We have a name!

I am so excited! we decided on a name! Course i am not telling anyone what it is yet, because we have decided to let it be our little secret. But the first and middle names we picked out have great meanings! We were initially going to wait until he was born to decide, but I guess the Lord provided the name for us before then and so that was the right timing!

:)

⁵ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart - Jeremiah 1:5

____

little moments

The other day I made pumpkin cheesecake. I made enough batter for 4 or 5 cheesecakes... and i put it in the crusts and then i tasted it. Wasn't that great!

I wondered why. I scraped it out and added more sugar. Tasted a little better. Put it in the fridge.

A day or so later, toby says, aren't you supposed to Bake them? I thought for a minute about it... UH, Yeah. we were supposed to bake it. I laughed a lot about that! they were so good once we cooked them!

Life just seems to have those sort of moments. And the best thing to do is Laugh! I'm learning to do that more. I often get frustrated with little things and forget the big picture. But it's not about being perfect. It's about learning and growing and being happy where you are. Right at this moment.

And so lately, I've begun to enjoy little moments of life. Especially little moments with my husband. Like going together to see our baby on the ultrasound for the first time. It was incredible and unforgettable!

I remember all the little details of it. Walking into the hospital, waiting for them to call us back, and then getting to see sort of what our baby looks like. And then when she said you have a little boy! Toby was grinning ear to ear!! And he made that little noise he makes when he is happy but doesn't know what to say. Its just something I notice. We are so excited!

Toby videoed the whole thing. Even though he probably wasn't supposed to. When we walked out of there we both were so excited! We got in the car and of course i was hungry, but we called our family members one by one. We were on the phone almost all day telling everyone. I think this was one of the happiest days I've ever had!

I live for little moments like that.

Yesterday we went to toby's dads house and he built shelves for the baby. Football shelves. Course we will leave it up to the child to decide if they like football or not! But I can tell toby is happy and wants to be involved. I just love that! I can't wait to see how the baby's room will come together.

But today I heard something that really hit me hard. I always associate things with love. Objects as representing something beautiful. but its not that way! Things are only to get by. Love is with people! And so, I realize that what is important is our baby, not our baby's stuff.

Living and Learning.

precious

I heard on the radio this morning a talk about Adoption, and I broke into tears as they spoke of their story.

They talked of the orphanage they picked their 2 boys up from in Russia and how silent the place was. The babies there didn't cry. And the speaker explained that they didn't cry because they had noone to respond to them when they did need something. So they rocked themselves and comforted themselves. They also weren't able to go outside. Ever. Can you imagine? I want to go there and adopt all of them. I want the world to know that children are a GIFT not a burden. NOT A BURDEN. They are new life! They are created by God!

My mom adopted 2 boys from Russia as well. And they still have some scars from their experience, but hopefully they don't realize. They remember some, but very little (thank the Lord). They were able to go outside at this orphanage, but there was broken glass everywhere and they didn't really clothe them well for the weather. My littlest brother says (not sure if this is true, but its possible) that there was a tank outside his window one day.

Many of them never get adopted. And at a certain age, noone wants them for adoption, so they are kicked out and put on the streets. To lead lives of pure brokenness and emptiness.

My heart cries out for all the children who are hurting for no fault of their own.

When will the world see that children are precious? That they are wonderfully made and need love? They are not a weight to be carried. And its not about money. You may think they are expensive. But why are you putting a price on HUMAN LIVES? They cannot be bought. They were bought at a price on the cross. But not with our money.

in our culture today, often people care more about animals than humans. What have we become?

Human life is precious.

Panera Bread Broccoli & Cheese Soup

AMAZING soup!

Serves 3-4. Ready in about 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 T melted butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half & half

2 cups chicken stock or bouillon

1/2 pound fresh broccoli- fresh is best

1 cup carrots, shaved or food processed

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 t. nutmeg

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter & flour, blend using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and half. (this is called making a roux.) Add the chicken stock, whisking all the time. Simmer for 2o minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots & onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt & pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender & puree (optional.) Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg & serve.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Festive!

* there might be an easier way (less ingredients) to make this, but this recipe is pretty simple if you can get the ingredients. and its tasty! *

1- .25 oz. unflavored gelatin - baking aisle

1- 8 oz. cream cheese, super softened

1- 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. pure vanilla extract

plus one graham cracker crust

Mix together (dry first then add wet.)

Let sit in fridge for 2 hours before serving (to set.)

Children are a gift from the Lord

- devotional from Barnes- Quiet Moments with God.

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of womb is a reward." - Psalm 127:3

The young mother asked her guide about the path of life. "Is the way long?" she inquired. And her guide replied: "Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and basked with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother said, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and storm, and the path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come." And the mother observed, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage.

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary too, but she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage, and today I have given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth-- clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light." And the children looked and saw above the clouds of an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their mother, and when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last, they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."

In our society today the most dangerous place for a child to be is in her mother's womb. Who would ever have thought that to be true? Too many women and parents have never known or have forgotten the promise of the Lord that children are a gift: They are the fruit of the womb.

Does this promise just happen, or are there things that we do to earn this promise? No, it doesn't just happen. For a mother to become a "living presence" she must spend time, time, and more time with her children. "Is the way long?" Yes it is. In fact at times it seems forever.

Young mothers write letters or talk to me completely frustrated with life because the children take so much time from their day. I tell them they won't always be in that phase of their lives. Enjoy the children while they're young, because as they get older, both parents and children will have new sets of difficulties.

Each phase of life has challenges that are new to us. I can vividly remember when Bob and I had five children under the age of five and I was only 21 years old. I thought I would never make it. But was it worth it? Yes, it was. I can truly say that children are a gift from God and that they are a fruit from the mother's womb.

I have found that you develop a living presence with your children if you:

- raise them at an early age to know Christ personally

-Show interest in their friends and activities

- show them that you really love your spouse (if you are married)

- exercise fairness with them in conversation and discipline

- let them grow up without overprotection; let them make mistakes, make decisions, and get bumps and scrapes

- use encouraging words to lift them up

- let them have and express different opinions from your own

- be good role models so they will know their gender roles (boys are to become men and girls are to become women)

- be willing to clearly confess and admit your wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness

- establish firm and clear boundaries

Proverbs 31:10-31 can help you become a capable woman. This passage is an acrostic poem exalting the honor and dignity of womanhood. In verses 30 and 31 we read, " A woman who fears the Lord... shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."

Is the way long? Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.

Get on board, for the trip will be a blessing for you and for all those fortunate enough to be in your family!

:) Toby cooking!