31 Weeks

I'm in the home stretch now...

As much as I'm looking forward to meeting my sweet girl, I am soaking up this time together with Sam.  Things are going to change forever all too soon, so I'm really trying to appreciate our current "normal."

Sam sings and talks to "Baby Lucy" all the time and seems excited for her to come.  He even told me this morning he thought she was coming now, and he could see her in my belly button.  I absolutely love this age, and this boy, and this life I'm living.  

One notable characteristic of this pregnancy is my "nesting" instinct.  It's INSANE!  It keeps me up at night thinking about all the things that need to be cleaned, organized, sanitized, painted, stained, sold, bought, set up, and decorated in the next nine weeks.  This past weekend, Michael and I moved and rearranged furniture (well, mostly Michael) so I could deep clean the bedrooms.  I have purged and merged closets, donated a van load of stuff to Goodwill, and vacuumed every surface of our home... including the ceiling.  This little one has no idea how perfect I want this nest to be when she arrives.

I've started having a few Braxton Hicks contractions in the last day or two.  At first, I didn't know what I was feeling since I didn't experience these with Sam.  Whenever I am overdoing it, here they come to remind me to slow it down a bit.  They are not really painful, just enough to get my attention.  Water and rest seem to make them go away every time.  

Here's another belly picture comparison, sans makeup this time.  I'm not sick, I just seem to look that way in the photo.  

                                      30 Weeks - Sam                                 31 Weeks - Lucy

Happy Heart Day!

Little man had a special Valentine's Day surprise waiting on him when he woke up this morning.  Kimmie and Pawpaw and Uncle Drew sent some sweet Valentine cards.  Mo brought Sam his very first box of chocolates.  And, since Momma is a reading teacher, Sam got a book too.  Surprise, surprise.

I had also been saving these super great t-shirts for just such a day as Valentine's Day.  These "Love Big" t-shirts were a fundraising event to help our friends, The Brown Family, bring home their newest member from Korea.  We are praying hard and loving big for you guys, today!  

Hurry home Nell!

By the time my little valentine made it home from school and library day, he smelled just like a cupcake, had blue lips from his most recent sucker, and had a bunch of sweet valentines to show off from his buddies at school.  I think he's a big fan of Valentine's Day.  

Lucy's First Photo

I had to go for another ultrasound today to get some additional shots of baby girl's heart and umbilical cord.  This time around, she was very cooperative and gave us all the camera angles we needed, including this one... I already love that sweet face so much!

The ultrasound tech did ask me, "When are you due again?" and "How tall is Daddy?" while she was taking measurements of her.  I know inference when I hear it... she's a big girl.  She's actually measuring in the 87-90% percentile and has some very long legs.  Tell me about it!  She may have a future in ballet, which makes Momma happy!

Snow Day

One of the perks of being a teacher is the highly-coveted SNOW DAY.  For the past couple of years, the "schools are closed" snow day has been a bit hard to come by.  However, we were blessed with just such a day.  A day to snuggle the kiddo, sleep late, stay in our pajamas all day, and spend some quality time together.  We may have decided it was such a special day that we needed to make a run to the grocery store for a special Woody apple juice and giant blueberry muffins...

We actually didn't get any snow at our house until the next day.  It wasn't long before Anamana and the boys showed up at our back door ready for some fun in the snow.  They walked over through the school yard, gathering snow as they came, in hopes of building a snowman...

It was Sam's first time to actually do any real playing in the snow, and he was a big fan!  We built a great snowman with apple eyes, and ping-pong ball nose, and a plastic plate mouth!  The boys were super impressed with their work.  We finished just in time to run inside, dry off, drink some hot chocolate, and admire our handy work.  

One Word - 2013

This is my third year to take the One Word Challenge and commit to a single word to shape my year.  No lengthy new year's resolutions written and forgotten by February.  Applying one word to my life throughout the year has proved to be a do-able and not too overwhelming commitment.    

In 2011, my word was anyway.  For 2012, I chose see.  This year, I had a bit of trouble deciding on my word.  In fact, it's the 28th of this month and I am just now fairly sure what it is and what it means.  It's directly related to last year's word; in fact, it's step two of the process.  Last year, I made a commitment to really stop, notice, and see what was going on around me.  See God working in my life.  See my sweet boy growing up before my eyes.  See and acknowledge the positive efforts of those around me.  

For 2013, my word is tell.  Tell what I've seen.  Tell what I've learned.  Tell my story.  

Angus Buchan, a potato farmer from South Africa, came to our church back in September and rocked my simple mind.  He was so bold, so fearless in telling his God story.  He challenged us as Americans, as Christians, to go out and share our own God stories.  Tell others how God is real and relevant in our lives.  I was totally inspired by his teaching and ready to carry out his directive, until I realized I had no idea what my God story was... So, I'm challenging myself to post monthly and tell what God is doing in my life, how he's working, what I'm discovering.  Hopefully, by the end of this journey, I will have a story worth telling.

Here's the first installment of my God story:
We have been on a tight budget for the last 18 months while Michael finishes his nursing degree. Over the past months, we have received unexpected doctor bills that were outside our budget, and in the same month received overpayment refunds from our insurance company within pennies of the amount needed to cover the doctor bills.  We faced an increase in childcare cost from switching preschools and received a letter from our mortgage company that our mortgage rate was going down, lowering our monthly mortgage payment just enough to cover the childcare cost.  Purchasing airline tickets for the boys' trip this Christmas was crippling, but two weeks later we received an unexpected gift that offset the cost considerably.  God used insurance companies, mortgage companies, and the softened hearts of people around us to meet our needs.  For 18 months, God has met our financial needs even when the numbers don't make sense on paper.  He is faithful.  Why do I ever doubt and worry?  HE is my father!

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’³² For the unbelievers run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   
Matthew 6:26-34

We can trust God to meet our needs.  Worrying isn't necessary, nor is it helpful.  There is a sense of calm and a quiet confidence that comes from knowing He is in control.

The Great Outdoors

We started talking a while before Christmas about what we could do that would be a special experience for the boys while they were here visiting for the holidays.  There's not a whole lot of teenager appeal in our town...but we do have CedarRock.  Hunting in general is not new to the boys.  They have a farm in Texas where they frequently deer hunt.  They have been spectators on various bird hunts over the years.  They have canoed and fished with the best of river rats.  So, my dad came up with the suggestion of taking them on their first ever rabbit hunt, complete with hound dogs to lead the way.  

They went for some practice shooting time a couple days before the hunt, but I must say they are both pretty talented with an eye for the shot as it is.  And how did they do on their rabbit hunt?
Five fat rabbits!  Not too shabby for a couple of first-timers!

Sam, however, did not attend the rabbit hunt.  He was happy with a short joy ride through the backyard on our neighbors new 4-wheeler.  Chad was so kind to offer to drive Sam around.  We bundled him up and he rode about 5 miles an hour with a smile on his face that money can't buy.  Now, everytime he hears the 4-wheeler crank up outside, he goes to door to ask Chad for a ride.  He's hooked.

Christmas Continued

Christmas at Nani's house was such a blast.  Sam got...more Thomas toys!  A battery operated Thomas and Peter Sam that run on a real track.  He loved it.  Since we missed Christmas in Columbus this year, they sent some special things to us.  Books from Michelle, a crowd pleaser for sure.  Marshmallow shooters and ammo pouches from JudyLynn.  Sam couldn't stop eating the ammo.  And, the boys also got some spending money and candy, always a favorite.  

These fellas sure are growing up fast.

Christmas at CedarRock - New Year's Day

I'm so thankful all these boys are great buddies.

Kayden received a special gift from Pawpaw and Kimmie... his own shoe shine kit.  

It's his next business venture.  He has already raised enough money to buy his own bunk beds last year by recycling and selling candy bars.  Now, Pawpaw is going to train him in the art of shining shoes so he can raise money to buy his own iPad.  

Sam loved his car-hauler toy and still plays with it every day.

CedarRock's Christmas visitor

Sam helped Kimmie open her present.  

He certainly has Christmas present opening down this year.

It has been a wonderful Christmas season this year!  

Now, the Burtrams are ready for 2013 and all it brings...