Little Hands on Me

This pregnancy has brought with it some physical pain.  I know my family is sick of hearing me groan about my hurting back, neck shoulders.  I think that Georgia can sense when I'm feeling discouraged and the other night she asked if she could pray for me.  How could I refuse?  She put both her little hands on me and said, "Dear Jesus, thank you for my mom.  I love her and she is my best friend."  I totally cried.

A few days later I was complaining about my hurting shoulder and Georgia again asked to pray for me.  She put her hands directly on my shoulder and asked Jesus that He would take away the boo-boo on her mommy's shoulder.

And one more time, I was telling her that sometimes when mommies have babies in their tummies it makes it hard to walk or stand up and that I would feel so much better if the baby would be born.  And once again, she put her hands on my belly and said, "Dear Jesus, please help to get this baby out of my mommy."

How does she know to put her hands on me?  I suppose we've done that when she has 'boo-boo.'  What softens my heart the most is that she knows who to ask when she has a need or sees a hurt.  I pray that for the rest of her life she will ask the Lord for help when she needs it and for comfort for those who are hurting.  She's my tender little girl.

Last Week's Home Improvements

More was done on the house this week.  Probably even more would have been done, but the rain was problematic this week and did hold things up a bit.  It's good to have the rain, but we are so anxious to see more progress.

The first picture was taken last Monday, October 15 and the last one was taken on Saturday, October 20th and everything else was in between.  You'll notice the most work was done to the roof and side walls.

Looking out our future front window

 



They finished the other side of the roof today and tomorrow (weather permitting) they'll be putting on the shingles.  The most disheartening news came today when our builder told us that we could go ahead and lock in our interest rates at the bank by the end of the week, meaning we'd definitely be moved in within 60 days.  Well....that puts us at the end of December instead of the 9th!  I really wanted to decorate my new home for Christmas, but will probably only have time for a Christmas tree.  We are praying for better weather, hoping the construction crews can make up some time for us.  In the meantime, I'd sure love to have this baby!  Stay tuned for more pics and updates after this week.

Best Day Ever

Another (super) bright spot in our summer was my sister Ivy's wedding.  She married a stupendous man and my only grudge is that they are so far away living in South Carolina.  It was a beautiful day, a beautiful wedding and seriously the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. 

I had the greatest honor of standing next to Ivy and being able to pray a blessing over her during the ceremony.  Georgia was one of two flower girls and Andy was an usher.  Lola cried in the nursery.

Ivy and Jesse have such a special story.  They met a year ago and spent time talking, but then decided to go their separate ways.  I had decided in January of 2012 to pray for a husband for Ivy and that she would meet him AND marry him THIS YEAR.  I prayed and prayed (specifically for Jesse) and after some time Jesse recontacted Ivy and they began their courtship, engagement, and marriage - all in 2012.  God answered my prayers, and as I've found out, the prayers of many others who were praying for the same thing.  God is good!

Ivy and Jesse are such a blessing to this family.

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/25169941_fZ88TT#!i=2064306665&k=39TGQv6

This link has waaaayyyyy more pictures - including some of Georgia as the flower girl and a short slide show that takes my breath away each time I watch it.  The password is murphy.

We Are AWANA Cubbies...

...we're happy all day long.

We know that Jesus loves us

that's why we sing this song.

We hop because we're happy

and we jump and shout for joy;

for Jesus is a friend to us,

He loves each girl and boy!

 

This year Georgia has started her first year in Cubbies at AWANA, our kids program at church.  Each week she says a verse she has memorized, wears her vest, and has time for games, stories, snack and craft with other 3- and 4-year-olds.  

 

The first few weeks she wasn't really diggin' Cubbies or having to learn a new verse each week.  This really surprised me because she already had a few verses under her belt and loved to share them with anyone who would listen.  However, now she has earned  patches for her vest as a reward for memorizing and working through her book and she tells me, "Mom, I'm gonna say my verse all by myself!"  We are really proud of her ability to recall verses she's learned in weeks past and all the work she is doing.

 

  

A Story for the Bath

Why are pictures of little kids in the bath so cute and sweet?  I captured a happy bath photo and a little video of Georgia 'reading' a story to Lola, who surprisingly happens to be listening pretty intently.  Don't tell me they aren't just the sweetest.

Adventureland

Even though it was an emotionally turbulent summer at times, we still had sparks of fun here and there. A trip to Adventureland with Nana and Papa, aunts, uncles and cousins was a major highlight. We went at the end of August, with most schools already back in session. It was the perfect day of weather, not to mention free parking and free pop all day long. Here are some pics and video from our day.



 

 We're here!



 Airplanes

 

Semis - I totally embarassed myself climbing up there and trying to squeeze into that truck!

 

Bumper cars with Daddy - she loved it right up until the last minute (see video)

 

I was afraid she wouldn't like the tea cups, but she kept saying, "Let go of me, Mom!"

 

Infant Ocean

Totally tuckered out

 

Cute cousins

Train ride with the whole fam

 

It was a wonderful day and we look forward to doing it again next year!

 

The Schumacher House: A Work in Progress

Ok all...I'm getting back on the blogging wagon.  I have been missing it!  Our biggest news is the building of our new home here in Davenport.  It's in a growing community of young families, has a park right across the street and is just a hop, skip and a jump from the library.  We've already met several of the families in our area and are excited that this is where we'll call home.  Here are some pictures of the progress that started back in mid-September.

 Our lot

  

 Being marked out

 

Staked and ready for digging

 

Let the digging begin!

 

Footings poured

 

Foundation in place

 

Water-proofing

 

Plumbing roughed in

 

Dirt filled in and our new neighbor Lily

 

 Basement and garage floor poured

 Framing!

10/12/12 Standing in the future interior foyer

 

Clearly there is still a lot to be done, but now that the house is taking shape, it really will start to look different each day.  We hope to be under roof (and possibly shingles) by the end of next week.  They are still giving us an estimated completion date of the first week in December.