Lord of the Snow

The title of this blog sounds humorous, I'm sure, but the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that when I bemoan or complain against "the snow" and how it has "ruined" so many moments of late, I am not bemoaning or complaining against "snow", but against God Himself. Under this conviction, I have now begun to "preach" the truth to myself - sometimes lightheartedly to make myself laugh rather than cry, and sometimes in all seriousness and urgency because I need rebuked for the whiny attitude of my heart.

The specific truth the Spirit brought to my mind is from Isaiah 55:9 in which it says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Interestingly enough when I went to the chapter the next verse even talks about snow! Hahahaha! God is so fun! Verse 10 says, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

God knows what He is doing. And so although I was terribly sad that the Valentine's Day Party I had planned for the kids was canceled, the Sweetheart Dinner at church was canceled, two dates that we had planned were canceled, church today was canceled and the mom's prayer event I had planned was canceled, yet shall I praise Him! I may have thought that so many of those things were the best ways to glorify God as I was planning and cleaning and decorating and praying about them, but obviously they weren't. God knows what glorifies Him most, and I'm sure that even me coming again to the truth that I don't know best glorifies Him more than the game I planned about "biblical love" for the kiddos would have.

Oh, and Nina...I am also very thankful for how this snow is blessing you and Len :) I suppose that's another good reason to let go of a few date nights and parties :)

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." Proverbs 19:21 Thank God for that!

My husband, My Hero (along with the creators of Whole Foods)

Nadia has had some gastrointestinal troubles since about birth. They seemed to be getting worse and eventually she started developing what looks to us like an allergy rash. We aren't able to get in with a pediatric allergist just yet, and honestly, we don't really want her tested for a while since the results are so inaccurate for young babies, so we are playing "detective" until we go!

Since I am breastfeeding, if Nadia does have a food allergy, something that I am eating is the culprit. So I searched around a lot online and spoke to some lactation counselors and Daryl and I settled on eliminating some of the major allergens from my diet and then slowly reintroduce them, one at a time, to see what happens. Namely wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, food additives, corn, and tomatoes. I've also scratched beef for a while as I found that can cause problems, too, but to scratch anything else I think I would die :)

That last part was a joke, but in all serious, Daryl and I did realize that while the elimination diet is a good idea for us, I have to eat - and I have to get enough nutrients and calories. The first few days it was snowing and I hadn't stocked up on good foods so I was surviving on squash, rice, baked potatoes and rice cereal with rice milk (by the way, I think rice milk rocks)! My milk supply plummeted which meant Nadia was fussy and had to eat a lot more often than normal and I literally almost had a breakdown. Daryl may even think that I did :) Even Anna knew that "mommy upset" and I swear I didn't clean my house all week as I was too consumed with research, trying to make foods I could eat, and caring for my kids. We had to cancel our Valentine's Day reservations and everything. Super bummer.

After my breakdowns my darling husband canceled everything else there was to do on Saturday and drove me and the kiddos to Whole Foods in Pittsburgh (it was even nice just to get out as I had been without a car most days since we only have one that is good in the snow and Daryl has to go to work!). I was prepared to find rice pasta, a dairy/gluten/soy free butter spread and some soups, but when I found this brand...
...I literally teared up right in the isle! They make all of their products without the top 7 allergens! WHIPPEE! I got breakfast bars and cookies! They are grainy tasting, but at least I have something! And I found a bunch of other cool stuff - including some veggie burgers, so needless to say, it was a good trip. Nadia even had fun helping me pick as she tagged along in the babybjorn and Daryl and Anna had fun at the cafe enjoying a granola yogurt parfait.

Thanks to my hubby for being so supportive and helpful! We got enough foods for a good while, but plan to make the trip every couple of weeks or as needed. My mom also directed me to this website foodallergygourmet.com which is a local place. God is good!

Lastly sweet Nad's rash has cleared up mostly and we've seen major improvement with bowel issues :) Can't believe I just wrote that. Hopefully we'll be able to help her and we are praying that if there is a food allergy that she will grow out of it quickly especially if I can avoid it for her.

If you have any products or recipes you like that we could have, we'd love to know about them!

A New Baby, A New Year, and Who Would Have Guessed, A New Blog Post - haha

Some of you may have heard that I canceled my facebook account "for now". Hopefully we'll be back one day, but it seems adding another person to our household made for less free time and facebook was one of the only things I could think to get rid of to be more productive and it's worked - evidenced by this blog entry :)

Here are some of the reasons I've decided to quit...

1)

Isn't she cute? We see similarities in physical appearance between she and Anna, but they are definitely different. We think they'll grow to be the kind of sisters who it's obvious are related but certainly don't look identical. Time will tell. She even has a permanet mohawk that we never have to style...Priceless.

Personality wise we can't quite tell although we do know she's not quite like Anna in that realm either. Never cries as hard as Anna did nor laughs as hard :) She smiles quite a bit but gets fussy as nap or bed time approaches. Typically she doesn't cry though, she just goes, "Mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmm," very loudly! She doesn't like to be read to as Anna did, but she does LOVE to be sung to as Anna didn't :) So funny. I love how God makes us all different and I can't wait to see how these differences show themselves the older they get.

2)
Isn't she cute? What a doll! We love her to death. She is in training days, but oh, what a fun and sweet girl! She is still a great big sister, although now that Nadia likes toys we are working on sharing with a happy heart - something I need to be better at to, especially when it comes to desserts!

She is into reading, coloring, making things, and imitating mommy. Today she even "cleaned" two toilets for me. What a champ!

Here are some of my favorite things that she says almost daily:

Me: "Anna, would you like a bagel, cereal, or eggs for breakfast?"
Anna furrowing brows, not making eye contact and trying not to smile: "A little candy, I think."

Anna to Nadia: "Hi. How are YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU?" To Mommy" "Wanna hold her."

Anna to me: "Mommy, want to hold you. Mommy pick you up."

3)

I love spending time with him. Need I say more? He is my favorite to hang out with hands down.

4) Our house needed better organizing (along with my life!), I have baby weight (although it wasn't Nadia's fault, but my love for chocolate) to lose, phone calls to make, e-mails to write, books I want to read, etc.

I know that I won't achieve all my goals, and getting rid of facebook won't fix everything but I am glad that I've already made "progress" by God's grace. I am not and never will be a perfect mother, wife, daughter, friend, housekeeper, cook, or anything else, but I do want to glorify God in my attempts to be the best one I can be in His power. Pray for me if you think of it. I've been reminded in this season of my life that I need God's grace more today than yesterday on a daily basis :) For my sake and yours - hahaha!

Here are some more pics from recent days just for fun:

Anna has enough hair for barrettes and "pony tails" now. She wants multiples :) I guess that's what happens when you've been deprived for so long!

The girls having fun together...

Mom intrudes!!!

One last one of our new cuddle bug...

So it's been months...

I thought I'd update the world on our lives - semi, anyways...

We are a month and a half from Nadia's "due" date :) That's fun. Tomorrow we begin painting the new room, putting the crib together, etc. We received our Contours Tandem Double Stroller in the mail yesterday thanks to our awesome family (Lora & Q) and so things are definitely getting more real! However, I must confess that although Anna is only 15 months old, the days of thousands of diapers, spitting up and lots of crying seem so long ago that I had almost forgotten...only to be starting them again! Oh well :) At least this time I know it passes :) We'll post pictures of the room - maybe :)

As far as Anna Grace is concerned, she is an absolute joy. Daryl and I are constantly telling each other what a delight she is and how much we are enjoying this stage of her life. She still naps twice a day, sleeps great at night, is great on trips, loves life, and there is so much to fascinate her since she is still so young - oh, and she loves us - yay! In the morning when I carry her down stairs she says, "Hi, Mommy", puts her little arms around me and says, "Hug...kiss..." So fun.

Some stats - Anna weighs 22 lbs and 30 inches tall. She still has minimal hair, but otherwise, is very healthy :)


As far as words go, she at least makes an attempt to say anything you ask and often tries to mimic us. We're sure she says at least 150 correctly, although we have to ask her to repeat them sometimes, but we're pretty okay with that! She also has begun putting words together. Like at the doctors on Wednesday she got two stickers and said, "Mommy, two sticker." She also says things like, "I'll be back" or "All done, down?" Tonight at dinner with friends she said (mostly correctly) Megan, John, Kirk (Tirk), and Naomi (Nami).

She can count to 3, say the alphabet to "F", point to most all body parts (although she often gets her shoulders wrong), distinguish colors like yellow, blue, and pink, make her animal noises and is an excellent dancer ;) She completed her first puzzle all by herself yesterday (please don't be fooled - the pieces are huge and go in holes that have the picture of them in it) and makes sure to remind us to clap when she does such things correctly.

She also took swimming lessons this summer and was certainly the most improved (she cried off and on the first few days!) and now LOVES pools and the beach. Examples:




Other firsts for her - the beach, the zoo, Washington DC, 12 hour car trip, sleeping in a hotel room with Mommy and Daddy. She has recently taken to singing as well, and although she usually only says the first few words correctly loves singing "Twinkle, twinkle," "Rain, Rain, Go Away," and "Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes."

Thankfully she still will play in her exersaucer while I shower, but because she has watched me get ready so often, she is now putting on deodorant (without taking the cap off), blush (she literally takes the top off the brush, spins it out and swabs her face, spins it back and returns the cap), etc. This is a little disconcerting.

For instance - Anna wearing mommies headband. She insists this is "pretty".

Daryl is doing fantastic as well. We have traveled what seems like a lot this summer and he has been a huge help through it all as well as just a blast to be around. This is the first full weekend we've been home in 5 weeks, I believe, and we are very, very glad. I don't think we'll be traveling much now until after baby 2. Yay. Neither of us have any new stats we would like to share. I'll be keeping my weight to myself for a while, thank you :)


That's it for now. Thanks for checking in.

Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father...

So, Anna is 1 year and almost a month! We survived the first year, to the praise of His grace! Anna is still alive and well :)

Many people ask if we can believe she's a year old...I feel silly, because I guess most people can't, but we can! She seems to have changed so much to us - even in the past month! Anyways, here are some pics from her first birthday party which was an ABSOLUTE blast. We can't believe what great friends and families we have and we got so many cool gifts we haven't even brought all of them out for her to play with yet (mwa ha ha). Now she'll think we buy her cool toys every month! Haha!

The beautiful birthday girl

The festive room (thanks Kadie, Mom and Jarod for the decoration help!)


The fun games!
(This was a "fishing game". The kids would cast a line over the "water" and catch a cool prize!)

Anna and her sweet cousin Georgia from Texas...
Anna absolutely adores her and still kisses her picture!

The awesome presents!

The goody boxes

The Blaney Family (ever expanding)

It was such a fun celebration for many reasons, and absolutely crazy, too! Can you believe we forgot to give Anna a piece of cake?!?!!!!!! WHAT? That's like the mandatory first birthday thing, I think.

So, on her actual birthday we tried again...

Perhaps they can sing Happy Birthday to me everyday? I love this!


Trying it out.

Not a success :)

Oh, well. We love her and hope for many more wonderful years with her!

Updates...

So it's been a long time. Here is where I would like to insert a million excuses, but won't. Let's just say I have no idea how I'll have any time for stuff like this with two :) but I'm totally okay with that.

Speaking of two, we find out the sex of baby dos (Lord willing) on May 1st. Super stoked about this. For those of you who were wondering, baby dos was not "planned", but certainly not unwanted. We didn't like any "preventative" measures for lots of different reasons and since we like kids, we aren't all that concerned when they come :) Although I must confess a couple of things...
1) I don't want to be pregnant (at least looking pregnant) next Valentine's Day or my next Anniversary
2) My husband and I both would like to get to ride amusement rides next summer
3) Neither of those points mean much

I have been more sick with baby dos, but that seems to have passed as the last two weeks I haven't thrown up at all :) Now I'm just hungry like every 2 hours. And I mean HUNGRY.

Onto baby uno - our dear sweet Anna Grace...
So, she turns one in less than a month. Crazy, eh? Although oddly she seems to become more and more like a "little girl" to me almost daily. Today she started actually saying, "more" instead of just signing it. Too cute.

As far as things she can say...

• mama, dada
• hi, bye
• please - "peace"
• more
• bear - "bea"
• bunny - "buhhy"
• night night - "nigh nigh"
• no
• snow - also "no"
• hot - "ho.........ttttt"
• light - "igh"
• uh oh
• wee (this when she is being spun, rocked, swang, or pushed around in the rolling office chair)
• thank you - "aaa ooo"
• boo
• book although the k is often silent
• she can also make most all animal noises :)
• 

Darling isn't always very talkative infront of others until she gets warmed up though. Daryl likes to say she is in "data intake" mode whenever we go to a new place - someone's house she's never been to, a new nursery, store, etc. She REALLY looks everything over, and then somewhere along the way gets wound up. When she wants to, she can be a real charmer - the doctors office, grocery store, church nursery, etc. She pretty much blows EVERYONE kisses which I love because this seems to delight most people. Especially since she has no prejudices :) I love that about her too.

She's been walking since 10 months and so we've been learning what not to touch and also what an ornery creature she is :) I make her look me in the face when I'm disciplining her and oh, how many times I honestly have prayed for grace just not to bust out laughing because her faces are so funny!

We like to call Anna "bam bam" because although she is very feminine in someways, she is also kind of crazy. Even though we have hard wood floors, she hardly ever cries when she falls down or gets pushed down by another running tot. She loves throwing pillows or blankets on the floor and diving on them (sometimes missing). She flips around until she gets comfy and says, "nigh nigh". Just recently she also added fake snoring, which I'm very pleased with :)

She LOVES bath time, bubbles, outside, having the windows open, when Daryl comes home from work, puppies, birdies, dancing, friends, attention, and oh, these Gerber cheese puff type things. Literally she'll grab handfuls and try to stuff her face. She also loves her "big girl chair" from Uncle Jarod and Aunt Kadie and is often found reading there :)

While she still has barely any hair, we are so thankful that the past year she has been VERY healthy and growing strong and well (four teeth so far! so cute!). She even goes down for naps and bed time with a smile and a kiss most nights - yay! What a gift of grace that we don't deserve! We give God all the praise!

As far as Daryl and I, we are doing great although he has been swamped with work this semester which is sad for all of us. On a happier note, I am "retiring" May 23rd to enjoy the whole summer at home before baby dos! I can't wait to be a stay at home mom. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! Praise God!!!

This past month we celebrated many things - my brother's birthday....

my mom and Daryl's birthday...

(here is my pappap with a wig on - YES, A WIG - trying to get Anna to like him. Would you believe he is the ONLY person she has not yet warmed up to???)

Our anniversary and of course St. Patrick's Day.
We also celebrated Naomi's birth :), Janine dropping in to town for a while from Africa and seeing the Coburn's...
So the girls weren't much for pictures...

We would also like to give a HUGE thank you to our parents for often watching Anna, including overnight twice last month, and Tara for watching her one evening free of charge. We really love and appreciate you guys, and so does Anna :)

Sorry so long.

Our little animal :)

Here's Anna early this morning, sharing her vast wealth of knowledge :) haha.




Now she gets serious...

Public Blog - EDIT

I forgot to put the address of it....http://livingchara.blogspot.com/

Sorry about that...

************************

So...I finally got around to making my public blog and I hope to update that one bi-weekly, but unfortunately not with pictures or videos of Anna. For those, you'll have to come here occasionally (although I don't update here very often - sorry) or join facebook :) Haha.

Mimicking...

She is so fun! Crawling when she has to, but she mostly likes to "cruise." She is a babbler and a big time laugh-er :) God couldn't have given us a better gift in Anna Grace.

Happy Birthday, Diana!

Dear Diana,

We hope you have a wonderful birthday! We are thinking about you and wish we were celebrating with you! But for now, these videos will have to do and hopefully express how much we love you ...



And for some more personal videos...

sleep troubles

So...since Anna turned 6 months (about then) we have begun to have sleep issues with Anna. It began with the emergence of her first tooth, which was followed by her first cold, which was followed by a busy Thanksgiving, and has since then remained crappy. I believe she grew accustomed to me going and comforting her and there were many times I should have probably let her cry more.

I often feel like I am unsure of the cause though, and other times, knowing that Daryl could use the sleep to teach well in the morning has motivated me to just go and stop the crying.

Now Daryl is on a break from teaching, although he is working from home so last night we decided to try and let her CIO. After 50 minutes, I caved. She was immediately thrilled to see me, just wanted to latch on for a second, and then went to sleep. She woke up two other times in the night.

I feel completely defeated. We're going to try again - only this time with the aide of a video monitor and hopefully it will work - but I am open for advice, suggestions, and encouragement. I feel like we are back at square one only worse! It is affecting her naps, affecting her mood, affecting my mood, my productivity, and my ability to love and enjoy my family. Not to mention I'm afraid if I'm not consistent now, we're just setting ground for more rebellion later.

I know in my head that God's grace is sufficient, but I'm having a hard time, so I would love some ideas and encouragement and even your prayers :) I think I'll be calling the pediatrician in the morning to get some advice from him as well, and make sure there aren't any other problems with Anna.

Thanks!

Our Classy Christmas Card

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dancing

Sorry for the lack of words, but these videos basically say it all...







I love it!

Home videos

Here are some videos of Anna and I hanging out today! She is so much fun! Enjoy!



Anna and I just talking to the camera...

Loving Anna

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Titus 2, verses 1-10. These verses are some of my favorites because I love having clarity about what I'm supposed to be doing, and they offer that clarity.

The verse that is burning in my heart and on my mind today is verse 4 where I am reminded to LOVE my husband and child. The book Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney expounds on the word love in that verse by saying,

"The form of the Greek in which the New Testament was written employs at least five words to distinguish various kinds of love. The word for love used in Titus 2:4 is phileo. The word describes the love between very close friends. It is a tender, affectionate, passionate kind of love. It emphasizes enjoyment and respect in a relationship" (32).

I am not supposed to just love Anna by feeding her, changing her diaper, making sure she is warm, and just in general senses be her mother, I am supposed to ENJOY her! Just being around her should be a sheer delight to me!

I confess there are times when I would love a break to read a book or have a day to sleep in, but God has been exceedingly gracious to provide me with wisdom that I am to enjoy and delight in her and He has fulfilled His promise to give ME joy when I do so. Daryl often comments that he hears Anna and I laughing together downstairs while he is working and that it brings him joy, too!

My prayer is that I will seize every opportunity I have to love Anna well. I won't always have such a sweet little bundle calling for me when she's sick in the night, or needing me to wash beneath her arms, or button up her coat. One day, Lord willing, as we grow older there will be no more diapers to change of hers or sleepers to wash; no more drool spots to mop up or toys to reshelve. So for now I will do my best to rely on the Spirit to fill me with joy in doing those things because the house will soon enough be clean and quiet and she will have her own home.

Bottom line - if you have kids, enjoy them. Delight in them. And in doing so fulfill Titus 2 and adorn the gospel of grace by which you have been saved and showcase the love and joy of our magnificent Father to the rest of the world.

Here's some of Anna's "I-know-I'm-being-enjoyed-and-I-love-it" faces :)

Keeping Busy

I remember a few weeks ago as I was talking on the phone while unloading the dishwasher while waiting for my spaghetti sauce to simmer that thinking in my head, "I am always busy."

At first I thought, "I must need to cut something out." Very quickly though the passage from Titus 2 came to mind (most likely via the Holy Spirit), "3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

It was like the lightbulb finally came on in my head! I AM supposed to be busy! The issue is not whether or not I use my time, but how I use it!

1 Timothy 5 and in 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul encourages us to be busy because if not, we become idle, and when we become idle, we often become busy-bodies, gossiping and slandering. He encourages those people to get on the stick! Start working, start managing your homes, etc. He also says that when we become idle, busy-body-ing gossips (haha) we "have given the enemy opportunity for slander" (1 Timothy 5:14) and that some women even end up following Satan (1 Timothy 5:15) which correlates with 2 Timothy 2:16 which says that we should "avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."

Wow! It says when we don't stay busy, we can easily become gossips and basically join up forces with Satan. Who wants to do that?!

My friend (okay so he doesn't know me, but Daryl and I watch/listen to some of his stuff) Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church says it like this, "A woman who is a gossip and a busy body is working for Satan...You have a husband, you have kids, you have a home, you have things to do. Stay busy."

Now I know that being married isn't always God's plan for everyone or for all seasons. I believe that a woman's time of singleness (however long God ordains it) can be EXTREMELY awesome and an excellent time of service for the Kingdom of God (and Paul even talks about that in Corinthians). I also believe that having meaningful friendships and finding appropriate rest and leisure are good (other verses on this as well).

But my point is that all of us ladies need to be careful to stay busy - either serving, volunteering, cleaning our kitchens, changing diapers, etc, because the lure of Satan to keep us from adorning the gospel is huge otherwise. Let's quit complaining or being so scared of being busy about the things we're supposed to be busy about! Let's just get busy being busy about the right things!

For those of you who love pictures, here are some pictures of Anna and I, staying busy...well...mostly busy :)

learning about boys

carving her first pumpkin

family portrait

The Blaney clan and their pumpkins :)

learning to enjoy all sorts of cuisine...


resting and leisuring :)