Vacation's Over Already

We had to take Chuck to the airport today, unfortunately. It sure was a good week, though. We went to the lake a few times, and even to the little county fair yesterday. I had my camera in my purse the whole time and didn't take a single picture. Well, maybe Chuck will post some over at his blog.

God bless!

Yippee!!

We are leaving in just a few hours to pick up Chuck. He'll be arriving on the midnight flight.

We haven't had any news lately, and I likely won't be on the computer much this week, so don't hold your breath for updates. Just assume no news is good news. Much love to you all.

God bless!

Thursday Thoughts

I really cannot believe that it is already Thursday. It was an unusual week for us; we had visitors two days in a row! I guess that is in part why this week seems to have gone by so quickly.

Today was breezy and cool. If we got above 70 degrees today, it wasn't by much. Tonight we are supposed to get down to the mid-40's. I'm not really complaining, but it is weird to be comfortably wearing a flannel shirt in July!

Chuck has actually been able to work two days in a row now. Yay! When we moved we were aware of the possibility that there wouldn't be enough work for him. I never considered that the problem might be too much. He's been gone a month. I just keep reminding myself that the more he works now, the less he can work later.

When I was reformatting this laptop, I found a disk of old family pictures. I'm sorry to say that all our pictures from the last two years were lost. Lesson learned: save digital pictures to disk at least a few times a year! I can't believe how much the children have changed since these were taken. Two years makes such a big difference! So, in closing, here are pictures of the children from June, 2005.

God bless!

Had a check-up today

Amanda, who is now my midwife, came for a visit today. She brought her two-month-old baby boy with her. He was just adorable! The kids went ga-ga over him, and everybody insisted on taking a turn at holding him. I am SO GLAD we will soon have a baby in the family, along with all the love and joy a baby can bring!

Everything is going well. Her exact words were "whatever you are doing, keep doing it". She confirmed for me that Baby is head-down and in the classic position, although I am still carrying him/her very high. She guessed that Baby probably weighs between 4 and 4 1/2 pounds already. This is gonna be a big one, especially if I go the whole nine weeks left until my due date! Luckily all the other children have come a week or two before the due date so it is probably safe to say that I am likely to deliver before September 22nd. Maybe. At least, I hope so! Baby's heartrate was 147.

Some folks have asked us about whether or not we have names picked out. Short answer, is no- not officially anyway. We have some possibilities in mind, but we haven't decided for sure. And until then, we aren't giving any hints!

So, all of you who have been sending prayers our way, they are working. Keep them coming! I'm in the "home stretch" now, and it is hard to be patient.

God bless!

Happy Anniversary!

On this day 12 years ago, Chuck and I were married by a Rev. Buddy (or something like that) at a place called The Jesus Center (I wish I were kidding...) in Tulsa, OK.


Then, on the same day five years later, we were married at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in North Charleston, SC. At the time Robert was almost 5, Raechel was 3, and Daniel was 9 months old. We were both sentimental enough (and skinny enough!) to wear the same clothes. :o)

Happy 12/7 anniversary, Sweetie. I love you even more today than I did then.

God bless!

Visit Chuck's Blog, too!

Now everyone who is always asking me, "So, where is Chuck?" can go and find out for themselves! Find him at What's Up Chuck?

God bless!

A Quick Request

Just popping in with a quick request. Since our home computer crashed I have lost everyone's e-mail address. If you see this message could you please drop me a line so I can save you in my address book? Thanks!



God bless!

Happy Birthday, Baby

Today is the first anniversary of Hope's birthday. One year ago today I went into labor at the hour of Mercy, 3:00 in the afternoon, and delivered her into my own hands sometime around 5:45. It would have been on the 5th of July (I am pretty sure) that her soul was delivered to God.

It wasn't too long ago that the Vatican issued a document regarding limbo and the fate of unbaptized babies. Contrary to what most Catholics have come to believe, the existence of limbo as a place of natural happiness apart from God has never been an official teaching of the Church. Mother Church cannot say with absolute certainty what happens to these innocent souls, but She entrusts them to the kindness of an all-merciful Father. Therefore, I can have confidence that our Hope is in heaven.

A few have sent me messages of prayer and encouragement. These are more dear to me than you know. I am doing well, and I can only contribute the peace in my soul to your prayers and to the mercy of God. He is so good to send me friends and loved ones like you!

God bless!

Narration

This morning Joseph was narrating the fifth, sixth, and seventh days of creation for me. After he was finished we talked about how God made everything in the world. He quickly pointed out that "He let humans make the refrigerators."

We ended up having a very nice Fourth of July. We went to a town about 20 miles away where they were having a parade and some events. I'm pretty sure that is the first time either Thomas or Joseph had ever been to a parade. A few of the parade participants were throwing out candy for the kids. The first time this happened the kids just stood there for a second, completely unsure what to do. Then Thomas picked up a big sucker and threw it back at them! There was a (very) little park there, so we hung out for a while before heading home with groceries. I made hamburgers and potato salad for dinner, and we made ice cream although it never did freeze well so it was more like a thick milkshake. I bought a few boxes of sparklers and those snappers that pop when the kids throw them. Overall we had a really good day!

God bless!

Happy 4th!

I've had adventures in computer reformatting the last few days. Our PC crashed on Sunday. On Monday, I was attemting to hook up Chuck's old laptop to my monitor and printer, when it started refusing to cooperate. So with a little help from my tech support guy (Chuck) I decided to just reformat the laptop. Unless or until we decide to get the PC fixed, this will have to work.

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July! It looks like we will be celebrating at home. As Raechel already observed, "Fourth of July just isn't as much fun without Daddy." I heartily agree, but I will do my best. Fireworks just don't appeal to me as much as they used to. I could think of a hundred things I would prefer doing over watching the kids try to burn themselves or set the yard on fire. But we will grill hot dogs, make potato salad and homemade ice cream, and light our sparklers like proper Americans. It should be fun.

God bless!

Already July!

I really can't believe it is already July and that 2007 is half over.

I got a rude awakening this morning- cramps in both calves that were so bad I couldn't even stand up! Somebody hasn't always been remembering to take her mineral supplement, but will from now on. Yikes!

It was a blessing, though, because it happened at 5:37. It was too close to my wake-up time to go back to bed, but earlier than I usually get up, so I was treated to a gorgeous sunrise. The entire northern sky was blushed with the first touch of the sun. It made me think, as I stood there at the kitchen window waiting for water to boil, that God has brought us to the most beautiful place left in the country. So many people live day after day without ever having an unobstructed view of the sky. I feel so fortunate to live in the country where I can see "the skies proclaim the work of his hands".

I pray that all of us will have a beautiful and grace-filled week.

God bless!