with a butter color, it isn't gray but an ugly green color! I tried to turn it gray for a while and eventually it turned a dark gray color that I used for a border, but my mother-in-law was gracious enough to buy some original Crisco sticks and everything turned out great!

I'm not good enough to go into the cake decorating business (ever seen Ace of Cakes?), but I do enjoy making cakes for my family. What do you think?

Lesson Learned

2010-01-27T11:21:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I rushed around the house picking up the previous night's clothes to have a larger load of laundry to wash. Josh had mentioned to me on Monday that he thought Thomas had crayons in his pockets. Not thinking about that reminder, I put his jeans in the washing machine. He reminded me again when I told him that I was washing clothes that Thomas had crayons in his pockets. AGAIN, I forgot and simply loaded the dryer full of wet clothes. When I opened the dryer door, I remember Josh saying, "I think Thomas has crayons in his pockets," for this is what I saw:

After I removed all the clothes, and saw more black crayon stains, this is what my dryer looked like:

Here is the culprit:

I googled (is that a verb now?) "how to clean crayon out of the dryer" and the answers said to take a damp cloth, spray WD-40 on the cloth, and wipe the inside of the dryer. It worked to get the crayon that was caked on, but most of the stains will not come out. I think the dryer was so warm that it permanently melted black crayon into the drum. Every time I look at the dryer, I will remember to always check Thomas' pockets!

A picture of my sweet boy, who only was warned never to put crayons in his pockets again!

Same or Different?

2010-01-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

People who know our family in person think that Josiah looks so much like Thomas as a baby. I decided I would let my blog audience give me your opinion. Below is a picture of Thomas the day he turned 7 months and a picture of Josiah on his 7 month birthday last week. What do you think?
___

Cleaning Schedule for Moms

2010-01-18T10:28:00.003-05:00

I just found this great website that breaks down daily, weekly, and monthly chores especially designed for moms. Previously, I have tried to follow the Fly Lady's cleaning schedule, but it is very hard to clean the entire house in one day with little one's around. The website is JustMommies Home Organization Plan and I think it will be very helpful to me! If you try it out, let me know what you think.

A Decade of Change

2010-01-13T14:00:00.001-05:00

It is amazing to me that the year 2000 was 10 years ago! Josh and I were discussing this phenomena the other day and he said, "You know, this past decade is the first that we have remembered completely." We are both children of the 80's, and our memories of the 80's are almost non-existent, while our memories of the 90's really don't begin until the late 90's (hope I'm not making some of you feel old!). I thought it would be fun to write down all the important things that happened in my life the past 10 years. So here goes...

Graduated High School (2001).

Spent a summer in San Antonio, TX, ministering and loving on sweet children (2002).

Graduated College (2004 - yes, I graduated a year early because I was able to take college credit my senior year of high school - my parents were thankful!).

Moved alone to Louisville, KY to attend seminary (2004).
Went on my first (and only, thus far) international mission trip (2005).
Moved to Indiana when Josh and I became engaged (2006).

Married Josh (2006).

Moved to South Carolina (2007).

Sadly, my great-grandfather, grandmother, and great grandmother died within 3 months of each other in the summer of 2007.

Thomas was born (2007 - 6 weeks before our first anniversary - surprise!).

I lost my final grandparent, my sweet grandfather, one year and two days after my grandmother died (2008).

Josiah was born (2009).

As you can see, it has been a decade of much change! Through it all, God has been so good and gracious to me. I look back over the last decade and I'm amazed at the love of my Savior and how He has opened my eyes to understand more of Him and to love Him more. The above events don't tell of all the things the Lord did in my heart over the past decade because it would take the next year to write it all!

On January 13, 2000, I was 16 (almost 17) and a junior in high school. I was beginning to think about college, but really enjoying spending time with my friends while we finished high school! Now, on January 13, 2010, I am 26 (almost 27 - doesn't look nearly as nice as 17!) and enjoying spending my life with Josh while we raise our two beautiful children (and hoping for more). And to think, I didn't even know about the place I live now or Josh Culbertson!

New Year with New Goals

2010-01-05T14:14:00.004-05:00

It is the 5th day of January and I'm just now posting things I had hoped to do last week. Oh well, such is life!

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Thomas understood much more this year and it was fun seeing him so excited about Christmas. We taught him whose birthday we were celebrating and when we asked him, he would say, "Baby Jesus." Of course, we learned that children don't "perform" as you would like. Example: We were at the retirement home having breakfast with the chaplain and director and we asked Thomas, "Who is Christmas about?" Fully expecting to hear, "Baby Jesus," but instead he said, "Ho, ho, ho!" Yes, we were embarrassed! We aren't anti-Santa, but he knows Christmas is about Jesus.

Our New Year was spent low key with some close friends. If you know me, then you know that I am not a night person. I would be happy going to bed at 9pm every night (if you think that is weird, you should meet my mom. She goes to bed around 8pm and she is young - the big 5-0 this year!). Plus, the kiddos need to get their rest as well. We didn't even stay up to ring in the new year, but it was here when I woke up Friday morning!

One of the goals I had last year was to read through the bible in a year. Through God's grace, I did it! I used D.A. Carson's For The Love of God and loved it, although I didn't complete the plan. Using his plan, which is the M'Cheyne plan, you read the Psalms and New Testament twice and the rest of the bible once. After Josiah was born, it was hard to keep up. Thankfully, I had read through almost all of the NT and half of the Psalms before he came, so I decided to skip reading the NT and Psalms again. There were some weeks I had to read many chapters at one time, but I was at a point in the reading (prophesy and OT history) that it actually flowed well and helped me to see the overall picture of Israel's history and God's grace to them through the prophets warnings and promises of restoration.

My goal this year is the same as last year: read through the bible in a year, but hopefully following M'Cheyne's plan. Last year I used Volume 1 of Carson's book and this year I'm using Volume 2. The only difference is the passage of Scripture he highlights in the devotion. I have already learned and appreciated the book of Ezra more this year than last.

Another goal is to begin doing daily learning activities with Thomas. Here are a few of the resources I am using as I plan our days and activities:

Children's Learning Activities
Our Preschool Homeschool Blog
The Toddler's Busy Book - Trish Kuffner
Slow & Steady Get Me Ready - June Oberlander

If you know of any more good resources, please share!

A goal that I have every year is to read more. This past year, even with having a baby, I was able to read some excellent books. I should write a short, un-academic, review of them at some point. Here are some of the best books I read last year:

1. Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Tolerate - Jerry Bridges (has forever changed the way I view my sin).

2. God is The Gospel - John Piper (given me new eyes to see my Savior and the glorious news).

3. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009 - Greg Wills (Dr. Wills led the mission trip to China in 2005 and he was beginning the research for this book. Outstanding book!).

4. Radical Womanhood - Carolyn McCulley (gave me a deep understanding of the roots of feminism and how we as Christian women can fight it).

There are a few more, but this is all that is coming to mind right now. Do you have any book suggestions for this new year?

Early to Bed...Early to Sweat!

2009-12-29T13:46:00.004-05:00

This Christmas I finally received the gift I have been asking (okay, maybe pleading occasionally) for since last summer. If you are thinking a new diamond or an expensive piece of furniture guess again. What did I receive from my beloved?

A gym membership to the YMCA!!

Some of you (including my husband) think I am crazy for wanting to join a gym, especially as a Christmas present! Since I have been in college, I have enjoyed running or using the elliptical machine and toning up with weights. Occasionally, I enjoy attending a class at the gym too. In college, I went to an abs class twice a week and loved it! When I attended Southern Seminary, a friend and I went running 3x a week. We enjoyed running and exercise is always more fun with a partner.

When we left Southern, I no longer had access to a gym (or at least a "free" membership). For those of you who know my husband, you know that going to the gym is not on his top 10 list of things he must do. Last year, a new friend (whose husband was also a pastor) told me that she had a membership to the YMCA and it was half price for pastors! Immediately I was ready to join, but Josh wasn't (remember I have been asking for a year and a half).

To be fair, there was some definite reason for the delay, other than his desire not to go! I got pregnant last September and a gym membership wasn't at the top of either of our lists. Josh said that he decided that he would get a family membership in November as a Christmas present to me (and of course I hadn't been reminding him how much I would love to go since August!).

Yesterday morning I went for the first time around 6am. It was wonderful rising early to spend time with the Lord and then exercising! As a mom, it is wonderful to have an hour to myself. I was even able to come home and get ready before the kids woke up. It definitely helped me to feel ready for the day by having time with the Lord and time to do something for me.

This evening Josh and I are going together (childcare is provided). He isn't thrilled about it, but he said he would try and I think if we do it together, he will stick with it. We are beginning my New Year's goal early - to be healthier!

6 Months of Sweetness

2009-12-23T14:02:00.004-05:00

My title is exactly how I would describe the last 6 months with Josiah. He really is such a sweet and happy baby. I love going to get him in the mornings, because as soon I walk in the room his whole face lights up! The only time he fusses is if he is hungry or he is overtired (which happens frequently on Sundays).

We took him to the pediatrician yesterday for his 6 month well check and he is doing great! He is in the 80% for height, but only the 33% for weight. Those cheeks sure do fool everyone! Developmentally, he is right on track. He is rolling over constantly and is sitting up well assisted, and can sit up briefly unassisted. Josiah has recently started to giggle and it is the cutest thing in the world!

Josiah has started to eat some food as well. I was very eager with Thomas to start solids, but I waited with Josiah because I learned how much extra work is involved with solids. My goal is to make most of his baby food, and so far I have been able to do it. He has to have prunes everyday, and I am going to attempt to puree prunes this week. If anyone has any tips on the best way to puree prunes, let me know! A book that has been very helpful in making baby food is Super Baby Food.

Six months is also a little bittersweet for me too, because it means soon he won't sit still in my lap or want me to be held as much. These last six months have went by so quickly, and I know it will only be a blink of an eye and we will be celebrating his first birthday. I am mindful of how quickly the time goes and I'm trying to be purposeful in enjoying all these precious moments with my baby.

Here are some recent pictures of our sweet baby:

Josiah with Jim, my step-dad, at our Christmas celebration.

Adorable little face!
Brothers holding hands!

Looking so big in his high chair!

Giving So Others May Know

2009-12-22T13:46:00.004-05:00

Lottie Moon's Mirror at our church Christmas 2008.

Lottie Moon is a familiar name for anyone who has ever attended a Southern Baptist Church. When I was little, I thought she was a lady the church gave money to because she was poor! Have you ever seen Lottie's picture? She looks like she could use a little more to eat - at least to a 6-year-old! For all my readers who are non-Southern Baptists, Lottie Moon is our annual offering for international missions. It is always at Christmas, which brings me to the point of this post.

Many church members would probably say that we should have the Lottie Moon offering at some other time, because Christmas is such a busy and expensive time of the year. While both of those things are true, I believe that Christmas is the best time to collect an offering for our international missionaries. As Josh explained Sunday morning before our Lottie Moon offering, "At Christmas we celebrate Christ taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Our international missionaries do the same thing as they take on the culture, language, and country of the people they are dwelling among. They illustrate with their lives how Christ came and took on our culture and language and left the glory of heaven to save us from our sin." Praise God for the over 5,000 SBC missionaries who are dwelling among a foreign people, often in dangerous circumstances, so that all people may hear the good news!

A common excuse for not giving to Lottie Moon is, "I don't have the money right now. I have to buy gifts for my family." Josh and I both know the temptation to not give (or not to give sacrificially) because you want to have enough money to give to your family or do something else, and so we decided to plan to give to Lottie Moon. At the beginning of the year, we talk about what amount of money we want to give to Lottie Moon in December, and then we budget for it every month. We have a savings account and part of what we put into savings every month is a portion of what we will give to Lottie Moon in December.

If you are Southern Baptist and don't give to Lottie Moon, I encourage you to give so that the gospel can go forth to those who have never heard. There are so many people in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus. They don't know what Christmas is or if they do, they don't know why we celebrate this holiday.

If you are Southern Baptist and do give to Lottie, but would like to give more, I encourage you to set a goal for what you would like to give next December and save for it all year. It isn't hard to give more, when you have saved all year.

Lastly, if you aren't Southern Baptist, I encourage you to find out how you can support missionaries your church or denomination sends out.

For those missionaries who read my blog, I want you to know how much I appreciate you and thank the Lord for you. While we may sacrifice a little to give to support you, you and your families sacrifice everything to go and share the gospel with those who have never heard. May the Lord bless you greatly as you continue to serve Him and share with all nations!

Like Father, Like Son

2009-12-16T14:15:00.003-05:00

Thomas wants to be just like his daddy! Josh has an old electric razor and when Thomas found it, he decided he needed to shave as well. The only thing missing from this picture is Thomas' sing-song voice, "Shave, shave, shave..."

Oh, and the water all down his shirt is because of one of his other hobbies: playing in the sink!

Fruitful?

2009-12-07T14:48:00.004-05:00

There is a debate that wages in many Christian circles about Psalm 128:3: "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table." Other verses included Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 127:3-5. Some think this mean that we have as many children as the Lord gives us (no family planning), while others believe the Lord commands us to have children, but leaves the number to our discretion.

This is a topic that I have prayed about and read a lot about it too. Recently, a friend and I began reading Mark Chanski's book Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit and he comments on this verse:

Fruitfulness varies in its manifestation among different plants. A fruitful grape-vine will sport many, many clusters of grapes. On the other hand, a productive pumpkin vine may only generate four or five pumpkins. A farmer is very thankful if a single cornstalk produces two ears! Fruitfulness will vary from womb to womb, family to family. Revelation, providence, liberty and wisdom must be conscientiously blended. p. 32 (emphasis mine)

Let me be up front: Josh and I plan to have a big family, Lord willing. We do believe that children are a blessing from the Lord, but we also believe that family size is an area the Lord gives us wisdom to make decisions. I applaud the Duggars for raising 18 children (soon to be 19), but there is no way that Josh and I could afford to have that many children. They spend $3,000 a month on groceries alone. For many people, including us, we would spend our entire paycheck feeding that many children, and how would we clothe or provide a home?

There is the argument that God will provide for all our needs, and I believe that fully, but also believe that he gives us wisdom and discretion about family size. A family who has a disabled child has to spend much of their time and money to provide for that one child and may be physically or emotionally unable to care for more children. A family who is in ministry and dependent on the support of others has to decide how big of a family they can support.

Chanski's thoughts on procreation and fruitfulness were very helpful to me in explaining why it is okay for families to make a wise and prayerful decision about family size. Each plant is different in its fruitfulness and the Lord made us that way. Families come in all sizes and that is okay.

A caveat: I do believe that Scripture is clear that Christians are to have children unless they are physically unable. It is a sin to willingly remain childless because God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. And our American culture views children as a hindrance instead of a blessing as anyone can clearly see in how available abortions are here.

There is much more that I can say about this issue, but I will stop for today. What are your thoughts on this topic? I'm sure some of you disagree and I would love to hear your feedback. Maybe what you say will give me a topic for another day.

Adorable

2009-11-23T13:44:00.001-05:00

If this little face doesn't make your heart melt, then nothing will! How thankful I am for my sweet baby Josiah.

Eating The Elephant

2009-11-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

One of the recommendations in Shopping For Time is to take small steps in completing a major project or "eating the elephant." I will admit that this is a hard step for me. My desire is to complete a project in one sitting, but with two small children who need my constant attention that is not possible. Let me clarify: it isn't possible with a two-year-old who is curious about everything and always wants to "help." Lately, instead of tackling a daunting task, I have put it off because it can't be done at one time.

I was encouraged after reading the book to begin doing a little each day to complete a project that I have put off. We have a bookshelf in our office/playroom area that is very disorganized because I'm not sure what to do with everything. We have another huge bookshelf in Thomas' room that covers an outside door and while it is somewhat organized, many of the books/picture albums need to be moved or rearranged. See what I mean by not wanting to tackle this task?

After sitting down and thinking about it, I realized that before I began rearranging and organizing, I have to find something to do with my many Southern Living magazines (have I ever mentioned how much I love that magazine?). I looked online for magazine holders, but I never could find anything I liked. Finally, I got the brilliant idea to look through all the magazines and cut out the articles I want to keep and recycle the rest of the magazine. I'm sure many of you would have come to that conclusion way before I did!

Right now I'm in the midst of sorting through magazines and it has been a lot of fun. The great thing about cutting out the articles is I might actually cook some of the yummy recipes instead of reading the magazine and saying, "Oh, I'll have to cook that some day," and never looking at it again. Now I have to find a place to store all the recipes, house decorating tips, and fun places to travel.

This elephant (organizing bookshelves) is going to take a long time to eat, but it will be done someday...actually, I'm setting a goal for completion by the end of January. Here is a before look at the bookshelf in the office/play area.

I wasn't exaggerating when I said it was a daunting task! And just a side note: that plant on top of the bookshelf is the only one in my house and it was given to me when Josiah was born - 5 months! If you know me, then you know I have a very brown thumb; I kill everything. One time I even killed a tree by drowning it in water, but that is another story!

Learning & Growing

2009-11-17T14:32:00.005-05:00

I realized that I haven't given any updates on my boys lately. So here goes...

Thomas - His vocabulary has exploded over the past two months. I really wasn't worried that he wasn't talking in complete sentences because everyone I have talked to said, "Wait until he is two and he will surprise you." He definitely has surprised us at the things he is able to say now. I love how he says some words such as "football." It sounds more like "futeball." I'm always amazed at how observant he is when he sees an object and knows the word. For example, Josiah has lots of bibs and outfits with a football somewhere on the outfit and Thomas immediately say, "Mama, Jo has a football!" He gets so excited about it and it is so cute!

We are also in the midst of potty training and it is going surprisingly well. I really think bribery in the key. Here is an example of our conversation:

Thomas: "Mama, I have to pee-pee."

Mama: "Okay, let's go to the potty."

Thomas: "More candy! More candy!"

Yes, he has it figured out that when he goes to the potty candy follows. He also tried to use this the other night at dinner. He didn't eat much dinner, but of course he wanted a cookie. We told him he had to eat more dinner to get a cookie. It was only a moment later he told us he needed to go the bathroom - coincidence? I think not!

---------

Josiah - My sweet baby boy is now 5 months old! He is so sweet and smiley and just a joy to be around. He is regularly rolling over and reaching and grabbing things. Josiah loves his big brother and if Thomas is in the room, he is watching him.

We just went to a four hour schedule because he is such a great napper and sleeper. Most of his naps are between two and two and a half hours. He is sleeping around 12 hrs at night and this mama is so happy to be in bed by 10pm every night!

For now, he is still fully swaddled for naps. I honestly thought he would not need or want to be swaddled by 5 months, but he really likes it. At night, I put him in a sleep sack and because he sleeps sounder at night he doesn't have to be swaddled.

Here he is a couple of weeks ago napping:

Yes, he is as sweet as he looks. I'm so blessed!

The Winners Are....

2009-11-16T10:33:00.004-05:00

#2 - Amy

#6 - Meredith

Congratulations! I used random.org and it said it would be the same as drawing the numbers out of a hat, so I went with it!

Thanks for all who participated. If you still want to buy the book, you can go here and purchase it for $9 or $8 if you buy 5 or more. It was a great bible study tool for those of you wanting to use it with a ladies group.

I said last week that I would post more about the book, but the week got away from me. Lord willing, I have a post coming later today!

Oh, and ladies since you both live near me, I will just save the shipping cost and give it to you sometime soon!

Book Giveaway!!

2009-11-09T10:29:00.005-05:00

Would you like a copy of the book Shopping For Time: How To Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed? If you do, then you have a chance to win it here!

There were two extra books ordered for the bible study and no one used them, so I decided that I would give both away to my blog readers. Since there are probably only two of you who read this (and my father-in-law, but he won't be entering the contest!), you should have a great chance of winning it, if you want it!

Just leave a comment and let me know why you want the book. I'm going to use random.org (as long as I can figure out how, if not, I'll do the names in the hat method) to pick two winners next Monday, November 16th. Looking forward to reading your comments!

Needy

2009-11-05T14:17:00.005-05:00

Last month, I taught a 4-week bible study on the book Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed. The book's authors are the girltalk bloggers and I enjoyed it so much! They offer five tips to help you use your time wisely:

1. Rise Early
2. Sit Still
3. Sit & Plan
4. Consider People
5. Plan to Depend

All of the chapters were helpful, but the second and fifth chapters were especially meaningful to me. Today, I'll focus on the second chapter and another post will cover the last chapter.

If you know me well, then you know that I don't like to sit still. I am always moving and doing. The moment my feet hit the floor, I'm ready to go. It amazes Josh that I can be up for 5 minutes and already washing the dishes or clothes, or vacuuming the floors. The first thing I normally think when I wake up is, "Oh, I need to do _____ today," and most of the time I want to do it right then, especially if it is a chore that I dislike.

However, from the time I was a teenager I learned the discipline of sitting still with the Lord in the mornings. I'm the type of person that cannot have private worship in the evenings because I'm too tired or I make too many excuses. It was much easier to get up earlier as a teenager (I had to go to school) or as an adult without children (I had to go to work), it is MUCH harder to get out of bed now that I have children. Why? Because sleep can so easily become an idol in my life. If it were up to me, I would go to bed by 9pm every night. Sometimes when we tuck Thomas into bed, I just want to snuggle up next to him and it is only 8pm! Yes, my children do sleep all night now, but it is still a struggle to get up most mornings.

What I am learning is that I desperately need to sit still with the Lord now more than ever. Why? Because I can't meet the needs of my family in my strength - I am weak and frail and utterly sinful - I need Jesus! And until I read this book, I never realized how prideful it is not to spend time with the Lord. This is how the authors explained it:

Conversely, choosing not to sit at Jesus' feet makes a statement. It says to the Lord, "I can do it without you. I don't need to read your Word or pray or listen to your voice. I am competent all by myself, thank you very much." These are frighteningly arrogant words we're saying, if not with our mouth then with our heart.

I am ashamed to say that my heart has often uttered those words. Oh, LORD forgive my prideful and conceited heart and give me grace to call out to my Savior!

What am I doing in light of reading this chapter? I am committing to rise early (their first tip) at 6am and to sit still at Jesus' feet because I am truly lost without him. Am I prone to fall away? Yes, as the hymn says, "Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love." Am I prone to legalism? Yes. Sometimes it is easy to think that I can "earn favor" from God or that he loves me more, but he doesn't.

Are you needy? Then join me in sitting still and communing with our Father in heaven. I promise your days will be more peaceful and you will actually look forward to rising early.

Fall Fun

2009-11-03T14:20:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make: We are okay with Halloween. Not a scary, blood and guts Halloween, but one where children dress up as their favorite Disney character or who they want to be when they grow up. It is fun for children to pretend and to get free candy! Josh & I both grew up trick-or-treating and never thought of it as an evil holiday. I know that many believers disagree with celebrating Halloween, but we both have thought through it and think that it is harmless in the way we observe it. Are there people who take it to an extreme? Sure. But every holiday can be taken to an extreme. We just view it as a time to have fun with our kids and eat candy!

With that said, Thomas was a train engineer for Halloween and he was so cute! Josiah was himself. He is only four months old and I don't dress my babies up until they are old enough to walk. I don't think he felt deprived because Thomas got to dress up and he didn't! We went to our church's fall festival and then to my in-law's fall festival. Thomas was able to play some games and win a small tractor, which he has not put down since Saturday night!

Below are some pictures of Thomas. After looking through the pictures, I realized we didn't take any pictures of Josiah. Oh, now I remember why: he was sleeping the whole time! I also included some pictures of a little art project I did with Thomas on Friday.

Any of my other readers participate on Saturday? Or do you not agree with Halloween and didn't observe the day?

Cake I made for the cake-walk.

Slow Fade

2009-10-26T14:01:00.004-04:00

I have been absent for a little while, even though I have things I want to write about. The things I'm thinking of take some time to put into words, and time to think isn't there too often! So until I can put some thoughts into words, I wanted to share a song that Josh and I really like.

We don't listen to Christian music much because the messages usually are watered down. However, Josh heard this song first and told me how much he liked it. When I heard it, I thought, "Wow, this song really does have a great message."

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8SYA6rfbs

I can't embed it into the blog for some reason. Oh well - I hope you still watch it!

Here are the lyrics:

Be careful little eyes what you see

It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

Chorus
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

(Chorus)

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

(Chorus)

People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Josiah & Bumbo

2009-10-14T15:59:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we pulled out the bumbo seat for Josiah since he is now 4 months old and we thought he just might like it. We didn't have a bumbo for Thomas, but I wanted one for Josiah and picked one up for $10 at a consignment sale earlier this year! Here are some sweet pictures of our baby boy on his 4 month birthday!

He actually isn't crying here, but squealing - his new favorite thing to do!

I love this little face - he looks so serious!

Everyone thinks he is so much bigger than Thomas was at 4 months, but he is smaller! I looked at Thomas' 4 month numbers and he was 16lbs and 26 3/4". Josiah' s 4 month numbers are 14lbs 15oz and 25 1/4". Josiah is a pound lighter and an inch and a half shorter. I guess it is those cheeks that has everyone fooled!

Vacation Pictures

2009-10-12T10:34:00.002-04:00

This first picture is a classic family picture. We were at a harbor and there were tons of gnats. Don't you just love my expression and Thomas covering his face?

Picture with the grandparents - everyone is looking at something different!

Look at my sweet boy - don't you just love those cheeks?!
A good picture of us!

Thomas resting by the pool.

Playing in the sand! I know he looks like a little "gangster" with this hat, but he loves it and it is too big for him. If he wears it sideways, he can see!

View from our balcony - I didn't want to come home!

Josh & Thomas at the ocean. Thomas liked to be held when near the ocean. He said, "Hold Daddy, hold!"

Look at my sweet little Josiah with his stylin' hat! He really didn't care about the beach. He just cares about eating and sleeping!

Josh in the top of the castle at the inflatable playground. This castle was great - 2 slides and there were costume for the kids to play dress up. Thomas just wanted to slide!

Playing with the balls.

Josiah even got in on the action in the exersaucer. This is just like our one at home. He didn't stay in it too long. At three months he isn't quite strong enough to support his weight on his legs, but he sure does look cute!

Trying to show Thomas how to play with the dinosaurs, but he wasn't interested. I think he was a little scared.

Professional Pictures

2009-10-10T20:40:00.004-04:00

We had Thomas and Josiah's pictures made last month. Josh and I both love pictures and we enjoy taking the kids for professional pictures every so often. Actually, I have a "schedule" of when I want their pictures taken:

3 months
6 months
12 months
18 months
2 years (and every year following)

Since we plan on homeschooling, we will have to take the initiative of having professional pictures every year since they won't have the infamous school pictures (maybe that is a good thing considering how some of mine and Josh's turned out!).

Without further ado, here is Thomas' 2 year photo, Josiah's three month, and a picture of them together. For some reason they turned out a little fuzzy when I scanned them. If anyone knows how to fix that, let me know!

This is the only decent picture we got of them together and this came after much bribery with candy. We don't normally parent with bribery, but when you are in a hurry, you do what you have to do to get a picture!

We've Been Busy...

2009-10-09T21:00:00.003-04:00

Our family has been very busy the past two weeks and therefore, no blogging for me. I wish that I could say things are going to return to a normal pace soon, but it looks as if the whole month is filled with many things to do. Such is life.

Last week we spent a week at the beach! So, really I wasn't busy, but the last thing I wanted to do was blog. We left last Monday to go to Hilton Head Island for the week. It was such a wonderful trip. We had a beautiful condo on the beach (rates are much lower after Labor Day!) and we enjoyed just sitting on the balcony listening to the waves and feeling the breeze.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30th, Josh & I celebrated our third anniversary. Well...I don't know how much celebration we had. We took Thomas to an inflatable playground that morning and then treated ourselves to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. That is life with two small children! Josh's parents joined us on Thursday, and we were able to have a date to a very nice Italian restaurant on Thursday evening.

We returned home on Sunday, but life didn't return to normal until yesterday. Josh & I attended a NANC (national association of nouthetic counselors) conference Monday through Wednesday. Thankfully, it was only an hour away and we were able to be home every evening. I'll post more on my thoughts from the conference in another post.

Now, I'm trying to get back in the normal ebb and flow of life, but there is so much catching up to do! It is hard to take care of little ones and catch up on all the cleaning, laundry, mail, and couponing for two weeks, but I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And for some crazy reason, I have just been so exhausted about 3pm in the afternoon. I honestly feel like I could go to bed at 7pm every night, but that isn't reality in our house.

Thankful for the weekend and hoping for a calmer week next week.

I'll post pictures of our trip AND our new van (we bought a '06 Honda Odyssey and love it!) when I have some time and energy!

Learn Bible Verses!

2009-09-26T21:25:00.003-04:00

I am teaching a children's class on Sunday nights now and one of the goals is for the children to learn a verse every week. My goal is to learn the verses with them for I need to hide God's word in my heart just as much as they do!

Now, there is an even better way to learn more bible verses with music! The CD is called Fighter Verse Songs and I'm pretty sure the people who produced it are connected to John Piper's church, Bethlehem Baptist. We listen to music all the time and what could be better than listening to music that will help us hide God's word in our heart?!

The best part? You could win the CD! Go to this blog and check out the details! Even if I don't win, I'm going to buy it. Happy singing and memorizing!

Southern Savers

2009-09-23T10:40:00.003-04:00

I wanted to pass along a wonderful couponing blog. It is www.southernsavers.com and I have found so MANY great deals on her blog. She covers most grocery stores in the southeast as well as CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Target. There is often alerts about free stuff and great coupons. The other week there was a great deal at Snapfish.com. If you were a new member, you got 50 prints free and there was free shipping the week of labor day. We take tons of pictures, and I spent about $9 for 150 pictures.

The best deal this week: diapers at Rite Aid. Last night I went to Rite Aid and this is what I got:

3 packs of Huggies Pure & Natural
1 case of Nestle bottled water
1 A&D diaper rash cream
1 small box of vanilla wafers (Josh's reward for staying with the kids and he needed it since Josiah decided to cry the whole time I was gone - poor Josh!)

Total out-of-pocket: $17
Total rebate check: $10
Total spent: $7

If you don't coupon, you are throwing away money!! The diapers alone were $11 each! Yes, I had tons of coupons - $3 Huggies coupons, $2 Rite Aid Huggies coupons, $5 off when you spend $20 Rite Aid coupons, $2 off A&D diaper rash cream, & $.50 off bottle water and it was on sale for $3.88.

Look at this site - you will save money!

3 Months!

2009-09-21T10:35:00.002-04:00

Josiah turned three months on the 13th and is no longer officially a "newborn." And you know what? I'm not sad about it. To be really honest, the newborn stage is the hardest for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my babies at every age, but when they are newborns everyone is still adjusting to a new baby, and he is adjusting to life outside the womb. At three months, I understand him more and can adequately (most of the time) distinguish between the "I'm just really fussy" cry and "I have a dirty diaper and you need to change me NOW" cry.

Here are some other things I love about this age:

Awake longer. Newborns are SO sleepy, but now Josiah is happy and content for about an hour. Usually, at the hour mark he begins to fuss and that is my cue to lay him down.
Smiles and "talks" to us. I LOVE interacting with my children and Josiah is such a happy and "chatty" baby. He loves it when we talk to him and usually gets very excited. Seeing his sweet smiles make my heart melt.
Great naps! Around 10 weeks, he began to take great naps. I would lay him in his bed and he began going right to sleep with no fussing. He normally takes 4 naps a day for around 2 hrs.
Sleeps through the night! Around 9 weeks he began sleeping about 7 to 8 hrs, but between 10.5 to 12 weeks he hit his 3 month growth spurt and was sleeping around 6 hrs (I'm certainly not complaining about 6 hrs!). Thomas ate more during the day and continued to sleep all night, while Josiah ate the same during the day, but couldn't last as long at night. Right at 12 weeks, he began sleeping 8 hrs again and now is consistently sleeping from 10:30pm to around 7:30am. I'm beginning to move that 10:30pm feeding back and eventually would like his last feeding to be around 8pm. It will happen sometime in the next couple of months; I'm not in a big hurry.

I honestly think that Josiah does so well because we are on a routine. Our basic schedule is eat-awake-sleep or the acronym EASY. It has worked great with both of my boys and I really think it helps to regulate their metabolism. I do what the ole' wives tale says not to do: Wake a sleeping baby. Why? Because I want him to eat during the day and sleep at night! The only time I woke him during the night was when he was tiny and I wanted to make sure he was getting enough.

Well, it is time to go wake my sleeping baby. I'll post some new pictures soon of our sweet three month old boy!

You Lie!

2009-09-15T16:29:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Josh and I were talking and of course Thomas was in the room. In the midst of the conversation Josh said, "You lie!" (Side Note: He wasn't speaking about me!) As soon as it was out of his mouth we heard, "You lie! You lie! You lie!" Don't you just love how children repeat the things you don't want them to say?!

Thomas is talking a lot, but he still isn't completely clear on everything, but the peditrician said he is right where he needs to be for two. Everyday he picks up something new. We are trying to teach him to sing "Jesus Loves Me" or to say "I love you," but instead he says the things you don't want him to say. I guess we need to be careful what we say around little ears.

Now let's just hope he never meets President Obama...

Staying Behind

2009-09-06T15:14:00.003-04:00

Most of you who read my blog know that my husband, Josh, is a pastor. Currently, he is the only pastor on staff at a church with around 150 people. Obviously, we aren't at a huge church, but one pastor for 150 people keeps him busy. On average, he preaches 3 times a week and has many different meetings to attend and to deal with the "business" of the church. This month is an especially busy month as we are getting ready for a new church year.

Right after we got married, Josh was pastoring a church in Indiana of about 20 people - yes, it was really small! While we were there, I was able to do everything with Josh. If someone was sick, I went with him to visit. If there was a wedding or a funeral, I was able to go. Of course, there wasn't nearly the amount of work to do for a congregation of 20 as there is for a congregation of 150. But even still, I was able to go because I had no other responsibilities than to serve with my husband.

Things are a lot different today than they were 3 years ago. We have two beautiful baby boys who require most of my time and attention. They need their mama and I cherish the time I can love on them and share the gospel with them. However, by caring for them I'm not as available to minister alongside of Josh. I am realizing that my role is different now. I have the primary responsibility of taking care of our children and home. The biggest role I have in Josh's day-to-day ministry now is prayer. And over the last few weeks, I have realized that prayer is more important than all the other things I could be doing.

I won't lie and say it is easy "staying behind." I love my husband and want to be with him. But I can't go to all the funerals or weddings or special services or to visit the sick. The hardest time for me was a few weeks ago when Josh was on his mission trip. I wanted to be there with him, but the Lord has placed me in the home with our children. I am trying to remember that our children will grow up all too quickly and one day, I will have more time to be "hands on."

Every season of life has its positives and negatives. Even though I can't participate in ministry as much right now, I can diligently serve my husband by fervently praying for him and by training up our children in godliness. What an awesome responsibility!

Brotherly Love

2009-09-02T16:32:00.004-04:00

The picture above is the highest example of brotherly love at our house. Yes, I know the picture is only of Josiah holding a stuffed animal, but that isn't just any ole' stuffed animal. That stuffed animal is Thomas' beloved puppy, or better known around here at "Vu-vu." If any of you have ever met Thomas, more than likely you have met vu-vu. It is a rare occasion that Thomas isn't holding him or at least has him within sight. Not only was Josiah holding puppy, but Thomas wasn't even in the room! Yes, Thomas even placed him in that position after seeing Josh do it earlier.

I think Thomas is going to be a great big brother :-) Although, I do wonder what his response will be when puppy isn't freely given, but taken by his younger brother...we shall see!

Thomas is Two!

2009-08-26T10:14:00.005-04:00

On Friday, my sweet boy celebrated his second birthday. These two years have flown by for me and sometimes I just want to stop time because it passes so quickly. I feel like we just celebrated his first birthday! We decided to take him to Chuck E Cheese on his birthday, since his party wasn't until Saturday.

Thomas is shy around people and places that are unfamiliar and that proved to be true at Chuck E Cheese. He liked the Bob the Builder toy, but would have nothing to do another ride that had Barney on it (we have never introduced him to Barney and I don't plan on it!). Josh and I ended up playing more games than Thomas did, but we won enough tickets for Thomas to get two balls. One funny story... Chuck E Cheese came out and threw out free tickets to the kids standing around. Thomas immediately started picking up the tickets and handing them BACK to him! He must have thought he dropped them and he was helping clean up. Isn't he such a sweet boy?!

Saturday, we had our family (minus my dad and step-mom) and one little boy from church here for his party. We had a great time eating hot dogs and the train cake that I made. Since I took the cake decorating class earlier this year, I really wanted to make his cake. It was a LOT of work making the train cake (and Josh was a big help), but definitely worth it. Just about the time we were singing happy birthday and he was blowing out the candle, we heard a choo-choo! We live near a railroad track and it was perfect timing for our boy who LOVES trains.

Thomas is such a joy to us and we are so thankful the Lord blessed us with such a sweet boy early in our marriage. He was a big surprise to us, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our prayer for him continues to be that he would trust in Christ and turn away from his sin at an early age. May the Lord use him mightily for the Kingdom!

2 Months & Growing!

2009-08-18T16:10:00.008-04:00

Josiah is now two months old and growing like a little weed. When Josh came home from his mission trip he was surprised at how big Josiah is now. I remember how quickly the time passed with Thomas, and I am trying to enjoy and capture these precious moments.

Yesterday, he had his 2 month well check and he is now 13lbs 2oz and 23 1/4". The pediatrician said he looked great and he was very happy for most of the visit. We both cried when he had his shots. I know the vaccinations are good for him (yes, some of you may disagree with me), but to watch him cry in pain makes me cry too. He slept more yesterday and today because of the shots, but seems to feel okay. Thomas never had an adverse reaction to vaccines, and I'm hoping the same for Josiah.

What I have noticed most about Josiah's personality is how active he is. Even now at two months, I have to keep him completely swaddled to sleep. Last week, I tried letting him nap without the swaddle and it was an awful nap; he only slept 15 minutes. He still doesn't have great control over his arms and legs. However, even though he is completely swaddled he will move from the top of his bed in a vertical position to the bottom of his bed in a horizontal position by the end of the night (about 6.5 hours). I usually find him stuck in the corner of his bed and he is upset because he can't wiggle anymore! He was very active in the womb and that hasn't changed one bit. I think I better enjoy this time while he is immobile, because he is going to keep me busy once he starts crawling!

Here are some recent pictures of our baby boy:

This picture needs some explanation: My great-grandmother, who died 3 weeks after Thomas was born, made this bonnet and sweater for Thomas and any baby boys I had (I already have one for a girl...hopefully!). It is now tradition that our babies have a picture taken wearing the outfit. Thomas was only a couple of days old when we took his picture, but Josiah took a little longer. He wasn't too happy about it, and this was the best picture I had!

Remembering

2009-08-14T14:59:00.004-04:00

Today, I remember the life of an extraordinary woman. Two years ago today, my precious grandmother went home to be with the Lord. I still remember so vividly receiving the phone call from my dad around 9am that she had died a few minutes before. I'm so thankful that Josh was right there with me and just held me while I wept. My tears were not only for losing her, but also knowing that she would never meet my baby boy and her first great-grandchild. There are times I look at him playing or laughing and I wish with all my heart that she could have met him and held him.

A couple of weeks ago while visiting my parents, I went through cards and letters from high school and college that I didn't even know existed. I'm not one to keep anything (I hate clutter) and I was surprised to find an entire shoe box of old cards and letters. As I was reading through those notes, I realized that most of the cards and letters were from Grandy. When I was in college, she sent me letters frequently. I think she knew how much a college student wants mail from home, but more than that, she wanted me to know that she loved me and she was praying for me.

And that is what I miss about her most - her prayers. My Grandy was a woman of the Word and of prayer. She faithfully prayed for her family everyday. When she was close to death, I remember telling her how much I loved her and would miss her. She told me she loved me too and she also said that she would pray for me to end. My prayer now is that I would be as faithful as she was to know the Word and to pray for my family. She has given me such a wonderful example to follow.

As much as I miss her and remember her today, I know she is with her Jesus. She used to talk a lot about how much she wanted to go to heaven so that she would be free from physical aches and pains, but most of all to be free of sin. Praise the Lord for two years she has been free from sin's very presence! May we all long for that day!

"It Is Well with My Soul" was sung at her funeral and the last verse is especially meaningful as I think about her departing and one day my own.

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so," it is well with my soul.

*I wrote a tribute to my grandmother for girltalk for Mother's Day 2008. If you didn't read it then, you can find it here: http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/A_Tribute_to_Margie_Powell_Lusk

Daddy's Home!

2009-08-12T11:02:00.006-04:00

Josh arrived home safe and sound on Sunday evening. I decided to surprise him by meeting him at the airport in Charlotte while Josh's parents kept the boys for me. He was surprised and happy to see me and on the bus ride home, I was able to hear many funny stories from the entire team. The team shared with at least 75 to 100 people and three people are now believers! Praise The Lord for answering their prayer from Psalm 67!

One unique story that Josh shared was meeting two of the guys that I shared with four years ago. Both of those guys are now believers and went out with Josh's team everyday. One of the guys, Jeremy, brought pictures of me and another girl (Anna) when we were there. He also brought the bible I gave him four years ago before he was a believer. It is very worn now and Josh said he was so proud to show it off. The other guy, Jason, is considering a call to full-time ministry - God is so good!

Thomas was very happy to see his daddy. I wasn't sure how he would respond, but his face lit up and he said, "Daddy! Daddy!" Yes, I think that made Josh's month! It was way past Thomas' bed time, but he stayed up for a little while to talk to Josh and then Josh tucked him into bed.

Here is a picture of Thomas with the gift Josh gave him. Doesn't he look so cute?!

This is the picture of what I wrote in Jeremy's bible four years ago (the date is 7/28/05).

God answered that prayer and now Jeremy is a believer and sharing the good news with others! Praise God!

Picnic Fun

2009-08-04T13:14:00.006-04:00

A couple of weeks ago before Josh left for his trip, he decided we needed to have a picnic. He wanted to spend extra time with us since he was going to be gone for two weeks. I have to admit that I was not thrilled with the idea of a picnic. Why? Because I'm selfish and sometimes lazy and didn't want to go through all the work of getting the food together and the kids ready (remember Josiah is just a newborn). However, Josh insisted we have the picnic and I grudgingly went along.

It didn't start off so well, because as soon as we got the blanket down and the food out guess who woke up? I think that babies have some sort of alarm that goes off right when mom is about to eat! Anyone else had that experience? Eventually, I began to enjoy myself and most importantly to enjoy the time with my family. Not many dads are able to come home at lunch and even fewer want to go outside dressed up and have a picnic. I repented to the Lord and to Josh for my bad attitude and a fun time was had by all!

Here are some pictures from our fun time!

Playing Is Tiring...

2009-08-04T13:05:00.004-04:00

This is how I found Thomas this morning when I went to get him for lunch:

He was having independent play time and I guess he decided he needed some rest. Notice the two cars beside him. Grandma & Poppy gave him the cars when we got home yesterday and they have yet to leave his side. Moments like these are priceless!

For The Gospel

2009-07-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning, my husband left to go around the world to share the gospel with people who have never heard. Josh, along with six other people from our church, will be gone for two weeks. They are going to the same place and working with the same missionaries that I had the privilege of working with 4 years ago. Everyone was very excited and nervous yesterday morning. They have spent months preparing spiritually and financially for the trip. On Sunday night, we had a commissioning service for them and Josh preached a short sermon on Psalm 67. That Psalm is their "theme" as they go - Let the peoples praise you!

I'll admit that it was not easy watching him leave yesterday morning. I think it is going to be a long 2 weeks for me, especially caring for a toddler and a newborn. Yes, I do have help (we are at my parents for a week), but it isn't my husband. The longest Josh and I have been apart since we were married is 5 days and he was only 8 hrs away.

As I was writing this blog, Josh called! He is there and had no problems traveling. He is very tired and hoping to get some rest. If you think about them, please pray for health & safety and most of all for many people to hear the good news of Jesus Christ!

*For security reasons, I'm not naming the country where he is.*

Josiah's Birth Story

2009-07-23T09:48:00.003-04:00

On Saturday morning, June 13, I woke up about 1:30am with some mild contractions. Since I had false contractions three times before, I didn't think this was "it." I actually had Braxton Hicks contractions exactly a week before at the same time. By 4:30am I was no longer comfortable lying in bed, so I got up and decided to surf the Internet until they stopped (I still didn't believe this was real labor). I tried going back to bed around 5:30am, but I couldn't get comfortable and told Josh at 6:00am that I was going to walk our driveway to see if it would get better or worse. After 20 minutes of walking I knew that I was in real labor. Josh & I both took showers and then called our parents. My in-laws came around 7:45am to get Thomas and Josh and I left for the hospital!

We arrived at the hospital at 8:45am and after the nurse checked me she said I was 4cm dilated and they were going to admit me. Josh was thrilled that Josiah finally was coming and while I was excited, I was in a little bit of pain!

I had decided that I was not going to have an epidural unless the pain was unbearable or I needed it for some reason. Even though the contractions were intense at times, I breathed through them fine and held Josh's hand or he rubbed my back. The doctor and the nurse were surprised at how calm I was with no medication, but I have a high tolerance for pain and the pain wasn't constant - thank goodness! I asked the nurse to check me around 12pm and she said I had dilated 6cm and thought my water would break soon. However, when she checked me again at 3pm, I was still at 6cm and my water had not broken. The nurse told me my doctor would not break my water as long as I wanted a "natural" birth because the pain would intensify greatly. At this point, I wanted my baby and felt like my labor had stalled, so I told her I wanted the epidural and for the doctor to break my water.

The anesthesiologist arrived around 3:15pm and gave me the epidural. I was having really strong contractions in the midst of receiving the epidural and when the doctor came to break my water about 15 minutes later, I was at 8cm. He was sure that Josiah would be born in the next couple of hours.

About 45 mins after getting the epidural, my ears started ringing and I was feeling really nauseous. Josh said he was going to call the nurse, but I told him not to bother her that it would go away soon. Thankfully, he didn't listen to me and immediately called the nurse. Sometimes the epidural can cause your blood pressure to drop too low, but it usually happens within minutes of receiving the epidural (and I didn't experience this with Thomas). When the nurse checked my blood pressure it was 64/40 - no wonder I didn't feel well! They put something into my IV and changed some things and I was okay. After I was feeling normal again, they told me that I was pasty white when they first came in the room and knew something was wrong!

The doctor came in again around 5pm and I was still at 8cm. He told the nurse to give me some pitocin to help the contractions along because they weren't as regular as he wanted. The doctor came back at 5:30pm and I was at 9cm, so he thought it would be real soon. One thing that concerned the doctor and the nurse was every time I had a strong contraction, Josiah's heart rate was going too low. I had to wear an oxygen mask to keep his heart rate up.

Finally, the doctor came back around 6:30pm and I was still at 9cm. He told me it was time to have a baby and even though I wasn't at 10cm yet, he wanted me to push one time and see what happened. When I pushed, the doctor saw the top of Josiah's head and said, "Okay, let's get her ready." My mom and step-mom wanted to be in the room, so I told Josh to get them quick! By the time they got me and the room ready, it was around 6:45pm and after 3 pushes, Josiah was born! I remember the nurses telling me on the last push to open my eyes to see him come out and it was amazing! The first thing I heard was, "He's a big boy!" He was beautiful and I cried tears of joy that our baby boy was finally here! Josiah cried too because he was finally here - I think he didn't want to leave the womb!

Josiah is a joy to us and we are so thankful that God gave us a healthy baby boy. It is hard to believe that he will be 6 weeks on Saturday. I'm trying to cherish each day with him, because I know it will go so quickly. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

A New Normal

2009-07-14T19:04:00.006-04:00

We are alive and well! I know that I haven't posted this first month, even though I have thought about it several times. The little free time I have these days is spent cooking, doing laundry, cleaning a little bit, or most importantly, sleeping!

Josiah is doing what all babies do at this age - eating and sleeping. He still isn't awake too long, but we enjoy the time we can talk to him and cuddle him. I am beginning to see the differences between him and Thomas. The biggest difference is that Thomas loved to sleep and Josiah fights sleep. Thankfully, he is sleeping at night about 3.5 hrs at a time, but during the day he doesn't want to sleep even when I lay him in the bed VERY drowsy. I think he senses that I'm not holding him and he protests loudly!

Thomas has adjusted very well to Josiah. He has not acted jealous or even acted as if Josiah is a stranger. I think he knows that Josiah belongs to us and he is happy to have him in our family. When you ask Thomas, "Who is your brother?" his response is, "Ohh." It is so cute! We think he gets the "Ohh" from hearing people say, "Oh isn't he so cute," or something like that. Everything of Josiah's is labeled "Ohh's." For instance, he calls Josiah's carseat, "Bye bye Oh."

Josh and I are adjusting to being parents of two. We had forgotten how exhausting newborns are and even more so with a toddler in tow. Thankfully, we have begun to find a "new normal" and are beginning to get a little more rest. We are so grateful for the help we have received from family, friends, and our church family. The meals we have received as well as the laundry cleaned and dishes washed have been such a blessing to us. The Lord has been so good to us in giving us such sweet family and friends.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our family from the past month.

First morning home from the hospital.

Thomas wanted to be swaddled too, so we put them in Josiah's bed together - aren't they adorable?!

Josiah at 3 weeks. He is a very alert baby.

Sweet picture of Daddy and Josiah

Family picture on July 4th - Thomas looks unhappy and I look tired!

Thomas "holding" Josiah

HE'S HERE!

2009-06-13T20:40:00.008-04:00

World, meet Josiah Edward Culbertson, born at 7:00pm on June 13, 2009. He weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 20.5" long! Fearfully & wonderfully made, indeed! We praise our Gracious God and pray that Josiah, like his namesake, will be a great reformer in Christ's Church.

Josiah Update

2009-06-13T17:04:00.003-04:00

Dianna is somewhere around 9cm dilated! We're just playing the waiting game at this point. It looks like we'll be celebrating June 13 for years to come! God has really blessed us through this process. On Wednesday night we discussed God's goodness at church... today is just another reminder to me of our Father's kindness!

Dianna has banned the camera at this point! So, this has nothing to do with pregnancy, but I thought I'd share a cute picture of big brother from VBS.

Josiah Update

2009-06-13T15:41:00.003-04:00

They just put in the epidural. Let me say - it's not because Dianna was wimping out on the pain. She's one tough little lady! She decided to get it because the nurse seems to think it will speed things up. Dianna is ready to see her baby... and ready to eat some food (she hasn't eaten since last night)! Thankfully, Dianna can relax now and maybe take a little nap before Josiah arrives.

Wait... doctor just came in & he's about to break her water! THAT should speed things up.

Josiah Update

2009-06-13T14:07:00.004-04:00

Dianna is still hanging in there (without the epidural). Her contractions are still coming every 2-3 minutes except they're stronger now. She's trying to rest some between contractions because she didn't get to sleep much last night.

Here's the contraction action (which, btw, I think would be a great name for a rollercoaster):

Meanwhile, the family anxiously waits...

My folks are keeping Thomas at their house. They should be here after his nap. Hopefully just in time for Josiah! Thanks for the prayers... keep 'em up!

Josiah's on the Way!

2009-06-13T11:45:00.004-04:00

We're at the hospital right now waiting on Josiah. Dianna started having contractions at about 1:30am this morning, but we waited a long time to make sure they were real since we'd been disappointed a few times before. We came to the hospital around 8:00am. She is currently 6cm dilated, so we should be holding a new baby boy in just a few hours... Lord willing!

Here's my beautiful bride getting ready for the baby...

Looks good for labor & delivery, doesn't she?! Please pray for her (she's thinking about not getting the epidural!!) and Josiah.

We'll keep you posted.

Our Big Boy

2009-06-12T07:30:00.005-04:00

I realized recently that I have been so consumed with giving updates about my pregnancy, that I haven't shared any pictures or news about Thomas. He certainly isn't forgotten around our home and we still take tons of pictures of him too!

This week he went to VBS at our church and I think he has had a good time. Thomas still isn't a great talker, so when I ask him about bible school usually he just says the words he knows as they relate to bible school "choo-choo" (the theme is Lifeway's Boomerang Express), "Nolan" (a little boy at church), or "Laura" (a little girl at church). When I ask him questions about bible school, he normally just shakes his head and starts talking in gibberish, but at least he is trying to answer me!

Recently, he has began to climb. Yesterday, he figured out how to climb out of his bed! He had been down for his nap about 30 minutes when I heard his door open. I was a little scared someone was in the house and when I checked, Thomas was walking toward me! He realized very quickly that getting out of the bed was a no-no by the expression on my face and the tone of my voice. Thankfully, no discipline was needed and after about five minutes of crying he was asleep.

Overall, Thomas is a very compliant child and normally only has to be warned he will be "popped" if he does or doesn't do _____. He definitely is all boy - loves to play with blocks and cars, and loves going outside. However, his favorite things are trains. I really need to record him saying "choo-choo" because he gets so excited when he hears a train. For some reason he thinks that tractor trailers are "choo-choos" too, and although we constantly say, "No, Thomas that is a truck," he is convinced it is a "choo-choo" (we think it is because the trailer looks like the train cars).

Without further ado, here are some recent random pictures of our big boy, who will be a big brother very soon!

Our cute, but messy eater!

Playing by the pool
Doesn't he look relaxed?

When, Oh When Will He Come?

2009-06-09T12:40:00.004-04:00

That seems to be the question on our family's mind as well as our entire church family! I think my favorite question has been, "You still here?" I'm actually pretty hard to miss at this point and as long as you see me, I'm still here (that is what I want to say, but I just smile and say, "Still waiting"). I did have some Braxton Hicks contractions on Saturday morning between 1:30am and 4:30am and Josh and I were hoping that labor was starting, but they stopped and just left us both very tired on Saturday.

We went to the doctor this morning and the news is mixed. They are going to give me until Monday to go into labor naturally. I haven't progressed any since last week, but the doctor is hopeful that Josiah will decide to come without an induction. The doctors in this practice don't like to induce until they really need to because natural labor is much easier for me and the risk of having a c-section is also less when they don't induce. However, if Josiah isn't here by Sunday at 4pm, I will check into the hospital to be given some medicine to get my body ready. On Monday morning, if I haven't went into labor, they will start Pitocin.

Josh and I are praying that I will go into labor this week and that we can avoid an induction. This pregnancy has been much longer for me because Thomas came at 39 weeks and I'm now 40 weeks and 1 day, and more than ready to have this baby. Josh even decided we needed to sit outside under the full moon on Sunday night hoping that the lunar pull would have some effect on my body! Even though nothing happened, it was fun to sit under the stars and talk. :-)

Thank you for your many prayers. The Lord has given me more contentment over the last few days and I'm just trying to enjoy every moment for this is the day the Lord has made! The end is in sight and I will be holding my baby in a week!

Still Waiting

2009-06-05T13:37:00.002-04:00

Well, the next post isn't a picture of Josiah like we would have wanted. I have had some contractions, but nothing that has lasted or been consistent. On Wednesday evening/night, I really thought I was going into labor only to be disappointed with contractions stopping around midnight. When I was pregnant with Thomas I didn't have any contractions until I went into labor and I was really hoping the same would be true of Josiah.

We are trying to patiently wait, but I will admit it is difficult. Josh is having a hard time focusing on his sermon because he isn't sure if he will preach it. I'm having a hard time doing anything, because all I want to do is have a baby! I have caught up on laundry once again this week and I'm praying that I won't have to do another load until Josiah is home.

I think I have mentioned that I recently read the book Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges. One of the sins he brings to light is the sin of discontentment - we are never satisfied with where the Lord has us. The Holy Spirit continually convicts me of this sin as I groan and complain about waiting on Josiah. Isn't it so true that we have such a hard time being content? I wanted to get pregnant 9 months ago and was discontent until I was pregnant. Then I wanted to be over morning sickness and was discontent until relief came. Now I am discontent because I am pregnant, over morning sickness, and just want to hold my baby! The Lord truly is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love to care for a wretched sinner like me! I think the Lord is using the waiting to sanctify me and oh, how I need it!

If Josiah doesn't make his appearance by my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday, I'll give another update - hopefully with more contentment!

Update On Baby

2009-06-02T13:42:00.004-04:00

I know everyone is curious as to when Josiah is going to make his entrance since I'm only 6 days away from my due date. As of this morning, I am one centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. The doctor said that baby's head was in position and that everything looks great. She didn't think he would come today, but this week! I told her that I sure hope she is right.

Josiah is constantly moving and I am constantly telling him the direction he should go! I am walking in the evenings when it isn't so hot and when my feet aren't so swollen that it would hurt to put on tennis shoes. Someone asked me the other night if I was trying to "walk this baby out" and I told them whatever it takes! We went and ate Mexican for lunch today in my efforts to do anything to bring on labor.

Yesterday, we met a friend's six-day-old baby and he was so tiny! He weighed 6lb 14oz as of yesterday and my immediate thought is that Josiah, who is still in my womb, probably weighs more than this baby - hard to believe! Yes, holding another baby makes me long to hold my sweet baby boy. However, I do know Josiah will come soon - he is due in 6 days!

On a side note, Josh is so excited that we are having a June baby. Josiah's birthday works into a neat every-other-month birthday for our family: Me - Feb., Josh - Apr., Josiah - June, & Thomas - Aug. I guess the Lord needs to work it out so that our next baby will come in October to keep the tradition!

Thank you for all your prayers as I patiently wait for his arrival. If we can remember to bring Josh's laptop to the hospital, he will try to put some pictures of Josiah up on the blog when he makes his entrance. Hopefully, the next entry you see will be of our sweet baby boy!

Here It Is...

2009-05-26T15:59:00.005-04:00

This is me at 38 weeks...

You must be thinking, "No wonder her back hurts - she is huge!" Well, at least one of us is thinking that!

The doctor thinks Josiah will be about the same size as Thomas, who was 7lbs 14oz. I'm really hoping Josiah isn't over 8.5 lbs, but when I see the size of my stomach in these pictures I think he must be 10lbs already!

Thanks for your prayers these next couple of weeks. I asked the doctor this morning how long they would let me go before inducing and he said a week. He told me half of all women don't have their babies at their due date and if they give them a week usually the babies come without any intervention. My prayer is that I won't make it to the next appointment next Tuesday morning!