A Paige From Our Book

Imagination

2012-02-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today while playing on the floor with the girls I laid down on my stomach for a bit. Soon Novia and Audri were climbing and sitting on me. Audrianna might look like a little tank, but she's still lighter than her sister. Before long it became very clear to me that the pain I was feeling was from Novia's tail bone as she bounced on my lower back. I told her she needed to get off because her tail bone was hurting me. She exclaimed, "I don't have a tail!"She ran to her room and soon came back with a walkie talkie that Adam had given her. I asked her if she was going to give me a massage. She answered with a no and told me that she needed to make a call. This is what I overheard from her "call"...

"Hello, can you come help with my bones? They're hurting my mom. Oh? Okay, I guess that will work. Bye."
She then informed me that "help"couldn't come until tomorrow, but that it would be okay to wait until then. I had to pull my sweatshirt hood over my face so she wouldn't see me laughing. Her imagination lacks nothing!

Joy In Drawing Near To God

2012-02-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Sleepless nights and weary days of wiping drippy noses, settling sibling arguments, changing seemingly endless diapers and attacking the laundry pile that just. won't. die. can quickly whittle away at my joy. I can easily find myself just going through the motions of Christian life, when ultimately I'm clinging to self reliance and happiness from circumstantial things like "me time" to get me through the day. After moments or entire days like that, I find this quote from Lydia Brownback encouraging... - There is still cause for rejoicing because it is an opportunity to rely more fully on Christ rather than on your spiritual efforts. If you will do so, you are likely to find joy returning long before your circumstances change.

Here is more from Lydia on the topic of the absence of joy...

Joy In Drawing Near To God

There is a direct link between joy and heartfelt obedience. We may find a measure of satisfaction in outward conformity, but never joy. That is why the psalmist claims joy as a blessing for the upright in heart.
Simply going through the Christian motions works for a time, but in the long run it leads only to weariness, discouragement, and, if we aren't careful, disillusionment or falling into sin. So often we kid ourselves about where we are spiritually. We are doing the right things, attending the right functions, and/or raising our kids with right morals, but there is no vitality in our walk with God. How can we tell? Absence of joy might be a clue.
Busy mothers of young children have perhaps the hardest time maintaining a vital, joy-filled faith. Exhaustion, lack of adult companionship, and the endless routine of mundane tasks leave little time to sneak off alone for Bible reading and prayer. How do we break out of this? I know one mother who gets up in the middle of the night to meet with God for an hour (the only time when the house is quiet), and the practice has revitalized her. God has blessed her efforts to seek Him: she actually finds she has more energy for the routine rather than lass, despite the added loss of sleep. This won't work for every mother, however. I know many who have tried.
Mothers or not, we all go through seasons in which our faith walk seems to be in mere maintenance mode rather then thriving and vital. It is a testing of our faith. At such times we find out whether our faith rests on the truth of Christ or on the good feelings we get after a lengthy quiet time. Although time alone with God in the Word is vital, ultimately, being upright in heart means simply relying on Christ, and so long as we are doing that, we are growing spiritually.
Sometimes, however, we settle for going through the motions or even simply choose to do so. We make ourselves too busy to get alone with God. Perhaps we are avoiding something we know He wants us to deal with. Maybe we have doubts lurking in our hearts about God, and we are afraid of what will happen if we look too closely at them. At such times, we are prone to settle for outward obedience and convince ourselves that our hearts are right with God. But if joy is persistently absent, something isn't working as it should.
Are you living in spiritual maintenance mode? If so, perhaps there is little else you can do at the moment due to life's circumstances, but there is still cause for rejoicing because it is an opportunity to rely more fully on Christ rather than on your spiritual efforts. If you will do so, you are likely to find joy returning long before your circumstances change. If, however, "maintenance mode" is your choice, you are, along with that choice, choosing to remain joyless. Is perhaps the absence of joy a call from God, sent to get your attention and draw you near?

Joy - Lydia Brownback
Crossway - 2010

Historic Day

2012-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Last night marked the first night that Colton slept six hours straight which also means he went 7 hours between feedings! It would have felt more glorious for me if not for the 4 year old screaming from the other room, "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Colds... gotta love em. Well no, I hate them actually. Praise God for Vicks Vapor Rub!! As bad as a cold is to deal with when it is my own, it's 10 times worse when a cold hits one of my kids. To my "joy", both girls have colds right now, so I was up several times with both of them in the night. I'm not overlooking the blessing of Cole sleeping through the night though. We're praying that we can experience it again tonight!

Today was also a first with Audrianna. For months she has happily said 'yeah' to almost every question asked of her. Even when we asked if she needed discipline, she would smile, nod her head and say, "Yeah!" So... to my surprise this morning, she responded to a few of my questions with a very definitive 'No'. It wasn't defiant in attitude, but I'm sure some of those moments aren't that far away. I will most definitely be encouraging her positive response even more from here on out.

Baby turns 1... Month

2012-02-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

Time sure does fly when you're having fun... aaand when you're extremely busy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It's not like it's been a piece of cake, but there has been a ton of grace! I have always heard it said that the transition from 2 to three kids is the hardest. In some respects that might be true, but I think the transition is just hard in different respects. For instance, after having Audri I was far more emotional and could not seem to catch up on my sleep. I wouldn't say I had postpartum depression, but it absolutely took more time than I expected for my hormones to level out. Of course when your emotions are all over the place, sin is not easily fought. Maybe the gracious sanctification of God during that time has produced fruit, because my outlook even in sleep deprived moments seems to be totally different. I pray that by the grace of God that is the case! Regardless the number of children there will always be transitions and some will be more difficult than others. I'm learning (probably more slowly than others) that I can either let my gaze rest on my circumstances and gain either joy or despair depending on the current situation, or I can rest my gaze on the Gospel which never changes.

Anyway, Cole is growing and changing quickly. My guess is that he is close to 9 pounds now. He has been sleeping in a clothes basket (because it was easy to move and keep near me since we don't like to leave sister bear, Audri, alone with him), but this week I've noticed that he is getting too long for it. Thankfully he's adjusting to sleeping in his bed. He still grunts a lot in his sleep, particularly after his 4 am feeding, but I think... I pray... for the most part he's figured out his days and nights.

Today Cole and I did a quick photo shoot to mark his first month. Here are a few of my favorites...

I'm just a tad bit in love with this little man. His milk coma smiles are the sweetest and I'm over the moon with his recent desire to clutch my hand while he falls asleep after nursing. One thing is for sure, with each passing day Cole's clutch on my heart grows steadily stronger.

Peroxide - The Ultimate Stain Remover

2012-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

So, I know that I have blogged about this before... but I have fallen in love with using peroxide and baking soda to remove stains. For me the ultimate test of my new found stain fighter came just after Christmas. Audrianna had been given this beautiful light pink outfit from my Grandmother for Christmas. The very first day she wore it, she slipped off the couch (very abnormal for her) and hit her mouth on the floor. It was a decent hit and she bit her upper lip HARD. She actually cut her upper lip on the inside from her bottom teeth and it was so deep that a bruise formed on the outside. It was very sad indeed. Anyway though she was alright, it bled and bled... right onto the front of her new pink shirt. I must also add that while this was happening, Novia was screaming bloody murder because she had a charlie horse in her leg. It was a beau.ti.ful moment. Um no. After I calmed Audri down a bit (there was no calming Novia down), I stripped her shirt off of her and threw it in the bathroom sink. I grabbed my peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap and headed back to the bathroom. I didn't use any particular ratio of these items, but just made a nice paste out of the soda and the dish soap, rubbing it on the blood stains. I then poured the peroxide over the stains and rubbed some more. I should note, that I had the plug in the sink drain so as to keep all of my ingredients together. The stains started coming up right away, but I had to scrub a bit deeper because the shirt was a thicker knit fabric. After I felt that I had scrubbed thoroughly I diluted my solution with some cold water (just enough to cover the stains) and let it sit for about 30 minutes. When I came back there was no sign of any blood stains. I laundered it with like colors and it was as good as new!

I had another situation recently with a white onesie and um... poop. I'll skip the glorious details and I did not take a before picture, but let me just say it was BAD! It had gone up the back and made a nice brown circle just above where the diaper sits. I threw (not literally) Audri in the tub and rinsed the onesie out in cold water and then used my peroxide/baking soda/liquid dish soap solution just as I did with the previous situation. Here is my lovely outcome...

The picture isn't the greatest, but if I had been able to show it to you in person, you would not have known there was ever a stain there! Man, I wish that I had known about this stain remover when Novia was born; Audrianna might have had WHITE onesies to wear as an infant. =)

Yes, Oxi-Clean does basically the same thing... I guess. I've never bought or used Oxi-Clean, but this thrills my heart, because it's a fraction of the cost and I love seeing the result of my penny pinching and small amount of elbow grease. I'm even more thrilled to know that I can save some of my beloved white long sleeved t-shirts from the trash by using this stain remover!

As my dear old dad would say...

Try it, you just might like it!

J • O • Y

2012-01-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

With a new baby in the house not to mention the other two small children I lovingly call my girlies, I don't have a lot of time to sit down and read or spend with my formerly normal devotional routine. But by the grace of God a small devotional book was brought to my attention the day before Colton was born. I had missed 3 to four Sunday's of being in the celebration service due to serving in children's ministry or suffering from prenatal exhaustion, so on Christmas day I was so incredibly blessed to be able to be at church and in the service. The time of worship and the abbreviated sermon ministered to my dry soul. I grew somewhat discouraged during the week, however, when labor didn't ensue. By the weekend of New Years I was just praying that the Lord would show me a personal reason why I was needing to wait. That first Sunday of the new year was again such a blessing to my dry and weary soul. Our pastor preached about joy and how in our resolution to grow in sanctification we needed to first look to the grace and mercies of God. A simple truth, but oh how I needed that reminder. He also mentioned a few devotional books that our pastors were recommending for the new year. When I made it to the book cart the devotional I thought I needed was all gone, but this small pink book jumped out at me instead. It's simply called, Joy (a godly woman's adornment).

Written by Lydia Brownback, this small devotional is intended specifically for women, but holds Biblical truth that is for everyone. I read the first chapter when I was in the hospital after having Cole. I've continued to read it everyday and I love that it's small and light enough that I can read it while I'm nursing. The other day, probably one where I had gotten little to no sleep the night before, one particular chapter jumped out at me. It convicted me and encouraged me all at the same time. I was finding myself complaining and inconvenienced by my lack of sleep, my energetic daughters and more than likely numerous other things. So, this has all been a very long preface to me sharing what Lydia Brownback had say in that chapter. Here is...

Joy In Thanksgiving
Do all things without grumbling or questioning. Philippians 2:14

Paul's command might not seem too difficult until we consider what "all things" actually entails. Have you grumbled about the weather lately? How about a sore throat? We might feel convicted when we grumble about the little daily inconveniences, but we feel justified in complaining when the major crises hit. What else can we do when our husband loses his job or we the news that our child has serious learning disabilities? But Paul meant what he said. "All things"means all things, because there is nothing -absolutely nothing- that touches our lives that somehow slipped through the cracks of His providential ordering.
When we grumble about the weather, we are arguing against God's ordering of creation. When we complain about illness or job loss or whatever it may be, we are declaring, whether we realize it or not, that God isn't handling our affairs very well. Complaining is actually a form of pride, which makes sense when we recognize its rebellious undertones.
There just isn't any need to complain, because whatever circumstances God sends - rain and snow, sickness and trouble of various kinds - He sends in order to bless us. But it is impossible to keep an eye out for God's blessings while harboring a complaining spirit. Grumbling about hard things blocks our expectation of god things, and if we are not looking for the good things, we may fail to see them when they come. That's part of why thankfulness is so important. Offering thanks to God, no matter what is going on in our lives, is a way of acknowledging that He knows exactly what He is doing and that we can trust Him.
The antidote to a complaining spirit is a thankful spirit. "Give thanks in all circumstances," Paul wrote, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1Thess. 5:18). Sometimes thankfulness is a choice we make rather than a feeling we have. We can choose to give thanks even when we don't feel like it. God is pleased when He sees our willingness to give thanks because it demonstrates our trust in His goodness and our willingness to let HIm run the show. If we practice thanksgiving, before we know it we will actually find ourselves feeling thankful, which is always accompanied by joy. God delights to bless a thankful heart.

I was distinctly hit with the second paragraph in which she talked about our complaining actually being pride and telling God that somehow He had screwed things up. I was thankful for the reminder to look for joy in all of my circumstances; that my circumstances are ordained by God, for my good and for His glory. Lydia puts it so well... The reason we lack joy in our trials is that we are set on an outcome that will make our lives easier.... Being called to suffer is actually a privilege. Each trial is a gift. It's a chances to know God's strength and supernatural joy and to show that following Him is worth everything.

I still have to be reminded to seek joy and not complain about my circumstances in spite of many nights with barely any sleep, a toddler with on-going diarrhea or a child who repeatedly disobeys. But this book is helping lift my eyes off of my circumstances and to the One who ordains those circumstances for my own good.

Oh and by the way, I told a dear friend after church that first Sunday of January that I felt that God had purposed Colton's birth to be after that Sunday so that I could sit under preaching that would help fuel me for the coming weeks of little sleep, lack of quantity of time in the Word, spiking hormones and likely missed Sunday mornings at church. I also told her that my simple prayer was that Colton would be born sometime in the earlier part of the week so that I could again be at church the following week. Well, as the story would go, we had lunch with good friends, went home and took naps, I woke from my nap with weak, but consistent contractions and a deep sense of peace that this was it and that by the next day my son would be born. We ended up going to the hospital just after midnight and Cole was born less than 12 hours later. The Lord answered my prayer and I was able to be at church that following Sunday and though I had to listen to the sermon from the nursing mom's area, I was able to hear the whole thing and was once again deeply blessed.

For still the vision awaits it's appointed time;

it hastens to the end - it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

(Hab. 2:3)

Looking Back: First Christmas With Cousins

2012-01-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a delightful affair this year since there were two new family members since last Christmas and let's face it... there is nothing like the joy of children on Christmas.

We began our day with the girls opening the gifts in their stockings before heading off to church. They were thrilled with the Sing-a-ma-jigs that they found! Audrianna loves hers to distraction and especially loves the put her finger in the it's mouth while it's singing to feel the movement. She's a silly thing.

I had done both girl's hair the night before to save time in trying to do stockings and get out the door for church, but as you can see that was only so successful. At least it only took a medium amount of fixing and we were able to get to church on time. After church it was time to celebrate Christmas at Papa and Grammy's house. This was the first year in a long time that they had enough room to host a holiday gathering and we were all excited to be at their house. It was a busy house with all of the little ones and Great Grandma Myrna played nursemaid after dinner while the babies slept at Mom and Dad's and we adults hung out in their community room. After nap time we took the opportunity to take some pics of the cousins and then open gifts.

I think I took over a dozen pics and maybe two or 3 turned out where they were all NOT crying and/or all looking in the same general direction. I couldn't even get a smile out of Audri... too many flashing cameras.

I was able to capture an Audri smile, but only after we were done with "cousin" pictures.

Elijah looking a little intense after his nap; he is usually all smiles.

Stacy and Grammy. Audri had a hard time sharing Grammy with the other kids, but share, she did.

We were blessed to have our dear friends, Robin, Nissa and Nora join us for the day. Our friend, Katie came for dinner too, but had to leave early for another engagement. We love these dear friends!

Audri greatly enjoyed snuggling with Great Grandma and the fact that Myrna let her eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted as you can see by Audri's hand in the Cheez-it box.

Novia and Auntie Jen handed out the presents and Elijah snuggled between his daddy and Adam and enjoyed the show. He ended up putting off so much heat that Adam had an Elijah-head sized ring of

sweat on his shirt. =) Lijah's a little heater, that is for sure!

Audrianna and Stacy admiring their new cameras from Great Grandma Myrna.

Looking back at all of these pictures, it's hard to believe that we were still only a family of four then. How quickly a new baby can change all of that. I think next Christmas will be quite the uproar with all of these little ones learning to walk, talk, run and play. Yep, I think we're in for it!

Two Weeks

2012-01-20T23:53:00.000-08:00

Cole went to meet his Dr. for the first time today. He was seen by the home health nurse just two days after coming home, so I felt more comfortable waiting to get in to see our very fabulous, but busy family doctor. We drive further than I would guess most families do for a doc, but after trying (for Audri) a pediatric office much closer to our home and we were sadly disappointed with the type of care we received there. At the exact same time we were dealing with Novia's bowel issues and were so impressed with the way our family Dr. helped us/her with that, that we decided to switch Audrianna to the clinic as well and just drive a little further for what we felt was more quality of care. I say all of that to encourage any of my readers who might be even slightly dissatisfied with their child's doctor, to not settle for less just because you might be afraid to offend the Dr, clinic or are unsure where to go next. Do what you need to do and go where you need to go so that you are comfortable with your child's pediatrician and you feel like they listen to you. When the Dr. is truly on your side and interested in your child as more than just the next patient coming through the door, they desire to help get to the root of any health issues your child has, as opposed to slapping a ~~band-aid~~ prescription on it or even just ignoring the issue.

Anyway, I'll come off that soap-box... Colton is doing very well. Although on the percentile scale he seems to be on the bottom half, ie: 25% for weight, he has gained over a pound since leaving the hospital. He was six pounds, 13 ounces when he came home and today he weighed in at 8 pounds! He checked out positively healthy in all other areas, though Dr. H. thinks some time spent sun-bathing wouldn't hurt him at all.

So far I can easily say that Cole is my noisiest baby! He grunts, groans, yawns loudly and of course toots all the time. I've decided to watch what I eat more closely with him to see if these noises are the affects of too much gas or if they are just a part of who he is. Adam often groans in his sleep, especially when he is over tired, so that could definitely be something that Colton has come by naturally. Also unlike his sisters, Cole likes to be swaddled. Well, I can't honestly say that I know he likes it, but he agrees to it and absolutely sleeps better when swaddled and his long, flailing arms can't wake him up. He still wakes generally every 2 to three hours to eat which is why he is gaining weight so fast. We're also still working on getting him to swap his frequent night feedings with his longer daytime naps. All in all, Colton is a very content baby and we all adore him to pieces!

Taste of Summer

2012-01-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

I found these two pictures from this past summer in my mobile upload folder and thought it would be fun to post a taste of warm weather.... oh and Audri and her friend, Auggie too.

Audri had been trying to crawl away, but Auggie yanked her back by her paci.

August apparently didn't like the taste of her paci, although he and Audri both
found the dirt and rocks more than appealing!

Oh so much to look forward to this summer. Warm weather and fun afternoons at the park with great friends!

DIY Name Plaques

2012-01-12T01:05:00.000-08:00

I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest (of course), and knew that I could create something at least similar. Then a blogger who I follow on a regular basis gave a tutorial on how to create your own printable for wall art. My mind quickly put the two together and created these prints for my kiddos. I have yet to print them, but created them so that I can have them printed as 8X10s. I think these will look great hanging in our hall!

One Week Old

2012-01-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

One week old and laying in the sun to help get rid of the pesky jaundice.

Cole is eating, peeing and pooping like a champ, but he's still been plagued with some jaundice like both of his sisters were. It's not even close to being severe like Novia had it, not that she was ever in any overt danger in regard to her health, but because it's hanging around and Colton's organs are doing their job, the home health nurse thought a little extra time in the sun would be helpful. He doesn't seem to mind and sleeps through his sisters' pokes and prodding and isn't the least bothered by their noise. He's a very content baby and rarely cries. Cole is a good sleeper too and would sleep a decent five hours for at least one stretch a night if I let him. Hopefully in a few weeks when he doesn't need quite as many feedings he'll still be willing to sleep that long. He's still a little mixed up when it comes to days and nights, but I think I'm seeing that gradually getting better.

At birth we saw immediate similarities between Cole and Novia, but with each passing day I'm seeing more of Adam in his face and I couldn't be more thrilled. So far Colton is the easiest part of the transition to three children. Honestly, Novia is having a harder time with the transition. She LOVES her little brother, but she is noticing or at least claiming a difference in how much attention she gets. Audri is still our little destruct-o and constantly keeps us on our toes. I think Adam is ready for his vacation time to be over, so he can go back to work for a break. =) We are simply praying for more grace every day and to find our new norm. Hopefully we will find it sooner than later.

Audrianna "helping" Cole. She loves.... intensely.

Like Father, Like Son

2012-01-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Adam enjoying a nap with Cole after a hard day at work.

I'm Going Home...

2012-01-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

It would appear by the smile on my little man's face, that he was more than ready to leave the hospital and join his sisters in the wonderful chaos that is our home. I love catching these glimpses into the future when Cole will be smiling in response to us.

Presenting....

2012-01-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

Colton Joseph Brachle

January 2, 2012 • 11:22 am

7lbs - 2oz • 21.5 "

If I believed in lucky numbers I would say that this little guy should always bet on ones and 2's. Labor was intense, but swift... VERY swift. I will have to post that story, soon, but I'm fading fast here and want to get these photos of Cole's first day posted. Once again our dear and amazing friend, Katie, came to capture these precious moments for us.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T01:38:00.000-08:00

My Christmas Beauties.

Christmas dresses on parade.

We wish you all a very merry and CHRIST-CENTERED Christmas and a blessed, happy New Year! Unless Colton makes his appearance in the next few days, I'll be taking a break from blogging until after arrival of 2012.

All Is Ready

2011-12-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

... well probably not everything, but the most important part (at least to my heart) of prepping for my baby boy came in the mail today. I would not have said this with Novia since we had so many things that needed to be put in place before our first child was born. Of course since she came so early VERY, little of that was accomplished. So I've learned that baby can come home to much less than what we're told. I mean, heck, I hadn't even had a baby shower yet when Novia was born. Anyway... I digress...

Back in my single days, a dear friend had a super cute baby/maternity boutique. It was at the end of the alley behind the bookstore where I worked, so I often stopped in to visit. In my time hanging out there I fell in love with all of Barefoot Dreams products, but especially their Barefoot Buddie & Blanket. It's the perfect child-sized blanket and much more ideal for letting them cart around than some huge thing that drags on the ground behind them. When my god-daughter was born, I knew she needed to have one. It was a huge hit and she was attached immediately. The family dog got his paws on it, well his teeth rather, and it gained a very large hole in it. Grace didn't care, she would slide her arm through the hole and carry her blankie that way. All was fine until the dog got it again and that time it didn't fair so well. I think I bought her a new one and it finally met it's end with the dog as well. By that point Grace was a little older and I couldn't hack the price for a third time. When her baby sister was born, she was given one as well.

Fast forward to my married-with-children years and I knew that the special gift that we would give all of our children would be these soft, snugly blankets. Novia's "lovey" has been well loved, lost, searched for (I'm talking going back several blocks during a walk to find it after she dropped in from the stroller), driven over, washed, washed and washed some more. Most recently she had it in the morning, but at bedtime it was nowhere to be found. I think it was a bigger deal for me than it was for her. She is four after all and doesn't need her lovey's security anymore. I just really wanted to keep if for posterity. I think the blanket was "lost" for several weeks before, in a moment of scolding Audrianna to get out of a gift bag at the end of my bed (that simply needed to be put away), she pulled Novia's lovey from under the tissue paper. I was elated and Novia was happy to have lovey back as well. I often find it on the floor next to her bed and often think I should just wash it a final time and pack it away, but haven't had the heart to do so just yet.

Audri too is uber-attached to her lovey. She has had her's since in the hospital and became instantly attached. I love having something to give my babies that they equate with comfort and sleep time. Audri immediately buries her face in it at nap-time and bed-time and is particularly funny with her lovey because she likes to walk around the house with it on her head covering her eyes and all. We've gotten better at being more selective where we bring "lovey" this time around. It stays at home or for sure in the van unless the girls will be taking naps at Grammy's house or in Audrianna's case at church. Even then, we try to keep in the diaper bag until it's need to lessen the chance of it being dropped between the van and wherever. I had to chuckle though, yesterday when Adam took the girls to church by himself. I was to stay home and rest (not clean, do laundry and other general nesting things like I did). Anyway, he was carrying Audri and Novia was ~~carrying~~ dragging the diaper bag which had her lovey (I still don't know why Novia's went along to church) precariously hanging from it's back pocket. Thankfully Adam rescued the diaper bag, but the blankie continue to swing back and forth as he walked to the van. I made sure to check after they left that it wasn't out on the ground in the driveway.

Okay, back to today. Colton's blanket came in the mail today. I honestly didn't care anymore if it was here before he arrived because I'm simply that uncomfortable, but now I feel like everything we need to take to the hospital is complete and ready to go. I do want to put all three blankets next to one another and take a picture of how the years of love affect them. I'm amazed how much difference there is even between Audri and Colton's blankets. They stay soft and snugly and keep their shape amazingly, but they lose their fluffiness over time and washings. My favorite memory is when Novia "lost" hers in the nursery at church. I was describing it as pink and chenille-like in fabric. The nursery workers said that they hadn't seen anything like that, but had seen a brown fleece-like blanket and had packed that in the cart. A friend and the nursery co-ordinator for the day was kind enough to look through the cart and sure enough, the "brown fleece" blanket was Novia's lovey. I realized in that moment that it didn't really look at all like the pretty, fluffy picture I kept in my mind. =) I am pretty sure that was the last time she was allowed to bring her lovey into church.

I'm excited to have a blue blanket in the house in addition to the two pink ones already here! Colton, we're ready for you, little man.... I mean REALLY ready.

Sock Snowmen

2011-12-10T19:30:00.001-08:00

I saw this idea on another blog and knew that it was something that I really wanted to do. Not only is it an easy project, but it's also one that allows you to be as simple or creative as you would like it to be. Here is the tutorial from Amy over at Then She Made... and here are the snow people that I made. Novia of course thinks that we need to make snow children so that the family is complete. I'm thinking that might be a project for another year.

You'll need the following:
white sock - 1 per snowman (Use one that has a mid-calf or knee high tube on the top)
decorative socks - 1 pair per snowman (You can get these at Target for $1 or at the Dollar Tree)
Rice (or beans) for filler
twine or ribbon
rubberbands
buttons, beads or whatever decorative items your heart desires
something for the nose

I got my "sweater" ankle socks at Dollar Tree since I didn't want to sacrifice any of my own. I also decided against overly Christmasy colors so that I can leave this duo out all winter. I didn't have any small black buttons for their eyes, but I had black acrylic paint and that worked just great! Their noses are the pointy ends of bbq skewers, colored orange with a highlighter and then attached with a bit of hot glue.

I love how this little lady's decorative details turned out. I was scouring my sewing and jewelry boxes for buttons when I came across a bracelet that broke shortly after Adam and I got married. I had kept it in hopes that I would fix it someday, but I thought re-purposing it for a different fashionable reason was just as fine. I hot glued all of the pieces, although you could certainly sew them on. I also added a tad of glue to the underside of the snow peoples' hats so that they don't fall off and get lost when they're put away for the season... or when Novia decides to play with them as if they are dolls.

I love these little cuties and they make my bookshelf that much merrier for the season. I'm thinking I will make some more that are more along the lines of a Christmas theme, but I'm not sure that will happen this year since I have more projects to complete before this baby comes. I'm also getting inspired for making some inexpensive dolls for the girls in a similar fashion... we'll see how long that inspiration lasts. =)

Soup Can Gifts

2011-12-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

I know. The title itself makes you say, "What?!" Hang on and let me explain. I got this really cute idea from where else... Pinterest. The key ingredient making the whole process possible is the Pampered Chef can opener which I just happen to have, so I was very excited to have all the tools I needed. If you haven't seen this can opener or aren't familiar with how it works, it simply removes the entire top of the can leaving no sharp edges. Instead of placing it on it's side on the side of the can, the opener lays on top of the can and grips it as you pull the handle together. When you're done going around the whole can it will look like you haven't done a thing, but that's the magic of this little tool. You just need to grab the top of the can and pull up. Sometimes I've noticed I need to use my fingernail to get the lid to pop off, but oh how I love this can opener!

Okay, anyway back to my project. The tutorial that I saw used larger 18.8 oz Campbell's Chunky Soup cans which have a flat bottom so you can open the bottom instead of the top. These cans as well as the smaller 10 3/4 oz Campbell's Condensed soup cans AND Hormel's 15 oz Chili cans all have the pop tops. However the condensed soup and chili cans don't have the flat bottoms. For these I just took off the top using my can opener instead of popping the inner portion of the lid.

This project came at the perfect time because I had just had several days of dental work done and couldn't eat hard foods, so I ate a lot of soup. It helps if you use/like soup in making these cute gift cans... I'm just saying. After emptying the cans of their original contents, I removed the labels (in a way that I could the label as a template later) and washed both the cans and their lids in the dishwasher. *HINT* ::remove immediately from the dishwasher and dry with a paper towel to cut down on any rust forming on the lids::

The original blog tutorial I saw put wrapped chocolate candies in the can... definitely something I will do in the future, but I had two baby showers coming soon and also had an idea in my head about gifts for our pastors and their wives. So, here is a pictorial progression of the process...

My original can in the background, the one in the foreground is ready for it's festive wrapping.

I had purchased a Christmas package of scrap-booking papers and stickers several years ago, but had yet to use them since there wasn't enough to make cards and I'm just not a scrap-booker. I used my soup label as a template and cut my scrap book paper just long enough to slightly overlap at the seam.

One down and my handy dandy mod podge ready for the next can.

Then, using a narrow foam paint brush I "painted" on my mod podge just where the seam would be. I put a strip of 'podge' the can itself, the small portion of paper that would be covered by the other end and then added a small strip to the top of the seam as well. I then used a dry foam brush to wipe away the excess glue. One can got a little extra love with two boarder strips at the top and the bottom.

The finished product. *Note, at this point the can lids are simply set on the cans, not yet glued down.*

The holiday labels are scrap-booking stickers, but I did mod podge around the edges to keep them secure, once again wiping away excess glue with a dry foam brush. You can get as creative with your cans as you want. Here is an example of a can of Dove chocolates decorated with scrap-book paper, a lace flower & button and a cute french chocolate label...

www.essenceofjunk.blogspot.com

For the above Christmas cans, our small group wrote notes of appreciation for each of our pastors. I folded the 4x6 cards up into smaller squares, to ensure that they would come out of the can when the top was popped. To glue the lids on and make sure they would stay put, I put a small bead of Gorilla Glue around the the outer edge of the can lid and then placed it back on the can using as much pressure as I could. There was a minor amount of glue that came out, but I simply wiped that away with a damp paper towel and voila... project complete! Oh, I did also add round stickers to the top, sliding them under the pop tab to cover any soup or NFL logo. ::I must not have taken any pictures of those lids::

3 cans of blessing.

These cans (pictured below) were chunky soup cans and I used them for a baby boy shower. With these I had removed the bottom and the main difference was that, because I was putting onesies in them, I added a round cut (obviously the size of the can) of paper to act as an extra barrier in case any of the Gorilla Glue would run. This wasn't a problem, but I would take the care again since it's a gift for someone else.

Baby boy shower gift with matching gift bag.

If you're going to do clothes or something that needs to be taken out of it's package in order to fit in the can, I would make sure it's something from their registry if not homemade, since they most likely won't be able to return it without it's packaging. Onesies were a tight fit; I think I rolled up two per can. Socks, pacifiers, hand mitts, hats and smaller teething or bath toys would also be good ideas.

I liked how the cellophane bag add an extra touch.

These had scrap-booking stickers as well and the above picture shows where I added the paper under the pop tabs. I think one thing that I love about this gift idea is that you could make a bunch of these ahead of time in general themed papers and just add the goodies of you choice later OR you could also add store bought chocolates/candies as long as they are wrapped and then stored in a cool place. I would be careful to somehow note when you bought the chocolates or candy since they don't last forever ::and if they do, you might want to rethink giving them to anyone:: The era of fruit cake is over, after all, right?

I would love to hear about any other creative ideas you might have for this project and/or pictures of your own soup can gifts.

Nesting

2011-12-02T19:57:00.001-08:00

Well the first good piece of news is that I got a new card reader that actually works! I can't figure out why the other one didn't, but that is now a moot point. Anyway, I can finally upload the 300 + photos that I've taken in the past 3 months. Now on to a completely different topic...

I am five weeks out from my due date and in the beautiful stage of nesting. I say beautiful because I'm really enjoying it this time due to a lot of fabulous homemade cleaner tips I have come across on Pinterest. I've always known about the treasure of white vinegar and baking soda and I've been making my own laundry detergent for a few years, but I have found many more cleaning options and tips using these two ingredients and a few others that I have in my home. My newest favorite find is that adding a dash of white vinegar to my washer right along with my detergent serves as a natural fabric softener. I had heard this, but had also heard that you should add it where your liquid fabric softener would go. Well, I don't have a spot for this in my washer. I was adding the vinegar to help with some especially smelly clothes and extra soft clothes out of the dryer was my bonus. Now, I am still using my fabric softener sheets, but I've also noticed that there is no extra residue on our clothes from the dryer sheets like there has been before. Adam's work shirts are the softest they have EVER been as are his jeans.

So a few weeks ago I had run out of laundry detergent and Target was my destination for groceries instead of Cub (Target doesn't sell Fels Naptha soap) due to convenience and locale to my other errands. Anyway, I was also in CVS and found a medium bottle of Arm & Hammer liquid laundry detergent for $1.99, so I went for it. I've been using what is probably the equivalent of 2 TBSP per load and then the vinegar in what I'm guessing to be the same or just slightly lesser amount. I have to admit I miss the smell of commercial laundry detergent, but I'm not willing to switch back long term due to the price. I've been so delighted with the outcome of my laundry in spite of the commercial laundry detergent! I think using such a small amount of the detergent is actually better than what they call for. I mean, I've always used less than they suggest, but now I've really been using less. The lovely scent is still there and the clothes are actually clean, but not loaded up with all that extra detergent that the washer just can't rinse out.

My other recent homemade cleaner that I am thrilled about is using peroxide as a white brightener instead of bleach. I've never been a big bleach user because the smell is just too strong, so using peroxide instead was right up my ally. I use 1/4 cup of peroxide for a load of whites and it works wonderfully! I've also found a new stain remover recipe...

1 part dawn dishwashing liquid
2 parts hydrogen peroxide
1 part baking soda

We have a white canvas couch cover that our black lab prefers above everything else. We don't actually allow him on the couch, but we find the evidence of his doggie defiance when we get home from church... or anywhere for that matter. It had gotten so bad that I just stopped put the cover on the couch because I was needing to wash it so much. Anyway, of course the couch started to look worse itself, so I decided to cave and put it back on, only after trying my new found recipe for this stain fighter. I applied it with a small brush to the worst area and then let it sit for about an hour. Then I laundered it as usual with 1/4 cup of peroxide. It came out looking brighter for sure, but the area I had scrubbed with the stain remover was definitely cleaner and brighter than the rest. Jillee over at One Good Thing (where I found the stain remover recipe) did her own research and swears that the stain remover doesn't remove color from the fabric and she has the pictures to prove it. That being said, I think the couch cover is just so stained that I may need to soak/scrub the whole thing in the tub. I'm not sure if the important part is the scrubbing or the soaking, but I will let you know when I have a chance to work on it. It will probably have to be after baby boy is born because bending over the tub wall is just not practical nor comfortable at this point.

So if you're in the mood to clean or are looking for some homemade cleaning solutions, check out this website that has a VERY thorough list. Here are a few of my favorite concoctions...

Surface Spray:

16 oz spray bottle
2 tsp. borax
¼ tsp. liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
hot water

All Purpose Abrasive Cleaner:

liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
2 tbsp. baking soda

Microwave Cleaner:

½ c. vinegar
2 c. water

Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash #2:

1 cup water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. baking soda

Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.

Drain Cleaner:

1 c. baking soda first
1 c. white vinegar second
1 gallon boiling water

Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.

Mildew/Germ Killer 2:

16 oz spray bottle
1 part hydrogen peroxide
2 parts water

Spray, let sit. Rinse after 1 hour.

Wood Floor Cleaner:

¼ c. vinegar
1 gal. warm water

Mop or rag should be slightly damp for cleaning.

I have found a lot of other helpful household tips which I hope to share with you all at some point, but you can also follow me on Pinterest and check out my Home Helps & Organizing board where I keep all of these great ideas and tips.

HAPPY CLEANING EVERYONE!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-11-29T13:48:00.001-08:00

This recipe for chicken and wild rice soup has quickly become a family favorite. It's also a favorite to take to friends after they have had a baby or are simply in need of a meal. As a result I have had many people ask me to either bring this soup as a meal again or for the recipe itself. Well I am happy to share and just as happy to admit this recipe was not of my own making. I found this by chance on allrecipes.com and was delighted at the result.

I follow this recipe pretty much as written, although I may actually add more chicken... it just depends on the day. I've also used canned chicken, which surprisingly wasn't too bad, but that was in a pinch and I actually prefer to use fresh or frozen chicken. Yes, I know this recipe is heavy on the butter and the cream, but let's be real, that is where the true beauty of this soup comes from.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet (I use Uncle Ben's)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream

(optional) a variety of vegetables of your choice

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with your favorite warm bread or rolls

Enjoy this creamy, yummy goodness on a cold winter night with your family!

**Photos from contributors to allrecipes.com**

Elf on the Shelf

2011-11-29T10:44:00.001-08:00

Christmas season is here and my inbox, facebook feed and pinterest pages are being bombarded with sales, "must-haves", holiday recipes, crafting ideas and traditions old and new. One thing that I had never heard of that I'm seeing everywhere this year is Elf on the Shelf. So last night when we had some friends over for dinner, I asked them if they had ever heard of this tradition. They hadn't either except the wife, a fellow pinterest-er, had also seen it there. We decided to do what any normal person would do and google it. Turns out this Elf on the Shelf practice began in 2005 when a mother and her daughters wrote a book about Elves that are adopted by families and report back to Santa about who has been naughty or nice. You can read more about it in the above link, but it takes the Christmas Eve, magic of Santa to a whole new level...

Have you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf – A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa knows who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot! While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families.

On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy.

Now honestly, I don't have a real problem with Santa. Our home is not void of his figure nor books about him and we don't demand that extended family not give gifts "from Santa". However, we have told our girls the real story of Saint Nickolas who brought presents to those in need, and we have also explained that Santa is NOT why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate CHRISTmas; the birth of the greatest gift ever given in the history of time.

Anyway, from the fun ideas that I've seen around the web and on Pinterest, in some ways I think it would be fun to do Elf on the Shelf. There are hundreds of ideas for "pranking" your family with the Elf. He appears in the morning in different spots around the house sometimes making mischief, sometimes doing nice things. Here are a few I like...

Elf eating all the cookies.

Snow angel - making Elf

Elf fishing in the toilet.

Elf playing video games.

Elf taking Barbie for a drive.

I'm not sure that all of the cute Elf surprise ideas are worth the elaborate web of story weaving, but perhaps we can come up with a plan in the future (probably when the kids are older and understand that it's just a game) to create a fun "Elf" tradition minus the north pole magic.

We also suggested to our friends last night that the husband (who is a store manager for one of our favorite sandwhich shops), get an Elf and hide it every night for his staff to search for the next day. But then we thought about the fact that searching for an Elf could seriously bring down productivity. =) I still think Elf on the Shelf with a bit of tweaking could be a really fun tradition/game to do.

A Rare Jewel

2011-11-17T09:02:00.001-08:00

Last night we experienced a more recent rarity. I decided that the girls would have a bath mid week instead of on Saturday night for several reasons. Saturday is a very busy day with two baby showers and hopefully Adam returning home from his work trip, I need the girls to get to bed early Saturday night because we have to be at church early on Sunday, their hair really needed the washing and since Audri hasn't been sleeping well at night I figured a warm bath just might help.

The rarity wasn't that the girls TOOK a bath. They don't have them usually more than once a week, but they DO take baths. No, the rarity was that this bath went off without Audri slipping in the tub and going under the water and without tears from Novia when I washed her hair. Audrianna does this thing where she won't sit on her bottom but instead squats the entire time. I must say she has pretty good balance, but this can sometimes lead to her losing her balance and then slipping under the water. Last night though, she was able to keep her balance.

I wish that I had taken my camera in the bathroom with us so I could have taken video of the girls playing together. Audri got more brave and was trying to pour water on her sister's hair and then would reach out and pull the hair from Novia's face. Even Novia's response was more on the rare side, because instead of reacting in anger, she responded with giggles and encouragement of Audri's desire to play. Once Novia's hair was washed, I took her out of the tub first so she could get dried off and we could lotion her up. That is something I haven't been doing much lately either, but now that the weather is cold and the air is dry, I decided we needed to start back up the post-bath lotion sessions. Well as Novia was getting "lathered" up Audri leaned as far as she could over the tub wall to rub her nose against Novia's while making the most adorable scrunched up face she could. Novia loved this and a game of nose rubbing ensued. It's a delight to see my girls enjoying one another instead of simply getting in each other's way and putting up with the other.

After I was done with Novia and got Audrianna out of the tub, dried and lubed up with lotion, Novia opened the bathroom door and a naked mad dash was made by both girls: Novia running to their room to get her jammies and Audri into the hall with that "come and chase me" look on her face. Somehow I got her back in the bathroom where she promptly peed on the floor. Novia immediately exclaimed, "No, Audri, you have to pee in the potty!" I had to laugh at Novia's appalled look and then I explained to her that babies pee when they're cold. This seemed to satisfy Novia for a moment, but then she lovingly encouraged her sister to pee on the potty the next time.

Bedtime was more of a delight as we played chase and Novia snuggled up by me with a book. She had made it into her jammies, but Audri being a quick little scamp had evaded me. Novia's story was short so I thought we'd be okay to read it before I got Audri diapered and clothed. Weeeell, apparently the story wasn't short enough because before I could read the last page, Audri (now standing on Novia's bed [completely naked] pulling books out of the book bin) peed again. What was I thinking, right? I lost it again and took in the hilarity of the moment. Novia again was appalled, but this time it was because Grammy had just helped change her sheets the night before! =)

Oh well, sheets can be changed and laundry can be done, but a bedtime without arguing, fights and general difficulty isn't the norm when Adam is out of town, so I chose to embrace the evening for what it was: a wonderful time of sisterly love and play, and a chance for mommy to enjoy the simple joys of childhood days.

Papa's Dolly

2011-11-15T22:47:00.001-08:00

So many things to post about and so many pictures to share, but my card reader is not working right now, so I'm waiting. I guess I could share one funny story about Novia that happened today.

My parents came to bring a 'new to us' armoire (left behind at their building by someone who had moved) which is really for a TV, but we're using it for clothes because the shelves give me more room for Adam's clothes that just don't fit well in dresser drawers. I'll try to post some pictures of it soon. Anyway, Novia overheard my dad tell me on the phone that he would bring his dolly to make the process easier. Boy did she get excited when she thought that Papa had a doll that he would be bringing along. =) I did my best to explain what a furniture dolly is, but I'm pretty sure she didn't have a clue. Once Papa and Grammy got here and we arrived at the point where we were able to bring the bottom portion of the armoire into the house via the dolly, Grammy said to Novia, "This is what a dolly looks like, Novia." Novia threw her hands in the air and said, "Well, I knew that Grammy!" Of course she didn't, but she is forever trying to be as adult as she can and we got a good laugh out of it.

She also told me the other day that we needed to go buy her new jeans. When I asked her why she said, "Well, you said I was getting too big for my britches." I'm laying off the cliches for a while on that note. =)

Baby's First Pics

2011-11-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad, bad daughter-in-law and not gotten this baby's ultrasound pics in the mail to my mother-in-law like I promised... two months ago. I could express many excuses, but all I really CAN say is... epic fail! So Oma, here you go... pics of your first grandson.

Covered by Grace

2011-11-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last week Adam came home from a church men's meeting quite under the weather and after his annual DOT physical it was determined that he had a sinus infection. About the same time Novia had a random fever and she just wasn't quite herself. Soon Audri too had a fever, although I still think that this was due to the teeth that are coming through. Thankfully Novia's fever didn't last long and she was back to herself. Audrianna's fever would come and go, but she slowly seemed to be losing energy. By Wednesday it was clear that both Audri and I had a bit of some virus (in addition to Audri's teething). A week later and Novia now appears to either have a cold or a touch of a sinus infection like Adam and Audri is still recovering from her bout with tummy/diaper issues -if you know what I mean-.

What stood out to me more than anything though was that in spite of the lack of sleep and demands of caring for a family that was sick, I was overcome by how much grace I felt to deal with it all. I know that not only the physical strength that I had to keep up with everything, but also the ability to keep a good attitude was all because of the grace of God. It didn't just appear, I asked the Lord for it, but I also had eyes to look for His grace. Too often I've realized that either I don't ask for the grace of God to sustain me throughout a particular day or week or that sometimes even after I do ask, I don't look for His answer.

It's my prayer that I will continue to cry out for more grace and look for it in the coming weeks since Adam will have to be out of town on business and I have several dental appointments including a root canal. Now, nobody likes a root canal, but beyond that I've been feeling nervous about having a panic attack about less oxygen. You see being 8 months pregnant, when the dentist lays you back in order to work in your mouth, the baby is then positioned very nicely right against your lungs. It's not ideal, but again in my last visit when I prayed about my panic attack, God gave much grace. I know that He will supply that grace again, but if you, dear readers would pray for me this Wednesday that I could endure the root canal and have the ability to breathe comfortably, I would greatly appreciate it.

Now I just need to remind myself daily not only of my need for God's grace (the need is kinda obvious), but also that I only need to ask for it. Grace is there even when I don't ask for it, but I think God is most glorified when I see and admit that I can't do all that I need to do in-and-of myself, and I ask for the Lord's help.

**I must also give thanks to the Lord and to my parents who were God's grace to me this past Tuesday when it became clear to me that I didn't have the strength to complete all of the tasks that needed to be accomplished for the sake of my family. My family and friends are often another means of God's grace to me and I'm so grateful for their willingness to serve our family.**

A Sneak Peak

2011-10-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday our dear friend and small group member, Katie delighted us with her time for a family photo shoot. Katie does amazing portraits and I was even able to assist her in the photo shoot for other mutual friends. I have another story about Katie and her part in an amazing story of God's incredible blessing to both her and I, but it's an involved story and needs to wait for another day. In all honesty I've been trying to assimilate that story for a while now, but I'm always quickly overwhelmed by the details of it and lose my writing concentration to rejoicing in the loving graciousness of God.

Anyway... our family pictures. We decided that a sunrise shoot would be the best so that the girls were fresh for the day. This ended up being mostly the case except for the fact that Daddy forgot to bring Novia a coat, so she was a bit chilly between photos which brought out some crabbiness. Audri got a little testy at the end due to teething, but one of my favorite photos was taken during her melt down and you would never know it.

So here are a few shots from Saturday...

Thank you again, dear Katie!

Cravings

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have never experienced any bizarre pregnancy cravings, although I do find myself desiring a taste of an adult beverage now and again. Oddly, I rarely drink alcohol at all, so why I desire it when I'm pregnant, I don't know. This is my version of an adult beverage lately....

It's Pepsi, people.

Friday Funny

2011-10-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

A friend from Adam's West Virginia internship days posted this picture on Facebook today and honestly it's just too hilarious not to share with all of you... and maybe a little true too. Enjoy!

Why Am I So Tired?

2011-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Some days my house just doesn't reflect the amount of work that has been accomplished inside it's four walls. Of course maybe the work accomplished just seems like more because I'm starting to feel enormous and doing anything quickly is almost a thing of the past. So bear with me as I recollect and see if what I've done so far really matches the exhaustion that I feel.

Nephew dropped off. Books read to first child. Nephew fed and laid down for nap. Girls both dressed for the day and fed breakfast. Email correspondence. Babysitter for tonight found (Thanks, Dad!). Recipe searched for, dinner prepped and cooking in the crock pot. Tickles given. First load of dishes washing in dishwasher. Girl's heart/sin issues addressed. Second load of dinner prep dishes rinsed and stacked. Laundry from dryer folded and put away (yes, actually put away!). New shower curtain liner put up. Noses wiped. Dirty laundry collected from bedrooms. Pee wiped up off the kitchen floor. Child disciplined. Second child laid down for nap. Next load of laundry from dryer folded. Laundry detergent made. Nephew awake, fed and poopy diaper changed. Snack given. Child still hungry... lunch made. Nephew put down for nap. Laundry sorted and new load washing. Second child up from morning nap. Paci put back in nephew's mouth. Silly pictures taken. Snuggles enjoyed. Sibling squabble dealt with. Master bedroom picked up. Girl's addressed on sharing. Lunch made for second child. Paci put back in nephew's mouth. Child cleaned up from lunch. Highchair cleaned up from lunch. Third load of laundry folded on couch. Living room clean up overseen. Child stopped from eating crayons. Child stopped from UN-cleaning the living room. Girl's physical argument worked out. Child distracted with cell phone. Pages ripped from my Bible by child thought to be busy with cell phone. ::sigh GIRLS. NAP. TIME. sigh::

So here I am... I still need to unload and reload the dishwasher, do a few more loads of laundry ALL THE WAY THROUGH and make myself presentable for an appointment that I have tonight. I get my hair cut and salon styled for the first time in at least two years. I hope that I can stay awake in my stylist's chair.

Right now, however, I need to shut my eyes for just. a. minute.

Climbing

2011-10-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Audri has begun pulling herself up onto things like her sister's bed and the couch. She uses a mix of "stepping" with her feet and pulling with her arms. This little girl is STRONG. The other afternoon shortly after Adam go home from work, Audrianna decided that talking to daddy from beside the couch wasn't enough and that she wanted to be on top of him. Here is a progression of pics from what happened next.

**Most of these are blurry because I used my point and shoot camera and she was a movin.**

Success!

Red says "Welcome"

2011-10-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Adam decided it was time to refinish our front door. We've been talking about it for a long time and have had a general plan, but now was the opportunity of time and the motivation to actually do it. The door was originally a stained and varnished front, but years of what I'm guessing was the screen door window being left open, there was a square of deteriorated finish. The whole door face really needed attention, but particularly this square.

**I could practically cry because I had pictures capturing all of my husband's hard work, but I unintentionally deleted them this morning.**

Anyway, on a Friday night he completely sanded the outside of the door. We decided that we like the way the inside of the door looked. Saturday, my mom graciously took the girls so we could get our projects (yes, the door was only one that day) completed. Well our morning errands took a LOT longer than we thought they would so while Adam went to help a friend with a car issue, I primed the door with an oil based primer. Oil gave us less options in color, but we knew it would hold up longer even if the screen door window gets left open. The hardest part for me was letting the door dry overnight and having to wait for my finished product. I would have to wait more than a week for a final result, however, due to cold and wet weather -not exactly conducive to drying paint.

Adam actually was able to get the first coat of paint on the door the Monday after we primed, but he didn't realize how poorly red paint covers (he was hoping to only do one coat) and painted a thicker coat which then took longer to dry and cure. There ended up being some drips and a smudge, so we just lightly sanded those minor areas before painting our final coat. The day I painted to second and final coat of paint was much warmer which helped in the drying and curing time and I painted a thin (really just enough to cover) coat.

The door turned out great and even though the specific hue of red was chosen for us, it is exactly what I was hoping for! Our mostly snarky neighbor, D, said it looked like a barn door. I took that as a compliment and think it looks lovely. I also recently found some of my fall decor that has been in a box since we moved from the farm to the city, so I was able to add my fall door hanger to my new red door too. When I looked back at what the door looked like before we painted it (about the time I deleted the pics), I wondered why it took us so long to paint the door. It just adds such cheeriness to our house and I even enjoy having the door open now on nice weather days because of the warmth is adds to our entryway.

I still need to touch up around the hardware with an itty bitty brush where the tape pulled the paint away.

Happy Birthday, Audrianna Grace!

2011-10-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Sept. 25th, 2010
A letter to my sweet girl on your first birthday... (posted here belatedly, but better late than never)...

Today you are 1! As I snuggled you back to sleep after your nightly wake-up for a drink (you are a camel like your daddy), I thought back to your first day one year ago. Our bond was instantaneous; you cried angrily at your cold new reality until you heard my voice and though your lip continued to quiver, you stopped crying and tried to focus on my face. You cried off and on for a while, but always stopped to listen when Daddy and I would speak soft words of comfort to you. We fell in love with you immediately and that love has only grown and grown throughout this year. Your sister, Novia, was quite enamored with you right away too. She loved that "her" baby was finally here, even though she didn't like that Mommy had to stay in the hospital for two whole days!

One year later and we love you more than ever. Tonight you're having a hard time sleeping... in fact I'd say you've been having a hard time sleeping the past week. Maybe your body and brain are ready to burst with new capabilities, maybe it's the new tooth that I just discovered poking it's way to join your two bottom teeth (how did I miss that?!). At any rate, I have enjoyed holding you and rocking you back to sleep in those moments when only "mama" will do. I think when you were just a few months old and I was still weary from transitioning from one girlie to two, I didn't linger when putting you to bed. Now however, I want to soak in all of your "still baby" moments and in truth I would have held you longer even tonight if it weren't for my back and the fact that your baby brother, didn't appreciate being squished under your slumbering form. Ah, sweet girl, for all of your rambunctious spirit and quick-moving legs (more so knees at this point), you are delightful snuggler.

It's such a joy to watch you learn and explore. You love to learn from your big sister and want to be where she is more often than not. You do enjoy playing on your own too and often make your way from the living room to your bedroom to find the "other" toys. You are jabbering more every day, but particularly to your sister. You "talk" to Novia as if she knows every word that you're saying and she responds as if she does as well. I'll tell you this because you won't read this until nap times are a thing of the past, but you and Novia ~~sometimes~~ often forego sleeping in order to talk, laugh and play together. Daddy and I have even come into your room to find Novia in your crib with you enjoying a tickle/wrestle fest. You are almost always on top. =) You love to wrestle and be "gotten" by Daddy and Mama, but so far your signature idiosyncrasy is your growl. Audri, you growl ALL the time, even in the middle of the night. Your growls express your joy, your hunger, your affection, your silliness and of course any need for attention. I don't remember when you started growling or why, but it has become your thing.

You are generally a very happy little girl and outgoing to most (although it would seem that tall men with dark hair....including uncles Kyle and Jeff, scare you). It's clear that you love all of your grandparents and aunties and uncles (well, again except with Kyle and Jeff), but it's such a delight to watch you light up and start shaking with joy when you see Grammy. She is your special person right now. Recently when your cousin, Elijah, was here, you had no problem with me holding him, but it was indeed a different story when Grammy came to sit with he and you. Though you weren't unkind to him, it was quite clear that you thought he was encroaching on your "rightful" place. You love to greet people with a cheery, "Hi!" and when you see Elijah, another baby, or a baby doll, your "hi" becomes softer and higher in tone. I think you will be a natural nurturer.

You are a fabulous eater and tend to gravitate to things that are savory, sour and spicy. You have a taste for sweet things too, but unlike most children, you do not like bananas and sometimes other sweet fruits too. You get this super cute little language when you're eating and are learning to ask for "more" instead of banging your hands on your tray or yelling. Your appetite must also come from Daddy, since you generally inhale your own food and often clean up whatever Novia won't eat as well. I thought this was all a growth spurt, but I'm beginning to think that it's just "you". You certainly work it off fast with all of your crawling, moving, shaking, and dancing.

You are taking steps here and there now, mostly to daddy if food is involved. Have I mentioned how much you and him are alike? I think you've got the walking thing down, you just don't want your lack of confidence and your feet to slow you down when you've perfected moving so fast on all fours. Soon, my little one... way too soon you will be walking and experiencing a whole new freedom. My house on the other hand will experience a new terror, the likes it has never seen before. Yes sweet girl, you are our very own miniature Godzilla. I think we're quickly entering a phase where teaching you self control is going to be very important!

We missed your 1 year appointment with the doctor so I will have to add your first birthday stats later, but here is a list of the words you are saying with commitment.

Daddy (This was your first word because you missed him when he was gone on business)
Mama
Hi
Uh-oh
Owie
Be'be (Though it often sounds like de'de)
Go, go, go! (Your sister's influence with the Cat In The Hat- PBS)
Yay!
Nigh, nigh
Yeah
Hello
More
Ga Ga (Grammy)
Hi Daddy was your first two word sentence, mainly on the phone to him. You sign for more and all done and much to my delight, you have the 'touchdown' sign down pat. Too bad we won't need it this year in cheering for the Vikings.

Happy birthday sweetheart. I'm sure there is much more that I could add, but I think this will suffice. You are such a joy and Daddy and I are very thankful that the Lord added you to our family!

Love,
Mommy

Apple votive display

2011-09-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Another sweet find particularly for the fall season was one I found from this blog written by another Minnesotan. Her post is all about DIY autumn candle holders and my favorite was of these freshly picked apples which hold wonderfully scented votive candles.

**Note: apples last about 1 to 2 weeks depending on freshness when cut.**

Cheeky Chic's DIY Autumn Candles post - click above

Last week I took the girls to a local apple orchard with some friends and we picked ~~way~~ weigh more than we intended too, so I will happily use some of my apples for these delightful candle holders. I will post soon about our visit to the orchard including the fun story of how our apple wagon lost it's wheel mid-pull.

Here is another favorite idea from her post, although I may need to sacrifice a few pieces of my birch wood from my fireplace in order to make it work.

Once again I became aware of this blog post because of Pinterest. =)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Boards and Pins

2011-09-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have a new ~~love~~ addiction for those quiet times when the girls are actually asleep in their beds and Adam is gone for church meetings or away on business... or in bed himself. A friend told me about Pinterest a while back, but I never made my way over there until after we had a girl's evening of crafting. From visit #1, I was hooked. This site has ideas for everything and because anyone who is a member **free membership** of the site can add their own ideas, photos or internet finds... the possibilities are endless!

So I already have lots of favorites or pins as they are called on the site. You create boards based on your own personal categories and "pin" ~~things~~ ideas that you find whether on the web or on Pinterest from someone else. Recently though, I found this recipe that is to D.I.E. for. This was re-pinned from my board (which I re-pinned from a friend's board and she from someone else) has had more 're-pins' than anything else I have "pinned"! I made Novia cake pops for her birthday and they were easy, lovely and delicious, but this is a whole new and may I say, better idea! Drum roll please...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles!

Click on photo for link to recipe.

This recipe is from a blog called Eat. Drink. Smile. and though I have yet to try it, my taste buds are screaming for me to whip up a batch. The problem is that I more than likely wouldn't share them with anyone and my blood sugar levels would be off the chart! I should probably wait to make these until after my glucose screening test. =) Anyway, if you are in need of some new ideas for recipes, DIY, decorating, fashion, crafting, photography and on and on... check out Pinterst. BUT be forewarned, you will be addicted and I suggest that you plan ahead to limit your time because it very quickly becomes a time waster no matter how creative, useful and brilliant the ideas. If you are willing to take the risk and want an invite to Pinterest, let me know.

Happy pinning!

Birthday Girls

2011-09-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated both girls birthdays (Novia - 4 and Audrianna - 1) since Adam's parents were able to be in town for Labor Day weekend. I wasn't sure I wanted to combine their birthday celebrations because I don't want Audri to look back and wonder why she didn't get to have a solo 1st birthday party like her sister. We did our best to keep things separate which was helped by Novia's request for cake pops to be her birthday cake. So I did cake pops for Novia and a traditional cake for Audrianna. We did gifts separately too, although that was more for my sanity and keeping track of who got what. It was a wonderfully fun day and we're thankful for our family who all came to celebrate with us!

Mommy didn't realize that the candles were trick candles, so Novia had to keep blowing and blowing.

I love Adam's expression in the bottom right picture. He wasn't thrilled with my suggestion about Daddy/daughter tea parties.

Audrianna loved her cake, but much to my surprise loved opening up gifts just as much!

Audri's 1st Haircut

2011-08-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

Audrianna was born with a full head of hair; especially on the top of her head which has grown and grown. But it has grown in such a fashion that the only way it looks "half decent" is to make a comb-over and secure it with a bow. To my chagrin she continually pulls her bows and hair clips out thus making her look like a ragamuffin 95% of the time. Tonight I pretty much had it and decided that cutting it was the only option. I didn't take a before picture, but if you need reminding here is one from a few weeks ago.

The pizza sauce definitely adds to the ragamuffin look here.

Now you can actually see her beautiful eyes instead of all that hair!

About 2 inches of bangs now gone.

Novia decided that Audrianna needed to try on her hat.

Audri decided that she wasn't such a fan of the hat.

Pants on the ground...

2011-08-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Audrianna is great taker of naps in the nursery at church and today was no different. However, when I went to pick her up my friend, Sarah, said that Audri was still asleep and that I needed to take a look. This is what I saw...

All of her crawling has eliminated the ability to keep her pants up.

I will keep all other comments to myself. =)

Whiz Bang Days

2011-08-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we took the girls to our local carnival so Novia could enjoy a few rides and Adam and I could get some super unhealthy, but super yummy deep fried food. It wasn't cheep... I mean they really inflate prices especially for the food, but it was a fun 45 minutes. 45 minutes? Yep, short and sweet and I tell you, that's the way to do it. Oh and it was excruciatingly hot, so that was a small part of why we chose to limit our time. But seriously with just one child riding rides, you could spend a small fortune, so we let Novia ride two and then we were done. It will be a great a memory for all of us.

**Disclaimer** The ride took a long time to get started so the video is a bit long and it might make your stomach turn at the beginning while I was getting "set". You can't see Novia on the ride, but I promise Adam is not on there by himself. =)

Wild Beasts

2011-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

This was always one of my favorite poems as a child and it has followed me into my adult years. It has stuck with me and come to my mind at some of the most unique times. I think I love it most of all now, though. I love to recite it to my little girls, especially when one is growling her heart out beneath our rocking chair. I hope this simple poem becomes a favorite of theirs as well as they grow.

Novia's Haircut pt. 2

2011-07-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Grammy was invited to come along on our hair cut adventure and she decided that she wanted to treat us to a "treat" because Novia did such a good job of sitting still and minding Trisha during her hair cut. **I don't think I've ever heard Novia say "please" and "thank you" so much as I did during our visit at The Hair District.**

Novia was thrilled with the opportunity to go to DQ and get ice cream and I think Audrianna was just as thrilled when it was all said and done. Thanks Grammy, it was a great afternoon!

It was hot, so ice cream hit the spot!

All smiles.

Audrianna happily enjoying some ice cream too.

The eyes are asking for more...

and now so is the mouth.

"This is the best day!"

"More please!"

Novia's Haircut pt. 1

2011-07-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Novia's hair has grown like nothing I ever seen before since she turned 1. It grew fast and it came in much thicker than most would realize. Lately we were having a lot of battles in "doing" her hair. A while back Adam and I talked with her about possibly donating her hair to Locks of Love when it came time to cut her hair. She was very willing, though not understanding how the donation process works. She decided that she wanted to donate her hair to our Pastor, Rick because "he doesn't have enough"... (her words). Rick was a great sport and got a good laugh.

So last week I had enough and made an appointment for Novia with my friend and former employer, Trisha, at The Hair District in Chanhassen. After watching Trisha cut the hair of a lot of squirmy little ones over the years, I knew that she was definitely the right pick. Anyway the pics tell the rest of the story. I LOVE Novia's shorter hair and how easy it is to wash, brush and "do" for the day! Thanks Trish!!

Deciding how much to cut off.

Measuring 10 inches for Locks Of Love.

The cut!

Novia less 10 inches of hair.

The Hair District's youngest hair donator.

After her hair wash, chewing on some of Trisha's mints.

Trisha cutting Novia's bangs.

Audri and Grammy came for support.

More mints in the mouth.

Novia was not a fan of the hair dryer, so Trisha fixed the situation by making her laugh.

The result!

Here you go, Pastor Rick... I mean some little girl who doesn't have hair!

To be continued...

Tennessee Cousins

2011-07-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've always looked forward to each summer for one particular reason: a visit from my dear cousin, Christa. We have been good friends since we were young girls and the distance and infrequency of visits has never deterred that relationship. Over the last several years our visits have been even less due to the growth of our families, so this visit was especially special because our girls who are two months apart in age were going to meet for the first time. Of course Novia and Alyssa really began to have fun together about 10 minutes before they had to leave our house. Well, here's hoping they will grow to love each other as much as their mommies do.

Christa reading Santa Duck to the girls.

The best hug we could get out of the two of them.

Luv you, Christa!

The Latest

2011-07-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

So let's see, it's only been a month since I last blogged... I'm sure there are some out of town friends and relatives that aren't too happy about that. I can't even blame it on feeling sick. I have felt amazingly good with this pregnancy, I haven't even thrown up which is unheard of for me. I know that it is all God's grace. There is no way that I could afford to be down sick this time around with so many more things on our plate, so I am extremely grateful for this grace.

The girlies enjoying their first shared bath.

Novia at a small group picnic. (photo by Miss Katie)

We've been busy this month, although I can't begin to recall it all now. Yep, I'm resigned to the idea that my brain is going to forever evade me. I've even begun playing specific games to challenge my mind and try to get some re-firing going on in my brain... but that's a whole other post.

June brought us some extreme heat and a minivan! Boo to the heat, but yay to the minivan. My in-laws were gracious enough to drive the van up from Omaha and Adam's life officially changed forever. He was pretty resistant to the minivan idea at first, but ironically enough, he drove it to work EVERY day that first week. I think he's in love now. ; ) The girls and I certainly love having a vehicle with air conditioning and Novia is enjoying a taste of all my old story tapes in a tape deck that actually works. Seriously, if I hear the story of The Fox and The Hound one more time, I might just scream. On the other hand Psalty the Singing Songbook has been a fun walk down memory lane and Adam tells me it's not as cheesy as The Music Machine (only because he hasn't seen any of the movies). I also never realized what a whiny voice Berl Ives had when he read a rhyming version of the story of Esther. The things that just don't matter to kids I guess.

Audri smiling at her sister's antics on a beautiful summer day.

In other news, Audri turned 9 months and has become quite the character. We call her our little destruct-o as she moves VERY fast and is not afraid to pull anything and everything apart. She has already pulled the fireplace screen down on top of herself several times, thankfully not hurting herself. She loves to try to play with the stereo and I don't know what is more detrimental to the stereo, Audri or Novia as she tries to close the CD changer and turn it all off in Audri's wake. Audrianna also got her first and hopefully only taste of dog food. We forgot that Novia didn't really move at all until we coerced her and then shortly after we moved off the farm to a much smaller place and no dog. Anyway, this speed army crawling was new to us and we hadn't prepared with a gate for the kitchen. She must not have liked the dog food very much because she hasn't been back.

The girlies during a break in afternoon play.

Audrianna is finally out of our room and now sharing a room with Novia. The transition only took a few days and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There are still times (generally at naptime) when the girls keep each other awake and I have to say SOMETIMES it's fun to listen to their squeals and giggles coming from the monitor. SOMETIMES. I'm not sure Novia is completely sold on the idea of sharing her room with Audri instead of Maverick. She often asks if Maverick can sleep in her room again when Audri get's little again and sleeps in Mommy's room. Hmm, we need to discuss human growth with her.

Novia doing her best to stop destruct-o.

Okay so here are Audri's 9 month stats and newest "achievements". She gained two inches so she is now 28 inches tall. Her weight plateaued a bit with just 1 added pound putting her at 17 lbs, but with all of her movement I'm not surprised. She's pretty much eating us out of house and home and has yet to reject anything (besides stand alone spinach) that I feed her. I don't know how she eats half of it since she still only has her two front bottom teeth, but she devours it all. She already eats her cheerios like her daddy eats his popcorn... one giant handful at a time. Praise God she's not a joker. Tonight she enjoyed chili on mashed potatoes with sour cream and cheese, yesterday she ate my whole bowl (that I was graciously sharing with her by the way) of chicken and broccoli pasta. She could definitely teach her sister a thing or two about non-discriminatory taste buds. All of this food is going to good work since she is pulling herself up to stand by the couch and gradually stepping her way end to end. She was quite proud one morning when I went to get her from her crib and she had figured out how to sit up all by herself. I really think that this one is going to push the limits of my sanity with her determination to figure things out and get into things. She might look more like me, but she is so much like her daddy!

Novia is still my good helper and things with her..." issue"... seem to be getting better. She is still not going very often, but the fear seems to be going away by God's grace which seems to be have been a huge obstacle. Now we just need to remember to get her to go more often. I know it sounds silly, but when you're used to a certain schedule... well we all have to work at getting a new one.

Well that's that for now. Sorry the update is so long, that's what happens when you fall off the blogging radar for a whole month.

PS. Here's a video treat for those of you who stuck around to read this entire post.

Life Changes

2011-06-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

PREGNANT!

Novia's response when we told her was a mirror image of my own... "AGAIN?!" We were surprised, but are excited for what the future holds.

At this point I am 11 weeks and things are going well. I've had nauseousness, but not nearly to the extent as with the girls. There have been plenty of moments when I thought that maybe this was all a dream, but hearing the heartbeat the other day put all of those thoughts to rest rather quickly.

Was this our plan? No, well, not our timing. But having been on every side of the conception coin (ie: quick conception, delayed conception, miscarriage, more delay etc.) we are trusting God once again that His timing is better than ours. After fielding some honest and caring questions, I began to ponder about how we tell others and even ourselves to trust God for His timing when pregnancy isn't happening as fast as we want it. But when someone tells us they are expecting again sooner than the world deems appropriate, we immediately ask if they were planning for this or why they weren't preventing. Why is it that our first response is not to thank God for His better and oh yeah... providential timing? I had to ask these questions of myself because this was NOT the timing I thought was best. God is gracious and I got over myself and am now trusting the sovereign timing of my loving Heavenly Father and I, by future grace, will trust Him with all of the earthly details that so easily weigh me down.

Watch out world.... the Brachles are soon to be a family of 5 and sporting our very own swagger wagon!

The scoop with p@@p

2011-05-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

We have way too many conversations with Novia about p • o • o • p. What is it about "that" word that causes us all to cringe? I even know people who give it some other name as if naming it something else will make it less gross. Most are completely offended at the thought of discussing this normal body function. Okay, at least moms have a better chance of understanding and are less offended at the topic. Some people are so downright uptight about the subject giving a superior glance as if to say, "How dare you speak of something so vulgar?!". It's never my intent to be vulgar or glorify potty talk, and I functionally understand about "the right time and the right place", but seriously what happened to rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn? Doesn't that include being willing to hear about the hardships of a child who is chronically constipated, revel in the successes of that child in the bathroom or find the humor is something God created us all to do? It's not as if I'm using distasteful language... at least to the best of my ability. Maybe I'm bothered less because I grew up on a farm and dinner conversation often revolved around the work of the day, or maybe it's because this is my reality right now and if I don't find the humor in it I'll lose my mind. So if you ask me how Novia is doing, be prepared for an honest answer, if you hear me stifle a giggle or accidently let a joke about p@@p slip, have some compassion knowing that I think about, talk about and deal with poop (or the lack thereof) more than 75% of my day. Some day if you are ever in the same or a similar situation with your child, you will know who to call to release some steam on the subject of p@@p.

And if I ever write a book about funny things kids say, I have so many funny stories, jokes and hilarious things Novia's says about the subject that I'll have a whole chapter on p@@p alone.

Novia Sings

2011-05-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

For the last several years our women's ministry at church has put together a spring tea complete with a talent show. The type of talents vary each year, but usually include some comedy, speeches or monologues and music both instrumental and vocal, classic and contemporary. Novia has been memorizing parts of songs from our church for quite awhile and earlier this year when we were in the car she strung a few of them together, giving me the idea to create this medley for the tea. She did good and put on a little comedy show at the same time.

Nora Ruth

2011-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to share a slideshow of the photo shoot that I did for my friend, Nissa, of her sweet baby girl, Nora. It's always fun to spend time with this family and this particular afternoon was no different. I have fallen in love with Nora's solemn stares!

"hms-brachle photography {Nora}"

6.75 months

2011-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

We finally got Audrianna in for her 6 month well baby check yesterday. She's a very healthy girl and is quite adept at her fine motor skills for her age. Here are her current stats...

Height: 26.5"

Weight: 16 # - 6 oz

Head: 16.5"

She's in the 75th percentile in height and weight and the 80th for her head. The Dr and I had to laugh though, because the nurse had originally measured her head to be 18" which would have put her over the 98th percentile. I still don't know how the measurement was THAT off, but I'm very happy it was wrong. I'm already having trouble getting Audri's head through some of her shirts. She is wearing 6 to 9 month shirts, jammies and dresses, but has moved up to 9 month pants.

As for other milestones, I think I posted earlier about Audri saying Da-da. She still does and though this is her main babble sound, she is more than aware that her daddy specifically answers to it. Audri had only been rolling from her tummy to her back and we still don't know what motivated her, but all of the sudden she began not only rolling from her back to her tummy, but also scooting/pulling herself forward to the best of her ability. She also discovered that she can roll several times in a row in order to reach whatever it is she has her eye on. As Adam prepped for small group on the couch, Audrianna rolled over and over, grabbed his book bag and tried to shove his recently kicked off sock in her mouth. She then pulled herself over to the fireplace screen and started banging on it with all of her might. Wow, let the real "mobile" baby proofing begin! No kidding, this all happened in about 30 minutes last night. It's like Audri decided she needed to complete the checklist of "6 month" motor skill expectations before the night was out. It was fun to watch her explore and achieve these baby goals, but Adam and I both agreed that we are not ready for this stage of mobility to begin. Once again, I do have video from last night, but our internet won't upload it in a timely fashion. One of these days I'll run to the coffee shop and get all of my videos uploaded.

April Morning

2011-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

This was the view from our window this morning...

Not Popeye Yet

2011-04-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

In our adventures with solid foods we have been pretty successful so far. I've been making all of Audri's baby food since two weeks after introducing solids to her. I remember being intimidated at the thought of making my own baby food when Novia was a baby, but I happily found that nothing could be easier.

Audrianna likes all of her fruits and homemade oatmeal cereal and has also been a happy trooper in the realm of veggies. Peas are honestly not a favorite of anyone in our house, but I really wanted to balance out the orange vegetables due to Novia's baby nose being orange for at least an entire year. Well Audri eats her peas like a champ and enjoys her mixed vegetables as well which include some beans. Two weeks ago I introduced her to broccoli (take a minute and crack your best joke), and this week I decided to try spinach. I love spinach raw or cooked especially with a little butter on it. I mean WHAT doesn't taste better with butter? Audrianna's first taste of spinach came within a mix of broccoli and she devoured it without complaint. So, naturally I thought we had a winner and she would take it alone no problem. I. was. wrong. Maybe it was an off day. I will certainly try again, but after three bites today she was not having it. This was the first time she has EVER intentionally spit out her food. I'm thinking it's maybe the texture. Oh well, we'll try again tomorrow and if I have to I will mix in some broccoli.

Hmm, not SO bad.

Not particularly my preference, Momma.

Seriously! I said I don't like it!

Tomorrow Audrianna will finally have her 6 month well baby check (now that she's closer to 7 months old). I will try to post her stats as soon as I'm able.

Playtime remnants

2011-04-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Swing!

2011-04-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

The last two days have been fabulous MN spring days and from the taste of them I think we will be spending a LOT of time outside this summer. Novia could not get enough of the outdoors between yesterday and today. She was outside with her chalk, playing with her dolly in the wagon, swinging, and calling for her neighbor friends to talk to her over the fence. Audrianna got outside too and enjoyed her swing and at least put up with the ride in the Burley after dinner tonight. Yes, We had our first family bike ride of the season today! I think last year this time we had been out several times already, but we also had zero snow for the whole month of March too. Anyway, we didn't go too far, but oh it felt so good to be out on the bikes again. A stationary bike can only do so much for your soul.

The weather is forecasted to get cold(er) again as soon as tomorrow, but here's hoping it doesn't stay long! Here are a few pics from the girls swinging yesterday. I'll try to post a few from today soon. Happy spring everyone!

Recent Photo Shoot

2011-04-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine recently asked me to take some pictures of her new baby girl. I don't want to post too many pictures right now since I haven't even finished going through them all and I want my friend to see them first. I do want to post this one though (which she has seen); I think so far it's my favorite.

H.O.M.E.

2011-04-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Home from his latest trip to Philadelphia, Adam went in to get Audri from her bed. My camera couldn't capture all of the flailing limbs of excitement, but I caught as least part of her smile.

Daddy!

I don't remember Novia missing Adam with this intensity at this age. She certainly has missed him intensely the last several trips he had made on his own, but I think it meant a lot to Adam to know that his 6 month old really knew he was gone and missed his presence.

MY daddy.

I think the sweetest thing was when we were in worship at church the morning Adam got home, Audri kept leaning out of my arms to grab Adam's shirt as if to say, "Don't go anywhere, Daddy."

So HAPPY you're home!

Of course then day 2 of Adam being home, his back went into major spasm so the girls actually got to have their daddy home all week. Two of those days he was mostly sleeping, but he was HERE. We all love having Adam HERE.

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

Buttered peas in honor of St. Patty's Day.

And some more St. Patrick's Day fun that has nothing to do with St. Patty's Day.

Audrianna rockin the baby doll bed with Sylvie.

Novia wasn't as excited about Audri in her dolly bed as we thought she'd be.

"Do I have to get out Momma?"

Cousins

2011-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Stacy Nicole Strandquist joined our extended family yesterday and we couldn't be more thrilled. We were all discussing the girls' similarities last night at the hospital so I thought I would do a first day photo comparison (well, to be fair, I think the photo of Novia is from her second day, but close enough). I see similarities and I see differences. Time will tell how much these girlies all look alike. So far I don't think Novia and Audri look that much alike even beyond their newborn pictures. Perhaps Novia and Stacy will look more similar, or maybe they will just simply share the peanut factor. We shall see, we shall see. I will admit that I'm hoping the other Strandquist cousin (arriving July 2011) will be a boy, cause 4 girls could be a LOT of drama (can you tell that I grew up with all boys?), but I guess it could be a lot of fun too. Regardless we are very excited that Stacy made her sweet arrival and can't wait to meet the next Strandquist baby!

Faithful

2011-03-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise!

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!"

...Come and see what God has done:

he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

...Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my

prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

(Psalm 66:1-2a, 5, 20 ESV)

Just days after my last post in which I shared about our cries to the Lord in a few areas, He has faithfully answered! Adam left today for his annual trip to Philadelphia (admittedly the least favorite of his trips). About 4 hours from home he got an unexpected phone call from the office and was told that he was being given a raise. A very unexpected and substantial raise!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

(Matthew 7:7-11 ESV)

I have been reminded once again that just because God sovereignly knows our needs doesn't mean that we don't still need to go to Him in prayer about them. He desires for us to ASK Him to provide what we need or desire so that He is all the more glorified when He answers. I also found the following verses from Psalm 145 high-lighted in my Bible with a prayer for finances back in 2006...

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them.

(Psalm 145:17-19 ESV)

I was then able to deduce from my notes by Psalm 66 that He did provide a financial breakthrough not long after this. How good is our Father, always loving and withholding nothing from His children, but even more loving to supply our need when we acknowledge that He and only He can supply it.

| Caught In The Middle |

2011-03-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Lately Adam and I have been talking and praying a lot about difficult and trying pieces in our life. Hoping against hope that the Lord would ease the tension of our finances, child with bathroom issues, etc. I found myself easily overwhelmed over the last week or so despite all of the time I had spent in prayer. I was pretty sure that this shouldn't be the case and the Lord was faithful to agree with me and remind me that though I was praying about my concerns, I wasn't casting my cares ON Him. Then I read a chapter from Paul Tripp's book and I was immediately convicted of my sin and encouraged again by the reminder of God's plan, promises and faithfulness. I have greatly been enjoying reading A Shelter In The Time Of Storm as part of my morning time with God. It's a book of meditations on Psalm 27 and I have yet to come away not encouraged after reading a chapter (not that that is my goal by any means). Anyway, I could try to tell you what specifically spoke to me, but I'll just let you read it for yourself.

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14

We spend a lot of our lives "caught in the middle". We head to work and get caught in the middle of a traffic jam. We enter a conversation and get caught in the middle of an argument. We make an investment and get caught in the middle of a market downturn. We join a church and get caught in the middle of a theological controversy. We dream of our future and get caught in the middle of things we did not foresee and would not have chosen. We really do spend much of our time caught in the middle of being caught in the middle.

When you are required to wait, it means that you are caught in the middle of something, and when you are caught in the middle of something, it immediately means that you are part of something bigger than you. Being caught in the middle is disconcerting and irritating because we all tend to give into the delusion that we have more power and control over our lives than we actually have.

Self-sovereignty is the dream of every sinner. It's hard for us to trust ourselves to the wisdom, power and control of another. We want to write our own dramas, and we want to be the central character of the story. But the spiritual reality of the universe is that we are not the authors of our own story. Our story is part of a larger story that is written by the Lord In this story we are never on center stage. That is a position to be occupied by the Lord alone.

When you recognize that you are caught in the middle of something, you are recognizing something that is profoundly important. Let me detail how practically important this insight is. First, it means that you were meant to live for something bigger than yourself. You are not in control. Your story is not ultimate. You have been created to be part of something that is larger than your wants, your needs and your feelings. You are connected to something that is bigger than your relationships, your situations, and the locations that you move in every day. You are waiting because God said you are a part of His kingdom. God, whose timing is always perfect, works according to His wise plan and at the right moment. But as you wait, He is doing something in and for you. He is crafting you into the person His grace alone enables you to be.

Second, it means that you were created to be dependent. The independent, this-is-my-life-and-this-is-what-I-will-do-with-it view is a delusion. The thought that you have everything you need to be what you are supposed to be and to do what you are supposed to do is a fantasy. Each of us is dependent on God for our physical life. We all know that we do not control the many, many things around us that must work in order for our lives to work. We all know that our life doesn't work according to our plan. we couldn't write the story of today and accurately predict what we will face. Contrary to what we often think and how we often act, we all live a life of reliance on God.

Third, it means that the things you need most you cannot provide for yourself. God had controlled the forces of nature and the events of human history in order to give me the one thing I desperately need and could never earn, deserve, or achieve -- new birth. Without the intervention of His powerful heart and life and His transforming grace, I would be a dead man walking. But He has given me life, and He is now working to change me into what I, if left to myself, could never be. I wait because His grace is still at work. I wait because His is not done and I am not yet complete.

Fourth, it means the final chapter of your story has been written but has not yet unfolded. There are more places God has written for me. There are more characters to appear in my story. There are circumstances that He has designed for me to encounter. There are moments of blessing and times of difficulty that have already been written into my story by the One who is not only in control but is also wise, gracious, kind, and good. He already knows the exact path He will cause me to walk and how that path will result in His glory and my good. I could never write an autobiography that would accomplish what His story for me already has and will accomplish.

Fifth, it means that the One you are waiting for is trustworthy. I know that there are times when waiting is painful. I know there are times when it seems as if it is impossible to wait. But you and I must remind ourselves that we wait not because irrational and impersonal forces function as obstructions and interferences in our lives. No, we wait because the world is carefully administered by the one Person who is ultimate in power, ultimate in authority, and ultimate in wisdom, while at the very same time being ultimate in love. You are being asked to wait by One you can trust.

Sixth, it means that in those moments when you are caught, you can rest. Don't give any way to panic. Don't give into doubt because this is not what you would have planned. Don't allow yourself to play out all of the "what it's" and "if only's" in your mind. You are waiting because there is a plan. You are waiting because your life is under the control of One who is wise and good. You can rest, not because you know what is happening, but because you know the One who is in control of what is happening to you right now. You can rest because you know He has made you a part of something wonderful, and He knows what He is doing in you is good, even though at this moment it feels as if you have been caught in the middle.

Paul David Tripp
A Shelter In The Time Of Storm
Crossway | 2009

I can rest, not because I know what is happening, but because I know the One who is in control of what is happening to me right now.

Peek-a-boo

2011-03-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

What I See...

2011-03-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

... when my baby leans in for a kiss.

Favorites

2011-03-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

With all of the recent births in our small group, church and the coming births in our own family I've been thinking a lot about some of my favorite baby/child related products. They aren't ALL necessities, but they make life a little easier or bring comfort.

**Guys might want to skip over this paragraph on breast feeding... or at least know you've been warned.**

Earth Mama Angel Baby's Natural Nipple Butter is one of my essentials. I know, the name makes you want to run out right now and ask your local natural health store if they have it, but despite the honest name it is the best breast feeding cream out there (in my humble opinion). It soothes, heals and softens while protecting unlike lanolin which just sits on top of your skin it. I tried lanolin, but personally felt that it made things worse, not better. I was given a small sample of NNB when Novia was born and I knew I had discovered gold! I've given it as baby shower gifts and the name brings some snickers (I mean who can't help but snicker at that), but I generally get a big thanks from moms after baby comes and breast feeding begins. It's not about the thanks, but wanting others to experience this small comfort while things are rough... or maybe raw is a better word. I haven't tried any of Earth Mama Angel Baby's other products, but they all look pretty wonderful. My one qualm is that you might not want to leave these products out due to the photos on the labels. They might just make some bachelor (let's be real, any male) friend of your husband embarrassed.

I fell in love with these perfect sized (15" x 15") blankies long before I had children of my own. Several years ago a friend of mine who at the time owned a maternity and children's store, introduced me to Barefoot Dreams and their Buddy Blankets. Anyone who has seen my girlies, has seen them carrying their loveys with them. I am a strong believer that if children have something that they equate with sleep, they will go to sleep much easier in places away from their own beds. My girls just happen to love their blankets so much that they like to take them most everywhere. That is one of my other favorite things about these blankets: they are small so your child isn't lugging around a blanket twice their size. I remember when Novia was a baby, her new pink lovey completely covered her at nap time. Now it's not so pink -- in fact it's been mistaken as brown -- and it tucks nicely under her chin, but it is loved every bit as much as it used to be.

Due to Adam's job, we've done a lot of traveling since Novia was born. Our first two trips we lugged her pack 'n play with us, covering it with plastic trash bags in hopes of keeping the gas and oil smell from Adam's tools at bay. Unfortunately it wasn't the trips that did it in, but the mice at our own house. Instead of replacing it with another pack 'n play I decided to do some looking for something more manageable on our trips. Several families in our church were already using Kidco's PeaPod Travel Tent, so I didn't have to look far. I was pretty much sold immediately on this pop-up tent complete with it's own travel bag, air mattress, pump and sleeping bag. All in all I think it's about 12 pounds and worth every penny we spent! It's extremely durable and will hold a child up to age 6 depending on their height. Oh and ours is the indoor/outdoor style so it's great for camping or taking to the beach to keep baby out of the sun.

Graco SnugRide Infant Seat Carrier

Phil & Ted's Classic w/double kit

This is one product, okay... two really) I don't have myself and that is why I write about them. I wish that I would have taken the advice of a friend and gotten Graco's SnugRide Infant Seat Carrier. This is especially great for firstborn babies and/or if you just can't decide what kind of stroller you want to give up your arm or leg for. I insisted that I needed the big travel system stroller and while it works, it takes up our entire trunk so I would never take it to the mall. I've also come to wish that I had a better all terrain stroller that was better on gravel and uneven sidewalks. We're still looking into getting a Phil & Ted's stroller/jogger with the double kit or just using our Burley with the jogger attachment. All that said, I think the Graco Infant Seat Carrier is a great starter stroller and a Phil & Ted's is a great long run solution. **NOTE: Phil & Ted's double kit eliminates space in the bottom basket, but they have saddle bags and other accessories which helps with the loss of this space.

So these are just a few of MY favorites, I'd love to hear some of yours.

The Boon Spoon

2011-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

I saw this unique baby gadget on Molly Piper's blog. It's called the Boon Squirt Spoon. The pink (well, pink in this picture... there are actually several different colors) part unscrews from the clear spoon part and the baby food is poured in there. You then squeeze the food onto the spoon and wa-la into baby's mouth. I was really excited to find this at my local grocery store for $7.99. I found them on Amazon as well for both more and less than this price. Anyway, as I said I was excited to find it and give it a try. I think it's a genius idea and Audri enjoyed eating from her new spoon so here are my pros and cons about this little convenience feeding item.

Pros...

Faster feeding
Easy to clean
Convenient for on-the-go
A cap to keep food fresh for later
Less messy
Great price

Cons...

It's only 3 oz.
It has a tendency to spray at the end as there is more air and less food
It's not microwaveable and thus difficult to warm food (if your child is like mine and won't eat it cold)
Did I say it only holds 3 ounces?

I really think the pros outweigh the cons. I think my main issue is that it doesn't hold enough food for Audri. I've had to pour as much of her food into the Squirt Spoon as will fit and then use the spoon to start her feeding with what is left in the bowl. As for warming the food... we were at a restaurant and asked for a cup of hot water. I think it took about 10 minutes to warm up enough through the think base. It worked for us in the moment, but you have to be ahead of your baby's demanding tummy.

So, I'm pretty sure that you can get the Squirt Spoon from Boon pretty much anywhere baby items are sold, but you can check their website and they have a list of everywhere this and all of their products are sold. Check it out!

***I was not compensated in any way for this review; it was my personal and honest opinion.***

Ugh, soooo slow.

2011-02-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

So I've been trying to upload several videos of the girls lately, but our internet just hasn't been cooperating AT ALL. I mean who has 10 hours to make sure that a two minute video has fully uploaded. Aaand that is what you get with Mpls wi-fi at least from time to time. Anyway, when I finally get the clips uploaded, I will post them on the blog. There is a fun one of Audri's new accomplishment!

Snow, snow, snow

2011-02-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

Four Months

2011-02-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Today was Audrianna's four month Dr. appointment and she is doing very well in all categories. Here are her stats...

Height: 24"

Weight: 12 lbs, 12 oz

Head: 16"

She looks like a little bird peering out of it's nest.

I think her growth speed is leveling off a bit, but maybe just for now. We recently started feeding her some solid foods due to her neck strength and her growing interest in all things entering the mouths of family members. She LOVES her cereal and fruits! She grunts and shakes until the food enters her mouth. She also likes to grab my hand and pull the spoon towards her mouth. Maybe she'll be like her daddy and her first word will be "EAT!".

A couple of weeks ago I took advantage of a sunny day and took some pics of my baby on her four month birthday. Part of the agenda was to capture her wearing the same blouse that her sister wore when she was six months old for an Easter photo shoot. It went well....

And then... she. was. done.

Here are my precious babies side by side. The blouse is a tighter fit this time around, but my camera is better and we're growing in our accessorizing. Novia expresses herself with her mouth and Audri with her eyes. They are very different in a lot of ways, but they love each other to pieces!

My Peanut AND My Chunka Munk

Classic Charlotte Bronte

2011-02-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

I was recently having a conversation with my cousin who has started reading Charlotte Bronte's classic book Jane Eyre. So I was pleasantly surprised when I happened to come across a website talking about a new film adaptation of this classic, set to be released in March. Now admittedly I already have a favorite version of this movie and it happens to be the one directed by Susanna White for Masterpiece Theatre in 2006, but I'm also more than willing to check out a new version which always holds (if only momentarily) the opportunity to best my favorite. I checked out the trailer and I think it looks pretty good, but I'll let you be the judge.

What do you think?

2011-02-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

More and more I am getting comments that Audri looks like me, but even more so like my mom. I happen to agree, but you tell me. Do you see it?

The eyes have it!

Maybe the nose too?

Granted, Grammy is several months older in this picture than Audrianna is now, but it's there. Yep. they're related all right. Oh and by the way... Mom, I love the hair! ; )

Real Life Baby Doll

2011-01-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks of intense cold has kept us inside and more than ready for warmer weather. Maybe it was the feeling of stir crazy or perhaps the inspiring smell of my hyacinth, but Novia wanted to go on a walk. Well, though it was significantly warmer today than last week, I still wasn't going to take Audrianna outside for a walk. So after I finished cleaning and organizing (something else that must have been inspired by the smell of spring wafting from the dining room) the girls closet, Novia took her sister on a short walk from their room to the living room.... under the watchful eye of mom of course.

Cute little baby doll if I do say so myself!

Changes

2011-01-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

As I was chatting with my baby girl this morning, I realized just how much she has changed in three... well almost four months. So I decided to put a timeline of pics together to get a better look and I thought I would share it with you all as well.

Audrianna is becoming increasingly content and happy. There is little better than looking into her crib, seeing her eyes light up and a big smile reach across her face at the sight of me. She's also a lot more interactive with other people and not at all stingy with her smiles for them.

Baby girl sleeps really well all through the night; usually around 12 hours, but I'm finding that when she goes to bed late, she is still awake and ready for the day at 7am on the dot. Novia would just adjust her schedule to get the same amount of sleep as always. It looks like Audri might be our morning person... we'll see. I'm hoping and holding out that she'll learn to love sleep as much as the rest of us. I can hope anyway, right?

I look at these pictures and I think, "Where did the last four months go?!" I mean I was present for all of it, but she has just changed SO FAST! One thing I do know, I'm so thankful for the grace that she is to our family each and every day.

Snuggle Party

2011-01-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

We have started putting the girls to bed at the same time so we have also started praying for them together as opposed to individually at bedtime. The first time I tried this new routine Novia was extremely excited as I laid Audrianna next to her in bed and Audri seemed happy about it too. It was going well; prayers said, Novia convinced that her sister should stay there all night when Audri grabbed a big handful of Novia's hair and pulled.

Let's just say that the evening ended with both girlies in tears.

The other night, however, was much more successful. Audrianna was thrilled to be with Novia in a big girl bed even if it was only for a short time. She just seemed so pleased to be having a snuggle party with Novia that I had to grab my camera. Let's hope they're both this happy to share a space in the future when they HAVE to share.

There just so darn cute, I could eat 'em up!

Daddy getting in on the fun.

Shout Out

2011-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

OH baby!

2011-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

When Adam took over the leading of our current small group we knew that it would be a busy year. At that time 4 of the five married couples in the group were pregnant. A few weeks later we found out that the 5th was as well. So far two of the 5 babies have been born, one of which is our very own Audrianna. August W. joined the gang in Dec. Rebecca Y. (not sure if that is how they will spell it) and Eleanora S. should both be arriving in the next few weeks and then baby girl S. is the last to arrive sometime in early May. Wow! That's a lot of little ones! And poor Auggie W. is quite outnumbered in the boy/girl ratio.

So this past weekend our small group threw a shower for Eleanora's mommy. It was a fun morning and hopefully they were as blessed by it as we were to throw it.

I decorated with a birdie theme since that is the theme of Eleanora's nursery (take a look, her mommy is quite creative and has put together some really cute things including rain-gutter bookshelves which I'm hoping to do in the girls' room soon).

I used Eleanora's name as a part of the shower "devotional" and I thought that I would share it here since it's a great reminder for all of us moms.

Becoming a mom is one of the most wonderful, exciting and terrifying experiences of a woman's life. Days are often filled with uncertainty, questions and doubts. So here is an anagram of Eleanora's name to help you fight through mothering anxieties.

Earnestly seek God

Through prayer: "...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6)

AND

through promises: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) Saints throughout the centuries have leaned on God's promises and called out to Him in prayer. And each and every time, they have found Him to be faithful. "I sought the Lord," David tells us, "and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). So let's follow the example of David and that "great cloud of witnesses." Let's seek God through constant prayer, and in the space of His promises, let's park our souls. (from the Girl Talk Blog)

Lean not on your own understanding

I love this quote by Jerry Bridges, "Here's a principle to keep in mind: The promises of God are as real as the circumstances you are in. Your circumstances say "God has forgotten you." Your circumstances say, "I look for God, and just when I need God to come through for me, God doesn't seem to be any place." That's what your circumstances say. The promise of God says, "I will not leave you. I will never forsake you." And that promise is just as real as the circumstances you are in. And so by faith, we look beyond our circumstances and we look to the promises of God."

Embrace the exhortation & encouragement of friends

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end" (Heb 3:13-14). When I find myself coming to the end of my patience or struggling with anxiety about my child not sleeping or having potty issues, it is such a grace to be able to call, email or text a friend who can pray for me and give me "in the moment" encouragement. Or maybe they need to point me to the Gospel or help me see my sin; either way these blessed friendships founded on Christ are refreshing to the soul.

Abide in the grace of God

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). To abide means to accept or act in accordance with. Unfortunately it's easy to forget to abide in Christ throughout our daily "mom" duties. But oh how important to remember that we need the grace of God to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. Too often things don't go the way we have planned and we forget that God is the one who providentially arranges our day. If we will abide in Him, we will find it much easier to put aside OUR agenda.

No grace for "What if?"

Elisabeth Elliot’s wise advise says it best, “There is no grace for your imagination.”

God does not sprinkle grace over every path my fear takes. He does not rush in with support and encouragement for every doomsday scenario I can imagine.

No, instead He warns me to stay off those paths: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Ps. 37:8). There is no grace for our imagination. That’s why our fearful imaginings produce bad fruit: anxiety, lack of joy, futile attempts to control. (from the Girl Talk Blog)

Obey: preach the Gospel to yourself (and your child)

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones). I am learning in my own parenting to remind myself that even on my worst day, I have life better than I deserve... because I have eternal life. I also remind myself of God's proven goodness in my life. One of the best parts about preaching the Gospel to your child is that it is always faithful to hit home for yourself as well. There have been many times of discipline where in the midst of telling Novia of her sin and her need for Jesus to wash her clean, that I am convicted of my own sin and have to confess it to her. It's difficult sometimes and always humbling, but what a better way to exemplify our need for God's grace to our child?! Preaching to myself also looks like reminding myself of God's unfailing love. "Faith reminds itself of what the Scripture calls 'the exceeding great and precious promises' says Lloyd Jones. "Faith says: 'I cannot believe that He who has brought me so far is going to let me down at this point. It is impossible, it would be inconsistent with the character of God.' So faith, having refused to be controlled by circumstances [or feelings!], reminds itself of what it believes and what it knows."

Rejoice in the goodness of God

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything..." (Phil. 4:4). I find it interesting that sandwiched between the command to rejoice and the command to not be anxious, we're instructed to be reasonable. In a difficult situation it can be hard to remember to be fair and sensible with the circumstance let alone our children. We often lose our tempers and in sin lash out. Rejoicing in the Lord will keep us able to -form judgements based by a logical process- as the dictionary defines it.

Act: do the next thing

When things go awry in our mothering our sin tempts us to freeze in anxiety. "I just don't know what to do!" we cry out. But once we have preached the Gospel to ourselves, prayed, and praised, it's time to persevere. One may not know where to begin or how to solve whatever has been the immediate problem, but once again I like to fall back to the advise of Elizabeth Elliott who said, "When you don't know what to do, just do the next thing." There have been many moments in dealing with Novia's #2 issues that I have thought in fear, "She's never going to get this! It's going to be like this forever!" and I immediately get overwhelmed. But then I remember to just do the next thing which means for that situation taking it one day at a time, doing what I can THAT day to deal with the issue. I can't take care of the future I can only do the next thing.

So welcome to this wild ride called "Motherhood"! It has it's ups and it's downs, but by the loving grace of God you will be able to withstand even the lowest of lows. You will have a newfound appreciation for God as your Father and remember, just as your child calls for you at all times of the day and night, you can cry out to your ABBA and He will answer you. He has not brought you this far only to abandon you and He has a vested interest to see you succeed at this new role. Seek HIm, lean on the Word, reach out for help and encouragement, abide in Him, put away your imagination, preach the Gospel to yourself, rejoice in the Lord and persevere with the next thing and everything will be perfect.... no, but you will be more holy and more happy as a mom and as a daughter of the King.

I can't wait for the pitter patter of three more sets of tiny feet in the Brachle small group!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

December was a blur (and an emotional one at that) for me this year. When it began we were in Alabama finishing up Adam's work trip. My grandfather passed away from heart failure the morning we left and we had to combat the weather and roads as the midwest was hit with a blizzard of the likes we hadn't seen in a decade. Two extra days later we finally made it home and I went into numb mode in dealing with unpacking and preparing for Grandpa's funeral. Before I knew it, it was the week of Christmas and I still had shopping to do and holiday food to think about. The hardest thing this year was just not being really able to be still long enough to center my focus on Jesus and that he was sent to this earth as a baby to be an atoning sacrifice for my sin. As a whole I think I never felt the joy of the season. I actually felt great relief when the month was over.

I'm hoping that 2011 will bring the return of my mind and settle my hormones and emotions which have taken their sweet time returning to normal after having Audrianna. My life has become filled with so much more responsibility since her birth, and SHE is actually only a small... well, medium portion of that. As I grow in syncing schedules and getting more daily structure for the girls, I hope that this year will also be one where I can take in each moment and enjoy them. As a friend said on her Christmas card, the days go so slowly, but the years so fast! I also pray that when 2011 is done, we will have been able to make it through the holiday season without losing a member of our family.

Okay, so here's what you really want to see... some captured moments from Christmas. We spent Christmas day at my family's farm with my brother, sister-in-law and my in-laws. I really didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few of the girls opening presents.

Novia's bag of goodies from Auntie Jen and Uncle Kyle.

Helping Papa Duck and Oma pass out more presents.

Audrianna's present from Oma.

Novia's new cooking apron.

Princess Novia.

Great Aunt Marsha and Audri.

Oh yeah...

Audrianna - Three Months

2011-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Since we missed Audri's 2 month appointment by eight and had to reschedule... yes, 8 minutes, her current "stats" reflect three months of age rather than 2 months.

Stats ~

11 lbs - 10 oz (75th percentile)
23. 5 inches long (90th percentile)

Personality ~

Smiling more and more, showing the cutest little dimples
Coos turn into melodies when being sung to
LOVES being in her excersaucer
Quite the little chomper when Mommy's hand is available (Here's hoping it doesn't take 9 more months for teeth to show up like big sister)
Has to have her lovie blankie (Just like Novia's) in order to sleep
Sleeps 10 to 12 hours a night, but not a great nap-taker during the day
Enjoys watching TV much to Mommy's chagrin... except for football (Mommy's okay with that)

Watching the Vikings with Daddy.

Coming soon...

2010-12-29T23:14:00.000-08:00

A Christmas re-cap

AND

Audrianna's latest stats

Hoping you had a Merry Christmas!

Recent Novia Quotes...

2010-12-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Momma: "Novia, tell Daddy to be joyful in the Lord today."

Novia: "Be Josie in da Load today, Daddy."

Novia: "Daddy, let me tell you about Jonah and his trip to Nineveh. The people there were bad, so Jonah went fishing."

After seeing Great Papa Willard in his casket Novia rushed out to shush her already quiet cousins whispering loudly, "Michael, be quiet! Grandpa Willard is sleeping in his Jesus bed!"

Adam likes to get his hair cut on his daddy/daughter outings with Novia. When I asked Novia about their recent outing she said, "Well, Daddy got his hair cut and yeah, they just... mowed that stuff off his face too." Adam just about drove off the road as he laughed at her description of his sideburns being trimmed!

Novia upon seeing a commercial with Santa in it: "Momma, we have to go see Santa so he can tell me what I want for Christmas!"

She says "got for" instead of forgot; soy tory for Toy Story, but has recently conquered our last name. She used to say Brach-ee and now can say Brach-a-le. =)

G' Bye Boppa

2010-12-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

Photo by Ginger Murray

This past Friday morning (our last day in Alabama for this year), I woke up to a text from my mom. The text had come in at 4:45am. It informed me that my Grandpa Willard had just passed away. Grandpa had had a heart attack some time right before Thanksgiving and his heart was greatly weakened. It still seems surreal as all of this has taken place while my family and I have been out of town. We left early due to snow storms and we're delayed in our return because of a blizzard. When we left my Grandpa was 90 and reasonably healthy for his age and now I return to help lay him to rest.

I love this picture of him from my cousin's wedding this summer. It captures his personality quite well. Grandpa, or Boppa as we grandkids all called him when we were little had a zest for joking and trying to make others laugh. My best and favorite memories of Grandpa are from when I was a little girl. There was rarely a day that went by that I didn't see and spend time with him because he and Grandma lived to close. When it was haying season on the farm, I could often be found on a wagon helping Boppa unload the bales onto the homemade hay elevator. Grandpa was always willing to share a tractor ride with me and never complained about his little shadow that probably made his work slower.

________ . __________ . ________

This may sound weird, but Don Shelby's voice will always remind me of Grandpa Willard. I was just reminded of this recently when Don retired from his place at the WCCO news desk. We didn't have a TV growing up, so when any major news story happened we would go to my Grandparent's house and watch the news with them (they must have watched WCCO a lot). I remember taking in the news of stories like the Challenger space shuttle explosion, the San Francisco earthquake of 1989 during the baseball World Series, and of course our own MN Twins trips to the World Series in '87 and '91. All of these events are a part of my memories of Grandpa.

________ . _________ . __________

Grandpa had a part, or wanted to have a part in Adam and I getting together as well. Adam was living with my brothers on the family farm and would help out with the mowing (at the farm and Grandpa's) as a part of his rent. To make a long story short, Grandpa would invite Adam in for a snack (always root beer and cookies) and a chat. After determining that Adam was a stand-up Christian guy, Grandpa told Adam that he had a grand-daughter that he wouldn't mind Adam dating. I think this conversation happened more than once and the 2nd or third time, Grandpa brought out a box of cards and letters that I had written to him and my Grandma while I was in college. He set the box in front of Adam and said, "Now read em." That was Grandpa, always trying to set us grandkids up. Well I'll say he had a good eye for the kind of man I wanted to marry.

_________ . _________ . ___________

In his later years Grandpa was still full of stories and jokes and often told them at volumes that could be downright embarrassing in public. It became the norm to ask, "He said what?! To whom?!", but whenever we would run into people from town that had become familiar with Grandpa, they would always tell us how sweet, friendly and endearing he was to them. Even in moments of being ornery he was dearly loved.

I am thankful for the memories of following Boppa around the farm, watching Twins games in his living room, fishing with him and Uncle Wally on Lake Ida or Lake Mary, finding black licorice in his overall pocket and his never funny, but always endearing 'rooster, hen & pullet' joke. As I thought back today, I realized how big a part my Grandpa played in my growing up years. It's been easy in the last few years to only see the things we wish he wouldn't do (like loading a lawn mower into a truck bed with his 90 something year old brother) and wouldn't say, but I was brought to tears today remembering all of the love he bestowed on me, my brothers and my cousins. We really are blessed to have received his love, affection and adoration. He always was very proud of his family.

__________ . ___________ . _________

Grandpa Boppa, I will miss your laughter, your hugs and whiskered kisses; I will miss you introducing me to people as "Your Girl"; I will miss your love for my daughters, but I am happy that you are experiencing Eternal rejoicing now in the presence of The King of Kings.

Boppa and Noni with us kids -1982.

Boppa with Novia Paige - Sept 2007.

Grandpa Willard's 90th birthday - July 2010.

A special moment between Novia Paige and Great Papa.

Giving Great Papa a sweet birthday kiss.

Shopping For A Holiday Hello

2010-12-08T22:55:00.001-08:00

Every year I look forward to putting together our Christmas card/picture. It's generally better when I'm on the ball and don't leave it to the last minute, but this year I think I'll have some help. A friend shared with me that Shutterfly had a give-away deal for bloggers (50 free cards) who were willing to do a short write up about their favorite holiday cards. Well this is not going to be difficult for me at all.

I've been a fan of Shutterfly for years and love how great their photo books turn out. They make perfect gifts or just a really cool way to hang on to memories. I've never made a calendar, but have heard nothing but exceptional reports from those who have. I'm thinking it might be a good gift for next year... again if I'm more prepared. =) So, anyway I thought I would share with you some of my favorite holiday greeting cards. I'll warn you, I have a lot of favorites, but maybe they'll inspire you for the future!

click here to browse the whole category

I love this card! Maybe because it's stylistic, but not too busy or maybe because it's red and brown.

There is something so chic about black and white.

I love the red pine cone detail on this one!

I think this one's font is just so fun and festive.

I liked that one could add a personal top 10 list of the years happenings to this card.

This one has a retro feel that I really enjoy. I also like the multi photo option as well.

I like that this one covers two holidays, and I like the colors too.

Who doesn't love a little snow detail for a white Christmas feel?!

________________________________________________________________

Here are some options that are more traditional photo greeting cards as opposed to the

card stock cards above.

Click here to browse this entire collection

Again I like the option of adding photos and text.

Lovin the orange-red and brown again.

Super cute snow like polka dots, again with a multi photo option.

Simplistic chic brown with ribbon like detail.

This one has a whimsical feel that called to me.

So those are some of my favorites. Now I just have to decide which one I want to use! Be sure to check out Shutterfly yourself for lots of great greeting cards and gift ideas. If you are a blogger and want a chance to get in on this give-away, you have a few more days to register.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Part II

2010-12-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we spent the day with Adam's mom's side of the family... Grandma Sharon, Aunt Marsha and his parents. I'll never forget the first time I met all of them (it was shortly after Adam and I began formally courting). It was actually the day after Thanksgiving, so other than our meal, football (mainly Husker football) was the main course for the day. Adam's mom wanted to try something different that year by reading a short book about the holiday out loud to everyone. There was a problem though, because between the TV and some kind of horsing around between Aunt Marsha and Jen. Rhonda asked Dan if he would mute the TV so she could read and I blurted out, without thinking, "Someone should mute Aunt Marsha." Did I mention that she is 6'3" and could definitely cause me some pain? Well let me tell you, the house got quiet after that. Dan just about fell out of his chair with silent laughter, Grandpa Hans' paper was shaking in his hands as he tried not to laugh and Adam didn't know whether to roll on the floor laughing or cover me with his arms to protect me from Marsha. I couldn't believe I had said that out loud when I didn't even know the lady! She was gracious and smirked saying that she liked me. I think there was a collective sigh of relief. I still regret being so mouthy... not really a great way to impress a family you're hoping to marry into.

Anyway, my sarcasm back then hasn't harmed our relationship today. We had a nice visit with Grandma Sharon and Aunt Marsha and look forward to spending more time with them when they come up to Minnesota for Christmas. I didn't get very many pictures that day due to a child with a tummy ache, but we were able to capture a few 4 generation photos.

Why can't my red eye editor work right?!

I had to include this one because Adam and Novia are a sketch!

Overall our visit to Nebraska for Thanksgiving was a real treat and truly enjoyable all the way around. We were able to spend one afternoon and night with Adam's parents before getting on the road to head to Alabama.