Pictures...

Just for the heck of it, I took some pictures yesterday and today. Something I haven't done in quite awhile...

I thought I'd document my increasing belly/decreasing lap. At 15 1/2 weeks the lap still wins.

And the baby bump...

And the purple shoes that I've rekindled that loving feeling for recently...

And a new hair cut that was loooong over due thanks to nausea and barfing...

It's good to feel somewhat normal again. Well, maybe normal is a bad choice of word...it's good to feel like me again.

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Details...

I should give you a Julie update. She's doing really great. Is that enough information? Her grades are excellent, she's easy to have around, and has put up with my mood swings amazingly well. Sometime soon I'll have her do a guest post on her thoughts of living here. It's sure to entertain. ;)

Julie traveled with friends to an apple orchard last weekend. Along the way they found a little store in a little town that sold Norwegian stuff. She brought back this mug for us. It says:

Living with a Norwegian Builds Character

It makes me smile. Now, if I could only find one for her that says:

Living with a Pregnant American Host Mom Builds Character

Poor girl. I think my nausea and laying around for the past couple months may have scared her away from ever wanting children. I think it's best that come April, she stays out of the delivery room. ;)

Last winter when we were contemplating hosting a foreign exchange student I remember joking with my Bible Study ladies that I'd probably end up getting pregnant AND hosting a student...because that would of course be INSANE. At the time I was completely joking. Because God certainly would not do that to me.

Or maybe He would. And maybe just to show me who's in charge of it all, He'd set up the fact that baby #4's due date would be the birthday of the Norwegian girl He'd ordained to live with us. None of it is by accident.

Because God is big on details.

PS - Remember when you all voted for the Iowa hospital to win a chance at a new game room? Well, they ended up in 2nd place so THEY WERE ONE OF THE WINNERS!! YAY! Thanks for voting!

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Hearing the Big News...

I thought I'd share with you the video of the boys hearing the news about the baby.

It cracks me up every time.

Little background info: We hid baby items in three separate bags and then had them find the bags. When they did they opened them up together...that's where the video starts.

*smile*

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Goodbye Long Week...

I love Fridays. I do I do I do. I like the counting down of hours until BAM I'm done with all of my obligations (except the family ones) and the only thing that lies ahead is two days of freedom. OK, so that's a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean.

Friday nights are sort of our Family Date Nights. Sometimes it's a high school sporting event or something like that. The favorite though seems to be what we did last Friday night...dinner at McDonald's and then rented a movie to watch together. The boys love to turn off all the lights and pretend it's a movie theatre. We all cram on the couch...including the over-weight wiener dog who seems to think the couch belongs to him. They love it. I love it. It's a moment in the week where we just get to enjoy each other. So many other moments I'm just funneling them through what they need to do and where they need to be.

Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, stop running around the house, brush your teeth, get your shoes on, make sure you have your homework, have a great day at school, pick kids up, drop kids off, supper, homework, blah blah blah. I sound like a load of fun, don't I?

Our date nights are cheap, and the activities are really sort of insignificant. But I'm gonna treasure them...and I think they will too.

All too soon they will have different kinds of date nights...probably with girls I think are immature and annoying. Oh I'm kidding. No, I take that back...I am so not kidding...I'm certain I'll think they're annoying *wink*

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Around the House

I got this idea from Melissa at Breath of Life. I couldn't resist.

Around the House: October

Reading: This Present Darkness by Frank E Peretti

Enjoying: My family. Ben was on vacation last week and it was so nice to just have him around. The boys never cease to amaze me. They are each so unique, that when we're all together it's just plain amusing to me.

Learning: How to deal with people that drive me absolutely CRAZY. Maybe pastor's wives aren't supposed to admit that they find certain kinds of people very annoying to be around. But this one does. And although I'd like God to zap me with the ability to just "like" them, it's not that easy. Instead He's teaching me how to love them even in their annoyingness...which goes against my natural tendency. Very against.

Watching: I'm part way into season five of 24. I rented the season for a week, which means I really need to plow through it. I love that. Anyways, Sunday night Julie was quite horrified at how scary and violent it was. I tried to explain to her that she'd just have to watch it to "get" why we love it so much...I also may have explained that although the show is fictional, our government in America really does have to fight crazy terrorists and it is going to be violent...it's just too bad Jack Bauer isn't real. I digress. By last night, she sat through a couple episodes and I even heard her say "I see why you think it is so exciting"...she's coming around ;) But I am now convinced that you have to be American to truly love Jack Bauer.

Anticipating: Christmas. I know, I know it's only October. But I've been listening to Frank Sinatra's Jolly Christmas all week. Christmas in the Parsonage is going to be very different this year and I'm excited about it. Most years I spend, what feels like forever, making lists and endless shopping trips trying to find a present that someone won't hate and doesn't really need. It makes December fairly well...not fun. This year we're stepping back from present exchanges so that we can give to those who really need something and we can spend some time as a family doing meaningful traditions that will last far longer than toys and material things. Oh, there will still be some presents, but it won't be the flying though of package after package as in years past. Our new plan is bound to cause some to think we're crazy...but that's ok...we are.

Realizing: How blessed I am. Even in the tough stuff...blessed beyond measure.

Pondering: Why at the clinic and hospital yesterday (where I got to see and hear this little baby growing inside) everyone that found out this was my fourth baby had the same reaction, "Wow! Four?!?" As if three is normal but FOUR, gets a wow? Weird.

Studying: Daniel by Beth Moore. I had no idea how timely this study would be for me personally and so many others.

Wondering: If this little baby is a boy or a girl. What its name will be...because at this stage in the game I don't like any boy or girl names.

Remembering: Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.

Praying: That our family stays healthy and miraculously avoids the flu and H1N1.

Happy Tuesday!

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This Present Darkness...

On my way to take the boys to school today I was listening to our local Christian radio station. They were having people call in and share things they appreciated about their pastor because October is Pastor Appreciation Month. The other question they asked the callers had to do with any preconceived ideas they'd had about pastors or ministry before getting to know their pastor.

I laughed to myself. I'm the chief sinner when it comes to preconceived ideas about Pastors. It's likely why I was pretty sure I'd never EVER be a pastor's wife.

Ideas like:

• All Pastor's ever think about is spiritual stuff.
• They know the correct answer or action for every situation.
• They don't understand what it's like to be a normal, average person.

Obviously I was quite the idiot.

But the whole thought process led me to think about my preconceived ideas about ministry, or in the very least the things I didn't fully understand back then.

The biggest eye-opener for me the past few months has been the aspect of spiritual warfare that goes on within church...not just the 4 walls, but within the people that make up that church. I expect a spiritual battle when dealing with those who do not worship the same God I do, what I did not expect was the battle that plays out among those professing a personal faith in Christ.

I picked up one of my favorite books of all times called This Present Darkness. Because I need a reminder of the battle that's raging. That what I see with my eyes is not all that is going on. And that the power of prayer is crucial in protecting my husband, my family, and others around me from some that seek to destroy them.

Have you read the book?

Any preconceived ideas about Pastors and ministry?

Any one else in a battle?

I'd love to hear your answers!

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Just Reminding Myself...

I recently saw a quote somewhere that said,

"The days pass slowly but the years fly by"

Or something like that. I remember thinking to myself, how stinkin' true.

This pregnancy is kicking my butt. Big time. Each pregnancy of mine was different, but they all had one thing in common...the nausea was not this bad and it certainly did not last this long.

Now, I know it's for a good cause. I keep reminding myself of that hourly. But even in the reminder, I still feel like I'm missing life on a daily basis...or in the very least surviving it rather than enjoying it.

In the past few months...

• I've barely taken any pictures of anything going on. Many times I've missed out on what was going on, because who really wants a barfing lady sitting next to them? Frankly, I'd like her to go away.
• I've sent kids to school without reminding them to return books, homework, etc. because just getting them up and fed and out the door was all I could muster.
• I am so tired of laying on the couch that I've resorted to laying on the hard floor. I think I may have worn the couch out.
• I have had to cancel 2 hair cuts because I didn't think I could make it through the hour-long appointment. My hair is outta control and my next hair cut...November 3rd. It'll take her 2 hours to cut all this hair.
• All vanity diminishes in the face of nausea. I have worn sweatpants and t-shirts 90% of the time. Even picking my children up from school wearing the same shirt 2 days in a row. Good times.
• My husband has had to pick up the slack...big time. He's done a great job, and so have the kids...but I miss doing what I do...which is take care of them.

In the mean time, I've learned a lot about myself. Including the fact that I don't like to be slowed down. And even more so, I hate barfing or the feeling that I'm going to barf more than pretty much anything.

I've also learned that my family is incredibly gracious with me. Nobody has made a comment about the messiness of the house, or my excessive laying around,moaning and groaning. It's as if they instinctively know something that I keep losing sight of...there will be and end to it...and even more importantly, there's a purpose behind it. A little life.

Soon, (please God let it be very, very soon) I will stop feeling like I want to barf all day every day. I will have get the energy back. I will take pictures of them once again. I will be me again...eventually ;)

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