Link

One of the most powerful blog posts I've read in awhile can be found here. It's about living what you believe. Beautifully.

Little Man's guide to drawing

Little Man's Guide to How to draw a face:

Step 1: Ask your mom or dad if they have a CD you can trace. And a piece of paper you can have. And a pencil too.

Step 2: Trace the outside of the CD.

Step 3: Trace the little hole in the middle of the CD for 2 eyes and a nose.

Step 4: Draw a smile.

Step 5: Draw a few lines for hair.

Step 6: Add a beard.

Step 7: Repeat often. I like to draw 10 to 15 every day.

Oh, my my.

One of my close friends has a sick little guy today. We went to her house to drop something off, and Punkin wanted to take it to the door.

Me: No, one of the boys is sick.

Punkin: What's wrong with him?

Me: He's got a fever and he doesn't feel good, so he is laying on the couch and letting his big brother hug on him.

Punkin: Oh. Well, can I go see him just laying on the couch?

Me: No.

Punkin: Why?

Me: Because I don't want you to get sick.

Punkin (matter of factly): But then I would be calm.

Should I laugh or cry?

First Pregnancy

I saw this on Short Stop's blog, and it looked like fun so I thought I would play along! Here's a little about my experience when becoming a Mom.

1. Was your pregnancy planned? Yes. God's plans and our plans don't always match, so we had been planning for awhile.

2. Were you married at the time? Yes.

3. What were your reactions? Disbelief. Excitement. Fear.

4. Was abortion an option for you? No way.

5. How old were you? 28.

6. How did you find out you were pregnant? Pregnancy tests. Or possibly several, but that would be silly, so of course I didn't do that.

7. Who did you tell first? Well, honestly, I told a lady at work because my husband wanted to wait to tell our families, and I just couldn't stand another second of not telling. It was not my best moment. But, we did tell my parents before everyone else with a big phone call on 3 way.

8. Did you want to find out the sex? No. But my husband did. So he did, and I didn't. We had two rules to make that work. He couldn't tease me about it, and he couldn't tell anyone. Not even his mother. And yes, he can actually keep a secret.

9. What was your due date? May 1st, 2001. She was born April 26th.

10. Did you have morning sickness? Some. The smell of coffee was not enjoyable at all. And I was so tired. We had just moved to Colorado. I've read since then that "they" advise to not get pregnant in the first 3 months if you move from sea level to high altitude, because your body is making extra blood for the altitude, and extra blood for the pregnancy. I remember being so tired at work that I would have to concentrate on sitting up in my chair and staying awake.

11. What did you crave? Applesauce and cheese. As in dipping the cheese into the applesauce. I have no idea why I did that in the first place. And I definitely don't eat it that way now - it's just weird.

12. What irritated you? About being pregnant? Heartburn. Jumpy legs when I would try to sleep.

13. What was the sex of your first child? A girl.

14. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting? No.

15. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 35 lbs. This was taken on April 14th - 12 days to go!:

16. Did you have a baby shower? Yes, at work and at church.

17. Were they a surprise? No.

18. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No.

19. Where did you give birth? In a hospital.

20. How many hours were you in labor? 30. 12 of it was what I would call intense labor. The first part I talked on the phone with my best friend from college for awhile.

21. Who drove you to the hospital? My husband. We went twice. Once I was only 2 cm, so they sent me home. The second time I vividly remember saying on the way, "I can't believe anyone does this again. Ever. Drugs, no drugs. Don't care. Not doing this again."

22. Who watched you give birth? I have the mental impression of being surrounded by people. But the only ones I remember are my husband, my midwife, and a high school student who was doing some kind of career day thing. They asked me at the last minute if she could watch and by then, I was past the point of caring and said yes. She was standing back against the wall, but directly in my line of vision, so I remember her. I didn't think to ask to meet her until much later, and by then she was gone.

23. Was it natural or c-section? Natural

24. Did you take medication to ease the pain? No. I'm a drug-free birth crazy lady. It was a great choice for me.

25. How much did your child weigh? 8lbs 11 oz. She was 22 1/2 inches long.

28. When was your child actually born? 8:46am?

30. What did you name him/her? Why, Punkin of course! :) Ok, not really. Since, I don't use their names, I'll tell you a little about how we chose. Our last name is very common, so we wanted a first name that you didn't hear every day, but you could still find on a pencil at Walmart. We found a name we both love the way it sounds. Her middle name sounds great with it, and is also my best friend from college's name.

31. How old is your first born today? I'm not sure how - but she is 7!

Our Thinks

Out of the blue yesterday, Little Man asked me, "Does God even know our thinks?"

What I learned this week

Musings of a Housewife is hosting a new carnival. It sounds like fun, so I thought I would play along today. Go here to play along too.

What I learned this week:
1. I really like having deep spiritual conversations. I knew I liked to have these conversations in person, but having them via email is just as fun. It adds some energy to my step.

2. I cannot work 60 hours in one month and keep up with the housework. *sigh. Be back in a second - I need to go start a load of laundry.

3. I love Wii Outdoor Challenge.

4. My Punkin has had one of those weeks where she seems older. I don't like it. Well, I like it - I just don't like it. I understand that makes no sense, but I also know you moms get what I mean.

5. It's really fun to go to lunch with a friend without kids. I did this this week for the first time since Punkin was born. I should do this more often.

Christmas

Here's to better late than never!

Highlights from our 2008 Christmas

Making stockings for the Denver Rescue Mission:

Making Sand Art brownie jars for the neighbors:

Santa came!!

The kids on Christmas morning:

Gifts for each other:
Uh-oh! Got a paper cut!
One bandaid later - it's all better!
Dad moment:
See, when I say we don't need any more presents, I'm completely serious.

Putting a toy together with Dad:

Playing with her new toy: