He's a Macduff

We (the mice) went to go see baby Isaac today for the first time...

...and let me tell you, he is A Macduff

Each one of us got a chance to hold him.(including Uncle Kieth and Aunt Leanna)


Somewhere in the chaos of "who gets to hold the baby", everyone ate a baby pop that Liz made from her book Cake Pops by Bakerella, which she recieved for Christmas.Jude was overjoyed to get Mommy's sleeves back for a brief moment...
...and Isaac was glad to get a break.


-Grace

Isaac is here

December 29 at 8:13 pm.
8#11 and 21"

May God Forever Be Praised

This is a post I've had running about in my brain for quite some time. I've been hesitant to write it because in many respects, I'll be treading on holy ground if I proceed. However, after much thought and prayer, I've decided to write it in the hopes that God will get all the credit and all the glory.

This past year has been quite the journey for me, suffering a miscarriage right before Christmas of last year, then finding myself pregnant and ready to deliver at Christmas time this year. As I explained in the "Hard Lessons" posts of this blog in July and August of 2010, my Jesus has been beside me every step of the way. Three women from the Bible have also helped me navigate my way through this journey--Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Shunammite woman and Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

Mary has influenced me greatly. Her absolute obedience and complete trust in the Lord is nothing less than astonishing to me. She trusted God fully and waited for His planned outcome for her situation. She didn't ask for all the details to be laid out in front of her before she obeyed, she just obeyed. As I waited for days in between doctor's appointments last December to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with my body, I found myself repeating her words over and over again to the Lord as I prayed, "Let it be done to me as you have said." Of course, after I found out that the pregnancy would not continue, I was devastated, but Mary's words still echoed from my heart in prayer, "Let it be done to me as you have said."

I think that in many respects I went into survival mode to get through Christmas last year, but after Christmas the grief really hit hard. And here's where the holy ground part comes in. One morning, at the end of December (I wish now I would have written down the exact date), I was reading my Bible and praying per my usual routine. I was crying out to the Lord in sheer pain. That's just where I was at that time and I needed to do it. Just then, a voice broke in and said, "By this time next year you'll be holding a baby in your arms."

I reacted instantly by saying, "Lord, don't say that to me!" The thought of the possibility of becoming pregnant again and risking losing another child was absolutely terrifying to me at that moment in time. In this way, I could relate to the Shunammite woman.

The Shunammite woman asked her husband if she might make a room in their house for the prophet Elisha, so that whenever he came through town, he might have a place to stay. Elisha wanted to do something to repay the woman for her kindness towards him and his servant, Gehazi. Gehazi said to Elisha, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old." So Elisha called the Shunammite woman in and announced to her, "About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms."

" 'No my Lord,' she objected. Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!' " This woman had buried her desire for a child so long, that she dared not even think of the possibility. However she did conceive and give birth to a son about a year later, just as Elisha had said. (2 Kings 4:11-17)

My reaction to the Lord's words to me that morning last December were much the same as the Shunammite's. I couldn't even tell Matt about my experience for several months. I just held it to myself. I began to doubt whether I had heard the Lord correctly as month after month past without my becoming pregnant. At this point, I began to relate very much to Sarah.

I had always been so hard on Sarah, thinking she was quite the failure for not believing God's promise to her that she would bear a son and then taking matters into her own hands by employing Hagar to have a child for her. However, with each passing day, I began to understand Sarah and her desperation more and more (except for the giving my husband to another woman part :) Although I recognized my impatience (and Sarah's impatience) as sin, I also took comfort in knowing that Sarah is remembered in the "Hall of Faith" (Heb. 11:11).

When I finally did become pregnant, it was a complete surprise. I showed Matt the positive pregnancy test and we both broke down and cried. When I went to the doctor for my first ultrasound and found out my due date was Dec. 31, I cried. God was doing what He told me He would do.

And so here I am, Christmas time 2010 and I can hardly believe the place to which the Lord has brought me in this past year. I've come full circle, back to Mary--and not just the being "great with child part," :) but the obedience and trust part. Every ultrasound, every test and almost every doctor's appointment during this pregnancy has caused me worry. Could something be wrong? What if something does go wrong?

It is then that I remind myself of Elizabeth's words to Mary, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 1:45). As I type this, baby Isaac (the child God promised to this old couple) is moving in my womb. How amazing is that? Only God could do it. Soli deo gloria.

Related posts: Hard Lessons, Hard Lessons II, Hard Lessons III, Hard Lessons IV, Hard Lessons V, Joy Cometh in the Morning, His Name Is. . .

Yo Yo Christmas Tree

This past summer, Elizabeth saw a coverlet for a bed at a museum which was made entirely of fabric yo yo's. She was really taken with the coverlet and since then she has made many a yo yo during her spare time. She has almost a gallon sized bag completely full of them now. So when I saw a tutorial online about how to make a yo yo Christmas tree, I knew I had to show Elizabeth. She promptly made me this little yo yo tree, which she constructed out of some Hanukkah fabric we had in our fabric stash. It now sits on my kitchen window sill and it's one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Snacks for Dinner

This past Saturday night we had snacks for dinner, which we ate in the family room while watching the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." We had salami, baked brie (sans the puff pastry--for the pregnant mama), roasted garlic, cheese, crackers, Doritos, grapes homemade caramel corn (thanks to my friend Julie who supplied me with the lost recipe at the very last minute), Whitman chocolates from our neighbor and plenty of sparkling cider. The evening commenced with Paul offering a toast "to our second annual snacky dinner!" (Last year was the beginning of this new tradition for our family.)

Everyone got to eat anything they wanted (well, except me). Joel and Jude loaded up on grapes, Doritos and sparkling cider ("more jue plea," Jude kept saying). I ate more than my fill of brie and garlic and suffered from my lack of restraint all night long--major indigestion. Most of us cried (again) at the end of the movie. We are so blessed and would do well to remember it more often.

Christ in Christmas

I've written here before about how Matt and I have made a concerted effort to mark our home for Christ. For the past few years, I've tried to apply the same principle to decorating our home for Christmas. I've culled almost all of the non-Christian decorations from our collection and have instead tried to bring into clearer focus the true meaning of the season--Jesus.

Two years ago, I was intrigued with an idea I saw on one of the homeschooling blogs I read. This particular family had a Christmas garland draped across their fireplace mantel with porcelain ornaments attached to it. Each ornament had a different name of Jesus on it. The family said they had purchased the garland some years ago, but that it was no longer available for sale.

I scoured the internet looking for something similar, but I turned up nothing. Several people had laminated paper "names of Jesus garlands," for sale, but these just weren't the look I was after. That year after Christmas, I bought three garlands on clearance (I wanted one garland for our family and two to give as gifts) and a bunch of blank wooden ornaments with the intention of putting together my own names of Jesus garlands the following Christmas.

When Fall rolled around that year, I tried to track down a faux painter who could paint the ornaments for me. I got the name of someone, but she didn't return my calls, so the project didn't happen. When I started Bible study this Fall, I was tickled to discover that in my very own discussion group was a faux painter who was looking for work. Then a crisis hit her life, she went into survival mode and I just knew I couldn't ask her to paint for me. It looked like the project would be shelved for another year.

However, as I mulled the options for the garland over in my mind, I hit upon the idea of using small picture frames to showcase each name of Jesus. I purchased the frames at the dollar store and then set about deciding which names of Jesus to use. So many meaningful choices, but I had to hone down the list to only seven. These are the names I chose, "Emmanuel" (Mt. 1:23), "Alpha & Omega" (Rev. 1:8), "I Am" (Jn. 8:38), "Bread of Life" (Jn. 6:48) and "King of Kings" (Rev. 17:14). The seventh picture frame has the name "Jesus" in it. I placed this frame in the center of the garland.
To attach the frames to the garland, I hot glued loops of antique velvet green ribbon that I inherited from Matt's great grandmother to the back of each frame. Matt did all the computer printing and framing for me. I had originally planned on adding Christmas floral picks to the garland, but I decided I liked the simplicity of the frames only.
I'm not a much of a project person anymore. I just don't have the time. However, this particular project was important to me and I knew if I didn't make something happen with it this year, I would totally lose the momentum I needed to complete the task and the materials would be forever relegated to the land of unfinished projects. Most importantly, the garland serves its intended purpose, which is to glorify Christ at Christmas. I need to continually remember to apply this truth to my own heart, not just to the decorating of our home during this harried and busy time of year.
(The three wise men from our nativity set are also on the fireplace mantel. They will move to the manger scene on Epiphany.)

God's Provision

Once again, God has shown me that He is more than capable of providing for my needs (surprise, surprise). For the last couple of months I've been worrying and fretting about things that might happen in the future. My habit (well, let's just call it what it is--sin) is that I take an assessment of my current circumstances and/or problems, then I look at the possible resources/solutions I have at my immediate disposal and conclude that my future holds doom and gloom.

Through my study of Isaiah this year, the Lord has shown me that my feeble little mind cannot possibly conceive of what He has in intended for my future. He has demonstrated this truth to me in very practical ways throughout this past month.

First, I began to worry about Matt and his work. Let's just say that this past Fall, his job has been pretty stressful and all the stress was making his stomach act up again. I wondered how I could possibly manage with a newborn and six other children when my husband was so distracted (painfully so) with his job. Well, guess what? God took care of it. Several months of extreme stress settled down within a couple of weeks when God saw fit to change the circumstances at Matt's work.

Then I worried that Matt's church responsibilities would be too much after the baby is born. God took care of that, too. The guys at church told Matt that they would take over his worship assistance and meeting attendance duties for the next couple of months.

I worried that I wouldn't receive very good care at the hospital during labor and delivery (I had a bad experience last time). God went before me and when I registered at the hospital and told the intake nurse of my concerns. She assured me that I would receive much better care this time. So, I'm looking forward to a pleasant birthing experience (well, as pleasant as it can get :)

Then I worried that I wouldn't have time to make a bunch of freezer meals before the baby comes. I tend to panic when I don't have a dinner plan and there are six hungry mouths to feed. God took care of it. My friend Julie brought three freezer meals over the other night and I have other friends who have volunteered to bring more.

Then I worried that I couldn't possibly get all the "before baby" chores that I'd like to get done accomplished. You guessed it--God took care of it. My two older girls have stepped up to the challenge and have crossed chores off of my list before I have a chance to start on them myself. Elizabeth is my Christmas present wrapping whiz and Grace has cleaned and cleaned. She produced an organized and sparkling clean refrigerator when I was gone at a doctor's appointment one day.

My sister and niece came here on Saturday with happy elf hats and cheerful hearts--all set and ready to work. Raphaella paired with Elizabeth to finish up some Christmas projects. Emily chased away all the dust bunnies that were on top of and underneath the furniture. She even ferreted out a peanut butter covered spoon (ewww!) from under the couch cushions and put it into the kitchen sink where it belonged. At one point during the day, all three of our vacuums were in use. Ahh, the joyous sound of cleaning being accomplished!
An older couple at our church has volunteered to take care of the kids should I go into labor before Christmas (talk about brave, huh?). My Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna have their bags packed and are currently on standby waiting for THE phone call. (I don't need to call them brave, we've broken them in already:)

All of these things happened without my asking for them. I am humbled when I realize God knows my every need and provides so beautifully for those needs through the workings of His people. In the future, I would do well to remember the following verse:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil 4:6

God's Faithfulness

The past few days have been a time of reflection for me. A year ago I had an ultrasound that showed an empty amniotic sac. One week later I was in the hospital undergoing an emergency D & C (exactly one week before Christmas). Yesterday I had an ultrasound that showed a healthy 7 1/2 lb. baby boy. What a difference a year can make. I woke up this morning, opened the shades on the windows in my bedroom and saw heavy snow coming down. Immediately one of my favorite passages from the Bible came to mind:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.” Isaiah 55:8-13

Praise be to God.

The Fruitcake

I just got the fruitcake for this year baked a couple of days ago. My Mom and Dad were here for dinner last night and Mom asked whether or not I was going to make the fruitcake this year. Are you kidding me? Wouldn't be Christmas without it. However, I won't be able to partake of this once-a-year confection until after baby Isaac is born and not just because it contains alcohol. The carb count per slice is out of this world. There's no danger the cake will spoil before I can eat my portion of it, though. The recipe states, "This fruitcake feeds the neighborhood and lasts for months in the refrigerator."

Recreating the Nativity II

Elizabeth continues to hone and tweak the performances of the littles in their own reenactment of the Nativity. The short play has now taken on a cowboy theme, which is no stretch for Joel's acting abilities. He still dresses in cowboy garb every day and has now gotten bandanna tying down to a science. He even makes sure that one end of the bandanna that's tied around his neck is slightly longer than the other because, "That's the way John Wayne does it."

My favorite line from the play is when Lydia, who plays "Mary Anne," responds to the angel's announcement that she will bear God's Son. "How will this be since I'm not hitched?" she asks.

Special Christmas Gift

I was scrolling through the deals on one of my coupon blogs a couple of months back and came across something I didn't even know existed. Did you know you can have your blog published into a book? I snapped up the half off deal for a blog book on the spot, knowing I'd found the perfect Christmas present for my Grandma.At the age of 87, my paternal grandmother still toodles around town on her bicycle, water skiis and snow skiis. However, Grandma's eye sight is deteriorating due to macular degeneration and she's not especially fond of computers, so she doesn't read this blog. That's why I'm so excited about the blog book I ordered. It came in the mail a few days ago and has some of the more exciting/funny/newsworthy posts of this blog from the past year in it. I do hope Grandma will be able to see the text well enough to read it. I know she'll love the pictures in the book. It's the perfect present for the typical Grandma, the one who has everything (or at least with age has come to realize that things aren't everything in life).

Tied Down

"Tied Down," a poem by Edgar A. Guest

“They tie you down,” a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.
“When babies come you cannot go
In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you.”

I looked at her and said: “Tis true
That Children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?
Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?

“They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.
They tie you fast to chubby feet
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.

“They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso’er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.

“Oh, go your selfish way and free
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,
And win from them earth’s finest joy.”

Recreating the Nativity

Last night Elizabeth worked with the littles to put together a small rendition of the Nativity. Of course Lydia was Mary, that's just a given. After all, she does have the perfect dress for playing Mary and she has a Baby Alive. Problem was, Baby Alive, a.k.a. Baby Jesus, started crying during the reenactment. I intervened and said, "That's not going to work, the song says, 'no crying He makes.' " Then Lydia said, "I know, I'll just turn the baby off." Wow, I wish I had such outstanding mothering capabilities.

Music Review

Our family loves listening to hymns. However, we've found it difficult to find quality music in this particular genre. The words to the hymns themselves are great, of course. The singers have nice voices, but the caliber of the accompanying music is often very amateur in nature. Probably not a very nice thing to say, but we've found it to be true.

This past spring, I spent about three hours listening to music samples on the internet and found a little gem for Matt which I gave to him on his birthday. It's called, "The Church Triumphant," featuring Stuart Neill as the lead tenor vocalist. The album itself is put out through Ligonier Ministries (R.C. Sproul), but I purchased our copy from Christian Book Distributors.

The inside cover of the cd reads, in part, "The music division of Ligonier Ministries exists to exalt the name of Christ and support the teaching of the Word of God with music. To that end, Ligonier Ministries will produce new collections of traditional hymnody and excellent sacred music performed by renowned vocalists and accomplished musicians. It is our hope that our efforts will bring glory to God by restoring the sense of reverence and gravitas found in more classical forms of worship."

Let me tell you, Mr. Neill's voice is phenomenal. The full orchestra and choir accompaniment is outstanding . We've listened and listened and listened to this cd. It completely elevates even a drive in the car to run errands to time of worship and praise of our Almighty God. My favorite hymn on the album is "The Church's One Foundation." Matt's favorite is "God of Our Fathers." The kids even love the album. This cd would make an awesome Christmas gift.

While I'm on the subject of music, I thought I'd briefly mention our family's favorite Christmas albums. They are:
Peter Paul & Mary's "A Holiday Celebration,"
"Christmas with The Vienna Choir Boys and Hermann Prey & Placido Domingo,"
Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song"
Selah's, "The Rose of Bethlehem"
"33 Favorite Christmas Hymns" (various artists)

These are all albums that we enjoy listening to from beginning to end. We also have a couple of favorite Christmas songs that we like, but don't necessarily enjoy the albums from which they come in their entirety. They are: Kathy Mattea's, "Mary, Did You Know?" and Faith Hill's, "A Baby Changes Everything."