Isn't this Fun!?

Transition

2012-01-04T08:27:00.004-06:00

To say that the last few months in our lives have been a time of transition is an understatement. I've followed God long enough to know that he MOVES in those transitions. What's He up to?
We've been away from our home church for almost a month now. (Makes me teary eyed just to type that. Oh how I miss them.) With Christmas and New Year's and having no car to transport us all, we have been out of church for a month. But....He's still be doing lots of speaking to me.

In this crazy time of upheaval and transition I've been confronted with some sin. Mostly, I'm appalled at my tongue. I'm ashamed at the way I have spoken to the ones I love. I'm supposed to be the example. There has been no patience and very little grace. Seems I forget these little people are CHILDREN...not small adults. They are learning and I need to be a better teacher. My scripture reading today brought that into even sharper focus.

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deut. 6:4-9

This verse is on my list to memorize this month. It also made me think about what I am "impressing" on my children. I have picked a book back up that I put down a few months ago. This book is challenging, to say the least. Every American believer should read this book. And I'm only a little over 1/2 way thru. I have to take it in small bites. Anyway, Its called Radical by David Platt. Many of you have read it or are reading it. You know what I'm talking about. Again, I digress. I picked the book up and reread a part that struck me before. Let me share a bit with you. (This is long, but I love this example)

In this particular passage he is sharing how he was in a church with a pastor and deacons that had been supporting him. It was a Saturday evening and he was going to preach the next day at their church. They asked how things were going with his Ministry in New Orleans in housing projects that were ridden with poverty and gang violence. He'd been able to minister to homeless men and women struggling with addictions. Then he shared about opportunities God had provided around the world. That people were being receptive to the gospel in places that had been traditionally hostile. Whether in the inner city or overseas, God was drawing people to himself in some of the toughest areas of the world. This is what happened next.

" Expecting them to share in my excitement, I paused to listen for their response. After an awkward silence, one of the deacons leaned forward in his chair, looked at me, and said, ""David, I think its great you are going to those places. But if you ask me, I would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell.""

....After a moment of silence, the rest of the room resumed conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

It got worse.

Th next morning we arrived at the church building and worship service began. The pastor rose to welcome everyone and during his introductory remarks he began talking about how thankful he was to living in the United States. I am not sure what sparked the rousing patriotic address that followed, but for the next few minutes he told the church that there was no chance he would ever live anywhere else in the world. Amens were firing left and right from the crowd. Engulfed in nationalistic zeal, I was just waiting for Lee Greenwood to burst into song in the background.

Minutes later I got up to preach on going to all nations with the gospel. When I finished, I walked down to the front while the pastor got up to close the service. These were his words: ""Brother David, are so excited about all that God is doing in New Orleans and in all nations, and we are excited that you are serving there."" He continued, ""And brother, we promise that we will continue to send you a check so we don't have to go there ourselves.""

He wasn't finished.

""I remember a time at my last congregation when a missionary from Japan came to speak,"" he said. ""I told that church that if they didn't give financial support to this missionary, I was going to pray that God would send their kids to Japan to serve with that missionary.""

Wow.

Did the pastor just threaten his congregation with the punishment of going to the world?

He continued, ""And my church gave that man a laptop and a whole lot of money.""

Apparently the threat worked.

....Could it be that this deacon and this pastor expressed what most professing Christians in America today believe but are not bold enough to say? This may sound a bit harsh, but consider the reality.

How many of us are embracing the comforts of suburban America while we turn a deaf ear to the inner cities in need of the gospel? How many of us are so settled in the United States that we have never once given serious thought to the possibility that God may call us to live in another country? How often are we willing to give a check to someone else as long as we don't have to go to the tough places in the world ourselves? How many of us parents are praying that God will raise up our children to leave our homes and go overseas, even if that means they many never come back? How many of us are devoting our lives to taking the gospel to people in hostile regions around the world where Christians are not welcomed? Certainly few of us would be so bold as to say we "would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell," but if we do not take the gospel to them, isn't that where they will go?

Meanwhile, Jesus commands us to go. He has created each of us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I propose that anything less than radical devotion to this purpose is unbiblical Christianity. "

Yikes! The whole book is like that. So...I shared all of that to say....Am I showing...Impressing on them what biblical Christianity looks like? I hope that as God continues to show me, a little each day, how I can follow him more closely that I can be the example that my children need. My prayer for them has always been that they grow in favor with God and with men, that they choose to follow Jesus early and that they seek HIS will for their lives.

Ok...on a lighter note. Tomorrow...Or later this week. I'll have some pictures of some recent projects ;)

Our Adoption Story and some pictures of Henry

2011-12-22T12:01:00.008-06:00

National Orphan Sunday was November 6th this year. One of our pastors asked us to write our story. This is the letter that he shared:

"There were lots of reasons why we thought adoption wasn't for us. We already had 5 kids. People would stare when we entered a room. We certainly didn't plan to adopt a child with special needs. We already have TWO! Surely, that's enough.... Adopting would mean buying a different vehicle. Our van was already full at 7. Literally no more room. We could go on and on about how we just knew it wasn't for us. Even in the middle of all of that, we were SO PRO-ADOPTION! We just couldn't see it working for OUR family.

Then the Lord stepped in and introduced us to HIS plan for OUR family. He began by convicting us of some sin. A great place to start, huh? Selfishness mostly. We still held onto illusions of control in our lives. Once the Lord opened our eyes and, more importantly, our hearts to what he was calling us to do we were all in. Our hearts began to break for what breaks his regarding adoption and how it relates to abortion. The Lord reminded us of how lucky we were to have Jonas, our 4 year old son with Down Syndrome. He was healthy and such an amazing blessing to our family. Did you know that most babies with Down Syndrome in the US never get the chance to be born?! 90% that are diagnosed before birth are ABORTED! We believe that all life has value. Abortion is never okay. That's what the bible teaches. But lets put that into real life. Where are the homes for these unwanted children to go to? These families facing a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome or anything out of the realm of typical are led to believe that their child's life isn't worth living. Since I believe differently, what am I going to do about it. Its not enough to say its wrong for the child to die. The child needs to be provided with a LIFE. An alternative to death. That's what God was calling us to do. Once the Lord changed our hearts, the actions came naturally.

We listed our family with the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network and 6 weeks later got a call. There was a family here in Houston that had a precious baby boy at 30 weeks with Down Syndrome. They are here from China on a work visa. Dad tried for months to secure a greencard so that they could stay in the US with their son. He was denied each time. They LOVE their son. So much that they are willing to give him up. They knew first hand what he would be facing in China. No real medical care, no therapies, no education. Children born with DS in China are hidden or institutionalized. So they made the choice for LIFE here in the US.

We have come to know and love this sweet birth family. The Lord has placed them in our lives as well as our new son. This is not at all what we expected. Its nothing like any adoption I have ever heard of. We got more than just a baby. We got a whole family! The Lord continues to provide ways for us to show the love of Christ to this family that has never heard the gospel. "

Now, I realized I hadn't posted any pictures of little Henry in a LONG time. Took these beauties yesterday.

Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?! He's so smoochable!

Have a Merry Christmas!

An Eventful couple of months

2011-12-19T15:16:00.007-06:00

Actually most of the action has happened in the last 3 weeks. And let me tell you...its been a doozy.

Well...we moved....FAST. Roger interviewed for a job in San Marcos, TX the Monday after Thanksgiving. The offer was made on Wednesday and he started the following Wednesday. Whirlwind packing ensued. We moved into our new house on Saturday, December 10th. Whew! I'll have pictures, eventually, of the new house. Come and visit! We have a nice big place and lots of things to do in the area.

Well, the drama didn't stop with the move. We arrived on Saturday and we discovered that the van was having issues. What was a small power-steering fluid leak had progressed into much, much more. Roger tried to work on it in the evening, but without daylight, it was hard to see what he was doing. So, we decided that I would just take him to work for the week and he could work on it on Saturday. I needed the car so that I could take Jonas and Sam to school until their buses could be set up. That's what we did. Wednesday morning we got up and loaded everyone into the suburban. We left about 6:40. It was dark and wet and still raining. More trouble followed. We were T-boned by a large box truck that was merging onto the interstate. He slung us out of the way and teetered back and forth on two wheels onto the interstate and tipped over. Thankfully the truck was not hit. We stopped in the ditch and did not go up onto the interstate, Praise the Lord. Miraculously, we are all okay. No one was seriously injured. Just some cuts from flying glass.

Roger went over to the tow yard to get the rest of our stuff and snapped some pictures.

It really could have been so much different. We were divinely protected and we are so thankful. Dealing with insurance companies is never fun, but knowing that all of my children are safe in their beds each night is worth the insurance headache. All my kiddos are getting extra hugs and kisses these days.

And the WinnerS are....

2011-10-21T00:08:00.002-05:00

First, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated their resources, their time, and/or their prayers. We appreciate it more than we can ever express. We are thrilled to have Henry home.

Okay. Now, on to the business at hand. The offical drawing has been done and the here are the winners!!!!

#1....Jennifer Johnson
#2....Meredith Harris
#3....Denise Caldwell
#4....Amber Brown

Again, a HUGE, HUGE thank you to everyone. Ladies, I hope these quilts bring you years of warmth :)

Woohoo!!!!

2011-10-17T12:12:00.005-05:00

In other news....Guess who is home?!

Meet Henry!
He is an amazing baby and we couldn't be more thrilled! I'll let the photos do the talking.

We are beyond blessed!

Today is the last day to donate for quilt-a-pa-looza! Dont miss out! The chip-in link says it has ended, but I will still take entries thru midnight tonight. Just send to my paypal email. mindychurchill at yahoo dot com.

Keep Spreadin' the news!

2011-10-04T19:47:00.005-05:00

Well, we met with the attorney! The next set of wheels are in motion. We are steppin' up the fundraising again. She's billing by the hour, you know ;)

Share our fundraiser on Facebook and come back and leave a comment and you'll get an entry in the drawing! Write a blog post and earn one as well! Spread the word! Little man should/could be in our house in a matter of days! Its all coming together! Keep praying and help us get the word out!

If you can't see the chipin link, you may need to update your flash player. You can still donate. Send your donation to my paypal. mindychurchill at yahoo dot com

THANK YOU!

Ta-Dah!

2011-09-28T18:25:00.004-05:00

First, I've been told, some have had trouble using the chip-in for quilt-a-pa-looza. Bummer! However, if you are inclined to donate you can simply send it to my paypal acct. The email address for my paypal is mindychurchill at yahoo dot com. It will still get there and you will totally be entered in the drawing. If you'd prefer to mail or deliver in person that's great too. Just contact me if you need our physical address.

Now....Onto the cuteness! Where to start...Yesterday I had my gallbladder removed. yep. Sure did. I'm recovering, but in pain. Got home about 7pm last night and then went to a meeting with the birth family at 10am this morning. I made it. Didn't pass out or anything ;) I've been saying that not even wild horses would have been able to keep me from that meeting! It was so worth every ounce of pain I was in. There is no pain when you are holding (what will soon be) your baby! I got to hold him and feed him and burp him and change his diaper. It was lovely! We had a great discussion with his birth parents. They are sweet and amazing people. Its an honor to know them. Good stuff.

Little man should be coming home with us in the next couple of weeks!!! Lots to do to prepare. Shopping! I have no clothes for little man. Plan to rectify that this weekend! I learned about the bottles that he uses, the formula he is on....lots of wonderful mommy business. Can't wait!! Now...get a load of this cuteness!!

Can't wait to bring him home!

Help! And an unofficial update

2011-09-26T10:20:00.002-05:00

Wow! We are meeting soon with the birth family to work out details.....DETAILS!!!! That means we will have a new little man in our house VERY soon! Praise the Lord! Once we meet again and iron out some of these details and I have a "gotcha" date, I'll post a picture...or 1000 :)

In the mean time, lots of busyness going on. This is the part where we need help! We need to get a substantial amount of money to our attorney soon. Enter quilts!

This first quilt is throw size. It was made of mostly donated designer fabrics. (Thanks Sherri) I was blessed with a huge stack of fabrics by a blog reader. This quilt is made with Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet line. It still needs to be quilted by I wanted to go ahead and add it to this quilt-a-pa-looza.

This beauty is made from a jelly roll of American Jane Recess fabrics. I've been hoarding this fabric for years and decided bringing home a baby is just the reason to quilt it up. It also finishes at a throw size. Its been bound and washed and is ready for snuggling.

Here we have another donation! My favorite long arm quilter from South Dakota donated TWO quilts when she heard about what we were doing. This is beautifully hand quilted. The attention to detail is amazing!

And finally....quilt number 2 from my long arm friend. This is a machine quilted masterpiece! Its a solid piece, expertly quilted. I thought about hanging onto this one ;)

So, how can you get your hands on one of these beauties? I'm so glad you asked! We'll follow pretty much the same format as the first quilt-a-pa-looza.

$10=1 Entry

$25=3 Entries

$50=8Entries

$100=20 Entries

This time I'll draw 4 times. The first person drawn gets their choice of quilts, then the 2nd person chooses and so on. So, this time you have FOUR chances to win a quilt AND you will be helping bring home a baby!

If you've been thinking about a custom quilt for Christmas, now is the time. The first 2 people to donate $300 or more will get a custom quilt (twin or smaller....for larger donations we can talk larger sizes) IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!!! AND...I'll still put your name in the drawing for the other 4 quilts!

Here's the link

We are so amazed at the path God has led us down. Adoption is an amazing thing. We are thrilled to have this new little angel joining our family. Can't wait to show him off!

At first sight

2011-09-21T15:56:00.003-05:00

We met our potential baby last week. Oh my. There is so much to say. The flurry of emotions was overwhelming. Now, I'm not sharing everything here....yet. He's not "ours." And I want to respect his birth family. They love him a great deal and (like all adoptions) its a complicated situation. Now, having said all of that....It was wonderful to hold that floppy little angel in my arms! He's BIG. And strong. And BIG. And nearly 3 months old. I really just wanted to spend about 5 hours staring at him. Memorizing. But, that would have been rude. So I made polite conversation and cooed over him some more. Roger and I had to do our staring quickly :) Ruby and Jonas thought he was pretty special too. Here I am holding little man. ( I know you can't see him...sorry. Soon, we hope) I've been told I look like the cat that ate 2 canaries in this picture. I'm okay with that description. I was pretty excited!

The visit went really well. It was awkward at times. But that sort of summarizes this whole process. Awkward at times. His birth parents love him a great deal. They are trying to make the best choices for HIM. I'll never understand the position they are in. I'm even more grateful for the advancements in our society for the "differently-abled" like my Jonas and this sweet little mister. The visit was sweet. We talked about some hard things. Visitation, income, education, siblings...We covered a lot of ground in an hour and a half.

Then, Jonas walked in the door! Jonas had been at preschool and arrived home about an hour into our visit. The birth parents were anxious to meet him. They've never met a little guy with Down Syndrome before their own was born a few months ago. And let me tell you. In TRUE Jonas fashion, he stole the show. Completely and utterly. He had his trusty side-kick by his side (little miss Ruby) and she was doing her fair share of charming as well. I enjoyed seeing their reaction to Jonas and Ruby. I saw hope in their eyes. I don't know what preconceived notions about Down Syndrome kiddos they had in their heads. But Jonas made them smile. They were so excited to see him running around, jumping off the fireplace, bossing his sister around, loving on the baby, playing with toys and telling us about his day. It made my heart happy to see that look of hope in their eyes. Their son will be able to be a typical kid in SO SO many ways. Sadly, their life might lead them to places that don't welcome extra chromosomes. Places that only see difference. And that is what has led them to adoption.

Please keep praying. Pray for God's will to be done. Pray for peace for both families. Pray as we look into the legal process of making him ours.

I'll be posting another quilt fundraiser THIS WEEK! But, you don't have to wait! If you would like to give or get a quilt for Christmas, contact me soon! ALL the proceeds go to funding our adoption. We're hoping to start paying a lawyer SOON!

Its been a very quilty summer

2011-09-09T15:39:00.000-05:00

SO much quilting going on here lately! Which is great! Its all supporting adoption! 2 quilts went to supporters of a friends adoption. I was beyond blessed to provide quilts for her fundraiser. Those quilts raised more money that I would have been able to give on my own. God is so faithful. The other quilts went towards supporting our adoption! Hoping to have some news to update on the adoption front soon. Hoping that there will be cause for a quilt fundraiser very soon, too!

This quilt was given to the first person to donate $300 to the Johnson's adoption fund! She says she loves it.

This quilt was given to the second person to donate $300 to the Johnson's adoption. Ruby is modeling its yumminess. Love this cowboy print! Its new owner was so excited to give this to her little man!

These next 3 quilts were ordered by a friend. They are embarking on a new journey and the quilts came at just the right time, for both of us.

This quilt was made with the new DS quilts line from Jo-Ann! I know...I'm not typically a fan of Jo-Ann fabrics (outside of Kona Cotton) but...BUT these are awesome! Premium quality. They cost more, of course. But the convenience is good too. Denise Schmidt did a special line just for Jo-Ann. AND there is another line already out. I was very happy with the quality. I always love her fabric designs. I used a white tone-on-tone for the sashing. More peacock blue Kona for the binding. I'd LOVE to see a picture of this in its new home!

The print is wild....and somewhat blinding in the photo. Not in real life. At least, I didn't think so....Taylor?

This was so fun! Love this Hoopla line from Moda. Jelly roll helped this one come together quick. It helped that I'd used this pattern before. But never used such fun colors. Love the result. This went to my friends' little girl, Charlie.

No reason the backs of quilts can't be fun too!

This was for that same friend's little boy! I had a great time pulling the fabrics and I'm a fan of the grey/black/green combo. I'll have to repeat that soon! (Black prints were all Michael Miller, solids were Kona)

Loved this sweet little monster print! Perfect for the backing of a little boys' quilt!

This quilt belongs to Miss Wendy. It is on its way to Canada to meet her! (along with Raie's purple beast below) Hope you gals love them. I had a GREAT time making them! The prints are Basic Grey. I bought a fat quarter bundle YEARS ago and had been hoarding them, just waiting for the right quilt to come along. Ta-DA!

Here's the back. See Roger's face poking thru there? ;)

A close up of my quilting job. Not perfect, but I'm pleased with the result. I hope its new owner is as well ;)

Here we have the front of the "purple beast" aka, Raie's quilt. Made entirely of Kona. We picked a color palette and I went for it. I really, really hope she likes it! Roger is up on a kitchen chair holding it. Fussing at me to hurry up and take the picture already cause this thing is heavy.

Here is the back. Dang near reversible!

This quilting is AMAZING! So thrilled with my new long arm gal!

So that brings us to the end of the quilty summer journey. The quilting continues. However, my schedule is almost empty. I have one almost finished and another in the que and that is all. I'm looking for more business ;) If you are considering giving a quilt for Christmas, CALL ME!! Now is the time!

Update

2011-07-28T09:53:00.004-05:00

Whoa...Been way too long since I updated the ole' blog. Sorry about that. My absence has been filled with lots of summer things and lots of adoption things.

Miss Ruby is walking....er...RUNNING everwhere now. She follows Jonas all around the house. Of course, he is MORE than happy to have a sidekick. Now there is someone to share the blame in all his little antics. They have shared several messes together. They emptied an entire canister of sugar on the floor. As well as the large can of formula I bought thinking I could trick Ruby into having a bottle while I was still nursing. Guess we know how that turned out. Jonas has also showered Ruby numerous times with the water dispenser from the fridge. You see, if you use the ice maker, mom and dad can hear it and come running. However, if you are slick enough to just push the water button....its virtually silent. Yay! Water play!

Now, there are occassions where Jonas still flies solo for his missions. Mainly because Ruby can't crawl out of her crib and join him yet. But Jonas....oh...Jonas can sneak out of his room very quietly. (I've often marvelled at how a child that typically BREATHES LOUDLY can be so quiet and sneaky) Jonas has dumped an entire bottle of pancake syrup on the kitchen floor....TWICE!!! After the first time we moved the syrup to the highest shelf in the pantry. What were WE thinking.....He scaled that the very next time he fancied pancakes for breakfast. So, now the pancake syrup resides on top of the fridge. One of the 2 spots he can't reach in ENTIRE house. Its a bit cluttered up there. He's a curious boy. There have been other "missions" Most of the time they happen in rapid succession. WHILE I am cleaning up one mess, he makes another. Its happened more than once...more than 4 times. For real. Now, when I clean up I assign one child to help me and one to monitor Jonas. Even if that means just sitting with him on the couch. Learned that lesson. I sat him on the couch so I could vacuum up the box of cheerios from the floor and one minute he was there....and the next Madelyn is running it to tell me that Jonas just emptied the bottle of facial cleanser onto my floor. WHAT?! Good times. He's a joy. He is so sweet, too. Yesterday I banged my head pretty hard and while I was fighting off tears, little Jonas brought me a used dryer sheet and told me to "blow." Melted my heart. Love that little stinker!

So, like I said...I've been busy. So, when I haven't been cleaning up after the one boy wrecking crew, I've been sewing. That is the understatement of the century! How do I do it? I don't sleep ;) Roger works nights and once the kids are in bed, I sew. I turn on Netflix on my computer and sew. Or, I pray. Its a good time to talk to God. The machine hums along and I'm free to pray out loud. We've had lots to talk about!

Currently, we are in the midst of our 3rd possible adoption opportunity. Its certainly the most promising. We're waiting. Waiting on God and trusting his timing. We know he has a baby out there for us and that is the only baby we want. Pray for us as we wait. We're ramping things up on the fundraising. Money that I thought would be due in 5-6 months is going to be due soon. God has been so faithful in providing what we need so far, I don't doubt him now.

So, there's the update. There will SOON be another installement of Quilt-a-pa-looza. Stay tuned

And the winner is....

2011-06-18T16:12:00.002-05:00

Entry #71! Which belongs to Christi Brown!

The quilt was delivered to her yesterday at VBS! I'll get a picture of it in its new home to share.

There will be more quilting goodness coming up. If you didn't win, but MUST have a quilt, email me. We'll talk!

For now, my grandparents are in town for a few days. VBS is over and this morning was the last swim meet of the season. We're taking it easy this weekend. How about you?

Today is the last day

2011-06-15T07:51:00.004-05:00

Today is the last day of the quilt fundraiser! Don't miss it!

Look what we found this morning! Aren't they sweet?!

Update

2011-06-09T09:17:00.008-05:00

Our homestudy was Monday. It went GREAT! Our social worker was very nice. We had a great time visiting with her. We should have a copy of the "official" written homestudy sometime next week! Now the waiting begins!

I'm keeping myself quite busy while we wait. I have some custom quilt orders I am working on, along with a few other projects. I've had an etsy store for a long time, but its been empty for the last couple of years. Before I start filling it, I thought I would list a few things on facebook. Its gone well! If you haven't already, go "like" my facebook page here. There is also a link and some other pictures on the left side of my blog. Here are a few of the things you'll find at Mindy Lou Hoo Creations.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I also do custom orders.

Don't forget! Time is running out! There is a little less than a week left in the quilt fundraiser!

Quilt-a-pa-looza take 1

2011-05-31T08:48:00.007-05:00

Now that our application is in, the next step is our homestudy. Which we have scheduled for MONDAY!!! Super fast! Lots of crazy cleaning going on at our house this week. After our homestudy, comes the waiting process. We could be waiting weeks....or months. Depends on when a birth family picks us.

If you would like to donate to our adoption, I have set up a quilt fundraiser! This is the quilt pattern I have lovingly themed "Good Vibrations." The rows are slightly offset and it looks like the blocks are vibrating....sort of. Anyway, I used a Sugar Pop layer cake by Moda for the front. (for those fabric nerds like me who want to know that sort of thing). The back is some Jennifer Paganelli, Amy Butler and Heather Bailey.

Its machine quilted and hand bound. Been washed and dried and is now soft and yummy and ready to be snuggled. Its good size too. It measures 62x75. Perfect for a twin bunk bed

To win this quilt, just make a donation using the chip-in link at the bottom of the page.

$10-1 entry

$25-3 entries

$50-8 entries

$100-20 entries

$200- 50 entries

I'm only planning to run the fundraiser for about 2 weeks...Chipin wouldn't let me choose a date less than a month away. So....2 weeks!!

If you want to donate and want to know you can walk away with a quilt, I am making custom quilts as part of our fundraiser. Email me at: mindy churchill at yahoo dot com for more info.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been so supportive of our family in our new adventure. Keep on praying for us!

P.S.....there will be a quilt-a-pa-looza take 2.....more details later ;)

The Flag is up! (this is the big family announcement you've been waiting for)

2011-05-25T10:50:00.005-05:00

Well...here it is! This is our registration form we are sending to the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network. Yep. You heard right.
We are ADOPTING!
A baby with Down Syndrome!!!!!
Yes, we realize you think we are crazy. That's okay. We're doing what God's called us to do and that is seldom the perceived "sane" thing to do.

There will be lots more info to follow. Like, how we chose this and how we're planning to fund it. (Quilt-a-palooza, anyone?) There are lots of unknowns right now. Lots of "wait and see." But life is full of those, isn't it?

In the mean time, pray for us. Pray for that mom out there that just received a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome. Pray she chooses LIFE!!! 90% don't. Pray.

P.S. Jen posted a winner for the quilt giveaway. Wonder if there will be any more of those quilt giveaways around HERE anytime soon...Hmmmm...I wonder... (hint, hint)

More birthday month!

2011-05-20T08:44:00.005-05:00

Today is the last day to enter for the quilt drawing!!! Don't miss it!

Oh Jonas. Our world is forever changed because of you, little one. Your eyes pierce my soul. You are the blessing we never thought to ask for.

You joined our family a a small babe, yet YOU are the teacher many times.

Now you are 4. You are not quiet. You are not still. EVER. You still make MY heart stand still.

You are funny and silly. And you know the proper way to enjoy a cupcake. And life.

You make no apology for who you are. You are perfect, just as God made you. And I love you!

Big family announcement coming soon!! (and NO I am NOT pregnant....I repeat...I am NOT pregnant) Stay tuned

One year pictures

2011-05-12T09:41:00.007-05:00

Now that blogger is working again..... First, Don't forget about the quilt fundraiser! Less than a week left!

So a few more pictures of Miss Ruby before the next birthday rolls around in just a few days. For their birthdayS, Ruby and Jonas got this AWESOME kitchen set. Jonas plays with one at school and just loves it. Anything that holds his attention is a winner in my book. Ruby loves it too. Lots of food to "taste." Little Ruby is pulling up all over, but not ready to let go yet. Not quite cruising yet either. Soon enough!

One day last week I took her to the park and tried to get some pictures of her oneness. She sorta cooperated. I took over 100 pictures, odds were I would get a couple good ones. I did!

She was not so sure about the wardrobe changes...

I love you, Ruby! I'm so glad God picked me to be your mommy!

Birthday weekend

2011-05-10T16:13:00.011-05:00

If you are looking for the QUILT FUNDRAISER.......CLICK HERE!!! Only 10 days left!!!

So, this little peanut had her first birthday this past weekend.
She was very excited. She had no idea WHY she was excited. But, she was excited nonetheless.

Jonas was in rare form. He was tired and grouchy. A real party-pooper. WONK!

We had brunch! Princess pancakes with sprinkles, of course. Oh...And bacon. Don't forget the BACON!

Naturally, we added some more sprinkles and pink glaze. Clearly, there was not enough sugar already represented. But it was cute!

Our rowdy party-guests. See the blur that is Jonas? He spent the whole day like that. Oy.

Now...onto the cupcake smashfest. That's what you are all waiting for! Here is Ruby's "pretty in pink" cupcacke in the "before" picture.

And now we have hooked up the webcam so Nana can see, we sang to her and put the pile of more sugar in front of her.

Now she's got the idea!

Atta' girl!

She's happy to eat it, but she's actually quite tired. Its past her naptime, you see.

She is now eating with her eyes closed.

What?!

Oh, hee hee. I'm cute. Food in the hair is Ruby's signal that she's done. Nice.

So we scrubbed her down and put her to bed. It was a lovely 1st birthday.

Win a quilt, help bring home an orphan!

2011-05-05T14:35:00.020-05:00

So, May is birthday month at our house. On Saturday, Miss Ruby turns 1. Can you believe it!? And then a week and a half later, Jonas will be 4!!! Where does the time go. We are so blessed with each of our children. They are a gift from God.

However, a 4th birthday is not something to be celebrated in all parts of the world. There are hundreds of kids in Eastern Europe, JUST LIKE JONAS, that will turn 4 this year. But, they won't get fun parties and cake. They will be moved from the only home they have ever known and taken to a mental institution. Most of them die within a year. These are the kids like Jonas. Kids with Down Syndrome or other differences that make them "unacceptable" in their society. These kids touched my heart 4 years ago as I was snuggling my own "different" baby at home. I read their stories and wept at the injustice of it all. But there is HOPE. Each year Reece's Rainbow helps find forever homes for many of these kids. Kids who's future would have meant being tied to a crib instead of being held by a mommy or daddy. RR connects families with waiting children all over the world! I have amazing priviledge of knowing one of these families. The Johnson's are planning to adopt a boy named Elliot. He has the same syndrome as one of their birth children. They could also be bringing home up to 2 OTHER children. They are so close to traveling! They have all their paperwork submitted. Now they are just waiting for a date to travel!!! In just a few weeks time there could be 3 less orphans in the world. 3 little angels being tucked in by mommy and daddy each night. 3 kiddos that get a home, brothers and sisters....a family! Praise the Lord!!!

Sadly, adoption doesn't come cheap. And they could use your help. To support them, I made a quilt to be given away as part of their fundraising. The chip in link is posted at the bottom.

This quilt came out really nice! Even if I do say so myself. Its made with quilt store quality fabric and "warm and white" batting. Quilted on my machine and hand bound.

You have 2 weeks to buy as many entries as you can. :)

$10=1 entry

$25=3 entries

$50=8 entries

$100 =20 entries

The first person to donate $300 or more, I'll make you a custom quilt! (full size or smaller) For REAL!!!

If you are local, I'll deliver it to your front door. If you aren't, I'll pack it up and mail it to you.

Help the Johnson's bring Elliot (and possibly 2 more kiddos) home!

Oda Moat

2011-04-13T11:32:00.002-05:00

What's an Oda Moat you ask? Well...You have them...several of them, I'm sure. They are probably in several rooms of your house. Linked to various devices. You might know them as a different name. A name I just can't bring myself to make Titus pronounce correctly. "Oda Moat" is just so much cuter than "remote." Its a small reminder that he is still....small. Sweet. Innocent. Mine. Each time Madelyn tries to correct him, I send HER the stink eye. He's mine! Don't make him grow up yet!!!

It has happened with each of them. Some particular phrase that they repeat incorrectly. And each time I am sad when they correct themselves. Until very recently, Titus also said "gales" for "girls." LOVED making him say that 100 times a day. Sam says "bap room" for "bathroom" I never tire of it. Jonas, is more verbal now. Which is exciting! Along with that come sweet little phrases. "Ookie wheeze" is "cookie please." I could write a book on that kid alone....anyway, I think Madelyn might still call her dress shoes "clap shoes." And she finally learned that her "babe-ing suit" was actually a "bathing suit." It was a sad day.

As a mom, I know they have to grow up. I know that it's my job to help equip them to face this scary and carnal world. A world that looks for any excuse to cut them down. The world would try and take my sweet innocents and chew them up and spit them out. But, at least for now, they have this safe place to learn, make mistakes, mess up, pronounce words incorrectly, enjoy their childhood and their innocence. One day it will be time for me correct their speech, to inform them that they are too old to leave the house wearing polka dots and stripes, and to insist that they belch loudly only at home (okay, lets face it, that was never okay in public) but as for the other things...the growing up things....that day WILL come. HOWEVER, that day is NOT today.

Splish Splash

2011-04-07T15:50:00.011-05:00

Sweet little Ruby. Say hello.

Silly little Jonas! Bath time at Nana's. Jonas LOVES a bath. But does not care for having his hair washed.

But he is clearly okay with washing....or at least wetting...the hair of others. In this case, little Miss Ruby. What a sad pathetic little effort at whining!

See told ya. Story of my life with this one, geesh!

More smiling and grinning.

A sly little smirk, too.

Uh oh...Jonas is armed again.

Ahh...he's "drinking" it. There ya go. Keep it to yourself big brother.

That's actually quite funny....

Hilarious, even!

See!! I'm crazy with hysteria!

Uh...more drinking?...I don't think so. I don't like that look in his eyes....

JONAS!!!!

He's quite the helper. Looks like she might recover ;) All better now.

A quilt for Nana and Papaw

2011-04-06T15:29:00.003-05:00

I actually delivered 2 quilts to South Dakota in February. My poor parents have been waiting for their quilt for 2 years!!! Part of the delay is that long arm quilting for a king sized quilt has a KING sized price tag! But I finally sent if off to the quilter and got it back the day before we left. So there wasn't much time to finish it up. I slapped the binding on the front and planned to tack down the back on the road. Hoping it would give me something to do for the 22 hours in the car. Well, I didn't get it all done before we got there but I hope my parents were glad to have it nonetheless. I snapped a few pictures before we left. Hoping that I can talk mom into taking a few more now that its been washed up and it all wrinkly and snuggly. Love the colors and I hope they love it too.

Belated Birthday happenings

2011-03-31T10:01:00.007-05:00

This year we did birthdays a little different. We took the Bigs (Maddy, Sam and Titus) to dinner and hockey game to celebrate Maddy and Sam's birthday. We got a sitter for the Littles (Jonas and Ruby) and headed out. They were a little excited. There was a new Steak-N-Shake built a few months ago and the kids were all jones-ing to go. Like, since the day it opened they have been begging!
They had a blast. Every restaurant should hand out hats for pre-dinner entertainment.

They had fun. I think. Which is good because they didn't eat A THING!!! Perhaps they were too excited to eat. I don't know. I left slightly irritated. We brought along our leftover chicken fingers and they DID eat them later. So, it wasn't a total bust.
Then we got to the hockey game. It was really a good time. I got a good deal on tickets thru Groupon. Love Groupon. So we had good seats too. This photo below is NOT the game we went to see ;) Its the sumo-hockey entertainment between periods. It was the highlight of the night. I think we all laughed so hard we nearly peed our pants.
A fun evening with the bigs. No high chairs, no sippy cups and no one cried. We'll have to do it again sometime!
Maybe an Astros game in June for Titus' birthday :) I think I can talk them into it.

Wedding gift for Rachel

2011-03-30T07:35:00.003-05:00

So, I've been planning this quilt for years. Since I first began quilting. Rachel is really the one who drug me into it. :) I had started sewing and had a few projects under my belt and then Rachel came to Da Plains. Many nights of late night giggling and chatting and just being BFFs followed. Before you know it, we're at the quilt store picking out fabric for my first quilt. We had a blast. Ironing...oh wait, I wasn't ironing yet, cutting, wonky squares abounded. I'm so glad we share so many memories over fabric and flannel ;)

After my first quilt I decided to make quilts as gifts for Christmas that year...Remember that? Look Here. I always knew I wanted to make one for my bestie. Just spent YEARS stumped on fabric. How in the heck do I pick something she would like? You'd think I would know her tastes by now! I have a pretty good handle on it, but a quilt...well, I just wanted it to be perfect. I found several things I thought would work. I would bring them up in casual quilting conversation. "Hey, what do you think of blah blah blah?" "Oh...Hate it." Uh...okay. That's not exactly how it went, but regardless, I struck out with all of my attempts at getting her fabric approval before purchase.

Finally I just bit the bullet. I saw a line that I thought was very Rachelish and bought. I got a large assortment of Heather Bailey fabrics and a few others and decided they were the ones. Then I just had to settle on a pattern.

I loved the idea of a string quilt and determined she would too. Even if it killed her. So I started cutting. Originally I was going to do the ENTIRE quilt in 6 1/2 inch string blocks. YIKES!! I changed my mind after about 20. that would take an eternity and I like to FINISH my quilts. So, I started fenageling....is that a word? Anyway, I have 12 inch blocks and 6 inch blocks that look like so....
When it became clear that my Rachel had found the right man and a wedding was coming, I knew I had to kick it into high gear and finish this bad boy! No better time to gift a quilt than as a wedding gift! I assembled the top at a girls weekend in January. It was nice to have a little piece of her there with me.
Then I sent it off to the long arm quilter. Got it back and bound it up!
I packed it up in the van and headed north! I had been planning the card for the quilt for almost as long a the quilt itself. You see, Rachel and I love the Golden Girls. Well, I love them. She's....well, its beyond loving. Its who she is. Anyway, I KNEW what my card had to say.
Sing it with me....Thank you for being a friend. Travelled down a road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and confidant. And if you threw a party. Invited everyone you knew, you would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say, "THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND!" And so, that is what my card said. Not very original. But its us. We have been down SEVERAL roads and back again. Her heart is so very true. She's my best pal and my dear confidant. I love her.
She's my person! I couldn't be more thrilled for her and Bryon. I love her like my own sister. Her kids like my own nieces and nephews. She IS family.
I hope she and her crew can spend many happy years together wrapping up in my fabric hug.

btw, Rachel has a new blog. Follow her here.

Titus Teeth

2011-03-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

And in other news: Titus FINALLY lost a tooth. He's 6 1/2 and he was beginning to think he was stuck with baby teeth forever! Boy is efficient too!We check for "wiggles" often. The other day as we were sitting at lunch and he bit into some corn on the cob. The then announced the big day had come. He had a "wiggle." He hopped up and went to the bathroom to check it out. He wiggled and wiggled. It was quickly VERY wiggly. In less than 20 minutes he pulled it out!
He's testing for more wiggles daily ;)

Darn School Nights!

2011-03-23T08:53:00.003-05:00

Sam loves video games. That is the world's largest understatement! It borders on obsession for him. Its what he does. Sam finds something that he is interested in and zeroes in on it. It happened with Toy Story, then Mr. Potato head specifically. There was also a Dora game that consumed him for some time. Right now it is video games....and Superheros. And most especially, Superhero video games. So, you get the picture.

Naturally, we limit the amount of time he can play. First, there are no video games on school nights. Not a strange rule. Sam knows it, and understands it. So, each day when he arrives home he asks if tonight is a school night. So we go through the same questions each night.

Sam: Mom, is tonight a school night?

Mom: What day is it Sam?

Sam: Tuesday.

Mom: Is Tuesday a school night?

Sam: Yes.....How many more days until no school?

Mom: How many Sam?

Sam: 3 sleeps mom?

Mom: 3 sleeps Sam.

Sam: But I don't want 3 sleeps mom. I wanna play "bideo" games.

Mom: I'm sorry Sam. You know there are no video games on school nights.

Last night it was simply more than he could bear. He took his request to a higher power. Not Dad....He went over his head too! We were sitting in the dining room where we had the above mentioned conversation an then Sam went weeping into the living room. There we heard the sweetest and saddest thing ever.

Sam: "Jesus.....I need your help! Jesus, you HAVE to help me Jesus! PUH-LEEZE Jesus!"

Brought sweet tears to my eyes. Because his heart was hurt and he took it to Jesus. He asked Jesus to help him. Is there anything more precious? He cried out to Jesus and it doesn't matter WHY!! And God's response is no different for Sam than it is for me or you. There is no "jr. Holy Spirit." He loves each of us. He listens. He hears our hurts. Dries our tears. He comforts us. He holds us up. And that's just what He did for Sam.

1 Peter 5:7 (New Living Translation)

⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Quilt for hire

2011-02-13T22:09:00.007-06:00

I am now a "professional" (haha) quilter! A friend asked me to make a quilt for her daughter. I was more than happy to oblige. We talked about a pattern and some color choices. She sent me the fabrics and I went to work. This was SO much fun. I turned out bigger than I planned, but my quilts ALWAYS do. Its full/queen size. A little large for an almost 2 year old, I know....but she'll grow into it. Right?

I love the ric-rac detail. It was a bugger to get on there but I love the results. Its girly and fun and not covered in pink. (not that there is anything wrong with pink ;)
Here is a closer view of the quilting and fabrics. (Yummy fabrics from Amy Butler's Love line)
The back was pieced as well. See...Lots of pink here!
I had a block embroidered with a special scripture passage for sweet Caroline. Nothing like being wrapped in love and God's word.
I LOVED making this quilt. I hope it provides years of fort building, afternoon tea and slumber parties for mother and daughter!

Great morning on a sad day

2011-01-10T15:44:00.003-06:00

My Grandma Martin went home to be with Jesus today. She's resting and at peace. My heart hurts for my mom and her siblings. I can't imagine the pain of losing a parent. But this I know...We can grieve with hope! The hope of heaven. The hope we have because of Jesus Christ.

Now, having children of my own, I think more about the legacy we leave behind us. And I can say that I KNOW my grandma is in Heaven! She put her faith and trust in Jesus as her Savior. She is leaving a legacy of faith. Is there anything more valuable?

In the midst of the sadness the Lord (as He so often does ) quieted me with a song. I love my God. He's so good and He knows me. He brought this old song from my youth to my remembrance this morning.

You're first day in Heaven
by The Imperials

Well its a great great mornin'
Your first day in heaven
When you stroll down the golden avenue
There are mansions left and right
And you're thrilled at every sight
And the saints are always smilin' sayin
"How do you do?"
Well its a great great mornin'
Your first day in heaven
When you realize your worryin' days are through
You'll be glad you were not idle
Took time to read your bible
Its a great mornin' for you

My heart is thrilled to even imagine what its like to enter the gates of heaven. Its been over 30 years since my Grandpa passed. Imagining that reunion makes me smile and cry sweet tears. There are many others that have gone on before her. I believe they were there to welcome her home. And then, to look upon the face of her savior....The One who died for her. The One who redeemed her. Comforted her and loves her with an everlasting love. To finally rest in his arms....Well...That's a whole different set of tears.

Keep our family in your prayers.

I will rejoice in her home-going!

October, Beach, TEXAS!

2010-10-26T09:37:00.003-05:00

Kids were out of school for Columbus day. So, what did we do? We celebrated in the traditional manner. We went to the beach, of course! It was a perfect day at the beach. Warm, and breezy and there were no sharks spotted. (that's a story for another day)

Here is Ruby kickin' it with her daddy-o. The kids had a great time smearing sand all over themselves and generally exfoliating to the nth degree.

Who is this big kid? Sam is growing so fast.

Oh Jonas. This little guy is growing too. His play skills are exploding! In this photo he is playing with sand. And by playing with, I mean eating. 'Cause your insides need exfoliating too! Oy! He is also sportin' a swimmer full of sand. Good times.

And this photo...There is so much to explain here. Where to start. Lets start with the nasty nose. This is actually pretty typical Jonas. Small anatomy=small nasal passages=lots of boogers. Sorry for the visual. The sand and slobber is evidence of the "operation exfoliation" I mentioned earlier. And the purple and blue goose-egg on his noggin....that is courtesy of Jonas...with some help from Madelyn. Madelyn was holding his hand and leading him. Jonas was looking somewhere other than where he was going and he was "led" right into the corner of a doorway. Ouch!! Still the sweetest picture of the worlds sweetest little man.

Ruby's Baby Dedication

2010-10-25T09:21:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago our church had Baby Dedication. This was the first time none of our extended family could be with us for this special day. That part was sad, but we still had a great day. Ruby is a gift from the Lord and we enjoyed presenting her to the church. We publicly committed to raising her in a Christian home and to do our best to point her to Jesus. We got a few pictures afterward.

This is not the best picture, but for a crew this size its the best we could get. That fella on the right beside Roger that many of you don't recognize is our Senior Pastor, Alex. Little Miss Ruby had ruby slippers, of course!

Oh Titus....Dear, sweet Titus

2010-10-12T16:13:00.005-05:00

He keeps me on my toes....he ALWAYS makes me laugh! Lets begin with exhibit A.

This is a Ziploc vacuum pump and bag. It is used to suck the air out of the bag after I insert a yummy steak or 2. Then I can freeze it and have no freezer burn. LOVELY product. However, some time ago, Titus found a way to repurpose this handy kitchen utensil.

BEHOLD! That is a Ziploc Hickey. Yes indeedy! He actually did it twice. See there...its not a perfect circle. He wasn't satisfied with the imprint left after the first attempt. Had to go for round 2! I asked him if it hurt. He said, "A little." This next stunt isn't disappearing quite so quickly. Takes a bit longer for hair to regrow. Esp. when you cut down to the SCALP! See those red dots? He scalped himself with the kitchen shears. It IS growing back...albeit, very slowly. He will be putting his own special mark on our Christmas cards this year.

Now, when we go out, I wonder if people are staring at the large entourage of children...Or Titus' reverse mohawk. I'm good either way!

Quick

2010-09-16T23:14:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to say that I am, in fact, alive! Here are a couple sweet pictures of little Miss showing off mommy's beast of a masterpiece.

I had this king-size quilt quilted by our local quilt shop on their long-arm machine. They did a really nice job.

I am really pleased with how it turned out. Despite my quilting mistakes it looks amazing. Love having it on the bed. There is just something about sleeping under a quilt that I made. Makes for sweet dreams of projects to come!

Pictures

2010-07-28T16:10:00.003-05:00

Little Miss is growing so fast! Summer is busy and fun. We're swimming and playing most days. I've just recently gotten the creative bug again. Which is good. Lots to do. King size quilt for our bed coming back from the quilter this week and I've also been paper scrapping. I hadn't made a paper page in almost 2 years and suddenly I HAD to. Scratch what itches. Pictures to follow...one day. Now onto more important things....Miss Ruby. Here are some sweet shots from a recent shoot at home.

June (Part 2)

2010-07-13T17:49:00.004-05:00

After we said goodbye to Mike, Ronda, Bailey and Thomas. We said hello to Nana and Papaw!We went to dinner and the kids played with Dad's camera. Ruby was loved on and loved on. She was smothered in kisses.
Madelyn was baptized the next day.
Then we all headed back to the beach. This is Roger's favorite thing to do at the beach. Titus and Jonas don't mind it either ;)
All too soon mom and dad had to go home and a few days later Grandma and Grandpa showed up! I'm still an 8 year old when it comes to my grandparents. I may not be jumping up and down on the outside, but I am leaping with anticipation on the inside. They are the sweetest people on this earth and I love them dearly. It makes my heart so happy to spend time with them. There's never a bad day when Grandma and Grandpa are around. We had a great time. They were thrilled to meet miss Ruby! (Grandma was more thrilled than the picture indicates....trust me;)
That's a quick wrap up of June. Sad that it took me until the middle of July...but I digress.

June (Part 1)

2010-07-06T15:42:00.002-05:00

June was a crazy busy month for us. It was also a BLAST. We had a family invasion and loved every minute of it! Our first victims....er...visitors were Uncle Mike, Aunt Ronda and Bailey and Thomas! They came down from Kentucky and we had an Awesome time. Went to the pool, the beach, the Astros game and hung out at home. It was such a blessing to have them here! (Ruby made an unscheduled stop at Texas Children's hospital for a few days and Uncle Mike and Aunt Ronda held down the fort at home. Ruby is fine. She had a fever and at her age its best to be cautious) We celebrated birthdays and laughed and were sad to see them leave.

The kids had their last swim meet while they were here.

The kids all enjoyed swim team and I'm sure we will do it again next year. They are all officially swimmers now. Sam is REALLY good. Boy can backstroke like nobody's business....and he's not even trying!

Then there was the beach!

Ruby chills in the bouncy at the beach. 'Cause that's how she rolls!

Bailey and Madelyn got manicures and pedicures to celebrate their birthdays. They ate it up!

Next it was on to the Astro's game! The night before we Tie-Dyed T-shirts and wore them to the game. It was fun. I'm sure we looked silly, but who cares.

We had a great visit and were so sad to see them go. The morning they left, Roger took the kids to their swim meet and I cleaned up a little before the next wave of family hit.....3 hours later :)

To be continued......

This...

2010-06-25T13:19:00.004-05:00

This is what its all about.

Buried with Christ in baptism

Raised to walk in a BRAND NEW WAY!!!

This is what its all about.

Madelyn was baptized this past Sunday....Father's Day. My parents were able to be here. It was an awesome day. I am so proud of this little girl. She's learning to walk in obedience. Learning to follow Christ. She's the first to tell you that its not magic water. Baptism is obedience. Its a declaration. Saying, "I belong to Jesus. I made a decision. I recognized my need for a Savior and trusted in the grace and forgiveness HE offers." I was beyond thrilled to be there to pray with her that night when she asked Jesus into her life. Proud and humbled to be present for her baptism.

Thank you, Lord for your salvation.

Holy Cow! She's a month old!

2010-06-07T18:26:00.005-05:00

Where does the time go? Has it really been a month already? A month since we welcomed this amazing gift into our lives? She is so precious and we thank God for her everyday. Here's a few precious moments from this past month. We are praying for many, many more!

Its indescribable...The love that overwhelms you as a new parent. The love you feel when they place that baby in your arms. You're so full you think you might burst. Each time I hold our children for the first time I think, "Wow....God loves me more than THIS!" How is that even possible? Its more than my human mind can comprehend. Being a parent allows us a glimpse at the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. How great the Father's love for us.....Lord help us be a reflection of your love. Help us point our children to you.

The sweetness

2010-05-24T21:01:00.002-05:00

This truly is making the best of yucky situation. We put Jonas down for his afternoon nap on Sunday. He talked and played what seemed like the normal amount of time but when Roger rounded the corner to check on him a familiar aroma filled his nostrils. POOP! And not poop contained in a diaper. Jonas had committed the largest poop violation on record. I won't go into the details but it was a DISASTER. If you know anything of Jonas and his bowels, that REALLY is saying something. So, team "poop scoop" was in full effect. I bathed the offender and Roger began tackling the scene of the crime. After Jonas had been bathed (three times...and he still stunk) I took him into Madelyn's room to lay down on the bottom bunk. Little Miss insisted on joining us (and having a snack). So, the three of us bunked on the bunk while the Haz Mat cleanup commenced next door. Before you know it, they were both asleep. I was able to pry Ruby from me and lay her beside him. They snuggled in together. It was precious. Jonas stirred and opened his eyes. He saw Ruby, signed "baby" and smiled the biggest sleepy-fingers-in-mouth-grin and went back to sleep. I snuck out of the room in search of the camera and snapped this beauty.
She's holding his hand! Jonas now thinks this is the only way to nap. He just might be onto something there......

Oh...you might be wondering where our Prince Charming picked up his battle scars there...forehead meets fence, film at 11.

Rubilicious

2010-05-20T10:01:00.009-05:00

Ruby pictures!!!!

Here I am at 38 weeks and some change. I'm exhausted in this picture. The last couple of weeks were very stressful. Mostly with move stuff. Baby Ruby was firmly planted and had no plans of making an early arrival.

This is the morning she was born. I had Roger take this before we left the house. I'm still exhausted, but we are "IN" the house in this picture. What a relief. And so excited that I'll get to meet my baby soon!
Hooked up and smiling :)
Roger dons his new threads.
She's here!!!! I remember the Dr. saying there was clear fluid, then him saying that she had dark hair. This is where I started crying. Sweet happy tears. The realization that I'm moments away from meeting my daughter. Dr. E also said she looked like a pretty big kid coming out. Well, she made her presence known right away. She was MAD! She screamed and screamed! They lowered the drape so I could see her. She was beautiful and slippery and covered in vernix. But she certainly didn't look LARGE to me. Roger went over to be with out sweet girl and I prayed scripture over the new life in our family. Soon after, I heard one of the nurses call out "9/9." HOLY BUSINESS BATMAN!! She must have been bigger than I thought. Later, after they took her to the nursery, they called back to the OR and said she weighed 7lbs and 12oz. That made more sense. Turns out the 9/9 I heard were her Apgar scores! Go RUBY! All that screaming pinked her right up ;)
I don't know if we could be any more proud! I smiled my face off ;)

We finally wrestled her away from the nursery staff and I got to hold her for the first time. Oh the sweetness....Oh the overwhelming JOY! She's HERE! I was REALLY PREGNANT all that time. Just didn't seem possible that she was actually here in my arms.

The day just kept getting sweeter. Madelyn is beyond thrilled to have a sister. She looks so big holding her sister. Maddy is an amazing helper. I am blessed to call her my daughter. And Jonas...Oh Jonas....he is in LOVE with Ruby. He is VERY sweet to her. He is always gentle with her....Now, my idea of gentle and Jonas' idea of gentle aren't the same thing. But Ruby has to be durable, she's the 5th. He gives her lots of kisses and constantly signs "My baby." It melts my heart.

Titus is so very proud. He was concerned about what would happen to me and Ruby if there were a fire drill. (Or a real fire) How would we get out? Who would help us? This one is my natural born worrier :) Titus loves to hold her and tells everyone that, "We have a new baby! Her name is Ruby! See...she's right here."

I do not yet have a picture of Sam with Ruby, but I couldn't leave sweet Sammo out of the fun. He's been anxiously awaiting her arrival just like the rest of us. In fact, he had convinced his teachers that she was born months ago! They finally sent home a note asking how we were doing. Seems Sam was telling them all about how she was keeping him up at night. Little stinker! I imagine Sam was beginning to wonder if she was ever coming for REAL! Well, as soon as he walked into the hospital room he looked at her and sucked in a big breath and said,"RUBY! You are ALIVE!" Brought tears to my eyes. Sam likes her. He doesn't want to hold her, or get too close to her, for that matter. He will give her a kiss, but only on the head. I think he's just not sure what to make of her yet. All in good time.....What a great big brother.

Aunt Toni was keen to start the snuggling. She arrived the day before Ruby. I checked into the hospital and left Toni with AN ENTIRE HOUSE to be unpacked. We're not unpacked yet but thanks to Toni, it's livable. We miss you!

Me and my girlS! I have GIRLS! ahh...I just like saying that.....

We weren't sure how Jonas would do with Daddy holding Ruby. I don't know why we ever gave it a second thought. He LOVES Ruby. The only reason he's ever tried to get Ruby out of any ones arms is to try and get her into HIS. He asks to hold her several times a day. He knows the routine. Sit down, sign "my baby" and hold out your arms. If baby is not placed promptly in your arms, repeat and start shouting!

If I look drugged, its because....I AM!!! But I'm also deliriously happy. We're going HOME! I was feeling well enough to leave the hospital a day early. Impossible to get any rest in the hospital.

Look out world! Here she comes!

Jonas is 3 today

2010-05-17T15:03:00.002-05:00

Finally we have internet! I have lots of pictures of Ruby to share, but today is all about my littlest man. Jonas is 3 today! How is that possible?! He's grown up so much in the past few months. As you can see, he's still his mischievous self. Looking for fun and the next laugh. He's so sweet with Ruby. He loves all his siblings. Loves to follow the big kids around and imitate whatever they are doing. We are SO blessed to have him in our life. I am incredibly thankful that God found us worthy to be HIS parents. He is one COOL KID!
Happy Birthday Jonas! I love you!

(When I first discovered the scene above, Jonas was sitting IN the toilet. In the time it took for me to grab the camera, he dislodged himself to this position. Silly Kid!)

She's HERE!!!!!

2010-05-11T17:50:00.002-05:00

She's here!!! Ruby Rae Churchill arrived on Friday weighing 7lbs and 12oz. and 19 inches long. She and I are both doing great. We are home now and sorting out life as a family of 7....oh yeah...and unpacking the house.There's lots to share but I don't have internet at home yet. We are stealing internet from the car in the LaQuinta inn parking lot. I had to post something. So, here's a picture to tide you over. She is beautiful and everyone loves her. She's nursing like a champ and she has her own distinct personality.

We are in the house!!! We got in about 8pm on Thursday night and Roger and I left for the hospital at 5am the next morning. We made it! More updates to come......

Small update

2010-05-03T20:49:00.002-05:00

Well, the long and the short of it is that:

-We are completely out of the old house

-The new house holds our stuff in the garage and living room overflow

-The new house is getting ALL new plumbing and a major face lift

-New plumbing and face-lift mean we are not living there right now

-We're on our 2nd hotel (its a whole other story)

-We're hoping to actually "BE" in the house later this week

-Tonight was the start of swim team practice for the 3 bigs...fun was had by all

-I seem to get bigger by the minute

-I had my last OB appointment today (that's how I know I really AM getting bigger by the minute ;)

-Aunt Toni comes on Thursday

-Baby comes on FRIDAY

Whew....I'm exhausted. After some major freak/stress out and resulting prayer time, I am feeling much better about the whole mess. We are totally just along for the ride. So much....rather ALL of this, is completely out of our control. We've been so blessed and loved on by our amazing friends and family. God is good...ALL the time.

Thanks so much for your prayers! Keep 'em coming. I can't wait to meet little Miss later this week!

Nothing calms me like quilting

2010-04-26T17:23:00.003-05:00

Moving/Packing makes me want to quilt. I've only indulged a little. The colors are off on these quilts but I really don't have the time or the energy to reshoot. This is the back of the quilt for Little Miss
Ta-Da! the front. I love how this turned out. It was really simple and easy. Just the way I like 'em.
This is Sammo's. The black dots are the backing fabric.
Sam LOVES blue and I found some fun animal prints and geo prints that looked fun together.
His is a large twin size. We will have it on his bed tonight!!!!

37 weeks and moving update

2010-04-26T17:12:00.003-05:00

This is me and little Miss at 37 and 1/2 weeks. The good news...Still pregnant. The bad news....I'm ready to not be pregnant. Only a few days left. The countdown has begun. I certainly have plenty to do to occupy my time. But the pregnant brain doesn't work that way.
Speaking of ways to occupy my time, the move is going exactly the way that all moves do. They take 3 times longer than planned and cost twice as much. I DO know that at the end of the week we won't be living here. Its looking like we will be enjoying a luxurious stay in a hotel for a few nights. Ha Ha! Oh, wait....I'm not laughing. Not a lot of choices here. We will just smile and make best of it.

Despite what my pregnant brain is telling me, it would be good if little Miss could wait until we arrive at the new house before she comes. I KNOW that, but its hard to not wish her here right NOW!

Going to be a crazy week or so. I "should" have Internet access with only a small interruption. We will see. There should be lots of updates the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Jonas sweetness

2010-04-21T08:27:00.002-05:00

When things are crazy and I don't know which way is up, some Jonas sweetness always brings me back to where I need to be. Enjoy!

Ahhhh...that's better. Back to packing.

35 weeks

2010-04-10T14:34:00.003-05:00

Here I am at 35 weeks and a couple days. The days fly by and drag on and on all at the same time. Seems to happen the last month of each of my pregnancies. Its a little more extreme this time with the move lingering overhead. I'm feeling pretty good. I get bigger and more exhausted everyday, but that's supposed to happen. I'll start seeing my Dr. every week now. Baby girl is growing and doing all the things she's supposed to. We just need to keep her IN until after moving day(s).

Speaking of moving, we DO have somewhere to move to! Praise the Lord! Aside from that, I have NO idea what I'm supposed to be doing. I've never moved in town before. The new house is about 6 blocks from our current house. I'd like to "handle" things as little as possible. For instance, I know most things in our kitchen will not need to be "packed." They will be removed from the shelf/cabinet they are in, go into a laundry basket, and ride in the front seat of the car to the new house and go directly into their new home. Do the packing and the unpacking all at once. Sounds great! However, not realistic for an entire home, given time constraints and my increasing girth and diminishing energy reserves...oh and the other 4 kidlets that need to be fed and wear clean clothes between now and then....its the darn little things ;) But, we'll get it done. The when and how may be fuzzy, but it will get done. We've had some generous offers of help and when I figure out what it is I need.....oh wait...that might never happen.

The Lord continues to provide exactly what we need, when we need it. We are beyond blessed!

If you had any doubts as to our sanity....

2010-03-31T11:49:00.003-05:00

We are moving. Like soon. We are out of this house by April 30th. Hopefully BEFORE little Miss makes her arrival. Our landlord is selling his house and moving into ours. Niiiiccee! So I have started the accumulating of boxes and packing is about to begin. We don't have a new place yet, but there is a whole team working on it. We are CONFIDENT that God has a great new place for our growing family and we are just waiting for Him to show us. Its a bit overwhelming. I really, really am feeling the nesting urge. This totally jacks with that. But God is in control. He's not surprised that I will be moving at 38 weeks pregnant...gulp...that's a whole lotta pregnant.

We have AMAZING friends here helping us in ways we are so undeserving of. We are so grateful to all of them. God is good, ALL the time. Keep us in your prayers.

Preggy Pictures

2010-03-31T11:42:00.004-05:00

I have finally taken a couple of pictures of my pregnant self. Here I am at about 28 weeks. We were putting the crib together.This is me at 33 weeks. Just this past Sunday.
The kids are complete Hams. If there is a camera, they are all over. Jonas too...He isn't in this one because he was walking towards the camera to see himself in it.
So little Miss is growing. I'm going to try and take a picture every week or so now that we are getting down to the home stretch.

Merry Christmas? Happy Birthday?

2010-03-26T14:17:00.005-05:00

This is my sister's quilt. I made the top at my quilting retreat this past summer and had intended to quilt and bind if for her birthday/Christmas. Well...its only March ;)

Here is the top before I quilted it.
Ta-Da! The finished product. Quilted and bound and washed and dried so its all wrinkly and yummy!
I quilted it in a simple grid pattern. My machine is small and this is about the largest quilt I can push through it.
The back..Small bit of piecing required. But I like it. A little visual interest ;)
Okay, Toni....Come and get it! We are expecting my lovely sister to arrive the first week of May to help us out when Little Miss makes her entrance. Hope she packs light. This thing has to fit in her suitcase!

A few of the things keeping me busy lately

2010-03-12T14:39:00.006-06:00

I've been all sorts of crafty lately. Many things still in progress, but I've actually made some headway! I've been making each of the kids a quilt....Er....I made one for Titus and have fabric for each of the kids. His is the only one finished at this point, but I digress. Sam's quilt top is finished and awaiting quilting. I don't think I posted a picture of his, but that will have to wait for another post. After Sam's was completed, I started on Madelyn's.

This Lovely-Lady has been a bit of a pain. (the quilt, I mean) Simple enough, but oh. MY. GOODNESS. It's been very time consuming. I really like how its turned out. Still needs to be quilted but PROGRESS!!!

This is another stack of goodies waiting for my "free time." Most are baby things to be done for little miss.I have finished a few things for the little princess!!! We now have a place for her to sleep! And I made the lovely blanket you see here too.
I just LOVED this pink elephant print. The quilt/blanket was super easy. Flannel and chenille squares. I backed it with a solid piece of flannel and stitched around the squares and bound it and called it done. Warm AND light weight! I have more of these in mind to keep and to sell.
I also made this flannel pretty. I loved the bluebird flannel. So sweet.
And this......this is the beginnings of the quilt for little miss! It will come together quickly I hope and then I can get started on Jonas' quilt.
Well, that's not all I've been up to, but it's all I took pictures of. Lots of ideas still rolling around in my head and some patterns shaping up. Love to keep that sewing machine humming!

YooHoo...anyone home?

2010-02-23T21:44:00.003-06:00

Yep, I'm still here. Sorry for the absence. Just pregnant and tired. I've thought of lots of things to blog about. Unfortunately, I can't remember any of them. So, we'll just go with an update.

Madelyn and Sam each had birthdays. They are 9 and 8 now. How does that happen? Still amazes me how fast time flies by. I did take a few pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet. I'm hoping to get my camera fixed very soon. Still a good camera, just much slower than when I first got it. I think I need a new battery. One day I will post with pictures again. Back to the kidlets...they are good. Madelyn is doing well with home school. I'm very pleased with the increase in reading we've seen. She WANTS to read now. Takes a book wherever she goes. We are really enjoying her being at home. She's a blessing...Sam is doing good in school too. I so very much enjoy being able to TALK TO HIM about things. School, church, video games....LIFE. I don't think I'll ever get over it. Conversations were NOT something we ever thought we'd be engaging Sam in. God is so good. He continues to bless us.

Mr. Titus...He just makes me smile. The other day I over heard him talking to Roger. It went something like this.

T: Dad, when the baby is born

R: Yeah, T...when the baby is born.....

T: Do you think.....Do you think she will be happy with me?

R: Oh Buddy! Will she like you?

T: Yeah, do you think she will like me?

R: Titus, she will LOVE you. You're a great big brother

T: Okay......I have a butt crack

Something like that. He's sweet and adorable and I want so squish him and then in the blink of an eye he is silly and goofy and flashing his big grin and looking for the the next laugh.

Jonas is the life of the party these days. He is THE MOST active child we've had. (not a typical DS trait) He refuses to fit into any mold. He's picking up more signs and understanding more and more everyday. Daddy continues to be his favorite person in the whole world. He's the first word he signs everyday. He asks for him all the time. Daddy is the only one allowed to push the cart or stroller. If we put a hand on it he quickly pushes it away and growls at us. I love it! I tease Roger about it, but I'm only a teeny tiny bit jealous. I love the relationship they share. Roger is an AWESOME dad. Can't blame the kid.

Roger and I are doing good. I'm 28 weeks pregnant. Entering the home stretch. Seems the majority of the nausea is behind me. What lingers is not worth mentioning compared to what was. I'm feeling pretty good. Just TIRED and having a lot of hip pain if I stand/walk for any length of time. But, its to be expected. Roger is working. Praise the Lord he has a job. I hate to complain about the 2nd shift hours in light of the economy. A steady job is not to be taken lightly ;)

That's about it for now. I'll upload some pictures....some day ;)

All the earth

2010-01-19T14:27:00.003-06:00

I love this part of being pregnant. I smile EVERY time I feel her move. I can hardly believe she is real. The small swooshes are turning into stronger kicks and jabs. Its amazing to see and feel this new life moving and growing inside me. God has a plan for her! Long before the great name debate at the Churchill house, God knew her name. God's word says that all the days ordained for her were written in HIS book, before even one of them came to be. How exciting! But probably my most favorite part of being pregnant is when baby and I worship together.

I know that sounds strange, but its true. It happens at church and in my quiet times of prayer and worship sitting at the kitchen table. She moves, she dances, she PRAISES God. Its movement with purpose. And why not? The bible says that John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb when he was in the presence of God. Baby John was aware of His presence! Say what you will....I know what she's doing. She knows her creator. The bible tells us time and time again that ALL creation praises Him, ALL creation testifies of His goodness and ALL creation bears witness of its creator. Its like I'm a part of a secret worship session. Something only God sees. I'm blessed to be part of it.

The following is a bit of journaling I did while pregnant with Jonas:

"The most wonderful part of being pregnant is feeling Jonas move. Even better are the those moments when we worship together. It is most obvious on Sundays at church. As I stand and lift my hands in worship, I feel the baby within me leap for joy. It is so clear to me. I'm certain he leaps in worship. It is in these moments when I feel so close to God. I am aware of the miracle happening within me. I am so aware of how ALL creation worships. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." His lungs may not be taking in air, but he is alive and worshiping his creator. How amazing that I can be present for that."

It will be helpful for me to remember all the reasons I love being pregnant when I start to feel huge and uncomfortable in the not so distant future. I'll try to keep this in mind ;)

The cast is gone!

2010-01-08T15:39:00.003-06:00

So, the night before the cast is slated to come off, it occurs to me that I have no pictures of it! (He was in footie pjs for Christmas) So we rectified that problem real quick.

Here he is looking for his favorite person....Daddy! :)
Its amazing the cast was still in tact. He did his best to destroy it. It was impossible to keep him from pulling the padding out.
What a celebrity. Lots of girlfriends....I mean friends....signed his cast.
He's becoming more comfortable with the camera.
AND it helps that he will smile on cue, now.
Sweet little boy.

The cast came off and the X-Ray looks great. He is thrilled to be back in the bath tub again. He RAN to the tub the night it came off just as soon as I turned on the water. He splashed himself silly. I was quite thrilled myself. Sponge baths weren't cutting it. Little man needed a scrubbing!

Sugar and Spice and all things nice....

2009-12-17T23:01:00.004-06:00

That's what little girls are made of! And WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!! We had an ultrasound today and discovered that the boy/girl ratio at the Churchill house will become a bit more balanced in May! We are thrilled. I've spent most of the day laughing and/or crying. (good tears) We are so blessed! Baby looks to be healthy! Praise God! We will do another follow-up in 4 weeks since the Dr. wasn't able to get a really good look at some of the things she wanted to see. She doesn't see any concerns but we are going to peek in on baby girl again in month when she is bigger.

Yay!!!

I'm a crappy mom...and other musing

2009-12-09T11:11:00.003-06:00

So, the day after Thanksgiving Jonas "sprained" his ankle. We weren't really sure. We aren't even sure how he did it. Each day he seemed to get better. Less swelling, more movement, blah, blah, blah. It's just sprained. Well, today we took him to the ER for an X-ray just to be sure since he still wasn't putting any weight on it. The ER doc was sure it wasn't broken, but ordered an X-ray "just in case." Turns out....Broken leg. Nice Tibia fracture. Its the good kind of break, if there is such a thing. It's not displaced. They splinted him in the ER and I already made an appointment with a pedi. ortho Doc. for tomorrow to get him casted. 4-6 weeks in a cast. Merry Christmas!

So, I'm certain this puts me over the top in the race for "crappy mom of the year." Go ahead and say it.

Oy!

2009-11-16T19:49:00.004-06:00

I'm really going to try and be a better blogger! I finally feel like the hazy fog might just be lifting around here. I'm still nauseous, but not as much. It seems to be reserving itself for later in the evenings. However, headaches and dizziness have taken up the day time slot. Oh well, comes with the territory.

We had another ultrasound a little over a week ago. It was part of the Nuchal Translucency test that tests for Down Syndrome. I like this test because a) Its non-invasive b) gives us information that was so incredibly helpful in the past and c) part of the test is an ultrasound. :) That's definitely a plus. Seeing the little peanut is always a smile-fest. Our ultrasound part of the test was great. Baby's nuchal measurement was 1.2 (Normal is between 1 and 2. Jonas' was 2.1 so, his was normal too) And I got the blood test results back as well (the blood test is what was REALLY a big indicator for Jonas) and they are normal too. Great news. Although I must say, another healthy baby with Down Syndrome would have been an amazing blessing and we would have been THRILLED!

I go back to the Dr. in a couple of weeks and then in Mid-December I have a level-2 ultrasound. I'm having that done since we have a child with DS and are choosing NOT to have an amnio. Its simply a more "in-depth" ultrasound. They look at each body part with more scrutiny. Specifically things like the heart and bowel. This is also when we should be able to find out the sex of the baby! An early Christmas present!

The kiddos are doing great. A few weeks ago we started home schooling Madelyn. Its going well. I anticipate it getting better as I start to feel better. But really, she's doing great. I already see a big difference in her attitude and we are having less struggle with Math too. Great progress in a few short weeks. God keeps confirming that this was the right thing to do.

Sam is awesome! He makes me smile. He's learned all kinds of new things he doesn't like to share with us. He has become quite the speller at school. The child flatly refuses to read or spell to me. I have to be a bit crafty/tricky with Sam. It's all in how you present it. I'm finding new ways to "trick" him into reading or spelling for me. Momma's have their ways, you know :) But this is nothing new for Sam. He's not one to flaunt his accomplishments. Little Stinker. Just today he asked me, "Mom, how do you spell pizza?" I said, "I don't know Sam. How DO you spell pizza?" Sam says, "Hmmmm.....P...I..ZZ...A! That spells Pizza!" Big hug and high fives and I did a little dance inside.

Titus, oh Titus. Kindergarten agrees with him. Aside from some trouble keeping his hands to himself and giving the teacher his undivided attention (Have you met my child?!) he's doing great. He is very excited about a big day coming up on Friday. His class is having a wedding ceremony to celebrate the union of "Mr. Q" and "Miss U". Each child gets to play a part in the wedding. One lucky girl gets to be Miss U and some poor little boy has to be Mr. Q and get "married" There's a maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, mother and father of the bride and groom, etc...etc...But Titus wasn't chosen for any of these. My little heart was sad for him. But then Titus tell me, "MOM! You will NOT believe what I GET TO DO!!! My job is the BUBBLE BLOWER!!!!!" How silly of me. I was thinking like a girl. Of COURSE the best job for a little boy at a pretend wedding is to be the bubble blower. He can hardly wait. He doesn't have to lock arms with a "gale" (girl) he gets to be the cool kid blowing bubbles and goofing off. I'm so proud. We can hardly wait till Friday for the big day!

Jonas....is RUNNING!!! Well, not technically, but the kid gets around! We have some balance issues to work out but they don't slow him down. He just falls fast :) He loves to walk outside and he LOVES to use his walker to go "off road" he really does run through the grass if he has that walker. He's very strong too. We have a hard time redirecting him if he sets his mind to going one direction. I usually have to pick him up and move him somewhere else. He won't let me turn him around. He is picking up more and more signs. Asking for what he wants more and more. Of course he is still charming the ladies everywhere he goes. You just can't resist him.

Roger and I are doing well. This past Saturday, we( I use that terms loosely...mostly Roger. I was on the couch for most of the prep work) threw together a yard sale. We sold a few things and visited with the neighbors. It was a great day to be outside. Roger is still enjoying his job. Although, we wish it was a different shift. 2nd shift is really hard on family life. We are praying about it. Right now we are so thankful he has a JOB! Not really the time to be picky but the kids need more time with Dad. God knows that and we are just waiting on Him. I have lots of projects I am anxious to get back to. Many sewing projects have been put on hold while I have been riding the Nausea Express. I need to wrap those up. I'll have pink/blue baby projects to start working on soon!

Worry...why do I let myself worry?

2009-10-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

I come from a long line of worriers. I come by it honestly. It's part of my nature. Its WHO I AM! Right? RIGHT?! Unfortunately God says that's all a bunch of hooey. But what if what I'm worrying about is REALLY important? Like say, how I feel right now? I am almost 11 weeks pregnant. (YAY!!) I also lost 2 babies around this time. (boo!) I'm supposed to be entering the "safe zone." Yet I've found my stomach in knots lately. Wondering "what if"? Now, I KNOW that there is nothing to be gained from worry. Luke 12:25-31 says:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

So why do I worry? Why do I choose to sin in this way? I mean, lets call it what it is.... It's direct disobedience, that makes it sin. But it's a "little" one right? We ALL worry....right? So, it must be okay....I want to share an excerpt from this amazing book I've been reading. Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

"I used to believe that in this world there are two kinds of people: natural worriers and naturally joyful people. I couldn't really help it that I was the worrying kind. I am a problem solver, so I have to focus on things that need fixing. God can see that my intensity and anxiety are ministry related. I worry because I take His work seriously. Right? But then there's that perplexing command: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phil 4:4) You'll notice that it doesn't end with "....unless you are doing something extremely important." It follows with the charge, "Don't be anxious about anything" (v.6) When I'm consumed by my problems, I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have the "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities."

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed."

Yeah....So God's been using Francis to kick my butt 10 ways from Tuesday. I've struggled here. I guess I am a "natural worrier". After all I'm a natural born sinner. But...BUT....I've been saved by Grace and I don't have to look the way I did before. I'm being transformed and I Rejoice in the transformation.

What do I have to worry about? God is still on the throne I'm still His child. What else matters? He holds my life,the life of my baby, my husband and our children in HIS hands. There is no better place to be. I'm trusting in HIM everyday.

Exhaustion, nausea and a photo!

2009-10-20T22:51:00.004-05:00

There's been a whole lot going on around here....whole lot of nothin'! Nothing but feeling yucky. Which is a good thing! Good to feel puky when pregnant. I have to keep reminding myself of that. That's really about it. I've been hanging on the couch and neglecting all things domestic and you know what I've discovered.....I miss it. I really do. The laundry and toilet scrubbing not so much. But I miss the work of taking care of my family. I hate feeling useless and being exhausted and nauseous. But...The end is in sight! I'm 10 weeks now so we are on our way to the end of the 1st Trimester. Laundry and toilets await me :)

Speaking of the little bugger....Had an ultrasound today. If you look closely at this blurry photo, you can see little arms and tiny legs. We got to see our little jumping bean today. It was a good day!

To my Man

2009-09-30T12:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday sweetheart! I love you more than words can say. I'm am THRILLED to be on this ride called life with you. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. Love you always!

Without further ado

2009-09-23T11:37:00.003-05:00

I'm pregnant. Yep. There, I said it. Its early. Yet here I am telling the world I'm preggo...again. We are due around the middle of May. I've gone over the pros and cons list of telling so early and the pros win. Really just 1 pro tipped the scale. This baby deserves to be celebrated. Each and EVERYDAY. Not when I have passed some magical, mystical marker that signifies the all-clear. I've lost enough babies to know there is no such thing. God alone is the author of all life and far be it for me to tell him I can't celebrate this blessing because it's too soon. Hogwash!

So....Surprise! Yay! Yes, we are excited. No, we weren't planning this. But God was. And His plan is the only one that matters. So, I know I probably thought of more clever and witty ways to tell many of you before, but come on.....this is the 9th time I've announced. If you don't like this one.....just recall one of the other 8 announcement and insert it into your mind. It's exciting. And yep, I'm scared. But.....BUT God is still in charge. I'm committing myself to being positive. Me worrying and fretting won't change anything. I have complete faith in my Heavenly Father. He really does have the whole world in His hands. Including me and my baby. It's funny, just last Thursday I had a little crying fit in bible study. I told the girls I really didn't know why I was crying except that I was just so....so...Full! Full to overflowing. God has been moving in my life and showing me how His divine providence is working all around me. I said that I was excited to see what God was going to do and that it kinda scared me cause maybe it meant there was a big change coming. No truer words were ever spoken. The next day I found out I was pregnant.

Jonas is cruising

2009-09-15T22:03:00.009-05:00

Well, Jonas is OFFICIALLY cruising. We've been flirting with it for months, but I'm calling it now. He is actually interested in walking now. YAY!!! So...MAYBE he will be walking by Christmas. Let's pray. Anyway, here he is cruising along and playing with the cabinets. He's such a sweetie!

Jonas and the kitty are big pals. I love his little blue-jeans!

Hi mom! Here he is helping Daddy grill up some burgers...not really helping. Just being cute.
He is Daddy's boy.

Reflections....they aren't all they are cracked up to be

2009-09-09T15:50:00.004-05:00

This thought has been taking up residence in my head for weeks. Time to blog it out. I found this nugget in a magazine that Roger started picking up each month from Church. The magazine is called "Homelife" and I STRONGLY recommend it. Great magazine. Anyway....the quote goes like this:

"Someone once said that all sin flows from the suspicion that God isn't good. If you don't trust God's intent to bring good things to your life, then you begin to think that His commands aren't in your best interest. That's when disobedience for the sake of convenience seems to make sense."

That's really what it boils down to. When I sin, I am basically saying that God's way isn't the right way. That He doesn't REALLY know what I need. He's not REALLY trying to mold me into His image. And He must not REALLY be good. Not really any other way to explain it.

This one hit me square between the eyes and I guess that's why I'm still chewing on it.

Amelia

2009-09-07T15:41:00.002-05:00

We had a visitor this weekend! My dear friend Amelia came to visit from Indiana. We first met Amelia as a Sophomore in High School. She was one of the students in our class at church. I have loved watching God move in her life. It was awesome to visit with her now, so many years after that first meeting, as she is now a woman, on her own, forging her way and finding the path that God has for her. It was a blessing and an encouragement to me and I hope she comes back very soon. Love you Mia! ( oh...I also WON'T mention that Amelia is a fellow PK....we hate drawing attention to that ; )

Even before I knew Amelia was coming to visit I had this quilt design mind for her. When I learned she was coming for Labor Day I had to get to hustlin'! This is a simple stacked coin quilt using Amy Butler scraps and a few solids and Kona Cotton in Grey. I did the quilting myself and I can show you ALL of the many mistakes. However, I am overall happy with the result. I hope Amelia is too.

a new take on Holland

2009-08-31T21:40:00.007-05:00

I discovered a new blog the other day and I love this mom's take on "Welcome to Holland." You can read her post about it here. Anyway, she wrote her own version. I have to say I like hers better. Having a child with a disability doesn't feel like I'm missing out. I feel like I won the lottery!...

Well...here it is.....Jill's answer to "Welcome to Holland"

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

If you've ever planned a trip to the Magic Kingdom, you know by reading about it and hearing other people's stories that you are going to a place like no other. This is a place where imagination and fantasy are a reality at every turn. You are told that once you enter the gate the magic begins, and that feeling of elation and joy remain with you as long as you are there.

You can hear about it and read about it and anticipate it all day long, and you think you're prepared for it because you've done so much work planning your trip. But the moment you walk down Main Street USA for the first time for yourself, you realize you had no idea how incredible this place really was. There are no words to describe it, because there is no other place on earth like it. There is not one detail left undone; not one stone out of place; not one person out of uniform; not one chip in the paint, or piece of gum on the ground. It's more than you had imagined, because the colors and sights and sounds are beyond anything you could have dreamed up yourself.

But you realize there's more for you to do here.

You thought you were here to just enjoy the park, but you realize there is work for you to do, and while you are delighted at each and every turn, you discover....

Liberty Square-and you stand a bit taller and walk a bit more proud knowing this place allows you freedoms and choices you didn't know were available. And if you find that there is a restriction that you don't agree with, you now know there is a place like Liberty Square, where you are allowed to make that freedom a reality for you. Your confidence in this takes you onward to...

Fantasyland-where you get on a little boat and travel the world, only to realize it is a very small world indeed, and that there are hundreds of thousands of people just like you! You spend the next part of your day humming that little tune....as you take the Skyway to

Tomorrowland-where you spend time dreaming of the future and all the possibilities and potentials that you learned about and demanded at Liberty Square.

And while you're there experiencing the most incredible joys of your life, you realize something else about yourself....a mother bear inside. You've been at the park long enough now and it was bound to happen...you felt that tinge of discrimination and injustice. You didn't know that hearing the "r" word was going to offend and hurt so much. You want to start a campaign to end it! And off you go to Frontierland-the place where you can pave the way where no path exists; tearing down trees and prickly bushes all the while loudly proclaiming your defense andallegiance, your pride and adoration. You boldly go where no one has yet gone before you, and you marvel that your efforts can make the world a better place not just for yourself and the ones you love, but for others that are at the park with you, and those that will visit after you.

It's Adventureland at its finest.

Like my friend Tim said when he read the essay....we've come a long way in our thinking, our language, information and knowledge since 1987.

Raising my child with a disability is like discovering freedoms, dreams, adventures, hopes and opportunities that I didn't know even existed. And I can't get on the bandwagon fast enough. I can't buy up enough travel guides and maps and I devour each and every one. I go online and share with my new friends who have also been to the Magic Kingdom. I can't talk about my son enough and if I could get away with it, he would be the topic of every conversation. I am happy. Encouraged. Delighted. Never alone. I have experienced depths of love deeper than what anyone ever told me I would. I never want to leave this place.

I am not supposed to be anywhere else on earth.

I have not experienced a loss of any kind.

Jonas is recovering

2009-08-31T21:07:00.004-05:00

For those of you that don't know, little Jonas had his tonsils and adenoids removed and ear tubes put in last Thursday. The surgery went well, the recovery is always a bit tougher. He is on the mend. He's just really hurtin'. He doesn't want to swallow anything....ice cream, popsicle, kool-aid, applesauce and of course...MEDICINE! We have reverted to tylenol suppositories. It helped some. Although, I did have to hold him down and give him the Motrin. But it paid off. He ate some noodles and yogurt and drank about 6 ounces!!! YAY!! I hate forcing medicine down his throat but the Motrin really does seem to help the pain more. He will forgive me, right?

In other news....Jonas' PT brought by a new pair of shoes and inserts. Now he really has NO excuse for not walking. I don't think he cares.

I'm busy getting ready for a guest this weekend!! Roger and I worked in Student Ministry at our church in Indiana and made some great, lasting relationships there. Well, one of our students is coming to visit! Funny how fast time flies....When we left it was the end of her Junior year. She's almost 22 now. WOW! I'm so excited to hang out with her. She's an awesome young woman and I'm anxious to see what God has in store for her. Love you, Mia!

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T15:22:00.007-05:00

First day of Kindergarten for my T-boy. Oh my. He was so excited!

He found his name at his table!We had to take a picture of him sitting on the "T is for Turtle" spot on the rug. He spotted that right away.Here he is hard at work on his first kindergarten worksheet. (can ya tell I'm having a hard time here?)

He is so ready for Kindergarten. He was also ready for me to leave. Once we had him all settled and he was doing his "work" he told me "You have to go somewhere. When you go to school, mom and dad go somewhere." It was very sweet but it made me cry. He did super. I cried the whole way home.

Where does the time go? Anyway, I can't wait to hear how their day went. Roger and I had a great day. We checked out a new mall and had lunch. Jonas was great (as always). It was very quiet. Not unwelcome....just weird. We will get back in the swing of things. For now I'm just trying to enjoy his first day of kindergarten. You only get one.

Thank you Lord for my precious children. I treasure each and every day we get to spend together. Help me to know You more. Help me to point them to You.

It was just last week...

2009-08-17T20:18:00.003-05:00

It was just last week when Roger and I were talking with the kids about school starting back up again soon and how that changes things. The biggest change from summer....NO TV on school nights!!! Well, turns out that will much less of a struggle now. One little boy, who shall remain nameless (His initials are TITUS CHURCHILL) got a bit upset by having to stop playing a video game and threw the controller and it smacked the TV and shattered it. Yep. Nice. Dinner AND a show.....There was no mess, but the LCD screen is toast. We looked into repair and its cheaper to buy a new one. Oh well, maybe Christmas? Maybe not. So, I'm not thrilled, but there are worse things. The world WILL NOT end if we don't have a TV in our living room. Sort of simplifies things. Brings things back into focus.

Before, during and after his consequences for his outburst, Titus told us over and over how sorry he was. I'm sure he's at least sorry the TV is broken. He is a feisty one. You never have to wonder where things stand with Titus : )

Sam was so very funny. All day long he's been telling me, "Bats okay mamma...you can fix it wader." (Translation: That's okay mamma...you can fix it later) "Oh...maybe next time." "Keep trying, Keep trying, don't give up, don't give up." "Titus is a bad guy." "Daddy will fix it."

Not sure he's getting the idea just yet.

Home at Last!

2009-08-04T11:43:00.003-05:00

We are so thrilled to be back home. We had a wonderful visit with family and friends. We miss them all very much. I only wish it wasn't so gosh darn far away. It was a LONG trip. Both directions...hauling a trailer....at 60 mph. 26 hours each way. So glad to be home.

The kids loved being with Nana and Papaw in and had a blast with Aunt Rachel, Trevor, Andy and Moo. Of course, I did too. I even got to hang with Bec-KAY at Rachels : ) Rachel posted some great pictures on her blog. Since my camera battery was acting up we had to rely on her and we got some amazing shots.

Before our trip I was able to attend a quilting/scrapbooking retreat. Oh my!! It was GLORIOUS!!! Naturally I forgot my camera. This place was amazing! The innkeeper knows what she is doing. Can't wait to go back. I was able to start and complete 2 quilt tops!!!! That was some productive time away. Pictures of the quilts to follow...I have to take them first!

We're excited to be home and readjusting to a new routine. Pretty soon school will start and we will be adjusting again. It's good to be home!

I'm alive and in South Dakota

2009-07-21T16:02:00.001-05:00

Sorry for my extended absence. It's been crazy and fun and more crazy. We are here in SD visiting for about a week then making the 2 week...errrr...2 day drive home. We arrived yesterday and are enjoying family and friends. Photos to follow!

Quilting instead of Cleaning

2009-06-27T11:59:00.004-05:00

This is what I was working on instead of cleaning this morning ; ) It was so close to being finished I couldn't leave it. I'm not expecting to have a lot of time to quilt this week. With Grandma and Grandpa here I expect we will be playing with the kids, eating, playing cards and trying to stay cool.

Well, here it is. I've had this Amy Butler fabric for a LONG time. I stared at it for months. I had other projects going on and was just biding my time until I could fashion it into a king sized monster for our bed. I am very pleased. Its FAR from flawless. But since that's not the goal, I'm okay with that. It's a disappearing nine patch with some white sashing I just had to add. I have fabric put back for pillow cases too. So, now I need to find a long arm quilter here that won't charge me an arm and a leg and get it quilted then bound and put on the bed to stay!! (until I dream up something else ; )

Corn and Jonas

2009-06-27T11:45:00.004-05:00

Right now, I'm supposed to be finishing up my cleaning since my Grandparents are coming today or tomorrow!!! Instead I'm blogging. Enjoy.

This is Mr. Jonas enjoying some corn last night.

First you wave it all around.

Corn is a little known hair conditioner. It adds lots of body and shine. Try it ; )

Oh Yum!!! It's so good!

Now, THAT'S the way you're supposed to eat corn ; )

Little Stinkery Stink-pot!

Since we're talking about Titus

2009-06-18T08:35:00.002-05:00

This kid says some funny stuff. Usually while in a tantrum. At least that is where the latest gems came from.

The other night we are eating dinner and Titus is refusing. Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth ensues. It's never a quiet refusal. Its an all out meltdown. The meal he was refusing to eat was meatloaf. Not his favorite dish, but we can't eat peanut butter and jelly for every meal. So as we are trying to convince him that eating his dinner is better than the consequences, he declares, in a whiny voice that makes my skin crawl, "I don't wanna eat this. It tastes like boogers.....And I don't LIKE boogers." Good to know....

Fast forward about 2 days and we have nearly the same scenario. This time we are at Sam's club eating pizza waiting for a new battery to be installed in Roger's car. (whole other story) Whining, carrying on, wailing, gnashing of teeth...you get the idea. When confronted with the idea that there will be no more Sprite until he ate his pizza, he crosses his arms and pouts in the same whiny voice, "That's it! I'm QUITTING TEXAS!" Then I immediately broke into such fits of laughter that Sprite came out of my nose and every Sam's patron turned to stare at my outburst....Good Times. Thank you, Titus.

Birthday Quilt

2009-06-17T15:21:00.004-05:00

I've been working on this one the last month or so. I quilted it myself. Not sure I'll do that again.

Yes...this is my son in a t-shirt and underoos proudly displaying his new quilt...oh and snoopy. Lets not forget snoopy.

Its a dinosaur and bugs pattern fabric. I knew it was for him the moment I saw it.
All wrapped up in mommy's love!
The quilt back.
The front. I added a couple of borders to the original pattern. It's roughly 65x80
I'm so thrilled to have it done. Of course I have more quilts in progress ; )

Titus is 5

2009-06-17T15:18:00.002-05:00

Today is my T-boy's birthday. We'll be enjoying some yummy chocolate cake after dinner.. Yay!!!

Prayers Answered!!!

2009-06-11T15:41:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us! God is faithful and Roger is a job hunting fool. He starts his new job on Monday! This job has benefits and lots of overtime. That's a double edge sword. The extra money is great. The time away from home isn't so swell. Its second shift. That's going to require some family adjustment. No problem during the summer. By the time school gets here we'll just adjust again. Right now we are just so ELATED that he has a job.

So, we are trying to relax and enjoy some time together. We've been to the pool a few times and Tuesday night we even went to an Astros game. They have a special deal on Tuesdays. If you bring 2 powerade labels (32 oz) they will give you 2 tickets for $2!!! Kids tickets are $1. So the five of us (Jonas hung out with some friends.....Thanks Misty!) went to the ball game for $5!! We had a very nice time. I have some pictures I'll post.

Thanks again for your prayers! We still need some prayers for Jonas. I am waiting for the referral. Our ped. faxed the referral to the Gastro Dr. so now we are waiting for them to call and schedule the appointment. I'll update when I know more.

More of those please

2009-06-02T14:43:00.004-05:00

Those prayers....we need some more. First, let me say that I don't have an update on Jonas yet. We repeated the blood work and we will go tomorrow to get those results. We need prayer for Roger. He lost his job last week. Yeah...the job we moved here for. So, we're upset and we're concerned.

What's important for me to remember here is that none of this is a surprise to God. He's still in control and He knew this would happen long before we ever thought about moving to TX. As I try not to freak out, I need to remember that the God of today is also the God of the future. If I look 6 months down the road, He is already there! He knows how He is going to work it all out. We've been in this position before. He has always been faithful even though my faith sometimes waivers. When I see the storm clouds coming my first thought is how much I hate to be cold and wet and caught in the rain and oh how I hate MUD. I don't think of the rain being a blessing. Rain to bring water to the grass and flowers. Purging, cleansing and making things new again. Such a necessary thing. Nope...I'm concerned about me. How it inconveniences me and my plans. Never thinking that its all part of God's plan. After all, without rain, there can be no rainbows.

I know it will all work out in the end. Roger is doing okay. He's been on a couple of interviews and is chasing down a few leads. Nothing yet. Lots of "wow! If I had any work, I'd hire you." Although we appreciate how impressed they are with his resume, that doesn't put the food on the table. So, we wait. We dig into the Word and stand on God's promises. He IS faithful.

Thank you for your prayers! Oh and as a side-note....how THRILLED am I that have some meals in the freezer!!! Thank you Lord!

Prayers Requested

2009-05-29T12:26:00.002-05:00

First, the cooking day was a blast. So much fun, in fact, I did it again a couple of days later with some other friends. Lots of food in our freezer. Which is a really, really good thing for so many reasons.

Secondly, Jonas had some blood work done recently and everything looked great except for his liver enzymes. They were extraordinarily high. We are repeating the blood work today and then will see our pediatrician again next week. At that time he will likely refer us to a specialist if the numbers are still high. Just keep little Jonas in your prayers please.

Let the cooking begin!

2009-05-20T08:07:00.002-05:00

Today is the BIG cooking day! Sterling will be here any moment and the food will start to flyin'....pray for us ; ) Stop by if you want. We're here all day.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jonas!

2009-05-18T15:19:00.002-05:00

Look at me! It's my birthday! I'll shake this diaper while I stand all by myself! I really am big!Here is the crew just before cake. I have no idea what Sam is doing....
This cake is really yummy.

He got the little people farm for his birthday, along with some clothes. Here we are trying to convince Titus that it is really Jonas' toy.
All in all, a very good day. I still can't believe he is 2!

Hero!

2009-05-14T09:00:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting at the kitchen table yesterday afternoon and I think I hear Sam's bus. So, I hurriedly run for the door. As I do, Titus follows behind me asking, "Who is it Mom? Who's here? Is it a HERO?!" How cute is that? I think the fact that he was watching an X-men cartoon may have formed his frame of reference at the time. However, what little boy isn't waiting for a superhero to show up at their house? (other than Daddy, of course : )

Countdown to 2!

2009-05-13T15:27:00.005-05:00

I can't believe Jonas will be 2 in just a few days. He's still a BABY to me. I guess he always will be.

This is the page I did for Jonas' baby dedication. The church we were attending had each child's parents write a blessing for their child. I think ours was the longest ever. Who cares. We are SO blessed it took a little extra time. The blessing is written out below the page. I am so proud to be his Mama!

Jonas,

We are so blessed to have you join our family. When you came into our life you brought a little extra. You brought extra love and extra joy. You also brought along an extra chromosome. Most of the world calls this Down Syndrome. We simply call you perfect. God doesn’t make mistakes. You are exactly as our creator intended. Beautiful. Whole. Ours. We are grateful, humbled and BLESSED that our Father God has entrusted us to be your family.

… Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

What an incredible God we serve. The creator of the universe has great plans for you. You steps have been ordained before the foundations of time. And to think that God searched thru all eternity and chose us to be your parents. We commit to raising you in a home where God comes first. We pray you find yourself surrounded by God’s love and that one day you choose Him as your Lord and Savior. We are just beginning to see the ways God will use you little one. You bring love and joy wherever you go. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are excited to meet it. The blessings that lie ahead will be testimony of God’s goodness. The challenges that lie ahead will draw us closer to God’s faithfulness. We love you, Jonas!

Mom and Dad

***Jonas is not walking YET....it will probably happen this summer. He's getting braver by the minute! Just because he's not walking doesn't mean he's not mobile. Oh MY!!! At least 2 therapists a week comment on how active/busy/mobile he is. Tell me something I don't know.

My little J

2009-05-05T21:20:00.003-05:00

My little baby will be 2 in just a matter of a few days! He's still my baby. I'd love to say that I'll add more to my "Journey to Down Syndrome" posts....but I can't make any promises.

This pages was MONTHS in the making. I love how it turned out. (The journaling is below the photo)

This photo....I hated it. After Jonas was born I didn’t want to look at it. Couldn’t look at it. I quickly scrolled past it in search of a “better” picture. Why? This photo boldly declares that Jonas has Down Syndrome. I kept taking pictures later hoping to capture that “look” the one that doesn’t look like he has DS. Why was I so turned off by this picture? No image I could capture would change the fact that Jonas does have Down Syndrome. I think this is just how I was “dealing” I didn’t have many of the reactions that parents describe when their child is born and they discover that they have DS. I didn’t feel an extreme sense of loss. I wasn’t mad at God. I was mostly positive. I was more upset that he was in the NICU and I was missing out on valuable time with my son. I wanted to get to know him and be able to say “Oh Jonas is wonderful, he has the most beautiful ____” “ He gets upset when I ___” The only thing I had to share with my family is that Jonas has DS. That’s not WHO he is. He HAS DS....It’s not all there is to him. This photo didn’t show what I wanted...all I could see was the DS. I knew there was more, I just couldn’t see it yet. Oddly enough, this photo that I disliked so much is the one that helped to show me, to lead me to a world I didn’t know existed here on earth.

Gradually, my aversion to this photo faded. I’m so glad it did. I think it faded in direct relation to my getting to know my son. He is BEAUTIFUL. I love him so much it HURTS. Physically hurts sometimes. Here he is...my newborn, all puffy and wrinkly and perfect. His hair is already crazy. His cheeks are chubby and yet he is still so tiny. 7lbs and 4 oz of pure sweetness. He’s pink! He’s healthy! Praise GOD! What a BLESSING!!! That’s what he is. I know there are many reasons God led Jonas to us. Everyday I learn one more. This is now one of my very favorite photos.

Cooking once a month?

2009-05-04T12:54:00.003-05:00

Some great new friends have introduced me to the idea of cooking once a month. Huh? That's what I said. I haven't tried it yet. But the first chance I get, I'm planning a big cooking day. Cooking this big requires a partner. Partner anyone?.....Anyone?..... Here is the website for Once a month cooking that I was directed to by Miss Misty. The recipes look yummy and I love the idea of not having to stare into the vastness of the freezer and determine "what's for dinner?" I can open my freezer and look at my choices all labeled and ready to be defrosted and warmed and VIOLA!! Dinner is served.

I'm serious about the partner thing. Lets get cookin'!

Quick update...

2009-04-30T15:29:00.004-05:00

***Titus has made so much progress that he no longer qualifies for speech therapy (Yay) So, he doesn't qualify for preschool thru Katy ISD. (Boo)

***On Friday afternoon, I tried to slice my finger off. (Boo) It is healing nicely and it really could have been much worse (Yay)

***We are having our family picture taken tonight at church for the new pictoral directory (Yay?) We'll see how that goes.

I'm off to fix dinner and bathe and dress the children as they come off the school bus.

P.S. The cloth diapering is going well. More on that to come.

Told you it was a quick update ; )

Weekend..

2009-04-24T08:51:00.006-05:00

I have a meeting about Titus today. I'm pretty sure they are going to tell me he doesn't qualify for preschool any more. That's okay. It reinforces to me that he is ready for Kindergarten. Either way, we're sending him ; ) Sink or swim time!

I also want to find this sewing store I've heard about and get a walking foot for my machine. Hopefully that will mean I can do some of my own top-quilting.

Oh and a great new friend invited me to lunch today!! I'm so excited! We have met an awesome group of Christians at our ABF at church. They have been so welcoming. And the mommies there...oh the mommies...Thank you ladies for taking me in! For including me! It stinks to be new but you have been such a blessing to me. Thank you for being Christ with skin on....Oh and thanks for pulling me over to the CD (cloth Diapering) side (you know who you are....). (Post about that to come)

Speaking of our awesome ABF, we have a scavenger hunt tonight. Roger and I are very excited! Not much else planned for the weekend. We're going to lay low and work in the yard some. I have some quilts to work on, a garage to clean out...good times.

Some not so recent pages

2009-04-24T08:23:00.004-05:00

I just remembered why I haven't posted scrapbook pages in a long time: a) I haven't scrapbooked much in a long time. b) The pages take FOREVER to load. Maybe I'll spread a few out of the the next week or so.....

Beach Baby, Beach Baby there on the sand!

2009-04-20T12:09:00.005-05:00

We spent our Good Friday at the beach. Wow! It was really nice. As we were there we realized that this was the first time we had really taken our kids to the beach. We went a couple of times in Virginia Beach but that was in November and in February. Not really splashing in the waves kind of weather. It was so much fun. Jonas had a great time. He was a little anxious at first.
Wow....this might be fun!
Oh...I think I like it.Holy Cow! This is awesome!He spent the rest of the afternoon like this. Crawling into the waves, crawling out of the waves. Splashing himself in the face. Jonas loves the beach. He's ready to go back today. Who wants to be the first to come and visit? The beach is calling you!!!!

23

2009-04-17T14:01:00.004-05:00

Jonas is 23 months old today! The last month I can refer to him in months....I mean, I guess I could also tell you that today Titus is 58 months old, but I digress...Jonas is getting so big. He's not walking but we are "working" on standing. He's doing okay. Debbie you would be so proud. And just today I got him to suck from a straw for the first time. (our OT left us some cool stuff to try) AND I actually recognized that he is saying "bye-bye" or, his version anyway... He says "guh-guh" Same thing. I think he's been doing that for a while. Mom's a little slow on the uptake. Anyway, time to start planning the next round of Birthday parties. Jonas next month and Titus in June. We did go to the beach last week and it was great. I'll have pictures soon.

Of course it always looks this way!

2009-04-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

I got a few more boxes of kitchen decorations unpacked the other day and I scoured on the kitchen. I told Roger we were eating out that night because I wanted it to stay this way for a little longer ; ) I really like my new kitchen I have more cabinet and counter space. I still have a few things left to unpack for the kitchen, but its coming along.Notice the 14 on the Fridge....That's Tony Stewarts new number. Had to take a picture of that! Oh, and notice the INCREDIBLY tall ceiling!
I have more plates and roosters....I afraid they are in storage in SD. Oy....

Quilts that stay here!!!!

2009-04-16T08:55:00.004-05:00

During the month of February I was preparing to move to Texas. I also had this INSANE notion that I could "finish up" two quilts that I had planned. One of them was started...and the other...well....the fabric had been cut. It was a start. I wanted to be able to have my favorite top-quilter quilt them for me before I moved to Texas and I wanted to be able to put them on our bed there. The big quilt was my anniversary gift to Roger for our 10th. I told him on our anniversary (January 1st) what my gift was and that I would complete it as fast as I could. So, while he was in Texas working, I got to sewing. And I sewed in secret. I thought since I already told him what he was getting, maybe he would be a little surprised if he came home and found that it was done. He was surprised and he loved it. Needless to say I was sewing when I wasn't packing. Behold!! Quilts that stay at my house!!

First we have this adorable cowboy quilt. It was really fun to make.
Its actually pretty good sized too. One of the boys...maybe Sam will end up with this quilt. No one is particularly "into" cowboys right now. We'll see. For now it sits folded up at the end of my bed.
This is a simple KING-SIZED monster. I made a very similar quilt for Roger's brother for Christmas and Roger just loved it. So, I thought making another would make a great 10th anniversary gift. Its extra long and extra wide. It was so simple to make and yet took an eternity...or 6 solid nights of sewing...one of those.
Ta-Da!!!
I am sooo incredibly thankful that my top-quilter squeezed my quilts in before I left. She's the best. Thanks Mary!!!

My introduction to MOPs

2009-04-07T10:52:00.004-05:00

Strange as it may sound, I had never been to MOPs. 4 children and never made it before. I've wanted to go....it just never worked out. I've been at home full-time for almost 6 years and I finally made it! Look what I made!!

I was very lucky to get it home in one piece. I managed to hold Titus off until I could get home and take a picture. Rest assured the candy has all been consumed now. Nothing left but the picture. Anyway....I thought it was cute.

Backyard Fun

2009-04-07T10:40:00.004-05:00

We had our first backyard picnic this weekend. We tossed bean bags and then roasted marshmallows. Wish I had a better picture of the back yard....We (I use that term loosely) cleaned it up very nicely. It still needs a little work but Roger cleaned out so much JUNK!!! I'll have to take some good pictures. We have a PALM TREE!!! And a Magnolia tree. Roger and I think that's especially cool. We had Magnolia tree outside our bedroom window in our apartment after we got married ;)

Jonas thought it was really cool to have his pack and play outside. He stood up and directed all the action.
Now he is apparently ready to eat. He's signing "eat." Feed me now. He enjoyed his hot dog and beans but he was thrilled with the s'mores!!
Hopefully the first of many backyard picnics. We're hoping to get a swing set soon. It will take up a lot of the yard but I think it will be worth it.

Mountain Baby Blankets

2009-03-27T08:34:00.003-05:00

Rachel has started an awesome ministry opportunity. After seeing a program on 20/20 about the poverty of the children of the Appalachian Mountains she was moved to start a quilt drive. And boy has she!!!! She saw a way that she could help. Actually DO something. After hearing of so many babies and children with so little, no blankets to keep warm, Rachel looked at her fabric stash and thought, "I can help." So, off she went. She has made several quilts already. But what she has done to have a broader impact is to mobilize the blogging quilt world. She contacted a few quilter/bloggers and explained her heart and desire to help and they jumped on board and started sharing the message. I don't know what the latest count is but close to 200 blankets have been sent or promised to a local Christian ministry in Kentucky for distribution to those in need....some of the very children in the 20/20 special have already rec'd their quilts!

You can still help! Check out her blog here.

Rodeo Pictures delivered

2009-03-24T08:48:00.005-05:00

Josh Turner!
The boys DID eventually take their hands down and enjoy the show. They were afraid it would be too loud. And if we hadn't been sitting in the nosebleed section, it might have been ; )

The transition from Rodeo to Concert
Some of the great Rodeo events we saw:

Lots of Longhorns
And Don't forget the turkey leg. (See Jonas enjoying his Turkey leg)
The turkey leg was the highlight. ( Jonas wants more turkey leg)

Spring Break in TX

2009-03-19T10:08:00.002-05:00

The kids are enjoying their VERY FIRST spring break. I don't mean just in Texas. This is the first spring break they have EVER had. South Dakota doesn't believe in spring break. For very good reason. Spring doesn't come until school is over ; )

Its been fun. We went to the Rodeo! Our first rodeo. It was lots of fun. We knew the trip was complete when one of the kids threw up. Good times. The only thing that would have made it even better is if Jonas had pooped himself sideways. He was on a pooping strike that day so we were content to play in the rain. The Houston livestock show and rodeo also includes a concert with a different country artist each night. The night we went it was Josh Turner! (Long Black Train, Me and God, Would you Go with Me, She's a Firecracker...you know who I mean) It was awesome. I do have lots of pictures but one of the things I did for Spring Break was scrapbook. I was digital scrapping at the local Archiver's and I have not yet set the external hard drive back up. As soon as I do, I'll have pictures.

I also have pictures of the Children's museum that we visited yesterday. It had just re-opened on Saturday and since this is Spring Break for all of Texas, it was a bit crowded. We didn't get to see everything, but it was fun. I got some cute pictures, I think....my camera battery died about an hour before we left and I haven't been able to view them yet.

I think we are going to Chuck E Cheese later today and then a walk to the park. So as you can tell, we've been busy. I'm still trying to wade through all the inspections and fees to get our vehicles transferred over to TX. Maybe I'll be done by next week. I still have a list of things to do to get us settled, but the list is getting shorter!!! YAY!!!

Fun little side not for you: Jonas has officially ended the pooping strike. Yesterday he defiled the play pen in a way that I don't think it will recover from. Amen.

Howdy!!

2009-03-05T14:20:00.003-06:00

We made it! What an adventure it was. It took longer than we thought and cost more than we expected, but I think that is true of any move. Here are a couple of highlights: When we went to pick up the Penske truck the fun began. As Roger is starting the big ole beast and starting to head for the house to start loading up, I get in the van that we drove to the truck office. The van WON'T START. Seriously?? Long story short, it was the starter and a blessed soul named Jim spent the entire day on Friday trying to help us get it going. The starter is now replaced but it appears we have another issue. Around 5pm on Friday we decided that we wouldn't be able to safely drive our van to TX and we set about making arrangements to pull the van behind the moving truck. Around this same time we are all struck with the realization that we are out of truck and not yet out of stuff to be loaded onto said truck....So, I started to call around to find a storage unit. Storage people don't work past 5....The Lord worked it all out. We were able to leave about 9 hours later than we had planned on Saturday and I did find a storage unit. My parents spent their weekend hauling some of our stuff over there so we could get on the road.

We spent the night just outside of Kansas City on Saturday and Drove and drove and drove on Sunday. We made it into TX but not quite to our destination. Monday we were trying to hurry to the house. We had to detour by the airport and pick up our other car from long-term parking. We didn't make it to the house in time to catch the gas man but that was okay too. We didn't really need heat overnight anyway. But we are here, and here safely. Still lots to do, but it will get done. One thing at a time. Next thing on the list....get the Van fixed.

We are trying to get settled. The kids are in school. Today is their 2nd day and so far things are going well. Yesterday's report was very good. Madelyn took a picture she had drawn for her new teacher. She was very excited to show the new teacher her artictic abilities. Sam did great! That is an answer to prayer. He walked into his new classroom and said, "Hi! My name is Sam Churchill. Bye Mom." Brought tears to my eyes. What a relief! After school he told me that he had chicken for lunch and that he had gym class that day. He made new friends (he even told me the names of 2 friends) and he wanted to go to the library today. I cannot tell you how AMAZING it is to have a CONVERSATION with my son.

I'm trying to unpack and do some admin stuff. Get the internet working, set up trash removal, keep the baby out of the toilets...you know the important stuff ; ) Toni being here has made a HUGE difference. I'm so thankful she is here.

I was invited to a girls night out tomorrow night!!! The ladies from the Adult Bible Fellowship Roger has been going to are having a scrapping/craft night. Some of the guys from that class helped us unload (what a blessing) and Roger was singing the praises of Digital scrapbooking to them. The guys requested that I show their wives : ) What the guys don't realize.....you can hide LOTS of digital kits all in one little hard-drive ; )

My husband is coming home!!!

2009-02-24T14:52:00.008-06:00

After a month apart, Roger will be flying home tomorrow. He's been in TX working at the new job and is flying home for the big pack up and move. The kids are ready to see him. I'm ready to see him. He's coming home just in time for the heavy lifting!

The big day is almost here

2009-02-23T09:03:00.005-06:00

We are planning to pull out of SD on Saturday. Lots to be done between now and then. I promised pictures so here we go.

Now you have seen nearly as much of the house as I have ; )

We will be losing our home internet connection in the next few days so my next post will probably be from TX.

I'm moving

2009-02-12T14:01:00.001-06:00

I'm moving to Texas in 2 weeks. More details to follow when I can pull my head out of the boxes. Consider yourself updated. House pictures to follow.