Bean In My Belly

We went in yesterday for my first OB appointment. I am in my 8th week. They did do an ultrasound and we saw our little bean shaped baby, hence the nickname. The baby is measuring just right and we are so blessed. I must admit that I was kind of hoping to see twins, but no such thing. Tim sighed a BIG sigh of relief on that one. "Come on!", I said, "Twin girls would have been SO cute!" God seemed to have sided with my husband on this one.

What I found incredibly interesting was the after visit summary my midwife handed me. She made sure to preface before letting me read it. "The computer sees your age, so they have added the elderly part. Please, don't think that was my doing, since I am 20 years older than you and it would make me look even worse." ELDERLY??!! So, I take a look at the summary and yes, this is what it says:

"Visit Diagnoses: ELDERLY MULTIGRAVIDA"

(Webster's dictionary definition: Elderly: of or pertaining to persons in later life. Multigravida: a pregnant woman who has been pregnant two or more times.)

Nice. Real nice. Now, I know I am no spring chicken, but elderly? Good thing I don't take those kind of things to heart. Not. Guess Tim's foot wasn't inserted as far as my OB's computer system's view of me was.

4 Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed

I tried to get Walker, Christian, Tristan, and Skyler to pose for a picture on my bed...
I asked for smiles and to look at the camera...
This is what I got.

Priceless!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my brother in law, Chris (Cristobal, to me) and my sister in law, Natalie (Nat)!!! You both shine for Jesus so brightly, and I am honored to have you both in my life. I love you.


We went to the Prado for Chris' birthday dinner this past Sunday. It was such a nice night. I am so proud of Chris and the servant he is in the Lord! He is an amazingly considerate man and has been from the first day I met him almost 10 years ago. He is one of the most 'real' people I know. He is kind to my children, and the kids love their uncle Chris. He has been there for Tim and I so many times throughout our relationship, as a encouragement to us. Chris is such a sweetheart and I have been telling him forever that he will make a phenomenal husband some day. Any takers???
(l-r: Dan, Natalie, me, and Chris)


Natalie and I have been through an awful lot together: engagements, weddings, pregnancies (SEVERAL), happy times, not so happy times, watching her getting to know Jesus, her recent hospital stay. So, it is very clear that the Lord has had his hand over this friendship. She means so much to me, and I thank God for her. I hope you know how much you mean to me, Sister.


And, I realize this doesn't have anything to do with Chris and Natalie's birthday, but I did want to take this opportunity to do a little 'excellent marriage' shout out. So, here is to Dan and Natalie... a God fearing couple that has truly touched my life. As we sat and ate dinner together, just the 3 of us, because Tim was in on his road trip, I got a glimpse of their love for one another. Dan talked about how Natalie had made him this delicious dinner the other night. He talked about how she had taken the time to mold the rice into the little 'balls' on their plates, like at the restaurant. That was so touching to me. She was into the details of blessing her husband and children. I am sure she thinks that it was a minor thing, but God sees her effort. That she took the time to find a little bowl, to put the rice in, set the mold, and then put on the plate to present it nicely... that is an excellent wife. I am so proud of you Natalie, for being a Proverbs 31 woman. I am so proud of you Dan, for being a Godly husband that works so hard to provide for and nurture your family. Natalie is always telling me about how kind and loving you are and I see it in your eyes. You both are a sweet example to me, and I love you both.

Coolest Pregnancy Gift EVER

This almost ties in with my other post today.

My sweet cousin/best friend, Jackie, sent a gift home with Tim for me today. It was the biggest couple of jars of green olives! I had mentioned to her that I had been eating them like they were candy lately. I thought it was so sweet how she paid attention and sent those to me. Thanks, girl. They are huge jars, but something tells me they will be gone in the blink of an eye.

I also received a beautiful handmade t-shirt for the baby from our amazing Auntie Natalie. It was so touching because she took the time to make our new baby a little shirt that had 7 arrows...6 black ones, and a green one for our baby that was miscarried in 2002. I can't wait to put it on the baby, and have him/her featured on the blog in it.

Lastly, my sweet pea in the pod, Paula, said she had prayed about this and blessed the baby with a gift, too. It was a pretty pink onesie that said "Worth the Wait" on the front. Tim LOVED this shirt. She also included some pink Pooh socks and then a gift of pink socks for me along with pink lotion and bubble bath. I took one tonight, and P, that bath was so what I needed!!

I am truly blessed with amazing girlfriends!!

Read below for another post from earlier today...

If Your Grocery Cart Contains...

Pickles
Green olives
Beef jerky
Sunny Delight
Crunch n' Munch
Ice cream
A bag of lemons

...and nothing else, all in one run, you might be pregnant.

October's Field Trip: Oma's Pumpkin Patch

Oma's is a dairy farm and pumpkin patch. Zack enjoyed petting the calf and goats in the petting zoo.


We took a hay ride around the farm. It was so beautiful and fun seeing where they keep all the cows. My favorite was seeing the pen where they keep all the pregnant cows, for a month, before their estimated due date. Below is a calf that was born just the night before. We got to watch it get up and do its wobbly newborn walk. Precious!


Oma's has lots of activities for the kids. Tractor's to 'drive', cattle to 'lasso', cows to 'milk'. Here is Christian taking a spin n the tractor with his special hat on. He loves that floppy old thing.


Zack loved the time we spent on the swings and slides after our hay ride. It was a really nice setup and all the kids loved it.


Look at all these beautiful kids! I am so blessed!


"Mom, I found the perfect one!!!" Zack picked the very first one in within his reach. He is not a picky child at all.


Walker heading out with his special pick. He took awhile to decide. His is going straight to Gramita's house so she can bake him a pumpkin pie with it. All from scratch.

We had a blast with all our friends and we all ended up sleeping from 7pm until 9am the next morning. Next year we will have another little pumpkin to join us....

How About Palin For President?

I remember a few weeks before McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, Tim had asked me to pray that McCain would choose her to fill the VP seat. I did not know how I felt about it at that point. Tim filled me in on her and I started to really respect and admire this woman. As a passionate pro-lifer, Christian, and mother of 5 myself, I was drawn to her. When McCain announced her as his running mate, Tim was beyond happy and I was blessed to think that this woman could very well be the next Vice President of the United States.

I recently heard an interview with Gov. Palin and Dr. Dobson. She is so articulate, so intelligent, but what I loved the most is that she is so open about her faith. This is important to me, and I know this is why the left-wing is so determined to slay her in the media. However, she holds her head up high and she continues to speak her mind. She is so fearless. But, she is also just like us, so it makes her come off as 'real' and approachable; honest. I loved reading about her stop on the campaign trail at a Walmart. Trig needed diapers. She got out, bought them herself, and bought the generic ones to boot. That is my kind of woman.


I never would have imagined I would be praying to have a woman in the White House. But, I do believe that she is a wonderful candidate to help families maintain the sanctity of life, and all other things that are so important to preserve in this country. It was founded by Christians to begin with. This is God's country! We must get back to our roots.

I am not big into politics, but I am a proud American, and am praying that the Lord's perfect will be done. It will be. God already knows the outcome of this election, so it is pointless to get all riled up. But, I will be praying and letting God hear my cries on issues concerning leadership, marriage (VOTE YES ON 8!!), and life for unborn children. I'll leave the politics to my handsome husband. If McCain becomes our next president, Glory be to God. If Obama becomes our next president, Glory be to God. Why? Because no matter who takes that seat, my Lord of Lords, my King of Kings, will continue to be my God. No one, no thing, no election, will change that.

One last thing... Tim will be celebrating his 32nd birthday on election day. So, I am praying that the Lord give him the best birthday present this year, by preserving marriage and by putting McCain and Palin in our White House.