giveaway

Passing along the word that some friends of mine are adopting a little boy from China, and they are making and selling custom necklaces as a fund-raiser. They are currently holding a giveaway of one of those necklaces, and you can go enter for a chance to win (as well as read all about Moses!) here.

muddling along

Yes, we're still here. It's been awhile since I posted anything, and even longer since I posted some personal family news. Truthfully, I haven't been keeping up with much online--even my email inbox got horribly backed up!

So what have we been up to? Mostly just little pieces of this and that. We've had some positively gorgeous spring weather. Sarah has played outside in it, we've eaten supper on our deck, and we've even had a couple of fun play dates. :) We've visited my parents a few times. We've toured a homeschool co-op to see if we were interested in joining next year (Sarah loved the kindergarten room and already knew one of the girls attending there, so she is VERY interested). ;) We finished our preschool homeschool curriculum and are over halfway through our "learn to read" curriculum (I am so impressed with this--Sarah is reading very well, and I can't wait to see how well she's doing once we've finished the whole thing!). I am going to go to a curriculum sale in May to look for deals on what we need for next year.

I have been very tired. Natalie stopped sleeping for awhile. She was waking up throughout the night, screaming in pain, thrashing around, and sometimes passing a lot of gas. I started watching more closely what solid foods she was eating each day. I started giving hefty doses of Mylanta. I talked with her doctor. I began to wonder if we would ever sleep again.

The culprit, apparently, was lactose. She can eat yogurt just fine. But drinking milk or eating ice cream just killed her. So we switched to rice milk (and on those occasions where a treat was warranted, frozen yogurt). Natalie started sleeping again, and I feel halfway human! Yay! (I really need to start making my own yogurt.)

Natalie is cruising around like a pro. She can stand alone for a moment or two, but no steps as yet. She likes to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine, but she does NOT like to be put down in the grass! She can hold up her arms for you when you putting on her shirt. She says Ma-ma, Da-da, Daddy, hi, hello, okay, and peep eye (sounds more like ghee-ga, but it's peep eye!) She says something that sounds like "ee-ah" which I think is supposed to be Sarah.

Sarah is enjoying a weaving loom that my parents got for her. She has made a coaster for us and is working on others for various family members. She's getting really good at it!

I need to get pictures on here, and on Facebook....hopefully soon. :-p

That's us for now. Hope everyone else is doing well!

review

This post is going to be a bit different. I received a complimentary copy of the Busy Mom's Devotional Bible. In return, I am supposed to post a review of it. So here goes.

My main study Bible is a Ryrie, and it's kind of falling apart from frequent use. So it was exciting to receive a cute new Bible. I really love the feminine colors and the easy-to-carry size of this Bible. It has that "new Bible" smell, which is fun. ;)

The devotions included in the Bible are broken down into one minute, five minutes, and ten minutes. Each ends with a thought to carry with you or reflect upon throughout the day. I liked having the option to choose a longer or shorter reading, and I especially liked that it didn't end with the reading itself; you got something to take with you.

The devotions aren't terribly deep (how deep can you go in one minute?), but they DO contain good reminders and encouraging insights. References were given for further reading, and one could use these as a springboard for more in-depth study.

But that really isn't the design of this Bible. It's for the super-busy mom who just needs a really quick time in the Word and then she's off. I actually think it would make a GREAT gift for moms of newborns. The short readings would be ideal for that season of life when finding time for a shower is difficult, never mind finding time for Bible study! One reviewer mentioned reading a devotional while zapping something in the microwave, simply to refocus and recharge in the middle of the day. That would be a wonderful use for this Bible as well.

But I don't think it should be your only time with the Lord for very long. Let's face it; if you can only find a minute in your day for God, you are going to starve spiritually. Revamp your schedule if you're really that busy.

On a more personal note, the Bible is New International Version (NIV), and I much prefer the New American Standard (NAS). But that is my own preference and doesn't really count against the devotional Bible concept. I probably will only use the Bible on occasion, because I am more the "study Bible" type than the "devotional Bible" type. But for what it's trying to accomplish, I think this Bible does a very nice job.

recovering

A week ago Wednesday, Natalie woke up bawling about 2:00 a.m. She continued to cry, wail, and thrash throughout the night. When we got up for the day, she was listless and lethargic and burning up with fever. A trip to the doctor confirmed an ear infection, and she started a round of antibiotics. (I know I covered all this in a previous post, but I do have a point, I promise!).

After a few days of antibiotics, she was starting to feel better (although dealing with the laundry caused by all those nasty diapers was wearing a bit on me!). Sunday evening we went to church (I let her sleep in Sunday morning). Apparently, even evening church was a mistake.

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning (around 2:30 a.m.--apparently the 2 o'clock hour is cursed), Natalie woke up crying. Within minutes, she threw up all over me (lovely, I know). She continued to vomit throughout the night and into the morning. Clearly, she'd caught some sort of stomach virus. Just what every girl recovering from an ear infection needs, huh?

By noon on Wednesday (yesterday), Sarah joined the ranks of the stomach bug-afflicted. Nelson started shortly thereafter. And then I succumbed as well. Virus: 4. Butterworths: 0. End game.
'
Quite possibly the only good thing about stomach bugs is that they don't last long. Natalie was happy and playful yesterday and kind of confused as to why no one was happy and playful with her. Sarah was asking for pizza (of all things!) today. Nelson has been working as usual (it helps that his commute time is so short!)

I am beginning to recover as well, although I am a bit slower in doing so. I got pretty dehydrated during the illness, and it's taking me awhile to bounce back from that. I still feel weak and tired.

But...the sun is shining, and the warm weather promises that spring might just come soon. Natalie is almost finished with her antibiotic and has a follow-up appointment on Monday. Hopefully she will get the "all clear", and we will be done with sickness for awhile! :)

Psalm 103

In my Bible study today, this passage came up. I really found it a great passage on which to meditate, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Psalm 103 (New International Version)

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

²¹ Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

²² Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

reading, heaven, and other miscellany

Sarah is at that stage in the learning to read process where she tries to read everything (often she is successful). Today we went to Wal-Mart to get her Prevacid, as well as some oil for Nelson to use for the cars. All Wal-Marts have that "Always Low Prices" sign posted outside (well, all the ones I've seen anyway). As we pulled into the parking lot and began looking for a space, Sarah excitedly exclaimed, "They have low prices!"

Sarah is currently obsessed with two things: getting married and heaven. She talks constantly about how she wants to get married. When playing with a little boy at my parents, she even managed to get him volunteering for the task! She is also quite insistent that she wants to go to heaven to see God. Right. Now. She says she wants to talk with Him, and not just "in her brain." When I said I would miss her, she said Daddy, Natalie, and I could come too, and we would just all live in heaven together. One day when she had a bit of a cold, she wanted to clarify that there was no congestion in heaven! It's really been on her mind a lot.

Natalie can now say Dada/Daddy, hi, hello, Ma-Ma, okay, hey, and Mike. Once she even clearly said, 'My Mike." (Her big sister may argue this point!)

She is also pulling up on everything in sight and cruising around quite well. She turns a year old at the end of this month, believe it or not (I'm not sure I do!) She babbles constantly, in addition to the words she can say clearly.

She currently has an ear infection, although she is starting to feel better now that she is on the antibiotic. She has now had more antibiotics in the first year of her life than Sarah has had in all five of hers! Sigh. I think I'm going to buy her some elderberry extract....

I know we need to get some pictures posted. I still haven't gotten the Christmas photos on here! Hopefully soon I can get that done (assuming anyone still wants to see Christmas pictures!). I also have a lot of other cute photos on the camera; I just can't get them off! :-p

a great new skill--just not quite correctly carried out

When one comes across a word that is unfamiliar, there is always the option to look it up in a dictionary to learn the definition (or go to dictionary.com, in this modern world). But sometimes one can figure out the meaning of the word based on how its used in a sentence. This skill is called using "context clues", and it's an important one taught in school.

Sarah tried to use context clues to discern the meaning of a word recently. Unfortunately, she didn't quite get it right. She came into the kitchen and stated, "Mommy, surviving is dying." Wondering how she had gotten so mixed up I said, "No, surviving means that you live."

"In the movie it means dying," she insisted.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"The movie Wall-E," she said.

Oh. Now I got it. There is a scene in the movie where the captain states, "I don't want to survive. I want to live!" As adults, we get his meaning; he didn't want survival, he wanted to enjoy his life to the utmost. But Sarah, trying to figure out the meaning of this word survive, came to a very logical (albeit incorrect) conclusion. If the character was contrasting surviving with living, then surviving must mean the opposite of living, right?

Wow. I was actually really impressed with how well she had applied the use of context clues--even if her result wasn't spot on.

Speaking of new skills, Natalie pulled herself up to standing today! She used the couch and actually remained standing for several minutes while clinging to the couch cushion. Both the girls keep growing up on me! What's the deal with that? ;)