Pregnancy Update

33 Weeks 6 days

belly measuring 34 cm

baby's head is down

baby's heartbeat 153-155

mom's blood pressure just fine

mom's weight 149 (started at 125)

It all boils down to - we are doing just fine.

Sickness rolls in

We have been sick around here. The boys had minor colds, which most have recovered from already. I have a cold and then some. I'm not sure what I have, but its been faithfully keeping me company. Needless to say, we haven't had much time for fun, post on the blog sort of things. The boys have continued to work on their school. We are progressing well and will still meet our end goal.

We had a great St. Valentine's Day. The boys enjoyed all their cards and candy from others. We decorated and had a pizza party for the boys. I love moments like those. The next big party we have planned is for St. Patrick's Day. If you know me, you know that St. Patrick's Day is just about as important as Christmas and Easter. Blase is already asking for corned beef and cabbage and I'm hungry for Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake. Oh don't you wish you could come???

We started a bit more spring cleaning, as the boys called it. They would be disappointed to know that what we did technically should happen every week. BUT we don't wash windows every week, so it must be spring cleaning right? They were good helpers and our house looks lovely now. I need to tackle some more of the spare bedroom as well as another go around in the school room. I'm determined to win both fights - sick or not!!

Here's hoping you are well and your weather is pleasant. Think spring!!

Master Bedroom

I will admit right off the bat - these pictures do NOT do Darren's work justice. I just noticed my camera must have gotten little boy finger prints all over the lens. *deep breathe* I shouldn't be surprised - have you SEEN my windows lately?? :)

Here is a picture of the door, my dresser and the closet doors.

And finally the "finger printed" walls. The line down the middle of the wall is a reflection from the closet doors. Well, let's just say that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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Darren installed new ceiling tiles and a lovely crown molding all around the top. It sure makes the room feel different. Its almost like its an important place. The paint on the wall is called "Baked Beans" and the trim is a creamy color, although it does appear white in the pictures. We haven't hung up the rest of the pictures we intend to. I also have requested three corner shelves. I am hoping Darren has enough barn wood left to make them for me. We are also having two black and white pictures framed of a building out on the ranch. He made them frames out of the barn wood, so I thought it would look very nice to match the shelves if possible. I will post more pictures as we finish decorating. There might even be a buck mount in here, so I hear. But that's HIS story and he's sticking to it. :)

Touched by Words

I read this on a website today. I think they touched my heart in more ways than I can put down in words. Little things are truly big things and big things are just little in the grand scheme of life. sniff, sniff

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back

and discover they were

the big things.

Reorganizing Part One

Welcome to the catch all room. Here is where the precious, the not so precious and everything in-between sits until I find the time to give them proper homes. I finally decided last Saturday was THAT day. The day when I clean out the catch all room. I was joking about tying a rope around my hips and then to door knob so you I could find my way back out again. There was a little truth in that as you can see from the pictures.

View when you first walk in
OH MY!

How long have we been done with canning, yet the jars are still out?

Ahhh, clean at last. Organizational success!!!

Everything looks very neat up there. There is talk that we will redo this room for Blase. Something about pink walls makes a boy want to run and hide. :)

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Part two will be the spare room/library. I have already taken before pictures, but haven't had the time or energy to organize. Soon, soon.

Bikini Bottom

Thanks to Grandma Gebes its beginning to look a lot like Bikini Bottom, the home of SpongeBob SquarePants. The boys all love their new, warm pajamas. While I'm not the biggest fan of SpongeBob, I have to admit the boys do look cute all dressed the same.

February Prayers updated

This month's theme is Poor in Spirit. I was meditating on the idea of poor in spirit after hearing Father preach on the First Beatitude on Sunday. It accorded to me that we, as a family, could adopt a more "poor in spirit" attitude. So that prompted me use this as our theme for February.

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I feel completely unqualified to even explain what poor in spirit truly means. I am hoping to do some reading on the Beatitudes this month and maybe learn a thing or two. I do know that what Father said on Sunday was inspiring and I wish you could have been there to hear it for yourself.

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The prayer I have picked for us to recite in the mornings is for detachment from earthly things. That is a good place to start our quest for a truly poor in spirit attitude. We cannot focus on God with the things of this world tempting us for attention. It seems as though everything in my life is pointing to simplifying our lives and focusing on God. Every book I have read lately, every deep rooted inspiration has directly or indirectly led to "SIMPLIFY!" By simplifying I intend to eliminating our dependence on worldly things for joy and entertainment. While being poor in spirit does not directly refer to giving away your money and such, I feel that we need to purge our possessions so while not only being poor in spirit we are also poor in possessions.

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Also, I am going to practice some early stages of humility. I am not sure I can reach the humility levels of the saints, but I will take baby steps to get there. Humility in my actions, in my thoughts and in my prayers. Baby steps. I will probably fall down, but I have a great Father watching out for me, ready to catch me and set me upright.

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Please join us in this quest. Examine your life, your possessions and your priorities to see if you are practicing a poor in spirit attitude. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.