A Special Prayer...

So, two weeks ago Emma told me, "Mommy, I am ready to pray and ask God for a baby sister."
So she sat in my lap and said,

"Dear God, I would really like a baby sister, and I would like for her name to be Joy. I just wanted to ask you if I could have that. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

About a week ago, Ben and I discovered that we are expecting another heavenly gift, which I affectionately call Baby Blessing for the time being. God is so gracious, so amazing. We have reminded Emma that only God knows what is best for our family...and He may think that a boy is what is best for us this time. But it is most certainly okay to pray for a sister.

Interestingly enough, my Bible Study this week was about two women who were not supposed to be having babies at their current stage in life: Elizabeth and Mary (Elizabeth because she was "well advanced in years", and Mary because she was a virgin, betrothed). This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, and as I read it again this week, my heart burned within me, amazed at God's precious words:

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation...He has filled the hungry with good things... Luke 1:46-50,53a

May I be faithful to meet all things God so graciously gives the way Mary did:
"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."

Disneyland in the Rain...

After my mom's conference in Anaheim, Ben and the kids met me and stayed a night at the hotel so that we could take them to Disneyland the following morning (we had free tickets!!). So, we made it through the night in a hotel (first time for all five of us in a hotel), and pulled back the curtains to find it was pouring rain. We went to breakfast and told the kids that we might not get to go to Disneyland after all. They took the news very well. Grandpa Ron, Grandma Connie, and Aunt Katie were already on their way to meet us and join us at Disneyland. So when they arrived, we discussed what other options we might have. The kids wanted to go swimming (we had taken them the night before and they had a blast). But we got to thinking...if we would go swimming in the rain, why wouldn't we just go to Disneyland in the rain?? So, what an adventure we had! SO much fun, so great to have family with us, and it only rained a couple of hours.

Big Boy

Here is my big guy missing his front tooth.

8 Years...

Today is our 8 year anniversary...Ben is at work, and I am here thinking of some very happy memories of our eight years being married. Here are some for you:
1. Right after getting married, we lived in an apartment in Ventura. It was great!
2. I was working full time, and in the last semester of college at night. I had lost my motivation for attending classes at times, so Ben would drive me down, and either wait for me in the library, or come to class with me. Then, we would go to Applebee's for a Fudge Nut Fantasy dessert (they don't make it anymore).
3. We cried and prayed together about whether or not I should quit my job at the Continentals. I did quit. Then I went back to working at the Bryant St. Gym in Ojai, where I worked a total of five or so years.
4. We spend a lot of time trying to find a church when we lived in Ventura, and were never really successful.
5. We decided at some point that it would be really smart of us to save everything I made at work, so that we had practice living on one income. After we had Emma, all that money we saved up was gone. =)
6. We did get to take a trip to Tahiti before having any of the kids. It was so fun...we tried new food, snorkeled every day, and pet sting rays.
7. On our first anniversary, I made a treasure hunt for Ben, and he had to follow all the clues I made for him.
8. For our five year anniversary we went to Pismo...Ben got me a ring, and I got him a wetsuit.
9. Last year we took Noah with us and ate at Joe's Crab shack in Ventura. We both got sick.
10. This year, for this anniversary, I am more amazed, more in love, and more excited about my husband than ever. When I was sick this past week, he took all THREE kids to Trader Joe's with NO GROCERY LIST, or help as far as what to get for dinners. He came home and filled our cupboards with food, and even took an extra day off before going back to work, just to make sure I would be feeling better. Over these years he has worked so very hard to support us and provide for us, and most of the time he has worked two jobs. He left the job that he loved in the mountains, because it was not the best for our family. He has loved us well and I am blessed. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, for this marvelous gift, this man whom I am privileged to call my husband.

Missing a Tooth...

Well, in the midst of my being sick, Caleb fell on his scooter. His tooth was barely hanging on, the root having cut throught he gum. It looked a little...gnarly (for lack of a better word). So, we let him take his pirate sword and patch to the ER. After waiting a long time, the doctor came in and told us that basically, the tooth just had to come out. So, we let Caleb pick some ice cream, and then Ben told him that he had to get the tooth out in order to be able to eat the ice cream. So, he got it out. So, my three year old is missing his front tooth. So sad...He is still adorable though, and has handled it with bravery and courage.

I got tagged...

Six Random Things About Me:
The rules are: 1) link the person who tagged you (SarahGrace) 2) post the rules on your blog 3) Share six non-important things, etc 4) tag six random people 5) let each random person know they have been tagged...

So here goes:
1. I have not really had time to blog lately. What is the world coming to??

2. I am terrible, really lousy, at being sick. I was reminded of this by a recent flu episode. I either just continue on as if I am not sick, or I am completely bed ridden. Or both.

3. I require things of myself that I would NEVER require of someone else. And probably drive myself crazy because of it. =)

4. I cried watching Pollyanna yesterday.

5. I make up songs often, when I am changing Noah, or we're in the bathtub, or cleaning up.

6. It seems that every time I go out to eat, which is NOT that often, I order a salad. Some kind of salad. But that is what really, really makes me happy...is a great salad. (This past time, I was at a Conference for Homeschooling Mom's...more to come on that, and we went to Mimi's cafe, and I had a salad with candied pecans, apples, blue cheese in a vinaigrette. So good)

I am pretty sure that everyone I know has already been tagged???? How about if everyone who reads this, just responds with five things about them in the comments...wouldn't that be fun??

You have to watch this!!

Okay, it does last 20 minutes. But it is well worth it, please watch this video...I came to it from my friend Matt's blog...We have been using cloth inserts in Noah's G Diaper, and although it is a little more work, it is great to be doing something better for the world, better for our baby, and better for our budget. There are some days when it is more challenging than others. Anyway...Here is the story of stuff:
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Good Intentions...

Okay, so you all know how I have to re-organize the toys every so often. Well, this morning, in the midst of many other chores that could be done, it hit me....I must re-organize the toys. So, we pulled everything out of the toy basket, and various other places. But, for some reason, that just wasn't quite enough. Then, I started moving furniture. (Isn't it amazing what hand towels can enable you to move by yourself?) So, after a crazy day, and some help from a friend...our dining room table is in our kitchen, the couch is turned around, the kid's storage cabinet is in a different room...and the living room carpet has toys all over it, with an empty toy basket less than a foot away. I'm tired. I think I will go put away some toys. But, it sure was fun!!! Isn't it amazing how moving things around a bit, and shaking things up a little can just spice up your day! We'll see what comes of it...

If this is not humbling, I don't know what is...

Have you ever had those moments, where you actually just want to press your face as much as you can into the ground before God? This is one of those for me. Last year, when our church team went to Uganda, they took bookmarks with prayer requests from us...And the women of Uganda prayed for us all year. Now, another team from our church is there in Uganda, and they were asking about what our God has done in the way of answering these prayers. I didn't even remember filling one out, or asking for prayer for anything. But, I guess I must have asked prayer regarding a job for Ben. Today, I received this e-mail from a mighty warrior-princess friend of mine, who is privileged enough to be there in Uganda with these amazing women.

"I met the woman who has been praying for you through the bookmark ministry and she sends her greetings. She was overjoyed and yelled Amina and clapped her hands when I told her that not only did Ben get a job but you also bought a house. She said to tell you that the one who has been praying for you is so happy because of the testimony."

And so again, I can barely breathe as the tears fall and I think, "She was praying for us?? And our mighty God answered those prayers!!"
This woman, who probably has so little was praying for us in our abundance and I am ashamed. Ashamed that I think we "rough it" because we can't afford cable or Starbuck's or stupid things. And yet so overwhelmingly amazed, awed, thankful...God's abundant grace to us is so undeserved. Oh God, forgive me! Oh God, may I not hoard this abundance, but constantly strive to give more and more and more...because you have so lavishly given to us. Oh God, bless this amazing woman from Uganda, whose prayers must have been so precious to you that you answered them and we are the bearers of those blessings. Thank you God...

Quick Catch Up

Well, we had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Savior, with our families, and the kids...It was great. I don't really know what else to say about it, except that it was great. We added to our Christmas collection this year, a book called the Legend of Saint Nicholas. It is a great story and we all enjoyed reading it together.

Emma
At dinner one evening, the kids had been particularly ornery...Noah had been screaming for about an hour, no matter what I did, and Emma and Caleb have been bickering a little more than usual. I finally got Noah to bed (early) and returned to the table to finish dinner with the kids.
Emma: Mommy, I'm sorry.
Me: Sorry for what?
Emma: I'm sorry that I didn't do the right thing.
Me: It's okay honey, mommy doesn't always do the right thing either. Actually, none of us ALWAYS do the right thing.
Emma: I'm really glad that you could say that to me.

Caleb
After church, the kids all run around together and play in front of the church. The kids were running around with Joe, who is about 2 1/2. I was concerned that they might be playing a little bit rough, or not being careful about knocking him down. I heard Caleb say to Joe, "Okay, now we are going to play the bad man game."
So, I called him over to me and reminded him that we were only going to play kind games, and that we would not be playing any bad man games with Joe.
He said to me, "Mom! I said "(phonetically) B-A-T, the batman game, the one with no bad guys."
Me: Oh, okay...=)
This is especially hilarious, because he says many things like that (sounding them out, phonetically by letter sound.) He was arguing with me last week as he signed a card that his name should be C-A-L-U-B not C-A-L-E-B because of how we pronounce his name. I told him I would be more careful to call him Ca-leb.

Noah
Nope. Still not walking. He has taken numerous steps, most often when he is not aware that he is doing it. Then, when he realizes he is walking, he gets down and crawls. But he is sweet. =)

Well, that's all for now...I haven't had a whole lot to say lately. Surprisingly!

My "Lucky" Day

Emma and my mom have this adorable thing where they say, "It's my LUCKY day!" Now, for the record, I have said many a time that I do not believe in luck...I believe in grace. I really like American Heritage Dictionary's definition (one of quite a few!):
A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.
So, with that...I am about to make a short story long. Last Christmas, Ben and I each got an Ipod Nano for Christmas. I was new to this technology, but it came at a great time since our radio in our car doesn't work well, and our CD player no longer works. It doesn't take long to get used to that cool little gadget, not to mention that it is nice for Ben out on his own all night when he works night shift. Anyway, before we moved, some teenagers (sorry for the stereotype!) moved in down the street, and one day our Ipods were gone. Now, I do not know that it was the teenagers who did it, so I am not going to say for sure that they did. And it is mostly my fault anyway because I left the car unlocked. But, it was a bummer.
So...fast forward. KDAR (the Christian radio station) announced that Adventures in Odessey (a children's audio program) was giving away 3 Ipods a day for 12 days. It comes pre-loaded with Adventures in Odessey Christmas editions, and it is a "big" Ipod (30 GB?) So, I entered the contest each day, until I finally read the rules stating that you had to be the first entry received by 1) 7 am, 2) 10 am, or 3) 6 pm. So, Saturday, I filled out the entry form, then set out to do Emma's hair. I set the timer to beep at 9:59am, so I could come and send my entry. The timer went off, I came and sent the entry, then my computer took FOREVER. So long that I left to finish Emma's hair. When I came back to the computer, there was an error message so I assumed that the entry didn't even go through.
Saturday night Ben and I went to Aera's Christmas party. They were raffling off a bunch of prizes, the grand prize being a 32 inch LCD HD TV. During one of the raffles, we won a GPS system for the car. Then, they were drawing the name for the TV...you guessed it, BEN HESTER. Finally, towards the end of the night they called us again and we won a garage light?? I'm not really sure what it is, but I am sure Ben needs one, because he doesn't have much!
So, Monday morning I am getting ready to enter the IPOD contest again. While I was waiting for the right time, I clicked on "Contest Winners." It showed on Saturday, 12/1/07, that there was a "Lisa H. from CA". Now, I know there are a million Lisa H.'s in Ca, but still, you gotta wonder! So I called them to see if that was me!! That must have thought I was a kook!! They said that if I had won, I would have received a phone call, and I hadn't. So, I hung up the phone, the kids and I went on with our day and we were saying our morning prayers (no, I didn't mention the Ipod in our prayer!) Not even a minute after we finished praying, my phone rings, and it is Focus on the Family, calling to tell me that I won the Ipod. Seriously. I almost fell over, somewhere between laughter and tears. I thought, O Lord, this is just too much!! But thank you!!
So, some would say Saturday must have been my lucky day...But I would just have to say that the Lord was ever-so indulgent on my behalf.

P.S. on the vinegar/baking soda

Becky! These articles were also very helpful as far as how much, etc.
Baking soda:http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/bakingsoda
Vinegar:http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/vinegar
Happy Cleaning!
P.S. Does anyone remember the episode of Punky Brewster, when Punky's friend and sibling are at the house, and the sibling drinks some of a product under the sink, and the friend doesn't know how to help because she can't read the label?? Anyway, I was thinking about that, it obviously made a big impression on me...

The hair

She is only four, and it's already begun. Emma's really been wanting me to curl her hair. Well, 99 cents only had some rollers. So, I got them, and Emma stuck it out through the combing through, the rolling up, and EVEN the sleeping on them (which was a shocker). But, you gotta admit, it is adorable...(Poor Ben wouldn't get to see, so I promised I would take pictures as soon as I took the rollers out)

New Things in Our Life

When I went to San Francisco, I attended the Green Festival. It is essentially a gathering of companies who support sustainability. I learned a lot, and saw some great companies represented. I was a little saddened, that using our resources wisely is not necessarily something that the Church, or Christians, are particularly known for. However, I recognized a LOT of areas in my own life that could use some improvement. And, sometimes the change is slow...I have 5 reusable grocery bags that I have forgotten to take with me to the store TWICE. So, yeah...but, for me, it is not about being "green" or "eco-friendly" or hippie, or any of that. It is about trying to be faithful. Interestingly enough, the kids' Bible verse for yesterday came out of this passage of Scripture, God's gentle reminder to me again!:
"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?" Luke 16:10-12

These are not all things even from the Festival, but just new things in our life.
G Diapers-They are a cotton outer pant, with a flushable insert. They take 50 days (instead of 500 years) to decompose, and if it's just wet, you could even compost them.

Quinoa- pronounced "keen-wa". It is often called a grain, although I believe it is really a seed. However, it has more protein than any of the grains, and it cooks just like rice. Here's Lisa's Quinoa recipe:

1 cup cooked quinoa (bring 1 3/4 cup chicken broth to a boil, add quinoa, cook 10-15 min.)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1-2 cups cooked black beans

1 red bell pepper (seeded, chopped, sauted in a litte olive oil)

1/2 a jalapeno (also seeded, chopped, and sauted with the bell pepper)

Season with salt, pepper, and some chili powder and cumin!

The bulk bins at Lassen's

Now as a whole, Lassen's is really expensive. So I don't normally shop there. But the bulk bins are great!! You can get organic quinoa for less than a $1.00 a lb., as well as organic rolled oats for like $0.60 a lb. You can get black beans, split peas, split yellow peas all for under $1.00 a lb. And they have a variety of granolas for a reasonable price also. You just have to watch because many of them have a lot of sugar!

Before I Forget...

So, every night before bed, we do our "thankfuls". Everyone picks between one and three things that they are thankful for. The kids have heard us say various things, so I am sure that their answers reflected some of what they have heard over the past year from us. But, over our thanksgiving meal, we each went around and told what we were thankful for.
Caleb's answer: I'm thankful for a good dinner!! (Belch!!)
Emma's answer: I'm thankful that God never gives up on us.
Yeah, there you have it, boys...and girls. =)

Tonight, over turkey and black bean soup (there was polenta in the bottom)
Emma: "Mommy, what is the yellow?"
Me: "That's polenta."
Emma: "It's not sweet or anything."
Me: "Well, it's not really supposed to be sweet..."
Emma: "Well, it really doesn't have a good flavor."
Well then...better luck next time. =)

Clean has no smell...continuation of the previous post...

It is quite cheap!! You can get a gallon of vinegar for $1.99, and a 4 lb. box of baking soda for $3.29, and a spray bottle for $1.99 at Smart & Final. You can get smaller quantities of baking soda (a regular box for $0.59) and I'm not sure the size of the vinegar at 99 cents only. You know what is the hardest part for me?? (Confession: I LOVE cleaning products, especially ones that smell good...) But someone reminded me that Clean has NO SMELL. I know. It's so hard...but a good reminder.

Organic Cleaning

Here is a link to a great little video clip...After a discussion with some very experienced and smart women, I found that yes, you can clean your entire house with baking soda, and vinegar (and sometimes a little squirt of dish soap). Even hard wood floors. So, seeing as how this is much safer for a toddler crawling and cruising around, as well as young helpers doing chores, and helping clean...it seems like a good idea for us. Enjoy!
http://www.parents.com/parentstv/?lid=987353750&tid=992358697&cid=901546021

Redeem

Redeem:
1. to buy back
2. a. to free from what distresses or harms, b.to free from captivity by payment of ransom, c.to release from blame or debt
3. to change for the better : reform

Oh, Lord, I can only thank You that my life is not what it once was. Thank you that You provide freedom from captivity, from what distresses, and what harms. This amazing thing you have done for Your people is indescribable...Thank you.

A quick note about super-daddy

Okay, I have a ton of posting catch-up to do...but I need to go to bed soon, so I just wanted to post really quickly about the wonder that is super-daddy. I went to San Francisco this past weekend (more on that later). So, Ben was going to have the kids all weekend, by himself. Now, keep in mind that up until 8 months ago (at my sister-in-law's baby shower, I had Noah with me) Ben took Emma and Caleb by himself to the beach to ride their scooters and play on the playground. That was the first time he had ever taken the kids anywhere by himself. And I am not really sure that he has done it since then! But, he was more than willing to let me go away. So, he calls me Saturday to ask casually, "What size diaper does Noah wear?" I say, "Five...why?"
Then he proceeds to tell me that they:
1. Went to The Point (the beach promenade) to go jogging. Ben had Noah in the backpack as he walked (quickly!), and Emma and Caleb jogged. For a good 1/2 hr or so!!
2. They went to Target to get diapers and trash bags.
3. They went to the Mall to try and find running shoes for Caleb...no luck.
4. They tried Mervyn's just in case, no luck there either.
5. They went to Trader Joe's to pick up a few things.
AND!!!
When he was in Trader Joe's he probably gave an older couple a heart attack since they gave him the usual line,
"Oh, you have your hands FULL!"
And he responded,
"Yep, it's just about time for number four."
So there, I am so thankful and amazed at my husband. Yeah! I knew it!
P.S. Tons more later, but I did end up coming home early from my trip.

New Shoes and New P.J.'s

Emma must have had another growth spurt! She was really in need of some new tennis shoes, and especially since she has been kicked out of the jogger, she has to be able to walk as far as I want her to, so she needed some good running shoes. She loves them!

And, Noah got new pajamas from his Uncle Scott and Aunt Cher-Ami.