Blessed

I wanted to get one more post in before the month of August is gone completely.

I was thinking today of what a generous church family Andy and I are a part of and my heart swelled. As a ministry staff couple, we get doted on by the parishioners of Grandview church. Just this summer we have received (are you ready?): sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, LOTS of cute clothes for Georgia, biscotti, meals while Andy was gone, free child care by at least four different families, a toddler bed complete with dresser, diapers, bread, toys and books, and other small gifts. There are many other things we've received over the years, too.

I just want to say thank you to these kind people and how grateful we are that God has put us in a church home that knows how to love and care for their pastors and families. We are truly blessed!

Scott County

After six and a half years of marriage and living in Davenport that long (7 1/2 for Andy), we finally have Scott County plates on one of our vehicles! Up until last week, our vehicles said Hamilton and Carroll. Andy's car still says Carroll, but I don't want anyone getting any ideas...we're here to stay!

In a way, it's very validating. Scott County; yes, this is where we live. :) I don't know why it's such a big deal to me, but it is! Funny.

I took a picture of the plates, but Andy thought it might be dangerous to have it so accessible online, so here is the best I could do. Now people will no longer ask me, "Where is Hamilton County?"

So Sneaky

Andy said to me yesterday, "Honey, why is there a shoe in our bathroom drawer?"


Oh, I don't know, dear. I'll give you three guesses....as if you need that many.

Feeling Better

I have been feeling so much better. Today was the very first day that I didn't feel the need to run for the bathroom first thing in the morning. Up until yesterday, that was a part of my daily routine. The first three months left me feeling sick and often getting sick all day long. The last two weeks I've only felt sick right away in the morning, but after a little breakfast in my tummy I'm good to go. Today I only felt lightly queasy for a few minutes this morning.

I can tell things are starting to look up...I've been able to cook without getting/feeling sick, my house is cleaner and I look forward to going out now. I haven't had to say to Andy, "Can you do this, can you do that?" in a while. Plus, my blog posts have increased. Five measly posts in July? That was a yucky month.

So now comes the fun part of pregnancy. I'm starting to get a little belly, I'm certain I've felt one or two slight jerks from the baby and I can feel the nesting urge coming on. Plans are in the making this fall to convert one of our guest rooms into a toddler room for Georgia so the baby can take the nursery. It still seems impossible that the three of us will soon become four; I sometimes even marvel that the two of us became three.

Hmmm...I Think I Can Fit In There

Any spot she can find to clear out and crawl into, she will.

A Sweet Comment

Andy and I have been very blessed to have several families in our church that offer to watch Georgia, free of charge. There is one special lady who told us right after she was born that we could call anytime and she only needed half an hour's notice. Needless to say, we've called her a lot.

In fact, we called her last week when we wanted to go on a date. She and her two daughters (6th and 8th grade) were excited to have Georgia for the night. After we picked Georgia up, the mom told us that her 6th grader, who is especially fond of Georgia, said, "Mom, I just really feel sorry for anyone that doesn't get to meet Georgia."

We agree!

Momma Georgia

I read something very interesting yesterday in a book by Dr. Dobson:

To understand the personalities and inclinations of young girls, it is important to understand what is called "infantile puberty." It refers to a period between six and thirty months of age when the ovaries produce huge amounts of estrogen, comparable even to adult levels. As testosterone marinates the male brain in early gestation, estrogen bathes the female brains of babies and toddlers. Estrogen is called the "intimacy hormone" because it stimulates brain circuits that create an urgent desire for bonding, nurturing and communication....It's what makes her feminine.

He then goes on to share a story of a woman who was one day "mildly depressed. At eighteen months, her daughter noticed immediately that something was wrong. She climbed onto her mother's lap and caressed her hair, glasses, and earrings. Then she looked straight into her mother's eyes, held her face in her hands, and soothed her mom's feelings. That little girl knew exactly what she was doing. We know now that this kind of female nurturing is a precursor to bonding in motherhood. She was a future mom in training.

Intriguing! I have to admit that Georgia has done this for me before as well. I never thought of it as the "future mother" in her. But I know now this is true because this is what I found after stepping out of the room for a minute:


Here is Momma Georgia going through all of my pregnancy papers and pamphlets. I guess she wants to know what she has to look forward to as a "future mother"!

Is Summer Really Almost Gone?

There are schools here in Davenport that are already back in session. I know we still have a good month left of summer, but it seems that when it's back-to-school time, it's actually fall. I do enjoy the summer and yet as it wanes, I am looking forward to autumn. But now, especially because I'm a mom, I have no desire to fast forward time. So I thought I should make a list of things that I love about summer and that by mid-January I'll be looking forward to again:

*The sound of locusts and crickets at night and birds chirping in the morning
*Ice cream
*The smell of cut grass
*Going for leisurely strolls
*Fresh veggies - tomatoes, peppers, green beans and of course, corn on the cob
*Fireworks
*Sun tea
*Ice cream
*Capris and skirts
*Fireflies
*Thunderstorms at 8:00 in the morning
*Sandals and painted toenails
*Did I mention ice cream?

Songs I Sing to Georgia

These are a few of the hits I sing for Georgia, usually right before bed while we're rocking in the rocking chair. The first three are songs I remember my mom singing to me when I was a little girl and the last is one I learned at camp. For some reason these songs bring me (and Georgia) a lot of comfort.

Make me, Jesus, wholly Thine
Take this wayward heart of mine
Guide me through this world so drear
Heart of of Jesus, hear
Sweetly will rest on Thy most sacred heart
Never from Thee, o let us part
Hear them Thy loving children's prayer
O heart of Jesus, heart of Jesus, hear


You're the end of my rainbow
You're my pot of gold
You're Daddy's little girl to have and to hold
You're a precious gem, that's what you are
You're Mommy's bright and shining star
You're the spirit of Christmas, you're my star on the tree
You're the Easter Bunny to Daddy and me
You're sugar, you're spice, you're everything nice
And you're Daddy's little girl


Playmate, come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Look down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends forevermore
But she couldn't come out to play
It was a rainy day
With tear-filled eyes she sobbed and sighed
And I could hear her say
"I'm sorry, Playmate, I cannot play with you
My dolly's got the flu
Boo-hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!"
Look down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends forevermore


Good-night, dear Georgia, good-night and take your rest
Lay your sweet head upon the Savior's chest
We all love you, yeah, but Jesus loves you best
So we bid you good-night, good-night, good-night

Summer Fun

We've been having lots of summer fun, I just haven't been the greatest about getting it all out there. Here are some pictures of Georgia and her cousin Claire at their picnic table and ready for a snack after their little swim party. It was nice letting them swim with their daddies while the mommies got some time to chat and catch up.

BFFs

Georgia's bestie, Alivia, got to come over and play a couple of weeks ago. Most of the time they were running everywhere and playing with toys, but I was able to snap a couple of cute pics of them watching The Land Before Time.

Alivia: "G, I can't watch!"
Georgia: "Alivia, you won't believe this...it's Sharp Tooth!"

Spiders

Let me just say, for the record, that since my husband has been gone this week, I have already killed two spiders. Normally this is his job. I just stand there and yell at him to come kill it (someone has to make sure it doesn't get away!) and he does the dirty work. But twice I've had to do it - I can't stop to consider whether I want to do it or not. It's either kill it or worry that it's somewhere in the house about to 'get' me.