Pregnancy Update

This pregnancy is winding down so I thought I would answer everyone's questions and post a picture.

When are you due? June 1
Are you ready? Mom and I washed and put away all the baby clothes yesterday. I'm washing some blankets, sheets and burp cloths today. We need to move Reuben's crib into Asa and Judah's room and get out the cradle. Then I think we're all set!
What are you having? A boy, yes 4 boys. We are going to have lots of fun raising our boys. I love the three we have and can't wait to see how this little guy fits in with everyone else.
Have you picked out a name? No. We are about 60% decided on a name but we will wait until he's born to tell everyone. (yes, even my sisters)
How are you going to keep up with everything? Just the same as I do now. One day at a time. One task at a time. One hug at a time.
How are you feeling? OK. Not very energetic. I've had a moderate amount of back pain. I'm looking forward to the epidural to ease my pain!
What will the boys do while you're in the hospital? James' mom gets here June 1. I've never gone into labor so I'm planning to be induced on June 3. We'll see what actually happens. If I go into labor on my own in the next couple weeks, we will scramble for child care!

There ya go. Any more questions?

Peanut Butter Oat Muffins

I made these muffins yesterday. They were delicious! And I feel like they were a little healthier than some of the muffins I make because they don't have butter or oil. I also added chocolate chips because my kids won't eat muffins without chocolate chips. I thought I would share the recipe. I think it was from Taste of Home several years ago.

Peanut Butter Oat Muffins
Prep & Baking: 45 minutes

1-¼ c flour
¾ c oatmeal
¾ c brown sugar
3 t baking powder
½ t salt
dash cinnamon
1 egg
¼ c peanut butter
1-¼ c milk
½ c chopped peanuts

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in peanuts.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve with whipped topping and peanuts if desired

1 dozen

The News

For those of you who are not facebook friends with me (which I'm pretty sure is no one)
WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!
We just announced it to the world on Wednesday. I'm almost 16 weeks along, due June 1. We have known for 8 weeks but didn't want to tell people too soon. When we lost our baby Micah, I was 17 weeks along and she measured 14 weeks. So I wanted to wait until we got past that 14 week point. I've been going to the doctor every two weeks to check the baby's heart beat and make sure everything is ok. Up until this week, I have been very nervous, while trying to stay calm and not stress over things. But now I feel like we can be excited! I fully realize what a miracle babies are. A million different things have to go perfectly so a healthy baby can be born. I am so glad to have 3 miracles of my own and look forward to adding a fourth!

Blessings

Sometimes it's hard to see the blessings in life when everything on the surface seems to be falling apart. Sometimes it's good to dig down deep and take a look at things we take for granted. Things we often forget about.

I'm thinking about this today because I watched the news this morning. The story that brought me back to the actual reality (not the reality of my own life) was about Syria. Right now there is a war raging in Syria. I don't understand all of the reasons for the conflict, but I understand it's affect on people. People stand in line for hours for bread. Just bread. Not butter or fruit or steak. Bread. Gasoline is scarce, and expensive. There is no electricity, no school. One little boy said he only eats one piece of bread a day. Can you imagine?

This is just one example of life outside of Kansas City, MO. Or whatever town you live in. People scattered all over the world face similar circumstances every day. It is sad.

And then I realize that I am blessed. Here are some things I see as blessings in my life. They are things that I don't think about every day. Things that are just a way of life. A habit. The way things have always been.

-We live in a free country, our government takes care of us, we have rights, we have a voice (no comments allowed about the bad parts of our government, we don't all agree on the issues, but we are fortunate to have the voice that we have) We have religious freedom, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms...the list goes on.
-For my family, we have a strong Christian heritage. It's a truth I have known my whole life. Freedom in Christ is a blessing.
-We have a pantry and a refrigerator full of food. It's not always full. Sometimes we eat whatever's left, but we eat and are full.
-We belong to a loving church family. People care about us and take care of us. And we get to return the love!
-We have jobs, health insurance, good medical care. If one of my babies gets sick, help is just a few minutes away. And medicine is available for whatever ails us.
-My kids go to great schools. Asa is learning to read. I know that there are problems with our education system, but we have one. Most of the teachers in our country love kids and love teaching.
-We have cars that work and help us live a comfortable life.
-We have electricity! Heat, air conditioning, hot water, indoor plumbing...
-We have the ability to communicate with our family and friends all over the country with the touch of a button.
-I have 3 healthy and smart boys and a husband who loves me and loves them.

This is not an exhausted list of the reasons why I feel blessed this morning. It's just what I came up with in a few minutes while sitting at my kitchen table. I understand that we all face things that are sad, difficult, frustrating. But we must always remember that we are blessed, sometimes only by chance. When the car is broken down, you can't afford the awesome Christmas presents, your sleep is interrupted, the kids break something expensive, you deal with a difficult person at work...just take a break and count your blessings. They will always outnumber your curses.

Dinner This Week

I thought I would share our menus from this week. I don't know if anyone cares but maybe you need some fresh inspiration. Enjoy!

Sunday: biscuits and sausage gravy
Monday: green chili stew
Tuesday: fettuccini alfredo with chicken and shrimp (only because I didn't have much shrimp)
Wednesday: beef fajitas
Thursday: fried hamburgers with fries and gravy (from the Pioneer Woman)
Friday: French toast and bacon

Left on the list for the weekend and next week:
chicken tacos
pot roast
chili
baked ravioli
breakfast casserole

Happy menu planning!

My Pride and Joy

I just have to brag on my boys for a minute. They are growing up and each of them is doing new things every day. It's an exciting time at our house!

 Asa is 5 years old and in kindergarten. He loves school. He likes drawing and writing letters and numbers. He always has a story to tell about his drawings. He played soccer this fall and had a blast. Today he was cutting up paper and gluing it together to make people. This boy is just so creative! I love it!

 Judah is 4 and in preschool. He also loves going to school. He likes playing soccer at school. At home he plays with cars, puzzles and likes to sing and color. He loves to help in the kitchen. Yesterday he even helped me with the dishes! We just had Judah's conference at preschool and it was great. His teachers said he is right on track academically to go to kindergarten next year. He is slowly learning how to be his own person, separate from his big brother. I'm so proud of his sudden interest in writing letters. It's fun to watch his fast progress.

 And our baby... Reuben is 1 year old; he will be 2 in 6 weeks. He likes making silly faces, jumping, dancing, running, taking care of babies, playing with playdough and doing everything his brothers do. This boy named 7 body parts on a doll tonight! His speech is improving every day. It's so fun to hear him speak the same words we do and be able to communicate with us. The picture below is Reuben reading a book on the deck. He lives the good life!

My boys are each unique and each amazingly smart and funny. I sit here and can't help but know that I am blessed. Children truly are a gift from the Lord.

Nine Years!

Pretend that I posted this last week, August 9, 2012. Thank you.

Today James and I celebrate nine years of marriage.
*As a side note, this is apparently the week to get married. We know a lot of people celebrating anniversaries this week!
We don’t have a big celebration planned this year but I am very excited for some Red Lobster tonight! That comes with a side of relaxing conversation and a guarantee that we won’t have to wipe any faces or tell anyone to quit saying poopy-head at the table. We are thinking about taking a big trip next year without our kids to celebrate 10 years together!
Each year on our anniversary, I think, “Shwoo! We’ve made it another year.” There are always some hard times, plenty of arguments, but not usually anything life-altering. And each year there are always great times! This year has been different. There a couple things that stand out that have caused us much pain. As I look back, the thing that I remember most about going through these hard times is the way James and I clung to each other. When you are married to someone for a while, you start to share the same thoughts, the same opinions about things, the same beliefs. It is easy to talk with someone when you know what they are going to say. When you trust them. James and I both like to talk (no surprise there). I would say that we have talked more in this year of marriage than ever before. We would lay in bed talking into the early hours of the morning. We talked while James was at work. At a time when I didn't know who to talk to or how to express my thoughts politely, I leaned into my husband. I would have preferred if this past year had been smooth and calm. But I am glad that James and I were able to become closer together through our struggles.