"Healthy" Addictions

As our family continues to grow and our commitments continue to increase, I find great pleasure in a little addiction I was introduced to by my sister (in-law). Lately, I have little "cracks" of time that are filled by a couple minutes of word-finding fun named Lexulous. She'd tried to include me in this game before, but I've brushed it off for "lack of time". I am thrilled that I finally spent the $1.99 to purchase this app for my iphone.

When Lucas calls me in the wee hours of the morning it is just enough time to fill in a word. Though the points may be few compared to my sis' cognitive dictionary, I still feel a sense of accomplishment when I am able to find a word in the few spaces that remain. I currently have 9 active games, 4 with my sis, and 1 of which I am hoping my mom will join me in. Either way, I am enjoying filling in the "cracks" of time with this little addiction.

It feels like I am sharing a conversation with someone I love. In a sense, I am. I love you, Patty!

Eli shares a picture

Eli Loves You!

A Special Thank You.

My dad has spent most of his summer helping Geoffrey and I.

He traveled from Missouri to Juneau just a few months after a traumatic injury to his leg to help me while I was on bed rest at home and in the hospital. He cared for children in my day care. He folded laundry. He cooked dinner. He finished house projects. And when we were life-flighted out of Juneau to Anchorage, dad didn't hesitate to step in and care for Eli. Dad was there for us.



During his August visit, he helped keep the house clean, fixed things, cooked, kept Eli occupied with "monies" and lended a hand wherever he was needed. This was a blessing to us once again since I spent most of that time with pneumonia. Dad stepped in right when I needed him. Not once, not twice, but over and over.

Our heavenly father does the same thing. He gives us exactly what we need over and over again.

Thank you, God, for my Dad.

Momma's Flowers

My little boy loves spring time, being outside, and picking my flowers!

Mother's Day and Bed Rest

This Mother's Day is different than the other special days I've experienced. I won't be going out to brunch, I won't get to hug my own mom, and in fact, I won't be doing much of anything. On Wednesday, my physician put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. 5 weeks until my scheduled C-section. I've heard stories of women put on bed rest earlier in their pregnancies or having to endure the rest in a hospital bed and although I am blessed with a less severe experience, it is still difficult to comply.

I feel the burden that Geoffrey must now undertake, caring for Eli, myself, the house, our friends, family, and his 3 jobs! I know that he is putting on a brave face and caring for me in sickness and in health, but it doesn't make it easy to watch. I want to help him. I want to clean up after Eli. I want to take care of the chores, make the meals, and serve him. God has placed in me a desire to be my husband's help-meet and I am grieving that loss just as Geoffrey must grieve the loss of closing out his classroom.

I must say that I am not the most willing and obedient patient. Geoffrey and I need your prayers. I need help in being obedient to the doctor and my husband's orders and directions. I need help not to put myself and the baby at risk by doing chores that I shouldn't be doing. I need help letting others do for me. I need help. I need prayers. I need strength to let go and let God.

Also, I ask for your prayers for Geoffrey. He needs help, too. He needs help with Eli, with his classroom, with cooking, and with caring for me. Most of all he needs the strength to be our family's leader. Please pray for him as he is relying on God to receive that strength.

We believe that God hears our prayers and has already taken care of us. We thank our friends and family for the visits and calls, for the help, for the meals, for the generosity and prayers that you've given to us. We thank God for the blessings in our life. We thank God for our lives, even during its' trials.

This Weekend's Home Project

In a previous post I mentioned that Geoffrey and I have committed ourselves to completing a home project each weekend. This past weekend was no different as we accomplished a major goal--downsizing our belongings and having a garage sale. Though we have not truly finished our quest to downsize, we are $300 better off, and now have access to our garage. I'd say the 4 hour morning was a success.

Eliminating some of our "unnecessary" belongings was sometimes difficult, but mostly we felt liberated. I've always been more of a "pack rat" than Geoffrey, so I blame most of our accumulations on myself...it also doesn't help that I enjoy shopping. I am always striving to better myself and to let go of the things of this Earth. One new rule that Geoffrey and I have made for ourselves is that every time we buy something new, we must rid ourselves of something old, too. But for now, we will put our downsizing on the back burner and look ahead to this weekend's project.

To Do:
1. Dust off the shelves on top of our kitchen cabinets.
2. Wash our display plates and decorations.
3. Paint the wall!!! (Yeah--I am most excited about this!)
4. Dust and clean all of our light fixtures and ceiling fan.

What's on your list for the weekend???