sighs of relief

Michael & Dad are working on the last steps necessary before our siding project "officially" starts. This means a lot of things - more shelving in the garage means more boxes out of the house and Evan's room can finally begin to come together. (He wasn't due until Monday, remember...NOT that I am complaining AT ALL!!) I'm so thankful for God's provision that will allow us to get our siding on our house. I'm also very excited to see the finished product.

And the neighbors rejoice greatly.

We've been "that house" for about two years now, so it will be almost as exciting for them as it is for us to see the siding go up on the house. After siding comes the interior trim and then begins the process of refinancing our former hunk of junk. This process is far from being over, but we can see the other end of the tunnel. And the view is great from there. We are so thankful God has allowed us to make baby steps to build equity and be responsible with what He has given us stewardship of. We are a little bit ahead of our five year plan, so this is pretty exciting to us!!

God also saw fit to have our neighbor donate some shasta daisies that he was digging out of his yard, so come next summer we'll have a pretty house with pretty flowers growing in front. It seems like a little thing, but these are the little things that make me smile.

Oh, yeah. And Evan slept 6 hours straight on Thursday night. But not last night. Ah, well. I enjoyed those six hours, for sure.

prayer

I don't know about you, but when I get focused on me and my world, I tend to get a little discouraged. Or grumpy. One of the best ways to get out of the funk is to focus on and pray for others and their needs. Be sure to check out Richelle's post for a concerted opportunity to love others through prayer.

daddy's home and all's well with the world

life in a haze, a daze

Life is going pretty well, the adjustment is coming along. Aaron's sleep has become erratic, perhaps as a side effect of teething, or a little brother. Hopefully the former. He's up at the crack of dawn or slightly before. Evan's still too little to be expected to sleep through the night, although we are hoping for the time to be soon. 3-4 hour stretches are fine, but it sure was easier the first time around when I could nap at will. LOL. I told Michael I'm hoping it is like getting used to going back to school after summer break and sleeping in. Hopefully I'll get used to it. I'm willing my body and brain to push through!! And when I do get a chance to nap, I'm sure to turn off the phone ringer. For me. It doesn't wake my kids.

So all you moms, help me out here. Aside from caffeine and naps, how on earth do you get enough sleep to NOT snap at people who suffer from what appears to be chronic stupidity*?

Any of you have sleep maximizing tips???

*I realize it is my perspective that brings me to this conclusion, and that my attitude is my choice. This is why I need help. Praise the LORD for the Holy Spirit!!!

he's been decaffeinated.

On Monday, toward the end of Aaron's nap, I poured myself a cup of decaf and sat down to nurse Evan. I finished my coffee with about an inch to spare in the cup - more often than not, my coffee gets too cold for me to enjoy it all the way to the end. Unless I'm drinking it with a friend and we are only chatting and drinking, but that hasn't happened in awhile.

So then Aaron got up and I went to the office to look up a phone number and before I knew it, here is Aaron standing next to me with my pink tulip coffee mug in his hands and a big grin on his face. Here is the exchange:

Mommy: "Hey buddy, whatcha got there?"
Aaron: "YUMMY!"
M: "Did you try it?"
A: "Yeah."
M: "And you think it's yummy?"
A: "Yeah. More?"

Thankfully, his non-coffee-drinking father wasn't anything but humored when I related that story. And also thankfully, he can't have gotten more than a little sip. There was still about an inch left in the cup as I retrieved it.

Cutting Back

Over the past week, my blog reader has notified me of over 300 blog posts that I "need" to read. I cut my subscriptions by half, and still have quite a few to read. I have problems letting go.

Yesterday was great, thank you all for your prayers! I actually got a whole hour's worth of napping in. That is a luxury around here and at any house with a toddler, I am sure. I'm desperately trying not to overdo it, but as you know it is awfully hard. I'm praising the Lord for friends who are bringing meals over this week. What a blessing!!

Aaron decided this would be a good week to cut some two-year-old molars, so today is going to be the first time we venture out of the house as we need to go on a Motrin run. I'm sure someday I'll look back and laugh...

What adventures does this week have in store for you?

Works of God Monday

Today is the big day. Today I begin life caring for multiple children on my own. Today is the first day I am outnumbered.

I know that some of you are chuckling, having successfully transitioned through this phase. I know some of you are feeling empathy for me (bless you) and some of you are laughing at me flat out with your "wait 'til you have more kids than hands" thoughts and your memories of "just" two. But I hold my head high, confident of God's grace which is given in perfect measure for what we need and just ask you to pray that today and this week and the rest of my life goes smoothly...

Here is a work of God - Evan only woke up once for a feeding last night. I am so thankful for a good night's rest to begin this week of transition!! Also, I'm feeling pretty good - it took a full four months for me to feel this great after Aaron's delivery via c-section, so I'm thrilled with what a week plus a weekend has done for me. A little more of recovery to go, but God is allowing me to recover quite rapidly!!

It is YOUR turn to share! First, blog about how God has been at work in your life this past week - it can be a physical provision, a spiritual lesson learned, an opportunity to share with others, anything that was an evidence of God at work in you. Then, follow these directions:

In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, paste the link from your specific "Works of God Monday" post. PLEASE make sure the link is to a specific post on your blog that is a personal testimony of how God has been at work in your life in the past week. Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like. Just right click the image and choose "save image as" then upload it into your post. Please contact me if you have any questions, and spread the word to your blogging friends!

If you don't have a blog, please feel free to leave your works of God testimony in the comment section!!

our little Olympian

Michael has a black dense foam wedge he uses to work on his back, and the other night, Aaron decided to use it as a starting block, all on his own. He was saying "Ready, Set, GO!" and taking off across the living room.

We haven't really watched that much of this year's Olympic Games, but apparently the starting blocks made a big impact. And so did the swim events. Aaron now loves to "swim" in the bathtub. He's the most hilarious two year old at our house, for sure! I also need to mention that he gets the gold medal for "best big brother"

And the big brother response is...

Here is a video, a small taste of what Aaron thinks of Evan. It's so fun.

the rest of the story

For all who are wondering...here are the details.

Thursday, we stayed up late, getting ready for our garage sale. I talked to Andrea for awhile and she said something to the effect of "you're not overdoing it are you?" and I responded something like, "What's the worst that can happen? I can have the baby?" Little did I know.

Friday morning we were up around 6:30 or so and I was having some pretty serious low back pain, which I thought was probably due to the fact that I'd been on my feet the majority of Thursday and had been doing a little more than I should have been. By 7:15 I was noticing that the pain seemed to come in strange rhythmic waves, and that these waves were about 3 minutes apart or so. Hmm.

I called Kelly, our midwife, around 7:30 and left a message. She called back awhile later and said she was coming into town and she'd stop by our house around 11. At this point, I thought it would probably be a long day and wasn't sure if labor would continue or stop altogether, and I didn't want to get my hopes up.

I spent the morning alternating between hanging out at the sale and hanging out in the house, but by 11 I was definitely looking forward to seeing Kelly. She got there and sat with me through a couple contractions, then checked and I was dilated to about 3, which made me very happy - this was progress! It was nice to know that the pains were definitely contractions.

Kelly had been planning to take her kids to the county fair, but she said she'd be more than happy to stay if I needed her to. I said for her to go ahead and get her kids settled at the fair, and that we would call her and keep her updated. She left our house about 12:30 or so.

About a half an hour later, I was feeling pretty grumpy about the contractions and asked Michael if he could call Kelly back and just let her know that as soon as she had her kids settled, I would really like her to come back. I thought it would still be quite awhile until I needed her, but I did want her there for reassurance. Back labor feels quite a bit different than the Pitocin-led labor I had with Aaron.

By this time, I was really having to concentrate to relax through the contractions, and as I did that, I was feeling my body start to work towards pushing the baby out. I was a little freaked out about that feeling, not knowing if it was normal, especially since the last time I'd been checked I was only dilated to a 3, so Michael called Kelly again to ask. Kelly told us her friend who was supposed to meet her there to watch out for her kids was going to be late, and she would come as soon as possible.

She arrived around 2, and when she saw me, started sterilizing her tools and getting things out right away. I was dilated to 8 or 9 and was in transition. I had hoped so, because I had just been thinking that if this wasn't transition, I was going to have a really hard time with transition.

A short while later, my water broke, and 2 or 3 contractions later, Evan was out! It all happened so quickly - I was holding this baby in my arms and sitting on a birth stool in my very own bathroom. I cannot describe what I was feeling - and I've been trying for the last couple days to come up with a way to share all that was in my heart. I was completely overwhelmed. And I still am.

Kelly referred to the baby as "she" and Michael and I said almost simultaneously "Is it a girl?" (we had been convinced the entire pregnancy that we were having a girl) Kelly said, "I don't know why I said that, I didn't see!" We were all shocked and very happy to see that we had another boy! Michael mentioned that we would have to pick either Simon or Evan and all I could think about what the names meant. I told him I'd really like to go with Evan -"God is gracious" because I was consumed with that thought at that moment.

We had prayed so often during this pregnancy that God would give wisdom, and that He would make His will very clear to us. We both hoped for a VBAC, and prayed to that end, but we really did not know what God had in store for us and wanted to be at a point where no matter what happened, we did what God wanted us to do and embraced the outcome. The more I researched our options and the safety of those options, the more we felt drawn to home birth. But we did not want to be stupid about our decision and just do something because it was what we wanted.

Therefore, we hadn't really decided, decided to go with a home birth. In fact, if you told me several years ago that I'd be giving birth at home I probably would have laughed out loud. I used to think people who did home births were wackos. Or part of some odd sect. Or did it just to save money.

Well, wacko we can be, but we're not part of an odd sect who encourages home birth, and it definitely did NOT save us any money. A hospital birth would have been one hundred percent free. But our experience at home was worth every penny we'll be paying the midwife!

On Friday, there was no thought about calling the OB, no feeling that something might go wrong, no wondering what we should do. We just knew.

I really expected to feel triumphant, as if I had defeated the c-section monster in one fell blow. But I didn't. What I feel is far better. I am so blessed, so amazed, so humbled to see that GOD accomplished this birth. Throughout labor, He allowed my body to do what it was created to do in a normal, natural progression. He allowed things to go smoothly, He gave us this wonderful birth experience. I feel overwhelmed and unworthy of this blessing, and I praise the Lord for allowing us to see Him at work in this incredible, amazing way.

I also feel overwhelmed knowing that all of you were praying for us, too. Thank you, thank you, thank you, friends and family! I'm so glad you get to share in the joy of watching God working!! Oh, and if you'd like to see more photos, you can look here.

Works of God Monday

Later this week I will be posting more details of our birth story, which Definitely a Work of God that took place this last week, but here are a few more - I'm thankful that my parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary (they have the cutest pictures posted) and also thankful for my wonderful husband, who is taking great care of all of us here at our house.

What has God been doing this week in your life?? Share it!!

First, blog about how God has been at work in your life this past week - it can be a physical provision, a spiritual lesson learned, an opportunity to share with others, anything that was an evidence of God at work in you. Then, follow these directions:

In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, paste the link from your specific "Works of God Monday" post. PLEASE make sure the link is to a specific post on your blog that is a personal testimony of how God has been at work in your life in the past week. Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like. Just right click the image and choose "save image as" then upload it into your post. Please contact me if you have any questions, and spread the word to your blogging friends!

If you don't have a blog, please feel free to leave your works of God testimony in the comment section!!

Garage Sale a Huge Success!

So, doesn't every family need a great birth story? Here's ours.

1. Crazy pregnant lady trying to get everything done before the baby arrives (hurry, hurry, we only have two weeks!) decides to conduct a garage sale.

2. Crazy pregnant lady decides to invite backup (mom & dad) mostly for childcare purposes.

3. The morning of the garage sale, crazy pregnant lady has contractions and calls the midwife.

4. Crazy pregnant lady labors while shoppers overtake the front yard to find themselves a great deal.

5. GOD's GRACE and MERCY abound, blessings are heaped on us that are too numerous to mention, and Evan Gilead Muth is BORN at 3:07pm at home, where all is well and tears of joy continue to flow. We are so humbled and blessed that God has chosen to grant the desire of our hearts for a wonderful VBAC at home!!!

More details will follow, but I thought, you know, that you would want at least part of the story. The funny part, of course.

read this.

Lately I've been enjoying the hilarious and insightful words of Jenni, mom of 12, over at One Thing. Today, she posted this letter, written by her eldest daughter to the first grandbaby, yet to be born. It made me cry. And maybe just because I am pregnant, but still.

I'm having a garage sale, starting tomorrow. I guess my emotions aren't the only thing that went haywire due to pregnancy. My good judgment apparently went out the window too. I'm glad I will have mom & dad's help, but there is still lots to do to get ready. Maybe this is part of nesting? *hopeful upward voice inflection* A much needed teeth-cleaning is also on the docket for today. I won't say how long it's been...I know Kara is reading.

A happy Thursday to you!

37 weeks

Today's OB visit included an ultrasound, to check on the size of the baby. It sure beats a glucose test any day. He/she is measuring right around 7 lbs, in the 57th percentile. (Aaron was 8bs 3oz at birth) The ultrasound tech at our office is so nice, and today she said, "You can't get much more average than that!" I got to bring home these great shots of our little one's profile and face and I looked away at the "appropriate" times. We like our surprises around here, that is for sure.

Just look at those chubby little cheeks.

I also found out some great news about a very large and unexpected bill that we'd received a couple of months ago and have been waiting to hear the resolution. It was very VERY good news - we will only be responsible for 25% of the total bill. Jehovah Jireh, God PROVIDES!

like, totally hip

Well at 37 plus weeks pregnant (and counting!) I can officially say that I've said goodbye to my "tiny" baby belly. Thankfully I'm still holding steady as far as a gradual weight gain goes and am praising the Lord that swelling has been kept to a minimum. I can still wear my shoes this time around.

However.

Yesterday and today have been a completely new lesson in trusting God at all times. My left hip has been painful beyond belief, and despite two trips to the chiropractor, I still look rather like a crippled goose when I walk. A crippled goose who leans slightly right.

After alternating heat & ice today, and with the help of my wonderful WONDERFUL parents, I made it. Tonight, I've had a little relief. I'm hoping that tomorrow brings a loosy goosy attitude to my rebellious hip.

And, that, you know, the toddler is not of a mind to go running down the street like a wild little man. Because I couldn't catch him. I wonder if he suspects...

Maybe we'll stay inside tomorrow.

Works of God Monday

This weekend was interesting. God was definitely at work, and we had some high points and low points. At least, from our perspective! Aaron caught a yucky case of the sniffles this week, and has been feeling pretty miserable. I caught it from him and we are both still recovering. However, I was able to spend time getting my brain on track and remembering that while it might not be fun to have a sick toddler, my calling as his mommy is a very important one. More important than a lot of things I was planning to do this week. I praise the Lord for His conviction and for helping me re-prioritize.

I found one of these brand new on Eb*y, and was hours away from winning the deal of a lifetime, and then the listing was pulled. By Eb*y. So God clearly led in that regard, as I had prayed he would when I posted my bid.

Michael and dad were able to get something spectacular accomplished this weekend. I cannot EVEN begin to tell you how thrilled I am about this particular goodie. They got the shelving portion of the garage storage unit done. AND they got our new back door installed, hallelujah!!

Most of this is in preparation for our new siding, as it's rather difficult to side over architectural "wonders" like the doors and outdoor storage we had before. But it's also a necessary part of adding another person to our family and reducing the clutter inside our home. Did I say clutter? I've been trying to look at it as "creative use of space." Hmm. Something must have come over me.

Anyway, this is custom storage shelving made for me and for my bins of clothing and boxes of books. Michael figured out that we can store 28 big bins plus miscellaneous. Thankfully I do not have 28 bins, but it's always great to have room for the inevitable expansion of things. I have been trying to post photos on Facebook, but here are a few before & (kinda) after photos for you to get a general idea of what is going on here. I will be sure to keep you updated as the project moves along.







So now it's your turn!! First, blog about how God has been at work in your life this past week - it can be a physical provision, a spiritual lesson learned, an opportunity to share with others, anything that was an evidence of God at work in you. Then, follow these directions:

In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, paste the link from your specific "Works of God Monday" post. PLEASE make sure the link is to a specific post on your blog that is a personal testimony of how God has been at work in your life in the past week. Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like. Just right click the image and choose "save image as" then upload it into your post. Please contact me if you have any questions, and spread the word to your blogging friends!

If you don't have a blog, please feel free to leave your works of God testimony in the comment section!!

seriously

How long has it been since you were this happy?

This is Aaron, enjoying one of his favorite games, "Daddy, pretend you're not going to, but then throw me on the bed."

Somehow, I think you have to be approximately 34 inches tall to really enjoy this. Much taller, and you just start wondering how many visits to the chiropractor it will take to correct the damage.

But isn't that face priceless?

and the winner is....

SHANNON SMITH! Congratulations, you have won the Birthday Celebration Goody Bag! (I've sent her an email to let her know the happy news.)

Thank you all so much for leaving your comments and for helping to make my birthday very, very happy. I am so blessed.

I hope all of you have an enjoyable weekend - "we" are going to be doing further work on our siding and garage storage project. What this really means is that dad & Michael will be doing some more work on the project and I'm going to be rooting for them from the sidelines. I'm so excited.

I do have to say, I find it "interesting" that God has worked it out for me to be pregnant and big or recovering from something major every time we have a big house project. Hmmm...

And I'm not going to say it again.

If you would like to win my birthday goody bag, or just be really nice and let me know you're reading, don't forget to leave a comment here! Tomorrow morning, I'm posting the winner!!

Also, funny story for your Friday:

Michael & I recently dropped off a prescription to be filled and wanted to check to make sure our insurance copay would not be through the roof BEFORE we filled it. The girl said, "Hang on let me check with the supervisor" and came back about 2 seconds later and said, "It will be at least 33 dollars, but we won't know the total until we compound it." I said, "Um, could you give me a rough estimate of the top amount it could be?" So she went back to check, and when she returned said, "well, without insurance, the amount would be 34 dollars, so..."

We could not stop laughing. (boy are we glad we have insurance so we could save that extra dollar! Ha ha ha)

soaking up silence

In the early morning, I am sometimes able to sit, read, and enjoy a little silence. I wonder if I can stock up? I'm pretty sure my life is about to take a much more noisy course!

I have never been what anyone would call a "cheerful morning person" but as I grow older I have at least begun to recognize the value of rising early. There is something so peaceful about waking up to a quiet house in the cool of the morning.

Collecting my thoughts and centering my focus on the Lord is so much easier in the silence. Deciding on a plan of action for the day is much less of a daunting task when I am not distracted by the noisy play of a delightfully busy toddler or the swush-swush of a running dishwasher. Bottom line is, I'm getting more done on the days I wake up early.

Especially lately, I've been staying in bed a little longer to try to stock up on those precious minutes of sleep. But most days, I end up wishing I'd fought the exhaustion and just gotten up. It's better to get up, get dressed, and soak in the moments of silence before the rush of the day overwhelms my senses.

Is silent time alone important to your day? When do you make time to be still? I'm especially interested to hear!

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post - just two more days!!

We've got a Live Wire!

Last night I was surprised by a solid hour and a half of baby movement. I hadn't eaten anything funky or full of sugar, so I was definitely taken off guard. This movement was pretty intense, putting a L.O.T. of pressure that I would normally say only would be felt in labor. It honestly felt like the baby was trying to swim out of my body. Interesting. So at 11:15 (after about 45 minutes of this) I called my midwife who talked me through things and offered to come over. Neither of us were sure that there were not actual contractions involved. We prayed together over the phone, then I laid down and tried to sleep. It was an interesting night of restless "sleep."

She's making a house call this morning. Can I just say, it's great to have a midwife? Who makes house calls? And now I will go sit on the couch with a large glass of pregnancy support tea and put my feet up while Aaron watches PBS. Sometimes, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and not feel guilty about excess TV.

Isn't that stuff funded by the US Department of Education? *laughing my head off*

I won!

I had some great news over the weekend - I won a couple of the Bloggy Carnival giveaways! This one (wowsa!) and this one (package #1). How fun. And funny. I think I'll wait to try out one particular item until a little later on...pretty sure they don't make these for pregnant ladies. HA! It's always fun to win...

Which reminds me - have you commented yet for a chance to win a fun goody bag in honor of my birthday? Especially those of you who are lurking in the shadows. Come out and let me know you're reading (even if you DON'T want to win the goody bag!) It's fun, and the bloggy water is fine!

Works of God Monday

My Works of God Monday is the great weekend we had. (Among other things that I don't have time to share if I want to get anything else done!!)

Now it's your turn!! First, blog about how God has been at work in your life this past week - it can be a physical provision, a spiritual lesson learned, an opportunity to share with others, anything that was an evidence of God at work in you. Then, follow these directions:

In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, paste the link from your specific "Works of God Monday" post. PLEASE make sure the link is to a specific post on your blog that is a personal testimony of how God has been at work in your life in the past week. Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like. Just right click the image and choose "save image as" then upload it into your post. Please contact me if you have any questions, and spread the word to your blogging friends!

If you don't have a blog, please feel free to leave your works of God testimony in the comment section!!

Great Fun

We had a really wonderful weekend, made better of course by all of you and your sweet birthday wishes and memories. Don't forget, you can comment on my birthday post all through this week for a chance to win some goodies! And grab some cake, please. There's still a lot left over.

Friday afternoon, we got together with a few family members for cake & ice cream and a rousing impromptu game of "hit the balloons" for Aaron's 2nd birthday. Photos are here, but you'll have to look around for them a little. When we showed Aaron his cake, he said "FORK!" not exactly what we thought he would say, but hilarious, nonetheless.

Saturday morning, our little family went out to breakfast which is always nice, and Aaron was thrilled. He got to eat pancakes. He could barely contain his excitement as we prayed. Then we drove around in search of some garage sales, and found a couple with some minor good deals. I was pretty excited to find a 2 cup Pampered Chef measuring cup.

Michael got me a Michael Buble CD (we can talk about this later, but he's one of my favorites for "fun" music) and Michael (mine) told me he'd picked that particular CD because it had a song that reminds him of me. He's so sweet. I'm like totally, madly in love with my husband.

Around noon my parents picked us up and we went to Mio (about 1 1/2 hours away) for a wedding. It was beautiful and God honoring and we are thrilled for our friends. Aaron was a happy little trooper despite no nap! Yay!! (Oh, and you'll never guess, but they made this gigantic coconut cake just for me. OK, I pretended. But the wedding cake was coconut, and it was to DIE for! YUM!)

My birthday also happens to be the anniversary of our engagement, which is a pretty great story that I'll have to tell sometime. On our way back from the wedding, Mom & Dad took us to the restaurant we'd eaten at 5 years ago on the night we were engaged. Yummy Chinese food!!

We ended the day at home, relaxing and watching a little TV. I also got to visit my favorite local ice cream shop (which is entirely too close to our house!!) There's nothing like ending the day with some delicious ice cream!!!

Thanks, again, everyone, for helping to make my 29th birthday one to remember!

Big, Gigantic, Humongous Praise!

Today we had yet another visit with our OB. Just as a reminder, he is a believer and has been really great about working with me and all my little quirky requests (no comments, please!) ;-) We are confident that he wants us to honor God in our birth, which as you can imagine is huge.

We have felt for some time that we needed to be open with him and let him know about our doubts and concerns with hospital birth, and our split decision on the matter, just because we ARE all believers and we want to maintain a God honoring testimony.

So today, Michael came with me to the appointment and we let him know that we are seeking God's will for the birth, and just wanted to let him know that in our minds, home birth is an option. Here's the amazing part: He did not even flinch. He made sure by asking some questions that we were not pursuing this as an option solely because it is what we want but that we are seeking to know the mind of God on the matter. He also reminded us to find a competent lay midwife and to be smart during the delivery if that is what we choose to do.

Then he said he's happy to pray with us that God would give peace and make it clear what we are to do. He will continue to see me through the end of the pregnancy, and assured me that what he wants is for God to be honored, for me to be okay and for baby to be okay.

And then, we prayed together in the office. I am so blessed to have two fantastic options for this birth, and I am confident that God will lead us! Anybody wanna join me in the happy hallelujah dance???

It's my Birthday!

WELCOME to the party!! Sorry about the slightly lame-o cake. It's what you get when I have to make my own. I'm sure it will be delicious, though. Let's pretend it's a divine fudgey wonder with mocha ganache, so rich you can only stand to eat a tiny little sliver. That way there will be plenty to go around!

This year for my birthday I'd like to do something unique. I am asking for a "gift" from all of you - I know there are a bunch of you out there who read and do not comment. Would you indulge me on my birthday and leave a little message for me, just so I know you are reading? It's really easy - just comment as "other" or "anonymous" and be sure to include your name. It will be such fun for me! If you are a regular commenting reader, well, you are going to want to comment, too!

Because what birthday would be complete without a goody bag? I wish I had enough for all the guests, but alas, I do not. So I will hold a drawing.

In order to win this giveaway, you have to be in the U.S. or Canada (sorry, my overseas missionary friends) and you should let me know what YOUR favorite birthday treat is when you comment (you know, to let me know that you are here, and you are wishing you were eating cake and chatting in person.) If you don't have a favorite birthday treat, then tell me what your favorite birthday memory is. I will randomly select from all the qualifying comments and send the winner a happy birthday goody bag!!

Here's what the goody bag includes:

- an all-natural chapstick, made by my friend Ashley, who still doesn't sell her stuff online. (Boo hoo for all of you - this stuff is awesome!) The one I'm giving away is Orange - but it is not sweet at all, just flavored with essential oils.
- some loose leaf herbal tea. You can choose from Red Raspberry Leaf, Mint (Spearmint, Peppermint, or a blend), or Pregnancy Support Tea. I got a bunch of herbs from Frontier earlier this summer and have been dying to share!
- MY favorite birthday treat, ICE CREAM! I can't mail it to you, obviously, but I can send a $5 gift card to either Coldstone or Baskin Robbins. And if you don't have either one in your area, I will work out details with you and send a different card.
- and a SURPRISE! because I love surprises. That's all.

So, comment away! I'll draw a name next Saturday. Please be sure I know how to contact you in the event that you win.

And now, let's get this party started!!! It's time to do the LIMBO!!! Yeah, right. that would be reeeeeeallly cute at 35 and a half weeks of pregnancy, now wouldn't it. How 'bout you take a nice little sliver of cake, put your feet up, and take a great big deep breath. In honor of my birthday. Oh, and check out these "fun" photos of my childhood... these, too.

Birthday Weekend!

A very happy birthday has already begun for Aaron, the two year old. How does time fly so quickly?!

Here is what was happening two years ago. Boy am I glad this is not what my day holds today!

Instead, I'll be decorating the first "real" birthday cake and we will be having a family day. Hurray for Michael working a couple hours this morning and celebrating all weekend long!

And, tomorrow is my birthday - don't forget to come back for a bloggy birthday celebration!