happy thanksgiving

God is so good to us!

Here in PA

We made it Friday night around midnight, even in spite of running into some snow in Syracuse and then quite a bit just after crossing the Pennsylvania border. The kids traveled amazingly well and I think we would have made the trip in less time if it hadn't been for the storms.

Since getting here, we've been able to visit with lots of people we hold very dear. Grandma and Pap-Pap, of course. Also Uncle Larry, Aunt Em, and their boys, church friends yesterday morning, and various friends and extended family members who came over yesterday for a little open house. Today the kids and I spent the day at Michelle's house, where we were joined by Stacie and Sarah and their kids (yes, there were 13 kids 6 and under, not including the baby girl due in February), while Daniel met the corresponding husbands for lunch downtown.

This visit has been a great time to catch up with everyone. I'm really glad we have quite a few more days, because I feel like we've barely scratched the surface!

A special month

The suitcases are mostly packed. This was no small feat since it required sorting through the belongings we have here at my parents' (where we've been staying while our kitchen is remodeled) and running home to swap the things we don't need this coming week with things we do. You would be more impressed with the difficulty of this task if you could see a picture of my bedroom with all the contents of my kitchen cupboards in it, but I'm afraid I don't have one. And even if I did, I think my vanity should stop me from sharing everything at some point!

Gabriel is at Friday Program, as is Daniel (he is gym teacher for grades 2-7 this semester). When they return, we'll pack up the van and make the 9-hour (10-11 hours with kids!) drive. I am so excited to see all our friends and family in Pittsburgh. It's been 15 months since I last made the trip down and I am so ready.

This month of November has turned out to be a very special one. The past 3+ weeks have been spent here at Mom and Dad's house. Since we live down the street from each other, one might think I see my family all the time, but life has a way of keeping each of us rather busy, you know? Being here for late night conversations and movies after the kids are in bed, sharing oatmeal breakfasts and family Scripture memorization, making bread for a brother who devours almost an entire loaf before it even has a chance to stop steaming, getting to put an arm around a sister who's teary about something... these are activities that I don't get to be part of most days. We came here thinking it would just be nice to not have to live in the middle of construction and ended up with a whole lot more.

And now we get to spend 10 days with our Pittsburgh family! I'm feeling pretty blessed right about now.

Cabinets, check!

The cabinets and countertop are installed. Amazing! Between this morning and last night, the empty space took on the shape of a kitchen-- an absolutely beautiful one, at that! Now I am very excited to get the flooring in so I can see how it will all work together.

I wish the pictures I have could capture how big and lovely the cabinets are, but they just aren't doing justice. (Perhaps my lack of photography skills have much everything to do with this!) The room looks entirely different than before. It doesn't even feel like my house because it is such a dramatic transformation. I love, love, love it!

When you first enter the kitchen from the dining room:

The "range" wall:


The freestanding hutch immediately to your right as you enter from the dining room, a custom 30" tall for easy baking (my plate rack will hang above):


Another view from the family room, including the dining room doorway:


A close-up of some upper cabinets and trim:

I am dying to get over there and start moving my things in. First on the agenda, though: an exciting ten-day trip to Pittsburgh. Then when we get home, most-- if not all-- of the new family room should be completed and the house will be ready for a thorough cleaning (can anyone say Sheetrock Dust???) and moving in.

Yay!

Overnight

Overnight, a lot of visible progress has been made in our kitchen!

Daniel spent all day working at the house, finishing the heat runs and vents, priming, and painting. He had assistance from two college guys in the morning and then in the evening Dad and Nathan helped him finish the jobs. When I went over and took a look this morning, the walls looked a bit... ummm... bright for me, but I think once the cabinets are in, I'll really like them. (I really do want something fairly dramatic, and it's worth mentioning that they're not as kermit-the-frog-green in real life as they are in these photos.)

This morning the trailer full of our beautiful new cabinets and countertop arrived and within an hour the upper cabinets were already being hung. I can't wait to see what the room looks like by this evening!

A small taste

I've been very negligent about posting pictures of our house project, it's true, but that's all about to change.

This view is from the kitchen facing the family room:


This view is from the family room facing the kitchen:

Yes, you can see Bill and Renee working hard. They have been very busy at our place these past weeks. I'm extremely impressed with all they've accomplished!

When I stopped in today, a lot more had been done even since these pictures were taken on Sunday afternoon. Much of the work isn't terribly visible to the untrained eye (heating and electrical, etc.), but tomorrow I should have some very exciting pictures since Daniel is currently priming the kitchen half of the room and will later today paint it in preparation for a tomorrow or Thursday cabinet installation!

Drum roll, please

It's official: 18lbs, 5oz!

This is the most weight she's gained in a month to date. Pretty cool!

Changes

Yesterday we held a bridal shower for my sister.

Four days earlier we celebrated with another sister as she begins a relationship.

Almost four weeks ago we welcomed another baby to the family.

Changes-- big ones like this, along with a hundred little ones-- are happening all the time. It all adds up to remind me that life is a beautiful and fragile thing. We treasure these moments, savoring the joy and the newness and the culmination of hopes and dreams; and yet we also hold them loosely, remembering that this is not our Real Destination.

I can't help but wonder when we all got so grown up.

Crazy.

Two thumbs up

Six weeks ago, I started taking a new-to-me herbal supplement: Blessed Thistle. I had heard about it quite some time ago and even had it recommended to me at various times, but I confess that I didn't pay much heed. After being told by a very reliable source (the owner of this store) that it is great for increasing the protein content of milk, I decided to try it out.

Well, I think I can now give this product a hearty endorsement!

Aubrey has grown so much in the last month. She's gotten taller, her cheeks and chin are filling out, and her tummy is significantly rounder these days. Monday she'll get weighed before this month's dose of synagis and I'm guessing she'll be between 17-1/2 and 18 pounds! I am so thrilled with how healthy and vibrant she looks.

Now, it could just be coincidence that her biggest growth spurt to date has been since I began taking Blessed Thistle, but I really don't think so. Honestly, I really wish I'd started taking it a year ago when the doctors were so concerned about Aubrey's growth.

Beyond helping Aubrey with growth, though, it's also really comforting to know that the breastmilk she's getting is giving her plenty of protein since she is the world's pickiest eater. Though she'll usually fuss at us until we share anything and everything we're eating with her, after 1-3 bites she's spitting it out all over the place. Consequently, she still nurses many times a day (much like a newborn, really). I'm a firm believer in breastmilk being the most nutritious food she could be getting, so it's good to feel like I'm doing something extra to make sure her needs are being more than met.

Blessed Thistle gets a good review from this mama!

These days

We're still at Mom and Dad's. I don't mind; it sure is fun to be here with everyone! Daniel's had a pretty busy week and hasn't been around much, but I don't feel lonely since there are usually people around to chat with and work alongside. Nice.

The kitchen is coming along!* Last Wednesday the entire back wall was gone. Now, the wall is rebuilt, the electrical's being run, the pocket door is close to being (or already) finished, the heating work is in process, etc. It's so exciting to look around the space-- a beautiful blank slate-- and realize that I'm getting to decide exactly how it all will be. Wow! I'm so blessed. The government may consider me below the poverty line (???), but I am so rich. Not only do I have many things that are far more valuable than money and material items, but I am really blessed financially, too. God has taken great care of us and provided so, so abundantly. We are a testimony of His grace.

Daniel's been busy this week because there's a lot happening on the campuses. These are exciting days in the Kingdom. Today Daniel, the kids, and I joined many of the college students at the weekly Spaghetti Dinner, where the headcount was almost 110 people. (Yes, this dinner is a weekly thing that is hosted by a family in the church and, yes, their generosity and hospitality is amazing!) Three students got saved at a conference last weekend. Another student got saved this past Wednesday night at Life Group, and today after church she received the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night there were evangelistic concerts on 3 of the 4 campuses; over 30 students received prayer to receive Christ or to rededicate their lives to the Lord. I am overwhelmed by the explosion of growth that is taking place. There is nothing more exciting than following Jesus!

This week I am going to do my best to maintain a bit of a school routine with Gabriel. It's been a bit trickier since we're not at our house, but I want to do better than we've done these past 2 weeks. We are moving along plenty fast in all his materials so it's not that I'm concerned getting behind (my approach is not quite structured enough for that to even be a concern, to be honest) as much as I'm just realizing that the work is good for him on a behavioral level. He really benefits greatly from pausing from activity to sit quietly and focus.


*I am going to try to get some pictures of the progress posted soon. I haven't done so sooner because I forget to bring the camera every time I'm over at the house checking things out! I want to do better, though, because I really want to have the pictures for years down the road so we can look back and remember it all.

Post-election thoughts

I'm not reeling from the results of yesterday's election-- after all, the outcome was rather expected-- but I must say I'm disappointed that the people of America have spoken and so clearly stated that the sanctity of life is not of utmost importance to them. While I fully realize that the end of abortion will not be achieved through laws or governmental regulation (I believe the Gospel alone can accomplish this), I still mourn the fact that our nation condones and funds this atrocity. My one consolation is that God will judge us (is judging us?-- I'll save that for another time and day) as a people so that, in His kindness, we are brought to repentance.

Last night, as I snuggled Aubrey in bed during the wee hours, I held her a little closer than usual. Tears wet my cheeks as I wondered how God must feel about a people who don't protect the smallest and most defenseless among us. It is a sorrowful thought and the only comfort for it is found at the foot of the Cross.

I am not discouraged, however. No, today I am strengthened in conviction and resolve and I'm encouraged that Jesus is ever drawing people unto Himself. As Dad said this morning, "We just have to save one baby at a time." And that is precisely what we will do. I don't know what the cost of following Christ will be in the coming years, but I will keep putting one foot in front of the next, taking steps of obedience and praying daily that He will ever soften my heart to His truth and ways.

In the end, though yesterday was a monumental day in many ways for our nation (some of it good, most of it bad), in the scope of history and eternity it was but a drop in the bucket. Kingdoms and nations come and go, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What consolation! what eternal hope! what blessed assurance there is in His faithfulness.

::

:: Our house is still mostly in demolition stage. The more that's been torn apart, the more justified I feel in remodeling. There were sections of the exterior wall that were completely missing insulation; the sections that did were moldy and ruined. The elements had rotted many of the wood clapboards along with some important beams. Our floor underneath the sink crumbled in our contractor's hands because it was rotting and moldy.

Yuck.

I'm so glad our kitchen will be able to handle the elements after this!

:: Last night I shared at a Mother's Meeting and so I left Aubrey home with Daniel. This is the first time I've ever left her to be put to bed by someone else, but I knew she would be really tough to care for while trying to share. My one consolation was that she has been falling asleep better in her own bed than she does nursing/in my arms of late, and I knew that Daniel would call me if things got desperate.

The report: Aubrey was getting tired and fussy at her regular bedtime (7pm) and Daniel laid her in bed, where she promptly closed her eyes and fell asleep. And when I heard this, it hit me: Aubrey's journey away from the 24/7 necessity of me is beginning. I must confess that I have mixed feelings about it all.

:: Today we're planning on buying a new dishwasher and microhood for our kitchen. We plan on utilizing the power of cash to get a bargain.   We'll see how we do!

:: It's a beautiful day here! I plan on sending the kids outdoors now and letting them enjoy the sunshine. Our snowstorm last week was a lot of fun for the kids, but I must confess that it felt rather too early for me. It's much, much easier to slip some mudboots on the kids than it is to bundle them in their snowsuits, mittens, hats, boots, etc.!

:: Don't forget to vote. This is a big day for us and we have a privilege to take part in it.

Vote for life.