Grad School:

As I write this, Mike is at the last class session of his MBA program!  Wow.  2 years, a lot of life changes and an intense amount of hard work later and he is done!  It is time to celebrate!!!  I hope his classmates have started tonight!  (I should note that his last class period was at O’Gara’s in St. Paul – his classmates and many of his profs were going to be present…I’m sure it’s very academic.    ).  I am so proud of Mike and this achievement!  Graduation is May 16th!   I hope you can join us later this summer because we are going to have a big party to celebrate! As busy as the past two years have been, I marvel at God’s provision in terms of time, energy and endurance for our entire family.  Mike and I have often commented that although this period of life has been busy and involved a lot of juggling, it has never been a burden.  I’m excited to see what the “next” chapter holds for us as a family.

Pregnancy Update:

I had my 39 week appointment today with my midwife.  Again, it’s hard to wrap my mind around the reality of Rachel’s impending arrivial!  We are all getting excited.  Rachel has dropped quite a bit since my last appointment.  She is at -1 at this point and her head is no longer able to be felt externally  so we’re heading in the right direction!  Contractions are an everyday part of life.  I probably have 3 dozen+/day.  They increase as the day goes on, but haven’t progressed.  They aren’t painful, just keeping me aware of Rachel’s presence!

A friend asked me today how I’m doing with the “waiting.”  As of now (remember I am dealing with an extreme amount of hormones so this could change at any point!   ), I am content.  Both Noah and Levi were nearly 42 weeks before they made their arrivial so I’m psyched up for a wait.  More than anything, however, I’m just enjoying time with my boys and the relative “simplicity” of life.  I’m especially trying to soak up time with Levi…he is still such a little guy and I’ve been enjoying a lot of extra hugs and snuggles.  It’s difficult for me to fathom that he’s soon going to be a “big brother.”  I can see my own “middle child syndrome” coming out as I process through how I’m going to meet the needs of each of the children.

Prayer Requests:

Someone asked me how they can be praying for us.  My two prayer requests at this point are as follows…

1.  The details and timing surrounding Rachel’s birth.  Levi’s birth was short.  We know that there isn’t time to waste when labor begins with Rachel.  I’m praying we are all able to get to where we need to be in a relatively stress-free fashion.

2.  The upcoming adjustment for our entire family — especially for Noah and Levi.
More to follow in the coming days!

Me:  Hey guys.  How’s it going?
Simon:  Good.
Noah:  I’m trying to find the story of Little Joe in here.  Simon doesn’t know that one and I want to read it to him.  I just know it’s in here somewhere…
Me: turn and walk out of the room before I bust out laughing.

(For those of you that don’t know, Little Joe is the Veggie Tale version of Joseph (Genesis 37-47).  They are going to have to look a long time to find a Cucumber and a Tomato in that children’s Bible!)

Amazing how Veggie Tales is shaping the theology of a generation. 

October 26th. Happy 4th Birthday Noah! Wow, it is impossible to believe that you are already 4 years old! (I’m stuck by how quickly time passes. More and more, I wish I had a pause button to push on life.)

Noah, I’m so proud of who you are. You are someone who loves deeply. God is going to use that to accomplish great things in and through you. You have the gift of love and compassion. You care deeply. It is awesome to see that in you! I know that at times you are going to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders (kind of like your mom!) but I also know that this sort of love is an amazing gift. I love your laugh, your smile and most of all your wink. (You know exactly when and how to use that!) Daddy and I marvel as we watch your love of music develop – drums and guitars are such a huge part of our home right now. It’s so fun to play Legos and make-believe with you. Every day with you is an adventure! Your inquisitive mind certainly keeps me on my toes! 4 is a very cool age and you are a very cool kid!

Happy Birthday Buddy! I pray that you have a spectacular year as you grow in God’s grace and love!
Love, Mommy

As of this writing, I am 13 weeks along. I’m ecstatic to let you know that the baby is healthy! I’ve even felt it move two times. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

To answer the question you probably are thinking…Yes, this child came as a surprise to us. That being said, we feel like it’s impossible to be anything but excited about the gift of a healthy baby! The loss of two babies puts this into crystal clear perspective.

We have known about this baby for almost 8 weeks. I found that I wasn’t ready to share with anyone until we knew everything was normal. The first 7 weeks of knowing (but not sharing) were quite a faith journey for us. The Lord surrounded me with his peace from almost the moment we found out.

One night, I was complaining to Mike that I was feeling extremely tired. He jokingly made the remark, “You aren’t pregnant, are you?” That thought pestered me for the next few days. 3 days later I took a test and it was positive. Wow.

We made a phone call to my midwife, Katherine Simon. Over the next several days, she had me begin the process of having my hcg levels tested. My hormones were multiplying at an appropriate rate. That was good news!

A week later, I was able to get in for an ultrasound. I figured I was almost 7 weeks along at that point. We went in for the ultrasound and the tech (who was an amazing, compassionate woman) couldn’t find the heartbeat on the external ultrasound. I set myself up for loss. However, when as she started the internal ultrasound, she found a heartbeat. PTL! A big surprise to us was that I was only 5 weeks, 4 days along. It is normally impossible to see a heartbeat until 6+ weeks of pregnancy. I consider the reality of seeing the heartbeat nothing short of a gift from God! The coolest thing for me was the realization that our baby’s heart had probably only started beating with the past 24 hours! Our God is an amazing Creator!

Fast forward nearly 5 weeks and Mike and I found ourselves in the office of my midwife. She answered all my questions and tried to find the heartbeat. She was unable to do so. It was interesting because I knew nothing was wrong. When she couldn’t find Glory Baby’s heartbeat, I knew in my heart we had lost the baby. This time, I simply knew everything was ok. This baby was fine. I knew that with every ounce of my being.

Katherine was able to get me in for an ultrasound within the hour. What a blessing to see a healthy, squirming baby dancing around! Wow. Life truly is a miracle and something I can’t take for granted! We had the same marvelous ultrasound tech again this time. She spent nearly 45 minutes with me, simply allowing me to watch the baby. She held the ultrasound still and I was able to just watch this little miracle move around. Talk about a moment of awe! I fell in love.

Here is our first public photo of Baby Bruder #5!

As we move ahead, we ask you for your prayers…
- For our baby to continue to grow and develop in a healthy manner until it’s arrival!
- That I have the physical strength/energy I need to care for Noah and Levi each day.
- For the Lord’s provision surrounding the arrival of this new blessing.
- For our family as we learn how to have 3 kids, only 4.5 years apart! This is overwhelming to me at times. I struggle with how I’ll ever meet the needs of all three of my children.

Thank you for your joy, your excitement and your willingness to share in this journey!

We arrived at Bug Bee Hive Resort on Saturday evening.  While we were still in the process of unpacking the van, Noah asked Grandpa, “when are we going fishing?”  Someone gave the answer, “we’ll go fishing the day after golf.”  (I know some of you die-hard fishermen would hit the water right away, but it’s quite a process to get 3 kids, their poles, life jackets and snacks down the lake  As my mom said, “There wasn’t this much to-do when the Mayflower left!”).

Monday was the big day of golf for the dads and grandpa.  Well, first thing Tuesday morning, Noah ventured upstairs and wandered over to Grandpa.  He leaned against his chair and said, “Hey Grandpa, today’s fishing day!”

I was lucky enough to accompany Grandpa out with the grandkids.  The excitement level was high.  “We’re going fishing!”  “I’m going to catch a fish!”  “We’ll catch enough to have fish for supper!”  Here are some fun pictures of the hard-core fisher-kids.

Now here are some pictures from approximately 7 Minutes later:

The classic conversation came from my niece.  Grandpa mentioned that it was almost time to head in.
Kyla: I don’t want to stop fishing!!!
Grandpa:  Oh, ok.  Here, hold your fishing pole.
Kyla:  No, you can hold it.

What a fun morning with the kiddos.  Surprise of all surprises, we actually caught a fish!

It’s pretty amusing to watch 3 kids try to be quiet.  They know they should be, but they make more of a ruckus telling each other to be quiet than they were making in the first place.  Somehow, it’s not hard to imagine why the fish stay away.  ☺  Fun times!

(Oh, and it’s REALLY good to watch Mike relax after a crazy few months at work!  He’s been enjoying himself being super-dad and super-uncle and even getting in some WOW time!  No homework this year…Yay!)

I just realized that I didn’t post a picture of Levi, who is having a great week.  So, just to be fair…   (As a side note, he is pulling himself up on things and taking steps when we hold his hands!  Where does time go?!)

Speaking of the lake, I found out last night that my cousin (and dear friend!) Megan, is able to be there!  I’m thrilled.  She lives in Billings, MT and I haven’t seen her in 2 years.  I’m excited to have an entire week to connect with her and her mom!  This is going to be a great vacation!!!

Here are a few pictures of the reunion at the airport.

November 22, 2007
THANKS-LIVING IN NEW BLESSING:

1 Samuel 1:26-28: And Hannah said to him, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.  I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And she worshiped the LORD there.

The past three years of parenting have been an amazing journey of blessing, challenge, joy, heartache, being humbled and standing in awe of the blessings God has given to me. I’ve learned that I have a lot to learn about being a mom and that I can’t do it apart from relying upon the Lord.  The words of Nehemiah in Nehemiah 8:10 have been a resounding theme through my time as a mother.  These words read, “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”

Mike and I have been blessed greatly with three children. I can honestly say that my greatest desire as a mother is that my children belong to the Lord.

Noah is a 3 year old that brings countless smiles to my heart.  His affectionate hugs and kisses, his love of instruments and his constant climbing and activity level keep my life from being anything but boring!  In the times of laughter and in the challenges of raising a 3 year old, I am reminded again of the words of Nehemiah, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.”  I thank God for the joy of raising Noah.

Our middle child died in my womb before we were ever able to hold or kiss him.  We call have named this precious little one our “Glory Baby.”  The loss of this child brought profound pain and sadness to my life.  However, it has also brought blessing beyond anything I could have imagined.  I rest knowing that my Glory Baby is resting in my Savior’s arms.  I am confident that one day, I will be united with this precious child.  I look forward to the day that I can hold, kiss and rock this little one.  Through the pain and the blessings of Glory Baby’s short life and Glory baby’s untimely death, I confidently say that “the Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”

Just 5 weeks ago, the Lord blessed us with a baby boy, Levi Alan.  As we marvel again at the miracle of life, we praise God for the gift of a healthy baby.  Through the wonder of seeing Levi’s little fingers wrap around mine, the challenges of sleepless nights, and all the concern that come with having a newborn, I can truly say that the “Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”

We have chosen each of our children’s names in large part because of their meaning.  Noah means “rest and comforter.”  In the Bible, Noah listened to the Lord and was obedient to him when it wasn’t evident what the Lord’s plan was. Our prayer is that our Noah will live his life learning to listen to, and obey the Lord, even in the face of great opposition and when it is the hard thing to do.

The name Levi means to “join or belong.”  Our prayer is that the Lord will daily join Levi to Him, binding Levi’s heart to His.  We pray that the Lord will allow Levi to serve Him the way the tribe of Levi served the Lord.

I truly Praise the Lord this Thanksgiving for the blessings he has given to me…the blessings of a wonderful husband, a delightful 3 year old boy, my Glory Baby, and the new blessing of a beautiful, healthy boy.

And so, I close with the words of Hannah from 1 Samuel, “I prayed for these children, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give them to the LORD. For their whole life they will be given over to the LORD.”