Having fun on vacation

We've been gone for 5 days now and having a great time! We left Sunday morning after SS to get Brent to the airport in time and then drove down to stay the evening with the Browns, dear friends in Chicago. We got up Monday a.m. and drove the rest of the way to my sister's in the very southernmost tip of Indiana. It was about a 6 hour drive which wasn't too bad--It's the first time I've driven alone with the kids for that length of time, but they are old enough to be able to switch the VCR tape...praise the Lord for modern technology! What would we do without travel TV's and VCR's?!?

My sister, Sheri, and I spent the entire day Tuesday shopping! It was GLORIOUS! I forget how much I love the mall! We went swimming at a friend of their's house on Wednesday--it was a great in-ground pool that my kids said was just like a hotel pool! It's been really nice to be able to spend time with my sister and her family. It's been almost a whole year since we've seen each other.

We're off to my in-laws tomorrow morning where Brent will meet us when he's finished with his conference in North Carolina. It will be really nice to be together again. Hope to blog again from their house. Thanks for all the kind notes about our upcoming baby! It still is almost surreal that we're starting over again--but we know this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes! (It's even more marvelous now that I'm coming out of the morning sickness!) By the way...I had to go on an antibiotic for something since I've become pregnant. Hannah seemed a bit concerned about why I was taking medicine so I told her it was for the baby (to make it simple for a 4 year old!) She has been worse than Brent is about reminding me to take my medicine! The first thing she does in the morning is ask me if I've taken my medicine! She brings it to me and won't leave until she sees me take it! The other night I told her I'd take it after she went to bed, and then forgot to take it...she crawled into bed with me the next morning and woke me up to see if I had remembered to take it. When I told her I forgot, she said, "Mommy...what about the baby?!?" She's a better mother than I am! She's doing her daddy proud taking good care of me while he's gone!

This cracks me up!

A friend emailed these to me this morning and I had to share it with you all! You can especially relate if you've already gone through this birthing thing before...but it's still hilarious if you can't speak from firsthand experience! Enjoy!

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's
borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but
pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in
labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act
normal again?
A: When the kids are in college

SURPRISE!!!

For those of you who have not yet heard the good news, the Lord has decided to surprise our family with another baby! Yep...we're expecting...again! We really thought we were good with one boy and one girl, but the Lord in His infinite wisdom knows that we need another one...so, here we go again! I had my first doctor's visit today and will be posting the Ultra Sound pics tomorrow (Daniel asked me to wait because he wants to help you decipher the different parts of the baby--but it's beddy-bye for them now!)
Hannah said something on the way home that just cracked us up! I told Brent, "That's one for the blog!" It went something like this: (btw, the kids are so excited about having a baby at our house...as long as it's a boy--says Daniel...or as long as it's a sister--so says Hannah!) So Brent and I were asking if they thought it would be a girl or boy which started a whole conversation about which would be better. I interupted the conversation to make sure they understood that it was God who decided the gender, and to remind them that God never makes mistakes and He would give us what was best. I had just gotten out, "God will give us what is best..." when Hannah piped up, "Probably a girl!" "Girl power" starts young nowadays!!!

And no...it's not twins! We had an ultra sound today to help clarify my due date...I'm right around 11 weeks along...due the first part of February--and there's only one! Phew!!!

We've sunk to a new low!

I have to say I am quite proud of myself and the adjustments to country life that I've made over the last year and a half. There are those who knew me who highly doubted whether or not I'd be able to survive, let alone be happy way up here, an hour and a half from the nearest mall! However I have risen above the adversity and actually come to enjoy our home and our quiet little life in the Northwoods...until last night! I am now ready to move back to civilization. Please...take me back to the city! I came out of a friend's house last night about 10:00 to find a snake in front of our van! A SNAKE!!! And it was rather dark outside and the snake was black so I had a hard time seeing where it was going or if it had not yet left! I'm sure I was a sight to behold stomping around in the gravel, banging on the hood of the van, and almost crying trying to make as much noise as possible to make sure it was far out of the way! I haven't jumped so high or so fast off the ground into the driver's seat of our van ever! I can handle almost hitting a coyote on the way home from the fireworks show on July 4. Staring down a bobcat in our yard--no problem. Having a bear in our yard--tolerable. I can even handle the sighting of a wolf in our neighbor's yard. But get me out of anywhere there's snakes! That's right up there with the dead mouse I found in our garbage can in the garage last spring. I now say more emphatically than ever, "Where in the world are we?!?" And as Brent always answers and I must remind myself, "Right where the Lord wants us to be."

What a busy week!

It's been a crazy busy with something going every night and most days, too! But we had a great time! The kiddos got to participate in the children's groups during family camp on campus each morning. It was a fun VBS style of daycamp sort of thing (how's that for a sentence!) I just hung out around campus talking with friends and enjoying the high speed connection :-) We finished up our Monday Night Bible Studies that Brent has been teaching at our church, Tuesday we got together with a bunch of church friends to watch the Norway fireworks, Wed was church, Thursday I tutor a boy in Math, and Friday was the huge Freedom Celebration at Northland. It was the highlight of the week for all of us--The fireworks were spectacular! And there was a carnival for the kids with all kinds of free games that proved to be a great time for sure! Today we went back to campus and were able to putt-putt. Brent took an hour off of work to go with us and we had some special family time. Of course Brent won, and I took second, Daniel was third, and Hannah took the prize for needing the most help--but she sure was cute putt-putting hockey style--she is so much like me it's almost scary!

You can run, but you can't hide

Joey...if there's one thing you need to learn now before you get yourself in any more fixes...when Mr. Griffin gets his mind set on something, there's no beating him! Trust me...I've tried and failed countless times! This is Joey Markham...he's our Pastor's oldest son...and he hates having his picture taken. He's quite the expert at dodging the camera...until Brent found out! It took a couple of laps around the church building and a few close calls cornered behind doors, but Brent finally was able to do what some people only dream about...get a candid of the elusive Joseph Markham! And we want the world to know that although his shirt looks blue...it's really a purple Taco Bell uniform! Come on, Joey, purple's not that bad...just think it could be purple and pink plaid...now that would be bad!

Fun at the Park

It's not everyday I post a picture of myself on our blog so enjoy the rare moment for the special thing that it is!

Saturday, Brent took the kids and I out to Marion Park for something different to do. We had a great time talking while the kids played on the playground. Can I tell you how much I love this guy?!? He thinks on such a different level than I do, but always does his best to explain such complex things in a way even I can understand it! He never gets frustrated with me and my silly attempts to help him with his work. I love listening to him and hearing his ideas of how things should work. There were so many single girls in our singles' group where we met...why he chose me, I'll never understand, but I'm so glad he did! He truly dwells with me according to knowledge...and trust me...figuring me out is not an easy chore!

The kids had a great time playing on the playground. There are some really fun things to do at Marion Park. Here they are sliding down the curly slide together before they go off to something else!

Daniel has just conquered the monkey bars and is quite proud of himself. It took a while for him to be able to do this without any help, but he's got the "hang" of it now (he-he-he!) Hannah will not be outdone by Daniel and really did want to do the monkey bars, too. And with a little bit of help from Daddy was able to make it all the way across, too...okay...alot of help from Daddy...she barely held on to the bars while Brent walked along supporting all of her weight!

Hannah has turned into quite the Daddy's girl lately. She almost always prefers Daddy over Mommy even when she's hurt and needs some loving! She's making up for lost time, I guess. Whatever it is, she sure knows how to melt Daddy's heart!