Only Your Blood is Enough...

No 
bleeding
 bird, 
no 
bleeding 
beast
 
No
 hyssop 
branch, 
no 
priest
 
No 
running 
brook, 
no 
flood, 
no 
sea

Can 
wash 
away 
this 
stain 
from
 me.

For only your blood is enough to cover my sin.
For only your blood is enough to cover me.



I know I have talked about the band Sojourn several times and their wonderful album entitled "Over The Grave," so forgive me for doing so again.  However, I can't get these powerful and thought-provoking words out of my head today.  Which is fine with me!  I pray they strike your heart like they have mine.

Reading through the Old Testament laws about sacrifices and offerings helps this ring ever more true.  Praise God that we are free to come to Him without a priest, a bird, a lamb to sacrifice.


The Law demands a perfect heart but I'm defiled in every part.
For only your blood is enough to cover my sin.
For only your blood is enough to cover me.

Thank you, Father, that my future isn't dependent on what I contribute.  I'd be hopeless.

OOOOOOHHHHH....We're Half-Way There

WHOA-OH! Livin' on a prayer.

Take me hand and we'll make it, I swear.  WHOA-OH!  Livin' on a prayer.



[. . .]


Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.  Please forgive the musical outburst.
It's just that I'm finding it so hard to believe that we are HALF-WAY to Baby #3!

Today, I am 20 weeks pregnant.  Full term is 40 weeks, so we should hopefully be holding our baby girl in a little less than 20 more weeks.  I haven't updated on how things have been going with the pregnancy, so I thought I'd do a quick little survey that many preggo mommas do on their blogs:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

 Size of baby: Baby Girl is the size of a mango (6.5 inches, 10 oz.)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: right on track with other two pregnancies, I think.

Maternity Clothes: I wear a mixture of maternity clothes and regular clothes.  Most pants that I wear out of the house are maternity.  But at home, I wear LOTS of sweat pants, pajama pants, and workout pants.  When it comes to shirts and sweaters, it just depends on the shirt.

Gender: It's a girl!!! However, we are having the hardest time finalizing a name.  I think Jonathan knows what he wants, but I am having commitment issues this time.  I do like the name he likes, but it's just so hard.  I'll announce it once we both finally determine it.

Movement: Every day I feel the baby more and more.  Her kicks are definitely getting stronger, and I have thought that I feel her stronger at this point in the pregnancy than I felt my other two at this point.  But, that is probably not the case, just that I don't accurately remember.  Jonathan felt her move for the first time last night.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well! Most days I take at last a 20 minute power nap when Nora and Liam go down, and I sleep really well at night. Praise the Lord!

What I miss: Ha! I would love an ice cold beer! I really like Blue Moon beer (it's the only one I really like, and of course, because I cannot have it, that is what I want).  Also, I love Caesar Salad and for safety's sake, I usually pass on that.  I also miss being able to lie flat on my back.  It's most comfortable for me these days, but not safe for little one.

Cravings: My hunger has subsided some, but I definitely have a sweet tooth this time.  I have been eating lots of oranges/nectarines and I call myself the Fruit Snack Phantom.  I can't stop eating Nora's fruit snacks.  Sweet, chewy things like skittles, sour patch kids, gummy worms, etc.  Yum!

Symptoms: I am loving the second trimester.  Although I definitely get tired most days, I can tell a major difference in my energy level compared to the first trimester.  Another symptom would be my ever-growing belly!  I'm definitely looking pregnant and feeling it too!

Best Moment this week: I love feeling the baby move.  It just never gets old to me!  I love how excited Nora is about the baby and how she talks about all the things the baby will do when she comes out and gets bigger.  Today, she brought me her ballet leotard that she recently grew out of and told me that it was for the baby since it didn't fit her anymore. 

So, that is a summary of what's going on with our newest addition!  I need to get Jonathan to snap a few pics because I believe I have absolutely NO maternity pictures so far.  Bad, bad momma!  I go to the doctor in a little over a week for the major ultrasound where they check the heart, brain, spine, etc. so that will be a big one!  Can't wait to meet this precious gift!

Hmmmm.....This Could Be A Problem

So this afternoon we were cleaning up toys before naptime.  The kids and I were singing a song, which is not unusual.  The song we were singing this time was by Paul Baloche and is a great worship song that we sing regularly at our church.  It's called "To The Cross."

The words for the chorus go:

You stretched your arms out wide.
I lift my hands up hi---iiigh
To my Savior.

Liam has really taken to this song, for some reason.  He likes the "high" part.  So I am trying to teach them to spread their arms out wide like Jesus did.  Then we are learning to reach our hands high like we are praising Him.

Anyway, the problem came about when Nora belted out in song all by herself.  Granted, it was beautiful, but we may need to work on the words and message she is getting:

I stretch my arms out wide.
I lift my hands up hi---ighhh
To my Stranger.

Stranger.  Savior.  NOT EXACTLY THE SAME THING!  HAHA!

Anyway, it gave me a good laugh.  Thought I'd share!

Right Now

Right now, I am really wishing it was nap time.  Not that my kids are misbehaving.  They aren't.  They are actually being really good today and are a joy to be around.  It's just that I'm tired.

Right now, the rain isn't helping.  It's overcast and lightly raining.  Perfect nap weather. Period.

Right now, to distract the children who don't seem to care that nap time is still 1.5 hours away, I blew up some balloons and they are so happily entertaining themselves and laughing hysterically.  In fact, Liam is trying to roll himself on the balloon.  It's quite interesting to watch.

Right now, I am very thankful for the 32 oz. Coca-cola I stopped to pick up for myself from Weigel's on my way home from ballet.  There is something about an ice cold fountain Coke!

Right now, I'm thinking I'm going to go pop a bag of popcorn and sit on the couch with the kiddos for a little bit while we veg in front of a show they like. 

Right now, I am rocking it in my grey sweatshirt and fluffy socks.  I do have on jeans and not sweatpants, so I am not a total slob.  But, those sweatpants do sound nice.  Hmmmm....hold on.

Right now, I am thankful for the baby in my womb that I am feeling more and more each day.  The baby who is probably responsible for why I am feeling more tired today.  What a gift.  Oop...there she was.  Kick. Kick.

Right now, I am thankful for the little things: lunch time with my kiddos, Coca-cola in big foam cups, laughter and the sound of little feet on tile floor, and knowing that my husband is loving his job, working hard, and coming home to enjoy some time with us in just a few hours.  So undeserving!

What Are We Gonna Do With You!?

Liam Piper, you are 20 months old.  Actually, you are 20 and a HALF months old, which is exactly how old Nora was the day you were born.  It is so hard for me to imagine Nora that little, but at the same time, 20.5 months seems so old.

You, our precious boy, are growing up too fast.

Just last night, I told your Daddy that it was a good thing we have another one on the way because it is certainly hard to watch you grow up.  Don't get me wrong...we absolutely love you at this age.  We are so glad you are growing and learning and talking more and more every day.  But, it still hurts.

Liam, at twenty months, you are a bundle of crazy, exciting energy.  When you are awake, you are 90 miles an hour, into everything, and trying to touch all things you shouldn't.  You love to play with your cars and trucks and tools (most which were Christmas gifts)

Although you started out as quite the picky eater, I am so glad that you are growing out of that slowly.  You still have a major sweet tooth, but you are opening up to more and more foods, which makes life easier for Momma.  Cheese, however, is something you do not like.  Period.

You are STILL taking two naps most days.  You take about an hour morning nap and anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hour afternoon nap.  I am one blessed Momma, but because I am prone to napping in the afternoons, I am in no rush to get rid of your morning nap.  I will let you keep that until you see fit to let it go.

You couldn't be any sweeter.  You are so affectionate.  You love to kiss and hug and pat me.  You love to be held and snuggle.  One of our favorite things lately is for all of us (you, Nora, Daddy, Momma, and Baby Girl) climb in my bad after naps where we just all sit and play or watch tv.  It's one of my favorite things these days.

You and Nora are growing to be better friends.  Just last night you were running around together, you following her every move and so excited to be included on whatever adventure she was leading you on.  You look up to her so much!

You are loving your "room time" these days.  You are up to 30 minutes of independent play, but some days when your timer goes off, you say "No NO!" and want to stay in to continue with your trucks or blocks or books.  Books are becoming more of a love to you, as well.  And music.  That is your favorite!

Oh, I can hardly believe that in just four months you will be two.  How fast this life of yours is going by!  We just love you.  I cannot wait to see what things the Lord has in store for you, my son.  I pray that He will use your sweet nature to draw others to Himself.  I pray He saves your heart at a young age and that He opens your eyes to see how good and loving He is!

Snow Day #3: Cold, Wet, Fun!

Well, it's Wednesday, January 12, 2011. We have had snow for the past three days, pretty heavy snow, actually. Our streets have been iced over, the snow has continued off and on, and we haven't left the house since Sunday.

Did you hear me? Since SUNDAY!

(I apologize....I think I am suffering from cabin fever).

Just teasing. Although I am greatly anticipating getting out of the house, we really have been having a great time during the past three days. Thankfully, our next door neighbors have been stuck at home as well, so we have had some social interaction and some fantastic playmates. Jonathan and Matt were home with us on Monday, so we basically spent the entire day with Matt, Anne, and Dillon, including eating lunch, dinner, and dessert. Yesterday evening, we got together over at their house for some playtime and cheesecake, and this morning, Anne and I bundled ourselves and all the kids up for some snowman building and a nature walk. We had a blast! Thankfully, while we were out today, the sun was out which made it bearable in the 20-something degree weather. The kids love playing in the snow, even Liam, although he wants to be held a good bit. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to:

This is from today.  Anne watched the kids at the top of the hill behind our backyard fence while I ran down to grab my camera.  When I got back, they were resting:

Attacking Ms Anne!

Climbing up the steep hill between our two fences to get to the top.

This is the view from the top of the hill behind our fenceline.

There was a bench back there (RANDOM), but I got some adorable pics of the kids.  This cracks me up.  Dillon's face is priceless.

There wasn't a single one where all three were looking.  Oh well!  

Nora and Dillon were done! Ready to explore and get as far away from my camera as possible.

Liam on the other hand.....

.....doesn't yet know to run from Mommy and her big camera.

He's a keeper.

My little eskimo.

Always the priss.

Anne held Liam for a while to give my back a break.  Isn't it convenient how I rarely end up in these pictures!?!?  It's Snow Day #3.....I looked horrible, so truly, thank me for sparing you. 

Finally, our two snow people.  We're so proud.

Pictures of Snow Day #1

I'm just going to post some pics here of our first big snow day of 2011.  I'll have a second post with some more about what we've been doing stuck at home over the past three days.

Here he's saying, "Momma!"  He was so happy to see me come outside, my sweet boy!

Nora learned about snow angels from some movie or tv show, and ever since she's been dying to try it out.  So, Jonathan showed her how.

When he showed her, she was not impressed.  Oh well, maybe she'll get it and be able to "see" it when she's bigger.  She couldn't figure out how it was an angel. 

Me and my boy!

This is ONE way to make a snow angel!

Okay, there are the ones from Snow Day #1.  Stay tuned for more pics.

The Rest of NOLA Christmas 2010. Finally.

So Christmas was about three weeks ago, but I still haven't finished my post on the rest of our trip to New Orleans. I am going to tie that up right now.

One night while we were down there, Jonathan asked my parents if they would keep the kids for an evening so the two of us could go out on a date. My folks were ecstatic, and so were we! The kids were taken away to the mall to eat at CFA and explore all there was out there, including wearing our Grandpa to pure exhaustion. Meanwhile, Jonathan and I roamed the streets of uptown New Orleans. We drove up and down St. Charles Avenue, looking at all of the old and historic homes (one of our favorite past times). We stopped in a very old hotel called The Columns for a cold beverage, where we sat and sipped and chatted for a while before dinner.

My fruit punch and his draft beer.

Cheese!

The Columns.  Isn't it beautiful!?

A gorgeous church across the street from where we parked.

After The Columns, we went to dinner at a famous New Orleans restaurant called Pascal Manale's. They are famous for their barbecue shrimp! There is a long story connected with this dinner, including waiting for over an hour and a half when we were told 20-30 minutes, but I won't ruin the moment by reliving that frustrating experience. Needless to say, the food was good....not worth the incredible wait, but good....and my company was wonderful.

After dinner, we ventured over to Magazine Street to have desert at the infamous Sucre. I haven't been there before, so we were dying to try it. We both got a cup of decaf coffee and enjoyed some unbelievable desserts. I had a white chocolate bread pudding and JB had some sort of chocolate mousse something.

YUM!

Random: Picture of Liam loving on his Grandpa during lunch one day.  Sweet.

Another night we were there was the night my sister, Emily, cooked us a three course Mexican dinner. It was divine. It required so much preparation and work, however, that it turned into a full functioning kitchen with Emily as head chef and Hillary and I as her soux chefs. We had such a great time, and all of her food was incredibly delicious!

On the menu: homemade salsa and guacamole, chicken tortilla soup, homemade black beans, and shrimp and pork carnitas (or tacos), plus some honey-lime chicken tacos. UGH! IT was SOOO GOOD!!!!

Patiently waiting for dinner to get cooked.  Daddy reads to distract them.

Our last full day in NOLA we spent with one of my closest girlfriends from back home: Brigette.  We go WAY back to sixth grade, braces, and crushes on the same boy.  She will always be in my life, I pray, and when we get together, it's like we were never apart.  Brigette has a two year old son named Eli, and she is also pregnant with a daughter due in February.  She came over to visit, then we took the kids to eat lunch at Wendy's and to play at The Bounce Spectrum for a few hours before naptime.

The only pics I got of my kids at the bounce place were of their back sides.  They were too busy running away from me to go play in the jumping things.  Fun times!

The last night we were there, we were able to be a part of a very special night for a very special person in my family's life.  My dad owns his own business and has for the past twenty years.  Jinx, his office manager, has been a part of his business for years (I don't know the exact number), but as far back as my memory goes, Jinx has been a part of the business, and in turn, a part of the family.  Anyway, Jinx has decided to retire from Johns, Pendleton Court Reporters and will be moving to Chicago in the near future where her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren live.  She will be greatly missed, but I am so excited for her that she will get to be spending some precious and priceless time with her family.

Anyway, our last night in NOLA was a surprise retirement party for Jinx!  She was SHOCKED!  She thought my parents and my dad's partner were taking her out to dinner, but instead she was thrown a wonderful dinner party in her honor.  I was busy taking pics on my dad's camera that I only managed a few with my own.  Here are some shots of my Dad's speech and then Jinx giving a gift to my dad and Jane, his partner.  I was so glad to be there and we had such a great time!

There are so many other things we did while in New Orleans, including visits with my other girlfriends Chrissy, Steph, and Hope with all of their kiddos. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to that occasion, so I'll have to make up for it next time. We got to enjoy dinner with my two aunts one evening, and we even squeezed in lunch with my Aunt Donna and her two girls. We ate and ate and ate and ate. We laughed and played and shopped and cooked and slept and played and laughed and ate some more. It was a wonderful Christmas, and we are so blessed to have a family that enjoys each other so much. Till next time....