Seasons of Change

As I sat by our fire pit a few months back, I was thinking about how much I enjoy the change from summer to fall.  The cool crisp nights, the starry skies, hot beverages, warming comfort foods, and the leaves on the ground are definitely a welcome relief from the hot humid summer days.  I was talking to my nephew about a huge season of change coming up in our lives and how it's sometimes hard to let go of the comforts of the "norm".  Life can get comfortable and when a new path presents itself, we have to decide whether to stay comfortable or embrace that change.
We are embarking on a new journey, a new season in our lives.  We have decided to fulfill our dream of becoming homesteaders.  You may be wondering, "what the heck is a homesteader?"  "Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple, agrarian self-sufficiency."(wikipedia)  We know not everyone would choose this lifestyle, it seems a bit weird, I know, but we can't wait to own our own homestead and live more simply.
How did this all come about?  Well, I was raised with a sense of self-sufficiency.  My parents always grew a garden and stored food from the harvest.  I remember thinking how hard working a garden seemed as a kid and thought, this is crazy, the grocery store has this food, why all this work?  Most of my friends were watching TV or playing barbies in the summer, while I picked and shelled beans, canned tomatoes, picked up potatoes, and shucked corn.  Beans were the worst, they took forever.  But looking back now, those bean shelling days are some of my fondest memories with my family.  We would all sit outside, or around the kitchen table if it were too hot, and have a good time talking and racing to see who could fill their bowl the fastest.  There was always a few arguments over helping a slower sheller (a-hem, Amanda), once we finished our own bucket.  It felt like torture, having to sit still for that long as a kid!! lol  Now tomatoes were kind of fun.  Amanda and I would take turns cranking the juicer or scraping the seeds out, it was like a neat science experiment.  Even though we all dreaded it and complained a lot, I am really grateful now for those summers since I learned a lot about family garden life and growing your own foods.  I never thought I'd desire this life for my family, but here I am, ready to give it a go.
Over the past 3 years, I've developed a passion for whole, organic-ish living.  I shop completely different now, use natural body care products, and try to be as resourceful as I can to treat the Earth well.  So naturally, I began reading a lot about raising your own food and making natural care products. etc.  We've just slowly integrated a lot of these things into our lives, and we began dreaming of an even more simple life.  So then the dream of owning more land and doing more self-sufficient things began to form. 
About this time, I was pregnant with Elijah, so while I did what I could, I knew this would be a slow process since we were raising young children.  When I was seven months pregnant, Jason and I spent a weekend at a bed and breakfast called Butterfly Hollow.  We knew that two babies meant less time for us, so Noah stayed with Pa and Nanny and we spent the weekend alone.  It was absolutely perfect.  This place was amazing, and best of all, it represented our dream, when we really had no idea what that looked like in real life.  The owners, Dave and Sharon, were the most gracious hosts, and we developed a life-long friendship immediately.  I read their story about how they had bought this land, renovated the farm house, and began living a more self-sufficient lifestyle.  They began sharing their little paradise with others after opening the B&B and I am so glad they did.  This sparked our fire to someday own a little place of our own for our family.  So we began dreaming....
For inspiration, we bought the book, The Good Life and started talking about how life would be on our little farm.  We knew it would be a while since we were about to have another little one in the house and at the time we had several medical bills yet to be paid off.  We developed a plan to get out of debt as soon as possible, and making this dream a reality.  Meanwhile, we would start small, here at our own home, and learn some homesteading skills.
We did join a local CSA, Red Springs Family Farm, to begin eating from the garden in a larger way.  We knew this wasn't the time or location for us to start our own big garden.  That summer, I started harvesting our weekly basket of produce and making some new things, like pesto, relish, and salsa for storage.  I also started freezing some things when we had extras.  It wasn't much, but we sure were proud of it! lol  We were introduced to many new foods you can't find at the grocery store, so it was very exciting. This year was our third year participating, and we learn more about harvesting each time.  The Entwistles are also a very helpful and have become an inspiration since they pretty much live "off the grid."  We look forward to learning more from them as we begin our own journey.
The first year, we just grew some herbs in planter boxes on the deck and they did great!  Last summer, we also grew a small raised-bed garden. We raised radishes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, cantelope, peppers, and squash.  Everything did grow, some things better than others, and the squash eventually took over the space, but it was a good first experience overall. Elijah loved eating the cherry tomatoes right off the vine!  This year, we pretty much grew nothing, lol, because Ava Mae made three and we knew it would be a challenge to keep up with the work.  So we participated faithfully in the CSA and it was a good year with them.  They also brought blueberries, eggs, and raw cheese this year, so we had a good amount of local foods this season. 
Jason has a few projects going too.  About a year ago he started to make home brew (beer), and is really good at it.  He has made several different types, but my favorite is a vanilla apple hard cider.  He also has some wine going and some vanilla extract is working too.  Hmm, all his projects involve alcohol...ha ha!  
He also constructed a little fire pit area by the wooded area of our back yard and we have enjoyed many nights by the fire, usually with a drink in hand, lol.  We have an awesome tree canopy above our hammock close to the fire pit, and it is the most peaceful place in our yard.  We kind of created our little "homestead" in the sub-division.  You don't have to have land to homestead, just start where you are.
 So for the past three years, we've been dreaming of what we want our new place to be like.  We've looked at places online and in the real estate books just to see what was "out there".  We refinanced our home last year to take advantage of the low interest rates and we went from a 30 year to a 15 year with about the same payment.  So we felt like our dream was getting closer, but still not time yet with another new baby on the way.  Our plan was to stay here about 2 more years from the refinance and then start looking, no rush though, we really love our little home here, so we were content.
Fast forward, year and a half later, early September 2010.  Jason and I were in the van and started talking about our "dream" again.  It had really been strong in my heart for a few days, so when Jason said, "let's just start looking," I got really excited!!  We had planned to take the boys to see Pa and Nanny, and Jason went to the store to pick up pizza for dinner.  He picked up a couple of real estate books and I started looking through them.  I was in the "zone",  hoping to find a few possibilities that might be worth looking at.  It was kind of odd to actually be looking since we hadn't really been talking about it until that brief moment in the van hours earlier.  I couldn't stop looking, in fact I was up until 2 a.m. looking online.  I found several that looked pretty good, but I kept being "drawn" to this one particular listing.  It had about 12 acres, a house built in 1991, nice creek with swimming holes, and several outbuildings.  Then I noticed WHERE it was and got really interested. (I'll elaborate more on this later.)
So the next day, Sunday, September 5th, I called the realtor who had this property listed to see if we could view this property.  Usually when we see something, we like it and go on because something is missing on our list of wants, but this time, I felt excited to see this place.  The realtor said she would call the owners and see if we could come out that afternoon.  She calls back about 10 minutes later and explains that she has a funeral to go to but "the owners would gladly meet you to show you the property."  That was really neat because who better to explain the land than the owners, which usually doesn't happen under a listed property.
So we drive out to the place, a beautiful and familiar drive, and turn onto the road the property is listed at.  We see a house close to the end of the road, and I said, "maybe that's it?", Jason is like, "no way."  But it wasn't that house, but the next one down the gravel road.  I see it and immediately love the land...the house, while very rustic and cute, was a little close to the gravel road, so I thought that might be a deal breaker. I felt almost in a cloud like daze, it was weird, lol.  We walked through the house first, and learned that it was Amish built, so probably solid construction.  The layout was very different, non-typical, but more functional for farm life.  A few weird quirks here and there, but some neat character and 100%  liveable.  It also has a basement, big plus!
So then we head outside and the yard is just beautiful.  Lots of shade, a beautiful creek, a super nice detached garage(man cave), chicken coop, small stall shed, a tractor shed, garden shed, wood shed, and Noah's favorite, a tree house!  There is mostly flat acreage, so useable land in case we want to build another home.  There is a great gardening spot, wild blackberries, grapes, a mulberry tree, sugar maple, and hazelnut tree!  So the land layout is perfect with a few extras.  We end up staying for 2 hours and really bonded with the owners, super nice believers.
So we leave and the wheels are turning.  I really like it, it feels like a God-led find in my heart.  So much so, that I had forgotten the issue of the gravel road beside the house.  This was our ONLY hang-up, and it was a big one to consider with three little ones.  I was consumed with the thought of this place.  I couldn't quit thinking about it.  Jason and I went back and forth, trying to decide if this was "the" place.  Jason said the only way we could even consider it would be if we immediately build a fence along the road side of the house so that the kids could not get past it.  He made some calls and found out that a fence could be built but that the county does have the right to road usage for part of our yard, but that they saw no problem in putting a fence there because the road is not a main use road, confusing, but basically he got the clear. 
So we waited for about 4 days and prayed and let our hearts meditate on the thought of possibly buying this place.  I researched the history of the Amish community that lived in this area(also more on that later) and felt an immediate draw to the place.  We went back to the property and spent more time with the owners.  We talked to a realtor about selling this house and representing us in the purchase of the new place.  So we made the big decision to go for it!  The only issue was selling our current house, so up on the market it went, and we made an offer on our new homestead.  We got a great deal on the property and the sellers allowed us to have about three months to sell our current home before closing, what a blessing.
On December 10th, we officially became the owners of our new place!! We are so excited to begin this new journey.  We have so many ideas, so many dreams, and we know this will be such a great place to raise our family.  I love country life, it is so peaceful and simple.  I know we will have so much fun working together to make our vision a reality.  We have so much peace and know that God's grace is going to guide us through all of our adventures.  We hope to bless others and find ways to show love.  I think some sort of ministry will be birthed out of this new path.
We still have not sold our current home and I know you might be wondering how we are going to handle two houses.  Well, we got it figured out for a while.  We have prepared financially and know that the timing will be great, I just have peace that it will all work out perfect.  It was a big decision because we are very wise with our financial blessings, but we know this is where God wants us to be.  Every provision has been met, and then some.  Jason has had the best winter of his career so far, and we are extremely thankful for that.  I am praying for our current house to sell to the right family.  This house is so blessed, we love it, and it holds special memories, but it's time to move on to a new destination and make new memories.  It is almost Christmas and we feel like we have gotten an amazing gift this year, a dream has become reality.
Soon after the holidays are over, we will start working on transitioning to our new place.  Jason is going to start working on building that fence and I will begin making the house a home.  I look forward to sharing our homesteading adventures with you all and maybe inspiring you to step out of the hustle and bustle of daily life a bit and just enjoying this beautiful sufficient Earth God gave us to enjoy.  Blessings to you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the best gift of all, Jesus, our amazing Saviour.    
   
 

Stay tuned...

Sorry I've been MIA lately.  I know I have a few followers, so just wanted to let you all know, I am planning on writing more very soon.  Life is good, lots of great changes, lots of growth, which means...lots to share.  I have learned that I have to manage my time with three little ones, and it's been challenging to find time to write.  I feel the inspiration coming back.  I'm gonna work on my layout a bit, learn some new tricks on getting pictures uploaded, and fancy up my page to get me motivated to share my thoughts a bit more often.  Even if no one follows me, I've realized this is an excellent way to journal and document milestones, I love reading my own blog to see how I've grown and to even learn from myself!  So stay tuned, lots of new things to share.  Here's a sneak peak of something I'll be blogging about quite often.....

Fruitful Friday

Today I just want to take a minute to reflect on some things that make me happy.
First, my children and the things they say/do that make me smile daily.
Noah:  His sweet sweet spirit and kind heart...makes me teary-eyed just typing it. 
He is such a good big brother, a natural care-taker, and my special little helper.
He is REALLY into cleaning lately, he says he loves it.  Wow, seriously, all those lessons of cleaning up are finally taking shape.  He has my way too, everything orderly and symmetrical. lol  (FYI, I am not a cleaning nazi by any means, but we do ask them to pick up before bed and after they make BIG, can't see the floor, messes!)
He calls his magazines, "magic-zines".  Maybe I should correct him, but I love it, so until he realizes the correct way to say it, I am going to enjoy hearing him say it.
He is SO excited about his birthday....10 more sleeps!  I can't believe my little buddy is about to be five.
He's a blessing, a miracle, and I could just stare at him all day.
Elijah:  Wow, Mr. Personality.  He is so so funny.  Almost something that has to be seen, he is his father's son for sure!
He is talking so much, new favorite sentence:  "I don't want to." lol 
He is obsessed with wearing pajama bottoms all day long.  I have to hide the dirty ones and just pray he'll accept the clean ones, but sometimes it's a battle.
He LOVES The Wiggles, and I find their catchy tunes invading my brain space way too often.  Fruit salad, yummy, yummy.
His stubbornness is often a challenge, but my days are much brighter because his amazing personality and physical affection outweigh any challenging component of the "terrific two's."
Ava Mae:  My sweet sweet ladybug.  She is such a happy girl.  Her smile is THE BEST!  And very contagious, you can't help but smile with your whole face when she looks at you.
She is a little snorter...she snorts when she's happy, mad, or hungry.  My little piglet.
She just wants to be held.  All.The.Time.  I am happy to honor her request even if it makes me appear lazy.
She is really into eating her toes.  The other night, I laid her down and before I got back with her pacifier, she had already put her toe in her mouth, still asleep.  If I had only had my camera!
She's beautiful, perfect, and everyday I am so glad I have a baby to love on.

And last but not least, my husband.  He's amazing, kind, and the best help mate I could ever ask for.  We are dreaming together...an exciting chapter of life is emerging.  We are growing together...in love and in faith.  Life gets hectic at times, but our hearts are always connected.  We balance each other out so well.  God couldn't have done a better job pairing us up.  We are alike in the important ways and different in the important ways.  Sometimes in the mundane tasks of life, it seems hard to spend the quality time together that we'd like to, but we are learning to savor each moment in this wonderful journey together.  The crazy nights of being woken up by crying children, the constant battle of keeping a clean home, the demands of feeding, clothing, and nurturing, are all overcome at the end of the day with a constant appreciation of how blessed we are.  Jason makes my life full of love and laughter, what more could I ask for? 
We are so thankful for this life, it is wonderful.  We have an awesome little family, and feel so so loved by our heavenly Father.  I celebrate my family, my home, and the life I have been blessed with today.  I truly believe this home is an image of heaven, and I am so happy that I can see past the everyday tasks of life and into the eternal realm, where love is all we need.  Go give your family a big hug!        



 

Perfect Peace

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

My heart hurts.  For a number of reasons.  For myself, my children, my family, my friends, the world.  Even though I had a wonderful time on vacation, a lot of it was spent praying and seeking wisdom for so many things going on right now all around me.  I have many things that make me happy and I am extremely aware and focused on those things, but I cannot ignore the numerous heart issues that I am facing right now.  I won't go into detail because that doesn't matter, and this goes much deeper than what is on the surface, the personal matters that I have faced with people I love.  No, those things have been settled and I have peace.  They were a part of the journey, but there is a much deeper grief I am facing right now.  At at time when God's presence is so strong and all around me, putting the answers IN MY FACE, thank you Lord, I felt like sharing some scripture that has helped me during this time.  Because this world is not an easy place to live in and during these times, we MUST seek Him to overcome victorious in truth and peace.  

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isa. 26:3

That is so powerful, perfect peace, that is where I want to rest and that is my prayer for all.  But we must seek Him to receive this true, unshakable wisdom.  It is not in our power to be able to receive this wisdom from any other method, it will only be temporary.  My prayer for myself and for anyone reading this and suffering heart struggles right now for any reason, is to rest in Him, cast your care upon Him, He is the ONLY rescue, nothing else will be permanent, nothing.  He is faithful to give you the answers you seek.  Always LOVE, Always PEACE, Always! 

So while I am heavy hearted and physically feel grieved for many things right now, I am casting all my cares upon Him and seeking the wisdom to know His will for me concerning these issues.  I know He will show me truth, answers, mercy, grace, peace, strength, wisdom, because that is who He is...never failing!  Thank you Jesus for you have given me all these things, you perfected it all, and I receive it through you alone. 

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you."  1 Peter 5:7

"There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still."  Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom


 


 

Blogging at the Beach, Volume 3

Wednesday morning, I awoke feeling pretty shabby.  I am pretty sure it is allergies, what a bummer!  But I was really excited about the boys getting to go on their pirate adventure with their Dad.  We had a quick breakfast at the condo and headed to Harbour Town.  Jason, Noah, and Elijah got all geared up in pirate attire and set sail into the harbour at noon.  Ava and I did a little shopping, staying inside as much as possible because it was HOT!  She was a sweetheart and slept the whole time I browsed.  The best find was in the Hatley store...matching pajamas for Ava and I!!! :) They are so cute...I will have to insert a picture once we wear them together.  Every stay at home mom can appreciate good pajamas...we wear them most of the day!!
The boys got back from the pirate cruise about an hour and a half later.   Elijah got to drive the boat, if they only knew how much trouble this little guy can get into! lol  During their hunt for treasure, they encounter the bad pirate "Stinky Pete", who approaches on a little boat.  They get to spray him with water cannons and he goes overboard, Noah loved that!   Then they discover the treasure chest, which was actually under the water out in the ocean, how cool!  The boys got to pick out their treasure to keep.  Noah had 5 gold pirate coins and some sea creatures. He was really excited to tell me all about it.  Jason was very impressed with the operation and said the guys running the show were great with the kids.

 
Since it was so hot and everyone was ready for lunch, we braved the eating out world again and had great success this round.  YAY!!  We ate at a place called The Crazy Crab, very neat little restaurant and good food.  The boys played at the playground for a few minutes while I fed Ava and we headed back to the condo for nap time.  By this time, my allergy/cold issue was really making me feel yucky, so I laid down myself and slept the rest of the afternoon with Ava. 
After Eli woke up, Jason and the boys headed to the beach for some fun.  They got to be 100% boys without Mama bird in sight.  Jason got some great exercise since they went pretty far down the beach with the bike.  They got all yucky and wild. lol  I am so glad that they got to spend this precious time with their Dad.  He is such an awesome father and I feel so blessed to have him.

Ava and I woke up around 8 p.m.!  Since it was past dinner time, we went the pizza route again to make things easier.  After baths and popcorn, the boys fell asleep with Jason.  I watched a movie, ate a big bowl of fruit, and laid in bed until I fell asleep again, praying I'd wake up feeling much better.
Jason got up early and took some nature and sunrise photos. 

I didn't sleep that great, but I was really excited that it was my spa day!  I got up, ate some more fruit, and headed off to my appointment.  It started with a really awesome facial.  It was about a 45 minute ordeal with a shoulder and arm massage.  I could have laid there all day, it was so relaxing and my skin felt great.  Then I got a pedicure with a reflexology session.  This was kind of a step up from the normal pedicures I've gotten before.  Super nice massage chair, relaxing music on my headphones, and a very professional nice lady pampering me.  Reflexology was very neat, I enjoyed it a lot.  It does really trigger a state of relaxation, and that felt really nice.  I actually broke away from wondering if the baby was okay for about 30 minutes, and that is not easy to do with a three month old.
Jason did great back at the condo with the kiddos.  Ava was ready to eat for sure when I got back!  She giggled when she saw me and it was so sweet, even if she was glad her food source had returned.  We loaded up and headed out to the Hilton Head Brewery, per Jason's request.  He has been brewing his own beer for the past year and wanted to check out the local beers.  The food was really good too, and it was again a fairly successful experience.  We learned to order fast and give Elijah the table "breaks" he needs.  We still have to eat really quick, but that's part of it for now. :)
We were planning on going back to Harbour Town to see a local children's musician do a show, but my annoying allergy issue was in full effect and we headed back to the condo to get some rest.  Jason took the boys swimming at the pool for a while and I spent some time working on the blog in bed with sleeping Ava.  I was really bummed that we didn't get a chance to get beach pictures, but hoped to do that Friday evening.
Friday morning, I awoke feeling a lot better, praise God!  I was so glad that I was going to be able to enjoy my last day of vacation.  Jason got up early again and brought back breakfast from Signey's.  We loved this place on our last visit, the blueberry and blackberry french toast casserole is amazing.  It is a hidden little place, but was featured on Rachel Ray's $40 A Day show and we happened to see it before our last trip here.  After breakfast, we all got ready and headed to The Sandbox Children's Museum.  I think this was definitely a huge highlight of our trip.  It is the neatest little place for children.  Jason and I had a blast too. :)  It is set up to be very interactive and the boys had so much fun.  Noah's favorite part was the train table and Thomas Cards, of course.  Elijah LOVED the airplane set up, we may have a future pilot on our hands.  Ava looked cute having a tea party.  We played for over 2 hours there and had it not been lunch time and nap time, I would have stayed a lot longer!  Noah was very pouty because he made a friend and was having so much fun with her.  She had the best imagination and he was following her every move.  So cute!  I wish this place was accessible all the time, it was so neat.

We had lunch at Panera Bread via the drive-thru, so we could eat at the condo.  Elijah had already fallen asleep by this point.  We ate our lunch and while little man slept, then Noah and I headed for a bike ride to the beach.  I was really excited to spend time with him, he is such an amazing little boy.  Unfortunately, the rain had other plans.  We made it to the beach and it got really dark and started thundering. :-(  We played in the ocean for about 5 minutes and rode the bike back.  We were so bummed, but it was still fun taking a solo bike ride with my little buddy.

We showered and waited for the storm to settle a bit.  I realized that beach pictures were not happening tonight, guess we'll be working on those back home.  It was still raining on and off, but we decided to see if the children's music show was going on.  We saw this guy last time and he was awesome, so we were really hoping to catch his show again since it is a nightly event in Harbour Town.  Unfortunately, he had to cancel the show due to lightening.  Another rain bummer. :(  But we decided to do what we do best, and brave the dining out experience again.  Another good experience, woo hoo!   We ate at Wild Wings Cafe since Jason loves wings.  Pretty good food but pretty loud atmosphere so thankfully they were fairly quick with our order before Elijah and Ava got too overstimulated.  Noah is always an angel, my little sweetheart is such a good boy.  All of them are good, but age makes all the difference in their patience meter! lol
We headed back to the condo and started packing for our morning departure.  My crazy husband suggested just taking off that night, but the more sensible side of our relationship, me, knew that would be certain chaos.  Gotta love his spontaneous spirit, but my spirit of discernment trumped this crazy idea! lol  So we got most everything packed and went to bed.  I think we all fell asleep in about 5 minutes.  I slept really good and was thankful I didn't go along with Jason's crazy idea!

We woke up Saturday, ate breakfast and packed up the van to head back to home sweet home.  The two little ones slept the first few hours.  Jason and I talked and had an amazing revelation moment, again, God brought us confirmation about an issue in the neatest way!  He seems to love to minister to us while we are on wheels, ha ha, maybe we need to wear roller skates all the time! LOL!!  The funniest part of the trip home was that I had to pay 50 cents to use the bathroom! Yes, you read right, in Georgia there was a country gas station that requested a donation to go potty! It was hilarious telling Jason I needed 2 quarters to pay to use the restroom. We got a good laugh out of this place:

There were some patches of rain here and there, but the sky was absolutely gorgeous.  I took a few pictures from the inside of the van, but these pictures do no justice for the view we experienced.  Truly stunning skies.

 
The ride for the kids was pretty good up until the last leg of the trip.  Ava and Elijah were over being in the car and whined pretty much the whole last 2 hours.  Shew, that is always the longest part of the trip.  I was wishing I knew how to teleport them to the house, because nothing was helping at this point.      
The boys were really wanting to go see Pa and Nanny, but Elijah had fallen asleep about 20 minutes before we got home, so we decided to wait until today to reunite with the beloved grandparents.  These grandkids are so blessed, they are so loved, and love their Pa and Nanny so much.  They asked several times daily to go see them, and I know it makes my Daddy and Mama smile to feel so loved.  :)
So we learned a lot of lessons on this wonderful family vacation.  Jason learned that life with three young kids sun up to sun down is sometimes challenging, my reply was "welcome to my world honey." lol  We learned that eating out is a "bonus" to life right now, sometimes a good one, sometimes not so good.  We learned that this season of life is so precious, these babies are teaching us so many good things.  Getting away from the distractions of life helps put things into perspective.  This trip was a bit crazy at times, went by way too fast, but was much needed for all of us.  I am so happy to share all of these memories with you.  I feel refreshed, reconnected, and excited about life.  Vacations seem to be a little piece of heaven here on earth.  Hope you get to go on one real soon.          

Blogging at the Beach, Volume 2

Sunday afternoon, after a day of lots of rain and settling in, we venture out to eat as a family.  I know, I know, I had just written that we are eating most of our meals here, but the rain stopped and we were ready to get out!  Oh boy, are we learning all about that.  Three small children + nice restaurant = chaos!!  We get compliments on how well behaved our children are all the time, that is not so much the issue.  It's just the timing issue and you never know how that is going to go when eating out.  We called ahead to make sure the wait wasn't insane, and were told, no wait.  Great, but we get there and end up waiting about 10 minutes.  No big deal, but we are sat at a middle table so it's kind of cramped and loud.  The boys are hungry, mistake numero uno, we waited too long to feed them.  Mistake numero dos, Jason orders a spicy appetizer and Noah whines that it hurt his belly.   Elijah has to go potty everytime we sit down to eat, lol.  Ava is overstimulated.  Noah wants to play musical chairs.  I take Elijah for a walk in between appetizer and meal.  Ava wakes up and wants to be held.  I eat my dinner with one hand as fast as possible, which I am pretty much used to by now.  So then a really nice northern lady who had obviously drank a few glasses of wine, comes over to me and says, "It's a bitch, right? I used to be in your shoes honey, I totally get it. " LOL!!!!!!!!  I just replied, "It can be crazy at times, but they are such blessings, it's totally worth it."  She talked to Noah for several minutes which was hilarious also, he talks in this really interesting voice when he meets someone and I have to translate everything he's saying because I am the ONLY one who understands it.  Add translator to my list of credentials.

Go Potty Mom, pwease.

So we head back to the condo, make some cookies, and act silly the rest of the night. I ate too many cookies and got a rush of energy.   I was chasing the boys around like I was a bird, "cawing" pretty loudly until I remembered, we are surrounded by neighbors on almost all sides and it was after 10 p.m. here.. They were loving it, laughing so hard, but I think it scared Ava.  She was looking at me like I was crazy!! lol  Then we played "freeze dance"; dancing and freezing when someone turns the music off.  Noah loved controlling the radio, he got so tickled.  Elijah can really "cut a rug."  Jason couldn't resist and joined us in the fun, so after that we were all wore out and headed to bed.
Monday, we woke up to a really loud thunderstorm.  I actually slept in with Ava since I knew we couldn't go anywhere until the rain stopped.  Around 11, it stopped and the rest of the day was sunny, hot, and humid!  We left a little late in the day and went to a camera shop to get a tripod for beach photos. YAY! :)  I am looking forward to getting some family beach pictures with my new camera.  Eli fell asleep and since we were getting hungry, we concocted a different plan.  Noah, Ava, and I would go to the shopping center we were headed to and find a place to eat.  So while Jason sat in the car with Eli, we headed off and found a really neat little restaurant.  It was kind of swanky, New York-ish, if that makes any sense.  Very slow at this time and a really neat menu, so we headed inside to order.  I ordered for everyone and called Jason to bring Eli in when the food arrived.

Sleepy boy

Worked out pretty good until Jason and Eli arrived.  Eli wasn't ready to get up so he was cranky and didn't want to eat.  Then Ava woke up right as the food hit the table.  My dreams of eating a meal with both hands and chewing my food instead of swallowing it whole were no longer taking place. lol  So, we decided AGAIN that eating out is just a crazy idea.  We do have a couple more places we want to eat at, but we are learning how to make it go a bit smoother, so hopefully the next experience will be a better report. lol
So after that, we decided to go shopping for a bit.  Lesson number 2:  little kids do not like shopping.  lol  They actually did pretty good once we found the toy store, but we hit about 4 shops and then proceeded to the ice cream stand.  It is quite comical to think about Jason and I figuring out this being outnumbered thing.  When all else fails, toys and ice cream seem to fix the problem, for everyone!
One of our goals on this vacation are to spend one on one time with each of the kids.  So when we got back, Jason took Elijah down to the beach to go crab hunting.  They grabbed their little net and flashlight and off they went.  Noah got a new boat for the bathtub so I gave him a bath while they were gone.  Jason and Elijah found a few crabs at the beach and then Elijah had his turn with his boat in the tub.

I made popcorn, a much loved snack in our family, and we played a new game we bought at the toy store called "Pop Up Pirate."  Jason was the last one to do it, and his competitive spirit couldn't hardly stand it!! HA HA HA!! I had to rub it in of course, isn't that what a good wife does?
Tuesday, we wake up around 9-10 a.m.  to a beautiful sunny day.  Jason made pancakes and eggs for the boys.  I cut up some fresh cantelope and watermelon for my breakfast, my stomach needs a break from all this vacation food!  We called and made reservations for Jason and the boys to go on a pirate ship adventure.  I REALLY want to go too, but it is midday and I don't think that is a good idea for the baby, so it's a guy adventure this time.  It will be great bonding time with their Dad, and Ava and I will go shopping while they are out on the boat.  I also made my spa reservation to get a facial and reflexology pedicure, I can't wait for Thursday!! :)
We ate lunch and dinner at the condo today. lol  Dinner was yummy, parmesean crusted tilapia, grilled veggies, and sun-dried tomato foccacia bread.

We had an early dinner so we could spend the afternoon at the beach.  Earlier in the day, we rented some bicycles to ride around the island.  The sand is really compact here so you can even ride them on the beach.  We rented a little carriage for the boys behind one bike and I put Ava in her Ergo carrier and rode the other bike.  We headed off to the beach and rode our bikes to a nice little tide pool.  The boys played and Noah built his first sand castle all by himself.  It even had his boat hidden inside , lol, he was so excited!

Ava woke up from her little nap and did not want to be in the carrier any longer once we started back to the condo.  So we stopped to give her a break and a chance to dig her toes in the sand.  And I couldn't resist a mini-photo session, she's just too cute!  I could take a million shots of her.

Jason offered to carry her and push one bike while I drove the bike with the boy's carriage.  It was not an easy task to manuever those little dudes on a narrow sidewalk in the dark!  It was close to a miracle that we made it back in one piece.  Then I turn around and see Jason had really rode behind me with one hand holding Ava, the other on the handle bars!  Lawd, no wonder the guy we past said, "you guys have really got your hands full!"  And he didn't say anything because I would have never let him do that, good thing it was dark and no one called child protective services! :-/  But since we all made it back in good condition, it was something to laugh at once again.  Maybe we are crazy for the things we attempt with 2 toddlers and a baby, but it sure makes for an interesting life, lots of stares, and a few comments here and there.
We came in and bathed everyone, ate popcorn, and the boys called Pa and Nanny, then went to bed.

Jason and I watched cable for a bit.  We don't have cable at home anymore so it feels like a treat.  Now it's time for us to go to bed.  I am really tired and having allergy issues or something, so good night for now.
Big day tomorrow for the boys, can't wait for Volume 3!!


   
  

  

Blogging at the Beach Volume 1

What a better way to share our vacation fun than blogging about it in REAL time! :)
We are at Hilton Head Island, SC this week.  We LOVE it here, this is our second time to return, it feels like our home away from home.  The first time we came was when we had only Noah, who was 21 months old.  That vacation was VERY special to us, it provided the break we needed from almost two years of feeling like our home away from home was doctor's offices.  It was seriously the point at which my soul was restored and I knew everything would be okay.  So this place holds a special place in our hearts.
The trip here was great.  Jason and I love road trips, we connect on the drive and although it's filled with tons of stops for the kiddos, the moments in between are much needed soul connecting.  We left Friday at around 4 pm.  Elijah and Ava drifted right off to sleep and we decided to use this time to let Noah just "be still".  No movies, music, or video games.  He does great with stillness, no complaining.  I just wish I could see the thoughts going on in that sweet little head.  I also wanted him to be able to listen since I knew we'd be praying before long. 
And that's exactly what happened, after talking about some current life, some of the heart issues, other people in our lives, and our vacation, we began to just pray to set the tone for this week.  It was amazing, a super great time of fellowship with our awesome Father.  I just LOVE Him so much and know He loves me too.  Like I told my friend Missy the other day, it feels like the face of God is right in my face smiling all the time.  Amazing feeling.  If you are reading this and think God is anything other than good and loving, testing or trying you, I challenge you to give Him a chance to prove differently.  He LOVES you so so so much and just wants an awesome relationship, no strings attached.  Okay, okay I'll stop by sermon now. lol
So the drive was fairly good, it took us 10 hours to make an 8 hour trip.  We had planned to drive half way, spend the night and then drive the rest of the way on Saturday since we couldn't check in until 4 pm.  But an awesome blessing happened instead.  I called the condo owners to see if there was any chance it would be okay to check in early on Saturday since we planned on arriving around noon.  She said the family who was here last week had left a day early, so we could check in anytime on FRIDAY!  So we drove straight through and got here at 4 am on Saturday instead of 4 pm, a whole extra 12 hours, thank you Lord! :)  The boys awoke as we pulled in and went crazy running through the condo checking it all out.  Noah was so cute, and Eli just repeated everything he said.  "cation"(Noah's version of vacation) had begun.  I was afraid they'd never go back to sleep, and it did take them a long time, but eventually they dozed off.  Ava and I were out in about 2 seconds!
We rested up and then set out to grocery shop and get things we need for the week ahead.  There is a Fresh Market here, kind of like a smaller version of Whole Foods, so I was REALLY excited to check it out.  We ate lunch at a neat little New York style Deli and did our shopping.  Fresh Market was awesome!  But they didn't have everything I needed so we headed on to Publix.  We don't have a Publix where we live, but I used to shop there in Florida a lot so I was also excited to go to that store.  I know, I am dweeb for loving grocery shopping, but I do.  Jason sat with the nappers in the car while I ran in.  OMG, it was INSANE in there.  Everyone was beginning their week I guess, seriously it was a mad house, so my love for grocery shopping wasn't so great at this moment.  And first let me clarify, that I have nothing against northerners, lol, but it was like New Jersey and New York up in Publix.  It was hilarious!  They are so loud and descriptive about everything they are doing.  If they go to pick up a watermelon, it goes a little something like this, "I am going to pick out a nice juicy watermelon.  Don't you think watermelon will go great with cereal and fresh berries in the morning?  Do you think Bob will enjoy it?  Oh, here's a nice one, let's get this one.  Look at how nice this is."  Ha ha ha!! They are so loud and descriptive, I love it!  So here I am, quiet southern girl, smiling at everyone and getting some weird looks for smiling, and striking up conversations at the Deli counter with a bunch of well-to-do northerners ordering insane amounts of Boar's Head meat...I mean like 6 pounds of deli meat and cheese!!!  Hilarious!!  They are super nice once you start the conversation, it was a great people watching experience but took WAY.TOO.LONG! 
So we get back to the condo, or "combo" as Noah calls it, lol, and unload the goods.  Jason can't wait to get to the beach, so we get load Ava into her stroller and head for the ocean.  Oh the ocean, a piece of heaven on Earth.  So relaxing.  We didn't put swim suits on anyone because for some reason we thought it was about to get dark and we didn't want to do the whole "swimming" thing.  Just go play in the sand and breathe in the salty air.  HA HA HA, what were we thinking?!?!  Two little boys run straight for the first tide pool they see and waller in it like little pigs!!  No reservations on what they are wearing, lol.  Noah introduced Thomas the train to the sand and was so happy to finally be at the beach, he was singing his own little song.

We spent about an hour there and decided to head back to make dinner.
We clean everyone up and as I'm showering, I decide pizza sounds good.  So we ordered pizza and played games for a while.  Jason laid down with the boys and dozed off himself.  Then he came and laid down with sweet girl, and I had to take a picture, it was too cute.  After some time online and straightening up, I decided to get some much needed sleep too.

I woke up the earliest today, which basically NEVER happens.  I LOVE to sleep in, but decided I don't want to waste my morning opportunity of some free time everyday this week, so I got up and made a pot of amazing coffee we bought at Fresh Market, White Chocolate Raspberry Beret.  Noah got up about 30 minutes later and then Jason and Elijah, Ava was the last to open her eyes, she's just like me, loves to sleep in the morning hours.

Good Morning!! My new favorite picture!

We had fresh blueberries, pancakes, and eggs for breakfast here at the condo.  It is so cool to be able to cook a lot of our meals, as eating out is an EVENT with three little ones, shew, I get tired just thinking about it!! We do have a few places we plan to go eat out at, but for the most part, eating will happen here at the "combo."

The boys got all suited up for swimming about a hour ago, but had to come back about 10 minutes later because it started thundering. 

The weather forcast looks pretty rainy this week.  So far though, we have been blessed with some good weather when the forcast shows constant rain.  No rain yesterday or early this morning.  As long as we have some outdoor time each day, it is all good.  Spending good quality family time together is what this vacation is all about...indoors or outdoors.  So that is all for today, I'm going to go spend time with my beautiful family.  Love ya'll.

  

Summertime!

Fresh Raw Salsa

I love summertime.  The sunshine, swimming, vacation, and the fresh produce in abundance!  Today I made this yummy raw salsa and ate a ton..oh how I've missed it! 

And the corn, sweet juicy corn!!  There is now an organically grown farmer's stand about 10 minutes from our house!  They sold me 2 dozen for $4, wowsa!  They have affordable prices and no pesticides are used, awesome!

And this sweet baby is now nursing, so that's all the one-handed typing I can handle.

Just wanted to give a shout-out for summertime and all it's glory!

More on green smoothies....

So I got my awesome red Blendtec blender today.  I used it to make a double batch of green smoothie for my wonderful hubby and I in this crazy machine. It was a lot easier to make one big batch.  Today's ingredients were:  greens(spinach, kale, romaine, mizuna, arugula, and chard),  fruits(fresh bananas, lemon, pear, blueberries, frozen goji berries, and a frozen blend of peaches, mango, pineapple, and strawberries), bee pollen, flax oil, and a little stevia to sweeten.  Sounds crazy but oh so yummy!  Yesterday I think I made my favorite so far with watermelon, even the boys drank some!! :)  You don't have to have a high power blender to make a green smoothie, it just makes it a lot easier.  My red Oster is about to be donated to my mother and I hope she'll make some smoothies for herself because it did a great job for a regular blender. 

So I bet you may be wondering where I am getting my produce and how is it affordable to make a green smoothie every day for the family.  I have been getting a lot of my greens locally from our CSA(community supported agriculture) called Red Springs Family Farm.   We have done this for three years now and love it.  We basically get a share of what they are growing each week and have been introduced to some unique greens and veggies we would not have tried otherwise.   I also shop at Sam's for our raw spinach, bananas, frozen fruits, and avocados.  I also like the organic produce stand, MMKM Family Produce in Baxter.  Sometimes when we are in Nashville for doctor's appointments we shop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but most of the rest of my shopping is done at Kroger.  They have the best deals on organic/natural foods locally in terms of a supermarket.  We also get supplements and a few other items at our local health foods store, Good Sheperd.   If you are not in this area, you can find local CSA's and farmer's markets in your neck of the woods at localharvest.org.  Support local whenever you can, the Big Box Marts of the world make enough money.

The motivation to eat more raw foods has been easy since I started the green smoothies.  My body seems to naturally crave healthier foods, and the not-so healthy options are starting to taste yucky now.  It's not been very hard to say no since the process seems very natural and easy.  Our bodies are made to live on fresh raw foods, and if given a chance will naturally crave them.  I'm really excited to have found something that makes total sense and is working without me feeling like I'm deprived. 

 

Birthday Present For Myself

I went to bed last night at 1 a.m. I was so excited about my new lease on life turning thirty one.  Last night was wonderful.  My sister in law was in town to visit with her family and also my mother in law was there along with my nephews and nieces and my wonderful wife.  As I listened in the background it made me so happy to see what wonderful family I have as they all shared great memories of growing up with each other.  It reminded me of how long Heather and I have been together.  I look back feeling so assured that God gave me the most perfect wife.  It feels awkward calling my in laws in laws.  They are my sister, and mother and brother and nieces and nephews.  I was so charged up last night, like I had read the end of a really good book knowing that I have a strong marriage, wonderfully unique children and an amazing spouse.  It was conformation that my life is on the perfect track.  As I finally retired to bed It still took me about 30 minuets to fall asleep.   Elijah made his way in there with me and he was twisting like a drill bit last night.

I awoke to my cell phone alarm this morning by accident at 630 am.  I don't know what got into me but I sprang up like I had a plan and within 1 minute, I found the garage door opening and me pulling my bicycle off the rack.  This was a surprise to me because I didn't set my alarm and had no intentions of doing much at all today.  Within 2 minutes still in the cloths I sleeped in, and with a pair of flip flops on I took off.  At the 3 Minuit mark I knew what was going to happen.  I decided that I was going to bike 6 miles.  There is a loop I had measured of for my next goal breaking run about 2 months ago and it just seemed right.  So I took off.  I went for it. The humidity was high and the wind was slapping me in the face saying happy birthday you crazy Spack!! 

Dave Ramsey has always said (When people think you are crazy, you are probably on to something good.)  Two miles into the trail, this lady slows down her car and says  'Do you need a ride somewhere or are you just exercising?'  I laughed and told her thanks but I was exercising.  This concept has a tendency to confuse Gainesboroians, as it is a foreign practice around here.  After all I was still trying to find our what I was doing out there. After about an hour I had finished.  Super charged and alert.  Praising God for starting 31 with such a bang.  I feel fantastic.  I am so blessed.  I cant wait to see my family and have a great rest of my life.

Noah's Dreamy Eyes

"And ALL things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."  Matt. 21:22

Today Noah went to the eye doctor after six months of being on Atropine drops.  He got a great report and his eyes are looking amazing!!  I am so thankful for the good report.  Noah was about a year old when his eyes started crossing and the right eye weakened.  I look back at the pictures of him before his surgery and am amazed at how good they look now.  I am also amazed at how I didn't notice how much the eye really crossed until after the surgery.  I just saw my handsome little man who I loved unconditionally.  I bet this is how God looks at us.  The flaws are there, but through His AMAZING love for us, He doesn't even notice. 

Thank you Father for another amazing healing journey, it may have been a tough road at times, but through Your grace and mercy, we have overcome another obstacle and emerged STRONGER THAN EVER!!!   

Green Smoothies...YUM!

My First Green Smoothie

Looks like a big glass of grass, but tastes great, and the health benefits are AMAZING!

So I had my first glass of green smoothie Tuesday May 24th.  I have been really studying the benefits of raw foods lately in my quest for health.  I came across the green smoothie idea on greensmoothiegirl.com about a year ago and have been getting emails from her since.  I kept being led back to her website in my research and finally decided to order the digital download, 12 Steps to Whole Foods by Robyn Openshaw.  Basically, you do one step a month for a year.  I love her approach, it is so realistic.  She is a mother of four super healthy children and teaches you how to incorporate her ideas for your children as well.

The first month is having a quart of green smoothie every day. I was both excited and curious about this step.   Excited because doing this gets you about 15 servings of fruits and veggies a day!  Curious if I would actually enjoying drinking blended greens and fruits!  I was so happy when the taste was awesome, I love them.  I have had one everyday for almost 2 weeks now.  

So far I have noticed several benefits.  The main one being more energy.  After I drink my smoothie in the morning, I feel like actually doing something.  Having a newborn and 2 toddlers, this is AMAZING! lol  For this reason alone, I will continue to drink them every day.  

A few other benefits I'm noticing are:  better moods, clearer skin, shinier hair, fewer sugar cravings, and improved digestion and elimination.  I haven't lost any weight yet, but my body just shed 24 pounds after delivering Ava Mae, so I'm not expecting it to let go easily for a while.  Plus I am breastfeeding and don't want to lose to quickly and mess up my milk supply.  I do have a goal to lose 20 pounds in 4 months.  That will have me back to my pre-Noah weight.  Once I get there, I will strive to lose 10 more, but if my body wants to stay there, that is my happy weight and I'll be content.  

Here is a video link to how I learned to make a green smoothie from Robyn.  In the video you will see that she is using an awesome Blend Tec blender.  I have been using my Oster beehive blender but ordered a Blend Tec last night and am SO excited to get it!  Jason told me we could get one when the Oster burned out.  It worked great for about the first week.  Then Jason himself started wanting me to make him smoothies also.  This became so time consuming since I can only make one quart at a time and the blender takes a while to mix it all up.  It also began to show signs of soon burning out, so after some complaining and explaining a new blender means more smoothies for him, I was told to order one! :)  YAY! Thanks honey.  So you don't HAVE to have an expensive blender to make them, but I now see WHY you NEED one if you plan to make them everyday.  Plus, they do SO many other things that it makes it totally worth it to me. 

I am also reading the book "The China Study".  Every single whole foods resource I encounter has recommended this book to be the first thing you read.  Since I just started reading it, I don't have a lot of comments about it, but so far it is eye-opening!  It is based on the largest nutritional study ever conducted.  It describes the link between nutrition and disease and how animal-based foods are linked to disease, while plant-based foods heal them.  

So I'm doing great getting my plant-based foods into my diet through my green smoothies.  Jason and I are still dealing with old habits and emotional issues a bit, but they are getting better.  The cravings for those foods are starting to really diminish, which is fantastic!  I'm trying to look at this as adding to my diet the healthy plant-based foods instead of this is all I can eat.  Slowly I think we will be able to really eliminate the disease causing foods just out of natural response.  I don't want to ever feel like I am controlled emotionally by foods, what I can and can't eat again.  So far the simple act of a green smoothie daily has made this whole foods transformation so much easier.  I encourage you to watch the video and check out greensmoothiegirl.com.  There are tons of other great raw, whole foods websites out there too.  Green smoothies are yummy and while I'm still working on a recipe my kids like, I am so excited to finally have a way to get raw fruits and veggies into my family's diet every single day.   

Ava Mae's Birth Story

Welcome home Ava Mae

I woke up at 3:30am on Tuesday, April 27th with contractions that were very crampy.  I didn't think much about it since I had been having false alarms for a few days, and thought I was just having stomach cramps along with the contractions.  The pains were getting stronger and closer together, but I still had my doubts that this was "it." lol  Jason heard me pacing and groaning and got up to see if I was okay.  I was irritated because I was in pain but wasn't sure if it was the laxative I took earlier or labor.  We were sitting on the couch after I had a major pain and I heard and felt a pop.  I sat there and nothing happened, then I remembered this is what is felt like when my water broke with Noah.  I stood up to go to the bathroom and sure enough my water had broke.  Welcome panic!!

I told Jason to call the hospital and my Mom to come over and stay with the boys.  Even though I had so many early signs of labor, I wasn't prepared.  My bag was barely packed and I grabbed my toothbrush, deodorant, and thyroid medicine to add to it.  Why I chose those items I don't know, I was in major freak out mode.  Then the pain was getting super intense.  I had a contraction that made me literally raise the kitchen table off the ground and started telling Jason that we needed to leave NOW!  So he called our neighbor, Billy, and told me to get into the car.  He backed out and started to leave so I began freaking out and crying because I thought he was leaving the boys alone.  I was in so much pain that I couldn't think straight, everything was magnified.  Billy waited with the boys until my Mom arrived.

The ride to the hospital was crazy!  I was having contractions every 3 minutes and I felt so much pressure.   It takes about 45 minutes for us to get to the hospital and I was scared that she was coming in the car.  Jason was driving like a husband with a wife having a baby in the car.  There was a bit of cussing at cars who wouldn't get over, begging baby to wait, and "go faster unless you want to meet her now!"  

We get to the hospital at about 5 a.m. and NO ONE was at the front window, it was a ghost town.  Jason was banging on the windows and I just sat down.  It seemed like forever, but was only a few minutes.  I could barely walk through the contractions but I just got up and started walking towards the Women's Center.  The registration clerk came slowly strolling down the hall and told me I needed to come back up front to register.  Think again sister, I am NOT walking back up there.  So she goes to get me a wheelchair and they roll me back to a room and Jason goes back to register me.

The ultra-calm nurse (this annoyed me at the time, lol) got me changed into my gown and checked me.  I was dialated to a 3, so we had some time.  Even though the contractions were still coming every 3-4 minutes, knowing this relaxed me a bit and I calmed down, which made the contractions calm down too.  

So for the next two hours, I am having contractions and trying to work through them.  I was praying alot and as the contractions came, I naturally began praying in the spirit.  Even though the pain didn't disappear it calmed me and helped me get through them.  Jason was praying with me and rubbing my back, I was more comfortable sitting up at this point.  Then I started having some back labor and my pelvic bone (which is tilted) began hurting really bad.  About this time my OB arrived and checked my cervix, and I was at 4 cm. and still having 3 minute apart contractions that were getting really intense.  I prayed about whether or not to have the epidural and felt peace about it, so I told her to go ahead and send anesthesia on over.  

The anesthesiologist did a great job and soon I was relaxed and free from pain.  I could still feel the tightening and pressure from the contractions but I was finally able to rest.  I kept progressing and at about 9:30 a.m. I was at 5 cm.  About this time I had Jason to turn on some praise and worship music, this helped me relax even more and I was able to rest a little.  There was a wonderful spirit-filled feeling in the room and when the nurse came in to check me, she said "you guys must love the Lord."  :)  We had been blessed with a wonderful Christian nurse, FAVOR again!  

When I got to about 7 cm, my blood pressure began to drop and the baby's heart rate was dropping a little too with contractions.  The nurse came in and had me lay on my side and gave me oxygen.  I was feeling a little strange and began to worry a bit, but she was keeping a close eye on the monitors and calling my doctor often.  When I got to an 8, things weren't improving so they decided they needed to monitor the baby internally.  They use a device that attaches to the baby's scalp, so of course I was upset about this, but I knew it was the best thing to do in this situation.  The monitor showed that the baby's heart rate was okay and they continued to watch my BP rate closely.  

At about 11:30 a.m. I was fully dialated, my OB was about to arrive, and the nurse got me ready to start pushing.  My contractions were farther apart now, so it took me about an hour to get to the point of pushing her completely out. I was really relaxed and the music inspired some dialogue about God, church, etc. between my nurse, OB, and I.  I just started sharing the love of God.  Jason later laughed about it and said, "you were ministering between contractions!"      

She was kind of stuck under my pelvic bone (this has happened with all three deliveries) so the doctor mentioned the possibility of using a vacuum to assist.  I DID NOT want this to happen again, since we had to have it twice with Noah and it wasn't a pleasant experience.  So I got super motivated, pushed as hard as I could, and at 12:27 p.m. on April 27, 2010, Ava Mae Seyer was born.  And to confirm the presence of the holy spirit, the song "My Beloved" by Kari Jobe was playing as she was born.  This is a song that has meant a lot to me during this pregnancy and I often sang it to her.    

      

We are so in love with our beautiful baby girl.