tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44953312277917767072024-02-06T22:07:44.682-06:00OverflowLuke 6:45Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-59400051129990472892016-09-02T22:24:00.001-05:002016-09-02T22:24:11.446-05:00Update on the KidsA little update. Since it's been like a year...<br />
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Nora: <br />
**Disclaimer: I started this post when Nora was still one. <br />
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<ul>
<li>is kind of a liar. If you ask her how old she is she says "two". If you ask her what her name is she says "Tony" or any other name she can think of, but most often Tony. She thinks this is a very funny trick. If you try to tell her the wrong name for yourself she will say "No!" with a big smile.</li>
<li>has figured out that she is almost a two year old and has decided to start acting like one. This means she has become very bossy and demanding. We will often hear her saying to her brothers: "out now!", "dat's mine!", "dat's not yours!", "I mad!", </li>
<li>she still has her super sweet side (and she knows how to use it) She gives lots of kisses, hugs, and pats. She says "I love you...so much". She walks around frequently announcing "Nice day!" </li>
<li>She likes to "rock a baby" before nap and bed. (Meaning we rock and sing to her or play music)</li>
<li>loves swimming, swinging, and "callin" (face time or skype), </li>
<li>Asks "Why?" all the time. It's a very angry WHY when you have just told her you do not have what she wants.</li>
<li>kisses any object that she likes</li>
<li>we stayed at a hotel over the summer and Joe was trying to put one of the kids to bed and so when I was nursing Nora in the night and she realized that Joe wasn't in the bed she started calling out "Daddy! Where are you?" The sweetest.</li>
<li>When someone comes to the door she says "come on in!"</li>
<li>pretends to talk on the phone a lot. Always goes like this "hi, Dada! How are you? Good. It's nice day!"</li>
<li>holds hands up in the air and exclaims "What?!" in the most animated fashion.</li>
<li>Will bring me the bin of supplies and say "Have a tea party, Mom?" Who could say no to that?!</li>
<li>loves cats. so so much.</li>
<li>cats may only be second to babies. OBSESSED with babies.</li>
<li>has some sweet hip hop dance moves.</li>
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Silas:</div>
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<li>continues to have a very sweet and laid back personality. </li>
<li>he is usually the first child to show gratitude for something, which this mama really appreciates! He will say "Thanks for taking us to the park, mom!" or "This is a really fun day!"</li>
<li>He also knows how to turn on the charm. Example 1: We were talking about a friend one day and Roman said "He has a nice smile". I agreed and asked them to list other people who have a nice smile. Silas piped up "You know who has a beautiful face? YOU." I mean, swoon, right?!</li>
<li>One of my other favorites was when one of my friends said to Silas "I just wanna bottle you up". He said "What does that even mean?" So we laughed and she explained that when you really like someone and you wish you could have them around you all the time you can say that phrase. He immediately turned to me and said "Mom, I just wanna bottle you up".</li>
<li>Funny one: He hid under the doctor's desk when he had to get 5 year shots. ha! It took us quite a while to coax him out.</li>
<li>goes to a program called Sports Club at the athletic club. It's basically what you think: they introduce kids to a variety of sports while I go to kickboxing. One day when I picked him up I asked "Silas, what did you do at Sports Club today?" His response: "I got this beautiful sticker".</li>
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Judah: </div>
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<li>got a bug bite one day and Joe and I were looking at it because it was kind of big. Joe said "Maybe it's a spider bite?" Judah got so excited and said "Do I have webs now??" He kept flicking his wrist all day and asking where his Spider Man webs were. </li>
<li>currently obsessed with Sonic the Hedgehog. It's always something.</li>
<li>loves riding bikes, going swimming (and climbing the rock wall and doing the zip line at the pool!), playing with neighbor friends, and still loving the baths.</li>
<li>LOVES baking with me.</li>
<li>Probably one of my favorites stories of Judah ever: Joe entered Modern Woodmen in a small town parade this summer. The kids threw candy, felt like celebrities, etc. Following the parade, there was a festival, so MWA had a booth and there were other games, food, etc. IOne of the things near us at the festival was a dunk tank. Judah was enthralled with this. I told him that I was going to take Silas and Roman to the bathroom while Joe was getting the booth set up and that maybe, when I got back, I would give him a dollar so he could throw a few balls at the dunk tank. Now the bathrooms were on top of this hill, kind of overlooking the rest of the festival. So, I am up there waiting for the other boys and looking down at the booth. I am realizing the Judah has gotten in line at the dunk tank and that Joe hasn't realized it yet. He gets all the way to the front of the line, talks to the man taking money, and then takes off his shirt and walks up to the seat inside the tank. JOE IS STILL NOT LOOKING. (It was not deep...and then I realized there were other kids that had were wet from doing the same thing) Anyway, I am watching all this go down...and YEP, he got dunked. He goes back over to Joe sopping wet. Joe's expression was hilarious. Such a classic Curious George moment. (I'm serious... the exact same thing happened in Curious George Makes Pancakes).</li>
</ul>
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Roman:</div>
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<li>such a big kid. He is on swim team this year and as you can imagine, he is AMPED. He will try on all his gear for anyone who has a minute to talk.</li>
<li>Made a confession to me the other night about something he wasn't proud of, and started with "Will you give me a hug after I tell you?"</li>
<li>I said to him one day "you're a good boy, Roman" and he responded with "You're a good mom". I needed to hear that, buddy. Thanks.</li>
<li>loves to wear headphones and sing obnoxiously loud.</li>
<li>loves to laugh - he wants funny books and funny movies. I love that.</li>
<li>is currently signed up for the children's choir at church. The director e-mailed me to let me know that Roman was the only boy registered. She said she obviously still wanted him but didn't want him to be surprised on the first day. I told him and he said "Well, they probably need a boy then". Such a gem.</li>
</ul>
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Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-41561203355210128902016-08-03T21:18:00.001-05:002016-08-03T21:18:18.921-05:00Birthday ReminderYesterday was my 32nd birthday. I had some family time, some time with friends, and some cupcakes. Life is good.<br />
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But here's the thing. My birthday has been different for the last two years.<br />
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My college roomate and dear friend, Christina, lost her brother in a tragic car accident two years ago. On my birthday.<br />
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Now, I only met William a couple of times. But I heard about him almost daily. I didn't get to know him all that well personally, but I knew that he was an amazing, faithful, and super fun guy because Christina was always telling stories about the crazy things Will would do on their farm, the cabin that he built, and the ways that he had been generous to his family.<br />
<br />
I will continue to be joyful each year on my birthday. When my dad passed away I realized that old age is not a burden, as some people make it out to be. It's a gift. God has been kind to grant me another year and I am grateful. <br />
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But I think there will always be that reminder for me on August 2nd. <br />
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I won't pretend to understand why I got to celebrate another birthday and William didn't. Death rarely makes sense. I hate that while I am opening gifts, my friend and her precious family are grieving.<br />
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But I know this. Every year on my birthday, I will celebrate. And I will think of William. And I will take the time to feel the summer breeze on my skin. I will ask myself if I am who I want to be. I will remind myself that our lives are just a breath. I will thank God for his forever plan. I will pray for my friends. And I will look forward to the day when death is no more,Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-91288496393321638942016-04-26T20:02:00.001-05:002016-04-26T20:02:36.149-05:00A Rant/Confession/Not a very fun read.How was your day?<div>
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Sometimes that's a hard question to answer. </div>
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Joe, being the good husband that he is, will ask me this question almost every night. And he wants the real answer, which is one of the million things that I love about him. </div>
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But sometimes it's just hard. </div>
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<br />I would love to say "It was great! The children were angels. We did crafts and sang songs together. They told me how much they love each other while they helped each other with their chores. We went on an educational outing where they were all engaged and respectful."</div>
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But today? Not awesome. Today felt like constant whining and fighting. Today was complaining. Today was lots of striving with very little fruit. Today there was not peace in our home. And that sucks.</div>
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See, I always thought I would be a really good mom. I love kids. I like to teach them things. I don't mind a hard day's work. I have a pretty high tolerance for loud and messy. </div>
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But today I don't feel like a good mom. </div>
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Today I feel like I must be doing something wrong and there must be a better way.</div>
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And maybe there is truth to that. I am sure I could make a lot of improvements in my parenting.</div>
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But here's the thing. </div>
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Parenting is a whole lot of sowing and then a little reaping and then a whole lot more sowing. </div>
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Farmers don't sow and then reap and then reap and then reap.</div>
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There is always more sowing to be done. Why do we think parenting is any different? </div>
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Sometimes, in our society, we have this expectation that parents must "control" their children right NOW or they will disrupt everyone else and probably have to do some jail time eventually.</div>
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What a bunch of crap.</div>
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When you see a parent struggling with their child's behavior, you should applaud them. They are not failing as a parent because their child is misbehaving in this moment. That's what children do. It's the parent's job to take this child, in this moment, and teach them how to deal with their current circumstances/emotions/other struggles you may not even be able to see. This is a moment of sowing (or maybe pruning or watering) but it's a moment where that parent is knee deep in the dirt and doing the hard work that needs to be done.</div>
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Parenting is a constant challenge and it's even harder when there is an audience. When a parent is actively engaged with their child, they are doing the hard work of parenting, shaping that little soul right in front of you. So try to bypass the negative thoughts and/or comments and, instead, step out and encourage.</div>
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Parenting my specific kids looks very different than what I had pictured. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. But I can't say that today was great. It was hard. </div>
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And I think (I hope) that means I did some of it right.</div>
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Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-20267672361065082192016-04-08T23:18:00.001-05:002016-04-08T23:18:28.441-05:00Nora GirlieJust a quick Nora post because all of her words are so stinking cute.<br />
She says:<br />
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<ul>
<li>"ha byes" for "high five"</li>
<li>always tags someone's name onto the end "please"; it's usually "Please, Dada" or "Please, Judah" even if neither of them are around and she's asking me for something.</li>
<li>has started saying "hey" before someone's name: "hey, Mama".</li>
<li>"I see you" - this is especially creepy when the person is not in the room. For example, we woke up one day to her saying "I see you, Tony" over and over and OVER again.</li>
<li>"you did it!" when she wants you to cheer for her.</li>
<li>"oh boy!" and "Oh goodness!" and "oh man!"</li>
<li>"help youp"...with the p on the end.</li>
<li>"Nope." especially if she means "yes".</li>
<li>"peep it a boo" for "peek a boo" - this is my favorite favorite favorite. </li>
<li>she has started saying "I love you" with no prompting, so, you know, heart melted.</li>
<li>"huggies" for hugs</li>
<li>"awesome"</li>
<li>if you start quizzing her on words she will put a "ha" in front of them. I think because she is proud and happy to say new words. </li>
<ul>
<li>me: "Nora, can you say 'noodles'?"</li>
<li>Nora: "ha noodles"</li>
</ul>
<li>she is starting to tell us about what happens in different places. So, when I take her to the childcare at the athletic club I will say "Nora, do you want to go play with the kids?" And she will say "Kids! Ball!" and I'll say "You played with the ball? That's fun." And she'll say "Fun!" and then she'll think and say "Henry. Cry." Because her friend Henry cried once when he got dropped off in the childcare.</li>
<li>"appa dada" for "applesauce"</li>
</ul>
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More updates on the boys coming soon!</div>
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-18652527659583312942016-04-08T23:00:00.000-05:002016-04-08T23:00:05.344-05:00Life LessonsSometimes when I am talking with or correcting one of my kids, I get this feeling like "this is a holy moment". We can be in the midst of normal conversation or in deep discussion when it happens, but I suddenly become aware that what I'm saying is a life lesson. Don't get me wrong, moms do this constantly all day long. Every waking minute.<div>
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There are millions of life lessons we teach.<div>
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If you make the mess, you are responsible for cleaning it up.</div>
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Just because you didn't make the mess does not mean you don't need to help.</div>
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If you see that your brother needs help, HELP him.</div>
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Put your laundry in the basket.</div>
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You can probably get your own water.</div>
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Try that again with better manners.</div>
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Think about the last time that you wore your shoes. Look there.</div>
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You actually DO need a coat when it's 35 degrees.</div>
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You actually have to wash your body. That's the point of a shower.</div>
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You actually don't need 7 squirts of soap to wash your body.</div>
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Look around this room and see if you can find one thing that needs to be done.</div>
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Be a gentleman and hold the door.</div>
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People don't like it when you spit on them.</div>
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That healthy snack is going to make you big and strong!</div>
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Wash your hands or you will get pink eye. Again.</div>
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You get the idea.</div>
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:)</div>
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But the moments I'm talking about are different. They are the holy moments where you get to tell your kids things that you wish you had figured out earlier in life. They are lessons you are honored and humbled to teach. They are the words you are praying will stick. </div>
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Today it was like this.</div>
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I don't know if you're familiar with reacting out of anger, but I am. When I am angry I am tempted to become offended and, in my anger, REACT to a situation instead of maintaining composure and acting <i>purposefully</i>.</div>
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So, surprise surprise, my kids often do this exact same thing. It's amazing how parenting holds a mirror to your flaws and laughs at you.</div>
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Anyway, today Roman found some rope in the garage and was showing me some jump rope skills they were working on in PE. (crossover? Nailed it.) He was having so much fun. After his exhibition, he asked me if he could buy a jump rope with the money he had been saving in his wallet.</div>
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<br />Now, Joe and I had recently sat down with him discussed impulse spending (of which he is the king) and asked him to make a goal to save a larger sum of money to buy something he really wanted. So we agreed upon an item and a dollar amount. </div>
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So, back to jumping rope...I was about to tell Roman that I wanted him to keep saving his money but that I would be happy to buy him a jump rope because I think that would be a fun thing for whole family to have for the summer and it would be great exercise.</div>
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But I only got to "Remember, we have already talked about saving your money..." when there was an outburst of "It's not fair! I have the money! You're the worst!", etc, etc.</div>
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So, he was sent to his room to calm down and when he came out I told him "I was about to tell you something that I think you will like to hear, but instead of waiting to hear what I had to say, you got angry and you missed it."</div>
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I asked if he was ready to be calm and listen, and then I told him what I would have told him originally. <br /></div>
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And then I got to share the real nitty gritty with him:</div>
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"You know, this reminds me a lot of how we are with God sometimes. Sometimes, we ask God for something and he doesn't give us the answer that we were hoping for. But God always has a plan. He is a good Father. If we respond out of anger when we don't get what we ask for, if we stop listening because we feel like 'it's not fair', we might miss the blessing he was trying to give us. That blessing is sometimes even better than what we were hoping for!"</div>
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Even though I taught a lot of crazy, patience-trying life lessons today, I am so thankful I got to teach that one. Please, Lord, let their little hearts understand and remember.</div>
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-66055473282108387432016-02-21T22:24:00.001-06:002016-02-21T22:24:33.521-06:00The Greatness of GodI have come to a realization that has brought me great peace.<br />
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Most of the time, I have these "ah-ha!" moments and then I go to type it up in a blog post and I realize, it's probably not a new realization to other people. Most people are smarter than me.<br />
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But, for my own sake...for my wandering heart that makes me forget simple truths...I'm writing this post. I'll probably need the reminder next week.<br />
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I often get overwhelmed/stressed/discouraged at what I am <em>not</em> doing. The things I know I should be doing but I can never seem to make the time for. The things that I can't do when I have small children to care for. The things that I am able to do, but always have an excuse for. The things I'm too tired to do. The things I wish I was good at but I'm not. The things that I love to do, but never seem to fit in my list of priorities for the day. <br />
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Women carry a great deal of burdens most of the time. I don't know why we do it to ourselves, why we think we can or should be able to do it all. How ridiculous. We don't expect other women to be able to do it all. Why do we do that?<br />
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And so it is. I do that to myself. I hope you don't, but I believe many women do. <br />
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But sometimes God is not asking us to do one more thing. Sometimes God is not even asking us to do something big.<br />
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When I start feeling like my "mundane" daily tasks are inadequate, I need to remember that God often asks us to do small things right where we are. Sometimes those small things lead to great miracles... but look at the actions themselves: they are not impossible; they are, very often, not even extraordinary. <br />
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God is the one doing all the great things, we just have to be a willing vessel.<br />
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Take a look: <br />
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David just picked up a stone. It was the mighty hand of God that brought Goliath down.<br />
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The Israelites just walked. The Lord is the one that crumbled Jericho's walls.<br />
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Moses just placed his staff in the water. It was Jehovah-Jireh that made a dry path through the raging sea.<br />
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Peter just stepped out of the boat. It was God that sustained him on the water.<br />
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Noah was asked to construct an ark. Now, this is not a small job, but he wasn't doing anything remarkable by piecing together one board at a time.<br />
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Daniel is known for his bravery; but when you look at his actions? He didn't do anything different that what he had been doing. He just stayed faithful to the Lord in prayer.<br />
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Countless people brought their friends to the Messiah for healing. They just showed up. It was the Great Physician that did the work.<br />
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Paul and Silas just worshiped...it was the God of the universe that shook the earth and broke their chains.<br />
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We can (and should!) have great goals. I do! The Lord may call us to big things. But even when he is calling us to small tasks, we can trust that He will bless the work that He has given us for today.<br />
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<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-39143108680936528092016-02-21T21:48:00.002-06:002016-02-21T21:48:22.045-06:00A Classic.This is a story I don't want to forget.<br />
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So, the whole school deal has been new to Roman this year. Lots to learn; lots he has not been familiar with. <br />
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We had school picture day before school started and we were just thrilled about how his school picture turned out. I mean look at this face:<br />
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(I'm not sure why this image looks blurry on the computer screen. It is crystal clear on my phone).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP2OXxhBRo-WYVHAArdBDydEv5kEQLY8tLTDgpSpRxOGxi7dWoYcJnT5hx_ESekfCdypmEqYs24PDiKm8fs8IIuLbVSqfdr2jI9gEFSe6yAfpq6DQBtJ_lEd7Rl5_1iOFFl9L6z2RTc3Q/s1600/roman2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP2OXxhBRo-WYVHAArdBDydEv5kEQLY8tLTDgpSpRxOGxi7dWoYcJnT5hx_ESekfCdypmEqYs24PDiKm8fs8IIuLbVSqfdr2jI9gEFSe6yAfpq6DQBtJ_lEd7Rl5_1iOFFl9L6z2RTc3Q/s320/roman2.jpg" width="237" /></a><br />
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Anyway, super handsome boy. Great shot. Just so happy.<br />
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Then, Roman came home from school a few weeks into the year and told me that he had gotten his picture taken again at school. <br />
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"A class picture?", I asked.<br />
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"No, just of me. They said we could go get our pictures taken again today."<br />
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"Oh, okay", I said. "I didn't really need you to do that, but it's okay that you did. Your first picture just looked so nice, remember? The retakes are really for people who thought they might want a better or different picture. Do you know what I mean? But you didn't know that. It's fine that you got one taken we just probably won't order again because we ordered the first one".<br />
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And then a few weeks late we got the retakes back:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu_5tgL0JulaMW345tzFzM8RBcvJisbBDSMjUTne03C1reVm1Pysx3kSo2PBH3GIjIqrgN1yl4oMUMn7gOvVeBPeDK3EYCPOTi8jyOy-T0g_pF00VsRzYDFcvajNBkVaO_BuHV812gQBt/s1600/roman.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu_5tgL0JulaMW345tzFzM8RBcvJisbBDSMjUTne03C1reVm1Pysx3kSo2PBH3GIjIqrgN1yl4oMUMn7gOvVeBPeDK3EYCPOTi8jyOy-T0g_pF00VsRzYDFcvajNBkVaO_BuHV812gQBt/s320/roman.jpg" width="234" /></a><br />
I mean...<br />
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Who gave him the kool-aid and fun dip prior to the photo shoot?<br />
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And now this is the picture that is on everything. The class picture that his friends will keep for all eternity. The yearbook.<br />
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It's a gem. And it makes me laugh every time.<br />
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<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-13469967763330755712016-02-13T21:29:00.000-06:002016-02-13T21:29:56.075-06:00February UpdateSince I just published an update from August, I felt the need to create a current update. <br />
<br />
In January, Joe and I went to Canada for our annual Modern Woodmen trip. I just cannot tell you how beautiful Whistler is. I mean: <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/whistler/?cmpid=google_cwr_search-branded_us-branded-e-revsh&s_kwcid=TC|1025556|fairmont%20chateau%20whistler||S|e|44633213322&gclid=CPWmtfyg9soCFYM8aQodYa0CaQ">this is where we stayed</a>. I have been to Colorado and seen the beautiful Rocky Mountains. But my trips to Colorado were in the spring/summer/fall. I had never been up in the mountains during the winter. It's simply stunning. We went tubing and had amazing dinners, got a massage, and my favorite: we went dog sledding. So fun.<br />
<br />
When we came home, poor Si guy was sick. That two weeks ago and we have sick people the entire 14 days. It's a good thing we were all rested up and refreshed because oh, the cabin fever. The icing on the cake was when the children gave their pink eye to Joe. And THEN he had an allergic reaction to the drops the doctor gave us. Poor guy. <br />
<br />
I feel kind of like I'm in a TV sitcom and I can hear people laughing at my life...except for the part where I am not acting.<br />
<br />
ANYWAY, other than being sick and cooped up and <i>losing </i>it, here's what we have been up to:<br />
<br />
Roman: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>loves school (there were some pretty funny things that happened as he was making the transition, but he is doing very well) </li>
<li>is head over heels for Nora. When I pick him up from school, I will often say "I missed you today!" One day he said, "I missed you too. But I missed Nora the most because of her cuteness." Or sometimes he will remind me "Nora is my favorite person ever." Having an "older" child and a baby is such a gift. </li>
<li>is getting to be such a little gentleman. He offered to dry my dishes yesterday - without being asked. all the love.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Judah:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>has been going to OT for several months now and is ROCKING it. I am so so proud of him. He is interacting a lot more and talking a lot more. We are figuring out more and better ways to meet his sensory needs and he just seems more comfortable in his own skin. </li>
<li>His favorite sensory activity is water play (sometimes a bath, sometimes in the sink - always with his "guys" - Legos or action figures). He has such a good imagination and is always coming up with elaborate scenes and rescues. </li>
<li>Also loves Nora - in fact he told me that he wants to marry her because "She's my good girl".</li>
<li>is doing a great job learning to read!</li>
<li>Is starting to enjoy going to church. I am so thankful for this! We got to all-school Mass sometimes on Wednesday mornings and wave at Roman. Most of the time he complains if we go but a couple of weeks ago (of course when I wasn't planning on going - and was still wearing pajamas -and Joe was gone - and had only 15 minutes to get everyone ready) he <i>requested </i>to go. I said "Oh, Judah! I'm so glad you want to go see Jesus! I just wish you would have told me sooner because I don't know if we have enough time to get ready." Two minutes later he came out wearing a tie. I couldn't resist after that. So adorable.</li>
<li>It was not long ago that we were at Mass and Judah loudly proclaimed "When I grow up, I'm not going to church. I'm only getting donuts."</li>
</ul>
<div>
Silas:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>is so inquisitive. He is asking a lot of questions about how babies actually get into a mama's tummy and how they actually get out. For example: "Does God rip open your tummy to put a baby in there? Does the doctor rip open your tummy to get the baby out?" So, we are having lots of clarifying conversations these days while not trying to overshare because he is four. Roman has barely asked these questions. But Silas is our thinker. And he is a smarty pants.</li>
<li>He is going to be sooo ready to read and soooo easy to homeschool. I am excited because he is more naturally excited about learning than the older two!</li>
<li>He is still super sweet and super cuddly. He always walks on his tip toes and always asks one million questions in the cutest voice ever. For example, "Mom can I have some milk? Can I have a blue cup? Are you giving me the blue cup because it's my favorite? Do you like blue? Did you like to drink milk when you were a kid? Do you still like to drink milk?"</li>
<li>He is also king of sound effects. I'll leave it at that.</li>
<li>He has a pretty laid back temperament so he is pretty easy to discipline most of the time (which is a huge blessing!) But he does cry about EVERYTHING these days. And it's very dramatic.</li>
<li>there may have been an incident in which a friend's fish did not survive. I'm not quite ready to write about it. But ask me about it later. I hope I'll be able to laugh in a couple (more) months.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Nora:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>talking up a storm. My favorites: "happy", "oh no", "hey baby", "coat on", "bad guy"</li>
<li>animal noises are coming right along. The way she "meows" is the sweetest thing you've ever heard. Which is nice because for a while there it was a very loud and terrifying cat sound.</li>
<li>is into everything. All the fun stuff: dog food, toilet, mama's make-up.</li>
<li>loves her brothers. </li>
<li>loves her Charlie.</li>
<li>Daddy is still her favorite person.</li>
<li>Tony might be a close second. Sometimes when she's playing by herself she will just start saying "come on, Tony".</li>
<li>she's a good little dancer</li>
<li>she marches occasionally for no reason</li>
</ul>
<div>
That's all I can think of for now...I know these posts can get long and are probably not as interesting to other people, I just love to look back at the old ones and read things I had forgotten about!</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-44531653676357492432016-02-13T20:54:00.002-06:002016-02-13T20:54:28.011-06:00Life As the Pomettos Know It**I found this post in my drafts that never got published. When I read it I had to publish because so.funny.<br />
<br />
I think it's high time for an update.<br />
<br />
We are having a busy, crazy, awesome, summer. We have been traveling a ton, seeing lots of friends, enjoying the beauty that is Wisconsin in the summer. <br />
<br />
We started the summer with Judah breaking a bone in his wrist (he fell off the monkey bars over Memorial Day weekend). He, as usual, was a tough guy about it so we didn't even take him in for a couple of days. Just take a moment to bask in my magnificent mothering. (There was no swelling! No bruising! He was using it normally!) But finally after he hit his wrist on something and was in serious pain again I decided to have it X-rayed...you know, just to <i>rule ou</i>t a break. He got a sweet Spiderman cast - that he could wear in the water (thank you, Jesus!) - and we carried on with summer fun. <br />
<br />
We took a fantastic vacation to the Outer Banks with Joe's family. Super fun. We have been to Iowa twice to visit family and to celebrate the baptism of our adorable god daughter, Kate Caroline.<br />
<br />
We spent a weekend at Notre Dame celebrating Angie - she now has a Masters of Arts in Theology. Kind of a big deal.<br />
<br />
And now here we are. It's almost August. We have been having so much fun but I just want summer to stay and slow for a while.<br />
<br />
Big news in the Pometto fam is that Roman will be attending school this fall. Our parish has a school and he's just ready. I will miss having him at home all day but I am excited for him. And I am excited to have a little more one-on-one time with Judah as he starts Kindergarten at home with me. Of course Silas and Nora will be there too :)<br />
<br />
Other than that, here's what each kiddo has been up to:<br />
<br />
Roman:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>still super into music. We have been to a couple of concerts this summer - basically heaven for him.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Judah:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>when he got his cast on he was just kind of grumpy for a couple of days. I get it. It was on his right hand. Had to be pretty annoying. He's already kind of overstimulated by too much touching and this was touching him all the time. He was getting into the van one day and he was just being kind of growly and had this scowl on his face. I said "Judah, why don't you use your words to tell me why you're frustrated." Through clinched teeth he says "I want to buckle my seat belt by myself."</li>
<li>Judah has started using his words more often when he's frustrated which is great progress! We are proud of him! But, I'm going to be honest, it doesn't always feel like progress. When he is frustrated he really takes it out on the family via his words. For example:</li>
</ul>
<div>
Me: "Judah, it's time for lunch"</div>
<div>
Judah: "Why are you so mean to me all the time?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Me: "Judah, it's time to come inside"</div>
<div>
Judah: "You are so very mean"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Me: "Judah, please put your shoes on so we can go"</div>
<div>
Judah: "Stop talking to me"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So....yeah. But words are better than not words! They are better than aggression and pent up frustration. Hopefully we can start refining the words ASAP. :)</div>
<ul>
<li>He is so aggressive and yet fiercely loyal. This kid fights with Silas/wrestles him to the ground all day long. Then he tells me that some other kids were being mean to Silas at an event we were at. There happened to be childcare provided, so I wasn't in the room at the time. I asked Judah if he had told one of the "teachers" that someone was being mean to Silas. His response: "No, I don't need to tell a teacher. I need to smash them."</li>
<li>This same child will be so sweet and give the best compliments when he's happy. When we get ice cream or go swimming he almost always announces "This is a great day!" My personal favorite though, is when he tells me "You're my best mother". </li>
<li>One of Judah's favorite games to "go to work". He will put on a button down shirt and a tie if he can find one, grab a bag that looks like a laptop case, and go to his "office", which is usually located in the playhouse outside or downstairs. He really enjoys getting a hug goodbye and then coming in the door to a warm "Judah! I'm so glad to see you! How was your day?" Adorable. One day I was asking him more about what he did at his office and he was having trouble telling me exactly what he does there. I said "What does dad do at his office?" Judah said "he watches movies and colors". </li>
</ul>
<div>
Silas:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>is still our pokey little puppy. He is a dawdler which can be pretty frustrating but it's always a good reminder that we don't really need to hurry most of the time. He notices all the little things we miss.</li>
<li>He and I were looking at a picture of Saint George, the Dragon Slayer, the other day. I was trying to get him to make some observations so I asked "What do you notice about this picture?" He said "I notice the pretty dragon".</li>
<li>We were all sitting at the dinner table one night when Silas stood up and looked like he was in pain. "What?", I asked "What's wrong, baby?" He replied "My feet are sparkly!" So funny because I knew exactly what he meant. That's probably the best description I've heard of that horrible feeling when your foot falls asleep!</li>
<li>See! He's so sweet, isn't he?! He's always walking on his toes and laughing and he's the most excitable child. But there is a dark side.</li>
<li>I don't even know how to tell you this story. We were playing at a friend's house one night and the next morning as I was helping Silas get dressed he said "I'm wearing Peter's underwear."</li>
</ul>
<div>
Uh....</div>
</div>
<div>
This is how the rest of the conversation went</div>
<div>
Me: Why? Why are you wearing Peter's underwear??</div>
<div>
S: I don't know.</div>
<div>
Me: NO, tell me why you're wearing Peter's underwear.<br />
S: Well, I pooped in mine. <br />
Me: .... (deep breathing)<br />
S: So Peter game me some of his</div>
Me: Silas, where are YOUR underwear?<br />
S: I don't know.<br />
<br />
For.the.love. This will be on the next episode of Unsolved Mysteries because the underwear in quesiton were never found. Ever. Jess and I have discussed all the options (did he flush them? throw them? Will we find them when they move out of that house?) We laughed and lamented over this many times. That's a real friend.<br />
<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-83565312971339334872016-01-10T22:03:00.002-06:002016-01-10T22:03:58.637-06:00RainA couple of months ago my sweet, rowdy, yet contemplative six year old was sitting by the window watching the rain.<br />
<br />
He, of course, wanted to play outside. He always wants to play outside. Rain, snow, sweltering heat, no matter. And I usually have no objections, but this was a thunder storm so I had to refuse.<br />
<br />
Joe always jokes that, if anything ever happened to us, Judah would keep the other kids alive with his foraging skills. He is rough around the edges sometimes, but he is fiercely loyal. He's outdoorsy and creative and he's a make-it-happen kind of guy, like his daddy.<br />
<br />
He sat there frowning, obviously not enjoying my "no" and staring outside.<br />
<br />
"Mom, what are we going to do to stop the rain?"<br />
<br />
Oh, my sweet Judah.<br />
<br />
This is a hard lesson to learn. It's one that many adults still haven't quite mastered.<br />
<br />
"Well, baby, we can't stop the rain", I said. "That's not how it works. It's hard when we don't have control over things, isn't it? But we don't decide when it rains or when it stops raining. Only God can do that".<br />
<br />
He didn't really seem satisfied with that nugget of wisdom. ;)<br />
<br />
But, again, most adults aren't really happy about not being able to control things, either.<br />
<br />
I am one of them. <br />
<br />
But what I wanted to tell him, what most adults probably really need to hear, what I hope he will understand one day, is that most of the time,<br />
<br />
<b>The rain is not about you.</b><br />
<br />
Most of the time, God is doing something bigger, for a greater purpose that we can't see. The rain is for someone or something, no doubt. God doesn't act without purpose.<br />
<br />
And, sure, sometimes, it's for you or about you.<br />
<br />
But most of the storms...most of the struggle, most of the inconvenience, most of the things that offend us, most of the things that makes us grumpy have very little to do with us.<br />
<br />
I wonder how we would respond differently if we could remove ourselves from the equation. What if we walked away from the window and did something productive? What if we thanked God for the rain and enjoyed the beauty in it, even if it's not what we had in mind?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-72722430977537370872016-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:002016-01-04T10:00:15.789-06:00He speaks.<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
As a follow up to my post about fear, I am posting this.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
A commitment to write more in 2016. </div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Sometimes fear prevents me from writing or from clicking "publish" because I want it to be perfect every time.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
And so, it might not always be on this blog, but I am going to write more this year. I have had this nudging in my spirit for quite some time.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
I have been a lover of words for all of my life. I am moved by so many authors and stories and quotes and I have sensed that God is urging me to use the written word (maybe spoken word?) to serve Him.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It's one of those yeses that I don't really understand. There are so many others who are more qualified and who have amazingly beautiful words. </div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
But here we are.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
I have asked Him how I will do this and I don't have a clear itinerary. I have asked Him "why?"</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
...and His simple answer was "Because I have something to say".</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px;">
Use my words, Lord. Be near.</div>
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-31328974472019432922016-01-03T22:35:00.003-06:002016-01-03T22:35:34.037-06:00Fear<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Fear can always find me.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Ever since my dad died, twenty-two years ago, fear has lived in my closet.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Fear doesn't surprise me most of the time. Most of the time it's like my shadow...walking along beside me. Relentless.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It's there for all my daily tasks, nagging at me.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
In the parenting - telling me that I'm failing.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
In my marriage - trying to convince me I'm not enough.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
In my friendships - reminding me that vulnerability is dangerous.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
In my car - showing me dark, detailed scenarios.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
In my attempts to minister to people - laughing at my weak faith.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Even in prayer - whispering lies and doubts.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
And then sometimes it sneaks up on me. I walk around the corner and it jumps out in front of me with a new threat that I'm not prepared for.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
I'm guessing fear might have taken up residence in some of your homes, also?</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
I confess it often and I got the best encouragement from the Lord through the last priest I spoke with.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
He told me to look to Our Lady when the fear begins lurking.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
God gave her a seemingly impossible task: Be the Mother of the Messiah.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It was a task that would bring her great joy and also grave sorrow.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Was fear sitting beside her as Gabriel spoke? As she knocked on Elizabeth's door? As she and Joseph made plans to travel to Bethlehem?</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Was fear tapping on her shoulder as she rode on the back of the donkey? Waiting for her in the corners of the stable?</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Surely it was pulling at her veil when she ran into the temple, wondering if He was lost.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
It had to be sitting with her at the foot of the cross.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
I have no doubt that fear was always grasping for her attention, reaching for her hand, trying to get her to look into it's ugly eyes.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
But she didn't look to fear, she looked to Him.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
And she said yes.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Fear was probably beside her, but instead of listening to that liar she listened to the One who is able to do all things, to the One who would give her all she needed, and said "be it done to me". Whatever it is.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Whatever crazy thing you ask, Lord: Yes.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
Whatever you want me to do. Wherever you want me to go. Whomever you want me to love. Whatever you ask me to sacrifice.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
No matter what trial lies ahead, You will be there and You will be enough.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
The answer is just Yes. Be it done.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px;">
We don't have time for fear. Our life is but a breath (Ps 144:4) and You are the oxygen. Give us eyes to see that You are everything.</div>
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-55659370556027592132015-07-10T22:29:00.003-05:002015-07-10T22:29:43.037-05:00Gospel Reading for Sunday, July 12 Mark 6:7-13<h4 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: gray; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; margin-bottom: 8px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px !important; text-transform: capitalize !important; width: 475px;">
<a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071215.cfm">Gospel</a><a href="http://usccb.org/bible/mark/6:7" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #008061; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: 1.2px; margin: 1px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">MK 6:7-13</a></h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and gave them authority over unclean spirits. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He instructed them to take nothing for the journey</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">but a walking stick—</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">no food, no sack, no money in their belts. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">They were, however, to wear sandals</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">but not a second tunic. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He said to them,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">leave there and shake the dust off your feet</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">in testimony against them.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So they went off and preached repentance. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The Twelve drove out many demons,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">************************************************************************************</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Last week we read about (but I didn't write about...) how Jesus was rejected in his hometown. (Mark 6:1-6) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Home. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The place that should always be welcoming and refreshing-- a haven, if you will. It stings a little to read about people basically calling Jesus an "ordinary" man; dismissing him.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So, now Jesus is calling his closest friends to him and is giving them instructions on how <i>they </i>are to go out and teach. I mean, they have seen him do miraculous things, so they KNOW he is the real deal...but they also know that he is not honored by everyone. They know that they will not be welcomed in every place. If, to some, Jesus is just "the son of the carpenter" then they will absolutely be called "crazy". It's probably more than a little daunting to have this task set before them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So, Jesus tells them to buddy up and also, side-note, don't take anything along with you. Like, as in, </span><b style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">nothing</b><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. I'm not going to lie to you, I might have thrown in the towel here. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Ok, Jesus, you're asking me to go out and preach repentance. Great. I'm all for it. You're asking me to put myself in situations where I am going to be mocked and ridiculed. Not as awesome, but ok, I can get on board. And now...now, I can't bring along a second tunic? I really <i>do </i>want to preach the Gospel, but I just want to look good while I'm doing it."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I think there is always somewhere that we want to draw the line with Jesus. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We will help this person who needs a friend...until they make me uncomfortable or ask too much of me. And then I'm done. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We will give money to those in need...but only a "reasonable" amount. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We will forgive that person we don't like...but not a fourth or fifth time. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We will talk about grace being poured out for us...but not really believe it's being poured out for <i>those </i>people.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We will surrender our hearts to Jesus...except for that dark corner in the back where we keep our gossip, lust, gluttony, bitterness, or whatever guilty pleasure we like to hide back there. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
I'm preaching to myself here but I am guessing I'm not alone. We all have that thing that we are holding onto. That thing that, when we are holding onto it and Jesus comes near, we start to slowly back away from Him. <br />
<br />
Maybe we are fine giving things up for Jesus. Just not all the things. <br />
<br />
But that's what Jesus is asking the apostles to do. That's what he's asking us to do. Can you see Him gently taking their hands, asking them to hand over their things? <br />
<br />
No food, no sack, no money. Just trust. In the One who is able to sustain you in all things. <br />
<br />
He is asking us to depend on Him for the grace, for the contentment, for the complete surrender. <br />
<br />
<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-21480603632594031752015-06-24T21:28:00.001-05:002015-06-24T21:28:59.055-05:00Gospel Reading for Sunday, June 28 Mark 5:21-43I am not a Bible scholar. I have no degree in Theology, nor do I claim to have some sort of profound wisdom when it comes to matters of faith.<br />
<br />
I am just a person who loves Jesus. I am a wife and mom and most of the time I have more questions than answers. <br />
<br />
I lead a women's Bible study but there are plenty of Tuesday nights where I learn more from the women in attendance than they do from me.<br />
<br />
With my Tuesday night gals, I have been studying the upcoming Sunday Gospel readings. (Which is nice because when we go to church, I am almost always taking at least one little boy to the bathroom during the readings and/or sermon). <br />
<br />
As another way to study and process each week's Gospel, I am going to attempt to write about my thoughts here. I say attempt because you know how I am with the follow-through. Ahem.<br />
<br />
So, read along if you like. And as I said, expect no major revelations here. :)<br />
<br />
From USCCB.org:<br />
<h4 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: gray; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; margin-bottom: 8px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px !important; text-transform: capitalize !important; width: 475px;">
Gospel<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/5:21" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #008061; float: right; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: 1.2px; margin: 1px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">MK 5:21-43</a></h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">When Jesus had crossed again in the boat</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">to the other side,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“My daughter is at the point of death.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Please, come lay your hands on her</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">that she may get well and live.”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He went off with him,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and had spent all that she had.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and touched his cloak.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Immediately her flow of blood dried up.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">But his disciples said to Jesus,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And he looked around to see who had done it.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The woman, realizing what had happened to her,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">approached in fear and trembling.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">While he was still speaking,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” </span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Disregarding the message that was reported,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Jesus said to the synagogue official,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">he caught sight of a commotion,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">people weeping and wailing loudly.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">So he went in and said to them,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">“Why this commotion and weeping?</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The child is not dead but asleep.”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And they ridiculed him.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Then he put them all out.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He took along the child’s father and mother</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and those who were with him</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and entered the room where the child was.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He took the child by the hand and said to her, “</span><em style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Talitha koum</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">,”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">At that they were utterly astounded.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">He gave strict orders that no one should know this</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">and said that she should be given something to eat.</span><br />
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Um, wow. As if I need to say anything after that. Here we read of two miracles: Jesus heals Jairus' daughter and he heals a woman afflicted with hemorrhaging.<br />
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I asked the ladies at Bible study to think about three questions as we read through:<br />
1. From this passage, what can we learn about the heart of God?<br />
2. From this passage, what can we learn about our relationship with God?<br />
3. What is a practical application for your life this week?<br />
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I'll tell you what I felt God teaching me in regards to each of these questions, but by all means, ask Him what He wants to teach <i>you</i>. These are great questions to think about no matter what scripture passage you're meditating on.<br />
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1. <br />
<b>God has a compassionate heart.</b> And not just in a way where he says "I'm sorry that your daughter is dying. That's not what I desire for you". But in a way that says "I will come. I will walk with you. I don't want you to go alone. Let me come and touch her. Let me gather your family and speak life to your daughter. Let me prove my faithfulness by making her alive again."<br />
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I also learned, though, that <b>Jesus doesn't mind interruption.</b> Remember he is on his way to heal Jairus' daughter. When a woman in the crowd touches him, an unclean woman at that, he not only grants her healing but he stops. God himself stops. He sees her. He encourages her and he grants her peace. He is not too busy for someone who is lowly and struggling and desperate. <br />
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<img src="http://i2.wp.com/myperiodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/hemofgarment.jpg" /><br />
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As they continue, we see that <b>Jesus has a bigger plan</b> than what we can see and understand in our humanness. Yes, it's beautiful that Jesus is taking his time and helping people along the way, meanwhile Jairus' daughter has died. <i>Died</i>. Jesus could have prevented her death-- either by hurrying the heck up or by curing her from afar. But he didn't. I don't know about you, but if I were Jairus, I might be more than a little ticked here. He comes to Jesus trusting that he will make his daughter well and then she <i>dies</i>. I am guessing that some of the people that were at Jairus' house missed the miracle. Have you ever missed it? I know I have. And I know there are times when I probably missed a miracle and <i>I didn't even realize it. </i>These people come to announce the girl's death, they mourn for her. And I bet some of them walked away before the miracle because <i>Jesus didn't do what they wanted him to do. </i>Can you relate? You pray for something miraculous and it doesn't end up the way you wanted it to. I have prayed these prayers, friends. I have felt this let down when we get to the eleventh hour and Jesus still hasn't shown up. Can we trust him? Even in death? Can we trust him in the disappointment? Can we trust that the miracle might be happening in a different way? In a different time? This story helps me to say "yes". Even when I don't feel like it.<br />
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I learned that <b>Jesus is less about big spectacles and more about making disciples</b>. And the way to do that is in smaller groups, in meaningful relationships. Don't get me wrong, there were obviously times when He worked in the big ways! But, here are all these people at Jairus' house, doubting, and Jesus? Jesus puts them all out. What matters to him in this moment, is taking a few people (the girl's parents, and Peter, James, and John) in to witness this miracle. In to be changed by what they saw. Disciples are not usually made in big crowds (of course there are exceptions!) But, often, disciples are made in quiet, difficult moments, one-on-one with the Lord.<br />
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<img src="https://jeanniemwaters.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/jesusblessingjairuss-daughter.jpg" /><br />
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2.<br />
I learned that coming to Jesus takes <b>humility. </b>In order for us to have an authentic relationship I need to be able to come to him, even when I am unclean. As one of the ladies at my study pointed out, I sometimes need to be able to push my way through the crowd to get to Jesus. It's not always an easy task. Sometimes there is so much standing in our way we wonder if it's worth it. Sometimes the "crowd" between us and Jesus seems daunting, even impossible. But if we can <i>just </i>get to him. We know He can make everything right. I need to come sinful and sorrowful like the woman. I need to walk with him and wait on his timing like Jairus. <br />
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I am called to <b>trust </b>Jesus. When I am embarrassed. When the way to him is crowded and overwhelming. When I don't understand what he is doing. When his ways are not like my ways. When he doesn't answer my prayer the way I hoped he would. He is still good. Jesus, I trust in you.<br />
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I need to remember that <b>some interruptions are God-ordained</b>. Most of the time I am busy and running around trying to be "efficient" with my time, and, let's be honest, probably annoyed about something or other. I need to slow and still. I need to listen to that small voice telling me to reach out. I need to seize that teachable moment with my kids instead of rolling my eyes. When we are in true relationship with God, we are listeners. We are doers. Regardless of what is happening around us. <br />
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I was reminded that <b>I can trust Jesus to care for my children</b>. It might not look the way I want it to. But Jesus desires life for my children. He does not want me to fear. He wants me to have faith. Faith in his timing and in his power. Faith that He loves them more than I ever could. Faith that He knows the way to give them life. <br />
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3. Practical application? Well, obviously I have a long list here. I could have chosen all of these things. I wanted to narrow it down to one so I am praying about/working on embracing interruptions this week. <br />
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Jesus, help me to speak and act intentionally in each moment. <br />
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<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-30356878089002292922015-05-21T22:01:00.001-05:002015-05-21T22:01:05.436-05:00Lord, help me fake it till I make it.The thing is, it has been an overwhelming couple of months. <br />
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And I know that I probably have an overwhelming 18 years or so in front of me. Because there is just always something. Always a new phase, always a child to worry about, a behavior to correct, a heart to shape, a book to read, a scrape that needs a band-aid, a bill that needs to be paid, a decision that needs to be made, dinner to cook, a soccer practice we need to get to...and there is always, <b><i>always </i></b>laundry.<br />
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This is what the mamas do. They do all of this hard and holy work all day everyday. It's miraculous, really. But it can get pretty overwhelming.<br />
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And when I get overwhelmed, I want to hide in my room and come out when life gets easier. But that is not a thing. <br />
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SO, I'm making my list. So, that instead of hiding, I can go into my room and take a deep breath, and pray that I become this kind of woman in the midst of the overwhelming. Basically, I'm praying the Lord will help me fake it till I make it.<br />
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I will not give up.<br />
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I will <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/09/how-to-cultivate-the-habit-of-focus-in-an-age-of-distraction/">stay in the poo</a>l.<br />
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I will depend on God.<br />
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I will remember that "my" children belong to the Lord.<br />
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I will fight <b>for </b>them not against them.<br />
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I will find joy and fulfillment in God alone.<br />
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I will enjoy my children.<br />
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I will bless my husband.<br />
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I will keep my eyes on eternity.<br />
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I will speak life.<br />
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I will stop to pray.<br />
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I will put my phone down.<br />
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I will be present.<br />
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I will extend grace.<br />
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I will not react; I will act purposefully.<br />
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I will not hurry.<br />
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I will be quick to listen and slow to speak.<br />
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I will not have idle hands.<br />
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I will remember that holy is hard. And just because it's hard doesn't mean I'm failing.<br />
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I will choose joy.<br />
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I will let them be little.<br />
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I will allow the Holy Spirit to guide me.<br />
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I will love, love, love.<br />
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********************************************************************<br />
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<br />
How do you preach to yourself when you're overwhelmed?<br />
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<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-47440437118539685022015-05-13T20:07:00.002-05:002015-05-13T20:07:30.165-05:00For the MomsWhat can we even say about our moms? Who has loved us like they have? <br />
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I am so blessed to have a mom who is unwavering in her love for me. I have never doubted it. We are very different people, but I have always known her love for me. I am so grateful. During her last visit, I was watching her play with Silas - this silly card game (if you can even call it that) that Silas made up. She took the time to sit with him and just be silly. She let him direct the "game" and she just went along with it. They sat there for probably a half an hour and he laughed and laughed. It reminded me of my great-grandma Ruth. We could always get her to play something ridiculous with us. It's always the small moments that matter, isn't it? It reminded me I need to slow down. I need to be silly with my kids and not so structured. Thanks, Mom. I love you more than words can say.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYpHVE35iaxv_bMrrCJZhgrrYXu27pF3m-c5kM59GQ8PWn7vLWi02CpfO5Ejb5_jTYYF6SIAOsdmybwGH-Bxb0C9oQ-AXHuKHXjF71Ddaz92N1uWuSyzuppOkoto50mZz8OxwxyISgRhX/s1600/158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYpHVE35iaxv_bMrrCJZhgrrYXu27pF3m-c5kM59GQ8PWn7vLWi02CpfO5Ejb5_jTYYF6SIAOsdmybwGH-Bxb0C9oQ-AXHuKHXjF71Ddaz92N1uWuSyzuppOkoto50mZz8OxwxyISgRhX/s320/158.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Joe's mom asked me to call her "mom" when we got married. I thought it would take some getting used to, but it really didn't. They have always treated me like a daughter (without the "in-law tagged on the end). I am blessed to have another mom who listens, encourages, and loves unconditionally. I will never forget the phone call that brought us to our knees almost three years ago. Cancer. I remember standing in their kitchen when she brought out a brush full of hair and announced "it's starting". I scrubbed that kitchen while she napped like I could somehow scrub the disease away; spilled my tears all over the floor begging God to let her stay. I am so grateful He said yes. So grateful. I love you, Mom. Thanks for raising the best man I know.<br />
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My kids are so lucky to have these two beautiful women as their grandmothers.<br />
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Which brings me to my gram. We have a pretty special relationship. Not everyone is lucky enough to have close relationships with their grandparents. I was and am so lucky. My grandma always says that when she went to stay with my parents the week I was born, she and I would go for walks out on the farm on those warm August nights. Just the two of us - so Mom and Dad could get some sleep. She says that's when our bond began. Being that my mom raised us by herself after my Dad died, my grandparents helped a lot. We spent nights at their house while my mom traveled for work, they came to tumbling meets and baseball games, took us to practices and made us treats. I have learned so many things from her. My grandma showed me what it means to be a wife who blesses her husband. She always reminds me not to take time with loved ones for granted. I think one of the biggest things I have learned from her is how to be a woman of prayer. My grandma is a very faithful woman. She prays for our family, and for so many others, daily. I have no doubt that those prayers, woven through the years, have made all the difference. God bless matriarchs who pray for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.<br />
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I am thankful for these women. I am thankful for my Grandma Bea - who I wish I would have had more time with. We had just kind of figured out our relationship when she was called Home. I love hearing stories about her (a mom of four boys) and imagining what kind of advice she would give me in raising my little boys to be men.<br />
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I am thankful for all the other women who have been motherly to me at some point in my life. The ones who have taken the time to invest in relationship with me, who have taught me how to be a better woman and mom to my kids. Teachers, coaches, mentors. Too many to list. <br />
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I am thankful for all my friends who are "other mothers" to my kids. These women have helped care for them, have prayed for them, have been examples to them.<br />
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I am thankful for my sister-in-law who is an awesome mama to my two nephews. I am so proud of how she advocates for Jack. She has handled a difficult diagnosis with grace and love. She knows the road that lies ahead and she is committed to living in hope for her boys. Amazing.<br />
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I am thankful for my kids' godmothers. Chrissy, Mary, Angie, and Suzee, where would we be without you? I am confident that your prayers sustain us on the hard days and inspire the good days. I have no doubt my kids will be closer to the Lord because of you.<br />
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On Mother's Day, I am praying for the friends I have that have lost babies or have lost their moms. I am praying for the friends who want to be moms but aren't. I know how special days can seem awful sometimes. I am sorry. I hope you feel how incredibly loved you are today.<br />
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And, of course, I am thankful for my four beautiful blessings that call me "Mom". I am not a perfect one. I wish I was better. And I will keep trying. But my prayer to God is always this: "In spite of my failings, let them know Your unfailing love." Roman, Judah, Silas, and Nora, I hope you will always know my love for you even when I fail. And I hope that you will come to know and love the One who will never fail you.<br />
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Happy Mother's DayRuth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-28988730211948680332015-04-13T23:42:00.000-05:002015-04-13T23:42:43.218-05:00Welp, it's me again.<br />
Nothing like a five month hiatus to prove that I am not on my A game. <br />
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:)<br />
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So, here's the deal. When the kids do something adorable/hilarious/precious/horrible enough to make me cry but ridiculous enough to make someone else laugh, I make a little note of it in my phone in the handy dandy Notes app.<br />
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Which is all well and good until you get a new phone. Don't worry, I didn't lose them, they are just saved to an external hard drive which I currently cannot locate. See what I mean with the A game?<br />
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I'll give you what I've got off the top of my head and I'll post the other gems probably about a year from now.<br />
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<br />Nora is now seven months old. What? You thought she was an infant? Yes, yes she was the last time you read this blog. She is crawling, pulling herself up to a stand, says "dada", has two teeth, and can wave. And sometimes I think she can also clap. I'm not sure if it's on purpose, though. She continues to be the sweetest baby. Her fuzzy little baby head just makes me swoon. <br />
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Her brothers make her laugh all day long. Mostly by running towards her and yelling at the top of their lungs. This baby is afraid of nothing. She will sleep right through drumming and loud music of any kind. <br />
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And I'll tell ya what. Girl can eat. She likes her food and she prefers it NOW. As soon we started feeding her solids, she became the LOUDEST child. If we are eating and she is not in her high chair...well, she's not havin that. She doesn't even cry. She just yells at you. And she likes every food that we have ever given her. Please, God, let her stay not picky.<br />
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Speaking of food, wanna know how to tell you're the fourth child? You have been introduced the following foods - in this order: avocado, pineapple, raspberries, FRENCH FRIES, blueberries, mashed potatoes, mango, broccoli, banana, applesauce, etc.<br />
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Do you see anything wrong with this picture? If so, you obviously don't have four children.<br />
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Silas David is ridiculous as all get out. He is the cutest, happiest boy until he is the most deviant. He currently specializes in flooding the bathroom, covering his body in band-aids, and writing on walls (I have several large smiley face murals in my basement - I'm just going to leave them there until we repaint). <br />
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But I wish I could describe the cute. He is so cuddly and so excited about everything in life. Especially helping in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
He says really funny things right now. For example, he gets the words "mango" and "flamingo" confused. I.e. "Feed Nora some flamango".<br />
<br />
He always has a skip in his step and he is kind of on the short side for his age so everything he does is just CUTE.<br />
<br />
The other night he asked me to lay with him at bedtime and so I did. As we were chatting casually he said "Mom, I sat on Jesus' lap!"<br />
"You did?" I asked.<br />
"Yeah".<br />
silence for a while<br />
"Well, did you talk to God?"<br />
"Yeah, Jesus asked me about my favorite animal", he said, "And Heaven is like music".<br />
<br />
***********************************<br />
<br />
Judah, my Judah-boy. He has a loose tooth in the front that is coming out any day now. I can't believe he will be six in a couple of months. Judah has gotten quite a bit more talkative over the last few months. And I just love hearing about what's going on in that little brain of his. <br />
<br />
My favorite times with Judah are, surprisingly, when he comes out of his room in the evening after the other boys have fallen asleep. He usually just wants some extra cuddle time and, being an introvert, he needs more one-on-one time than the other boys do. So, unless we have to be somewhere early the next day, I usually indulge and get some sleepy time conversation in. He is our animal lover and always tells us he would like to own ten dogs and ten cats. The other night he told us he wanted to get a dog and name it "Scoober". He went on and on about the sizes and colors all of his animals would be - he also told us he wanted to name one of his cats "Tinny". <br />
<br />
He is starting to tell me more about his dreams - most recently that he could jump on top of the house without using a ladder. <br />
<br />
He is a very loyal child. He will fight all day with Silas but if he feels that I am "wrongly" angry with Silas he will tell me "Be nice to my brother!"<br />
<br />
He is always the first to say he wants to protect me from something.<br />
<br />
Judah has always been a child who likes physical affection but he plays hard to get. He will go in for a side hug if it's someone he really likes. He will hardly ever be the first to initiate it, and he very rarely gives a full-on hug. Same with affectionate words. I say "I love you, Judah" and he says "yes" or "I know". (If you have seen the recent Peabody and Sherman movie, think about how Mr. Peabody responds to Sherman's "I love you"....he says "I have a deep regard for you as well, Sherman".) I sometimes tease him and say "Do you love me, too, Judah? Girls like to hear it when they are loved!" And finally he will laugh and say "Yes, I love you". But, he has started saying it more often un-prompted, which is a sweet sound to a mama's ears. :)<br />
<br />
In other news, he is getting so good at writing letters and numbers. I am proud of that boy.<br />
<br />
<br />
****************<br />
<br />
Roman James is growing up. I mean, this kid receives his First Communion in just two weeks. I feel like we were just baptizing him. He is excited and ready. He loves Jesus and he got a suit. And let me tell you, both of those things are a big deal to him. He's going to be one spiffy looking dude.<br />
<br />
Roman is still the friendliest guy you'll ever meet. He remembers everyone's name and every detail of most days of his life. We will talk about a random event sometimes and he'll remember things about the day that everyone else has long forgotten. For example, the other day we were talking about when Joe had to get stitches in his thumb a couple years ago. Roman said "yeah, and then we went to the Kems for pizza"....uh, sure.<br />
<br />
He is a great reader, he's very good at spelling, and he is super creative. He is always making something out of recycled materials (or shall we say "materials I tried to put in the recycling bin" :)) He really likes to make swords and shields out of cardboard. He used a round cooler and a bungee cord to make a bass drum he could wear today. <br />
<br />
Speaking of drums - he is quite the little drummer boy. He has some good rhythm and there is nothing he loves more than listening to music or talking about music. <br />
<br />
He seems to be trying to decide if he is going to be in a band or be an actor when he grows up. <br />
<br />
Roman is super helpful around the house and is cheerful and encouraging most of the time. He is a joy to have around!<br />
<br />
*******************<br />
<br />
To wrap up, I just have to share some awesome videos. Joe's sister, Angie, introduced us to the funniest app. We have had so many good laughs with this. Check out Dubsmash in the app store if you need some entertainment!<br />
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Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-13947558731214073342014-11-02T23:11:00.000-06:002014-11-02T23:11:45.746-06:00Alright, boys, it's your turn!Nora has been the talk of the town lately, but I wanted to make sure I got some of these cute little stories about the boys on the blog before I forget them. Because I will. Today when I was writing thank-you notes for baby gifts I started realizing that I I'm pretty sure I sent two thank yous to a couple of people. So, if you get two or zero thank-you notes from me, I apologize.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
First, a few of the adorable things we have overheard them saying about their little sister.<br />
<br />
Roman:<br />
"Having a baby is such a miracle."<br />
<br />
Judah:<br />
"Who's my sweetest girly?"<br />
<br />
Silas:<br />
"Nora's my buddy."<br />
"I love my baby."<br />
He is also a very good little helper when it comes to Nora. One day when she was fussing, he went running into the other room and yelled "I'm gonna get Nora's binky! I'm gonna protect my sister!"<br />
If Nora is crying, Silas will come to me and say "Will you please feed Nora?"<br />
<br />
And now for the funnies:<br />
<br />
Roman: <br />
<ul>
<li>A couple of weeks after Nora was born, Roman told me "Mom, I think Nora's twin is still in your tummy." ... Why, thank you, son.</li>
<li>Roman just recently learned to tie his shoes. I know, we're a little late on the shoe tying and it's totally my fault. But, one day when he was practicing he was getting quite frustrated and finally exploded: "I'm never going to be able to tie my shoes until I'm 40!" You guys, I laughed until I cried. I promised him that it would not take him that long to learn. The beautiful irony is that he finally got it...later that same day. </li>
<li>he is really into running. I have actually been making him run laps around the house between school subjects and we both enjoy that. :) We have been on a run/walk together a couple of times since Nora's birth - I'm hoping that will be good motivation for me to get back into a workout routine.</li>
<li>he loves playing war. What was I thinking? I forgot that it is a never-ending game. </li>
</ul>
Judah:<br />
<ul>
<li>he has been full of funnies lately! Many of which are rather graphic, so I'll just tell you that we have had many conversations about boys and girls and anatomy.</li>
<li>When Tony came to visit for the first time after Nora's birth, he got here really late at night. The boys ran down to wake him up in the morning and starting telling him "you have to come see Nora!" Tony asked them "Who is Nora?" He was expecting them to respond "She's my sister." Or "She was just born". He said all Judah could come up with was "He's a girl."</li>
<li>Somewhere along the line, I made the mistake of telling the boys that "If you do that (I don't remember what THAT was...there are so many options), you could die". So, now every time I ask Judah not to do something dangerous he asks "Will that make me died?"</li>
<li>I also sometimes tell them that certain things are not just my rules, but God's rules. So, he has gotten into the habit of questioning me. About everything. For example, I will say "Judah, go brush your teeth." He will respond "Did God say to do that?"</li>
<li>Since Nora's birth, Judah has kind of been acting like a teenager. We hear a lot of responses like this: "I never get to do that!" or "I need some space!" or "you're making me angry!"</li>
<li>The funniest/not funniest angry outburst came one day when we were leaving the park. He didn't want to leave. I told him to do the monkey bars one more time and then we would leave. He said no. Then we got to the car and he said "I want to do the monkey bars one more time". When I told him that ship had sailed he got even more upset with me. We stood by the van going back and forth for a while. I'll tell ya. That kid has some endurance. He is relentless. I'm sure this will come in handy for many things in his life. For now, it's forcing me to grow in virtue (or fail at growing in virtue, depending on the day). Anyway, I eventually came to the point where I said "Judah, if you don't get in the car, I will have to take your Larry Boy costume away". He yelled back at me "BUT THEN I WOULD BE NAKED!" Oh my. I obviously didn't mean I was going to take it off of his body at that exact moment, but it made for a good laugh in the midst of the frustration.</li>
<li>One day the boys were playing hide-and-seek while I was nursing Nora. Judah was having a hard time finding Roman. He finally came up to me and said "Do you think Roman is dead?'</li>
<li>For our family prayer time, each person gets a chance to pray spontaneously and then we all say the Lord's Prayer together at the end. These are always really sweet. I'm always impressed with the people and things they pray for. At the end of the Lord's prayer one night, Judah started asking about what some of the words mean. "What does evil mean?" "What does temptation mean?' And then he asked "What does bread mean?" He meant it in reference to "Give us this day our daily bread". So, I started explaining that this is when we ask God for the things that we need. I told them that God is our father and he wants to provide for us. He wants to give us good things. And so we ask him for the things we need. We ask him to give us enough. Judah thought about that for a while and then he said "But sometimes we eat macaroni and donuts." </li>
</ul>
Silas:<br />
<ul>
<li>is so proud of Nora. Everywhere we go - grocery store, park, target - he will announce (to every stranger we see "We have a baby sister! Her name is Nora" and then he will ask "Do you wanna hold her?" Uh, no thank you, Silas. Awkward.</li>
<li>One day I overheard Silas telling Nora "Nora, Father Jeff is going to come baptize you. And it's not gonna hurt. It's gonna feel good."</li>
<li>he is currently very concerned about raccoons. We can be in the middle of the city, but if it's dark out he will be in a panic to get to the car. "We gotta hurry so we don't get 'tacked by raccoons!"</li>
<li>Things that the word "trigger" is the word "sugar". He will bring me a Nerf gun and say "Can you pull the sugar for me?"</li>
</ul>
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-2524953389489981202014-10-09T23:18:00.000-05:002014-10-09T23:18:30.911-05:00Nora's NICU stayWhen I wrote out Nora's birth story, I mentioned that we had a longer hospital stay than we had anticipated. This is the "after birth" story, if you will.<br />
<br />
I will start by saying that when Nora was born she took a while to make any sound. An uncomfortable while. My boys mostly came out screaming so I was anxious to hear something from her. No one was freaking out but everyone in the room felt a little bit of urgency. The doctor placed her on my chest and started rubbing her. The nurses and Joe and I were all talking to her saying things like "Let me hear you, Nora." "Give us a cry, little girl". They suctioned her out and after that little while, she did cry and everything kind of proceeded normally. We had about an hour of mama/baby bonding, she had a bath, I had a shower, and we moved to a postpartum recovery room, as is the procedure at our hospital. <br />
<br />
All my babies have sounded kind of "snorty" after birth. I don't know if it's the shape of their noses or what but they all tend to sound like little piglets for a while. Nora was sounding that way and no one seemed concerned. I certainly wasn't. <br />
<br />
But after we got to our recovery room at about 3 AM, they took her temp and found it to be a little lower than they wanted. So, the NICU staff came down, put her on a warmer and got her temp back up. They bundled her up, brought her back to me, and we all went to sleep. <br />
<br />
We woke up the next morning and had our breakfast, nursed, got checked out by nurses, etc. The usual. Except that around 8:30 that morning I started noticing a little bit of wheezing with each breath. When my nurse came back in, she noticed it also. We unwrapped her swaddle to take her temperature again, when we noticed that her chest was retracting pretty hard with each breath. That was when I started to feel worried. My nurse called the NICU nurses to take a look and they decided to take her up to the NICU for a more thorough exam.<br />
<br />
At this point, no one was too worked up. There wasn't any talk of admitting her to the NICU, they were just going to do an exam. So, they told me to take a shower, finish eating breakfast and then head up. So I did. But I sent Joe with Nora up to the NICU. <br />
<br />
I was taking my time, but when I walked into her room in the NICU, she was under an oxyhood and everyone was a little more somber.<br />
<br />
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They explained that the oxyhood was actually not providing her with oxygen, it was just humidified air. But there she was...laying on the warming table with her little chest retracting so hard. She was just working so hard at breathing. I cried at the sight of her like this because it was not at all what I expected when I walked into the room. The nurses said that they weren't sure what was going on; that they were just going to observe her for a while and they would see what the doctor said during rounds. The on-call doctor came to make rounds about an hour later. She said the same - that mostly what we needed to do for the moment was observe. But she also said Nora may have just had some nasal swelling from the suctioning right after birth and maybe it would be something that would kind of turn itself around. So, that was the verdict. Wait and observe. Leave her under the oxyhood, taking her out only when it was time to nurse.<br />
<br />
This was hard for us. We wanted to hold her. Joe stayed like this for the rest of the day. I was so thankful that he was committed to touching her and talking to her. He played her our "Nora" playlist (that we had listened to during labor and delivery). It takes a lot for Joe to get emotional, but this was a lot for him.<br />
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<br />
Around lunchtime the nurses suggested that I go back downstairs to eat and rest. (There is no food allowed in the NICU). They assured me that they would call my room when she was ready to nurse again. I cried again when I left her. <br />
<br />
As we were eating lunch the NICU called to say that Nora's blood sugar had dropped and so they had started an IV. We hurried back upstairs because, although I wanted them to do whatever she needed, it seemed strange that all of that happened so quickly and we weren't there. <br />
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<br />
I kept telling myself that there were lots of other babies in the NICU that were in much more serious situations. But this was still new territory for us. This was still unexpected. And no one wants anything to happen to their baby. <br />
<br />
The rest of that day was spent "observing". While I was taking a nap that afternoon, they decided to put a tube down her nose and make sure there was no extra air in her stomach that might be hindering her lungs from expanding all the way. Joe hated this. Hated it. He couldn't handle watching them place the tube and he was very unsettled about it the whole day.<br />
<br />
At some point in the afternoon they switched nurses (not at the normal shift change at 7pm). The new nurse (Karen) started explaining all the things I needed to know about staying in the NICU. That was when I knew for sure that they were admitting us. She told me about all the machines that Nora was hooked up to. We learned about what numbers the doctors wanted to see when monitoring heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. She told us all kinds of things about long-term NICU stay. It was overwhelming. <br />
<br />
Joe went home to eat dinner and with the boys and help my mom put them to bed. I ate dinner down in my room and came back with my Bible. Karen was getting ready to leave at the 7pm shift change. But when I walked in she said "reading your Bible?" <br />
"yes", I responded.<br />
"It's a good thing to read", she said.<br />
<br />
After she briefed the new nurse she same back in and whispered "Would you like to pray with me?"<br />
"yes", I said, through a sob.<br />
She smiled. "Just let me close the door."<br />
So we laid hands on Nora and whispered prayers for healing over her tiny little body, still struggling to breathe.<br />
<br />
This is the most amazing thing, you guys. God is everywhere. <strong>Everywhere</strong>. He shows up in places where you least expect him. He breaks the rules. He is relentless. That nurse was Jesus to me in that hospital room. She blessed me more than I can say. Thank God for good nurses. And thank you, God, for never letting us go.<br />
<br />
I continued to pray a lot of verses over Nora the whole time we were there, but these are what I kept coming back to. God was really speaking to me in Psalm 62:6-9<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"My soul be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
God alone is my rock and my salvation, my secure height, I shall not fall. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My safety and glory are with God, my strong rock and refuge. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Trust God at all times, my people! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!"</div>
<br />
Thursday afternoon, the on-call doctor ordered a chest x-ray and a stomach x-ray. Both of those looked normal so we could rule out any lung disease.<br />
<br />
My dear friend, Kim, came to see us that night which was such a relief to my worried heart. She is a NICU nurse at a different hospital and it was so helpful to just have her presence and her wisdom. We got her opinion on what we should be asking doctors and nurses about, and just got to have someone who was used to this kind of environment give us a little encouragement.<br />
<br />
That evening we started noticing that Nora actually struggled LESS when Joe and I were holding her. And that she was breathing fine while nursing. Both things that were unexpected. Our nurse was wise and noticed the same things. She allowed us to hold her for a long time that night, which was good for this mama's heart.<br />
<br />
By the end of that night (Thursday), we were feeling really frustrated that we were pretty much in the same place that we were that morning. We wanted there to be a plan. She wasn't making any progress and we still had no idea why she was struggling to breathe.<br />
<br />
At her 11PM feeding, I accidentally pulled Nora's tube out of her nose. There were a lot of cords to work around while nursing. When it came out, Joe told them he did not want them to put it back in unless it was absolutely necessary. The nurse said she would leave it out unless/until the doctor said something. <br />
<br />
Joe ended up staying the night on the pull out bed in the NICU room and I slept downstairs in my recovery room. But I came up every three hours to nurse. When I came up for a feeding at 5 AM, the nurse said "look how much better she is doing!" And she really was. She did not look nearly as labored by breathing. <br />
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Look at this sweet little face. We were really expecting the doctors to make rounds and be much more optimistic on Friday morning. But, the thing about the NICU is that different doctors are on call each day and you always have multiple doctors working together. Which is good - more ideas working together is good. But it's also kind of hard. You have some doctors who are very optimistic and some who are not. The doctor we saw on Friday was not. She said she was glad to see the breathing getting better, that it probably was just swelling from suctioning, but we still had a blood sugar issue to deal with. <br />
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When babies aren't breathing well, a lot of other issues seem to spiral out of control. Like the low temperatures and the low blood sugar numbers. Remember, Nora was on an IV so we had to start weaning her off of that. So, the on-call doctor told me that, in order to do that, she would need to eat 30mL at each feeding. I was very overwhelmed with that number because, as a mom who had nursed three newborns, I know that nursing babies are getting drops of colostrum for the first few days. 30mL is a lot to ask, so obviously I would have to supplement with formula.</div>
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So, we started this regimen of: weighing Nora, nursing her, weighing her again to see how much colostrum she was getting, pumping, feeding Nora what I had pumped from the previous feeding, and supplementing with formula. Oh, and we also had to take her temp at every feeding, weigh her dirty diapers, and she had to have her heel pricked before each feeding to check blood sugar. <br />
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These pictures were taken a few days after we got home, but you can still see her little owies from the blood sugar checks. </div>
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So, Friday that is pretty much all we did. My mom came up Friday afternoon and cuddled Nora and kept me company. She would give her a bottle while I pumped. Nora always took the most formula from Grandma. :) It was so nice to have her there.</div>
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Friday I was discharged. So, after my dinner Friday night, I was no longer a patient, but I was not going to leave Nora. So, I packed up my things and moved up the pull-out couch in the NICU room. Not so comfy. Especially when you're still recovering from giving birth. </div>
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Saturday was more of the same - it was exhausting keeping up with the feeding and pumping and supplementing. It left very little time for rest after washing all the bottles, storing and labeling what I had pumped, and getting everything reset for the next round. The same doctor from Friday was on-call again. During morning rounds she kept talking about how a baby on day 4 of life should have no problem taking in 30mL at each feeding. That is still way more than a nursing baby would usually get, and I kept reminding her that Nora was born at 11:30pm, so what she was referring to as "day 1 of life" was actually only 30 minutes. She did not appreciate this reminder. </div>
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Saturday was the day that the boys came to see their sister for the first time. You can see the videos in the previous post. It was sooo good for me to see them. I was missing them so much and was worried that they would be worried. I went to meet them in the lobby on the NICU floor. When they came out of the elevator they ran to me and hugged me and made a big scene and I loved every minute of it. More tears. The woman at the desk commented on how nice it was to see that the kids had missed mom. :)</div>
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Nora was still hooked up to all the monitors when they saw her but we just bundled her up so the cords were coming out of the bottom of her swaddle. They asked a couple of questions but they didn't seem concerned.</div>
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My mom stayed with us for a while Saturday, also. Again, so nice to have her company.<br />
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When they the boys (and later my mom) left that day, we were still thinking that Nora and I would be there a few days. The boys really wanted us to come home with them so that was hard to not have a set time we knew we would be discharged. <br />
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However, when Sunday morning rolled around, we got this really awesome new doctor. :) Much more optimistic! We had already gotten the go-ahead to take Nora off the IV since her blood sugar numbers had been increasing during the night. <br />
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When the doctors made rounds one of the residents (who had been there Saturday, also) gave everyone the briefing on all of Nora's stats and said that her opinion was that now, our goal should be allowing Nora to be a "normal" newborn. Her recommendation was that we stay one more night for observation. The new doctor responded "why? I don't think there's any reason we can't talk about sending her home today".<br />
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He looked at me and said "what do you think?" <br />
I told him that I felt like she was acting like a "normal" baby and that I was comfortable with where we were at. I told him that, especially since my milk was starting to come in, I was sure she would only keep improving on feeding and blood sugar. <br />
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"Yeah", he responded, "30mL is a lot to feed a newborn". <br />
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THANK YOU, doctor! That's what I said!<br />
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So, after a car seat test and a few more hours to get everything unhooked, process paper work, etc. I put this pretty little girl in a cute outfit and our boys came to pick us up. We were so relieved to be home! <br />
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Thank you all SO much for your prayers. We could feel them and we are so grateful that she is doing well. <br />
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Since she had the low blood sugar issue, we had weight checks every few days for the first two weeks. But when she was above her birth weight at her two week appointment we were back to regular well child visits. <br />
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Praise God!!<br />
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<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-70172530258745360512014-10-01T13:59:00.000-05:002014-10-01T13:59:37.888-05:00Birth Story in PicturesIt probably would have been nicer to put these into my last post (Wouldn't that be fancy?! Words AND pictures?!) but I just can't ever quite get my act together enough to do things the "nicer" way. :)<br />
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SO here are some of the photos of our girl's birthday. <br />
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Ready for induction</div>
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Aug 20</div>
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11:30 pm</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLTOrYXPZJ6hE39U3zvgJp_l9TRfPMhL7qS67yBVTDjFAk9CmrDkGR9ZWrTv2aOA8uhyVtF723HK6HOQ21RIefiYQ5CFlZfdSkbuVFDAO06iIq_mQXCcnuzIyUEmYkDdwgjLrnZZiLs0q/s1600/photo+3%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLTOrYXPZJ6hE39U3zvgJp_l9TRfPMhL7qS67yBVTDjFAk9CmrDkGR9ZWrTv2aOA8uhyVtF723HK6HOQ21RIefiYQ5CFlZfdSkbuVFDAO06iIq_mQXCcnuzIyUEmYkDdwgjLrnZZiLs0q/s1600/photo+3%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
6 lb 11 oz, 19 in long<br />
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so much brown hair!</div>
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Also, sorry, Nora! We videotaped all the boys' births (G rated, don't worry) but you came so quickly we didn't get the camera on. Remember, there were only about 10 minutes between 7cm and ready to push. </div>
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BUT, we did get some VERY sweet videos of your brothers meeting you for the first time. Here are some of our favorite moments:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhg_T6_D7NEqEVofxa4rglCNGZslYmS7ZX5bkScf9mD_mO8JW-VIQf4Ug8ifzTWGA5jyexbD04BbuWBbRDUw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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...and two videos of Silas because there was just so much cuteness:</div>
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Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-25070728233387194572014-09-17T22:05:00.001-05:002014-09-17T22:05:53.796-05:00The Story of Nora MagdaleneIn December of 2013, we were so happy to learn that I was pregnant with our fourth child. Although we had been trying for a couple of months, I thought that it was unlikely that I would be pregnant this time around. BUT, lo and behold, a positive pregnancy test! What a gift.<br />
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We got to tell my family in person when we went back to Iowa for Christmas and we told Joe's family via Skype since we weren't going to be making a trip to South Carolina. <br />
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We were planning to wait until the second trimester to tell the boys, but one snowy night when we were all cuddled up and reading by the fireplace, Joe just couldn't hold it in any longer. :) Love him.<br />
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Roman was VERY excited, per his usual, and Judah and Silas were mildly excited for a brief moment and then they wanted me to finish reading their story.<br />
<br />
Although there were a few little things that were different about this pregnancy, we assumed we were having another boy. That's all we knew. All three of my previous pregnancies have had little things that made them each unique, and so we had planned to name this baby Ezra. We didn't actually start calling the baby by that name, but it's the only name we had even considered. <br />
<br />
We went to my 20 week ultrasound and after an hour in the room, with a very laid back baby (who was not willing to turn over) I thought maybe we weren't going to get to find out the gender. The ultrasound tech had already moved my chair up and down and had me roll over on each side and given me juice and sent me for a walk just trying to see all of baby's organs. Finally the tech said "well, as soon as I can see the rest of the heart, we will be done." <br />
"ok", I replied. "and do you think we will even be able to see gender today?"<br />
"Well", he said "I think I know, but I want to check again".<br />
<br />
Joe and I exchanged glances. "well, we think we know, too", we told him. "We have three boys so we are just assuming this will be another boy"<br />
<br />
Then he said "Actually, I think this is looking kind of girly".<br />
<br />
Kind of girly. That's not exactly the definitive statement I was looking for. Joe and I looked at each other in disbelief. Not disbelief as in "shock". Disbelief as in "he might be wrong...'Kind of girly' is not super convincing". <br />
<br />
The ultrasound tech finished up and said he would send a doctor in to look at a couple of things and we could ask for his second opinion on gender. <br />
<br />
When he left the room Joe and I both couldn't stop smiling about the thought of a girl but we kept saying things like "we shouldn't get our hopes up for a girl" or "I don't want to think it's a girl and then have the dr. come in and say 'boy'", etc. <br />
<br />
Obviously we would be so excited to have another boy. That's what we had been thinking/"planning on" before we came into this room, but what a tease to even hear the word "girl"!<br />
<br />
The dr. came in, checked on the size of baby's stomach (the tech seemed to think it looked a litlte small - it ended up being fine), and then asked if we had any other questions.<br />
<br />
We said "Well, if we could get a more definitive statement on gender that would be awesome. The tech was a little hesitant to say for sure". <br />
<br />
The dr. scans around and says "Ok, here are two legs and bottom. This is where we would see a penis. But we see these three lines instead. This is a baby girl".<br />
<br />
I held in the tears until he was out of the room but then they didn't stop for a couple of hours. We made lots of happy phone calls to people who were just as shocked and thrilled as we were. Fun, fun times.<br />
<br />
Thus began my obsession with all things pink and feminine. Hair bows! Ruffly socks! (Don't worry, Joe, I'm sure I'll cool it...around the time she graduates from high school). Occasionally I would think that I had become a bit more calm and collected about all the girl stuff and then I would remember. Baby dolls! Braids! Tea parties! And I would melt all over again. <br />
<br />
I LOVE love love being a mom of boys. But, man, I am pretty excited about this girl.<br />
<br />
Also, it took me all of about 10 minutes to start on the girl name convo. Joe and I had never agreed on a girl name. We never had to. Of course we had discussed them casually. Joe loved the name Alaina for a long time. I never really had any that I felt were THE ONE. <br />
<br />
WELL, Joe's mom told us one day that Joe's aunt (who has three boys) had always wanted to use the name Nora if they ever had a girl. Joe immediately said "I love that name". I agreed that it was a beautiful name but didn't think much more of it. In fact, some of our dear friends have a daughter named Nora, and so I didn't think we would really discuss it seriously.<br />
<br />
I kept trying to come up with a unique biblical name since that was the criteria we used for all of our boys. Some of my ideas: Magdalene, Selah, Talitha, Lydia. Joe was not a fan of any of these. In fact, he kept coming back to Nora every time we had this talk. I liked the sound of the name but it's not Biblical and it has become more common in the last couple of years so I kept dismissing it. One day we started talking about using a family name as a first name and a Biblical name as a middle name. (The boys all have family middle names, so maybe for our girl we could flip flop it). I started throwing out some family names. Joe's grandmas are Vivian and Maysie. Both beautiful.. I really like the sound of Maysie. My grandmas are Alma and Beatrice. Not a huge fan of using either of those. But then I offered that my grandma Alma's middle name is Lenore. Joe said "well, we could use Nora as kind of spin off of Lenore to honor your grandma."<br />
<br />
Hmmm. I liked the idea, but I was still hanging onto Magdalene as my favorite. (You know Mary Magdalene was at the cross and she was the first to see the resurrected Jesus. In fact, she was the one to announce his resurrection to the rest of the apostles. Kind of awesome).<br />
<br />
One night just a few weeks before my due date, Joe asked if I was 100 percent for Magdalene. I said that I loved the name but my only hesitation was that she would probably be called Maggie. Which I wouldn't mind so much if it weren't my mom's dog's name. Ahem.<br />
<br />
I asked him if he was still 100 percent for Nora. He responded yes. He had been steadily in support of Nora for months (and had been manipulating the children into calling her Nora). I asked him to explain why he loved it so much. He started getting all sappy about it. No, about <em>her</em>. He said "I just picture this cutest litlte baby girl and her name is Nora. That's just her name. It's how I think of her." <br />
<br />
This girl has been so loved by her daddy and her brothers. They are just smitten. And have been since they have known she was a girl. It's so fitting that she be named by them. How could I not want that for her? And so her name was decided that night. Nora Magdalene.<br />
<br />
Fast forward a few months and I am getting larger, more tired, and more uncomfortable by the day. That means it's time to have a baby, folks. Except that I didn't. <br />
<br />
Joe's famliy arrived on Aug 2 to spend a couple of weeks with us and to meet their first granddaugher. Everyone had to be back home/at work by Aug 9 except for Mom and Theresa. We assumed that most of them probably wouldn't get to meet Nora as I have never been more than a few days early. But Mom and Theresa were planning to stay until Aug 18. And I have never gone past my due date so SURELY they would get to cuddle a sweet new babe. <br />
<br />
Nope. <br />
<br />
This girl has been a curveball from the start. :) <br />
<br />
Aug 13 was my due date. That came and went with no sign of labor in sight. I went to a dr. appt on the 14th and I was dilated 3 cm. <br />
<br />
But still...days went by...nothing happened.<br />
<br />
Aug 18th we said a sad good bye to Mom and Theresa with still no baby. My mom arrived just a few hours after they left. We went for a nice long walk after she got here and discussed how crazy it was to that I was almost a week overdue. On the FOURTH baby. This is unheard of, no? <br />
<br />
On Monday, my doctor called and said she would like me to go in for a non-stress test and ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid levels. My mom went with me for that appointment on Tuedsay, which was fun because she got to see the baby via ultrasound.<br />
<br />
The NST came back just fine. Meaning the baby's heartrate was fluctuating normally for the hour that I was hooked up to monitors. The amniotic fluid, however, looked a little bit low, and so they told me that we would be inducing that night.<br />
<br />
My mom and I went up to the labor and delivery floor and sat in the waiting room for a sweet forever. Joe was going to meet us there and trade places with my mom. They finally had a triage room ready for me after about an hour (or more?) in the waiting room. Joe and I sat in the triage room for another couple of hours and watched movies while I was hooked up to monitors. Finally, a doctor came in and told me that they may send me home or I may end up staying. And then came back shortly saying Yes, I would definitely stay. Then, came back again a while later saying all the L&D rooms were full and they were short on staff so they were going to send me home after all. I would have my induction the following day. I asked to speak to my dr. on the phone because they had kind of been back and forth on my staying or going home and I wanted to be sure that she was comfortable with this decision. She was and so we finished our dinner and then headed home. I only cried a little.<br />
<br />
The next day I slept in a little bit and then we did what any woman about to have a baby would do. We took the boys fishing. :) It was the best, actually. I wanted to do something fun with them that wouldn't make me tired. That was the perfect way to spend the morning. <br />
<br />
We had lunch, rested a bit, and then Joe and I headed in to the hospital. <br />
<br />
It's weird to go to the hosptial to have a baby when you're not in labor.<br />
<br />
Anyway, our check in time was 3:00. The hour of Divine Mercy. (I am sure that was not an accident). So, as soon as we finished all of the registration questions and they started my antibiotic for Group B Strep, we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We prayed for all of you. For the intentions that you asked for, and for so many others. It was a beautiful time of prayer with my husband that I will never forget. Usually when we pray for people while I'm in labor, we kind of discuss who needs our prayers before labor gets too intense and then we pray silently while breathing through contractions. That has been beautiful, too.<br />
<br />
But this was really neat because we <em>really</em> got to pray. Hardcore. There were no contractions yet. No nurses in and out yet because we were just waiting a few hours for the antibiotic to kick in before they actually started the induction process. <br />
<br />
Back to baby stuff. When we checked in I was dilated to 4. After we prayed we watched TV, had dinner and waited. At 7:30 pm, they tried to break my water. Excpet remember, there was not much fluid left. So that didn't really do anything. At 8:45 they started my pitocin drip.<br />
<br />
Pitocin. It is the devil. <br />
<br />
I had pitocin with Roman. For 10 hours. It was the worst pain ever. I thought I was dying. So you can imagine that I had a litlte anxiety about this. <br />
<br />
Contractions with pitocin and so different for me than natural contractions. Without pitocin, your uterus contracts and then it lets go and you have no pain for the few minutes until your next contraction. With pitocin, your entire torso contracts and then doesn't ever let go. A contraction will end but you still have this aching pain all the way across your lower abdomen that never.lets.go. EVER. <br />
<br />
So, I started having consistent contractions by 9:30pm. By 10:15 I needed to be up and walking to get through the contractions and by 10:30 I was really in a lot of pain. A little before 11 the resident doctor came in to check me. (My doctor had gone to lie down). I was at 7cm. <br />
<br />
You guys. I was pissed. I turned to Joe, almost in tears, and said "we probably have a couple more hours of this. I don't know if I can do that". I stood at the edge of the bed, feeling hopeless and making him rub my back for a couple more contractions. <br />
<br />
This is the part in labor where sweet, beautiful women turn into crazy monsters b-words. Joe always tells me that I'm still nice during labor, but I do remember apologizing to him for something so I must have been getting snappy.<br />
<br />
So, 7 cm. I went to the bathroom (Joe wheeling my stupid pitocin IV behind me) and as soon I got in there I turned to him and half said/half shouted "oh, I don't have to pee, I have to push!". I hobbled back over toward the bed and the nurse (who was in the room and heard all of this) said "I'll call the resident dr. back in". <br />
<br />
"NO, I said. Call my dr. This baby is coming right now." <br />
<br />
I remember Joe telling the nurse "you better hurry". He said there were about 10 people in the room in about 30 seconds. <br />
<br />
We had made a playlist of music to listen to during labor. Joe turned it on at some point during transition. I remember hearing a couple of worship songs during labor, but I don't remember specifics. <br />
<br />
I usually don't remember much about pushing because HI. There are bigger things to think about. Like the baby coming out of me. But I do remember one of the nurses saying "That's a cool song to be born to" and realizing it was "Let it be" by the Beatles.<br />
<br />
I pushed just a few times and Nora Magdalene was born at 11:30 pm, weighing in at 6 lb 11 oz, and 19 in long. She had brown hair and she was as beautiful as we knew she would be. It took her a minute to make a sound and so I started talking to her right away. I think I was less emotional than I have been with the others because I was just waiting to hear her cry. They put her on my chest and we were just in awe. <br />
<br />
We had a longer hospital stay than we anticipated, but she is healthy. I'll save that story for another post. <br />
<br />
God's plan for bringing babies into the world is crazy. It's amazing and so so crazy. I can never get over it. He is good. And we are so so thankful for our sweet girl.Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-23246940359227429352014-08-01T21:04:00.000-05:002014-08-01T21:04:41.993-05:00An Ode to JoeEvery once in a while, I feel the need to remind you that my husband is awesome.<br />
<br />As a friend put it recently, Joe is a "make it happen" kind of guy. He is the kind of man that sees a need and meets it. No questions asked. No big fuss about it. Most of the time, no one knows about the good that he does. He is a quiet, humble servant, who draws no attention to himself and wouldn't take credit even if someone recognizes his good.<br />
<br />
I know I have compared him to St. Joseph many times before, and that remains a very real and accurate comparison.<br />
<br />
Recently, we met a girl who was struggling with depression after an abortion. He raised enough money to help her get out of some financial problems AND sent her to a <a href="http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/weekend/retreat-schedule-index.aspx">Rachel's Vineyard</a> retreat. I was so proud of the way that he gave of himself and his time and his resources.<br />
<br />
Joe is the kind of person who just takes care of people. I obviously love that for me and for our kids, but it's so cool to see him step in and do it for other people. <br />
<br />
Let a girl live with us for a few weeks? Sure. Give her rides to find an apartment and a job? No problem. <br />
<br />
Help put a friend's child to bed when the parents need a break? Yes. <br />
<br />
Host visitor after visitor in our home? Absolutely.<br />
<br />
Plan a new marriage ministry? On it.<br />
<br />
I just love him. I am so proud of him and I'm so proud to be his wife. <br /><br />Joe, you are one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me. Thanks for showing me His sacrificial love and sharing it with everyone you come in contact with.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-60009237551790619442014-07-31T21:35:00.002-05:002014-07-31T21:35:12.828-05:00Awkward.Let me tell you what's awkward.<br />
<br />
It's awkward when people say rude things about the size of your family. This is an awkward conversation whether they are commenting on how big your family is OR how small your family is. I get a lot of the big family comments but I have friends with two children who get just as many of the opposite kind. People, just stop it.<br />
<br />
I have three boys and a baby on the way. I am aware that four children is "a lot" to some people. And you know what? That's ok. I do not think that God is calling every family to have lots of children. I think family size should be something to discern with your spouse and with the Author of Life himself.<br />
<br />
I have always wanted to have a big family. As long as I can remember. I have one brother (who is the greatest gift my parents ever gave me) and I always wanted more siblings. BUT, that was up to my parents to prayerfully discern.<br />
<br />
As soon as I was old enough to babysit, I started telling people that I wanted to have 20 kids when I grew up. At this point I'm thinking maybe not 20, but I will tell you that, to me, (most days!) four kids doesn't seem like a lot. <br />
<br />
When people ask me, out of genuine curiosity, "Do you think you'll have more?" I feel like that is a legitimate question and I am not at all offended. I usually say something like "we like to discern that one baby at a time" or "probably, we have always wanted a big family" or "we'll see what God has in store!" or something along those lines. Keep it light and positive because I feel positively about my family.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of other examples:<br />
"you've got your hands full"<br />
"you've got lots of helpers"<br />
"you must be busy"<br />
<br />
etc, etc, <br />
<br />
But, those authentic, mostly polite questions and comments are not what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
I am talking about rude comments. There are just some comments for which I have no good response. <br />
<br />
The most recent was probably the worst I have ever heard.<br />
<br />
A man said "I see you're expecting another baby?"<br />
me: "Yes! In just a few weeks!"<br />
man: "three boys...do you know if this one is a boy or girl?"<br />
me: "girl!!"<br />
man: "Seems like a good time to stop."<br />
<br />
Uh.....<br />
<br />
<br />
I mean, where do you even start? Maybe it came out differently than he intended? I mean, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt; we've all said stupid things. But this one has been hard for me to get past.<br />
<br />
I have had numerous conversations that started the same way and ended with the other person saying "Do you think you'll stop after your girl?" This is still a little bit awkward to navigate but, again, seems more like genuine curiosity. And it's certainly much less offensive than "seems like a good time to stop".<br />
<br />
The only thing I could think to say was "Seems like a good time to punch you in the face".<br />
<br />
But I decided against that because, well, that's not very charitable.<br />
<br />
I kind of half smiled and walked away because, honestly, what else was there to do at that point? <br />
<br />
Do you have these awkward conversations? And do you have a good response? Please share.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-73139816686577168862014-07-26T22:18:00.001-05:002014-07-26T22:18:04.900-05:00Insert Creative Title HereIt's now the end of July which means I am, per my usual, long overdue for a blog post. It also means less than three weeks until baby girl. Which is unbelievable to me. Although, my hips are telling me it's almost time. They don't like me sleeping on them all night anymore. They want my back to take a turn again. And the hips don't lie.<br />
<br />
We have had a lot of summer visitors so that has been nice. The boys have been enjoying guests and parks and swim lessons and playing in the yard from dawn until dusk.<br />
<br />
Roman is still loving his Legos and has recently discovered a passion for fishing. He is also currently obsessed with the Avengers. <br />
<br />
A Roman funny:<br />
The other day he found our Catch Phrase game. He wanted to play so I told him to look at the word and describe it to me. He said "Ok, this one is about Mass."<br />
me: "Hmm....prayer?"<br />
R: "no"<br />
me: "priest?"<br />
R: "no. ok, the other one rhymes with erection".<br />
me: laughing hysterically. He has no idea what this word means, or course.<br />
R: "see, Mass Direction. I described it!"<br />
me: "Well, that says "Mass Destruction" but that was a great first try at the game".<br />
<br />
Judah recently rediscovered the movie <a href="http://veggietales.wikia.com/wiki/Larry_Boy_and_the_Bad_Apple">Larry Boy and the Bad Apple</a>. One day he just said "Hey, Mom, remember when I was a baby and I watched Larry Boy? We should watch that one again." Ummmm, ok. So I got it out and now he wants to watch it 30 times a day. <br />
<br />
A Judah funny:<br />
Instead of saying "How does that sound?" he says things like this: "We should listen to music. How does that feel, Mom?" Makes me laugh every time.<br />
<br />
Silas continues to be 3. He is very distracted all the time making it difficult to sit in a chair or eat during meal time or not climb every person he lays eyes on. He is constantly squirming and silly. He is always trying to get his brothers to laugh at him or wrestle with him.<br />
<br />
A Silas funny:<br />
Today I cleaned my room. Because I'm a big girl. Something that I haven't done (well) for probably about a year. I somehow convinced Silas to go on a "treasure hunt" under my bed. You know, to find all the <s>random socks and wrappers and picture frames that never got hung up</s> treasure. He was a great little helper. And then he walked around for the rest of the day declaring everything he found (think washcloths and broken earrings and bobby pins) "A TREASURE!"<br />
<br />
And our sweet girl...<br />
I know that these boys are going to be better men because of her. I know that she is already so very loved. Her room is almost ready and the bassinet is set up and the car seat is in the car. We are a tiny bit excited.<br />
<br />
I tested positive for Group B Strep again (I had that with Silas, also, and everything was fine). But would you pray that she stays safe and healthy during and after birth? Thanks so much, my dear friends.<br />
<br />
And, as usual, I am taking prayer requests with me as I labor. So, let me know how I can be praying for you. We are all united in our suffering and we are often times closest to the Lord in the midst of it. So, please, send your intentions. It would be an honor to pray for you.<br />
<br />Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4495331227791776707.post-46659006156114609192014-06-16T21:52:00.000-05:002014-06-16T21:52:24.424-05:00Birthdays, BOYS, and breakdowns.Well.<br />
<br />
We have had all the birthdays. Roman and Judah celebrate just two weeks apart, which means there is really no "apart". We just celebrate for about 2 weeks. And there is much discussion about who got to do what on their birthday and what others should also get to do on their birthdays. It's a challenge to have the endurance to make it all fair in love and war.<br />
<br />
But, now we're done. We have a seven year old and five year old in the house. (And of course, a 3 year old and a 31 week old baby). <br />
<br />
Also, let's talk about baby. I have now heard of two women who were told they were having a girl at their ultrasound and then delivered a baby boy. AND, a few days ago, I had a dream that this happened to me. So, I'll be thinking about that daily from now until she (or he) is born. <br />
<br />
Moving on...<br />
<br />
Today I am so grateful for answered prayers! Some friends of ours who have been in the process of adopting for the last several months will be picking up their sweet baby boy in the next week or two. SO. AWESOME. What a beautiful glimpse of redemption! Also, we have another friend going on a retreat this weekend. Please pray for her healing and conversion. We are so excited that she agreed to go and we are hopeful that she will come to know the Lord more intimately.<br />
<br />
SO, other than birthdays, here is what the boys have been up to:<br />
swords, water guns, costumes. That pretty much sums it up. <br />
<br />
But seriously,<br />
Roman just still cannot get enough of the good guy/bad play. He is a brave hero, friends. He still has a brain that works some serious overtime. Car ride home from anywhere sounds like this:<br />
"Mom, are jaguars nocturnal? If we had 15 hours that would be thirty half hours, right, Mom? Right? I'm pretty good at math. I know that 5 fours is 20. Hey, Mom, for Halloween I want to be St. Michael because he's an archangel and he defeats Lucifer with his sword. Mom, how old do you think High King Peter is? I think he's probably 16, right Mom?"<br />
<br />
Sometimes I just have to say "I don't know. I just need a few minutes of quiet. Talk to your brothers". So, Mom of the Year.<br />
<br />
Judah has become obsessed with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I think it started with watching a Mickey movie with Carter and Jack. He really enjoyed it so I let him watch some others on Netflix recently and now it is a full blown THING. We got him a stuffed Mickey for his birthday. Then he used some birthday money from my grandma to buy a Minnie. THEN, he had a complete MENTAL BREAKDOWN in "the Target" (as he calls it) when I would not buy him a $30 Minnie that <strong>really</strong> crawls. <br />
<br />
He also recently learned that you cannot ride a bike while simultaneously wearing a cape. We cut the costume and we still haven't gotten all the fabric out of the chain. But, he LOOOVES riding his bike. He rides laps around the backyard all day.<br />
<br />
Silas. Well, Silas is 3. And you know 3 is ridiculous. But he's so funny and adorable along with being obnoxious. He has started calling me "silly girl" all the time. For example, while I'm making lunch he will come stand by me and say "What are you making, silly girl?" He thinks he's pretty funny when he says it, too.<br />
<br />
Sometimes he will randomly tell me "I'm your buddy, Mom". And then I melt right into a puddle.<br />
<br />
He says "Skirl" for "squirrel". He says "What the heck is that?" in a very sweet little voice about anything he's curious about.<br />
<br />
But, as I mentioned, THREE. The other night at Roman's boy scout picnic, he and Judah ran into the men's restroom at the park before I could stop them. So, I'm waiting outside the door when another dad goes in. He comes right back out and looks at me and says "uh..."<br />
"Are my kids doing something they shouldn't be in there?" I ask.<br />
So, he says "Well...One of them is sitting in the urinal".<br />
<br />
Well. Haven't had that one before. Luckily there was no one else in there so I went in and got him cleaned up but SERIOUSLY. That's a new one.<br />
Ruth Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269876852971553631noreply@blogger.com0