A Fun Weekend Away

Last weekend our family had a super fun 1/2 weekend away. We packed as much fun into 28 hours as we could! Our main reason for the trip was attending Matt & Elsa's wedding. Matt lived with Jeremy in college and we were so excited to see him because he is a missionary in Venezuela and we haven't seen him since I was pregnant with Faith!

On Friday night there was a shower for Elsa and a "bachelor" party for Matt (even though I think every guy there was married except one). Or as Grace referred to the evening, " A boy party & a girl party." At first she was not convinced her dad needed to go to the boy party instead of coming with us.
Faith really enjoyed the chocolate fondue!!
That night we stayed in a hotel a VERY rare treat for our family. When Jeremy went in to check us in she asked, "We are going to sleep here tonight?" I explained that yes we would stay here. She got all upset and was worried she would miss her yellow house! I explained it is supposed to be fun and she didn't need to miss our house. She replied, "Like vacation, when we slept downstairs!" (we slept downstairs in the condo in the Ozarks) After that she was calmer. When her dad returned she informed him, "This is where we swim, but not tonight! We have to wait until tomorrow." Apparently she thought her dad would have trouble waiting. She however woke up promptly at 7 a.m. the next morning and the first words out of her mouth were, "Mom, I see the sun. Time to swim."
And swim we did, for at least 2 1/2 hours! You can't really tell in the picture but this pool is really small, more like an oversized hot tub. Grace could touch in the whole thing. This was a huge success with our kids. I was glad they weren't older though or I think they wouldn't have enjoyed it too much.
For lunch we had found a dinner that was featured on one of our favorite shows, "Drive-Inns, Diners, & Dives." We LOVED it. The food was great and super cheap. Both of the girls ate for free and got chocolate milk (a huge bonus for them.) Jeremy and I had horseshoes and we ate for like $13!
You can't see it in this picture, but the walls are covered with records and memorabilia. Grace loved playing I SPY while we waited for our food.
After lunch we went to the mall to get Jeremy a new hat. He really needed one and we hardly ever shop in Illinois. And when you shop in Missouri they don't have a huge Illini selection of hats. The girls enjoyed playing at the mall indoor play area. Then I ran to Target while the girls caught a mini-nap in the van with dad.

The wedding was fun because we got to see a TON of our friends. And the girls had fun playing with all their children. There were lots of kids running around. They took a CSC picture, but I didn't get one. So if someone has one let me know. We were so glad we could be a part of this special day for Matt & Elsa.

(My camera died after we took the one picture of us in the hotel room, so they rest of these pictures are borrowed from the hotel, someone else who visited Charlie Parker's, and Christi Reed)

My Birthday

So my birthday this year was a very real day in a lot of ways. (And I'm not talking the kind of "real" where you go on a date to a tropical paradise on a reality show) I'm talking the kind of real where you: clean your house, cook for your family, have an all out battle with your 3 year old (clearly she forgot it was my special day!), and all that kind of normal mommy stuff. But, there were some GREAT parts to my birthday and that is what I want to remember.

-On Thursday Jeremy surprised me and took me out for dinner. It was SO lovely. We figured out we had not been on a date all summer, so we both loved the time together. I had this delicious "green" salad with lots of green things on it like spinach, green apples, green grapes, and avocado. It was awesome! He took me to a shoe store and let me pick out a new pair of shoes. Then we got ice cream and it stopped raining so we were able to enjoy a walk down by the river.

-On Sunday night my kids surprised me by making cupcakes with their grandparents while I was at youth group. When I came in the door they came running to greet me. Grace gave me a huge hug and said, "I love you, Happy Birthday Mommy!" Faith kept saying cupcake over and over. We all blew out our own candle and they even helped sing happy birthday. My mom also brought me a framed pic of the girls, which will look amazing in our refinished basement (hopefully sometime soon!)

-On my actual Birthday several of my friends called to tell me happy birthday. My mom-0 (grandma) called and it was one of the highlights of my day. After dinner we took a walk and took the kids to the park. The weather was amazing and it was great to have family time.

-Today Jeremy continued a family tradition a day late. When I was growing up my mom would make breakfast on our birthday and we would eat it on our family's china. Jeremy has always done this for me, even when it was just us. This year he had an early meeting on my birthday but still did it today. This was the first year we let the girls eat on china too- they loved it! (Try and ignore my bed head in this picture!!)

-Oh, and Grace made me a birthday hat!

I am very blessed!

A New Wind

This week as we were sitting down to dinner my husband said, "Girls, do you hear that? That is the winds of the second trimester blowing through our house." He kindly observed that the house is clean, and you cooked dinner! And indeed it is true I am FINALLY starting to feel better. I love how any pregnant woman who has ever felt like junk during the first trimester uses the word finally in reference to the lovely second trimester. I mean it really is only about Week 6- Week 14 that I feel so horrible. But each time it still seems like forever. Just when you think your house will never be clean again or you will never remember how to make dinner, something wonderful happens you have a burst of energy, you cook a single meal, and before you know it some form of "normalcy" returns to your home.

And I am overjoyed to actually be cooking again. Its not that I don't ever cook the first 3 months its just sad pathetic cooking. Like I get a main dish done and I'm totally out of energy. So we don't end up with drinks, or sides, or vegetables, or fruit... And if you want meat cooked you might as well go drive thru!

I am still extremely tired, but that I can deal with. One of my favorite things I read about pregnancy (back during my first pregnancy when I actually had time to read a book) was that your body does more work sitting still when you are pregnant then when you are climbing a mountain and not pregnant. Now I'm not much of a mountain climber, but this quote justified my fatigue so well it stuck with me. People wonder what it is like having children to take care of and being pregnant. Well, imagine me climbing a mountain with Grace & Faith in tow and that pretty much sums up life right now. No wonder I'm so tired!

The other thing I love about the second trimester is it reminds me that I will survive, and God still has great timing. Having to endure this first trimester during the summer when Jeremy is gone a lot has been a challenge. And to be honest I feel like this first trimester lasted 6 months instead of 3 (because I essentially did it twice in a relatively close time span). But, one thing my miscarriage has taught me is that God can make you thankful for almost anything. My doctor has reassured me it is a very good sign that this pregnancy has followed my first two more closely, even if it does mean feeling yucky.

I have NEVER been challenged in my walk with God like I've been challenged the last six months. I have tearfully said the words, " I can't take any more, not one more thing." many, many times. And then our basement flooded, and then, and then, and then... And I can't wrap up the lessons I'm learning with a neat bow. I am finding that life doesn't always go how you thought it would. For example, I have had a really hard time with saying, "We are expecting our third child." Because my third child I won't meet until Heaven. But, I have also had a hard time saying" We are expecting our fourth child." Because then I have to explain we had a miscarriage and people are confused, or don't know what to say. But, I'm also learning its okay I'm not exactly sure where our family's story is headed. Because I think it means I'm starting to realize I am not in control, and I want to find a way to be okay with that. I'm not there yet... but I am definitely on the journey, and God isn't giving up on me. And its not the wind of the second trimester that does that, its only the wind of the Holy Spirit.