Don't Waste Your Life

Our small group just started a video study last night by John Piper: "Don't Waste Your Life." It already has me thinking, in a good way. I feel like so often I question whether I'm really living out God's ultimate purpose for my life. Then, I just get busy with something until I think of it again. Could I be missing out on the best opportunities out there because I chose what seems good or right to me and ask God to bless what I choose, instead of daily pursuing His passions? I know that I am meant for much more than the influence I've had on this world thus far. I'm excited for where this journey may lead, and I'm really scratching my head about today's question, "What are three things you wish to accomplish before you die?" Add to that the fact that I'll be spending plenty of time indoors with two babies soon, and you've got a recipe for some serious introspection.

Marvelous March

This month has been quite the roller-coaster. We closed on our house Tuesday, March 9th. That evening we were at the Emergency Room with Adelle because she'd hit her head on our metal bed frame and woke-up from her nap vomiting. We were there for five hours, holding our very scared little girl while the nurses took her temperature and monitored her, sedated her, and had her get a CTscan. She had to be stirring enough for us to be able to bring her home again, so we watched a lot of HGTV and a show with Marc Summers on how stuff is made. Wednesday and Thursday, Adelle slept forever from her concussion. She was very drowsy and had terrible mood swings where she'd be laughing and suddenly burst into crying and pushing us away. I spent those two days at home with Adelle, trying to get her better and help her to feel spoiled by my care. I felt very weak when I went to bed Thursday night, but it was just Adelle and I and I didn't feel like getting myself anything to eat or drink before going to sleep.

Friday morning, I heard Jesse up in the bathroom, so I popped out of bed and went to see him before he headed to the new house. I immediately felt very, very sick. My hands went clammy and my face grew hot. I was pale and shaky. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I thought of saying, "I'm going to die!" but I didn't want that to be my last words. Then, I thought, "Please pray for me," but that didn't seem like good last words either, so I said, "Just hold me," and passed out. Jesse said my eyes were rolling all around and my head was flopping all over. He said he sat me on my knees first, but I was unconscious, I don't remember that part. I remember coming to and asking him, "Are we on the floor?" And he said that we were. He covered me with towels because I was so cold, and he called the birth center. They said that I'd probably gotten up too quickly, was dehydrated, and needed more protein. This past week, it has taken all my effort to keep drinking constantly and get protein. I am sure with this pregnancy I am going to gain more weight than the last one because I'm not just eating for two, I'm eating to keep myself vertical.

Other than that, things are going well. Jesse's working around the clock to have our new home habitable by the end of the month. God has protected us from so many things that could have been much worse without His help and comfort. We feel blessed beyond measure to have us all healing and healthy for now and a new house that we've entrusted to Him. Oh, and yesterday, I took Adelle in for Easter pictures. I think they show that she's feeling much better for only being a week after her accident!

Pre-appointment pictures

I have my second baby appointment at the birth center today. I still have an hour to wait, so we took some pictures in the light of the open front door. The sun is shining, so that always helps, and Adelle is sporting the elusive and rare pony which is a highlight for me because her bangs are getting pretty long again.

I La Yoooouuuu!......Too!

Adelle's speech has taken off as she's been repeating everything we say. Every morning, she says, "Tiss," (kiss) and plants one on me, "Hug," and gives me a hug, and "I la yooooouuu! .....Too!" can be heard multiple times a day. When people leave our house, she asks for hugs and kisses, and she watches them all the way out to their car. A couple of times she's even said hug and kiss after they were too far gone and given the glass door a kiss and hug in their place. Every night Jesse works, she says, "BYYYE, DA-EEE!" over and over until she sees him pull away. Today she asked, "Tiss, babee?" so she hugged and kissed her baby sister or brother right on my belly-button, the only place she's tried to kiss the baby so far.

Besides talking quite a bit, Adelle has also been honing her "skills of an artist". When I draw a simple smiley face, she adds the nose, hair, and ears. If I add a stick body with a dress on it, she'll add the hands and feet. When I told her Parents as Teachers lady about it, she said that skill isn't usually developed in most 3-year-olds. Besides that, tonight she was able to paint in spirals. I think it was easier for her to paint spirals than draw them because she didn't have to use as much pressure as she turned the brush on the paper.

Offer Accepted!

Yesterday, we made an offer on a home in a cute neighborhood with enough space for our family and a good, solid foundation. Today, our offer was accepted! We feel beyond blessed and excited for this new adventure together.

We're praying

• that the Lord would build our house, even if the deal falls through for some reson and we can't end up getting that one.
• that our home would glorify Him.
• that we would be thankful to Him for everything that we have.
• that our marriage would only be stengthened through the trials of updating and repair work.

If everything goes well, we could be home owners by March 15th! Then, the real work begins... Maybe I'll post pictures of our updating projects. For now, we will just CELEBRATE!

Lately

Lately, there's been some anxiety here. We're looking at buying our first house, and waiting for our tax return to make an offer on the one we like. Add to the wait for the money the wait for the approval from the bank, and we're not sure if this house is going to stay on the market long enough for us. In addition to the wait, there is uncertainty. Uncertainty because it also needs some repairs - $5,200 of immediate repairs listed by the home inspection. And we're not sure if we have to have that money in addition to the downpayment, prepaids & closings, and reserves upfront, or if we can wait to get the tax credit to pay for some of it. That's some of what's been up with us of late.

In other news, we're expecting our second baby around August 22nd, so that's been exciting, exhausting, and everything in between. The great news is, I'm feeling wonderful 95% of the time now, and I got to hear the heartbeat on Tuesday, so its starting to feel more real. The weird news is that my uterus is measuring large, so I don't know what that means and probably won't for a long time.

The comforting news, lately, is that Psalm 18 tells us that God rescues us because He delights in us and He stoops down to make me (us) great. These words are comforting because I know that He loves intimately. He loves me enough to rescue me from buying The Money Pit or from worrying about the size of my uterus. When I seek Him and His truth, He doesn't just rescue me because its His plan or universal goal, He rescues me because He knows every detail about me and knows whats best for me and takes delight in me. Then, He stoops down, like a parent does moment after moment and day after day, to make me great. I can rest, like Adelle right now, because I know His plans are best for me. Whatever's going on with me lately, all I have to do is trust.

How do you measure a year in the life?

Measure in love. Seasons of love.