That got your attention right?
Well, I am building my portfolio, so I need subjects! I am open to anything - family,senior, graduation, prom, baby, maternity, products, event photography, business, website images - lots of diversity!
The * is this - the photo's are technically free, I will even give you a disk with all the images on. I will however be accepting donations for Mission's this summer! Even if its just afew bucks or whatever God lays on your heart!
Email me @ brownfamilyfw@yahoo.com for more info!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Imported from Facebook - LOVE
Its the day after valentines. Yesterday, some of you felt loved, blessed, special. For others, it was a disappointment. A reminder that you are alone or that your relationship lacks qualities that you had hoped for. Then theres the people who played 'love', buying the right things, saying the right things, going to a nice restaurant but your hearts were empty and you didn't feel the things you expected too, those warm, fuzzy, 'in love' feelings that we hope for.
Heres the deal. We live in a world were genuine love is a rare gem, most likely because most of us don'teven know what true love is. We think that the passion and undying, devoted love in the great classics of fiction is simply that, fiction. We expect relationships to fail. We expect bitter endings. We believe that some relationships are unfixable. This is a lie my friends. Let me tell you about true love.
We also take marriage vows so lightly... heres how it goes....
First I am going to write the vows, then break down the reality of how we think of the vows.
Do you, _____________, take this woman/man, _______________, to be your wife/husband, according to God’s holy decree; do you promise to be to him/her a loving and loyal husband/wife, to cherish and keep her/him in sickness and in health;and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him/her as long as you both shall live?
'According to God's holy decree' - "I don't believe in/care about/know God, but God is supposed to be in wedding vows, right? What are His holy decree's anyway?"
'Loving and Loyal' - Sure I love him/her, but people change and I'm not going to be loyal if I am miserable, we might as well get a divorce. I can't help it if we fall out of love, but we'll cross that road if it comes to it.
'Cherish' - I sure cherish her right now, she's so pretty in that dress. As long as she/ he doesn't do that annoying thing/nag/put on weight, we'll cherish each other just fine.
'In sickness and in health' - I love him/her but if something really bad happens, like they are paralyzed, or in a coma, I can't be expected just to live that way, I have the right to be happy, maybe find someone new. Or if she/he has mental health problems, I just can't deal with that mess. Or, if they get an addiction, I just won't be around that. I can't be with someone who cares about drugs/alcohol more than me.
'Forsaking all others' - Except myself of course, if I'm not happy, if its too hard, if she/he won't admit they are wrong, if he/she stops me from following my dreams/desires.
'Being faithful to him/her as long as we both shall live' - Love isn't forever and you can't help who you fall in love with. If I fall in love with someone else, thats not my fault. I won't be miserable being with someone I don't love.
Ok - so at this point, you are thinking that I am a BIG pessimist. You are thinking that I don't have much faith in the human race. Well, actually you may be right, under most conditions.
In this age, love is subjective, its all about feelings and ME ME ME ME ME. I'm not happy. I'm not getting what I want. This is to hard for ME. Love isn't a choice, its a warm fuzzy feeling where we have lots of good love making.
We aim to please ourselves. Let me describe REAL love to you.
If you want real love, if you are tired of having your heart broken, feeling unwanted, rejected, please do keep on reading.
This is REAL love, please, read this....you may be very very familiar with this, you also may have never read it before.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails
Now you are thinking, who loves me this way?
The answer to number one is simple....
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Jesus Christ. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God, the creator of heaven and earth loves you so perfectly, that He died for you.
Regardless of who you are, anything you have done, thought, felt. Whether you are a Doctor or a cleaner, a rich man or a begger, on the PTA or a drug addict, raise money for charity or a murderer...
You cannot stop God from loving you. He created you and He desires a relationship with you.
Once we have given our lives to Christ, we can then in turn, through Him, learn to love others as He loves us.
I do not believe that any human being can genuinely love as 1 corinthians describes WITHOUT God. Because I believe we are born sinners, we naturally want to do what is best for number one. While we are looking out only for ourselves, how can we possibly love each other?
Lets re do those vows, this time, thinking about what 1 corinthians says, thinking about God's love, and the love He hopes we will have for each other and Him.
'According to God's holy decree' - I will make it my desire, my choice, my goal to understand and learn God's decrees so I can love this person the way He desires.
'Loving and Loyal' - Lord, help me to know genuine. Remind me that love is a choice, of new choices all day and everyday to do the loving thing regardless of my own feelings.
'Cherish' - This person is a gift from the Lord, my God created partner. I will praise the Lord for him/her every day and rejoice in the beautiful person God made.
'In sickness and in health' - No matter WHAT. I will serve this person, I will be by their side, I will do whatever it takes to do the right thing.
'Forsaking all others' - Even if its tough, even if they hurt me, even if I feel unloved, even if sometimes I have to put my dreams aside, even if it feels onesided, even if sometimes I don't want to be in this marriage anymore, if made this vow and I will keep it and will do my best to make this work.
'Being faithful to him/her as long as we both shall live' - No matter what happens in life, how we change, physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, I will be faithful.
Loving should not be dependant on the way someone acts, what they believe, how they treat you - we should choose to love REGARDLESS.
This is the way God loves us. Even though we are sinners, even though we blaspheme His name, deny Him, ignore Him, despise Him, fight Him, run away from Him. He LOVES you.
He is waiting for you with open arms.
My prayer for you is that you will really think about these things. If you want to talk to me about it more, please send me a private message, I'd love to talk
Heres the deal. We live in a world were genuine love is a rare gem, most likely because most of us don'teven know what true love is. We think that the passion and undying, devoted love in the great classics of fiction is simply that, fiction. We expect relationships to fail. We expect bitter endings. We believe that some relationships are unfixable. This is a lie my friends. Let me tell you about true love.
We also take marriage vows so lightly... heres how it goes....
First I am going to write the vows, then break down the reality of how we think of the vows.
Do you, _____________, take this woman/man, _______________, to be your wife/husband, according to God’s holy decree; do you promise to be to him/her a loving and loyal husband/wife, to cherish and keep her/him in sickness and in health;and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him/her as long as you both shall live?
'According to God's holy decree' - "I don't believe in/care about/know God, but God is supposed to be in wedding vows, right? What are His holy decree's anyway?"
'Loving and Loyal' - Sure I love him/her, but people change and I'm not going to be loyal if I am miserable, we might as well get a divorce. I can't help it if we fall out of love, but we'll cross that road if it comes to it.
'Cherish' - I sure cherish her right now, she's so pretty in that dress. As long as she/ he doesn't do that annoying thing/nag/put on weight, we'll cherish each other just fine.
'In sickness and in health' - I love him/her but if something really bad happens, like they are paralyzed, or in a coma, I can't be expected just to live that way, I have the right to be happy, maybe find someone new. Or if she/he has mental health problems, I just can't deal with that mess. Or, if they get an addiction, I just won't be around that. I can't be with someone who cares about drugs/alcohol more than me.
'Forsaking all others' - Except myself of course, if I'm not happy, if its too hard, if she/he won't admit they are wrong, if he/she stops me from following my dreams/desires.
'Being faithful to him/her as long as we both shall live' - Love isn't forever and you can't help who you fall in love with. If I fall in love with someone else, thats not my fault. I won't be miserable being with someone I don't love.
Ok - so at this point, you are thinking that I am a BIG pessimist. You are thinking that I don't have much faith in the human race. Well, actually you may be right, under most conditions.
In this age, love is subjective, its all about feelings and ME ME ME ME ME. I'm not happy. I'm not getting what I want. This is to hard for ME. Love isn't a choice, its a warm fuzzy feeling where we have lots of good love making.
We aim to please ourselves. Let me describe REAL love to you.
If you want real love, if you are tired of having your heart broken, feeling unwanted, rejected, please do keep on reading.
This is REAL love, please, read this....you may be very very familiar with this, you also may have never read it before.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails
Now you are thinking, who loves me this way?
The answer to number one is simple....
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Jesus Christ. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you. God, the creator of heaven and earth loves you so perfectly, that He died for you.
Regardless of who you are, anything you have done, thought, felt. Whether you are a Doctor or a cleaner, a rich man or a begger, on the PTA or a drug addict, raise money for charity or a murderer...
You cannot stop God from loving you. He created you and He desires a relationship with you.
Once we have given our lives to Christ, we can then in turn, through Him, learn to love others as He loves us.
I do not believe that any human being can genuinely love as 1 corinthians describes WITHOUT God. Because I believe we are born sinners, we naturally want to do what is best for number one. While we are looking out only for ourselves, how can we possibly love each other?
Lets re do those vows, this time, thinking about what 1 corinthians says, thinking about God's love, and the love He hopes we will have for each other and Him.
'According to God's holy decree' - I will make it my desire, my choice, my goal to understand and learn God's decrees so I can love this person the way He desires.
'Loving and Loyal' - Lord, help me to know genuine. Remind me that love is a choice, of new choices all day and everyday to do the loving thing regardless of my own feelings.
'Cherish' - This person is a gift from the Lord, my God created partner. I will praise the Lord for him/her every day and rejoice in the beautiful person God made.
'In sickness and in health' - No matter WHAT. I will serve this person, I will be by their side, I will do whatever it takes to do the right thing.
'Forsaking all others' - Even if its tough, even if they hurt me, even if I feel unloved, even if sometimes I have to put my dreams aside, even if it feels onesided, even if sometimes I don't want to be in this marriage anymore, if made this vow and I will keep it and will do my best to make this work.
'Being faithful to him/her as long as we both shall live' - No matter what happens in life, how we change, physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, I will be faithful.
Loving should not be dependant on the way someone acts, what they believe, how they treat you - we should choose to love REGARDLESS.
This is the way God loves us. Even though we are sinners, even though we blaspheme His name, deny Him, ignore Him, despise Him, fight Him, run away from Him. He LOVES you.
He is waiting for you with open arms.
My prayer for you is that you will really think about these things. If you want to talk to me about it more, please send me a private message, I'd love to talk
Esther Quotes
I have been told that I need to write down the funny things she says, or i will forget! So, I will update this as she says something cute, funny etc.
Putting Esther in her car seat, my keys pressed against her "Mommy! I am not a door!"
In Kohls...
Esther: I want to go home
Me: We are going right now.
Esther: Mommy! You have to pay first!!!
Me: Hey monkey!
Esther: Mommy, Esther, is Esther, not a monkey.
Esther:I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love Rachel, I love toys, I love ice cream, I love doggies, I love snakes, oh, I don't love snakes, snakes are scary.
Esther: " I need space, ok!!!"
Esther: " Oh my Josh, mommy!!! Oh my Josh!!!"
Putting Esther in her car seat, my keys pressed against her "Mommy! I am not a door!"
In Kohls...
Esther: I want to go home
Me: We are going right now.
Esther: Mommy! You have to pay first!!!
Me: Hey monkey!
Esther: Mommy, Esther, is Esther, not a monkey.
Esther:I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love Rachel, I love toys, I love ice cream, I love doggies, I love snakes, oh, I don't love snakes, snakes are scary.
Esther: " I need space, ok!!!"
Esther: " Oh my Josh, mommy!!! Oh my Josh!!!"
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Things to be praying about...
Josh and I have alot going on this next year, so please be praying for some specific things for us....
1. Prayer for Josh possibly being hired by the church, this would be a great relief since he is currently working nights.
2. Josh graduates in december, so please pray for everything to go smoothly.
3. A trip to Thailand, Josh will be going in Chiang Mai and spending sometime at a university there, pray for the preperation, the trip and for us as we try and raise the sponsorship money.
4. Prayers about decided whether or not to homeschool.
5. Prayer for preparing for our big move to Wake Forest, North Carolina in Dec/Jan
Thank you so much for your love, support, prayers and encouragement as we strive to do God's will for our lives!
1. Prayer for Josh possibly being hired by the church, this would be a great relief since he is currently working nights.
2. Josh graduates in december, so please pray for everything to go smoothly.
3. A trip to Thailand, Josh will be going in Chiang Mai and spending sometime at a university there, pray for the preperation, the trip and for us as we try and raise the sponsorship money.
4. Prayers about decided whether or not to homeschool.
5. Prayer for preparing for our big move to Wake Forest, North Carolina in Dec/Jan
Thank you so much for your love, support, prayers and encouragement as we strive to do God's will for our lives!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Checking the ingredients...
Lately I have found myself looking at the ingredients list to an item, whether it be food, vitamams, juice, body care items and have realised how many chemicals we use. After just a few weeks being careful about the products we use, I have noticed I have had more energy, better skin, less bloating and even lost afew pounds.
I am not sure why the western world has this need to put additives in EVERYTHING. If you want apple juice, you find apple flavoring somewhere on the list, further down, body lotion - you find so many chemicals. Laundry detergent... so many color boosters, fragrances.
The quandry is, that you have to pay so much more extra money, to actually use items that are chemical free, natural or organic. In these economic times we are forced to ask ourselves whether we can spend the extra money on something good for us or we have to save by using additive, chemical, artifical sweetner, fat saturated, low cost foods.
After 6 months of not being able to eat dairy, Rachel has now overcome her allergy. So last week I excitedly poured a glass of milk. I could taste all the chemicals in it that previously I had become accustomed to and spat it out.
Anyway... I am not sure exactly what my point is! Mostly I am just sharing what is on my mind! I would love your input and thoughts on this matter!
I am not sure why the western world has this need to put additives in EVERYTHING. If you want apple juice, you find apple flavoring somewhere on the list, further down, body lotion - you find so many chemicals. Laundry detergent... so many color boosters, fragrances.
The quandry is, that you have to pay so much more extra money, to actually use items that are chemical free, natural or organic. In these economic times we are forced to ask ourselves whether we can spend the extra money on something good for us or we have to save by using additive, chemical, artifical sweetner, fat saturated, low cost foods.
After 6 months of not being able to eat dairy, Rachel has now overcome her allergy. So last week I excitedly poured a glass of milk. I could taste all the chemicals in it that previously I had become accustomed to and spat it out.
Anyway... I am not sure exactly what my point is! Mostly I am just sharing what is on my mind! I would love your input and thoughts on this matter!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Cloth Diapers are the answer!
To the worlds economic problems that is!! Well, maybe not the whole worlds!!! But, it will they will sure put some extra money in your pocket over using disposables. Not only that, you'll no longer be filling our landfills with diapers, and they are good for babies bottom, easier to potty train from AND are super, super cute.
TO learn more and to chat with other cloth diaper, thifty and green mama's... go here...
Cloth Diapers
You can also talk about parenting, homeschooling, babywearing, pregnancy, childbirth AND Buy, Sell and Trade gently used items! I love this site!
TO learn more and to chat with other cloth diaper, thifty and green mama's... go here...
Cloth Diapers
You can also talk about parenting, homeschooling, babywearing, pregnancy, childbirth AND Buy, Sell and Trade gently used items! I love this site!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Shameless Plug..
I found this site, its like paypal without the fees (which makes me happy!), plus... if you click this little button here and make an account, I get $10 for referring you! So if you feel really sweet and want to get me free money so I can save up for an Ergo, please click click away hehe
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A lovely birthday
I had a lovely day on wednesday, started by Josh waking me up and singing happy birthday to me in bed, then bringing me a cup of tea! He then came home with some roses, a card and my favorite ginger beer from central market!
We then had a lovely lunch with Pam and Kenneth at cousins, it was lots of fun! I went to Babies r us and got some outfits for Rachel, then to Target to take pictures of the girls.
Josh then dropped me off at the mall to have my haircut, which I'm really pleased with! He dropped Esther off at with Pammy and Poppy and came back for me. We then drove over to Arlington and went to Le Madeline, which through a series of hilarious events put us in a goofy and giggly mood. I started teaching Josh some phrases in French and if you know Josh, you'll know he's terrible at accents and pronouncing other languages. We laughted to much!
We then went to half price books, Josh and I like going to bookshops, Josh found a copy of a book he wanted plus a copy of 'The Elms, Chess Hotel' to replace his missing copy, which I was excited about too. Then we went to Barnes and Noble, I bought a copy of the Princress Bride and we got coffee. I tried a soy latte but i really didn;t like it. So after trying rice milk, almond milk, soy milk and even tofu ice cream - I'm giving up!
Anyway, it was a really nice day, I got to do all things I wanted to do as it suited me, and Josh and I had a really relaxing, refreshing evening!
Heres a picture of me with 8 inches less hair... skip down a few posts to my last pregnant picture to see how long it was!
We then had a lovely lunch with Pam and Kenneth at cousins, it was lots of fun! I went to Babies r us and got some outfits for Rachel, then to Target to take pictures of the girls.
Josh then dropped me off at the mall to have my haircut, which I'm really pleased with! He dropped Esther off at with Pammy and Poppy and came back for me. We then drove over to Arlington and went to Le Madeline, which through a series of hilarious events put us in a goofy and giggly mood. I started teaching Josh some phrases in French and if you know Josh, you'll know he's terrible at accents and pronouncing other languages. We laughted to much!
We then went to half price books, Josh and I like going to bookshops, Josh found a copy of a book he wanted plus a copy of 'The Elms, Chess Hotel' to replace his missing copy, which I was excited about too. Then we went to Barnes and Noble, I bought a copy of the Princress Bride and we got coffee. I tried a soy latte but i really didn;t like it. So after trying rice milk, almond milk, soy milk and even tofu ice cream - I'm giving up!
Anyway, it was a really nice day, I got to do all things I wanted to do as it suited me, and Josh and I had a really relaxing, refreshing evening!
Heres a picture of me with 8 inches less hair... skip down a few posts to my last pregnant picture to see how long it was!
Life as a mother of 2.
School has begun and our schedules are once again very busy. I've had to learn that its ok for the house to be a little messy, its ok for there to be toys everywhere and I don't need to put laundry away right away or dust every other day. I'm having to learn that I don't need to be superwoman.
I've discovered, not to my suprise though, that I have to be diligent about having a quiet time with God as soon as I get up and spending time in scripture - sure it means I have to put the cartoons on for Esther, but if I don't I find myself stressed and perhaps feeling a little depressed about my abilities to be a good wife and mother and time flies by, I keep meaning to talk to God and before I know it... its bedtime and I fall asleep praying.
Instead, I have found that starting my day spending time with my Father helps me to keep focused on Him all day, to keep me praying and talking to Him as I go about my day - He strengthens me, helps me to find joy throughout the day, to be more patient and calm when Esther is throwing a tantrum while I'm nursing Rachel! He helps me to be a better person, keeping my eyes on Christ.
I've learnt that I need to start cooking dinner earlier so that it gets done on time, because there are ALOT more distractions. Last night I started cooking late, since Esther was having so much fun at the park I didn;t want to take her home, I was enjoying watching her have fun (I'm still so tired that I'm at the sitting on a bench and smiling from a distance while wearing the baby stage)! So after taking me 3 hours to get dinner ready, it was 9 before we ate and Josh had to leave for work before dessert had baked!
I've discovered that buying in bulk is good - I think I am going to get a costco membership because the less shopping trips out, the better when you have to take a newborn and toddler with you! Plus, it saves money by buying in bulk, saves on gas and makes more time to spend at home with my precious ones.
I've been having alot of fun trying new recipes lately, so if you have any to share please let me know!
Esther has been fighting naps for a while now, so I've mostly given in and I have to admit that its actually working better for us for her not to have a nap. See, her taking a nap didn;t guarantee Rachel being asleep, so I wasn't getting to take a break or nap. Then Esther would not go to bed until 8:30-9, and still wake up at 5-6am. Rachel has a wakeful time at around 9-11, so I wasn't getting much sleep.(However Rachel is a great sleeper and once she gets to sleep, she is out until morning other than a little whimper to let me know that she wants to switch to nurse on the other side).
Without a nap, Esther will be in bed before 8 and will wake up around 7am. So that way I get some time with Josh before work/bed, then get a bit more sleep at night. Its funny what a big difference an hour at night and one in the morning makes to our lifes!
Rachel has a dairy allegy, so I've had to stop eating so many things that I get pleasure from... ice cream, my morning yoghurt, granola and fruit, cookies and milk... BUT I have found new pleasures in buying a wider range of fruit which is better for us! I found some good deals at sam's yesterday, and grapes and melon's are cheap this time of year so I've got a lovely stash of melon, grapes, pears, plums, apples and bananas, and also bought a big box of granola bars. So it seems that this is actually better for me and I am eating alot better - and already wearing me pre-pregnancy jeans!
I am participating in this years 'walk around campus', so far with the hot weather and 2 children, I have only made it out once and did 4 laps (4 miles) but I hope to step it up as we go into the cooler fall weather.
Esther is potty traing at the moment, and doing really well. We've switched her back into cloth for nights and outings now that i can stomach toddler diapers a little more since it helps her feel the wet and the cloth feel reminds her of her panties so she remembers to tell me she needs to go potty. We have a potty we take everywhere at the moment thats in the car!
I've got plans to move furniture around and re-do the house a bit. Here are some other projects you can expect to see:
- I am going to re-write my cloth diaper 101 for everyone who is trying to navigate the world of cloth diapering for the first time.
- I am going to begin a new seperate blog dedicated to my journey as a wife and mother and managing the household. I have been wanting to do this for a while, since I get alog of questions to I thought I blog would be a good idea. I'll be documenting my journey to becoming more thifty, being earth friendly while keeping costs down, recipes, menus, making household cleaners, sewing projects, how God is teaching me to be a more effective helper for my husband and mother. In the meanwhile I've found this blog really helpful
-
I've discovered, not to my suprise though, that I have to be diligent about having a quiet time with God as soon as I get up and spending time in scripture - sure it means I have to put the cartoons on for Esther, but if I don't I find myself stressed and perhaps feeling a little depressed about my abilities to be a good wife and mother and time flies by, I keep meaning to talk to God and before I know it... its bedtime and I fall asleep praying.
Instead, I have found that starting my day spending time with my Father helps me to keep focused on Him all day, to keep me praying and talking to Him as I go about my day - He strengthens me, helps me to find joy throughout the day, to be more patient and calm when Esther is throwing a tantrum while I'm nursing Rachel! He helps me to be a better person, keeping my eyes on Christ.
I've learnt that I need to start cooking dinner earlier so that it gets done on time, because there are ALOT more distractions. Last night I started cooking late, since Esther was having so much fun at the park I didn;t want to take her home, I was enjoying watching her have fun (I'm still so tired that I'm at the sitting on a bench and smiling from a distance while wearing the baby stage)! So after taking me 3 hours to get dinner ready, it was 9 before we ate and Josh had to leave for work before dessert had baked!
I've discovered that buying in bulk is good - I think I am going to get a costco membership because the less shopping trips out, the better when you have to take a newborn and toddler with you! Plus, it saves money by buying in bulk, saves on gas and makes more time to spend at home with my precious ones.
I've been having alot of fun trying new recipes lately, so if you have any to share please let me know!
Esther has been fighting naps for a while now, so I've mostly given in and I have to admit that its actually working better for us for her not to have a nap. See, her taking a nap didn;t guarantee Rachel being asleep, so I wasn't getting to take a break or nap. Then Esther would not go to bed until 8:30-9, and still wake up at 5-6am. Rachel has a wakeful time at around 9-11, so I wasn't getting much sleep.(However Rachel is a great sleeper and once she gets to sleep, she is out until morning other than a little whimper to let me know that she wants to switch to nurse on the other side).
Without a nap, Esther will be in bed before 8 and will wake up around 7am. So that way I get some time with Josh before work/bed, then get a bit more sleep at night. Its funny what a big difference an hour at night and one in the morning makes to our lifes!
Rachel has a dairy allegy, so I've had to stop eating so many things that I get pleasure from... ice cream, my morning yoghurt, granola and fruit, cookies and milk... BUT I have found new pleasures in buying a wider range of fruit which is better for us! I found some good deals at sam's yesterday, and grapes and melon's are cheap this time of year so I've got a lovely stash of melon, grapes, pears, plums, apples and bananas, and also bought a big box of granola bars. So it seems that this is actually better for me and I am eating alot better - and already wearing me pre-pregnancy jeans!
I am participating in this years 'walk around campus', so far with the hot weather and 2 children, I have only made it out once and did 4 laps (4 miles) but I hope to step it up as we go into the cooler fall weather.
Esther is potty traing at the moment, and doing really well. We've switched her back into cloth for nights and outings now that i can stomach toddler diapers a little more since it helps her feel the wet and the cloth feel reminds her of her panties so she remembers to tell me she needs to go potty. We have a potty we take everywhere at the moment thats in the car!
I've got plans to move furniture around and re-do the house a bit. Here are some other projects you can expect to see:
- I am going to re-write my cloth diaper 101 for everyone who is trying to navigate the world of cloth diapering for the first time.
- I am going to begin a new seperate blog dedicated to my journey as a wife and mother and managing the household. I have been wanting to do this for a while, since I get alog of questions to I thought I blog would be a good idea. I'll be documenting my journey to becoming more thifty, being earth friendly while keeping costs down, recipes, menus, making household cleaners, sewing projects, how God is teaching me to be a more effective helper for my husband and mother. In the meanwhile I've found this blog really helpful
-
The Birth of Rachel Elizabeth!
So, I realise that alot has happened in the last month or so and I haven't updated. So I may post several 'blogs' on different topics! This is a birth story so if are squimish or don't want to hear about birth stop reading NOW!
After visiting Kelsey and Lisa at the birth center on Thursday 7th August, I was very encouraged to find that Rachel (well, we didn't know it was Rachel then!) was at + 1 station and I was 3cm dilated. They were very sweet, encouraged me through some tears and promised to pray for me.
At 2am I woke up with contractions 10 minutes apart, and they continued for several hours, Josh and I both thought Rachel was coming soon. We walked ALOT, ate Indian food etc and still no change. Kelsey came to see what was going on and found that although I was not in labor, I had gone to 4cm since she saw me 24hrs before and was effaced more.
These contractions continued saturday, sunday, and by monday night, I had decided that nothing was happening imminently. At 11:40ish pm Josh called me from work to see how things were going. One guy was off work and the other might need to leave since his little boy had a high fever. I reassured Josh that I was not going into labor that night so he needn't worry. In fact I would probablt be pregnant forever.
I forgot to mention that I had battled with Josh over whether Pam (Josh's mom!) needed to spend the night 'just in case' while he was working. I lost, not that I don't love Pam to peices, I just didn;t think I needed to be babysat hehe.
I was just falling to sleep a around midnight when I felt a gush, and stood up and knew my water had definately broken. I can honestly say that this was one of the most exciting moments of my life - I was going into labor on my own, ( I was worried about having to be induced again!) and my baby was on its way!
I called Kelsey, and she told me to go to bed, try sleep and call when the contractions started. Josh arrived home around 12:40 just as the contractions started coming about 4 minutes apart. So Kelsey, Lisa, Heidi and Lisa headed over. Kelsey arrived just as I didn't think I could hadn't the contractions without some guidance, I prayed through every contraction, talking to God and asking Him to help me relax, stay calm and to encourage me. My contractions were all in my back, so kelsey had me drape over the birthing ball which was sooo much better. She massaged my back, and she's REALLY good at it, I told Josh that she was better than him so he rubbed my head and helped me drink water instead!
I remember in the birth class that Lisa had said that husbands just need to keep telling their wifes ' You are doing so well, this baby is going to be here really soon!' So, when Kelsey and Josh kept saying that, I really didn;t believe them, I thought they were just saying that to encourage me. Turns out they were right.
We made it upstairs, I was 8cm and baby at a +3, and thats when things got really hard, I thought things like 'I wonder if what happened in Freaky Friday is really possible the someone else could do it for me' .... 'I'm crazy, I'm really crazy. Why am I doing this' ..... 'What are the logistics of getting to the hospital for drugs?' I decided that I couldn't get through these contractions in a car, so I figured I was stuck at home. I knew if I lost control, it would hurt more and be harder so I just kept talking to God.
I finally could feel babies head really low, and figured I give pushing a try, even though I didn't have an urge, but I discovered that it felt ALOT better than not pushing, so I carried on. I was very tired, so I did lots of little pushes which turned out to be a good thing since it helped prevent tearing alot with Kelsey working hard with warm clothes and oil to prevent also.
Kelsey told me she could see dark hair and I was in shock because Esther was bald and blonde! I saw her hair and touched her little head and was encouraged. Soon out she came, caught by Josh and I just held her and forgot to even see if my baby was a boy or a girl!!!
Once I knew, I looked at her and told Josh, 'This is Rachel' and he agreed that it was indeed! It was so exciting to have a suprise baby and to not have settled on a name - Just to be able to name her when we saw her. I think I'll always want to do it that way in the future.
Unforunately, soon i began to hemmorage, but fortunately, Lisa, Kelsey, Heidi and Peggy, knew what to do and impressed me so much - they are not only great at delivering babies but they are very highly trained and efficient when dealing with an emergency. They had pitocin on hand, and soon slowed everything down. I had an internal tear so they got that sewn up. Also made me drink the Chlorophyll, but I didn't get away with just the 8oz they had said... with the blood loss I had to drink the whole bottle, it was really disgusting and the glass is still green tinged!
Rachel nursed right away - she new exactly what to do! It was so lovely to have her cuddled up in bed with me, nursing, in my own bed. After a little while we weighed her and she was 7lbs 15ozs and 19 3/4 inches long. So sweet and precious. I am so excited to be blessed with 2 little girls, I am excited to see them as they grow up as sisters!
Kelsey had got a call to another birth, but Peggy stayed with me for several hours to make sure me and Rachel were doing well. She sat with me and we had a lovely time talking.
Having a homebirth is definately a wonderful and beautiful experience, while its true that natural childbirth is hard, it is painful, the benefits to mom, baby and the whole family are so worth it.
I could see a big difference in Rachel - she came out at her own time and pace, and drug free which I feel made her calmer, more alert and made nursing easy for her. The first week of her life she spent being held close, either in bed with me, by daddy or by a friend or family member. It seems to me that it is where they belong, it seems so traumatic for a baby to go from being inside their mother to being, like Esther was, laid naked in a plastic bassinest under a bright light with no touch.
It was better for me, I was in a comfy bed of my own, with my husband able to sleep next to me. Esther did not have to be away from me for several days, she got to be home when the baby was born, and stay at home. I think that contributed to the tender feels and love she has for Rachel, other than learn to share mommy she hasn't seen Rachel as a rival. She knew Kelsey and all the midwives and knew that there was a connection with the baby in mommy's tummy and they had been to our house before, so when she saw them it was familar and made sense. The baby was born at home, so it made sense to her that this is where the baby belonged.
Kelsey came and visited me at home after 2 days, and then Lisa and Kelsey came out to a 2 week visit. I cannot express how grateful I am that I did not have to try and get out the house with a toddler and tiny baby so soon.
I have come to feel like the midwives at family birth services are family, and I am going to miss seeing them! They have been friends, they have prayed for me and spent time talking to me and encouraging me. They also were the people who helped me have a birth which I can truely say was the most beautiful experience of my life.
After visiting Kelsey and Lisa at the birth center on Thursday 7th August, I was very encouraged to find that Rachel (well, we didn't know it was Rachel then!) was at + 1 station and I was 3cm dilated. They were very sweet, encouraged me through some tears and promised to pray for me.
At 2am I woke up with contractions 10 minutes apart, and they continued for several hours, Josh and I both thought Rachel was coming soon. We walked ALOT, ate Indian food etc and still no change. Kelsey came to see what was going on and found that although I was not in labor, I had gone to 4cm since she saw me 24hrs before and was effaced more.
These contractions continued saturday, sunday, and by monday night, I had decided that nothing was happening imminently. At 11:40ish pm Josh called me from work to see how things were going. One guy was off work and the other might need to leave since his little boy had a high fever. I reassured Josh that I was not going into labor that night so he needn't worry. In fact I would probablt be pregnant forever.
I forgot to mention that I had battled with Josh over whether Pam (Josh's mom!) needed to spend the night 'just in case' while he was working. I lost, not that I don't love Pam to peices, I just didn;t think I needed to be babysat hehe.
I was just falling to sleep a around midnight when I felt a gush, and stood up and knew my water had definately broken. I can honestly say that this was one of the most exciting moments of my life - I was going into labor on my own, ( I was worried about having to be induced again!) and my baby was on its way!
I called Kelsey, and she told me to go to bed, try sleep and call when the contractions started. Josh arrived home around 12:40 just as the contractions started coming about 4 minutes apart. So Kelsey, Lisa, Heidi and Lisa headed over. Kelsey arrived just as I didn't think I could hadn't the contractions without some guidance, I prayed through every contraction, talking to God and asking Him to help me relax, stay calm and to encourage me. My contractions were all in my back, so kelsey had me drape over the birthing ball which was sooo much better. She massaged my back, and she's REALLY good at it, I told Josh that she was better than him so he rubbed my head and helped me drink water instead!
I remember in the birth class that Lisa had said that husbands just need to keep telling their wifes ' You are doing so well, this baby is going to be here really soon!' So, when Kelsey and Josh kept saying that, I really didn;t believe them, I thought they were just saying that to encourage me. Turns out they were right.
We made it upstairs, I was 8cm and baby at a +3, and thats when things got really hard, I thought things like 'I wonder if what happened in Freaky Friday is really possible the someone else could do it for me' .... 'I'm crazy, I'm really crazy. Why am I doing this' ..... 'What are the logistics of getting to the hospital for drugs?' I decided that I couldn't get through these contractions in a car, so I figured I was stuck at home. I knew if I lost control, it would hurt more and be harder so I just kept talking to God.
I finally could feel babies head really low, and figured I give pushing a try, even though I didn't have an urge, but I discovered that it felt ALOT better than not pushing, so I carried on. I was very tired, so I did lots of little pushes which turned out to be a good thing since it helped prevent tearing alot with Kelsey working hard with warm clothes and oil to prevent also.
Kelsey told me she could see dark hair and I was in shock because Esther was bald and blonde! I saw her hair and touched her little head and was encouraged. Soon out she came, caught by Josh and I just held her and forgot to even see if my baby was a boy or a girl!!!
Once I knew, I looked at her and told Josh, 'This is Rachel' and he agreed that it was indeed! It was so exciting to have a suprise baby and to not have settled on a name - Just to be able to name her when we saw her. I think I'll always want to do it that way in the future.
Unforunately, soon i began to hemmorage, but fortunately, Lisa, Kelsey, Heidi and Peggy, knew what to do and impressed me so much - they are not only great at delivering babies but they are very highly trained and efficient when dealing with an emergency. They had pitocin on hand, and soon slowed everything down. I had an internal tear so they got that sewn up. Also made me drink the Chlorophyll, but I didn't get away with just the 8oz they had said... with the blood loss I had to drink the whole bottle, it was really disgusting and the glass is still green tinged!
Rachel nursed right away - she new exactly what to do! It was so lovely to have her cuddled up in bed with me, nursing, in my own bed. After a little while we weighed her and she was 7lbs 15ozs and 19 3/4 inches long. So sweet and precious. I am so excited to be blessed with 2 little girls, I am excited to see them as they grow up as sisters!
Kelsey had got a call to another birth, but Peggy stayed with me for several hours to make sure me and Rachel were doing well. She sat with me and we had a lovely time talking.
Having a homebirth is definately a wonderful and beautiful experience, while its true that natural childbirth is hard, it is painful, the benefits to mom, baby and the whole family are so worth it.
I could see a big difference in Rachel - she came out at her own time and pace, and drug free which I feel made her calmer, more alert and made nursing easy for her. The first week of her life she spent being held close, either in bed with me, by daddy or by a friend or family member. It seems to me that it is where they belong, it seems so traumatic for a baby to go from being inside their mother to being, like Esther was, laid naked in a plastic bassinest under a bright light with no touch.
It was better for me, I was in a comfy bed of my own, with my husband able to sleep next to me. Esther did not have to be away from me for several days, she got to be home when the baby was born, and stay at home. I think that contributed to the tender feels and love she has for Rachel, other than learn to share mommy she hasn't seen Rachel as a rival. She knew Kelsey and all the midwives and knew that there was a connection with the baby in mommy's tummy and they had been to our house before, so when she saw them it was familar and made sense. The baby was born at home, so it made sense to her that this is where the baby belonged.
Kelsey came and visited me at home after 2 days, and then Lisa and Kelsey came out to a 2 week visit. I cannot express how grateful I am that I did not have to try and get out the house with a toddler and tiny baby so soon.
I have come to feel like the midwives at family birth services are family, and I am going to miss seeing them! They have been friends, they have prayed for me and spent time talking to me and encouraging me. They also were the people who helped me have a birth which I can truely say was the most beautiful experience of my life.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Its been a while...
So I figured you might want a little update! Well, my due date is quickly approaching, its monday in fact. So Josh and I are waiting as patiently as we can and getting way to excited at every sign something may be happening! Please be praying for a safe and healthy delivery. For those who don't know, we are having a homebirth with wonderful midwives at Family Birth Services in Grand Prairie, we couldn't be more blessed to have met these wonderful women.
In case you feel like tackling some theological debate, Josh has a blog up at www.jmatthanbrown.wordpress.com There isn't too much up yet, but what is up there is creating some debates!
If you don't know, Josh is working at the Union Gospel Mission here in Fort Worth. He is really enjoying his job especially the opportunity to preach the morning sermon. Also be praying continually for his safety, he has already been in several very scary situations and I am at the point of being suprised if he has not had to call 911 on a shift! Also be praying for his ministry as he share's Christ's love and His word.
As well as a youth group on wednesday nights, Josh and I have started a College group on monday nights in our home. We are currently reading and discussing 'Jesus among other Gods' by Ravi Zacherias.
Josh and his good friend Joel has their work cut out this semester as the Francis A Schaeffer Philosopical society is now an official campus society. Josh is vice president and will be busy with new student orientation, planning a debate with the TCU philosophy students in the fall, presenting papers and planning a conference on post-modernism for the spring.
With 3 out of 4 of the members of The Noble all waiting on babies right now, they haven't had chance to do much with music but watch out for a concert soon. Pray for Meghan and Aaron Finch and Dave and Emi Ronderos whose baby girls are due anytime now.
Esther is growing up way to fast, she's pretty much the cutest, smartest and most talented 2 year old girl I know hehe. She's talking up a storm and saying the funniest things. Here favorite things are doing 'dishes', dancing, serving cups of tea, animals, princesses, picking out her own clothes, fries, cake, walks, squirrels, fishes - both of which we have an abundance of on campus and having daddy lift her so she can try and catch the moon. Oh and getting the mail.
Here's afew pictures... Me,yesterday, tired and 39 1/2 weeks pregnant! Of course various Esther pictures too.
In case you feel like tackling some theological debate, Josh has a blog up at www.jmatthanbrown.wordpress.com There isn't too much up yet, but what is up there is creating some debates!
If you don't know, Josh is working at the Union Gospel Mission here in Fort Worth. He is really enjoying his job especially the opportunity to preach the morning sermon. Also be praying continually for his safety, he has already been in several very scary situations and I am at the point of being suprised if he has not had to call 911 on a shift! Also be praying for his ministry as he share's Christ's love and His word.
As well as a youth group on wednesday nights, Josh and I have started a College group on monday nights in our home. We are currently reading and discussing 'Jesus among other Gods' by Ravi Zacherias.
Josh and his good friend Joel has their work cut out this semester as the Francis A Schaeffer Philosopical society is now an official campus society. Josh is vice president and will be busy with new student orientation, planning a debate with the TCU philosophy students in the fall, presenting papers and planning a conference on post-modernism for the spring.
With 3 out of 4 of the members of The Noble all waiting on babies right now, they haven't had chance to do much with music but watch out for a concert soon. Pray for Meghan and Aaron Finch and Dave and Emi Ronderos whose baby girls are due anytime now.
Esther is growing up way to fast, she's pretty much the cutest, smartest and most talented 2 year old girl I know hehe. She's talking up a storm and saying the funniest things. Here favorite things are doing 'dishes', dancing, serving cups of tea, animals, princesses, picking out her own clothes, fries, cake, walks, squirrels, fishes - both of which we have an abundance of on campus and having daddy lift her so she can try and catch the moon. Oh and getting the mail.
Here's afew pictures... Me,yesterday, tired and 39 1/2 weeks pregnant! Of course various Esther pictures too.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Its a mini Jackie!
Esther has a striking resemblence to her Mamaw in this picture... we think anyway! More Esther 2nd birthday pictures coming soon!
Zoo
Here's afew pictures from the Zoo last month. Esther had a great time! She even got a bird to sit on her feed stick and that was really very exciting! She didn't know what quite to make of the
lions and tigers, she loves them on TV and in books, but she just stared at them at the zoo. She got very excited about the Monkeys, the giraffes, elephants and mearkats.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Baby...
Due to the popular demand of my super sweet friends and family who are way to good to me, I have made babie registries, i feel kinda silly posting it... but I have been asked to do so! We are registered at www.Target.com, www.babiesrus.com, and also at www.cottonbabies.com for cloth diapers. Hope that helps :-) Love you guys, you're all too nice!
Easter!
Heres a link to Daron's album of pictures that she took on Easter sunday! I'll have some zoo pictures up from yesterday soon.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dardar216/Easter2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/dardar216/Easter2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Snow in Texas
Yes, it really does snow! It did just afew days ago, and today... it was 90 degrees. Don't you love Texas weather! OK so its not super impressive snow, but its snow...
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