Her story

3 days before my due date, I was busy and nesty all day. I did lots of laundry. In the back of my mind, I noted that all my activity was causing more contractions than normal, but nothing consistent. But around dinner time, I noticed that they started to come every 6 minutes. I asked Jon to continue my BLT dinner making and laid down to see if that would calm things down. I wasn't in any rush to be in labor. 

We had been planning on another home birth all along, working with a stellar midwife that we had great confidence in. As I laid there, willing away the rymthmic tightening, I realized I wasn't ready for labor, mentally or emotionally. Just when I should be settling down for a night of focused relaxation, I could feel myself tensing and becoming more anxious. Any momma knows this is not an ideal way to head into labor. 

After a consult with our wonderful midwife and a few private pow-wows, we decided that heading to the hospital for pain relief was the way to go. 

I was immediately able to relax! Yes, this was the right thing for this labor. After roughly 12 hours of very comfortable labor with an epidural and 1 intense hour at the end when the epidural stopped working, our sweet Jubilee Joy entered the world. 

She was just as alert as all my previous natural babies, precious and perfect in every way. We stayed in the hospital for another night, taking in all of her unique details and marveling over her new life, then headed home to introduce her to her very eager fan club of sisters. 

She has us all in love all over again. Thank you, Lord! What a celebration our Jubilee Joy is!

Jubilee Joy has arrived!

We have been celebrating ever since!

She joined us midday yesterday. Her story is uniquely her own. I look forward to sharing more later. 

Agents of Entropy

There are tuna cans in my bathroom. 

Tiny ponies in my halls. 

Did another pacifier evaporate?

Are these new scribbles on the wall?

How did my cushions get so dirty?

Did she color on them too!?

Eh, she's too cute to get to me. 

Now, where'd she put that other shoe?

Ah, my sweet littlest agent of entropy. Lucy girl is keeping me on my toes...sometimes literally, as I step over the minefield of toys in the path. She is pushing two years old and trying out her will on a regular basis. It often takes more  patience than I have to train her and respond rightly to her protests. Her tiny little "Noooo!" has become a common sound. It's still new enough to make me smile. And I'm probably indulging her more than I should as these are her last couple weeks as the baby. 

I sure do love that little spreader of chaos and noise. She is a joy. 

A Moment of Sincere Thanks

It was one of those times you know you could have been on your way to the hospital...but instead you were cherishing your perfectly healthy baby. 

I had been making a pot of French press coffee for a friend that was down helping on our construction project. I was also in the middle of chocolate chip pancakes for my girls. At the same time, Lucy had suffered some unknown injustice and was fussing and clinging to my leg. I picked up the French press to pour the coffee that had been sitting ready for over 5 minutes. 

The handle broke off of the press, and hot coffee pour down the front of the counter and onto Lucy's head and shoulder. We both started crying, startled and scared. I have had a bad burn in the past, and I immediately remembered the pain and what my baby might be feeling! 

After lots of tears, ice, and cool cloths applied, she appears to be completely fine! Not even a hint of redness! She is happily playing as if nothing happened. I know what could have been. I could have poured that coffee much sooner. Thank you, Father!! Thank you, thank you! 

Yesterday, I watched a friend's little guy trip and land his head inches away from a sharp edge. It was another one of those moments. He hopped up, completely fine, off to continue his play. As parents watching, we all tried to shake off the instant adrenaline. We all saw what could have been. 

Both those moments got me thinking how our Father holds us in His hand. Those moments are only the obvious ones that remind me of His protection. But every moment in this perilous world could be something different. He is our Preservation. And children seem to bring more opportunities to see this. 

I also know that He would be Good and Wonderful even if the worst were to happen. I cannot comprehend how my grief and deep knowledge of His unchanging character would mingle. But I know He would remain the Great I Am, and I hope He would help me praise Him still. 

But in this moment, I am so thankful He preserved my Lucy this morning. Life goes on as normal with a knowledge that it could be different. Thank you, Lord. 

It doesn't take much

This girl was content for hours with a blanket and a box in the sunshine. 

What a lovely Sunday we had. 

There was a campfire. 

There was an experiment with cinnamon roll biscuits. 

There was the sipping of a decadent creamy drink. 

There was the welcome pop-in of some dear friends. 

There were 3 happy girls getting dirty and soaking up the last warmth of summer. 

There was the ever-amazing marveling at the busy motions in my growing belly. 

There was a day to be thankful for and remember sweetly when they gray days of winter roll in. 

Camping & a Precious 4 Year Old

We did a little camping, more accurately, we did some Glamping recently. I say that, because we took our tiny home with us. Even at a campground with no hook ups, we had our comfy beds and familiar surroundings. It was a pretty nice way to camp! Outside was a fire pit, picnic table and beautiful lake. Inside was home. :)

Libby had her birthday during that time. It was pretty fun to gather friends at the campground and celebrate my little girl. How she got to be 4, I'm not sure, but she is a delightful little person. She had quite a few requests for her big day, high expectations. I think we managed to help her have a pretty special day. 

Pink camo cupcakes and chocolate peppermint layer cake cooling...

The finished products, which Libby helped put the finishing touches on. Cake decorating is one of those things that just makes my heart go pitter patter. I'm quite the amateur, as the lumpy, lopsided creation below illustrates, but it's simply fun for me to attempt new things and make little people feel special. 

Here is her spread, all set out the night before. I let them open their presents whenever they want throughout the day, which usually means first thing in the morning. :) Between grandmas & aunties, our Libby girl had quite the load of loot. 

Early morning openings:

Enjoying the play mobile kitchen set from Grandma:

Setting up for the party with our friends:

Admiring cards and artwork from her guests:

All decked out with some beautiful handmade items!

There's always an abundance of sugar at birthdays. It has various effects, but I particularly enjoyed the before, during, and after the lollipop pictures I took of Lucy...

Haha! Isn't that funny?!

Here's the shy little miss being sung to...

And blowing out those candles!

It was a big bash, but it's pretty fun to celebrate the lives of our children. Such a precious thing! Thanks for coming, friends!!

Official Homeschoolers

We have been teaching our children at home since they were born, but we officially started "real" school today! Libby & Evie will be learning to read, do beginning math, become more familiar with the Bible, write simple words & sentences, and hopefully continue to develop a love of learning. While I have a spreadsheet for daily activities and "lesson plans," I am purposing NOT to worry about deviating from it. I want our schooling to be flexible! I want it to flow with our normal life. I want to continue to enjoy my children and develop strong bonds with them. I want them to come away with an understanding of what's most important in life, knowing & being love by our LORD.

The spreadsheet is for me. NOT me for the spreadsheet. If I wake up in the morning clueless about what we're doing, I have lessons and activities waiting for me. We are using this curriculum to start:

(Math-U-See)

Both came with great reviews and success stories from close friends a little farther down the schooling road than me. So, we thought we'd start there, but I'm giving us permission to change what we're doing if its not working!

Day 1 was a big success! The girls absolutely loved the structure and the individual attention. We managed pretty well, since Lucy cooperated with a good morning nap. I'm curious how it will go when baby #4 arrives in early November. I've already decided to take a few weeks off, at least. We'll see how it goes! Flexibility will be key!