Is Labor Eminent?

At almost 38 weeks, I'm thinking that just maybe labor is eminent. I can't wait for tomorrow's appointment. I feel really yucky, and it seems like "stuff" is happening. Oh, I can't wait!!! I've thought for a while now that September 3rd seemed significant. We are just a few days away from that date. I would love to meet sweet baby Elizabeth later this week!! So what's your guess? Will we have a baby this week? What do you think? Cast your votes in my comments. :)

Redefining Crazy!

So I just thought life at our house was busy. I'm pretty sure that I'm about to find out what busy really is. Today, after several months of prayer and thought, we signed Grace and Mary Ruth up for beginners ballet at our church. We also signed Luke up of Cub Scouts which is also offered through a pack from our church. Fortunately everything meets on the same day. Actually that was one of the criteria for us. We prayed that God would provide the funds and show us that it could work with our schedule. It all came together. Everything meets for the first time later this week. Yes, all this and a new baby. Yes, we have lost our minds. Later this week when everyone's all decked out in their appropriate attire, I will post pictures.

In other news, I got my new dishwasher installed today!!! I'm so excited! I need it more than ever right now!

And as far as an update on Wesley, well he worked about half the day today. He's taking it pretty easy, but he did say that he was incredibly sore tonight. I could really tell it, because he could hardly walk. He says he feels like we got shot in the hip. Walking around this evening, you'd think he looked like it too.

We still feel so incredibly grateful and so blessed by all that transpired last week. How do we say thank you for all the love and support!! Actually, we are still being loved on. Our sweet next door neighbor cut our grass while me and the kiddos were resting today. It makes Wesley crazy to get behind on the grass. It needed to be cut even before he got admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, and Luke actually cut a good bit on Monday and Tuesday of last week. However, we have a decent size yard, and there are still parts that Luke can't do yet. I had consider getting out there myself today in hopes of inducing labor (ha, ha), but I just had too much to do inside (and Wesley and others would have had a fit if I had done so). I knew I just needed to ask someone to help (so many have asked what they can do to help), but it just had not been a priority for me to do so yet. Anyway, there's nothing left to do now, but thank our good neighbor and enjoy a freshly mowed lawn, because it's all taken care of! Kristina, please tell Joe that chocolate is in his future!! :) Again, thank you all so much!!

Church

Wesley was feeling well enough to actually go to church this morning!!! Praise the Lord!! It was incredible to all be together as a family. The service, music, sermon, seeing friends, and hugging necks, everything was awesome. Hopefully others were encouraged as well. There are several families in our church who are hurting right now. We didn't realize it, but a lot has happened this past week. Now it's our turn to be in prayer for several other families. I'm wondering if our entire family will be together at church next week or not? I have this feeling that maybe we will meet Elizabeth in person by next Sunday. We will see...

Home Sweet Home

Truly there's no place like home. I'm so glad that our family is all together again at home, but the adrenaline is gone. I guess that's what I've been running on for the past several days. I'm tired in a way I can't describe. Wesley has been a sleep pretty much since the moment we came walked in the door. I have to wake him every hour and make him walk around the house for a few minutes to avoid the risk of a blood clot forming. He's none to happy with me for this. He never believes me when I say it's been an hour. He says his pain level is around an 8 or 9 on a 1-10 scale. It's pretty pitiful. I wasn't really expecting things to be this bad, even though we were told that he would have a lot of pain in the general entry site which includes his leg, hip, groin area (sorry it that's TMI). Please join us in praying that he continues to feel better. On a positive note, he seems to be complete over any nausea or blood pressure problems.

Here's the kiddos, all gathered around Daddy watching a movie. They were so happy to see him!!!

I got this immediately when we got home. I think this is one of the few times all afternoon that Wesley actually had his eyes open. :)



In this last one Bella Peace was being very closely supervised so that she didn't hurt her Daddy. It was so hard for her to understand why she couldn't just climb on top of him.



OK, now I think I'm going to take in a little "shut eye" myself! Good Night!!

Going Home

Hooray!!! Wesley is just about to be discharged. It's taken a while to get him up and moving this morning. He started the morning still pretty weak and shaky, but has improved as the morning went on. His blood pressure is finally stable. He's moving very slowly and will for a few days. His leg is extremely sore from going into it twice. He's joked a lot about feeling like a old man, now he's looking like one as he eases up and down and moves around slowly. :) We are so thankful for the success of the ablation and for the love of family and friends! God is good!!

Recovery

Wesley's recovery has been much better today. However the first time he was permitted to get out of bed, his blood pressure dropped again. That was at 8 PM. Since then, he's been pretty sick again. I don't expect that they are going to let him go home in the morning if he can't even walk to the restroom. We are still praising God for many blessings today and over the past several days. Please continue to pray that this resolves quickly so that he might be able to go home tomorrow. Thanks once again for your continued love and support.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

SWEET SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WESLEY IS OUT OF SURGERY AND IT WAS A SUCCESS!! They were able to go back through the vein in his leg which was the least invasion option!! We will get to see him in a while. I will update when I see him. :)

Update

We are at UAB, and Wesley has been taken back for the procedure. We really liked the cardiologist here. He says that b/c of different techniques and technology they will attempt to go in through the same vein in Wesley's leg before going into the chest. If that doesn't work, they will attempt to go through a vein in the neck, and the final option will be to go to the heart with a line directly from the chest to heart. This is the most invasion, but it still comes with very low risk and quick recovery. The procedure is expected to take a long time, 2 or more hours. I'll post when he comes out. Thanks for the prayers!

Friday Morning Update

Just heard that the ambulance is on the way to transport Wesley to UAB. Still don't have a time for the procedure. Wesley is still dealing with nausea and low blood pressure. He still hasn't been able to get up and move around. Thanks for you continued prayers! Not sure how easy it will be update from B'ham, but will do my best to keep everyone posted. I will at least be in contact with Heather Brock by phone.

Pray for Wesley

No time for a post, but here's an email I sent out tonight.

Hi, Friends!

First let me thank you all so very much for all the love, support, and especially the prayers. Please forgive me that I have failed to return so many phone calls and text messages today. Today was simply crazy!!

Several of you have questions about what exactly has occurred so far and what exactly is happening next. So here's the scoop:

Tuesday morning Wesley woke around 6 AM and immediately noticed that he was feeling really bad and that he had a very rapid heartrate. About 6 years ago he experienced some similar symptoms that only occurred a couple of times and didn't last very long. At that time he consulted with his general practitioner and had some test run but could find nothing wrong. So on Tuesday, he thought he was probably experiencing the same thing and that it would pass. He tried getting up, moving around, and taking a shower, but continued to feel bad with a rapid heartrate. After a while he also started to feel dizzy, faint, and a slight tightness in the chest. At this point, he asked me to drive him to the hospital. In minutes we were ready to walk out the door, children in tow, but he was getting worse and feared passing out in route. So, he asked me to call 911. The EMTs arrived in just a few minutes and documented his heartrate at about 280 BPM. We all recognized this as very serious and he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Almost immediately the ER doctors suspected he had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome also known as WPW (basically an extra electrical pathway in his heart that he was born with).

Many people live with this, and often it's treated with medication. After a period of about 2 1/2 hours from the onset and just minutes before giving him meds to bring down the heartrate, his heart converted on it's on back into a normal rhythm. Honestly the fact that it lasted that long was a blessing, because sometimes this can be difficult to diagnose unless the patient is actually experiencing symptoms. The ER doctors requested a consult with a cardiologist to confirm the diagnosis. Two different cardiologist both saw Wesley, reviewed his information, and agreed that he did have WPW. They also conclude that because of the severity of his episode and the extremely high heartrate, he had an extreme case and should undergo a procedure called an ablation as soon as possible to eliminated the extra pathway. Because of the severity of this episode, Wesley falls into a category of people who could experience cardiac arrest if left untreated.

His procedure was tacked on to the end of the schedule today. It was suppose to take place around 3 PM or so this afternoon. God intervened and an opening occurred today allowing him to have the ablation at around 8:00 AM instead. That was another blessing.

The ablation consisted of a line being run from a vein in Wesley's leg to his heart. The plan was to catherterized the extra pathway. Wesley was heavily sedated, didn't feel anything, and doesn't really remember anything, but was not put completely under. He did well during the procedure. However even though this procedure has a very high rate of success (estimated between 90-98% success rate) for curing and eliminating the problem, the cardiologist was unsuccessful in eliminating the extra pathway due to the fact that it was in a difficult and unusual location. Because of that, he is being referred to UAB for a second procedure tomorrow morning. We still don't have an exact time, and won't know for sure until early in the morning.

The plan for tomorrow is much like today except they are going through a vein in his chest and going through a different location around his heart. There's been a little confusion so to clarify, let me say this is not open heart surgery and his chest will not be opened up. They expect this to be successful and do not expect complications. My understanding is that this is a more invasion procedure, but the risk are still considered very low. They also expect a quick recovery. If this procedure is successful, he will be complete cured, won't have to take meds for it, and will not experience any other problems related to this.

Wesley has much greater knowledge and understanding of all the medical terminology and can explain all this in much greater detail than I can. Hopefully I'm reporting everything accurately. This is simple my understanding.

So how is he right now? Wesley has had a very difficult time today waiting up from all the meds used to sedate him. He's struggled with a lot of nausea and low blood pressure. This procedure required him to lay complete flat for what ended up being about 12 hours today, because of this he's stiff and pretty uncomfortable. He's currently able to get out of bed, but still too sick to physically do so. He also has some pain from the site in his leg where they ran the line.

Finally, here's a few specific prayer request:

1. that Wesley will do better with the meds they use to sedate him tomorrow, that he won't feel so badly, won't have so much nausea, and will not have low blood pressure issues tomorrow

2. that his body would physically recover quickly, that the discomfort he's feeling will pass quickly, that the entry sites will heal quickly

3. most importantly that this procedure will be a quick, easy, and completely successful, and that he will will be completely recovered and able to return to regular activities as soon as possible

4. pray also for the Brock family who has had our children since early Tuesday morning. Pray for strength and endurance especially for Heather as she cares for 6 children!!

5. pray for the kids to process this all well and not be scared, worried, or concerned. They visited Wesley at the hospital tonight, and they were really missing us.

6. finally pray for baby Elizabeth who is due in 3 weeks to stay put until we can take care of her Daddy!

Thanks you again for everything! Thanks for the many offers to help!! Right now there's nothing we need other than prayers. If you really want to do something, please be sure to check in on the Brocks and make sure that they are covered and that our children haven't consumed all their food!! Heather will be bringing the kids to 4th Friday tomorrow. If you are there, please give her a hand. In the event we are not home by Sunday, they may also need relief or help with church on Sunday! Thank you all again!! We are reminded once again what a huge blessing it is to be part of the body of Christ!! We love you all so much!!

I will send updates as I can!

Love,
Jennifer

Turning 35

*Stay with me, pictures at the end, or just skip all the boring stuff and scroll down to see them first!! :)

So this past weekend I turned 35 years old. WOW!! I can hardly believe that I'm 35. I can hardly believe that I'm pregnant for an 8th time!! 35 always seemed so out there in the future. I remember when I was in high school (I've always been a long term planner) I use to think I would marry no later than 22 or 23, start having babies by 25, and have my perfect complete family by 35. I guess because I've always heard that the risk of problems go up 35, I always thought I would not have more children beyond that age. Well here I am, 35 and very pregnant!! And, it's hard for me to imagine that this is it, although we are open to whatever God has in store whether that means more babies or not.

I also always thought of 35 as being a mature age. A for real grown up. Having arrived at some sort of sophistication and wisdom. Women who by 35 had it all together. I'm quite sure those women were wiser and more sophisticated than I find myself now. I definitely don't consider myself older, wiser, or more sophisticated. OK, well maybe older in the sense that now I have wrinkles and a significant amount of gray hair. A point that I still amazes me. HOW can I have wrinkles and gray hair?!! How did that happen? When did that happen? Why did I get the older part and not the wiser part of 35?

I say all this in jest. I really have no problem with growing older. It's just that 35 is the first age that has kind of hit me. You know what I mean? Some people mourn the loss of their 20s. I never did that. No age has ever really struck me or stuck out to me, until now. Anyway, it was a great day!!

With the exception of the kiddos birthdays, Wesley and I are not the type to make big fusses over birthdays for ourselves, each other, other family and friends, etc. I felt the same about this birthday. No fuss necessary. I did have a few agendas for the day, but more because it was a Saturday than for the fact it was my birthday. It's funny because the "agenda" was one full of confusion. I wanted to rest a lot, work a lot on my baby to do list, and have some quality family time. Ha! We somehow managed to accomplish a little of all.

The kiddos had an agenda of their own, though. They are the type to make a big fuss. I've decided that birthdays and parties are another great reason to have a big family. Our kiddos are always a party waiting to happen! They showered me with attention and affection all day long!! They really wanted to make it special, so the had their Daddy take them to the store to buy party supplies. They bought birthday plates, cups, napkins, balloons, and blowers! They wanted to buy me a cake, but since I'm on a diabetic diet I instead that they not. So, instead they had Wesley help them make a box of brownies that we already had on hand. And to make sure I wasn't too tempted, they were sure to clean them up in a day and a half!! So in the end, I had the big fuss after all. It all came complete with a big gift too!! Our dishwasher quit working a while back, and replacing it was high on my baby to do list. Well, SURPRISE, this old housewife (a badge I wear proudly) got a new dishwasher!! It actually hasn't been delivered and installed yet, but it's on the way!! WHOO HOO!!!

Other than the celebrating, we've been our usual busy selves. I think I've already mentioned that we enjoyed a weekend out of town recently. It was so, so good to visit family. We stayed with my Mom, and she so totally spoiled us!! She was constantly making sure that I had my meals and snacks just right since I've got a special diet right now. I miss that we don't live in the same town. I dream of her dropping by after work to have dinner with us, or her bring able to be at more of our events. I wish the kids got to take turns spending the night with her. I would love to be able to sneak away once in a while, just me and her, to shop or eat out or BOTH! Maybe one day. I love you, Mom!! You are the best!! I miss you dearly!!! BTW, my Mom just celebrated a birthday too, it was yesterday actually. I'm sure my post tonight contributes to her feeling older also. After all, she's now got a 35 year old daughter!!! Ha!

On another note, Luke, Grace, and Mary Ruth recently started children's choir at our church. It meets on Sunday evenings before the evening service. We've held off in participating in choir in the past, because it's offered at a hard time. We've tried hard to keep Sundays as a day of rest. We've not wanted to be too busy, and we've wanted to be sure that we were able to enjoy time together. Also in the past, it's meant sacrificing some of the kids nap time. Well, we've finally decided it was time to join it. The big kids are able to miss nap time without serious repercussions. We will have to be more careful and diligent to guard our time so that we can still get good rest while also enjoying time together, but we are all excited about it! They've already been learning some new things.

As for me, I'm nesting like a maniac!!! I'm finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe I will be ready for Elizabeth's arrival which won't be long now!! I'm having more contractions day by day.

Yesterday, I about sent myself into labor doing serious yard work. When I woke up this morning, I felt like I could hardly move. The kids and I basically took down the garden. It's stopped really yielding any good fruit or veggies and has become overgrown with weeds. So, we pulled, raked, and mowed down almost all that remained. I left the sunflowers in hopes of getting some good sunflower seeds when they are sufficiently dried up, and we left the tomato plants which still have some nice tomatoes that aren't quite ripe enough to pick. But other than that, it's gone.

We've also managed school and play.

Wesley is still adjusting to his new job assignments. The transition continues to bring about a certain sadness and also stress as he learns to juggle multiple different assignments instead of just one. Wesley is very social people person. One of the things he's enjoyed most his last 8 year long assignment is the deep friendships and relationships that he has developed. In his new assignment, he's moving around on a daily basis and the opportunities to really connect with people seem fewer and more challenging. This has been hard. His supervisors swapped him and another athletic trainer. Wesley spoke to the person he swapped with today. She admitted she didn't really get close to her coaches, athletes, and school staff. She just went in and did her job and that was that. This has been a very hard transition for her also. She wasn't looking for a change either. She's actually struggling at his old school with the fact that it seems everyone wants to be up close and personal. So sad. Wesley said today that he's just trying to trust and accept that God has a purpose in all this. Exactly what that is remains to be seen. It's hard right now to see the good in all this, but we know it's there. On another note, he's also adjusting to a weekend only paper route that he began last month. We are loving the extra money (which is not exactly extra), and our budget thanks him (as do I of course)!! It's not a huge time commitment either. It's just a matter of getting into a groove which I think he's getting.

Well tomorrow is a big day, doctor's appt in the AM, hair appointment, you know gotta deal with the gray, and errands. Then rush home to relieve my darling husband who will be Mr. Mom and school teacher in my absence so that he can get to his own work. And finally we will wrap the day up with missions activities at church. Whew! I'm feeling tired just thinking of it all!! I'll post an update from the doctor when I can.

Here's some pictures from my birthday celebration. Enjoy!




I failed to mention that the girls actually did all the decorating themselves. They did it right when the got up out of bed. So we had the table set up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!


Here they are making my brownies.


Good thing these brownies were just for us. This is what Bella Peace looked like after helping to stir the brownies. Yeah, stir. That's what she was doing.


Grace was sure not to miss any details. She invited a few friends. Allow me to introduce you to our friends. On the first row, Bear. On the second, Rabbit and the triplets. And on the third, Big Brother. I should mention that Big Brother has been one of my friends for a very long time. He's known me longer than even Wesley. He was a gift to me for either a birthday or Christmas when I was either 8 or 9. I can't remember what is name use to be. Actually he wasn't always a he, but let's not get into that kind of controversy. One of the kiddos named him Big Brother a couple of years ago (I think it was Grace) and it has stuck! He's been a good old friend! And, he's been through an awful lot. Many, many years ago he had both eyes poked out and replaced. In recent years, he's been stitched up a few times. He's quite literally lost his head on more than one occasion. Surgeon Wesley had to reattached it. And just last week, he had another eye injury. This time, it was Mary Ruth who was quick to reattach the eye. I'm just so glad he could be with us and so glad my children are enjoying him like I did. :)


Good times!

Growing Up

My baby is not such a baby anymore. Bella Peace is sleeping in a big girl bed for the first time ever tonight. Sigh. They grow up too fast!! Maybe I'll put up a picture tomorrow night. She feel instantly asleep without getting up even one time. With the other kiddos, we've been pretty strict about not getting out of bed after we tucked them in. We explained what her consequence would be if she should get up after we left the room and apparently it work. This was her Daddy's idea by the way. If left totally up to me, I would probably leave her in the crib a while longer, but he's been concerned about her climbing or falling out of the crib. He's right, the potential is definitely there. So anyway tonight was the big night. She was very, very excited to be sleeping on the bottom "bump" aka bunk. Now let's just see what the morning holds. I'm hoping she doesn't get up at the crack of dawn just because she can! Another major milestone in the transition from baby to big girl. Sigh, again!

Surprise!!

This afternoon I got ready to go to a meeting for homeschool moms which I had been in charge of organizing. However, I found out once I got there that I wasn't in charge at all. The meeting had been hijacked, and I was very surprised to learn it was also a surprise baby shower for me. It was a lot of fun. I am so blessed to have such good girlfriends!! Fortunately I had been tricked into bringing my two big girls who would not have wanted to miss it!! I didn't have my own camera, but other friends took pictures. I will try to post some when I get them.

I will add a few pictures that we took before leaving. I seized an opportunity to get a couple since me and the big girls were dressed up and matching!




Driving home tonight after hearing a few of the details of how the girls pulled it off, I thought of this verse:

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Thanks so much, Friends!!! It was a great night!!!

Edited to add: Yes I love white. Yes I realize that I'm wearing white in almost every picture I post. I'm a pretty basic girl. I wear a lot of white in the spring and summer and black or brown in the fall and winter. I also wear a lot of denim, because it's easy to match. And, yes I like to match everyone up when possible. That's just how I roll. And that's how my guys and girls roll since I do most of the buying around here. Just had to say it in case someone was wondering. :)

36 Weeks

How crazy big does that belly of mine look?!!

Today's appt was very good. I had a non-stress test and an ultrasound. Baby Elizabeth looks GREAT!! The non-stress test measures her movements and heartbeat over a greater period of time. All was perfect. The ultrasound indicates good growth in the past week, and my fluid was great. The ultrasound indicates that Elizabeth probably weighs a little more than 6 lbs. Of course, I know from experience that can be inaccurate. So, as for now we just keep waiting on her to make her appearance.

Last night I suffered from extremely bad pain in/around my ribs on my left side. Doc says it's probably just from Elizabeth stretching out her legs. He wasn't at all concerned. She is head down, feet up, just the way we want her to be!!

Maybe I will get around to updating about something else soon. I'm nesting and that leaves little time for much else right now!

~1 Month Left~

As of today, I only have 1 month left until my due date. We can say for sure she is no more than a month and a couple days away from being born. If she's not born before her due date, we will only wait a couple days after her due date just to be on the safe side.

As of today, my feet are swollen for the first time in my life. This has never happened with any of my other pregnancies. This has never happened at any other time period. It looks strange and feels stranger.

Lots of stuff going on around here, as usual. We had a wonderful weekend away visiting family. I spent a LOT of time outside in the heat, which is probably why my feet are swollen.

In the past few days, Wesley's job situation has been decided. Today he reported to work at new schools. Yes, "schools" as in plural. He has spent the last 8 years assigned to one high school to cover all their athletics, but now he will spend his time divided between a couple or more middle schools. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but this has been and continues to be an emotional transition. There could be some great advantages in this move, but change can sometimes be hard.

OK, I never actually finished this post, just got tired and didn't feel like it. Still tired and don't feel like it, so here it is anyway. :)

35 Weeks and Updates

Well tomorrow I'm 35 weeks!! I was suppose to go to the doctor tomorrow, but things changed (long story but all is well), and I went today. I had an ultrasound and Elizabeth looks great! They estimate her at about 5 1/2 pounds. She has dropped and is head down getting into position. My doctor said she is really far down. I knew I could feel a change. She has previously been under my ribs, and she's not anymore. My fluid levels where within a healthy range, however they were on the low end. Her heartbeat averaged in the 150s. I've actually lost another pound, but as long as she's growing I'm told that's OK. It's probably just all this healthy eating that I'm doing on the diabetic diet. As of today, I'm scheduled for an appointment every Wednesday until she comes. We will do all the regular stuff they do at appointments, plus I will spend time on monitors so that me can make sure she is moving well and her heartbeat stays at an acceptable rate. After monitoring each week for about 30 minutes or so, I will have an ultrasound to chart her growth and my fluid levels. So long as everything looks good, I will just keep going until she comes. If anything causes concern we will induce and deliver. I still have that feeling that she is coming early!!!

I plan to take a 35 week picture tomorrow, but it will be a few days before I'm back on the computer. The kiddos and I are going to visit some family for a couple days. Wesley will be working and at home while we are gone. A few people have called or emailed asking for the latest in his work situation. I've not updated, because there's not much I can say right now. Things are still up in the air. Negotiations are taking place. He isn't sure right now what's going to happen. He hopes to know something by this Friday.

It's been a busy week. I've got several things I want to blog about, but once again no time. I'm still couponing and LOVING it!! I've gotten so many good deals. We ended our July budget recently, and we came in right at budget on groceries/household stuff. BUT, our budget was set some lower than normal, my new diet actually cost us more, we had out of town company visit us for the 4th of July, I didn't start couponing until mid-July, and I have stock piles of stuff!!! So I feel like month 1 was a huge success!!

That's it for tonight. I'll post more when I return and will add some pictures next time too!

She's Here!

The ride, not the baby!! She's big and beautiful, and I love her!!! After months of waiting, finally, wheels again!!! Can you tell that I'm excited?!! Here's a picture. (The date stamp is obviously wrong on the picture.)



It was starting to get dark when we got home today, so this is not the very best picture. I will post another picture soon.

I'm so thankful. Thankful to have a new/used vehicle that fits all of us again. Thankful that we went with this one. Thankful that the Lord intervened and saved us from going into too much debt on the other one.

When we were having dinner tonight, Wesley asked the kiddos how they liked our new ride. I chimed in and told them how thankful I was to have it. Then Luke said, "But Mommy you really wanted the white one. Are you sad?" I saw a look flash across Wesley's face as he awaited my response. I answered by saying, "what white one." Luke didn't understand my answer, but Wesley smiled the biggest smile. His looks said, "Ahhhhh....."

Our new ride needs a little loving by way of having a few minor things done, so I will likely have to part with her for a day or more early on this week. But when I get her back, we'll be hitting the books in the morning and the highways in the afternoon!!! Look for me out of the road and watch out because I feel powerful in my Mama Monster Truck! :)

Thanks for your prayers!

Debt

I wanted to write about what happened with the "new wheels" that I thought I was going to get yesterday. So here's the 411...

If you've been keeping up, you know that we have been on the hunt for a new vehicle. Our family van which is 16 year old with 260,000 miles on it has served us well. However, it recently developed some pretty major mechanical problems (are you surprised), and it doesn't have room for the newest addition who will be arriving very soon!! So a few weeks ago we began doing research and shopping for something new. My dream ride is the massively big passenger van sometimes referred to as a church bus. Crazy, isn't it?! But it isn't easy to find those used, and when you do they are either a) old, wore out, high mileage or b) out of our price range. So we targeted newer mini-vans that would seat 7 and SUVs that would seat 7 or 8. We discovered that only the largest SUVs would truly meet our needs. And, not all of them were easy to get in and out of. Mini-vans are definitely easier as far as that is concerned, and they of course get much better gas mileage. Problem with mini-vans is that we were only adding room for Elizabeth and then we would be maxed out again with no room for a grandparent or friend to ride with us. Also we have all of our children still in some type safety seat. They are not all legally required to be, but according to safety recommendations it's better for them to be. We did re-evaluate our standards in regards to the safety recommendations, but still had a very hard time finding mini-vans that truly met our needs.

Again, if you've been following along, you know there's been a few serious possibilities, but for one reason or another each of those didn't work. Finally, f-i-n-a-l-l-y, our search led us to a beautiful, one owner, white (my favorite color for a car), loaded with several extras, low mileage, reasonably price Suburban which was for sale a couple hours north of us. It was exactly what I was looking for and what I wanted!!! We went to bed Wednesday night planning to finalize the deal on Thursday. I was so excited Wednesday about getting it. But, guess what? I couldn't sleep. I mean I really, really couldn't sleep. Wesley was at work covering a midnight football practice, and he got home at around 3:00 AM. I was in bed, still awake, waiting for him, because I didn't have peace about what I had hours before considered the "perfect" deal for us. Guess what else. Wesley didn't have peace about it either. The problem? We were going to have to go into a decent amount of debt for it. For us, the word "debt" is a nasty, ugly word letter word.

Allow me to further explain our position on the matter of debt. I feel like this topic is a rather sensitive and controversial one. We hold a rather uncommon view of debt in comparison to the world's view of this subject. We don't believe that debt is necessarily a sin although I think it's possible in some situations for it to be. However, there's no arguing the fact that scripture clearly warns us about debt and the consequences there of. Debt is not God's best for his children. Don't we all want God's best. Wesley and I have participated in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, Jim Sammons Financial Freedom series, and every year in the month of January our pastor teaches a stewardship series. We know that debt is not best. We first did Dave Ramsey's course on good financial stewardship in 2000. Since that time, we've not accumulated any new debt with exception to our current home and one other minor except in 2004 that we quickly paid off. We regretted even that one small infraction. We paid off all debt we had except our house and a student loan that we are still working on and vowed to not do it again if at all possible. As it became harder and harder to find the right vehicle in our budget, we began to cave in. That's were we were this past Wednesday, just so ready to get something. I really believe we were so restless Wednesday night, because we were under conviction about it. We had no peace. I believe God was warning us not to make that mistake. It was very, very hard to listen to that come Thursday morning. But, we did. Wesley called the dealership who had already prepared papers and told them the deal was off. I was so disappointed, because it meant I wasn't getting the car I really wanted. But we both knew it was the right decision, and as time has gone on we haven't doubted that.

There has been another Suburban that we've been looking at for a little over a week that is an older model with higher mileage, but much, much more within our means. We've decided that so long as we don't have any new warnings, we will purchase that one tomorrow. I initially didn't want to get this one, because of the fact it was older with higher mileage, but I've had a heart change. This one just makes sense. It really is priced right for us. We've had it checked by a mechanic, and it does need a couple maintenance things done to it but nothing really serious. Wesley feels good about it. The bottom line is that this one requires more of my faith. Since it's older with higher mileage, I haven't felt as secure. Additional, time for the real truth here, I've felt a little prideful about this one because it's not as new or nice as a lot of the others we've seen. I can't rely and put my hope in things like the age and mileage of a vehicle. I have to trust and submit to Wesley, and have to trust the Lord. It's all His anyway. He owns it all. He can keep a clunker of a car running (not that this one is a clunker) or He can allow a new car off the lot to blow up. I'm trusting Him with the details as far as the mechanics of this vehicle is concerned. I've gotten over what I want and shifted my thinking to the practical need. I'm seeking to know and do His will. We don't sense any cautions in regards to this one as of now.

God blesses obedience. I feel as though, we've sought Him and we were obedient in not getting the more expensive one. I know that He will honor our obedience over that decision. A dear friend reminded me that sometimes the blessing comes in just knowing you were obedient. Sometimes it's peace over a decision. Sometimes it's not something we see on this side of Heaven. Sometimes it's more. Regardless the focus should be on glorifying Him. I'm sharing all these details, because I hope that in doing so He is glorified.

We are still going to have to be in some debt for this one but not much and not long term. It's not what we want, it's not ideal, and I still believe it's not His best. But we are continuing to seek Him, and He's provided a way that we can quickly pay it off. If this too is the wrong decision, we are praying that He intervenes once again to show us. I'm trusting Him to direct our steps, and to make His will known. We feel at peace with this.

So now you know the rest of that story! Of course tomorrow I will let everyone know how it all turns out!

As for today, it was a great, great day!! Peace. I felt at peace. We shared the day with great friends on a practically all day long field trip (maybe a post about that at another time). And, the job situation for Wesley seems promising as of today. Thanks for following our lives. Thanks for praying with us. Please feel free anytime, to email me or leave me your prayer concerns as well!

34 Week Doctor's Appt

Well there will be no 34 week picture of me with my new wheels, at least not today anyway. There are no new wheels, and I'm not feeling the picture today.

First let me say that I had a doctor's appointment today with my OB. Baby is measuring great. Great movement. Great blood pressure. Sugar levels are considered "diet controlled". The only negative is that with this diet I've lost a couple pounds and haven't gained it back. The total weight gain for this entire pregnancy is still only 11 pounds. Now personally I don't have a problem with that, and my doctor says it's probably OK. However, one thing we will be watching very closely from here on out is how the baby is growing and gaining. Toward the end of my pregnancy with Bella Peace, my amniotic fluid became low and it appear as though the placenta may not have functioning properly and may have failed to provide Bella Peace with the nutrients she needed. She was a healthy weight, but our smallest baby. So, we just want to make sure that this baby continues to grow healthy and gain weight as she should. If it looks like there's any trouble, we won't take any chances. We will deliver early. I've got 6 weeks to go as of today. I would appreciate all 6 of them, however more importantly we just want a healthy baby. I may have said this before. I don't know if it's fear or intuition, but I have a feeling she's coming early. None of my other babies have been born early, so it's probably nothing. But, September 3 stands out in my mind as a possible birthday. We shall see!

As for the wheels, it's a very long story and I will try to post it tonight. I'm emotionally drained right now!

Counting Bears and Cars

Not much to report on the job front. Wesley is still at his same school per his supervisors instructions. He's of course being very much a gentlemen about the whole thing. He's being careful to do the right thing. The principal has not run him off yet. It seems everyone realizes a fight has begun, and everyone seems to be cordial, careful, and calculated. Wesley is very limited as to what he's able to do, because they've already brought in his replacement. It's a unique and awkward situation. In our area, tomorrow is the first day that high school athletes can practice with pads on. So, the football coach has called a practice for 12:01 tonight!! Can you imagine having football practice in the middle of the night like that?!! So, Wesley is getting in a few hours of sleep as I write this so he can be prepared to be at work only to not really work in just a couple hours. Very strange situation, folks!

Today was spent doing school, household chores, playing, and car (again I mean big vehicle) shopping via computer once again. Actually, I car shopped via computer a whole lot yesterday and last night. Today I made contact by phone with a dealer who has something that appears to be what we are looking for. I think I've gone into great detail about what a challenging experience car shopping has been. It kind of took the back burner a little (but not really) this week because of the developments with work and beginning school, but it's never been far from our minds and we've still worked on it as we could. Actually we thought we had something Monday before everything happened at work, but it also didn't pan out. Anyway, I really think this is the one!!! Because of Wesley's middle of the night work schedule, he's available in the day tomorrow to go check it out. I feel really good about this one. Maybe it's the one!!! Hopefully tomorrow I will post a 34 week picture of me and my new wheels!!!

So that's the work and car update. Now for some fun. The picture below is of Bella Peace doing her school. At least that's what she says. She calls it her math, and begs to do her "counting bears"!!



I bought these for I think $8 from Amazon this summer when I was ordering homeschool stuff for the big kids. I thought it would be a good activity to entertain her while we did school. I was right. She will sit and play with them for quite a while. There's so much you can do with them. Learn colors, matching, sorting, counting, etc. There are 50 bears in all in 5 different colors (10 bears per color). There's also 5 cups in matching colors for sorting. Bella Peace loves sorting the bears into their appropriate cups. I think it's a neat and fun activity! I will admit they have given us an opportunity for character training as well. When she gets done playing with them, she typically starts to drop them from her high chair to the ground. She's been none to happy to have to get down and pick them up off the floor thus providing us with an opportunity to deal with many character qualities. Hey, these are practically an entire curriculum!! :) (They do come with a warning about not being suitable for children under 3 because of the size of the bears, but I'm always sitting beside her when she plays with them and she good to not put them in her mouth.)

I titled this post "counting bears and cars" because it feels like we've checked on as many cars has Bella Peace has bears, maybe more!! We also been doing the "math", checking cost, sorting good and bad, comparing mileage and other details, etc. And let's not forget the character lessons we've had! Only "counting cars" hasn't been nearly as fun as "counting bears". :)

On a final note, I want to brag a little on my Mary Ruth. Today our preschool homeschool group had a playgroup. It was the first event of the new school year. With all that's already going on this week, I knew we could all make it today. It's going to be impossible this year to do all the activities available to us. However, I did ask a friend if she would mind picking up Mary Ruth on the way so that she could go. Mary Ruth was so excited to be getting to do something special, just her!! She was also so wore out when she returned home! I'm so glad she got to go. Thank you so much Heather for taking her!! She got a good report from Heather which pleased me, and then another precious friend emailed me to share what a sweet girl she was while at the playgroup. Thank you too, Melody!! Of course nothing makes a Mommy happier than good reports on her children. And it earned Mary Ruth the "special red plate" for dinner! Too bad I didn't get a picture.

Well that's all for tonight folks! Check back tomorrow to see if I've got wheels. I'll update if I'm not too busy burning up the highway!

The Saga Continues

Well the day got some better as it went on. I got less emotional about everything. Wesley actually turned a corner and started to view this whole thing as a new adventure. Of course, he's feeling the love more and more with every student, parent, teacher, and friend that calls to offer support. Everyone is behind him. As far as seeing this as an adventure, I'm so totally not there yet. I've got plenty adventure as a pregnant, due in about 6 weeks stay at home wife and mom who homeschools 2 children while keeping 2 others safe and entertained. Bella Peace along affords me more adventure than I ever bargained for. My thoughts on this are, please spare me any new adventures right now.

Anyway, there is an update tonight. The hospital that Wesley is employed by has decided not to go down without a fight. Again I can't share all the details, but for now it's not over. Wesley spent the day at his same school and has instructions to do the same tomorrow. It makes for a rather awkward work environment, but my thrill seeker is taking it in great stride! He's actually not too concerned over the fact that he could get escorted off the grounds in cuffs by a sheriff deputy. He says it could be embarrassing, but it could allow him a opportunity to make the news!! He's not totally kidding. The hospital and many, many, other people are going to bat for him. Everyone wants him to still be there. Maybe I was wrong last night, maybe their noise will make a difference. Right now, he's just following instructions, doing what he's told. I'm concerned that even if he stays, it could be a long hard road. I guess only time will tell for sure.

I can tell you one thing for sure, there's never a dull moment in our lives! New adventure? When are we not living an adventure????

I saw a little tag on another blog that said, "it may be crazy, but it's our life." So true!!

Even though I've taken a funny approach to this whole thing tonight, I can't end without saying that above all else it's our desire to see Christ glorified. Wesley has been much more light-hearted tonight, but truly he's still got his priorities. He cares so much about the athletes and students. He was greatly concerned about their well being during practices today. His hands were tied and he wasn't able to take care of them. That really bothered him. And even greater is his desire to take care of me and the kiddos. Yesterday in response to the kids concern over all this, he told them that he still had one of his greatest positions as their Daddy!! How precious is that?

Stay tuned, I'm sure that tomorrow will bring about a new chapter.

Sad

As anticipated, the morning is off to a hard start. I'm so sad. So sad for Wesley. Scared of all the uncertainly. Scared of the change. Sad.

1st Day of School and Rain

Because I need to start with something light-hearted, I will begin with the details of our first official day of school for this year. Then, I will move on to the "rain".

So, today was it! I'm proud to say it was a very good first day!! We started with devotion, Bible reading, and a character lesson. Then Luke and Grace did phonics together while Mary Ruth and Bella Peace enjoyed some play time. Next we all worked together at the table for a while on our bar graphs. I emailed a few of you to gather some data. They really had fun with this! After we had finished this assignment, we all stopped and enjoyed a quick break before Luke and Grace did math. Normally they do math separately, but today's lessons were pretty similar so we I put them together. Finally it was lunch time!! After lunch we went outside for a little vitamin D and exercise (and to let Bella Peace run off some energy before nap). When we were sufficiently sweaty we headed back in for some reading and "rock-rock" time. I "rock-rock" Bella Peace before nap each day. When she was down, the three big ones and I hit the science book. Then it was rest time for all!!! The only thing we had left on our agenda for after rest time was a little more individual reading. It was a very good day. So if you are interested, this year we will be doing Bible/character/scripture memory collected from a variety of sources, Abeka phonics (this includes reading, handwriting, spelling, and language/grammar, Bob Jones math 2 for Luke/math 1 for Grace, Apologia science (2 days per week), Abeka history (2 days per week), and some other extra activities including music, art, missions, etc.

For the past 2 years, we've gotten all dressed up, fixed our hair nice, and really made a fuss over the 1st day of school with lots of pictures to document the big event. This year I still took a few pictures, but we didn't get all dolled up for the occasion. Maybe it's because I'm almost 9 months pregnant. Maybe it's because things have been so crazy lately. Or maybe the new is wearing off. I can hardly believe we are starting our 3rd year of homeschooing! WOW! Anyway, here are the pictures and story behind the pictures that I did take.

We've been getting in a few school days here and there over the past couple of months. Grace had an assignment last week to collect data and make a bar graph. Of course everyone wanted in on this fun, so all the big kids made a bar graph.


Luke collected information on people's favorite color. Blue won with pink being a close second.


Grace's graph was on birthday months. June had the most birthdays by a long shot!


And finally, Mary Ruth's bar graph revealed that the classic ice cream flavors, vanilla and chocolate, never go out of style!


Bella Peace enjoyed feeling part of it all. She kept yelling, "blue" and "chocolate".


If you participated by providing info for us, thanks so much for playing! It was a lot of fun.

So now for part 2 of the post..."rain." Just as we were wrapping up for lunch, we got some unexpected rain, and I don't mean the kind that falls from clouds in the sky. Remember in my last post, I said when it rains, it pours. Well, yes, it was pouring on us again today. Today we were shocked and surprised by some very unexpected news. I'm going to be intentionally a little vague, because I try to be careful with the specifics of where we live in case some weirdo happens on my blog. So it may be a little hard to follow, but here's the story (and BTW I have Wesley's permission to share):

Wesley is an athletic trainer employed by the largest local hospital to provide sports medicine coverage to one particular local high school. There is one other local provider of sports medicine coverage in the area who works very closely with the other hospital in our area. These two are always in serious competition. Wesley has been assigned to the same high school for going 9 years. He loves the students, the parents, the teachers, and the staff. AND, they really, really love him. A brand new principal just started to work at the school Wesley is assigned to. Principals have a lot of power and authority. This new principal exercised his power today by making his first order of business in his new role to out Wesley. That's right, he ask Wesley to clear out as of today!!!!!! Now remember, Wesley is not employed by the school. He is employed by the hospital which is good and means that he does still have a job. I know it's confusing and hard to follow. This is something that hospitals and surgery centers often do as a community service and in hopes of getting referrals when injuries occur (as they so often do in sports). So again, Wesley is still employed by the hospital and is not in danger of that changing so far as we know. However, he is no longer at this school.

This news was devastating to us all, but especially hard on Wesley. He's got a great reputation, is very well liked, works hard, and has done so much in his 9 years at this school. The principal assured Wesley that he had only heard great things about him, but that this was just a business decision. This principal just prefers to work with that other provider I mentioned above. There's also a great deal of politics involved in all this, and details that I may not be at liberally to share. But the bottom line is that as of now, Wesley doesn't have a school to report to in the morning. His supervisors plan to re-assign him in another school or another position, but as of tonight we have no idea of where that might be. It could mean a change of hours which might be nice. Or it could mean a big commute which would not be nice. We just don't know. At least we do know that he does still have a job. Additional, he's been showered by love and support from many, many coaches, teachers, parents, students, other school and hospital staff, and friends. Many of which want to go to bat for him and try to "do something" about this great injustice, BUT the fact is it's very unlikely that any one's noise is going to make a bit of difference. The principal seems to have his mind very made up!

Our kiddos were so sad for their Daddy. They all cried. Luke was upset that we won't be the tigers anymore. Grace was upset because we won't be the purple team anymore. They were all so sad at the thought of never going back to visit, never going back to Daddy's purple office (which is what they call it), not seeing the people at school anymore. We assured them that we can visit, but they were still so sad. They actually cried and cried about it for quite a while. Wesley was pretty emotional as well. He has literally watched kids grow to be young men and women. He cares so much for these students. He has even been planning to start a Bible study out at school. He really has their best interests at heart. That's what hurts him the most. This is a horrible week for this to occur. It's one of the busiest weeks of the year, and the students will suffer this week with such a big transition. He works so hard going over and beyond to take care of them as they practice in this terrible heat. It will be impossible for a new person to start tomorrow and be completely prepared for to care for them immediately as he was prepared to do. This doesn't matter to the new principal. He wants to make the switch immediately.

It literally makes me sick to my stomach, especially because I know there's so much politics and stuff involved. It hurts me to see how it's effecting Wesley, the kids, and others. It makes me sad to know that relationships will change. Sad to know that Wesley won't be just 15 minutes down the road anymore. Sad to know that he will have to start over, rebuild. I've grown to love so many people at that school also. We have so much history there. We moved to our current house to be close to that school. Change is hard. But, right now, I'm reminded that "the just shall live by faith".

I don't understand the timing of all this. We've been in a hard season of life for quite a while now. We've been challenged over and over again lately. It's impossible to make sense of it all. Maybe we will one day look back and see God's hand on all this. I'm sure we are growing from it all. This scripture comes to mind:

My brethen, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let your patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4

Faith. WOW. I've said time and again that it's been challenged and tested for quite a while now. I will not be moved!! I will fight the fight. I will run the race. I will not quit. I will not give up. I will press on!!! Faith, such an appropriate middle name for our sweet baby girl who will be here in just a few more weeks.

A couple of interesting tidbits to leave you with:

1. As much as Wesley loves the people, we have been praying about a career move for a couple of years now. Again, he loves the people and many, many other aspects of his job. But there's been other motivating factors to lead him to look at other possibilities. However, the right doors have not been opened. Maybe this is God's way of bringing about that change. This is just not the way we expected it to happen. We were just unprepared and shocked by it.

2. Now this is odd, but here goes...yesterday after the service ended at church, a man came up to Wesley. He said that he was just visiting our church, and he noticed our family. He said that during the church service he believed that God gave him a word that he was suppose to deliver to Wesley. He said, whatever is happening in your life, God wants you to be encouraged. He went on to encourage Wesley that he was making a difference in the lives of other people. It was pretty strange for us, and the man said it was strange for him too. I assumed it was just all the car stuff and other recent craziness, but now I wonder if that was a word in preparation for today. Wild, right?

Who knows what tomorrow holds. Tonight I am going to try to focus on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. There are still a lot of those things in our lives.

I think that school will be hard tomorrow, because this is all so distracting. But again, I will try to take my thoughts captive and focus on the Lord and my many blessings and not all this other stuff.

Please pray with us!! Pray for Wesley. He wasn't able to completely clear out today, because he has accumulated a lot of stuff and big equipment over the years. Tomorrow he will have to finish clearing out his office of 9 years. Lots of memories. Lots of time, energy, and effort went into turning a junked out old portable building into a very, very nice health care clinic at his school. That run down portable became his very special "purple office". It will be hard to leave it all behind and say good bye to lots of special people tomorrow. He will also likely be facing the "new guy" which according to reports is actually a 20 something young lady. No fun. No fun at all. Additional almost as a side note in light of this new news, the hunt for transportation continues!!

Starting School

First, how do you like the new blog design? (Thanks, Katy for the help!)

Tomorrow we start back to school full time. We've done a few days over the summer, but not many and not every subject everyday. I've just finished up a few details and need to get in bed soon, but thought I would jump on her real quick. I really mean that tonight. :)

Luke starts 2nd grade. Grace starts 1st grade. Mary Ruth is doing some pre-K work. And Bella Peace has a few special activities too. She calls them her "cool work".

I'm excited to start back. It brings a sense of structure to our days. But, summer isn't over, and we there's still plenty of spontaneous fun to be had!

As cliche as this sounds, all of life really is a classroom. I've been getting "schooled" lately myself. Guess we all are, all the time.

One cool thing I learned today is this:

"The just shall live by faith" appears 4 times in scripture.

I love this simple reminder of how we should live. By faith. So good!!

This verse was a special one to us as we began school last year:

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

There are several that stand out to me in regards to school this year. Here's a few:

"Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge." Proverbs 23:12

and this passage:

Proverbs 2:1-11

1My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee

Since Luke started kindergarten we've memorized an entire Psalm each year (along with other verses). This year, we may just have to consider that passage about for our memory selection.

Well, it's time for bed. I know many of you are also starting school tomorrow. I will be saying a bedtime prayer for us all!

(BTW, scroll on down. I've got several new post up.)

Under Construction

The blog is once again under construction.

Here's a cute picture just for fun...


This girl is a MESS!!