the same

see?? i'm horrible at keeping up with writing! i have a running blog in my head, but it just doesn't seem paper (screen) worthy! you know...its all about every day stuff like food, dirt, dishwashers, dogs, kids, poop, fruit flies, mail, teeth, school, clothes, etc, etc, etc. we get into our routine, and although i love what i do, there's just not much to write about!

as i stated on my facebook status, i am experiencing my annual autumn restlessness. i feel restless and anxious and start making lists like a crazy person. so far i have made lists of birthdays, budgets, job possibilities with their earnings, christmas lists, birthday lists, list of books to read, list of home repairs, list of things to buy when dustin's gets his soccer check, things to give away list, chores to do in the house list, and...i think thats all. i started a new "list" notebook so that all my lists are in the same place. if i had the money, fall would be a very productive time of year because i'd be all over home repairs and chores!! i did buy knobs for the entry closet doors last night. as much as i like making lists, i HATE feeling this way. i have thought and prayed about it so much because there is just no rhyme or reason to it. i have narrowed it down to the possibility that there have been a lot of key changes in my life during the season of fall, and that somewhere deep in my sub-conscious my being begins to expect (or dread) a change.

some of the autumn changes i can think of are school starting every year as a kid, meeting dustin at fairmont, having my first child, moving to west virginia, hearing devestating news about levi, my grandparents dying, dustin getting a teaching job, and certain life-changing spiritual experiences. i think more impactful events in my life have taken place between the months of october and december than in any other time period of the year. so, this is my theory for now. while i live fairly independently for most of the year, its during this season that i have a strong need for community. i have begun to pray that God would see me through.

oh...and i'm reading a really good book for the third time. some books just get better and better the more you read them! this book is called "i am not a social activist", but the title is somewhat deceiving. my friend steffi bought it for me, and gifts is my love language, so its an extra special book to me! since this post is getting really long, maybe later on this week i'll write some of my favorite lines from the book. :)

some days there are just no words. i yield my will to the will of God. i honor my husband. i love my children. it just seems so simple. today there is a just humility in the presence of a powerful God. who am i to be so blessed? i pray that my life would be a reflection of the redemptive nature of God.

hungry hungry hippo

dustin has been making waffles every saturday morning for a couple of months now. last saturday the waffle iron died. it was only a 2-seater anyway, which means i'm in the market for a new, LARGER waffle iron. i've been online shopping for one that makes four at at time so that dustin can make waffles for all seven of us in less than an hour!

i think i'm hungry. waffles are on my mind, and i'm sad that i won't have them this week. popcorn also sounds good. as does chocolate pie. and iced tea with no sugar. and french toast from choochoos. but, i suppose i'll just eat some carrots like a good pregnant woman should.

hopefully by next week, i can have some waffles.

house list edit

i'm going back to do my first edit of my house wishlist! THANK YOU Cassie & crew for the bedframe!!

this weekend we had two great testimonies of healing. #1 a lady at church had a mammogram last week that showed a lump in her breast that had the possibility of being cancerous. she went for further testing, and the second round of tests showed no lump. comparing the two tests, one could see a lump in the first, and it was gone in the second. the second test was after she received prayer for health and healing. #2 diana stender's mother came to church last wednesday for prayer from the elders b/c she does not want to live on pain medication and was asking God to heal her body of pain. she was prayed for, and diana called to give a report on saturday that after receiving prayer, her mother is pain free and has not had to take any medication! is there really anything too small or too great for God?

friday

today will be a great day! dustin will be home for dinner!! when i looked at the calendar last sunday evening, i knew this would be one of those weeks that i must just get through! three games of soccer, which means late, late nights for dustin. appointments on three evenings, which means later nights for the kids. and the unexpected: titus breaking his leg and having to spend hours at the vet! thankfully, we were able to turn it into an "educational" experience. ;) but, alas...its FRIDAY! i'm not one to rejoice in fridays on my facebook status, but here in the privacy of my own blog, let me say "i'm glad this week is over, and i'm soooooooo happy that its friday!"

today i will meet with my midwife again. i am 17 weeks closer to a homebirth. the idea that i am going to have to take this a week (or even a day) at a time has been great for me. it prevents me from making any concrete long term plans, which is good for my character and patience. i am anxious to hear what she says about my dr. appointment from a couple weeks ago. and hopefully i'll get to tell her all about the midwifery retreat!

i will make crockpot lasagna for supper. that way i can cook when i have my morning energy and then not have to think about it for the rest of the day!

oh...and something i've been thinking about--when my children are grown i pray that i never ever ever forget what it is like to have a young family. i want to be the kind of older woman that titus 2 talks about--teaching younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and pure and to take care of their homes. i pray that i remember these long days at home with no adult conversation and that i can be the voice of encouragement in a young mother's day. and i want to welcome little ones into my home so that tired moms and dads can take a night out together. so, here it is in writing. i can go back and read and remember what i committed to on today.

last but not least...this is how i love starting the morning: simone in the living room, spinning and singing, "god is great, beer is good, and people are crazy!" you gotta love that girl!! ;)

travelin' tik

nadia is officially WALKING! i consider anything more than eight steps and a fall followed by the attempt to get up and keep going "official" walking. she is slightly more steady in bare feet than shoed feet. and she is very, very, VERY proud of herself! of course, every step is celebrated with cheers and clapping from her brother and sisters, so nadia has started clapping as soon as she stands up! its the most adorable thing in the world!!

"at your cervix"

wow!! what a weekend!! i attended the "women helping women" midwifery conference at spruce knob, and my heart is full and my brain even MORE full!! i was the least experienced woman there as far as catching babies, and it was intimidating to be in a room with 50 women who, among them, have delivered literally THOUSANDS of babies!! but, everyone was so welcoming and helpful!

my class the first day was 8 hours of "beginning midwifery skills". i learned how to wash my hands, do diagnostic urine testing, use a fetoscope, check blood pressure, temperature, respirations, pulse, all about female reproductive anatomy, how to measure fundal height, how to feel baby in-utero, charting, informed decision making, and so many other things that i can't remember them to list right now! there is a lot for me to practice, so i need many women that i know to get pregnant so they can be my guinea pigs!! :) (hint hint: virginia, emily, brandy, tina)

after supper we learned about the different pathways to midwifery, and then we had charades and wine. fun times.

day 2 was more classes--some for the whole group and others that we could pick a topic such as post partum hemmorage, post partum care, shoulder dystocia, placenas, etc.

highlights:
+meeting two women whose business is called "at your cervix" LOVE it!
+a ob/gyn from mo-town teaching on post partum hemmorage. what a great class!
+ stuffing plastic women with cateloupe uterus' with plastic and gauze
+many one on one talks with experienced midwives. so much knowledge and experience from which to glean!
+playing with real placentas and learning how to capsulize them
+a divine connection with a doula/student midwife from marietta who is planning to attend my birth
+the game of charades that eventually ended up with wine-filled midwives acting out every word as "orgasm". wow.
+the drive up and down a 10 mile one lane gravel road. definitely almost heaven west virginia.
+carrying my own cup and napkin throughout the weekend in order to conserve wash water.
+feeling a baby within ruth ann's womb as i learned the leopold's maneuvers.
+spending an entire weekend with no tv, internet, radio, phone, etc. how peaceful.
+coming home. i missed my family soooooo much.

who wants to come with me next year????????

flip flip flip flip

back handspring update: judah can now do a roundoff followed by FOUR back handsprings!! he is unbelievable!

i'm gearing up for a midwifery filled weekend!! tomorrow morning is a meeting regarding "birth choices" in our area of west virginia! yay! i will attend an in-home meeting with the best midwife i know and am anxious to hear her thoughts.

then friday morning i will head to the mountain institute for the 2nd annual "women helping women" midwifery conference. my entire day on friday is a class called "beginning midwifery skills". i am BEYOND excited.

so...in preparation for my big weekend away, i'd better get to cleaning the kitchen. a shiny sink before bed is a must! and then i think i'll start some diapers in the wash. that will give me one more thing to cross off my to-do list. :)

victory

Judah learned to do his round-off back handspring today!! He asked this morning if he could watch a video on youtube about how to do one. So, I let him watch it. He said if his stomach hurt that meant he could do it, and his stomach HURT. He went outside, and three minutes later he came in yelling, "I did it! I did it!!" A bit skeptical, I went outside to see for myself. And sure enough--HE DID IT! Amazing! I am so proud of him!! A couple of weeks ago he was scared to even try to do a back handspring by himself. We talked about it, and prayed for courage, and today he did what he thought would be impossible--a ROUNDOFF back handspring! Yay Judah!!! :)

week 14

I spent the first 13 weeks of my pregnancy so exhausted and nauseous that clutter and disorganization around the house hardly bothered me. I know...unbelievable! As long the floor was clean and the dishes were out of the sink, I was happy. And now, at 14 weeks, the weeks of not caring have all compounded into one big weight of "ohmygosheverythingissuchamessandsodisorganizedanddirtyandclutteredandscatteredicanhardlystandit!"

This morning I woke up short of breath, thinking of all the things that need tended to. Its like I'm "nesting" with 26 weeks to go! Yikes! Either I will freak everyone (including myself) out with my psychotic need for clean, or I will somehow settle into a pattern of meticulous organization that will carry me through to baby's arrival. So...today I started in the back of the house--the office, the girls' room, my bedroom. It was a good start, and I am thoroughly exhausted in an i-was-very-productive kind of way! :)

Slacker

is what i am. sorry virginia!

so...what have i done since my last blog on august 23rd??

i homeschooled the kids on all weekdays. i went to walmart and bought a new dvd player b/c i thought i could live without one, and it turns out that i can't. actually SIMONE is the one who needs it, but its for my own sanity. i went to church. i got sick at church. someone had to drive me home. i felt better by thursday. friday i took cana shopping, and WOW is all i have to say about that! she is hard-core and wore me out. thankfully, she found some "skinny" jeans. mission accomplished. saturday i did nothing but sit and sleep. in the evening we went to choochoos with dad and billie, and then kaycee and i hit the road for some back road adventures to doug's camp in the middle of nowhere. sunday was church again, and i had nursery...baby nursery, which is a little more mellow than toddler nursery. we had a day of visiting with doug, vd, lily, kaycee, mom, scot, emily, and hazel. em gave me a crochet lesson. monday started a new week of homeschooling and laundry. and today i went to the doctor. he told me homebirth for me is "not cool" and that he has to do some "investigating". hmmm... came home for about 15 seconds and packed the kids up to go to dustin's soccer game! they won! it was a good game to be at. now its bed time.

kid highlights:
cana: side ponytail and skinny jeans
judah: reading the bible front to back
eden: pooped in the grass and the dog ate it
simone: prayed at supper "thank you god that mom and dad do not fart in my face."
nadia: yells "GO" after cana says "ready...set..."