Too far to look back

My "other" little man

2012-01-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

Most of you know I have two of the sweetest boys out there. They are my world and there isn't a day that goes by that I THANK GOD for them and then PRAY I raise them right....

BUT, there is another little boy out that that steals my heart. And his name is TRISTAN FOX.

Tristan is my sister, Beka's little boy. He's 6 months older than my Easton. And here is my story...

After I had my miscarriage, I wanted so badly to be pregnant again. I lost that baby in September, and in the following months I was getting depressed. I was praying and begging God for a baby. During that time in prayer, God told my mother (yep...not me...my mom) that I would have a baby--IN HIS TIME. So while I was praying asking God to let me know when I was going to have a baby God told me this: Beka would have a baby before me. I didn't share this with anyone--but kept it in my heart.

Around January, Beka called me one night and told me she was pregnant. No one knew but a few. She wanted me to be one of the 1st to know and I was SUPER excited for her. Someone asked me, "Did you cry when you learned that she got pregnant before you?" I responded, "NO NOT AT ALL! I was SOOO happy!" And I honestly was...because I KNEW that even though I wasn't pregnant with my own child, I would LOVE her baby (boy or girl) like my own.

When Tristan was born, I have NEVER felt such love for any baby in my life. The love was REAL. RAW. And full of emotion. I almost moved in with my sister and her husband to protect this baby. I didn't want to share him with anyone...because he was healing my heart.

I hate to say this, but, T wasn't the best baby. (ask Beka.) In fact, he was work. And not like your typical infant work....this baby was W.O.R.K. More so than any other baby I'd ever seen. But, I loved him and he loved me. So day after day, I'd find excuses to go visit Tristan and Beka. I'd clean their kitchen, fold their clothes, check their closets for hiding visitors. (true story)

He cried every time I sang a song to him. (when your sister sings like mine--I'd cry too if anyone else tried to sing to me) but--I could rock him to sleep and the only other person who could do that was his Mama. He was born wanting to walk, eat real food, and thought sleep was for babies. But, he was the most beautiful baby I'd seen--and was a KEEPER.

T and I were bonded...and just to seal that bond, I gave birth to his BFF cousin, Easton.

It's been a little over 2 years now. I'm busy with my own babies that it's hard to get one-on-one time with T. Plus, he and Easton love to play so I'm kind of like the 2nd fiddle in the group. I bring them snacks, press play on their movie, and help them overcome their "MINE" moments.

But--today--there was magic.

We were at church, and T didn't want to be in the nursery. I was sitting in my pew and T was sitting playing with his daddy's iphone. He looked at me while we were singing and he started talking to me. I'd wave...and he kept talking. It could of been about anything. Eva-Easton-Lincoln-Hadassah. Anything. Finally, I held up my arms to him and he came running. When I picked him up, that raw emotion came RUNNING back just like the day he was born.

I had missed him. He's my other little man--the one that I don't get to play with very much. But, for the remainder of worship he was mine. I held him in his little skinny jeans, as he watched Wall-e on the iphone. We sat and I fed him snacks (the way to get to his heart) and finally, he asked for Easton. So we headed downstairs.

Holding him, I almost cried. It had been TOO long for us to not share a moment. My little man is 2. He's talking so much and is learning words to read and count and working on being potty-trained. He's a little man now--a wonderful toddler--and as cute as can be. He loves adventure and all things pixar. He says the cutest things and makes me laugh. He loves to boss Easton and loves all things trains.

He is growing up so fast I can't believe it. We have a bond--T and I--he made me an aunt and I take that job very seriously.

I KNOW God has a BIG plan for Tristan Fox...and I'll be sitting in the wings watching it unfold.

Tristan...God has a plan for your life and I will be such a happy Aunt watching you grow into the man God has called you to be!

Tristan on Christmas Eve with his family.

Oh to be young again...

2012-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

I woke up today in a funk. Nothing major. Just blah. Lincoln didn't sleep well the past two nights so maybe it was lack of sleep. Or maybe it was me. I don't know. But, I woke up wanting to just be. And not be home.
As a mom the responsibilities are out of control. I don't care if you have 1 child---or 10. Children are work. Plain and simple. Housework is never-ending. And someone is always making a mess. Today, I just wanted me time. To do whatever. Read blogs. Drink hot tea (without having to re-heat it 3 times) or read a book without having to put it down.
So, as I was walking in the kitchen, I prayed and said, "Jesus, help my attitude because it's not pretty right now." And, then, I heard this phrase, "Let us rejoice...!" Followed by "Sing unto the Lord a new song!" And at that moment...I laughed. HARD. Aloud. And when I caught my breathe...I laughed even harder.
Now, there is nothing very funny about that phrase. In fact, it's very Holy...and Biblical. It was the memory that goes with it....

I was in JR. High. Our tiny school finally had enough boys to have a basketball team. And all of us girls decided to be cheerleaders. That sentence alone makes me laugh---and hard. But keep reading. So, as cheerleaders we decided to copy ~~steal~~ the public school cheers. So we spent most of our Friday nights at basketball games learning the cheers as the 'professional' cheerleaders cheered their hearts out.

And then, it happened. Halftime came. And not only did the cheerleaders take the court...but so did the dance team. Dancing to some hit song of the 90's. Songs that were forbidden at our Christian School.

It was then and there that our 'cheerleading' (I use that term loosely) team decided it was time to add dance to our games. (I might add we had yet to really CHEER at a game--more watching and fighting what cheers we would do and when) Keep reading...it gets better.

So, my friends went to work. They started watching TV and got us some GOOD dance moves. And I mean good. They had the whole routine down and our "team" was ready to dance.

And so, our practices began. We met at Co's Consignment Corner. The only little shop in town. Right on Main St. And we planned to dance in Co's parking lot. (it totally was ok, because Co's daughter and I were in the same grade--and she was one of the one's to make up the dance) And, so it began. 1st we learned the moves. And let me tell you...we thought we were SO cool. Those moves were awesome. After all, I'm sure they got them from M-TV or Mickey Mouse Club or somewhere cool. We worked so hard. Most of the days at school were spend seeing who could go where---- and spend the night with whom so we could practice after school. Outside. In the parking lot---- say...4pm until supper or when parents called Co's to send us home. I think we even planned some Saturday practices just in case people couldn't come during the weekday.

My mind gets a little fuzzy here. Was it: Angie? Sara? Or Christina, I can't remember, but someone came up with the BEST song ever for us to dance to...at halftime. At our boys' basketball game. You ready?

SANDI PATTI.

THE ONE AND ONLY! She was our favorite so it was a must! And THIS song was our halftime song.

The end of the story is sad. We never performed that halftime show. (Well, maybe not sad NOW, but at the time it was sad) and today I was thinking...at that moment in 9th grade (or whatever grade I was in) the most important thing in my life and in my friends' lives was that dance. I'm sure it was only a short time we wanted to make up that dance...maybe two weeks max---but it was important. And all we thought about. Our hearts were broken when ONE of our friends couldn't be there to practice. At school we were always worried about if our mom's would let us practice after school or not. Would she need me to babysit? Or clean the house?

Now, maybe I'm remembering wrong. But, I do remember it being a big deal.
So after I had a good laugh this morning, and laughed at our young ways, I thought, what do I worry about today? I'm not talking big, major things....I'm talking about small things that in 20 years you will laugh at for worrying. The "I don't know if my mom will let me go practice our dance after school because the kitchen is a mess" kind of thing. At 13, those kind of worries are the END.OF.THE.WORLD. Yet, I look back and see even last year's worries were just as childish.

So friends. Take heart. God already knows...AND...

Let us rejoice...Sing unto the Lord a new song.

(LET US REJOICE: Turn sideways. Arms up. Bring one arm down on beat 4 times.
SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG: Turn. One hand on hip. Other hand moving like spirit fingers.)
Yep. Years later...I can still dance the moves. Only in my kitchen, by myself.

...there was magic in the woods.

2012-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's 53 degrees outside. In Iowa. In January. For real people. It's as God himself is kissing his little Iowan's on the heads and saying, "Enjoy my little child!"

And we all are saying, "YES LORD!"

Today after lunch we needed to be outside. Without coats and hats and gloves and 20 inches of snow.

And I knew JUST the place to go!!

Easty was ready to go. He looked at me when I said, "Easty, we are going to the woods!"

I knew he didn't really understand WHERE we were going...but he watched.

Lincoln was in my sling and all bundled up. He didn't make ONE peep while outside. Already, he's a fan of the great outdoors. With his name being LINCOLN HUNTER he really has no choice!

Next to our house is a small patch of woods. We own it and have lived here over a year and I had not been in it. I can make all kinds of excuses. We moved in winter. I got pregnant. It was hot, muddy, and I'm afraid of skunks.

But, those things were over. (except the skunk part.) And thanks to watching Bambi 20 times in the past week I know that 'all "Flowers" sleep in the winter.'

We crossed the dried up creek and headed into the woods. The moment we stepped in the woods I saw my little boy for who he really is.

He changed, right before my eyes. He grew up a bit. As if there was magic in the woods. It brought tears to my eyes to see my little boy on an adventure. We walked. And I was asking questions and talking. Showing him things. He didn't make a sound. As if Man Code's number 1 rule in the woods is:

Thou shalt not talk.

He knew.

In his little ways he knew. There was no teaching.

It was born in him.

He explored and explored. At 1st I was the one to lead. Finding paths that were easiest for him. Most of the small trees and grass were too tall for him to get through without falling. But, he didn't cry. Or even complain. Every time he fell down (and let me tell you...those little roots and things are hard!) he just picked himself up and kept walking. Even without his usual "OH NO! I falled!"

He didn't speak. But would look around...

and explore.

And then, something changed. He went from following me to I followed him. Like he knew he's been in the woods before and he was worried I didn't know the way. I could see the look on his face. He knew he could find out house. He knew.

And at that moment I realized something. I am a Mama of 2 boys. My little boys-even as young as they are right now-need adventure. They need times to feel brave. And need times to explore. Easton needed this walk in the woods for his soul-because he in a boy. He needs to be given time to explore the woods and climb trees because that is who he is. As a mom it's my job to create adventures for him--until he is big enough for his own.

My little boy became a little man today.

A little man who knew which way to go. And have an adventure along the way.

And when I looked at him at 21 months old walking around the woods owning it I saw his daddy. Because Wil is happiest in the woods.

My little man even found a deer trail (on his own) and followed it out of the woods.

And each time he fell down he got right back up...without saying a word.

And when we came out of the woods he headed right back to the same spot we started and wanted to go again.

Ready for his next adventure.

And Linc was ready to follow!

Because, each boy needs their own adventure!

Sister Tea

2012-01-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

My sister Libby had this idea. A Sister's Tea around Christmas just for the sisters. Christmas was over and she only had a few days until she had to go back to VA. But we thought it was a good idea. So, we decided we'd have it this last Thursday at 1:00 at my house.

Only thing was Libby had to sub at school that day in the morning.

Beka was super busy with her kids.

And I was gone all morning and came home RIGHT at noon.

Seeing that I had 1 hour to get this tea party together I ignored the REST of the house. (and boy, it was bad) and focused on the table.

At 1pm Libby called me and told me she'd just woke up from a nap but was coming.

Beka called and said she couldn't stay long but was coming.

So the Sister's Tea was STILL on!

Lots of RED....:)

I refused to fret over the menu. I had 1 hr. I pulled out leftovers and since there were not very many I just used smaller bowls. For some reason smaller bowls just seems more tea party-ish.

And again...no dessert. So I found all the candy we had in the house.

And so, a tea party was forming!

Baby Sister

Big Sister

Middle Sister

And I am sorry to say there are no pics of Lib~Beks~Me. Non of us were 'picture ready' for the day. We were in sweats...and we decided to keep the pics about the decorations.

But, next Christmas we will have more decorations...and more ideas. And pics of our sisterhood.

We talked about what were were planning to do next year. How fun.

And how Wil and Zach would babysit the kids so we could REALLY enjoy the tea!

But, back to the present...it was lovely. So much fun and too quick.

I love my sisters and so glad that God gave them to me!

Being about my Father's business

2012-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

My goal was to blog more. And, then, Linc and I on Christmas Eve spilled water on my computer. And, no computer=no blogging. Here I sit with my husband's computer while he's out...and I have something on my heart for someone. I don't know who...but I know someone needs to hear/read this.

Years ago, I graduated from college and came home to teach. I was single. My town had 350 people. All of which were older retired people or young families raising kids. My high school friends had graduated, got married and moved on. I was alone.

Lots of people were SO good to me. They all loved me and wanted me to find that someone special. They tried to tell me about their brother's cousin's sister's son who lived in Alaska. Single. Good-looking and loaded. But, I wasn't in Alaska. And he wasn't coming to Iowa. I had little boys ride their bikes up to me while taking a walk and ask if I wanted to date their dad. (no joke) I had people who wanted me to sign up for online dating and find my soulmate through email. And, although one of my favorite movies of all time is 'You've got Mail' I didn't know what to do.

So I went to Jesus and asked Him to show me. I prayed. And read my Bible. I asked questions like this, "Lord, do you want me to move to Alaska or a different state?" "Do you want me to marry a man who has kids?" And "Is this your will for me to sign up for online dating?" Now, I want to stop right here and clarify that I have had friends who have done ALL of these things...and it worked for them. They are all married, and happy. None of these things are bad...I was asking for God's Will. And this is what I heard for ME.

I was reading in my Bible about Rebekah and how she still lived with her parents AT HOME. Her job each day was to go down to the well and get water. Every day. A very boring job. But much needed for the family to function. One day, she went down and met a man at the well. He was a servant and she asked if he needed water. She gave him and his camels water. He then asked if she wanted to marry his master's son. (Crazy proposal!) And she said YES. She went with him and met Isaac and they were happily married.

The part that really struck me was this: She stayed about her Father's business. She wasn't worried about life. She was doing with she was called to do at that time. Get water from the well.

God spoke and said, "Rachel Michelle Phillips--Stay about MY business. Drink from MY WELL and be filled." And so I did. For 7 years I taught at Lighthouse Academy and loved it. God had called me there and it was rewarding. I was staying about my Father's business. Doing my part for the Kingdom. Some days it was excitement. Other days it was boring. Some days it was hard. Other days it was a delight.

And what happened? God brought my husband to our church. His father's servant didn't propose...Wil did himself. But, everything just fell into place.

Now, I am married with 2 kids under 2. Somedays I question if I should be doing more. Lighthouse always needs help. The church needs workers. What should I be doing? I am reminded of the words spoken years ago. I'm to STAY about my Father's business. And right now, my two boys are my Father's business. My home is my Father's business. My marriage is my Father's business. That is what I'm called to do.

So today friends, if you are struggling with something...or you are waiting for something to happen: Take heart! Stay about your Father's business. Support your church--Sundays, Wednesdays, and when the doors are open. Focus on your marriage...your children, and your walk with God. If you are single embrace it and Stay about your Father's business. The rewards are amazing. And when the waiting comes to an end...you will find that the waiting wasn't as long as you thought.

So today: Stay about YOUR Father's business!

The bag that Faith built

2011-12-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

The year was 2008. And I was at this place. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't rainbows. In fact, it was hard. And yucky. There was pain like some may never know. And, I was crawling through it. Hardly holding on, struggling for each breath. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. And I feel that suffering all over again.

And then, God sent her. Her being my sister, Beka. She didn't even know what she was doing. We went out to eat with her husband, and while we were there she told me we were going to Wal-mart right across the street from where we were eating. She isn't a Wal-mart person. So I really didn't know what we were doing.
We walk inside and she told me her plan. Head to the baby department. Pick out a diaper bag and fill it with baby clothes for my future baby.

It was to be my Faith Bag.
Something I could hope and have faith for and look at for my future.
Sounds fun, right?
I'm not going to lie...it was hard.
I was in pain.
And, in pain I went through the motions of picking out a bag and a few outfits.
It did heal my heart a bit...
And a seed was planted.

But when I got home I hid the bag. It caused too much pain.

I couldn't put the outfits in a cute dresser drawer and get excited for the growing baby inside my tummy.
Mine was gone. Taken from me before I even knew if he was a boy or girl. Gone before I ever held her.
Gone.
And I was at a loss.

Months went by...and I didn't look at the bag. I forgot. And went through a depression. Months would come and go and I wouldn't be pregnant.
But, everyone else was having a baby.

Finally, 9 months later, I got pregnant. And you know the story....
Easton Paul was born and then, 17 months later Lincoln Hunter joined our family.

While I was pregnant with Easton, I found the bag. I'm a bag addict so when I saw it I didn't realize what it was...until I opened it. The most sorrowful joy (if there is such a thing) filled my soul. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. In this bag held 2 tiny newborn outfits.
Both of them for winter.
And here I was, pregnant with a little one who would need newborn winter outfits.

And, even more perfect, they were for a boy.
A sweet little boy.

Easton around 1 month wearing the faith outfit.

When I finally put him in the outfit I laughed and realized...it wasn't my favorite outfit, nor even my style to dress my baby in, but it healed my heart. And everytime Easton wore it, I was reminded of the sorrow I went though, and the joy that came after.

That seed was growing...

And then, Lincoln came.

Lincoln around 2 weeks wearing the faith outfit.

And the JOY that filled my soul the ONE time he wore it (10lbs baby, you don't wear newborn!)
In the last few weeks, I've been thinking about that outfit. I honestly don't even know where the other one went, or which one it even is. But, I'll never forget the BEEP BEEP little dog with a car outfit, that brought comfort to my soul and still does.
This little outfit will be a keepsake and everyone who asks, "Why did you keep this outfit?" I'll share how God worked in my heart and at my lowest point, God used a little outfit to build faith.
From the 1st time I picked that outfit a healing process began. Trust me, it wasn't a pretty healing process. At that moment there was so much pain. So much pain, I couldn't enjoy the bag of goodies my sister bought.

But, slowly, ever so slowly, that little seed of faith was growing. I didn't realize it. In fact, sometimes I thought my faith was smashed to bits each time I realized I wasn't pregnant.

But, faith has a way of staying hidden, and quiet, it shows itself at times, and hides when you think it's lost.

With Easton, faith was growing still. I still had fears, and sorrow. But, my faith was stronger.

Then, when I saw my 10lb baby wear it, something in my heart screamed, "I'm FREE!" Faith was in full force. My little seed had grown. It was a solid Oak. With strong roots. Deep roots.

Will trials come? Yep. Do I want them do? No. They are not fun.
But, I know MY God lives.
And, He works when you don't think He's working.
He's putting tiny, tiny, TINY little seeds of faith in your life.

You can trust Him.

So, even in your sorrow, go out and buy yourself a bag...and fill it full of Faith.
Years later, your heart will SING!

Great is His Faithfulness!

Lincoln Hunter's Birth Story

2011-11-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

So I don't forget my 2nd son's birth....

Lincoln's birth story starts out MONTHS before he was born. I get a phone call from my mom and she informed me she and my aunt had entered a song they wrote together and WON! The conversation went a bit like this.
"Rachel! We won! And winning means we get to attend National Quartet Convention in KY!"

"MOM! That's so awesome!!! When is it?"

"Thats the reason I'm calling. When's your duedate again?"

"September 17th. When's the Convention?"

"That day."
And, it's as if life paused for a moment and God spoke. Not aloud. But in my soul. Quietly. And with assurance this is what He said.
"Rachel, I have the PERFECT birthday for this child. Trust me. Let her go. You can ALWAYS trust me because I know when this baby is coming. Trust me. I already KNOW the date."

And so, I said without missing a beat, "MOM---you are going. No worries about me! You are going."
Her response, "We will play it by ear."

And we left it at that.

The end of Aug. comes. And I realize just how full September is for us. For one thing, my Mother-in-law was coming for a week...and coming the week BEFORE my due date. That same week we had our two day Gospel Sing that my parents were in charge of and ran from beginning to end. And then, my mom and her contest she won...which was 9+ hours away. I didn't panic. God told me HE knew when this baby would be born. And since I do like to be in control at the beginning of September I would tell God what days would be good days to have a baby. It just made sense...to have the baby the week my Mother in law was here so she could be here to see him. See? Not such a demand...but a little hint to God. My Mother in law came. The Gospel Sing came. I did everything to get the baby here...but the Gospel Sing was over and my Mother in law left and I was still pregnant. It was ok...because God TOLD me...ME, not anyone else that this baby already had the perfect birthday and althought I didn't know when it was, I was ok to sit and wait for my baby.

     Three days before my due date my mom was worried about leaving for her trip. I told her that I was OK she needed to GO. God promised me HE was in control and SHE was suppose to go. With no baby here, she was brave and started her trip. 4 hours into the trip I started having contractions. Every.10.minutes.apart. I didn't want to tell her. Didn't want her to turn around. So I kept quiet. My sister called me and we talked. My mom called and asked how many contractions I had had in the last hour. I told her to keep driving. See if anything changes. She told me to put my feet up...I went for a walk. :) For two hours I kept having them. And, then, in the 3rd hour they stopped.
     My mom made it to her reward. And I promised her if she'd get me a Gaither Vocal Band CD I would not go into labor while she was gone. My due date came...and went. But, I was holding on to the promise that this baby had a birthday. Was I tired? Yep. Fat? Yep. OVERLY emotional? Yep. Yep. Yep. Did I sit most of the day? Yep. But, God promised me...and I was determined that I would have this baby soon.
     My Dr. tried to talk to me about inducing 3 different times. He told me at 39 weeks he had to mention it because I had reached 39 weeks. I told him I wanted him to let me go as long as he would let me. At 40 weeks he brought it up again as an option. I don't mind that they bring it up...because I know he's doing his job. I just wasn't going to let him induce me unless I was past what I felt was safe for me. He told me he'd let me go a week past my due date and then we would need to talk. I made an appointment for Friday at 11am. That would be the day we would talk about and set a time to be induced for the following day. I'm gonna be really honest...I cried. And cried. And that's when I hit a low point. (Thursday afternoon) I had been induced with my 1st born and it was terrible. I hated every minute of it. It wasn't something I wanted to do again. My brain began to question...can I go into labor naturally and on my own? And I one of those women who can't?
     Thursday night my nightly contractions started up like normal. I didn't even need to time them. Each night the same. 7-8 mins apart for 2 hours. Then they stop. At 39 weeks I'd been dialated to a 4. Same at 40 weeks and 70% effaced. Do you know what that means???? NOTHING. It means nothing. And so, I went to bed. Slept all night. I woke up at 5am (another normal pregnant moment) and laid there. My contractions started up again. This time they were 5-7 mins apart. They didn't hurt at all. Again. Normal. Normal. Normal. I got up and decided to time them and practice breathing and rocking through them. So when the real thing happened I would be prepared.

     Around 6:30am my husband woke up and I told him that my contractions were 4-6 mins apart and although they don't hurt I didn't know if he was going to go to work right away. I made breakfast and we ate together. Around 8pm I told him that at the peek of the contraction they were starting to hurt and that this was it...no work for him. I also called my mom.
     I then started packing my bag. Yep. My bag. I got into the shower and took a 45 mins shower. Relaxed and letting the hot water hit my stomach as contractions came. The contractions were starting to hurt when I stood up, but not when I bent over. I got out of the shower and got ready for the day. Everyone was telling me to get to the hospital but I wanted to be sure it was REALLY the real thing. And I wanted to stay at home for as LONG as possible. Plus, I was hardly in ANY pain. Why go? Finally around 10am I knew it was time...something had changed and my contractions were 2-3 mins apart. Still...no pain. Just longer and stronger.
     We dropped Easton off at my sister's house and off we went. The 30 min drive seemed to take longer. Sitting made my contractions hurt. I remember closing my eyes and breathing through them and saying in my head, "You were made to birth. You were made to birth. This is your time. You were made to do this." I also remember turning up the Gaither music and focusing on my contraction while the music played in my heart, knowing that God was with me.
     We arrived at the hospital and I walked in and told them I was in labor. They wheeled me up to the birth center and I was put in a birthing room. They said I needed to be monitored for 20 mins to make sure this was real labor and then I was free to move around once that was done. I just sat there and breathed with my eyes closed and saying over and over and over, "I was made to birth. I was made to birth." My Dr. wasn't on call that day so another Dr. (Who was great also!) was there. The Dr came in to check me and told me I was between a 7-8. I nearly fell OFF the bed. Where was the PAIN? I honestly thought that...the dr asked me if I wanted an epidural. I almost laughed in his face. I wasn't in hardly any pain. Yes, the peek of the contraction was painful but that lasted 10 secs. I was fine. I told him no and he said, "Oh good because you are almost too late for it."
     At 11am (when I was suppose to be in my dr's appointment signing up for an induction) I was well on my way to having a baby. My parents got there and because I was already dialated to almost an 8 the room was filling up with baby beds and scales and all sorts of things. My parents and husband were talking and I went and hid in the bathroom. All morning I had been alone doing all by myself so the idea of people was something I didn't want to deal with at the moment. I do remember standing in the bathroom and thinking, "This is all about me and this baby. Those people out there are a support but it's up to me to do this. I was made for this time. This child. This moment. And noise, people, and distractions are not going to get to me. I can do this."
Finally, around 12:15pm I was getting tired of standing and rocking. The birthing ball made the contractions worse, and I knew my time to push was coming. I needed to rest between contractions and standing during and sitting and resting wasn't working. So, I sat in the bed. Rested my back. Most people are worried about the contractions, I was worried about making sure I was resting BETWEEN contractions. The contractions were starting to hurt but still they were NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING like being induced.
At 12:30, I was dialated to a 9. The dr. said he was going to break my water. That next contraction I WISHED my water would have never of been broken. That's when I leaned on my husband and mom to get me through. They each had a hand of mine and were telling me I could do this. Around 12:45 I felt like pushing at the peek of the contraction. But when the dr. came in he said push...and I couldn't. At 12:55 he came back and told me to push. I did. I pushed 3 times and at 1:00pm on September 23, 2011 my Lincoln Hunter was born. He was placed on my chest and he was perfect. The love that came over me is something you never forget. The nurse was right there and all of a sudden he started turning blue. We all could see it. She asked to see him for a minute and she took him over to the warming bed. He wasn't crying...but all of a sudden, he was. AND loud. She brought him right back and I held my baby and just looked at him.
     Finally, they went to weigh him and I hear the nurse proclaim, "9lbs 15.2 oz!" Everyone in the room cheered. And all came over to tell me what a good job I did.
     Within an hour Easton came up to meet his new baby brother and it was love at 1st sight. We settled in our room and just fell in love with our little Lincoln.
     Every nurse came in and said, "So you are the one who gave birth to a 10lb baby naturally!"
     I had done it. On my own. Without meds, or being induced. It was the greatest feeling ever. Honestly. Ever.
     God did know about Lincoln's birthday! It was better than I could have ever imagined! Even if he was 6 days late...He was right on time!

Look at all his hair!!!! :)

Lincoln Hunter Nolt 9lb 15.20z 22.5 inches long

So. So. Sew.

2011-07-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

I.AM.BACK.

Remember THIS poor pitiful post?
Well, I made it.
Lately, I have been creating.

Most women feel terrible in their 3rd trimester. I don't. Month 7 and 8 are good to me.
{Let's not talk about 9}
But, 7 and 8--what a blessing.

My house is cleaner.
My creative juices start to flow.
{My back starts to hurt}
Oh wait. Staying positive...Good.

I also spend most of my time HERE.
A pregnant girl could spend a fortune.
But, since I promised my Manly Man I'd create and stick to a family budget...
I "window" shop online.
{SEE!? I do have self control!}

Anyway, for the past few weeks I've noticed these CUTE CUTE CUTE little things called
Binky Blankie's.
SUPER.CUTE.
So many to chose from. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.
But, as I looked and looked and searched for the RIGHT blankie for this little boy...in the back of my head I kept thinking...
I could just make my own.

Hmmmmmm.

So. Saturday night...on our 3 year anniversary date...my husband and I stopped at a JoAnn's---
OK.
Truth?
We parked the car.
I went to JoAnn's.
Manly Man went to Dick's Sporting Goods.
Seriously.
They are RIGHT by each other.
As if God Himself designed it.
I could hear the Angels' sing!

It should ALWAYS happen that way!!
Anyway, that's for another post.

Yes. JoAnn's. Walked in. Grabbed some fabric out I came.

So, here are pictures of my craft.

SIDE NOTE:
I DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT consider myself a seamstress/sewer/one who works with sewing machines and KNOWS what they are doing.
I craft.
Therefore...I can work WITH a sewing machine.
Am I good?
no.
When I start do I think I am?
yes.
After 5 mins do I get upset with myself for thinking so much more HIGHLY of myself when it comes to the sewing machine?
yes.
Do things go wrong?
all the time.
Can I cut material straight?
not on my life.
Do I sew straight?
um. no.
So. if you can say YES to MOST of these questions...Feel free to stop reading.
{Or keep reading for some deep rooted laughter}
But, I created something and the WORLD needs to know.
So...keep your laughing to yourself.
And if you have any pointers...after I have this baby...I'd be interested in hearing them!

Here it is....The {NEWEST} Baby Nolt's blankie.
{Name to come...one day!}

These are the two fabrics I picked out. LOVE THEM. The light green is SO soft. I just picture my little boy with this little blankie and can't wait to meet him.
I didn't want this blankie BIG. And I really wanted it small. Something he could hold in his hands and not get lost in...or drug on the floor. I THINK when I "cut" it out I made it 18 inches by 20.5 inches. Don't ask me if that is even right. Math and I never get along. :)

Then, after that, I sewed all the way around it...right sides together. {seriously, in sewing class in Jr. High I NEVER understood the term RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. I honestly thought it meant the RIGHT (not left) sides get put together. JUST last week (no joke) I realized they meant the "prettier side fabric--aka--the RIGHT side together.} I might have laughed for a a long time at myself over this. And I still might be laughing now.
AND, if I'm wrong with my "pretty fabric" being the 'right' side...then I'll laugh again.
But, now it makes more sense.
See? Beginnner.

I didn't get a pic of it...(SORRY) but I left about 2 inches open and pulled the fabric through the 2 inch hole. Then, ironed it.
I then, attached the ribbon that will be used as his 'paci holder.'
You will see what I mean...in pics to come!

Then, I got really REALLY really creative. The front fabric had squares on it and I thought it would look cute if I added a quilted look. So, I just made {somewhat} straight lines with my sewing machine. Have I mentioned that I married into a Horse and Buggy Mennonite family...and ALL of them know how to sew? And make quilts. And quilt quilts. They do it for a living.
Pretty sure, this blankie WILL NOT be at any of our family events. They can spot 'hand-made' MILES away...and take delight looking over every little fine detail.
Sigh.
Moving on...

Here is the ribbon I put on the end of the blankie. And is also where my 1st mistake was that I noticed.
Oh...2nd.
My 1st was cutting out the material and the two fabrics didn't measure up.
Who cares. I didn't even try to fix that...
And apparently I didn't try to fix the ribbon either.
I am a GET IT DONE girl.
The main reason I took that pic was just to show you my mistake.
{Love me anyway}

And, so, my blankie is almost complete.
I still have some things that need to be done to it.
For one, I need to decide what paci I want to use for this child.
{Or what paci he wants!}
So I'm waiting to finish the ribbon and attach the paci.

Now, some may ask..."Are you even sure your child will take a paci?"
And I answer..."I don't know."
But, from past experience, Easty took his paci day 1. Loved it. And to this day, still LOVES it.
He hides them around our house, and when he thinks I'm not looking he goes and finds one and sucks on it.
(My rule for him now is paci's are only at bedtime, church, and car.)
{He has other ideas}

And, from the ultra sound we had the other day, this baby was sucking the whole time.
WHOLE.TIME.

So, I THINK we will use a paci...
If not, then I'll cut the ribbon off and just use the blankie.

And, my friends, that's the final picture...showing you that I can craft. Use a sewing machine and have a blankie turn out in SOME form of a blankie.
Pretty sure these puppies wouldn't sell on Etsy...but for my baby boy...it will work just fine!

OH...and how much did all this cost me?
$4.00
That's right.

$4.00

The ones I wanted were about $20.00

What a deal!

3 years!

2011-07-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

Speak in a summer tone

Pause in the after glow

Tenderly whisper my name

Tell me once again why I am your bride

So I can fly

So I can fly.

Pause in your busy day

Look extra long my way

Wink at me across the room

Kiss me longer

Touch my arm when I am by your side

So I can fly

So I can fly.

Oh how the little things

Strengthen my tiny wings

Help me to take on the world

When you love me there is nothing I wouldn't try

I might even fly

I might even fly.

Happy Anniverary to my wonderful husband!
I love you more each day!

The best is yet to come!!

A difference a year makes...

2011-07-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

July 2010

July 2011

June 2010

June 2011
(he loves strawberry picking!!)

My little man is growing up. Hard to believe he's 15 months old.
Loving this stage of life!!

PS...29 weeks TODAY! Baby Brother is gonna be here in about 11 weeks!

Spark-less

2011-06-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

I know.
2 posts in 2 days.
Is this a streak?
Who knows. But. I've got something to write...and my son is napping, and my Manly Man is working and can't listen.
So...I take the next big thing.
My Blog.

After 2 days of thinking and reflecting...I have figured something out about myself....
I am spark-less.
Now, don't jump all over and get worried. Don't call my mother.
It happens from time to time. And I have figured it out....

Let's go back....a year ago.

A year ago I was HERE.
A TERRIBLE place to be. But, I recovered. And don't even miss my gall bladder.
After that, I let my creative juices start to flow. I found great deals on things and updated them and now have them in my house.

All fall and into winter I did this....Create. Create. Create.
I LOVE who I am when I am creating. Things come alive to me that I never thought would...and I LOVE it.

Then, in Nov. we moved to our NEW house.
MORE creating. I had to pick out paint and our great Master's team came and painted my whole house...from top to bottom. (and some great friends came too)

Christmas came.
MOOOOORE creating. I was in the kitchen baking.
Decorating my OWN house.
Enjoying Easton's 1st Christmas.
Making presents.
Wrapping presents.

And then...I got pregnant.

No, pregnancy isn't a bad thing. And we planned on getting pregnant. But, my body completely changes when I get pregnant.
I lose Spark.
I crave SLEEP.
I don't care.
I let things go {living room. kitchen. closets. crafts.}
Little things slide. {small things that build good qualities in my baby}
And, I lose myself.

Now, don't cry. It's just a season. Losing yourself can be hard...but I have learned in the past that I do find myself again. But it does take time.

And, it usually doesn't come back until 3 months after labor.
{Sigh}

But, it does come back.

It might even come back sooner...because today I realized that SOMETHING is MISSING.
And it's my SPARK.
Things that make me MORE creative.
More enjoyable.

I told my Manly Man today...(while he was listening) my head and heart are missing being creative...
My body is not. I'm just STILL too tired to start something new.
{Sigh}

And so...My talented SISTER and our BFF RUTH ANN and myself are taking a little GIRLS' WEEKEND GET AWAY. Well...kind of. A friend of ours is getting married in Mississippi. (The state...not the river...many get confused.) and my Sis is the Photographer for the wedding. I am coming along to hold my sweet new {and only} neice LIVIA while her mama works. And, Ruth Ann is coming---just because!

So, while there will be MUCH baby holding...and lazy days in Mississippi...I plan to FIND my spark.
I may even wander into a Jo Anns, or Hobby Lobby and just breathe.

So...next week if you see me painting flowers and rainbows on our house...I FOUND it...and just needed an outlet to create!

Oh...to create!

God's Will

2011-06-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? An update. We are doing MUCH better. Easton finally is back to normal. BUT, it lasted for ONE month. ONE. May 11th-June 11th. Every test came back negative...and so, it was a wicked virus. Something I hope NONE of you ever go through. Ever.

And so...we move on!

Today I'm quiet. In a reflecting mood. Part of it is I have a scratchy throat and it hurts to talk. Part of it is me just tired and a little sickly. And the other part, thinking about my life...and goals.

I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom. Always. And I'm honored that I get to with Easton and this little baby boy inside of me. And, with being pregnant, and the energy I don't have...I don't think I'd live through going to work and coming home to kids and ALL the work it requires to run a house.

But, sometimes staying at home is hard. Even ugly. I mean, how many times a day does your kitchen need to be cleaned? Mine? All the time. And let's not even talk about how dirty FLOORS get. You don't even realize about dirty floors until you have little ones eating off of it.

AND, LAUNDRY.
GRRRR.

Yet, I wouldn't trade these days for anything. I'll take my dirty floors, thank you very much. And even a day where my throat hurts....
And the PILES of laundry that come with being a wife and mother....
Because, when it's all said and done....THIS is what God has called me to do. And even though I MIGHT not have done it WELL today...there is always tomorrow!

AND, I've learned, there is NO greater JOY than BEING completely in God's WILL.

Book Review Learning By Karen Kingsbury

2011-06-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's no secret I LOVE to read. And, it's no secret that Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. When it comes to meeting famous people I'm a tad bit bashful and would rather not meet them than look like a fool gushing over them...:) But, I do follow Karen Kingsbury on FB. And, since we've become friends on FB, I stalk from a distance. Won't comment on her posts. Won't 'like' her status. You get the picture. UNTIL, last month. When, she posted on her wall we could WIN a free ADVANCED copy of her latest book. ALL.OVER.IT. Big.time. And so..I wrote on her status. Begging for a copy. After all. It's 100 degrees outside, and I'm pregnant. My feet are swelling. And sumer hasn't even officially begun. The more LIKES people gave you the better your chances. YOU bet every person I could get to LIKE my post I did. And, it turned out well for me..I won a copy!!! (People felt sorry for my swollen feet!)

And so...here is my review from the book. I LOVED it...and was HONORED to be an advanced reader for Karen. (see...we are super close now. 1st name basis!)

Learning

By Karen Kingsbury
Learning will grab you from page one and hold your attention until the end…riding the roller coaster of emotions as you enjoy the ups and downs of Bailey and her friends. Bailey faces many challenges in her new life in New York City, but, as only challenges can do, she learns that God is faithful every step of the way. She stays true to her roots, even though her love for dance and Broadway takes her on many twists and turns. Many of the issues of today: Eating disorders, Homosexuality, and Drugs, are just some of the issues that Bailey must face. Each one, is addressed with such love and yet, a gentle boldness, that will help any Christian when they are faced with the same problem.

Tears streamed down my face, as Cody begins his 1st football season as Head Coach. With everything in him, he leads his team with amazing leadership and wisdom. Football Camp changes his team and shows the calling of leadership on his life. He knows the power of influence, good and bad, and is determined to show his team the power of good. His football season will grip you as you turn each page, and his leadership will empower you to reach others.

And then, there is charming Brandon. He’s still as charming as ever. As a huge fan of Team Cody, I will tell you this was the 1st book where I started to pull for Team Brandon. (slightly) He warmed my heart with this little ways about him. When did he wiggle his way into my heart? I’m not quite for sure, but he did. I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens!

Learning will leave you with a sense of readiness to trust God in your own situations as you follow His Will for your life. Some of the twists of life, you don’t expect. Or you don’t plan. Others, you know very well what’s going on and what to do. But that’s a part of life. Learning is just that…Learning. Young Adults trying to make a difference in their community, yet learning in the process.

Without a doubt, Karen Kingsbury has done it again…so set those dishes aside. Forget to pick up that living room. Go out and grab Learning and dive in…this book will not disappoint.

And so...I end this post...begging you to go grab your copy of LEARNING!

IN stores June 21!!!

HAPPY READING!!!!!!!

Soul Baring...

2011-06-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

You know what I love about blogging? You can be real. You can be honest...You can post something and LEAVE it there. This will be ONE of those blogs. A let me have my say, let me 'whine' if you will. Vent. And walk away taking a deep breath.

Taking a deep breath...

My son has diarrhea. "Is THAT all?" you ask. No. Let me try again. My son has HAD diarrhea for THREE weeks.

That's 21 days.
That's OUTFIT after OUTFIT ruined.
That's 7 outfits THROWN away from VA to IA.
That's about 7-10 diapers a day.
That's MORE laundry than I've done in 2010.

That's A LOT of work.

And, let's throw in that I'm 6 months pregnant and zapped of energy.

Week 1, it was just part of being a mom. Your child gets sick. You deal with it. And you deal with it well.
1st sign of dirty, smelly laundry you attack it with that mama-tude you have. Clean house. Clean baby.

Week 2, you have a laundry basket and 'wait' for more than ONE outfit. You change the sheets, but don't wash them that day...after all, YOU know you will have another load a'coming. They can wait 12-24 hours. It's starting to be draining...BUT, you KNOW there's an end insight...RIGHT?

Week 3, you have tried everything. Googled everything. And finally realize your child needs more clothes because the laundry basket has 4 days worth of dirty, smelly clothes, plus crib sheets, and crib bumper. Around the house, you let your sweet baby run around in just a diaper because you just don't care anymore. He's whiney. His tummy is tight. He looks sick...and you are waiting on ONE MORE test result from the Dr. That ONCE again will be negative and you start ALL over again.

What is wrong?
You have no answer.
All tests keep coming back negative.

I miss normal.

There is NO ME time.
Me time is a shower...if I am lucky.

Nothing gets DONE completely.
You do shifts.
Clean this part of the kitchen here...
(go change baby.)
Go start a load there...
Wipe up the floor from where he was sitting...
Try to pick up living room.
Get 2 things picked up.
Hold crying baby.

You wanna cry too.

And so I did.

Yesterday. I broke down...I had been soooo strong.
But, I had reached my breaking point.
Tired.
Tired of cleaning...
Only to do it all over again.

Tired.
Of not knowing what's wrong.
And what to do.

Tired.
Of a messy house.
And too tired to do anything.

Tired.
Of trying EVERYTHING.
And nothing works.
(For real...E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G)
(BRAT is no longer a spoiled child.)

We are under a Dr's care.
They are running tests.
But sometimes...
Life is hard.

I long for ONE hour to myself.
Already, I know what I'd do.
I'd hit a Starbucks...and read.

But, reality is, I can't.
#1. A baby boy needs me.
#2. The closest Starbucks is 45 mins away.

So.
I pray.
Little prayers...that go something like this...

GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE ME GRACE!

Lord....HELP ME!

Jesus....heal him!

Right now, he's sleeping.
You think I'd relax...but, this is what goes through my mind.

Will I get sleep tonight?
Will he wake up with a mess to clean in the night??
Will this be the last day?
Will be be better tomorrow?
Will I make it another day?
Is tomorrow the day I have a breakdown?

Part of me is numb. Just living the motions.
Part of me worries. Going to this event will he blowout a diaper?
Part of me wonders. When will it end.
Part of me hopes. It's gotta end soon.

And so, I end this post praying for wisdom. Patience. Energy. And strength to face each new day.

Leave me a note of love...
Trust me...I need it! ;)

Thanks for allowing me to be real.

Rainy Day...

2011-05-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today...it's rainy. Like...ALL day rain. No break. No thunder. No lighting. Just rain, rain, rain, rain.

Easton and I had a lazy day. We slept in, ate a late breakfast. Didn't get dressed right away and just played. We played with cars, trains, balls, and a turtle. We read books that went brrrm brrrrm, That's not my... and lift a flap. We ate lunch that consisted of not very healthy things. PB&J for Easty. AND, rice for me. White rice...worst kind of rice you can eat...I think!

The one productive thing we did today was go through ALL the DVDs and make sure they were in the RIGHT case. We also dusted. (I use WE lightly...Easton wasn't interested.)

And, then, we watched a movie.

Finally, around 1pm Easty took a nap. I got to take a shower.

After Easton got up...he was TIRED of being inside. All morning he would go to the door asking to go outside. He's grab his daddy's hat and put it on...a sign for OUTSIDE.

Finally, it was time to get the mail. Grabbing Easton's rain coat and an umbrella and out we went. It was cold and wet. Not the warm summer rain. The cold rain that spring brings when it's confused. I carried Easton to the mailbox and he could hear the pitter patter of rain as it hit the umbrella. He loved it. And just watched!

Finally, on the way back Easton wanted down. I put him down and he headed RIGHT for the puddle. At 1st, I tried to get him out of the puddle. And then it HIT me...I'm gonna be a mama of 2 boys. And I gotta get use to this...what's a little water? what's a little dirt? what's a little bit more laundry? He's having fun. And so, I went to get my camera.

After all, they do so say, DANCE IN THE RAIN.

And so, WE DID!!!!

Puddles and little boys go together--just like PB&J!

Why buy Easton a raincoat if you can't use it?? Guess I will be buying him some rainboots to match! ;)

An adventure waiting to happen....

And so, we danced and played in the rain.

What a great memory for both Easty and myself.

3 things...

2011-05-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Three things....

Favorite foods I am craving this pregnancy:
1. Fruit
2. Peanut butter

3. The haystacks I had at my sister in laws

Things that are driving me nuts this pregnancy:

1. How my brain is WAY more active than my body.
2. Ligament pain that keeps me from getting more things done.
3. Looking at my house and wanting it SPOTLESS but no energy to clean.

Things that excite me:

1. SUMMER is coming---and that means POOLTIME!

2. Moving into my 6th month of pregnancy! (tomorrow!)
3. Mopping my floors with my new steam mop! (dork...YEP!)

Things I wanna do this summer:

1. Swim. Just be at the pool!
2. Relax. Hoping this summer is really "lazy."
3. Catch up on some good books.

Things that NEED to get done this summer:

1. Get Easton's room ready for a new baby brother.

2. Get the house ready for a new baby.
3. Take a vacation with Wil.

Happenings....

2011-05-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Confession: Turns out...I am a terrible blogger. So sorry. Life just gets away from me. Sad.

This Friday I'll be 23 weeks pregnant with BABY BOY #2!!! In my book...week 23 starts the 6th month. WHEW! We are making it!

Here are just a few PERKS and QUIRKS about this pregnancy...

Quirks:
Ligament pain. Ugh. Wow. It's terrible this time. So bad, I kind of wanna remove my ligaments. I'd put them back once the baby was born...:)

Heartburn. Like BIGTIME heartburn. Major heartburn. With Easton, just a little heartburn...this is...well, I'd take out my heart too, along with the ligaments....

Swollen ankles. I have TINY ankles and legs. But when I get pregnant, I swear they just retain water and they don't look my legs. So. This summer, I'll be leaving my flip flops at home and grabbing my tennis shoes. It's ok. This girl dresses for comfort more than fashion.

PERKS!!!
Let's get to the good stuff!!

Like feeling this little boy move ALL THE TIME! Really. He's already cute! He flips and dives and swims and kicks like he's enjoying himself.

Having an excuse to sit. What!?!? There are toys all over my living room? That's ok..I'm pregnant. And need to sit. So I'll leave the toys and check facebook and read a good book! ;)

Watching my body transform. Every day it changes. (this might go under both PERKS and QUIRKS!) Yet, I know that this is how God intended it to be...so I watch with wonder. Amazing!

Lacking Motivation...

2011-04-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

BIG TIME.

IN EVERYTHING.

Easton has been UP the last 2 nights with an EAR INFECTION.
Last night we were up for about 2 hours.

The night before...we were UP more than we were asleep.

Poor baby.
My heart breaks when he can't sleep....Cause Easty LOVES his sleep.
And so does this Mama!

So, knowing I've hardly had ANY sleep the past 2 nights...
ALL energy goes OUT the window.

Help me get motivated....
Any tips for a tired Mama who had EVERYTHING to do?

I'm all ears...or eyes in this case...just sitting on my couch waiting to hear from you!

Deal...or NO Deal.

2011-04-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

As many of you know...I taught middle school for 7 years. And in those 7 years, I played Deal or NO Deal with my students...OFTEN.
Honestly, it's one of THE best games when it comes to Middle Schoolers.
Why?
Cause you get YOUR way...and they get theirs.

For instance, this might be a DEAL OR NO DEAL situation.

Say something came up at school where they kids didn't get to work on their lessons like normal. Or we were getting OUT early...I'd say: "If you ALL work AS HARD as you can...with NO talking and fooling around...I just might make a DEAL to allow NO homework...or at least lower the amount of homework given."
And, I got my way...and they got their way. They worked like a dog. Hard. Quiet. Motivated.
IT.ALWAYS.WORKED.
Always.
They loved my deal...
and I loved their deal.

Well, I no longer work with students. I now, stay home with my 1 year old and take care of my house. Somedays I'd like to make a deal with the kitchen...or washing machine.
But, they don't like my deals.
Sigh.

And my 1 year old doesn't know how to play Deal or NO Deal.
So, sometimes I play by myself.
It's not as fun.

That just means I have more work to do.

And, that my friend, is what brings us to YESTERDAY.

Honestly, I don't know what was wrong with Easton. But, he wasn't Easton.
He was crabby. Clingy. Needy. Whiney. Fussy.
And just not Easton.

I think he's teething. (and he is a TERRIBLE teether. Just terrible)

So, yesterday, I did NOTHING. But hold him.
And hold him.
And after that got old for him...we took a drive. JUST to have him forget his crabbiness.

When Daddy came home, I GLADLY handed him over and said,
"Deal or NO deal! If you watch Easton I'll bake some cookies."

I thought it was a GRAND idea! Wil has been asking me to bake cookies for over a week now...and I JUST haven't had time.
It was a WIN-WIN situation!
Cookies for Wil...
Time to myself for me!

And the DEAL was done.
Just.like.that.

I was excited. I mean. EXCITED. No wiping noses. No fussy baby on my hip. Just me. A 30 min. break. Alone. In my kitchen. To create.

See, I planned to make these cookies in the morning...but, sweet little peanut didn't let me.

So last night, I was SET and working on MY part of the DEAL.

I grabbed my computer and was following the recipe from Mrs. B. If you don't follow her blog STOP right now and go do it. I'll wait. You are missing out on a treasure. Her blog will make you come back for more.
Really. GO. NOW.

Ok. Now that you are a follower of Mrs. B...let's talk about the cookies she has mastered.

And my Deal or NO Deal...

Computer is READY to try these famous Chocolate Chip Cookies she makes. My butter had been sitting out for HOURS. And, her RULE is...FOLLOW this recipe to the T. So, like any good student, I did.

As I was getting out ALL of my ingredients I look down to see this....

WHAT!?! How are YOU in the kitchen? I laugh...and pick Sweet Babes up and take him to his father.
After all...a Deal's a deal! Right?

30 mins ALL to myself....

I get ready to make the 1st step. Taking my bowl over to the mixer...and
BAM!

He's BAAAACK!!!
Our conversation goes something like this...
"Um, Wil. Can you get Easton?"
"Oh, is he in your way?"
"Um, well, no. But, you said you'd watch him if I baked cookies."
"Oh. Come Easton."
And I pick Easty pants up and take him to daddy.

I read the blog. Beat in one egg at a time...
One...
Two...

I look down again...
HELLO DOLL.
What can I say...he loves me.
Again.
Our conversation:
"Wil."
"Easton, come to daddy."
I pick E-Pie up and take him to daddy.

I finish the mixing part...take a little taste and OH MY WORD. Divine.
Best cookie dough ever.
Best.
So. soft.
Couldn't wait to pop them into the oven and try them baked.
I put them in the oven and turn around...

WELL, hello there my sweet baby!
This time, he's not under my feet...he's just drifting through. I laugh.
But, my end of the deal is still in progress.
After all, a deals a deal.

I am about ready to start my 2nd baking sheet of cookies..WHEN....

Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.
He comes back.
Only by now, the crabbiness is gone. And he's smiling and happy.
He smells cookies.

I check on them...ALMOST READY.

And, after that, I lost track of how many more times Easton came to visit me in the kitchen. At one point when I was dealing with the oven...I told Wil he HAD to keep him in there because of HOT cookie sheets coming out of the oven.

But, let me tell you...the cookies...Divine. Some of the B-E-S-T I have ever tasted.
Perfect cookie.
Perfect.
Don't believe ME!?

We let Easton try a bite...
He's a huge fan.

And, although, our DEAL or NO DEAL was broken...
Wil did get some cookies.
He's a fan too.

So, next time you need some GOOOOOD cookies...run over to Mrs. B's blog.
Make 'um.
And tell her I sent ya.
You will love them!

Just remember....
Deal or no deal is for middle schoolers....not for husbands!

(no marriages were harmed in the making of the cookies.)
;)

Botanical Garden photo shoot

2011-03-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a DREAM come true. A DREAM. You can READ about my dream come true HERE. So, Tuesday, I wake up BRIGHT and EARLY. And I focus on the EARLY. My sweet, always been a good sleeper, Always--12 hours a night since he was 8 weeks old little boy woke up at 5am. That's 3 HOURS earlier than normal. So, we started our day. Cause we had to look cute for pics. After our EARLY morning I go pick up my sister and we headed to the big city of Des Moines.

It was 20 mins into our trip when I realized I LEFT.MY.CAMERA.AT.HOME. Almost in tears..almost. I had SO many plans of camera happiness. So many. But, my sister had her BIG, BAD camera and told me she'd take pics....after all, it's what she does for a living. Still. My cheap, little camera I dont' really like was at home. Saddest part of the day.

But, Tuesday was a dream come true. Camera or no camera...nothing was raining of my parade.

My sweet early riser. So TIRED. All the way to Des Moines. (A 2 hr. ride)

My sweet little nephew--looking for snacks. Or--looking at Easton to see if he has a better snack. Let's pause for a moment and talk about how WONDERFUL my sister is...I drove and that left Beka with the HARDEST part. Tristan.and.Easton. They both learned that if they said, "Mama" food was given. And, if you gave a banana to ONE boy, you better believe "Mama-Mama!" came from the other. She is 35 weeks pregnant and I can't TELL you how many times she had to REACH back and get a sippy, toy, snack, book, etc. on our trip. Good job, Beka. For that, may your baby come BEFORE your due date and may your labor be short. You deserve it!

WE FINALLY arrived at the Botanical Garden. So perfect for a photo shoot!! We met Mckmama right away and she started snapping pictures. Since ALL of us were IN the pics, we didn't take ANY pics with our camera. BUT, after Mckmama went off to another family to shoot, Beka got out her camera and here is the proof!

Looking at the fish. The boys favorite. And I do mean, we spent ALL of our time here. A-L-L.

My sweet fearless little boy. Not afraid to stick his head through and see the fish and turtles.

Tristan and Easton throwing coins into the water. (E spent more time trying to put the penny in his mouth) Gross!

TRYING to throw...

Looking at the fish and turtles. Big.time.love.

See the fish? There were quite a few!!!!

Trying to the boys away from the fish...to see the pretty flowers...

It worked for ALL of 2 mins.

Trying again....

BUT, it was BACK to the turtles and fish. Our one true love! It was SOO cute, Beka and I didn't mind!

Sweet little boy!

After that, it was SOOOOOO hot in the 'garden' that we left. We were in the car for 5 mins. and both boys were asleep. We headed to the mall and spent some good time just walking around and shopping. Must of been a sight...two pregnant sisters each with a 1 year old. But memories were made!

The rest of the day was spent in the car going home. Easton had his 1st Kid's Meal from McDonalds. (All because of the theory "Monkey eat..other Monkey eats." He loved it...because Tristan loved it.

We then drove to our brother and his wife's house and spent some time there with them and friends.

Back in the car for the REST of the drive home. Ugh. Not fun for ANYONE.IN.THE.CAR.
1st: Tristan started crying...he fell asleep soon after that.

2nd: Easton started crying...and crying...and crying....

BUT, it was a GREAT day and we don't need to dwell on the ENDING.
After all...one of my dreams can true!!

(Pics by Mckmama will be here within 6 weeks. You better believe I will post them!)

Back to reality

2011-03-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

But, oh what a FUN weekend it was!

Easton's 1st Birthday Party

2011-03-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

And JUST like that, he's one. My first born son...a year old. Well, his birthday isn't until tomorrow, but after a party, I say, you can say your age. So 1 it is! We had a FUN time. Let me explain...

I wanted a great bday party for my little boy. After all, 1 is a BIG DEAL to me. My problem...who to invite. I KNEW our house wouldn't hold EVERYONE we wanted to invite. Friends, family, cousins, friends of friends, Easton's friends YOU get the pic. So finally, Wil and I decided to have family come. And when I say family...I mean F.A.M.I.L.Y.
My side:

Grandma Dixie (Papaw Paul is in AR living it up with his brothers...fishing.)

Great Grandma Bonnie
Great-Great Aunt Lois
Aunt Beka
Uncle Zach
Tristan

Let's talk Wil's side...shall we?
Uncle Lloyd

Aunt Elaine

Geneva

Kendall
Gloria and Victoria (twins)
Dawn
Twyla

Andrea
Kimmy
Logan

Aunt Louella
Anthony
Jeffery

Hannah

Austin
Uncle Lavern
Aunt Marietta
Grant
Dani
Siara

Whew. You KNOW how many kids that is!?!?!?
Alot.
Plus, I invited my friend and her kids came over...they live right down the road.
Ruth Ann
Tina
Staci
Mitchell
Hadassah

That's 22 kids. Counting Easton. Let the FUN begin!

Birthday boy needs a birthday hat!

The CANDY part of the party. Everyone when home with LOTS and LOTS of candy. :)

The house had 4 different "stations" One station was SANDY CANDY. Where they got to mix and match their taste bud wishes and create their own candy. Big.Hit. (But when is candy not a hit?)
Then, from there, they moved on to a craft table, and created 1 or 2 crafts. Then, they went and tried to blow bubbles with bubble gum.
Then....

We went outside and made BIG bubbles. Big. Everyone needs an Aunt Lois. I mean. She makes Birthdays F.U.N. She had SO much fun getting the bubbles ready. I just wish it was warmer so we could have spent MORE time outside. But, it was magical. If Disney only knew about Aunt Lois. Or as Tristan and Easton call her A-lo-ha. Words of a 1 year old....

Cake. Best part of the day! Easton got his cake and went RIGHT for the red frosting. With 1 finger. So cute. He started with the red and wouldn't stop until the red was all gone.

Then, after he'd eat some he's clap. As if he was saying...WHERE has this been my whole life? No more green beans for me!

ALL DONE! Just a frosting boy...

Here is my baby boy! All ready for his birthday party!!
All in all...it was a WONDERFUL day. I kept looking at the clock thinking about where I was a year ago. And tonight, I rest. Knowing I have a blessing sent from God in a son named
Easton Paul Nolt.

Life is good.

Happy Birthday baby boy!
Your Mama is soooo proud of you!

Too excited....

2011-03-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Yep. I'm excited.

I'm sure you think it's because of Easton's 1st birthday this week.

Ah...yes. That makes me excited. (more tired thinking of ALL we have to do.)

But there is SOMETHING more that I'm excited about...let me share.

About 4 months ago, I had a dream. As only a mother could have.

My dream was that I'd get Easton's 1 year pics done professionally...but not just by ANYONE.
I was dreaming B.I.G.
Real.BIG.

A Mama can dream. And here's TWO of my picks.
HERE

and
HERE

The 1st one took our wedding pictures...so it wasn't out of reach totally.
Just a 6 hour drive to Kansas City.

The last one was a dream. A total dream...and on my bucket list.

And then, the twitter that changed all twitters.

My sister twittered last night she was looking for ME. Only I was already asleep.
(Told ya I'm tired during pregnancy...I heart sleep!)
She even called.
Again, asleep.

This morning I called my sister and she had GREAT news.
One of our FAVORITE bloggers will be in Des Moines.
That's 2 hours away, people.
Two hours.
AND...the grand news...she takes pictures and setting up shop to take ANYONE'S pictures.
And she is GOOD.
Really good.

Who is she!?

Check her out...
HERE!

Do you know her?
Makmama....
Yep. That's right.
God heard my dream and prayer....

She's gonna take pics of MY little boy!
MINE!

I'm so excited....!
I MEAN SUPER excited!!
SO excited...........

Makmama.
I love her!

So...Easton's birthday party weekend starting tomorrow...
This could be the GREATEST week of my life! ;)

You know you have a baby when....

2011-03-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Let's face it.

Children change you.

They bring out your BEST.
And...they bring out your worst.

And so, in honor of Easton's 1st birthday coming up on SUNDAY, I've come up with 10 ways I've changed in the last year.

Thank you, Easty-pants.

1. Before having Easton when I'd have 1 hour to shower, do hair AND makeup, I KNEW I'd NEVER be ready in time. Now, I'm amazed at how FAST I can get ready. If I HAD an hour to get ready...I don't know what I'd do with ALL.THAT.TIME.

2. I curse (not real cursing) Eve more. Not for the whole pain in child birth thing. No. In the LAUNDRY thing. Face it, if Eve would have said NO to the snake, we'd still be naked. Therefore, NO LAUNDRY. Trust me when I say, EVERYTIME I am sorting clothes and look to see HOW MANY piles I have, I make a mental note to look up Eve when I get to Heaven. We WILL be having a talk.

3. With that being said, I can't get over how MUCH I LOVE to fold baby clothes. They are SOOO cute.
NEVER thought I'd love folding clothes. But, baby clothes are just plain cute.

4. I'm more aware of the dangers out there for my son. Example: being pregnant with baby #2 I have watched more TV in the past 2 months than the past year. (we also didn't have internet...REMEMBER?) As I would watch I'd tell my husband, that's it. When Easton turns 2 we are getting RID of TV. The programs that would come on, stood for NOTHING I stand for or believe. (And this is just one example.)

5. Having a baby and "looking like you have it all together" is something that isn't possible. Just once, I want my house SPOTLESS-laundry DONE-Easton CLEAN-and everything PERFECT. Sigh. A girl can wish.

6. Having a baby shows you JUST.HOW.SELFISH.YOU.REALLY.ARE.

7. Having a baby takes away your selfishness....big time.

8. When Easton was born, I could of cared less what I looked like. (To a degree) The BEST part of my day was picking Easton's outfit and dressing him. And admiring how CUTE he is when he's ALL cleaned up and ready to go.

9. When you have a baby, little things excite you. The bubbles they make with their drool. The 1st time they sit up for 3.1 seconds. The moment they smile at you. And, let's not forget how cute their burps and sneezes are.

10. You know a baby lives in your house when you have PILES of pictures and NOT ONE of them scrapbooked. Yep. Confession time. BEFORE I was married, I'd spend HOURS scrapbooking my life. I had it down. Give me my supplies and in an hour I could have 10 pages done. Then, I got married and had a baby. Now, I have TONS of pictures. But Easton's life is just scrapbooked up til about month 3. Sigh. Maybe when he is older....

I'm sure I could go on and on and on...but YOU give me some of your YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A BABY WHEN stories.
READY.
SET.
GO!

Student Convention...

2011-03-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

This past week, I packed our bags and headed to Macomb, IL for some great competition. Our school, goes every year to compete with schools in what we call Student Convention. They compete in different events divided in the following: Music, Drama, Arts and Crafts, Academics, and Sports. From 7th grade to 12th grade, I competed and honestly, some of the best memories were made there!

This year was a tad different. Because I brought Easton Paul. Convention is NOT for the faint of heart. It's fast pace, high drama, and hardly ANY sleep. NOT.GREAT.FOR.BABIES.

But, (not to brag) Easton is a PERFECT child. ;) And I KNEW he would be UP for the challange. I promise. He was sooo good. Maybe not PERFECT. But, I was a proud mama! He honestly thought EVERYONE was there for him. And the bigger the crowd, the cuter he got. He LOVED the audience. In fact, so much, he learned to walk at Convention. He also learned to dribble a basketball (3 dribbles before the ball slips away.)

The sad part...I wasn't perfect and didn't take ANY pics of his 1st Convention. Sad.

But, I'll always remember the memories that we made this past week. And how GOOD my baby boy did.

Good job, Easton, Good job!

Easton Paul

2011-03-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this sweet picture. A few weeks ago, we went ice skating with friends. After an hour outside, Easton and I headed into the coffee shop to get warm. Just a cute pic of him walking around the table. (sorry it's blurry--my camera is having troubles.)

My sweet baby boy!

Pregnancy Quirks and Perks...

2011-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Being pregnant with Baby #2 I have come to realize there are some MAJOR PERKS to being pregnant...but also there are some QUIRKS to being pregnant. With that said, throughout this pregnancy I'll be posting my latest PERKS and QUIRKS. Feel free to tell me yours. Even if your "baby" is 20 yrs. old.

QUIRK of the week: I don't get "sick" until the 2nd trimester. Sickness started today. Ugh.

PERK: Because of getting sick I got to sit and read my Nook ALL DAY. ;)

See?! Now you try it!

Hello, again.

2011-03-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Whew! I'm back! It's been a trip. But a good one. Where have I been!? Where have I NOT been? Let's catch up shall we!?

I think my LAST post was in October. Since then, we have been busy.

Nov. started with us packing up our house and getting ready to move. Only, I got sick the WEEK we were to move...so I called on some AMAZING best friends who came and packed up my whole house in a day. While I sat and watched. Too weak to do anything.

We moved the 13th of Nov. on a RAINY Saturday morning. We had SOOO much help. And I was STILL sick. God bless the Master's Commission team---and ALL our friends and family who helped us move! We moved about 9 miles from the house we were renting. Our NEW house is amazing. It's MUCH bigger than what we were renting and just perfect for us. It's out in the country and has a pond in the back. I LOVE IT! (pics to come...I promise!)

Thanksgiving came and we spent the time with my parents. That night, Easton started to get sick and within an hour we realized he had an ear infection. Poor baby. And on a Holiday weekend too. Ugh. So sad to see your baby sick.

By Dec. Easton was doing much better. My birthday was celebrated with a bang. I invited my best girlfriends over and we made Christmas cookies and had a huge lunch. Such great friends.

Around the beginning of Dec. we were STILL trying to get internet at our new place. My husband had called them before we moved...and the internet company we had before promised us we could get internet at our new house. Then, when they came out to hook it up...it wouldn't work. Three times they came--and three times they tried different things---but nothing worked. So, we were OUT of options. Til Spring.

Dec. 15th, Easton woke up from his nap with a HIGH fever and ANOTHER earache. Went to the Dr. and the meds he was on didn't clear up his ear infection. So, round two of meds we tried.

Dec. 24th, we spent Christmas Eve with my parents. And while there...Easton started feeling sick again. (DO you SEE a pattern?) This ear infection was the MOTHER of ALL ear infections. By Christmas Day we were to spend it with Wil's family, and poor Easton was in so much pain we went to the ER instead of the Nolt's. Poor little baby boy. His 1st Christmas, and we are in the ER. Like a good mom I took pictures!! ;)

We brought in the New Year with a vow that Easton was going to be HEALTHY....Just as soon as his ears cleared up. Let me tell you...if there was an ear treatment...I tried it. Antibiotics, Chiropractor adjustments, Ear drops, etc.

January 11th, we found out we were pregnant with Baby #2 for the Nolts. We were BEYOND excited and couldn't wait to share with everything. Baby #2 is due Sept. 17th.

By Feb. Easton's ears were CLEARED. Thank God. Honestly, I can say I have NO idea what worked. Maybe the combo of ALL the treatments worked! ;) Feb. brought us great news that a new internet company had been working last summer and WE would be getting internet in MARCH! Such a delight. I didn't realize how much we used the internet for EVERYDAY things--Not just facebook--but life in general.

March 1st came and the new internet company came and hooked us up. Only, that day, my charger to my laptop died, and my computer had no battery life left. (only me!) I laughed. Really what could you do. So, I'm on my husband's computer. That's why there are NO pictures...they are all on my computer. Which is hibernating until SPRING.

So, that's where I've been! We've been busy. But God has been faithful. So much more has happened. But that's just the OVERVIEW. Now, for an exciting day of LAUNDRY. Bet you wish you were at my house! ;) Talk to you soon!

Glad to be back!

The coat {of not so many} colors!

2010-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

God has blessed me with MANY friends. Some friends have been with me since the womb or close after that. Some friends I met in grade school, and others in college. And, some, I've met as an adult. Each are SUPER special and I love being with them.

With that, I'd like to introduce you (through blogger) to my good friend Ruth Ann. A little background about her...she is the mother of 4 kids, wife to Elvin, and is a stay at home mom. She was raised Horse and Buggy Mennonite and grew up around Lancaster, PA. When she was about 17 she moved to Iowa to be a teacher. While teaching her students to read and write, she met her husband to be Elvin Zimmerman. They married a few years later and bought a house outside the big city of Floyd.

The 1st time I met Ruth Ann was at a VBS at our church. She sent her daughter and let me tell you ALL the teachers were FREAKING out that we had this little Mennonite girl there. We behaved the MOMENT Ruth Ann walked in. Slowly, over time, we got to know Ruth Ann through different events.

A few months later, Ruth Ann and Elvin joined our church and we have become BEST of FRIENDS. She was my Matron of Honor in my wedding and her girls were my flower girls. Our friendship RUNS deep. I love her family like my own.

She started a business making baby clothes.

Where I have been......

2010-10-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Girls!
This IS SUCH a busy time of year. Just a few things that have been going on...

I started my own business! I sell Usborne Books. Love reading. And children's books are some of my favorite. So it's PERFECT for me.

Also, this month, I decided it was time to start working out. Ugh. Dreaded sigh. After I had Easton, I tried to work out...and then the summer came and I DIDN'T get to do a THING I wanted...and working out was thrown to the wind. So, I researched almost EVERY workout you could do...and found Turbo Jam. (I'm only about 10 years behind the rest of you!) The volleyball girls did this workout years ago and I had tried it a few weeks one time...but this is serious. Like...don't get to get dressed, check facebook, go outside of your house, til your workout is done serious. SO. Every morning, it's me and Chalene. We've become quite good friends....if I say so myself. Do I love it? Not at the beginning. But by the end, I'm THANKFUL I did it. Have I lost weight? Naa...Inches? Maybe. I can tell for myself but others can't. Or so they don't say...wow...you look like you are losing weight. Sigh. I'll give it a few more weeks.

Then, the biggest news of all is we bought a house. Yep. Mentioned that before on here. Friday we close on it. And we become homeowners. A home. That's big enough for us. Double Sigh. So yes. We are excited. I DO plan on posting pictures and showing you the process....there are just NOT picture taking moments of W.A.I.T.I.N.G.
I spend the day DREAMING about what I want the house to look like...only to move to another idea and then another. My whole life I've always been insecure about my color choices and if this matches and that matches...so this whole...let's pick out paint thing....kind of is overwhelming. Do you have ANY good tips for picking paint? Websites? Ideas? Because I need them. How do you pick out ideas? Are you friends with Martha? Is she in your area? Send her my way.

So...those are the biggest things in my life.
On a sweet side note, my sister in law had a little boy last night. 10 lbs. 23 inches long. 12 days overdue. It was her 9th baby. 2nd boy. Last night his name was Tyler...and this morning they changed it to Logan. ;) Too many good boy names to pick! HA! The 7 sisters are smitten with him and he is beautiful. The older brother thinks he's pretty special too!

Starting my own business.....

2010-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! After almost TWO years of not working...I've started my own business. Two weeks ago, I started.
Most of you know I L.O.V.E. to read. AND, I love books. (just ask my husband!) AND, even better I love children's books. SO. Why not SELL great, quality books for children!? That's right! Have you heard of Usborne Books? They have over 2,000 titles for children of ALL ages. QUALITY. I haven't picked up ONE book I don't like...and let me tell you---although I LOVE books---I'm picky!

Three years ago, I'd never heard of the company and went to a friend's party---JUST because. I left her house IN LOVE with them. I went in with a "teacher's eye" and came out drooling of ALL the books I wanted for my classroom. So, I started buying them when I could. They have a program called Reach for the Stars where classrooms get free books--WE LOVED THEM. At reading time over 1/2 my class (non-readers and readers alike) ALWAYS had an Usborne book. Always.

So, then, I had a baby boy. I started digging out my "baby" Usborne books just to see if it worked with 3 months olds as well as middle school. Yep. You got it...he LOVES them. LOVES.THEM.

We enjoy reading these books and looking at pictures and talking about them. Get ready...cause you will love them too!

Check out my webpage for more information! Or ask me which books will be RIGHT for your children!

www.ubah.com/k3461

LOOK for FREE book giveaways on this blog coming soon!

Hello, again....

2010-10-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a September! I hardly had time to sit down...let alone BLOG! EVERY WEEKEND WAS BUSY! I spent EVERY Monday in September in my pj's trying to catch up on housework...because we had THAT much fun during the weekend. Don't believe me!? In a nutshell here's a few things we did...

We started off Sept. with a big ole' wedding. A former student of mine.
Not bad...nice and sweet. A wedding---I know what you are thinking...Really? That's not bad...Keep reading, keep reading.

We hit the next weekend with our fall favorite the Floyd Gospel Sing. A two-day ALL DAY singing. With some GOOOOOOD eating. Trust me. SO.MUCH.FUN....but SOOOO much work! 10am to 10 pm Fri. and Sat. all day singing. ALL.DAY. 10 to 10. Every 20 mins a new group. Hundreds come. We'll have a few thousand over the two days. Just typing all this is making me tired again....

My Mother-in-law came for a week. All out family fun was had. Lots of cousins, family and my MIL's 1st time to see Easton. (love at 1st sight for both of them I might add!)

Easton's dedication. We wanted Wil's mom to be here so we "put it off" until she could make the trip. Yep. You got it. He was 5 months old before we dedicated him. It's ok. God knows. And I've given him over to God SO many times since BEFORE birth his dedication was just a PUBLIC confirmation. ;) I've got pictures to prove it....somewhere!!

After the Gospel Sing/dedication weekend...we moved right into my best friend's wedding. Lots of GIRLTIME. A wonderful Bed and Breakfast where I lived like a Queen...and saw my best friend marry the man of her dreams. Pictures were outside where we almost froze to death...
And, I MUST add, I made some of the funniest memories with the bride's cousin and sister in law that will forever be a highlight of the weekend. (Inside joke kind of funny) LOVED.IT.

Moving into a weekend that was jam packed full of family time and a funeral and a rained out photo shoot ended our Sept. with a bang.

OH wait. I forgot. In ALLLLL that messssssss....We bought a house.

Yep. That's right.
We did.
And I have yet to tell my facebook family about it. Because I've been SOOO busy with everything else...I somehow forgot. (we bought it the week my best friend got married) So I'm a LITTLE big confused about details. In my mind it goes like this: We offered, a bridesmaid lost her bridesmaid dress. The owner say yes, the Bride and Groom said, "I do." We signed papers, and we all ate cake and danced. We have a closing date, and pictures were at 2:30. Honestly, that's how I remember it. Nicely tied in with a wedding theme.
So. Blogger friends...be the 1st to know. We move the beginning of Nov.
Nope. Haven't started backing yet.
Moving on....

October....I welcome thee!

Yesterday, my friends and I headed to the Pumpkin Patch with our babies. A lot has changed since last year's pumpkin patch adventures. (Easton wasn't born yet at last year's fun-filled day!)

And so, enjoy the pictures! They are so cute!
(And once again....Facebook has YET to see them!)

Two little cousins enjoying the day OUTSIDE with pumpkins!
Easton and Tristan
No joke....they have their own language!

Just having a good time! Tristan's favorite thing was to throw the pumpkin down!

Perfect day for being outside!!

My little learner! Always trying something new! He loved touching the straw and moving it from one hand to the next.

Happy to show the world how cute he really is!

At Stillwater Greenhouse. They have a pumpkin patch and the most beautiful displays of mums and pumpkins and haybales and haybale tunnels you could ever want. They also have digging for treasure (gourds) for kids and a slide. Not to mention the greatest outdoor chairs to sit in and talk with friends....

Honestly, it was sooooo refreshing to sit and hold our babies (or in some cases CHASE our babies) and just relax.

So...I'm declaring October Kick Back and Relax month.
Love it already!

My friend

2010-09-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when I was in 5th grade, a "new" girl came to our school. She was in 4th grade and had long dark hair, and the most beautiful green eyes you'd ever see. She was quiet. I was loud. She was shy, I was outgoing. She wanted to be my friend, I did not. After school one day, I went home and told my mom how this girl from "4th grade" wanted to by my friend and how we were NOT the same age. HOW could we be friends! My mom took my aside and told me a simple truth. "Rachel, if you will be this girl's friend, she will be your friend for life. She will stand by you when life is hard, in good times and bad. Be her friend."

And so, the next day, I took my mom's advice. And little did I know, that day at school, a beautiful friendship was born. An instant friendship was made with the strongest glue possible. We were eternal friends. We went through middle school together...and I hardly have ANY high school memories with her.

The whole time, she claimed she was going to get married at 20. Young. Fall in love, start a family and enjoy being a mom. I, too, wanted that, but wanted to finish college 1st. So plans were made. She'd marry at 20, and I'd marry at 22. Perfect. Done. Deal.

Only Jesus had different plans. He had His ideas too. And slowly, life went on and we both reached 25 without a man in sight. Over the course of our 20's life happens. We both moved to different places and new friends were made...we didn't talk as much but our friendship ran deep. And, even at our worst times...we remained friends.

Two years ago, when I married, I KNEW without a doubt that I couldn't get married unless this girl was by my side. We'd been through so much and I wouldn't of had it any other way.

And, this past Saturday, with tears in my eyes, I stood by her side, and watched as she married the love of her life.

Life changed. Our childhood dreams of being 20 and married had vanished. But, God has plans and His ways are higher than ours. And so, I'd like to introduce you to my eternal friend:

Meet Brook. She's in the black, and I in the red. She's one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet and I love that she allowed me to be apart of her big day. This was the Bridal Luncheon the day before the wedding. What a lovely event.

Brook's grandma praying a blessing over Brook. I had to grab my camera to snap some pictures so we would always remember the moment.

My sweet friend, honestly, I've never seen her happier than on this day! Her face was lit with a look that only love can bring. I know she has prayed for her future husband for years and I know God will bless them as they wait on Him.

My sweet little boy before the wedding!

For years, Brook and I have waited for this moment. We talked about it, dreamed about it, and cried when we thought it would never happen. But, I'm proud to say, that Saturday night it happened. For the 1st time, Brook and I were able to take a picture TOGETHER---with our husbands! No, it wasn't at 20. And not even 25. Yes, we were older than what we dreamed. But, walking in God's Will is the sweetest thing.

So, for the 1st time in our friendship...I'd like to present to you my dearest friend and myself...WITH our husbands:

Brook, we've waited a LONG time for this. I was so honored to be a big part of your day. God bless your marriage as your start your new journey. You will be missed as you move away and start your new life together. But, know that I'm always here. A phone call away. I'll be your biggest fan, cheering you on as a wife and when the time comes, a mom. You have always been such a blessing and I'm honored to call you friend. My mom was right. So glad I listened to her! I love you forever and always....

Happy 2 yr. blogversary!

2010-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my Blog-versary! Two years ago today I started this blog. Man, have I come SO FAR! Two years ago I miscarried our 1st baby. We had only been married 2 1/2 months and faced our 1st major trial. Broken-hearted I started a blog. Just to write. And press PUBLISH. Pressing that button was freeing. I could write out my feelings and leave them there. This blog has grown into so much more than just a broken-hearted girl. It grew as I grew.
God has been SO VERY faithful--as I knew He would! I trusted in Him--EVEN when it was hard. Finally, He gave Wil and I a sweet little baby boy--Easton Paul--who is the sweetest baby! I'm honored to be Easton's mom and pray that God will lead me and guide me as I raise Easton for Him.
It's been a growing two years. I'm excited to see what God has in store for this year!

Happy Friday!

2010-09-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

WELCOME NEW FRIENDS!!!

Tristan's Birthday gift!

2010-09-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

My sister's little boy turned 1 yesterday. Such a FUN day filled with family and friends. We had pizza after church, then opened gifts and drove up to MN to a indoor waterpark. We had a blast. So much fun without naps. ALWAYS a good time. ALWAYS. Today: rest. AND: NAPS. For everyone.

BUT, before naptime...I want to show you what we gave Tristan. I found this little beauty at a PRE garage sale. My friend told me she was getting rid of it at her garage sale in two weeks. I told her I neeeeeded it NOW. And so: I owe her $3.50. That's right. I'm in debt 3 dollars and 50 cents.

Before: where the creative juices start flowing!

I looked in my paint stash that I have...and found this red. I ~~stole~~ borrowed the paint from my parents for my wedding---and years later---have never returned it. AND, so, my rule is...after almost 3 years of then not asking for it or about it...it's mine.

Next, after the paint dried...I got my Cricut out and in yellow and blue cut and mog podged Tristan's name on the front of the chair. All paper I used was from my NEVER-ENDING scrapbook paper collection that I have.

AND, since I'm a "retired" teacher I always want to promote READING...so I found a cute little boy reading a book and put it where Tristan can see it! Maybe one day I'll come to Beka's house and find him reading in his little chair. Auntie can dream!

Next, I took a trip with a friend to a fabric store. I brought along some samples of yellow and blue paper and started looking for some amazing fabric to make a little seat cover. I jumped up with glee when I found this fabric. MATCHED.PERFECTLY. I couldn't wait to get it home and sew. (I SOOOO need a craft room. ALL this was done in my kitchen...so you can imagine the sight!) Oh, I paid 1.50 for the fabric I used.

The final project! I spent a total of $5.00 on the WHOLE project!
Only it was lacking 1 thing:

A cute little boy to try it out! We couldn't WAIT to give this to Tristan. AND, yesterday he LOVED it! Sat in it for a whole 3 mins...and for a 1 year old...that's HUGE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY T! Auntie loves you so much!

A hint!

2010-09-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

My little nephew turns 1 on Sunday! Here's a PEEK at the gift I made him!!! Can you guess? I'll reveal the WHOLE project next week! Til then, HAPPY GUESSING!

Fall Cleaning and illegal picture taking.

2010-09-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started my FALL CLEANING. Do people have FALL CLEANING? Normally, I don't. BUT, my MOTHER-IN-LAW is coming. Therefore, we clean!

I'm excited to have her for a week. She has yet to meet Easton and he can't wait to meet her! ;)

Next Sunday we are having him dedicated at church so she will be there for that occasion.

Til then...we clean!

HAPPY CLEANING!

My mother-in-law

Her church doesn't believe in taking pictures...so I snuck this one in last summer when we were in PA. Trust me when I say...WE WILL have pictures when she gets here. LOTS of pictures of her and Easton. What the bishop doesn't know won't hurt him! I'm just the wild-worldly daughter-in-law with a camera. Don't mess with me!

A day in August...

2010-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

CONFESSION: Around 9am I thought to myself...HUH, today would be a GREAT day to do A DAY IN AUGUST...so I grabbed my camera and started clicking, after we'd been up for a while. So, let me give you a brief update on our camera-less (new word) morning.

Monday, Aug. 16, 2010

6:30am: Easton wakes up. I bring him in bed and we all fall back to sleep.

7:00am: Easton wakes up for good. Make bottle. Feed him. Come downstairs. Finish feeding Easton and then make myself breakfast. Boring cereal...or was it toast? I can't remember.

8am: Start the bath. My favorite time of the day. Bathtime with Easton. Last week he learned how to splash and he loves when we just sit and splash. He's not afraid to get water in his face. So kick and splash he does. He loves water. (Just like me) So, we spend a GREAT deal of time in our bath. Maybe like 30-60 mins a morning, or afternoon or evening. When we are NOT rushed to get out the door. And, this is without bath toys. Yes. Pure splashing fun.

GOOD morning....Felt the need to show you what I look like pre-bath.

My little fish. A bath must-haves: BUBBLES. Lots of bubbles. Hot water. Cute baby boy and a mommy. Lots of water-fun.

Loves the camera. This week I realized that we needed bath toys. BUT, if we bought bath toys we'd never get out...so I'm holding off til next week.

He loves bubbles. He tries to grab them...but his hand goes into the water. And he looks for the bubbles in his hand but can't get them. Over and over we try this...til our water gets cold.
Cold water=time to get out! (yep, we run out of hot water every morning we take a bath.)

10am: Easton goes down for a nap. I come to check on him. Poor boy STILL has to be swaddled and STILL has to SMASH his face into a blanket. We are working on it...but what's not broke...we don't need to fix. AND since I'm sleeping and he's sleeping we both our happy. Swaddle and blanket and binkie are a must come sleeping time.

10:20am: I start a load of towels. Let me start again...I start a load of ALLLLL the towels we have in our house. (Too many baths!) But for real, we only have like 8 towels total and so it was time to wash them!

10:45am: I sit down and zone out on facebook and blogger. Facebook just to check to see if anything is going on and blogger to read my favorite blogs. Hoping that my favorites will blog something.

11:45am:Baby boy wakes up and daddy gets to feed him. (yep, pretty sure I've been on the computer that WHOLE entire time.) Oh naptime...you make my heart sing. (My husband isn't mad that was his WHY THE PICTURE taking ALL THE TIME face) Just wait, Mr. Nolt...just wait!)

Noon: LUNCH TIME! Normally, sandwiches or leftovers are for lunch. But, my husband didn't have to work so I made it a bit more fancy. Sweet corn from our garden! Well, husband's garden! Side note: I should take pics of what I eat and post them on facebook ALL the time. Good way to eat less. Didn't want you to think of me as a pig! Moving on....

12:30:Dishes DONE.

12:35: I walk outside to my husband's garden and FIND THIS! I was soooo excited. All I wanted from my garden was zucchini. But, one day while weeding our garden, my husband and I uprooted our zucchini plant. And it died. Or so I thought. But, Jesus healed it and it gave us ONE zucchini. My summer is complete. Almost.

1pm: I head out to get the mail. Fun. Fun.

I DANCED all the way back to the house!!! I had a package and I KNEW exactly what it was! I screamed and danced (again) and started to open it!

After I read a blog about this program I've wanted to try it. I found it on Amazon and bought it...CONFESSION: I bought it without telling my husband. It's the 1st time I've never asked/told him I was going to buy something. One day, I just BOUGHT it. Right then and there. And confessed at suppertime that evening. RIGHT before our marriage class. Yep. Guilty. He took it well. And we both laughed because he KNEW how excited I was about it. Now, he wants a kayak. Sigh. This software wasn't as much as a kayak....

After my whole dance party...I calm myself...as the software is being installed on my computer, (my husband helped me) I sat down to write the family circle letter. My husband has 8 siblings. They started this circle letter with the WIVES of each family. Each wife writes a letter about what's going on in their life/family and passes it on to the next "sister." Then you get to read all the other letters they write. It takes about 4 months for it to pass between 9 families but it's fun to see what they write. AND what you wrote 4 months ago. Most of the letters talk about canning and freezing their summer gardens....mine...not so much. Guess I'm the black sheep of the family. I DID freeze sweetcorn this year but didn't tell them. My little few quarts of sweetcorn would not compare to their bushels of sweet corn, peas, beans, jam, strawberries, blue berries, onions, soups, peaches, fruit mixes and anything else you can squeeze into a canning jar.

2:30pm:Easton wakes up from his 2nd nap of the day. Such a cute little boy and so happy. He makes me smile and I just LOVE him. HE is what I write about in the family circle letter. Him. Because he's what I most proud about. Let them have their canning--I have my boy!

After naps we head out for some much needed fun.....

Just a picture of myself...(not driving down the road.)

SUCH a perfect day outside! I just had to capture the moment. (and the Iowa fence rows)

And since I was born in the South and am a tea addict...I order a sweet tea from McDonalds. Sigh. It will have to do considering the lack of good tea in the north.

I taste the tea and realize it's spoiled. Stupid McDonalds.

So, with NO good tea to drink, I am sad. But, coming to my sister's house, I get over it by eating...

THIS! And, it was slightly healthy. One of our friends who is really healthy made them...take out the choc. chips and it's a vegan cookie. It made up for the spoiled tea.

Hanging out with Aunt Bek-Bek. We took pictures of Easton and another little baby for my friend's new clothes line she is creating. Talent...I tell ya.

Burgers for supper. Husband grills them...LOVE grilling nights!

Quick supper because I am hosting a bookparty with Asborne books. Easton and I LOVE the books so much and we are super excited just to look at them. This is Tristan (Bek-Bek's boy.) He liked to look at the books too!

Look at that book goodness! Lots of books to look at! The Animal hide and seek is Easton's favorite. He goes nuts and can hardly contain themself. And Tristan has our other favorite book that somehow got lost in MN last week. SAD! I'm still grieving over the loss of that book.

MORE book Heaven! I ordered a bath book...in fact it's in the picture! We will have bath toys now!

Lots of books+Lots of friends+Lots of children=TOTALLY FUN NIGHT!

And, the rest of my night was spend filling my order form and looking and picking books I thought would be fun for Easton and I to read when he's older. The party got over around 10 and I was SOOOO excited about my books I didn't go to sleep until welllllll after midnight. Books just do that to me!

Tonight we went fishing...

2010-08-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my husband thought it would be a great idea to head to the trout stream. So, after supper, we piled in the car, and headed to his little fishing hole. Deep in the ~~wilderness.~~ woods. The evening was PERFECT. Fall was in the air and I was ALMOST cold. Almost. It was beautiful!

Little boy loving the outdoors.

Trying to be like B* Pretty. (Not even close!) Sigh.

My man fishing. (I sat in a lawn chair and played with Easton. But, as I sat there, I did have this desire to fish. Strange feeling.

The boys fishing together.

My favorite! His little hand helping his daddy out!

What he REALLY wanted to do with the pole!

Loving doing boy things!

Helping his daddy catch the big one!

Daddy's little fishing buddy!

And so, that was our adventure. They caught one fish and we called it a night--took a drive and went to visit some grandparents.
Perfect summer evening!

Crafty

2010-08-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

I love crafts. AND, I love to give homemade gifts to people. But, I never post them on here because I'm always afraid people will see the flaws of homemade. So, this morning, I'm branching out, and showing the world just how much I love to craft. Flaws and all.....

Today is the 1st day of school around here. As a former teacher myself, I LOVED the 1st day. Excited...with a little bit of don't want to leave summer. So I thought the teachers needed a TEACHER SURVIVAL KIT: Everything they need to make it through the school year....well, almost.

1st up...magic wands:
(OH, not only do I like to make things, I don't like to spend a fortune on them...and there are not alot of craft stores around here without driving 30 miles...so we look at our house.)

I find kabob sticks...GREAT for wands. Now to cover them up so they don't look sooooo boring.

I found my mom's hot glue gun a few weeks ago...let me tell you, HOW did I live without it? Glue the tip...

Apply the ribbon...and twist all the way to the end. SIMPLE.
Glue the end. PRETTY WAND!
Now for flare!

Use some other ribbon and tie it to make some flare. Perfect.

I gave them 3 things...water that said: May you always have energy. And, I also gave them sticky notes that said: May you always stick to your job....and...

The wands said.....May your Fairy God Mother always be with you. (by far my favorite!)

I packaged them up with a pretty bow....

AND, have gifts for my 5 teacher friends.
They were a big hit!

For Parents Only

2010-08-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

My friend Jamie posted a beauitful blog on parenting. I ate it up...and decided that more parents need to read this. So...here it is....ENJOY! Really! GO read it. And let's be the BEST parents we can be!

Friday Night Dinner

2010-08-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

My parents have been gone on vacation all week. They let us know yesterday that they get home tonight and want the grandboys at their house when they arrive! AND to make SURE we are there....they promised us pizza for supper.

We leave in 20 mins. Cause everyone wants pizza on a Friday night!

This week we (my sister and myself) took the boys to the park. This swing was PERFECT to share.

Without introduction...the grandboys my parents miss:

Easton Nolt and Tristan Fox

Cousins that one day will change the world! But for right now, they just steal their mommys' hearts!

So I'll never forget: Easton's Birth

2010-08-14T18:23:00.001-07:00

Little things are beginning to fad in my mind about Easton's birth. Little things I WANT to remember, but as time goes by I forget. So tonight, as my little boy sleeps and my husband is out fishing, I write. And remember. My 1st born son's birth. Because I don't want to forget. Even the smallest detail.

And so, I begin Easton's Birth story....

Monday, May 22, 2010, I had my final visit with my Dr. He told me that due to my G.D. they didn't want me going over my due date. Being this was my 1st child, my Dr. told me the likelihood of going early was very slim. So, we decided to be induced on that following Friday.

Friday morning at 6am we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Already I had been up since 3am knowing that this was the day I was going to meet my baby boy. At 3am, I got up and showered and got fully ready. Makeup, hair and everything. My reasoning (as crazy as it sounds) but I didn't know WHEN they'd let me shower again, and I knew cameras were going to be ALL around. AND, although I KNEW labor would take some "beauty" out of me, I still wanted to be "ready for the day." (Very like my Granny Phillips) And so, I got ready, excited for this next step.

As we parked the car, I turned to Wil and said, "Let's go pick out our baby!" We both laughed and I wished it was going to be that easy. We entered the hospital and after getting my ID bracelet they walked me upstairs and took me to my birthing room. "This is it, it's really going to happen!" was going through my head.

The nurse had me change into a lovely hospital gown and had me in get into bed to answer some questions. Common, everyday questions: name. date of birth. address. And my favorite did I want to keep my placenta. I remember looking at the nurse and saying, "No?" Thinking why would you even ask me that question. She told me, "Good answer." We both laughed.

Shortly after that, a new nurse walked in and introduced herself as the 7am nurse. They 1st had planned to break my water and see if I'd go into labor, if not, start pitocin. Due to the position of Easton they couldn't break my water right away. And so, they started the pit. That scared me a bit because I'd heard such horror stories about pitocin. Expecting contractions to start coming HARD and FAST I watched the monitor. Nothing was fast or hard. And so the waiting began.

My parents showed up around 8am and I was worried Wil was going to go hungry. I kept asking him if he needed to eat. Every 30 mins they kept uping the pit and little by little contractions started to come.

By 12:30pm they FINALLY were able to break my water. And that's when things started to move...still at a snail's pace. But, move it did.

By 5:30pm, my contractions were coming every two mins and the back pain that I was having was beyond back pain. Poor Wil had to DIG his fist into my back just to ease my pain. I remember telling him not to TWIST his fist but to keep it steady. Realizing that I was only dialated to 5cm and in my mind the pain would ONLY get worse, I asked for an epidural. At that point I remember going into a "giving up" stage. Where I had been in pain for hours dealing with it, breathing through them, thinking about other things, and the idea of NO PAIN was way better than PAIN. So, forget this labor stuff....bring me an epi! I remember the ONLY time I liked my nurse was when they were giving me the epi and she let me lay my head on her shoulder. (more out of SHEER Rachel don't move, than comfort) but it was a nice gesture.

Finally, the epi was in and I could relax. At that point, I remember little things....like how my IV was hooked up and there was this little green piece right next to my wedding ring...I played with it while breathing through contractions.

I remember my mom always knowing JUST what to say when I needed her most. I remember looking into Wil's eyes and seeing how concerned he was for me. Like he wished he could take the pain away. I remember my sister Beka coming in and seeing her, I realized what she had gone through with giving birth to Tristan and once again my sister went up in my eyes. I remember my dad sitting out in the waiting room and how concerned I was that he was all alone...til I heard he was watching MARCH MADNESS and enjoying the quiet. Then, I was happy I could let him GET AWAY for the day!

Finally, my nurse left and I got a new nurse. When she came in I knew we would get along. And we did. Her name was Hillary and she was super nice. We talked about how she gets baby fever every day she works. But her and her husband were not ready to have a baby yet. She was sweet and fun. And I was SO glad she was my nurse. I loved her.

Around 11pm I realized that Easton wouldn't be born on the 26th of March. It made me sad. Not for ANY other reason than I like even numbers better than odd and March 26th sounded so much better than March 27th. (Or so I thought, after all, I was in labor.)

At 11:15pm they realized that Easton was turned wrong. His face was facing my left thigh. And, so we began trying to turn him. It was hard to do what they wanted, but I tried. It didn't work and they began talking about a C-section. At that point, I just told God whatever it took, I just wanted a healthy baby. At the LAST minute, he turned! God answered our prayers!

After an hour and a half of pushing I remember the nurse telling me, "Rachel, grab him and pull him onto your lap!" And I looked down into the sweetest baby boy I'd ever seen. My 1st thoughts went something like this...only 100 times faster. "Oh look at him he's perfect, Huh, he doesn't look like anyone I know, oh man, his head needs support, do I even know how to hold a baby? How have I held every other baby in the world and I can't hold my own's head so it won't move!? Oh my goodness, his nose is the sweetest nose I've ever seen. He has hair, oh my goodness he's so little. Why are they already taking him away?

When I was holding Easton, I said aloud, "He's so tiny!" And I remember my Dr. saying, "Oh, he's a good 8 pounds." But to me, he was still tiny.

They took him away and to the warming bed. The Dr. asked me if I wanted to see my placenta. Of course I said yes. As I was looking at it I thought, "They asked if I wanted to keep it?" That made me smile out of sheer WHAT ON EARTH would I do with it thoughts!

Since I wasn't allowed to leave the bed I was wondering what was keeping them with my baby CLEAR across the room. I asked, "How much does he weigh?" and my Dr. told me, "Don't rush it too fast, it will go by fast enough. Enjoy this time and this moment cause it will FLY by and you will forget things." Honestly, I wasn't asking because I wanted them to GET TO THAT POINT. I asked because I thought that was one of the 1st things you do! Little did I know there was SO MUCH MORE than just weighing a baby!

Finally, they brought Easton back. Since his head was turned wrong, he had huge bruises on the back of his head. He cried when I held him because my arm touched those bruises. I felt so bad! So, for the longest time I had Wil hold him UP against his chest so we didn't touch his head. Oh he was so sweet and precious. (If you look really close in the above picture you can see the clip that was RIGHT near my wedding ring that I played with during contractions. Such a love/hate relationship with that dumb thing!)
Our 1st family picture of all three of us! While in labor, I remember thinking the room was SOOO dark and not lit. Once Easton was born, I realized it was just because of my "labor brain" because it was WELL LIT and there were SO many lights everywhere. It was my brain that was fuzzy!

When I saw this picture for the 1st time, I fell in LOVE with this how he looked! This is JUST what Easton looked like in my arms for the 1st time. His little mouth was open and so were his eyes. And that nose...I just loved. This picture will go down as one of my favorites of ALL times because this is what Easton looked like when I saw him for the 1st time.

Having Wil hold Easton because of his bruises. Wil didn't mind at all! We both just wanted to look at him and talk to him. EVEN if we both were so tired.

While in labor, I started running a fever. After Easton was born, he ran a fever. So, after being with us for an hour, he had to go into the nursery for about two hours. I was so worried, and also tired. Mom and dad had left and I almost called them to pray. But, I didn't want to worry them. So, I'd pray, fall asleep, pray, sleep, pray, sleep. Worried about my son--yet being so tired I knew he was in God's hands and He would take care of my baby boy.

Wil getting to know his son. My mom was there to take pictures (when she wasn't talking me through a contraction) She was PERFECT for the job. Just perfect.

Easton's fever went away and they told me I had passed the fever to him. They ran tests but all tests were normal. Everything was fine and not to worry. And so we got settled into our room. It was well past 3am and I'd been up for 24 hours. I remember the nurse saying she had to give Easton a bath and couldn't wait to see that head full of hair clean! She told me over and over how beautiful he was and how he looked very much like his daddy. We settled down for the night and a nurse finally came in at 5am and asked me if I wanted her to take Easton to the nursery so I could get some sleep. I did, and only slept for about two hours before I got up to go get him. Not even 5 hours old, he was asleep in a swing, loving every minute of it.

Saturday morning we were up and I couldn't wait to have my family meet him! Beka had been in the waiting room and when Easton was born some nurse wouldn't let her in! I was SO sad! My nurse ran out to find Beka but she had already gone home. The next morning, Beka, Tristan, and Bethany Cooper came up to see him. My parents and Grandma Bonnie came and so many friends came up to see us. The day was perfect. Lots of love and lots of time with our baby boy. Saturday night Wil's family came. All they could talk about was how much hair he had. Nolt's don't have hair when they are born!

Sunday morning, Wil drove home and I took a nap thinking how everyone was at church and excited I had a baby boy! When Wil got back we walked down the the nursery to get our baby. (Easton had some basic tests that had to be done that morning) So, we sat and waited for more friends to come. And come they did. Right after church. Lots of love and friends and family. My brother, JP, came up and held Easton the entire time. He really didn't want to share him with others. Very funny. Only JP.

That night was our church's Easter program. Everyone was at church and we were at the hospital. It was bittersweet for me. I wanted to be there with Easton showing him off...yet here we were in the hospital enjoying our son. I just wanted people to see him. Funny what you think of at that moment. Sunday night Wil and I and Easton just sat and took pictures. Most of these of Easton were taken Sunday night on Palm Sunday.

Monday morning we were able to go home. I remember before leaving, getting some of their ice water because they have the BEST ice. AND, I wanted some for the road. Driving him home was a strange feeling. I just wanted to hold him and not have him in the carseat. But, laws are laws, and so, he sat in the back in his carseat. Law abiding...that's what we are!

Once we got home, I remember wishing we were back at the hospital. Having professionals wait on us for every little thing. I missed feeling the support and knowing if I didn't know...THEY would!

But, we adjusted well. And the best part of all was that Easton was ours. Our very own son that God hand-picked just for us!

And so, his birth story comes to a close. Having a baby is such a joy...so MANY emotions go through your mind. SO many emotions you don't expect.

But, having that baby placed in your arms for the 1st time is priceless.
May I never forget....

Living a dream

2010-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a dream came true. Just like that. Fulfilled. And, I ALMOST missed it. Yesterday was H.O.T. HOT in Iowa. Hot and Humid. And, when Iowa is humid there is only ONE thing to do.

GO SWIMMING.

And so we did. My friend, Ruth Ann, and her 4 kids (plus friends) and Easton and myself packed our bags and headed for the lake.

Oh how grand the lake felt. So refreshing. Easton was splashing away and we were loving every minute of it. So much that you forgot it was even humid and hot! The sun was beating down, but that didn't stop us from all the fun!

Halfway through Easton wanted to take a nap. SO while he was TRYING to sleep I got out my camera.

Easton...wanting to sleep! But there was just SO many other things to look at---it's hard to take a nap when things are happening! I bought that hat for a dollar before he was born...knowing we'd spend time outside enjoying the sun. So glad I did!
What a little cutie!

Ruth Ann's little boy playing in the water. He was singing OVER AND OVER, "HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD, SING WITH ME. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD, SING WITH ME. HOW GREAT IT OUR GOD, SING WITH ME. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD, SING WITH ME." It was the sweetest little thing...singing his heart out to Jesus and sharing the love to everyone else.

Easton getting fed before naptime. And it was RIGHT about here, that I realized I was living my dream. My whole life, EVERYTIME I went to the pool/lake/river/swimming I played and held OTHER children. My friends' children. But not mine. I didn't mind, I love kids and babies, but I couldn't WAIT to be with my own babies and make memories with them! And, yesterday, I realized that I was with MY BABY, holding him, teaching him how fun water can be. He was mine. Looking at me--his mommy--cooing and laughing and enjoying life. I was with friends, they had their babies---and I had mine. All talking about motherhood, children, church, and teaching. And the whole time, I had my baby--in my arms sitting on a floaty mat with Easton splashing away...A dream had come true. It honestly was a magical moment. And something I don't want to forget.

And to end the swimming day, Ruth Ann's girls--with friends--were SO cute sitting in a line talking and enjoying the water. Friendship:so beautiful.

I wanted to capture the moment...because so many times life happens and we forget.

So here's to NOT forgetting.
This summer has never been better!

2010-08-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

pool day.

too hot to do anything else.

2010-08-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

Whew! I'm back. What a week it has been! Let's see, when I last posted was a week ago! Time flies when you are having fun! A week ago, we received some sad news. My mom's uncle passed away from cancer. He had been fighting it for a year. With funerals come FAMILY! Although we were very sad to lose a family member, there is NOTHING better than getting to see your cousins! AND in my book...SUMMER=COUSINS it was a nice "ending" to my summer.

In no order...I give you some pictures from this weekend and last week. They are ALL over the place so TRY to keep up! ;)

Sunday night we had our church baptizm...and our church has never fancy-nope. Backyard swimming pool works for us! We use to do it at the river...but thankfully, a family has a swimming pool we enjoy. Easton enjoys a swim after the service is over. (Frankly, I was sad I couldn't jump in! That night was soooooo hot!)
During the baptizm Tristan loved to put his hands in the water.

Pastor Paul (my daddy!) during the service. I was moved to tears several times during the service!

My good friend Ruth Ann and her family all getting baptized. They were horse and buggy Mennonite and got saved after they left that church. Powerful how their family--TOGETHER--got baptized. (they do have 2 more children who are 2 and 7 months.)

One of my most favoritest cousin--Sarah. Love her so much and hate it that we live so far away! She got to meet Easton for the 1st time and they really do love each other! My childhood summers were spent with this girl! So many memories. Her parents would bring her out for two weeks and OH THE MEMORIES WE MADE! She's stay at grandma's house those two weeks and we'd watch movies, go swimming, and play in our playhouse. (and so much more!)

Summertime=BOOKS! As a former teacher I use to spend MOST of my summer catching up on some good reading. My mama and Tristan having a good time reading book!

My baby boy asleep in my arms. Bliss! He loves to sleep in his bed. So, we don't get to do this very often...but when we are out and about I love when he falls asleep in my arms.

AND, what summer is not complete without homemade icecream and fresh peach pie?

More jumping time (still in our rainboots) in our newest and favorite toy! From Aunt Lois!

Dr. visit for Mr. Easton. His 4 month checkup...weighing in at 15 lbs. and 25 3/4 inches long. Happy baby.

He loved being able to stand and hear the "crunch" of the paper under his feet.

A little taste of Farmer's Market...

Waking up early to watch daddy clean the fish he caught.

Loving on daddy.

We have been busy. Lots of fun and great memories were made this week. Lots of cousin time and stories of yester-year were told.

Yesterday we celebrated my mom's birthday and tomorrow we celebrate my husband's birthday. We are having a blast!
Loving the last few weeks of summer!

Day 3 of summer goodness...

2010-08-04T06:14:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning I was on a mission. Clean out some areas of my house that NEEDED some attention. HOW ON EARTH do things get out of control so fast?

When I got married, I asked for TONS of dishtowels. In fact, I THINK a few people went together and bought me ALL the dishtowels I needed. So, yesterday morning...the dishtowel tub is one of the areas I cleaned out!

Before...
After!

Yesterday morning I worked and cleaned while Easton took his nap. BUT, when he woke up, he and I played with his NEW toy from my mom's Aunt Lois. (TRUST me on this...when it comes to TOYS you want Aunt Lois to PICK THEM OUT.)

We LOVE IT! Easton loves being in this toy and he can turn around and jump and drool all over the place. He was so excited and just LOVED that he was standing. OH how my boy loves to stand.

Tryin to be big! ;)

After we got done playing in the afternoon we were going OUT to have some fun. BUT, I declared yesterday NO MAKEUP day and honestly...that's the TRUE summer spirit coming out. LOVE.MY.SUMMER.

After lunch (and a detour to McDonalds for their sweet tea) we headed over to my friend, Ruth Ann's house for a playdate. Honestly, I don't know who plays more...the babies...or the mom's. But, it was so fun! Ruth Ann is in the works of starting her own business so the babies were the models for the clothes...so we spent the beginning outside. Easton has his 1st swing ride and loved it. Relaxed and kicked back--the world was his oyster. (what does that even mean?)

The whole time he was watching the other babies play. Honestly, I could just watch him all day. So glad he's mine!

AND...like a GOOD summer day, the heat got to us...so we headed inside for come A/C goodness. And some baby playtime...
Kenzie drinking Hadassah's water bottle. Learning to share is so much fun! ;)

My favorite little nephew Tristan. I told mom last night...being with Tristan makes me want to have JUST BOYS and make mudpies and forts, go fishing and pick up sticks, have water fights and jump in mud puddles. He's just all boy and I love it.

We got home and I HAD to put on Easton's rain boots. Cause they fit. Not a rain cloud in sight but they were just tooooooo cute to not put them on.

My little teething boy with his rain boots. Cause, we all know, that rain boots just make everything better!

31 Days of Summer DAY 2

2010-08-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful morning full of storm clouds and slight rain. Easton and I woke at the same time of 7:30am and braved ourselves for the day. Right away, I noticed that Easton seemed to be upset. And, I would find out SOON that cutting teeth...HURTS. But, that's a later story...and here's DAY 2 of our SUMMER FUN....

Last summer I DREAMED about freezing corn. The WHOLE summer that's all I wanted to do. Save the juicy mouth-watering goodness of Iowa's claim to fame and freeze it. THEN, in the winter months, when snow is higher than your car, leaving the house would be the worst idea ever, and above freezing is just a dream--you could take out your frozen sweet corn YOU GREW in YOUR garden and make some soup and eat some delicious Iowa sweet corn and melt all your worries away. (and maybe some snow)

But, surprise, I got pregnant, and the thing I COULD NOT handle ever...was the TASTE of sweet corn. Ugh. Such a terrible, horrible, cruel twist of fate. And so, corn season ended with me eating 1 cob...and NO corn in my freezer. I was sad the WHOLE winter.

This summer, I'm NOT pregnant and I am eating it as fast as we can get it. (Making up for last summer!) AND TODAY, with my friend, Ruth Ann and her super cute kids, we "did" some sweet corn. We started around 9am (Ruth Ann was up WAAAAY earlier doing all the work I just showed up...to take pictures!) But, the corn got done!

YUM. Ready to eat.
Letting it get cold. Oh the fun we had.

We worked on corn outside til the rain ran us back inside. BUT, by lunch we had LOTS of corn DONE and in the freezer. Just waiting for winter to come. (Riiiight. Not yet!)

Easton and I headed home around noon and it became apparent to me that he was NOT having a good day. So, the afternoon consisted of hugs, cuddles, and singing with mommy. Poor little boy--teeth can be a real pain. Or lack of teeth can be a real pain too. He slept poorly, ate poorly, cried very well, and just wanted his mommy. We took it easy and I even let him watch 15 mins of Clifford the Big Red Dog. He loved it.

Then, after supper we had a bridal shower to attend. My dearest friend, Brook is marrying the love of her life, Joel. Brook and I go way back to grade school and Joel and I go way back to last summer when Brook told me she met a guy. They are getting married in NEXT month and I'm honored to be a Bridesmaid. So...an evening with the girls is ALWAYS in order!

The CUTE (but blurry) centerpieces. I must stop and tell you that Joel works at a coffee shop and Brook LOVES her coffee. (AND HER MAN, but has always loved her coffee) So, it just seems fitting that Brook marry a man that knows how to make some good coffee. And the theme for the bridal shower became THE PERFECT BLEND. With coffee and coffee-y foods served to the guests. (Joel wasn't there to make the drinks...BUT wouldn't of THAT been cute!?

Our head table...With "scrabble" pieces saying BROOK AND JOEL. (Brook's family is a BIG scrabble family...they even have TRAVEL SCRABBLE and go to coffee shops and play.) Joel also taught them SPEED SCRABBLE and so, just another reason it's a match made in Heaven. Be looking for them at coffee shops near you!

Sad, but true fact: Brook is moving 5 hours away from me to MN. WAAAY up north. I think back in high school when she'd go on vacation there for a week--I'd go nuts. AND NOW, she's moving there. Yes, Brook and her family have vacationed in Joel's hometown for YEARS. AND just last summer---they met for the 1st time. Sweet story. Falling in love on vacation. Another reason to love summer. Ahhh.

Close up of the wall...I mean, talent. Pure, talent.

AND, for all you foodie's out there...we have some wonderful delish scones. Straight from Joel's coffee shop. Took some leftovers home with me and WILL be having one for breakfast in the morning. Yum!

Cute little table decs. Coffee pot with flowers. Really. They DO think of everything.

AND for your viewing pleasure...my iced coffee. I blame this little guy right here for me sitting up after 11pm with my whole living room SPOTLESSLY clean and me just dying to start doing something else. WIDEAWAKE. Me. But, let me tell you...that drink was totally worth it. Yum. And this is coming from a NON COFFEE drinker. I try so hard. SO hard to like coffee. But, I can't. BUT, this iced stuff...gets.me.every.time. It's my 1 coffee drink. One day I will be grown up enough to like coffee. Til then, iced tea with extra ice, please.

My poor little boy with his very 1st terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Had I owned the book we would have read it together. They should have added a part in there about cutting teeth so E and I could relate. Can you see in his eyes he doesn't feel good? Yet, as my son can only do, at the shower, he smiled and laughed and cooed at all the girls and everyone couldn't believe he had a bad day.
Trust me. I wanted to take his pain for him. Sad.

My sister and her little boy Tristan. She was introducing herself and T and the WHOLE time T thought it was his turn to talk. I was laughing so hard. He really does have some great ideas...if only we could understand them. I laughed and laughed at him...he melts my heart! I have to say that I'm SO proud of this picture because it captures him perfectly!

Finally with the Bride herself..Poor E was just kind of thrown in with his belly hanging out. But, this is Brook and we had a lovely time at her shower. She is the dearest friend a girl could ask for and I LOVE being apart of her life.

And so, it's waaay past this girl's bedtime and tomorrow is another fun-filled SUMMER day. My coffee is slowly leaving me and I'm off to get some sleep!

31 Days of Summer

2010-08-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived. For me, anyway. As most of you know, I spent 9 days of June in the hospital. I then, spent MOST of the 1st part of July trying to regain my energy and strength. Which meant, I sat on a couch and sat. Held Easton. And sat. Didn't do ANYTHING remotely fun because FUN was energy I needed to take care of Easton. So, sit I did.

THEN, RIGHT when I was feeling that I was back to "normal" Wednesday I had surgery and I ended out my month of July once again...sitting. Ugh. NO FUN. EVER.

So, it dawned on me last night that I've spent my WHOLE summer inside sitting. I've only gone swimming once. (the DAY before surgery) and I did that out of sheer rebellion because I wasn't going to do ANYTHING I didn't want to that day.

Today is Aug. 1st. AND, I although YOU may be getting your kids back to school supplies in the next few weeks, I'm living my dream. 31 days of summer. 31 days of I get to do whatever "summery" things I want. Swimming, biking, being outdoors, eating sweet corn, outdoor concerts, cookouts with friends, and the list goes ON AND ON. So, GET READY. 31 fun things--one for each day in Aug. I'm ending this summer with a bang. AND not one that lands me BACK in the hospital.

AND here is my 1st day of summer.
Aug. 1st.

Today, after a GREAT church service, Wil and I packed our bags and headed over to [THE NOT SO] Clear Lake. SO fun to be outside and living.life. Easton loved being outside. And here is a few pics of the afternoon. PERFECT summer day. Just perfect. For our perfect little family.
Getting tired after spending the afternoon outside. BUT, what a great day, the clouds were PERFECT and the sun just kissed us over and over again. The water rushed to meet us as we waded into the water. (Due to surgery...couldn't go ALL the way in) But, what a time we had!

ALL smiles because he was outside with his parents enjoying a family day. He loved to look at the waves...as LONG as he wasn't in them. The crashing sound scared him so we mainly just sat and watched them. He loved being IN the water...but not where he could hear the waves. Surfer boy? Er...maybe later.

Across the lake was a water fountain park where kids would run and run and play. We took Easton over there and he LOVED watching the water. The water was SUPER cold. AND you never knew how high the water would get, he still loved to watch it. He'd try to get his face super close and droplets of water would be ALL over his face...HE LOVED IT. Favorite place ALL day for this little boy.

We took him to the fountains twice. Once as a whole family and once just Easton and myself. Next year will be SO fun when he can run through it. And, as long as they don't sound like waves, my little surfer boy will do just fine! ;)

LOVING our 1st day of summer! AND what a great way to start our summer out by being at a beach. With water, friends, sun, and family.

Oh yes, and I couldn't help but get a cute pic of his shoes. Really, they are so cute. He loved looking at them trying to figure out just what were on his feet. (he's been barefoot the whole summer.) So, this was a treat for him and myself who love shoes. Comfortable shoes.

So, all in all we had a GREAT 1st day of summer.
Can't wait for MORE summer fun!!

Need your thoughts on something!

2010-07-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

What are you thoughts on YOUR BABY CAN READ? Before Easton was born I thought about getting the videos for him to watch. Now, he's 4 months old and I feel if I'm going to start showing it to him NOW is the time.

He LOVES to watch TV and I do freak out about this. BIG TIME. When Wil is watching the news I will take Easton in the other room because he just stares at the TV. Both Wil and I were raised without one (We got one when I entered JR. HIGH.) Wil...never. But, I do think the videos are very educational. I have watched one video at a friend's house and I will say it seemed boring---BUT that's what I'm looking for to show Easton! Something that's not flashy and violent, and REAL life.

What are your thoughts? Have you used them? Do you know someone who did?

I'm also a teacher and did my fair share of writing papers on WHOLE LANGUAGE vs. PHONICS. I DO recall saying children should be introduced to both. The school Easton will be attending when he goes into school in 5 years (yep...I'm a total teacher!) focuses on Phonics so I thought that I'd introduce him to whole language at home. Getting that best of both worlds. :)

Please, share your feelings. After doing research online I found this program to be somewhat controversial. Whole language/phonics. Boring. My kid hated it. My kid loved it. My kid didn't read. My kid read the dictionary starting at 2. But, I need REAL moms who I can trust (meaning YOU) to share their thoughts.

So ladies...let's get the chatter started!

A Day in July

2010-07-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning...7am Easton wakes up after sleeping through the night. (Such a good little boy!) I feed him his bottle and he falls RIGHT back to sleep. He and I both sleep in until 9. And THEN, we begin our day! (Sorry there are NO pics of us at the 7am hour...the camera was downstairs and us up. Was NOT going to get out of bed for that!)

9am we head downstairs. Easton and I read some books while we are still waking up. His FAVORITE book to "read" is Animal Hide and Seek which is what we are reading in the picture above. He leans forward as far as I will let him and tries to grab the book. Then he gets alllllll wild and can't wait for me to turn the page. And the process starts alllllll over again til the end of the book!
For some reason I've lost 3 of my other pictures so I'll explain here...Easton plays on the floor while I eat breakfast. My breakfast: Raisin Bran. Boring. Yes. But, when you are forced to eat a low fat diet Raisin Bran is a treat I tell ya. A really good treat! Moving on...So, after I finish breakfast I realize I need to upload my pictures on my computer so I have room for all the pictures I take today. Easton is sitting on my lap while I'm doing uploading and he is annoyed that I won't let him play with my camera. That, and he's tired.

Fussy baby. No fun for mom! I kept telling him, "Just a minute and you can go take a nap!!" After what seemed like an HOUR, my pictures were ON my computer. Also had some videos of Easton on my camera too. SO just for fun I thought I'd watch them...Yes, Easton was still crying. Not hard crying...just fussy crying. There is a difference! ;)

AND BOY...did Easton LOVE IT! So, sitting in our pj's Easton and I watched a video on my computer of himself. (Yes, bad mom=me letting my child LOOK at a computer screen.) BUT, it was amazing how he went from fussy baby to HAPPY baby in a matter of 1 second.

He made me laugh because he LOVED watching himself on video! He talked and cooed and started to fuss when the 45 second video was over.
Finally, around 9am I realized that Easton was super tired (movies will do that to ya!) and went to make him a bottle.

Some of my favorite moments in my day is feeding my baby! When I was hospitalized I couldn't breastfeed my baby due to meds. And after a 9 day stay, and many other reasons, breastfeeding was no longer an option. Yes, I was sad, and cried for two days. BUT, I when I got better, I realized HOW SICK I was, and how MUCH worse it could have been. My mom kept saying, "Rachel, just be glad we live in a day where formula is an option!" So, I rejoice that someone came up with the idea of formula...so my baby can eat. Not my ideal, but it works and he's growing! AND, I love watching him eat...which is a goooood thing because he is a very slow eater!

After feeding Easton I put him down for his 1st nap of the day. Then, I go into the kitchen and start washing dishes. Bottles mostly. (downside to formula....) I feel like I'm ALWAYS washing bottles. They never go away.
Now that Easton is sleeping I head to do some fun things...just for me!

For the past several weeks I've started to hate my diaper bag. So, I decided to make my own. Using my leftover material from another project I started in...I knew I wouldn't finish it today, but at least I got a chance to work on it while Easton naps!

This is my 1st one I made. I LOVE IT. Just perfect. The bag is a bit smaller than I like, but for everyday running around...it's a good bag! The one I'm working on is going to be bigger. :)

11am I start getting lunch ready. My husband who got up at 4:30 (nope. Didn't even THINK to get a picture at that hour of him leaving) went fishing and came home hungry. Plus, we have things to do right after lunch...so early lunch it is!!
Once again...my lunch is boring. Ham/turkey sandwich. No mayo or anything with fat in it. Grapes...and baked chips with fat free sour cream (gross) mixed with salsa. Next month, when I do this again...my diet WILL be over and I WILL be eating GOOD foods again!

My dear husband at the lunch table with his coffee mug. His food wasn't at all fat free. He had little smokies and scrapple. Yes. Scrapple. What is scrapple you may ask? Well, I'll try to explain. It's more of a Mennonite breakfast food. From what I've learned it's the leftover meat on the bones from beef and you boil it off and put it all together in a bread pan. Then, you slice it REALLY thin and fry it. FULL.OF.FAT. So, I stay away from the stuff...and did BEFORE I was forced on this low fat diet.

NOON
Lunch is over and Baby Boy gets up from his nap. We have a wedding so it's off to get ALL of us cleaned and looking good for our afternoon away! Easton's favorite time is bathtime. He would stay in there all day kicking and splashing around. Sometimes I do wonder who is getting the bath...Easton or myself. Hard to tell sometimes!

2:45pm Due to the whirlwind of events...and getting EVERYTHING ready and OUT THE DOOR on time...the camera was put away for the time being. BUT, here is a picture of our family at the wedding....A rare but fun event that EVERYONE was showered, dressed, and smelling good. Easton is wearing the outfit my sister, Libby and her husband Isaac gave him. I LOVE IT!

3:05pm During the wedding...just trying to keep him from talking or crying. :) We only had ONE issue and that was RIGHT during the prayer. BUT, we made it OUT before he got too loud!

3:15pm My daddy did the 1st part of the wedding. I LOVE this picture of him! What a man of God. He did an amazing job and I'm so proud of him!

3:45pm My sister sang a duet with the Father of the Groom. The Groom was a classmate and really good friend of Beka's so it was extra special. The duet was amazing and I HOPE someone got it on tape...so I can hear it again. Both people have amazing voices and I might have a reinactment of my wedding and just throw that song in as an extra bonus just to hear it. You are all invited and you may bring gifts! ;)

6:00pm The happy couple! Tyson and Christie Roberts. Such a sweet couple and I'm sooooo happy for them! Tyson went to our Christian School. He never was a "direct" student of mine, but the high school classes and middle school classes do SO many things together he might of as well been in my class! I'm just beginning to know Christie (Carr) Roberts. She is as sweet as they come!

The wedding was flawlessly beautiful and honestly, I've been to my fair share of weddings...I don't think ONE THING went wrong. AND if it did....we never knew! Such a wonderful couple and I'm so excited to see them grow as a couple!

7:30pm On our way home from the wedding! Easton didn't want to sit in the backseat alone so I sat back there with him. This is his travel book....and let me tell ya...we DO NOT leave home without it. He doesn't read it...but eats it. If he drops it...he will let you know!

Once we got home from the wedding, Easton went to bed for the night and Wil and I just sat and relaxed. We were sooo tired from the day's events that the camera was put away and we lost ourselves in books and computer time.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day!

Two years ago today...

2010-07-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today was our wedding. In another post I'll share our love story and tell you how we met, fell in love, and got married in 3 months. BUT, until then, enjoy these pictures of where we were two years ago.

Wil--You are the BEST gift I've ever been given. God knew I needed someone strong, yet kind, loving and gentle and one that could make me laugh. I'm SO glad you and I are together and look forward to MANY MORE years as husband and wife. (just less E.R. trips!) Love you so much and am so thankful for you!
--your wife--

Me with the Love of my life!

The Bride

Some of my favorite girls in the world!

The wedding party!

The Groomsmen. Yep. I had more bridesmaids than he had groomsmen. Yep. It drove me nuts too...that the bridesmaid/groomsmen ratio wasn't even. BUT, I have SO MANY friends and EACH one played SUCH a huge role in my life that I could overlook the lopsidedness for the sake of friendship.

The Nolt Family
Wil has 8 younger brothers and sisters. To save time...I won't tell you their names! :)

The Phillips Family
Isaac and Libby Wendland, Paul and Dixie Phillips, Rachel and Wil Nolt, John Phillips, and Beka and Zach Fox.
Note: None of my siblings were married at the time. I just added their married names to help with the who's who in the picture!

The Groom's cake. The hunter with his bride!

My mom and Wil's mom lighting the candles.

My sister, Beka, as she came in. Her wedding would be less than a month after mine.

Two of Wil's nieces doing a great job of being flower girls!

SO HONORED my father could BE there at the wedding! He had a kidney transplant ONE month before, and we didn't know if he would be able to MAKE it...let alone perform the wedding! BUT, God is EVER faithful and DAD was there--giving me away and taking part in the wedding! To God be the Glory!

Mr. and Mrs. Nolt---FINALLY!

EVERYONE commented on the Mennonite hats! I received MORE pictures of the hats than ANY other picture that day!

S-L-O-W-L-Y getting back to normal!

2010-07-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

HELLO FRIENDS!

I'm BACK. It's been ALMOST a month...but I'm back. My summer plans had a LITTLE glitch in them...Let's start at the beginning!

The Thursday BEFORE Father's Day Wil and I dropped off our sweet baby boy at my parent's house and went to see Robin Hood. WE WERE SOOOOOOO excited! 1st date since E was born. We got the works...POPCORN, CANDY, and POP. 30 mins. into the movie...I have TERRIBLE pain in my side and back. I head to the bathroom and realize I'm about to PASS OUT!

I text my husband (yep! From the bathroom) and tell him I'm sick and need to LEAVE NOW! So...POOR Robin Hood---we STILL don't know what happened! We LEAVE. And head to get our baby boy.

In the car I got REALLLLLLLY sick and the PAIN is WAAAAAAY worse. We pull into my parent's house and I head RIGHT to the bathroom. I'm thrashing on the floor in pain and FINALLY mom tells us she THINKS it's my gallbladder and we need to HEAD to the ER. SO. We head 30 mins to the ER...with the pain getting WORSE. By the time they got me to the ER my pain was COMING down slowly. Sure enough. Gallbladder---with LOTS of STONES. Yuck.

They inform ME to eat a LOW FAT diet. Surgery was set for the following week. Go home and take it easy.

Friday and Saturday I did NOTHING. Still in SOME pain.

Sunday Morning I woke up and realized Father's Day was that day! I went downstairs and told my husband HAPPY 1st Father's Day! THEN. THE. PAIN. HIT.

I called my mom and told her to come. By the time she got to my house, I was OUT the DOOR headed to the ER AGAIN. The PAIN was WAAAAY WORSE. AND I COULD NOT be still. EVERYTHING HURT. My mom was going to meet us over there after she got Easton ready for the day.

At the ER they wasted NO TIME and got me a wheelchair and took me back to where the REALLLLLY SICK people are. They hooked me up to an IV. I BEGGED my husband to just knock me out due to the pain. I begged for SOMETHING to help me. ANYTHING at that point. FINALLY, they started giving me morphine. TWO BIG shots of it....and it ONLY helped the pain SOMEWHAT. They came and took blood. The results were in. I NOT ONLY had gallstones...BUT Pancreatitis. YOUR numbers are to be around 150...MINE were around 7000. So, they informed me that I was REALLLLLLY SICK. AND would be moving into the hospital for QUITE SOMETIME.

I won't bore you with details but ended up staying 9 days at the hospital. Most of it at the beginning the PAIN was terrible.
LOWLIGHTS:
Missed my husband and baby boy so much!

Had to give up breastfeeding due to the drugs I was on...:(

Watched everyday my parents take my baby boy home to their house...CRIED everytime.

HIGHLIGHTS: (Trying to find SOME postive thing)
The BEST whirl pool ever!

Meeting my nurse Sarah and getting to know her!

SO. A week ago around THIS TIME Monday evening I was free to go home. We moved in with my parents for about 4 days so they could help take care of me. NOW, we are home and I'm STILL taking it easy.

Surgery will be at the END of the month. (my "insides" are too sick to operate right now!)

So...that's been my month. Pray for me and my little family as we spend our summer GETTING BETTER!
MISSED you all sooo much!

There's no place like home!

2010-06-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

(my whole family this past Christmas at my childhood home!)

Greetings from my CHILDHOOD home!

My father and husband went fishing this week up north. I felt NO reason for Easton and I to live by ourselves for 4 days so, we packed our bags, carseat, wipes, computer, bumbo seat, stroller, scrapbooking supplies, and favorite blanket and headed back to my childhood home.

AHHHHH. Home. There is NOTHING quite like it.

This home is special. God gave my parents this home. Yes, G-A-V-E. Years ago, my parents moved to Iowa and LIVED in a DUMP. Great memories were made, but a dump it was. My parents were/are pastors' of a small church and money was tight. We rented two other houses besides the dump, before we got a phone call.

See, a man who had lived in our town years before, called my father and told him he NEVER told my father this, but, he had made a deal with God and was FINALLY able to make it reality.

This man was married and had a wonderful family. The only thing was--their marriage was in trouble. At that point, God led my parents into their path. My parents led them to Jesus, and they started coming to our church. They worked on their marriage and their lives were changed forever. Their marriage was saved, and they found a church home and great friends along the way. A few years later, they had a job transfer and moved to another state. Such a blow to ALL of us, we were such great friends!

When they still lived here, the man told God, if God would bless his business, and he could afford it, he would buy my parents a HOUSE. BECAUSE, they brought him to Jesus and cared enough to help his family when they were at their worst.

They moved to another state when I was about 4 and we got a phone call when I was about 11. He called my dad. Told him to start looking for a house. He made a deal with God and HAD to keep it. Because of that MOVE to another state, God blessed him and his business and he could FINALLY buy my parents a nice house.

We found the PERFECT house.

We moved in and have ALWAY been thankful for this house. Always. It's PERFECT for our family. And now perfect for my parents!

God was SO faithful.

He still is, even after all these years!

So, my friends, whatever you are going through, BE sure to remember this TRUE story. God works in His OWN time and in His way. If it's a HOUSE, JOB, MONEY---WHATEVER---He will make a way!

Just remember the little house on Washington St.
He provides.

God's Words in hand

2010-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Remember HERE where I talked about my goals for this summer? Well, today--is an update!

A little background info will help....

Our church started a SMALL Christian school when I was in 4th grade. Each month we'd have verses from the Bible we had to memorize. The 1st year they were REALLLY tough on us and had to GO DOWN to the Principal's office and say the verses to HIM. (He was/is my dad but it still waaaas TERRIBLE. He was super strict on KNOWING THEM WELL)

Over time, they eased up and you were able to say them to your teacher.

Fast forward years later, and I'm the teacher. Verses were done EACH day in my class. They worked on them and we went over them and over them. Each month they'd have about 15-20 verses and each day they'd memorize them one by one. The next day they'd go RIGHT back to the top and start over. And again, and again. So by the end of the month they'd know their verses WELL. (Guess I do have a bit of my dad in me!)

As most of you know, I didn't teach last school year. And I realized something was LACKING in myself. Scripture memory. Then, I got pregnant, and FEAR gripped me.

This is my blog and I'm going to be VERY honest. As most of you know, my husband's family is horse and buggy Mennonite. They had strict rules they have to go by and I'm forever asking my husband...WHY THIS RULE..and WHY THAT RULE?

Then, I got pregnant. AND my fear was...this child will one day come to me and ask ME the same questions I'm asking my husband. Questions about dress, driving cars, and HOW to GET to Heaven. Plus, little cousins will be playing with each other and I KNOW my children will come home and ask, "WHY don't we do "THIS" like them?" Or, "Am I going to Heaven because I don't do THIS like they do?" "Mommy, they say THIS is how you get to Heaven...is that true?"

And so, as when fear grips anyone, the 1st thing I did was FREAK OUT. I couldn't do it. I DO NOT have the answers to this. HOW was I going to answer. QUICK. Get in the CAR and take them to my parents. They ALWAYS know the right thing to say.

BUT THEN, I realized I did know the answer. Our family has the Bible. God's WORDS written down for ALL to see. There was NO need to fear. Because I had the answers. And when my children had questions about things...I could TAKE them TO the Bible.

And, so, I FREAKED OUT again. MY WHOLE LIFE, I had been IN the Bible. 4th -12th grade Christian school. A BIBLE COLLEGE. Teaching in a CHRISTIAN SCHOOL for 7 years. Pastor's kid my WHOLE LIFE.

Now. At home. With NO one over me to really KNOW the Bible.
Great. Just what I needed. AND speed dial to the great Bible-knowers was NOT going to cut it!

So, this summer, I have begun to memorize Scripture. Again. Let me tell you people, it's WAAAAY easier when you are a kid and NOT an adult.
I get mad at myself cause I remember in grade school working on verses for 30 mins and having all 10 of them done and memorized. Now, 30 mins and I have the 1st line memorized.

So, this summer, I've been working on Psalms 91. And without looking, here are the 1st 9 verses I've learned. (taking me a MONTH to learn 9) Ugh. Where is my 7th grade memory??

Those who go to God most high shall be protected by the Almighty.
I will say to my Lord, You are my place of safety and protection, You are my God and I trust you.
God will save you from hidden traps and deadly diseases.
He will cover you with his feathers and under His wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection.
You will not fear danger by night, or an arrow during the day.
You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark, or sickness that strikes at noon.
At your side one thousand people may die, or ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt.
You will only watch and see the wicked punished.
The Lord is your protection. You have made God most high your place of safety.

So, there you have what I've been working on for a month. S-L-O-W-L-Y. Ever so slowly. BUT, when the time comes for Little E to ask questions, I'm going to be ready. Sword in hand showing him what God's WORDS say to US!

Two months old!

2010-06-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

My baby is two months old.
Two months.
Remember when I was here?

And now. He's two months old.
I do have a confession...I stole, er, borrowed these pics from my sister's photography webpage...
I felt like I COULD because, I prayed every night for a sister for about 3 years.
AND--God answered my prayer.
Plus, I'm PRETTY SURE she stole--er--borrowed things of mine growing up it's what sisters do best!
Please go to to her facebook page and become a fan...saying I sent ya! Might make things better! ;)

Really. Don't you just want to eat him up? He's the SWEETEST baby.

He was sitting in his Bumbo Seat thinking he was ALL big like his cousin Tristan. (T is 9 months old and has outgrown the bumbo seat...but E doesn't realize that yet!)

Here is one of the VERY 1st pics of Easton at birth. Really, this has to be an ALL-TIME favorite picture just because it was my 1st real face to face meeting with him. I'll cherish it always!
My little boy has changed so much in two months...

Two months old.
What a great two months it has been!!

SUMMER Goals!

2010-05-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Each summer I set goals for myself. I write them in May, and TRY to hold on to them TIL Fall. SO, hoping THIS post will keep me MORE accountable here are my SUMMER GOALS!

PERSONAL GOALS:

1. Always be reading a book.
2. Learn to RUN this house WELL!
3. Garden/flowers
4. Enjoy Easton as a baby!

SOCIAL GOALS:

1. Invite people over for dinner/cookouts/fun

2. Mini-mops
3. Spend time at the pool

PHYSICAL GOALS:

1. Curves 3x a week
2. Some sort of exercise 3x a week
3. Lots of FRESH/LOCAL veges and fruits
4. Get outside

SPIRITUAL GOALS:
1. Make Friday Prayer a priority
2. Finish Uncommon woman/Insecure/Praying wife books
3. Keep my devotions up and memorize Psalms 91 and Phil 1
4. Prayer and devos with Wil

These are my goals. Feel free to ask me from time to time how I'm doing with them. I HOPE to post more this summer about WHAT I've accomplished with each goal.

What are YOUR goals for the summer?

A promise fulfilled

2010-05-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

January 28, 07
"Another journal complete. Another year come and went. 2007. Who would of thought.
"So-and-so" and I dated and realized we were not meant to be. BUT, God has a prince of a man out there for me so I'm not in to hurry, I'm not going to worry, it's in the hands of God there's nothing I can do. It's just one more day closer to YOU."

Found that written in my journal from 2007.
Glad my PRINCE finally showed up!

At the end I wrote:
"Thanks, Jesus, for your unspeakable gift!"

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

2010-05-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today was PERFECT weather to be outside! Last week it rained for days...but today, Iowa once again redeemed itself and here are pictures to prove it!

Wil and I went to the lake and while he fished, Easton and I went for a nice little...er...long walk.
The birds were singing, the sky was amazingly blue, the green all around made so happy. We walked and we walked. Such a perfect day!
This was Wil's fishing spot. I brought a lawn chair and a good book while he was finishing up this little fishing day. Easton loved being outside! He looked ALL around and kicked his feet.

Wil parked the car and walked over to the OTHER side of the lake to fish. After my hour walk, with Easton in the stroller, and a lawn chair on my back, I walked over to be with Wil. Ugh. Halfway there, through mud, and grass, and dirt, up hills, in muddy water, and the sun beating down on me, I got there. I felt like a pioneer woman, trying to live, beat the odds so her child could have a better life...The picture above is the END of our LOOONG walk to meet up with Wil. Yes, it's prettier in the picture than with a stroller and lawn chair on your back!

Changing up bait. Trying to catch a BIG ONE!

Easton slept the WHOLE walk, and on the way to the car Easton just started talking and cooing and looking at his daddy. He did look over at me to get this cute picture. *NOTE* Yes, it was 70 degrees. Yes, it was sunny and warm. Yes, we do have TWO blankets on our baby. WHY--you ask--Easton is ALWAYS (I promise) ALWAYS cold. He wears short sleeves and his lips quiver. SO...we always have ONE blanket around him...and the heavy "lamb" blanket has to be by his face when he sleeps. SO two blankets it is!

After the "trail of tears" trip to find my husband, I had Wil push the stroller back. I carried the lawn chair and we both carried the fishing pole. Yes, I did whistle the Andy Griffith tune as we walked...when I had the fishing pole. I couldn't help myself!

Talking and cooing with his daddy! Happy baby loves to be outside!

My sweet baby boy---I can't get enough of him! ;)

Talking about the next fishing trip we plan to take!

Three about me!

2010-05-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

My sister over HERE tagged me in this FUN little game. 3 things about me! Come join the fun! READY?! Let's go!

THREE NAMES I GO BY:

Rachel

Rae

Mommy (a new one I love!)

THREE JOBS I'VE HAD:

Teacher

Clerk at Metro Pharmacy

Stay at home mom

THREE PLACES I'VE LIVED:

With my Aunt, Grandma, and Great-Grandma (my last year of high school)

In MPLS with my college roommate

In Cowell, IA with my husband

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS

WATER (NEVER thought I'd say that!)

Iced tea---LOVE!

Hot tea with honey--1st thing in the morning!

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN:

Floyd, IA---best place on earth

China (Fun trip)

Tortola BVI (Mission's trip)

THREE PLACES I'D LIKE TO VISIT:

Prince Edward Island

England

A BEACH. SOMEWHERE WARM.

THREE FAVORITE FOODS:

Chili

Wild rice soup

Fruit

THREE MAKEUP PRODUCTS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:

Mascara

Mac eye shadow

Carmax

THREE THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO:

Buying a new house

Swimming this summer with my little boy

Creating my flower garden (when I get one!)

Three people I'm tagging:

Jamie @ Always on my mind

Ashley @ She's star-Crossed

Dixie @ From the heart of Dixie

Walking

2010-05-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

Do you have goals?

I do.

And ONE of them is this...

Yep. That's right.

I want to walk the two day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

This winter I thought about signing up for it for this summer.

I got worried I wouldn't be able to do it with a new baby.

BUT, mark my words...

I will do it! I WILL--NOT this summer---maybe next!

Do ya want to do it with me?

Wouldn't be fun to get a bunch of friends and do it together!?

I agree! SO FUN!

Walking...

2010-05-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Taking a walk in Floyd...

The trees were beautiful!
The boys were playing a good game of basketball.

A cute little nephew was excited to see me.

Baby E enjoyed the whole trip!

I miss living in Floyd...and walking around seeing everyone.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

2010-04-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a PERFECT day. JUST perfect. Wil, Easton, and I woke up early and went to Aroma's to get some coffee.

Easton's 1st time in Aroma's.
Wil---before the coffee!

Me---with my Iced chai tea. YUM!

Then, we headed for a walk...SUCH a beautiful DAY!

Easton wanted OUT of his stroller...so Wil carried him as we walked. He liked that better!

Our little family!

After coffee and a walk, we headed to a Stillwater Greenhouse with my family.

Us---at Stillwater---We WILL be back to get more flowers!

Lunch!

A wanna be Laura Ingalls....

Going back to his Mennonite roots! ;)

Such a grand day!

Monday Morning Blues...

2010-04-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Wedding Weekend Pictures....

At the reception...such a NEAT place!
My dad, Uncle Don, and Uncle Dennis...Praying for each other at the end of the service on Sunday. SOOOO moving!

The 3 sisters before Libby had to leave to go back to VA!

Here I sit. at 11:15am in my pj's. Yep. Easton is still in his pj's too. This weekend was WILD. Wedding WILD. My brother got married and both my husband and myself were in the wedding. My 3 week old did SOOOOOO well.
BUT, today...we are TRYING to get back to our NORMAL days...and its hard. Here are JUST a few reasons WHY.

1. Our HOUSE is a mess. Clothes. Suitcases. Gifts. Etc. Ugh. Needs to be picked up. AND I'm WAAAY tooo tired to do it.

2. Since THURSDAY....Easton has been held 12 hours straight. By family and friends. 12 hours. a day. 12. UGH. DOUBLE UGH. So...today, we are working at TRYING to get back to the OLD routine about laying him down...falling asleep...STAYING asleep and waking up HAPPY. It's been a morning.

******************************The time is now 12:30***********************************

And I have had to START and STOP this blog because of a little baby that needs his mommy. The whole STAYING asleep thing is hard for him. (Me, not so much...the staying awake thing is hard for me.)

As you can see this is a very hard morning....and now has moved into the afternoon. BUT, slowly we are working on it! SLOWLY!

Because I was IN the wedding, I don't have ANY pics of us in our dresses on my camera. BUT, here are some pics and I will post MORE as others post them and I grab (or steal) them off facebook. :)

Updates on my dress!

2010-04-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

HELLO AGAIN!
(E is napping so I get to blog again! SEE I DO MISS YOU!)

Remember WAAAAAY back about 5 weeks ago when I talked about how my bridesmaid dress was WAAAY tooooo big? Well...after MUCH work by a WONDERFUL lady in our church...I tried it on today and it fits! Just a few more nips and tucks and IT FITS!

Pictures to come...again! A week from today I will be all dressed up and wearing a dress that FITS!

Missing you all...

2010-04-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

Girls...

I miss you all. Today I woke up not feeling the best...and so, I'm going to REST today. Sitting here doing NOTHING but holding my cute baby boy.
BUT, I have been missing YOU ALL. Reading about your lives...hearing about your stories...seeing your pictures! I WILL GET BACK...Cause I know that I'm just in a stage right now that will not last. (sad, I know!)

Just a few updates....

We are enjoying our SPRING! Finally...it is here! The snow is GONE---it's NOT TOOOO muddy...and just a slight wind every once and a while. Easton LOVES being outside already. How a almost 3 week old knows OUTSIDE is beyond me. BUT, for sure, he does.

We have had some great fun with friends and love to spend time with family!

My brother gets married a week from today---so this week has been about GETTING things ready for the wedding! My dress just got fitted to my body...and Easton has his cute little outfit. So far, we are READY! Just waiting for daddy's tux to get in and we will PACK our bags and head out for a little road trip up north!

Pictures to COME!!!

Finding the new normal

2010-04-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

My baby is two weeks old. Growing so fast, and I think I'm learning so much!

My life has taken a new twist with this baby. Trying to find my NEW normal. Somedays, I feel GREAT and can get things done...

Other days, it's WORK to sit and feed Easton.

BUT, everyday (and night) I'm greeted by a cute little boy who knows who I am. He loves to be near me and today, even smiled at me.

Life is good in this new normal.