Deconstruction

Before we can begin putting the baby's room together in it's final form, we needed to take down the previous desk furniture. Daddy got a little help from Brennan, thanks to his new-found fascination with tools (all of which he treats like a hammer, so some close supervision is necessary!).

The Final Amount

After many hours of constant snowfall yesterday, here are some shots of our back deck with the copious amounts of snow! Kudos to John for braving the cold and heading out to dig us out, all while recovering from a cold!

More Snow

Richmond is fortunate enough to be going through it's third major snowstorm in 10 months. We feel blessed to have been here for all of it! I (only half-jokingly) mentioned to John that Mother Nature felt bad that we lived in the land of constant summer for a few years and is making up for all the winter fun that we missed during that time! So far, our snow total today is around 13 inches.

John was lucky enough to purchase a shovel from Lowe's earlier this week so we no longer have to improvise when it comes to digging ourselves out. That shovel got a good breaking in earlier today! He also found a sled under our deck that's just Brennan's size. With no hill in our yard, we created a sledding ramp by packing down snow on the steps off our deck. It worked pretty well until Brennan discovered that coming face-first off the sled at the bottom was just not a fun experience. That ended our sledding expedition for the day with the thought that we'll try again tomorrow.


Another great way to spend the day: baking! This pregnant mama has definitely been wanting some chocolate, so a great way to satisfy the craving was by baking some Cowboy Cookies. Yum!

New Space

Our office is now a desk (gotta love IKEA!) in the corner of our living room. It's an adjustment for John to go from a large, spread-out desk area with lots of storage to a much smaller desk with much less room for storing items. It was a really good excuse to purge! On the other hand, I really love our new space. The one downside is that things are now much more accessible for little hands (and feet) to push buttons that couldn't be reached before. Next up, completing the transformation in the baby's room!

Learning to Trust

We are definitely in a phase of life where we are learning to trust God more and more. With John being unemployed and me working only part-time, we are relying on Him for His provision. We've watched Him provide in the past during times of unemployment and He's proven Himself faithful. We have every reason to believe that He'll prove faithful again, even if it's in ways we don't necessarily expect.

Through this time thus far, we've already experienced many blessings.
1. We are part of a wonderful church that has surrounded us with support, prayers, job recommendations, and even meals.
2. Brennan and I are currently on Medicaid for insurance and we have discovered the benefits to be absolutely outstanding.
3. With John being home, we have been able to start having family devotions at night. It's such a wonderful thing to get to read God's word with Brennan and then pray together as a family. At first, he didn't know what to think of it, but now he holds his hands out to us so we can all hold hands while we pray. It's a precious time!
4. The support of our family and friends has been incredible!
5. John being home has also meant that we've been able to start getting the baby's room ready. We've dismantled the office that had been residing in our third bedroom and relocated it to a much smaller desk in a corner of our living room. That's freed up the bedroom to actually become a bedroom for the baby. His room is starting to come together! (We'll post pictures of the transformation soon)

We finally received word today that John's account through the Virginia Employment Commission has been released from a hold, so we should be receiving all the back pay from the last six or seven weeks in the next couple of days. God has provided a way for us financially through these last weeks, but just when things were starting to look pretty bleak, He's provided again. While definitely not out of the woods, we are watching for more ways that He'll show up in our current circumstances.

And while the path of unemployment is definitely not one we would have chosen (especially with a new baby on the way), I've remarked to John on a few occasions that I really wouldn't change a thing. Yes, the financial pressure is great. But, we get a lot more family time and John is far less stressed being unemployed than he ever was being employed. Truth be told, I love having my husband home in the evenings again!

So, for now, we're going to sit back and enjoy the ride--even the low points. Because we know that in the end, God has something good for our family on the other side.

Construction

We are in the process of doing some serious rearranging of things in our house--starting with assembling a new desk, courtesy of IKEA. John got a little help from Brennan in the process (all while watching the much anticipated Vikings game). More to come on our rearranging adventure!

Snow Day Festival

We attended the Snow Day Festival at the Children's Museum this morning. Brennan got to play and check out all the fun activities the museum has to offer. We attended a story time, with stories told by the Snow Queen. Then Brennan got to decorate a gingerbread man cookie (with a little help from Dad). It was a great way to spend a morning!

If he had his way, he'd never leave the water play area!

Cookie decorating time! He sure enjoyed adding sprinkles, marshmallows, and candy corn to his gingerbread man.

New Year's Reading Resolution

At Naomi's prompting I've decided that my New Year's resolution is to read at least one book a month. I tend to do most of my reading in shorter chunks ... online articles, newspapers, magazines, the back of the cereal box -- so this'll be a challenge. The first challenge however, is narrowing down my list. It turns out there are a lot of books I want to read. Here are the candidates (some of which I've started but never finished):

God on Mute -- Pete Greig
The Teammates -- David Halberstam
Now I Can Die in Peace -- Bill Simmons
What's He So Angry About? -- David Stoop
Irresistable Revolution -- Shane Claiborne
Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God -- J.I. Packer
The Lost Symbol -- Dan Brown
Please Understand Me II -- David Keirsey
Shepherding a Child's Heart -- Ted Tripp
Treasuring God in our Traditions -- Noel Piper
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals -- John Piper
Let the Nations Be Glad -- John Piper
Every Man's Battle -- Steven Arterburn
Wild At Heart -- John Ethridge
Why We're Not Emergent -- Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
Blue Like Jazz -- Donald Miller
Velvet Elvis -- Rob Bell
Understanding Four Views on Baptism --ed. by John Armstrong
Notes From a Small Island -- Bill Bryson

And four I've read already but want to read again:
The Silence of Adam -- Larry Crabb
The Way of the Heart -- Henri Nouwen
Ruthless Trust -- Brennan Manning
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire -- Jim Cymbala

A Christmas Break Recap

John's parents came up to visit for a few days in order to celebrate Christmas and Brennan's birthday. It was nice they got to experience a white Christmas this year--not a common sight in Richmond! The downside to the last few days was that I got hit with a nasty cold turned sinus infection that knocked me out flat for several days. Being pregnant, there's not much I can take to get over it, but I think time has helped and things appear to be on the mend now.

Checking out his stocking on Christmas morning. He was a busy little guy with all his presents!

He loved stacking the containers of Play-Dough and then was thrilled when we got it out after his nap on Christmas Day.

One morning was perfect for a visit to the Children's Museum. John took Brennan and his parents there for some fun indoor playtime. The only other time we've been there was a night when admission was only $1, so the place was jammed. This time it was far less crowded and offered a better chance to really explore and enjoy what the museum had to offer.

The water play station was tons of fun!

On Brennan's birthday evening, we bundled up and visited the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for their GardenFest of Lights. We all loved getting to see model trains and many, many lights. Brennan loved getting to go through a couple light mazes in the children's section.

The peacock was pretty impressive!

A blessed holiday season from our family to yours!

2 Years Old!

It's hard to believe that Brennan turns 2 years old today! Our boy is getting so big and we marvel every day at how he's grown and how much he learns. He's such a joy; we can't imagine life without Brennan! Check out his life in pictures on this slideshow I created. Enjoy!

Mother and son


The cake was a big hit! (And a bit less messy than last year)

Not-Yet-Winter Wonderland

It started coming down around dinnertime last night and kept going all night long. We woke up this morning to a little over a foot of heavy, dense snow.

Our power had gone out just before 8 and finally came back on just past 6 this morning, so the chilly house contributed to the whole "winter wonderland" feel. The only thing is, it's not yet winter.

Kind of odd that our two blizzards in Richmond (yes, this qualifies as a blizzard in these parts) have come on March 1st (late in Winter) and December 18-19th (not yet Winter). We're not complaining though -- we'll take it when we can get it!

Yesterday, in preparation for the storm, Richmonders went crazy and raided the hardware stores (buying out all the snow shovels and rock salt in town) and grocery stores (canned goods, bottled water). We made do this morning with a rake, spade, broom and seed scatterer (worked nicely as a little shovel -- MacGyver would be proud).

Here are some pics of the beauty and fun...

Proof: over 12 inches ... and counting

Who needs a snow shovel when you have a sturdy rake!
(Check out that snow drift too -- it's up to Brennan's chest).

Look, a snow angel!

Brennan takes careful steps to avoid getting snow up his pants! (It's a lost cause, son)

Our snowman, who looks more like a snowwoman in a ball gown.

Always on the lookout for a good deal

You have to start early teaching kids
to be thrifty and save money!

Jingle Jam

Our church hosted an event called "Jingle Jam" yesterday afternoon. Having missed it last year, we ventured out this year with Brennan since we figured he would enjoy it a bit more. He loved getting to eat popcorn and checking out the gigantic inflatable figures displayed all over. He wanted to keep hugging them and then moving them around because they were so lightweight! He also got to make a jingle bell necklace and stick a nose on Rudolph. We unfortunately had to leave before the bulk of the program started, but it was for a good cause...a friend came over to babysit so John and I could have a date night!

The inflatables were a huge hit!

Choosing his bells for his jingle bell necklace.

Getting the finished product tied around his neck. He loves his bells!

More D2 Pics

When we had our ultrasound on Wednesday, the tech was a little concerned when some measurements for his nuchal fold at the back of the neck measured slightly thicker from some angles (which is a soft marker for Down's syndrome). We were immediately referred to a specialist. Overall, we were not too worried. All my other blood work had come back with VERY low risk for any sort of birth defects and everything else on the ultrasound (and my previous ultrasounds) showed a very healthy, normal little boy. So, while there was some concern, we were just excited to see our new little man again.

Friday was our appointment. When the doctor looked at the images taken on Wednesday, she began to suspect it was the baby's head position that created a thicker fold at the back of his neck. And, sure enough, the ultrasound confirmed that. Everything is perfect and normal with no further tests or meetings with a specialist needed.

It was such a relief! Especially having been down a similar road with Brennan (who was diagnosed with a choroid plexus cyst at his big ultrasound, resulting in a referral to a specialist) but that ended happily as well. Since we've now been referred to a specialist for both boys, if we have a third baby, we're just going to go into the ultrasound expecting to be referred and hopefully be pleasantly surprised if we are not! It just might be easier that way...

But, we were super excited to see our little man again--who still was modestly crossing his legs, but did uncross them long enough to get further confirmation that he is indeed a little man! We got to see all his organs again, his spine, his brain, the blood pumping in his heart and umbilical cord. We even got to see him moving around and then cover up his eyes like he was playing peekaboo!

The little man in profile, with his little hand up by his face.

A perfect shot of his leg.

Manville, population 3

We had another ultrasound this morning and got the word that D2 is a little "he"! D2 wasn't quite as immodest as Brennan was, but once the ultrasound tech convinced him to uncross his little legs, the confirmation was there. Brennan's response when told he was going to have a little brother: "uh-oh!" An auspicious beginning to the sibling relationship!

We are very excited for the news, as it means reusing lots of clothes and toys that are still in great shape (and super cute -- the clothes that is). Not to be all bottom-line about it, but that was a factor in what we were hoping for!

We have to guard against expectations that D2 will be "Brennan 2.0" -- just like his older brother in every way. No, he may be a boy, but he'll be his own man. We know a bit about what to expect and are better prepared than we'd have been if a little girl were in our future.

Now we just have to pick a name...

Balance

Two hats are always better than one!

He did the tower all by himself!

Homemade

With John being home in the evenings now, we've really enjoyed getting to have a family devotion time before Brennan goes to bed. We have been using Scriptures from the Bible study that John's a part of, but with Advent here, we have started using passages from our homemade Advent calendar. Now that Brennan is a little more aware of Christmas, it is our deep desire to teach him the true meaning of Christmas, especially since we all get assaulted by the commercialism of the season pretty much everywhere! It was actually a lot of fun for us to dig through our Bibles and find passages we wanted to include in our calendar that would teach about Christ and His birth. Our first night using the calendar was last night, and it's definitely a time we are looking forward to...especially as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

Preparation

With Advent upon us and Christmas quickly approaching, we are trying to slow down and remember the true meaning of Christmas and to use the season of Advent to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth. Our church is doing a sermon series called "Simply Christmas" as a way to encourage the congregation to turn our hearts toward Christ instead of allowing the season to pass in a flurry of gifts, parties, and general holiday craziness. One thing I hope to do to prepare my heart is to truly focus on the lyrics of Christmas songs. We've heard and sung these songs so often that it's easy to forget what the lyrics are truly saying. I was listening to "Mary, Did You Know?" this past weekend and was amazed once again that God became a baby, that Mary's baby was God incarnate.

Mary, Did you Know?

by Mark Lowry

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Would someday walk on water?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know

That your baby boy Has come to

make you new?

This child that you've delivered

Will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will give sight to a blind man?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little baby

You've kissed the face of God.

The blind will see

The deaf will hear

The dead will live again

The lame will leap

The dumb will speak

The praises of the Lamb

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know

That your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding

Is the Great I Am

Tree Time!

Last year when we put up our tree, Brennan showed absolutely no interest in it. He only wanted to pull books off the bookshelf. This year was a much different story! He was so excited to help decorate and it was a lot of fun to watch his interest and involvement in family Christmas traditions develop. Next up on the list of fun Christmas things...make an Advent calendar, send out Christmas cards, and indulge in the yearly dose of "White Christmas" movie magic!

Brennan helped put up the first ornament on the tree--his "Baby's First Christmas"

The finished product

Leaf Fun

We spent some time playing in the many, many, many leaves that have fallen in our yard. Brennan really got into the fun!

He loved watching Daddy throw the leaves up in the air, but never quite managed to repeat it on his own.

Getting ready to dive right in!

This look captures all the joy that came with playing in the leaves!