Mourning with Those Who Mourn

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." -Romans 12:15

The day after I arrived in Southern California, I received some very sad news regarding our church family.  An e-mail from one of our pastors was sent out to our church body informing everyone that a young woman in our church had suddenly passed away.  She was a young teenager and in my mind more of a child than anything.  The shock and pain are great.  Her parents are dear people who are strong Christians.  It is hard to imagine the pain that they are in but I am thankful for the hope that I know that they have.  My mind goes to memories that I have of her and how her mom always beamed with pride when she spoke of her.  I see her heading out for the Youth Conference with the rest of the young people from our church this past summer.  There are so many that are feeling this loss so deeply.

The last few days have been great visiting with family but at the same time my heart has felt heavy as I remember my church family in their time of mourning. Dozens and dozens of times a day my mind remembers the family and their loss.  I remember Paul's exhortation to pray without ceasing and it is an easy burden to carry at this time.  Praying is all that I can do right now.  It is hard to be away from my church family and not be able to physically be there to mourn with those who mourn.  I rest in knowing that the Lord carries their burden and that He is surrounding them with people that care deeply.  It has made me squeeze my little ones a little bit tighter the past few days and has encouraged me in patience when I get frustrated and weary.  Our lives are a vapor.  In the years to come, my children will grow up and have to face the hardships of the world.  It struck me that right now they are so free from the many burdens this life presents to us.  I need to cherish the present, love my children wholly and thank the Lord for each and every day that I have with them.  I am not guaranteed a tomorrow with them. 

These are hard things to think upon--loss, death and eternity. It makes me reflect on the hope that I have in Christ.  It makes me realize that this young woman's death may be the catalyst for many young people in our church coming to know the Lord.  It makes me thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that works good for those who love Him even when our finite human minds cannot fathom how that could be the case. 

This and That

Did I really not do a post for the month of May?  It was not for lack of things going on within our household.  Just a quick update but we are all doing well. The boys are talking all the time and provide loads of entertainment.  Eric has been keeping busy with work and church.  I am holding down the fort and looking more pregnant with each passing week. 

The boys got nice, short haircuts.  They do not like having it done so hopefully this will last a while.

Look at those Guddat men sized feet! (Abraham on left and Winston on right)

Some news to share:

• Abraham is potty trained!  Boo-ya!  One less child in diapers means some cost savings. I had mentioned that the boys were almost entirely potty trained by early January but my early pregnancy complications put a huge damper on that.  Abraham was naturally more open to potty training so I decided to go ahead and try with him again towards the end of April.  I put him in underwear and within 2-3 days he completely had it. He is really good about telling us when he needs to go and using a public bathroom.  He wears a diaper for naps and night time but as soon as he is awake his underwear goes back on.  I am definitely proud of the little guy.
• The boys have graduated to sitting in the sanctuary on Sundays for the entirety of the worship service.  We had them sitting in the training chapel for at least a year and a half working on holding still and being quiet.  We were never fans of the nursery because on the couple of occasions we did use it, both boys always seemed to come down with something later on in the week.  Eventually we found that the other kids that cried or made noise made them think it was okay to make noise. We tried sitting in the sanctuary with them about two months ago and it worked out really well.  They will fall asleep quite often during the sermon but even if they do not, they have been well-behaved.  They try to sing during worship and like holding the hymnal.  It has been a sweet time as we are beginning to worship as a family.  I know it has been an encouragement to me to be back in normal church.  It is definitely a lot easier to focus on the worship and the message being preached.
• Funny Abraham story: This kid is precocious and so funny.  He has been learning more and more about quantities and is keyed in on all the body parts and what they are called.  He learned what nipples were a couple months ago.  He likes to points them out on his brother and on his papa while they are shirtless.  I was getting him dressed and he looked down at his chest.  Then he proudly proclaimed to me, "Mama, I have two nipples."  I just about died at how serious and emphatic he was.  I know Eric was laughing like crazy when I told him the story.  
• Funny Winston story:  So the boys do really well sitting in church with us like I previously mentioned but the reality is that they are only two years old and do not always understand what an inside voice is.  Winston was being good sitting on my lap but he was bored and all of the sudden started beat boxing in the middle of the sermon.  This is something he learned from Biz on Yo Gabba Gabba.  I had to quickly whisper, "No beats in church, Winston."  He looked at me with those big blue eyes and I could tell he was bummed he could not keep going.  Eric and I were trying so hard to not laugh out loud because it was so cute.

The boys are still in the stage where they are either loving on each other or fighting like cats and dogs.  They wrestle and laugh and giggle but it can go bad really quickly.  It can be hard to patiently referee all day but I am grateful that they have each other.  Having twins is a special privilege and we definitely feel blessed. 

23 weeks on Mother's Day

My precious boys.

Baby Seymour seems to be right on track in terms of growth and I have been feeling well.  I am nearly in the third trimester now.  My first trimester moved at a snail's pace due to morning sickness and stints of bed rest but second trimester has flown by.  Having A&W has kept me very busy obviously and I think it has made the pregnancy go by that much faster.  We are enjoying the warm spring weather, family bike rides and frequent visits to the park.  This coming summer is going to go by quickly and then 'G' baby will be making his big arrival. 

Christmas Morning

I am FINALLY getting some updates in for Christmas.  I just have not been in a blogging mood lately.  Have you ever had that?  I think part of it is the emotional let down after the holidays are over.  It was such a special time for our family these last several weeks and now the decorations are taken down and it is back to the normal routine.

We had a nice low key Christmas.  Eric was off work for Christmas Eve which was really nice because we got to have an extra family day.  We just hung around the house and started working on making ladyfingers for our Christmas tiramisu.  Later in the afternoon, we headed out to pick up some last minute items at the store and then went to the Christmas Eve service at our church.  Christmas morning we slept in as late as the boys would let us and prepared french toast and bacon for breakfast.  As you can imagine, the boys love when they get breakfasts like that.  Afterwards we opened presents and continued to hang out at home until we headed over to Eric's parents' house to celebrate with the whole family. 

They totally love the fake fireplace thing for the TV.  They tell us "Fire...hot" and even stand back from it like it is dangerous.

Disney movie in the stocking!

They were more interested in playing with the rocking horse than opening presents.

They quickly became more interested in ripping off the paper.

They love that they can draw as much as they want and I love that there is no mess!

I love this thing and have used it everyday since Christmas.

Playing with their new cash register.  Winston is wearing papa's new hat.

We were not planning on doing too much by way of presents this year but we had a generous family member give us cash so we could buy the boys some things.   It made the whole shopping process a lot of fun because we could buy things we would not have otherwise. It was a special Christmas and we loved getting to experience it through our little ones' eyes.  In all of it, our Christmas was not about the presents but the celebration of Emmanuel coming into this world.  We are so thankful for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Unpleasant But Glorious Truths

Several weeks ago I was getting the boys ready to be put down for their afternoon nap. Until recently we had a book shelf in their nursery and Abraham managed to pull down a picture Bible that the boys had received for Christmas.  I started reading a couple stories to them and was admiring the colorful and beautiful illustrations.  After reading the creation account and about Noah's Ark, I quickly skimmed the contents of the rest of the book.  I reached the story entitled "Jesus is Crucified."  I hate to admit it but my initial gut reaction was, "Well, that is pretty unpleasant for a children's book."  I caught myself immediately and pondered how truly unpleasant the gospel is to our worldly sensibilities. We live in a culture that seeks to sanitize the gospel, to season it and make it more palatable...and well, more pleasant.  The gospel however is about the tortuous death of God in the flesh, Christ Jesus, for the sins of those He came to save.  The gospel calls out that we are sinners deserving of condemnation. It puts a spotlight on our sin nature and because of our pride, we chafe at this label. The gospel is ultimately glorious because it has power.  It shows that Christ's death was not in vain. It shows that God in His sovereignty provided the perfect mediator between His righteous self and sinful humanity; the power to not only remove our sin but to impute Christ's righteousness unto us so that we can truly be called the friends of God.  

I will admit that at times (okay, more often than not) that I shy away from the gospel message.  "I cannot tell that person that they are a sinner in need of a Savior.  They will feel judged and who do I think I am to do so?"  Well, I am a fellow sinner that is also married to a sinner and raising little sinners.  I know the power of the gospel in my own life.  Why then do I hide these glorious truths?  I hide because Satan whispers in my ear that I will look foolish, that people will not like me as much if I become a Bible thumper and it is much more comfortable to try to fit in. The reality is that the gospel is foolishness to those whose hearts are closed to it. 

I wrote earlier this week about how we had taken part in a child dedication service with Abraham and Winston.  With Good Friday being upon us, I am thinking even more about the responsibility that Eric and I have to share the gospel with our sons.  We cannot only share it with our words but they need to see it in our lives. It was quite apropos that before Eric left on his current work trip that we got to read about Jesus not only being crucified but about His miraculous resurrection, the resurrection that represents the glory of the gospel. We got to read the Easter story as a family during the Holy Week.  I do not want to just share Bible stories with our sons in a way that lets them think of them as fables, little stories that have a nice moral at the end. I do not want to just share pretty pictures but rather I want them to know the power of the gospel.

Last year we went to the Good Friday service with our two newborns in tow. I was beyond exhausted, the kind of tired where you just feel ill and regret venturing out. I remember having a break down later that night when the first little guy woke up for a feeding. I just needed sleep and I was feeling angry and resentful towards my little son. I remember Christ using that squalling baby to strip me of my self-reliance yet once again.  I needed Jesus. God used my sons to give me a greater picture of what He had accomplished on the cross.  Christ truly sacrificed himself and therefore fulfilled his Father's will. I am only beginning to understand sanctification and self-sacrifice. The gospel is more than pleasant; it is beautiful because Jesus is my Lord.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 
but to us

 who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Child Dedication

Yesterday at church we had a child dedication service.  Eric and I made a public covenant to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to do all we can to encourage a vibrant, living relationship with Christ.  The congregation likewise made a covenant to support us in cultivating a Christ like environment for our children and to encourage our children in their spiritual development. By doing so we do not believe that we can "save" our children but rather that we have a calling and responsibility to do everything within our power to be a living example of Christ's love.  The Holy Spirit calls out to His children.  It is our prayer that we can be the messengers of the gospel.

Making a public covenant over a child is not foreign to me because I was raised in a paedobaptist denomination, specifically the Christian Reformed Church. Our church that we are members of, and therefore are in agreement with, believes that baptism is an outward expression of inward regeneration.  Only professing believers are therefore baptized.  It is definitely is a sober and serious calling as a Christian parent to raise children.  

Eric is heading this out this week on a business trip and will not be here for Easter Sunday unfortunately so it was great getting this family photo for this special day in our lives. 

To our sons, we pray for you every day. The greatest joy we could have as parents is to see you walking with the Lord.  In the years to come when you come across these writings, we pray you will look back on your childhood and judge us to be faithful to our calling.  We are sinners and we will fail in loving you both perfectly but it is our utmost desire that you will find Christ beautiful through our example. 

Choosing Joy

The days go by so quickly now.  It's a blur of diaper changes, meal times, kitchen clean up, trying to accomplish household tasks and striving for more sleep.  The last several weeks in our house presented the boys coming down with their first respiratory and ear infections.  After a course of antibiotics, they looked and acted like they felt so much better. I was fighting the virus off at the same time.  Sickness and the seemingly ever present teething baby has meant interrupted nights. I felt like it was back to the days of having newborns when I saw every hour on the clock. Eric was gone for almost two weeks straight on a business trip.  My whole being felt weary in the morning as I tried to drag myself out of bed.  Blogging required energy and of which I had none. 

This is not a grumbling post however.  The Lord has been faithful in giving me encouragement in my day to day tasks whether it is from a bit of Scripture popping into mind, a book I am reading or sweet moments with my family. A couple Sundays ago our sermon was on how a complaining and grumbling spirit tells the world that the gospel is a lie.  If we have the hope of heaven how can we grumble about life's everyday "frustrations"?  The gospel itself puts all things into their proper context.  Life is hard because we are sinners in a fallen world but there is still so much goodness within to be thankful for.  Thankfulness and joy can be a choice. I have been thinking on this choice and grateful for the moments God gives me to buoy my spirit and keep me marching on.  In the big picture I have seen:

 

Abraham and Winston learning to wave and to say hi.  The look of pride on their face when they know they have used it in the proper context is priceless.

Baby boys proudly clapping his hands when you ask them to do so.

Brothers playing nicely together, laughing together and genuinely enjoying one another. 

Baby boys beaming when they see and hear their papa over the iPhone on Facetime. 

Winston gently touching Abraham's face and Abraham reciprocating by giving Winston

a hug (more like a head grab) during a 3 a.m. feeding during their yucky sickness time. 

Asking the boys, "Where's brother?" and having them smile when they see one another. 

 Abraham calling Winston 'baba.'

Baby boys figuring out they can delay nap time by having happy shriek contests and

 "conversations" with one another across their cribs.

Baby boys mastering the pincer grasp and wanting to be more independent

and feed themselves more finger foods. 

'Mum-mum-mums' coming over the baby monitor to let me know they are

 done with their nap. 

Baby boys learning more self-control and to listen when mom is telling them

something they need to do (or not do).

Smart boys figuring out to say 'da-da' when they do not like what mom is doing e.g. wiping their faces after a meal.  Now mind you, the part that brings me joy is that they understand that their papa is there for them as well and not that they are trying to get out of the thing they do not like. 

Boys learning to crawl faster and faster and pull up on things.  Their curiousity and

constant discovery of the world is amazing. 

The boys sleeping through the night again (for the most part) and waking up

 in happy moods. 

 

 Abraham snuggled up with Papa and ready for bed.

Winston is figuring out to take away things too.

My baby boys are not going to be babies for too much longer.  I am trying to savor and absorb these little moments I get to have with them.  Next month I am going to have toddlers.  Everyone says it goes by fast and it does.  I am loving where we are right now.  It does not mean that the day to day is easy but there is so much joy mixed in. 

 

The Big 3-0

I am thirty years old now.

Yesterday I entered a new decade. I pretty much reconciled this birthday last year already with turning twenty-nine and the impending arrival of our babies.  My twenty-ninth year was an amazing year of personal and spiritual growth. Giving birth to twins will tend to do that to someone.  I have grown (and continually grow) in patience and self-control.  There is nothing like looking at two cranky babies and realizing that how I react will be a lesson to them in how to behave. 

This is what my life at thirty looks like:

The day to day activities in my life are by no means glamorous but my life is spectacular nonetheless. I am married to the love of my life. We have two vibrant and beautiful children. We have a home together--a place of messes and meals where we can nurture our family. I am part of a church that has become family and where I get to hear the Word of God faithfully preached. I have friends and family in my life that love me.  I want for nothing physically and I am more privileged than the majority of the people in the world.  I am supremely blessed.

Over the weekend I got to have an awesome date night with my husband and a dinner party with Eric's family (where the lovely pics came from).  On my actual birthday however it was an ordinary day.  Well, the boys actually had a not so good day.  I am not sure if they are fighting a cold or if it is just new teeth trying to come in again.  Somehow the day seemed very apropos though because being a wife and mother is indeed my calling.  I got to celebrate by cherishing what I have despite those outbursts by A&W mixed in. 

My youth as categorized by society may be fading or some may even say it is gone but I think I am just entering my prime.  I have a lot to look forward to so I am greeting my thirties with a smile. 

Sicky Sick

There is no "Random Friday" post today.  Eric and I are sick.  After battling a cold that was annoying but not bad, we have succumbed to a virus that is making us miserable.  We have the body aches and fatigue and general misery going on in our house.  Poor Eric has an outer ear infection for which he went to urgent care this morning.  He is on antibiotics so hopefully he will be as good as new pretty soon.  My main complaint besides the body aches has been nausea.  It feels like morning sickness but it's not.  I have been both blessed and cursed with an iron stomach.  I have wanted to throw up the past couple of days but I just don't have the ability to do it.  Thankfully the boys seem to be just fine other than being on the verge of cutting their third tooth.  Let's just say that A&W were in bed a little early tonight. They were really happy and sweet most of the day but towards the end of the afternoon it was getting a little hairy.

So no one is really happy in our house today but I am hoping it's gonna look up as the weekend progresses.  We were bummed because our church's Harvest Blessing dinner, a fun annual fellowship meal, was tonight but we obviously did not go.  The weekend can only improve our situation, right?  Time for me to go to bed.

Children, Sin and Salvation

This morning our church hosted a childhood conversion seminar.  Even though Eric got in late last night, he got up with me and we went to the seminar with the boys.  The premise of it was evangelizing to our children.  We know through Scripture that man is born into sin.  It can be hard to look at our little babies and realize that they were born into iniquity (Psalm 51:5).  We also know through Scripture that the Holy Spirit is the one that changes our hearts and allows us to see Christ as more desirable and beautiful than our sin (2 Thess. 2:13).  The gospel cannot transform without a clear presentation however and that is where the duty of the parent comes in to teach their children.  The primary point was that the first way we teach our children the gospel is through example in our own lives.  I felt really convicted when the speaker asked if we thought we were the godliest people in our children's lives.  I cannot confidently say that I am.  I can think of lots of great examples that our children have but it made me more determined to be the person that I want my children to become.  A lot of techniques were discussed such as bible reading, memorization, catechizing, media resources. etc.  The seminar touched on what genuine conversion was and that if our children make a profession at an early age to foster and encourage that.  The litmus test so to speak with conversion is that time alone will show if that child has the genuine fruits of repentance.  We cannot encourage our children in easy believism--that a prayer recited will save them without the genuine heart change behind it.  It was all good stuff that I had thought about before but becomes a lot more real when I ponder needing to teach the gospel to my own children.

When Eric and I were still expecting our twin boys, we were given the book Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.  We really enjoyed the book and it was a great conversation tool when it came to discussing parenting approaches.  The book emphasizes that the last thing we want to impress upon our children is moralism.  It can be so easy in trying to teach and train good behavior in our children to fail to address the heart issues behind them.  This then teaches children to simply conform on the outside while their heart remains dark.  We do not need little Pharisees that love rules and know how to stick to them yet have hearts like white washed tombs.  It's our sacred duty as parents to teach our children that their sin is bad because it grieves their Heavenly Father and not only because their bad behavior will get them punished by mom and dad.

We pray for our children daily.  We know that we can provide Abraham and Winston every comfort on this earth but that if we fail to teach them their need for a Savior that we will have failed  miserably.  We will not only have failed our children but sinned against them and our God.  Ultimately we need lots and lots of grace.  We need grace to live lives that exemplify Christ and demonstrate His love.  We need grace to show our children that we need repentance just as much as they do and follow through on that by asking their forgiveness when we sin against them.  We need grace to follow through on spiritual disciplines such as Scripture reading and prayer that will help teach our children about God's love.  We need grace to implement discipline techniques that are effective but don't embitter our children (Col. 3:21).  We need grace to have the words to say when questions are asked and doubts are shared.  Ultimately we cannot transfer our faith to our children but we can be faithful in evangelizing to them.

Random Friday

Happy Friday everyone!

The jumble in my head:

-Eric comes home tonight after being gone since last Saturday. Enough said.

-I am trying to get my CEU’s completed for the biennial renewal of my Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) credential. California has specific standards for who can be a recognized provider of classes i.e. they will not offer credit for stuff I take in NV. I have completed two classes online through Cal-EPA because taking the time off and money to do a conference or seminar in CA is not really feasible. One more class to go and I am done...at least until I have to think about renewing again. There is no way I am going to let my REHS certification lapse however. That test was hard and took many months of my life to study for.

-A&W are starting to push up on their knees. They rock back and forth and then their arms give out and their tummy is back on the floor. I am kind of glad they are not crawling yet. I know I am going to need eyes in the back of my head once they do. My guess is that Winston will be the first one to be mobile.

-They are also sitting up pretty well now. Abraham can do the no hands thing but Winston still typically does the tripod pose.

-The boys’ sniffles seem to be getting better by the day. We were so fortunate that it was limited to their nose. There were some kids from church that had high fevers, cough and were throwing up. I am so thankful they did not get that.

-We got our first snow of the season that stuck. I forgot about needing to put time into the morning schedule to scrape ice and snow off the vehicle before heading out. I am so glad that I won’t have to schlep the boys around every morning in that weather starting in the next few weeks.

-Really missing fellowship with my church family these days. There is a BBQ tonight for the Teens and Twenties at our church but I am not going to make it for multiple reasons that involve the babies. It’s hard because their bed time is when most social functions happen. I know this is just a phase in life. It motivates me to pick up the phone or e-mail people more so that I can have some connectivity. I definitely look forward to being able to do more church activities as a family.

-Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I am really looking forward to seeing my husband tonight.

36 weeks and Counting Down

A lot has been going on for our little family in the last week.  I am writing this in the middle of the night due to nagging contractions.  I figure I better get this written down for posterity because it may be my last chance for a while.

• Last week we had both a regular OB appointment and our last appointment with the perinatologist.  I was supposed to have seen the perinatologist the week prior but had to reschedule.  I had my Strep B swab done and I am really hoping that I don't have it.  I still have not dilated...seriously.  I apparently have a very tough cervix and if I don't go into labor on my own this week, my OB and perinatologist have advised an induction.  The whole concept of an induction makes me a bit nervous because of the correlation of pitocin use with higher occurrence of cesarean section.  I am using some natural methods of induction given to me by a friend training to be a midwife.  It involves homeopathy and natural oils such as borage and evening primrose that have prostaglandins.  I will let you all know if it works.
• The baby boys are putting on some weight!  Baby A was estimated at 5 lbs. 15 oz. and Baby B was estimated at 5 lbs. 12 oz.  Their variance was only 3%.  I realize that at 35+ weeks there cannot be the same level of confidence in the accuracy of estimates but I have to admit I felt pretty excited they are so close!  We also found out the boys have hair!  Their hair was so thick that it was showing up on the ultrasound.  I have never had heartburn in my life up until the last few weeks.  Maybe that old wives' tale is true?
• We moved during the previous weekend.  It was quite the whirlwind.  Fortunately it was only a 2.5 mile move so it got done very quickly.  We had about 20 people from our church show up to help as well as Eric's family.  Things got loaded up, unloaded and the rental house cleaned within 4 hours. It was a complete blessing. Eric has been tying up loose strings like getting the carpets cleaned, sweeping out the garage, etc.
• We feel so blessed to be in our new place.  It currently has a lot of boxes and 45 gallon trash bags everywhere but it is coming together.
• We met with our pediatrician and felt really encouraged.  We wanted a doctor who was willing to listen to us and think outside the box.  Yes, we are delaying and/or not consenting to vaccinations.  The pediatrician was awesome about listening to our concerns, validating them and giving us options.  
• My family is here!  My dad, stepmom Anne and grandma Ida are up here awaiting the boys' arrival and helping us settle into the new place.  It may not be pretty but the house is functional.  If I go into labor, we have what we need set up and ready.  My dad has been helping Eric with the more manly items like adjusting doors, putting in a new air filter, etc.  Anne and Grandma are cleaning and organizing machines!  I cannot keep up with them. I tried and all it got me was some seriously swollen feet.  The swollen feet are also contributing to the insomnia.  They have been such troopers and have worked so hard already.  Again, I am so completely blessed by them.  
• Today, in roughly 5 hours, I have another OB appointment.  I am hoping I made some progress in the effacing and dilation department.  
• Why do well-intentioned moms keep telling me to get sleep while I still can?  Does anyone sleep well this late into pregnancy?  Especially a MoM?  I have been measuring at 36 weeks or more for over two months.  Maybe it just doesn't compute with some people that a multiple pregnancy involves a much longer period of "late pregnancy."  I now consider two hours a long run of sleep.  Also it's not like I can accumulate or bank up my sleeping.  It is what it is. 
• I am behind on updating my pics.  I promise to get in those last belly shots.

 The boys at 18 weeks- the last time they cooperated for a pic.

  It make us all the more eager to meet them.

Babies' Shower

So I am pretty much recovered from being sick and finally getting a chance to catch up on last weekend's events. Last weekend was the  babies' shower.  It still boggles my mind that after all the baby showers I have attended over the years that this time it was me who was the future mom in the scenario.  My dad, stepmom and grandma made the drive from So Cal for the event.  On Fri. night we went out for Basque food with the family.  Oh man, that was good food but I fail to realize at times that there is less room for food in my belly.  I over ate but it was worth it.  At this point I was already feeling tired but I figured it was to be expected with how far along I was in this pregnancy.  I woke up on Sat. morning and was sore.  My knuckles were even sore but I chalked it up to edema.  My throat felt super raw and Eric confirmed that I had snored most of the night (what a lovely side effect to pregnancy).  After some peanut butter toast and green tea, I actually felt really good but I kind of saw the writing on the wall.  I got all gussied up in my dress that I bought for $9.00 off the clearance rack at Wal-Mart.  I was pretty proud of this dress and I got numerous compliments from my husband which meant it was a winner.  You have to know me but I am not much of a shopper and I dislike having to try clothes on.  I sized up the dress on the rack and thought, "Hey, I think this cut will work for a maternity dress."  It did in fact work once I tried it on at home; it fit like a glove and I can wear it again when I am not pregnant!

As for the shower, it was wonderful and I was so blessed.  So many ladies from our church came to share their support and celebrate mine and Eric's joy.  Since we live in a rural area, many families drive an hour or more to attend church and I don't take it for granted they made the drive that day and then were going to do it again the next day.  My dear friends Harmony and Jolene organized some games.  My MIL, SIL and Jolene's mother-in-law Judy, the hostess, got everything set up.  There were numerous hands that I know were involved behind the scenes to make it all happen. We played a game called "Who Knows Mommy Best?"  It was basically a little questionnaire about my childhood, the pregnancy and mine and Eric's relationship.  I figured it would be a hard game for most of those attending since I have only lived in NV for 2.5 years.  Apparently I was right and my stepmom and grandma tied for the most correct answers and even they only got half of them right.  We then played a game where people had to cut a length a string that they thought would be the circumference of my belly.  Most people cut way more string than necessary which I thought was funny.  Interestingly, it was a little grade schooler attending the shower with her mom that got it almost exactly right.  We then had lunch, my MIL did a devotional on the aspects of biblical motherhood and the presents were opened.  The ladies were all so generous and Eric and I were so blessed to be provided with so many of the things we needed for the babies.  It is a blessing that our Jehovah Jireh provided for us through the body of Christ.  I can't imagine if we had to buy all those items ourselves.  We also now have a good supply of diapers!

Sunday we had church and I spent the rest of the day relaxing with my visiting family members.  My parents wanted to take me out for an early birthday dinner and we went to a local favorite Italian restaurant.  It meant so much having my family there for the weekend for such a big event in my life.  Baby showers are definitely a special season in life.  I am going to be a mom...times two. I am still trying to grasp that at times!

I have some pics below.  Harmony acted as the official unofficial photographer for the event and I know her pics will be awesome.  At least you can get a small idea of what the day was like from the few I took.

 Heading out the door in my $9.00 dress!

 Just shy of 32 weeks

 Jolene, Joleen and Harmony

Two pairs of baby booties on the cake

 Stepmom Anne, Grandma Ida, me, SIL Alicia, MIL Fran and hostess Judy

Going Non-Stop

This past week was incredibly busy.  I am trying to contemplate that a week ago I was up at Lake Tahoe and instead it seems like forever ago.  Maybe that was why we needed a weekend to recharge because from here on out we are going to be moving constantly.  That is not to say this is bad or that I am trying to complain, it just means we are gearing up for a really exciting time in our lives.  The week in review:

• Monday we viewed a couple houses and found one we really liked.  We made an offer and it was accepted a couple hours later.  We have been getting all the loan documents put together and are excited about owning our first home together.
• Tuesday was Eric's birthday and he had been feeling ill since the day prior when we were looking at houses.  We had planned on going to our scheduled child birth education class but he stayed home and I went by myself.  I felt horrible because it was not much of a birthday for him. 
• Wednesday Eric went in for work to teach one safety class and came home once it was done. He had to cancel his high school bible study at church.  I attended a breast feeding class after work so dear husband was on his own again.  The breastfeeding class was really helpful for me and I left feeling a lot more comfortable with the idea of trying to nurse two infants.  Two nights in a row of getting back home between 9-10 pm after working a full day left me whooped. 
• Thursday we saw the perinatologist up in Reno. We had a great appointment which was such a blessing and encouragement.  Baby A was measuring at 3 lbs. 7 oz. and Baby B was measuring at 3 lbs. 4 oz.  They had a total variance of 5% which is really good for how far along we are with this pregnancy.  Apparently I have a cervix like a brick (the doctor's words, not mine).  I am still at 4+ cm in my cervical length which is virtually unchanged from my last appointment in December.  The doctor stated that she did not see me going into spontaneous labor prior to 35 weeks.  All in all we felt a lot better that we had a good shot at getting moved into our new house before the babies make their arrival.
• On Friday morning, the dull headache I had for the previous two days was escalating.  I left work early and got my neck adjusted at the chiropractor.  I felt much better after that and took a nap when I got home.  On Fri. night Eric had organized a movie night for the youth at church and I played Bunco with my church group. 
• Saturday and Sunday were more relaxed.  Some packing was done, napping, church and eating dinner with friends.  My husband never got a real birthday celebration but he sweetly said that buying a house was enough of a present.  

In general, we are getting really excited about moving into our own place!

Adoption Part Two

As a follow up to my previous post on adoption, I found a post by a couple whom I attended college with who adopted two little ones from Ethiopia.  Their expression for why they are wanting to adopt based on Christian principles is clear, concise and beautiful.

The following is from Dave and Stacey Hares' blog Hare Adoption:

We've had many people asking what led us to adopt, so we thought we'd copy and paste one of our original posts. We're adopting...

Because God cares for orphans, and one of the ways in which he exercises this care is through his church.

Psalm 68:5 says that God is “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows.” Christians, who are being transformed into the image of Christ live out His heart when they care for orphans. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). As God cares for the fatherless, so we as his children care for them too. Our concern for the orphans is a tangible manifestation of God’s love that has been poured out into our hearts.

Because we have been adopted by God.

Jesus left heaven, lived a very humiliating life, ultimately dying for sinners so he could bring people into the family of God and call them his children. Christians, from every tribe, tongue and nation, have been pursued by God and adopted into his family. In the same way we want to pursue those from another nation, not our own, and bring them into our family. We desire our family to be a little picture of this great Gospel.


So that these children will have the opportunity to hear of Christ.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Believing in Christ is the only way to receive salvation and how will these children hear of Christ unless someone preaches to them? We, put very simply, want to adopt children, so that we can tell to them about salvation in Christ.

Because we have been given so much.

We want to give because we have been given the wealth of America, loving Christian families and most importantly spiritual truth. It is only by grace that we were born into such material and spiritual wealth, and we want to extend that grace to children who were born into poverty and little if any access to the truths of Scripture. We recognize that we are no better than those (now our kids) who were left on the streets without anyone to care for them. We have been blessed to be a blessing.

Summer Recap

The Guddats at Riverside Youth Conference 2009

Well a lot has happened in the last months so I will just lay it all out:

• Our summer basically got off to a really fun start when my best friend Kathy and her husband Dave came to visit us for Memorial Day weekend. We had a great time together which involved seeing Tahoe, Virginia City, getting awesome Basque food and them teaching us how to mix a mean margarita. Kathy and I have been friends since 9th grade and what makes our friendship so special is that there is no pretense. If we don't talk for weeks or months at a time we fall right back into place.
  
• June was busy. My childhood friend Case came to visit (he grew up on the dairy next door to my dad's dairy). Our good friend Dave married a lovely lady named Tiffanie. Dave's family was able to stay with us during the week and the next day after the wedding we headed down south for the Riverside Youth Conference. For those of you in the know, Eric and I met in 2007 through this event when we were both chaperones. This year we had 35 kids attend from Grace Community! Now that is quite awesome. It was a bit interesting getting the caravan down there but I think DH did a great job executing all the plans, details and cracking the whip (kidding with the last part). Stephen Gambill from Nashville, TN was the speaker and he addressed the kids on "Living Christianly in All of Life." It was pertinent and convicting to all.
• July was visitor month. We had my mom, stepdad and little bro come up 4th of July weekend. More driving around Tahoe and Virginia City with Truckee in the mix. We had a BBQ on Sunday night with Jeff, Harmony and Alicia. We utilized our fire pit a lot over the summer to make s'mores...mmmmmh. We made an incredible 36 hour trip to So Cal for our friend Cameron and Joy's wedding. Adam came with us and it was so much fun. Our friends Dave and Robyn put us up for the two nights while we were there. The wedding was a lot of fun and it was wonderful getting to see our friends down there. Later that month my dad and stepmom came up. Virginia City again, no Tahoe. We went shooting (but unfortunately not long enough). Lots of margaritas (I made sure to put that after the shooting).
  
• We started off August by hosting Newly Marrieds at our house. We had 7 couples, the food turned our great and the discussion/fellowship was really edifiying. August also means that we have been married a year and what better way to celebrate than to hang out with family? No, seriously. My brother-in-law (for lack of a more clear term, maybe I could call him my Mike-in-law?) has been working in Reno a lot lately. He is a professional navigator for trophy truck races. The company he races for sold a truck to a racing company in Reno which means he is up here during the week a lot. Reno is still too far to see him on a regular basis (especially when I work in Bridgeport). All that to say, Mike, Zabrina and the kids decided that they were gonna be here the weekend of our anniversary. Mike was up here already so my dad and stepmom drove up with all the fam. We rented a boat on Tahoe and it was a lot of fun! We also did some more shooting this time. I shot the AR for the first time and I must say that I kind of like that. The following weekend Eric had a bachelor's weekend for his buddy Brandon. He was gone camping and fishing and I hung out with some girlfriends. I played Bunko for the first time and, went to Dawn's bridal shower, exercised, watched movies and stayed up way too late. I eventually got my special date night for our anniversary which included a nice dinner at Walley's (for those that don't live around here please don't think I am talking about Walmart) and a blingy watch as a gift. The next day we went to see G.I. Joe (I know, I love my husband) because I had already seen my girly movie choice, Julie and Julia, with my friends the weekend earlier. Later we went to Firkin & Fox and watched the UFC fights.
  
• September and Labor Day weekend mean the end of summer but apparently not our busy lives. Our friends Brandon and Dawn got married Labor Day weekend and it was a great experience with very happy bride and groom. I got better acquainted with Eric's firefighting compadres and spouses or SOs which I enjoyed. Labor Day we actually labored and went woodcutting...all day. I was sore later but it felt good at the time.
• In general, Eric is busy teaching the high school/junior high age at church on Wednesay nights. He tag teams on Sunday mornings. I have started working 4-10s which is fantastic in that I get an extra free day (I am choosing Fri.) but difficult in that 10 hour days are 13 hour days with the commute. Some days go longer and when I leave at 6 something and get back at 8 it's hard physically because the drive really takes it out of me (especially the 300+ mile field days). I am blessed to have a husband who packs my lunch, makes me my protein shake, my green tea and helps get me on the road. He really shows me how he loves me everyday. I am trying to get back into exercising after my back injury which is hard but overall I am feeling better. I had an MRI and I have a disc that potentially is damaged or it might just be degenerating. I was bummed when I was told I couldn't run because that is what I love but remembering I am blessed to be able to exercise in general. Eric's shoulder is doing pretty good. He is going to be going back to the swim center for work outs since that is good for his rotator cuff.

Check out the photos from our summer plus others at the following link from our Facebook album (and if you are on there please add us!)

April Update

I have been getting behind again and I am sorry for that. We are doing well and staying busy. The good news is that spring is finally here! Longer and warmer days facilitate activities like evening walks, gardening, barbecuing and of course spring cleaning in the garage! I for one am a much happier girl now that spring is here. It makes my commute easier and I have so much more energy. I know that my husband sees the difference.

As for news in our neck of the woods, as previously mentioned Eric is getting involved with the Youth at our church again. We recently had a group of the high school boys over for a video game-pizza eating-soda drinking fest. Eric and I had been talking about getting a TV for months and with our tax return money (we try to only make purchases with cash otherwise we don't buy it) we found a sweet deal on a 47'' LCD. The guys a did tourney style rounds of some street fighter game (here I display my ignorance) and Halo. I spent that night at Harmony and Jeff's and when I came back the next morning the games were still going! I think they they all had a good time although minimal sleep was had. Eric made blueberry waffles with the supersweet belgian waffle maker we had gotten for a wedding present. Then the hubby did a reading of a Psalm with the boys. Coincidentally Eric and I have just finished reading through the Psalms together which has been a wonderful experience.

Eric has also started physical therapy and is doing well! No more sling which is really nice but he finds himself in pain a lot. His range of motion is actually really good but as you can imagine his arm does not have much strength and it will take a while to build that back up. The main thing is for him to not over do it which is hard because certain activities don't bother him whereas more simple things that have a different motion really bother him e.g. pulling weeds vs. hanging a picture on the wall.

We had an encouraging Resurrection Sunday and a nice time with family. Jeff and Harmony got to celebrate with us this year as well as a friend of Fran. Another big thing for our family is that as of the beginning of April, Adam has been working out of the Bridgeport area. This means we get to have him at our family functions again! I know Eric is happy to have his brother close by.

March Update

So the big news for March was our So Cal vacation and we really had a good time. I think the biggest thing that I am learning as a new wife is that no matter what activity I engage in with my husband, I end up having the best time if I am determined to make the most of that time with him. Case in point: Eric had been signed up for a fire arms class and as it was approaching I thought to myself, "Hey, why not do it together?" I was able to get into the same class as him and it let us spend a good chunk of the weekend together as well as allowing me to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for something my husband enjoys. I walked away from the class feeling more confident around guns. It is easy for people to feel intimidated or scared of something that they don't understand. The reality is that guns are inanimate objects and it is only when a person improperly uses one that tragedy happens. This is where education about fire arms is key. I have been so impressed lately learning how much the National Rifle Assocation (NRA) has done to reduce fire arm casualties through its Eddie Eagle school education program. I am grateful that I have the right to protect myself within my own home and to protect my family (although as it stands now I think Eric does all the protecting). For any of you who have an interest in gun ownership and might not be aware, there is currently a bill being proposed that would outlaw gun ownership by anyone who does have a valid license through a program determined by the Attorney General. This would be a huge infringement on the 2nd Amendment as only those who have been deemed criminals should be prohibited from owning fire arms. To check out the language of the bill, H.R. 45, Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, click here.

If you look at the pics you will see that Eric still has a chicken wing. He did really well however despite being a one armed gimp!

As for other news, Eric and I have been praying for some time regarding involvement in the Youth program at our church. The gentleman who currently heads it up will be heading back to seminary in the fall. After some discussion with the elders it was decided that Eric would shadow Josh Harmon, the current Youth Program coordinator in these next months. Eric can learn Josh's curriculum and be better prepared for the transition. So we get to go to the Youth Activities, Wed. Night Service and Sunday School. All that to say, we are very excited and grateful for this opportunity. Eric and I met through the Riverside Youth Conference so it is a great joy to be able to continue this kind of ministry through our married years.