New Chapter

"Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn."



Here it comes. I'm sitting down to write now with Ayden dreaming in the slanted late fall evening, and I'm just going to let it flow. I'm not sure exactly what will come out or what I'll type, but I do know this, it will be real. Real life. It's easy in this culture to share, and to over share. And though I don't always like to "air my laundry" per se, I like to be real. I love to meet people who inspire me and hope to inspire others as we all live this life together, and share. Share our ups and downs, share joys and fears. And this space here? While I share stories we've tried and loved and sayings that Ayden proclaims, it's also a place for me to sort thoughts and emotions, to fold them and knead them until something beautiful happens. Until everything mixes together and after some time and some heat, what's pulled out in the end is a delicate balance of hard edges that are made better by a soft and tender center.

So I'm about to share, and mix in thoughts and feelings, and in the end we may have a mess or we may have the perfect loaf to share together. Let's see.
(End of a very long disclaimer.)

It was the perfect setting for the announcement, just before April Fool’s Day the one test I took gleamed with pink lines. Two of them. I cried and I smiled. I felt my stomach and said hello to the little gift of life that I had the privilege to carry. I'd been extremely tired, and now I was so happy to be tired. Car rides made me queasy, and now I welcomed the queasiness.  Well, some of it!

I marvel at the beauty of women's bodies, at the way just a seed can bloom into life and grow. How our bodies become nutrient centers and give life to something, to someone, that otherwise couldn't sustain it.

Plans were already being laid. December 2nd, 2012 already had a countdown running with apps on our phones and a check mark on the calendar, and the thought of a winter baby had the corners of my mouth turned up.

We prayed and we rested and we know that this isn't the end, not even close, but rather the beginning of the rest of our story, of our family's story. We're so blessed!



I'm strengthened in knowing that with all of the disappointments in life there are many opportunities for joy and excitement, for fresh starts and new chapters. And though some days may begin with the corners of my mouth turned down, I know it doesn't have to stay that way. All it takes sometimes is a little smile, a small step, the beginnings of a grin... and it grows.

But those are the days where the seed of a contagious, and somewhat sarcastic, smirk turns into something more, and as the corners of my mouth turn up, so does my day.

We are doing beautifully, we are living in sweet peace and our smiles have been jumpstarted by the outpouring of generous texts, calls, gifts, emails and hugs from friends and family.



I feel loved, I feel blessed and deep down I know, this really is in fact the beginning. The beginning of the rest of our story... a new chapter. And I will start it with turning the corners of my mouth up.

Pumpkin Patch

I wasn't much help on the lugging around of the pumpkins this year. 

 

It seems as if I have one attached to me 24/7 these days.  Ha! 

 

That didn't stop Mr. Strongman though.....with a little help from Mimi.

 

Did you see that look of determination above?

 

If not, there is a recap below.......

 

Pumpkin picking is serious stuff..............

 

Sneak Peek into the Maternity Photo Session

 

Pregnancy is one amazing process....

However, we can't wait to have Raegan in our arms

50 days to go until our due date, but they will most likely schedule before then.

Not much longer for us to meet this sweet baby girl!!

 

Boytime.....

This is the stuff our boys like to do.....

Never-ending fun is always lurking around the corner!!

31 Plus

This is Raegan at 31+ weeks....

All 3 pounds 7 ounces of her....

They have now informed us that she has lots of hair.  I didn't even know you could see hair in an ultrasound, but sure enough you could see it standing off her head.

With a heartrate of 142 she is holding strong and growing comfortably!

Per babycenter:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

God is Bigger.....

 

It's been a Saturday of recovering from long weekends and school weeks.

And you know what? It was really good. I almost feel guilty saying that... After talking with friends this week that have lost a loved one and have been facing so much through it all. After visiting with another friend who has spent the week in and out of docs for her beautiful baby girl; and in the midst of it all, while my heart hurts for her, we just love, and stand with them, and pray and trust that God really is bigger.

So instead of waving hello to guilt and settling into it's big and plush cushions, I'm waving goodbye, knowing that each and every moment, even the ones filled with snotty tissues, are ones to cherish, really cherish. I consider myself one who embraces even the smallest of moments, and then something comes along to remind me of how precious life is and I have to reevaluate. Sometimes the most beautiful things can come out of the dark. And sometimes, those dark moments make the good ones, the sweet ones we have with our family, look so much sweeter.

"There are two ways to live your life, one is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~Albert Einstein

I choose the latter.

So please, if you haven't yet today, tell someone you love them, sing a song no matter how off-key it may be, squeeze a little tighter with your next hug. Live like everything is a miracle.

Fall Fun.....

I love the change of seasons.

I love how God designed the seasons so that just as you are getting weary of one, the next one is peaking its head around the corner. He really knows our limits.

 

As the leaves turn bright shades of orange, red and yellow; as the air turns crisp; and as I look forward to the various events of autumn, I smile to think of the hope and joy that each new day can bring. There is such anticipation and delight in the loveliness and uniqueness of fall.

 

And it is with this same hope, delight and appreciation that I start this new season of my life. I’m turning the page to a new chapter. I am living each day with an appreciation for the blessings of this world. Cherishing each moment of this season as if it were a moment that I will never experience again ... because, well, I won't. I am living.

 

 

 

Lord, thank you today for:

• The brilliant colors of the leaves - you are so creative!!
• Crisp, sunny days that require sunglasses but are also cool enough to make your nose a little runny
• Little walks with little ones
• New ways of examining nature and appreciating your art

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 1:3