Twentieth Wedding Anniversary

We lingered over a very fine dinner in downtown Virginia Beach. Then, we strolled to the chocolate shop and indulged ourselves there. The weather was outstanding and the atmosphere was summery and celebratory with outdoor music and friends gathered all around. We watched others and occasionally laughed at ourselves as we thought of the last twenty years and how our relationship began.

No one can be praised but God alone for the resilience of our marriage! He has showered us in His mercy, love and wisdom. We are blessed indeed. I'm so thankful we've beaten all the odds that were stacked against us. We truly trusted God for better than we were told we could have together. And we still do! He is faithful! And we are happily married! Praise the Lord!


My friend, Karen, loaned a comfy, dressy, maternity outfit to me. It was so daring, yet somehow proudly maternal and modest...Bob loved it. So we took pictures and made good memories!

The Next Season

We never really know what the Lord has in store for us. We know that we can trust Him and that His ways are best and His strength is sufficient. But to assume that we really know what the future holds (outisde of His Word) seems arrogant.

In our home we are always watchful for the return of Jesus. We are excited that world news and the story in the stars and planets continue to point towards the end of time, as we know it. With each new Jewish feast comes an increased enthusiasm and attention to God's promises about "the end" for us. I've even wondered if the Lord might return before our baby is born. We've learned that there is a dramatization of the Rapture in the constellations and planets on June 6 this year. Even with an induction at 38 weeks that would be before our baby is expected to be born...so we have many thoughts and ideas for discussion at our meal table. Regardless of when we are all finally together in heaven, in the meantime we intend to be busy about loving God, learning about Him, obeying His word and loving others.

My more earthly thoughts are constantly changing from enthusiasm towards accomplishing much in the days left before our baby is born and just napping until he comes. : ) I'm still swimming a couple days a week but my 60 minutes of exercise has decreased to merely 20. I'm also still working in the gardens. We have four raised beds now. They aren't big but weeding is always needed. After making a photobook for our hosts and my parents from our vacation, I've decided to not scrapbook anymore for now. I have made a few choices for the children's school books for next year, but am not even close to being finished. Kelsey says that we don't need to freeze any meals since she cooks dinner. Our afternoons at the pool are very limited by my needing to pick Kendal up from work. So, it seems like the perfect season to sleep. But I haven't taken daily naps since the first trimester when I exercised three days a week.

Kelsey, Anna, Joy, Mary and I had a lovely time at the Mother/Daughter Tea on Saturday. All the teacups and saucers our family had collected were beautiful on the tables that our friends had decorated so tastefully. I meant to take a lot of photos but time slipped away. The food, fellowship and presentations were wonderful. We were sorry that Kendal had forgotten to ask for the day off and she wasn't able to join us.

We haven't made any other big plans between now and the baby's arrival. Our twentieth wedding anniversary is Wednesday. We'd hoped to stay at the beach overnight or something special but we've decided not to try anything fancy this year. One day we'd like to take a real vacation alone. But that will be during a different season of our family's life. We are thankful for God's faithfulness to us over the last twenty years. We still have so much to learn about blessing one another as husband and wife. We've agreed to keep working at it. : )

We did find two nests of baby rabbits in our raised beds. They are about two weeks apart. So once we discovered them, the older ones started jumping out and we started chasing them! We currently have two little ones in our lettuce garden, somewhat captive. One is too little to jump out so we're "protecting" him and the other...well, he's there by force and probably won't be there the next time we go out. It is a nice compromise since nearly everyone (except me) in our family thought we should have one in the house for the next month! It was difficult to get everyone to church on time yesterday with so much bunny chasing and holding going on in the backyard. It's all a little silly since we have been going to great efforts to keep rabbits out of our gardens, and in the meantime they built burrows under spinach and strawberry plants! And now we are using our garden as a bunny pen. : ) It has been very educational to observe the mothers' methods in covering their nests, scent, etc. Of course the children were motivated to research the habits and gestation of rabbits and so forth. We can just consider all the lost time- homeschooling!

Isaac's thirteenth birthday is Saturday. My stepdad, our family friend, and Bob had a special blessing ceremony for Isaac during our vacation. My stepdad wrote on a card to remind Isaac of their time together. I hope he will always remember the words that were shared and the prayers that were prayed over him. On Saturday we'll give him gifts and enjoy dessert together.

Bob has settled on the baby's name, my bag is packed, the infant seat is in the van...now I'll just have to be patient and continue to pray against the worries that try to creep in before delivery. I very much look forward to that moment after the baby is born! It is the best! And the reality of having another family member really sinks in when we settle into our bed, in our room at home, for the first time. Precious times are ahead!

May!

Yes, I really did get nearly all of 2009's photos in a scrapbook last month. I hope to print the photos from Christmas through present day, and scrapbook those and the last three vacations before our baby is born! (you can see that Noah doesn't appreciate what I'm doing, and the ironing is being neglected in the background : )

Speaking of vacation, we spent eleven days away from home at the end of April. We started with Bob's 20th VMI reunion, then to a waterfall hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stayed overnight with my dad and stepmom and celebrated Noah's second birthday, a week in Floyd at the cabin with my mother, stepdad and the Hylton family, and finally to my sister's house in Richmond. We were so very blessed with sweet fellowship and basically smooth sailing from one destination to another. It was a logistic miracle! I was 32 weeks pregnant, unable to do the luggage shuffling that is required on our vacations, uncomfortable in the van if we traveled more than 2 hours at a time, and unable to sleep for the first two nights. However, everything else was wonderful!!! We are still in awe of God's answers to our many prayers regarding relationships and fellowshiping on our trip. God is at work in everyone's life and we are amazed at Him!

This was taken at Falling Water Cascades. The falls went on forever! I don't think we ever saw the bottom. The sound was overwhelming and so peaceful! The Bible says that God's voice sounds like mighty rushing waters...I could've stayed there forever!
This was taken at VMI at the end of the parade ground. It was so exciting to have been there together 23 years ago: while we dated, and were engaged, then to return with (nearly) NINE precious children and twenty years of marriage behind us!
Mother's Day was sweet. We sent flowers to our two beloved mothers. And our family spent the day at church, out for lunch and dessert, and playing in the yard until supper time. I really enjoyed being the honored mom for the day. It was such a beautiful day and I took photos of all the children in the yard. Bob was refinishing Kelsey's hope chest, so when he joined in the photos they became comical rather than picturesque!

I'm 34 weeks along and still feeling better than ever! This morning my chiropractor gave me more tips on how to deal with some of the sore muscles that tend to accompany these last weeks. What a blessing she has been in keeping me well nourished, educated and in the best possible health for delivering these precious ones. This time we are going to try some natural treatments for starting labor. I've been induced everytime starting with Number Three, Isaac. Pitocin and breaking the sac are okay. But I'm certain that stimulating my body naturally would be best...We'll start around week 36 and see how it goes. My doctor likes to induce women like me (who've had lots of babies) at 38 weeks. Maybe we can beat him to it.

Bob's naming the baby. This is as it should be. But it is new for us. It's usually a husband/wife, family discussion, or a spiritual insight through me. We are excited to see how God will continue to lead us into the role of husband and wife that He has for us. We're also planning to refuse another one of the hospital dictated medicines and vaccines: Vitamin K. We have found a source and proper dosing for Vitamin K given by mouth to newborns. So hopefully our baby can join the world without eyes covered in goop, needle sticks in his sweet little thigh, and other unnecessary one-size-fits-all brand of newborn techniques. Also for the first time, we are planning an eighth day circumcision. The gyn in our area who performs this procedure in his office is the local Jewish mohel. Thankfully he helps Gentiles too! This allows our baby's prothrombin levels to be at the best and Dad and Mom to be present to pray and bless our baby on this special day of dedication. Best of all, we won't be sitting around the hospital for 24 hours waiting for this procedure. Maybe we can come home right after the delivery! That would be awesome!

I do love having a pregnant belly, so I will miss it, and I hope to preserve the memory of it. I never know which one will be my last. We have an assortment of mostly unattractive photos at this point but we'll keep trying and I'm going to post some here for my personal archive. : ) Isaac, Noah and me after lunch on the parade ground at VMI.
This was taken at the falls before the big hike back UP! Kelsey and I are like-minded when it comes to walking in creeks. You can see she's already been in. I had to watch from the bank. The rocks are too slippery for a pregnant momma.
Kristy and me in the cabin kitchen. She is the daughter of the family who own the cabin in Floyd. She is a new mother and wife and is such a great learner. It has been my pleasure to share the many resources that God has sent to me over the years!

I am so thankful for the exercise that I started last year at this time. Although I am atleast 28 pounds above my starting weight I am much stronger and healthier than ever! I had determined to prepare a safe place for our "next" baby by restrengthening my abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. We used some alternative therapy called Frequence Specific Microcurrent with massage to "rezip" up that gap in my abdomen. That was followed by months of water exercise focusing on core strengthening. And I've learned to exhale when straining to lift, push, or potty. Never strain. Strengthen and use my legs more. Continue to remind my worn out muscles to do their job, my chiropractor helps alot with this. Taking care of that psoas muscle holds my back/neck in better alignment, keeps my baby's weight off of my bladder and bowel, and I feel great! I hope to professionally write all that I've learned in an article and be able to share it with everyone I know.