Natty Time

Since I've had Nathan on the brain lately, I thought I'd devote a blog completely to our Princess - Natty.


One of my most favorite times with Natty is bedroom.  Despite what some think bedtime brings - quiet, rest, etc., - I like it for a very much different reason.  Our bedtime routine, I think, is one of our special times.  I really miss it when I am just too tired and Tim puts her down instead.  He does a wonderful job, but there is nothing in his world that even comes close to a mother's touch I believe.  Not that it makes me better, but there is just a special bond between Natty and I, and just like there is a bond between Natty and Tim.  Our bonds are different, and that's what makes Tim - daddy and me - mommy.

Anyway, our bedtime routine is pretty much a long, drawn-out ordeal.  Not on purpose anyway.  It usually starts with Curious George.  Then we go into her room and pick up her toys.  She is such a big girl and has gotten SO good at picking up after herself, when asked.  She knows to drain her toys after her bath, and puts her books away the RIGHT way back onto her shelf.  She gets a nice big cup of milk to drink to help her fall asleep with a nice full tummy.

This is my favorite part because after she finishes her milk, she loves to lay in bed with me.  Luckily, most nights I am just comfortable enough that I still fit with her in her toddler bed.  When we moved, we had to take her bed apart to move it, so when we put it back together (I mean when Tim did), we just put the toddler rail up.  She is has wonderfully with it.  Anyways, we just lay there and she babbles her heart away to me.  I sometime wonder what she's trying to say.  She shares her stuff animals with me and cuddles under my neck (she has done this since she was a newborn baby).  She teases me and gives me kisses over and over.  The next thing I know, a half hour to an hour has passes and it's quiet - she's fast asleep cuddled right next to me.

We have our "quiet-times" with Jesus to reflect on God's Word and apply it to our lives, I call this my "quiet-time" with Natty.  As it settles down and it's quiet, I think about what kind of parent, what kind of mother I am.  I challenge myself every evening that I will do better the next day - just because I love this little princess with all my heart.  I am not only reminded that as Christians we are held accountable for our actions, but Natty deserves it.

So I leave you with our evening, bedtime routine, and some Natty pictures to enjoy!

 This is how Tim usually finds Natty during Nap time.

 

My little Noodle Queen

Or..

As Natty says it, "noooo nles!!!!!"

 
 

Messy, but Happy

as always =) 

 

And so it's Monday...

There are 4 hours left to Monday, and it does not appear Nathan will be making his debut today.  OH well.  There's always tomorrow!

So to celebrate my first day off track, Natty and I went to Vons to pick up another 2 pounds of strawberries (on sale for 1.99!!!) and some frozen yogurt to enjoy earlier this afternoon.  Boy was it YUMMY!  And boy, Natty sure made a mess.  She hasn't really gotten into ice-cream and such.  She likes the cold, but doesn't have that much of a sweet-tooth, which I am thankful for.  Of course, I still have to hide the M & M's from her.  Tim and I finally finished off the bottle of them from one of my showers.

Well, Happy Monday to everyone!  Hoping to meet Nathan tomorrow!

Homemade Pesto

Alright Pesto-loves, I got this recipe off of one of my coupon inserts. I adapted the ingredients' amounts a little, but you should really try it out. It came out GREAT last night for dinner. Tim even approved! Usually he thinks of ways to improve our dishes, but not this time!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of natual almonds (coarsely chopped/smashed)
1 clove garlic
1 cup shreaded Parmasean cheese
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of water
3 cups fresh basil leaves (coarsely chopped)

Directions:
1. Coarsely grind almonds. Cook until insides of light brown. This only takes 1 - 1 1/2 mins. in the microwave. Cook them 30 sec. at a time, as they burn very easily.

2. Let almonds cool. In a food processor, add all dry ingredients and mix on low.

3. Add in almonds, and as the processor runs on low, slowly add in oil and water until pesto is to the consistency you like.

Makes about 1 cup of pesto.

Serve about a tablespoon at a time over some steaming spaghetti and some grilled chicken. A little bit goes a LONG way. Very Yummy-O!

Waiting for My Prince Charming

Well, Prince Charming, Jr. anyway!  I'm 38 weeks along, and does not look like he'll be here this week.  I am hopeful.  I cannot wait to see Nathan.  Tim assures me he will be ON TIME - God's time.  =)  Yes, I need to be reminded of that daily it seems.  Especially now that it's getting HOT, HOT, and HOT!  I have discovered that a pregnant and heat do not get along very well.  Thank goodness, I will not be pregnant the entire summer.  =P 

Well, I am officially OFF TRACK!  I'm so excited.  My maternity leave starts whenever Nathan arrives, so I'm waiting, waiting, waiting.  Tomorrow is my first official day "Off."  I really do not have much planned.  No grocery lists or store trips.  Natty and I just plan on chillin' and keepin' cool.  Don't think we'll really make it out anywhere tomorrow, except to check the mail.  Tim works tomorrow afternoon/evening, so that's a bummer.

I've been keeping myself busy reading actually.  There is this movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, that I have been waiting to see.  I made myself read the book first though.  Tomorrow is free movie code for redbox, so I'll definitely be renting it.  So that will probably be our only trip out - when it cools off.  =)  Well, I am proud of myself, I finished the book this afternoon.  It wasn't a long book, but I am a SLOW reader.  Tim was teasing me because he has 400+ pages to go in his book - I think it's a book on steriods.  It's over 1000 pages.  Eeek!  Anyhow!  I finished mine and he is still reading so there!

This is a totally silly book, nothing intellectual about it - except it's hilarious, and has a cheesy ending.  But I enjoyed it.  =P  I am definitely looking forward to comparing the book to the movie tomorrow evening, while Tim's at work.  Probably not his cup of tea.  =P  I teased him that one day I'd write a book about a couponaholic shopper.  Hmm....  And from this we would make enough money to buy a house.  =P 

Anyway, definitely lookin' forward to Monday tomororw, who knows, Nathan may decide to arrive!  =P  I am still hopeful!

Here We Are!!!

And we are still waiting for Nathan to be ready to meet the world.  I am 11 days away from 2nd due date and 19 days away from original due date.  Both previous check ups have been pretty much uneventful.  While the Dr. reassures me that anything can happen, he does not forsee this one coming early like Natty.  We shall see.

Well, Boo! on all of you who didn't think I'd make it to graduation.  Sorry to rain on your parade, but I made it.  All our 8th graders looked wonderful.  I am really going to miss this group, as it was the first group I've had for a whole cycle.  This means I had them both as 7th and 8th graders.  I'm so proud of them.  It's quite the struggle, but really neat to see the progress a child can make in 2 years.  You can have difficult 'cases' the first year, but the kids always end up surprising you.

I am moved into my new classroom, and have pretty much everything ready for my substitute.  I have the same substitute that took over for me when I was out with Natty.  I know she'll do an awesome job.  It is still so weird to be out at the beginning of the year though.  Oh well!

Today was a pretty awesome end to a very hectic workweek.  I really plan on doing absolutely nothing until Nathan gets here.  Relaxation has been way overdue.  While unpacking, I found a gift certificate, so I am going to get a pedicure tomorrow morning.  Then relaxing in our cool apartment, staying out of the horrid heat.  I was pretty praying the heat would hold up until Nathan arrives, but it looks like it just won't do! 

Well, I hope everyone is off to a great weekend.  I know I am!

Tough Times

Tough Times

We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God - Acts 14:22

Some people believe in what we might describe as a watered-down gospel. This diluted version of the true gospel promises forgiveness, but rarely tells you of the need to repent of your sin.
It's a gospel that promises peace and plenty, but never warns of persecution. It's a gospel that says God wants you to be healthy and wealthy, and never have any problems to speak of. It's a gospel that says you can so wrap yourself in God's favor that there will always be a parking space available for you at the mall.

That is not the gospel of the New Testament. I can assure you that the last thing on Paul's mind was "How can I find a great parking space?" He had other objectives that gripped his heart and soul.

Does this mean that God wants you to be sick, poor, and miserable? That He doesn't want you to be happy? No, I believe that happiness will come as you really follow the Lord. But it is a byproduct, a fringe benefit of belonging to God in Christ.

The essence of the Christian life is knowing God and walking with Him.

It's about sticking with Him when the sky is blue and also when it's filled with clouds or choked with smoke. It's about walking with the Lord through thick and thin, and pressing on through every heartache and trial that happens to come our way.

Storm Warnings
Jesus made it clear that storms will enter every life. But it is through these storms and hardships and tribulations that we will enter God's kingdom.

As Dr. Luke phrased it: "And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God'" (Acts 14:21-22).

We don't always like to read a verse like that. It's probably not a passage we want to put on a plaque and hang by our front door.

We would rather the passage read, "Through many days of perpetual happiness, we enter the kingdom of God." But that isn't Scripture, and that isn't life. Trials and tribulations will come.
Job said it well: "How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble!" (Job 14:1 TLB)

Pastor Greg Laurie

He Sends His Love

This is one of my favorite songs by a band called Point of Grace. It really encourages me as I start my week to remember that trials will come, but with the Father sends His love, no matter where I am, or what I may be going through.



I am writing this to you

And I hope that one day soon

You will come to realize

You are precious in his eyes



I know you feel alone

A million miles from home

It seems that know one cares

That life is so unfair



Hold on to this promise

like its your last breath

Let it fill your heart

when its all you have left



You gotta believe

You gotta be strong

You gotta have faith

enough to know

no matter where you are

He is always with you



Never give up

Never give in

His only one

died for all our sins

and he will lift you up

And hold you in his love



He gave his son

He sends his love



When the weight is just to much

And theres no one you can trust

When its dark and you're afraid

Let the spirit guide your way

There is so much left to do

A great big world to wander through

So many people in your life

Waiting to see your smile



His love is all around you

A fortress that surrounds you

Let it comfort and protect you from the storm

Its time to start a new day

He will help you find your way

To a better place


Enjoy and Happy Monday! I've got 3 days of work left (not including this one). I can't wait to be off and meet little Prince Nathan. :)

The Language of Toddlers

Natty has been surprising us lately with how much language is able to and has been picking up.  I thought I'd share with you some of the things she says and how she says 'em. It's so adorable!  I can't wait until she can have a full out conversation with Tim and I.  She gets so animated when she speaks sometimes, but it's jibber-jabber - I just know she is trying to say SOMETHING!  =)

• Do this - her first sentence pretty much - "doo-dis"
• Please - "lees"
• Cookie - "coooookie"
• Cracker - "ka-ker"
• Pretty - "tee-ti"
• Water - her first Thai word - "naaaam"
• Fishy - "fee-sy"
• Banana - "nan-nas"
• Bob & Larry - She LOVES Veggietales, well, just Bob really - "Bob...Leeeely"
• Two - she points the number two out EVERYWHERE - "tooooo"

There are tons more, but these are my favorites right now. :)  Enjoy!

Hard Work Does Payoff

I've been putting off blogging about this. I don't know. I guess I just felt kinda weird. There wasn't any big hoop-la or anything like that at school, and I don't believe many people at work even knew. I just feel like I'm in the middle of two realities.

I really, really do like my job - even the hard days. I care about the kids and I want them to be taken care of. The truth of the matter, though, is that I desperately want to stay home with Natty and Nathan. I have been praying so hard lately about the possibility of doing a shared contract in a year or two.

However, the workability teacher honored me with this plaque about a week or so ago. It is just refreshing to know that when I have those really bad weeks - like I've been having - that our work doesn't go in vain.

They're Here!

Natty is so incredibly excited that her "garden" is starting to bloom with flowers. She checked her "garden" almost everyday, and we water it together. She is very proud of her plants. She says they're "peeeeetttttty" - for 'pretty.' Here is a picture of the fruits of our labor. Enjoy!

Our first two flowers!!!

We planted what's called an "Easy Flower Mix" seed. So we'll see what other blooms we'll get in the next couple weeks.

Noodles Anyone?

Here is our little princess at Bangkok Bay - a favorite Thai restaurant of Tim and mine.  We've found that it is the most authentic-tasting local Thai restaurant, and we love it!  The staff there are also really nice and know us.  They also absolutely adore Natty and loves her name Nattaya (being a Thai name).  Anyway, we decided to splurge - just a little - and head out to dinner.  I've been so tired, and Tim's been tired with all the moving and getting stuff settled.  We figured it was time for a break!  Below is a picture of Natty enjoying her noodles.  She definitely has the Asian blood in her.

This was towards the end.  She actually ate a plate and a half of stir-fry noodles.  One of her favorites.  Oh, and she also loves Satay (another favorite of Tim and mine).

Broken Hearted

Why Did Jesus Come?




"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. . . ."



— Luke 4:18





No doctor can heal a broken heart. He or she may be able to treat other ailments you might have. But no physician can get to the source of a broken heart—and a broken heart is a very real thing when you have experienced one.



Your heart may be broken right now. Maybe it is from the loss of a loved one or from a lost romance. Perhaps it is broken because of constant failure. Maybe your children have let you down. Maybe your parents have let you down. Maybe your husband or wife has let you down.



Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, and only He can heal a broken heart. So if you have a broken heart today, let Him heal it.



Jesus also came to bring deliverance to the captives. The Bible teaches that before we became believers, we were spiritual prisoners-of-war who were held captive by the devil, the god of this world (see 2 Timothy 2:26).



Jesus came to free us. He can unlock the door, but we must walk through it. Let Him set you free.



He came to bring recovery of sight to the blind. Before we were Christians, we were spiritually blind (see 2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Jesus wants to open your eyes to what is true. Let Him.



Are you brokenhearted? Are you under the power of some sin? The same Jesus who walked this earth, died on a cross, and rose from the dead loves you. And He came to set you free.