Oh. . . um, hi there.

So - as it turns out - I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately.

But I have a good excuse:

I’VE BEEN DEAD!

.

.

Err, um. . . enduring the first trimester of pregnancy.

Same dang thing.

.

.

And oh my goodness, you guys, I’ve been sick.

So, so very sick.

So much so that I have labeled this my worst pregnancy EVER!

As far as first trimester: this one’s been the worst, then Brynlee, then my second miscarriage, then my first miscarriage, then Jace.

{In case you were wondering.}

.

.

But then on Friday I had a doctor’s appointment.

And, my favorite part, we heard a heartbeat!!

I immediately declared it the best sound ever.

And then, for a moment, I forgot about all the sickness.

It suddenly all seemed worth it.

The nurse and I celebrated.

{Her anxiety about giving me bad news again was very apparent;

I think she was praying for a heartbeat just as hard as I was.}

And then I texted Spencer who was home with the kiddos.

Heard a heartbeat!!!

And he texted back

YEAH!!!!!!

I could hear his sigh of relief.

.

.

And then - just like that - the party was over.

And I threw up all over Dr. Cox’s brand new office.

It was awesome.

In a very sarcastic way.

.

.

I’m hoping in the next few days I will be able to look at the computer screen again
without getting nauseous.

I’ve missed my silly lil’ blog.

But until then,

XOXO.

In her memory

Sisters
Aunt Carilyn, my mom and Aunt Karla

*****
In loving memory of my Aunt Karla - who will always and forever be remembered for her sweet spirit and kind heart.
*****

In Nazareth, the narrow road,

That tires the feet and steals the breath,

Passes the place where once abode

The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way

The village folk would often wend;

And on the bench, beside Him, lay

Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,

The woman with the broken chair,

The man with broken plough, or yoke,

Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,

In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;

The broken thing which each had brought

Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,

With heavy step and wistful eye,

The burdened souls their way pursue,

Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,

This heart, that’s broken past repair,

This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,

Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,

His own sweet life is woven through

Our broken lives, until they stand

A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,

Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,

Mould Thou into the perfect part,

O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”

- George Blair, “The Carpenter of Nazareth”

Oh My Quotable Friday: Creating Happiness

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

I put our Halloween decorations away today.  I can't believe it has already come and gone.  It’s cliché, really.  Marveling about how fast time goes.  But seriously.  It’s November.  I can’t believe it.

We had such a fun Halloween.  Pumpkin painting, a trunk or treat, pumpkin carving, the zoo boo, trick or treating, kindergarten Halloween party. 

Jace was Batman.  He’s still wearing the batman mask as I type.  I think the two of them will be inseparable for some time to come.  He is certain that when he has the mask on we haven’t a clue that it is really him.  That kid eats, dreams and sleeps superheroes.

Brynlee was a Rainbow Monster.  A Halloween costume created in her own imagination.  She knew exactly what she wanted and I created off her requests.  I didn’t realize when I purchased the monster hat that it looked like Mike Wazoski off of Monsters Inc. so she had a few people ask if she was Mike Wazoski.  No, she’d answer…I’m a Rainbow Monster.  You know, in that ‘duh’ tone of voice.  Like people should know.  She looked adorable and loved her final costume so I considered it a Halloween success.

An October wrap-up post {or two} to come.  Hopefully before Novembers end.

But for now, Happy Halloween from our

D O U B L E

r e d

D O O R S