Happy Halloween!!!

Like Water to my Soul

God's Word came so alive to me in my quiet time today. I want to share. As I was reading I was thinking about the question that students often ask and that I have also asked in the past, "Why don't we offer sacrifices anymore?" The answer is that Jesus was the once and for all sacrifice for our sins. This truth made it deeper into my heart today as I read. I will type scripture in bold and my thoughts as I read in italics. I hope this is water to your soul today too.

From Hebrews chapter 10:

For if the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer year after year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshippers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.

Makes perfect sense- if a sacrifice made a person perfect, that person would not have to make any more sacrifices.

But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

But they did have to make sacrifices again and again. Until Jesus came. Then no more sacrifices. Why was His sacrifice the last one? Because it made us perfect. PERFECT!!! My heart is jumping for joy at this truth. Here's how scripture says it:

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Now where there is remission of sins, there is no longer an offering for sin."

So I don't have to offer sacrifices because the Lord sees me as perfect. Is there anything in my life that I am offering as a "sacrifice" because deep down I just don't believe that the Lord really sees me as perfect? My spirit tells me that there is. Lord, show me what those things are in my life.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with at true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

I don't have to make any of my "sacrifices". I can come BOLDLY before Him-just like I am. I am in tears over the goodness of this. Oh Lord, your work is so good, so perfect, so thorough. I am overwhelmed by it today. Praises!!!

I want to share one more thing that happened in my quiet time today. I mentioned in my last post that we recently made a big financial commitment. The Lord is providing for what we thought would have to be extra money for rent, and I'll be able to share more details of that in coming weeks. Another thing that the commitment involved was that we stop the habit of running through the drive through for food all the time. Well, tonight the kids and I will be out until after 5:30 and I know that when we get home we will all be hungry and cranky and I won't have much time at all to prepare anything. Especially now that my quiet time has taken up a big portion of my afternoon. So I was thinking that we would need to go ahead and get something on the way home tonight. Without knowing any of this, Ben sent me a text message while I was in the middle of this awesome time with the Lord that said that he will be bringing home leftovers from a function they are having this afternoon. How about that? Jehovah Jireh - the Lord our provider. I'm in tears again. Blessings!

What a Difference a Day Makes

The economic crisis hit home with us today. I mean really hit home. I got a call from the realtor that manages the house we are renting and learned that the owner is going into bankruptcy and this house will be foreclosed in January. So we are in the market for a rental home. We have been planning on moving to a bigger house when the lease is up in May, but it's interesting that this happened now because last week we made a big financial commitment that doesn't allow us to pay any more in rent than we are now. I think it's going to be a blessing to us because we have time to look around and see what's out there. Our moving dates are very flexible, any time between now and January, and maybe even after that if we need it. We get all of our deposit back and don't even have to clean the carpets when we leave. We are trusting the Lord to provide the perfect home for us. I'm excited to see what he is going to do. We are praying for the owner during this time of hardship, she had purchased this house with an inheritance she recieved and now it is gone. She is a believer and the realtor said her church is being very supportive of her as she walks through all of this.

Avery rolled over for the first time today! I put her on her tummy and went into the kitchen for a minute and when I came back she was on her back.

So that was our day, well part of it. The rest was toddler madness.

Friends

Last night Jonathan and I were talking about his new big boy Thomas the Train underwear.
Me: Who are Thomas's friends?
J: Percy AND Gordon
Me: Who are Jonathan's friends? ( I had no idea what he would say and definitely wasn't expecting this)...
J: Mommy and Daddy...AND Avery

Thank you Lord. Oh how I wish he feels this way forever.

Playing Dress Up

Yesterday I got a box in the mail from my mom with some clothes that she had picked up for the kids. In it was some dresses from when my sisters and I were babies. Oh my goodness. I am in love with these little vintage baby dresses, and I spent the evening last night looking for more online. I may have found a new hobby...collecting vintage baby clothes. I can't wait to wash and iron them and get them on my sweet baby girl!
Jonathan is loving him some blue's clues these days. Yesterday we were in the parking lot at the church and he said "Where's an orange clue? Where's an orange clue? OVER THERE!!!" Sure enough someone had orange "go tigers" paint on their car complete with Orange paw print. I have learned that when he says he sees something he really does, and it usually takes me a few minutes to figure it out.

Figured it out

Change template to minima. Wasn't reading close enough.

HELP!!!

Ok, this looks rediculous. How do I get my old template out of the middle of this thing?

I'm gonna miss this

The house is a wreck today. Last night I took Jonathan on a "mommy date" to buy him some big boy underwear. While we were gone Ben set up a tent in the living room. He and Jonathan attempted to sleep in there last night, but couldn't settle, so after about an hour and a half they retired to their own beds. Ben is out with students today so I'm leaving the tent up so they can play later. It feels very cluttered today, so I decided to try and find some beauty in it.
As far as the big boy underwear goes, I told Jonathan he could wear them after he went, well, you know, in the potty. I left him diaper and pant less this morning, and right now my jeans are wet from crawling in a spot I had to clean up to try and find beauty. Oh, and the mom thing was just a phase. I'm back to mommy now.

Where'd Mommy go?

Jonathan has been calling me "mom" all day. I hope this is just a phase.

"Hurricane" Hanna came through today. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I never even heard a clap of thunder. We were supposed to go to the beach at the Outer Banks this weekend, and she put a stop to that.
I have been keeping busy at home lately. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to.

I finally packed up my maternity clothes and am in the process of cleaning out and reorganizing my closet. What a big job it has been! I still have clothes in the attic that I need to get out. Hopefully I will finish this up this week.










Jonathan has been so creative lately. This is a "pool" that he made. He has been coming up with all sorts of things for us to do. He has asked to go to a restaraunt, to go to the seaside, to go to work with daddy, to play all day with mommy, eat a picnic,walk around the block. Yesterday he was playing with our next door neighbor and all of a sudden started saying "Simon says..." and telling her to clap hands, sit down, and jump. I had no idea he knew how to play Simon says.




I have been baking bread! Several years ago a good friend introduced me to the benefits of milling wheat, but it has never been the right time for us to do it. I was finally able to buy a mill and heavy duty bread machine. It is so fun! My bread machine isn't in yet, so I'm using the one we received as a wedding gift nine years ago.







And here is a picture of the kids from earlier today. Avery is sitting in the Bumbo seat a little bit. She loves being involved in what we do. If I leave her in the living room while we are eating dinner she cries until I sit her in her bouncy seat beside the table. And even then if we don't pay her enough attention she cries until we do.






So that's what we've been up to. Hope you have a great day!

Feeding Time

Jonathan LOVES his little sister. Tonight he wanted to hold her for a minute, so I told him to climb up in the chair and set her in his lap for a minute. Then I told him that it was time for mommy to feed her so I needed him to get down and let me sit in the chair. He replied "No, my feed her" and lifted up his shirt. Sorry bud, it just doesn't quite work that way.

Obsession

This is what we've been eating after the kids are in bed. First we microwave a Betty Crocker Warm Delights Mini, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream (last night I used frozen yogurt to save a few calories), then Magic Shell on top. YUM!!!!

As promised

Here are the pictures I promised. The first two are Jonathan and Avery from earlier this week. Avery is growing like crazy! We went to the doctor last Monday and at 10 weeks she was weighing in at 12 lbs 3 oz, 85th percentile! She is smiling a lot and making tons of adorable baby noises. Jonathan still loves her like crazy and wants to kiss her, hold her, and be around her all the time.



These last 3 pictures are from camp a few weeks ago. We went to Showshoe in West Virginia. It was amazing! The last picture is the view from the balcony in our condo. We literally watched the sun go down behind the mountains in a matter of minutes. We were so thankful that my sister Amy was able to come with us. There were so many things for Jonathan to do. The waterslide in the pictures went into a pool that was a foot and a half deep. Perfect! There was also a big sandbox with lots of toys right outside the Starbucks. So Amy and I were able to sit and drink coffee while Jonathan played. Perfect again. Other things he did were jump in a bounce house, play on playgrounds by the lake, and ride paddleboats. It was hard to be really involved with the camp activities because of nap schedules and all that, but we were able to go to worship one night. Jonathan loved the music and clapped his little hands the whole time. His arms would get tired and he would rest his elbows on his knees, still clapping. It was a very special time for me to be in there with my family and our student ministry worshipping the Lord who has entrusted it all to us for this time. I sang "I surrender all" with trembling hands because I feel like I have been so blessed and have a lot to surrender. For several years now the Lord has convicted me about holding my blessings with an open hand. Everything in me wants to close the fists of my heart around the blessings He has given me and claim them for myself. But they really are all for Him, and I must remember that at all times. He has total rights to them, and I really have none. He gives, and He takes away, and I will bless Him either way. I hope this makes sense, it's a bit of what I've been thinking about a lot lately.
On a lighter note, the next night when we attempted to go to worship Jonathan kept saying "ready to go now" and "wake up now" to the people around us who were worshipping with their eyes closed. So much for Jonathan in the worship service.

A day of rest?

Since Ben has to be at church early on Sunday mornings it is my responsibility to get myself and the kids there by myself each week.
The goal is to be heading to the car at 8:30. In order to do this, I need to get up no later than 6:30.
Yesterday I first heard the alarm at 7.
But I didn't have to shave and had a dress I could wear without ironing, so no problem. I can do this. Things are going smoothly, I have Jonathan dressed and eating breakfast a little after 8. Avery is dressed, the bags are packed, and I am all ready except for my clothes when I sit down to feed her at about 8:15. All I have to do after this is throw on my dress, get her in the carseat, wash Jonathan's hands and face and get him down from the table, put Mazie in her crate, and we'll be on our way. This is a little later than I would like, but still doable. Really as long as we leave by 10 till 9 we will be fine.
8:25, about halfway done with feeding, has burped once, but let's try again for good measure. Then it happens. Spit up like I have never experienced. And I have experienced plenty, let me tell you. DRIPPING off of my freshly washed, freshly flat-ironed hair. Half of it. DRIPPING as I run across the living room to get her in the bouncy seat. And all over the back and seat of the chair. And all over her Sunday clothes.
So up the stairs I go, soak my hair with a wet wash cloth, pull out the hair dryer and turn back on the flat iron. Fix Fix Fix, Fast Fast Fast, put my dress, shoes, and jewelry on, grab a new outfit for Avery, back down stairs. Spray down the chair, change her clothes, put her in the car seat, wash Jonathan's hands and face and get him down from the table, here we go. Nope, Avery crying. Hard. She is hungry. After all, she just lost her breakfast. Tell Jonathan he has a few minutes to play with his new trains, make Avery a bottle, since now I am wearing a dress and nursing is pretty much impossible in a dress. Feed Avery. Listen to Jonathan whine for help with his new trains since he hasn't quite figured them out yet. Tell him I'm sorry I can't help right now but I know you can fix it. You can do it! Put Avery back in carseat. Pry Jonathan away from trains. Head to door.
Carrier in hand, diaper bag in hand, backpack in hand, bible in hand. Jonathan down the stairs to the back door. Me down a few of them.
Sniff sniff. Is that what I think it is? Yep, dirty diaper. Carrier down, diaper bag down, backpack down, Bible down.
Carry Jonathan up the stairs. Change diaper. Down the stairs.
Are you still reading this? Or have you quit? Because that's what I wanted to do at that point. We left at 9:47. Why didn't I quit? Why? Because the only thing I needed at this point was to drop my kids off at childcare and walk away. And that is just what I did.


In other news, the no paci thing has been going well at night, but Jonathan has yet to actually fall asleep during naptime without it. And today I told him I was going to the attic to get something and he asked "pacis?". So we're still getting there. But we're determined.

Angela, I will post pictures soon, I promise.

Milestone moment?

Our boy is crying in his bed right now. Tonight after dinner we got down his baby picture album and looked at the pictures, explaining to him how he was a tiny baby once and showing how he has grown. We told him how, as he would outgrow things, we would pack them up and put them in the attic. We packed up some clothes from his closet that he has outgrown, and then added his pacis. Now it is bedtime and he doesn't seem so excited about no paci for bed. I am nervous that it may be a long night, or few nights. We will see.
Avery is crying because the sun is going down, a nightly event for her. A lady at church told me that babies, the elderly, and people with brain injuries get upset when the sun is going down, and there is a medical term for it..."sundowning". I asked if she knew what to do about it, and she said no. Hmm. So we just wait it out every night and do what we can.
We went to camp last week and had an amazing time. There was so much for Jonathan to do! I will post pictures as soon as they become available to me.
Have a great day!

Say that again?

You know how you can tell if someone has been spending a lot of time around someone else because they start talking just like them? Well, yesterday I found myself asking Jonathan:
"You need mommy to come help with your twains?"
Um. Make that tRains...

FW: fw: a little bit of info

Ok, I know I did one of these not too long ago, but Jeni sent me this one and named me as the one most likely to respond, so I have to.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? yesterday
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sometimes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I buy one pound of butterball honey turkey every week, and just about every week we eat it all up
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? two...still can't believe it, seems so grown up
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A Lot? never
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? nope, they came out along with my adenoids (whatever those are) two days after my fourth birthday. I also had tubes put in my ears during the same surgery.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? only if I was planning to induce a heart attack on myself (by the way Jeni I had no idea you had done this!!!)
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I have no idea. I eat a lot of cheerios these days
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I don't think so, but I don't wear tie shoes that often
12. Wasn't in the email. I guess someone deleted it along the way
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Breyer's vanilla bean with fresh strawberries on top is very good. I also love the kind with those tiny peanut butter cups. And coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz, and pretty much all of it.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I don't think I know this one. I'll try to figure it out.
15. RED OR PINK? pink
16. I am deleting this one.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? A lot of people. I really miss Jeni.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK T O YOU? If you are reading this and have a blog, do it too!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? this is embarassing but I have on gray sweat pants and a purple bayou Bill's Crab house tee that I've had since 9th grade (Beth do you still have yours?)
20. Also missing
21. WHAT ARE YOU listening to RIGHT NOW? lullabies with the sound of a human heart beat...weird but Avery likes it
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? purple for today
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Mrs. Meyer's clean day Geranium scent
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Crystal
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? so much!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football
27. HAIR COLOR? blonde, thanks to Kara at Hair on Fire
28. EYE COLOR? blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yep, since 7th grade. I started with glasses in 1st grade.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? How do you choose? I love good fresh fruit
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Little black book on tv last night
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? purple
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
35. HUGS OR KISSES? depends on who it's from, most of the time hugs :)
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? chocolate
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? don't know
38. Least likely to respond? don't know
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I've been reviewing Baby Wise and reading a book called Queen of the Castle and one called Romancing your child's heart
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? exact mat x control, it's Ben's
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Little black book and the spelling bee
42. FAVORITE SOUND? the ocean
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Probably here, I've never been out of the country
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? typing and feeding baby at the same time
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Pine Bluff, AR
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? anyone who answers

More hospital fun!

Here are some more pictures from the hospital, day 2 and 3.

Sleepy Baby!

Soon after...

Our little girl

We were able to spend an hour with Avery right after she was born. Here are some of the pictures I took during that special time.

She's here!

Avery Diella Trueblood was born this afternoon at 4:45pm, was 8lbs and 20" long. Both Kristen and Avery are doing very well. We have moved from the labor and delivery into our normal room where we will be until Wednesday morning if all goes well. We will be posting pictures as soon as we can charge our camera battery, we had enough battery to take the pictures but not enough to load them onto our computer :)