Did you have a good Christmas?  Ours was very nice and quiet.  The snow was still thick on the ground and we just stayed cozy at home and enjoyed a quiet, relaxing day together.  I'm so thankful that our children enjoy each other's company and we can be joyful and appreciative of a quiet day at home. 

Today the green grass is back, rather than snow, hubby is back to work and we are slowly making our way back to normalcy and routine.  We had church again after two weeks of cancellation and that was very nice.  The children thought they would just DIE if church was canceled again!  Everybody was very happy to be back and see each other again.  

I hope everything around you is warm, friendly and joyful as well.

The Lord bless you and keep you

I try to arrange my pictures all nice down the side of the page w/the captions along side, and on my desktop computer, that's how they show up, but then down on the laptop they are all muddled. so, should I take the time or not? Hmmm..

Anyway, we have about a foot of snow outside, and have had white on the ground for about week now. This is s unusual for us! Usually, maybe we get one or two snow days, and it melts pretty quickly. So the kids have really been outside making use of it. We've also been taking more pictures than usual.

                                                                                   Awww, Joseph, you're still my baby too!

So, hows the weather where you are?

Some Pictures of Noelle

Amanda and her baby, Lucy..

Proud Papa

Amanda holding Noelle with Irene

Matt and Karen came by to see the baby and say "hi"..

Well, I am very happy to announce that we have a baby! Her name is Noelle Lorica, 8 lbs, 4oz, born last night. I am so thankful to the Lord who is so completely in control of every detail of our lives, and occasionally we get to catch a glimpse of His minute care of us.
As a lot of people know I was really dreading labor this time around. It seems like eveytime I go though it there is more and more revealed to me of what could go wrong. From yucky waters, cord issues, blood pressure, excessive bleeding... Goodness-how long is the birth canal, 6 inches? How could there be so much peril wrapped up in that little distance? But I am a worrier and especially at night my mind goes to all these situations and plays them out until I think I will go nuts. I know I shouldn't. I know it is a lack of faith. Consider this a confession.
Besides. It hurts.
Well, my midwife came and gave me the tablet that would bring on contractions. We putzed around much of the afternoon.. Finally about4:00 the contractions came on strong enough that I knew we were going to have a baby. But all in all they really weren't all that bad. I paced around for a while and everything seemed to be going in textbook order. Waters were clear, blood pressure stable, no cord obstruction problems.. Thank you Lord!

But the baby just would not come down! My midwife decided she was probably being held up by the cord-whether around the neck or the body, who knew? But the heart tones were still good and she decided to deliver her quickly and untangled her as we went. And there we are-a baby! She was a bit purple from the cord. Her color is getting more normal now. And she nursed right away and 'talked' to Rand and looked about her for a while, and went down to meet all her brothers and sisters. They were so excited to have a sister! We love our boys, but after four in a row we were thinking a girl would be rather nice.

But I am so thankful, for a lot of things-Mostly I really felt like the Lord was with us and in control of each step along the way. I am really thankful for all the people I knew were praying for us, I felt those prayers. Except for a little bit when we realized the baby just wasn't coming down I didn't get fearful or lose the feeling that He was there caring for the baby.
My midwife thinks it was real provision that we had the baby on just the right day. Though the waters were clear when we broke them she had a lot of waist-down meconium. Betty felt that if she had released all that in utero it would not have been good. I usually am really hard to induce as well,most of the time it takes at least two tries. So it was really gracious of God to allow it to work the first time this time! Also, there was a snowstorm over the weekend. And one point I thought the contractions were dying out and had the roads been clear I probably would have told Betty I didn't think it was happening and lets try again in a couple days. But I was afraid with the snow she might not be able to get back! Thank God I didn't!

So now here we are, she's sleeping peacefully beside me, I can hear the kids running around downstairs, and Joseph yelling... Rand is cleaning up (there is a ton of laundry involved in a home birth) and bringing me bits to eat... Ahh.. So good to be on the postpartum side of another pregnancy. Such a privilege that God gives us to mold and shape another wee person. And I am so thankful He deals with us according to His mercy and not our deserving!

So now it's Lana's turn and we can all start praying for her!!
(Who I would link here ordinarily, but I'm on the laptop and I don't know how to left-click on it. But she's @ Art of a Joyful Home on my sidebar...)

Nappy time!

Nope, no baby yet.
I was going to induce on Saturday, but after thinking about it, we decided to go for Monday. We had thought maybe Saturday, but I know my energy cycle all too well, and I am usually too exhausted on Saturday to get much done at all, let alone labor. Then I go to church, have communion, a little encouragement, visit with people, rest, and generally on Monday I feel much, much better. To start the cycle for the week over again. Also, the baby seems to want to turn posterior, and that means back labor. So I'm hoping if I get down on my hands and knees and scrub floors it will help gravity help me, and the baby's back will turn away from mine. I wish we were all done and I could see my baby and know everything is OK, etc. I am ready to be done.

Monday we were blessed by our dear friend Mrs. Darling with an invitation to go bake cookies at her house. My kids absolutely love Mrs. Darling. When most grown-ups come over they clear out, thinking the conversation will be quite dull. Not with Mrs. Darling! Then they show up, coffee cups in hand wondering what int-er-es-ting things she will talk about today! Like the time she talked about her dad finding a dead body on a boat or growing up in a timber family in backwoods Estacada> Shayleen says she's like the line in "Sense and Sensibility" when the youngest daughter says "I like her. She talks about things." Yes indeedy!

I forgot the camera. Well I forgot to tell Shay to bring her camera, since technically, I don't have one. But we did take a few pictures when we got home, to show the fruits of our labors.



I think Zeke is already experiencing a sugar high...



Cookies..


Noah inspects cookies..

Mrs. Darling caught some much better pictures than I did. Isn't that the nice thing about getting together with fellow bloggers? If one doesn't get pictures, the other will, and they are sure to be shared. :) And she sent us home with plates and plates. Now, isn't that a sign of a true friend? When they send you home with cookies?

Also, Marbel has a hymn posted on her blog of one of my very favorite hymns that we sing at our church for advent.


I didn't actually watch the video, just listened to it. It's such a Christ centered hymn, and haunting and beautiful.

Well, today was my due date and I am still quite pregnant. I used to try and try to get myself to go into labor-I know all the tricks. Bumpy car trips, running up and down stairs, a vigorous day of yardwork, spicey food.. But I have come to expect that I will always be quite late. I have only gone into labor once unaided, and that was because I had my dates wrong. That was with Shayleen, 17 years ago on Wed. Amazing it could be that long ago. Do I have a 17 year old daughter? It seems so impossible! It doesn't seem like 17 years old was that long ago for me!




Happy Birthday Shay.