Baby News and Other Randomness

It's almost the New Year and I have yet to do my Christmas post. I'm going with the whole, we were all sick Christmas week excuse. I had forgotten how long it takes me to get back to feeling well when I'm pregnant. So, I hope to post some pictures in the next few days.

We are having our second to last Christmas tomorrow with Doug's extended family. I'm so excited to go see his grandparents. It's been several weeks and being with them reminds me of being with my Mamaw and Papaw growing up. There's just something about grandma's from that era. :)

In baby news...

We've got another wild child on our hands I think. This baby started kicking hard enough for me to feel at only 14 weeks. By 15, I noticed that the baby gets hiccups at least three times a week (that I can feel).

I had my four month appointment yesterday and finally met the midwife in the practice. She is amazingly nice. I love that she took a ton of time with me and she even took me down for ultrasound. It was just for fun, so no real details to share. After all the kicks and punches I've been feeling I thought the baby might be moving around quite a bit. But on the ultrasound yesterday, the baby was very laid back, placid, just trying to suck it's thumb. I think I might have gotten a peek at the gender, but I'm not sure. I'll let you know if we can find out at the official ultrasound in a few weeks.

The boy name is narrowed down to two...no girls names yet. I love the name Caitlyn, but Doug doesn't. And I found out it's my brother's fav girl name. So, I kind of feel bad about using it. Any suggestions?

Have any of you seen The Blind Side or the Chipmunks movie? Doug and I were thinking about making our first trip to the theatre since Sweet Home Alabama came out for The Blind Side. My poor husband loves the theatre and I really don't like going. It's just the sticking to the floor, watching teens make out, germs everywhere yuck that I really hate. I'm weird on that kind of stuff. :)

I'm also looking for fun traditions to start with the kids on New Years Eve. Do you have any fun things you do with your kids?

It's time to bring the randomness to a close. I hope you all have a safe, fun new year!

Winner!

I used random.org to pick the winning number....

#15 -which is Mimi!

Send me an email and I will get this sent to you after Christmas.

Thanks to everyone who came and left comments. And if you didn't win, you know where to find this awesome art now. :)

GIVE AWAY

Comments are now closed! Mimi, I'm using my mom's comment as your second entry! I'll post the winner later tonight or tomorrow morning!

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Yes!

Finally!

Or maybe it's just me who is excited.

Remember my telling you about our good friend Mike. Well he has his own website up now. Thanks in large part to my dad. Many (but not all) of Mike's beautiful work is posted at shekinahwoodturning. com. Mike's work ranges from beautifully practical to artfully exquisite. Really, you should go take a look. :)

A few months ago, Doug and I headed out his way to take some pictures, purchase a piece for a give away, and Doug worked on a piece. Mike is teaching Doug the art of lathe turning. I sat on the porch with Lynn (his wife) and watched the kids playing in the yard and climbing around in the garage while Daddy worked.

Many of Mike's pieces sit in the garage waiting to be tagged, priced, and put on the website.

I love how this one sits finished on an unfinished block of wood that is waiting to be turned.

Mike gave me a piece for to give away, but I fell in love with it. So, I'm going to have to get back out there and compensate him for it. Here's the give away: it is a beautiful vase he made with some wonderful character to it. (It stand about 6 inches tall and is made from maple.)


Want to know how to win?
I thought so. :)Leave a comment for each of the following you do. I'll do the random number thing. This is open for one week.

Leave a comment for one entry.

Check out his website and look for your favorite piece. Tell me which it is!

Blog about it and leave a link to his website -mine is optional!

Send a twitter or a tweet or whatever you call it with his website included!

This is not a promo for me or my blog so you don't need to link back here. Mike has put many hours into making wonderful vases, bowls, and art. I would love to see him get a little exposure for his work. Maybe even sell a few pieces. :) I hope you have fun looking and please, spread the word. Happy shopping!

Hope's Party and the Lady Bug Cake

Although Hope didn't turn two until yesterday, we celebrated on Sunday with extended family for convenience. It was a blast. I simplified the menu and we spent time with family and friends who are like family. Hope was wonderful. She was acting very much like a two year old that morning, but cheered up after her nap. She hugged her baby cousin....
She loved her presents.... (She even gave hugs and said thank you!) She even said thank you and hugged for her gifts.
She was able after much effort to blow her own candles out. Then smiled one last time for me to get this picture.
Ate cake and ice cream like a champ.


After the whole icing fiasco, I was a little nervous about decorating her cake. With Doug's help on the detail work (he shaped the body and put on all the spots and eyes,) we finished it with an hour and a half to spare. That is a first in our house. We put the cake up on top of a dresser so we didn't have a repeat of Macy eating the cake. There was no way I could bake and decorate this one in 40 minutes.

She was so worn out and slept until 10 am on her birthday; her present to Mommy I think. :) We had again her birthday night. We ate left over cake. Followed by her opening her presents from our family. Yes, you are seeing correctly. We bought our own child a drum. She absolutely loves music and so do Ty and Becca. Much of the day was spent having a marching band parade around the home. I'll take the noise if it means peace among the siblings. And for today, it did!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday, Hope. I cannot believe two years have flown by so fast. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on you with all your beautiful black hair and bright blue eyes. You looked nothing like either of your siblings. Daddy and I were so in love with you from the start.

You came home when you were just 25 hours old. Even though there was a mountain of snow we headed right back out so you could meet your Grandma and Grandpa Bishop. It was the first time Grandma was able to see any of her grandbabies before they were a few days old. I'll never forget her saying your name over and over so she could remember it. You laid on her chest and she stared down at you, your eyes mirroring her blue.

Now you have my brown eyes, but Grandma and Daddy's sense of humor and desire for independence. You love to laugh, talk on the phone, play with your babies, and do "school" with Ty and Becca. You tell jokes, and sometimes they are actually funny. You love to "snuggle buggle" and pretend to be dog. Your favorite phrase right now is "stop it" which you use often on any and all members of this house, including the dogs. You are always "hungy" and in the pantry looking for "cookie monstersts" which is anything from raisins to crackers to cookies to cereal.

You still love your "blankely" and "pacifriwer." I'm not in a hurry for you to give them up either. Part of me wants to hang onto the baby in you forever.

We waited and prayed so long for you. God has blessed our lives richly through your laugh, your love and your crazy antics. I cannot imagine going through life without being your mommy and I treasure this time with you.

I love you so much, baby girl. Happy Birthday!

Just in Case!

We are getting ready for Hope's 2nd birthday party. She wants a ladybug cake.
In the process of making the ladybug cake I have learned an important lesson. Never use Wilton's food coloring in large amounts.

After $6 in red food coloring, lots of stained fingers I achieved the perfect red. Fire Engine, ladybug red perfection. The big kids asked for a bite and I obliged. After all, what's the fun of a birthday without a few licks of icing. Right?

A few minutes later they were panting in the living room. "It burns." They kept saying. Doug was watching a football game and it didn't really register. They told me, "it's really pretty red, but it tastes awful." "Really?" I didn't want to believe them. Doug suggested I taste it. In retrospect, bad idea. Pregnant women should not taste things their kids tell them tastes nasty. But, I have a thing with tasting stuff. Kind of like sniffing stuff. Remember?

So I tasted. And bad things happened. The burn of alcohol stayed and stayed in my mouth. I tried to fix and tasted again. Will I never learn?

I am so thankful for a husband who was willing to run into the bad part of town while a football game was on to get red icing for our daughter's birthday cake from the only bakery store in town open. And it even tastes good. Yes, I checked.

Christmas seems to be a magical time of year, doesn't it? Innate savers turn into generous spenders. Grouchiness turns into uncontrollable grins. I love it. Silver Bells is one of my favorite songs because it captures the feeling of the season so well. That song puts into words exactly how I feel the season should be.

This year I've been thinking about Christmas a little differently. A friend who used to go to church with my family wrote a Christmas song. The chorus is something like this "You can't have the manger without the cross. If you believe in the baby you'll still be lost. The baby grew up and died for our sin. Believe in the crucified Jesus and be born again." Though it had been years since I last heard the song, it has stayed with me.

We celebrate Christmas. But I wonder, what is the heavenly perspective on the day of Christ's birth?

The past few years have been difficult for our family. There are many factors there, but they all have a common thread. Though my heart aches, and the hearts of people I love ache, our spirits rejoice. We know that heaven rejoiced in Christ's birth. Angels, stars, gifts.... But heaven knew what was coming in the years ahead. Hurt, brokenness, pain, suffering, separation. I wonder, did heaven's heart ache that day? Did God shed a tear for His only Son that day?

This year as we celebrate Christmas, I want to remember that this season too is a season of sacrifice. A throne to a manger. Commander of the angels, to washer of feet. Worshiped, to object of scorn. This list is so long. He gave so much more than His perfect blood. He gave up heaven.

He came.

I am forever grateful.

Though our hearts ache, our spirits rejoice. I praise God that He has given us a High Priest Who can sympathize. Because He came.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Ever Had One of Those Days?

Tuesday was that day in our house.

After waiting over and hour in a tiny doctors office with me Monday, the kids were full of energy. I can't blame them. They went from cousins, cousins, and more cousins and my parents huge yard, to back home and they were ready to run.

I started school early in hopes of getting through all our lessons and getting them out to play. Then morning sickness reared it's ugly head. From my post on the couch we read, did English, worked on math, discussed living vs non living. Then blessed freedom. Hope was down for a nap and the big kids were playing outside.

Until I heard the scream. Becca had fallen and scraped her arm. Which is only noteworthy because anytime Becca's arms get hurt we worry. Her four broken bones have taught us much. So I prayed and iced and prayed and checked and prayed and watched. After the tears subsided, she went about her business as though nothing had happened.

I headed downstairs to do some long awaited laundry. While at my parents for three days, my sister did laundry for us. (Thanks, Meg!) So there hadn't been a pressing need to go downstairs. *Side note - Our basement is unfinished. Its purpose is storage and a place to do laundry* As I put in the load of laundry I was surveying what needed to be washed next. Out of the corner of my eye I see something I didn't know we had. A black and white fur...something? On closer inspection I realize I am looking at a dead cat. In my basement. I about puked. I went upstairs where the most beautiful sight greeted me. My husband. There is a God and He is good. I whispered so the kids didn't hear, "There's a dead cat in our basement." No "Hi, honey. How was your day?" here. No, ma'am. There were important things to take care of.

Can I just say I have an amazing husband.

Doug had to leave to work on a extra job he had picked up. The kids and I head back outside with Hope. When it was time to go in, I asked the kids to pick up the yard. A few minutes later I heard a scream. This one was more urgent. I ran to the door and asked what had happened. Here is the explanations.

"I was putting a rock back and I threw it and Becca walked into it. She should have been looking."

Oh. My. Gosh.

I was so thankful to put those sweet little bodies in bed that night. And I pray one of "Those" days isn't due to come around again for a while.