tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086699799477203882024-03-19T00:42:24.402-04:00Chattin' with the ChadwicksA little bit about us. If you know the Chadwicks, things don't seem to stay the same for long. Hope you enjoy keeping up with our lives.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-5804216381292075022011-04-07T16:07:00.004-04:002011-04-07T16:18:40.039-04:00Things I LoveSo I'm trying something new and linking up about <a href="http://http://thediaperdiaries.net/materne-gogo-squeez-applesauce-things-i-love-thursday/">things I love</a> today. My friend <a href="http://http://houseofhills.org/">Kathy</a> inspired me to try this so here it goes. <br /><br />This past weekend I was at home in Summerville with my family. One of the things we ALWAYS do is get at least a dozen of blue crabs. It's mating season right now so a lot of the crabs are down deep (something new I learned) so they gave my sister a deal because they were smaller than normal. It did not matter to me they were delicioso! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdZF0S0kQk6y9aW10ROUkz0BXR7kNmLtolL8RbfmLZj3VWtP86wA-uZXe665VKeuVEmV_XLaqdMN2ZsJRCFTYHa6ZhSaSl0vIE1VrCwNBueMEoQHtBMdGD30e7e_sV4B4Gb9qLvglUAc/s1600/crabs"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdZF0S0kQk6y9aW10ROUkz0BXR7kNmLtolL8RbfmLZj3VWtP86wA-uZXe665VKeuVEmV_XLaqdMN2ZsJRCFTYHa6ZhSaSl0vIE1VrCwNBueMEoQHtBMdGD30e7e_sV4B4Gb9qLvglUAc/s320/crabs" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592936595503538930" /></a><br /><br />These are a lowcountry favorite and my mom and sister seem to know how to season them just right. Living in the ATL, I cannot get them and my sister and mama always know to get a batch when I visit. But really, it's about more than the crabs. It's something special that the women in my family share. It's a girl thing. So we each get our tin pans, a cloth napkin, a cold glass of soda and we dig in! Every time there is a pan of crabs on the table, lots of laughs and love abound. <br /><br />So, that's what I love on this Thursday. What about you?Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-50605667074227461042011-04-04T14:27:00.009-04:002011-04-04T16:37:45.647-04:00Kid's Clothes- Oh Boy!<a href="http://simplemom.net/project-simplify" target="blank" alt="project simplify on simple mom" width="150px"><img src="http://simplemom.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/projectsimplify.png" /></a><br /><br /><br />So the challenge of the 3rd week was to tackle our kids clothing and toys. I felt like Tsh knew exactly the things that have been bugging me because I had been wanting to get into both of these for some time. One day while the kids were at school(Hahahaha) I purged their toys and cleaned up their room. When they came home they were absolutely thrilled! They did not even notice all the toys that I had gotten rid of and in fact they still haven't! Some of the toys I just took out of rotation and put in the attic, and others I just gave away to Goodwill. I don't have pictures of the 2 large trash bags of toys that got donated because I did this before the actual challenge week. I have posted an after picture of their room though. Less truly is more with kids. I'm even thinking of going smaller. It seems like when I have things in bins like the big green one in the room, they don't dig in there for stuff. It's only when it's out and obviously on a shelf that they play with it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrPquo1HAU21hwZYomXByzFVrHm89iW4zZQz4jHbmOHoDDy9A4RaoefuHi09q33vIbdtLLjA4yi6v3Vp76dYqds968ledUz6DS9Gt7Xb9Ta0dhlzB9N7onvqrc19ojUWZNcXpb6Bdx0Y/s1600/DSCN2491.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrPquo1HAU21hwZYomXByzFVrHm89iW4zZQz4jHbmOHoDDy9A4RaoefuHi09q33vIbdtLLjA4yi6v3Vp76dYqds968ledUz6DS9Gt7Xb9Ta0dhlzB9N7onvqrc19ojUWZNcXpb6Bdx0Y/s320/DSCN2491.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591826341539085410" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gotta admit that the clothing was not at all fun! This is because I like systems and I haven not been able to wrap my brain around how to organize it all so that just led to closets looking like these....YIKES. I know. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oCO4C_PccXPjF3nFXElkUJA_15zT3199SSS05tuMkE5XZtqbw8ZPV_k1__Oa7Mok7SJGyjmVmAi7bueIkSEpSligFrCel7Va6s3EQS-pKfn_9rekjgcppRcgI71cJj2A-GhRGVHsnxY/s1600/Asher%2527sCloset.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oCO4C_PccXPjF3nFXElkUJA_15zT3199SSS05tuMkE5XZtqbw8ZPV_k1__Oa7Mok7SJGyjmVmAi7bueIkSEpSligFrCel7Va6s3EQS-pKfn_9rekjgcppRcgI71cJj2A-GhRGVHsnxY/s320/Asher%2527sCloset.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591812215485341794" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSLp9ZIM-BPngVkQ49mO4ScFdYU1iCxMh8KaM8LD23RW0NAiTrJJ1hhHxVhkMur9gNsSGvOZxElveFtdnaAeANf3wUUCg3BAoyivkvMIWaf9a_ZQjWDwtkLYBJQHJbWoyGLPIJt3Mt2k/s1600/EandJ%2527sCloset"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSLp9ZIM-BPngVkQ49mO4ScFdYU1iCxMh8KaM8LD23RW0NAiTrJJ1hhHxVhkMur9gNsSGvOZxElveFtdnaAeANf3wUUCg3BAoyivkvMIWaf9a_ZQjWDwtkLYBJQHJbWoyGLPIJt3Mt2k/s320/EandJ%2527sCloset" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591812586074768386" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So now for the after!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunhBKr7DQJr66qsmoOPTmQOGOOl-LemJ1xFWtQ3SUVZ661fFsvlx3TiOJS6PY-UD_d6zgAQqWvIgytcWYpXSkySY9i6xLBBwqf7W2AZXqqcEQIB5dlDnzJvnOZs-_pRGDYpPA_bpUPGU/s1600/DSCN2490.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunhBKr7DQJr66qsmoOPTmQOGOOl-LemJ1xFWtQ3SUVZ661fFsvlx3TiOJS6PY-UD_d6zgAQqWvIgytcWYpXSkySY9i6xLBBwqf7W2AZXqqcEQIB5dlDnzJvnOZs-_pRGDYpPA_bpUPGU/s320/DSCN2490.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591821981710728562" /></a><br /><br />It's certainly not beautiful because I repurposed things I had other than the large pink tub.... but it is organized. On the top shelf are two boxes turned on their sides with summer clothes waiting to be worn for each child. Beyond these boxes on either side are clothes for next winter. In their drawers are winter clothes since the weather keeps changing here. Once we're hot for good, these boxes will be filled with winter items and on the bottom are going to be 2 more boxes. One for selling/giving (Ellison's stuff) and another for saving (mainly Jude's clothes for Asher). <br /><br />Organizing these clothes really helped me to see what the kids really need. Ellison is in big time need of shorts (top box on the right) but has a ton of shirts. Jude is stocked for the summer with the exception of a few nicer things for church or family stuff. Shoes are now in the pink tub for Ellison and in the organizer for Jude. Elli is my child who needs to be able to clean up in a hurry and Jude on the other hand will take his time and find joy in matching them up and putting them away...kinda like his mama! Oh... and in the clear bins are underwear and socks, Pj tops, and Pj bottoms. I'm thinking of changing these for play clothes b/c I really want them to be able to get outfits out in the summer and not have to worry about if it's something that cannot be stained or ruined. The majority of our days are spent at home out in the yard or at a playground so it just makes more sense to keep like 4 nicer outfits for everything else. I got that idea from <a href="http://organizing.yourway.net/project-simplify-kids-clothes-toys/">this </a>post. Thanks to that post I have clear goal of 4/5 nicer outfits for each child and 7-10 options for play. I've found a wonderful thrift store nearby where I've been able to score Jude's play clothes at a dollar a piece! That is just AWESOME for this frugal family. <br /><br />As you can see, I've been having a grand ole time. Totally in my sweet spot doing all of this stuff. I've been wanting our house to be more orderly for so long, but have just not had the margin to do it. I'm so thankful to be able to do this. Really thankful to make this place work better. <br /><br />Love to all my faithful readers!<br />BChad :-)Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-38231615282538520012011-04-04T11:19:00.008-04:002011-04-04T14:25:59.403-04:00Paper TrailsMan, these past 4 weeks have really flown by. I've been steady working towards a more organized space and I wanted to reveal a few more pics of some of my accomplishments in project simplify with <a href="http://simplemom.net">simple mom</a>. <br /><br />Second up was the paper clutter. I had started working on some of our paper so I was glad for this challenge to see the project to completion. I managed to go from the pile of papers below to one family notebook and a nicely organized space in my new "office" ( a spot at the bottom of our stairs. it's all mine and I love it :-))<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcuvdWCi9HksggK_FhqYoS9wIXpqPKrLrTQtT_80Xr0oEu0VidPIQRv-ViGHTYlE7WKHdy-GZ-RylPoNhm2-vVu9Iz-4JATwZuwAIW2gMmDLiIRgIWS_n7Hwld8v9jOwSvO2Gq5kulKE/s1600/DSCN2470.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcuvdWCi9HksggK_FhqYoS9wIXpqPKrLrTQtT_80Xr0oEu0VidPIQRv-ViGHTYlE7WKHdy-GZ-RylPoNhm2-vVu9Iz-4JATwZuwAIW2gMmDLiIRgIWS_n7Hwld8v9jOwSvO2Gq5kulKE/s320/DSCN2470.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591749528370504658" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNubC3rINL3zszEr_48gO3PPenHEptG36lUm6BohgUDRhd8u-_YBiEwDe3vdfi2xGWyuhsEvHAiVOC3AzWBNw1ely3uF1_ZrsDcP98myRYo5chkxM6pMM6_n5yVVb6wZQuCxD2QP6CBY/s1600/DSCN2489.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNubC3rINL3zszEr_48gO3PPenHEptG36lUm6BohgUDRhd8u-_YBiEwDe3vdfi2xGWyuhsEvHAiVOC3AzWBNw1ely3uF1_ZrsDcP98myRYo5chkxM6pMM6_n5yVVb6wZQuCxD2QP6CBY/s320/DSCN2489.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591749890702968738" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I found in doing this project that the biggest problem was that I had no system for papers coming into our house. Things like bills, artwork, school announcements etc. So after thinking it over here is the system that I've put in place. It consists of 4 crucial pieces: 1. A family notebook. 2. A file box for monthly bills, insurance policies and credit card information. 3. An expandable folder for medical information with a section for each family member and a place for general information about our health and life insurance policies. 4. A coupon expanding file folder for useful coupons. <br /><br />I don't want to bore you to death but here's how I've put the system to work. Step one: Go get the mail. Step two: Immediately put all papers where they belong. Paper bills in the inside pocket of the family notebook, coupons in the coupon file, medical bills/EOBs (we get a bunch of these thanks to our not so great insurance) in the medical file and everything else either shredded or recycled. The key to success has been not getting the mail until I know that I'll have 5 minutes to go through it quickly. This has been in place for 3 weeks and its' working. <br /><br />For artwork, I have 3 boxes on our bookshelves in our family room area for each of the kids and I place the artwork directly in there. Once they fill up....it's time to purge. <br /><br />I am really happy with how paper seems to be so much more manageable now. Whenever I have a question of where something should go, I find another hole in the system and figure out a solution. <br /><br />In addition to the paperwork of a normal household, we are now starting to amass lots of paperwork related to missions. Thanks to my friend Melanie, that beast is under control....phew. <br /><br />So I hope this all keeps working. Sure feels good to have a better handle on things.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-55867051836416497832011-03-15T22:24:00.005-04:002011-03-15T22:53:04.437-04:00Well Looka Here<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRA60tdSVKfQ_9ezCLNfn9wwBEfdYiIjX0-iwAOcRrPMOZvFK_EnNqmL5o1-0RCe7j7u8YYUte7CYqU_Wh2zyfC3UZkn-zZAsE_m4MVRe8j-M0AA3XCfElOkwfONAaMyLBw7Tm0tzmKY/s1600/DSCN2468.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRA60tdSVKfQ_9ezCLNfn9wwBEfdYiIjX0-iwAOcRrPMOZvFK_EnNqmL5o1-0RCe7j7u8YYUte7CYqU_Wh2zyfC3UZkn-zZAsE_m4MVRe8j-M0AA3XCfElOkwfONAaMyLBw7Tm0tzmKY/s320/DSCN2468.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584502681288747650" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Before....What a mess. </span><br /><br /><br />I can't believe it but I actually finished last week's challenge. When I first read about what it was, I waited a few days (in typical Beth fashion) before I finally decided to go for the gusto and do it. It was not easy to do and I felt guilty spending time on this, but I'm so happy I did! As you can see in the pictures our closet is teeny tiny so I felt a little defeated going in. Then I just went to work and in doing this, I discovered a few things about my wardrobe. <div><br /></div><div>1. Everything that I've bought for myself since having Asher is either black or gray. That makes me a little sad. I need to add some color to my life! </div><div>2. I really like to layer my clothing! This translates to lots of shirts to go under things, but not so many to go over them. It's so hard for me to find shirts that I love because things don't fit as well as I'd like. </div><div>3. I have a LOT of shoes. Man, I didn't really realize how big the collection has gotten. I did get rid of some them, but I kept a bunch and just better organized everything. </div><div>4. Order really is my first love language. Just taking the time to put things in their proper places felt so good. Now everything has a home....AHHHHH. </div><div><br /></div><div>This week, I'm diving into clearing up the paper trail. Big shout out to my friend Rachel who called me to see how this was going! Thanks girl, you inspired me to keep moving. </div><div><br /></div><div>Beth</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br />AFTER!!!!! (Sorry one of them is turned the wrong way)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUFlTru0bqT7EpEuorhkNNARQzBFFHX0xLsY5UTvnFYBzekMcW8_GTqt3nIiIPgcOovbNs1e9q-prApXvHJiJmecxkGWKrnDDEfUfKEkD7hYjkA2j1PsgoNwIZkvafE30-2FH2e4yih8/s1600/DSCN2472.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUFlTru0bqT7EpEuorhkNNARQzBFFHX0xLsY5UTvnFYBzekMcW8_GTqt3nIiIPgcOovbNs1e9q-prApXvHJiJmecxkGWKrnDDEfUfKEkD7hYjkA2j1PsgoNwIZkvafE30-2FH2e4yih8/s320/DSCN2472.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584503276644486018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKje_jc1fBsEi6y1kudHjCavv2ImjxFS_691myPKL6gf73TNDTyNnahNM91jNjo-hGj-OSNnFeE1rM4-nshY3aKsuVOib3JgmlWHZPTk_-_EJGf1WcFtckhWM508_rh8KXjDe_AI7Ccwg/s1600/DSCN2473.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKje_jc1fBsEi6y1kudHjCavv2ImjxFS_691myPKL6gf73TNDTyNnahNM91jNjo-hGj-OSNnFeE1rM4-nshY3aKsuVOib3JgmlWHZPTk_-_EJGf1WcFtckhWM508_rh8KXjDe_AI7Ccwg/s320/DSCN2473.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584505044410140882" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-75264042786181481552011-03-03T15:31:00.002-05:002011-03-03T15:56:02.943-05:00I'm so pumped about this upcoming opportunity to purge and organize through my favorie blog simplemom.net. I was just thinking today that I wanted to start bloging a little over here again thanks to an email from a new friend in Illinois :-).<br /><br />So,I just wanted to share that I'm going to be doing these projects and maybe you'll be inspired to join in too. Now that I'm at home full time, I'm finding all kinds of joy in making this place run like a well oiled machine. Love to everyone!<br />Beth<br /><br /><a href="http://simplemom.net/project-simplify" target="blank" width="150px" alt="project simplify on simple mom"><img src="http://simplemom.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/projectsimplify.png" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-55218200741675189202011-01-22T09:12:00.003-05:002011-01-22T09:15:14.406-05:00Follow our FamilyHey Everyone!<br /><br />I have yet to decide if I want to keep this blog up and running. I've been doing a lot of blogging over at <a href="http://chadwicksinaustria.org">chadwicksinaustria.org </a>under the blog section. Just trying to get in the habit of keeping that site current as we move towards Austria. I can see a purpose in keeping this one too, but just wanted to share that site so that you can keep up with things over there too!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-51400082052067350702010-10-14T20:37:00.002-04:002010-10-14T20:53:18.572-04:00Coming Out With ItSo over the past several months (or year...whoops) you've probably noticed that I am not blogging very much. A lot of it has to do with family changes and just being plain busy. But I have to be honest, the main reason has been because I haven't felt the freedom to share about the biggest thing going on in our family really since last December! So...today I'm finally able to come out with it! WE ARE GOING TO AUSTRIA! It's official folks, we are Austria bound in a very big way. We have a web site- chadwicksinaustria.org which outlines a lot of information about why Austria and why us and what we'll doing there. We are also in the midst of finishing up with the sending of our support letters (but the huge bulk of them are already out) which is why I feel like the timing is good to blog about our happenings. I don't really have much more to say than that right now, but just wanted to announce in another big way that it's really happening and we're excited about the journey back to that side of the sea. Still have lots to figure out in terms of blogging over there versus here or linking them up and all that jazz but for now I just wanted to share our news.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-33505133538242741412010-08-27T14:27:00.005-04:002010-08-27T14:35:08.627-04:00Family UpdateIt's been a while. I mean Asher is almost 4 months old. I can't belive how fast the time flies by. Not really sure where to begin, so I'll just give a quick rundown of what we're all up to and follow that up with some pics. <br /><br />Ellison- Ellison started Kindergarten! She is going to Fideles for 2 full days a week and the other 3 we get to teach her from home. The first 2 weeks were a little tough but this week has really turned around and I'm so glad we made the decision to do this. She is very creative and this allows her plenty of time to do Piano (with Ian's mom) and DRAW which the girl loves! Also the structure that the school helps provide has made it fun to learn and we're constantly doing things to help drive home what she's learning in books..even at Target. So this has been a huge win for our family. She also learned to swim this year and we are really proud of our girl. <br />Jude- Just turned 3 last week. It's like a little switch went off overnight with him. He is talking a lot more and definitely holding his own. One of the coolest things we've seen in him is that he seems to really be connecting some dots about God. What a cool thing it's been to see. He memorized his verse for this month in record time and from his little preschool reports he is doing a good job praying in class too. He is a very determined little guy and we are still working on reigning him in but we are also just enjoying the fun that he brings to our home!<br />Asher- A little social guy. Man he really loves people. He enjoys looking at everything and gets a little upset when someone is not paying full attention to him. It's not enough to have you near, you've got to be looking in his face. He's doing a good job eating and sleeping and really loves to pull at toys hanging above him. We are all enjoying him and have decided he is for sure a keeper :-). <br />Me- Staying super busy! We just came off of a crazy time at work where we promote all of our kids up to the next grade. Tons of changes and things to keep track of but I'm glad I survived. I am really enjoying school time with Ellison and feel like I'm finally getting into somewhat of a rythym with mommying 3. I'm really wanting to start sewing and running again so I'm hoping that I can figure out where to fit those in. <br />Ian- Ian has been taking a German class every Monday night. He is really enjoying it and is constantly playing a German CD in his car. The kids love to ride with him now! He's still working for ista and really likes the team of people that's he with. He had a company soccer trip to Germany back in June and is always organizing a sporting event of some type for work. <br /><br /><br />Here are some pics of our crew :-).<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqObhrR_ZRk1cWw3TaatoHDmHpfU_map9H-XTYP640SZ743GXAU-GzpFdjnpNJn1ct5kzHQxAG5HCub-znvy0AHDjVnmjTnVehr7fHDAR4a1fg4nPnkHdHdOETs2K9NTC3rcnR4kA9oV0/s1600/Small+Nikon+785.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqObhrR_ZRk1cWw3TaatoHDmHpfU_map9H-XTYP640SZ743GXAU-GzpFdjnpNJn1ct5kzHQxAG5HCub-znvy0AHDjVnmjTnVehr7fHDAR4a1fg4nPnkHdHdOETs2K9NTC3rcnR4kA9oV0/s320/Small+Nikon+785.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510158631622548818" /></a><br /><br />Ellison's first day of school.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp2yEUQPLke4ECtczrK6vVpHEyIw-Ll8O-uSCzml_VjqGGreMdGDeNVSBAvmwfMqLuSyOZXbmMlf66sfHqiIhgrZPBAzUA-RGWJ9eSP_so8jyfJCAGTqsrJ3jdiOfZr6J5uv_x8btPUg/s1600/Small+Nikon+799.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIp2yEUQPLke4ECtczrK6vVpHEyIw-Ll8O-uSCzml_VjqGGreMdGDeNVSBAvmwfMqLuSyOZXbmMlf66sfHqiIhgrZPBAzUA-RGWJ9eSP_so8jyfJCAGTqsrJ3jdiOfZr6J5uv_x8btPUg/s320/Small+Nikon+799.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510159172690871314" /></a><br /><br />Silly Jude celebrating his b-day in class.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRA0FR7kzR5ATlLDhPLOYHklAUv01tsjRbt5z7FX-FzTjS95NOXdfeTcdQcrpq-uXDdjIU7UG4wzHIfk7Df4j8C-W-WEXoCrFMhWr9GFgQObLKMgbVCvCCakfjIO1Lf53cG8Z9usviWI/s1600/Small+Nikon+666.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRA0FR7kzR5ATlLDhPLOYHklAUv01tsjRbt5z7FX-FzTjS95NOXdfeTcdQcrpq-uXDdjIU7UG4wzHIfk7Df4j8C-W-WEXoCrFMhWr9GFgQObLKMgbVCvCCakfjIO1Lf53cG8Z9usviWI/s320/Small+Nikon+666.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510159727514383122" /></a><br /><br />Happy Asher.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-57954982594623815332010-05-30T11:23:00.005-04:002010-05-30T12:12:53.756-04:001 Month OldAsher turned 1 month old yesterday! It's crazy how quickly the time flies by. With a few minutes to spare I wanted to write about our transition. <br /><br />Overall he is a really sweet baby. We love to hold him and may have created a bit of a monster already because it seems that he really loves to be held as well. Ellison and Jude both jump at the chance to do anything to help with him. They are doing GREAT at being older siblings. <br /><br />Asher is waking up about every 3 hours to eat during the day and in the nights he does a couple of 4 hour stretches. I'm finding that I'm very anxious for him to drop that 2/3 AM feeding but I keep reminding myself that he's only 4 weeks old :-). He had some promising long stretches in the beginning, but I think he's settled in on a late night feeding, mid of the night and early morning. He is not very interested in his baby toys like a swing or bouncy but I've found that the miracle blanket comes in handy during the day. When he is swaddled he will tolerate the bouncy for 10-15 minutes. That makes it tough to get things done honestly. Thankfully we've had a lot of help with meals and some play dates for Ellison and Jude as well. For the month of June we are all at home all day together. I'm looking forward to it, but I know it's not going to be easy to juggle everything. <br /><br />This month has been filled with lots of emotion for me. I really soak up the moments that we get to nurse in the quiet. I look at Asher and realize what an absolute blessing it is to have him here and healthy. It still amazes me that he grew inside of my womb. What a miracle!! There have been moments where I've had to laugh as all 3 of them are needing something and there's only 1 me. I've counted down the minutes on the clock till Ian gets home on many a days and have been more worn out physically and emotionally than I've ever been in my life. There are times when I feel like I can't give another thing. Period. <br /><br />With all of these emotions, however, I'm thankful for the little reminders of what a small window I have with Asher...for that matter with all of our kids. With Jude's time in the NICU and in light of those around us who have faced tragic losses of little ones, it makes me so grateful for the opportunity to do this again. To have a healthy little baby. It does indeed make the nights more bearable as well as the showerless days and the moments when nothing but my arms will quiet his cry. <br /><br />So to be honest, it has not been easy but there have been moments of joy in the midst of it all. Just this morning in church I was holding Asher as the worship leader sang "He love us, oh how he loves us." The tears were streaming as I was holding a little tangible reminder of what it means to be held in the arms of God, and to be loved by Him more than we can comprehend. <br /><br />There you have it, one month under my belt as a mama of 3 :-). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcp8WqtOwr8vDUZ3mMaV69BR0_seUH5_H_x5K23i8QtW5cxi4gWOEpxIJQyGp3W3gPw-k1uLg4X3FZINabD39bwXxjVEFGVCIY4XSiRufgulUrDZrVh_kye_icjPBzbzPEpI8Wpe1FQ0/s1600/DSCN1742.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcp8WqtOwr8vDUZ3mMaV69BR0_seUH5_H_x5K23i8QtW5cxi4gWOEpxIJQyGp3W3gPw-k1uLg4X3FZINabD39bwXxjVEFGVCIY4XSiRufgulUrDZrVh_kye_icjPBzbzPEpI8Wpe1FQ0/s320/DSCN1742.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477093467300450258" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJcj-I8rZowJVW_1hGE4hgEz6ag3cMJBml12cL8kaAN0AiTg0vQYwkWrFQG8MbTUmL5oe9Vc9px8Yf7_X-Rbk-zpwG0_6j6zcWX43fKGrQMAm1N45BqbLviMUGxQekZhJ8xdhRgQCpPQ/s1600/DSCN1749.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJcj-I8rZowJVW_1hGE4hgEz6ag3cMJBml12cL8kaAN0AiTg0vQYwkWrFQG8MbTUmL5oe9Vc9px8Yf7_X-Rbk-zpwG0_6j6zcWX43fKGrQMAm1N45BqbLviMUGxQekZhJ8xdhRgQCpPQ/s320/DSCN1749.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477094302950586466" /></a><br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNS6yau-PZYa30QkQFpu4OC7y0FfmKFKab2lecDrJUYMaEgVR9RvxnK5TL8ovFuVPmsRY0vNLE8w0OmKtGAoWVap8Z7qQlc7sWBTU-OSw3wHrsaea4WzV98xBAyu8c_2Q3f7FLEV9k1w/s1600/DSCN1777.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNS6yau-PZYa30QkQFpu4OC7y0FfmKFKab2lecDrJUYMaEgVR9RvxnK5TL8ovFuVPmsRY0vNLE8w0OmKtGAoWVap8Z7qQlc7sWBTU-OSw3wHrsaea4WzV98xBAyu8c_2Q3f7FLEV9k1w/s320/DSCN1777.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477096111437398514" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GwAcSs0tPDYLIkD8jK2vIzU47zT1KwHC7Qlu4jj5WqceQFrZYN1KguMGrOKKLxH8H6ccIJgsCFiD14yhGk8uv8vRhoH8OOYmrSAabVjfHF3IevDIjn430wxLyH3aMTnjciO360FGnho/s1600/DSCN1776.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GwAcSs0tPDYLIkD8jK2vIzU47zT1KwHC7Qlu4jj5WqceQFrZYN1KguMGrOKKLxH8H6ccIJgsCFiD14yhGk8uv8vRhoH8OOYmrSAabVjfHF3IevDIjn430wxLyH3aMTnjciO360FGnho/s320/DSCN1776.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477096583245885266" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-24151772129371462482010-05-05T11:25:00.007-04:002010-05-05T11:48:24.758-04:00Ballet RecitalLast night wrapped up Ellison's first year of Ballet. This was the moment she had been waiting on.... to be on the big stage and to get roses afterwards! Two years ago we went to her cousin's recital and ever since then she's been wanting to do this. We were prohibited from taking pictures during the performance but I just have to say that those little ones stole the show! They were all so cute and excited to be out there. We got some pictures from afterwards and of her getting on her make up before the show. It was a special night and my parents got to be there too because they'd come to town to meet Asher which made it even more special for her. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuu3oi1KBOd91t1yd34nY0-eLNm_fC8eWnFJxebZSvJXYtHTfUzgslEtIrLk98eMicxd4OO7VL0dmYvGZC92ZmI6K_Nj6-a3F2PF6nR1E1iMDnsGskwDarLC5-HoUVh-Wj_KC4Kiori-s/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuu3oi1KBOd91t1yd34nY0-eLNm_fC8eWnFJxebZSvJXYtHTfUzgslEtIrLk98eMicxd4OO7VL0dmYvGZC92ZmI6K_Nj6-a3F2PF6nR1E1iMDnsGskwDarLC5-HoUVh-Wj_KC4Kiori-s/s320/IMG_0983.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467808956363253938" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGXlmrwyEBbrbNxTxQul7Zt27OYrYpbqfMrnDja1pNTS0cUE3Htx_-PeQtuyIvU1gt_LqoVRnxwjzPEfbhz9qM-R8giUFph_iKPql6gs2Z4FpqrzMSIKsYBhZfDTQEbizrOatAO0j70Y/s1600/IMG_0982.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGXlmrwyEBbrbNxTxQul7Zt27OYrYpbqfMrnDja1pNTS0cUE3Htx_-PeQtuyIvU1gt_LqoVRnxwjzPEfbhz9qM-R8giUFph_iKPql6gs2Z4FpqrzMSIKsYBhZfDTQEbizrOatAO0j70Y/s320/IMG_0982.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467809273965328786" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OoyOxojau66thL2fUqeM1b0kUcK6hrKomCJ1DBtxETXBYeTwB0xrlyab-9o9Cqc8RdjJRFSv3PXRFNcIZoY_GcqWhgVuV5-bQnJ8QF2LcVkTID6vWme5Yx6N83a2pImcCdyDaw0nd8w/s1600/IMG_0997.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OoyOxojau66thL2fUqeM1b0kUcK6hrKomCJ1DBtxETXBYeTwB0xrlyab-9o9Cqc8RdjJRFSv3PXRFNcIZoY_GcqWhgVuV5-bQnJ8QF2LcVkTID6vWme5Yx6N83a2pImcCdyDaw0nd8w/s320/IMG_0997.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467810707456550434" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZliBbAncJiSrG2IbvXoncDrgSsQ7ls0IhxCLb_tmb5dSwZamafgE0VF6YIbDwdBtdXamDKTPFVuy2pb78Z3vZk_X-I6CMj8dtGHJGkTSw52-ra_5fQNktKrVrFuZ0qtg-gxbIxPCxMI/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZliBbAncJiSrG2IbvXoncDrgSsQ7ls0IhxCLb_tmb5dSwZamafgE0VF6YIbDwdBtdXamDKTPFVuy2pb78Z3vZk_X-I6CMj8dtGHJGkTSw52-ra_5fQNktKrVrFuZ0qtg-gxbIxPCxMI/s320/IMG_1006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467811310741610690" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ho8BKaKPLI2FEqppDOFpXmRwojoev-WkKdskzKmFZQMFY7sexVmit0etXzLQObh0Voxex8FMSycwk129bXMPsbOQhOGVOx1F_MuWki0L7LsQ_AmOc0Z2TPphiuraqepmB35Ek0eu7uE/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ho8BKaKPLI2FEqppDOFpXmRwojoev-WkKdskzKmFZQMFY7sexVmit0etXzLQObh0Voxex8FMSycwk129bXMPsbOQhOGVOx1F_MuWki0L7LsQ_AmOc0Z2TPphiuraqepmB35Ek0eu7uE/s320/IMG_0995.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467813111270134002" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-53841027286000503722010-05-01T09:32:00.008-04:002010-05-01T09:55:58.286-04:00Welcome AsherWe are so thankful to welcome our son Asher Nelson Chadwick. We were all convinced that it was a girl this time around. Even the nurse in our pre-op room kept saying it's a girl because of the baby's heart rate. So...when they announced it was a boy we were all in shock. So much so that we took a second and rethought his name. The boy name was a tough decision for us from the on set this time. It's funny because the first two names we liked were Piper and Asher and in the end we landed on Asher again. Most recently we thought if we had a boy he'd be a Luke, but once we saw our little guy we weren't sure it fit. Asher means happy and blessed and we feel that my pregnancy and his birth have been such a blessing to our family. Here are a few pictures from the day of his birth. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaqYED68cQASnCw6uQIqKkEgHhnWqukuw7Ilcu_o4wmiN3D394H8bq0Ui_LtpaZrN73dme5rBy536BpZG6rC3TFkyOx_r9wyJld18jhcm38sIKBLzGIjxudBjsBIt8w8dRBMWDR5dm0/s1600/IMG_0819.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaqYED68cQASnCw6uQIqKkEgHhnWqukuw7Ilcu_o4wmiN3D394H8bq0Ui_LtpaZrN73dme5rBy536BpZG6rC3TFkyOx_r9wyJld18jhcm38sIKBLzGIjxudBjsBIt8w8dRBMWDR5dm0/s320/IMG_0819.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466297192340583090" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaiOARWosZoTssgyu9TZgX6dEOdzOS-5RvZqLafxPWEak4piluHf7bOdL0kzuJFLm_Hya_vl_7cGrLw9R_Skw31VSlc6P4UBnhFYFHlFsGhcJqRP_0etckXkGzevqMYU6AlKXsJ0LwqA/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaiOARWosZoTssgyu9TZgX6dEOdzOS-5RvZqLafxPWEak4piluHf7bOdL0kzuJFLm_Hya_vl_7cGrLw9R_Skw31VSlc6P4UBnhFYFHlFsGhcJqRP_0etckXkGzevqMYU6AlKXsJ0LwqA/s320/IMG_0824.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466297745708486482" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW438UgK9gIOCbGaKnKWd2RffqGG0tWOg1tTl0k0YURqGa0X9rBiAs5J0l77pjJjgKuqYQT28YupF4Wh0qKtaxJhIbzCvLU3BaKO1ujz3GMURe9xHhAVrW-Qs6AkOkQV1fBDuuFpmSRPY/s1600/IMG_0894.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW438UgK9gIOCbGaKnKWd2RffqGG0tWOg1tTl0k0YURqGa0X9rBiAs5J0l77pjJjgKuqYQT28YupF4Wh0qKtaxJhIbzCvLU3BaKO1ujz3GMURe9xHhAVrW-Qs6AkOkQV1fBDuuFpmSRPY/s320/IMG_0894.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466298186429578866" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKS7VWrJNkNgmYKaTPX-IgD3IKbvU32590jx7dXZ0pdZUnRIZIYK3m1CsANa_juei8mkg0YxnP5O_Xxoi9IuiUIxwkgHLC6-ft9joBax_hVj0b2_ost0sNOzJelueAPsEQBFzz1rjX20I/s1600/IMG_0916.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKS7VWrJNkNgmYKaTPX-IgD3IKbvU32590jx7dXZ0pdZUnRIZIYK3m1CsANa_juei8mkg0YxnP5O_Xxoi9IuiUIxwkgHLC6-ft9joBax_hVj0b2_ost0sNOzJelueAPsEQBFzz1rjX20I/s320/IMG_0916.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466298639332869202" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZQ01ynybBgSNOv1fDR8V_CJUf7-E-Jv0ydedQmmFQ8jSATNUI3o3P79yGTQmT9fMFQjk-PMU-oBRODtGkEASxkXx7lPYo0mGkttqDxxthuD75E1b7PrAC9cOu23nqubffY_s2RDkUUA/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZQ01ynybBgSNOv1fDR8V_CJUf7-E-Jv0ydedQmmFQ8jSATNUI3o3P79yGTQmT9fMFQjk-PMU-oBRODtGkEASxkXx7lPYo0mGkttqDxxthuD75E1b7PrAC9cOu23nqubffY_s2RDkUUA/s320/IMG_0902.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466299974206961490" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-16525100183980332152010-04-20T16:06:00.006-04:002010-04-20T16:19:00.287-04:00Neutral NurserySo for the first time since having children I have a designated nursery before the baby arrives. With Ellison we lived with family and then Jude came 5 weeks early and we barely had his crib up in Ellison's room. I guess 3rd times a charm :-). I've had a lot of fun putting stuff together. One of the questions that i've gotten is how do you do a nursery when you don't know the gender. Well in the pictures you'll see our attempt at that.<br /><br />The best part is that God has totally provided everything here through borrowing or hand me downs or gifts. We have had very little out of pocket cost and I've still been able to make a little nest for this sweet gift! <br /><br />9 days left.....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRs08rHUaawCjC2MzXrAeRI4Oy38pGpYixJEOPDL3a1RVn8PPRnsn84xy9sPoONi1KYTVY-PBVKq5CPtI8EzuzSYi4mh3-VEDfPWBtgqmI0BiGWs3nJUwAwroAIPiAxFCZPZZIOuPYjQ/s1600/DSCN1727.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRs08rHUaawCjC2MzXrAeRI4Oy38pGpYixJEOPDL3a1RVn8PPRnsn84xy9sPoONi1KYTVY-PBVKq5CPtI8EzuzSYi4mh3-VEDfPWBtgqmI0BiGWs3nJUwAwroAIPiAxFCZPZZIOuPYjQ/s320/DSCN1727.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462314140617112674" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAldBax7do7_lWOcYpnV7TzhR-SOgwxRJYyQIyOisOdE0aKJkW6R_HvUYApdj27xH9FcDSYp2bbhQKf_ZARUc-Wzs9wnlzNJObmdv37ZLvuRMyvFpjKMy2TCLtjSSM9dRcQMa_AET6D4/s1600/DSCN1728.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAldBax7do7_lWOcYpnV7TzhR-SOgwxRJYyQIyOisOdE0aKJkW6R_HvUYApdj27xH9FcDSYp2bbhQKf_ZARUc-Wzs9wnlzNJObmdv37ZLvuRMyvFpjKMy2TCLtjSSM9dRcQMa_AET6D4/s320/DSCN1728.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462314736581504594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGo6s_VVjBueEVw24IWmW2B4JfIpDqRcyvr6E3YoJBy_WkMbeJ0vZHfupViIWVpMJXwDiYz-t2mFcIyVW0zix78KlK6nrV-9Up7KtSCgGPLdxizJmOcbN_F931VNGE1YDAXc2MPvUCWQ/s1600/DSCN1729.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGo6s_VVjBueEVw24IWmW2B4JfIpDqRcyvr6E3YoJBy_WkMbeJ0vZHfupViIWVpMJXwDiYz-t2mFcIyVW0zix78KlK6nrV-9Up7KtSCgGPLdxizJmOcbN_F931VNGE1YDAXc2MPvUCWQ/s320/DSCN1729.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462315053326129090" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44EvwdlHN8g82NDCGMNFsSwot588xIUIUs0lrlD6PCP4vceerhoF-bN0SPjMmj0Nxv9j9Ac3lLQNic5VojbUk4xbgo1A8Xee9u9RjsyYgECkiZApMj3cViFTOA04JaiJw-qgRJKHgDsU/s1600/DSCN1730.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44EvwdlHN8g82NDCGMNFsSwot588xIUIUs0lrlD6PCP4vceerhoF-bN0SPjMmj0Nxv9j9Ac3lLQNic5VojbUk4xbgo1A8Xee9u9RjsyYgECkiZApMj3cViFTOA04JaiJw-qgRJKHgDsU/s320/DSCN1730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462315563604954946" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-14601224217167469282010-04-11T23:27:00.001-04:002010-04-11T23:27:33.568-04:00Nearing the EndNot sure if I have any readers left but....here goes nothing :-). <br /><br />I am nearing the end of this pregnancy journey so I wanted to post some thoughts. I am so excited to meet this baby and we will have our first introduction in 18 short days. Here are a few random thoughts on how things have gone....<br /><br />1. This has been a harder pregnancy physically than the others. I think the primary reason is because I have been taking care of Ellison and Jude. Ellison has really enjoyed her afternoon tv time while mom catches a nap, however. <br /><br />2. This little one is incredibly active. I mean crazy movement!! This is for sure more than I remember with the other 2. I love it though because it's a reminder of what's going on. <br /><br />3. Boy or Girl?? Ha I have no clue. I love hearing all the guesses of those around me. The overwhelming majority of people are saying boy, but I keep thinking girl for some reason. I've been wrong on my guess both other times so....<br /><br />4. We have a nursery ready! This is the first time we've ever been able to do this and I've had a lot of fun. We were living with Ian's parents when Ellison came and little Jude decided to come 5 weeks early. I went into labor the night that we put his crib together. So I have really enjoyed getting things ready ahead of time. <br /><br />5. I'm really looking forward to maternity leave. It gives me permission to completely stop...everything and I'm really excited about having some down time with all 3 children and watching this new little one become a part of our family. <br /><br />6. I'm praying Big for a healthy baby that will come home when I get released from the hospital. That is truly a gift and I didn't fully realize that until I had to walk away from the hospital without our baby boy. So I'm really praying that we will be the norm this time. <br /><br />That's really all that I can think of right now. Just really excited to meet this baby and to see how our kids react to another sibling.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-90830705054764824482010-01-08T14:46:00.006-05:002010-01-08T15:26:59.975-05:00Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New YearHello Friends!<br /><br />It's been far too long since my last post but a bit of normalcy has returned so here we go. There is so much that I can update about since it's been ages since my last post but here are a few new happenings in the lives of the Chadwicks. <br /><br />1. We moved! That's right... the weekend before Thanksgiving we changed residence. It was not really by choice, but as always God provided and we are settling in nicely. There are so many stories of his provision and faithfulness all wrapped up in this one story, but I just want to say...YAY God. We decided to put the kids in their own rooms because the sleeping together was getting out of hand at our last place and led to much earlier wake ups than we wanted. So far things are working out nicely and everyone is happy in their rooms. <br /><br />2. December was such a great month! We started a some new traditions this year and got to spend so much more time just hanging out as a family. One of the highlights of the month was taking Ellison to see The Princess and the Frog. Man she lit up! She loved every minute of it and I had more fun watching her giggle and smile than seeing the movie itself. She has been asking for us to go on a date and this proved to be such a special time for the both of us. Christmas Eve and morning were very memorable too. The funniest story is that Ellison has been asking for a double stroller since October. So we took her to see Santa and that was all she asked for once again. So we knew that it had to be downstairs when she woke up. About 10PM on Christmas Eve we go to open the box to the stroller and there are 2 wheels missing!!! This led to me running up the stairs in tears and Ian and Marcel headed out the door to find some sort of makeshift replacement. The boys came through and Ellison did not know the difference on Christmas morning. <br /><br />3. The Beard. Because my friend Allison asked me to please document this I did. I will attempt to post some pictures below but unfortunately I still am not the best at getting the pictures in the right order with captions. This is now a December tradition (according to Ian) but he goes from a full beard to clean shaven in 4 days. The final day is hilarious. <br /><br />4. Baby #3. We are all very excited about the baby coming in May. Although my due date says the 12th of May, I'm measuring for the 5th at this point. They will determine my c-section date in March. I'm feeling movement and we even got to see my belly move for the first time 2 nights ago!! The verdict is still out on names and we actually haven't really had any major discussion about it yet. Hopefully we'll land on a good one. <br /><br />For the sake of this post not being too long, I'll end it there. I hope you enjoyed your holidays as well. I look forward to sharing more timely updates now that life is settling in again. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OJ6-WlMwat6oPRwuFB-urG1ED0lWjnZTXxFUXHQccKOCrS6tEaSv-U8maTArcwl6ki67IhrvrdZ-H2VucXyf50uZ-s86xmrdoEACmotsbG_vHfOKAv-3aysZ1flBDwvK5KqwItJNmJY/s1600-h/DSCN1429.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OJ6-WlMwat6oPRwuFB-urG1ED0lWjnZTXxFUXHQccKOCrS6tEaSv-U8maTArcwl6ki67IhrvrdZ-H2VucXyf50uZ-s86xmrdoEACmotsbG_vHfOKAv-3aysZ1flBDwvK5KqwItJNmJY/s320/DSCN1429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424463406285885202" /></a> Day 1-Full Beard (sorry hard to see)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0Bmh3wq_NpaD2IR7MDI_lE8w6KLcFWKh3HW1wwM_-dYflmMlGiuPy4oXpttvNKIdTMFu2XtksewcyKOsIn67cPbgYmKCG0pmsBhAsS9HJb2qZ5vKgodKYtX_TpOAFSUhmR85D3Z7pMk/s1600-h/DSCN1430.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0Bmh3wq_NpaD2IR7MDI_lE8w6KLcFWKh3HW1wwM_-dYflmMlGiuPy4oXpttvNKIdTMFu2XtksewcyKOsIn67cPbgYmKCG0pmsBhAsS9HJb2qZ5vKgodKYtX_TpOAFSUhmR85D3Z7pMk/s320/DSCN1430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424463000860013490" /></a> Day 2 (This is my favorite of the days)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGy7CLMDPkS6qFrJ606qHZBvWAcvEbN4qCMm3csbs2yGRP0hckLhk5AtF39crRJ9xcQv4Hex99VF2UJGPjUutPp3JD7xiuHGFeWLvzwhh4Qf2e3APU7PVedR4EhHZrIWu0ejOt9mPrsY/s1600-h/DSCN1437.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGy7CLMDPkS6qFrJ606qHZBvWAcvEbN4qCMm3csbs2yGRP0hckLhk5AtF39crRJ9xcQv4Hex99VF2UJGPjUutPp3JD7xiuHGFeWLvzwhh4Qf2e3APU7PVedR4EhHZrIWu0ejOt9mPrsY/s320/DSCN1437.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424464577529571746" /></a> Day 3 (hmmmm)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Q4rPGsmqq8768XElaXZXAzVq2NNTi_Nr_rksmy2LpSumpPuedVje0zcaPlDVsb6-UW2ciPgD2FNpw4GXXazOzMSHaaP2JvSYcwb_6MURlHxT1WC3Ql-31RSgceZ_st3l5b6s28s5w9M/s1600-h/DSCN1438.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Q4rPGsmqq8768XElaXZXAzVq2NNTi_Nr_rksmy2LpSumpPuedVje0zcaPlDVsb6-UW2ciPgD2FNpw4GXXazOzMSHaaP2JvSYcwb_6MURlHxT1WC3Ql-31RSgceZ_st3l5b6s28s5w9M/s320/DSCN1438.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424465050176689218" /></a>Day 4 (This is just funny)Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-5592070210226440882009-11-07T05:31:00.004-05:002009-11-07T05:40:07.868-05:00HalloweenJust wanted to share some pictures from Halloween. The kids had a great time. This year I ventured out and made Ellison's costume. It was so much fun for me and the fact that she loved it made it that much better. I used the pottery barn costume <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/ladybug-tutu-costume/?catalogId=55&bnrid=3580801&cm_ven=GoogleBase&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_pla=Home%20page&cm_ite=Datafeed <br />">here</a> as my inspiration.<br /><br />Hope you had a good Halloween too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6NT4pY5UBAUdvdmjlGER4YkwfNVeSHj4fU-wkzaGKt8aPptECI4MQ09xshtTce0QXG-aLH3FQ6yl9MIR9UqWeW-C4aUw_0y7GcfGhuIPGcCzbDe6tgceagDvBXpTQa-zoOQrPzYphks/s1600-h/DSCN1309.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6NT4pY5UBAUdvdmjlGER4YkwfNVeSHj4fU-wkzaGKt8aPptECI4MQ09xshtTce0QXG-aLH3FQ6yl9MIR9UqWeW-C4aUw_0y7GcfGhuIPGcCzbDe6tgceagDvBXpTQa-zoOQrPzYphks/s320/DSCN1309.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401308652159727938" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kwQ4yDltRuWt6-hpL4CdNEOfc-3E920ZZmC0KwCPaYih57S7_SAJIFK7PsJzO_QbPoaWksXIaANA3WSFXGWpF92zSRid6NZsRf7CusImscGYwItn6NscqGWos-RhLcEYhaG5m0RRR88/s1600-h/DSCN1310.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kwQ4yDltRuWt6-hpL4CdNEOfc-3E920ZZmC0KwCPaYih57S7_SAJIFK7PsJzO_QbPoaWksXIaANA3WSFXGWpF92zSRid6NZsRf7CusImscGYwItn6NscqGWos-RhLcEYhaG5m0RRR88/s320/DSCN1310.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401308845138589986" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4_bbOatjZYRsja5XUYIfH8bc4fp86SJG0hOcEoo5byyDWobN4HNWn4layOurQRLyc829tdyJYqDS1u-kQaeszU7zaoxBFsPb4Jp4Ej0YOr_xIAHrDUBYOLrE4J9f5Ang277dzvL_2B8/s1600-h/DSCN1313.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4_bbOatjZYRsja5XUYIfH8bc4fp86SJG0hOcEoo5byyDWobN4HNWn4layOurQRLyc829tdyJYqDS1u-kQaeszU7zaoxBFsPb4Jp4Ej0YOr_xIAHrDUBYOLrE4J9f5Ang277dzvL_2B8/s320/DSCN1313.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401309032413847394" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-15328627669066851112009-10-15T17:11:00.003-04:002009-10-15T17:29:18.473-04:00Saying Good-byeJust as quickly as he came Malik left our home today. We had a feeling that it could happen this week but after a mix up of court dates, and a positive meeting with his advocate, we weren't sure that he would leave. In some ways we were thinking the courts would change the course of action and somehow choose to keep him with us. DFACS called me at around 11AM this morning and said that the judge had granted guardianship to Ms. Jackson (a friend of Malik's family). I was told to have all of his things packed by 1:30. That was it. <br /><br />My immediate reaction was one of deep sadness. On a number of levels really. Although it's been a difficult 3 months saying good-bye to Malik closed a chapter, (at least for now), in our lives. I feel sad because our hearts had hoped that he would become our son. He had already begun to bond with our kids and with us. He learned how to eat, crawl, cruise and stand while he lived in our home. He started talking and using da-da and ma-ma when we were around. Although we would pass on his scream :-) his squeels of delight were a joy to us all. I will really miss seeing him and having him as a part of the Chadwicks. <br /><br />As I type my eyes and heart are so very full right now. Maybe I'm hoping that this will help to heal this sore spot that his absence has left. We prayed for Malik as a family before he left. We prayed that God would not forget him and that some day he would be a son of God. Honestly we have no regrets. We had a dream and went for it. It didn't work out the way we planned but we have to trust that we obeyed God and we pray that He was honored by the past 3 months of our lives. <br /><br />Please pray for our family and mostly for Malik. His mother is currently not complying with her requirements to obtain custody of him. As always kids are resilliant, but Ian and I are sad. I know the sadness will go away and time will ease the ache, but today we just miss him and we are putting to rest the idea that he would be a part of us forever. At some point in our lives we do hope to be on this journey again, but for now it seems wisest for us all to wait.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-88529308810412572732009-10-06T16:30:00.004-04:002009-10-06T16:45:15.200-04:00First Trimester- A challengeAlthough I love being pregnant, the first trimester of pregnancy is always a little tricky. I'm always eager for those signs that show the world that something is really going on in there. Also, my personality is one where It's really easy for me to hold back emotion and I feel like I've been doing that this time around more than normal. Honestly I think I've heard story after story of pregnancy loss or newborn deaths and the reality of the fact that things don't always turn out the way that you want them to is staring me in the face. So I admit, I've been holding back a bit. That combined with a busy lifestyle and the unknowns of Malik have just left me feeling.....weird. I just keep moving and hoping that another week passes quickly. Another week to check off and get me on to the next. I know, however, that that's not how it's meant to be. <br /><br />Even as I type this I am reminded of the scripture that says, "This is the day that the Lord has made, we should rejoice and be glad in it." It's probably one of the first verses that I memorized as a child because I can remember my dad saying it all the time. (Thanks Dad!) My challenge right now is to stay in each day, to be thankful for the nausea and other pregnancy unmentionables that are going on. They serve as reminders to me that <span style="font-weight:bold;">today</span> I am carrying a little miracle inside of me and what a gift that is. <br /><br />Please pray along with me that I can celebrate each day and put the rest in God's hands.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-85008808345507054552009-09-22T14:33:00.002-04:002009-09-22T14:59:59.049-04:00Good NewsSo we have been blessed with some great news in our home. First we found out that we are expecting our next child in May! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. We actually found out before our vacation, but went to the doctor last week and confirmed that there is a little bean in there. I thought I'd answer some questions that we've been getting in this post. <br /><br />Lots of people have asked us if we "planned" our pregnancy. Honestly after the difficulty of getting pregnant with Jude we earned a whole new insight on the idea of "trying" to get pregnant. The miracle of conception and birth are overwhelming. Because of that we decided that we wouldn't try to "plan" this one. We have just left the timing up to God and we're grateful for each day that I get to carry this child and we are praying for the day that we will bring him/her home. <br /><br />What about Malik? In case you've missed other posts, we do already have 3 children in our home :-). Malik is still with us. There are lots of emotions that roll around concerning that little guy. As of right now we are still his foster parents and it appears that he will leave our home at some point. (The other day Ellison heard me say that "it looks like he will leave our home" to someone and she said to me later "he doesn't look like he's going to leave our home to me." It's really cute how literal she is.) Our hearts are torn and we are not looking forward to the day, should it come, that he leaves. He really fits in with us so well and we'll have to wait and see what the Lord has in store. The next court date is in mid October. Until then, Malik is our son and we will love him as such. <br /><br />About the gender? We waited to find out the gender of our first 2 kids. Ian told me that the choice is mine about finding out the gender this time. At first I thought it would be fun but after some thought, I think I want to wait again. We already have one of each and I love the excitement towards the end of the pregnancy and on the day of birth. This child will be delivered through c-section, so we will know the birthdate long before it comes. Keeping the gender a surprise is something special for us so I think I'm going to wait until his/her birthday. As for the nursery, the funny this is, we've been in transition when each of our kids arrived so I've never really done anything super fancy. This time will be no different....<br /><br />Which leads me to my second bit of good news. Over the past 5 years we have pursued going back overseas. It has indeed been a pursuit. Multiple applications, a trip to Austria, numerous conversations with our missions staff at church, prayer, tears, and more prayer. On our last day of vacation, we finally completed our application to a sending agency that we've had a relationship with over the past 4 years, and last Friday we found out that we are officially candidates! The final step is to become an appointee but that happens a few months or weeks before going to the field. Right now there are lots of details up in the air and we, along with our church, are prayerfully considering where we would fit in. Our hearts have always thought that it would be Austria, but we are not sure that's going to be where God is leading us. <br /><br />So, there you have it! 2 big bits of news in our home. Please be praying that God will keep this little one safe in my womb and for our family as we earnestly seek God's direction in his will for our lives overseas. We are so excited to see what he's up to!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-5400404004110281032009-09-10T21:10:00.006-04:002009-09-10T21:47:07.445-04:00SoccerFirst of all, hello! It's been a while. I feel like I should introduce all of my posts by saying "This week on I & B +3." (Like John and Kate plus 8) Life is going so fast these days and it feels like the laundry is never done and there is always work to be done. Tonight I have a few free moments (well I'm taking a few free moments) to update so here we go....<br /><br />For those of you who know our little girl Ellison, this post should come as no surprise at all. Tonight we had our first soccer practice. Ian and I have been so excited. I think Ian has been especially excited since he's really taken an interest in soccer over the past couple years. For about a month now, I've been on the lookout for some soccer cleats and we finally got some shin guards and soccer socks yesterday for the big introduction. <br /><br />Let's start our story by saying that things were not well on the home front. Ellison had a complete meltdown 5 minutes before we were set to leave (I took away her blanky as punishment for the way she was treating Jude). On top of that, I had to put a "sportsy" outfit together for her which she did not approve of and that led to a further outburst of tears. I mean, I liked the blue on blue ensemble with the orange socks (her team color) but she obviously did not. Through her tears she told me that none of the other kids would be dressed like that. Oh really...and how old are you again??! At just the right time, Ian came home from work and brought some calm to the storm. We may not have made it to soccer had I been doing it alone. <br /><br />We finally load everyone into the van and within 2 minutes our little soccer player is knocked out cold! Mind you the church where she is playing is only 7 minutes away with traffic. So we wake her up and she and Ian run onto the field. Thanks to the little meltdown, we were unable to leave home in time to be there early. Me and the boys arrive on the field to see Ian holding Ellison running from coach to coach looking for her team. He is finally able to find her team and they are already doing drills. NOT GOOD! She immediately clammed up and would not leave Ian's side. All of the kids practiced their dribbling and shooting ...but not our girl. She watched and observed. She sat very close to daddy the entire time. Nearly an hour passed without a bit of action out of Ellison. That is until the snacks were pulled out. This was the only time she actually sat near the team without Ian around. <br /><br />I can see so much of me in that little girl. I am the same way. Although it's not approaching a soccer field in an outfit I don't like with kids I don't know and a coach who I'm not sure about, I have to feel a situation out before I'll dive in and try something. It's amazing what they pick up! I am so blessed to be complimented by my husband because he is nothing like that. He goes after life 100%. He really wanted her to be a part of organized sports to help her overcome some of her fears. I'm so thankful for his insight and love for his 2 hesitant girls. <br /><br />Oh and BTW... I cannot conclude this post without a note about the Juder. He had to be pulled off of the field by yours truly, with Malik in the Baby Bjorn, multiple times. He even lined up with another team as there were practicing their drills. If I could have I would have gotten a picture. He was so ready to kick one into the net! <br /><br />I hope you are all well. Thanks to those of you who keep up with our lives. The fun just keeps on coming. I hope to update tomorrow about our vacation. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSgf72Ckwic4FlAWjpRKKI1lqZySfe7KiecZY1rn1wcgi6RSFBjBkhT3edv2tEWDBRV9H3rDRplQsIR6W_MRpg9DwLC6TdthTsL_4_wqtEq-mYFOaPJwOTJhXbG4V1vjCZOY5-gOtWok/s1600-h/DSCN1233.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSgf72Ckwic4FlAWjpRKKI1lqZySfe7KiecZY1rn1wcgi6RSFBjBkhT3edv2tEWDBRV9H3rDRplQsIR6W_MRpg9DwLC6TdthTsL_4_wqtEq-mYFOaPJwOTJhXbG4V1vjCZOY5-gOtWok/s320/DSCN1233.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380018908348687538" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eEpXMxqtd2DmFWliXG4PDaH2LF1NSRY06QyvogxJzxYahuK1cqwHZ04R_y1ur2_A42zu8Ly3ivAHENaBlFEj6uoWt7JW99IuHu-oN8-jR9uFeGYCKkUvmxilONr2Yt8Yc4IlCAtDDzE/s1600-h/DSCN1236.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eEpXMxqtd2DmFWliXG4PDaH2LF1NSRY06QyvogxJzxYahuK1cqwHZ04R_y1ur2_A42zu8Ly3ivAHENaBlFEj6uoWt7JW99IuHu-oN8-jR9uFeGYCKkUvmxilONr2Yt8Yc4IlCAtDDzE/s320/DSCN1236.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380019121937692514" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7uriBsH5chIlV0esZllB97BtaK9061T1UITNnhy6-hun-mRkw3yrzVL2uG4MFMg6qI5cS65OAwTjjV87bP5_GPXktwwXmUR1m1ZI2DZgOSZwcdfSc2lr14uvq62Rjvv_vd1JuejmfEQ/s1600-h/DSCN1237.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7uriBsH5chIlV0esZllB97BtaK9061T1UITNnhy6-hun-mRkw3yrzVL2uG4MFMg6qI5cS65OAwTjjV87bP5_GPXktwwXmUR1m1ZI2DZgOSZwcdfSc2lr14uvq62Rjvv_vd1JuejmfEQ/s320/DSCN1237.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380019391551335522" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQzyoR9EJf1ffKbAOFseRodeLHvPrqMnG7RzHSboBS5MHs6ner06pTjuK3jHmwBBLzga93_nJUQCWMgvgpJcTguCJfa_tZ2WcJ0Bymv-_zHyjuafodVA1GbsWqjxtaiYAx-StjcwnakM/s1600-h/DSCN1240.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQzyoR9EJf1ffKbAOFseRodeLHvPrqMnG7RzHSboBS5MHs6ner06pTjuK3jHmwBBLzga93_nJUQCWMgvgpJcTguCJfa_tZ2WcJ0Bymv-_zHyjuafodVA1GbsWqjxtaiYAx-StjcwnakM/s320/DSCN1240.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380019665791372418" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQWNKThuJZ3F3nvHFUW4IZNwg5jTsnO5uPHDXMNo39v78bAMAOfO-br2bFBm9rnlIy0k1KOI44yyfHVt2HJssov0s-UKwOpwtTop-3HDH57HBNRDFo95FBkhmqDn7Yj2Y6RjXcs-RBhI/s1600-h/DSCN1239.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQWNKThuJZ3F3nvHFUW4IZNwg5jTsnO5uPHDXMNo39v78bAMAOfO-br2bFBm9rnlIy0k1KOI44yyfHVt2HJssov0s-UKwOpwtTop-3HDH57HBNRDFo95FBkhmqDn7Yj2Y6RjXcs-RBhI/s320/DSCN1239.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380019851461103346" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-75474891092456626502009-08-18T21:50:00.009-04:002009-08-18T22:02:34.780-04:002 weeks in picturesWe've had 2 weeks of changes in our house. We now have a 2 year old. A first hair cut for Jude. 3 baby teeth gone. A little girl in pre-k. Here are some pictures to tell it all. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDOFHs1G9hYUgWQ8-ucizt6KamP0gnj25ZevTl4DCJuQOUlwYQUu5xLXmrT4p6Nmddr5LRDgNsxP1dLWwpjzBSltWMzgnFhy6sobWor7NzwK2-2j60w6NA0xMwsRDU10x5fyZt1YvaWs/s1600-h/DSCN1115.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDOFHs1G9hYUgWQ8-ucizt6KamP0gnj25ZevTl4DCJuQOUlwYQUu5xLXmrT4p6Nmddr5LRDgNsxP1dLWwpjzBSltWMzgnFhy6sobWor7NzwK2-2j60w6NA0xMwsRDU10x5fyZt1YvaWs/s320/DSCN1115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371488310292921042" /></a> Jude Celebrating his second b-day at school. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVODlAsBVfwS57c3qDct-_w2Om4BSl7wqpiiMeiyi969vBEZUCxLLWNdB1TC7tdVH6GIhG0aRFQK63j7tOYhGLG4taIYqhzpSz3BeACPafSnOnnywrkBu4Tb1slw5o7zD1uhsC1DbZpPY/s1600-h/DSC_0057.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVODlAsBVfwS57c3qDct-_w2Om4BSl7wqpiiMeiyi969vBEZUCxLLWNdB1TC7tdVH6GIhG0aRFQK63j7tOYhGLG4taIYqhzpSz3BeACPafSnOnnywrkBu4Tb1slw5o7zD1uhsC1DbZpPY/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371487991336343650" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40xgZgT0d-es1FA_WgfHc9nlZgIzmrqXejCNVmwfXTmGJfbxXIXVaGghl9x7jX7PANgpEuB-JIRRDN8HafP3_9-ZbvFMtKPG2Yb8gG5MJPbxC7oszpLvbrrbu6pSIZa7yVpzRs2tBVYU/s1600-h/DSCN1101.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40xgZgT0d-es1FA_WgfHc9nlZgIzmrqXejCNVmwfXTmGJfbxXIXVaGghl9x7jX7PANgpEuB-JIRRDN8HafP3_9-ZbvFMtKPG2Yb8gG5MJPbxC7oszpLvbrrbu6pSIZa7yVpzRs2tBVYU/s320/DSCN1101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371487647061763602" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwUMpdPx7zAs_q5ZDWuIqOYT1T-Paf_UshyphenhyphenJD5OUK4TznRg61dTC9k7AwUKswIy68cNJW2NB6enSjTMIPo2s9IKMiYcveWW5AuGoQg_zziqWTaXra6-EIDNHTUdYtVGbkr58FQj3WPMU/s1600-h/DSCN1100.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwUMpdPx7zAs_q5ZDWuIqOYT1T-Paf_UshyphenhyphenJD5OUK4TznRg61dTC9k7AwUKswIy68cNJW2NB6enSjTMIPo2s9IKMiYcveWW5AuGoQg_zziqWTaXra6-EIDNHTUdYtVGbkr58FQj3WPMU/s320/DSCN1100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371487526064695634" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaydWKbMNT8w36RzfVFj-U6zZdlUe0FIbI9wgdYdqv5POL99XGHCtZ49-Ipttqbvj3V3E3I5x9qPZb65Dan841EYE8nAAH3w4OAcyquS4EXvFtaLJe9Tmg2Qywyn30bOxjgQMG0XIdBaw/s1600-h/DSC_0366.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaydWKbMNT8w36RzfVFj-U6zZdlUe0FIbI9wgdYdqv5POL99XGHCtZ49-Ipttqbvj3V3E3I5x9qPZb65Dan841EYE8nAAH3w4OAcyquS4EXvFtaLJe9Tmg2Qywyn30bOxjgQMG0XIdBaw/s320/DSC_0366.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371487181915528802" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkA-OAwCDemPU7boDqTu6gkUgbBscbuV-238M9Fdqc0SqNhn17kZJE26bRvCsAuVpjTbu3InOEGPmBYJXqIMvNHhhkwfdgPkUdUCi6uGrtNgHR-_t3pEsMc0WfF9hNmydzk3Qa7T7CGM/s1600-h/DSCN1099.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkA-OAwCDemPU7boDqTu6gkUgbBscbuV-238M9Fdqc0SqNhn17kZJE26bRvCsAuVpjTbu3InOEGPmBYJXqIMvNHhhkwfdgPkUdUCi6uGrtNgHR-_t3pEsMc0WfF9hNmydzk3Qa7T7CGM/s320/DSCN1099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371486932882203378" /></a>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-56264690924015453502009-08-07T16:09:00.006-04:002009-08-07T16:24:32.318-04:00Love List<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEygoPFMAdV30itrbSryRu9VrJkLDiLWg8YIhLgBdK6XcBaxNMjDBbuZ92fJuVJfpJ9Xbp0D6f9d6vr4lYfHSprtHkCO27onLraKu24KnJsZEG1A5uN59ce_gbletx9gyBJzmIOhDsa-U/s1600-h/DSC_0382.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEygoPFMAdV30itrbSryRu9VrJkLDiLWg8YIhLgBdK6XcBaxNMjDBbuZ92fJuVJfpJ9Xbp0D6f9d6vr4lYfHSprtHkCO27onLraKu24KnJsZEG1A5uN59ce_gbletx9gyBJzmIOhDsa-U/s320/DSC_0382.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367319578985039602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ8r3DHvDgsexc3lyln554s7Hf4rP2BKdpTrXb-Yj2nrNs9F9UrRWFpvumptSEKwI24UNS0O5CXhLi1Rp6B4zfIu5kWrhtm5mw4phr1xGmWKLqbkreCRFKOCOZQxdjfyID-bIfQUTtCU/s1600-h/DSC_0378.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ8r3DHvDgsexc3lyln554s7Hf4rP2BKdpTrXb-Yj2nrNs9F9UrRWFpvumptSEKwI24UNS0O5CXhLi1Rp6B4zfIu5kWrhtm5mw4phr1xGmWKLqbkreCRFKOCOZQxdjfyID-bIfQUTtCU/s320/DSC_0378.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367319056372376338" /></a><br />My mom periodically gives me a magazine called Above Rubies. This edition featured an article on a Love List. The idea comes from Mother Theresa's quote "It's not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." Basically instead of focusing on a To Do List filled with tasks (that I never get done) it forces you to look over your day and think of all the unseen acts of love. To quote the article it says " I believe this list would be more telling as to how productive the day actually was."<br /><br />I've been thinking about this A LOT!! I am such a doer and I love nothing more than a clean house with laundry done, and meals planned. I am actually a doer to a fault...BIG TIME. It's hard for me to be still and easier to keep things in order than it is to stop and read a book when the dishes are pilled high, or hold a little one after a nap instead of rushing off to cook dinner. <br /><br />So today I added something to my love list. I decided to pull out the inflatable pool, blow it up and fill it (we don't have a hose mind you) and let the kids go crazy. It was worth all the sweat to hear the giggles and laughs. This created more to my to do list but I hope it was a fun day for them!<br /><br />What about you..what's on your love list??<br /><br /><br />PS- The kids must have started their own list, because they all took a nap this afternoon. What a way to love mama!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-56613329253411530082009-07-29T15:24:00.002-04:002009-07-29T15:53:08.186-04:00From 4 to 5- MalikNearly 3 weeks ago we got a call from DFACS telling us that they had 2 little boys who were about to come into foster care. They were both in need of placement. Of the 2 we chose Malik who had come into the system for "abandonment." Since welcoming him in we have learned a lot more about his story. A number of you have asked where we stand with things so I wanted to use this as a chance to update you. <br /><br />It turns out that at 2 months old Malik's mother gave him to a friend who in turn gave him to her grandmother. This lady took care of him up until a month or so ago when Malik's mom came to get him (Malik is 7 months old). She then left him with another person which is when the grandmother who had been raising him called DFACS to get them involved. So when they called us, he had indeed been abandoned but we just didn't know all of the details surrounding it. A week ago I would have said that it looks like we are not going to have the chance to adopt him, but only God really knows that. We at first thought he was leaving last week Thursday and after a tearful goodbye I got a phone call saying there was a mix up and he would be returning. I was then told that he would be with us through the 18th of August. Last night, however, Malik's caseworker came over and told us that we should expect that he will be here longer than the 18th. (On a side note she told us a story of a 12 month old that she had just visited and the foster parents are about to adopt. So encouraging to hear that!!)<br /><br />So...how are we adjusting. Well I have to be honest and say that this transition has been really hard. It's difficult because our family has grown and with that comes growth of laundry and our overall responsibilities. I just looked at my post about grocery shopping and laughed. I have not been to the grocery store for a big trip since he came. At the same time, he could be leaving and we'd be back down to a family of 4 again which is why I think we just keep rolling along like "ahh no big deal". When you birth a baby everyone knows that life has to stop. When you're a foster parent it's a little bit different. <br /><br />Since Malik has come we've had so many cool moments in the midst of the busy. We've watched our extended family become excited and on board with what we're doing, we've had countless conversations about foster care and adoption, and we've loved on this little guy along with our kids. One of the best moments is watching Malik respond to seeing Jude and Ellison after he wakes up! His eyes literally light up. They make him laugh so hard and they love to help take care of him. He has started scooting all around and eating food from a spoon, 2 things he didn't do when he came. Ellison commented that we should call his mommy and tell her. <br /><br />We feel really blessed to be a part of his life and his story for however long God would have that to be. A friend of mine from small group commented that kids are only ours for a season. That is so very true and something that I've taken for granted with my own children. We are also sad for Malik to think about what his life will be like should he go back to a situation where his mom could randomly be in and out of his life. From what we found out last night, she is homeless and is expecting another baby. Malik had also been termed "failure to thrive" and was without any vaccinations or doctor visits upon his arrival. So sad to think that that is the reality for not just him but so many babies in our country and all over the world! <br /><br />So we are continuing to press forward each day trying to figure things out and trusting God when we just don't know the answers. Thanks for all of your kind words, prayers and support. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by a community of people so involved in this guy's life.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-48120160604365234862009-07-16T21:22:00.005-04:002009-07-16T21:51:24.027-04:00Change is GoodThere are a number of things that I can tie to the book Captivating lately. My post tonight is no exception :-). <br /><br />Over the past month or so I've gotten an itch to start changing things around our apartment. Since we've been married we've always lived in apartments, duplexes or flats. With each change (6 so far) a big bubble of excitement rises up in me about decorating! At the beginning of our marriage I was a little bit frustrated that God would wire me to do this stuff so much but t yet we never owned a home. I've now come to see that because I love this stuff so much I've had a part in making each of our places feel more like home. How fun! And the best part is if I don't like it, we'll be moving at some point anyway.<br /><br />We've lived in our current apartment for well over a year now, so why the sudden changes now you might ask?? At the start of the summer I was invited to take part in a Bible study with a wonderful group of women. On the first week, I got a chance to go in Kristin's home, which happens to be an apartment as well. It was beautiful. Each and every room was painted. It felt so calming and peaceful. My brain immediately started churning as to what I could do to bring some cozy to our place as well. One Friday Kristin came over to my house and she was so encouraging with her words. She commented on how she really liked my style. Together we walked through each room and both of us were bursting with ideas. We were speaking the same language. After she left that day I was ready to take the plunge. <br /><br />In the book Captivating, I read that women were meant to display God's beauty. Not all of us are wired to do things like this, but in each of us there is a way that we can display beauty. That is our gift to the world and my world begins with my family. Thinking about this and feeling the motivation from Kristin really spurred me on. Add on a husband who loves doing this kind of thing too and you've got yourself a paint party till 2AM. My next stop is just off of Windward Parkway to have fun in my friend Joy's place. <br /><br />Here are some pictures of some of the things we did. It was so much fun bringing a little of His beauty to our home!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5-pKZlo24mkkHh3o1YpxMTpB4BI4njulTYPRqybZb6jE2I4gd6IENr_NjCwAX-R78hVk-CzdMoJvqqQku_QE2v9rx-lboATKxR6F7z2oxsNyW54DDDMZgQDSpnBwz8izXtIV9KpQePc/s1600-h/DSCN1091.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5-pKZlo24mkkHh3o1YpxMTpB4BI4njulTYPRqybZb6jE2I4gd6IENr_NjCwAX-R78hVk-CzdMoJvqqQku_QE2v9rx-lboATKxR6F7z2oxsNyW54DDDMZgQDSpnBwz8izXtIV9KpQePc/s320/DSCN1091.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359238398297858690" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here is the piano that I repainted. We also painted the dining area the color behind the piano. It's antiqued but you can't really see it in the picture. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfCuZqg5iABq5Xe2MSB61OjJieDSnCDTUoRg8-JCkRwgXoguUsrziw7enO2IyIasr6Vm4WupLR7naiTvWpc7RjefJJBWQ5bWR8kZL3JWEtfu7_hWnFw5bcWi1habCB5A_bvmV6GH5SnE/s1600-h/DSCN1090.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfCuZqg5iABq5Xe2MSB61OjJieDSnCDTUoRg8-JCkRwgXoguUsrziw7enO2IyIasr6Vm4WupLR7naiTvWpc7RjefJJBWQ5bWR8kZL3JWEtfu7_hWnFw5bcWi1habCB5A_bvmV6GH5SnE/s320/DSCN1090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359238253575464386" /></a><br /><br />These are pictures of our years in Europe. We changed the location of the pics and added the words. The words really sum it up well!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk9cBvoBXA1iEO-tLAfW_g-OkqzaVVxKppT8JQ6FJOp39fTlb3c9V8HkUc4kECS_rfwxbzRHhbbh4LGka4zUjIXZplLg0uD8Xpv8_O2VrPVdeVzw-JOFCUa5zD4h7Nq03DonbHwpaX9w/s1600-h/DSCN1089.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk9cBvoBXA1iEO-tLAfW_g-OkqzaVVxKppT8JQ6FJOp39fTlb3c9V8HkUc4kECS_rfwxbzRHhbbh4LGka4zUjIXZplLg0uD8Xpv8_O2VrPVdeVzw-JOFCUa5zD4h7Nq03DonbHwpaX9w/s320/DSCN1089.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359238159273424850" /></a<br /><br />We painted the bottom half of the wall and added a shelf. We also spray painted some of the frames. Oh...and there is a pillow I made for the couch too.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-80763646061956401312009-06-30T15:16:00.003-04:002009-06-30T16:26:26.818-04:00We did it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyshlEf_32Lf4qJqMXkEkbCxEq-Q1DcmvbVyqhLLmYR9RTTL9477OlbzRyfcR2y7iqTqIbO1gfkx8vRaedZWmgMuYutwNOq61kfdo5abd8MB1mnWQURwJi1k4rDapAl0zEGb4AKQTcWfo/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyshlEf_32Lf4qJqMXkEkbCxEq-Q1DcmvbVyqhLLmYR9RTTL9477OlbzRyfcR2y7iqTqIbO1gfkx8vRaedZWmgMuYutwNOq61kfdo5abd8MB1mnWQURwJi1k4rDapAl0zEGb4AKQTcWfo/s320/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353209634466439746" /></a><br />For well over a year I have vowed never to grocery shop with my kids. The last time scarred me for some reason that I'm sure was related to Wal-Mart(it's gigantic and I always need something that's on the other side of the store when I'm on the opposite side), nursing and going potty. Just too much for a mother to handle sometimes. Now that hasn't meant that I don't ever run in quick and get stuff with them but the BIG grocery trip has been done in the late evenings when the little ones are in bed and on a rare occasion or two before they wake up. I decided, that I needed to try it again because for one reason or another I wasn't able to go in the evenings anymore and then we end up feasting on cheap fast food or throwing together a meal of randomness made of whatever we could find in the fridge and pantry. <br /><br />Now you may be thinking "what's so hard about grocery shopping with kids?" For me, I don't just grocery shop. It's a process. First I spend time evaluating the sales and planning meals (through the help of some great websites <a href="http://couponmom.com">couponmom.com</a>, <a href="http://southernsavers.com">southernsavers.com</a>, <a href="http://e-mealz.com">e-mealz.com</a>) cutting my coupons and then I'm off. Today I was armed with nearly 20 coupons going to the store. So when I get there I have to spend time comparing the deal I'm getting with my coupons on national brands versus just buying the generic. Children do not understand why I'm closing my eyes and doing the math while they are begging for Apple Jacks or the Orange Juice in the pretty container. I mean I can't blame them there. However, I've heard time and time again that kids will do what they are trained to do so let the training begin...again! <br /><br />So today was pretty successful day. Other than Jude saying "owwt, owwt (out) every 3 aisles followed by him pulling Ellison's hair just to get a reaction, we all survived. Here are some things that made it work today. If you have any other tips to add, please feel free to post them. This will be a weekly adventure and the more prepared I am the better it'll be...I hope. <br /><br />Winning Tips of the Day:<br />1. I tried to be organized. I organized the list according to the locations in the store to make it as quick as possible. I also tried to make notes on my list about the value of the coupon so that I didn't have to search through my envelope to figure out what is the best deal. <br />2. I hyped up our trip to Ellison big time. I told her we were going on an adventure and equipped her with her camera to take pictures. <br />3. I shopped at Publix which is right across the street from our complex. This makes for a very quick commute which seems to be a winner. Also, I LOVE PUBLIX. I know they are more expensive but for our basic needs (excluding meat) I go there. They unload my cart, bag my stuff and load it in the car. All I have to do is swipe the card and hand over the coupons. At the end of our trip today a very nice old man gave Ellison and Jude a dollar each. He also told us that he'd be singing on Friday at 12 if we'd like to come and hear him. They also know our family and are always so nice to our kids. I really love the neighborhood feel in a huge suburb where you can feel one of the numbers. <br />4. I gave the kids a snack and drink right before we left the house and they seemed to be content in the food department. <br />5. I prayed. Yep! I am a firm believer in prayer and although there were some tantrums, hitting and hair pulling I found that I was able to handle them better. <br /><br />So there you have it. A grocery trip without too many tears AND I saved 70 dollars my favorite.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-408669979947720388.post-48289361601008869862009-06-16T16:27:00.004-04:002009-06-16T16:55:39.423-04:00You are Captivating<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYZvrtZ8VV87DEhhRjoy8VCIvETfBkZQC5yhhGG31mlzjdkhP3Pygcc2MRzwCQTM8CqdVzbs9zLLKkqpdGMSP-CFDbWUMpsrXnrzBE3_3HVR57Hb07rizIftDIeSZhSqQCl1Sw8CIGnA/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYZvrtZ8VV87DEhhRjoy8VCIvETfBkZQC5yhhGG31mlzjdkhP3Pygcc2MRzwCQTM8CqdVzbs9zLLKkqpdGMSP-CFDbWUMpsrXnrzBE3_3HVR57Hb07rizIftDIeSZhSqQCl1Sw8CIGnA/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348031909996317042" /></a><br /><br />It is with great pleasure that I announce that I have finished the book Captivating!! Can I just say that I LOVED IT! I have owned this book for a few years and had never gotten around to reading it. In fact, I gave it to a friend of mine to read because I just couldn't seem to carve out the time to make it happen. As I've thought about it, however, our God is not a God of chance but he is a divine God who appointed this as the time to read the book. Let me explain a little bit...<br /><br />At the end of last year one of my friends told me about a young mother's group that she had been a part of. She often told stories and it seemed to be a real encouragement to her. Back in January I got the chance to be a part of the group. I signed up hoping to gain some more wisdom on parenting only to find that the focus of the spring study was on the Hope curriculum. I was a little bit like "man I really needed some advice about parenting, but ok Lord you brought me here for a reason." As soon as I left the first meeting the reason became clear. As the leader told us (forgive the paraphrase), we cannot be all that God wants us to be as mothers until we are all that we are all that He wants us to be in Him. Hope is a program at our church that helps people deal with times of crisis. The curriculum leads you through a course of digging out what's in your past, identifying those things and replacing them with truth. I can sum it up by saying that it teaches you to have freedom in Christ through abiding in His spirit daily. It has transformed the way I look at things. Anytime I find an emotion rising up in me I start asking and digging as to why it's there and the Lord has been so faithful to reveal it. <br /><br />So our time together came to a close and the mom's group is taking a break for the summer. I found myself in a conversation back at the beginning of May. In fact it was May 3rd. I was talking about keeping the idea of boys (chasing them, boyfriends etc.) away from my daughter as long as possible (yes I know she's only 4). I wondered though how far was too far. No princess movies included?? A single friend at church heard me talking and asked if I'd read Captivating and I told her that I owned it but never read it. She encouraged me to blow off the dust and read it :-) in light of what she'd just heard me talking about. She had just returned from a Captivating retreat and felt that it would be a great read for me. She, in fact, reads it every year and now I know why!<br /><br />Off I go to my house to start the book and I can't find it anywhere! Well I remembered that I had given it to a friend which left me without a book. As you've read, I love a bargain and I was struggling to pay 16 bucks for the book again. The next morning I remembered that a volunteer had given me a gift card to Borders for 5 dollars. The funny part is that she gave it to me 2 Christmases ago and I hadn't used it because there isn't a Borders close to my house. So I pulled out the card and on the back I see that I can use it at Waldenbooks which is in the mall only 5 minutes away from me! I called them and guess what!!?? The clerk told me we have 2 soft copies for 16 dollars but we also have 2 hard copies of the book for 4.95 in the bargain bin. Our God is so personal isn't he! So off I went to get my book for FREE. <br /><br />I couldn't wait to dive into this book! Reading through that book was a spiritual peak for me. It hit me right where I needed. I don't want to give much more detail than this: You, as a woman, are captivating. God thinks you are captivating and He designed you to show His beauty to the world. What an awesome responsibility we have!! To show his beauty to our husbands, friends, children, ministry, work etc. The cool thing is the book nearly parallels the Hope curriculum that I went through. My last point about the book is this: When I read the final pages I cried, nearly sobbed. I was filled with so much hope and purpose. My husband looked over at me and asked if everything was ok. I just smiled and said..it's the book again (I practically read it to him). <br /><br />Please please please read this book. It has the power to transform your life if you are willing to do the work. I pray that it will cross your path at just the appointed time. Our sweet, personal and loving Heavenly Father has a way of doing just that.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12904433095793042391noreply@blogger.com5