WayfaringStrangers

Last weekend we celebrated Easter and the resurrection of Jesus! The weekend started early on Friday. Behn's friend David invited him to a Flyers game in Philly, so Behn took the day off and drove up north. Meanwhile, I watched Baby F until about noon and then Hannah and I packed up her car and headed to Maryland. It was kind of a long trip- rainy and slow, with a fussy Graham not enjoying his carseat. But we made it safely, just in time for a quick hello, wardrobe change, and then the Good Friday service at Grace and Peace OPC. The service was nice, but I spent most of it in the nursery trying to get fussy Graham to sleep; he was so off schedule. After the service we went home and had some family time. Graham got his first Easter basket, full of books and toys! The next day was pretty laid-back. Mom and I ran some errands. Behn made it to MD by early afternoon. We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed being with family. It's hard not being nearby my parents, but it makes these ti...

I know I'm due for a post. One about the garden (which is in full swing) and one about Easter in Maryland and maybe another one just for the heck of it. I've been busy this week- on Monday and Tuesday I felt like doing some spring cleaning and yesterday I wasn't feeling well. Also today not feeling well. It's just a head cold (Graham has it too) but it's enough to slow me down. Plus, today I was tired from the crazy storms that came through during the night. They weren't nearly as bad here as they were in MS, AL, and GA. My prayers are with those folks. But I was scared enough to get Graham and force Behn to come down to the basement with me for a while. Poor Behn had just gone to bed because he'd been up studying and wasn't too thrilled about my craziness. He was 'too tired to care' but c'mon- we were under a tornado warning! Anyway, there weren't any tornados here, just loud thunder and strong winds. So, that's an update for now. M...

You'd think with a Daddy as a librarian we'd have been reading to Graham since he was in the womb; in reality, we only recently started reading to him every evening. Sure, we've read him some Bible stories and little board books here and there, but now we're reading to him every night before bed. Usually I have this pleasure, but Behn does sometimes too. Look how much Graham loves it! He really pays attention and looks at the pictures. Sweet, quiet moments.

The garden is progressing along! The fence is up, the weed cloth laid, deer repellent stations installed, and I planted some seeds a few days ago. I planted squash and pumpkin directly into the ground instead of starting them inside. I also planted a few beet seeds, in case the ones that I started don't work out. A tomato plant has been purchased and planted as well. Though I tried to start some tomato plants from seed in the trays, I haven't seen any evidence that they germinated. Kiri did say they can be hard to start from seed. I'm going to transfer some of the plants that I've been growing to the garden today! I hope the shock of being put into the ground won't be too much for them, but most of them are strong and hardy. They've been outside everyday for a few weeks now, so they're used to the air and wind. The flower bed behing the house is also starting to sprout. Cute little zinnias are beginning to peep their heads through the dirt. The sunflowers I ...

I just love spring. The smell of fresh air, flowers and rain showers, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the sounds of all the birds chirping and singing. And April 18 is just the perfect spring day. Last year on April 18th, we found out that we were parents. We found out that our cries to the Lord had been answered and that there was a little human being growing inside of me. We didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, we didn't know his name. I couldn't feel him. But he was there. Last April 18th was a joyful day. A beautiful spring day, a Sunday . We worshipped our Lord in awe. Then we spent the day outside mountain biking (probably not the BEST thing to do when you're pregnant, but it wasn't a dangerous trail.) We enjoyed nature and thought of new life. I had wondered if this day would happen for us. Needless to say, I'm no Fertile Myrtle. I had started to wonder if I would need to go to a fertility specialist, something we could not afford. I wondered if I wo...

At four months Graham: has found his ear and is working on getting his toes. is enjoying playing with toys, especially of the cloth variety because they are easy to grasp. is nearly rolling over back-to-front; he just can't quite get past that puffy cloth diaper. is 'blowing bubbles.' is sleeping in his crib in his own room. is making lots of cute little baby noises as he talks to us. weighs 14 lbs, 11 oz. That's nearly exactly double his birth weight (7 lbs, 5 oz)

Ok, garden blog time. First of all, Ivan came and plowed up my garden spot! He is just so nice. It only took him a few minutes with that thing: (Can I be honest with you? Behn and I must just be northern yankees, because I pretty much cannot decipher that thick southern dialect that Ivan uses. I catch words here and there "16-hosspower," "use a bullet on them deer," and something about "frost." But yeah, we are definitely not locals.) Then on Sunday evening Behn helped me put up the rabbit fence. I'm not sure we did it right- it's not very sturdy. I ran out to Lowe's to buy a few more metal stakes to help hold it up. I hope it keeps the bunnies out, but I'm even more worried about thhe deer. I know they already discovered the garden plot (though there's nothing planted yet) because we saw their little deer prints in it. The little jerks. Anyway, I also grabbed a few bags of sod at Lowe's. I mostly want to use the sod on a flower bed...

Yesterday was just BEAUTIFUL. We had to get outside, so we decided to go to Lake Robertson after church. Lake Robertson is a small lake out in the county. It's really secluded and pretty, and the grounds have camping, a pool, a playground, and picnic areas as well. We brought our adopted cadet from Virginia Military Institute, Carly. She hangs out with us on Sundays to get off post and see the real world. We enjoy having her around! First we had a picnic lunch. And then we went for a hike around the lake. So pretty and very relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Graham is a very blessed little dude to come from two big families. He already has 7 aunts, with the potential for 3 more, since I still have 3 unmarried brothers. But his Aunt Hannah (my sister) is a special one to him. Aunt Hannah moved in with us when Graham was just a peanut and I looked like this: And she spent lots of time patting my belly and talking to Graham, all the way until I looked like this: Because of Graham's extremely swift delivery, my Mom couldn't make it to the hospital in time, so Hannah got to be in the room and witness Graham's coming into the world. She's a brave soul, that Hannah. I'm glad I didn't have to see it (instead, I had to FEEL it)! But it was such a special night, one that Hannah, Behn and I will always remember. Hannah was one of the very first people that got to meet Graham, even before his grandparents. When Graham came out, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his little neck and he was breathing unusually for a while an...

Lately I have had my mind and heart on adoption. Yeah, I know, I JUST had a baby, but that's not the point. For years I have felt the calling to adopt, and now that I'm married, my husband also feels that calling. The call is not as strong for him-yet. He's busy providing for us, working hard in grad school, and being a great husband and father. But since last year, we've slowly been saving for the adoption fees. We know adopting is still down the road for us. God hasn't prepared us yet. But in the meantime, I love following the stories of my friends in Christ who are as passionate about adoption as I am. I have been following blogs of friends who are all along the journey- some have their kids at home with them, some have pictures of their kids and are awaiting the day they can pick them up, others are still waiting for referrals or have just begun the process. It's wonderful to be able to pray for them along their journey- and to rejoice along with them when ...

After nearly 2 weeks of dicey weather (either cold, rainy, windy, or SNOWY), it's finally nice out! Today is sunny, a little windy, and in the upper 70's so far. Now it's time to work on my garden. I thought my friend Ivan, an older retired guy who fixes things around the house for us (or rather, for our landlord) was going to plow up the garden, but I haven't heard from him in a while. I don't want to bug him- he's certainly not obligated to till our garden for us- and I know he's probably enjoying fishing in this weather. So over the weekend Behn and I just got a shovel and started digging. Behn dug up a lot of the grass and I pulled it out of the ground, shook the dirt off of it, and tossed it aside. I tried to break up the big clumps and threw out any rocks I found. So, one potential problem that I have is my little seedlings haven't been exposed to much sunlight since the weather has been lousy. Unfortunately, some of them have become spindly and a...

This story happened last November, during the weekend my Mom was here for my baby shower. I guess I never told you about it then, but they story is good enough to deserve a post. Here goes: My practical, thoughtful SuperMom was thinking that I neede more freezer space, since there are three adults living in this home. She suggested that we get a small chest freezer to put in the basement. I could freeze casseroles, stock up on frozed goods on sale, even keep bread down there. Yes, with the baby on the way, this was a good time to get a chest freezer. So, when she was here for my baby shower, we set out to Kaiser's Used Appliances, where we had gotten our washer and dryer. However when we got there, they were closed because they were on a delivery. Bummer. Oh well, it was a long shot that they would have one anyway. I suggested that we take the scenic back road home. Mom was driving, and as we whizzed past hills and farms, she suddenly gasped and hit the brakes. I was a pretty curio...