A Full Heart

Celebrating Easter this past week-end, I couldn’t help but be thankful for all that God has done for us.  We went to a Good Friday service and I was sitting there thinking, “I’ve heard the message of the cross my whole life and I get used to it and it doesn’t always move me like it should.”  Then God spoke to me and asked, “Can you imagine giving up your son to die on a cross for the whole world?”  I immediately started crying and thought, “No, I can’t imagine giving up my son to die a horrible painful death for the whole world; for some who would hate him + mock him, others who wouldn’t care, and also those who would love him.”  So now, whenever I think of it from a parents’ point of view, that God gave up His Son, it impacts me in a whole different way and makes me SOOO thankful for the price that was paid for me.  I’m also really thankful that there’s a happy ending; for being able to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection!

These are the gifts I am counting today:

666. Sitting in the living room on the couch beside Blake, with the sunlight streaming in, each of us reading our own books

667.

 

668. Friends’ pregnancy announcements

669. Jumping in the puddles and not caring about the mess

670. Watching the kids dance + wave flags during praise + worship at church

671. That the kids have been sleeping in more lately (often past 9:00 and one morning until 11:00)

672. A meal enjoyed

673. New friends (a couple from church we didn’t really know) who we invited over and ended up talking with for 4 hours until midnight!

674. Beauty, both her and the outdoors

675. All the wonderful food we had this past week-end at 3 different family gatherings

676. Happiness

677. Playing Bohnanza with friends while our kids played nicely together downstairs

678. His many different expressions

679. That Jesus was the ultimate, final sacrifice for sin

680. That Jesus didn’t stay in the grave!!!!

A Different Kind of Break

This morning in church, the message was about sin and getting rid of it. We took some time after to pray + repent of sin and if need be, to talk to someone about something we need to do and to be held accountable. I feel I need to take a break from the internet. I'm wasting too much time on it and not spending enough time with Jesus. I'll probably take a week-long break and then I'll see after that. I'm thinking of maybe going on 3 days a week so that more days than not, I'm off of it. It's hard for me because some days that's the only "outside contact" that I have. Letting it consume copious amounts of my time is wrong, though. I need to find balance, so I'll be off until next week. You can call or text me if you need to contact me. Thanks!

Busy Bee

The last couple of days have been busy and a lot of fun! On Wednesday, my Mom came over and we took the kids to a store where my aunt works. They were having an open house, so they had cake and other chocolate goodies, which we all enjoyed. We came back home, my Mom left, and when Jared got off work, the we all went to the chiropractor. When we got back, it was after supper, and Kiera + Blake's other set of grandparents came over to pick them up and take them to their house for the night! Right after they left, Jared and I went out for coffee just the 2 of us. We hardly ever do that, so it was a special treat! I had a big apple crisp with ice cream (SO good) and he had a grilled cinnamon bun with ice cream. Yum!

Yesterday morning, I worked out, got myself ready, and went to my doctor's appt. The doctor again had a hard time finding the heartbeat! I was shocked! I'm 23 weeks along, so the baby is fair-sized and there's not a whole lot of room to hide. I mentioned to a friend a few months ago that I thought it might be fun to have a kid who's a clown (not literally, but someone who's really funny), and now I'm wondering if I should be careful what I wish for! After my appt., I went and bought some piano books for my students and then came home and swept + Swiffer mopped the main floor. Then, I headed back out and met my Mom at her workplace and she took me out for lunch. We went to a cute little coffee shop/sandwich place that I had never been to before and it was good! After that, I went to a friend's house and another friend was also there with her kids, so that was fun! I came back home and played some songs from my new Eva Cassidy piano book and then vacuumed the whole house. Then, we went out for supper.

Earlier in the day, I got a call from Jared asking if I wanted a free supper at a nice restaurant close by. I asked, "Free? How?" He said his work was giving out tickets to the Chamber of Commerce meeting and it was first come first serve, so we could go if we wanted to! I burst out laughing when he told me it was the Chamber of Commerce meeting and said, "Sure!" So, we went to the banquet and there were 4 other co-workers there, along with 2 of their spouses at our table. We were totally out of place as there were all the prominent business people in our area wearing suits and fancy clothes, but we had a lot of fun! The people at our table were hilarious. One of the couples at our table just had their 4th baby, so they had some funny stories. I actually sat next to the principal of an Elementary School and it's the school that Kiera will be going to next year, so I was very happy to hear about the way he handles problems and immediately notifies the parents. I was very encouraged to hear that they try to work alongside with the parents to help the students who are having or causing problems. The meal was alright and I was just very thankful that I didn't have to cook. There was an Asian salad, and the main course was a big piece of pork, pesto cheese scalloped potatoes (the best part of the meal), and a few pieces of asparagus. For dessert, they had Pavlova, which I can safely say is the strangest dessert I've ever had. It was nearly impossible to cut and very chewy. I was definitely not a fan. We left right after that before all the speeches started as our kids were being brought back to us at 8 p.m. I TOTALLY enjoyed every minute of kid-free time that I had and was again extremely blessed to get another break from the kids! Anyone want to baby-sit tonight? Just kidding!

Kid-Free Evenings

Last week, I got a phone call from my sister-in-law, Amanda, saying her + her husband wanted to come baby-sit our kids if we wanted to go out on Friday night. We wanted to make it a kid-free night, but most of our friends have kids. We ended up going out after our kids were in bed and we went to play games with friends after their daughter had also gone to bed. They made homemade chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and we played Ticket to Ride and Bohnanza. That's pretty much a perfect evening for me!

I also got a call from Jared last week saying he had been given hockey tickets at work and asked if I wanted to come. I said, "If you can find another baby-sitter, then sure." My Mom called that day and happened to be free on Saturday evening, so she came over while we went out yet again without kids! At the game, I had to go to the bathroom, so I went, and there was a line-up. The 2 ladies in front of me looked at me and said, "Oh, go ahead of us." I said, "No, it's ok." I really didn't have to go that badly. They said, "You need to go ahead of us." I thanked them and went ahead. Then I heard one of the ladies say, "With a belly like that..." WHAT?! Do I look like I'm ready to give birth or something? I'm just over halfway! I wasn't sure what they were thinking, but I didn't think I was that big. That was kind of funny.

On Sunday, I was on the praise + worship team. I love seeing the kids dance in church. Kiera went up to a group of them and started jumping/dancing during praise + worship and then all the other kids started dancing, too. An adult was there and ended up dancing with them around the church. I felt SO much joy that I could barely sing because I wanted to laugh + cry at the same time. That was the highlight of my week-end! After church, we took the kids to McDonald's and met up with friends from church (pre-planned). My sister-in-law + brother-in-law showed up there, too, so they ate with us. We had a quiet afternoon at home and then got invited to our friends' house for supper. Bbq pork, potatoes, and carrots...great meal! We left around 8:00 and then I went to another friend's house for a games night while Jared stayed home with the kids. I can't believe I got to go out 3 nights in a row without kids! I totally love my kids, but it's nice to get a break, too! I'm really enjoying all the breaks I get now before I'm more tied down again with breastfeeding. I'm really thankful for family who are willing to watch our kids. I was really blessed by that this past week-end!

It’s Raining Clothes

When my Mom came home from Washington last week, she came home bearing gifts for the kids!  I was really surprised because I thought she would mostly just buy clothes for Sophia, but she did a lot more than that.  Basically she bought entire summer wardrobes for both my kids!  She came home with 2 reusable shopping bags packed FULL of clothes.  When she brought them in the house, I said, “Look kids!  Nana spent a million dollars!”  It was crazy and such a blessing!  Here are some pics of the cute things she bought:

Kiera’s new spring jacket + pajamas

Kiera calls the green shirt her dress because it’s longer with a ruffle at the bottom

This pink shirt is one of her favorites to wear around the house these days

We sometimes call Blake a monkey (or a turkey) because he does such funny things, so monkey pajamas are perfect for him!

This dress on my right is one of my favorites!

Last, but not least, these are the CUTEST rubber boots I’ve ever seen in my entire life (and I’ve seen a lot of cute ones)!

Thank you, Mom, for once again, clothing my kids! :)

A New Discovery

I found this recipe in my most recent Today’s Parent magazine.  One of the best parts about it is that I could eat it, too, so I didn’t have to make 2 different dishes for supper!  We all loved it, so it’s definitely a keeper!

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

8 oz. (250 g) bow tie pasta (I used penne noodles)

5 tbsp. butter, divided

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk (I used almond milk so that I could eat it)

1/4 cup white wine (optional…I didn’t use it)

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable broth)

2 cups plus 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme (I used a combo or basil + parsley because I really don’t like thyme)

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 2 large breasts…I just used 1)

1 1/2 cups crushed plain potato chips

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Butter a 9-inch square casserole dish and set aside (I used a medium-sized rectangle dish).  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to directions, then drain.

2. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook about 5 min.  Transfer to a separate dish and set aside.  Wipe out saucepan, then return to stove and melt 3 tbsp. butter over med. heat.  Add flour and whisk constantly for 1 min.  Gradually whisk in milk, then wine and stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir constantly until thickened, about 4 min.  Add 2 cups grated cheddar, Parmesan, thyme, and pepper.  Stir until cheese is melted + sauce is smooth.  Add chicken, pasta, mushrooms, and stir well.

3. Pour into greased dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar.  Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min.  Remove foil + sprinkle with potato chips.  Bake uncovered for 10 more min.  Makes about 6 servings.

Very tasty and this will definitely be added to our meal rotation!  I write down the meals we’re having on the calendar for a week at a time and we have a different meal every day of the month and then more or less repeat the next month.  That has definitely made meal planning + grocery shopping a lot easier + more organized for us since Blake was born. :)

2 GOOD Stories

Last week, we went to the Olive Garden as a family before picking my Mom up at the airport. Kiera had to go to the bathroom, so I went with her. As we walked in there, she was singing, "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands." The bathroom was full of women and there was one empty stall, so we went in that one. She kept on singing that song and then she started the next verse: "He's got you + me in His hands..." The bathroom was emptier at that point and there was an old lady a couple of stalls over (I never saw her) who started singing along with Kiera and sung the whole verse with her! Once Kiera was done singing, the lady said, "You're a good singer!" Kiera was just sitting there silently and I told her to say, "Thank you," but she didn't. I think she was a bit confused about this voice that she was hearing but not seeing the lady. I thought it was SO sweet that the lady sung along with her and it just thrills me that Kiera witnesses to people without even trying or realizing it!

This past week-end, I took Kiera grocery shopping with me. We stopped by a lady who was giving away yogurt samples. We each had one, and then I said, "Thank you," and proceeded to continue on with my grocery shopping. I hadn't gone very far when Kiera said, "I want to go say thank you to the lady!" So, I turned the cart around and we went back. Kiera cheerfully said, "Thank you!" to the lady and the lady was SO pleased that she said, "You can have another yogurt!" I don't know if it was partially pregnancy hormones or what, but I just about started crying. I guess sometimes I wonder when all of our hard work is going to pay off and whether or not Kiera will catch on to certain behaviors that we are trying to teach her and then something like that happens and it's TOTALLY encouraging to me! It gives me hope in the midst of all the challenging behavior. I'm just so thankful for God's goodness! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 107:1