It's really quite silly.... or not

Today was the US!  The one day that most prego women can't wait for.  I was really quite underwhelmed by it all.  This is our third baby and I am just thankful that this gift from God is growing inside of me. 

To say I was a little stressed about getting the US done is an understatement.  I didn't even know how stressed until the warm gel hit the belly and the probe made contact.  It's such a hard sell now for all these screenings, amnios, US and genetic work ups.  My hubby and I went into this pregnancy praising God for the opportunity to be parents again and felt very strongly that whatever God gave us was what God wanted.  A screening result would not have changed anything in the course of our pregnancy. 

As soon as the probe made contact with the belly I started crying.  Not tearing up, CRYING.  A fountain of tears came pouring out.  Poor US tech thought I was uncomfortable from the US and my overly full bladder (which I then got to empty). 

What caused this outpouring of tears - the most amazing, beautiful, sight that I could have laid eyes on

 

A beautiful, perfectly created, baby.  A four chambered heart, perfect head circumference, abdominal organs all intact, spinal cord complete, two arms and two legs measuring right at the dates estimated (not too big not too small).  He/she even did acrobatic moves while being filmed.  

Tears of Joy, Tears of Stress - but most of all Tears of Praise that God once again shows his hand in our lives in such a small, yet so big, way!

PRAISE GOD!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was a very low keyed Mother's Day.  I tried to keep it low key as my husband is still mourning the loss of his mom over a year ago. 

To me - the greatest Gift from God was my girls and the most recent gift of my pregnancy. 

I could ask for nothing more.

Today - pleasantly surprised - the girls came home from their social outing to tell us they were joining us for Church because:

1. They didn't want to miss Church
2. It's mom's day

While I was shocked and thought that they would be exhausted it was also quite an honor to have Natalie, my oldest, join me in church today.  Her youth group, which meets on Sunday at 0900, does not meet at the 1100 service so her place was with us.  It was a very special treat.  (And a huge show of where she is in her Christian Faith walk.)

For dinner we had grilled beets, asparagus and caprese salad.  YUM  Ok - there was a crock pot full of spare ribs but I just can't tolerate meat, still.  But - the veggies hit a home run! 

For desert Rowan (my sidekick) and I walked briskly to Trader Joes to get a flourless chocolate cake and malt ball cookies. 

Now - I want to chill out, knit and try to mentally prep myself for the beginning of the work week.....

Sigh.....

For now it's good to reflect on the gift of motherhood that I am so very thankful for!

Praise God!

Park Message today - Why do we work?

The girls - with their social life that I live vicariously through - are at a sleepover tonight.  The dear hubby and I had a date night.  He suffered through a night with his prego wife who had strange food aversions such as "nothing that is edible tastes good or looks good." 

We used our Groupon coupon to Barrio and decided we were glad it was a groupon coupon.  Sigh - while the food was different and they gave nice little portions, the service lacked a lot!  I had the opportunity to visit the bathroom (d/t the pea size of my bladder that the silly baby seems to think is his water bed) three times from appetizer to desert and wished I had before we left.  That was how long dinner dragged out.  Perhaps God was trying to get us to enjoy the time alone together - all a part of his master plan that we totally ignored. 

We came home to look over the Message from Park Church for Sunday, knowing we would enjoy the service to ourselves with our kids away.

I really liked this short theme - it has me thinking deeply about what work means to me.  I wish I could say I enter every work week with a renewed sense of purpose but find myself longing for something better as soon as I am five minutes into the Monday work day.  While work does give me a sense of purpose and I enjoy what I do - minor (and some major things) often irritate me so that I am not who I should be.  Sigh - I have a lot of work to do on this front. 

Ecclesiastes 1:3 :: Your Work Matters to God, Pt. 2

Ecclesiastes 1:3 ESV
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 :: Your Work Matters to God

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 ESV
And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

What does work mean for you?   

The Bump!

Have I mentioned I LOVE being pregnant!  Just the thought that I am mylenating and gestating fills my life with joy.  To feel that lil guy moving just adds to that.

I am on the cusp of 20 weeks - a time when you can breath a little easier, sit back, feel the baby move daily and know that it's a cake walk from here on out.

So happy I am prego but so not happy with people asking me when I am going to look prego.  So - here is my BUMP at the cusp of 20wga.  There is a bump!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!

What is the MAJOR reason you work?

Today's Message at Park was utterly profound yet so basic and simple. 

Genesis 1:28 ESV

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

I've never been the "lazy" person at work.  I might go through seasons where I feel blah about work but I always try to put my best work forward.  I don't think of work as an idol but after today's message I have to think twice about how I work.  I rarely have a "sabbath."  Rarely.  I am always checking email, even if it is just for personal emails.  You know how that ends up - you look for personal emails and then there is an email from work and you just have to read and possibly answer.  Then there are the charts I must go through, and often times, go in on the weekend to gather.  I always feel like things need to be done now, as opposed to later, well as opposed to just done and turned in and I always feel like I need to look for new things to tackle or improve.





I need to make a few changes in my life - which perhaps - would make me happier about my job, a better mom, a better wife and in turn a better woman of God.

1. I need to keep a sabbath - totally disconnect from my email/twitter/FB and VPN access to work?
2. I need to not push the envelope of time at work - do what's reasonably expected of someone within a normal work week and stop bringing work home, checking email at dinner and working on "work" at the dinner table.  
3. I need to learn to say "no" at work.  (I am not the only one that can do a task and do it well)
4. I need to give my career over to God.
   

At the end of the service there was a CHALLENGE  -  One sentence mission statement for MAKING YOUR WORK WORSHIP Just one sentence to summarize what you want to see happen in your life.

I have thought about it all day, and while I was going through charts as well, and came up with this.

I want to make an impact at work from the skills and calling that God has given me while showing my co-workers, and others I come into contact with, Christ's Love.

So what is the MAJOR reason YOU Work?