Cute things, like babies.

I'm sorry, but I just can't get enough of this baby, she is growing so fast and I'm trying to enjoy and document the often neglected ( picture-wise) third child.  Click on the Shutterfly link over there yonder to the left for more pics, even some of them other more mobile children of mine.  We had some awesome weather this week and it melted our snow, not the mountains in the parking lots but STILL. :)

Happy 10th Anniversary to Us.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Good Stuff

I know I post a lot of Sprugeon but I love the Morning and Evening devotion and they are so good and so much better than the fluff and puff of most Christian devotionals that make Christ seem like nothing more than self-help guru that we can draw from to make our lives "better" or a look to him as a "good example".  While he does make our lives better (define better) and he is the ultimate example to follow, he is so much more and I don't have the time to go into that.  I had planned on sharing what I read last night and also what I read today via some friends of ours that are going through some heartbreaking trials.

First last night's

“He shall save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

Many persons, if they are asked what they understand by salvation, will reply, “Being saved from hell and taken to heaven.” This is one result of salvation, but it is not one tithe of what is contained in that boon. It is true our Lord Jesus Christ does redeem all his people from the wrath to come; he saves them from the fearful condemnation which their sins had brought upon them; but his triumph is far more complete than this. He saves his people “from their sins.” Oh! sweet deliverance from our worst foes. Where Christ works a saving work, he casts Satan from his throne, and will not let him be master any longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mortal body. Sin will be in us—it will never be utterly expelled till the spirit enters glory; but it will never have dominion. There will be a striving for dominion—a lusting against the new law and the new spirit which God has implanted—but sin will never get the upper hand so as to be absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out. Professor! is sin subdued in you? If your life is unholy your heart is unchanged, and if your heart is unchanged you are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, he has done nothing in you of a saving character. The grace which does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves his people, not in their sins, but from them. “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” If not saved from sin, how shall we hope to be counted among his people. Lord, save me now from all evil, and enable me to honour my Saviour.

And the second quote

When your faith endures many conflicts, and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer, you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great help to others, you must pass through their trials. If you are to be instructed in the things of the kingdom, you must learn from experience. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, and the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are GREAT BENEFITS to come from your trials and depression. The one who is much plowed and often harrowed will thank God if the result is a larger harvest to the praise and glory of God by Jesus Christ. If your face is now covered with sorrow, the time will come when you will bless God for that sorrow. The day will come when you will see great gain from your losses, your crosses, your troubles and your affliction. From your affliction this glory shall spring, and the deeper your sorrow the louder you’ll sing. – Charles Spurgeon, “Beside Still Waters”

8 Months

I am 8 months old.  I say Ma Ma Ma all the time now.  I won't keep bows in my hair.  If you deny me it, I will cry and ruin your picture attempts.  I know what I want and my displeasure will be made known.  I give big squeezes to mommy with my head in her neck.  I shake my head no, a lot.  I like to pull hair.  I never keep my socks on.  I am still quite cute.

About That....

If you're friends with me on facebook, you got the puke play by play.  Just as I thought we were out of the woods last week, Christian started throwing up Wednesday night.  Throughout the night and into the morning, and afternoon, for a total of 8 times.  But lets backtrack a moment, I started feeling gross in the wee hours of Thursday.  I'm pretty sure I was having anxiety over impending puking doom and it seemed to give way late morning, then the nausea returned and it would not be denied.  I was puking by 1:40 in the afternoon.  Isabelle came and rubbed my back and said " it's ok mommy."  And " why is it green???? why is it green??"  Thankfully a little before while sitting on the bathroom floor I had called Mitch and asked him to come home and he was on his way at that point.  It was an achey body virus and 4 hours later I was in the bathroom doing double duty on the toilet and utitlizing the trashcan if you catch my drift...Mitch takes care of everyone when we gets home.  Then, everyone gets in bed, Christian's last puke of the day was in the evening (suppertime) from chugging too much 7 up.  10:10 pm it starts to spread like wildfire and Mitch starts in on forceful pukeage.  He is up 2 more times after that.  I try not to listen because I don't want to puke again myself.  Ugh.  Mitch is out of commission, way out.  2:30 am. Baby cries, oh no, please no.  I get up still nauseous and trying to keep it together, the room smells like vomit.  Poor baby is sick too and I have no choice but to give her a bath, taking deep breaths to contain the nausea.  Against all that is good and right, I leave her puke bed, just the way it is.  I make her a bed on our floor, I sit and nurse her on the floor for a few minutes then lay her down, she finds her thumb and goes to sleep like the great baby that she is.  She threw up only once, thank you Lord for that!  7am the next morning, Linda is on her way!!  What an amazing help she was taking care of the older two and us and cleaning up laundry etc, she spent the night and went back home Saturday.  Sunday afternoon it hits her, poor Linda, talk about self sacrifice!! 

So fast forward a week later, and we are all FINALLY better.  It took me all week to recover from the dizzying exhaustion, which happens when you have to get up with a baby in the night that's having diarrhea diapers and needing to nurse.  These are the parenting trenches that only other parents can understand.  Sickness sucks indeed, then imagine having to take care of kids... in the night... cleaning up puke, while about to puke yourself.  That's what I'm talking about, good stuff.  Maybe someday I can help my own kids when the puke plague invades their house the way God sent Grandma Linda to help us.  So thankful for the ways He still provides.  The End.